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made sure that the light fixture came to me in one piece and safe. I will be ordering the replacement bulb when needed...
Best on the Market Arcadia's UVB bulbs are widely considered the best on the market, and from what I have seen so far, I have no reason to doubt that claim. Our panther chameleon seems to appreciate the quality compared with the CFL Reptiglo it replaced (only used briefly as a stop gap until the Arcadia arrived).
While the fixture in this kit is high quality and works great, if I had wanted to do a little more work I could have purchased the bulb separately and set something up myself for a little less. That said, it is great and easy to use, especially for those not inclined to custom build lighting setups.After a historic two-plus year drop in PC sales, the market will rebound next year, with unit sales increasing year-over-year in 2015 to 317 million units. That's the word from the industry seers at Gartner, who say that businesses are finally making the final push towards getting Windows XP off the desktop.
I was curious to see whether the positive results next year were related in any way to Windows 9 (currently codenamed Threshold), which should complete the reversal of the misguided mobile-first strategy that Microsoft employed with Windows 8. But instead, Gartner attributes the coming rebound to those XP replacements, most of which will be to Windows 7 (a.k.a. the new XP).
That said, I do expect Windows 9—which will ship in variants that are respectively better adapted to both traditional PC form factors as well as tablets, hybrids and phones—to finally get the PC industry aligned around a Windows that makes sense for everyone. Windows 8 was simply too divisive, and was dismissed out of hand by both consumers and businesses alike.
Anyway, Gartner.
The firm says that PC sales will drop modestly again this year, by 2.9 percent, to 308 million units. That's not horrible: PC sales fell 9.5 percent in 2013 (using Gartner's numbers).
That this figure is still above 300 million is surprising to me, but part of that is indeed XP upgrades, 60 million of which will occur this year alone, Gartner says. (This suggests that "new" Windows/PC sales are roughly 250 million units, which is basically in-line with what I was thinking.) But that's also a fairly tiny percentage of the overall personal computing devices market—i.e. PCs, plus tablets and smart phones—that will ship this year. Gartner says that 2.4 billion such devices will be sold this year, and 2.5 billion next year. So the PC is about 7.8 percent of the overall market now. Yikes.
Tablets, meanwhile, are expected to hit 256 million units this year, up from 207 million in 2013. But tablets will hit 321 million in 2015, allegedly, surpassing the PC for the first time.
Meanwhile, phone shipments will hit 1.86 billion units in 2014, according to Gartner, and 1.95 billion next year.
As for platforms, Android will ship on 1.17 billion devices in 2014, and 1.37 billion in 2014, while iOS and Mac sales combined will be 271 million units this year. That latter figure is still well below the combined Windows and Windows Phone sales of 333 million devices, up from 326 million in 2013. Next year is even better for Windows/Phone, though, Gartner says, with a total of 374 million devices sold, well above the iOS/Mac estimate of 301 million units. So Apple is heading downward, it seems, from a market share perspective. Nothing new there.
But here is something new: Gartner now expects Windows Phone to hit the crucial 10 percent market share milestone by 2018, thanks to strong growth. That's huge, considering that Windows Phone will account for only 4 percent of the smart phone market in 2014.In a talk this week with IGN, EA’s executive VP Patrick Söderlund discussed his wish to be the guy who found Rocket League, the indie success story about football cars. On Twitter, Rocket League’s design director has pointed out the irony in this: EA actually turned Rocket League down.
For more of the happenings at E3 2016, check our homepage for the latest PC gaming news.
Talking to IGN about the new EA Originals initiative, which aims to publish indie, Söderlund said: “Would I want to be the guy that found Rocket League? Yes. Would I want that to be an EA property? Of course I would like to. That’s [the idea behind EA Originals].”
Seeing the story, design director at Psyonix, Corey Davis, tweeted the article, revealing that EA could have indeed published Rocket League if they hadn’t turned them down in 2011.
We actually pitched the game to EA Partners in 2011, so I'm not sure what would be different this time around! https://t.co/FF59BS3Z6N — Corey Davis (@mrcoreydavis) June 16, 2016
Internally, I imagine there are a lot of people at EA kicking themselves. Rocket League has gone on to be one of the most played and critically acclaimed multiplayer games, seeing huge success on PS4 and Steam, and having expanded to Xbox since launch.
Nevermind, EA. There’s always next time.“Michael Bryant Jr. choked, bit, beat, kicked, pulled hair, threw women to the floor and hit them over the head with a bottle,” according to a report in the Billings Gazette. Bryant, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe in Montana, has been convicted at least five times of domestic assault in tribal courts. And now the Supreme Court is going to put him away for a long time.
This case is “illustrative of the domestic violence problem existing in Indian country.” That was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg writing for the majority in the court’s ruling on Bryant handed down last month. In an 8-0 decision, Ginsburg and her colleagues decided that a defendant can be sentenced under federal guidelines as a repeat offender (three strikes and you’re eligible for federal prison time) even if he did not have access to a lawyer during the initial tribal proceedings. Bryant is probably some kind of sociopath and deserves a harsh sentence, but the court’s ruling is only masking a much bigger problem with justice on Indian reservations.
Bryant argued that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated by the federal conviction. Essentially he was being charged with a federal crime based on prior convictions even though those trials didn’t meet constitutional standards. The Supreme Court has held that convictions in federal or state courts obtained without the advice of counsel cannot then be used to obtain a conviction of another federal crime. But the standards are different in Indian country.
Oddly, this ruling has been hailed as a victory for tribal sovereignty because it allows Indian courts to continue to make their own rules of law and evidence, regardless of federal or state statutes. But actually it’s pretty shocking that Native Americans who are American citizens can be tried this way. As the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers pointed out in a letter warning the House of Representatives against expanding tribal powers, many tribes “do not make the code of laws publicly available” and “have no rules for discovery by the defendants of evidence against them.” And many tribes don’t provide defendants with a lawyer to represent them at trial.
By continuing to allow these tribal courts to operate by a different set of rules, and even placing a federal stamp of approval on their rulings, the Supreme Court is making matters worse for Indian victims of violence (sexual and otherwise) and making the process less fair and transparent for Indian defendants.
Justice Ginsburg is correct that the rates of domestic violence on reservations are deplorable. And it’s not just domestic. Native American women report being raped two-and-a-half times as often as the US average. The rate of child abuse among Native Americans is twice as high as the national average. What’s more, each of these problems is statistically worse when the results are restricted to Native Americans who live on reservations.
‘By continuing to allow these tribal courts to operate by a different set of rules… the Supreme Court is making matters worse for Indian victims of violence.’
In a 2007 story on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in the Dakotas, doctors told NPR they saw rape and sexual assault victims “several times a month” but they were almost never called to testify in court. And authorities rarely break out a rape kit when a woman reports a rape. Sometimes tribes don’t have the resources to pursue every complaint. Sometimes there are overlapping state, federal and tribal jurisdictional issues.
And sometimes there is an effort to cover over problems. In 2012, Michael R. Tilus, director of behavioral health at the Spirit Lake Health Center, e-mailed state and federal health officials about what he saw as the “epidemic” of abuse on the Spirit Lake reservation. Tilus, who had worked for the Public Health Service for 10 years, was actually reprimanded for sending the e-mail. His superiors at the clinic at Spirit Lake accused him of “engaging in action and behavior of a dishonorable nature” because he hadn’t gone through the proper channels to register his complaint. They rescinded his promotion and transferred him to another position.
Joni Renbarger, who has worked as a psychologist for the Shoshone tribe as well as for Indian Health Services, says the “tribal departments of social services are incompetent, and there is not good oversight from the state level or from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” She believes that the court systems are part of the problem. “They don’t have the same standards as state courts.” She has regularly seen cases in which judges are related to the families whose cases they’re deciding.
The justice system on many reservations is a disaster thanks to our desire to respect “tribal sovereignty.” If we wanted to protect the victims of these crimes and ensure that the defendants have the same rights to a fair trial as all other American citizens, we would remake the Indian court system entirely. The Supreme Court has rightly shone a light on the problem of domestic violence on reservations, but their solution is no solution at all.
Naomi Schaefer Riley’s book “The New Trail of Tears: How Washington is Destroying American Indians” is out this month.Bitcoin may not change the world on its own, but the technology that runs the virtual currency very well could.
That's what the World Economic Forum determined in a report released Friday. The group, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, includes various members of the global financial elite. A wide range of banking, consulting and financial executives from Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and other firms contributed to the yearlong project.
"Our findings suggest this technology has the potential to 'live-up to the hype' and reshape financial services, but requires careful collaboration with other emerging technologies, regulators, incumbents and additional stakeholders to be successful," the report said.
The crowdsourced blockchain technology that powers bitcoin could create a new financial services infrastructure for everything from payment systems to trade finance.
Blockchain, also known as distributed ledger technology, is the secure database that records all bitcoin transactions and allows them to occur. While it's secure, it doesn't need to be centrally controlled. That's the main innovation that the World Economic Forum thinks could change financial services worldwide.
The developments in financial services would all be behind the scenes, invisible to consumers. But these advances have the potential to make financial services faster and cheaper.
Over the past three years, $1.4 billion has been invested in blockchain technology, the report said. It also projected that 80 percent of banks would start blockchain products by 2017.
This report, the New York Times said, is a big step toward legitimizing the technology behind bitcoin in the financial mainstream.The organisation known as the Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on 24 June 1717 as the 'Grand Lodge of London and Westminster'. Originally concerned with the practice of Freemasonry in London and Westminster, it soon became known as the Grand Lodge of England. Because it was the first Masonic Grand Lodge to be created, convention calls it the Premier Grand Lodge of England in order to distinguish it from the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons according to the Old Constitutions, more usually referred to as the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, and the Grand Lodge of All England Meeting at York. It existed until 1813, when it united with the Ancient Grand Lodge of England to create the United Grand Lodge of England.[1]
The basic principles of the Grand Lodge of England were inspired by the ideal of tolerance and universal understanding of the Enlightenment and by the Scientific Revolution of the 17th Century.
Foundation [ edit ]
Table of lodges affiliated to the Grand Lodge, 1735
The Grand Lodge was founded shortly after George I, the first Hanoverian king of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ascended to the throne on 1 August 1714 and the end of the first Jacobite rising of 1715.[2]
Officially, the Grand Lodge of England was founded in London on St. John the Baptist's day, 24 June 1717, when four existing Lodges gathered at the Goose and Gridiron Ale-house in St. Paul's Church-yard in London and constituted themselves a Grand Lodge. The four lodges had previously met together in 1716 at the Apple-Tree Tavern, "and having put into the Chair the oldest Master Mason (now the Master of a Lodge), they constituted themselves a Grand Lodge pro Tempore in due form." It was at that meeting in 1716 that they resolved to hold the Annual Assembly and Feast and then choose a Grand Master from among themselves, which they did the following year. All four lodges were simply named after the public houses where they were accustomed to meet, at the Goose and Gridiron Ale-house in St. Paul's Church-yard (Lodge now called Lodge of Antiquity No. 2); the Crown Ale-house in Parker's Lane off Drury Lane; the Apple-Tree Tavern in Charles Street, Covent Garden (Lodge now called Lodge of Fortitude and Old Cumberland No. 12); and the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Channel Row, Westminster (Lodge now called Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge No. IV).
While the three London lodges were mainly operative lodges, the Rummer and Grapes, by the Palace of Westminster, appears to have been primarily a lodge of accepted and speculative gentlemen masons.[3][4]
Little is known of Anthony Sayer, the first Grand Master, but the next, George Payne, rose to a high position within the Commissioners of Taxes. Payne served as Grand Master twice, in 1718–19, and 1720–21. The year in between was taken by John Theophilus Desaguliers, a scientist, clergyman, and a pupil of Newton. Thereafter, every Grand Master was a member of the nobility, although in these early years, it is unlikely that they were anything more than figureheads. The intention was to raise the public profile of the society, which evidently succeeded. In 1725, aside from London Lodges, the minutes of Grand Lodge show lodges at Bath, Bristol, Norwich, Chichester, Chester, Reading, Gosport, Carmarthen, Salford, and Warwick, and embryonic Provincial Grand Lodges in Cheshire and South Wales. Grand Lodge was outgrowing London.[1]
The Book of Constitutions [ edit ]
George Payne took it upon himself to write the General Regulations of a Free Mason [sic],[5] which were recited at his second installation as Grand Master in 1720. Very little is known of the period from 1717 to 1721, due to lack of minutes and written material, but sometime during this period the Revd. Dr. James Anderson was either commissioned or took it upon himself to write The Constitutions of the Free-Masons containing the History, Charges, Regulations, & of that most Ancient and Right Worshipful Fraternity: For use of the Lodges. According to Anderson, he was commissioned to digest the old Gothic Constitutions of Freemasonry. The book was submitted for approval to Grand Lodge, and published by order of the Grand Master in 1723, with the addition of the outgoing Grand Masters method of constituting a new Masonic Lodge. It started with Desagulier's dedication to the previous Grand Master, John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu. There followed a long "Historical" introduction, tracing Freemasonry back to biblical times, a set of six "Charges" (masonic obligations), an expanded version of Payne's Regulations, Grand Master Wharton's method of constituting a new lodge, and finally a section of songs. For the first time, all of Freemasonry, except for the ritual, was available in a printed book. Anderson received no remuneration from the pocket editions which started to appear in the 1730s, which may have inspired the revised edition of 1738.[6][7]
Expansion and conflict [ edit ]
Night
The drunk receiving the contents of a bucket is wearing a masonic master's jewel, and his servant's sword indicates a tyler. The man with the mop may be an allusion to the Tyler erasing chalk marks from the lodge floor. The Rummer and Grapes on the inn sign depict one of the four lodges which founded Grand Lodge Hogarth'sThe drunk receiving the contents of a bucket is wearing a masonic master's jewel, and his servant's sword indicates a tyler. The man with the mop may be an allusion to the Tyler erasing chalk marks from the lodge floor. The Rummer and Grapes on the inn sign depict one of the four lodges which founded Grand Lodge
The new Grand Lodge was evidently not immediately attractive to the older "St. John's" or independent lodges, who already found much to dislike about the organisation. It had been their custom to mark the lodge out in chalk, which would be erased with a mop and bucket. This began to be replaced with tape and thin metal letters, hence an advertisement in a London newspaper in 1726 for a lecture on "Ante-Diluvian Masonry. Showing what innovations have lately been introduced by the Doctor and some other of the Moderns, with their Tape, Jacks, and Movable Letters, Blazing Stars, etc., to the great indignity of the Mop and Pail."[8]
The second quarter of the Eighteenth century saw the London organisation flourish as the Grand Lodge of England. However, the rapidity of growth saw some lodges fail in their first year. A crop of disaffected ex-masons brought a few published exposures, the most successful being Pritchard's "Masonry Dissected", in 1730. As this contained a recognisable representation of all three degrees, with the secrets that would supposedly ensure admission to a Masonic Lodge, Grand Lodge made a few changes to their ritual and password which took them out of step with the new Grand Lodges in Ireland and Scotland. This also widened the gulf between a relatively new Grand Lodge, and many unaffiliated lodges in the country, who viewed with extreme suspicion any departure from the "Ancient Landmarks".[9]
When, in 1721, the Grand Lodge secured John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu as their first noble Grand Master, a foot parade was staged at his installation. This became an annual event, with later processions being conducted in carriages. As every notable admission into the fraternity was heralded in print, an aura of elitism attracted scorn, and the annual processions attracted ridicule and finally, physical parody. In the 1740s, being followed down the road by the "Scald Miserable Masons" became too much, and Masonic Processions were banned by Grand Lodge in 1747.[1]
Ancients and Moderns [ edit ]
In 1751, a group of unaffiliated lodges of mainly Irish membership formed the Grand Committee of what would become the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons according to the Old Constitutions, now known as the Ancients. This society, which adhered to what it believed to be an older and more authentic ritual than the original Grand Lodge, grew rapidly under the influence of Laurence Dermott, who was Grand Secretary from 1752 to 1771, and deputy Grand Master intermittently thereafter. (As the Grand Masters of the period were mainly noble figureheads, it was the Deputy Grand Master who actually directed the Grand Lodge.) It also benefited from early recognition by the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland.[1]
Dermott wrote a new Book of Constitutions for his Grand Lodge, entitled Ahiman Rezon. Published in 1756, the first edition expressed a wish for reconciliation with the other Grand Lodge. The second edition, in 1764, turned on their "unconstitutional fopperies". The Premier Grand Lodge were already referred to as the "Moderns", and Dermott made sure that the epithet stuck, his own Grand Lodge becoming known to history as the Ancients. Succeeding editions heaped ever more scorn on the Premier Grand Lodge. Dermott's prose was bitingly sarcastic, and witty. Ahiman Rezon sold well.[10][11]
Also in 1764, a lodge of Edinburgh masons, who had only joined the previous year, seceded to the Moderns. These were instrumental in the formation of the first Grand Chapter of Royal Arch masonry. Among their members was William Preston, who within a decade, had become a valued writer and lecturer on Masonry. The success in the 1770s of Preston's lectures, and his book, entitled "Illustrations of Masonry", led to his appointment as assistant Grand Secretary, and his election as Master of the Lodge of Antiquity, formerly the Goose and Gridiron, and reputedly the oldest lodge in the constitution.[12]
Preston's position as Assistant Grand Secretary enabled him to correspond with the Grand Lodge of Scotland, casting doubt on the regularity of the Ancients, and attempting to sever the ties between the Ancients and the Scots. This was a predictable failure, and further poisoned the relationship between the two London Grand Lodges. The huge influx of new masons at Preston's Antiquity led to discontent among the longer serving lodge members, and he also managed to fall out with Grand Secretary Heseltine. When he and a few others walked to lodge from church in their regalia one Sunday, his enemies made the incident into an unauthorised procession. Preston unrepentantly cited Antiquity's precedence as a founding "time immemorial" lodge, and was expelled, taking half of Antiquity with him. They allied themselves with the Grand Lodge of All England at York, and for ten years, from 1779 to 1789, became the Grand Lodge of All England South of the River Trent.[12][13]
Whilst the new Grand Chapter had been set up with the Grand Master, Lord Blayney, at its head, Grand Secretary Heseltine continued to write to Provincial Lodges assuring them that Royal Arch masonry had no part in regular masonry, although he was himself one of the founders of Grand Chapter.[14] Thomas Dunckerley, the Grand Superintendent of the new Grand Chapter, had considerable success in spreading Royal Arch, Mark, and Templar masonry in the Southern provinces of the Moderns, and assisted Heseltine and Preston in starting to move Freemasonry out of inns and into dedicated masonic buildings. The official attitude towards the Royal Arch remained antagonistic, which proved difficult as the two Grand Lodges moved towards union in the next century.[15][16]
Union with the Ancients [ edit ]
Relations between the two major bodies in English Freemasonry experienced a thaw in the 1790s. It is hard not to correlate this with the death of Dermott in 1791, and the progressive editing out of his vitriol from Ahiman Rezon, but other factors contributed. John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl became Grand Master of the Ancients, and Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Earl of Moira became Acting Grand Master of the Moderns (the Grand Master being the Prince of Wales). Neither of these noblemen was content to be a mere figurehead, and in 1799 they were forced to act together, in company with representatives of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, to keep Freemasonry from being outlawed. Fear of Napoleon's spies prompted the Unlawful Societies Act, prohibiting any association bound by secret oaths, and the united representations of the three Grand Lodges induced the Government to make a specific exception of the lodges of Freemasons.[17]
Progress towards union remained slow, until the Moderns formed the "Lodge of Promulgation" in 1809, for the purpose of reverting their ritual to a point where it was in step with the Ancients, the Scots and the Irish.[18] One of their resolutions was that the ceremony of installation (of a new master of a lodge) was part of "Antient" masonry. They then obliged their own uninstalled masters and the masters of the London lodges to undergo the ritual in three meetings during December 1810 and January 1811.[19] That year, the Moderns formally told the Ancients that they had resolved to return to the older ritual, and the process of union began. At the end of 1812, the Earl of Moira resigned to take up the post of Governor of India, and the Duke of Sussex became Grand Master on the resignation of his brother, the Prince Regent. On 1 December 1813, the Duke of Atholl resigned the leadership of the Ancients. The Duke of Kent, the older brother of Sussex and the father of Queen Victoria took over. He had already united the Ancients and Moderns in Canada. He simply merged the lodges of the Moderns with the nearest lodge of the Ancients. In other words, he abolished the Canadian Moderns.[20] So it was that on the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, 27 December 1813, the two English Grand Lodges came together to form the United Grand Lodge of England, with the Duke of Sussex as Grand Master.[16]
Grand Masters [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]An Israeli swimming pool in the southern city of Bir al-Saba (Beer Sheva) refused entry to a Palestinian citizen of Israel, in the latest documented example of blatant racism in public accommodations.
Tahir Marisat, a teacher in one of the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Naqab (Negev) region, went to the Beer Sheva Country Club with a friend and asked to buy a ticket.
Marisat was told by the clerk that the pool was only for residents of the city. Marisat, who studied in Bir al-Saba and has lived there for 11 years, is originally from the town of Tamra in the north of the country, but has not changed the address on his identity card.
After being refused entry the first time, Marisat went back a second time and recorded on video the exchange of him being again denied entry. Marisat is told firmly “go home” and that the local residents only policy was “new.”
That exchange, in Hebrew, can be seen in the Channel 10 report at the top of this post.
“A specific population”
The “Orly and Guy” program on Israel’s Channel 10 sent an undercover investigative reporter to the club to test whether it does indeed discriminate between Jews and Arabs.
The Jewish reporter was able to buy a ticket even though his place of residence was Netanya, a northern city far from Bir al-Saba. When the reporter asked about the policy of only selling tickets to local residents he was told by the desk clerk that the policy only applied to a “specific population.”
The video of the Channel 10 report included audio of this exchange recorded by the undercover reporter as he purchased a ticket. It is translated from the original Hebrew:
Undercover reporter: “How much is it?”
Pool clerk: “Seventy-five. Are you a soldier?”
Undercover reporter: “Uh - no. Is there any problem with me not being from Beer Sheva?”
Pool clerk: “No.”
Undercover reporter: “No?”
Pool clerk: “It’s not aimed at you.”
Undercover reporter: “It’s not aimed at me? What does that mean?”
Pool clerk: “It’s for a specific population.”
Undercover reporter: “Do lots of Bedouins come here?”
Pool clerk: “Yes.”
Undercover reporter: “OK, thank you very much.”
Family turned away for being Arab
Marisat told Channel 10, “When I was there a woman came, with her children, with her husband, to come into the pool. An Arab woman, with her husband, and they didn’t let her in. She went back and her children started asking ‘why aren’t we going in?’”
After being caught red-handed implementing a blatantly racist policy, the club told Channel 10 that it “permits entry to any person who purchased an annual subscription, with no difference of color, sex, and religion.”
When it comes to day passes, of the type Marisat and the undercover reporter sought to purchase, the club claimed “entry is permitted only to Beer Sheva residents, regardless of their ethnic origins.”
To this, program host Orly Vilnai commented, “we saw that this was untrue.” And her co-host Guy Maroz observed, “They’re blaming the lowest ranking person!”
The program also noted that the mayor of Bir al-Saba did not respond to a request for comment even though the club is a municipal pool.
The exposure of segregation at the Beer Sheva Country Club follows other similar incidents in recent months including:
With thanks to Dena Shunra for translation and analysis.27 of 32
Rick Osentoski/Associated Press
Are the 49ers headed in the wrong direction?
That might seem like a ludicrous question given their third consecutive NFC Championship Game appearance last year, but turnover on defense and some off-field drama have rocked the boat in San Francisco.
General manager Trent Baalke had to watch some of his talent go because of cap constraints, particularly on defense. He quickly put the 49ers back on track with a fantastic draft.
That did not happen in the first round as Baalke stood pat at No. 30 and took safety Jimmie Ward, though the 49ers made a bunch of trades later.
Ward has been an underrated prospect out of Northern Illinois, at least by media-coverage standards. Draft analysts know what the versatile safety brings to the table, though, and so did the 49ers.
He is great in coverage and capable of playing center field or pressing a slot receiver. He is a nice chess piece for head coach Jim Harbaugh, one that will mitigate the loss of Donte Whitner, Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers in the secondary.
The 49ers may have found their running back of the future in Ohio State's Carlos Hyde. The big back fell a bit due to character concerns, but he is easily the best choice that Baalke has made with an eye toward the future at the position, even with Marcus Lattimore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James in the fold.
Baalke followed that up with one fantastic pick after another, including center Marcus Martin out of USC, linebacker Chris Borland out of Wisconsin and receiver Bruce Ellington out of South Carolina.
He also continued his new annual tradition of selecting fantastic prospects who fell because of injury or character concerns by taking offensive lineman Brandon Thomas out of Clemson and defensive end Aaron Lynch out of USF.
Indeed, this was an excellent draft for Baalke. Again.
Grade: A+Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Feb. 23, 2016, 1:21 PM GMT / Updated Feb. 23, 2016, 4:43 PM GMT By Halimah Abdullah
President Barack Obama on Tuesday presented a long-awaited plan to Congress to shut down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, insisting that keeping the prison open is "contrary to our values."
"It's been clear that the detention center at Guantanamo Bay does not advance our national security," Obama said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House. "It undermines it."
The plan, which has been on Obama's agenda since he took office in 2009, hinges on the transfer of between 30 and 60 detainees to U.S. soil, and suggests several possible locations in South Carolina, Kansas and Colorado. The rest of the 91 detainees at the prison could be sent to other countries.
Related: Two Guantanamo Bay Detainees Headed to Ghana
There are currently 35 detainees eligible for transfer and the plan calls for an accelerated review of remaining detainees to determine whether they pose a threat — and, if not, if they should be eligible for transfer.
"Keeping this facility open is contrary to our values," Obama said. "It undermines our standing in the world. It is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law."
Obama is already facing pushback from Republicans in Congress. Both chambers have repeatedly passed legislation banning any effort to move detainees to the U.S.
“President Obama seems to be captured on one matter by one campaign promise he made in 2008,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
“This isn’t even a case where the president can use some kind of pen and phone strategy by claiming the Congress refused to act,” McConnell said.
Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of House Armed Services Committee, has said his panel would hold a hearing on a closure plan. But he sent a letter to Obama warning that Congress has made clear what details must be included in any plan and that anything less than that would be unacceptable.
Related: Senate Bill Passes to Ban Guantanamo Bay Detainees From U.S.
Obama said politics has complicated an issue which once had bipartisan agreement.
“When I first ran for president, it was widely recognized the facility needed to close,” Obama said, adding that former president George W. Bush and former Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., once backed closure.
But such plans became unpopular, Obama said.
“Suddenly, many of those who said it needed to close backed off because they were worried about the politics,” he said.
“I think a lot of the American public are worried about terrorism, and in their mind the notion of having terrorists held in the United States rather than in some distant place can be scary,” he said. “But part of my message to the American people here is we’re already holding a bunch of really dangerous terrorists here in the United States because we threw the book at them. And there have been no incidents.”
The White House hasn’t officially ruled out the possibility of the president using executive action to close Guantanamo Bay prison if an agreement with Congress isn’t struck.
U.S. officials say the plan considers 13 different locations in the U.S., including seven existing prison facilities in Colorado, South Carolina and Kansas, as well as six other locations on current military bases. They say the plan doesn't recommend a preferred site and the cost estimates are meant to provide a starting point for a conversation with Congress.
Some lawmakers representing South Carolina, Kansas and Colorado have already made it clear they oppose housing Guantanamo detainees in their states.
Related: Guantanamo Bay: Who Are the Detainees Left the Prison Facility?
Obama, for his part, called for immediate action.
"I don’t want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever that is," he said.Gleaming new skyscrapers. Swarms of young pedestrians. Cutting edge tech and creative office tenants. High-end retail. Sprouting condo towers. A new transportation hub.
This isn’t a city of the future—it’s the “New Downtown,” as Francis Greenburger of Time Equities described it to Commercial Observer last week.
The submarket’s comeback is undoubtedly remarkable and a boon for the real estate industry. But the prosperity has also sparked more than a dozen residential development projects, at least a handful of which are high-end, luxury buildings, which will make Downtown Manhattan a destination for the city and world’s most well-to-do, broadening a wealth gap that the city’s top dog wants so badly to mend.
“It’s definitely a very affluent crowd,” said Daniel McInerney, the vice president at Taconic Investment Partners, referring to the clientele scoping out The Sterling Mason, a 32-unit luxury condo building that his firm just topped off in prime Tribeca.
Pricing at the building starts at $3.9 million for a two-bedroom and shoots to $23 million for its two penthouses (one of which is under contract for $21 million), with a roster that will likely include a mix of foreign investors and domestic families.
“We are seeing interest at prices that are double what we had anticipated pro forma two years ago,” he said. “You won’t get those prices at every location, but we are big believers in Downtown and it’s gotten very competitive over the last couple of years.”
The growth and vitality of Downtown is perhaps best personified by the rise of 1 World Trade Center, accompanied by unprecedented progress in retail development, new hotels, boosts to tourism pushed along by the popularity of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and a plethora of new office tenants filtering in, creating a 24/7 vibe.
“The confluence of market conditions couldn’t be more ideal,” said Mr. Greenburger, the founder, chairman and chief executive of Time Equities, who broke ground on what will be a 63-story, 200-unit luxury condo building at 50 West Street last year.
He was more than patient with plans at the site. In fact, he bought the lot (and the building that once stood there) way back in 1982.
“It was a combination of financing being available, the condo market being strong and the development of what we call the ‘New Downtown’ occurring, and literally having millions of new feet of office retail and transportation delivered at the same time,” he said.
Upscale condos are rising across lower Manhattan, and they are pushing a high standard of living. Downtown will be less affordable—even for someone making a triple-digit salary—at a time when Mayor Bill de Blasio is hell-bent on shrinking the income gap across the city by taxing the rich and funding pre-K programs.
Data from the City University of New York shows that the median household income of the upper 1 percent across the city increased by nearly 60 percent between 1990 and 2010 to $716,625, and the wealthy now control a bigger share of wealth and the middle class controls less. The bottom 20 percent in the CUNY study earned $14,168 in 2010.
Even with the latest U.S. Census Bureau data showing that the median household income is $68,370 across Manhattan, most of Downtown’s new housing stock will be |
in Kubiak’s scheme.
• This Is the Deepest Receiving Corps In the Harbaugh Era. From positions 1-4, the Ravens can attack you with different receiver combinations. We will see variations of formations in which The Smiths (Torrey and Steve), Jacoby Jones, and Marlon Brown will all see the field. They may all be on the field at the same time. Or more than likely, they will be alternating. The great thing is that all of the receivers can play inside or outside, presenting plenty of matchup dilemmas for opposing defensive coordinators.
What We Don’t Know:
• Who Will Start as the Nickel Corner? Both Asa Jackson and Chykie Brown have had their chances to play the role. Brown has been miserable thus far in camp. Jackson has been much better. However, neither player has really charged out of the gates. My money is still on Jackson, but this battle is going to last until the bitter end of the preseason.
• The Definitive Role of Owen Daniels. Thus far, Daniels has been handling some different duties than what we are accustomed to seeing. He is not the guy on the move in the offense – that role looks like it’s going to Juszczyk. And Dennis Pitta has taken over his role as the primary flex tight end in the offense. Daniels is going to have to adjust to being used in more of a rotation, especially if rookie tight end Crockett Gilmore continues to shine as a run blocker. Whether Daniels fits in with all of the other offensive weapons is still a question mark.
• If the Pass Rush Is Back. Even with the glimpses we’ve seen of the front getting better, it’s still hard to say if the down front rush is substantially better than it was at the tail end of last season, when the rush fell off a cliff. Can the group of rushers make plays on third-down passing situations when the game is on the line without relying on the blitz? They’ve made their presence felt (especially Pernell McPhee and Terrell Suggs) but the preseason games should unveil a clearer picture.
• How the Backs Will Do Without Rice. They’ve all had their moments, but none of the other RBs have been as consistent as Rice. And that is somewhat concerning considering Rice will be suspended for the first two games against the Bengals and Steelers. Pierce and Taliaferro have displayed power and the ability to push the pile, while Forsett has shown off his shiftiness. It will be interesting to see how the three backs will be used going forward, and whether they will see more snaps in camp ahead of Rice before the season opener. Of all the backs, Pierce still has the most upside and his running style really fit’s Kubiak’s one-cut, zone scheme perfectly.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ariel Castro said he understood he would not leave prison alive
The Ohio man accused of raping and holding three women captive in his home for about a decade has agreed to a plea deal that will see him imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.
Ariel Castro, 53, was arrested in May after one of the women escaped.
He abducted Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, from Cleveland streets between 2002-04.
Castro was charged with murder for beating and starving one of the women, who was pregnant, until she miscarried.
Following the hearing, a law firm representing the three women said they were "satisfied" with the resolution.
"Amanda, Gina, and Michelle are relieved by today's plea," the law firm Jones Day said.
No death penalty
In the courtroom in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday morning, Judge Michael Russo repeatedly warned Castro he would never be let out of prison.
"Is that clear?" he asked Castro, who sat clad in an orange jail jumpsuit, his hands cuffed in front of him.
Image caption The three women were all taken from the same street between 2002-04
"I do understand that, your honour," Castro, an unemployed school bus driver, replied. "I knew I was pretty much going to get the book thrown at me."
Under the terms of the plea deal Castro will receive an additional prison sentence of 1,000 years and his property and other assets will be forfeited. He will also be classified as a sex offender.
The agreement protects him from further charges and from the death penalty.
The judge said there were plans to demolish the house where the women were held.
At the hearing, Castro told the judge he was abused as a child and said, "My addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll on my mind."
Castro was charged with 977 counts including two of aggravated murder for the "unlawful termination" of one of the women's pregnancies, as well as multiple counts of kidnapping and rape.
Other charges included gross sexual imposition, felonious assault and endangering children.
The three women were abducted after accepting car rides from Castro, police said. Neighbours said they did not think anyone had been living in the house where the women were imprisoned.
Brutal treatment
They were rescued from the house after Ms Berry kicked open a door while Castro was out of the house and was aided by a neighbour who heard her struggling and screaming.
Image caption The house where the women were found will be demolished, the judge said
When officials arrived they freed Ms Knight and Ms DeJesus, as well as Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter, who was fathered by Mr Castro.
Ms Knight disappeared in 2002 when she was 20 years old. The following year Ms Berry vanished the day before her 17th birthday. Ms DeJesus went missing in 2004 at the age of 14.
While in captivity, one of the women became pregnant many times and suffered multiple miscarriages.
One woman also said that she was forced to help Ms Berry deliver her baby and was threatened with death if the baby did not survive.
Castro was accused of chaining the women to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or holding them inside a van.
Prosecutors also said Castro garrotted one of the women with a vacuum cord after catching her trying to escape.
Months after their release, the three women appeared in a video thanking the public for their support. Otherwise, they have requested privacy and a speedy resolution to the case against Castro.* Visitez le nouveau site web de l’émission De remarquables oubliés! * Toute une galerie de personnages
Une émission originale, audacieuse et moderne dans la pure tradition du conte, tissé dans un texte musical cinématographique. Cette production invite lauditeur à faire son « propre cinéma », au rythme dune histoire surprenante. Loriginalité de ces contes, cest quils proposent un nouveau regard sur lAmérique, par le récit de la vie de personnages considérables mais inconnus. Les oubliés de lhistoire
De plus, lémission jette un éclairage nouveau sur cet immense métissage qui a construit lAmérique. En fait, elle ne propose rien de moins quun nouveau regard sur nos identités. Chaque émission comprend aussi une tribune où les auditeurs passionnés et curieux de notre histoire ajoutent à la connaissance collective; un style de tribune unique où experts et néophytes échangent et contribuent à une pénétration plus grande de nos diversités. Veuillez noter que les épisodes ne sont pas offerts en baladodiffusion, ni en version CD. Par contre, la série des athlètes des Jeux dété est en vente à la Boutique de Radio-Canada. Les sports d’hiver à l’honneur
Pendant les Fêtes, réécoutez les contes diffusés pendant les Jeux olympiques de Vancouver. Découvrez ces héros canadiens durant la semaine du 20 décembre à 23 h.
• 20 décembre : L’histoire du ski de fond et d’un de ses pionniers en Amérique du Nord, Herman Smith-Johannsen/Jackrabbit
• 21 décembre : L’histoire du ski alpin et d’une de ses légendes, Lucile Wheeler
• 22 décembre : L’histoire du patinage artistique et de vitesse et du champion mondial Louis Rubenstein
• 23 décembre : L’histoire du hockey et d’un de ses champions olympiques, Denis Brodeur Et maintenant sur iTunes
Les épisodes de la série sur les sports d’hiver sont accessibles dans l’application iTunes! Une fois l’application téléchargée, il faut cliquer sur la boutique (store) et taper « remarquables » dans la boîte de recherche et les voilà, à 1, 99 $ chacun!
Les « mal traités » de l’histoire
L'animateur présente « sa » version de l'histoire. Il prend ses distances quant à la version officielle qui reflète souvent le point de vue des vainqueurs. Serge Bouchard explore la vision des vaincus et ils ne sont pas toujours Français et catholiques. « Nous sommes très métissés sur les plans biologique et culturel. » Du cinéma à la radio
Vous pouvez réécouter chaque épisode. Équipez-vous d'une carte géographique de l'Amérique du Nord et laissez-vous aller sur l'écran de votre imaginaire. Les préparatifs
Comment faire d’un conte historique un voyage passionnant, tel était mon défi!
D’abord, j’ai traité le conte-récit de Serge comme un scénario. Pour que le récit soit fluide et captivant, j’ai demandé à Serge de l'improviser. L’effet est immédiat. Serge est un formidable conteur, mais cela implique un bon travail pour resserrer au montage ce récit ad lib., pour le garder à la fois compréhensible et bien vivant. Impressions de voyage
Je voulais faire revivre chaque personnage et son époque oubliée. J’ai choisi de créer une atmosphère par des effets dramatiques, des respirations, des ponctuations et des accents qui permettent à l’auditeur d’imaginer son propre film. Je me suis prise au jeu de ces ponctuations musicales, si bien qu’il m’est arrivé d’écouter plus de 1000 pièces musicales pour en sélectionner une cinquantaine, et ce, pour chacune des histoires! Un peu fou, j’en conviens. L’assemblage
Une fois le scénario musical structuré commence l’aventure de l’imbrication des divers éléments. Avec la monteuse-mixeuse Réjeanne Leblanc, chaque choix musical est réévalué afin qu’il serve le récit. Il arrive souvent à Réjeanne de retravailler les pièces afin de les ajuster à notre récit, ce qu’elle fait avec grand talent. Les recherchistes Carole Gagnon et Lise Maynard se sont jointes tour à tour à notre équipe ajoutant leur inventivité, leur compétence, leur passion et leur enthousiasme à cette série. Passionnés et un peu fous
Au fur et à mesure de la fabrication de cette série, nous sommes peu à peu devenus tous les trois un peu « fous ». Nous voguions tantôt sur Internet, tantôt dans nos bibliothèques respectives à la recherche d’une autre information sur le personnage ou d’un lien nourrissant. Combien de fois Réjeanne, notre technicienne passionnée d’histoire, n’est-elle pas arrivée avec un de ses livres parce qu’elle y avait trouvé un détail ou une date qui pouvait faire une différence dans le récit. Parfois, nous découvrions carrément des personnages oubliés. C’est ainsi que Gabriel Franchère, John McLoughlin et James Douglas, entre autres, ont refait surface. Ode aux invisibles
Je suis très fière de cette série parce qu’elle innove sur le plan de la forme, parce qu’elle a réussi à faire de l’histoire un conte, parce qu’elle bouscule ce que nous croyions savoir, parce qu’elle séduit jeunes et moins jeunes, parce qu’elle met l’histoire à la portée de tous et parce qu’elle enracine le fait que la vérité est un point de vue relatif. Aujourd’hui, je sais que faire des films à la radio est une folle aventure… Bonne écoute et bon voyage!
Rachel VerdonBased on new evidence, the age of introduction of gluten into the infant diet -- or the practice of introducing gluten during breast-feeding -- does not reduce the risk of celiac disease in infants at risk, according to a Position Paper of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). The statement appears in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN), official journal of ESPGHAN and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, published by Wolters Kluwer.
Contrary to previous advice, gluten may be introduced anytime between four to twelve completed months of age, the updated recommendations state. Although breastfeeding should be promoted for its other well-established health benefits, current evidence suggests that neither any breastfeeding nor breastfeeding during gluten introduction can reduce the risk of celiac disease.
No Evidence that Timing of Gluten Introduction Affects Celiac Disease Risk
Celiac disease is a unique genetic autoimmune disease affecting the gut and other organs, developing in response to consumption of a specific food ingredient -- namely gluten. Occurring only in persons carrying one or more susceptibility genes, celiac disease affects approximately one to three percent of the general population in most parts of the world.
In 2008, ESPGHAN issued a recommendation to avoid both early (less than 4 months) and late (7 months or later) introduction of gluten, and to introduce gluten while the infant is still being breastfed. Those recommendations were based on observational studies suggesting that this approach to gluten introduction reduced the risk for celiac disease.
But since then, two randomized controlled trials have shown that the age at gluten introduction does not affect overall rates (incidence and prevalence) of celiac disease during childhood. Earlier gluten introduction causes the disease to present itself at an earlier age. "These findings suggest that primary prevention of celiac disease through nutritional interventions is not possible at the present time," Prof. Szajewska of The Medical University of Warsaw, the lead author of the new Position Paper, comments.
Meanwhile, new observational evidence shows no difference in celiac disease risk when gluten is introduced while the infant is still breast-feeding, compared to after weaning. Because of its many other health benefits, breastfeeding is recommended for all infants, regardless of celiac disease risk.
The updated recommendations are based on studies of infants with known risk genes for celiac disease. However, because this information is generally not known at the time solid foods are introduced, the recommendations apply to all infants.
Celiac disease risk genes are present in 30 to 40 percent of the general European population, as well as in 75 to 80 percent of children who have a close relative (parent or sibling) with celiac disease. For now, there is not enough evidence to make specific recommendations for infants with a family history of celiac disease.
The authors highlight the need for recommendations on screening strategies for children with affected family members. They also call for further studies to determine the best approaches to introducing gluten into the diet -- currently, there is no evidence on the effects of delaying gluten introduction for longer than one year.PoliZette GOP Lawmakers Praise Trump for Taiwan Call Despite media meltdown, Republicans hail Trump's willingness to engage foreign leaders without fear of China
Despite liberal politicians and the mainstream media entering intense freakout mode following President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with the president of Taiwan Friday, several lawmakers lauded Trump for the conversation.
The president-elect caused an uproar Friday when his transition team announced he had spoken with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who had offered him her congratulations. Noting that the two spoke of “the close economic, political, and security ties that exists between Taiwan and the United States,” the team’s statement noted that Trump had also congratulated her an her election victory earlier this year.
“America has always been a champion of democratic values and individual freedoms, and I applaud the President-elect for making a strong statement in support of those values around the world.”
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But several lawmakers came to Trump’s defense when soft condemnation came crashing down on him for audaciously speaking with the president of Taiwan — a country China views as a sort of renegade province.
“I commend President-elect Trump for his conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen,” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said in a statement Friday, noting that the phone call “reaffirms our commitment to the only democracy on Chinese soil.”
“America’s policy toward Taiwan is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, under which we maintain close ties with Taiwan and support its democratic system,” Cotton said, adding that he is “confident [President Tsai] expressed to the president-elect the same desire for closer relations with the United States.”
Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement to The Hill that Trump had made a “strong statement” with his historic conversation with Tsai.
“I commend [President-elect] Trump for reaching out to the democratically-elected President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen,” Salmon said. “America has always been a champion of democratic values and individual freedoms, and I applaud the President-elect for making a strong statement in support of those values around the world.”
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Salmon was a former missionary to Taiwan and attended Tsai’s inauguration earlier this year.
House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Luke Messer (R-Ind.) told The Hill that he “loved” Trump’s bold move.
“Taiwan is a great friend of America and I see nothing wrong with the president-elect letting the world see that,” Messer said.”I have visited Taiwan twice in recent years … And anyone who has knows that Taiwan is a democratic republic, a great trade partner with America, and a nation that values freedom and the rule of law.”
Messer added, “To me, it’s ironic that some who call Obama enlightened for his outreach to murderous communist thugs in Cuba would now criticize Trump for acknowledging Taiwan,” referring to President Barack Obama’s relatively complimentary and sympathetic statement released after former Cuban president and dictator Fidel Castro died last week.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz echoed Messer’s thoughts in a tweet Saturday morning, saying, “I would much rather have Donald Trump talking to President Tsai than to Cuba’s Raul Castro or Iran’s Hasan Rouhani. This is an improvement.”
Chinese officials did not address the incident directly but issued a statement warning against any U.S. deviation from the notion of “one China.”
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“We have noticed relevant reports and lodged solemn representation with the relevant side in the United States,” Geng Shuang, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said a statement Saturday. “I must point out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory … The ‘one China’ principle is the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. We urge the relevant side in the U.S. to adhere to the ‘one China’ policy, abide by the pledges in the three joint China-U.S. communiques, and handle issues related to Taiwan carefully and properly to avoid causing unnecessary interference to the overall China-U.S. relationship.”
The Obama Administration responded with its own statement looking to soothe any distressed Chinese nerves.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council said “there is no change to our longstanding policy on cross-Strait issues,” according to CNN.
“We remain firmly committed to our ‘one China’ policy based on the three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,” Price added. “Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations.”
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North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, who serves on the Foreign Affairs panel, told The Hill that “President-elect Trump recognizes that reaching out to every world leader is a critical component of an effective foreign policy.”
“It’s not policy, it’s a phone call,” Meadows said.
Taiwanese officials also downplayed any negativity associated with Trump’s phone call.
“Maintaining good relations with the United States is as important as maintaining good relations across the Taiwan Strait,” Taiwanese presidential spokesman Alex Huang said, according to NBC News.
Huang added that both relationships are “in line with Taiwan’s national interest” and noted that the phone call had been prearranged.
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For his own part, Trump sought to offer some clarity.
“The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” Trump tweeted Friday. “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.”Holy crap, Philip Rivers is good. He finished Sunday's win with 401 passing yards, completing over 83% of his passes and throwing 3 touchdowns and only 1 interception (a tipped pass). He was fantastic in the second half, keeping the defense off the field and scoring points in dominating fashion.
Danny Woodhead was equally spectacular, touching the ball 10 times for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, the most important part of Rivers' good day was probably Antonio Gates, who caught all 10 of the passes thrown his way for 136 yards and a long touchdown.
The running game was good enough, and Ken Whinsenhunt never abandoned it. The passing game was equal parts conservative and aggressive, and Rivers somehow had enough time to operate behind an offensive line that was mostly made up of hopes and dreams. The offense was consistent, and dominant for long stretches, and the team rode it to victory.
That being said, the defense wasn't horrible. Eric Weddle was everywhere, making plays in ways that we hadn't seen this season. The defense held the Cowboys to mostly short gains, and Crezdon Butler forced a big turnover late in the game at the goal line to keep Dallas off the board for the entire second half.
The San Diego Chargers might be 2-2 after two weeks, but they have looked awfully good against the NFC East and looked solid in losses to the AFC South. What will determine the success of this team this season will be how they match up in six games against teams in their own division. They'll get their first test against the Oakland Raiders next weekend.Radomir Antic: Former Real Madrid and Barcelona coach is keen to become Leeds boss
Former Real Madrid and Barcelona coach Raddy Antic has thrown his hat into the ring to become the next manager of Leeds United.
The Championship club sacked Simon Grayson earlier in the week and revealed on Friday that they had been inundated with applications.
Huddersfield Town boss Lee Clark has played down speculation linking him with the position, while former Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock is rumoured to be a contender.
Neil Redfearn is currently in caretaker charge of the Whites, but the hugely experienced Antic has now shown an interest in the Elland Road vacancy.
Hungry
Antic's press agent Paul Gough said: "Radomir will undoubtedly be one of the most experienced and qualified coaches to apply for the Leeds job.
"He is hugely qualified and immensely hungry for the opportunity. He would love the chance to boss at Elland Road - it is something he knows he would be very successful at."
Antic, who spent four years at Luton Town during his playing days, launched his coaching career at Real Zaragoza, and his impressive CV since has seen him take the helm at Real Madrid, Real Oviedo, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Celta Vigo before he was appointed as Serbia coach in 2008.
He guided his side to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa but, after a disappointingly early exit, lost his job in September of the same year.
After an opening defeat by Ghana, the Serbians stunned Germany - who went on to reach the semi-finals - with a 1-0 victory in Port Elizabeth, before a 2-1 loss to Australia ended their Group D campaign and ensured a swift return home.
Antic received a four-game touchline ban and a fine for unruly behaviour as a result of comments made in the wake of the final game.Gen. James Matttis' legion of admirers call him either “the Warrior Monk” or “Mad Dog.” | Getty 9 unforgettable quotes by James Mattis
James Mattis, the retired Marine Corps general who has been tapped to be Donald Trump’s secretary of defense, is known for his earthy aphorisms -- eminently quotable, often controversial observations on everything from the romanticism of war to the secret of personal success (“I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word,” he once said.)
Reporters who have followed the arc of the four-star general’s 44-year military career from the sands of Iraq to the halls of the Pentagon have dubbed his many pithy statements “Mattisisms”; his legion of admirers call him either “the Warrior Monk” or “Mad Dog.” One Mattisism -- “be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet" -- even made it into a popular video game.
It turns out that Mattis, whose gruff exterior masks a finely honed intellect, may have influenced the president-elect’s view on waterboarding with something of a Mattisism. Trump told The New York Times that he was “surprised” when Mattis told him he does not favor the practice.
“He said, ‘I’ve never found it to be useful,’” Trump relayed. “He said, ‘I’ve always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture.’ And I was very impressed by that answer.”
Here’s a sampling of Mattis’ most memorable quotes:
1. ‘It’s quite fun to shoot them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people.’
In 2005, he offered this commentary on war: “You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.”
He continued: “Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling.”
At the time, after the remarks made some waves, Marine commandant Gen. Michael Hagee noted that Mattis “often speaks with a great deal of candor.”
2. ‘There are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.’
Speaking to some 200 Marines, Mattis had this advice, according to longtime reporter Thomas Ricks: “The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”
Mattis elaborated, “There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim. It’s really a hell of a lot of fun. You’re gonna have a blast out here!”
And: “I feel sorry for every son of a bitch that doesn’t get to serve with you.”
3. ‘I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.’
Mattis remembered offering this message to Iraqi leaders following the invasion, Ricks reported.
4. ‘Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.’
According to the same report, Mattis advised his Marines in Iraq to stay vigilant. In that vein, he also once said, “There is only one ‘retirement plan’ for terrorists.”
5. ‘There are some people who think you have to hate them in order to shoot them. I don’t think you do.’
“It’s just business,” Mattis said.
6. ‘In a country with millions of people and cars going everywhere, the enemy is going to get a car bomb out there once in awhile.’
Matt was characteristically blunt in a 2007 interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune. “There are going to be good days and bad days. Bottom line,” he concluded.
7. ‘PowerPoint makes us stupid.’
Mattis gets a third of his briefings on the presentation platform, though, The New York Times has reported.
8. ‘I get a lot of credit these days for things I never did.’
For all his proverbial outspokenness, in a 2004 speech at the Naval Academy, Mattis was reportedly modest about his accomplishments.
9. “Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.”
Mattis, a student of counterinsurgency tactics and strategy, sent this advice to his Marine unit only a few hours before they helped kick off the 2003 invasion of Iraq. “While we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for people who have endured a lifetime under Saddam’s oppression,” he wrote.Job listings on both jobs.apple.com and jobs.ch appear to confirm long-standing rumors that Apple is to open a fourth Swiss Apple Store in Basel, joining its existing stores in Geneva, Zurich and Wallisellen …
Although no Basel jobs are currently found on the Apple site under that filter, five jobs – including Apple Genius – appear on the jobs.ch site. The entries were spotted by Swiss site macprime.ch, which previously reported what it believes to be plans and construction photos for the new store at Freie Strasse 47. Apple typically advertises store jobs around six months before opening.
Basel is the third-largest city in Switzerland, with a population of 172,000, located in the north-east. Basel is noted for its arts heritage, including being home to the Museum of Fine Arts, the world’s oldest public art collection.
Apple recently opened new stores in Berlin and Adelaide.Scientists call it the "French paradox" — a society that, despite consuming food high in cholesterol and saturated fats, has long had low death rates from heart disease. Research has suggested it is the red wine consumed with all that fatty food that may be beneficial — and not only for cardiovascular health but in warding off certain tumors and even Alzheimer's disease.
Now, Alzheimer's researchers at UCLA, in collaboration with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, have discovered how red wine may reduce the incidence of the disease. Reporting in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, David Teplow, a UCLA professor of neurology, and colleagues show how naturally occurring compounds in red wine called polyphenols block the formation of proteins that build the toxic plaques thought to destroy brain cells, and further, how they reduce the toxicity of existing plaques, thus reducing cognitive deterioration.
Polyphenols comprise a chemical class with more than 8,000 members, many of which are found in high concentrations in wine, tea, nuts, berries, cocoa and various plants. Past research has suggested that such polyphenols may inhibit or prevent the buildup of toxic fibers composed primarily of two proteins — Aß40 and Aß42 — that deposit in the brain and form the plaques which have long been associated with Alzheimer's. Until now, however, no one understood the mechanics of how polyphenols worked.
Teplow's lab has been studying how amyloid beta (Aß) is involved in causing Alzheimer's. In this work, researchers monitored how Aß40 and Aß42 proteins folded up and stuck to each other to produce aggregates that killed nerve cells in mice. They then treated the proteins with a polyphenol compound extracted from grape seeds. They discovered that polyphenols carried a one-two punch: They blocked the formation of the toxic aggregates of Aß and also decreased toxicity when they were combined with Aß before it was added to brain cells.
"What we found is pretty straightforward," Teplow said. "If the Aß proteins can't assemble, toxic aggregates can't form, and thus there is no toxicity. Our work in the laboratory, and Mt. Sinai's Dr. Giulio Pasinetti's work in mice, suggest that administration of the compound to Alzheimer's patients might block the development of these toxic aggregates, prevent disease development and also ameliorate existing disease."
Human clinical trials are next.
"No disease-modifying treatments of Alzheimer's now exist, and initial clinical trials of a number of different candidate drugs have been disappointing," Teplow said. "So we believe that this is an important next step."
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health; the Department of Veterans Affairs; the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center Program, Polyphenolics (to Giulio Pasinetti); grants from the Japan Human Science Foundation and the Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research; grants from the Alzheimer's Association; and the Jim Easton Consortium for Alzheimer's Drug Discovery and Biomarkers at UCLA (to David Teplow). Teplow reports no conflict of interests.Based on comments on social media, apparently many think that Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker gave convicted former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard a lenient sentence, because the ethics statute that Hubbard was convicted of violating carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and Walker only gave Hubbard four. Yr Stranger, happily enough, is a lawyer and can law’splain that Hubbard actually received a harsh sentence under the statute and the sentencing and parole rules under Alabama law.
It is true that the felonies of which Hubbard stands convicted carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Judge Walker could have sentenced Hubbard to the full 20 years. But because of prison overcrowding and because Hubbard is a non-violent offender, he would have been eligible for and almost certainly would have received parole after a mere two years.
But the Alabama sentencing statute gives the court the ability to impose what is known as a “split sentence,” under which the judge may order that the convict serve a definite amount of prison time without possibility of parole and that the rest of the sentence is probation rather than prison time. For a class B felony involving a sentence of 20 years, the most prison time the court can order a convict to serve is five years. That’s what the prosecution wanted Judge Walker to do. Instead, the judge cut that by a year and ordered Hubbard to serve four years without the possibility of parole and to serve the rest of his 20 year sentence on supervised probation.
In other words, the absolute most actual jail time Judge Walker could have sentenced Mike Hubbard to is five years. He gave him 80% of that maximum.
That’s a harsh sentence, and Judge Walker should be praised for not listening to Hubbard’s lawyer and buddies who claimed a “man like Mike” doesn’t belong in prison.
Judge Walker’s sentence is a fair one given the applicable law and Hubbard’s criminal conduct, and is a much harsher sentence than just a straight 20-year sentence that would have had Hubbard out in two.Bitcoin is a digital currency system that is increasingly becoming the payment method of choice for a group of Venezuelan entrepreneurs. Photo by: BTC Keychain / CC BY
Venezuela may not have much milk or toilet paper these days, but it does boast some of the latest cutting edge financial technologies. Bitcoin, the virtual currency system that sidesteps traditional banking intermediaries to conduct financial transactions, is increasingly becoming the payment method of choice for a group of Venezuelan entrepreneurs. Is this a vote of confidence for virtual currencies in developing countries? Or desperate times breeding financial innovation in a crumbling economy? Perhaps a bit of both.
Premise, a San Francisco-based startup that crowdsources economic data, is now paying its contributors in Venezuela almost exclusively in bitcoin. In September 2015 Premise reported that it was paying just 10 percent of its contributors with the virtual currency. That figure has since shot up to more than 90 percent, with payments now being made through Coinbase, a popular “wallet” for bitcoin users.
By no coincidence the uptick runs parallel to the ongoing meltdown of Venezuela’s economy. The country depends on oil sales for around 95 percent of its export revenue. So plunging oil prices and massive public debt, financed largely by the government printing money, have sent the Venezuelan economy and its currency, the bolivar, into a virtual free fall.
As funds have dried up, the government of President Nicolas Maduro has imposed stringent price controls and restricted foreign currency transactions. Shortages of staple goods are now common throughout the country and a black market for the bolivar has flourished. Officially the government has fixed the value of the currency at 10 bolivars per dollar but the black market exchange rate recently topped 1,000 bolivars per dollar, according to local reports.
Does bitcoin have a future in development? Bitcoin is a buzz-generating digital currency that will either revolutionize finance, fizzle out or fall somewhere in between. What future role does it have in development?
“No one knows what inflation is in Venezuela,” said Monica de Bolle of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The International Monetary Fund calculates that annual inflation in Venezuela is around 700 percent, which would rank among the highest in the world. But even those estimates are murky because of what many consider to be unreliable data coming out of Caracas. “The country is in the process of imploding. Everything is imploding, including the currency,” she added.
It should come as no surprise then that as the value of the currency continues to plummet, Venezuelans are looking to store their wealth elsewhere. And in the case of Premise contributors, they are increasingly turning to bitcoin.
“Our contributors do not want to be paid in bolivars — it’s a currency that they’ve lost trust in,” Niki Sri-Kumar, a product manager with Premise, told Devex.
Premise manages a network of 30,000 contributors in 34 countries who provide real-time pricing data that Premise uses to construct broader economic trends. In practice, it can mean uploading pictures of food prices from local markets or of store lines — such as the ones across Venezuela — to serve as real-time indicators for inflation and potential food security threats.
A carton of soy milk in Caracas, Venezuela, costs $175. Source.
Ironically, in Venezuela’s case, contributors are providing data on the very same economic conditions that are collapsing local currency and |
nature and the natural world. These traditions, resources and formulations are sophisticated, but many boil down to a similar critique. Although Christianity and the West have done great harm to the natural world by treating it as a resource to be exploited—and this fundamental attitude is related to the treatment of non-human animals, women and non-Western colonial others—nevertheless, if we can liberate the true essence of Christianity, sometimes purged of its Greek overlay, we can restore harmony between men and men, men and women, and man and nature. Christianity is here what Plato calls a pharmakon, a gift that is both the poison of the world and potentially its cure.
For an example, we can consider the book Finding God in the Singing River, by Mark I Wallace. Wallace claims that “God is carnal, God is earthen, God is flesh”, precisely because God takes human form in the incarnation, and the Holy Spirit then repeats this move, incarnating itself in the world. The spirit as the third person of the divine Trinity “has been persistently infusing the natural world with divine presence” (Wallace, 2005: 23). The incarnation of God in Jesus and the descent and continuing presence of the Holy Spirit affirms the presence of the divine in and to some extent as the world. Wallace and other eco-theologians extend the incarnational Christ beyond Jesus to include other humans as well as the natural world as a whole. He claims that “it is theologically proper to say, therefore, that the world is the ‘form’ God takes among us, that the earth is the ‘body’ of the Spirit we encounter daily” (Wallace, 2005: 23). If God takes form as earth, then the violence that humans do to the earth, as well as each other, is a violation of God.
According to Wallace, God gives up godself to our will, our technology, our domination and brutalization, and this is also kind of crucifixion. He calls it a “cruciform spirit”, because, “if God’s body … continues to suffer and bleed, then does not God, in some sense real but still unknowable and mysterious to us, also suffer and bleed?” (Wallace, 2005: 23). We live in a sacrificial world, where the death of one form of life sustains the live of another, in a web of life that is based on death understood in exchangeable and sacrificial terms. Traditional religious transcendence tends to place humanity outside of this sacrificial order, along with God, and excepts human beings from this process. Eco-theology wants to retain God as a source of meaning and transcendent value that infuses the entire natural world so that humans and other animals can participate in this spiritual play.
Eco-theology offers a radical critique of both traditional theology and modern technological and economic practices. Wallace (2005: 75) argues that “politically applied deep ecology … is a bearer of green spirituality to a culture that hungers for authentic religion in an age of corporate development and the degradation of our fragile earth community”. Eco-theology combines a scientific and naturalist perspective on the environment as a complex eco-system enriched by bio-diversity with a spirituality that values these natural entities and processes beyond their instrumental value for human needs and ends.
There are two problems with this eco-theological approach, despite its significance and importance. First, there is an ambivalence between the location of value in the natural world and the invocation of religious and theological models of transcendence, however modified. If something beyond the world is needed to provide value to the world, then that devalues the world, because the world is not all that is the case. Why care about the ultimate value of the earth if the earth is not ultimate? And if the theological aspects of eco-theology are marginalized or de-emphasized, then the problem is that eco-theology as theology becomes instrumental and instills cynicism. Why appeal to religious and spiritual values if a naturalistic and non-religious understanding of the world is sufficient? If it is mainly designed to appeal to religious people because so many humans are Christian, then it necessarily fails as a solution, because religious practitioners are perceptive enough to see through the façade. As radical theologians, we assert that life emerges on what Deleuze (1988: 122, 128) calls a plane of immanence, rather than being introduced from elsewhere according to a plan of transcendence.
The other basic problem with many varieties of eco-theology is the appeal to a kind of natural and spiritual harmony. The assumption is that humans existed in a harmonious state of nature up to a certain point, after which transcendence and technology takes over, producing a state of alienation from the natural world. But we know that nature is not in a state of harmony; it does not exist or persist at equilibrium. Humans cannot, even as a part of nature, exist in a perpetual sustainable relationship with their environment. A view of nature that exists in a state of natural harmony is imaginary; it is the product of nostalgia produced by the after-effect of human technology. We romanticize earlier states in light of the conditions of later ones.
This is the reason why many radical eco-philosophers such as Tim Morton have come to oppose the concept of nature itself. In his book Ecology Without Nature, Morton critiques the intrinsically ideological status of the concept of nature, and develops a more critical “dark ecology” (see Morton 2009). In his book Hyperobjects, Morton (2013: 48) argues that global warming is a massive, non-local hyperobject. Hyperobjects bring about the end of modernity, the end of a notion of nature as raw stuff available for humanity to make use of and finally the end of an adequate conception of a closed-off world. Due to the pervasiveness of what Morton calls hyperobjects, there is no container that would allow us to constitute a totally separate object or a separate world. He says that “ecological awareness is a detailed and increasing sense, in science and outside of it, of the innumerable inter-relationships among lifeforms and between life and non-life” (Morton, 2013: 128).
In a related but slightly different way, Bruno Latour also breaks with the idea of nature. According to Latour, Western modernity names a condition that install a false separation between the realm of human politics and the realm of nature. This split induces a schizophrenic divide between scientists who investigate natural laws and politicians who prescribe laws to human societies. In his book Politics of Nature, Latour (2004: 18–19) states that most of the contemporary discourse on political ecology “merely rehashes the modern Constitution of a two-house politics in which one house is called politics, and the other, under the name of nature, renders the first one powerless”. We need to let go of the idea of a separate world of Nature so that we can help fashion a “collective”—that addresses the “progressive composition of the common world” (Latour, 2004: 59). Religion and theology help us constitute a common world together, one that refuses the separation of human culture and politics from the natural world.
In her book Making Peace With the Earth, Vandana Shiva says that peace is only possible if we can eliminate this state of separation of humanity and nature, which affects the separation of humans from humans, women from men and nature from nature. “Separation is at the root of disharmony with nature and violence against it”, she writes (Shiva, 2013: 11). Our profound interconnectedness belies this false sense of separation and its concomitant violence. According to Shiva (2013: 13), “making peace with the earth involves a shift from fragmentation and reductionism to interconnectedness and holistic thinking, a shift from violence and exploitation to non-violence and dialogue with the earth”. In other words, we need a planetary change from a situation of eco-apartheid to one of interconnectedness. This state of peace that Shiva evokes may seem naïve and idealistic, but the fundamental insight is how our separation replicates an onto-theological situation of reality that is cut up into pregiven categories that is false. Overcoming separation involves recognizing and enacting radical change.
Radical change involves positing Earth as subject and thinking from the Earth, as opposed to starting with our anthropomorphic viewpoint and approaching the earth as a static object. In A Thousand Plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari (1987: 39) call for a Geology of Morals, asking, “Who Does the Earth Think It Is?”. At the end of their incredible, experimental project, they suggest that earth is the name for an absolute deterritorialization. Territorialization, deterritorialization and reterritorialization are three related concepts that Deleuze and Guattari use, which they borrow from the theorist and architect Paul Virilio. Humans and other animals territorialize space, and they also deterritorialize territory, usually to reterritorialize it. Deleuze and Guattari suggest we think a movement of absolute deterritorialization that cannot be recaptured, recoded or reterritorialized along the same lines.
According to Deleuze and Guattari (1987: 509), “the earth, the glacial, is deterritorialization par excellence: that is why it belongs to the cosmos, and presents itself as the material through which human beings tap cosmic forces”. An absolute deterritorialization connects up with a virtual intensive or what they call “smooth” space to generate new forms of becoming. Here is a new way to think about Earth, not as an object of human exploitation, or as a harmonious womb from which we became alienated and need to return, but as an intensive space of theological becoming and change. Deleuze and Guattari claim that when deterritorialization is absolute it “brings about the creation of a new earth”. Radical theology is about participating in the creation of a new earth, not destroying or saving the old one.
Radical theology must think change in ecological and planetary terms. Earth no less than God is polluted and rejected, corrupted and abused. Our insights into miscegenation and metamorphosis affirm the divine as well as the worldly in the impure, the polluted, the reject and the flux. Beyond and before the pearly gates is the dirt and dirtiness of material flesh. From dust to dust, and so it is with God, with Earth and with us. And humans emerge out of the humus, the thin layer of topsoil laden with bacteria that makes the earth so fruitful for us even as our deaths contribute to this ongoing process.
After the death-of-God, the question of radical theology remains: What is it that we may learn from that which is beyond, outside or other than ourselves? If radical theology calls into question divine revelation, then it is discernment that is needed. By thinking in ecological and planetary terms, these are contemporary formulations of extremity marked by both a logic of immanence and ultimacy. As such, our thinking is theological even without relying on the category of revelation or supporting supernaturalist claims. And insofar as is based in an ontology of change, we believe it has the capacity to change what it means to think theologically. By our own reading of the lineage and tradition of radical theology, it is our firm belief that the radical theology of and for the future must be postsecular, postliberal, theo-political, onto-theological and eco-theological. This would be a new and different radical theology that just might have the capacity to change what it means to think and do theology.Jon Stewart knocks it totally out of the ballpark in this recent episode of the Daily Show. He skewers AIPAC, congress and Israel over AIPAC’s proposed Iran sanctions legislation, and then some. He kills!
Bonus a Lindsey Graham imitation to die for– and then a photo of all the senators threatening to vote for more Iran sanctions appears on screen. Stewart questions why would Democrats vote for them? Cut away to lobby stalwart Jane Harman providing the answers:
Harman: A lot of them haven’t read it. Stewart: Really, they haven’t read it yet? Well that’s never slowed them down before. Why? Why are the Dems really voting for this? Harman: But I also think ah that with ah ah big parts of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States being against it, the country of Israel being against that’s ah a stiff hill to climb. Stewart: Oh well that makes sense “The senators from the Great State of Israel are against it and we don’t want to go against the senators from the Great Sta..” wait a minute that’s not in our country that’s a whole other country entirely. Why do we have to listen to them? I mean Israel is our ally and I guess Iran is pretty provocative….
He goes off, and rips into Israel reading off Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s recent gaffe accusing John Kerry of operating from an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianist fervor. The whole thing is priceless. Jon is a national treasure.
(Hat tip Karen Platt)BENAULIM: RBI today said it will soon come out with a new series of the currency notes as part of its constant endeavour to improve the security features of the currency bills."So far, whatever forged notes we've seen and have been analysed, they have not breached our security features," Reserve Bank Deputy Governor R Gandhi said today.Speaking to reporters after the RBI's central board meeting here, Gandhi said the counterfeit notes, which have come to light, are similar only "by the look of it", which may make it difficult for an ordinary person to detect them."But, the paper, the security threads, other security features like the ink, they've not been breached. We've not seen that kind of forgery," he added.However, he said, improving the security features of the bills is a constant endeavour for the central bank and it will soon be coming out with a new series of notes in consultation with the government.In the past, law enforcement agencies have expressed concern over counterfeiting menace, hinting that forgers are often able to produce the exact replica which makes detection difficult.Black marketed Windows banking & POS Trojan Minerva turns in-the-wild
The path from the creation of malicious program to its delivery onto victims' computers is long nowadays and involves many different players with the same goal - to make a financial gain. Malware authors usually offer their software to cyber criminals who in turn distribute it via underground forums. This is the how they keep their anonymous status. We have previously seen many famous malicious programs start this way.
In the past, the Russian banking Trojan Carberp was heavily advertised on shady forums. In the beginning of the year, an attempt to sell a new ransomware called Prison Locker was reported. Last year, we blogged about Trojan Solarbot which choose to promote itself through a well- designed website, appearing very official.
However, we don't always know all the details about every piece of malware, from the code to how it is being distributed. The Trojan dubbed i2Ninja, for example, made headlines last year, but we never received a real sample containing all the functionalities the media reported on. Or do you remember the Hand of Thief Trojan for Linux desktops? Its variant for the Android platform was also advertised, but again, we never encountered it in our Virus Lab. These advertisements could have lacked the real code behind them or may have gone under in the pile of cyberthreats.
In March 2013 a new banking Trojan dubbed Minerva was introduced on a Russian forum. We will see that it is awfully successful in what it promised to do.
Features
The Minerva Bot is primarily a banking Trojan based on its form grabbing capabilities. Supported commands promoted in the advertisement (vweb & vstealth for visiting web site; update & down for new malware downloads) are visible in the resources of the binary:
Jungle of POS Trojans
Here is a brief summary on the malware in this area:
Recently we have pointed out that most ATMs are running Windows XP. The Target attack was performed by a Trojan containing the string "KARTOXA" (means potato in Russian) that is connected to many similar point of sales (POS) Trojans (BlackPOS, VSkimmer/Hesetox etc). The Minerva Bot is often distributed with some of these POS Trojans, e.g. Alina, JackBot, VSkimmer, etc.
Minerva Bot's Structure
This Trojan was very likely written directly in assembly, because it contains only one section.text with both 32-bit and 64-bit code. Its form grabbing functionality is the core of the modules. However, the POS stealing feature is a part of the x86 module only.
The value of the code segment (CS ) register is tested. If the code runs in 32-bit WOW64 process then CS equals 0x23 and the switch to 64-bit code becomes available in the DecideArchitecture procedure. The mode of the process is then double-checked by calling on the IsWow64Process API function.
The switch between x86 and x64 execution is performed by the retf instruction with two arguments on the stack: The segment selector (0x33) and the 64-bit address (0x40C3E1). The internals behind this far jump execution are explained here.
C&C panel Soraya
There is a Command & Control panel available for a botnet operator. The panel itself together with statistics of origin of stolen data are provided in the blogpost by ArborNetworks.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to my colleague, Jaromír Hořejší, for cooperation on this analysis. The front picture was created by the independent digital artist Veronika Begánová.
SourcesAll you need to know about Julian Assange’s value as a crusading journalist is that The New York Times and most of the world’s other leading newspapers have led daily with important news stories based on his WikiLeaks releases. All you need to know about the collapse of traditional support for the constitutional protection of a free press is that Dianne Feinstein, the centrist Democrat who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, has called for Assange “to be vigorously prosecuted for espionage.”
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Feinstein, who strongly supported the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, has the audacity to call for the imprisonment of the man who, more than any other individual, has allowed the public to learn the truth about those disastrous imperial adventures — facts long known to Feinstein as head of the Intelligence Committee but never shared with the public she claims to represent.
Feinstein represents precisely the government that Thomas Jefferson had in mind when he said, in defense of unfettered freedom of the press, “[W]ere it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
In the 1787 letter in which he wrote those words, Jefferson was reflecting the deep wisdom of a political leader who often had been excoriated by a vicious press that would make the anarchist-inflected comments of an Assange seem mild in comparison. More than 35 years later, after having suffered many more vitriolic press attacks, Jefferson reiterated his belief in a free press, in all its vagaries, as the foundation of a democracy. In an 1823 letter to Lafayette, Jefferson warned: “The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted to be freely expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure.”
It is precisely that agitation that so alarms Feinstein, for the inconvenient truths she has concealed in her Senate role would have indeed shocked many of those who voted for her. She knew in real time that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack, yet she voted to send young Americans to kill and be killed based on what she knew to be lies. It is her duplicity, along with the leaders of both political parties, that now stands exposed by the WikiLeaks documents.
That is why U.S. governmental leaders will now employ the massive power of the state to discredit and destroy Assange, who dared let the public in on the depths of official deceit — a deceit that they hide behind in making their claims of protecting national security. Claims mocked by released cables that show that our puppets in Iraq and Afghanistan are deeply corrupt and anti-democratic, and that al-Qaida continues to find its base of support not in those countries but rather in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, the very nations we arm and protect. The notion that the official tissue of lies enhances our security is rejected by the growing strength of radical Islam in the region, as evidenced by the success of Iran, the main beneficiary of our invasion of Iraq, as the leaked cables make clear.
The pretend patriots who use the national security argument to gut what remains of our most important security asset — our constitutional guarantees of a truly free press — are just what President George Washington feared when in his farewell address he warned “against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the Impostures of pretended patriotism. …”
The pretended patriotism of Feinstein, the first Democrat to co-sponsor the bill extending the U.S. Patriot Act, represents the death of the Democratic Party as a protector of our freedoms. As a California resident, I will not vote for her again, no matter how dastardly a right-wing Republican opponent she might face. There is no lesser evil to be found in one who would so cavalierly imprison practitioners of a free press.
That is the issue here, pure and simple. It is unconscionable to target Assange for publishing documents on the Internet that mainstream media outlets have attested had legitimate news value. As in the historic case in which Daniel Ellsberg gave The New York Times the Pentagon Papers exposé of the official lies justifying the Vietnam War, Assange is acting as the reporter here, and thus his activities must be shielded by the First Amendment’s guarantee of journalistic freedom.
Actually Ellsberg’s position, as morally strong as it was, was weaker than that of Assange, in that the former Marine and top Pentagon adviser was working at the government-funded Rand Corp., where he had agreed to rules about the handling of classified information, including the Pentagon Papers. Assange operates under no such restraints and is an even clearer example of the journalist who ferrets out news and attempts to report it. He had no special clearance that provided him access, and what he did was no different from what the editors of The New York Times did in publishing news that was fit to print.
It is outrageous for any journalist, or respecter of what every American president has claimed is our inalienable, God-given right to a free press, not to join in Assange’s defense on this issue, as distinct from what increasingly appear to be trumped-up charges that led to his voluntary arrest on Tuesday in London in a case involving his personal behavior. Abandon Assange and you abandon the bedrock of our republic: the public’s right to know.Former Saints player Will Smith was gunned down in New Orleans. Although police say he didn't know his alleged killer, some connections have emerged between the two men. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)
The shooting death of former Saints defensive end Will Smith left one of New Orleans’ high-profile residents searching for reasons for Smith’s death and solutions for the violence.
“The problem is New Orleans perennially is way up in these homicides statistically,” Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints quarterback who was Smith’s teammate for seven seasons, told MMQB’s Peter King. “We become desensitized to it. And so many people die, but we pay attention when it’s Will Smith; that forces so many people who wouldn’t normally deal with it to deal with the reality of a terrible thing, the gun violence in the city.
“People are going to make arguments now about gun control. And it just seems to me … This is about the way … the way human beings treat other human beings.”
Police have charged Cardell Hayes, a 28-year-old man known in the area as a former high school football star, with second-degree murder and are continuing to investigate whether the incident was simple road rage that tragically escalated or whether there was any kind of premeditation involved. The lawyer for Hayes, who is being held on $1 million bond and could face charges in the wounding of Smith’s wife, said his client was “not the aggressor” in the moments after what began as a rear-end collision.
[Police look for motive for Smith’s murder beyond road rage]
1 of 6 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × On the scene of the shooting death of former Saints player Will Smith View Photos The former New Orleans Saints player was fatally shot after a traffic accident. Caption The former New Orleans Saints player was fatally shot after a traffic accident. April 9, 2016 A man is taken into custody following a shooting in New Orleans. Former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith was shot and killed in what appeared to be a road rage incident. Michael Democker/NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune via AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
Smith, a member of the Saints’ Super Bowl-winning team, was shot to death, taking bullets to the back and torso, late Saturday night as he and his wife, Racquel, were driving through New Orleans’ Lower Garden District after an evening out. According to police, Hayes shot Smith and wounded his wife in the leg after the men exchanged words following a collision in which Hayes’s Hummer H2 rear-ended Smith’s Mercedes-Benz SUV.
“My client was not the aggressor, in terms of the behavior that happened after the accident,” defense attorney John Fuller told reporters Sunday after Hayes’s first appearance in Orleans Parish magistrate court (via Nola.com). “My client is of the opinion that toxicology should be conducted of all the parties involved in this incident, and that would shed some light on the behavior of some of the participants.”
Fuller told reporters that there was a previous collision in which someone, either Smith or friends of his in a Chevrolet Impala, rear-ended Hayes’s vehicle first.
“There may have been an earlier accident, in which one of the parties sped off,” Fuller said. “My client followed in an attempt to get the license information, and also made a 911 call to report such an accident, all of which should be apparent in upcoming weeks.”
[Tyrann Mathieu talks about Smith’s accused shooter]
It also is “possible,” he said, that someone in Smith’s group had a gun, although the affidavit sworn by a New Orleans homicide detective did not indicate that. Hayes, whom Fuller described as a “semi-pro football player,” remained on the scene after the shooting and, according to Fuller, placed the first 911 call.
“His actions are totally consistent with someone that is complying with police investigations,” Fuller said. “Now tell me if that’s the behavior that’s consistent with someone who is an animal out here, looking for blood.
“He was struck in a hit-and-run prior to this incident occurring. My client was hit. The person that hit him sped off. My client followed behind that person in an effort to get their license plate, and my client called 911, which will be verified in the upcoming weeks. My client’s car was struck from the rear. I really don’t know which car [he was chasing], but all that will become apparent in upcoming weeks.”
Although road rage was initially mentioned by police as a possible motive for the shooting, police also focused their attention on whether Hayes, who had worked security for the Saints at the time Smith was playing for the team, might have borne a grudge against Smith. Hayes’s father was shot to death by police in 2005 and his lawsuit against the department was settled for an undisclosed sum. A photo taken Saturday night showed Smith with former Saints running back Pierre Thomas and one of the officers named in the lawsuit. Fuller, though, says Hayes was not acquainted with Smith.
Now, as the workweek begins, Racquel Smith is recovering from surgery to repair her wounds. As she heals, she’ll attend to the three children Smith leaves behind and plan a funeral that will be difficult for fans of Who Dat nation and New Orleans residents who remember the role Smith and the Saints played in helping the city recover from Hurricane Katrina.
“A lot’s been written about the bond between the team and the city, and what a special time it’s been over the past decade,” Brees told King. “If the guy knew this was a star of the Saints, who knows? Does he change his mind? Does he walk away? Does he put his gun down? Not to trivialize this — at all — but does he say, ‘Hey, I grew up here. I love this city.’ Does he walk away? Maybe.
“But now something’s been broken here.”
On Sunday evening, there was another fatal shooting, this one in the Seventh Ward. “It’s getting really outrageous,” resident Charles Smith told Nola.com. “Kids can’t come outside and summertime is getting ready to come, so a lot of people are going to be fearing for their children.” Just a little over four years ago, Will Smith tweeted this about the city in which he lived and died:The recent revelations by Edward Snowden the former national security agency whistle-blower about the role of Saudi Arabia in the ongoing war in Syria has raised fresh questions about role of Saudi Arabia and others in arming the various terrorist factions in Syria.
According to the documents released by Snowden the Saudis were arming their terrorist proxies in Syria is early as March 2013. The documents also disclose that the National Security Agency of United States was fully aware of the actions of the Saudis and the terrorist proxies, and raised no objections because the United States and Saudi Arabia had a common goal of regime change in Syria. Saudi Arabia and other supporters of the terrorist proxies have continued to provide vast financial and military aid to the terrorist groups. This information needs to be put alongside other recent revelations about the supply of armaments to the terrorist groups.
A series of investigative reports by the Bulgarian Investigating Reporting Network (BIRN) has disclosed a whole network of illicit arms shipments to the Syrian terrorists by United States and its allies. This has continued notwithstanding that President Trump ordered the cessation of the arms supplies in July 2017. For example the Croatian island of Krk has been used as recently as September 2017 for United States arms shipments to the Middle East.
The upsurge in the supply of arms by alternative routes such as from Croatia and Azerbaijan follows the concern of the German government that the Americans had been using their German military bases for the purposes of supplying arms to the terrorists.
The German concern appears to have been founded on two fundamental bases. The first of these is that Germany is bound by the 2008 Common Position on arms exports that form part of European Union law. Member States of European Union are required to take into account eight separate criteria before approving shipments of arms from their territory to 3rd parties. Those criteria include whether or not the recipient country respect human rights and also the preservation of regional peace, security and stability.
It could not be said that the shipment of arms to Syria and in particular the supply of those arms to sundry terrorist groups that are supportive of US geopolitical goals meets the requirement of respecting human rights, much less contributing to regional peace, security and stability.
The hypocrisy, which is inherent in the European Union’s stance, may be seen from the fact that the European Union’s arms embargo on Syria was lifted in May 2013. The embargo was lifted because of pressure from France and the United Kingdom to allow arms supplies from their countries to reach the Syrian opposition groups.
The second factor, which is of relevance in this context, is the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty of 2014, which came into force on 24 December 2014. Article 6 of the Arms Trade Treaty prohibits the supply of arms by a country where they were aware or should normally have been aware that those arms would be used in attacks against civilians or in the commission of war crimes.
Article 11 of the treaty covers the situation where arms are sent to one location and diverted to a third party. Member countries to the treaty are required to take steps to prevent this from happening. This is clearly not being done.
Among the countries that have ratified the Arms Trade Treaty are Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, and the United Kingdom. All these countries have been complicit in the supply of arms and ammunition to, among others, Saudi Arabia and Israel. This is especially problematic because
the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel are not parties to the treaty. All three countries have been significant suppliers of arguments to terrorist groups operating in Syria and elsewhere. The latest revelations from Mr Snowden confirm what had been widely known or suspected for a considerable period of time.
The Saudi backed terrorist group Jaysh Al-Islam has carried out summary executions of civilians, deployed chemical weapons for attacks upon civilians and has also used civilians as human shields. Again this is well documented but has not stopped the United States and Saudi Arabia from supplying arms to this and similar groups.
The fact is that these arms shipments are continuing notwithstanding President Trump‘s order of July 2017 The supply of such armaments under the code name of Operation Sycamore raises serious questions about the extent to which Trump is actually in control of his military and the CIA.
The principal organisers of this arm trade appear to be both the CIA and the Special Operations Command. Both groups are known to operate independently of effective control. Prior to the latest revelations by the BIRN there had been earlier reports by the same organisations of the use of Silk Airways, a company based in Azerbaijan, for distributing arms to terrorist groups using this civilian airline. This is also contrary to international aviation agreements, which prohibit the use of civilian airlines for the shipment of military equipment.
Australia, which is a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty, appears to be untroubled by the destination of its arms exports, or the uses to which those arms might be put. In July of this year the defence industry Minister Christopher Pyne expressed his desire that Australia should become a much greater exporter of armaments. He was quoted as saying that the exports would be used to cement relationships with countries in volatile regions such as the Middle East. He also said that such exports could be used to bolster military ties with key States such as the United Arab Emirates with whom Australia shared an interest in both the fight against Islamic State and “balancing Iran’s growing power in the region.“
Mr Pyne’s statement would seem to fall foul of both article 6 and article 11 of the Arms Trade Treaty in that he knows or ought to know that the end user of those arms exports are terrorist groups. Far from fighting Islamic State the United Arab Emirates has long been named as one of its principal supporters.
It is also difficult to understand why Mr Pyne should wish to “balance Iran’s growing power in the region” when it is obvious that Iran’s intervention in both Iraq and Syria, at the invitation of the legitimate sovereign governments of both of those countries, has been a major factor in the increasingly successful battle against IS and similar terrorist groups. The groups whose Mr Pyne’s allies are arming not only sought to undermine the governments of those two countries, but have also been the source of untold death, destruction, and human misery.
The revelations of the documents released by Mr Snowden and the various reports relating to the illegal shipment of arms to terrorist groups have been given little or no coverage in the Australian mainstream media. This reflects a general reluctance by the mainstream media to accurately describe what is happening in Iraq and Syria, and in particular the role played by the various terrorist groups and the support they receive by countries allied to Australia, in particular Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The unequal media treatment accorded to the various parties in Syria can be illustrated by the differential analysis applied to the liberation of Aleppo and Raqqa. In the former case the terrorists were removed from Aleppo by the combined operations of the Syrian Army and their Russian, Iranian, and Hezbollah allies. Civilian casualties were invariably described in terms of a wanton disregard as to human life by the Syrian and Russian forces.
The battle against Isis forces in Raqqa was largely conducted by the US and it’s so-called “coalition“ allies including Australia, as was the earlier and very similar destructive operation in Mosul. Raqqa has been almost totally destroyed. Accurate comparisons have been drawn with the fate of both Dresden and Berlin at the conclusion of World War II. The death toll for civilians has been in the thousands. Accurate numbers cannot be ascertained until the rubble has been cleared. The scale of the destruction and the death toll has barely been reported in the mainstream media.
The most likely explanation for this is that to tell the truth about the pattern of arms supplies to terrorists, and the illegal intervention by the US and it’s “coalition“ allies in Syria, such as Australia, falls outside the preferred narrative which is to constantly demonise Syria, Russia and Iran irrespective of the actual evidence.
In Australia’s case, because unlike the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, it is a signatory to the United Nations Arms Treaty it therefore has an additional responsibility in respect of the uses to which arms supplied to the terrorists are put. That would require into alia, criticism of United States. The history of the last 70 years shows that adopting an independent and principled stand on such matters is more than can reasonably be expected of successive Australian government.
James O’Neill, an Australian-based Barrister at Law, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.The Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) launches its data services today, offering new data for researchers to garner unprecedented insights into consumer behaviour.
The multi-million pound Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) initiative, commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), is a collaboration between the UK's leading universities and a growing list of industry partners to better understand the millions of data points we generate each day.
Bringing together the universities of Leeds, Liverpool, Oxford and University College London, the CDRC has created a safe and secure data infrastructure which seeks to share these insights with academia, industry and the public at large.
Whilst protecting privacy, data will - for the first time - be routinely collected and shared with the CDRC by major retailers, local government organisations and businesses across the UK to improve understanding of these complex patterns of consumer behaviour.
The aim is to use these findings to inform efforts to tackle a wide range of social and environmental challenges, such as improving transport planning, studying the latest ethical consumer trends to help companies understand how people are making buying decisions, or identifying different ways of encouraging people to lead more healthy and active lifestyles.
To maximise potential of research for the research community the CDRC have set up CDRC Open ; data which are publicly available to all, for any purpose.
Examples of data include UK market research from the Ethical Consumer Research Association, which is the only comprehensive data set on the purchase of ethical products and services in the UK. There are also models representing retail catchment areas, which can show the most probable shopping destinations in communities.
Other tiers of data have restricted access based on the sensitivity of information, which include CDRC Safeguarded, a remote service, and CDRC Secure, which requires researchers to access the data at one of three secure facilities |
. Clay Priest, 20. Royce Hunt, 21. Michael Oldfield.
Storm: 1. Billy Slater, 2. Suliasi Vunivalu, 3. Will Chambers, 4. Curtis Scott, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Jesse Bromwich, 9. Cameron Smith (c), 10. Jordan McLean, 11. Felise Kaufusi, 12. Tohu Harris, 13. Dale Finucane. Interchange: 14. Kenny Bromwich, 15. Tim Glasby, 16. Nelson Asofa Solomona, 17. Slade Griffin. Reserves: 18. Robbie Rochow, 19. Joe Stimson, 20. Young Tonumaipea, 21. Nate Myles.On Tuesday, Hungary's parliament approved a strict new law against nonprofits that receive foreign funds, defying calls from the European Parliament to drop the bill. The move was largely seen as part of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban's bid to control public discourse and a way to curtail the influence of the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros.
The law requires that NGOs that receive more than 7.2 million forints ($26,200/23,444 euros) annually from foreign sources register with the courts and declare the fact online and in all their publications. They will also have to list individual sponsors who give them more than 500,000 forints a year.
There are a few exceptions, however. Religious and sports groups and organizations that represent minorities do not have to adhere to the new regulations.
The government has painted the measure as a necessary evil to fight money laundering and the funneling of black market funds to terrorist groups or organized crime.
"No one wants to limit anyone's operations in Hungary... but organizations whose foreign financing is not known can't be allowed to take part in Hungarian public life," said lawmaker Gergely Gulyas, a member of Orban's Fidesz party.
'Vicious and calculated'
Amnesty International has slammed the new law as a "vicious and calculated assault on civil society."
John Dalhuisen, Amnesty's Europe chief, said the "real purpose" of the rule was to "stigmatize, discredit and intimidate critical NGOs and hamper their vital work."
The tough new regulation was also taken as another attempt by Orban's government to limit the power of his political boogeyman, George Soros. The Budapest-born investor is a notable supporter of progressive causes through his NGO, now called Open Society Foundations.
Soros also provides a major source of funding for the Central European University (CEU) in his hometown, a prestigious English-language institution that was targeted by the government this past March. A raft of new laws that would cripple the institution - such as restrictions on non-EU staff members and requiring a new agreement between Hungary and the US government on how diplomas would be awarded - were put forward by Orban's cabinet.
The government argued that the CEU was operating at an unfair advantage in relation to other Hungarian universities. The CEU has challenged the legality of the measures in a letter to the parliament. The European Union has also launched a bid to block the laws based on charges that they violate EU law.
es/msh (AP, dpa)Bitcoin: The Maximum Block Size Debate, Much Ado About Nothing?
CryptoIQ Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 11, 2016
By Paul Jones
Headlines Can Deceive
News headlines can be like movie trailers. Too short to give an accurate picture of the full story — designed to grab attention and often deceptive. This article will explain in layman’s terms the issues surrounding one of the hottest Bitcoin* topics of late, known as “the maximum block size debate”. There is a lot of confusion swirling around the media. For those lacking insight into the mechanics of Bitcoin, simply scanning headlines can leave a misinformed impression. Mike Hearn, a former core developer, recently created major commotion with his blog post titled, The resolution of the Bitcoin experiment [1]. His post was followed by a prominent article in the New York Times, sounding a premature death knell for Bitcoin [2].
Relying on headlines can be misleading, no matter the topic. Many may avoid reading articles about Bitcoin because of the technical jargon and complexity involved to sort fact from fiction — or simply allow their opinions to be shaped by sensational claims. Fortunately, understanding the underlying technical issues in this debate is fairly simple from a high-level perspective. It’s the human element that’s more complex.
This blog post will first set the stage with a quick review of the supporting cast before introducing the main characters, the software developers. After setting the scene and reviewing a few basic concepts, it will be possible to sort out which issues are purely technical and which are political in nature. Forecasting the technical problems that may arise if the number of transactions exceed the present-day capacity of the Bitcoin network is straightforward. Determining how the various players will respond is a more complex consideration, especially given the open source nature of Bitcoin. A few key scenarios will be examined in light of this lively debate.
Players on the Bitcoin Stage
Here is a quick review of the cast of characters in the Bitcoin story, and the roles they play in this discussion:
Users own bitcoins and save and/or transact with them using software and hardware digital wallets. The blockchain is a fully transparent ledger that maintains the history of all bitcoin transactions. No one knows the exact number of bitcoin users but millions of wallets exist.
Nodes will refer to full nodes which each maintain a complete copy of the blockchain, verify and transmit transactions, and broadcast new valid blocks from miners to other nodes. The number of full nodes is about five thousand.
Miners are an essential and special type of full node. They aggregate transactions into blocks. Valid blocks can only be created by solving a difficult computational puzzle using specialized high-tech hardware. Finding the next valid block is a random process, but the more computing power a miner can control, the greater his chances of success. Today, a miner who finds the next valid block is rewarded with 25 bitcoins and the fees associated with the transactions within the block.
Startups include new crypto-currency ventures such as bitcoin exchanges, digital wallets, merchant payment services, remittance providers, ASIC designers, etc. There are hundreds of startups in the Bitcoin ecosystem and over a billion dollars of venture capital invested [3].
Developers are the people doing the hard work of maintaining and improving the open source Bitcoin software. Much of the recent drama centers on disputes between developers and how to safely scale the Bitcoin network. Some of these characters are key players in the current scene, and will soon “enter, stage right”.
The “Bigger Isn’t Always Better” Scene
Bitcoin is a multi-facetted innovation, and other sides of it will be examined later in this essay. However, the apocryphal creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, clearly viewed Bitcoin as a system for making P2P electronic cash payments, and as such, the number of transactions that can be processed in a given timeframe is a key system parameter [4]. The system is designed to create a new block every 10 minutes on average. A block contains recent transactions but is presently limited to 1 MB in size. Each new block is then appended to the blockchain, which then becomes the immutable public record of bitcoin transactions. The complete and ever-growing blockchain is stored and monitored by participants known as full nodes.
To help secure the system, the 1 MB upper limit was hard-coded into an early version of the Bitcoin software released in the second half of 2010 [5]. This 1 MB block size effectively corresponds to a theoretical maximum of 7 transactions per second (TPS) — think of this as a speed limit on the Bitcoin system as a whole. Note that PayPal is able to process more than 100 TPS and major credit cards can handle orders of magnitude more than PayPal [6]. Clearly, there are many obstacles for Bitcoin to overcome before it could compete with the incumbent payment systems.
Is a bigger block size really better? The 1 MB block size has helped secure the Bitcoin network, preventing it from being spammed with junk. This relatively small size limits the growth rate of the blockchain, thereby making it viable for standard computer hardware to run and maintain a full node. Today a computer needs about 50 GB to store the entire blockchain which is growing at about 3 GB per month [7]. It is easy to see that if the block size were increased substantially, then fewer full nodes would exist because of greater hardware requirements. Also, larger blocks are going to take longer to propagate for fixed Internet connection speeds, possibly affecting transaction reliability. Increasing the block size could therefore threaten the censorship resistance of Bitcoin and damage its attractiveness as a platform for open innovation.
As adoption continues to increase, transaction volume is likely to overwhelm the network’s capacity in the near future. This is arguably a good problem, since it indicates Bitcoin usage is growing and the system is succeeding. However, it should be intuitively obvious that, at the very least, the performance of the Bitcoin network will degrade, perhaps substantially. What do the experts think, and what insight can they grant?
Lead Actors in the Bitcoin Drama
Let’s consult the opinions of four acknowledged experts: Gavin Andresen,
Mike Hearn, Pieter Wuille, and Jeff Garzik — all developers playing significant roles in the unfolding drama. As a quick characterization: Gavin is the doting father of the leaderless open source Bitcoin project; Mike is the impatient adolescent who just had to leave home because he couldn’t get his way; Pieter is the level-headed technologist seeking new workarounds; and Jeff Garzik is a big picture guy and conciliatory free-market advocate. (I warned you, dear reader, that the politics were more complex than the technology…hence all the drama!) Gavin Andresen, who took the reins from Satoshi Nakamoto as lead Bitcoin developer, raises the following concerns if the block size is not increased above 1 MB soon [8]:
More time to confirm transactions with a set fee, I.e., slower payments.
Extremely low fee transactions completely excluded from blocks.
Transaction fees will necessarily need to rise.
Higher fees will deter some users and prohibit some applications.
Adoption and growth of Bitcoin will be subdued.
Clearly, without an increase in the block size, users will need to pay higher fees on average to incentivize miners to include their transactions in the next block.
Will Our Story Include A Train Wreck?
The competition for fees could certainly leave some users behind. But could the outcome be even more severe? Mike Hearn thinks so. He predicts a positive feedback loop on fees that will increase out of control, a bloated backlog of transactions, increased risk of double-spending, and crashing nodes — a real train wreck! In Mike’s mind, not increasing the block size signals the end of Bitcoin [9]. “Exit, stage left”.
On a more moderate note, developer Pieter Wuille acknowledges Gavin’s concerns cited above and agrees that, in the long term, Bitcoin will have to evolve or be left behind. The block size will likely have to increase, someday. Wuille, however, is fine with the use cases of Bitcoin changing to fit its capacities, and does not feel any urgency to scale the network by arbitrarily increasing the block size [10]. Wuille, a master technologist, has an ace up his sleeve. He recently proposed a concept called Segregated Witness that is currently being tested. Among other things, SegWit allows more transactions to fit inside a 1 MB block — about twice as many on average. In addition to SegWit, there are a couple of other technical developments that could immediately reduce pressure on Bitcoin’s transaction speed limit and postpone the urgency of increasing the block size. These include something known as the Lightning Network and sidechains, both being developed by Blockstream, which just announced $55 million in Series A venture funding [11]. Pieter Wuille is part of the Blockstream team. Both the Lightning Network and sidechains will benefit if SegWit is adopted, and both offload transaction traffic from the underlying Bitcoin network [12].
To Fork, Or Not To Fork?
Before examining the role of our fourth protagonist, Jeff Garzik, there is another essential element to our plot, Bitcoin hard and soft forks. Pieter’s SegWit is a perfect segue way to understand this issue. SegWit can be implemented using a soft fork in the Bitcoin code. Soft forks have been used in the past to successfully upgrade Bitcoin. There still needs to be a high level of consensus amongst mining nodes, but soft forks do not affect everyday users and merchants who fail to upgrade to the latest software.
The crux of the scalability debate revolves around the need for a hard fork to increase the block size above the original hard limit of 1 MB. A hard fork requires a massive coordinated effort amongst all constituents to succeed and has never been accomplished. A hard fork poses systemic risk, and there is a real chance of losing money if a full node doesn’t upgrade its software in step with the network consensus [13]. A hard fork mishap could create massive confusion and undermine confidence in the network, quickly crashing the price of bitcoin. Mike Hearn and Gavin Andresen attempted a hard fork with their Bitcoin-XT code released this past summer, jumping the block size up to 8 MB and intending to double it every two years. Bitcoin-XT never reached a critical mass with miners, and the 1 MB status quo prevailed [14]. Hence, the rancor in the great Bitcoin debate. Because Mike didn’t get his way, he left in a huff and will be applying his skills in the banking sector, working on private blockchains.
There are now three main camps of developers: Bitcoin Core, Bitcoin Classic, and Bitcoin Unlimited — each proposing solutions to scaling the network, each with differing approaches. Gavin, fatherly steward he is, continues to contribute to the various camps that are all working to scale Bitcoin as user adoption continues to grow [15].
The Existential Question: What Is Bitcoin?
Jeff Garzik, our big picture guy and free-market advocate, is yet another Bitcoin developer worth heeding in the great block size debate. Garzik agrees that fees will increase as users bid to get their transactions processed, while the overall Bitcoin system becomes erratic and unreliable. But more importantly, his views help one bridge the technical vs. political gap and grasp the bigger picture.
Different stakeholders in the Bitcoin ecosystem have divergent visions for its future. This is one of the main sources of discrepancy in the urgency (or not) of raising the block size. What is the ultimate purpose of Bitcoin and the blockchain? Views span a vast spectrum. Should it remain a niche market for a scarce digital commodity, and a limited use P2P payment system for techies? Or can Bitcoin eventually scale to become a global payment system capable of displacing major credit cards?
Jeff thinks some who purchased bitcoin early on may be content with the status quo, believing their investment is best secured with a proven system. However, this may be short-sighted in that bitcoin will likely only increase in value if greater adoption is nurtured. The hard limit of 1 MB blocks will almost certainly become an obstacle at some point, and thereby suppress the long-term value of bitcoin. Miners, in general, are likely to be cautious about raising the block size too quickly. They don’t want Bitcoin growth stifled, but fear the reduction of their fee revenue and additional hardware costs associated with a blockchain growing too rapidly. On the other hand, some startups, with visions of competing with the likes of VISA or PayPal, want to see Bitcoin’s scalability expanded as rapidly as possible [16].
How to resolve the various forces pushing on the block size limit? Jeff argues that a few software developers should no longer be the ones determining Bitcoin’s scalability. He proposes a hard fork that will remove the static 1 MB limit. The block size will thenceforth be subject to market forces determined by the input of miners. Dependent on miner consensus, the block size could be doubled (or halved) on a stepwise basis over a designated timeframe [16].
Tragedy, Comedy, or Hollywood Happy Ending?
Some insight can be gleaned from a similar drama that provides context for the unfolding Bitcoin story. The Internet has evolved remarkably from its first implementation. In the early days there were many naysayers who viewed scaling the Internet as an unsurmountable obstacle. However, its open nature encouraged massive innovation on many fronts. Consistent advances in computer technology, increases in telecom bandwidth, and improved protocols have all contributed to the Internet’s success. Many experts forecast that within the next decade the entire global population will have access to the World Wide Web. The UN even acknowledges Internet access as a basic human right [17].
Perhaps Bitcoin is best viewed as a new fundamental layer of the Internet that transcends mere information transfer. Bitcoin is a new protocol layer that stores and transmits value in digital form without the need of a trusted third party such as a bank. Other layers may be built atop of Bitcoin that will solve its current scaling issues, such as the Lightning Network. In addition, creative actors will build new innovations that leverage the security and value layer of Bitcoin. For example, Factom is designing a scalable protocol to secure data records, e.g., land titles, using Bitcoin as its anchor layer [18]. Many ventures are looking towards using the blockchain for asset trading and settlement solutions. These are just a couple of a vast array of possibilities.
There are many paths forward — from a hard fork to increase the block size, and soft fork solutions that work around current limitations. Consensus of stakeholders will be difficult to come by, but the many and multi-facetted resources and approaches being brought to bear will almost certainly find a path forward that increases the utility and value of the Bitcoin ecosystem in the long run.
How will our players behave and our story end? It’s way too soon to tell. We are only viewing scenes from the first act of the Bitcoin play. The script is being written in real time. There is no single playwright. Key characters and performers get to influence the plot and help write the unfolding drama. Along the way, there will certainly be elements of tragedy and comedy, unavoidable as they are in the human condition. Some players may come and go, others rise and fall. However, participants all get to play their parts in an open, collaborative production — aiming to compose a new future for finance and digital money — free of the constraints and potential abuses of so-called “trusted” third parties. What more motivation do the players need?
The show must go on!
*Bitcoin with a capital B is used for the protocol and system as a whole, whereas bitcoin with a small b refers to the actual digital currency unit.
Abbreviations
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
CPU Central Processing Unit
GB Gigabyte (1 billion bytes)
MB Megabyte (1 million bytes)
P2P Peer-To-Peer
SegWit Segregated Witness
TPS Transactions Per Second
UN United Nations
References
1. Hearn, M. (2016, January 14). The resolution of the Bitcoin experiment. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@octskyward/the-resolution-of-the-bitcoin-experiment- dabb30201f7#.a8e72b9fu
2. Popper, N. (2016, January 14). New York Times. A Bitcoin Believer’s Crisis of Faith. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/business/dealbook/the-bitcoin- believer-who-gave-up.html?_r=0
3. Venture Scanner. (2015, September 4). The State of Bitcoin in Six Visuals. Retrieved from http://insights.venturescanner.com/tag/bitcoin-startup-list/
4. Nakamoto, S. (2008, December). Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Retrieved from https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
5. About Scalability FAQ. (n.d.) BitcoinWiki. Retrieved from https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Scalability_FAQ#What_is_the_short_history_of_the_block_size_limit.3F
6. About Scalability. (n.d.) BitcoinWiki. Retrieved from https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Scalability
7. Session 3 — Network Scalability, University of Nicosia, MIS-536 Digital Currency Information Systems and Resources
8. Andresen, G. (2015, June 25). GitHub. Implementation of BIP 101: maximum block size increase. Retrieved from https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/6341
9. Hearn, M. (2015, May 7). Crash landing, What not to do. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@octskyward/crash-landing-f5cc19908e32#.f5massluy
10. Wuille, P. (2015, June 26). The need for larger blocks. Retrieved from http://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2015-June/009098.html
11. Blockstream website. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.blockstream.com/
12. Levine, A. (2016, January 9). Let’s Talk Bitcoin! #277 Separating Signatures with Segregated Witness. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/lyghixkrguao/segregated- witness-and-deploying-it-for-bitcoin/
13. Bitcoin Core website. (2016, January 7). Statement from Bitcoin Core. Retrieved from https://bitcoincore.org/en/2016/01/07/statement/
14. Palmer, D. (2016, January 11). CoinDesk. Scalability Debate Continues As Bitcoin XT Proposal Stalls. Retrieved from http://www.coindesk.com/scalability-debate- bitcoin-xt-proposal-stalls/15. Andresen, G. (January 2016). Classic? Unlimited? XT? Core? Retrieved from http://gavinandresen.ninja/classic-unlimited-xt-core
16. Garzik, J. (n.d.). Making Decentralized Economic Policy, BIP 100 — Theory and
Discussion v0.8.1 — draft. Retrieved from http://gtf.org/garzik/bitcoin/BIP100- blocksizechangeproposal.pdf
17. About Right to Internet Access. (n.d.) Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Internet_access
18. Factom website. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.factom.com/#home_sectionStory highlights Nearly 700 have died in past week, opposition group says
Slain Brig. Gen. Issa al-Kholi was a physician
Free Syrian Army officer says the regime could have killed the general
Violence rages in Homs, Daraa and the Damascus region
A Syrian general was gunned down in the heart of the capital on Saturday, according to state media, as fresh violence flared in several cities and world powers mulled a way to halt the government's bloody offensive against civilians.
An "armed terrorist group" assassinated Brig. Gen. Issa al-Kholi, a military physician who was the director of Hamish Hospital, in front of his Damascus house Saturday morning, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said. Three gunmen shot him to death, the media outlet said.
The killing occurred "In the framework of targeting the Syrian intellectuals and the medical and technical cadres," SANA reported.
"A number of efficient, skilled and specialized national cadres were assassinated by armed terrorist groups," said SANA, which cited the killings of a professor, a nuclear specialist, a teacher and a couple of engineers.
Al-Kholi once headed the arthritis division at Tishreen Military Hospital and received medical training in Romania and Paris.
Andrew Tabler, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said al-Kholi is from a powerful Alawite military family and is a relative of Mohammed al-Kholi, the former head of air force intelligence under Hafez al-Assad, President Bashar al-Assad's father and predecessor.
The al-Assad family is Alawite, a minority in Sunni-dominated Syria that has a major presence in the military and government.
Tabler said air force intelligence is a powerful unit that is in charge of missile systems and investigating military defections. Hafez al-Assad was in that military branch.
Jeffrey White, a defense analyst also at the institute, told CNN that al-Kholi was not likely a senior officer or affiliated with a key regime unit. White said he believed the assassination was the first of a higher-ranking Syrian officer in the capital.
The capital has not been engulfed with the same kind of daily violence other cities have during the 11-month Syrian uprising, but the killing and recent attacks in Damascus could be a sign that the resistance is spreading to the seats of power.
Free Syrian Army Lt. Col. Mohamed Hamado said al-Kholi is "definitely close to Bashar's inner circle" and that his family has been close to both Bashar al-Assad and his father. The FSA is the anti-regime resistance group led by military defectors.
The deputy head of the Free Syrian Army said the killing could have been carried out by the regime itself.
The al-Assad regime "is now assassinating and targeting anyone they suspect of joining the revolution or thinking of defecting. That may have been the case with General al-Kholi," Col. Malek Al Kurdi told CNN.
Al Kurdi claims the regime "assassinated" the deputy head of the armed forces, Gen. Bassam Najm el-Din Antakiali, in September, even though state media reported that he died of an "acute heart attack."
At least 30 people were killed in Syria on Saturday, including 12 in Homs, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists. Homs, located in the country's west, is Syria's third largest city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another opposition group, put Saturday's toll at 46, 32 of them civilians.
Over the past week, 687 people, including 59 children, have died, the LCC reported late Saturday. About two-thirds of those occurred in Homs.
"Today is the seventh day in a row we're under shelling -- nonstop bombardment," an activist named Omar said Saturday. He said government forces have surrounded the area with thousands of soldiers and dozens of tanks: "Not the normal tanks. Big tanks. Russian tanks."
"We just want from Assad to give us permission to move the injured baby -- they are just the babies," Omar said, referring to al-Assad. "They have to leave the area to have a good treatment.... He don't even let us save and treat our (injured) babies."
Unrest rippled in the south as five men in the southern province of Daraa were killed when a a tank attacked them in the town of Al Musefra, LCC activist Abu Oudai said. They were among 13 people killed in Daraa, where the government security crackdown and the nationwide uprising started in mid-March.
JUST WATCHED Satellite images show damage in Homs Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Satellite images show damage in Homs 00:56
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Funerals were held, meanwhile, for 39 members of the Syrian army and law enforcement units. SANA said the officers were targeted while on duty near Damascus and in Homs.
World leaders have tried to pass resolutions denouncing the regime's bloody crackdown, but have been stymied by Russia and China in sending a unified message.
Almost a week after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution intended to stop the killing, Saudi Arabia has drafted a similarly worded document -- but one that lacks the same punch.
The Saudi draft resolution will be submitted to the U.N. General Assembly, where vetoes are not allowed, but resolutions are not legally binding.
The three-page draft "strongly condemns" the violations of human rights by Syrian authorities. It cites "the use of force against civilians, arbitrary executions, killing and persecution of protesters, human rights defenders and journalists, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, interference with access to medical treatment, torture, sexual violence and ill-treatment, including against children."
The text was provided to CNN by a diplomatic source on the condition that it not be posted in full because it could be amended. The U.N. General Assembly will convene Monday.
Both Russia and China, which have major trade ties with Syria, have said they support an end to the violence but disagreed with the text of the draft resolution they rejected last week.
"We do believe that, in order to stop violence, armed methods must be stopped not only by the government, but also by the opposition," said Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin. "That was the key flaw of the draft resolution."
CNN cannot independently confirm details of the fighting in Syria because the government has severely limited the access of international journalists.
But virtually all reports from within the country indicate al-Assad's forces are slaughtering protesters and other civilians en masse. Opposition activists in Homs describe relentless bomb explosions from Syrian forces, wounded people bleeding to death in the streets because they can't get medical attention and snipers picking off civilians running for cover.
U.N. officials estimate 6,000 people have died since protests seeking al-Assad's ouster began nearly a year ago. The LCC says the toll has far exceeded 7,000.
Al-Assad's regime has insisted its crackdown is aimed at armed gangs and foreign terrorists bent on destabilizing the regime.
But U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said the truth is obvious.
"We know who's shelling Homs," he said. "It's not the opposition, it's the government."The gaming convention is called Gamer's Rhapsody, and it takes place in Minneapolis, MN. We're in our third year, and as part of our expansion we want to host an RTA marathon with a similar format to RPG Limit Break or a GDQ. We'll be raising money for the charity Carbon Fund which focuses on raising awareness about pollution and carbon emissions, as well as using renewable resources to cut down. Dollars donated equals lbs of carbon reduced, so our goal is to make the event totally carbon-free!
The speedrun marathon will be titled Gamers Rhapidly. We're shooting for a minimum of 12 hours for the 'thon, but would love to see if we could hit 24 (or maybe more!). I've begun reaching out to local runners and some midwest runners, but I certainly don't have the network that is contained here! So it would be great to get a roll call from all the Midwest runners out there.
Our event has a pretty decent budget for lodging/accommodations for those runners that would be travelling from far away--so if you're in California or something, don't automatically count yourself out! Let me know what you would need, and I'll see if we can work it out for you.
If this is something you're interested in participating in, send an email to austin@gamersrhapsody.com (that's me!), and I will include you in the next round of emails going out on Tuesday. You can hit me up on twitter, or just talk to me right here. I'll be popping in regularly.
For now, here's some more information about Gamer's Rhapsody:
http://www.gamersrhapsody.com/
@gamersrhapsody on twitter
and some more information about Carbon Fund:
https://carbonfund.org/
@carbonfundorg on twitter
Thank you all for your time! Greetings everyone! I'm a new user here, but I've joined in hopes of having a greater reach for an event I'm hosting next month. Some of you I have reached out to already on twitter (I'm @dabrofficial for clarity's sake), but I thought this might be a much easier hub for discussion/awareness.The gaming convention is called Gamer's Rhapsody, and it takes place in Minneapolis, MN. We're in our third year, and as part of our expansion we want to host an RTA marathon with a similar format to RPG Limit Break or a GDQ. We'll be raising money for the charity Carbon Fund which focuses on raising awareness about pollution and carbon emissions, as well as using renewable resources to cut down. Dollars donated equals lbs of carbon reduced, so our goal is to make the event totally carbon-free!The speedrun marathon will be titled Gamers Rhapidly. We're shooting for a minimum of 12 hours for the 'thon, but would love to see if we could hit 24 (or maybe more!). I've begun reaching out to local runners and some midwest runners, but I certainly don't have the network that is contained here! So it would be great to get a roll call from all the Midwest runners out there.Our event has a pretty decent budget for lodging/accommodations for those runners that would be travelling from far away--so if you're in California or something, don't automatically count yourself out! Let me know what you would need, and I'll see if we can work it out for you.If this is something you're interested in participating in, send an email to austin@gamersrhapsody.com (that's me!), and I will include you in the next round of emails going out on Tuesday. You can hit me up on twitter, or just talk to me right here. I'll be popping in regularly.For now, here's some more information about Gamer's Rhapsody:@gamersrhapsody on twitterand some more information about Carbon Fund:@carbonfundorg on twitterThank you all for your time!
Thread title: Greetings everyone! I'm a new user here, but I've joined in hopes of having a greater reach for an event I'm hosting next month. Some of you I have reached out to already on twitter (I'm @dabrofficial for clarity's sake), but I thought this might be a much easier hub for discussion/awareness. The gaming convention is called Gamer's Rhapsody, and it takes place in Minneapolis, MN. We're in our third year, and as part of our expansion we want to host an RTA marathon with a similar format to RPG Limit Break or a GDQ. We'll be raising money for the charity Carbon Fund which focuses on raising awareness about pollution and carbon emissions, as well as using renewable resources to cut down. Dollars donated equals lbs of carbon reduced, so our goal is to make the event totally carbon-free! The speedrun marathon will be titled Gamers Rhapidly. We're shooting for a minimum of 12 hours for the 'thon, but would love to see if we could hit 24 (or maybe more!). I've begun reaching out to local runners and some midwest runners, but I certainly don't have the network that is contained here! So it would be great to get a roll call from all the Midwest runners out there. Our event has a pretty decent budget for lodging/accommodations for those runners that would be travelling from far away--so if you're in California or something, don't automatically count yourself out! Let me know what you would need, and I'll see if we can work it out for you. If this is something you're interested in participating in, send an email to austin@gamersrhapsody.com (that's me!), and I will include you in the next round of emails going out on Tuesday. You can hit me up on twitter, or just talk to me right here. I'll be popping in regularly. For now, here's some more information about Gamer's Rhapsody: http://www.gamersrhapsody.com/ @gamersrhapsody on twitter and some more information about Carbon Fund: https://carbonfund.org/ @carbonfundorg on twitter Thank you all for your time!One of the challenges for any new restaurant is cultivating regulars — those people who come in multiple times a week, know the names of the staff, and recommend the restaurant to all their friends. But is turning diners into literal investors the shortcut to getting people invested in your restaurant? This seems to be the thinking behind community-supported restaurants, a phenomenon that has only started taking off in the last decade. Similar to the model of grocery buying known as community-supported agriculture (better known as CSAs), CSRs allow customers to pay a membership fee in exchange for extra dining credit, special events, and more.
For farmers, CSAs are a no-brainer: A cross between a farmers' market and a buying club, these programs allow people to pay one farmer up-front in exchange for a share of his or her produce throughout the year. CSA farmers know they'll have a market for their goods (even slightly bruised but still delicious fruit), rain or hail. But CSA members exchange a lot of risk — either that the crop will be ruined or, more commonly, that they won't figure out what to do with six bushels of kale — for a discount on local produce.
For farmers, CSAs are a no-brainer: But not every restaurant that's tried the model has been successful.
There are a lot of benefits to running a CSR: customer loyalty, financial backing without going to a bank, and free advertising. But not every restaurant that's tried the model has been successful. Christine Ruch, the owner of Boulder, Colorado CSR Fresh Thymes Eatery, is pragmatic about the costs of running a membership program. In the year-and-a-half since the restaurant first opened, Fresh Thymes has moved away from the CSR model and has no current members. "The membership benefits eat into your food costs," Ruch says. Restaurants already operate with slim profit margins, and unfortunately the member perks associated with CSR membership don't come out of thin air. "If you try to get too much money it can mess you up," Ruch says, adding, "a lot of restaurants that have done this have gone out of business."
But in the era of internet crowd-funding, perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that some restaurants have rebranded the model for themselves. And, for the CSRs still in business, it seems to be working.
Finding an Audience
When Milwaukee chef David Swanson first wanted to open a restaurant, he may not have had all the start-up capital he wanted, but did have a community of fans ready to support him. In addition to working as a chef for another well-known restaurant in Milwaukee, Swanson also ran a culinary school and home food delivery service. "By the time the restaurant opened, I'd spent seven years building up a big following," Swanson says of Braise, his Milwaukee-based CSR. "People knew we had a pretty good track record and knew what we did." For banks, restaurants are a risky proposition, even if the business under consideration isn't a first-time restaurateur with |
budget amendment or confidence vote … government would fall, there would be an election probably by May or June and we’d have spent another $1 billion on Site C.
So what’s the possible results we could get? A majority Liberal government — Site C goes forward. Majority NDP government — Site C goes forward. Minority government — we’re back at the negotiating table.
The reason we didn’t put it in the confidence agreement is that’s not how you develop partnerships. You don’t put a gun to someone’s head … we accepted the NDP’s argument that we would send this to the BCUC. We were comfortable with that because we knew what the BCUC would say. We were delighted with that report. They had everything they needed to cancel it.
9) You’ve said before that with the approval of Site C your party will push for a greater electrification of B.C.’s systems. Is that something you’ll be turning your attention toward in 2018?
We’re already pushing for the introduction of an aggressive zero emission vehicle standard. We need BC Hydro to step up and start to bring in the infrastructure for electric. We need to change legislation and regulatory structure in B.C. to allow people to charge for power in charging stations.
Industry wants to invest in charging stations but they can’t sell the power unless they’re a utility. It starts to become bureaucratic. We will push for electrification. What else can we do?
10) Energy and environment issues are quickly evolving from transitions in energy markets to evolving perspectives on Indigenous rights. One industry that has been affected by these changes is the LNG industry. What is your take on LNG for 2018?
If B.C. starts to focus again on trying to land an LNG industry given all that has happened, I can tell you I am voting government down. I am not standing by no matter when it happens. I am not standing by and watching us give away the farm yet again to land an industry we’re not competitive in. That’s my line in the sand.
LNG is gone because we know global markets, China is over supplied in their contracts. For some time there is no supply gap that needs to be filled.
This is the opportunity to capitalize on the new economy. Given our stable democracy in unstable times, given our access to clean energy and businesses around the world that want to label themselves clean, if we go down this LNG path and start to sign sweet deals again then we might as well have the BC Liberals back in power.
B.C. Green party leader Andrew Weaver. Image by Carol LinnittNEW DELHI: The first major controversy hit the 3 month-old Narendra Modi government on Wednesday when Union home minister Rajnath Singh publicized his anguish about the "rumour" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rebuked his son Pankaj Singh for seeking to influence transfers and postings in Delhi Police.The home minister and the de jure No. 2 in the Modi regime appeared before the media to make the dramatic declaration that he would retire from politics if the insinuation against his son was proven correct. The outburst, which coincided with the denial of a party ticket to Pankaj for the Noida by-election, triggered talk of a power struggle within the new regime, leading both PMO and BJP chief Amit Shah to issue statements backing Singh and vouching for his integrity.Reacting to "rumour" which have been floating in Delhi circles for at least 3 weeks now, Rajnath said he was forced to step out and clear the air because rumours were persisting. "In the last 15-20 days, rumours have persisted about me and my family. I thought rumours would die out since they had no basis. But I am seeing the rumours have only gathered momentum. I want to assure the nation that the day allegations, even though prima facie and even small, are proven against me or my family, I will quit politics and public life and sit at home."Singh also disclosed that both Modi and Shah were surprised when he raised the matter with them last week.The strong emotional pitch by the home minister prompted the usually reticent PMO to swiftly issue a statement in support of Singh as well as other ministers who have been at the receiving end of stubborn rumours. Referring to "reports" in media about the "conduct" of some Union ministers and alleged misconduct of the Home minister's son", the PMO said; "The reports are plain lies, motivated and constitute an attempt at character assassination and tarnishing the image of the government. Those indulging in such rumour-mongering are damaging the interests of the nation. These reports are strongly denied".Amit Shah sought to placate Singh by saying that the "misinformation" against the ministers was "baseless and misleading".Shah described Singh as among the senior most leaders "who played a crucial role in BJP’s victory in LS polls, and said that the home minister’s political career has been unblemished and a portrait of sobriety and decency. He also spoke glowingly of home minister’s son Pankaj terming him a “committed party worker” who has toiled for a decade, in what was interpreted as an indication that Singh Jr’s aspiration for an independent political career may be accommodated.But even as the damage-control effort appeared to have paid off, party circles were baffled about the source of rumours and the manner in which they spread across the city. Some suspected the role of a senior minister, but even Singh partisans are not sure. Sources close to home minister said that they enjoy close rapport at the moment, having been partners in the campaign to project Modi as BJP’s PM candidate. The thesis did not seem to hold water also because Rajnath’s colleague in question is close to the other ministers who have been targeted by the rumours.Sources close to Rajnath denied that the "emotional" home minister named any of his colleagues when he spoke to PM and Shah. The minister himself denied that he had approached the RSS leadership on the issue.Party sources pointed out that while aimed at different personalities, the rumours have one thing in common: the sub-text that Modi was a control freak who would keep even his senior colleagues on a tight leash. Sources in the government alleged that rumours were part of the attempt to malign the PM and weaken his team.Although government managed to douse the fires by its swift response and Rajnath camp appeared sufficiently mollified, but the opposition groups seized upon the opportunity to attack the governmet, while demanding that the allegations against Rajnath be made public. There were indications that the issue will be used against the government at the first opportunity they sight to paint PM as an “authoritarian who brooks no dissent and marginalizes his opponents ruthlessly either through covert means like rumours or overt methods like exclusion from party's powerful posts".Every day I received emails from readers and members of my various Facebook groups, asking for help after having been blocked for posting a story or comment that might offend Muslims.
This is America, not Saudi Arabia. Enough.
I am suing.
The American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) is filing a federal lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) under the First Amendment. In a press release, he AFLC explained that “Section 230 provides immunity from lawsuits to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, thereby permitting these social media giants to engage in government-sanctioned censorship and discriminatory business practices free from legal challenge.” The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, and Jihad Watch.
As the AFLC explained, “Geller and Spencer, along with the organizations they run, are often subject to censorship and discrimination by Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube because of Geller’s and Spencer’s beliefs and views, which Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube consider expression that is offensive to Muslims. Such discrimination, which is largely religion-based in that these California businesses are favoring adherents of Islam over those who are not, is prohibited in many states, but particularly in California by the state’s anti-discrimination law, which is broadly construed to prohibit all forms of discrimination. However, because of the immunity granted by the federal government, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are free to engage in their otherwise unlawful, discriminatory practices.”
For years I have documented the outrageous bias of Facebook’s speech policies. Notoriously one-sided, those who oppose jihad terror, support Israel and stand against the most brutal and extreme ideology on the face of the earth (sharia) have been systematically blocked and banned. Just last month Facebook took down my page and blocked me after a devout Muslim opened fire on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Facebook said they took down my page because of their rule against “hateful, obscene, or threatening” content.
But it is not hateful, obscene, or threatening to oppose jihad terror such as we saw in Orlando. Truth is not hateful or obscene. What is hateful, obscene and threatening is that Facebook is moving to silence everyone who speaks honestly about the motivating ideology behind such attacks.
After the Orlando jihad massacre, they went into full damage control mode. Orlando showed jihad for what it is. They’re committed to obscuring that knowledge and making sure people remain ignorant and complacent about the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat.
They also banned my own account for thirty days. This has happened before — when I get too close to truths they want to cover up. They’re afraid these truths will get out, and that people will start acting to remove the feckless and traitorous leaders who got us into this fix.
And to those of you who say, “Forget Facebook, we’ll do without it,” I say no. I am sick and tired of the suppression of our speech. We are unable to engage in the public square. And yes, Facebook is the public square; it’s where we connect. We have to fight for it. Shouting into the wilderness is not freedom of speech. My Facebook page has close to 300,000 followers, and combined with my pages (SIOA, SION, AFDI), the reach is another 100,000. It’s a critical connection.
Facebook has immense power over organic media — the sharing of our information and news between friends and associates. I would say too much power. They’re trying to change the people by restricting our access to information. Gizmodo reported in May:
Facebook workers routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers from the social network’s influential “trending” news section, according to a former journalist who worked on the project… Several former Facebook “news curators,” as they were known internally, also told Gizmodo that they were instructed to artificially “inject” selected stories into the trending news module, even if they weren’t popular enough to warrant inclusion—or in some cases weren’t trending at all.
“News curators”: what a Goebbels-like term.
Those of us who connect on Facebook have known this for years. We see it. We feel it. Which is why it is critical for our Facebook followers to share our stories on their news feeds. It is up to us to educate people.
Facebook’s unlawful, discriminatory practices have been mandated at the highest levels. In September 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel strong-armed Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook to censor posts critical of the migrant invasion. CNBC reported that Merkel was “overheard confronting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over incendiary posts on the social network.” What kind of incendiary posts? Pro-jihad terror posts? No: Merkel was angry about posts criticizing her policy of inundating Germany with Muslim migrants.
The CNBC report continued: “On the sidelines of a United Nations luncheon on Saturday, Merkel was caught on a hot mic pressing Zuckerberg about social media posts about the wave of Syrian refugees entering Germany, the publication reported. The Facebook CEO was overheard responding that ‘we need to do some work’ on curtailing anti-immigrant posts about the refugee crisis. ‘Are you working on this?’ Merkel asked in English, to which Zuckerberg replied in the affirmative.”
This is so typical of the elites. They control policy, they control the media, they control the culture — but they can’t control the people. And this makes them crazy. If they could, they would change the people.
And so they try to change the people by restricting their access to information. My page “Islamic Jew-Hatred: It’s In the Quran” was taken down from Facebook because it was “hate speech.” Hate speech? Really? The page ran the actual Quranic texts and teachings that called for hatred and incitement of violence against the Jews. So who exactly was responsible for any “hate speech” that may have been present on the page?
When they took down the page, photos of Muslims such as this one were removed.
This is an actual photo of a Muslim holding a sign saying “Death to the Juice” at an anti-Israel rally in New York City. The photo was taken my esteemed colleague Pamela Hall. It is news. Facebook policy dictates that truth is hate speech.
Despite its content being simply factual, the page was taken down. Up only two weeks, it had 10,000 followers. Of course, I started a new page, “Islamic Antisemitism: It’s in the Quran” — like it here. But I suspect that this page won’t live long on Facebook, either. Why is Zuckerberg scrubbing evidence of Muslims inciting people to commit acts of hatred and violence? Why do his policies allow for vicious posts and pages against Israel to stand, but exposing the truth behind that Islamic hate is prohibited? That’s sharia.
Another time I received a warning on our Stop Islamization of America pages (join them!) because of this photo, another actual photo of Muslims daubing a building wall with “Kill the Jews” and “Jihad against Israel.”
I suspect that those pages are in trouble as well. But calls to “rape and dice” me appear on Facebook regularly (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE):
Dexter Van Zile, the Christian Media Analyst for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting (CAMERA) writes: “Recently, my correspondents have alerted me to another page on Facebook. The end of the URL includes the phrase ‘The Truth About Jews” and the page itself promotes Blood Libels against the Jewish people.
It’s titled ‘Jewish ritual murder.’ The page has all the stuff you’d expect on an anti-Semitic Facebook page. It has 248 ‘Likes’ and includes anti-Jewish libels from all over the world. The page includes a disclaimer that is simply bizarre: ‘Comments that are offensive, obscene, vulgar, irrelevant to this page or classified as spam will be removed.’ The entire page is offensive and obscene. And the page, which has been in existence since March 2012, is an exercise in vulgar anti-Semitism.
“Yes, people have complained about the page. And yes, Facebook has responded with messages indicating that the page does not violate the company’s community standards.
Will the page eventually be removed? Probably. But why doesn’t Facebook delete this stuff when first apprised of its presence on their website?”
Why, indeed?
And there is so much more. The Blaze recently reported that “a legal group accused Facebook of favoring anti-Semites over Jews following an experiment it conducted. It created two Facebook groups with nearly identical content, but with the words ‘Jews/Israelis’ and ‘Arabs/Palestinians’ swapped.”
Shurat HaDin posted a video entitled “The Big Facebook Experiment,” showing Facebook’s anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian bias. Their pro-Israel group included a post saying, “Death to all the arabs,” while their pro-Palestinian group included a post saying, “Death to all the jews.”
Then they reported both groups to Facebook. The pro-Israel group was taken down. The pro-Palestinian group wasn’t.
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Shurat Hadin commented: “Facebook’s management is required to act immediately against the blatant incitement being waged for years against Jews and Israelis in the social network it owns and manages. The in-depth investigation we conducted proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that [Facebook’s] claims of equality in the face of its conduct against any individual or group of people are at best erroneous and false in the worst case.”
Darshan-Leitner concluded: “It cannot be that in 2015 a publicly traded commercial company will carry out a racist policy which so blatantly discriminates in favor of any party. The investigation we conducted proves that indeed there is bias in favor of one political party and against Israelis and Jews in particular. Jews and Israelis around the world should be very concerned over the results of the investigation and understand that the most famous social network in the world is working actively in favor of the Palestinians.”
Facebook is increasingly doing the bidding of vicious Muslim thugs and supremacists. I receive a number of emails weekly from Muslims living in Muslim countries who have left Islam and live in terror and fear of being found out. They plead for help and advice.
One group of Arab ex-Muslims, after having their material repeatedly deleted by Facebook, prepared a petition at Change.org asking Facebook to stop deleting Arab Atheist and secularist groups. Sign this petition.
Frankly, it’s terrible and getting worse. As it continues to seize power and control, the left is on dangerous ground. We well know the bloody outcome of this trajectory. This has to end now.
Pamela Geller is the President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), publisher of PamelaGeller.com and author of The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America and Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance. Follow her on Twitter here. Like her on Facebook here.Storm Over the Pacific (SOtP) is probably not for you. I say probably because the game is likely to be highly appealing to a very small niche, one that values historical accuracy and meticulous strategic planning.
SOtP, if you didn’t realize by the statement above, is a turn based strategy game. An easy way to think of it would be as a cheaper version of Hearts of Iron. It takes place during World War II in the Pacific (duh!) and you can chose to play as any of the nations involved in the conflict. It makes for an interesting and most of all accurate portrayal of the period, one that other games fail to tackle with as much depth and precision. That said it does take some liberties. As many conflicts are history set pieces, it would only be natural (this being a game) that they ignore the historical outcome of these conflicts in order to allow the player a chance.
The gameplay takes you back to the truly old-school environment of this genre. We’re talking 20+ years ago old-school here. It revolves around very basic unit movement and management. Such things as intuitive interfaces, animation or sound effects totally absent. The map is split up by a hex grid, with each hexagon serving as a “spot”. Different units can move different amounts of hexagons at a time, or attack from different distances. It all feels very arbitrary and limited. When you attack, all that happens is you get a message telling you how much damage you did, there are no animations, sounds effects or visual cues what-so-ever. This isn’t that abnormal for a game like this, but in addition the interface (though customizable) is simply horrible.
Starting off the game you’ll want to run through the relatively short tutorial. It’ll be essential if you want to know anything about how to play the game. You could try to figure it out as you go, but the game has virtually no hint system or any sort of interface description. That said the tutorial isn’t exactly a cake walk either, as it only provides information at the end of each turn; information on what to do the next turn. The problem is that the series of actions you have to complete can be quite extensive and relatively complicated, which wouldn’t be that bad except that when the turn starts the window of tutorial information is removed and can never be accessed again, essentially requiring you to remember everything.
The game isn’t all about combat though. You’ll also have to do some light economy and political management. This largely boils down to acquiring and distributing Production Points (PP) and Diplomacy Points (DP) in to various projects and acts. Some consideration is important when considering the long term vs. short term profits, but this is largely only necessary in the end game or on the harder difficulties. The computer opponent(s) can at times be quite aggressive in this area so it’s important to keep up.
Graphically the game is pretty afoul. The maps are static and generic, composed of small texture bits strung together to create environments, which individually don’t even look all that great. As mentioned above there is no semblance of animation for anything, moving a unit simply teleports it to the next hexagon. The units and towns are low-res sprites that seem to only have a few variations before they repeat, none of which are particularly interesting or good looking. The Sound Design is non-existent; there is one originally scored track that is played in a background, it lasts an hour but it’s not exactly progressive so you’ll grow tired of it way too quickly. There are absolutely no sound effects of note.
In the end however I came to mildly enjoy Storm Over the Pacific, despite all its lacking’s it has a way of drawing you in. Sure it takes a few hours but you eventually start caring enough about your game to want to see the end. I found it very hard however to motivate myself to start up a new game after my first (and long) campaign was finished. There are a bunch of different scenarios to run through, but after you’ve seen what the game has to offer — doing it all again isn’t all that appealing. If you’re in love with the WWII period, if you adore turn based strategy games, if you for some reason can’t stand Hearts of Iron and if you couldn’t care less about graphics or sound design; then you should definitely go get Storm Over the Pacific right now. Everyone else; Don’t Bother!Vandals in Johnson City, Tenn., stole American and POW/MIA flags from a veterans’ memorial on Sunday and damaged a flag pole the day before a Memorial Day service there.
Those in Johnson City described the vandalism before Monday’s ceremony as “disgusting,” “sickening” and “vile,” the Johnson City Press reports.
Brenda Barnette, chairwoman of the memorial’s board, told the Johnson City Press she learned about the vandalism on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a boot in the face of freedom, veterans and our families who sacrifice and serve,” Barnette said.
“It’s heartbreaking really, I mean to think that somebody lives in our community who doesn’t revere our freedom like we do. It’s kind of beyond vandalism, because symbolically they’re taking the freedom that these people sacrificed and exercising it in a very fallacious way,” said Barnette.
Mark Sirois, chief of police for the Johnson City Police Department, did not respond to a request for comment by publication time by The Daily Caller.
Organizers expected to be able to replace the flags before the 6 p.m. Monday service.
This is the second time the veteran’s memorial has been damaged. Three months ago, the flags were also stolen at the memorial, according to the Press.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].Conservative independent Evan McMullin
Daily Kos Elections' project to calculate the 2016 presidential results for every state legislative seat in the nation hits Utah, a solidly red state that hosted an unexpectedly chaotic presidential race. Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton 46-27, with conservative independent Evan McMullin taking 22 percent; as a bonus, we've calculated McMullin's results in each legislative district in addition to Trump and Clinton's. You can find our master list of states here, which we'll be updating as we add new states; you can also find all our data from 2016 and past cycles here.
The GOP has controlled both chambers of the Utah state legislature since the 1970s, and Team Red maintains huge majorities. The Republicans have a 62-13 House supermajority, and a 24 to five edge in the Senate. Mitt Romney, Utah's possibly future U.S. senator, defeated Barack Obama 73-25 here, taking 68 of the 75 House seats and 27 of the 29 Senate districts. But things were a lot more eventful in 2016. Trump won a plurality in 55 House seats, while Clinton took 19 and McMullin managed to carry one. In the Senate, Trump carried 23 seats and Clinton won six, while McMullin struck out.
We'll start with a look at the House, which is up every two years, and the one McMullin seat anywhere in the country. McMullin's win came in HD-63, located in the Provo area. While Romney won it 86-11, McMullin outpaced Trump 44-32, with Clinton a distant third at 19 percent. Republican state Rep. Dean Sanpei defeated his Democratic foe 79-21.
McMullin came close to winning one other seat, the neighboring HD-64. Romney won 82-15 here, while Trump only outpaced McMullin 39-34, with Clinton taking 22; GOP incumbent Norm Thurston was unopposed. McMullin also took second place in another 31 seats, all of which were carried by Trump. McMullin's weakest performance was in HD-25, which just happened to be both Obama and Clinton's best seat. Obama carried this Salt Lake City seat 70-24, while Clinton beat Trump 74-11; McMullin took just 8 percent.
Clinton won a majority of the vote in the same seven House seats that Obama carried, and Democrats represent them all. An additional 12 seats went from Romney to Clinton; half these districts have a Republican representative, and Democrats hold the other six. No Democrats represent any Trump seats.
The Democrat in the most competitive seat is Sue Duckworth in Salt Lake County's HD-22. This seat went from 59-37 Romney to a thin 35.8-35.3 Clinton, while McMullin took 20.3 here. Amidst all this chaos, Duckworth beat her GOP opponent 52-48. The Republican in the bluest seat is Craig Hall in HD-33, another Salt Lake seat. This district went from 53-44 Romney to 45-31 Clinton, with 16 going to McMullin. However, Hall won 51-49.Car number 96 has started 582 races and has 2 wins, 8 poles, 19 top 5s, 69 top 10s, and 218 DNFs in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
In 1971 a young man named Richard Childress began racing full time as an owner/driver. Childress’s first shot at NASCAR came two years prior in 1969 when a drivers strike at Talladega created a shortage of drivers. Childress was asked by Big Bill France to scab for the race, and thus began the career of the racing legend.
From 1971-1975 Childress stared his #96 car in 108 races, scoring 3 of his 6 career top 5 finishes. For the 1976 season, Childress decided to change his car number to honor Junior Johnson’s past driving success. From that point forward Childress would alway be associated with the #3.
From 1956-1973 Bobby Keck started 76 of his 98 career races in the #96 car. Keck was never a front runner, averaging a 20th place finish over his career. He did, however, qualify for every race he attempted except for 1- the 1963 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville.
In late 2005 Hall of Fame Racing was created as a joint venture between former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Tony Raines was the first driver for the team, driving in 29 races in 2006 while Terry Labonte drove in 7. Raines had the best run for the team at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte leading 23 laps and finishing 7th.
For 2007 Raines was named the full time driver of the #96, but that changed as the season developed. Road course ringer Ron Fellows was tapped to drive the car at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Fellows scored the teams top finish of the year coming home 4th at Watkins Glen.
In 2008 the team formed an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing resulting in a manufacturer switch to Toyota and the hiring of former JGR driver JJ Yeley. With Yeley behind the wheel the team quickly fell out of the top 35 in points and struggled making races. Yeley was released from his contract before the year was over, and the team fielded cars with Joey Logano, PJ Jones, Ken Schrader, and Brad Coleman for the remainder of the year.
For 2009 the team switched to Ford as they merged with The failing Robert Yates Racing. Bobby Labonte was named the driver with sponsorship from Ask.com. However, funding issues would cause Labonte to be removed from the car in favor of Erik Darnell for 7 of the last 12 races. After the 2009 season the team merged with Richard Petty Motorsports, where it was dissolved.
Ray Elder was a six time champion of the NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Series (now K&N Pro Series West), and would compete in the NASCAR Cup Series events whenever the tour came to the west coast from 1967-1978. 27 of his 31 career starts were in #96, including his 2 wins, both at Riverside in 1971 & 1972.
Truck series standout Andy Houston drove the #96 in every one of his 22 Cup series starts. In 2000 he competed in five races to prepare for his 2001 rookie campaign with PPI Motorsports. Out of the five races his best finish would come at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, a 26th. Houston began the 2001 year well with a 9th place qualifying effort at the Daytona 500 in the #96 McDonald’s Ford. It would be one of the highlights of the year, as Houston ended the year with no top 10s and a best finish of 17th at Martinsville; Houston only managed to qualify for 17 races and his team folded after McDonald’s pulled its sponsorship late in the season. He has not returned to the Cup Series since.
Dale Earnhardt started the #96 car in 4 races in 1978.
In 2017 D.J. Kennington qualified car #96 for the Daytona 500, but ultimately would fail to finish after getting caught in a 16 car accident.
Kennington and the Gaunt Brothers team returned in 2018 for 22 races: 7 with DJ, 10 with Jeffrey Earnhardt, 4 with Parker Kligerman, and 1 with Jesse Little.
Other notable names in the #96 Hut Stricklin, 5 races Tiny Lund, 3 races Morgan Shepherd, 2 races Mike Bliss, 2 races
AdvertisementsElizabeth Helen Blackburn, AC FRS FAA FRSN[2] (born 26 November 1948) is an Australian-American Nobel laureate who is the former President of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.[3] Previously she was a biological researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who studied the telomere, a structure at the end of chromosomes that protects the chromosome. In 1984, Blackburn co-discovered telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes the telomere, with Carol W. Greider. For this work, she was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing it with Greider and Jack W. Szostak, becoming the only Tasmanian-born Nobel laureate. She also worked in medical ethics, and was controversially dismissed from the Bush Administration's President's Council on Bioethics.[4]
Early life and education [ edit ]
Elizabeth Helen Blackburn was born in Hobart, Tasmania on 26 November 1948 to parents who were both family physicians.[5] Her family moved to the city of Launceston when she was four, where she attended the Broadland House Church of England Girls' Grammar School (later amalgamated with Launceston Church Grammar School) until the age of sixteen. Upon her family's relocation to Melbourne, she attended University High School, and ultimately gained very high marks in the end-of-year final statewide matriculation exams.[6] She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in 1970 and Master of Science in 1972, both from the University of Melbourne in the field of biochemistry. Blackburn then went to receive her PhD in 1975 from the University of Cambridge, where she worked with Frederick Sanger developing methods to sequence DNA using RNA, as well studied the bacteriophage Phi X 174.[5] It was also here, the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University, where Blackburn met her husband John Sedat.[7] Blackburn's soon to be husband had taken a position at Yale, so she had decided to try and do her postdoctoral research there. “Thus it was that love brought me to a most fortunate and influential choice: Joe Gall’s lab at Yale.” So Elizabeth would go to complete her postdoctoral at Yale University.[5]
Career and research [ edit ]
During her postdoctoral work at Yale, Blackburn was doing research on the protozoan Tetrahymena thermophil and noticed a repeating codon at the end of the linear rDNA which varied in size.[8] Blackburn then noticed that this hexanucleotide at the end of the chromosome contained a TTGGGG sequence that was tandomly repeated, and the terminal end of the chromosomes were palindromic. These characteristics allowed Blackburn and colleagues to conduct further research on the protozoan. Using the telomeric repeated end of Tetrahymena, Blackburn and colleague Jack Szostak showed the unstable replicating plasmids of yeast were protected from degradation, proving that these sequences contained characteristics of telomeres.[8] This research also proved the telomeric repeats of Tetrahymena were conserved evolutionarily between the species.[8] Through this research, Blackburn and collaborators noticed the replication system for chromosomes was not likely to add to the lengthening of the telomere, and that the addition of these hexanucleotides to the chromosomes was likely due to the activity of enzyme able to transfer specific functional groups.[8] The proposition of a possible transferase-like enzyme lead Blackburn and PhD student Carol W. Greider to the discovery of an enzyme with reverse transcriptase activity that was able to fill in the terminal ends of telomeres without leaving the chromosome incomplete and unable to divide without loss of the end of the chromosome.[9] This 1985 discovery lead to the purification of this enzyme in lab, showing the transferase-like enzyme contained both RNA and protein components.[8] The RNA portion of the enzyme served as a template for adding the telomeric repeats to the incomplete telomere, and the protein added enzymatic function for the addition of these repeats.Through this breakthrough, the term “telomerase” was given to the enzyme, solving the end-replication process that had troubled scientists at the time.[9]
Telomerase [ edit ]
Telomerase works by adding base pairs to the overhang of DNA on the 3’ end, extending the strand until DNA polymerase and an RNA primer can complete the complementary strand and successfully synthesize the double stranded DNA. Since DNA polymerase only synthesizes DNA in the leading strand direction, the shortening of the telomere results.[10] Through their research, Blackburn and collaborators were able to show that the telomere is effectively replenished by the enzyme telomerase, which conserves cellular division by preventing the rapid loss of genetic information internal to the telomere, leading to cellular aging.[8]
On January 1, 2016, Blackburn was interviewed about her studies, discovering telomerase, and her current research. When she was asked to recall the moment of telomerase discovery she stated:[11]
Carol had done this experiment, and we stood, just in the lab, and I remember sort of standing there, and she had this – we call it a gel. It's an autoradiogram because there were trace amounts of radioactivity that were used to develop an image of the separated DNA products of what turned out to be the telomerase enzyme reaction. I remember looking at it and just thinking, 'Ah! This could be very big. This looks just right.' It had a pattern to it. There was a regularity to it. There was something that was not just sort of garbage there, and that was really kind of coming through, even though we look back at it now, we'd say, technically, there was this, that and the other, but it was a pattern shining through, and it just had this sort of sense, 'Ah! There's something real here.' But then, of course, the good scientist has to be very sceptical and immediately say, 'Okay, we're going to test this every way around here, and really nail this one way or the other.' If it's going to be true, you have to make sure that it's true, because you can get a lot of false leads, especially if you're wanting something to work.[11]
In 1978, Blackburn joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Molecular Biology. In 1990, she moved across the San Francisco Bay to the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she served as the Department Chair from 1993 to 1999 and was the Morris Herzstein Professor of Biology and Physiology at UCSF. Blackburn became a Professor Emeritus at UCSF at the end of 2015.[12][13]
Blackburn, co-founded the company Telomere Health which offers telomere length testing to the public, but later severed ties with the company.[14][15]
In 2015, Elizabeth Blackburn was announced as the new President of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. “Few scientists garner the kind of admiration and respect that Dr. Blackburn receives from her peers for her scientific accomplishments and her leadership, service and integrity,” says Irwin M. Jacobs, chairman of Salk's Board of Trustees, on Blackburn's appointment as President of the Institute. “Her deep insight as a scientist, her vision as a leader, and her warm personality will prove invaluable as she guides the Salk Institute on its continuing journey of discovery.” In 2017, she announced her plans to retire from the Salk Institute the following year.[16]
Nobel Prize [ edit ]
For their research and contributions to the understanding of telomeres and the enzyme telomerase, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostaks were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.The substantial research |
that he was giving his audience a lecture.
My second reaction was that in Mr. Clinton’s speech — as in the speeches by Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden (this column was filed before Barack Obama spoke on Thursday night) — one heard the fundamental difference between the two parties. Democrats say and, as far as I can tell, really believe that working Americans are getting a raw deal; Republicans, despite occasional attempts to sound sympathetic, basically believe that people have nothing to complain about.
As it happens, the numbers support the Democrats.
That Census report gives a snapshot of the economic status of American families in 2007 — that is, before the financial crisis started dragging the economy down and the unemployment rate up. It’s a given that 2008 will look much worse, so last year was as good as it will get in the Bush years. Yet working-age Americans had significantly lower median income in 2007 than they did in 2000. (The elderly, whose income is supported by Social Security — the program the Bush administration tried to kill — saw modest gains.) Meanwhile, poverty was up, and health insurance — especially the employment-based insurance on which most middle-class Americans depend — was down.
But Republicans, very much including John McCain and his advisers, don’t believe there’s a problem.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
Former Senator Phil Gramm made headlines, and stepped down as co-chairman of the McCain campaign, after he described America as a “nation of whiners.” But how different was that remark, really, from Mr. McCain’s own declaration that “there’s been great progress economically” — progress that’s mysteriously invisible in the actual data — during the Bush years? And Mr. Gramm, by all accounts, remains a key economic adviser to Mr. McCain.
PhotoUpdated: DARPA Believes 'Hypersonic Glider' Is Somewhere In The Pacific
Enlarge this image toggle caption AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images
Earlier this morning, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, launched an experimental hypersonic glider.
The Falcon HTV-2 was shot up on a rocket and right at the edge of space, it separated and glided through the atmosphere at 13,000 mph. The point of the experimental aircraft is to create one able to respond to threats quickly. As The Guardian describes it, the project was conceived in 2003 in attempt to create an aircraft to potentially deliver bombs to any part of the world in less than an hour.
But like one launched last year, the results of the flight were problematic.
DARPA tweeted its progress:
But, then, came some some dramatic news:
-- 11:21 a.m. ET. Range assets have lost telemetry with #HTV2. More to follow
The vehicle was supposed to cruise through the atmosphere, roll around and then dive into the ocean. But a little before 12:30 p.m. ET, DARPA tweeted that it was never able to reacquire a signal to the device.
The AP reports that last year a similar vehicle was launched and a lot like this one was up in the air for about 9 minutes before contact was prematurely lost.
In its tweet, DARPA said the vehicle has the capability of terminating a flight on its own, so we suppose it's somewhere in the ocean by now. DARPA promised more information and we'll bring it to you as we get it.
Update at 4:37 p.m. ET. Aircraft Is Probably In The Pacific Ocean:
In a statement, DARPA says that Falcon HTV-2 flew for more than 9 minutes at Mach 20 speed before they lost track of it. DARPA said it believes the aircraft likely landed someplace in the Pacific Ocean.
"Here's what we know," Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz, DARPA HTV-2 program manager, said in a statement. "We know how to boost the aircraft to near space. We know how to insert the aircraft into atmospheric hypersonic flight. We do not yet know how to achieve the desired control during the aerodynamic phase of flight. It's vexing; I'm confident there is a solution. We have to find it."
And in order to fly the "fastest aircraft ever built," Schulz added, it will take more tries.How to Know If a Woman Really Is Asking for Sex
We've all heard the flimsy and downright ridiculous argument about how women's clothes 'invite' rape or sexual assault. For the 7658926th time, women are NOT 'asking' for your unsolicited sexual advances.
To all those who think they're entitled to sex if a woman's clothes somehow don't agree with their twisted sense of morality, we'll break it down for you. For the uninitiated in common sense, these are women who are NOT asking for sex.
Women who are not asking for sex:
Not asking for it.
Not asking for it.
Still not asking for it.
Nope. Not asking for it.
Source Mrpopart
Guess what? Not asking for it.
Yes. Not asking for it.
No. Still not asking for it.
Nope. still no.
Not asking for it.
Some of you may be getting the hang of it. But if you still haven't, we're here to help.
Look, Not asking for it.
And, again, not asking for it.
Not at all asking for it.
Still no.
Nope. Not.
No way.
No. Just no.
Not asking for it.
And again. Not asking for sex.
Now that you know what a woman looks like when she is not asking for it, we'll go a step further and show you what a woman looks like when she does want to have sex with you.
The only time a woman IS asking for sex.
Is when she does, in fact, ask for it.
Or tells you she wants it.
Or simply says:Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime made a surprise appearance at Epic Games’ Game Developer Conference press conference today to sing the praises of the company’s game engine and how well it works on the upcoming Nintendo Switch console.
“Unreal is enabling a whole new group of developers to make games for the Switch,” Fils-Aime said in a pre-recorded video.
You can watch the entire video above.
Earlier this year, Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that the Switch would support modern game engines like Unreal 4 and Unity.
“Regarding our software development environment,” Miyamoto said, “third-party developers who are making software for PC can now easily adapt that software to work on our platform. In the current development environment, Iʼd say that it would take less than a year for them to port a PC game to Nintendo Switch.
“That ease of software development has also been felt by Nintendoʼs internal developers. Also, even though game software developers in the U.S. and E.U. are often said to have superior skills to their Japanese counterparts when it comes to software development techniques, Nintendoʼs software developers have mastered state-of-the-art technologies such as Unreal engine, and their skills can now be compared with those of Western developers. Our developers are more excited than ever to create software.”
Make sure to check out our Nintendo Switch Review here. The console hits on Friday.“Do they leave it there during the game?”
That famous line from one-time Red Sox lefty and Hall of Fame-level raconteur Bill Lee sums up Fenway Park’s reputation with respect to southpaws. Yet, despite this literal barrier to success for lefties in Boston, the 2017 Red Sox rotation could potentially be one of the most left-handed rotations in history as well as the best in baseball.
The Red Sox traded for Chris Sale on Tuesday, adding one of the top arms in baseball to an already strong and deep rotation. The Red Sox roster already included 2016 Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello and 2012 Cy Young Award winner David Price. Sale has yet to win the Award, but he hasn’t finished lower than fifth in the voting since his first full season in 2012, when he finished sixth. As Grant Brisbee points out, the trade makes the Red Sox rotation young and talented and potentially devastating.
Brisbee sums the potential up nicely:
Pick the fourth and fifth starters behind Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and David Price. Before you start, realize that the Red Sox have the reigning Cy Young winner, and he’s probably the third-best pitcher on the team.
If you haven’t been playing the “who starts behind our three aces” game, I don’t quite understand the form your Red Sox fandom has taken. There are so many fun options here. You can dream up four or five different scenarios that all have the Red Sox with the best rotation in baseball and they would all be different and they all have a realistic chance of happening. There are also, at least for the moment, several ways to draw up the Red Sox rotation that would make it historically left-handed.
Let’s play the “who’s starting…” game and consider a few way this could go. The Red Sox’ big three includes Porcello, a righty who happens to be the defending Cy Young winner. He is not going anywhere unless it is on the DL and since he is a pitcher, we can’t ignore that possibility. That is just one righty though and that is where the locks for the rotation end. For the fourth spot, righty knuckleballer Steven Wright is the obvious choice in my mind. Wright was an All-Star in the first half of 2016 and missed much of the second half and the playoffs with an injury that should be resolved for the 2017 season. We can assume he is not a top trade candidate since not every team embraces the knuckleball as the Red Sox do. With Wright, Boston would have two right-handed starters. However, Wright is far from a lock. 2016 was a breakout season for him and it was control of the knuckleball that made that possible. Should his command regress, he could easily drop from the fourth starter spot to the swingman role. Such is the life of a man who throws the knuckleball.
That leaves just one other righty in the conversation for the rotation and that man is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, buried in uncertainty in the great garden of Entropy. He could out-pitch the rest of the rotation and win his own Cy Young, he could start bleeding from his throat again, he could be traded, he could be awful, he could become a position player and win the starting job at third base over Pablo Sandoval. I’m done guessing at what will happen with Clay Buchholz. It’s all possible where he is concerned.
The good news is that the Red Sox rotation not only has three potential aces, it has remarkable depth at this point. The strange news is that all of that depth is left-handed. Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz could easily win the last two rotation spots on merit alone. Pomeranz was one of the top prizes on the market before the trade deadline after 102 innings with a 2.47 ERA for the Padres in the first half. His second-half struggles may have been caused by injuries or late-season fatigue, so a healthy Pomeranz in the rotation could be the optimal outcome here.
If he wasn’t also a lefty, you could reasonably say that Eduardo Rodriguez was the mirror image of Pomeranz in 2017. E-Rod started the season on the DL and struggled when he finally returned. He landed in the rotation for the stretch run, however, and he was more than serviceable with a 3.24 ERA and a strong 2.82 K/BB ratio. He is certainly one of the top trade chips the Red Sox have at the moment, but getting value that matches the upside of a soon-to-be-24-year-old who is still pre-arbitration, who has done what he just did in the majors is not easy. It is more likely that he starts for Boston than somewhere else. Even if Rodriguez or Pomeranz do not win the starting jobs out of the gate, unless they are dealt, they are the first line of defense should anyone fall to injury or falter performance-wise. Keeping both might be unlikely, but neither is at their peak in value right now. What’s more, even if one of the two does get traded, two of the next options in line are lefties as well. Right now, Henry Owens and Brian Johnson represent the break-in-case-of-emergency options. Both look as likely to bust or wind up in the bullpen as they are to have careers starting games in the majors, but for 2017, they are in the conversation at least. That gives the Red Sox nine options at starter and six are lefties. Lefty Roenis Elias is still around as well, but he is still Roenis Elias so I am not going to think about him right now.
Writing about the 2015 White Sox rotation, which featured four left-handed starters, ESPN’s Doug Padilla noted that only two other teams in history have ever featured four lefty starters who made at least 20 starts a piece, the 2013 White Sox and the 1954 Washington Senators. You don’t have to dream up insane scenarios to have Boston join that list in 2017. This is all just on paper at this point, but the presence of so much left-handed pitching is a fascinating byproduct of Dombrowski’s recent dealings and something to watch as Boston moves through the winter and towards opening day.
If the Red Sox end up with a historically left-handed rotation, it would be a shocking turn of events given Fenway’s reputation. It may not be a bad thing, however.
Despite leaving the Monster up during the games, Fenway’s reputation as a rough place for southpaws is more superstition than statistical fact. Fenway is a hitter’s park by any measure. Fangraph’s park factors lists it second only to Coors Field for offense. The Green Monster is a major part of that. It turns many fly outs into singles and doubles. That is true for hitters from both sides of plate and thanks to both the Monster and the expansiveness of right field, lefty hitters get the bigger advantage in doubles and triples. Where Fenway kills left-handed pitchers is with home runs. While lefty hitters actually see their home runs go down in Fenway, right-handed hitters get a four percent boost in homers. That is bound to make pitching in Fenway a little more nerve-racking for a lefty. David Price could probably attest to that. He set a career high for home runs allowed in his first year on the Red Sox and 17 of those came at home. At best we can say that some of Fenway’s reputation for hurting lefties is real, but the total impact on their numbers is not that much different from what righties have to endure.
The Red Sox rotation is not set at this point and both logic and Dave Dombrowski’s recent comments on the matter suggest a trade on the horizon. Just based on the number of options, it is likely that a lefty will be traded, but it is not imperative. The Red Sox under Dombrowski have acquired three lefties—Sale, Price and Pomeranz—but there has never seemed to be a strategy behind targeting those players that went beyond getting the best arms possible. The best arms available were lefties, so that is what he acquired. The same logic should rule when it comes to deciding who starts in 2017. Boston could have one the most heavily left-handed rotations in baseball history this season, or it could work out that only two starters are left-handed. Either scenario could produce one the best rotations in baseball. It may be shocking if the Red Sox are historically left-handed but that doesn’t mean it won’t be effective. Dealing a pitcher is probably necessary, but that pitcher doesn’t have to be a lefty just for the sake of balance.NEW DELHI, August 21, 2011 (AFP) - Suspected Somali pirates have hijacked a tanker with 21 Indian sailors on board near a port in Oman, India's government shipping agency said.
The Mumbai-based Director General of Shipping (DGS) said in a statement that the Fairchem Bogey was hijacked on Saturday while it was at anchor outside the port of Salalah.
Piracy for ransom is a well-organised and lucrative operation in Somalia that has expanded into a vast area off the coast. In 2010 a record 1,181 seafarers were kidnapped by pirates, according to marine safety experts.
The Fairchem Bogey, managed by Mumbai-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, was seized while it was waiting for berthing instructions.
"The Omani Coast Guard... were warned off by the pirates who asked them to move away to avoid casualties to the crew," Anglo-Eastern Ship Management said in the statement.
Oman lies at the mouth of the Gulf, a strategic, heavily patrolled waterway which channels the bulk of the world's crude oil shipments.
In June this year, six Indian sailors were freed after being held for 10 months by Somali pirates. They were kept in chains, often without food or water and said they were treated "like animals".
More than 100 suspected pirates have been caught and are awaiting trial in India following a series of skirmishes with the navy near the country's Lakshadweep islands this year.In eight days, when NSW voters boot Labor out of power for the first time in 16 years, it will be less about the rejection of a few wayward politicians who demonstrate a desire to dance about in their underwear. It will be the rejection of what we see reflected in the mirror. Sydney has changed. It is a sadder, meaner and angrier place to live. Sydney is a city under siege; from higher house prices, to mortgages, electricity prices, toll roads, congestion... you name it. Research by Access Economics shows the proportion of people choosing to live in NSW as opposed to other Australian states has been shrinking since the Olympics. And yet the population continues to swell, putting more pressure on existing resources. Neglect of fundamental economic issues such as infrastructure, land supply and public transport means Sydney has failed to keep up with the increasing demands on it. Every day brings another car on the roads, but no extra road. Every weekend brings another bidder at the auction, but hardly any extra homes. Sydney is a city collapsing in on itself. Not waving, but drowning. Try as we might to resist, all this breeds a greater distrust and resentment towards one another. That guy who cut into your lane without waving thanks. The woman who took the last seat on the bus. The Joneses who have a nicer house, backyard, car, holiday home.
Burdened by supersized mortgages, we eat at home rather than venturing out. Frustrated by public transport we lock ourselves in our cars, listening not to the banter of fellow passengers but the irate rants of conservative radio hosts. Sydney has always been a tribal city, split between the north shore, eastern suburbs and western suburbs. But those divisions are becoming ever more entrenched. Not only is it physically difficult to get from one enclave to the next, rising house prices in well-located areas are entrenching inequality across the generations. Housing wealth is passed between parent and child in a previously unimaginable way, as parents are called upon to support their children financially into homes. Never before has it been more important how rich your parents are. Bob Cummins, Australia's leading happiness expert and lead researcher on the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, confirms Sydneysiders are the most miserable of all the state capital residents bar Perth, which is also dealing with rapid population growth and strain on resources. ''There are significant differences between the various states and Sydney and Perth are the two that have the lowest subjective wellbeing of the capital cities, and I think Sydney is probably just too big. It has very high density of people.
''Melbourne and Brisbane seem to be the two that do well. I think Melbourne hasn't a lot of the problems that Sydney has. Density of living is lower. The traffic isn't quite as awful.'' Professor Cummins says the happiest place to live in Australia is probably a regional centre, somewhere near the coast, with a population of about 20,000 to 30,000 people, meaning there is enough infrastructure to support them and they do not feel disconnected from the neighbours. ''If you feel attached to your community, you tend to know the people around you and tend to trust them more, you tend to feel safer.'' Cracks are beginning to show. Parts of western Sydney have become hotbeds for discontent over federal immigration and asylum seeker policies. Perhaps one of the most enduringly strange images of the last federal election campaign was of Julia Gillard flanked by western Sydney MP David Bradbury as they patrolled for people smugglers off the coast of Darwin. But this hostility to higher migration is less a racial issue and more the product of too many people, not enough resources. When accounts of NSW Labor's years of power are written, the worst sins recorded will not be the things they did do - the personal scandals - but what they didn't do: the reforms, the investments they were too busy playing politics to undertake. Neglect of this scale tears at the social fabric of a place. Does Barry O'Farrell get it? Sydney doesn't just need a leader, it needs a healer. Does O'Farrell understand the challenge ahead?
On behalf of every frustrated Sydneysider, it's time to rage, rage against the dying of the light.Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Joe Maiellano.
Gin is perhaps the most versatile of the distilled spirits. Sure, whisky is delicious. With a world full of smoky single malts and spicy ryes (not to mention bourbons, and the underrated yet very fine selection of Irish whiskies), who would need to stray? But gin has a wonderfully complex flavor profile that is unrivaled by any other spirit.
At its core, gin is a neutral spirit that has been flavored with juniper, and often a variety of herbs, spices, flowers, citrus, and other flavors. Lemon, orange, and lime, as well as coriander, cardamom, and allspice, are all common. Right from the get go, gin is gifted with an almost infinite range of possible flavors and profiles. Enjoy citrus? Rose and cucumber? Oak and malt? Rosemary and thyme? There’s a gin out there to match your taste. And, for the same reasons, there is a perfect gin for every cocktail, liqueur, and mixer.
Many great men through history have enjoyed gin: Winston Churchill, FDR, Ernest Hemingway, etc. Read on to discover what they already knew, and how to become a gin aficionado yourself.
How Gin is Made
The final flavor of gin, unlike most other spirits, relies less on the base spirit or the aging process than it does on the additions made by the distiller during production. Let’s take a stroll through the process of how gin is made:
1. Obtaining the neutral spirit.
Some distilleries will actually just source an already-distilled base spirit from another distillery. Others will use leftover base spirit from other liquors they make in-house. And still others will go through the process of creating their own from scratch. As with other liquors, the basic process consists of:
Creating a mash. Grain, water, and yeast are combined and heated, then allowed to ferment to create a low-alcohol “beer.”
Grain, water, and yeast are combined and heated, then allowed to ferment to create a low-alcohol “beer.” Distillation. The “beer” is strained, put into a still, and heated. Since alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, the alcohol will turn to vapor while the water and other byproducts are left behind, so long as the proper temperature range is maintained. The alcohol vapor condenses (either through coils in a pot-still or on plates in a column still), and is collected as the pure, neutral spirit.
2. Flavoring with botanicals.
Next, herbs, spices, citrus, flowers, and other flavorings are added to the neutral spirit to steep in a kind of boozy tea. All gin contains juniper berries (that’s what makes it gin, after all!), but the unique recipe of other botanicals is what makes each gin special. The time and technique vary – some distillers just dump everything in and strain it out later, others create mesh teabags, and still others will actually hang the botanicals inside the still to allow just the vapor to pass through. No matter how they accomplish it, what the distillers are doing is allowing the alcohol to strip out the essential oils and retain the flavorings.
3. Final distillation.
Most commercial gins undergo a final distillation at this stage. They’re run through the still one more time, which allows the spirit to retain the flavor of the botanicals, while getting rid of any color that it has taken on. Gins that skip this step, such as homemade gin, are referred to as “compound gins.”
The History of Gin
Italian monks in the eleventh century produced an elixir of juniper berries steeped in alcohol to combat the Black Death (while not particularly effective, one would think that sipping a martini while dealing with the plague might have at least taken the edge off a little). The Dutch were distilling genever by the mid 1600s, and shared it with their British comrades in the Eighty Years’ War (where it was known as “Dutch Courage”).
As happens with many battle-born food and drink proclivities, the British soldiers brought their taste for the Dutch gin back home with them, where it soon caught on like wildfire. The Dutch-born King of England, William of Orange, relaxed restrictions on home distilling, and increased tariffs on imported booze, leading to a meteoric rise in gin’s popularity. Low prices and widespread availability (fully more than half of the drinking establishments in 1730s London were “gin joints”), coupled with lax oversight, meant that London’s poor were in a perpetual stupor. William Hogarth famously captured the scene in his engraving, “Gin Lane.” The mid-1700s saw quality controls enacted, and the invention of the column still led to the refinement of the spirit into the gin with which we are familiar today.
Fast forward to Prohibition in America, and bootleggers found that the easiest spirit to emulate was gin. By steeping juniper, herbs, and spices in “alcohol” (whether actual moonshine, rubbing alcohol, medical alcohol, or even petroleum products) in a tub, bootleggers made bathtub gin. They often combined bootleg spirits with mixers (juice, soda, sugar) to cover up their horrendous flavor, and so was born the modern cocktail.
Men and Gin on the Silver Screen
There has long been a special place in popular culture for gin. There’s something about it that is gentlemanly and civilized, yet, a bit dangerous. It’s no wonder that some of the most iconic and manly characters ever to grace the silver screen, or the pages of western literature, have done so with a gin cocktail in hand.
There’s Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, engaged in a high-stakes game of seduction over a cooly-ordered Gibson in the dining car in North by Northwest.
There’s Bogie as the proprietor of Rick’s Cafe Americain in Casablanca – the most famous of “all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world.”
Or Mad Men’s Roger Sterling ordering simply, “Gibson, up.”
Before film and TV, gin had a starring role in the literature that shaped our culture. It was fitting that Fitzgerald’s anti-hero, Jay Gatsby, was a gin-slinger.
Hemingway wrote, in a case of art imitating life, some of the best prose ever conceived about gin – in A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry says, of drinking martinis, “I had never tasted anything so cool and clean. They made me feel civilized.”
And of course, Ian Fleming’s iconic creation, James Bond and his Vesper martini.
Speaking of Martinis…
Martinis really are the quintessential gin drink. Heck, they’re the quintessential drink. Period. Their beauty is in their simplicity. H.L. Mencken called the martini “the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.” But this almost Zen-like elixir still manages to stump many mixologists and imbibers alike. How much vermouth to use? Shaken or stirred? Olives or twist?
The simple answer is, there is no right answer – it’s all a matter of preference. Everyone has their own take, and I’ll humbly offer mine.
In Across the River and Into the Trees, Hemingway describes the Montgomery: a very dry martini that is 15 parts gin to one part vermouth. Old recipes dating back to the 1800s call for as much as equal parts gin and vermouth. If you use a good vermouth such as Dolin or Lillet (not just the bottom-shelf stuff), you’ll want to taste it as a complement to the flavor of the gin. Personally, I like a ratio of 4 or 5 parts gin to 1 part of Dolin dry vermouth. Swap out the dry (white) vermouth for sweet (red) vermouth in the same amounts, and you have a Martinez.
To answer the big question – shaken or stirred? – we need to look at both physics and chemistry. Shaking a cocktail will make it colder, more quickly, than stirring. In addition, the added agitation will break up the ice into little shards that, with less surface area, melt quickly and dilute the drink. So, it depends on whether or not you prefer your martini ice cold and a little watered down (in which case, make like 007 and shake) or not as cold but a more pure product.
As to garnish: I’d argue that the proper garnish is dependent on the exact type of gin you are using. An olive is perfectly acceptable if you’re using a very dry gin, such as Gordon’s or Beefeater. In fact, Sinatra advised that you should always order two olives, so you’ll have one to share with a friend. However, if your martini is made with a particularly complex gin – say, Hendrick’s or Bombay Sapphire – you’re going to want to compliment some of the citrus and floral notes with a lemon twist. A cocktail onion generally follows the same rules as an olive, although then you’re not drinking a martini anymore, but rather a Gibson.
New Trends in Gin
While the martini may be the quintessential gin drink, gin is far from a one-trick pony. In fact, there are many exciting trends happening right now in the gin world. Take for example small-batch distilleries. Much like the micro-brewery movement of the 1980s and 1990s, America is seeing a surge in local micro-distilleries.
In the not-too-distant past, there were few options for the gin drinker. Your local bar would have Seagrams or maybe Beefeater, and that was all there was. Now, we live in a time and place where there are literally hundreds of different gins that all taste different, and that are accessible with a few strokes of your keyboard. Death’s Door in Wisconsin, Bluecoat in Philadelphia, Green Hat in DC… all are turning out world class gins right in our backyards. It’s a great time to be a gin drinker!
Many of these local distilleries (and some of the big guys, too) have begun tinkering with seasonal and other limited-run batches. Green Hat has put out a winter blend that is distilled with caraway seeds (among other botanicals) in the style of an aquavit.
Ransom out of Oregon has a barrel-aged gin that has a mellow amber color and pleasing oakiness that works amazingly well in a Martinez.
Even Plymouth, one of the oldest commercial gins going (since 1793!), has gone back to releasing its Navy Proof offering – bottled at a whopping 114 proof in order to last on long voyages. Come to think of it, if you like shaken martinis, that might just be the way to go…
Recipes
Once you’ve sampled enough gin, and found some favorites, give a few of these recipes a try:
Negroni
Italian amari, such as Campari, are excellent at reviving one’s appetite and settling nausea after a night of over-indulgence. When married with the healthful qualities of gin, the coating properties of Italian-style vermouth and the added protein from an egg white (which also lends a silky texture), we enjoy an elixir without equal for righting oneself – the Negroni.
1.5 oz gin
1.5 oz Campari
1.5 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
1 egg white
Orange twist
Combine gin, Campari, vermouth, bitters, and egg white in a cocktail shaker (no ice). Shake well for 30 seconds (this is called dry shaking; it helps integrate the egg white). Add ice to shaker. Shake again for 30 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Using a vegetable peeler or zester, cut a very thin strip of orange peel (avoid the white pith), squeeze the twist over glass to release its oils, run the peel over the rim of the glass, and drop into drink.
French 75
This cocktail traces its roots to Harry’s Bar in Paris in 1915, where a WWI veteran wanted a little more kick in his glass of champagne. Legendary barman Harry MacElhone mixed this up for him, and the vet declared it packed a wallop like a French 75 (the Model 1897 75mm Howitzers he knew all too well from the war).
2 oz gin
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice
Champagne (or other dry sparkling wine)
Lemon twist
In a shaker with ice, combine gin, syrup, and lemon; shake well. Strain into a chilled flute or coupe, and top up with champagne. Serve up with a strip of lemon zest as garnish.
Gin Rickey
The Gin Rickey is Washington, D.C.’s native cocktail, invented by Col. Joe Rickey at a bar mere steps from the White House. Crisp and refreshing, it’s the perfect cocktail for the south’s swampy summers.
3 oz gin
½ fresh lime
Sparkling mineral water (such as Apolinaris or Acqua Panna)
2 dashes orange bitters
Squeeze lime half into a rocks glass or large wine goblet and drop hull in as well. Fill glass with ice. Add gin, bitters, and mineral water. Stir to combine.
Shaken or stirred, traditional or small batch, gin is the elixir of men and gods alike. Whether you’re a gin fan who might have discovered a new trend or a novice who was afraid to delve deeper, I hope you’ll join me now in raising a glass to this finest of spirits: gin.
______________________________
Joe Maiellano is co-founder of The HomeMade Gin Kit. He has been described as a spiritsmith, alcohol enthusiast and drunkard (though only the latter by his mother-in-law). He’s also been trying to single-handedly bring back the three-martini lunch.After watching the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 battle around the world in last year’s Blancpain 2013 championship – and ultimately winning the Pro Am drivers & team’s category – I had to find out more about this racing behemoth.
So I headed to JRMotorsport in Daventry (JRM), the company that builds them.
JRM are THE Company that manufacturer the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, you can’t get one anywhere else.
They aren’t cheap either, the 2014 spec model will set you back a cool £295,000, actually with the VAT its £354,000.But in the world of GT3 racing this car is one of the most cost effective purchases.
Currently JRM supply cars to clients in Japan, France, Germany & the UK. In 2014 JRM are aiming to target a further 10 car sales within these (as well as other) regions.
When we arrived for a factory tour the first of those builds were well underway.
Each car takes around 300 hours to build, if you were to order one today you could be the proud owner in just 10-12 weeks!
It all starts off with a standard Nissan GT-R Bodyshell (sans roof) sent directly from Nissan in Japan.
JRM are then responsible for the transformation of the body shell…templates are used to cut out the rear arches, floor and various other race spec holes. A lightweight carbon fibre roof is also fitted.
After the shell modification has been completed JRM then manage the installation of the FIA approved, six point welded roll cage.
80% of this car has JRM manufactured supplied parts. After one final short journey (for painting) the body shell eventually makes it to JRM Daventry, where the real work begins.
The GT-R GT3 uses the same basic engine layout as the road car, twin uprated intercoolers have been added as well as a top mounted oil cooler.
Engine wise the changes are minor, different cams are used along with uprated high flow turbos – the same now being used in the Nissan GT-R NISMO road car.
A Pectel ECU is installed instead of the original, this allows different fuel maps to be flashed on a per track basis. It can even control things as minute as the pit speed limiter, it’s basically the cars single brain.
It also enables in car control of the ABS and traction control systems, letting the driver turn up, or tone down the electronic safety net on the fly.
Twin straight through 2.5 inch exhausts run from the engine bay down each side of the car, exiting from the lower door sills. The whole system is fully heat wrapped to help keep the car as cool as possible.
Gone is the road cars dual clutch setup, instead a Berkshire sourced Hewland semi-automatic single-clutch gearbox is used – in favour of reliability.
The whole unit weighs only 80 KG and is good for 4,500 KM before a rebuild. Pneumatic paddle shifters control the gearbox sequentially, through a quad plate Sachs racing clutch.
Also absent is the GT-R’s all-wheel drive setup – it’s not allowed in GT3 racing – so that power is transferred through a carbon prop-shaft to the rear wheels.
Every GT3 car has to run through the FIA’s Balance Of Performance system (BOP). This is where each car is driven around a certain track by the FIA, then they adjust limits on horsepower, weight, engine management, and aerodynamics.
This helps to prevent a single manufacturer from becoming dominant, and ensures a fair playing field.
Target build weight for the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 car |
. (These apps have to be rewritten to exploit Passbook.) When you get to the movie theater or the airport, you no longer have to find the app and then find the barcode within the app; the iPhone’s GPS figures out that you’ve arrived, and displays the correct pass automatically. (The best part may be the shredder-machine animation that appears when you delete a used pass.)
• Guided access. This new mode is something like kiosk mode. It prevents you from leaving the app you’re in — you can’t go back to the Home screen, for example. Apple points out that it’s great for children with autism, teachers who want to administer a test but block the ability to search Google for answers, or museums that want to create walking tours.
By the way, Apple made two other changes that didn’t make the cut for the keynote. First, new versions of Apple’s two photo programs, Aperture and iPhoto, will use the same database. That is, the same photos show up in both programs, with the same categories, tags, ratings, edits and so on, so you can flip back and forth as needed.
Second, there’s a new Airport Express (a pocket-size Wi-Fi base station). This one looks like a white Apple TV — a tiny square — that doubles the network speed and permits more simultaneous connections.
It’s clear that Apple intends to take certain new directions — that the rest of the industry, most likely, will follow:
• Discs are gone. Apple has killed off iDVD, its DVD-design program, and now it’s phasing CD/DVD drives out of its laptops, including the new 15-incher. (An external DVD drive is available, though.) The future, Apple thinks, is all online.
• Ethernet is gone. The new laptop doesn’t have an Ethernet jack for networking (although an adapter is available). It’s all Wi-Fi now, baby.
• Hard drives are gone. Hard drives may become last moving part on a computer. (There is also the fan.) The solid-state ones in the Airs and Apple’s new laptop are faster, bump-proof, quieter, stingier with power — and more expensive. But that, surely, will change.
• Speech is in. Siri is slowly growing in power and in compatibility with Apple’s products, and built-in dictation is just arriving on the Mac. Clearly, Apple isn’t finished with it yet.
Many Apple observers also wonder if Apple thinks that desktop computers are dead, since not a word was said about the iMac and Mac Pro. An executive did assure me, however, that new MacPro designs are under way, probably for release in 2013.
Over all, the presentation Monday morning was dizzying. There were many, many truly ingenious features revealed, some that played catch-up, and a lot to look forward to. None of it proves whether or not Tim Cook and his team can dream up entirely new product categories, the way Steve Jobs did. But for now, they’re doing an excellent job of keeping excitement alive in Apple’s current suite of machines.She's stuffed with polyfil stuffing and stands just about 11" tall
Her eyes and cutie mark are printed onto a cotton fusible fabric and then ironed in place
She features hand stitched detail on her horn
I got a twitter! Please follow me because I have no idea what I'm doing and could use more friends lol
twitter.com/FleeceFriends
www.instagram.com/fleece_frien…
Want to bring home a plushie for yourself? Checkout my etsy shop! I'm always open for comissions Want to bring home a plushie for yourself? Checkout my etsy shop! I'm always open for comissions www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FleeceFriendship Starlight Glimmer is entirely hand sewn out of the softest fleeceShe's stuffed with polyfil stuffing and stands just about 11" tallHer eyes and cutie mark are printed onto a cotton fusible fabric and then ironed in placeShe features hand stitched detail on her hornI got a twitter! Please follow me because I have no idea what I'm doing and could use more friends lol
I'm so glad that I got a chance to remake Starlight Glimmer!My first attempt was a few years ago, and it really didn't go well.... she turned out cute and everything, but definitely didn't look like Starlight lol!She turned out really nice this time around, but holy cow does this girl have hair! She has 48 individual hair pieces that needed to be sewn together! It took forever, but was absolutely worth it!I'm also really glad I found a fabric that's the perfect mix of pink and purple for her, it just isn't the same when she's not the right color!If you have a thing for irony, consider the current role of Daniel Lee Jesus Fluker. A starting offensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers, Fluker goes by “D.J.” and he is essential security detail for the team’s quarterback, Philip Rivers. The 6-foot-5, 340-pound Fluker clogs the arteries to Rivers with remarkable effect. The Chargers are currently 5-2, largely because of the soaring excellence of Rivers, who, often untouched by the opposition, recently became the first NFL quarterback to post four straight games with a passer rating of 120 or better. FlukerFlukerFluker
While Fluker’s current job is to protect Rivers, it was an unprotected river that marked the defining moment of his severe childhood that put him on a path of displacement, destitution and devastation.
For all the natural disasters that come without warning, Hurricane Katrina’s reputation preceded her arrival. In August 2005, residents of New Orleans knew a storm was coming. That included the Fluker family: D.J, his mother, two sisters and brother had left town and taken refuge in nearby Biloxi, Miss., when the storm hit. They were safe, but when the muddy Mississippi breached its banks, the Flukers’ modest home in the Lower Ninth Ward was destroyed. Without insurance or their possessions, they were suddenly consigned to living in their Ford Escort, all five of them. D.J. was 14 at the time and already weighed close to 400 pounds.
• SI LONGFORM: Young, gifted and homeless
Often homeless and penniless, the family pinballed across the Delta, to Mississippi to Alabama to New Orleans in search of stability. “We struggled and struggled and struggled some more,” Fluker recalls. “We went church to church, shelter to shelter. Sometimes we couldn't do that so we would sleep in the car.”
D.J. remembers nights when the family would have no food and would eat out of the garbage dumpsters at fast food restaurants. Other times, he says, he and his siblings would wear pants smelling of urine because they had nowhere to wash their clothes.
When D.J. was attending McGill-Toolen High in Mobile, Ala., the students held a fund drive for a family in need. Reckoning that this family must be even worse off than his, D.J. scrounged up a $1 to donate. The Flukers, though, were the recipient family. That same year, the McGill-Toolen coach offered to let D.J. sleep in a spare bedroom, as the family’s daughter had gone off to college. D.J. was filled with emotion. “I’ve never slept in a bed by myself before,” he explained. He was 15 years old.
Donald Miralle/Getty Images
By then, Fluker was establishing himself as a football player of some distinction. (He would be one of more than 100,000 homeless kids playing for a high school or college in the U.S.) But all the displacement and transferring schools and the absence of structure took a toll on his academics. And as much as he liked learning, he felt the need to get a job and offset some of the expenses that included his food bill. Time he could have devoted to studying was devoted instead to mowing yards, building piers and cleaning out sheds. Minimum wage was better than no wage.
By the time he graduated from high school in Foley, Ala., Fluker earned a football scholarship to the University of Alabama. He learned many things in college. For one, after holding his own against his teammates and then against the best players, he came to see himself as a future NFL player. “I had coaches that kept telling me. ‘You can be somebody,’” he says. “That was so motivating.”
He realized that there was no shame in his homelessness and that plenty of teammates -- including the Crimson Tide’s star running back, Trent Richardson -- survived similarly brutal childhoods. He also had an awakening as a student, taking advantage of tutoring and graduating in three-and-a-half years with a degree in health science. By then, he was an All-America and a member of three BCS National Championship teams.
There was one minor scandal while Fluker was playing for Alabama. His name surfaced in a report, naming players who accepted under-the-table payments from agents. What gifts did Fluker lavish on himself with this impermissible cash? He bought a bed. And he paid for a plane ticket so his girlfriend could watch his final college game. (That season, Alabama football program reported more than $100 million in revenue.)
The Chargers selected Fluker with the 11th pick in the 2013 NFL draft. His contract included a $6.6 million signing bonus. One of his first moves was to buy his mom a home in Mobile. It was hardly a mansion. But it was spacious and sturdy. And it ensured that no Flukers would be sleeping in a sedan or a church basement. One of his next moves was pay tuition so his younger brother Leon could attend college.
• Complete Week 7 NFL coverage
By the time Fluker arrived in San Diego, he’d completed an almost unfathomable journey. He was on the West Coast, thousands of geographic miles -- and immeasurable cultural miles -- from the Delta. He had sudden wealth, almost beyond his comprehension. He would be playing professional football, enjoying all the trappings that came with it, from first-class travel to the services of a team nutritionist. “There are so many times when I say to myself, ‘I can't believe you’ve come so far.’ I feel like I worked hard; I’ve always taken pride in that," he said. "But it’s like, if I knew what was ahead, I would have worked even harder, you know?’”
Especially now -- at a time when the U.S. homeless population is at a record-high -- Fluker is often asked what advice he gives to kids enduring the hardships that framed his childhood. He doesn't want to minimize the struggle with rosy optimism. But he tries to impress a message of hope. “Have faith in God. Have faith that you can overcome," he says. "There were days when I said, ‘I got two legs, two arms, I can see. I have a purpose.’ … Stay in school. Every day when you wake in the morning, say ‘I can keep pushing and I can get what I want.’ Just hang in there. Trust me, it's possible. I’m proof, I guess.”
Still, there are plenty of reminders of his struggle. He and teammate Ryan Mathews, a running back, bonded while commiserating over their childhood homelessness. (As an infant, Mathews spent months living out of a 1969 Oldsmobile with his mother.) In training camp, Fluker revealed that -- because of a fear of water that intensified after Hurricane Katrina -- he never learned to swim. So it was Manti Te’o, another rookie (though 100 pounds lighter) who accompanied Fluker to the team pool and gave him swimming lessons.
Fluker will not be giving up his status as one of the NFL’s best linemen to try out for the Olympic swim team. But, as ever, he persevered. “Put it this way,” says Fluker. “I’m not sinking any more.”The New York Daily News's Thursday cover story on the shooting in San Bernardino takes a strong stand on a surprising controversy that emerged in the wake of the shooting — politicians' habit of offering banal "thoughts and prayers" to the victims while opposing any kind of policy response.
Republicans are, of course, not the only ones to offer thoughts and prayers in the wake of a tragedy. Hillary Clinton, for example, tweeted along these lines after the church shooting in Charleston.
Heartbreaking news from Charleston - my thoughts and prayers are with you all. -H — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 18, 2015
But many liberals are angry not at the offer of thoughts and prayers but at the refusal to offer anything else. There are, of course, an untold number of firearms homicides, accidents, and suicides that happen each month without any comment from national politicians. But many advocates of gun control legislation view it as especially galling for politicians to feel the need to comment on an event without having any policy ideas to contribute.
The Daily News cover is the most emotionally powerful statement of this viewpoint today. But the most comprehensive comes from ThinkProgress's Igor Volsky, who has been retweeting politicians' thoughts and prayers paired with commentary on their ties to the gun lobby.German candidates face off in TV debate
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-05 09:14
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reminded Germans of his opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq and his challenger Angela Merkel focused on unemployment, as the two squared off Sunday in a key televised debate two weeks ahead of elections, AP reported.
The 90-minute debate, broadcast live during prime time, offered the beleaguered Schroeder an opportunity to showcase his strong television skills as polls give Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats a double-digit advantage over his Social Democrats.
Polls found that the media-savvy Schroeder performed better ― an outcome that had been widely predicted.
The handout video grab from RTL television shows German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (R) and Christian Democratic opposition leader Angela Merkel shaking hands at the end of their debate in a television studio outside Berlin September 4, 2005.[Reuters]
"I am asking for confidence in the policies that I have carried out, policies aimed at readjusting the social security systems that were neglected in the 90s" under a previous conservative government, Schroeder said. "We are the ones who tackled the structural problems."
He also claimed credit for "a foreign policy that has positioned Germany abroad as a middle-sized power for peace ― which contributed, and I had to take some criticism for that, to keeping Germany out of the Iraq war, for example."
The handout video grab from RTL television shows German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (R) and Christian Democratic opposition leader Angela Merkel as they debate in a television studio outside Berlin September 4, 2005. [Reuters]
"Germany can only be a strong, reliable partner in the world if we are also economically strong, and that is where we are lacking ― and, unlike the chancellor, I can be sure with my party colleagues that we will support this course of modernization together," she said.
"We must do everything to say: priority for jobs," Merkel said.
Merkel has centered her campaign firmly on the German economy's stagnation and the country's persistently high unemployment rate ― currently 11.4 percent.
She underscored during Sunday's debate her opposition to Turkish membership of the EU, arguing that "the EU does not have the capacity of integration to take in Turkey as a full member." Merkel proposes offering Turkey a "privileged partnership" instead.
"It would be entirely irresponsible now to awake in Turkey expectations of full membership... and then be unable to implement that," she said.
Schroeder accused her of making "a major foreign policy mistake."
"You do not understand what geostrategic, what geopolitical significance linking Turkey to the EU has," he said.
A poll of 1,276 people carried out for ARD television after the debate found that 49 percent believed Schroeder fared better overall, against 33 percent for Merkel. The channel cautioned that the result was in line with expectations and could not be translated into votes. Surveys by two other polling institutes also put Schroeder ahead.
Although Merkel's party is well ahead in support, it is less clear whether it and the pro-business Free Democrats will muster enough votes to form her preferred coalition. If they fall short, Merkel could be forced into a so-called "grand coalition" with Schroeder's party.
Experts argue that Sunday's debate ― the only one-on-one encounter of the campaign ― could help determine what coalition emerges from the election.
Ahead of the debate, Schroeder was heavily favored to emerge the better from the encounter. However, Merkel, whose campaign style has often been restrained, argued as aggressively as the chancellor in the early exchanges.Cop Rock was an American musical police drama series that aired on ABC in 1990. The show, a police drama presented as a musical, was co-created by Steven Bochco, who also served as executive producer. TV Guide ranked it #8 on TV Guide's List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time list in 2002.[1] The periodical dubbed it "the single most bizarre TV musical of all time".[2]
Synopsis [ edit ]
Cop Rock combined the police procedural with musical theatre and black comedy, the former a genre in which Bochco had already been successful with Hill Street Blues. The series centered on the LAPD and featured an ensemble cast that mixed musical numbers and choreography throughout storylines. For example, a courtroom scene in the pilot episode had the jury break into song, proclaiming their verdict on the defendant ("He's Guilty") Gospel-style; and Episode 2 had a lineup of Hispanic suspects proclaim in song "We're the local color with the coppertone skin / And you treat us like we're guilty of some terrible sin." The show also featured crossover appearances from other Bochco series; Episode 5 featured James B. Sikking reprising his Hill Street Blues role of Lt. Howard Hunter (Sikking was working on another Bochco series at the time, Doogie Howser, M.D.), while Episode 8 featured cameos by L.A. Law stars Jimmy Smits and Michele Greene.
The series' theme song, "Under the Gun", was written by Randy Newman, who also performed it in the series' title sequence music video-style in a recording studio, complete with a full backing band and the show's cast (appearing out of character) serving as an audience. Mike Post, who served as Cop Rock's music supervisor, was also part of Newman's band in that opening sequence; Post is the keyboardist in dark glasses sitting next to Newman.[citation needed]
Reception [ edit ]
The show was a critical and commercial failure and was canceled by ABC after 11 episodes.[3] Owing to the combination of its bizarre nature (a fusion of musical performances with serious police drama and dark humor) and its high-powered production talent, it became infamous as one of the biggest television failures of the 1990s.[4][5] The series' final episode, which aired on December 26, 1990, concluded with the cast breaking character and joining crew members in performing a closing song. (That final episode featured Sheryl Crow appearing as a back-up singer.)
Despite its overwhelmingly negative reception and short run, the series still has been rebroadcast in later years, with VH1 and A&E Network airing it on separate occasions later in the 1990s, and Trio airing it in the 2000s.
Cast [ edit ]
Main [ edit ]
Recurring [ edit ]
Episodes [ edit ]
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code 1 "Pilot" Gregory Hoblit Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein September 26, 1990 ( ) 2101 2 "Ill-Gotten Gaines" Gregory Hoblit Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano October 3, 1990 ( ) 2102 3 "Happy Mudder's Day" Charles Haid Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano October 10, 1990 ( ) 2103 4 "A Three-Corpse Meal" Fred Gerber Story by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano
Teleplay by : William M. Finkelstein & John Romano & Toni Graphia October 17, 1990 ( ) 2104 5 "The Cocaine Mutiny" Arlene Sanford Story by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano October 24, 1990 ( ) 2105 6 "Oil of Ol' Lay" Michael Fresco Story by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & Toni Graphia & John Romano October 31, 1990 ( ) 2106 7 "Cop-a-Feeliac" Arlene Sanford Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & Michael A. Graham & John Romano November 7, 1990 ( ) 2107 8 "Potts Don't Fail Me Now" Brad Silberling Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & Michael Graham & John Romano November 21, 1990 ( ) 2108 9 "Marital Blitz" Gilbert M. Shilton Story by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & Toni Graphia & John Romano December 5, 1990 ( ) 2109 10 "No Noose Is Good Noose" Michael M. Robin Story by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano
Teleplay by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & Toni Graphia & John Romano December 12, 1990 ( ) 2110 11 "Bang the Potts Slowly" Fred Gerber Story by : Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & John Romano
Teleplay by : William M. Finkelstein & Toni Graphia & John Romano December 26, 1990 ( ) 2111
DVD release [ edit ]
On May 17, 2016, Shout! Factory released the complete series on DVD in Region 1.[6]
Awards and nominations [ edit ]
Year Award Category Recipient Episode Result 1991 Emmy Award Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series Robert Appere, Gary D. Rogers, Ron Estes, and Mark Server "Oil Of Ol'Lay" Nominated Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Gregory Hoblit Pilot Nominated Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics Ron Boustead and Greg Edmonson "Oil Of Ol'Lay" Nominated Outstanding Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production Joe Ann Fogle Pilot Won Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics Randy Newman Pilot Won
International broadcasts [ edit ]
In the United Kingdom, Cop Rock was televised on BBC1 in 1991.
See also [ edit ]
Hull High – Another television series with musical segments that debuted (and was canceled) in 1990.
– Another television series with musical segments that debuted (and was canceled) in 1990. Viva Laughlin – A 2007 television drama with musical segments. The show was canceled after just two airings due to poor ratings.Mark Selby won the world title in 2014 and 2016
World Championship final 2017 Venue: The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 30 April - 1 May Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two 14:00-18:00 & 19:00-23:00, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs, online and app.
Defending champion Mark Selby will face John Higgins in the World Championship final in a repeat of their 2007 clash.
English world number one Selby reached the showpiece for the third time in four years by holding off Ding Junhui 17-15 in a gripping encounter.
And Scotland's Higgins joined him by winning the solitary frame of the final session to beat Barry Hawkins 17-8.
When the two met at The Crucible a decade ago, Higgins won 18-13 to win the second of his four titles.
The final starts on Sunday at 14:00 BST and will conclude on Monday.
Media playback is not supported on this device Selby beats Ding Junhui - 5 best shots
Selby proves to be too good
BBC pundits described the Selby-Ding match as one of the all-time greatest to be staged at the venue, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary of hosting the tournament.
Selby, who beat Ding in last year's final, led 10-7 before being pulled back to 12-12 after the Chinese made back-to-back centuries.
The reigning champion edged to within a frame, and despite Ding getting back to 16-15, a 72 break saw the Englishman through.
The last-four tie featured 23 breaks over 50 between the two players, including seven centuries. Ding exits the tournament having made 13 centuries, three short of Stephen Hendry's all-time record.
The world number four had displayed much of his new-found mental strength by leading the match, keeping check in the tactical exchanges and hitting back with superb 117 and 128 breaks. He reduced the deficit to one again, yet was unable to advance.
"I should have won more frames when I had chances and that is what cost me," Ding said. "I could not make any mistakes, but that is what happened.
"I can see I have improved a lot. I play with more confidence and more aggressively. The fans need to see more snooker like that from me.
"But once Mark gets in front, it is very hard to come back. You have to believe in yourself and wait for the chance and take it. You cannot miss."
Selby, 33, is the best in the sport with his abrasive style of play - claiming all eight out of nine long-drawn frames which lasted more than 30 minutes - and his resolve was too much to overcome.
Ding, 30, had beaten two fellow Chinese opponents and five-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan in the tournament.
Ding is attempting to become snooker's first Asian champion
How the final session panned out
Selby came out firing in the final session with breaks of 74 and 96 to lead by two, but Ding hit back again with a 52 run.
Frame 28 was the turning point. Ding missed a straightforward red looking to restore parity at 14-14, but Selby edged the frame to lead by two again.
Ding attempted two snookers with just three balls remaining on the table, but Selby pocketed a long blue to go one away from victory.
Ding would not go away and pulled two back including a 73 break, and had chances to go all-square at 16-16, but Selby punched the air, banged the table and screamed in delight as he progressed with a calmly taken 72 break.
The Leicester man now has the chance to join the sport's legends Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Ronnie O'Sullivan as the only players to win back-to-back world titles in the modern era.
"The reaction at the end was relief - I just did not want to do something silly," Selby said. "I am only 33 but I feel about 53.
"The adrenaline was pumping and I cannot wait for the final. To win again, for a third time, is something I can only dream of."
Analysis
Six-time world champion Steve Davis on BBC TV:
Mark [Selby] is a marvellous competitive animal and you saw at the end how much fire and determination he has. This is a game of control - you cannot let the emotions run riot during it - but it all came out at the end. Selby has what it takes.
Frame scores
First session: 45-76 (76), 77-22 (68), 24-84 (84), 99-0 (99), 73-34, 53-87 (52), 1-119 (56, 50), 0-116 (110) 5-3 Ding
Second session: 105-23 (100), 61-49, 62-26, 81-0 (67), 0-94 (84), 96-9 (85), 0-139 (139), 66-27 9-7 Selby
Third session: 128-8 (128), 6-95 (95), 6-80, 64-25 (64), 14-86, 66-61, 1-117 (117), 1-135 (128) 12-12
Fourth session: 113-2 (74), 96-1 (96), 0-61 (52), 75-43, 75-47, 1-66, 14-73 (73), 84-9 (72) 17-15 Selby
Can Higgins defy his own expectations?
Media playback is not supported on this device World Championship: John Higgins sees off Barry Hawkins - 5 best shots
'The Wizard of Wishaw' Higgins last reached the final in 2011 when he beat Judd Trump and questioned whether he was still capable of reaching another final.
But at the age of 41, he has enjoyed a resurgence in his career, winning three non-ranking titles this season and coming runner-up at the Scottish Open.
Last season's International Championship triumph took him to 28 ranking titles victories, putting him joint-second on the all-time list alongside Ronnie O'Sullivan and Steve Davis and eight behind Hendry.
Despite leading from the start against Hawkins and claiming six frames in a row in the third session to pull away, he was not at his best and missing simple blacks off the spot will be of major concern to him.
He needed a couple of opportunities to claim the frame he needed, but finished in style with a century break - his first of the match - to reach his sixth Crucible final.
Higgins is seeking to become the oldest winner since Welshman Ray Reardon, who was 45 when he won in 1978.
Frame scores
First session: 93-28 (63), 69-22, 67-19 (59), 75-59 (Higgins 69, Hawkins 59), 30-100 (62), 30-95 (71), 65-25, 39-74 (74) 5-3 Higgins
Second session: 40-65, 92-6, 73-16 (51), 0-125 (115), 61-24 (53), 18-91, 89-0 (89), 73-45 10-6 Higgins
Third session: 8-76 (69), 70-41, 56-47, 70-13, 65-62, 70-0,, 96-4 (90), 48-80 (58) 16-8 Higgins
Fourth session: 128-12 (120) 17-8 Higgins
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app.A recent University of Calgary study shows many coyotes in Calgary are infected with a tiny tapeworm that lives in the gut.
Echinococcus multilocularis is relatively harmless to its canine hosts, but it is potentially fatal for people if untreated.
When ingested, the parasite may cause serious disease when its larvae multiply in the liver. The result in the body is similar to cancer.
Spread of infection unknown
University of Calgary wildlife biologist Alessandro Massolo told the CBC's Calgary Eyeopenerthe infection is extremely rare in North American people.
There are 18,000 to 19,000 cases per year worldwide, with 95 per cent of those in China.
Biologists don't know whether transmission of the parasite is happening between coyotes and humans, but high infection rates in coyotes found in Calgary parks are raising concerns that people could be at risk.
Biologists also don't know whether the parasite is spreading, because there are no baseline data to compare.
Calgary coyote infection rates high
Massolo says rates change from year to year and season to season. The researchers determined the infection rates by collecting dead coyotes and fecal samples.
Calgary's Bowmont Park: 80-90 per cent.
Calgary's Nose Hill Park: 20-30 per cent.
Calgary's Fish Creek Provincial Park: Very few positive samples were found in the study.
Edmonton: Up to 50 per cent.
Rural Alberta: 40 per cent.
How humans could become infected
Echinococcus multilocularis is a food-borne parasite that can be ingested by humans eating vegetables or low-growing berries from areas where the parasite is present.
Humans can also become infected by petting dogs who are shedding the parasite's microscopically small eggs through their feces.
Dogs would not likely pick up the parasite directly from coyotes. They would have to eat an infected rodent because the tapeworm circulates between dog family species — like coyotes and foxes — and small mammal species, mostly rodents.
Prevention of infection
To prevent the spread of the parasite, and minimize the health risk to humans, Massolo advises people to thoroughly wash any raw produce found in infected areas before eating it — especially low-growing berries.
He says the owners of Calgary's roughly 125,000 dogs should watch their pets when off-leash, and make sure to pick up after them.
If their dogs are preying on rodents, owners should take them to the vet to be checked and de-wormed regularly.James Damore was fired from Google earlier this week after writing the now infamous manifesto against diversity. James Damore / Facebook James Damore, the Google engineer who was fired after writing the now infamous memo about the company's diversity practices, has removed mention of doctoral studies in biology from his LinkedIn profile.
The Wired writer Nitasha Tiku confirmed with Harvard on Tuesday that Damore had not completed his Ph.D.
A Harvard representative confirmed to Business Insider that Damore was enrolled in the program but hadn't completed the doctorate, though he did receive a master's degree in biology. The representative did not say why Damore left the program, but it's not uncommon for people to pause their doctoral studies.
Damore's biology studies became a crux of a right-wing argument that he had credibility in claiming that biological differences between men and women explained a lack of gender diversity at Google. However, he cited shoddy data from Wikipedia and various journal articles to back up some of those claims, and Business Insider's Dana Varinsky was able to debunk many of them.
Google fired Damore earlier this week, saying his claims about gender violated the company's code of conduct.
Here's what Damore's LinkedIn profile looked like earlier this week:
LinkedIn
And here's what it looks like now. He removed mention of his doctoral studies and added his completed master's degree:
LinkedIn
Damore hasn't responded to several requests for comment this week. Google is not commenting on the matter beyond CEO Sundar Pichai's memo to employees Monday night.These Suburban Preppers Are Ready for Anything They’re rich, armed, and ready for the end of days—and they just might live in the McMansion down your street
Illustration: Arthur Mount By all appearances, Bob Valenti is your average upwardly mobile suburbanite. The 40-something father of two has a couple of advanced degrees and a high-paying job at a high-flying technology company. He has an aggressive retirement plan and plenty socked away in college funds for his kids. As of last year, he also has a plan for surviving the end of the world as we know it. A few years ago, Valenti (who asked that his real name not be used, for reasons that will be clear soon enough) and his wife traded their Chicago townhouse for a gorgeous $800,000 residence in west suburban Downers Grove. The idyllic 12-room house features handsome walnut cabinetry, a sprawling yard, and a basement that holds the beginnings of what will ultimately be a year’s stockpile of food and emergency supplies. Valenti recently ordered a box of 50 lighters and is squirreling away batteries, which he believes could someday be highly valuable for bartering. He has 25 pounds of meat in his freezer and another 50 at an undisclosed location out of town that he refers to as “Plan B.” Should he and his family need Plan B, he has a couple of 30-pound packets of “survival seeds” there for jump-starting their own farm. Advertisement Valenti, who otherwise seems like a perfectly reasonable man, is preparing for society’s collapse, which he believes could come any day now in the form of a global pandemic or the implosion of our highly leveraged financial system. “All of a sudden, you have hyperinflation, and you’ll need a wagon of cash for a loaf of bread,” he says as we chat in his immaculate kitchen while a cleaning woman vacuums in the next room. “Society could crumble in three days. That’s all it would take. Then it’s going to get primal.” You can bet Ted Nugent’s crossbow that, for most people, the term “survivalists”—or the more polite “preppers”—conjures images of tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists holed up in Montana hoarding canned pinto beans and assault weapons. National Geographic Channel’s hugely popular Doomsday Preppers, which spotlights fanatics who build bulletproof shelters out of train cars to wait out Armageddon or dress their families in matching HAZMAT suits, reinforces the extreme stereotypes. So do the “doom boom” opportunists who peddle nuke-proof multimillion-dollar luxury condos in abandoned missile silos, complete with spas, rock-climbing walls, hydroponic farms, and HDTV windows programmable to the preapocalyptic view of your choice. Valenti is just one example of how the prepper movement has climbed out of the bunker and established itself, quietly, along affluent streets in Chicago, its suburbs, and beyond. Combined Universal Martial Applications Survival School chief instructor Waysun Johnny Tsai, with his penchant for knives and a license plate holder that reads “Zombie Police,” looks the hardcore survivalist part but says that his students don’t. Over the past few years, participants in his classes at the Chicago school have included doctors, lawyers, and upper-management types who live in upscale city neighborhoods and hoity-toity surrounding towns. Tsai tells me that he trains individuals for “the possibility, not the probability” of hardcore disasters and civil unrest. They come to him to learn how to build makeshift traps for catching |
yards on 10 carries as the Rebels made a comeback. Bell: I bet Kyle Allen or Kyler Murray or hell, even Tate Martell, would've come in handy on Sunday. Grosbard: So I know it's really early, but are we going to have two years in a row where no Texas teams finish in the Top 25? Can TCU be the answer there? Baby: TCU should finish in the top 25. Gary Patterson typically doesn't have bad back-to-back years. Carlton: We'll find out a lot more about TCU this weekend at Arkansas. Horned Frogs should have won in Fort Worth last year before late breakdowns. And Big 12 could use a win over a power five opponent. Currently, 0-2 and this weekend doesn't look great with OU at tOSU and Iowa-Iowa State. Baby: TCU and Arkansas traditionally play good games. I expect this time to be no different. Bell: Predictions? Baby: I'll take TCU 30, Arkansas 27 in overtime. Bell: Only one overtime? That almost seems like a letdown for a TCU-Arkansas game. Carlton: I'll say TCU 42, Arkansas 35. Grosbard: Give me TCU by 10. Patterson has probably been game-planning this one since last September Bell: And how does everyone feel about this weekend's other big game with local implications: Oklahoma vs. Ohio State? The Sooners couldn't keep it competitive against the Buckeyes when they played in Norman last year. Any reason to believe this year should be different now that it's being played in Columbus? Grosbard: No different. Urban Meyer is gonna give Lincoln Riley a few lessons on Saturday. Carlton: Somehow I don't think Baker Mayfield will start 19 of 20 at the Horseshoe. Bell: To be fair, Ohio State's secondary sure made Plano product Richard Lagow look pretty potent through the air last weekend. But I ultimately think the Buckeyes win by a TD or more, too. Baby: I'll take the Buckeyes, too. They didn't look great against Indiana, but I fully expect Urban Meyer's bunch to look good against the Sooners. Bell: That's enough for this week. Everyone stay glued to SportsDayDFW.com all week for more coverage of a wild opening weekend, and looks ahead to Week 2 matchups. Chuck will be in Austin for Texas' game this weekend, Ben will be at A&M's home opener this weekend and Adam will set up shop for this weekend's big local SMU vs. North Texas matchup.
This Topic is Missing Your Voice.Daniil Kvyat says he cannot blame the Red Bull programme for his slump in form and believes he will come out stronger despite his demotion.
The Russian was demoted to the Red Bull 'B' team ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix back in May as part of a change that would also see Max Verstappen head the other way and join Red Bull Racing.
Since then, the 22-year-old has struggled, with just two tenth place finishes to his name in the Toro Rosso STR11, and he admits the events of the last few months have taken there toll, not helped no doubt by the success Verstappen has enjoyed, the Dutchman winning on his debut and then taking three further podiums, including a third place finish in Germany prior to the summer break.
"I cannot blame them [Red Bull] for this, they made me a really strong driver of course. Now I am not so strong because of all these things which happened two months ago - that's not an excuse, it's an explanation," Kvyat stressed.
"This thing in the end should make me stronger again but the whole situation made me reflect on my things... It's not easy and made me stop enjoying it for a while, but now I need to get this enjoyment back and love what I do again."
He also added that the key now will be to just focus on his job with Toro Rosso and take it step-by-step rather than setting any lofty targets for Belgium and beyond.
"I agree, that's how it should be done to be honest. I don't think there has to be any certain goal, score that amount of points, or beat that many times in qualifying your teammate - you just need to go with your own flow, your own instinct," he continued.
"At this level one day you'll be faster and another day someone else will be faster. You cannot just ask something from yourself. You have to make it happen to do it and do it by driving. So I believe that it should be on a good path now, I think I've calmed down."Kobe Club occupies the Midtown space once inhabited by Mix in New York, Mr. Chodorow’s cheeky, ill-fated collaboration with the French chef Alain Ducasse.
Mix wasn’t even Mr. Chodorow’s flashiest recent failure. Who can forget Rocco’s on 22nd, scene of “The Restaurant,” where Mama’s meatballs were sauced with acrimony and eventual litigation? Or its short-lived successor in that location, Brasserio Caviar & Banana?
Brasserio Caviar & Banana — the name really does bear repeating — tried a grill-from-Ipanema approach and foreshadowed Mr. Chodorow’s fascination with sharp objects. Meats came on disturbingly, dangerously long skewers.
As its name suggests, Kobe Club pays tribute to the fat-marbled beef of pampered wagyu cattle, beef correctly termed Kobe only if it is from a particular area of Japan.
The menu at Kobe Club advertises genuine Kobe beef, along with Australian and American wagyu, and encourages discerning carnivores to compare and contrast these different sources by making small cuts available and assembling a “samurai’s flight” of four-ounce tasting portions of Australian, American and Japanese wagyu, plus six ounces of American prime beef, for $190.
For $295, there’s an “emperor’s flight” of four ounces each of Kobe fillet and strip loin and 10 ounces of Kobe rib-eye. Although tempted by this imperial excursion, intended for two, I confined myself to more restrained, strategic samplings.
They were enough to establish the kitchen’s usual competence with steaks, grilled and seasoned only with salt and pepper, the right call. Anything more would distract from the glories of a steer well fed.
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At Kobe Club these glories were more evident in the Australian than in the American wagyu, and they were most evident in the Kobe, which has the densest marbling. Kobe does for steak what o-toro does for tuna, showcasing a holy communion of flesh and fat, inseparable from each other and impossibly silky on the tongue. It’s rapturous. At upwards of $5 a bite, it had better be.
Kobe and wagyu never come cheap, so the jaw-dropping prices of many steaks at Kobe Club — $35 for just four ounces of American wagyu fillet, $150 for 10 ounces of Kobe rib-eye — aren’t entirely unwarranted.
But even diners who steer clear of wagyu, thereby missing the whole point of the restaurant, don’t get off easy. A 12-ounce prime fillet is $48, an organic chicken entree $32.
What’s more, servers seem intent on plumping up the tab, whether by omitting any mention of a tap when asking about water preferences or rushing to replace cocktails and glasses of wine that are suspiciously shallow on arrival. Surrendering to that hustle is all too easy: extra alcohol helps blot out the environment.
And blotting is essential, not just because of the swords. In one corner there’s a broad screen with an image of roaring flames, a seemingly inadvertent and decidedly unfortunate allusion to the television Yule Log.
Strings of leather that look like fugitive shoelaces dangle here, there and everywhere, creating sinister-looking canopies and screens. Black-painted bricks in some areas and chains along one wall bring to mind a torture chamber.
If Akira Kurosawa hired the Marquis de Sade as an interior decorator, he might end up with a gloomy rec room like this. Will the last samurai to leave please turn on the lights?
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Will someone else prune the tables of their crazy-making clutter? Oversize ornamental plates leave too little room for anything else, and although salt, pepper and steak sauce are already present, a gratuitous chemistry-set tableau of gray, pink and black specialty salts arrives with the steaks. The steaks themselves sprout toothpick flags identifying the country of the beef’s origin.
The menu is as tricked-out as the presentations, detailing 13 available steak toppings (classic béarnaise, lobster béarnaise, wasabi-and-shiso béarnaise, ad infinitum) and four kinds of mashed potatoes. The potatoes appear among a predictable profusion of sides, many given a vacuously luxurious sprinkling of truffles or truffle oil, just to tip the restaurant’s slavishness to trendiness off the charts.
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The appetizers, entrees and desserts alternate steakhouse stalwarts like Caesar salad, Dover sole and cheesecake with less predictable fare, some of which, like a starter of salmon cured in sake, reflects the restaurant’s quasi-Asian bearings.
And there are winners, to be sure: you can’t throw this many swords without occasionally hitting the wagyu bull’s-eye.
The wagyu and Kobe beef tartare, prepared tableside, had a lusciousness in sync with its $32 price. Fried Malpeque oysters benefited richly from a smothering of creamed spinach and lobster béarnaise.
But more of the food was disappointing, sometimes even infuriating, be it a rubbery roasted pork chop, perhaps left too long in its brine; limp iceberg lettuce, propped up insufficiently by blue cheese; those mashed potatoes, gluey; or a crème brûlée in dire need of a crunchier hood.
And some of the food was alarming. A clam in an underwhelming cold seafood platter had a metallic tang, while an American strip loin had a sourness that didn’t taste like aging or, for that matter, like anything anyone intended.
On the night when the server assured me of my safety, as I put my coat back on and headed toward the door, I suddenly found that I couldn’t leave. Something was pulling me back, but what?
A delayed appreciation for the restaurant’s triple-decker crab cake? A yearning to retrieve a toothpick flag? A need to make peace with the check, which had come pinned to a wooden board by a dagger?
No, it was one of those leather strings, which had wrapped like a tentacle around me. Scary indeed.
Kobe Club
Satisfactory (no stars)
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68 West 58th Street; (212) 644-5623.
ATMOSPHERE A dimly lighted theater of about 100 seats that’s part samurai fantasia, part torture chamber and packed with chunky guys on expense accounts.
SOUND LEVEL Very loud, thanks in part to a blaring multigenerational soundtrack with Don Henley, Steely Dan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Garbage.
RECOMMENDED DISHES Beef tartare; fried oysters; applewood-smoked bacon; crab cake; wagyu and Kobe beef steaks; baked Alaska.
WINE LIST International, relatively expensive and rightly focused on reds. Supplemented by extensive lists of other spirits and special cocktails by David Wondrich.
PRICE RANGE Appetizers, $9 to $32. Entrees, $25 to $150. Desserts, $9 to $12.
HOURS 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; limited late-night menu until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Lunch hours to be added later this month.
RESERVATIONS For prime dinner times, call at least two weeks ahead.
CREDIT CARDS All major cards.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Entrance, most of restaurant and accessible restroom on street level.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN Ratings range from zero to four stars and reflect the reviewer’s reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN:
(None) Poor to satisfactory
* Good
** Very good
*** Excellent
**** Extraordinary
Ratings reflect the reviewer’s reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration.Several allegations of voting problems have popped up across the nation, which are arguably benefiting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Four states have specifically shown irregularities in their primaries, with allegations of voter suppression, rule-bending and inaccurate accounting of votes for Democratic candidates.
Clinton has benefited in each, The Huffington Post reports.
In Iowa, Clinton was declared the winner of the caucuses by 0.2 percent. A requested audit of the results was refused, even though there were reports of “inconsistent counts, untrained and overwhelmed volunteers, confused voters, cramped precinct locations, and a lack of voter registration forms,” according to The Des Moines Register.
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Results from 90 precincts were reported missing, so the Democratic Party reportedly re-staged their results.
Additionally, in a video posted to C-SPAN, a Clinton precinct captain in Polk County, Iowa, allegedly “did not conduct an actual count of Clinton supporters and deliberately mislead the caucus,” The Huffington Post reports.
The campaign of fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont asked to review the caucuses results but the Democratic Party refused his request.
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In Massachusetts, former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton’s husband, has been accused of electioneering near polling stations, which is against the law.
Bill “blocked off several polling entrances, preventing people from voting. In New Bedford, a Reddit user posted a video depicting the former president speaking from a megaphone. Voters were roped off and could not enter their polling places,” reports claim.
Under Massachusetts law, it is illegal to campaign within 150 feet of a polling station.
Massachusetts’ Secretary of State William F. Galvin told the Clinton campaign about the rule, and reminded election workers that the former president could not go inside a polling place and approach voters -- he still did.
Clinton was named the winner in Arizona with less than 1 percent of votes tabulated and at least hundreds, if not thousands, of voters still waiting in line to vote. The reason for the long lines was due to a lack of polling places. In 2012, Maricopa County -- which has the majority of the state’s registered Democrats -- had 200 polling places. For this year’s primary, it had only 60 for an estimated 800,000 registered voters.
In 2008, 113,807 Democrats voted in the state’s primary. This year only 32,949 did. The substantial drop in participation means tens of thousands of voters may have been prevented from casting their ballots.
Many Arizona voters also arrived at the polls to discover they had somehow been registered as Independents, Republicans or without a party affiliation. This mishandling error made them ineligible to vote in the Democratic primary.
Arizona claims a computer glitch is to blame.
The April 19 New York primary was also plagued with accusations of voter suppression.
The state’s voters encountered broken voting machines, missing ballots and purged voter registrations, RT reports.
A total of 562 complaints were received by phone at New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office between 6 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. on voting day, plus 140 complaints via email. Residents also took to social media and used the hashtag #VoterSuppression to share their experiences.
“This is by far the largest volume of complaints we have received for an election since Attorney General Schneiderman took office in 2011,” department spokesman Nick Benson said.
Under New York's closed primary rules, independent voters are barred from casting a vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate.
Clinton won the New York primary.
Sources: The Huffington Post, The Des Moines Register, RT / Photo credit: Nathaniel F/Flickr+ 8
Project Team Drew Mandel, Rachel Tameirao, Jowenne Poon, Caroline Howes
Structural Blackwell Engineering More Specs Less Specs
Text description provided by the architects. The design of this renovation aims to update the house to better reflect the clients and how they live. The clients wanted the house to reinforce the existing fabric of the street by respectfully reinventing the exterior and the interior.
Looking closely at the brick lines relative to the right angle of the new box window in the image of the front façade, the house leans to (or years for) the lake. It is that sense of an ideosychrotic personality that defines this custom home renovation, as opposed to merely emulating a stylish boutique space.
Small moments strive to accommodate and celebrate the personality of the owners, the history of the house, and the process of its re-making: the open shelving for rotating personal objects of affection, the mobile kitchen island on wheels, the exposed steel support brackets at the junction of new and old structure, shop notes on the raw steel custom fireplace surround, old brick piers incorporated into the new entry assembly.
The scope of the project involves a new entry and re-invented façade to open the ground floor plan for light and space, finishing the basement as useable space and to occasionally act as a suite, refinishing the second and third floor bedroom and bathroom, a rear addition on the ground floor allowing for a new space with natural light, and a new connection to the rear yard.Last week’s release of the 2017 Preseason Coaches Poll renews the never-ending argument – do the polls, especially the early versions, really identify the top 20% of the teams in the FBS?
How that question is answered generally puts fans into three camps.
First, there are those who support schools who are perennial powerhouses, likely to be mentioned virtually every year in the polls sometimes regardless of actual on-field performance. Though many of these big dog’s recruit well, meaning the talent is there, they don’t consistently produce wins. This group celebrates their teams’ place in the preseason rankings.
Next, there are the naysayers, fans who find their schools, often the up-and-comers, lower in the rankings or completely left out. Again, this seems to be despite the promise they’ve shown in recent years. This group questions the validity of the polls and hopes that, once again, the pollsters got it wrong.
Then there are the fans who, regardless of affiliation, assert that the rankings are both inaccurate and meaningless. In a sport driven by eligibility rules, meaning massive turnover is guaranteed each-and-every season, it’s almost impossible to predict which 25 schools will be the best before we’ve even seen them play.
Before either accepting the preseason rankings as a sign from the football gods that it’s going to be “the” season or dismissing them as crap – here’s how the preseason Coaches’ Poll has performed, on average, vs. the final rankings over the last five seasons.
Coaches Preseason Top 10 (2012-16)
Teams that were in the preseason Top 10 and still ranked in the Top 10 in the final poll: 54%
Teams that were no longer in the Top 10 by the final poll, but still in the Top 25: 26%
Teams that started in the Top 10 and weren’t ranked at all by the final poll: 18%
Coaches Preseason Top 25 (2012-16)
Teams that were in the preseason Top 25 and still ranked in the Top 25 in the final poll: 62%
Team that started in the Top 25 and weren’t ranked at all by the final poll: 38%
The numbers make a clear case for the Coaches Poll getting it right 55-60% of the time. That’s true for both the Top 10 specifically and then the overall Top 25.
Only twice in the last five years did the Coaches not achieve 60% in the Top 10. The first was in 2012, when only half of the preseason Top 10 stayed up top by the final whistle. Those that didn’t survive were LSU (started at No. 1, finished No. 12), USC (started at No. 3, finished unranked), Oklahoma (started at No. 4, finished No. 15), Michigan (started at No. 8, finished unranked), and Arkansas (started at No. 10, finished unranked).
The other was in 2015, when the Coaches got only 40% of the Top 10 correct. Those that dropped out were Baylor (started at No. 4, finished No. 13), Oregon (started at No. 5, finished No. 20), Auburn (started No. 7, finished unranked), Florida State (started at No. 8, finished No. 14), Georgia (started at No. 9, finished No. 24), and USC (started at No. 10, finished unranked).
The Coaches’ best performance in the last five seasons in the overall Top 25 came in 2013, when 68% (or 17) of the teams it listed in the preseason poll also finished the season ranked. The eight they missed on were Georgia, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Boise State, TCU, Northwestern, and Oregon State.
The lowest mark in the preseason Top 25 was last year, in 2016, when the Coaches’ posted a 56%. It amounted to being right 14 times out of 25. Though that was three teams fewer than the high-water mark in 2013, it wasn’t a big enough swing to distort the average.
The Coaches’ have been similarly accurate in identifying the top two teams in the preseason, even more crucial in the world of the College Football Playoff.
Only three times since 2012 have one of the eventual top two finishers not been ranked in the Coaches’ preseason Top 10: Clemson in 2015 (started at No. 12, finished No. 2), Florida State in 2013 (started at No. 12, finished No. 1), and Auburn, also in 2013 (started unranked, finished No. 2).
It amounts to a 70% success rate.
As far identifying the No. 3 and No. 4 finishers in the preseason Top 10, also key in the playoff era, the Coaches’ have managed to get it right half the time since 2012.
Interestingly, each of the five seasons they’ve hit on one and missed on the other. The five No. 3/No.4 finishers the Coaches’ overlooked are: Washington in 2016 (started No. 18, finished at No. 4), Stanford in 2015 (started at No. 21, finished No. 3), TCU in 2014 (started unranked, finished No. 3), Michigan State in 2013 (started unranked, finished No. 3), and Notre Dame in 2012 (started at No. 24, finished No. 3).
The bottom line is, over the last five years, the Coaches have gotten it right more than they’ve gotten it wrong.
While there is a reasonable chance your preseason unranked team will finish in the Top 25, hopes are slashed as the dream gets bigger.
Since 2012, only 10 teams that didn’t begin the year ranked in the Coaches’ poll finished the season ranked in the Top 10. Of these, only three ascended to the Top 4.Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Trump said RNC party rules are stacked against him
Republican Donald Trump has said the party's leaders do not want him to win the presidential nomination.
The system was "stacked" against him, he said in New York, accusing the Republican National Committee (RNC) of conspiring against him.
His comments come after his rival Ted Cruz was awarded all the delegates in Colorado without a state-wide vote.
Mr Trump leads the race but may fall short of getting enough delegates to get the nomination outright.
That would lead to a contested convention in July, where delegates are free after the first ballot to back whom they want, opening the door for Texas Senator Mr Cruz or even the third candidate in the race, John Kasich.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Mr Cruz is likely to win on a second vote, because he has persuaded so many delegates to vote for him when they are "unbound" to vote as pledged.
But Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus rejected Mr Trump's charge that the rules in states like Colorado had been changed in response to his rise in the polls.
Image copyright AFP Image caption The convention in Colorado picked its delegates for Ted Cruz
Mr Priebus tweeted that the nomination process had been well known for more than a year.
"It's the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break."
Asked at a town hall event in New York whether the RNC wanted him to win, Mr Trump said: "No, I don't think so. I really don't."
He has been criticised for not campaigning hard enough on the ground in states like Colorado.
But Mr Trump said delegates who wanted to support him were being pushed out by the RNC.
"They don't like when I put up my own money because it means they don't have any control of me because I'm working for the people," he said.
Analysis - Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter
Donald Trump's insurgent presidential candidacy has proven to be extremely successful in besting a fractured Republican field at the ballot box, propelling him to a commanding lead in the race for the nomination.
What his campaign has not been built to do is engage in the gruelling, behind-the-scenes political combat that comes in the weeks and months after the headline-generating nominating contests. Although Mr Trump has received almost 2 million more votes than Ted Cruz, it's the Texas senator who is prevailing in the unglamorous race to ensure that the Republican National Convention floor is packed with loyalists who, in a nominating free-for-all, will stand by their candidate.
Before Mr Trump complains too loudly about the undemocratic nature of the process, however, it should be noted that at least so far he's won a larger share of pledged convention delegates (45%) than he has of the raw vote in nomination contests (37%).
In this close, contentious primary season, the veneer of accountability is rubbing off, exposing the sometimes unsightly gears that still power the US political system. It isn't a pretty sight - and it's difficult for anyone to claim the moral high ground.
Is the US presidential race 'rigged'?
Most states have opted to hold state-wide primaries or caucuses to determine the number of delegates pledged to a particular candidate.
But Colorado decided last summer to select its delegates in a different way, at its own state convention.
The state-by-state primary contests come to New York next week where a high number of delegates will be up for grabs.
Several senior Republicans have expressed opposition to Mr Trump winning, doubting his ability to win a general election and disagreeing with his hard line on immigration.
Mr Trump has broken an earlier pledge he made to support whoever the Republicans nominate, therefore refusing to rule out a third-party run.
He has said there will be "riots" if he is not chosen as the party's nominee, having headed to the convention with the most delegates.
More on the Trump campaign
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Cruz, Trump or... Five ways Republican bloodbath could end
A huge cost - Could Trump really deport every undocumented migrant?
Katty Kay - Trump's disastrous women voter problem
Trump's foreign policy - Brilliant or bluster?1985 film by Terry Gilliam
Brazil is a 1985 British-American dystopian[9] science fiction film[10] directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard. The film stars Jonathan Pryce and features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins and Ian Holm.
The film centres on Sam Lowry, a man trying to find a woman who appears in his dreams while he is working in a mind-numbing job and living in a small apartment, set in a consumer-driven dystopian world in which there is an over-reliance on poorly maintained (and rather whimsical) machines. Brazil's satire of bureaucratic, totalitarian government is reminiscent of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.[11][12]
Sarah Street's British National Cinema (1997) describes the film as a "fantasy/satire on bureaucratic society"; and John Scalzi's Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies (2005) describes it as a "dystopian satire".
Jack Mathews, a film critic and the author of The Battle of Brazil (1987), described the film as "satirizing the bureaucratic, largely dysfunctional industrial world that had been driving Gilliam crazy all his life".[13] The film is named after the recurrent theme song, Ary Barroso's "Aquarela do Brasil", known simply as "Brazil" to British audiences, as performed by Geoff Muldaur.[14]
Though a success in Europe, the film was unsuccessful in its initial North America release. It has since become a cult film. In 1999, the British Film Institute voted Brazil the 54th greatest British film of all time. In 2017 a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw it ranked the 24th best British film ever.[15]
Plot [ edit ]
In a dystopian, hyper-bureaucratic future, Sam Lowry is a low-level government employee who frequently daydreams of himself as a winged warrior saving a damsel in distress. A fly gets jammed in a printer and creates a typographical error, resulting in the incarceration and accidental death during interrogation of cobbler Archibald Buttle, instead of renegade air conditioning specialist and suspected terrorist Archibald Tuttle. Sam is assigned the task of rectifying the error. Visiting Buttle's widow, Sam encounters their neighbour Jill Layton, and is astonished to discover that she resembles the woman from his recurring dreams. Jill has been trying to help Mrs Buttle establish what happened to her husband, but her efforts have been obstructed by bureaucracy. Unknown to her, she is now considered a terrorist accomplice of Tuttle for attempting to report the mistake of Buttle's arrest. Sam approaches Jill, but she avoids giving him full details, worried the government will track her down.
Sam reports a fault in his apartment's air conditioning. Central Services are uncooperative, but then Tuttle, who used to work for Central Services but left because of his dislike of the tedious and repetitive paperwork, unexpectedly comes to his assistance. Tuttle repairs Sam's air conditioning, but when two Central Services workers, Spoor and Dowser, arrive, Sam has to fob them off to let Tuttle escape. The workers later return to demolish Sam's ducts and seize his apartment under pretence of fixing the system.
Sam discovers that the only way to learn about Jill is to be transferred to Information Retrieval, where he will be able to access her classified records. He has previously turned down a promotion arranged by his mother, Ida, who is obsessed with the rejuvenating plastic surgery of cosmetic surgeon Dr Jaffe. Sam retracts his refusal by speaking with Deputy Minister Mr Helpmann at a party hosted by Ida. Having obtained Jill's records, Sam tracks her down before she can be arrested, then falsifies the records to indicate her death, allowing her to escape pursuit. The two share a romantic night together, but are apprehended by the government at gunpoint. Charged with treason for abusing his new position, Sam is restrained in a chair in a large, empty cylindrical room, to be tortured by his old friend, Jack Lint. Sam is told that Jill was killed while resisting arrest.
As Jack is about to start the torture, Tuttle and other members of the resistance break into the Ministry, shooting Jack, rescuing Sam, and blowing up the Ministry building. Sam and Tuttle flee together, but Tuttle disappears amid a mass of scraps of paperwork from the destroyed building. Sam stumbles into the funeral of Ida's friend, who has died following excessive cosmetic surgery. Sam discovers that his mother now resembles Jill, and is too busy being fawned over by young men to care about her son's plight. Guards disrupt the funeral, and Sam falls into the open casket and through a black void. He lands in a street from his daydreams, and tries to escape police and monsters by climbing a pile of flex-ducts. Opening a door, he passes through it and is surprised to find himself in a truck driven by Jill. The two leave the city together. However, this "happy ending" is a delusion: in reality, he is still strapped to the chair. It is implied that he has been lobotomized by Jack.[16] Realising that Sam has descended into blissful insanity, Jack and Mr Helpmann declare him a lost cause and leave the room. Sam remains in the chair, smiling and humming "Aquarela do Brasil".
Cast [ edit ]
Main cast [ edit ]
Supporting cast [ edit ]
Cameos [ edit ]
Co-writer Charles McKeown as Harvey Lime, Sam's co-worker.
Director Terry Gilliam as the smoking man at Shang-ri La Towers.
Production [ edit ]
Writing [ edit ]
Gilliam developed the story and wrote the first draft of the screenplay with Charles Alverson, who was paid for his work but was ultimately uncredited in the final film. For nearly 20 years, Gilliam denied that Alverson had made any material contribution to the script. When the first draft was published and original in-progress documents emerged from Alverson's files, however, Gilliam begrudgingly changed his story. This was too late for either credit on the film or a listing on the failed Oscar nomination for Alverson; he has said that he would not have minded the Oscar nomination, even though he didn't think much of the script or the finished film.[23] Gilliam, McKeown, and Stoppard collaborated on further drafts. Brazil was developed under the titles The Ministry and 1984 ½, the latter a nod not only to Orwell's original Nineteen Eighty-Four but also to 8½ by Federico Fellini, a director whom Gilliam often cites as one of the defining influences on his visual style when directing.[24] During the film's production, other working titles floated about, including The Ministry of Torture, How I Learned to Live with the System—So Far,[25] and So That's Why the Bourgeoisie Sucks,[26] before settling with Brazil, relating to the name of its escapist signature tune.
In an interview with Salman Rushdie, Gilliam stated:
Brazil came specifically from the time, from the approaching of 1984. It was looming. In fact, the original title of Brazil was 1984 ½. Fellini was one of my great gods and it was 1984, so let’s put them together. Unfortunately, that bastard Michael Radford did a version of 1984 and he called it 1984, so I was blown.[27]
Gilliam sometimes refers to this film as the second in his "Trilogy of Imagination" films, starting with Time Bandits (1981) and ending with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).[13] All are about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible."[13] All three movies focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination—Time Bandits, through the eyes of a child, Brazil, through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and Munchausen, through the eyes of an elderly man. In 2013, Gilliam also called Brazil the first installment of a dystopian satire trilogy it forms with 1995's 12 Monkeys and 2013's The Zero Theorem[28] (though he would later deny having said this[29]).
Gilliam has stated that Brazil was inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four—which he has admitted never having read —but is written from a contemporary perspective rather than looking to the future as Orwell did. In Gilliam's words, his film was "the Nineteen Eighty-Four for 1984." Critics and analysts have pointed out many similarities and differences between the two, an example being that contrary to Winston Smith, Sam Lowry's spirit did not capitulate as he sank into complete catatonia.[11][30] The film's ending bears a strong similarity to "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce.[31]
Production design [ edit ]
Logo of the Ministry of Information
Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice wrote, "Gilliam understood that all futuristic films end up quaintly evoking the naïve past in which they were made, and turned the principle into a coherent comic aesthetic."[32] In the second version of the script, Gilliam and Alverson described the film's setting like this: "It is neither future nor past, and yet a bit of each. It is neither East nor West, but could be Belgrade or Scunthorpe on a drizzly day in February. Or Cicero, Illinois, seen through the bottom of a beer bottle."[33] In the 1988 documentary The Birth of Brazil, Gilliam said that he always explained the film as taking place "everywhere in the 20th century, whatever that means, on the Los Angeles/Belfast border, whatever that means".[34]
The result is an anachronistic technology, "a view of what the 1980s might have looked like as viewed from the perspective of a 1940s filmmaker"[35] which has been dubbed "retro-futurism" by fellow filmmakers Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro.[32] It is a mixture of styles and production designs derived from Fritz Lang's films ( |
fewer abnormalities, in semen made during the winter.
The sperm declined steadily in quality from spring onwards.
Human sperm is generally at its healthiest in winter and early spring, new Israeli research reveals
The researchers say this may explain why there are so many babies born in the autumn.
The reason why sperm appears to be healthier in winter isn't yet clear. One theory is sperm is affected by warn temperatures.
In animal studies, seasonal changes in sperm production and fertility have been linked to factors ranging from temperature, to length of daylight exposure and hormone variations.
Writing in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, the researchers said that if there is a seasonal pattern, that knowledge may ‘be of paramount importance, especially in couples with male-related infertility struggling with unsuccessful and prolonged fertility treatments.’
For the new study, Professor Eliahu Levitas and his colleagues, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, collected and analysed 6,455 semen samples from men at their fertility clinic between January 2006 and July 2009.
Of those, 4,960 were found to have normal sperm production, and 1,495 had abnormal production, such as low sperm counts.
The World Health Organisation defines anything over 16 million sperm per millilitre of semen as a normal sperm count.
Taking into account the approximately 70 days it takes for the body to produce a sperm cell, the researchers found that men with normal sperm production had the healthiest sperm in the winter.
The researchers found sperm in greater numbers, with faster swimming speeds, in semen made during the winter
For example, those men produced about 70 million sperm per millilitre of semen during the winter.
About five per cent of those sperm had ‘fast’ motility, or swimming speed, which improves a couple's chance of getting pregnant.
That compared to the approximately 68 million sperm per millilitre the men produced in the spring, of which only about three per cent were ‘fast’.
For men with abnormal sperm production, however, the pattern did not hold.
Those men showed a slight trend toward better motility during the autumn and made the largest percentage of normal shaped sperm - about seven per cent - during the spring.
Previous studies, mostly in animals, have found similar results in line with those species' breeding seasons, Dr Edmund Sabanegh, a urologist who was not involved in the new research, told Reuters Health.
‘The hard part of this is really sorting out what factor is accounting for this,’ said Dr Sabanegh, the chairman of the urology department at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic.
In animal studies, seasonal changes in sperm production and fertility have been linked to factors ranging from temperature, to length of daylight exposure and hormone variations.
Previous research has found that human sperm counts around the world are falling.
While no one knows why, theories range from a more sedentary lifestyle to chemicals in the environment that affect sperm health.
Dr Sabanegh added he does not believe that doctors will start telling men with low sperm counts to wait until the winter or spring to try to conceive a child.
‘We would continue to encourage them to try regardless of the season, and they may benefit from interventions or treatments,’ he said.
The research comes just after new figures showed that nearly 20 per cent of couples spend more than a year trying for a baby.
It is also believed that eating a diet rich in saturated fats can lower sperm count in men
Experts have named women delaying motherhood and the obesity epidemic as the two most likely reasons for rising infertility.
There are now more mothers over 30 than at any time since records began - and further research has shown being overweight can interfere with ovulation in woman and sperm quality in men.
Further research published last month showed that young men who watch television for just three hours a day have half the sperm count of men rarely found in front of the box.
For the first time, the study showed falling sperm quality is linked to lower levels of physical activity.
Men who are mostly sedentary lose out to those who are moderately active, said the Harvard University study which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Experts say the effect could be due to lack of exercise, or to overheating of the testicles caused by prolonged sitting.
It is also believed that eating a diet rich in saturated fats can lower sperm count in men.
Danish researchers found men who ate the most saturated fat had significantly lower sperm counts and poorer quality sperm than those who consumed the least.David A. Chase (Photo: Metro Police)
A Nashville woman who reported an attack by her boyfriend Sunday morning thought she would have 12 hours to gather her belongings and get to a safe place before he was released from jail.
Instead, she again came face to face with Nashville contractor David A. Chase that morning and suffered a second beating, according to police and court records.
Now, a longtime Davidson County general sessions judge who intervened in the case says he regrets his role in helping free Chase after the first arrest.
Chase, 37, initially was arrested Sunday morning on charges of domestic assault.
Tennessee law allows domestic assault suspects to be held in jail for a 12-hour "cooling off" period for the safety of alleged victims. But it's an option judges don't always use — a point of controversy in a recent city analysis of domestic violence cases.
Chase got that period of incarceration waived because of a call from Judge Casey Moreland.
Around 9 a.m. Sunday — two hours after Chase was booked into the Metro Jail — Chase's defense attorney, Bryan Lewis, contacted Moreland.
The attorney told the judge that Chase and the alleged victim, Lauren Aletia Bull, were not dating and that she showed up unannounced at Chase's Elliston Place apartment at 3 a.m., according to Moreland.
Based on that information — later found to be incorrect, according to Metro police — Moreland said Chase did not qualify for the hold. He called the judicial commissioner on duty and cleared the way for Chase's release.
According to a bail order signed that morning, Judicial Commissioner Steve Holzapfel at first wrote that Chase would be held until 6:23 p.m. That got scratched out and was replaced by a handwritten note that stated, "Not domestic relationship per Judge Moreland."
"I thought that was the end of my involvement," Moreland told The Tennessean on Wednesday. "Twenty-twenty hindsight, of course, I wouldn't have done it."
Arrest affidavits state that Chase dragged the woman out of his Elliston Place apartment by her hair Sunday morning, prompting the initial arrest. He went to jail, and less than three hours later, he returned to the apartment where Bull was packing her belongings.
"She was advised that he would have a 12-hour hold so that she would be able to collect her things and leave without his presence," the warrant said. "Ms. Bull was extremely surprised when he showed up around 10:30 a.m."
Once he was in the apartment, the warrant said, Chase began to "throw her around" and choked her on the bed. The warrant said he threatened her, saying, "You ruined my life. I'm going to kill you, I'm going to throw you out the balcony."
Chase destroyed the woman's phone as she tried to call 911. She escaped to find help from a neighbor.
Officers arriving at the scene found blood on the walls and belongings in the hallway. Chase had left.
He was arrested again Monday on charges of aggravated assault by strangulation, vandalism and interference with a 911 call.
Moreland said his "heart just fell" when he heard about Chase's second round of charges.
"Other than the victim, nobody feels any worse than I do about what happened," he said.
The judge said he takes a call like the one from Lewis rarely — maybe once a year — but that he does try to be available when his phone rings.
Hold waived again
Taken before Judge Thomas Nelson for the second arrest, the 12-hour hold was waived again and bond set at $15,000. Chase was later released. Why the hold was waived again isn't clear in court records.
Lewis wouldn't discuss particulars of his call to Moreland, but he said in a prepared statement Wednesday he intends to "vigorously and zealously defend this case."
"Both Mr. Chase and I respect domestic violence victims' rights, and we do not stand for or believe in domestic violence," he said.
Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson released a statement Wednesday saying the 12-hour hold policy should have been enforced and that he expressed his "dismay" to the judge.
"As I stated in my message to Judge Moreland, if 12-hour holds are going to be routinely waived in the future, there is a need for the police department to inform victims of domestic assault that this promise cannot be relied upon and that they should act accordingly," Anderson said.
Chase is executive vice president of D.F. Chase Inc., touted by the company as one of the largest construction firms in Tennessee.
The failure of Nashville's Night Court commissioners to use the 12-hour "cooling off" period triggered recent criticism in a citywide study on the handling of domestic violence cases.
The Metro report found that commissioners chose not to hold suspects for 12 hours in more than 40 percent of cases in one stretch during October 2012.
"When we were going through the mayor's assessment and the (court system) gaps, this was one we heard repeatedly: There just is not enough time between the incident and the offender's release for the victim to develop and implement a safety plan," said Cathy Gurley, executive director of victims' advocacy group You Have the Power. "A cooling-off period is not a bad thing."
Chase is due to appear in court two more times this month.
Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986. Reach Tony Gonzalez at 615-259-8089.
Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/11/nashville-contractor-charged-two-domestic-assaults-judge-waived-cooling-rule/10328783/The normally genteel world of professional Bridge has been rocked by claims that two top cardplayers have been involved in cheating.
The world's top Bridge team has been hit claims that two of its members have won through foul means.
Two Israeli men, Lotan Fisher and Ron Schwartz, have been accused by their team mates of cheating.
Ron Schwartz (pictured) has been accused by his team mates of cheating in the 2014 tournament along with Lotan Fisher
Quite how they cheated is unclear, but Norwegian bridge professional Boye Brogeland, one of the world's highest-rated bridge players, said the other four members of the team were handing back three titles they had won together.
'If you have a cheating pair on your team, I believe you should lose whatever Masterpoints, Seeding points and titles you have won together,' Mr Brogeland wrote on the Bridge Winners forum.
'The Schwartz team from the two previous cycles has decided to give up the three titles that we 'won' in 2014 and 2015. We believe in a clean game and we love bridge.'
Lotan Fisher (pictured) has hit back, accusing the others of being simply envious of their talent. 'Jealousy made you sick,' he wrote on Tuesday. 'Get ready for a meeting with the devil'
Mr Fisher hit back, accusing the others of being simply envious of their talent.
Jealousy made you sick,' he wrote on Tuesday. 'Get ready for a meeting with the devil.'TORONTO – The task of rebuilding a Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff gutted by free agency began Tuesday when the $12-million club option for 2016 on R.A. Dickey was exercised, along with those of sluggers Jose Bautista ($14 million) and Edwin Encarnacion ($10 million).
Infielder Maicer Izturis also received a $1-million buyout when his $3-million option was declined as part of the first moves under new president Mark Shapiro and interim GM Tony LaCava.
In bringing back Dickey, the Blue Jays secured a 200-inning pillar of stability to a rotation that at the moment also includes burgeoning ace Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison, who pitched his way off the 2015 staff. David Price, Marco Estrada and Mark Buehrle are gone to free agency, and the deadline wheeling and dealing of Alex Anthopoulos has left the team with no upper level pitching prospects.
Youngsters Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna both could be stretched out, but that would leave gaping holes in the bullpen.
The entire pitching situation borders on alarming, as the Blue Jays have only 14 pitchers on the 40-man roster – Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera, Bo Schultz, Steve Delabar, Chad Jenkins, Ben Rowen and Pat Venditte among them – underlining just how thin the upper levels of the organization are right now.
That means they need not only to fill in the rotation, but also fortify a bullpen that lost LaTroy Hawkins to retirement and Mark Lowe to free agency, and replenish organizational depth – three very tall orders.
One way for the Blue Jays to do it is by subtracting from their position player core to add pitching.
“At this point we’re open, if we have to reallocate, we have to reallocate,” LaCava said Monday, before the options were picked up. “We’re not saying if we will or we won’t right now, we just have to look and be opportunistic with what’s out there. That’s something Alex was as good as anybody with, being opportunistic and looking at opportunities. Josh Donaldson a year ago, we would have never even thought. We just have to be prepared.”
How much money Shapiro and LaCava have to work with is unknown, although with the options exercised, the Blue Jays now have $71 million committed to five players – Dickey, Bautista, Encarnacion, Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin. Donaldson is one of nine players eligible for arbitration, and assuming all return (there are candidates to be released and re-signed), that would add another $33 million based on projections by MLBTradeRumors.com (led by Donaldson’s estimated $12 million).
If it plays out that way, the Blue Jays would have $104 million on the books to 14 players, with Stroman, Kevin Pillar, Ryan Goins, Devon Travis, Chris Colabello, Sanchez, Osuna and Liam Hendriks all in the 0-3 year service time range and likely to cost a total in the $4.5-million range.
Assuming a payroll similar to the roughly $135 million the Blue Jays are estimated to have spent in 2015, that leaves about $26.5 million to work with this off-season, although that total can be increased if some of the arbitration-eligible players are negotiated down or non-tendered (Ben Revere’s projected $6.7 million is an interesting call).
It’s with all that in mind that the Blue Jays must decide whether to extend Marco Estrada a qualifying offer of $15.8 million ahead of Friday’s deadline (doing so would ensure draft pick compensation should he leave), and how serious a run to make at Price, whose potential price tag has been estimated by industry people at anywhere from somewhere north of Jon Lester’s $155 million over six years to just south of Max Scherzer’s $210 million over seven years.
One interesting thing to note is that the Blue Jays have all kinds of payroll flexibility after this season as the only guaranteed money on the books beyond 2016 is the $20 million Martin is due 2017-19, and the $20 million due to Tulowitzki 2017-19 plus $14 million more in 2020.
But Shapiro and LaCava must also chart a course of action with Bautista and Encarnacion, both eligible for free agency next fall. Extensions for them will be pricey, and quickly eat into that financial flexibility.
Picking up the options was the easy part – the heavy lifting starts now.
One noteworthy item from Mark Shapiro’s introductory news conference was his outlook on the Blue Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla. The poor state of the practice fields led to Michael Saunders’ knee injury this spring, and the entire complex has been lapped by those of other clubs. It’s something the new president and CEO has taken note of. “Spring Training complex as a generality, I think needs to be something that there’s some attention paid to,” he said. “I was aware of that coming in. Certainly not hard to be aware of that. I can tell you my general philosophy and belief is that spring training is one of the most important resources in building a championship culture. It needs to be a state-of-the-art facility that provides a culture capable of rehabbing, training, developing players in a cutting-edge environment that provides a competitive advantage. We’ll look to do that, hopefully in Dunedin.”
Shapiro is also expected to oversee some modernization of Rogers Centre, and he said he’s had only cursory conversations to this point about the progress of the grass field research. Ultimately, he added, what is done “starts with the fan, starts with the market, how can we adapt a building that obviously has certain features that isn’t going to allow it to be completely changed or altered, how do we adapt that building to create the best fan experience. If you start with the fan and work out, you’ll end up with the right answers.”This Oatmeal Stout Beer Bread may be the most extraordinary beer bread you’ll ever make. Simple, quick and completely satisfies the impetus for baking bread. Its buttery, crunchy crust yields to a rich interior that will have you slicing another piece before you’ve finished the first.
When I started this blog, about four years ago, I noticed a food blogger who’s work I was really drawn to and admired. I ended up messaging her one night with about ten billion questions about blogging. She selflessly and patiently answered them all…and four years later…she’s still there for me. Jennifer Farley, from the lovely blog, Savory Simple, is probably the reason I’m still blogging.
So, you can imagine how excited I am to tell you that my dear friend Jen has published her own cookbook, The Gourmet Kitchen! I’ve been looking forward to this for over a year now! It’s a stunningly beautiful book, filled with approachable and doable gourmet recipes. Each recipe includes a gorgeous photo along with helpful, honest and well-written words to give you confidence and inspiration to have fun in the kitchen.
What I love about Jen’s recipes, is how creatively she uses fresh, seasonal and unprocessed ingredients. This book includes such a well-rounded variety of recipes that reflect how we all love to eat. There are tasty vegetarian options, like a Black Bean Tortilla Casserole (keep an eye out on my Instagram…I made that casserole and it is delicious!) You’ll find lots of meat, poultry and seafood recipes, like Korean Barbecue Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos, Andouille Macaroni and Cheese and Shrimp and Chorizo with Polenta. Jen is a fabulous baker…her Sweets and Treats section is so enticing. Some recipes I’ve got on my to-make list are: Salted Caramel Toffee Ice Cream, Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake, Pistachio Cardamom Baklava and Chocolate Malt Truffles. Are you as hungry as I am right now?
Let’s talk about this beer bread! I’ve been a fan of beer breads for many reasons. First, of course, they are simply delicious…they’ve got great texture and so much yeasty and full-bodied flavor. The best part about them is how easy they are. I mean, it’s as simple as whisking some dry ingredients and pouring a bottle of beer over them. How wonderful is that? This particular beer bread though…is extraordinary! The buttery crust is crunchy and crisp while the interior is full of great texture from the oats and the bubbly beer. A slice is perfect on its own, but really, a bit of soft butter is heavenly. Promise me you’ll make this…you will love it!FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne to retire in early 2019
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles takes a question during a press conference at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, January 9, 2017. (Photo: GEOFF ROBINS, AFP/Getty Images)
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said today the automaker needs clarity on free trade policies from president-elect Donald Trump before the company can make decisions on any future investments in Mexico.
Marchionne also said he needs to know what U.S. automotive regulations will be as it develops new cars and trucks.
“I need clarity. I think we all need clarity,” said Marchionne when asked about Trump. “And we are not the only ones that need clarity.”
Trump has frequently suggested he would push a 35% border tariff on goods imported from Mexico and wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump made the revision of free trade agreements, and specifically NAFTA, a centerpiece of his campaign.
If that were to happen, Marchionne said FCA would consider closing plants in Mexico.
“It’s possible that if economic tariffs are imposed... and are sufficiently large, it will make production of anything in Mexico uneconomical and we would have to withdraw,” Marchionne said. “It’s quite possible.”
On the campaign trail, Trump frequently took aim at Ford for deciding to move its small car production from Michigan Assembly in Wayne to Mexico. Last week, Ford reversed course and canceled plans to build a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico and said Trump's "pro-business policies," along with declining car sales, were factors.
While Trump largely ignored other automakers during the campaign he criticized General Motors for making a version of the Chevrolet Cruze in Mexico and selling it in the U.S. and Toyota for its plans to build a $1 billion plant in Mexico to make the Corolla.
“I think we will adjust whenever the rules get changed, if they get changed. We have no choice in this. We are not policy setters,” Marchionne said during a press conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “I am not sure exactly what the rules are. Let’s wait.”
Marchionne’s comments come one day after the automaker announced plans to invest $1 billion at its plants in Warren and Toledo and add 2,000 jobs. The company confirmed plans on Sunday to make the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer at its Warren Truck Assembly plant by 2020 and to make a new Jeep Wrangler pickup at its Toledo Assembly South plant in Toledo.
That was has been in the works for more than a year, and had nothing to do with Trump or his policy ideas, Marchionne said.
“It has been part of the discussion going back to 2015 with Dennis Williams and the UAW,” Marchionne said.
Nevertheless, Trump praised the Jeep investment in a tweet on Monday.
It's finally happening - Fiat Chrysler just announced plans to invest $1BILLION in Michigan and Ohio plants, adding 2000 jobs. This after... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017
Marchionne also said the investment at the Warren plant also could result in production of heavy duty pickups made in Mexico being moved to the Warren plant, a move that would also please the incoming president.
FCA also is investing in Mexico. The automaker has spent $850 million to retool its plant in Tolcua, Mexico, to build the all-new Jeep Compass, which was previously built in Belvidere, Ill.
Marchionne said today that production of the Compass in Mexico will begin later this month and will go on sale by March.
The Compass that the automaker will produce in Mexico will be sold in the U.S. and in many other countries around the world.
FCA has seven assembly, engine and stamping plants in Mexico and employs 11,659 workers there.
Marchionne also said automakers need clarity on fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. The industry agreed to regulations in 2011 that covered the industry from 2012 to 2015.
A review of those regulations began last year but has not been completed. Automakers have been lobbying the Obama administration for relaxed regulations while the government has been saying no changes are needed. The incoming Trump administration might be more willing to make changes.
Marchionne, who has been CEO of both Chrysler and Fiat since the Italian automaker took a controlling interest in the automaker in 2009, also confirmed today that he plans to retire after 2018. Today, Marchionne said his retirement will occur in early 2019.
Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely.
A look at FCA's operations in Mexico:
Saltillo Engine Plant: 1,549 employees; opened in 1981; makes 2.4-liter, 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi, 6.2-liter V-8 supercharged Hemi Hellcat, and 6.4-liter V-8 Hemi engines.
1,549 employees; opened in 1981; makes 2.4-liter, 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi, 6.2-liter V-8 supercharged Hemi Hellcat, and 6.4-liter V-8 Hemi engines. Saltillo South Engine Plant: 1,416 employees, opened in 2010; makes 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar; 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar and 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar plug-in hybrid engine.
1,416 employees, opened in 2010; makes 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar; 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar and 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar plug-in hybrid engine. Satillo Stamping Plant: 304 employees; opened in 1997; makes body panels for Ram pickups.
304 employees; opened in 1997; makes body panels for Ram pickups. Saltillo Truck Assembly: 3,663 employees; opened in 2005; makes the Ram 1500 regular cab, Ram 2500/3500, Ram Mega Cab, Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, Ram 4500/5500 and DX Chassis Cab.
3,663 employees; opened in 2005; makes the Ram 1500 regular cab, Ram 2500/3500, Ram Mega Cab, Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, Ram 4500/5500 and DX Chassis Cab. Saltillo Van Assembly: 1,504 employees; opened in 2011; makes the Ram ProMaster.
1,504 employees; opened in 2011; makes the Ram ProMaster. Toluca Assembly Plant: 2,992 employees; opened in 1968; assembles the Dodge Journey, Fiat 500 and Fiat Freemont.
2,992 employees; opened in 1968; assembles the Dodge Journey, Fiat 500 and Fiat Freemont. Toluca Stamping Plant: 231 employees; opened in 1994; makes body panels for Dodge Journey, Fiat 500 and Fiat Freemont.
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2ibabSKCU to provide more information on Sefo Liufau injury Monday
Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau throws a pass during warmups before Saturday's game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Liufau injured his right ankle during the second half. ( Tony Ding / Associated Press )
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sefo Liufau sat on the sidelines with ice on his right foot Saturday.
With its leader unable to play, the Colorado offense crumbled during a 45-28 loss to Michigan.
Now, the Buffaloes wonder if they'll have Liufau on the field anytime soon, and if not, is Steven Montez ready to direct the offense?
CU reported Saturday that Liufau sprained his right ankle and that X-rays done at Michigan Stadium were negative. He was to be re-evaluated on Sunday, and CU said it would provide an update on Liufau's condition on Monday.
If Liufau is unable to play when the Buffs (2-1) visit Oregon (2-1) on Saturday, they'll give the keys of the offense to Montez, a redshirt freshman.
Should he get his first career start at Autzen Stadium, Montez said he'll be ready.
"Most definitely," he said. "I have confidence in the coaches that they're going to get me ready and I think they're confident in me that we're going to go out there and do good things and go ahead and beat Oregon.
"I'm always ready to play. Whenever they put me in, whenever my name is called. I'm ready to play. I'm ready to go."
Montez, however, knows he has to be much better than he was against the Wolverines.
Liufau's injury deflated the Buffs, and Montez was unable to re-establish the confidence the offense had early in the game.
"When I went in there, that's on me," Montez said. "I have to get our guys going. I have to get our offense going to go do something and go score.
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"I need to reassure the team that even if Sefo goes down, or even if he's not healthy for next week, that they can have confidence in me to get the win and to go play well. I need to build on that."
Montez entered the game with 10 minutes, 7 seconds to play in the third quarter and went 0-for-7 on his passes and lost four years on four rushes. He was sacked twice.
During the six possessions that Montez directed, the Buffs gained a total of 18 yards on 21 plays. Running back Kyle Evans gained 17 of those yards on four consecutive carries to end the game.
When Montez took over for Liufau, the Buffs were very much in the game, trailing 31-28.
To be fair, the game might have been different without a couple of drops.
On Montez's first pass, the Buffs ran a flea flicker and Montez threw deep to George Frazier in the end zone. It was a high pass, but it hit Frazier in the hands before falling to the ground.
On Montez's second pass, the Buffs faced a third-and-21 at the Michigan 40, and Montez flashed his arm strength by throwing across his body, on the run to Shay Fields. Michigan's Dymonte Thomas had good coverage, but Fields was unable to haul it in. That one might have resulted in a first down.
Ultimately, however, the momentum was lost when Liufau left the game.
"We were rolling," Montez said. "Everybody saw the Colorado team that we are in the first quarter and into the second quarter. That's who we are, that's who we work to be every week. We kind of just fell off a little bit, didn't stay with the stuff we were doing and just got away from what we wanted to do."
If Liufau can't play this week, it'll be up to Montez to make sure they don't do that again.
Notable
In addition to Liufau, the Buffs on Sunday evaluated kicker Diego Gonzalez and linebacker Derek McCartney, who both left Saturday's game with injuries. CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said after the game that Gonzalez tore his left Achilles tendon and would miss the rest of the season. McCartney left the stadium with ice wrapped on his right knee.
Brian Howell: howellb@dailycamera.com, on Twitter: @BrianHowell33.Description
Rayne Longboards is bringing us the Rival Freeride Skateboard Deck for the 2012 springtime season! The Rayne Rival (the Rayne Supreme's smaller sibling) measures in at 40" long and 10" with a 28" or 29" wheelbase to suit your preference. The Rayne Rival Deck features three stage rocker, 5/8" radial drop toward the trucks and the new "mean cave" (not as deep as tub) that ramps up gradually as it meets up with the radial to create a natural gas pedal. The Rayne Rival Deck is equipped with a responsive flex to make this deck great for freeriding and freestyle fun. Sure, with the right setup, you could bomb a hill if you feel like it, but (like the Vendetta) this deck is designed for the flippity-dippity kind of fun, and not the go fast and win a race kind of fun. That being said, we'd suggest that you set this board up with some 184mm Caliber 50 Cals and some 70mm Venom Tweakers for some all around freeriding fun.Saudi religious police confiscated a large number of Guy Fawkes masks, more popularly known as vendetta masks, which retailers have stocked ahead of the national day. The interior ministry had been earlier banned these masks from the kingdom.
Haia members raided the main market in Jazan and seized the masks, reported Emirates 24/7. The confiscated Guy Fawkes masks were in white and green colors, and were sold along with other souvenirs in connection with the national day celebrations on Monday. Retailers were hoping to evade authorities and tempt people into buying the masks in patriotic colors.
Shop keepers in the market protested the actions of the Haia members, but were reminded that the masks were banned and that the Commission members were simply carrying out the ministry’s orders.
(Image courtesy: Al Arabiya)SHERMAN-A Marine recruit is suing his recruiters and the U.S. Marine Corps after he suffered a heat stroke during what he claims was vigorous physical activity in extreme heat conditions.
Zachary Ryan Snow filed suit against the U.S. Marine Corps and recruiters Sgt. Compton and Sgt. Esquibel on June 28 in the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division.
Snow entered the USMC's Delayed Entry/Enlistment Program on Oct. 10, 2008. The program has a nonpay status and Snow was not entitled to any benefits or privileges.
Under the supervision of the Marine Corps, Snow participated in vigorous physical activity and instruction on July 9, 2009, in Denton.
"The temperature in Denton reached or exceeded 100 degrees Farenheit that day," the suit states.
Due to the high temperature, Snow claims he suffered a massive heat stroke and liver damage and had to be hospitalized.
The defendants are accused of negligence by violating the Marine's Operational Risk Management and Heat Injury Prevention Program.
Snow alleges the Corps subjected him to physical risk without properly determining his condition for strenuous physical activity, failed to provide adequate cool fresh water, failed to provide a safety vehicle or medical personnel at the physical training site and failed to provide adequate communications capabilities for emergency contact.
According to the suit, the incident did not occur on military property, Snow did not receive any compensation or benefits from the USMC and the USMC did not pay any of the medical bills Snow incurred due to the incident.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for lost earnings, loss of earning capacity, medical expenses, pain, suffering, physical impairment, mental anguish, lost wages, interest, exemplary damages, and court costs.
Snow is represented by Dallas attorneys Evan Lane Shaw of Law Offices of Van Shaw and Colby Vokey of Fitzpatrick Hagood Smith & Uhl.
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider is assigned to the case.
Case No. 4:10-cv-00319When T.I. first ventured out to get an Eminem verse on "Touchdown" for 2007's T.I. vs. T.I.P., the King of the South thought the best-case scenario would be that he'd get 16 bars of fire and a hit record. The ATL native gained much more than that while working with Marshall Mathers: a friendship.
"I reached out to Em," Tip explained to MTV News. "My management reached out to his management, just in hopes of getting him on a record. Em personally reached out to me, and we been speaking ever since, especially since I went through my situation [with having to go to prison]. [He would] just kinda remind me that 'I've been through dark period in my life too. You're gonna make it. You're one of the ones we need, so you're gonna make it. Stand tall and walk the walk.' He just made it a point to always reassure me of the spot that I hold in this thing that we got called hip-hop. It was incredibly helpful. It was incredibly noble of him, in my eyes, to even take the time out to reach out to me."
Tip says while he being prosecuted and sentenced for illegally attempting to purchase firearms, Eminem would call him once every two weeks.
"We continue to stay in touch," Tip said. "He wrote me since I was in the joint. We've spoken several time since I've been back home. We maintain a healthy relationship."
Just like Tip has overcome severe circumstances with his conviction, Eminem overcame a drug addiction that almost resulted in a fatal overdose.
"Adversity brings strength," T.I. said. "No matter where the adversity comes from, you become a better person if you are able to channel that strength in a positive way. If you are able to take that experience and learn from it, and you're willing to grow from it, accept the part you've played in it and move forward, I think you're a better person. That's something that I can see he's experienced that I've experienced, that we both share in common."
T.I. and Eminem have agreed to record a song for Tip's August 17 LP King Uncaged.
Which of T.I.'s collaborations are you most looking forward to hearing? Share your thoughts in the comments.(CNN) -- Flags flew at half-staff outside the Cherokee Nation's headquarters in Talequah, Oklahoma, on Tuesday in honor of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to lead the Native American tribe.
Mankiller died Tuesday morning at age 64 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, Cherokee leaders announced. Her successor, Chad Smith, called Mankiller "the iconic leader of the tribe."
Mankiller served 10 years as principal chief of the Cherokee, the second-largest U.S. tribe, and became its first freely elected leader in 1987. President Clinton awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, in 1998.
She was born in Oklahoma, where most of the Cherokee had been exiled by the U.S. government in the 1830s, but moved to California with her family in the 1950s. She returned to Oklahoma in 1977 to work for the tribe's community development agency and is credited |
Midwestern seltzer has come to fill the gaps that booze and pot left behind. Now, when I meditate in the morning and set my intentions — promising not to smoke cigarettes or slug pinot grigio at lunch or eat the brick of weed fudge in my fridge, which would only make me eat every last Dorito in my sunshine-less hell box — I let LaCroix lead me to positive thoughts.
LaCroix is not as exhilarating as taking ecstasy at Joshua Tree, blanketed by a glittering velveteen sky, but, boy, do I get stoked when I’ve remembered to pack one for the movie theater. And now that I’m free of a constant low-grade hangover, I’m left with a lot of time to just walk around, extra alert. I see all of us now. The truth is, for every dork that buys Sriracha-branded knee socks at Urban Outfitters, there’s a mid-30s lady quaffing crates of flavored soda water because that’s her “thing.” My seltzer fixation broadcasts to the world that I’m getting older and, like everyone in their mid-30s in Los Angeles, on some form of passive diet or detox. It’s stupid, but there is an unmistakable joy when friends spot me by my can and strike up a conversation about how they secretly like Orange the best. They know LaCroixville is a safe space — a tacky community with as much judgment as there are calories. Zip.Bolivian President's Jet Rerouted On Suspicions Snowden Could Be On Board; Multi-Country Outrage Ensues
from the we-are-all-Bolivians dept
The Snowden saga continues to deliver surprising twists and turns that may well have important geopolitical knock-on effects. The latest involves the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, whose country is rumored to be willing to offer political asylum to Snowden. Here's what happened, as reported by The Guardian: Bolivia reacted with fury after a plane carrying the country's president home from Russia was diverted to Vienna amid suspicions that it was carrying the surveillance whistleblower, Edward Snowden.
France and Portugal were accused of withdrawing permission for the plane, carrying the president, Evo Morales, from energy talks in Moscow, to pass through their airspace. Both Bolivia and Austria deny that Snowden is on board, but no one has been allowed to check. Since being forced to land in Vienna, Morales has now been given permission by France and Portugal to overfly their territory, but not by Spain, which had also refused. The simultaneous revocation of permission to pass over these countries looks rather suspicious. The Bolivian defense minister, Ruben Saavedra, who was on the flight, has no doubts about who is behind it: "This is a hostile act by the United States State Department which has used various European governments." The Bolivian Vice-President said they had been "kidnapped by imperialism" in Europe. That framing has now been taken up by other South American governments, who have expressed their outrage at the insult to Bolivia and hence their region. As The Guardian reports in an update on the Bolivian story: Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner has tweeted that she has been advised that Peruvian president Ollanta Humala will call a meeting of the Union of South American Nations [UNASUR] to discuss ongoing events. And -- ironically -- Ecuador has re-entered the story after trying to distance itself from Snowden: Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador, has also railed against what he called an "affront to our America," and called on his fellow South American presidents to "take action".
Posting on Twitter, Correa wrote: "Decisive hours for UNASUR! Either we graduated from the colonies, or we claim our independence, sovereignty and dignity. We are all Bolivia!" There is clearly a lot of political grandstanding and opportunism here. But there seems no doubt that this latest development will sour relationships between the US and South American nations, at least for a while. Spain and Portugal also come out of this badly, and are likely to lose influence among their former South American colonies. This latest incident shows once again the impact of Snowden's actions, which continue to cause major ripples throughout the entire diplomatic world.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: airspace, argentina, austria, bolivia, ecuador, ed snowden, evo morales, france, portugal, russia, spain, us, us imperialismFor this year’s Hot Chocolate Festival, Mink Chocolates has an adventurous offering called “Don’t Bug Me” that features a garnish of crickets. Yep, crickets.
SEE ALSO: Vancouver’s Hot Chocolate Festival 2015 lineup announced
“People spend a lot of money to get to people get rid of their bugs, and we’re giving you bugs,” jokes Mink Chocolates’ Marc Lieberman. His “Don’t Bug Me” concoction features a milk chocolate ganache with steamed coconut milk, topped with whipped cream, and what Lieberman calls “free-range” crickets (with a wink).
The crickets are the real deal, and hail from Austin, Texas, where they are raised organically by a business that also turns them into the increasingly popular cricket flour.
Mink’s Marc Lieberman with a cup of “Don’t Bug Me” (Farhan Mohamed/Vancity Buzz)
Lieberman says he had initially ordered what he thought would be enough to last him the full run of the month-long Hot Chocolate Festival, only to have found the curious cup of hot chocolate had adventurous drinkers bugging out enough to wipe him out of the crickets in just five days.
“I just reordered and bought a pound,” explains Lieberman, with a nod to the old saying about a pound of feathers versus a pound of bricks. “A pound of crickets is actually a lot. It’s a bag about this big,” he says, gesturing about a foot-and-a-half wide and tall.
One of two special cocoas Mink’s making for the festival this year (the other is the “Flu Shot,” which includes Baileys and is served in a comically large syringe), Lieberman says the flavours of the drink were inspired by his first foray into sourcing crickets, which let him to Thailand, and then the coconut milk. Unable to import Thai crickets, Lieberman kept the recipe but was steered towards the Texan bugs instead.
Barista Brody Hargreaves makes the “Don’t Bug Me” hot chocolate (Farhan Mohamed/Vancity Buzz)
The unusual drink was in part the result of Lieberman wanting to top his popular festival creation of 2014, the Paula Deen White Trash Trainwreck, but also one of those middle-of-the-night notions that stuck.
The result is a drink that has some customers bugging out, but many more taking the plunge. Lieberman describes one set of “Don’t Bug Me” drinkers screaming from afar when their drink was placed on the bar, but ultimately coaxing each other to give it a go, when on the same day a customer simply walked out on her order.
SEE ALSO: Vancouver’s Mink Chocolates wins best chocolate bar in the world award
The drink has been selling well, attests Lieberman, who says last Sunday alone they sold 77 “Don’t Bug Me” hot chocolates, adding that he’s noted many of the customers are women. “The reactions have been tremendous. Most people are adventurous, they’re into it, they try it,” remarks Lieberman.
Crickets as garnish (Farhan Mohamed/Vancity Buzz)
So what’s the cricket eating experience all about? Lieberman explains the crickets are “crunchy, they’re a little bit meaty, they get stuck in your teeth, [but they are] high in protein, calcium, and iron,” adding, for perhaps the benefit of the doubters, “essentially if you eat shellfish there’s no reason to say you couldn’t or shouldn’t eat crickets. Crickets are both Kosher and Halal–they’re the only insects that are.”
Mink Chocolate Cafe barista Brody Hargreaves succinctly describes the taste: “Plain popcorn with a hint of nuttiness.”
Even if you sip around the crickets, or scoop them off (which you’ll have to do yourself–Mink won’t do it for you!), the hot chocolate itself is quite tasty. “Milk chocolate ganache with coconut milk is fabulous under any circumstance,” says Lieberman.
And, yes…we tried it. See Vancity Buzz’s Editor Farhan Mohamed‘s reaction:
[youtube id=”ycqeDirq_aQ”]
Vancouver’s 2015 Hot Chocolate Festival runs through February 14.
Mink Chocolate Café
Address: 863 West Hastings Street
Phone: (604) 633-2451
Website: www.minkchocolates.com
Hours: Mon-Fri: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat and Sun: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Featured image: “Don’t Bug Me” (Farhan Mohamed/Vancity Buzz)COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Just weeks after denouncing a Rolling Stone article on bullying and teen suicide as a “brutal and distorted attack,” the Superintendent of the Anoka-Hennepin School District in suburban Minneapolis now says “there can be no doubt that in many situations bullying is one of the contributing factors” to suicide.
The statement by Superintendent Dennis Carlson, published on the school district’s website, contrasts sharply with a December 2010 voice message to district employees in which Carlson said, “Based on all of the information we have been able to gather none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment.”
Carlson said the letter was intended to help bring healing to the beleaguered district that is the subject of a federal probe and two lawsuits filed by six students for alleged “disregard of bullying in schools” under the district’s former “neutrality” policy.
In the past three years, at least nine teenagers from within the Anoka-Hennepin district have committed suicide, and many more students have attempted to take their lives. Some of the victims were gay, or perceived to be by their classmates, and many were reportedly bullied.
“Although no one can ever be absolutely certain of the specific event that leads to a student’s suicide, there can be no doubt that in many situations bullying is one of the contributing factors. Gay students are especially vulnerable to anti-gay bullying and so are other students that are unique in some way that leads to verbal attacks by students,” Carlson wrote.
Tammy Aaberg, whose son Justin took his own life in July 2010, said she appreciates the withdrawal of the previous statement but said the new statement still doesn’t go far enough, reported the Star-Tribune.
“The climate of the school has a lot to do with how mental health is in gay students,” said Aaberg, who, since her son’s death, has become a national advocate for LGBT teens and for anti-bullying causes.
Aaberg is among the critics who have charged that officials at Anoka-Hennepin schools hid behind an “out-of-touch” neutrality policy on LGBT issues, which many dubbed a “gag rule.”
The policy, which was replaced last month, required teachers and staff to “remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation including but not limited to student led discussions.” Aaberg has lobbied the school district for more than a year to abandon the policy.
The two lawsuits also allege that the former policy contributed to a hostile environment in which LGBT students and those perceived as LGBT were subjected to anti-LGBT slurs and physical threats on a daily basis by their peers.
The neutrality policy was replaced last month by the “Respectful Learning Environment” policy, which now directs Anoka-Hennepin schools to provide “a safe and respectful learning environment for all students,” and directs staff to “affirm the dignity and self-worth of all students, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.”
The Anonka-Hennepin school district, in the heart of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s congressional district, was the subject of a Rolling Stone article published earlier this month, describing the LGBTQ community as pitted against anti-gay evangelical Christians whose policies were implemented by the local school districts.
This Story Filed UnderKey Highlights
ETH price mostly traded in a range against the US Dollar, and remained below the $53.75 resistance.
There is a tiny bearish trend line formed with resistance at $51.10 on the 4-hours chart of ETH/USD pair (data feed via SimpleFX).
On the downside, the $47.40 level can be considered as a major support area.
Ethereum price remained in a range with support near $47 against the US dollar, and currently ETH/USD is attempting a break.
Ethereum Price Resistance
There were mostly swing moves up and down in ETH price against the US Dollar and Bitcoin. Initially, there were declines in ETH/USD and ETH/BTC, but later the pairs managed to recover. It looks like the ETH/USD pair is mostly trading in a range with a major resistance near $53.70. Recently, the pair moved down, and traded near the range support above $47. The price almost broke it, but later managed to find bids for an upside move. The price is currently above $49.80, and facing offers.
On the upside, there is a tiny bearish trend line formed with resistance at $51.10 on the 4-hours chart of ETH/USD pair (data feed via SimpleFX). The price is currently struggling to break it. A break above it may call for a move towards the range high at $53.70. However, a push above the trend line resistance at $51.10 might not be easy.
On the downside, the range support is near $47.50-47.30. It acted as a support on many occasions and prevented a move towards $45. The same range support area also represents the 38.2% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $38.22 low to $53.70 high. If the price moves down, it could find bids above $47.
4-hours MACD – The MACD is currently flat with major signal.
4-hours RSI – The RSI is attempting to settle above the 50 level, which is a positive sign.
Major Support Level – $47.00
Major Resistance Level – $54.00
Charts courtesy – SimpleFXby Douglas Burger
Select a category: Overall rank Number of music stores Performing arts degree holders
When it comes to seeing a favorite band in concert, people will go to extreme lengths: wait hours in line, hit redial over and over, refresh the ticket page repeatedly -- whatever it takes. Music is an important part of many people’s lives, and we set out to determine the best cities in the U.S. for music fans. We looked at 15 different data points grouped into three categories to come up with our answers. Below you will find our results, as well as a detailed methodology explaining how we arrived at them.
Best Cities for Music Fans
Here is how 200 metropolitan statistical areas with qualifying data stacked up in the three separate categories that we studied. In all rankings below, a lower number is better than a higher number.
Rank Area The Band The Crowd The Intangibles 1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 1 36 62 2 Urban Honolulu, HI 21 46 16 3 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 9 56 48 4 Madison, WI 40 19 34 5 Austin-Round Rock, TX 17 65 14 6 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 42 13 45 7 Tucson, AZ 29 53 6 8 Rochester, NY 33 10 84 9 Pittsburgh, PA 25 31 76 10 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4 109 2 11 Salt Lake City, UT 24 48 70 12 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 27 57 48 13 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 13 86 40 14 Eugene, OR 14 79 52 15 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 5 118 3 16 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 15 94 26 17 Asheville, NC 40 8 129 18 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 65 3 67 19 Boulder, CO 7 122 4 20 Binghamton, NY 33 21 147 21 Wilmington, NC 29 61 86 22 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 44 35 102 23 Fort Collins, CO 62 39 41 24 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 37 70 64 25 Duluth, MN-WI 70 2 104 26 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3 150 10 27 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2 159 1 28 Sioux Falls, SD 77 1 95 29 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 20 128 18 29 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 49 81 25 31 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 6 156 8 32 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 55 77 28 33 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 21 138 13 34 Trenton, NJ 10 154 29 35 Colorado Springs, CO 68 52 60 35 Lincoln, NE 90 9 80 37 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 8 137 72 38 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 18 147 27 39 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 39 96 67 40 Gainesville, FL 108 27 14 41 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 57 109 5 42 St. Louis, MO-IL 70 39 107 43 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 48 92 71 44 Appleton, WI 50 43 165 45 Champaign-Urbana, IL 117 17 17 45 Lynchburg, VA 51 84 81 47 Charlottesville, VA 47 114 36 48 Rockford, IL 19 103 144 49 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 43 133 20 50 Portland-South Portland, ME 28 80 173 51 Greensboro-High Point, NC 65 62 101 52 Akron, OH 38 93 121 53 Toledo, OH 93 6 137 54 Salem, OR 75 24 157 54 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 87 44 81 56 Syracuse, NY 98 22 93 57 Tulsa, OK 60 63 126 58 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 26 131 96 58 Raleigh, NC 23 139 89 60 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 12 177 47 61 Anchorage, AK 114 10 78 62 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 11 195 23 63 Savannah, GA 96 64 33 64 Reno, NV 98 78 7 65 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 16 181 53 66 Cedar Rapids, IA 84 32 148 67 New Haven-Milford, CT 73 71 110 68 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 31 168 43 69 Ann Arbor, MI 31 172 39 70 Charleston, WV 94 7 187 71 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 55 94 131 72 Springfield, MO 54 65 197 73 Roanoke, VA 85 46 144 73 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 59 127 60 75 Canton-Massillon, OH 98 5 189 76 Lubbock, TX 106 37 115 77 North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL 69 125 54 78 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 79 113 64 79 Albuquerque, NM 88 123 24 79 Barnstable Town, MA 45 119 161 81 Santa Rosa, CA 97 116 12 82 College Station-Bryan, TX 152 15 51 82 Oklahoma City, OK 35 153 126 84 Peoria, IL 131 28 94 85 Kansas City, MO-KS 57 130 114 86 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 64 161 32 86 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 60 172 22 86 Richmond, VA 62 155 50 86 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 80 76 154 90 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 118 87 35 91 Lancaster, PA 67 143 89 92 Lexington-Fayette, KY 130 42 104 93 San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 72 179 9 94 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 81 166 11 95 Cleveland-Elyria, OH 123 73 74 95 Columbia, SC 104 87 103 95 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 145 28 98 98 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 74 164 43 99 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 107 99 75 100 Provo-Orem, UT 46 183 92 101 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA 86 106 131 102 Green Bay, WI 138 4 181 103 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 78 176 18 104 Prescott, AZ 177 16 42 105 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 35 175 153 106 Salinas, CA 143 75 30 107 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 83 135 91 108 Amarillo, TX 123 50 143 109 Springfield, MA 118 50 159 110 Wichita, KS 140 33 134 111 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 76 168 57 112 Mobile, AL 90 82 191 113 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 53 165 140 114 Huntsville, AL 127 39 172 114 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 52 170 135 116 Knoxville, TN 88 102 178 117 Charleston-North Charleston, SC 132 91 69 118 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 162 38 100 119 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 134 103 58 120 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 90 141 115 120 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 155 24 154 122 Macon, GA 114 84 158 123 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 102 106 151 124 Corpus Christi, TX 179 23 87 125 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 157 14 174 125 Fort Wayne, IN 167 12 148 127 Columbus, OH 141 82 88 128 Tallahassee, FL 188 34 46 128 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 126 53 194 130 Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 120 135 55 131 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 122 97 138 132 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 136 48 195 133 Olympia-Tumwater, WA 158 58 112 133 Topeka, KS 147 74 113 135 Jacksonville, FL 112 144 79 135 Manchester-Nashua, NH 98 108 193 137 Dayton, OH 174 24 139 138 Reading, PA 102 141 123 139 Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 104 185 31 140 El Paso, TX 133 119 77 140 Erie, PA 163 55 115 142 Evansville, IN-KY 187 18 124 143 Lafayette, LA 151 87 98 144 Baton Rouge, LA 139 119 73 145 Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 110 182 38 146 Boise City, ID 109 112 192 147 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 81 179 144 148 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 170 20 198 149 Norwich-New London, CT 185 28 140 150 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 163 117 36 151 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 110 193 56 152 Fort Smith, AR-OK 154 60 200 153 Waco, TX 182 59 121 154 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 116 157 124 155 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 181 69 107 155 Tuscaloosa, AL 178 44 166 157 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 159 67 184 158 Jackson, MS 135 99 198 159 Port St. Lucie, FL 95 170 179 160 Greeley, CO 127 158 109 161 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 144 115 161 162 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 113 150 186 163 Modesto, CA 196 71 96 164 Winston-Salem, NC 120 174 120 165 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 141 194 21 166 Chattanooga, TN-GA 165 101 142 167 Fayetteville, NC 189 67 151 168 Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 176 105 118 169 Columbus, GA-AL 137 148 161 170 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 125 167 160 171 Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC 127 160 170 172 Montgomery, AL 175 111 129 173 York-Hanover, PA 168 98 183 174 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 186 131 66 175 Fresno, CA 161 163 81 176 Worcester, MA-CT 148 133 188 177 Stockton-Lodi, CA 146 192 84 178 Chico, CA 197 129 62 179 Ocala, FL 149 146 182 180 Kennewick-Richland, WA 152 183 106 181 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA 159 139 176 182 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 156 148 169 183 Utica-Rome, NY 197 87 196 183 Yakima, WA 179 144 136 185 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 149 178 174 185 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 173 200 58 187 Clarksville, TN-KY 197 124 171 188 Flint, MI 193 125 185 189 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 172 196 126 190 Killeen-Temple, TX 166 188 168 191 Salisbury, MD-DE 191 152 167 192 Bakersfield, CA 195 186 110 193 Visalia-Porterville, CA 182 199 131 194 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 168 198 177 195 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 192 162 180 196 Laredo, TX 197 189 119 197 Merced, CA 184 190 161 198 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 189 187 156 198 Spartanburg, SC 171 197 190 200 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 194 191 150
Top (and Bottom) Five Cities for:
Music preferences can be a polarizing subject. With that in mind, we looked at 15 different data points to try to get into the heads of every music fan. Here is a detailed look at four of those data points.
If there's one group of people that know about music fandom, it's the musicians themselves. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a tool, we looked at the number of employed musicians and singers per 1,000 jobs. Eugene, Ore., was the top of this data point.
Discovering new songs and artists is an exciting experience for all music fans. Radio has helped cultivate the music scene for years, and access to a wide variety of stations is important for a city. New York and Los Angeles dominate in sheer number with 428 radio stations between them. The list looks a lot different, though, when a city’s population is taken into account.
The next great album has to be recorded somewhere. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 1,693 sound recording studios in the country. Los Angeles (second in this data point when a city’s population is taken into account) has 366 of them.
Some musicians are gifted with natural-born talent. Others go to school to hone their craft. Using the U.S. Census Bureau, we looked at the percentage of visual and performing arts degree holders in each city. This might not lead to more musicians in a city, but likely to produce a population with an appreciation for a quality music scene.
Data Takeaways
Musicians, professional or aspiring, buy records too.
How people consume music has changed -- 60 of the 200 cities in our study don't have a single tape, CD or record store -- but musicians still need places to stock up on equipment or add onto their archives.
The laws of supply and demand also apply to the sing-song industry. Based on this data, a city with fewer working musicians is likely to pay them a higher hourly wage.
Methodology
To determine the best cities for music fans, we used 15 data points from 14 reputable sources and broke them into three categories detailed below. Not all categories were created equal as we thought bands and musicians and where they play were more important than city-specific data points that go hand in hand with consuming music.For numbers 9 and 14 (below), we aggregated multiple sources to produce the data point. If a city appeared on one of these "best of" lists, they were given a single point and then totaled to come up with our rankings. Below, we break down each statistic and point to its origin. In parenthesis is the category's and stat’s weighting (a higher number represents a higher weight).
Experts' Take
1. How people consume music has changed rapidly in the last 10 years. How has music fandom changed along with it?
Music fandom has changed because today it's more about the "discovery" of music. People love to say to their friends, "Hey, I found this new artist!" Now, whether or not they financially support said artist or just download their material is another story. But I think the concept of '"finding" a new artist is very important in today's streaming culture.
2. How important is local radio in creating a following for a band?
Local radio around Nashville is a decent option -- I haven't really been here long enough to know how many new artists they accept -- but I would also recommend that any artist explode their social media. The thing about local radio is, if people aren't listening right then during that song, they won't know about you. If they are browsing the Internet, they could come across your music at any time. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would put radio at maybe a 5 in terms of importance.
3. What aspects of music venues make them fun or exciting to play?
I don't play live since I'm a session singer, but I've played out a few times in Detroit where I'm originally from and what always made them fun was the atmosphere they created. Venues start to get a reputation for being one way or another -- loud, boring, rowdy -- and the audience tends to follow suit with whatever they've heard about it. Venues can control their image to a certain extent, so making it a place of creativity, fun and respect is what's best for the artists.
4. Who are some of the best, under-the-radar live bands playing currently?
I just saw a band called Lavender Country in Inglewood. They're a little difficult to track down online but worth it to do the search. Also, if you want to see amazing, talented musicians, walk down the street! There is an artist on every corner on Broadway Street downtown, and I've yet to hear a bad one. You would think there would be a lot of competition but everyone seems supportive of one another.
1. How people consume music has changed rapidly in the last 10 years. How has music fandom changed along with it?
It seems to me that there's less of a concentration of fandom. Thanks to technology, people listen to a much larger catalog of music and tastes are less concentrated on certain artists or certain genres. With touring becoming more common than ever for bands of all sizes, consumers have been benefitting from a growing pool of concert options.
2. How important is local radio in creating a following for a band?
In April of 2011, the Treasure Valley's first independent free format non-commercial radio station since the mid-1980s hit the FM airwaves when Radio Boise KRBX 89.9 FM was born. The relationship to radio and a band’s following has definitely shifted over the years, but Radio Boise going on air had a profound effect on the local music scene. For the first time in decades, local, regional and national "indie" artists of all genres started getting regular airtime. This felt like a big shift for someone on the ground floor of that scene. Over night, aspiring local bands suddenly had a platform by which their music could be featured and it inspired a rejuvenated wave of activity. It provided a focal point for the community.
3. What aspects of music venues make them fun exciting to play?
I like venues that provide intimacy with an artist and those in attendance. I love the feel of smaller shows and the energy created when a room is packed and audience is almost spilling on top of the band. Thus, I prefer stages that aren't too high and rooms that aren't too big. Venues with good sound and lights, ability to mix in fog and haze, also makes for fertile soil for an exciting show to happen.
4. Who are some of the best, under-the-radar live bands playing currently?
Here are some of my favorite shows I've seen in Boise over the last couple years: Jonathan Richman, Whitney, Budos Band, Built To Spill, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, Thick Business, Yonatan Gat, Ancient Psychic, Tortoise, Diarrhea Planet, Music Band, Shabazz Palaces, Polica, Rubblebucket, Delicate Steve, Magic Sword, Wild Ones, k.flay, mr. Gnome, Holiday Friends, Lucy Dacus, Cy Dune, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Beach Slang, Love As Laughter, Disco Doom, Here We Go Magic, The Thermals, Quiet Life, AU, Like A Villain, Dustin Wong, Paper Gates, Deerhoof, Chanti Darling, The Suffers, Dan Deacon, Clarke and the Himselfs, Sly Moon Sutra, Hollow Wood, Leafraker, Downtown Boys, Screaming Females, Baby in Vain, Wimps, Dark Swallows, Nobunny, Cool Ghouls, The Shivas, Thee Oh Sees, Beat Connection... to name a few.
Stay tuned as we poll experts in the field about what makes a city great for music fans. Have a tip? Drop us a line @VP_Careers.One of the most notable and often-used figures in the UFC's broadcasting stable is Jon Anik, a man UFC hired from ESPN in 2011 to help fill broadcasting roles for the UFC's expanding schedule and program offerings. Anik's hiring was announced at the UFC 137 pre-fight press conference and was to be a three-year deal.
Three years have come and gone, but Anik isn't going anywhere.
"I am sticking around," he told Ariel Helwani on Monday's The MMA Hour. "I've signed an extension with the UFC. Hopefully they'll sign it and mail it back to me pretty soon. Anyone who knows me knows that this is the job I've wanted for a long time. The bottom line, Ariel, I'm not a lifelong martial artist, but that doesn't change that this is my passion, that this is my favorite sport and that this is what I want to do with my life."
Once the host of ESPN's MMA Live, among myriad other duties including weekly live chats on ESPN.com, Anik now hosts pre- and post-fight programs, preview specials with UFC fighters and serves as the play-by-play broadcaster for shows ranging from pay-per-view to Fight Pass. Anik says in the last three years, he's gotten everything he wanted and his new deal will allow him to continue with those projects among others.
"I left ESPN honestly hoping to do this job for 20, 25 years. I guess signing an extension here is a big moment for me and hopefully the second of many contracts with the UFC."
As for the terms of the deal, Anik wouldn't reveal much, but noted he's happy with it both on its terms and what it means for his expectations.
"No, this is not a Chris Fowler, 10-year, $35 million dollar deal either, but it's a longer term, certainly longer than two years, which I think sometimes can be a standard contract in the broadcasting world |
call them our Mamas." Cass jumped up: "Yeah! I want to be a Mama." And Michelle is going: "We're the Mamas! We're the Mamas!" OK. I look at John. He's looking at me going: "The Papas?" Problem solved. A toast! To the Mamas and the Papas. Well, after many, many toasts, Cass and John are passed out."[12]
Doherty also said that the occasion marked the beginning of his affair with Michelle Phillips. Elliot was in love with Doherty and was displeased when he told her of the affair. Doherty has said that Elliot once proposed to him, but that he was so stoned at the time that he could not even respond.
Elliot was known for her sense of humor and optimism, and was considered by some to be the most charismatic member of the group. Her powerful, distinctive voice was a major factor in their success. She is best remembered for her vocals on the group's hits "California Dreamin'", "Monday, Monday", "Words of Love", and the solo "Dream a Little Dream of Me", which the group recorded in 1968 after learning about the death of Fabian Andre, one of the men who co-wrote it, whom Michelle Phillips had met years earlier. Elliot's version is noteworthy for its contemplative pace, whereas almost all earlier recordings of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (including one by Nat King Cole and another by Ozzie Nelson) had been up-tempo versions—the song having been written in 1931 as a dance tune.
The Mamas & the Papas continued to record to meet the terms of their record contract. Their final album was released in 1971.
Solo career [ edit ]
After the breakup of the Mamas & the Papas, Elliot embarked on a solo singing career. Her most successful recording during this period was 1968's "Dream a Little Dream of Me" from her solo album of the same name, released by Dunhill Records, though it had originally been released earlier that year on the album The Papas & the Mamas Presented By The Mamas and the Papas.
London court case [ edit ]
In 1967, while staying in London, Elliot was prosecuted for stealing bedlinen from an apartment where she had been staying on an earlier visit. She denied responsibility and the case was brought before the West London magistrates' court, where the charges against her were dismissed in the absence of any evidence. The band had been forced to cancel concerts as a result of the incident.[13] On a return visit to London, Elliot admitted to the audience at the London Palladium that she had taken two sheets, saying "I liked 'em so I took 'em". She said she had kept quiet because of the way she had been treated in police custody.[14]
Las Vegas incident [ edit ]
In October 1968, Elliot made her live solo debut headlining in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, scheduled for a three-week engagement at $40,000 per week (US$288,191 in 2018 dollars[15]), with two shows per night.[16] Elliot went on a six-month long crash diet before the show, losing 100 of her 300 pounds. According to Elliot, the weight loss led to a stomach ulcer and throat problems, which she treated by drinking milk and cream (and regaining 50 lbs. in the process).[17]
A nervous Elliot was confined to her bed for three weeks before the first performance, as the musical director, band, and production supervisor attempted to put together a show in her absence. She was scheduled to rehearse for a full three days before the show opened, but she managed to get through only part of one run-through with the band before saying that she was losing her voice. She skipped the remainder of rehearsals and drank tea and lemon, hoping to recover and pull herself together for opening night.[18]
An audience of 950 people filled the Circus Maximus theatre at Caesar's Palace on the evening of Wednesday October 16, including Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Jimi Hendrix. Joan Baez, Liza Minnelli, and Mia Farrow had sent flowers to Elliot's dressing room. But backstage, a shivering Elliot had developed a raging fever. Friends urged her manager to cancel the show, but she felt it was too important and insisted on performing. Sick and having barely rehearsed, Elliot began to fall apart during the course of her first performance: her voice was weak and barely audible, and the large crowd was unsympathetic, despite the celebrity well-wishers. At the end of the show, Elliot returned to the stage to apologize to the audience, stating, "This is the first night, and it will get better". She then sang "Dream a Little Dream of Me" and left the stage as the audience applauded half-heartedly. She returned later that night to perform the second show, but her voice was worse, and many of the audience noisily walked out.[19]
Reviews were harsh. Esquire magazine called the show "a disaster" that was "heroic in proportion, epic in scope."[16] The Los Angeles Free Press called the show "an embarrassing drag." Newsweek compared the show to the Titanic disaster: "Like some great ocean liner embarking on an ill-fated maiden voyage, Mama Cass slid down the ways and sank to the bottom." The show closed after only one night, and Elliot flew back to Los Angeles for what was described as "a tonsillectomy."[18]
Substance abuse [ edit ]
Within hours of the end of Elliot's Las Vegas concert, rumors began to spread that she had been taking drugs during the weeks leading up to it. Eddi Fiegel wrote in the biography Dream a Little Dream of Me that Elliot later admitted to a boyfriend that she had shot heroin immediately before going on stage. Embarrassed by the debacle, Elliot plunged into a deep depression.[18]
David Crosby published a memoir in 1988, saying the following about his use of heroin with Elliot:
It was always the bad drug, always the worst. It got a little more open around the time that Cass and I were doing it, but it wasn't something you told people [about]. It wasn't anything you bragged about, you know.... Me and Cass Elliot were closet junk takers and used to get loaded with each other a lot. We loved London because there was pharmaceutical heroin available in drugstores [there].... Government [of the United Kingdom] dope, in these injectable tablets that you crushed and dissolved in order to shoot them. Me and Cass used to just mash them up and snort the powder.... Cass took lots of pills, usually from the opiate family: Dilaudid, Demerol, Percodan, downers of all sorts, and we did a lot of coke together.[20]
Later work [ edit ]
Don't Call Me Mama Anymore Photo from the special
Elliot appeared in two television variety specials: The Mama Cass Television Show (ABC, 1969) and Don't Call Me Mama Anymore (CBS, 1973). She was a regular guest on TV talk shows and variety shows in the early 1970s, including The Mike Douglas Show, The Andy Williams Show, Hollywood Squares, The Johnny Cash Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and The Carol Burnett Show, and was a guest panelist for a week on the game show Match Game '73. She guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and appeared as a guest on the show 13 other times. She also appeared on and co-hosted The Music Scene on ABC and was featured on the first The Midnight Special on NBC.
She performed the title song "The Good Times Are Comin'" during the opening sequence of the 1970 film Monte Walsh, starring Lee Marvin and Jack Palance. In 1972, she made three appearances on the variety series The Julie Andrews Hour. Her final appearance on the show was the Christmas installment that aired on Wednesday, December 20, 1972. In December 1978, four years after Elliot's death, the episode was rebroadcast on syndicated stations as a Christmas special called Merry Christmas With Love, Julie. However, all of Elliot's solos were deleted from the syndicated prints. In 2009, a complete videotape of The Julie Andrews Hour Christmas Show was donated to The Paley Center For Media in New York, with all of Elliot's numbers intact.
In 1973, Elliot performed in Saga of Sonora, a TV music-comedy-western special with Jill St. John, Vince Edwards, Zero Mostel, and Lesley Ann Warren.
She also sang the jingle "Hurry on down to Hardee's, where the burgers are charco-broiled" for Hardee's advertisements.[21]
Throughout the early 1970s, Elliot continued her acting career, as well. She had a featured role in the movie Pufnstuf (1970) and made guest appearances on TV's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Young Dr. Kildare, Love, American Style, and The Red Skelton Show, among others.
In 1973, Elliot hired as her manager Allan Carr, who was also managing the careers of Tony Curtis, Ann-Margret, and Peter Sellers. Carr felt Elliot needed to leave pop and rock music altogether and head into the cabaret circuit, so a show was put together comprising old standards along with a few new songs written for her by friends. The act included Elliot and two male singers who served as backup singers and sidekicks during the musical numbers. The title of the show was Don't Call Me Mama Anymore, named after one of the songs written by Elliot's friend Earle Brown. The song was born out of Elliot's frustration with being identified as "Mama Cass".
The show debuted in Pittsburgh on February 9, 1973. Elliot felt ready to tackle Las Vegas once again and premiered at the Flamingo. This time, she received rave reviews. The Las Vegas Sun wrote, "Cass Elliot, making a strong point that she is no longer Mama Cass, has a good act serving notice that she is here to stay. The audience was with her all the way... no empty seats anywhere." She then took her act to higher-echelon casinos and swankier nightclubs in cities throughout the country.
Personal life [ edit ]
Elliot was married twice, the first time in 1963 to James Hendricks, her group mate in the Big 3 and the Mugwumps. This was reportedly a platonic arrangement to assist him in avoiding being drafted during the Vietnam War;[22] the marriage reportedly was never consummated and was annulled in 1968.[23] In 1971, Elliot married journalist Donald von Wiedenman,[24][25] heir to a Bavarian barony. Their marriage ended in divorce after a few months.
Elliot gave birth to daughter Owen Vanessa Elliot on April 26, 1967. She never publicly identified the father, but many years later, Michelle Phillips helped Owen locate her biological father.[26] When Chuck Day died in 2008, it was revealed that he was Owen's father.[27] After Elliot's death, her younger sister, Leah Kunkel (then married to Los Angeles-based session drummer Russ Kunkel), received custody of Owen, then seven years old, and raised her along with her own son, Nathaniel. Owen grew up to become a singer as well and toured with Beach Boys member Al Jardine.[28]
Death [ edit ]
Grave of Cass Elliot at Mount Sinai Memorial Park
9 Curzon Square in 2012; Flat 12 was on the fourth floor (top left) in 1974.
On April 22, 1974, Elliot collapsed in the Burbank, California television studio of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson immediately before her scheduled appearance on the show. She was treated at a hospital and released, then dismissed the incident in interviews, including one on the American television talk show The Mike Douglas Show, as simple exhaustion. Her appearance on that episode of The Mike Douglas Show turned out to be her last for television.
In July 1974, Elliot performed two weeks of concerts as a solo performer at the London Palladium. Many claimed that all of these shows were sold out, but she was often playing to a less-than-full house after the earliest dates.[29] She made an international call to Michelle Phillips after the final concert on July 28. Phillips said later that Elliot sounded elated that she had received standing ovations each night.
She may have retired for the evening immediately after this telephone conversation, but Debbie Reynolds claimed in her 2013 book Unsinkable: A Memoir that her children, Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher and she saw Elliot at a party that night at the London home of Mick Jagger.[30] Reynolds noticed that when Elliot left the party saying she was headed to where she was staying, she was not accompanied by anyone.[30]
That night, Elliot, age 32, died in her sleep at the London flat where she was staying. According to forensic pathologist Keith Simpson, who conducted her autopsy, her death was due to heart failure. A drug screen that was part of the forensic autopsy revealed there were no drugs in her system.[31][32][33] Elliot died in Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place (later Curzon Square), Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London, which was on loan from singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. Four years later, The Who's drummer Keith Moon died in the same room, also aged 32 years.[34][35] Elliot was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.[36]
An oft-repeated urban legend is that Elliot choked to death on a ham sandwich.[37][38] The story spread soon after the discovery of her body and was based on speculation in the initial media coverage. A 2014 article in Haaretz identified the person who started the false rumor as follows: "Unfortunately, the first doctor [in London] who examined her speculated to the press about the cause of death, and that’s the version that stuck."[39] An autopsy had not been performed when the physician was quoted, and London police told reporters that a partially eaten sandwich found in her room might have been relevant to the cause of death. The post-mortem found that Elliot had died of heart failure, and no food was present in her windpipe, yet the false story has persisted ever since.[39][33]
Tributes and other popular culture references [ edit ]
Civic events [ edit ]
The City of Baltimore dedicated August 15, 1973 as "Cass Elliot Day" in her honor for her homecoming.[40]
Films and plays [ edit ]
In the movie Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery, Austin checks the list of the people he knew, mentioning Mama Cass along with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, crossing her name out with remark "deceased, ham sandwich".
The British play and film Beautiful Thing feature her recordings, and one character reflects on her memories of Elliot.[41] [42]
Elliot was the subject of a 2004 stage production in Dublin,[43] The Songs of Mama Cass, with Kristin Kapelli performing main vocals.
The name “Mama Cass” is mentioned at the end of the 2009 film “The Proposal”
Music [ edit ]
The song "Mama, I Remember You Now" by the Swedish artist Marit Bergman is a tribute to Elliot.
The Frank Zappa song "We're Turning Again" references the urban legend of Cass choking to death. "We can visit Big Mama, we can whap her on the back, while she eats her sandwich!"
TISM song '(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River' cites her conjectured cause of death among a catalogue of other famous "bad ends" from the history of popular music: "Mama Cass's sandwich, I ate the same!".
The Crosby, Stills & Nash Daylight Again video released in 1982 was dedicated to Cass Elliot.
The Crosby, Stills & Nash Greatest Hits album released in 2005 was dedicated to Cass Elliot.
Television [ edit ]
Elliot's recording of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" is featured prominently in several episodes of seasons 2 and 3 of Lost as well as season 8, episodes 2 and 9 of Dexter (the later one also uses the title as the episode's title). Her recording of "It's Getting Better" was featured in a season 4 episode of Lost.[citation needed] She also provided the voice for her appearance on a 1973 episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies, "The Haunted Candy Factory" and appears in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated in the episodes "The Secret Serum", "Pawn of Shadows" and "Dance of the Undead" as a Crystal Cove citizen.
Discography [ edit ]
Albums [ edit ]
The Big 3 [ edit ]
The Mugwumps [ edit ]
1965: The Mugwumps
The Mamas and the Papas [ edit ]
Solo [ edit ]
"-" indicates the album did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Soundtracks
1970: Pufnstuf (soundtrack with Mama Cass)
(soundtrack with Mama Cass) 1996: Beautiful Thing (soundtrack with Mama Cass and the Mamas and the Papas)
Singles [ edit ]1 step leads 'Fountain Girl' to unwanted fame Related Articles Fall into Berkshire Mall fountain a YouTube hit
[+] Enlarge. (2 pictures) -
Reading Eagle: Jeremy Drey Cathy Cruz Marrero discusses her fall at the Berkshire Mall, seen on the laptop Wednesday in her home in Reading.
The phone popped out of her hand and landed in the water as Cathy began her plunge into the Berkshire Mall fountain.
"I saw the water coming at me, I could see the pennies and nickels at the bottom of the fountain and then I was in it," said Cathy, 49, a Reading resident who works in a store at the Wyomissing mall.
The fall on Jan. 12 was caught on security camera video that has brought her unwanted fame since it was posted Friday to YouTube and Facebook, where it has been viewed at least 1.6 million times. Many media outlets worldwide have shown the footage.
Cathy is mortified by the incident and both laughs and cries when she talks about it.
"My issue is I don't think security was professional because they didn't send anyone to check on me until 20 minutes later and I had already left," Cathy said Wednesday in her first interview since the accident.
In the video, the voices of people laughing as they watch the security video footage can be heard.
Cathy said they are mall security personnel.
"Instead of laughing, they should have said, 'Is she OK?' and been down there right away to check on me," she said.
Her attorney, James M. Polyak of Reading, said he plans to conduct an investigation into what happened.
"We are troubled by the fact that anyone at the Berkshire Mall responsible for releasing this video would find humor in an employee injured on the premises," Polyak said. "We intend to hold the appropriate persons responsible.
"No one from that security office came to her aid in a timely manner."
Her identity as the woman in the video was confirmed both by Polyak and mall employees who witnessed the accident.
Cathy said she was leaving work that day and texting a friend from church who wanted to know her birthday and the birthday of her husband, Walter Marrero, 46, an unemployed maintenance worker.
"I usually don't walk and text, but I did this day," she said. "I won't anymore."
She said she never texts while driving.
"That's so dangerous," she said.
While she has had a chuckle about it, she said she's also had about enough.
"It's funny, but you need to see the serious side of it," she said. "What if it was a senior citizen? Would it be funny then?"
She said she approached mall management about it and security officials told her it was not a big deal because no one could see her face in the video.
"But I know it's me," she said.
Mall officials did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.
Another church member called her after the accident to say she recognized Cathy in the video from the way she walks.
Cathy said she could have hit her head, especially if the fountain had been empty, which it sometimes is for cleaning.
"They took a misfortune and made a mockery," she said. "I wanted to crawl up in bed for days."
Walter offered to jump in the fountain himself to make her feel better.
"I wanted to do that, stand up and say, 'Hey, she's Fountain Girl and now I'm the Fountain Guy' if it would make her feel better," said Walter, who said they are born-again Christians.
Since then, the Internet has swirled with questions about Cathy and the video's authenticity.
She points to a bruise on her leg as further proof beyond being identified by other mall workers as the woman who fell into the fountain.
Many have also wondered what happened to her and her phone after the fall.
In the video, she is seen walking to a nearby store and talking to employees she knows.
"They said they felt bad," Cathy said, and then with a laugh added, "The one woman said she wanted to give me a hug but said I was soaking wet."
She trudged to the exit where her husband was waiting in a car for her.
"What did you do?" he cried out when he saw her.
She explained and they went home, where her clothes dried out.
In the video, Cathy can be seen picking up the phone from the fountain right after the fall.
Walter put the wet phone in dry rice, which absorbed the moisture and the phone still worked.
But back at work Sunday, the phone was stolen as Cathy helped customers in the store where she works.
"It's been a bad week," she said.
Cathy said she asked security for video to see who left the store with her phone.
Security denied her request, she said.
Since then, Cathy has twice seen people in the mall bump into others while walking and texting.
And Tuesday at the mall, a woman who was texting stepped off a curb right in front of Walter's car as he was driving by.
"Imagine if I was driving a bus and couldn't stop," Walter said.
She said she came forward now to raise awareness of privacy issues, security problems and the dangers of texting.
"Everyone, be careful out there," Walter said.
"Do not text and walk," Cathy said.
Contact Jason Brudereck: 610-371-5044 or jbrudereck@readingeagle.com.
Cathy Cruz Marrero remembers her foot striking the base of the fountain as she held her purse and clutched the cell phone she'd been using to text.The phone popped out of her hand and landed in the water as Cathy began her plunge into the Berkshire Mall fountain."I saw the water coming at me, I could see the pennies and nickels at the bottom of the fountain and then I was in it," said Cathy, 49, a Reading resident who works in a store at the Wyomissing mall.The fall on Jan. 12 wasthat has brought her unwanted fame since it was posted Friday to YouTube and, where it has been viewed at least 1.6 million times. Many media outlets worldwide have shown the footage.Cathy is mortified by the incident and both laughs and cries when she talks about it."My issue is I don't think security was professional because they didn't send anyone to check on me until 20 minutes later and I had already left," Cathy said Wednesday in her first interview since the accident.In the video, the voices of people laughing as they watch the security video footage can be heard.Cathy said they are mall security personnel."Instead of laughing, they should have said, 'Is she OK?' and been down there right away to check on me," she said.Her attorney, James M. Polyak of Reading, said he plans to conduct an investigation into what happened."We are troubled by the fact that anyone at the Berkshire Mall responsible for releasing this video would find humor in an employee injured on the premises," Polyak said. "We intend to hold the appropriate persons responsible."No one from that security office came to her aid in a timely manner."Her identity as the woman in the video was confirmed both by Polyak and mall employees who witnessed the accident.Cathy said she was leaving work that day and texting a friend from church who wanted to know her birthday and the birthday of her husband, Walter Marrero, 46, an unemployed maintenance worker."I usually don't walk and text, but I did this day," she said. "I won't anymore."She said she never texts while driving."That's so dangerous," she said.While she has had a chuckle about it, she said she's also had about enough."It's funny, but you need to see the serious side of it," she said. "What if it was a senior citizen? Would it be funny then?"She said she approached mall management about it and security officials told her it was not a big deal because no one could see her face in the video."But I know it's me," she said.Mall officials did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.Another church member called her after the accident to say she recognized Cathy in the video from the way she walks.Cathy said she could have hit her head, especially if the fountain had been empty, which it sometimes is for cleaning."They took a misfortune and made a mockery," she said. "I wanted to crawl up in bed for days."Walter offered to jump in the fountain himself to make her feel better."I wanted to do that, stand up and say, 'Hey, she's Fountain Girl and now I'm the Fountain Guy' if it would make her feel better," said Walter, who said they are born-again Christians.Since then, the Internet has swirled with questions about Cathy and the video's authenticity.She points to a bruise on her leg as further proof beyond being identified by other mall workers as the woman who fell into the fountain.Many have also wondered what happened to her and her phone after the fall.In the video, she is seen walking to a nearby store and talking to employees she knows."They said they felt bad," Cathy said, and then with a laugh added, "The one woman said she wanted to give me a hug but said I was soaking wet."She trudged to the exit where her husband was waiting in a car for her."What did you do?" he cried out when he saw her.She explained and they went home, where her clothes dried out.In the video, Cathy can be seen picking up the phone from the fountain right after the fall.Walter put the wet phone in dry rice, which absorbed the moisture and the phone still worked.But back at work Sunday, the phone was stolen as Cathy helped customers in the store where she works."It's been a bad week," she said.Cathy said she asked security for video to see who left the store with her phone.Security denied her request, she said.Since then, Cathy has twice seen people in the mall bump into others while walking and texting.And Tuesday at the mall, a woman who was texting stepped off a curb right in front of Walter's car as he was driving by."Imagine if I was driving a bus and couldn't stop," Walter said.She said she came forward now to raise awareness of privacy issues, security problems and the dangers of texting."Everyone, be careful out there," Walter said."Do not text and walk," Cathy said.Contact Jason Brudereck: 610-371-5044 or jbrudereck@readingeagle.com.According to a new report by Bankrate released minutes ago, 66 million Americans have zero dollars saved for an emergency expense — zero — and 28 percent have only six months worth of savings. Yet, according to a 2015 report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, more than 60 percent of Americans experienced a several-thousand-dollar financial shock in the past year.
“Americans don’t save enough, period,” said Bankrate economist Greg McBride bluntly, and “unplanned expenses are inevitable.”
66 million Americans have zero dollars saved for an emergency expense — zero — and 28 percent have only six months worth of savings.
While you might think low-income households face the most difficulty creating a financial cushion, the problem is hardly confined to the poor. Yes, more than half of all households with an annual income under $30,000 have no emergency savings. But fully one in six households with an annual income between $50,000 and $75,000 had no emergency savings either.
And even for households earning more than $75,000, almost one in four can stay above water for no more than three months.
The latest Bankrate findings jibe with a Federal Reserve study that got considerable attention last year, including from us here and here. It reported that an astounding 47 percent of Americans wouldn’t be able to cover even a $400 expense without borrowing money or selling something.
READ MORE: All the financial advice you’ll ever need fits on a single index card
Rainy day funds in America seem to have gone the way of the horse and buggy. And yet, as Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack put it in their book “The Index Card,” featured recently on Making Sen$e’s weekly Thursday feature on the NewsHour: “Do you know anyone who ever planned for a broken-down car? On the other hand, do you know anyone who has ever had a car that didn’t break down?” Nope.
“Do you know anyone who ever planned for a broken-down car? On the other hand, do you know anyone who has ever had a car that didn’t break down?”
When it comes to savings, Gen Xers fare worst: 33 percent of Americans between roughly 35 and 55 have no emergency savings. Millennials, aka “Gen Y,” save more, even though they’re younger. Having seen parents or older siblings zapped by the Great Recession and having grown up in an environment of stagnant wages, “millennials as a whole are less consumption focused,” said Bankrate’s McBride, “have a greater aversion to debt and a greater inclination toward saving.” (Another Bankrate survey revealed that just 33 percent of millennials have a credit card, compared to 68 percent of Americans over the age of 65.)
Financial advisers generally recommend that people have between three and six months of emergency expenses salted away. McBride suggests six months — noting that during the depths of the recession, “more of 40 percent of those unemployed were out six months or longer.”
READ MORE: How to create a savings plan that really works
So what to do if you are among the 66 million Americans who have zero dollars saved for an emergency at the moment?
“The biggest barrier to saving is not being in the habit of saving,” says McBride. “You have to set some money aside with every paycheck.” Making it automatic can help, he advises. But no matter how you do it, start now.Yes, it’s time for a new DOFP part! Back in the present, where Undyne tries to help Alphys deal with the fallout of what’s happened.
–Dogs of Future Past–
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Undyne made her way to the kitchen table, where she dropped off a tote bag full of papers from Toriel. When the former queen had requested her help at the school, somehow she hadn’t imagined that ‘helping grade quizzes’ was part of that. Geeez, how boring! She just wasn’t cut out for this kind of paperwork, even if it was for kids. But Toriel did need the help now, so…she’d just have to put up with it.
A quick glance outside the window told her where Toriel was at the moment…out in the backyard, talking to Asgore. The king had practically set up a second home in Toriel’s backyard, he was over so often, nonstop doting on that empty flower. Apparently giving Asgore some kind of project to do that involved helping something live had done wonders for him, even if he was just as devastated about Frisk and Flowey as everyone else. At least it seemed to be paying off…Flowey’s body hadn’t wilted yet. If anything, it seemed to be growing bigger and brighter than ever with Asgore putting all of his efforts into its health. He’d moved it to a much larger pot with better soil and everything.
But there was someone else’s wellbeing that Undyne was more concerned about right now. She wound through the kitchen to the laundry and storage hall, with the door that led to the now-barricaded garage. And sitting in front of the door was Alphys…wearing a days-old shirt, surrounded by barely-touched cans of soda and TV dinners, plus a comforter and pillow without the case. She stared blankly at a small tablet computer in her claws, which was currently blaring something in Japanese, almost loud enough to drown out sounds of snarling and howling in the garage.
Undyne swallowed. This was the worst she’d seen her girlfriend in a long time…and she just didn’t know if she was going to get better soon. She knelt down to Alphys’ face level.
“Hey, Alphys. I’m heading home here…you wanna come with tonight?”
Alphys gave a noncommittal shrug, not looking up from the tablet. “Nnnhmm.”
“What’re you watching, anyway?”
“Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2,” Alphys mumbled.
Undyne’s eye widened, and she looked about ready to knock the tablet out of Alphys’ claws as if it were a bomb. She sputtered a bit before nearly yelling, “Wh-WHY would you subject yourself to that?! That anime’s total trash, you said so yourself!”
“Because I deserve trash anime,” Alphys replied.
And this was what Undyne was afraid of. She sat herself down next to Alphys, and slapped a hand down over the tablet screen, forcing Alphys to look up at her. “Alphys, LISTEN! You have to stop beating yourself up about this! It’s not your fault!”
“How is it NOT, Undyne?! I was there, and I d-didn’t stop it!”
Undyne knew this conversation was going to be painful, but they’d been putting it off for too long already. “It wasn’t your idea! Come on, you know how Frisk is! Once they set their mind on something, they do it no matter how dangerous…and you couldn’t have known it’d turn out this way!”
“I know, b-but…they’re still just a kid, a-and I’M the adult! I should’ve j-just told them no!”
“You told us, you were just trying to help–”
“A-and that’s the problem!” Alphys almost shouted back, hugging the tablet back to her chest. “I should’ve known that whenever I try to help people, I just screw it up for everyone!”
Undyne remained silent for a moment, and Alphys just took the silence to continue, choking up a bit on her words. “Toriel won’t even talk to me. Endogeny is a mess and now they can’t even see their families. Everything I t-try to do to help, I just mess up!” She hiccuped a little on the last thought. “S-sometimes I wonder why y-you’re sticking around at all…”
Undyne drew in closer, desperate to get Alphys to understand just what she was seeing. “Nnnnggg…Alphys, that’s not true! You’re the one who got Mettaton to where he is now, helped him realize his dream! You guided Frisk through Hotland and the Core when everyone else was trying to stop them! You wouldn’t even have gotten your old job as royal scientist if you weren’t so good at building things in the first place! And you succeeded at the toughest things of all…owning up to all that went wrong! And I…I know I wouldn’t have been able to get through half of the battles I went through without thinking of you!”
This was enough to get Alphys to look up and face Undyne, although her eyes still remained a bit teary.
Undyne continued, getting more fired up now. “You’re not the only one who’s made some big mistakes! Your problem is that you see the good in everyone else, but you won’t see it in yourself! And well, if you find that too hard…then I’m gonna have to see that good in you for you!”
Alphys snuffled, and wiped at her eyes, looking a little bit embarrassed. “U-Undyne…”
“I know things don’t look good now, but I also know they’re gonna get better, and you’re gonna help with that, just like you did before!” While Undyne tried to stay enthused, a bit of a worried crack seeped into her voice. “So…you gotta stay tough for me, all right?”
Alphys managed to pull a very small smile…the first time she’d done so in awhile. She didn’t lift herself off the floor, though. “I’ll…I’ll t-try my best, Undyne.” Her smile dropped back down again as another particularly long and loud howl came from the garage behind her. “…B-but I don’t think I’m ready to come home tonight.”
Undyne didn’t respond, but just seemed to think to herself, and then marched back out of the room. Alphys sighed, and curled up tighter in on herself. She sat in silence for a minute, staring blankly at the now-paused anime. A sudden loud THUMP right beside her startled her out of silence, making her jump. She adjusted her glasses, and saw that Undyne had dropped the big stack of student quizzes next to her. She looked up to see Undyne standing over her, certain as ever.
“OKAY. Then here’s the deal! I’m gonna get into that kitchen and make you the best damn dinner you’ve had all month! Then I’m gonna sit down right here and grade these stupid and boring quizzes! But what I need you to do is find us some anime that isn’t trash for us both to have on! If you can’t leave, then I’ll just stay here and we’ll have a sleepover in the laundry room like the weird adults we are! SOUND GOOD?!”
After a moment of wide-eyed staring, Alphys nodded. It honestly did sound really good. “Y…yeah. That sounds great, Undyne.”
Undyne shot her a huge sharp-toothed grin, and headed back out into the kitchen. It was impossible to miss her continued boisterous yelling down the hall: “PAPYRUS! Go let Sans have his turn on watch duty, and get out here to help me cook! WE’RE MAKIN’ LASAGNA!”
There really wasn’t much else Alphys could do but smile |
narrative to a new level as Unreal Tournament cements PC as the home of FPS
Most console developers had a hard time catching up to Rare's platform dominance. Instead, the best shooters of the late '90s still resided on the PC. 1998's Half-Life, for example, was the first game from developer Valve. Deeply cinematic, superbly written and designed, and focused on a solo campaign driven by deep environmental interactivity and staggeringly lifelike, challenging enemy AI, Half-Life effectively did for the craft of single-player FPS what Quake did for multiplayer. Again, new standards were set.
In stark contrast, the following year saw the release of Epic's Unreal Tournament, Id's aforementioned Quake 3 Arena, and the Half-Life mod Counter-Strike - all of which focus on their online components. UT and Quake were hectic and ultra-fast-paced titles that had almost no regard for single-player, and Counter-Strike went from user-made mod to widespread phenomenon thanks to its simple - yet tactical - premise, brutal difficulty, and intensely dedicated player community.
And even aside from the obvious big-hitters, plenty of other wonderful and increasingly diverse PC FPS were released during this period - from Starsiege: Tribes, to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, to the RPG-tinged System Shock 2 - making the turn of the century a golden age for keyboard and mouse shooting. Truly, the days of the "Doom clone" were well behind us, the genre now matured into a wide, ever-expanding, legitimate, creative ecosystem.
2001: Halo kickstarts console shooters for good and ushers in a new era of complex lore and sequels
The turn of the century also brought a new generation of consoles that were finally capable of running FPS smoothly and effectively. By 2001, there weren't many console shooters - TimeSplitters and Perfect Dark aside - that could be considered flagship, high quality titles. Microsoft changed this by buying Bungie and helping transform its next project, a real-time strategy game called Halo, into one of the most influential franchises ever.
Halo essentially did for console shooters what Doom did for the genre on PC. Its strong narrative, free-flowing and cinematic gameplay, advanced enemy AI - and possibly most importantly, the best, most convincing translation of FPS controls to a twin-stick-controller - all helped Halo to become the ONLY game you needed on Xbox. Future installments, alongside Microsoft's Xbox Live service, would add one of the deepest multiplayer components ever seen on console. In fact, Halo 3 still remains one of the best multiplayer shooters around, over a decade after it was originally released.
2002: Console and PC shooters stand side-by-side as Metroid, Far Cry and Battlefield blaze new paths
Like Doom before it, Halo seemed to convince the large majority of developers that making high-quality first-person shooters was the key to future success. The mid-2000s brought a wealth of excellent console shooters to go along with the continued - albeit slightly lessened - stream of great PC ones. These included massive amounts of World War 2 shooters like Battlefield 1942 and Call of Duty, highly anticipated sequels like Doom 3 and Half-Life 2, and new franchises like Far Cry and PlanetSide, among many others.
One particularly noteworthy title was 2002's Metroid Prime for the Gamecube. It transplanted Samus Aran's side-scrolling puzzle-adventures into a modern FPS framework while still retaining the original games' feel and soul. Perhaps more importantly though, it was one of the first popular FPS games to place a heavy emphasis on adventure game aspects like exploration and platforming rather than just shooting. Series fans and FPS fanatics fell for the game en masse, making it one of the most critically and commercially successful games ever released on the GameCube.
2007: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare takes on Hollywood to become an entertainment behemoth
In 2007, one game set the standard against which all future FPS would be measured (or at least, all FPS for a very long time): Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. While the Call of Duty franchise was popular during its early days - hence the fast expansion of the World War 2 sub-genre - Modern Warfare shook up the landscape by bringing the guns, the settings, and the scenarios bang up to date, and added some truly unforgettable, brilliantly scripted missions to become one of the most rounded, loved shooters (and games) ever created.
It wasn't just the campaign either - Modern Warfare brought some truly innovative online features, like customisable Perks, levelling, and Prestige, kickstarting and hooking a loyal and talented fanbase that still plays the game today. All of this, combined with its fast, twitch-heavy gameplay, also made CoD the premium choice for eSports, and the dominant fixture in the gaming release calendar every year for almost a decade.
2014: PS4 and Xbox One establish 'games as a service' as the FPS genre fulfils its Destiny
While the FPS genre undoubtedly improved bit-by-bit after Modern Warfare, there wasn't a stand out 'Eureka moment' until 2014, when Bungie - partnered with Activision - released Destiny. A console FPS that's always online, and fueled by community-driven co-op play and persistent MMO-style progress, Destiny was a hugely ambitious title when it first launched. While not always perfect in its first year, and initially lacking in certain areas like explicit narrative and content breadth, Destiny attracted a massive, fiercely loyal community filled with individuals who happily continue to put hundreds and thousands of hours into the game.
Now vastly improved from its early days - when, despite its flaws, it was still good enough to win our Game of the Year Award for 2014 - Destiny is now a genre leader, a brilliant, nuanced, rich, and fine-tuned goliath that games of all other genres are drawing inspiration from in an attempt to replicate its enormous success. Meanwhile Bungie has announced Destiny 2 for September, which could well mark the next big, evolutionary step in the unstoppable FPS genre.Novelists can be lucky in their editors, in their friends, in their mentors and even in their pupils. Sometimes they are generous or sentimental enough to fictionalise the relationship. In Keep the Aspidistra Flying, George Orwell gave his friendless, dowdy and self-pitying protagonist, Comstock, one true pal: the editor and patron Ravelston, proprietor of the small yet reliable magazine Antichrist. This Ravelston – some composite of Sir Richard Rees and John Middleton Murry – was a hedonistic yet guilt-ridden dilettante, good in a pinch, and soft on poets, but too easily embarrassed by brute exigence. Saul Bellow – who has already shown a vulnerability to exigent poets in his wonderful Humboldt’s Gift – now presents us with Ravelstein, a hedonistic kvetch who manifests patience towards none. As is known to all but the meanest citizens of the republic of letters, the novel is an obelisk for the late Allan Bloom, author of the 1987 shocker, The Closing of the American Mind. This book, which was a late product or blooming of the University of Chicago Committee on Social Thought, argued that the American mind was closed because it had become so goddamned open – a nice deployment of paradox and a vivid attack on the relativism that has become so OK on campus these days. Bloom’s polemic swiftly became a primer for the right-wing Zeitgeist; a bookend for the shelf or index sternly marked ‘all downhill since 1967’. And even then, there were those who detected a Bellovian lending, or borrowing as the case might be.
When The Closing of the American Mind first came out, Robert Paul Wolff, then a professor of philosophy at Amherst, wrote a short review in Academe, the journal of the American Association of University Professors. Let me quote from his prescient opening staves:
Aficionados of the modern American novel have learned to look to Philip Roth for complex literary constructions that play wittily with narrative voice and frame. One thinks of such Roth works as My Life as a Man and The Counterlife. Now Saul Bellow has demonstrated that among his other well-recognised literary gifts is an unsuspected bent for daring satire. What Bellow has done, quite simply, is to write an entire coruscatingly funny novel in the form of a pettish, bookish, grumpy, reactionary complaint against the last two decades. The ‘author’ of this tirade, one of Bellow’s most fully-realised literary creations, is a mid-fiftyish Professor at the University of Chicago, to whom Bellow gives the evocative name ‘Bloom’. Bellow appears in the book only as the author of an eight-page ‘Foreword’, in which he introduces us to his principal and only character.
Right away one thought of Herzog, the super-kvetch of all kvetches. But here again, in his foreword to Bloom or ‘Bloom’, Bellow kept us guessing. As he phrased it (teasingly?):
There are times when I enjoy making fun of the educated American. Herzog, for instance, was meant to be a comic novel: a PhD from a good American university falls apart when his wife leaves him for another man. He is taken by an epistolatory fit and writes grieving, biting, ironic and rambunctious letters not only to his friends and acquaintances, but also to the great men, the giants of thought, who formed his mind. What is he to do in this moment of crisis, pull Aristotle or Spinoza from the shelf and storm through the pages looking for consolation and advice?
Rather archly, perhaps, Bellow went on to smile at the simplicity of some of his public:
Certain readers of Herzog complained the book was difficult. Much as they might have sympathised with the unhappy and comical history professor, they were occasionally put off by his long and erudite letters. Some felt that they were being asked to sit for a difficult exam in a survey course in intellectual history and thought it mean of me to mingle sympathy and wit with obscurity and pedantry. But I was making fun of pedantry!
Well, taking things all in all, I think we had better be the judge of that. Because now we have an ostensibly full-out novel, this time under Bellow’s real name, which reveres pedantry and is all about the life and death of Allan Bloom. Indeed, with its many real names and actual locations, it constitutes a novelistic and realistic memoir of him. And it is related, partly in anguish, by a Herzog character – ‘a PhD from a good American university’ whose wife has just left him for another man, or at any rate for other men.
For some reason that I cannot pretend to decode, this Boswell is named ‘Chick’. He it is who proposes that Ravelstein write the egghead bestseller (‘It’s no small matter to become rich and famous by saying exactly what you think’) and who in return accepts Ravelstein’s commission to become his – probably posthumous – biographer. So far, so accurate: Bellow was the egghead’s egger-on, and also his angel in the publishing world, and here we find the second half of the debt redeemed. The story is authentic too, as far as it goes, about Ravelstein/ Bloom’s egghead allegiances. Bloom was an adept or disciple of the Chicago philosopher Leo Strauss, a German-Jewish émigré who was, according to your bias, sinister or arcane. Modelling himself on Aristotelian and Machiavellian theories of the covert formation of princes, Strauss never sought public renown and insisted on close explication of the occult element in classic and classical texts. His American disciples, of whom Francis Fukuyama is probably the most celebrated, achieved a brief nearness to real power during the Reagan and Bush Administrations, one of them (William Kristol, son of Irving) being the Aristotelian mentor of Dan Quayle. The giveaway in Straussian critiques is the employment of the term ‘regime’ to denote styles of rulership. Bellow captures this neo-cultist element quite deftly:
But Ravelstein knew the value of a set. He had a set of his own. Its members were students he had trained in political philosophy and longtime friends. Most of them were trained as Ravelstein himself had been trained, under Professor Davarr, and used his esoteric vocabulary. Some of Ravelstein’s older pupils now held positions of importance on national newspapers. Quite a number served in the State Department. Some lectured in the War College or worked on the staff of the National Security Adviser. One was a protégé of Paul Nitze. Another, a maverick, published a column in the Washington Times. Some were influential, all were well informed; they were a close group, a community. From them Ravelstein had frequent reports, and when he was at home he spent hours on the telephone with his disciples. After a fashion, he kept their secrets. At least he didn’t quote them by name.
That’s the first and almost the last we hear of the crucial and seminal Felix Davarr, who as Leo Strauss is mentioned only once in The Closing of the American Mind, where he makes the oddly trite observation that the moderns ‘built on low but solid ground’. Bloom’s reticence, though, is appropriate: it is that of the close-mouthed and knowing initiate, while Bellow treats Strauss as if he were like Anthony Powell’s Sillery: no more than a don with a number of influential ex-pupils. When Alexandre Kojève is mentioned a few pages later, he is drawn in the same rather lifeless terms as ‘the famous Hegelian and high official who had educated a whole generation of influential thinkers and writers’. Someone who had really done that could once have expected a more lapidary (or do I just mean less tired?) sentence from Bellow’s pen.
The cynicism of Strauss’s theory and practice was summarised in his antithesis between Athens and Jerusalem. I am certain to vulgarise the recondite here, but Straussians believe in religion and not in God. Philosophy is the high calling of the élite: a strenuous and contemplative effort directed at the moulding of a cultural and political leadership. Obviously, superstition and piety are mere encumbrances in the discharging of this elevated task. But the masses, of whom no such effort can be expected, must draw their ethical and disciplinary rations from the commissary of the supernatural. ‘Chick’/ Bellow shows no grasp at all of this dialectic, which he repeatedly expresses as Ravelstein’s fascination with Athens and Jerusalem, as if Plato and the Talmud were equal treasures from the bran tub of antiquity.
That of course was the ad hoc conclusion of the autodidact and omnivore Augie March, Bellow’s most superbly rendered fictional creation. March passes long stretches on the periphery of the University of Chicago, and at one point makes a sort of jackdaw living by stealing ‘great books’ on commission for scholars like the lanky Hooker Frazer. His first major haul is ‘a big Jowett’s Plato’ but he soon diversifies: ‘Two volumes of Nietzsche’s Will to Power I had a hell of a time swiping, for they were in a closed case at the Economy Book Store; I also got him Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, as well as the last volumes of Capital from the Communist bookshop on Division Street, Herzen’s Autobiography, and some de Tocqueville.’ The influence of the University on the city, especially on its outcast or indigent element, can be felt all the time in The Adventures of Augie March. There is Padilla, the impoverished Mexican who gets a scholarship to develop his genius for mathematics, and there’s Clem, amassing erudition in a fly-blown rooming-house.
In Augie March, too, we sense Bellow’s interest in gurus and savants and mentors. Here’s the disabled local fixer and broker William Einhorn:
The first superior man I knew. He had a brain and many enterprises, real directing power, philosophical capacity, and if I were methodical enough to take thought before an important and practical decision and also if I were really his disciple and not what I am, I’d ask myself: ‘What would Caesar suffer in this case? What would Machiavelli advise or Ulysses do? What would Einhorn think?’ I’m not kidding when I enter Einhorn in this eminent list. It was him that I knew, and what I understand of them in him. Unless you want to say that we’re at the dwarf end of all times and mere children whose only share in grandeur is like a boy’s share in fairy-tale kings.
When Einhorn’s father dies, his self-educated and slum-bred son reaches for the ‘deep-water greatness’ of the ancients and strains pathetically but nobly for an elevated note and a high calling. In his dignified filial death-notice for the neighbourhood paper he writes without embarrassment: ‘“My father was not familiar with the observation of Plato that philosophy is the study of death, but he died nevertheless like a philosopher, saying to the ancient man who watched by his bedside in the last moments … “That was the vein of it.’
I can’t resist adding two more themes from Bellow’s triumph in 1953. One is a hatred of workhouse condescension towards the underclass: ‘Something in his person argued what the community that contributed the money wanted us poor bastards to be: sober, dutiful, buttoned, clean, sad, moderate.’ And the other a real demotic admiration for the Greeks, for their ancient willingness to face things as Augie tries to face the humilations of jail and the Stygian gloom of Erie, Pennsylvania and other wasteland spots:
Only some Greeks and admirers of theirs, in their liquid noon, where the friendship of beauty to human things was perfect, thought they were clearly divided from this darkness. And these Greeks too were in it. But still they are the admiration of the rest of the mud-sprung, famine-knifed, street-pounding, war-rattled, difficult, painstaking, kicked in the belly, grief and cartilage mankind, the multitude, some under a coal-sucking Vesuvius of chaos smoke, some inside a heaving Calcutta midnight, who very well know where they are.
By contrast, Ravelstein, and Ravelstein, are shadows on the wall of Augie March’s cave. The great city of Chicago is now represented as a heaving Calcutta midnight, awash in feral delinquency. Ravelstein segregates himself in an apartment building, with the pretentious name of ‘The Alhambra’, where his only contact with the world of the streets is a superannuated black skivvy: ‘As nearly as any honky could, he took into account her problems with her prostitute daughter, her jailed criminal son, and with the other son whose HIV troubles and scrambled wives and children were too complicated to describe.’ Why does one get the impression that Bellow would rather these people were ‘sober, dutiful, buttoned, clean, sad, moderate’? Ravelstein, meanwhile, looks on his students as the raw material of a future conservative hierarchy owing a debt to himself. (In a moment of lucid callousness we are informed that ‘if they weren’t going to make it he didn’t hesitate to throw them out.’) Also, we soon discover that this new maître, who possesses none of the coarse vigour of Einhorn, has ‘HIV troubles’ of his own.
Chaos, most especially the chaos identified with pissed-off African Americans, was the whole motif of The Closing of the American Mind. Bloom had taught at Cornell during the campus upheaval of 1968, and never recovered from the moment when black students produced guns to amplify their demands. (He also never reconciled himself to the ghastly fondness of the young for rock music. ‘Whether it be Nuremberg or Woodstock,’ he wrote in a passage of extreme dyspepsia comparing everybody to the Brownshirts, ‘the principle is the same.’) However, there was hope. A small group of classics students copied out and xeroxed a passage against ochlocracy from Plato’s Republic and passed it out as a leaflet. Bloom sounds just like Bellow when he recalls this moment: ‘They had learned from this old book what was going on and had gained real distance on it.’
Actually, Glaucon’s evening with Socrates would have been a poor shadowy guide to an American ‘regime’ which was then engaged in confronting a revolt of the helots, and in fighting a war far more cruel and unjust and irrational than the Peloponnesian. But what Bloom liked was the attachment to form. At least, he liked it most of the time. The worst thing he could think of to say about one of his academic antagonists was that he was ‘an assiduous importer of the latest Paris fashions’. By this of course he meant an interest in Sartre or Althusser or perhaps Foucault; it makes it all the funnier that when we first meet ‘Ravelstein’ he is in Paris on a vulgar spree of consumerism: Lanvin jackets, costly scarves, Lucullan restaurants and hotel suites; if you’ve got it, baby, flaunt it. Before too long there is a fast car with all the fixings being ordered for ‘Nikki’, the travelling companion, and we further learn that Abe (Ravelstein’s seldom used first name) is en rapport with at least some young blacks for his fashion sense alone. By these signs, and a few others, Bellow makes it easy to know what ‘Bloom’ never admitted in his paeans to the Greek style: that for all his contempt for the counter-culture he was a live-dangerously homosexual.
As depicted by Bellow, this is perhaps the most attractive and sympathetic aspect of the man. But, as the novel fails to register, it was also a negation of his whole public stance. Allan Bloom thought, and Abe Ravelstein thinks, that sex – any sex – is a poor expression of Eros, but better than nothing at all. Heavy weather is made of this simple point:
Naturally there was a Greek word for it, and I can’t be expected to remember every Greek word I heard from him. Eros was a daimon, one’s genius or demon provided by Zeus as a compensation for the cruel breaking-up of the original androgynous human whole. I’m sure I’ve got that part of the Aristophanic sex-myth straight. With the help of Eros we go on, each of us, looking for his missing half. Ravelstein was in real earnest about this quest, driven by longing. Not everyone feels that longing, or acknowledges it if he does feel it. In literature Antony and Cleopatra had it, Romeo and Juliet had it. Closer to our own time Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary had it, Stendhal’s Madame de Rênal in her simplicity and innocence had it. And of course others, untaught, untouched by open recognition, have it in some obscure form.
The ‘obscure form’ in which ‘Bloom’ really experienced it was of this kind:
One day he said to me: ‘Chick, I need a cheque drawn. It’s not a lot. Five hundred bucks.’ ‘Why can’t you write it yourself?’ ‘I want to avoid trouble with Nikki. He’d see it on the cheque stub.’
In the first proof of the novel that I read, Bellow went on to be explicit about the sexual elements that were masked by this accountant version of anonymity. He has since excised that paragraph, perhaps or presumably in deference to the unease produced by his candour about Bloom’s escapades. (Pre-publicity for the book drew some moans of pain from the old-school Chicago hands.) However, the chief point is allowed to survive its euphemisation: Allan Bloom died of Aids, as was finally and reluctantly admitted by his admirers. Nor is this a detail. Bloom never mentioned the gay movement in his series of assaults on promiscuous Modernism. Throughout his posthumously published book Love and Friendship, a rather superior effort to analyse Eros and agape from Alcibiades to Émile, he hoarded his own views on pederasty well on the other side of the closet door. No ordinary reticence was involved here. The philosophical movement associated with Leo Strauss regards ‘sodomy’ as sterile and nihilistic, and as an unmanly betrayal of tribe and family. And the Straussian intellectuals have undergone a schism, every bit as sulphurous and Talmudic as the Trotskyist faction-fights that were known to Augie March and indeed the young Bellow. Professor Harry Jaffa, Strauss’s most ardent disciple and Bloom’s one-time collaborator in a volume on Shakespeare’s politics, has authored a stream of polemics against homosexuality as a violation of ‘natural law’. This very trope currently forms the moral cement of the American Right. There may or may not be a suggestive and contradictory connection between ‘Ravelstein’s’ secretive sex life and his attachment to arcane doctrines – between the erotic and the esoteric – but Bellow can’t seem to be bothered with it.
This is perhaps because his narrator has problems of his own. Domestic traumas – heterosexual and banal ones, to be sure – are eating him up, and like Herzog he finds little release in pulling Aristotle or Spinoza from the shelf. Indeed, when he tries to scan anything at all, this happens:
One day when I was reading a book (my regular diet of words) she wandered into the room entirely nude, came to my bedside and rubbed her pubic hair on my cheekbone. When I responded as she must have known that I would she turned and left with an air of having made her point. She had won hands down without having to speak a word. Her body spoke for her, and very effectively too, saying that the end was near.
Bellow has always had a fierce instinct for the blunt messages that female pudenda can convey, especially in closure. The much younger and tougher Augie March had to endure the following:
In heat like this she preferred to go naked in her room. When I wanted to recall how she was, naked, I found I could do it very well. She saw my eyes on her lower belly and her hand descended to hold the edge of the robe there. Seeing that colourful, round-fingered hand descend, I bitterly felt how my privilege had ended and passed to another man.
The pubis-flaunting female in the present case – enough to drive anyone nuts, if not necessarily queer – is the coldly scientific and dedicated Romanian wife we last met in The Dean’s December. By degrees, as Ravelstein sickens and dies, ‘Chick’ shuffles forward to become the subject and object of his own novel. He realises that his wife has outpointed him emotionally and also legally. Lamenting his own dullness, and also lapsing into terrible colloquialism, he kvetches: ‘You deaden your critical powers. You stifle your shrewdness. Before you know it you are paying a humongous divorce settlement to a woman who had more than once declared that she was an innocent who had no understanding of money matters.’ The spring-heeled and amoral Ravelstein is probably the near-perfect friend to have in such a fix; he mocks the wife’s robotic ways and her frigidly perfectionist style, and suggests that her Romanian pals are probably Iron Guard fascists anyway. (He punctuates his monologues with the tic phrasing ‘thee-ah, thee-ah’, which Bellow records skilfully without noting that such mannerisms are designed to make the speaker uninterruptible, and are thus an unfailing sign of the closet authoritarian.) Still, Chick’s best-ever pal turns out to be his next wife, who realises that he is not just sick but actually in mortal peril after he eats the wrong fish on a Caribbean holiday, and who exerts herself to pluck him back from the lip of the grave. I’m sorry that the narrative breaks off before the latest big news in Bellow’s life, which is his fathering of a daughter at the age of eighty-plus, with the same staunch and estimable woman who did the plucking.
Thin though this novel may be, and perfunctory in keeping its commitment as the unwritten memoir that Bellow promised to Bloom in a moment of weakness, it does exemplify some of the stoicism of the neo-conservative mentality. ‘Ravelstein’ doesn’t whine as the end approaches. We don’t actually see him die (Bellow’s own near-death experience follows, perhaps, too hard upon) but we witness him in the humiliating shipwreck of his last illness and he remains a wise-cracking atheist and materialist. ‘Chick’ chooses to see this as a pose, and to take literally Ravelstein’s expiring gags about a reunion beyond the grave, which strikes me in the light of a slight but significant breach of faith. Say what you will about the Straussians, they aren’t hypocrites or weaklings and they don’t burble about heavenly rewards to make up for when the mind has gone. Indeed, they have made rather a pointed study of the dignified hemlockian terminus. Bloom should have been allowed this last nobility.
Bellow’s own attitude to Jerusalem is given a mild work-out in these pages. In the past few decades he has had a fluctuating relationship with the neo-conservative movement. He first endorsed the bogus work of the pseudo-demographer Joan Peters, who argued that there had been no Palestinian population to be dispossessed in the first place, and then honourably withdrew his encomium when the facts about the book became known. He signed up with the grandiosely titled Committee for the Free World, run by Midge Decter and Norman Podhoretz, and then let his sponsorship lapse when the same outfit published hysterical slanders against Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal. In the argument about standardised courses in ‘Western Civilisation’, he intervened with the now notorious remark that the Papuans had no Proust and the Zulus had no … was it Zola? He wrote a crabbed and resentful account of a visit to the Holy City, which seemed to some of us to be an Arab v. Jewish allegory of the fears and resentments – about black populism and demagogy in New York and Chicago – which have been more cheaply annexed by Tom Wolfe but which found an outlet also in Mr Sammler’s Planet. In Ravelstein he presents the Jewish experience principally and unexceptionably as one of survival. With a tinge of self-pity, though, he also advances it as something that non-Jews can’t be expected to understand. Even great humanists like Maynard Keynes, when you con the list of ‘great books’, disclose their rodent prejudice. ‘I had a Jewish life to lead in the American language, and that’s not a language that’s helpful with dark thoughts.’ There’s a quavering note here which, ironically in its way, contrasts with Abe Ravelstein’s robust and amoral and defiant and very American style; a style redeemed from being merely reactionary by its understanding of the ancients, and the understanding (to which it incidentally or accidentally assists us) that intellectuals never sound more foolish than when posing as the last civilised man.Phoenix Police Deploy Gas, Pepper Spray To Disperse Protesters
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
Updated at 12:49 a.m. ET Aug. 23
Police in Phoenix deployed gas, flash-bang grenades and pepper spray to disperse protesters shortly after President Trump wrapped up his rally at the city's convention center.
The gas canisters were fired after someone among the protesters threw rocks and water bottles at the police, according to Phoenix Police Department Sgt. Jonathan Howard. The police action appeared successful — photos of the streets around the venue show that the crowd of protesters had largely diminished. The police department ordered everyone to leave the area.
Shouting matches, though, are happening in some areas.
Earlier, there were reports that another group of protesters had left the scene at the convention center and were marching toward the state capitol.
While the president was speaking, several dozen people outside the venue were taken to the hospital after suffering from heat exhaustion. Phoenix has experienced triple-digit temperatures all day.
Before Trump's rally, The Associated Press reported there had been some minor scuffles and shouting matches between Trump supporters and critics as people stood in line to get into the convention center.
NPR affiliate KJZZ's Michel Marizco and Carrie Jung report that protesters yelled "shame on you" at attendees entering the center.
Protesters also chanted "Donald Trump has got to go" and "this is what democracy looks like."
For most of the night, the protests remained mostly calm and police kept both sides separated.
Trump appeared at the rally despite a plea from Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton that he not visit the city in the aftermath of the Charlottesville violence.Bokashi composting is an anaerobic process that relies on inoculated bran to ferment kitchen waste, including meat and dairy, into a safe soil builder and nutrient-rich tea for your plants.
In Bokashi composting, kitchen scraps of all kinds — including meat and dairy products banned from aerobic systems — are mixed with some of the inoculated bran, pressed into the Bokashi bucket, covered with another handful of bran, and tightly covered. When the bucket is full, it is sealed shut and set aside for ten to twelve days. Every other day during that time, the leachate that is an inevitable byproduct of anaerobic composting needs to be drawn off. That’s the only care required. (This is very easy with a commercial Bokashi Bucket which has a spigot for this purpose.) When the bucket is opened, the contents, though recognizable, are thoroughly pickled. At this stage, the “pre-compost” as one company brochure terms it can be buried in a fallow spot in the garden. One Caution: It is still so acidic that plant roots should not come in contact with it for two to four weeks.
This brief overview of the process does little to explain how it works. It may help to back up at this point.
Efficient and easy to use! The composting bins and supplies available at Planet Natural will reward you with piles of rich organic matter to use in your yard, garden, or houseplants.
What is Bokashi?
According to Wikipedia, the term Bokashi is a Japanese word that means “fermented organic matter.” Whether it does or not, that’s what it has come to mean in North America and Britain. The Bokashi host medium can indeed be almost any fine organic grain or grass-like substance — bran, rice, wheat mill run (WMR, a waste product from flour milling), used mushroom growth medium, dried leaves, even sawdust.
This medium is inoculated with beneficial microbes that flourish in anaerobic, acidic environments but smell less foul than do those in unfettered, natural anaerobic conditions. To prepare the inoculant, a brew that will attract the appropriate bacterial strains is prepared, the host material is immersed in it, and the microbes are allowed to ferment. Molasses provides an energy source for the microbes which reproduce wildly for several days. Once the fermentation stage is over, the inoculated host can be dried, packaged, and stored for long periods. Though this is a simplified version of a process that requires several steps, it does describe what we buy when we buy Bokashi.
The bacteria belong primarily to three strains: yeasts, (Saccharomyces spp.), bacteria that produce lactic acids (Lactobacillus spp.), and (phototrophic) purple non-sulfur bacteria (Rhodopseudomonas spp.). These, or bacteria like them, are the active organisms in yogurt and in silage, the fermented hay that is produced all over the world as a livestock feed. All smell sour or fermented but none produce a smell nearly as foul as those associated with natural anaerobic processes.
Bacteria of the types found in commercial Bokashi are all around us. Several on-line sites, including at least one on YouTube, tell how to start and culture a batch of inoculant from scratch, eliminating the need to buy commercial Bokashi inoculant. There’s more about this fairly involved process below.
Where Did Bokashi Come From?
Most Bokashi sites state that the inoculant (usually called EM or Effective Micro-organisms) was discovered or developed by Dr. Teuro Higa, a professor at University of Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan, around 1982 or so. An article by two Hawaiian horticulturists, “How to Cultivate Indigenous Organisms (PDF),” available through the University of Hawaii extension, describes how to find and cultivate the sorts of micro-organisms used in EM — in other words, how to create one’s own Bokashi inoculant.
According to the authors of that document, Hoon Park and Michael W. DuPonte,
In Asian countries, including Korea, deliberate collection and culturing of naturally occurring soil microorganisms has been a common agricultural practice for centuries, and application of these cultures to crop soils is believed to minimize the need for applications of inorganic soil amendments.
The process they describe was one common on Korean farms.
This suggests that Higa’s contribution may have been the isolation and culturing of particular strains of bacteria rather than the entire process itself. The literature produced by Bokashi companies is rather vague on this point.
Despite its roots in traditional practices, here in the west Bokashi is the new kid on the home composting block. To a large extent it has yet to prove itself. While there’s a huge body of independent scientific work establishing the many virtues of both regular compost and of vermicompost, no such body of work yet exists for Bokashi. To a large extent, its virtues are still being touted by the people who developed it in the eighties and who are marketing it today. Most of the studies cited by these companies, especially by the U.S. company with close ties to Higa, appear to have been presented exclusively at the conferences his group sponsored and to have been published exclusively on his websites.
However, there have been several articles in the popular press and numerous testimonials in composting blogs.
How to Use Bokashi?
While the most common use for Bokashi is as an inoculant in anaerobic composting, it can also be added to an aerobic compost pile, added directly to soil, or used to create compost |
tec dancers on July 4, 2014 in Murrieta, California. less A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station holds a flag and watches counter-demonstrating Aztec... more Photo: David McNew / Getty Images
Image 38 of 53 A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a counter-demonstrator (L) face off on July 4, 2014 in Murrieta, California. less A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a counter-demonstrator (L) face off on July 4, 2014... more Photo: David McNew / Getty Images
Image 39 of 53 A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a counter-demonstrator (L) face off on July 4, 2014 in Murrieta, California. less A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a counter-demonstrator (L) face off on July 4, 2014... more Photo: David McNew / Getty Images
Image 40 of 53 A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a counter-demonstrator (L) face off on July 4, 2014 in Murrieta, California. less A protester who opposes arrivals of buses carrying largely women and children undocumented migrants for processing at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a counter-demonstrator (L) face off on July 4, 2014... more Photo: David McNew / Getty Images
Image 41 of 53 A Texas National Guard soldier scans the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border on September 11, 2014 in Havana, Texas.
Troop deployment along at the border was extended by Gov. Greg Abbott on December 15, 2015. less A Texas National Guard soldier scans the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border on September 11, 2014 in Havana, Texas.
Troop deployment along at the border was extended by Gov. Greg Abbott on December... more Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 42 of 53 A Texas National Guard soldier checks his radio while monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border. A Texas National Guard soldier checks his radio while monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border. Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 43 of 53 A Texas National Guard soldier scans the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border. A Texas National Guard soldier scans the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border. Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 44 of 53 A Texas National Guard soldier operates a CROW surveillance system while monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border. A Texas National Guard soldier operates a CROW surveillance system while monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border. Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 45 of 53 Texas National Guard soldier scans the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border. Texas National Guard soldier scans the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border. Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 46 of 53 In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law enforcement stem a surge of illegal immigrants, many of them families and unaccompanied minors. less In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law... more Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 47 of 53 In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law enforcement stem a surge of illegal immigrants, many of them families and unaccompanied minors. less In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law... more Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 48 of 53 In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law enforcement stem a surge of illegal immigrants, many of them families and unaccompanied minors. less In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law... more Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 49 of 53 A Texas National Guard soldier operates a LRAS3 surveillance system while monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border. A Texas National Guard soldier operates a LRAS3 surveillance system while monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border. Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 50 of 53 In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law enforcement stem a surge of illegal immigrants, many of them families and unaccompanied minors. less In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law... more Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 51 of 53 In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law enforcement stem a surge of illegal immigrants, many of them families and unaccompanied minors. less In 20014 the troops, deployed along the Rio Grande, were part of a 1,000 strong force called up by Texas Governor Rick Perry to guard the border. The soldiers were sent to help state and federal law... more Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Image 52 of 53 Abandoned clothing from undocumented immigrants lies on the bank of the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border on December 8, 2015 near McAllen, Texas. Abandoned clothing from undocumented immigrants lies on the bank of the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border on December 8, 2015 near McAllen, Texas. Photo: John Moore / Getty ImagesCode Reuse as a Problem
I was thinking about this question on software delivery, and I kept coming back to the issue of repeatability and / or reproducibility. They matter, because if you don’t repeat a project then it becomes more difficult to improve the process you used to build the project. Engineering involves constantly improving the processes involved with design and construction in order to produce higher quality projects.
Software can rely heavily upon reuse due to its digital form. Instead of rewriting a module, we just call it again or copy it to the other system. Some examples are authentication / login or perhaps a logging function. There are many well known examples for those categories, and conventional wisdom is to reuse what exists instead of rolling your own.
Some Comparisons to Other Disciplines
Construction
In contrast, construction of physical systems (buildings, bridges) is nowhere near as reusable. It’s true that the blueprint of a house can be reused many times to build the same copy of the house, but the construction must be performed each time. Cut & paste doesn’t work like that in the analog world. Bridge blueprints are less reusable that houses because site conditions will vary.
Master builders are experts recognized for having designed and / or built tens, hundreds, or thousands of things in their area. For example, Frank Lloyd Wright, a world renowned architect and designer designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 532 works. Contrast that with Anders Hejlsberg who has designed “just” five languages (Turbo Pascal; Delphi; J++; C#; Typescript). In many ways, it’s an unfair comparison because the domains are different. But at a broad level, the quantifiable production from two very intelligent people is vastly different.
Martial Arts
Martial artists will say that mastery of a move comes only from thousands of repetitions. After a good portion of those repetitions have been put in, many martial artists are surprised at how a previously perceived to be complex kata or form has become simple. Instructors of those students will also notice how the motion becomes more fluid and purposeful as well as having an economy of motion. Likewise, experienced martial artists are able to pick up more complex katas more quickly than less experienced students. Experience from repetition has given them a framework or process that allows them to learn more quickly.
Woodworking
Woodworkers experience a similar transformation. Hobbyist woodworkers always refer back to their first project that required a lot of drawers. If they complete the project, they gain a new appreciation for the efficiencies that assembly lines produce. There are other benefits such as a better understanding of how to lay out the drawers parts on the sheet stock in order to maximize use of the wood. Compared to hobbyists, professional woodworkers are able to more quickly design, start, and construct items that they have made many times before. They also gain an ability to see inherent issues within someone else's design having made that mistake in their work.
So, does software reuse prevent software developers from becoming more proficient?
In many ways, software design and construction is always new. We don’t repeat past works, because if we can reuse a module, library, or system then we do. We’ll preferentially extend an existing system before rewriting the entire thing from scratch. But repetition is what allows us to find efficiency in the design and the construction. Anyone who has practiced a sport or physical activity will tell you that repetition is the key to becoming a good practitioner.
My question: Does software’s ability to be reused prevent the necessary process improvement and efficiency that comes from repeating a project?Shortly after Natarajan Chandrasekaran turned 44, his doctor diagnosed him with diabetes. As the chief operating officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT firm, Chandrasekaran (who insists that everyone call him simply Chandra) led a hectic life consumed by long work hours, innumerable client meetings, and constant travel. But his doctor minced no words. “He said to me, ‘You’re an intelligent man. Don’t be stupid about your health,’ ” Chandra recalls. “ ‘You need to get some exercise.’ ”
The next morning, Chandra, a computer engineer and lifelong math geek with no prior penchant for athleticism, laced up his shoes, stepped into the sweltering heat of downtown Mumbai, and began to run. Months later, he stumbled across the finish line of his first marathon. In the years that followed he kept running, completing all six of the world’s major marathons (Boston, Berlin, Chicago, London, New York, Tokyo). As his running times fell, Chandra’s corporate star ascended. In 2009, two years after he began training, he was chosen as TCS’s CEO, and he proceeded to transform the consultancy into one of India’s most valuable companies, with a market capitalization of $71 billion. Now 54, he runs at least one full marathon and several half marathons a year, and he claims to have beaten diabetes without the help of medication. “Running has made a world of difference for me,” he says. “It has made me calmer, more reflective, and given me more perseverance.”
Chandra will need those qualities in his latest corporate assignment. In February he was installed as chairman of Tata Sons, the private holding company that controls TCS and hundreds of other businesses that make up the Tata Group, India’s largest and most venerable conglomerate—one that owns Western brands such as Land Rover and Tetley Tea. His appointment as chairman (which at Tata is essentially the CEO role) followed an abrupt board decision last October to sack Tata Sons’ previous chairman, Cyrus Mistry, a scion of the family that remains Tata’s largest private shareholder.
Natarajan "Chandra" Chandrasekaran on the roof of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, with the Gateway of India monument in the background. As a chairman of Tata Sons, he oversees a sprawling conflomerate with some 700,000 employees and more than $100 billion in revenue. Vivek Singh for Fortune Magazine
Mistry’s ouster sent shock waves through the Indian business community and erupted into a messy and ongoing legal dispute. And it left Tata adrift at a moment when overall revenues are shrinking and many of the group’s largest businesses are losing market share and bleeding cash.
Colleagues and investors hope Chandra can transfer to the rest of Tata some of the digital magic he sprinkled on TCS, where he tripled sales and profits during his seven years as CEO. But, as one might expect of a relentless marathoner, Chandra himself suggests that whipping Tata into shape will involve some grueling workouts. “One of my key messages is that we’re going to look at performance for every operating company—growth rates, profitability, return on capital,” he says. “You can’t perform if you’re not fit. If you want to run a six-minute mile, you have to bring your weight down.”
It’s hard to overstate how large the Tata name looms in Indian life. The group was founded in 1868 by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, a Parsi—a member of a small but commercially adept community whose Zoroastrian forebears fled Persia to escape religious persecution in the eighth century. Jamsetji began in his father’s trading company, then struck out on his own with profits from outfitting British troops in Abyssinia. He invested in textile mills, built the grand Taj Mahal Palace Hotel across from Mumbai’s Gateway of India, and, before his death in 1904, laid plans to construct India’s first steel factory, in what is now the state of Jharkhand.
A 1944 Fortune profile of the “House of Tata,” written decades after Jemsejti’s death, described the founder as “bearded, beturbaned, almost Biblical in appearance” but “nevertheless India’s most outstanding native industrialist.”
Over its 149-year history, the Tata Group has metamorphosed into a sprawling conglomerate whose modern portfolio is often described as ranging “from salt to software.” That’s literally true: It owns India’s largest packaged salt brand, TCS, and myriad companies in between. But the phrase only hints at the diversity of the Tata’s empire. The group’s biggest business by sales is Tata Motors (ttm), which ranks No. 247 on this year’s Global 500, with revenues of $40.3 billion. Other holdings include India’s second-largest steelmaker; the nation’s largest power company; a leading chemical manufacturer; a chain of luxury jewelry boutiques; a gaggle of financial services firms; a leading aerospace and defense manufacturer; and investments in 51 tea plantations stretching across India and Sri Lanka.
Tata is among India’s most cosmopolitan conglomerates. Its overseas acquisitions include Tetley Tea, the world’s second-largest tea brand; Corus, a giant steelmaker formed by the 1999 merger of British Steel and Dutch rival Hoogovens; and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), purchased from Ford Motor (f) in 2008. The Tata Group’s Indian Hotels Co. owns luxury lodgings including the Pierre Hotel in New York and 16 other hotels outside India. In 2011, Tata Global Beverages struck a deal with Starbucks (sbux) to bring the Seattle company’s coffee shops to India.
Chart shows the market capitalizations of Tata companies Nicolas Rapp
In all, Tata Group companies employ nearly 700,000 people, and claim combined sales close to $104 billion. If bundled into a single listed entity, the group would almost crack the top 50 of the Global 500.
The group’s star performers are TCS and Jaguar Land Rover. During Chandra’s tenure, TCS—which derives 94% of its revenue from work for clients outside India—pulled far ahead of its two domestic rivals, Infosys and Wipro. The company reported net profits of nearly $4 billion on sales of $17.6 billion in the fiscal year ended in March.
Jaguar Land Rover has had an equally standout run. British ministers extol JLR as the poster child of their nation’s industrial renaissance. Supported by Tata and steered by CEO Ralf Speth, a native German and former Ford and BMW executive, the once-troubled company has become the U.K.’s biggest car manufacturer and reported record sales of 604,000 vehicles in the year to March, up 16% from a year earlier. JLR now earns 80% of its sales outside the U.K., and sales are especially hot in China.
But such stars notwithstanding, much of the House of Tata is in urgent need of renovation. Some of its biggest businesses have grown sluggish and vulnerable to smaller, nimbler rivals. Some are too small to compete globally. Some compete with one another. And all its components operate under layers of managerial overlap that can create competing agendas and pose a challenge to any would-be reformer.
JLR’s parent, Tata Motors, may be the most visible symbol of the company’s recent doldrums. The company once dominated the enormous Indian market for commercial trucks. But its share of that segment tumbled to 44% last year, down from a peak of over 60% in 2012.
A Land Rover moves down the inspection line at a Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing plant in the U.K. Simon Dawson — Bloomberg via Getty Images
At Tata Steel, domestic operations remain prosperous, thanks to continued high demand in India. But the company’s European business is mired in debt and has posted losses in four of the past five years. Discussions about a possible joint venture between Tata Steel Europe and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp are on hold pending resolution of a dispute with the British government about Tata’s pension obligations. As of the end of 2015, Tata Steel’s U.K. operations were losing a million British pounds per day. Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels, and Tata Teleservices are all in trouble, earning poor returns or suffering losses.
In the financial year ended in March 2017, TCS and Tata Motors accounted for 59% of the group’s combined revenue and 90% of its net profit, and generated 80% of dividends. In an email sent to directors days after he was removed, Mistry said the group faces $17 billion in write-downs from five unprofitable companies. (Tata Sons disputes that claim.)
Chandra must move quickly to stanch the bleeding. In an April town hall with executives from Tata companies, he stressed the importance of group unity and collaboration with a slide deck touting the virtues of “One Tata.” But in other meetings, that message has been twinned with a warning that the group must have clearer lines of accountability, and that Chandra will establish detailed metrics to evaluate the performance of the various operating companies.
Chandra has vowed to reorganize the group to focus on growth and scale. Tata’s corporate roster is rife with opportunities for consolidation, with multiple companies competing in the same segment. Even veteran Tata executives are hard-pressed to explain why Tata Finance, Tata Housing Finance, and Tata Capital Finance operate as separate companies.
In conversations with Fortune, Chandra seemed at times to channel Jack Welch, suggesting that he plans to remake Tata’s portfolio to include only large businesses that lead their industry. “Tata is already a $100 billion group,” he says. “To get to the next level we need scale. We can’t do it with multiple small companies. We need top companies. I am not saying specifically that all companies need to be No. 1 or 2 [in their sectors], but we need to have top companies.”
He’s not ruling out selling off underperformers. “We won’t exit a business just to get a headline. But we will exit if we aren’t getting returns today and we don’t think we’ll get them tomorrow. I have thought a lot about this. We’ll definitely prune the portfolio.”
Chandra has sent a clear signal that he plans a major shake-up by hiring some of India’s most respected corporate financiers, including Ankur Verma, formerly with the Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Nipun Aggarwal, from Standard Chartered Bank; and Saurabh Agrawal, head of corporate strategy at the Aditya Birla Group.
Tata Steel, whose factories include this plant in Willenhall, England. Ben Birchall — Press Association/AP
Agrawal, a former Merrill Lynch dealmaker who helped to broker TCS’s 2004 IPO, will lead the charge as Tata Group’s chief financial officer. He speaks frankly about his marching orders. Tata’s holdings, he argues, should be reshuffled into four or five large groups. “No chairman can have more than a handful of executives reporting to him,” he says. “You just can’t be effective.”
He also wants to clear away small ventures, whether through merger or sale. “We want to be in businesses where we can scale up, which can be large, which can deliver shareholder returns. There’s a huge amount of rationalization which is going to take place in over the next 24 to 36 months.”
Agrawal wants to take a razor to Tata’s listed companies too. He says he’d like to shave the number in Tata’s portfolio from the current 29 to a figure “down into the single digits.” He promises a “huge streamlining” of Tata’s portfolio. “I’ll be surprised if we are not able to take at least a third of the companies out of the system,” Agrawal tells Fortune.
For a group like Tata, all this is radical stuff. How long will it take to achieve? “If I were to tell you, ‘Well, we’ll get to it over the next five to 10 years,’ I wouldn’t be in this chair tomorrow morning,” says Agrawal. “If you ask Chandra, he’ll say, ‘I want it done in 30 days.’ ”
Any effort to reorganize Tata’s business portfolio must grapple with the group’s byzantine organizational structure. Senior executives at Tata sometimes compare the group to diversified conglomerates like General Electric, private equity funds, or even investment companies like Berkshire Hathaway. The parallels are misleading. Whereas GE is ultimately a single company with a single stock price overseen by a single chief executive, the Tata Group encompasses hundreds of operating companies that are only loosely organized under the group’s control.
Tata Sons, the private holding company, is typically the dominant shareholder of the operating companies, and supports them by appointing managers and board members, providing investment capital, and spreading best business practices among the group. All bask in the goodwill accorded the Tata brand. But under the current structure, it is practically impossible for the group chairman to track the performance of so many different ventures, let alone force them to execute a common strategy.
One of Tata's 51 tea plantations in Kerala, India. Courtesy of Tata
And unlike a private equity company, Tata doesn’t invest in existing companies with an eye toward a profitable exit. Typically the companies Tata invests in have been created by the group in the first place. Most carry the Tata name and operate with the understanding that they are members of the Tata family and aren’t at risk of getting auctioned off.
As if that’s not tangled enough, Tata Sons, in turn, must answer to representatives from the Tata Trusts, which control 66% of the holding company. The trusts are nonprofit charities. Their mandate is to ensure Tata Group companies reflect the values of its founders and “give back” to Indian society as a whole. But they depend on Tata dividends to support their philanthropic activities—and those dividends could be imperiled if Tata keeps struggling.
That philanthropy is central to the Tata legacy. In the years before India cast off British rule, the “House of Tata” was a source of pride for many Indians who saw the group’s industrial prowess as proof that homegrown businesses could prosper despite attempts by colonial masters to hold them back. Founder Jamsetji and his descendants burnished the group’s reputation by cultivating an ethos of social responsibility, channeling their personal wealth into a network of trusts that remain among India’s most generous philanthropic institutions to this day. Large bequests from Tata Trusts helped found the Indian Institute of Science, devoted to developing the technical skills of India’s youth, and the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, the nation’s leading center for cancer treatment and research.
That ethos shows in Jamshedpur, the built-from-scratch city where the family established the first Tata Steel plant, in the first decade of the 20th century. The Tatas invited socialist economists Sydney and
Beatrice Webb to India to advise them on social services for workers. Outside the plant, Tata carved a suburban oasis complete with schools, hospitals, cricket pitches, and public gardens. Jamshedpur remains the only municipality in India where you can drink water directly from the tap.
Decades of this kind of industrial achievement and public munificence have cemented Tata’s status as India’s most-trusted company. The company gained global cachet under the leadership of Ratan Tata, who reigned as Tata Group chairman from 1991 to 2012.
Tall, ruggedly handsome, and taciturn, Ratan Naval Tata (often referred to by his initials, RNT) has long been seen as the Grand Old Man of Indian business—chairman not just of Tata but, in a figurative sense, of India Inc. RNT is not a direct descendant of Jamsetji, the group founder; rather, he is the great-grandson of a niece of Jamsetji’s wife. His father, Naval (whose family name also happened to be Tata), was a poor orphan who was adopted by the widow of Jamsetji’s second son, Ratan. Thus, though Naval came from a poor family, he and his son were raised as part of the wealthy Tata household. After earning an architecture degree at Cornell in 1962, Ratan returned to India and was dispatched to Jamshedpur for an apprenticeship amid the blast furnaces of Tata Steel. He was later taken under the wing of group chairman JRD Tata, his adoptive uncle, who in 1991 named Ratan as his successor.
As chairman, Tata cut a dashing figure, celebrated in the Indian press for his love of small planes (he is an accomplished pilot), expensive cars (he is often spotted cruising Mumbai’s Marine Drive in his red Ferrari California), and stray dogs (at his behest, the city’s mongrels are allowed to roam freely in the lobby of group headquarters in Bombay House).
RNT was the driving force behind Tata Group’s global expansion after 2000. He championed the acquisitions of Tetley, Corus, JLR, and the Pierre. And yet he exuded a quiet humility that enabled him to blend images of ambitious global industrialist and modest man-of-the-people. At home, his signature initiative was the Nano, a car for low-income families that sold for as little as $2,000.
Legal documents filed in the courts by Cyrus Mistry paint a less flattering portrait of RNT. The Mistrys have a long history with Tata Group. The Mistry family business, one of India’s largest construction and engineering conglomerates, helped to build factories for Tata Steel and Tata Motors, as well as Tata’s flagship Taj Mahal Hotel. There are differing accounts of how the Mistry family accumulated the 18.4% share in Tata Sons that made it the holding company’s largest private shareholder. But by 1980, the family’s influence was well established, and that year, Cyrus’s father, Pallonji, took a seat on Tata Sons’ board. There, his reputation as a quiet, behind-the-scenes power broker earned him the nickname “Phantom of Bombay House.” Cyrus became a Tata director in 2006 after his father retired, and was regarded by other directors as intelligent and hardworking.
The Tata-owned Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India in July. Vivek Singh for Fortune Magazine
Mistry declined to comment for this article, and Ratan Tata declined to make himself available for an interview. But in the aftermath of Mistry’s defenestration, Tata Sons has sought to portray Mistry as a bumbling corporate naïf, dependent for ideas on a coterie of outside advisers and flummoxed by the complexities of running a large conglomerate. The company’s official explanation is that Mistry had to go because he moved too slowly to turn around the group’s money-losing businesses, failed to show sufficient respect for the group’s culture, and lost the confidence of the rest of the board.
Mistry’s version, reflected in a letter sent to Tata Sons’ board days after his ouster, is that he was sacked because he pushed too hard to clean up messes left to him by his predecessor and raised too many questions about the Tata Group’s dealings with Ratan Tata’s friends and business partners. He claims that at every turn he was “severely constrained” by Trust-appointed directors beholden to RNT.
In Mistry’s account, the idea that he take over as chairman was Ratan Tata’s in the first place. He says that when Tata invited him in 2011 to be considered as a candidate, Mistry demurred, saying he was happy running his own business. But Ratan Tata was approaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, and the Tata Sons search committee failed to turn up acceptable alternatives. There were no obvious family candidates on the Tata side; Ratan had never married. It would not have been lost on Mistry that his father’s stake in Tata Sons was now far more valuable than his own family businesses. And so, in 2012, when Tata approached him a second time, Mistry acquiesced. (Tata Sons says the decision to appoint Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons was made on the basis of a recommendation by a selection committee, not RNT alone.)
Cyrus Mistry, left, scion of a family that is one of Tata Sons' largest shareholders, was ousted as the company's chairman in October 2016. Mistry's predecessor, Ratan Tata (at right, in blue suit with Chandra) had groomed him for the post, but Mistry eventually lost his job after clashing with the company's board. Bhushan Koyande—Hindustan Times/Getty Images
In announcing Mistry as his successor, Tata was effusive and promised to give the new chair “space.” But there were problems from the start. Tata had ruled the group with a free hand. He served as chairman of both Tata Sons and Tata Trusts, and over the years installed loyal allies on the boards of both.
But Tata balked at giving that much authority to Mistry. He surrendered his position as chairman of the holding company but stayed on as chairman of the trusts.
Shortly after Mistry’s appointment, Tata pushed through a change in company bylaws granting greater power to trust-appointed directors on Tata Sons’ board. In 2014 he won approval of a second change in Tata Sons’ bylaws that gave trust-appointed directors “affirmative voting rights,” which Mistry claims effectively granted them a pocket veto over any major board decisions. Tata Sons says the changes were designed to improve decision-making efficiency, not constrain the authority of the chairman, and were adopted with Mistry’s support. But Mistry came to see the trust-appointed directors as “postmen” whose sole function was to deliver instructions from Tata himself.
In his letter to the board, Mistry charges that soon after his appointment as chairman, Tata pressured him to approve proposals for two joint ventures with Asian air carriers—one with Malaysia’s AirAsia, and another with Singapore Airlines. Mistry saw these as a vanity projects, reflecting Tata’s personal obsession with airplanes, rather than carefully considered business propositions. He says he protested both deals but felt compelled to accede. “My pushback was hard but futile,” he wrote.
Mistry also claims Tata resisted his efforts to close Tata Steel’s U.K. operations and kill off the Nano, the low-cost passenger car. Mistry thought the Nano had no hope of ever turning a profit. He claims Tata fought to preserve the car partly for “emotional reasons” and partly because the Nano was a crucial supplier for an electric vehicle company in which Tata had a personal stake. Tata and Tata Sons have denied those allegations. Tata Sons says the board voted to “substantially divest” from its U.K. steel operations and that no pressure was put on Mistry to keep them. The company also says Nano’s supply arrangements with the electric vehicle manufacturer in which Ratan Tata had a stake were for prototypes only and that RNT fully disclosed his financial interest in the manufacturer to Tata Sons board in advance of the transaction.
Mistry also has charged that during Ratan Tata’s final years as chairman, the Tata Group made more than $3 million in fraudulent payments to fictitious businesses in Singapore and India, granted uncompetitive contracts to one of RNT’s friends, and allowed another, south Indian businessman C. Sivasankaran, to take a large stake in a Tata telecom venture at an artificially low price. (Tata Group says the claims are “baseless” and that the sale to Sivasankaran was a “matter of commercial negotiation” approved by the Tata board.) At Mistry’s last board meeting a month before he was fired, he had successfully argued that action should be taken against Sivasankaran’s Siva Group in relation to a 2008 agreement involving Tata, Siva, and Japan’s NTT DoCoMo.
Tata Sons has denied those allegations, and so far Mistry has made little headway in India’s courts. In April, the National Company Law Tribunal refused to grant a waiver to Mistry family firms from the minimum shareholding requirement for filing a petition alleging mismanagement and oppression of minority shareholders.
His success in turning TCS into a cash cow made Chandra a logical candidate to lead the group. In other ways he is an unlikely choice: In Tata’s 149-year history, he is the first non–family member chosen to chair the group. And he is a Tamil, not a Parsi.
Chandra grew up in a rural village in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. His father was a farmer. Chandra excelled in math and computers at the regional engineering college where he earned his undergraduate and master’s degree, and accepted an internship at TCS in 1987 that led to a job offer a few months later. Until February, he had never worked for any other company, and he jokes that he’s never had to bother with a résumé.
Colleagues describe Chandra as disciplined and hardworking. Clients applaud him as an affable, attentive listener. Many ascribe TCS’s success to Chandra’s insistence on meeting face-to-face with customers to understand their needs. To get in front of clients as often as possible, he typically spent 200 days a year on the road in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, often sleeping many nights in a row on a plane.
At TCS, Chandra shared his passion for running, cajoling senior executives to join him at 5 a.m. for “team building” runs, and offering support for local running clubs. In India, Chandra’s enthusiasm for marathons is widely credited for sparking a boom in the sport. His coach, Deepak Chandra (no relation), calls the executive “the father of running in India.” Chandra has signed on TCS as a sponsor for marathons in Boston, Chicago, Amsterdam, and Berlin. And in 2014, the company became the title sponsor of the New York City Marathon.
Competitors in the World Men's 10K Bangalore 2013, one of dozens of races worldwide sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services. Chandra's advocacy has been credited with sparking a boom in distance running in India, and the company now sponsors marathons and other races worldwide. EPA/Getty Images
What stands out in conversations about Chandra’s leadership style, at his company and in his athletic passion, is his fascination with data. “Nearly every conversation I have with Chandra is about how we can advance things through technology,” chuckles Michael Capiraso, president of New York Road Runners, the organization that manages the New York City Marathon.
With TCS’s help, New York’s marathon has become the most data-driven major race in the world. More than 300,000 people have downloaded a TCS-designed marathon app that helps spectators to track runners and monitor their performance. Ask Chandra about TCS’s work to digitize the marathon, and his eyes light up: “We have records for the 200,000 people who have run the race over the last 40 years. Who struggles at the Queensboro Bridge? How many people hit the wall when they come to the Bronx? You can dissect by age, by gender. We can know so many things. There is so much we can do.” Chandra says he wants bring that same focus to Tata. “Every company in the world can benefit from data,” he declares.
Will Chandra have more latitude to call the shots than Mistry? Ratan Tata remains ensconced as chairman of the Tata Trusts. And RNT’s former executive assistant, R. Venkataramanan, has been appointed managing trustee. But Chandra isn’t pushing significant changes to the reporting relationship with the trusts: “I am not briefing [them] on what we’re doing with every single company. But they are the primary shareholder for the group. I don’t think there is a conflict in keeping them informed.”
He’s treading carefully with projects near and dear to RNT. On the Nano, for example, Chandra stresses that Tata Motors will have other priorities. “Passenger car sales are small, and within that the Nano is even smaller,” he says, but adds, “I don’t think shutting down the Nano plant is a decision the team will make.”
He’s philosophical about his role: “You know the corporate world. If you are asking if I feel like I have as much power as any other CEO, the answer is yes. But it’s a process. It’s not like I can get up in the morning and say, ‘Hey, I want to exit financial services.’ There’s a discussion. I have a long conversation with the board. Every decision has to |
seems like a pretty strong reason never to use Microsoft's Live Messenger.
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Companies: microsoft, the pirate bayI'm not about this life. Image: Tom Godber/Flickr
Here's what happens when you get engaged: you experience roughly 24 hours of heady bliss, champagne, and congratulations. Then reality descends and you remember you now have to plan a wedding.
According to common sense, Pinterest, and Emily Post, the first step is to pick a date, which should be fairly simple. But if you want to get married in the cheap showiness of nature (and in Canada) like I do, weather is a pretty big consideration. Since my fiancé is a data journalist and I'm a science journalist, we naturally decided we'd choose the date based on data.
We started by narrowing down the dates. We're planning to get married in my hometown, in midwestern Ontario, around the 45th parallel. Summer there typically only lasts from mid June to mid September, and I've seen snow at both ends. July is the driest month of the summer: June can still get late spring showers and August is prone to summer thunderstorms. We limited it to July, with a couple weekends in late June and early August for good measure.
Like most rational people, we wanted to choose a Saturday, and July 14 is one of my best friends' birthdays (I'm not gonna steal her day), so that left us with eight potential dates in 2018:
June 23
June 30
July 7
July 21
July 28
August 4
August 11
August 18
First we pulled the rainfall from those dates for the last five years and averaged them, but after calling a meteorologist—the only other person in the world who considers this a perfectly reasonable way to choose a wedding date—I realized I needed more data.
An example of the data tables I was working with. Image: Environment Canada
"My wife and I kind of did a similar thing; she's also a meteorologist," said Charles Roop, a meteorologist at WCTV in Florida. "But I would go a little bit further back. Go back 30 years. You have a wider range to deal with in terms of climatological data."
So I pulled the daily precipitation data for my hometown for each of the prospective dates every year from 1984 through 2016. (Environment Canada has an online database, but you can find similar data for the U.S. from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)
Here's what it looks like:
As you can see, a lot of the time, these days have little to no rain at all. The few big spikes are all those August thunderstorms I mentioned (including nearly 3 inches of rain in 1984, and more than two inches in '99). A few millimeters of rain doesn't have to be a day-ruiner, but the risk of random massive storms in August made me write those dates off completely.
Then I calculated the average precipitation for each date based on the records from the last 32 years, here's what I found:
(Apologies to my fiancé for the ugly charts.)
July 21 is the most appealing date, with an average rainfall of just 0.78 millimeters compared to, say, August 4, with an average of 4.4 millimeters. And over the past few decades, July 21 hasn't been subject to any freak storms: the most it ever rained was in 1991, when less than half an inch fell.
Of course, a lower average history of rain doesn't ensure perfect weather. It could be too hot, or too cold, or cloudy, or foggy—but at least we have a better chance of being dry, right?
Even though there are no guarantees, to me, and my fiancé, it makes more sense to use the data at hand than to ignore it. But I still wondered: is this really a useful way to pick a date, or are we fooling ourselves thinking we can outsmart mother nature?
"That's the best you can do this far in advance," Roop told me. "But always have a contingency plan."
Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.I’ve been trying really hard not to be a sourpuss about this, because everyone seems to enjoy it a lot and I don’t want to be the jerk pissing in their cornflakes.
And yet!
Despite all the potential of the game, despite all the fervor all across the world, it doesn’t tickle my fancy.
It seems like the sort of thing I ought to enjoy. Pokémon is kind of my jam, if you hadn’t noticed. When I don’t enjoy a Pokémon thing, something is wrong with at least one of us.
I’m not talking about the recent update that everyone’s mad about and that I haven’t even tried. They removed pawprints, which didn’t work anyway? That sucks, yeah, but I think it’s more significant that the thing is barely usable.
I’ve gone out hunting Pokémon several times with my partner and their husband. We wandered around for about an hour each time, and like clockwork, the game would just stop working for me every fifteen minutes. It would still run, and the screen would still update, but it would completely ignore all taps or swipes. The only fix seems to be killing it and restarting it, which takes like a week, and meanwhile the rest of my party has already caught the Zubat or whatever and is moving on.
For the brief moments when it works, it seems to be constantly confused about exactly where I am and which way I’m facing. Pokéstops (Poké Stops?) have massive icons when they’re nearby, and more than once I’ve had to mess around with the camera angle to be able to tap a nearby Pokémon, because a cluster of several already-visited Pokéstops are in the way. There’s also a strip along the bottom of the screen, surrounding the menu buttons, where tapping just does nothing at all.
I’ve had the AR Pokémon catching screen — the entire conceit of the game — lag so badly on multiple occasions that a Pokéball just stayed frozen in midair, and I couldn’t tell if I’d hit the Pokémon or not. There was also the time the Pokéball hit the Pokémon, landed on the ground, and… slowly rolled into the distance. For at least five minutes. I’m not exaggerating this time.
The game is much more responsive with AR disabled, so the Pokémon appear on a bland and generic background, which… seems to defeat the purpose of the game.
(Catching Pokémon doesn’t seem to have any real skill to it, either? Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t understand how I’m supposed to gauge distance to an isolated 3D model and somehow connect this to how fast I flick my finger. I don’t really like “squishy” physics games like Angry Birds, and this is notably worse. It might as well be random.)
I had a better time just enjoying my party’s company and looking at actual wildlife, which in this case consists of cicadas and a few semi-wild rabbits that inexplicably live in a nearby park. I feel that something has gone wrong with your augmented reality game when it is worse than reality.
Let’s see if my reasoning is sound, here.
In the mainline Pokémon games, you play as a human, but many of your important interactions are with Pokémon. You carry a number of Pokémon with you. When you encounter a Pokémon, you immediately send out your own. All the NPCs talk about how much they love Pokémon. There are overworld Pokémon hanging out. It’s pretty clear what the focus is. It’s right there on the title screen, even: both the word itself and an actual Pokémon.
Contrast this with Pokémon Go.
Most of the time, the only thing of interest on the screen is your avatar, a human. Once you encounter a Pokémon, you don’t send out your own; it’s just you, and it. In fact, once you catch a Pokémon, you hardly ever interact with it again. You can go look at its stats, assuming you can find it in your party of, what, 250?
The best things I’ve seen done with the app are AR screenshots of Pokémon in funny or interesting real-world places. It didn’t even occur to me that you can only do this with wild Pokémon until I played it. You can’t use the AR feature — again, the main conceit of the game — with your own Pokémon. How obvious is this? How can it not be possible? (If it is possible, it’s so well-hidden that several rounds of poking through the app haven’t revealed how to do it, which is still a knock for hiding the most obvious thing to want to do.)
So you are a human, and you wander around hoping you see Pokémon, and then you catch them, and then they are effectively just a sprite in a list until you feed them to your other Pokémon. And feed them you must, because the only way to level up a Pokémon is to feed them the corpses — sorry, “candies” — of their brethren. The Pokémon themselves aren’t involved in this process; they are passive consumers you fatten up.
If you’re familiar with Nuzlocke runs, you might be aware of just how attached players — or even passive audiences — can get to their Pokémon in mainline games. Yet in Pokémon Go, the critters themselves are just something to collect, just something to have, just something to sacrifice. No other form of interaction is offered.
In Pokémon X and Y, you can pet your Pokémon and feed them cakes, then go solve puzzles with them. They will love you in return. In Pokémon Go, you can swipe to make the model rotate.
There is some kind of battle system in here somewhere, but as far as I can tell, you only ever battle against gym leaders, who are jerks who’ve been playing the damn thing since it came out and have Pokémon whose CP have more digits than you even knew were possible. Also the battling is real-time with some kind of weird gestural interface, so it’s kind of a crapshoot whether you even do the thing you want, a far cry from the ostensibly strategic theme of the mainline games.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think some no-name third-party company just took an existing product and poorly plastered Pokémon onto it.
The game is limited to generation 1, the Red/Blue/Yellow series. And that’s fine.
I’ve seen about six of them.
Rumor has it that they are arranged very cleverly, with fire Pokémon appearing in deserts and water Pokémon appearing in waterfronts. That sounds really cool, except that I don’t live at the intersection of fifteen different ecosystems. How do you get ice Pokémon? Visit my freezer?
I freely admit, I’m probably not the target audience here; I don’t have a commute at all, and on an average day I have no reason to leave the house at all. I can understand that I might not see a huge variety, sure. But I’ve seen several friends lamenting that they don’t see much variety on their own commutes, or around the points of interest near where they live.
If you spend most of your time downtown in a major city, the game is probably great; if you live out in the sticks, it sounds a bit barren. It might be a little better if you could actually tell how to find Pokémon that are more than a few feet away — there used to be a distance indicator for nearby Pokémon, which I’m told even worked at one point, but it’s never worked since I first tried the game and it’s gone now.
Ah, of course, there’s always Pokévision, a live map of what Pokémon are where… which Niantic just politely asked to cease and desist.
I put “free-to-play” in quotes because it’s a big ol’ marketing lie and I don’t know why the gaming community even tolerates the phrase. The game is obviously designed to be significantly worse if you don’t give them money, and there are little reminders of this everywhere.
The most obvious example: eggs rain from the sky, and are the only way to get Pokémon that don’t appear naturally nearby. You have to walk a certain number of kilometers to hatch an egg, much like the mainline games, which is cute.
Ah, but you also have to put an egg in an incubator for the steps to count. And you only start with one. And they’re given to you very rarely, and any beyond the one you start with only have limited uses at a time. And you can carry 9 eggs at a time.
Never fear! You can an extra (limited use) incubator for the low low price of $1.48. Or maybe $1.03. It’s hard to tell, since (following the usual pattern of flagrant dishonesty) you first have to turn real money into game-specific trinkets at one of several carefully obscured exchange rates.
The thing is, you could just sell a Pokémon game. Nintendo has done so quite a few times, in fact. But who would pay for Pokémon Go, in the state it’s in?
This game is bad and I wish it weren’t bad. If you enjoy it, that’s awesome, and I’m not trying to rain on your parade, really. I just wish I enjoyed it too.PENSIONER Tony says he has taken inspiration from Roman ramparts and from World War I defences to build a defensive wall around his house to keep his ex out.
Tony told Channel Nine’s A Current Affair he believed God was on his side and that US President Donald Trump, who is going ahead with his election promise to build a wall along the Mexican border, could take a leaf out of his book.
“Mr Trump is thinking about building a wall, he could learn a bit (from me) about keeping certain people out,” Tony said.
“It’s strong enough believe me. That’s good Australian hardwood. Trump’s wall will not be as strong as this.”
Camera Icon Tony said he wall is better than the one President Donald Trump plans to build between the US and Mexico. Picture: Channel 9, Channel Nine
Tony who lives on the NSW Central Coast, said he was forced to build the wall, which is over 2m tall and topped with barbed wire to keep his ex away because she is intent on “plundering and pillaging”.
“I thought the Romans used to put this up around their camp,” he said.
“It’s a bit symbolic.
“You fight your enemy that’s coming in to take your property without paying a cent for it.
“I’m going to go to extreme lengths to protect what is mine.”
And Tony has the support of his current partner Antoinette.
Camera Icon Tony’s defences come complete with barbed wire and a catapult. Picture: Channel 9, Channel Nine
“I really didn’t believe it, but then I saw it. It was a big shock,” she said.
Tony’s defence of his home also comes complete with a catapult.
However there is a problem with local council threatening Tony with a hefty fine because his building has not been approved.
A Current Affair said they attempted to contact Tony’s ex for comment but couldn’t get in touch.In the long history of Major League Baseball, there have only been two international franchises; the Toronto Blue Jays and the Montreal Expos. The Expos made history when they became the first international team in baseball history as part of MLB’s expansion of 1969 that included two American League teams, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots, and two Nationals League teams, the San Diego Padres and the Expos.
Expansion into Montreal made sense; baseball had long since held a strong foothold in the city, and it already had a minor league team, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Triple-A team, the Montreal Royals. In 1969, it became official: Montreal was the first team outside of the United States to have a franchise in MLB. In 1977, MLB added another team north of the border when it founded the Toronto Blue Jays as the second international team. For the next twenty-eight years the two teams represented an entire nation as the only two international teams.
But all good things must come to an end. Declining attendance in the Expos’ home, Olympic Stadium, made it apparent that the Expos would eventually relocate. In 2003 and 2004, their last two years, the Expos split their home games between Montreal and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan Puerto Rico in an attempt to increase revenue. In 2005, the team was relocated to Washington D.C. and became the Washington Nationals, and baseball was left with just one international team.
In recent years, MLB has been flirting with the idea of international expansion, and has made two recent trips back to Olympic Stadium. In 2014, the Blue Jays hosted the New York Mets for a two-game spring training series in Montreal. The trek back to Montreal was considered to be a financial success, and early reports from Evenko, the entertainment company producing the games, stated that they sold 75,000 tickets for the two games. Ticket sales were later confirmed to be even higher than that, as the two games ended up selling upwards of 96,000 tickets.
Earlier this year, MLB decided to again travel to Montreal during spring training for a pair of games between the Blue Jays and the Cincinnati Reds, likely because of how well the two game series drew in 2014. The games were again successful and the first of the two reportedly drew 46,314 fans.
Now, ten years after the Expos relocation to Washington, Major League Baseball is again thinking about expanding into international markets, but not just in Canada.
MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, said that there is consideration in adding a team in Mexico. “We see Mexico as an opportunity internationally,” says Manfred. “We also think a team in Mexico and a larger number of Mexican players in the big leagues could really help us continue to grow the Hispanic market in the United States.”
Manfred also stated that while an expansion to Mexico is realistic, the time frame of doing so is sketchy. “The prospects of having a Major League team here in Mexico are realistic. The difficult issue is the time frame,” Manfred says.
If Manfred does add a team to Mexico, it’s likely that another team would be added to give MLB an even thirty-two teams, and the most likely addition would be Montreal. “Mexico and Canada present the most fertile ground just in terms of the level of baseball interest and the proximity to our existing franchises.”
Now, for the first time in years, Major League Baseball could be on the verge on tapping into fresh, and financially lucrative, markets, and truly becoming an international sport.
Main Photo:US Vice President Joe Biden waits to speak during a press conference of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly at The Met in New York on September 20, 2016 (AFP Photo/Stephane De Sakutin)
Washington (AFP) - Vice President Joe Biden dismissed suggestions that the White House has failed to respond to Russian meddling in the US election, cryptically stating that Washington would be sending Moscow "a message" regarding its alleged hacking.
In an NBC interview excerpt released Friday, Biden paused and gave a wry smile when asked why the US has not acted a week after US officials formally accused the Russian government of trying to interfere with the 2016 White House race.
"We're sending a message" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden said, smiling and nodding his head gently.
"We have the capacity to do it and the message will be sent. He'll know it and it will be at the time of our choosing and under the circumstances that have the greatest impact."
Asked whether the public will know, Biden responded tersely: "I hope not."
Officials have in the past said any cyberattacks on important US institutions would prompt a response, which could take the form of diplomatic or economic sanctions, or possibly cyber measures.
NBC later reported that the CIA was preparing a retaliatory cyberattack "designed to harass and 'embarrass' the Kremlin leadership."
A joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence was the first official accusation by Washington against Moscow in a spate of email hacks.Security researchers have discovered a flaw in iOS 8 that makes it possible to render any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch unusable when it's within Wi-Fi range.
Adi Sharabani and Yair Amit unveiled the zero-day vulnerability at RSA 2015. The attack, dubbed 'No iOS Zone', renders iOS devices unstable or even completely unusable by triggering constant reboots.
“Anyone can take any router and create a Wi-Fi hotspot that forces you to connect to their network, and then manipulate the traffic to cause apps and the operating system to crash,” Sharabani told the RSA security conference. “There is nothing you can do about it other than physically running away from the attackers. This is not a denial-of-service where you can't use your Wi-Fi – this is a denial-of-service so you can't use your device even in offline mode.”
The attack works by manipulating the SSL certificates sent to iOS over Wi-Fi but the full technical details won't be revealed until Apple has fixed it.
"As the vulnerability has not been confirmed as fully fixed yet, we’ve decided to refrain from providing additional technical details, in order to make sure iOS users are not exposed to the exploit caused by this vulnerability."
Notably, the attack can also be combined with HTTP request hijacking to feed the device information from the hacker's servers.
Check out the video below or hit the link for more details...
Read More [via The Register]The Higgs boson is believed to give other particles their mass. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
By Miriam Kramer
LiveScience
An announcement Thursday confirming that a newfound particle discovered at the world's largest atom smasher last year is a Higgs boson — the theorized particle that could explain how other particles get their mass — has left physicists hopeful about the future of their research.
Particle confirmed as a Higgs boson
Although these newest findings confirming a Higgs — presented at the annual Rencontres de Moriond conference in Italy — have not led to the frenzied storm of excitement created by the particle's initial discovery on July 4, 2012, the work has still energized researchers.
"There is better evidence now, but in some sense, it's also incredibly expected," Peter Woit, a physicist at Columbia University, told LiveScience.
"It is very exciting to be here, and this year just has been quite exhilarating as a particle physicist!" Meenakshi Narain, a professor of physics at Brown University, wrote to LiveScience from the conference.
Last year, physicists working with the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland declared that they had found a new elementary particle matching the findings that would be expected from the predicted Higgs boson, which was theorized by physicist Peter Higgs and his colleagues in 1964. The two experiments, named ATLAS and CMS, still needed further confirmation before physicists could state definitively that they had found the particle, however. [In Photos: Searching for the Higgs Boson]
"When we discovered the particle, we knew we found something significant," ATLAS scientist and New York University professor Kyle Cranmer said in a statement. "Now, we're just trying to establish the properties."
The results presented on Thursday are just one more step toward establishing those properties more firmly, Woit added.
"The interesting thing today was that one of the experiments (the CMS) hadn't updated its data since the middle of last year," Woit said. "Everyone had been waiting to see what the new data was."
Whereas the findings released in July 2012 were robust enough to confirm that a "Higgs-like" particle had been found, the newest science from the CMS refines some of the data, providing the strongest evidence yet that this is the particle predicted by the Standard Model, the reigning theory governing particle physics.
"In coming years, it (the LHC) will study many more of them, and that's what people will be focused on, hoping to see something unexpected," Woit said. "No matter how hard one works at this though, one will only ever have partial information, never get to 100 percent sure that this particle is behaving exactly according to the theory."
Narain agreed, "This of course increases our confidence that this is indeed a Higgs boson. At this point I don’t think there are many people in the particle physics community who seriously doubt that this is a Higgs boson. I am not sure it is meaningful to quantify this with a number such as 99 percent or 100 percent certain."
Some think Thursday's announcement should not distract physicists as they work on the many other scientific questions that need to be answered.
"Clear evidence that the new particle is the Standard Model Higgs boson still would not complete our understanding of the universe," Patty McBride, head of the CMS Center at Fermilab, said in a statement. "We still wouldn't understand why gravity is so weak, and we would have the mysteries of dark matter to confront. But it is satisfying to come a step closer to validating a 48-year-old theory."
Follow us @livescience, Facebook or Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.It’s iOS 8 release day today! If you have a compatible device capable of installing and running iOS 8, then it’s that time of the year again when you should be making a full backup, absorbing the release schedule in your territory and preparing yourself to enter the lottery that is progressing past Apple’s authentication servers.
Apple’s latest iteration of its powerful mobile operating system will be available to download tomorrow. The initial unveiling of iOS 8 this summer lifted the lid on an operating system that is a direct continuation of the major changes introduced as part of the previous year’s iOS 7 overhaul. Unlike the introduction of iOS 7, iOS 8 represents a more evolutionary progression for Apple, with a number of important improvements complimenting that hard work that has already been put in over the last 24-months.
Apple has shown us in recent times that it is ready to break tradition and try new things. The introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is one such example that proves the fresh new approach of the company. However, some things are unlikely to change, and if we take a glance back at previous release times for the various iterations of iOS then we immediately see that Tim Cook’s men like to flip the switch at 10am PDT (Pacific Time). We have no official word from the powers that be at Apple, but it’s fairly likely that iOS 8 will be readily available at 10am PT / 1pm ET in the United States. We can provide relatively accurate times in other territories based on that prediction.
We are all just excited, waiting for the official launch of the software as much as the next iPhone or iPad owner. We want all of our readers to be as prepared as possible for when the update finally goes live tomorrow, leaving you in the best possible position to get in on your device immediately to start interacting with the plethora of improvements and new features.
United Kingdom residents; make sure you’re around at 6pm British Summer Time. If you’re lucky enough to be a resident of Casablanca then 6pm is the time to mark in your diary. You get the picture.
* indicates adjustment for daylight saving time (DST) or summer time.
iOS 8 is compatible with the iPod touch 5, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and of course, Apple’s new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. From an iPad perspective, you can get iOS 8 on iPad 2, iPad with Retina, iPad Air, iPad mini and the iPad mini with Retina display. Make sure you take a thorough glance over the attached release schedule to get a better understanding of the times relating to your area.
You may also like to check out:
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.
Related StoriesBack from his Frozen Summer Fun press preview weekend, Steve goes it solo on this latest show, to give you the lowdown on all the Frozen Summer Fun festivities in Disneyland Paris. Hear about the Frozen Sing-along, Frozen Marketplace, Frozen in Dreams! and the possibility of Frozen characters returning this Christmas. There’s live audio from Disneyland Paris itself, a report from the very first Star Wars Jedi Academy press preview which Steve attended and a handful of rumours about new character meet and greets on their way and a Frozen show at Christmas!
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We’d love to hear what you thoughts on this Frozen Summer Fun 55th episode of the podcast and if you have any suggestions for the next topic of the week, or if you just want to say hello. You can email us at podcast@dedicatedtodlp.com, tweet Steve at @DedicatedToDLP and Mark is @FuseMP, and you can find us on Facebook here. You can also see Dedicated to DLP TV on our YouTube Channel.Middle Panel Content Area 3
Male family violence victims on safer pathway
Issued: Monday, 7 November 2016
[PDF, 124kb]
For the first time in NSW, male victims of domestic and family violence will receive dedicated support, NSW Attorney General Gabrielle Upton and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward announced today.
"As part of a record investment in domestic and family violence prevention, the 2016-17 Budget included $13.3 million over four years to make it easier and faster for men and boys to get help when they need it," Ms Upton said.
"From this month, the Men's Referral Service (MRS) pilot will provide a centralised service for all male victims of family violence to connect them with specialist, local support."
In 2015-16, NSW Police identified 3,700 male victims as being at serious threat and referred them to Victims Services for support, as part of the Safer Pathway program.
"This roll out means even more victims across the state will receive coordinated help and support to free their lives from violence," Ms Goward said.
"Under a Liberal-National Government record investment, victims no longer have to shop around to get the services they need, nor will they have to re-tell their story to a multitude of government agencies."
MRS has been established as a Local Coordination Point to assess male victims and refer them onto local support services set up in 48 locations throughout the State.
Consistent service delivery across the state for all victims despite gender, age, or sexual orientation is a vital part of the pilot.
The Men's Referral Service is uniquely qualified to deal with the impact of domestic and family violence, with specialist expertise in recognising and managing perpetrator behavior, and the ability to refer victims to the best and safest local support service.
The pilot will be evaluated by the Department of Justice as part of the Safer Pathway program.Find the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2019 with 7.6 million games and more than 70,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year!
Find the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2019 with 7.6 million games and more than 70,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year!
5/23/2015 – The Rabat Blitz Marathon has stuck to its guns and been able to perpetuate a fantastic tradition much appreciated by top pros and aficionados of the modality. This year the 21-round blitz bonanza, held in a single monumental stretch, saw the presences of top names such as Mamedyarov and Shirov, but the player to stand on the top was Dutch GM Erwin L'Ami. A large pictorial with analysis.
During my intense globe-trotting over the years, I have never thought I could feel the pulse of a new country in just one weekend! This was the amount of time I could afford to spend in Rabat and, using a pun which works out well only in Romanian, I had no intention to make any “rabat” (= rebate, allowance or reduction) on quality or quantity. My tournament schedule simply didn't allow me staying for more, as on the next weekend I am about to take part in the Limburg Open from Maastricht.
Greek-like blue washed walls but with an authentic Moroccan feeling
My usual fascination for traditional doors,...
...windows,....
... and alleys.
A walk around the old market is a pleasure for the eyes of both the camera and the photographer
No matter how adventurous I am, I still care about'small' details such as preparing or relaxing, so I cannot blame myself if anything goes wrong in the tournament. Fair enough, I can always blame the others…
Lots of colours and opportunities
If only we had a bit more time to see more, explore more
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar - Cherigui, Mourad
[Event "Rabat Blitz 2015"] [Site ""] [Date "2015.05.16"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Cherigui, Mourad"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "3r2k1/p4p2/3Pp1p1/1p1pP3/1Pr5/P4KP1/5P2/2R1R3 b - - 0 31"] [PlyCount "26"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {In any chess tournament, being it open or round robin, it is crucial to start on a good note. This is exactly what the highest rated player in the event did, despite having to wake up as early as 7 am and facing a rather dubious position at some point.} 31... f6 $1 {looks very promising for Black but the Azeri tricky player knows how to mess up with his opponents' minds:} 32. a4 $1 {the best defence is known to be the counter-attack, when practical problems must be solved; meanwhile, the clock is ticking...} (32. exf6 {obviously doesn't work in view of} Rxd6 $19) 32... a6 {the first concession, but a rather natural move to make, especially in a blitz game, when one has to count on intuition and automatisms.} ({Worth considering was:} 32... Rxc1 $5 {and I will give you a sample line, although far from being possible to calculate with seconds on the clock; rook endgames are never easy, even with hours at your disposal!} 33. Rxc1 bxa4 34. Kf4 $5 g5+ 35. Kg4 fxe5 36. Kxg5 Rxd6 37. Kf6 Rd8 38. Ra1 d4 39. Rxa4 d3 40. Ra1 d2 41. Rd1 Rf8+ 42. Kxe6 Rxf2 43. Kxe5 $11) 33. axb5 axb5 34. Ra1 $1 {keeping the rooks on the board, which is useful for both winning and drawing ideas...as we know, the top GM would always choose the first option.} Rxb4 35. Ra7 fxe5 36. Rc1 Rc4 37. Rh1 Rf8+ 38. Kg2 Rc2 39. Kh3 $5 {Shakh always finds a way to play for the win!} Rd8 $2 {What could be more logical than preventing White to promote the d-pawn?! Unfortunately this was the deadly mistake, as the energetic white king will march all the way to his enemy's camp:} ({Instead} 39... Rcxf2 {assures Black a comfortable edge if not a winning position, since} 40. Kg4 {is met by} R2f7 $1) 40. Kg4 Rcc8 41. Rhh7 Rc4+ 42. Kg5 Rcc8 43. Rag7+ Kf8 44. Kf6 {domination! And mate, of course:) } 1-0 [Event "Rabat Blitz 2015"] [Site ""] [Date "2015.05.16"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Cherigui, Mourad"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "3r2k1/p4p2/3Pp1p1/1p1pP3/1Pr5/P4KP1/5P2/2R1R3 b - - 0 31"] [PlyCount "26"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {In any chess tournament, being it open or round robin, it is crucial to start on a good note. This is exactly what the highest rated player in the event did, despite having to wake up as early as 7 am and facing a rather dubious position at some point.} 31... f6 $1 {looks very promising for Black but the Azeri tricky |
George Osborne. And it will come as no surprise that yet again this bankers’ chancellor is playing fast and loose with figures to justify his tax giveaways to a wealthy few.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest John McDonnell speaking outside parliament on Tuesday. Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
He spoke at a rally outside parliament on Tuesday against staff cuts at HM Revenue and Customs, calling on the government to focus instead on trying to boost the tax take from big companies. “The last thing you do if you want to close the tax gap is close offices and cut staff,” he tweeted.
The data from HMRC, published on Monday, also showed that successive increases in the tax-free personal allowance – a policy first championed by the Liberal Democrats in the coalition government and then adopted and extended by the Conservatives – meant that the total number of taxpayers had fallen by 200,000.
Osborne said: “Under this government, the richest pay a higher proportion of income tax.”
He took the opportunity to have a dig at McDonnell’s decision to take advice from the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and the journalist Paul Mason.
“Frankly, the fact that the Labour party is now getting its advice from Yanis Varoufakis and the revolutionary Marxist broadcaster Paul Mason does not suggest to me that they have got an answer to economic security. Presumably they chose those two because Chairman Mao was dead and Mickey Mouse was busy,” he said.
The chancellor is due to deliver his latest budget on 16 March, against the background of a fractious debate in the Tory party in the run-up to the EU referendum in June.
Osborne has already signalled that he could impose fresh departmental spending cuts to ensure that he meets his target of achieving a surplus on the public finances in the face of the deteriorating global economic outlook.
Speaking at a G20 finance ministers meeting at the weekend, Osborne said the environment had become “markedly worse” and may require further reductions in spending, which he would address in the budget.
• This article was amended on 2 March 2016. It previously stated John McDonnell had hired Yanis Varoufakis and Paul Mason. This has been corrected.Associated Press
Republicans are following President Donald Trump “over an ideological cliff,” Morning Joe‘s Joe Scarborough began this week, expanding on his previous week’s Late Show announcement that he is parting company with the GOP.
The GOP has “devolved into a party without a cause, dominated by a leader hopelessly ill-informed about the basics of conservatism, U.S. history and the Constitution,” Scarborough began Sunday, in an op-ed for Washington Post. Abraham Lincoln’s “once-proud party” has elected to the White House a man who gained his political foothold by becoming the leader of a racist movement against President Barack Obama, Scarborough scoffed.
Trump is failing Lincoln’s test, the country’s 16th POTUS having famously said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity. But if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” Scarborough wrote.
Republicans have stood by while Trump “questioned America’s constitutional system of checks and balances” and “echoed Stalin and Mao by calling free press ‘the enemy of the people’,” he continued.
“This party would be unrecognizable to William Buckley or Ronald Reagan,” Scarborough marveled Monday on his MSNBC program. Those two men espoused a smaller and more responsible government and a “rational foreign policy.” Even before Trump, George W. Bush promised to be a smaller-government conservative and talked about a restrained foreign policy. Instead, “we actually get record-setting deficits and record-setting debts and a foreign policy so utopian it would make Woodrow Wilson blush,” Scarborough said.
Trump’s budget plans would taking the country’s $20 trillion deficit and turn it into $30 trillion, Scarborough criticized. “There is nothing conservative about Donald Trump. He’s been a Democrat for most of his life. He discovered birtherism in 2011 and Republicans are literally following him over an ideological cliff. Why isn’t there more resistance?”Traffic light labels can give a false sense of security(Photo : Pixabay)
The labeling of product attributes using a traffic light system influences consumers in their purchasing decisions. A study by scientists from Munich and France reveals for the first time that this applies not only to food, but also to financial products - but not always in the way intended by the proponents of the system. Test subjects paid less attention to the uncertainty associated with the return on an investment when a traffic light label was added to the product information. In the case of food products, they paid less attention to other labels, for example the organic label.
Sugar: red; fat: yellow; salt: green. The so-called 'food traffic lights' used in Great Britain indicate the volume of certain nutrients contained in a product by means of color-coded information on the packaging. The intention is to enable consumers to identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with a food product at a glance. The traffic light labeling system is a controversial topic throughout Europe. Since the financial crisis, it is also discussed for investment products.
Scientists from the Technische Universität München (TUM) and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) have just published a study to examine the effect of traffic light labeling on consumer behavior, for the first time including its use on financial products. In two surveys, each of which involved 250 German participants, the test subjects were asked several times to decide between two investment products and two frozen pizzas with different attributes.
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Traffic light indicates the average return on the investment
In the case of the financial products, the flexibility to exit the investment varied, and some variants offered a state guarantee against total losses. Using bar charts, the product information showed the possible returns on an investment of 100 euros, for example the degree of certainty with which investors could expect a return of 90, 110 or 130 euros. In the case of the food products, the two pizzas differed in terms of price, and sometimes one was organic. In addition, a table showed the percentage of the recommended daily amount of sugar, fat and saturated fatty acids they contained (so-called GDA system).
The researchers showed the test subjects the product information for several different purchasing decisions, initially without and then with additional traffic light labeling. In the case of the investment products, a color was assigned to each of the three product attributes (flexibility, state guarantee, return). The color used for the return was based on the mean value of the potential return amounts. In the case of the pizzas, the traffic light indicated the volumes of the nutrients they contained, based on the British model.
Traffic lights focus attention on specific product attributes
In both cases, the consumers clearly trusted the traffic lights and the use of this system influenced their decisions: in the case of the investments, the attributes that were indicated in green played a more important role in their decisions. For example, even without the traffic light labeling, the test subjects attached great importance to the state guarantee; when the green traffic light label was applied to this attribute, it assumed even greater importance. In the case of the pizzas, the low fat content of a product played a minor role for the consumers when the products only included the table providing information about the recommended amounts of fat intake. When the traffic light was added, there was a clear increase in their willingness to purchase the low-fat pizza.
"The traffic light increases the consumers' awareness of certain attributes of a product," says Professor Jutta Roosen from the Chair of Marketing and Consumer Research at the TUM. "The study shows that the effect of the traffic light in the case of financial products is no different than that for food products."
Consumers purchase investments they previously deemed unsafe
However, the increased interest in the attributes labeled with the traffic lights can result in a reduced focus on other product characteristics. The pizza's organic label initially played a very prominent role in the consumers' purchasing decision. When the nutrient traffic light was added, the relevance of the organic label clearly declined.
Another unintended effect can arise when complex information is simplified and summarized by the traffic light system: the tests subjects were initially deterred from the investment when a considerable variance was indicated in the potential returns; the investment was obviously too uncertain for them. However, when the average potential return was also indicated by a traffic light, the consumers were more willing to invest - despite the fact that the same information was provided.
Halo effect: A positive attribute outshines everything else
"In this case, the labeling has a simplifying effect," says Roosen. "The traffic light creates a false sense of security and prompts consumers to ignore more complex product information. In research, we refer to a halo effect here: one positive attribute outshines everything else."
Therefore, if the traffic light system is introduced in other countries and sectors, the researchers recommend that it be as differentiated as possible. "The consumers trust the traffic lights. Therefore, considerable care should be taken to ensure that the labeling does not give rise to distorting effects that could bias consumer decisions," says Roosen. "This is particularly applicable to complex products like financial investments."The demise of Mexico's enigmatic pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan stemmed from a conflict among the civilisation's elite classes, with buildings set ablaze in the clash, according to a study.
The famed pyramids of the Sun and Moon are among the majestic structures that remain at the tourist site near Mexico City, centuries after Teotihuacan's population vanished.
The Pyramid of the Sun is one of the few remnants of the mighty fallen Teotihuacan civilisation. Credit:Reuters
What caused the civilisation to abandon the sprawling city in the 7th century has been the subject of many studies, with political, economic and social problems believed to be behind the exodus.
Linda Manzanilla, an anthropologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, now says the collapse was the result of a confrontation between the city's rulers and an "intermediate elite" comprised of entrepreneurs.In the movies, spooks and phantoms are often undead humans with unfinished business. But would you be afraid of a ghostly fruit fly?
In 1995, fruit fly researchers Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus were awarded a Nobel Prize for their research on development. They were interested in understanding how a fertilized egg develops into a complex organism, and were the first to show that development was controlled by genes. In their famous paper published in 1980, they found a small number of genes that were important in determining the body plan and formation of body segments in fruit fly larva.
Four years later, the same researchers published a set of papers on a group of genes that caused developmental defects in fruit fly embryos. When a gene in this group was mutated, the embryos died before the exoskeleton was created. The mutations somehow disrupted the formation of the embryonic cuticle, the protective outer layer that should form around the embryo. The researchers (not without a sense of humor after long grueling hours in the lab) dubbed them the Halloween genes. The genes earned their name not just because they mutated and killed, but because the mutant embryos took on a ghostly appearance. This resulted in gene names such as disembodied, spook, spookier, shadow, shade, shroud, and phantom.
Images of the cuticles of a normal fruit fly embryo and two with mutations in a Halloween gene. Modified from Images of the cuticles of a normal fruit fly embryo and two with mutations in a Halloween gene. Modified from Gilbert, 2004
So what do the Halloween genes do? Since the 1980s, researchers have discovered that all of the Halloween genes are cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes involved in synthesizing a steroid hormone called 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) from cholesterol. 20E is required for metamorphosis and moulting in arthropods such as insects and crabs. As a result, disruption of 20E synthesis in fruit flies blocked formation of the exoskeleton in embryos. Hmm… I had to look all that up.
The Halloween genes encode enzymes that convert cholesterol into the arthropod steroid hormone 20E. Modified from The Halloween genes encode enzymes that convert cholesterol into the arthropod steroid hormone 20E. Modified from Gilbert, 2008
CYP enzymes are found in most species and are involved in a very large variety of processes. In humans, they are involved in regulating hormones (among other things), including steroid hormones (just like in flies!). Steroid hormones are basically a group of steroids that act as hormones in the body, and they are synthesized from cholesterol (just like in flies!). Interestingly, testosterone and anabolic steroids, such as the ones that athletes may take, are actually steroid hormones. Thus, although mammals do not have 20E, they have other steroid hormones are important for development as well as reproduction, metabolism, and homeostasis, which allows cells to adapt to their changing environment. Because of these similarities, research in the Halloween genes may help us better understand how steroid hormones are synthesized in mammals.
Happy Halloween!
General References:Donald Trump has forgiven $50 million in loans he made to his campaign.
“[Trump] loaned $50 million to the campaign. He’s now forgiven that loan. So that is a contribution,” Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s campaign finance chairman, told CNBC Thursday. “[Trump] has also said he will contribute significantly more money.”
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Trump’s team released a statement later in the day, saying, “Mr. Trump has fully extinguished (terminated) this loan per his commitment. Therefore, he has personally invested in excess of $50 million dollars in the future of our country.”
The announcement comes as Trump’s fundraising efforts are escalating towards the general election. On Tuesday, in light of May fundraising numbers showing him significantly behind Hillary Clinton, Trump put out a statement saying, “If need be, there could be unlimited ‘cash on hand’ as I would put up my own money, as I have already done through the primaries.”
Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.Mom always told us not to play with our food, but we’ll have to make an exception for this crafty use of candy. Using only a pair of chopsticks and 18.9 meters (62 feet) of gummy string, one intrepid Twitter user from Japan managed to knit herself an edible scarf. The evidence and entire creation process coming at you after the jump!
Our adventurous knitter, who goes by the name Overtime Queen on Twitter, started out with 15 packages of citrus soda and cola flavored Ultra-string Q gummy candies that are said to be the longest-ever at over 126 centimeters (50 inches).
▼ 15 packs of string gummies at the ready.
▼ Here’s the candy unwrapped…looks a lot like yarn, we see where Overtime Queen got her idea.
Overtime Queen decided to go with a standard stocking stitch, 18 stitches across – a good width for a comfortable scarf.
▼ She even looks to be using chopsticks instead of knitting needles. How appropriate!
▼ “My hands smell like citrus soda and cola! They smell so good!”
Knitting the gummies together, just like she would if she were using yarn, the Twitter user was making progress on her edible scarf. By this point she went through five packages of the gummies, 10 more to go!
Here’s what her scarf looked like after using 10 packages of gummies. That’s over 12.6 meters (41 feet) of delicious, woven candy!:
Pressing on, she finally knitted all 15 packages of gummy string together. It took her an impressive three hours. Now that’s dedication!
▼ Although it’s not quite long enough to casually fling around your neck, her gummy scarf would make for a great arm protector.
The final product came in with some pretty impressive specs:
Gummies used: 15 packs
Dimensions: 25 cm x 15 cm (9.8 in x 5.9 in)
Weight: 450 grams (1 lb)
Calories: 1,500
Photo retweets: 23,846 (at the time of this writing)
After so many photos and step-by-step updates, we’re left with one question: Did Overtime Queen eat her gummy scarf? We can just imagine her sitting at home gnawing on the corner of her citrus soda and cola flavored accessory. But even if she didn’t manage to consume the entirety of her edible arrangement, it’ll still make for a beautiful stained-glass decoration:
Source: Twitter via My Game News Flash
Featured image: Twitter (ikd6)Donald Trump asked for the vote from “every single African American in this country who want to see a better future.”
Politico reported:
Renewing his effort to reach out to black voters at a rally Friday evening, Trump suggested that Democratic politicians that overwhelmingly govern in America’s inner cities have failed African-Americans. Trump told the Dimondale, Michigan, crowd that “we can never fix our problems by relying on the same politicians who created our problems in the first place. A new future requires brand-new leadership.”
“You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs. Fifty-eight percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?” Speaking before another largely-white audience in a town whose population is 93 percent white, Trump said, “And at the end of four years, I guarantee you that I will get over 95 percent of the African-American vote. I promise you. Because I will produce.”
“No group in America has been more harmed by Hillary Clinton’s policies than African-Americans. No group. No group,” he said. “If Hillary Clinton’s goal was to inflict pain on the African-American community, she could not have done a better job. It’s a disgrace. Tonight, I’m asking for the vote of every single African-American citizen in this country who wants to see a better future.”news Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has signalled he will defy a Senate order to publish by next Monday the full Strategic Review which will guide the future of the NBN project, stating instead that he expects the document to be released by the end of 2013.
The Strategic Review is being led by NBN Co’s Board and executive management. Its primary objective is to evaluate both the current NBN operational and financial performance as well as the timing, financials and product offers under alternative models of delivering very fast broadband to homes and businesses across Australia. Its recommendations will help shape the Government’s decisions regarding the future of the project.
Last week, NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski told the NBN Senate Select Committee that the company would deliver the Strategic Review to the Federal Government on Monday this week. This timeframe is in keeping with a pledge by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the review would be developed within 60 days of NBN Co having a new management team.
Subsequently, Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam signalled he would file a motion in the Senate that the Coalition table the Strategic Review document no later than noon on Monday 9 December. It is believed that Labor’s Senators supported the motion to assist it to pass in the Senate.
Despite this motion, however, Turnbull stated yesterday that he only expected to release the document by the end of the year.
“The Government received the working draft of the strategic review at the close of business yesterday,” a statement issued by Turnbull’s office said. “The report still needs to be approved by the NBN Co board next week. The Government expects that the report will be released by the end of the year.”
“The NBN Co has many sensitive commercial relationships and negotiations ahead of it, not least of which with Telstra, Optus and the various construction partners. Accordingly the Strategic Review of necessity contains material which is commercial in confidence and which the NBN Co would earnestly request not be published.”
“On the other hand, the Government wishes to make as much of the review publicly available as possible in the interests of transparency.”
“Accordingly, the Government has asked NBN Co for its advice as to what material it believes should be redacted and will then make a judgement as to how much of the Strategic Review can be released without materially damaging the commercial interests of the NBN Co.”
This approach of providing the Government of the day with a draft of pending reports has largely become standard practice for the production of this style of report, under both Labor and the Coalition, although some commentators have criticised the approach for having the potential to undermine the independence of such reports.
Like the Greens, Labor has also previously demanded Turnbull release the full NBN report. However, Labor is also withholding documents relating to the NBN project. Last week, for example, the Opposition confirmed it would not consent to key Labor cabinet documents related to the NBN being publicly released, despite the fact that the documents are several years old.
Of high interest is a report a report produced by investment bank Lazard back in 2010 that warned the then-Labor administration of major risks to the NBN plan. Details about the report were recently revealed by The Australian newspaper, but the report itself has never been released publicly. It was one of a number of reports commissioned by the Government at the time and presents one view of the NBN. Other reports presented different views.
The refusal to release the document let Turnbull off the hook somewhat, as the Minister had pledged to consider asking his department to publicly release his incoming ministerial briefing document if Labor allowed key NBN cabinet documents dating from its administration to be released.
“Cabinet documents are kept confidential by Governments of both persuasions,” said Clare at the time. “If Mr Turnbull wants to change that convention, he probably should run it by the Prime Minister.”
In addition, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy initially refused to release NBN Co’s first business plan delivered in late 2010. At the time, the Greens and Coalition teamed up in the Senate to compel the release of the document, but the then-Labor administration proved reticent to comply. Conroy eventually relented and released the document under intense public pressure to do so.
Image credit: Office of Malcolm TurnbullA new report today yet again suggests that customers looking to get an iPhone X this year might face quite the challenge.Jeff Pu, an analyst with Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting, has cut his forecast of the number of iPhone X devices that will be produced this year from 40 million units to 36 million. It's the second time he has revised down his estimate, which originally totaled 45 million earlier this year.The underlying reason is that Apple's suppliers are still struggling to perfect manufacturing of the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera and 3D facial recognition system, according to Japan's Nikkei Asian Review. We first heard about the production issues from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo a few weeks ago.Multiple reports have claimed it has taken more time to assemble the TrueDepth system's so-called "Romeo" module than the "Juliet" module The "Romeo" module reportedly includes the dot projector that beams more than 30,000 invisible dots to create a precise depth map of your face, while the "Juliet" module includes the infrared camera that analyzes the pattern. Together, they help power new iPhone X features such as Face ID and Animoji.Pu maintained his belief that the iPhone X will enter mass production in mid-October and begin to be shipped from China to the first wave of launch countries next week. iPhone X pre-orders begin Friday, October 27, just over two weeks from now. The device officially launches Friday, November 3.Philadelphia, spectacular sky-high views of the City of Brotherly Love will soon be an elevator ride away.
The wait is nearly over — One Liberty Observation Deck opens Saturday, November 28 marking the public debut of Philadelphia’s first highly accessible observation deck.
Operated by Montparnasse 56 (or M56) — a Paris-based company that manages observation decks in the John Hancock Tower in Chicago and the Montparnasse 56 Tower in Paris — the observatory on the 57th floor of One Liberty Place in downtown Philadelphia will supply the chance to score panoramic views of the cityscape, interact with innovative technology and check out Philly-centric art installations.
Read on for a primer on One Liberty Observation Deck and make plans to go see “Philly From The Top.”
FAST FACTS:
One Liberty Observation Deck opens Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m.
The deck offers panoramic views of Philadelphia from the 57th floor of One Liberty Place
The Deck will be open 365 days a year, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Tickets start at $14 for youth, $19 for adults
The express elevator to the 57th floor is a 75 second ride
The Observation Deck Experience
Currently the tallest standing attraction within Philadelphia, One Liberty makes an ideal locale for this key new urban attraction.
There are currently only a few spots around town that offer any comparable bird’s-eye view of Philadelphia, including the City Hall Tower Observation Deck, R2L and Nineteen. One Liberty Observation Deck, though, is the first attraction that’s both super accessible and devoted solely to viewing “Philly From The Top.”
The attraction consists of three levels — the ground floor entry, a second-floor ticketing lobby and the 57th-floor observatory. At 883 feet above street level, the observatory offers 360-degree views of Center City and well beyond, with opportunities to view the cityscape in every direction.
In addition to panoramic views, each floor includes interactive experiences and installations including a towering Benjamin Franklin sculpture, Philadelphia-focused listening stations and six multi-lingual touch screens that allow visitors to zoom in on a single point hundreds of feet below.
Admission and Passes
Tickets to One Liberty Observation Deck will be available for purchase both online and in-person at the attraction. Admission starts at $14 for youth (ages 3-11) and $19 for adults. Students and groups can reach out for discounted prices.
Tickets are now available online and advance online ticket purchases come with timed reservations (read: no need to wait in line at the box office).
Note that general admission tickets will still be available in person, too, with wait times dependent upon visitor volume.
Getting There and Staying Over
To get to the top, enter via the Shops at Liberty Place or the courtyard entrance at 1650 Market Street.
From there, visitors will head up an escalator to the second floor where tickets are purchased and the elevator to the 57th floor departs.
The new observatory also makes for a great excuse to stay overnight in Philadelphia to see the glittering lights of the city after dark from 883 feet above street level. Check out visitphilly.com for super deals on hotel stays and the Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package.
We’re thrilled that Philadelphia will soon have an observation deck so visitors and residents can access amazing skyline views — and score the accompanying photography and Instagrams.
Let’s get ready to discover Philly from great heights.
Coming Attraction: One Liberty Observation Deck When: Opening November 2015 Where: 1650 Market Street Cost:$19, adult general admission; $14, youth general admission; free, children under 3 More info: www.phillyfromthetop.comFollowing an email exchange with Sputnik reporter Bill Moran, Newsweek’s Kurt Eichenwald accidentally exposed that Intelligence services and the US government control the Western media and that journalists have their lives threatened to misinform the public.
In the last few years, no Western media outlet has been more bombastic and seemingly Russophobic than Newsweek. For people around the world who hold a dissenting thought over US hegemony, this magazine flies in their faces every day.
Two Sputnik International reporters have just opened a Pandora’s box on our media establishment. A Newsweek reporter is now in the frying pan over dropping the dime on US intelligence’s role in public media and the presidential election.
When a young Sputnik writer and editor recently fell for a doctored screenshot from the WikiLeaks release of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails, one of Newsweek’s reporters jumped at the opportunity to not only condemn Sputnik but to roll presidential hopeful Donald Trump into a great-big-lie.
The short version of this part of the story is Sputnik’s Bill Moran jumped at what he thought was a scoop and published an article based on a misattribution.
What happened next has led to a de-cloaking of who is behind Western media propaganda: none other than our friendly US intelligence services!
The screenshot in question was a viral entity all its own, but it was Moran’s story (hastily redacted) that provided the impetus for an anti-Trump escapade by one of America’s most famous news magazines.
When Donald Trump’s quoted the screenshot that damned Hillary Clinton advisor Sidney Blumenthal for the 2012 Benghazi affair, Kurt Eichenwald seized upon the Sputnik writer’s error and published the apparently damning story
“DEAR DONALD TRUMP AND VLADIMIR PUTIN, I AM NOT SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL.”
Here the story gets interesting. Kurt Eichenwald went before CNN and the rest of US media to elaborate on his story, to milk what he thought could slight not only Donald Trump but Vladimir Putin as well. Eichenwald wrote:
“I am Sidney Blumenthal. At least, that is what Vladimir Putin — and, somehow, Donald Trump — seems to believe. And that should raise concerns not only about Moscow’s attempt to manipulate the election but also about how Trump came to push Russian disinformation to American voters.”
A Twitter exchange then occurred between Eichenwald, Bill Moran, and another Sputnik reporter, Cassandra Fairbanks.
Eichenwald “blocked” Moran without giving the journalist an opportunity to clarify his mistake. At that point, Fairbanks stepped in as a moderator.
Long story short, Moran exchanged emails with Eichenwald, who then committed the equivalent of journalistic seppuku with his responses.
This story by Fairbanks draws the curtain back. Eichenwald goes so far as to try and bribe Moran; he loops in US intelligence, the FBI, and the deeper implications of government coercing reporters to write anti-Putin anti-Trump dogma “or else.”
Eichenwald wrote to Moran:
“You need to ask yourself — how does someone like me who is deeply wired into the intelligence community know so fast that you had posted this? It’s not like I was sitting around reading Sputnik. Others are though, and they are not reading it 24-hours a day in real time for the purpose of keeping abreast of the news.”
The Newsweek writer and Vanity Fair editor went on to tell Moran of his
“colleagues being blistered with claims of treason, physical threats, and pictures of dead children sent to them”
and of how ordinary journalists now live in fear.
The Sputnik revelations uncover a corrupt system of control we’ve begun slowly to discover these last three years. Sources I cannot name at other major media have alluded to this coercive strategy as well.
The Moran-Fairbanks report proves once and for all that America’s media is orchestrated by those in control of the government.
This paragraph from Eichenwald’s Sputnik-Trump roasting article frames all that is wrong with the western press today. I have “bolded” key propaganda elements:
“But the Russians had faked it all (unsubstantiated), taking a real document released by WikiLeaks and altering it to create a bogus story—one that ultimately (later it was proved Trump was duped before Sputnik) was picked up by Trump himself. Since Newsweek first broke the story online, some journalists have speculated that the misrepresentation of the email may have merely been an error by an overworked Russian news agency (I can attest to this myself). However, according to a government official with direct knowledge of the American intelligence agencies’ inquiry into the Russian hacking campaign, and who spoke on condition of anonymity, that theory is “absurd.” (insert CIA or NSA story here)”
In a nutshell, Newsweek and other mainstream media not only attempt to besmirch the Republican nominee for president, and push the fallacy that Russian propaganda is aimed at swaying American voters, they work in a collusive union with the likes of John Podesta broadcasting the Clinton agenda.
This WikiLeaks revelation about Politico’s chief political correspondent Glenn Thrush helps cement what Sputnik journalists were trying to show.
Thrush’s “don’t tell anyone” note to Clinton’s campaign boss show us the destruction of truth in Western media is concrete.
In a moment of clarity – or lunacy – Eichenwald tried first to coerce a Sputnik journalist by offering to help him get a job with the New Republic, but in the process, he told the world the methods the corporate and governmental elites deploy to control messages to Americans.
I cannot begin to emphasize how important this story is. Combined with other Podesta revelations, and with other coercion we’re starting to uncover, this Newsweek bomb is Orwellian.The Giants aren't going to give the Vikings their first loss in their shiny, new (and possibly bird killing) stadium Monday night. That's obviously not a statement of fact given the game has yet to be played, but it's my prediction for Week 4 of Monday Night Football. And no birds will be harmed in the process.
Based on both of their first three games, the 2-1 Giants' path to beating the unbeaten Vikings is actually rather simple: Don't turn the ball over.
Most will be quick to credit new quarterback Sam Bradford for getting the Vikings to a 3-0 mark -- after all, he outplayed Aaron Rodgers in prime time in his first start for the team -- but the majority of the credit belongs to the defense. The Bradford-helmed offense is actually setting records for being arguably the worst offense of a 3-0 team since the merger.
Vikings are the first team since the 1970 merger to open 3-0 despite scoring only 3, or fewer, offensive TD.@NFLResearch — Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 28, 2016
It's worth noting: Those numbers are skewed by Shaun Hill's Week 1 start, which led to field goals and no touchdowns. They're also affected by the absence of Adrian Peterson, who has missed roughly a game and a half.
Still, even when Peterson was healthy, they couldn't run the ball. He averaged 1.6 yards per carry before tearing his knee.
Since that injury, the Vikings have remained hapless in the run game. In the Vikings' post-Peterson world, Jerick McKinnon leads the team in carries with 19, but he's averaging 2.8 yards per run. Matt Asiata is second in carries with 16 and he's averaging 2.6 yards per run.
Backup quarterback Shaun Hill actually leads the team in yards per carry with 8 total yards on two runs.
Vikings are averaging mlb fewest rushing yards per game (51.0) of any team to start 3-0 since 1940 — Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) September 28, 2016
The entire offense -- not just the running game -- has been bad. As Chase Stuart wrote for 538, the Vikings have "compiled their 3-0 mark despite gaining only 796 yards of total offense, becoming only the fifth team since 1990 to start 3-0 with fewer than 800 offensive yards."
Don't expect the Vikings to suddenly break out Monday.
The Giants defense isn't the defense it was last season, not after going on a spending spree to land Olivier Vernon, Damon "Snacks" Harrison, and Janoris Jenkins. They retained Jason Pierre-Paul. They drafted Eli Apple. And now, the Giants' defense is ranked 11th in both yards and points allowed per game. The defense's ranking doesn't look as gaudy when using Football Outsiders' DVOA metric -- checking in as the 18th best defense -- but it made a huge jump up from its spot as the third worst unit a season ago.
As CBS Sports' Pete Prisco wrote in a film review of the Giants' defense, the biggest difference is that they finally have players.
So no, I don't see the Vikings offense lighting up the Giants defense. I also don't see the Giants offense lighting up the Vikings defense, because the Vikings defense looks like the Broncos defense from a season ago. They're ranked sixth in yards allowed, third in points given up, and third in DVOA. They've shut down the Packers and Panthers. Expect a low-scoring game, despite the Giants' offensive firepower.
And that's why I believe this game will come down to a costly turnover. Consider this: The Vikings defense has scored nearly as many touchdowns (2-3) as the entire offense thus far. Factor in a return touchdown, and the Jaguars defense and special teams are scoring as many touchdowns as their offense. Clearly, Eli Manning needs to take care of the football.
That might be an issue, though. In his career against the Vikings, Manning is completing 54.1 percent of his passes and averaging 5.92 yards per pass. He's thrown five touchdowns against 14 picks. His passer rating? 54.8.
But don't assume the Vikings have his number.
Eli Manning's funny full quote about the #Vikings who "have his number." He really dragged it out. pic.twitter.com/9MgyAaApHl — Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) September 28, 2016
Putting Manning's incredibly dry humor aside, I sorta feel like he wasn't just being funny to be funny. I think he was making a point, that his awful history against one team shouldn't matter. And it shouldn't -- both teams look totally different than the teams they looked like when Manning put up the vast majority of those awful statistics.
With that, Manning is coming off a game that included a back-breaking fourth quarter pick, which doomed the Giants against the Redskins. He actually threw two costly interceptions in the final frame.
Both of Eli Manning's Int came in the 4th Qtr. He has 63 Int in the 4th Qtr in his career, 9 more than any other QB since 2004. pic.twitter.com/tdDhASf8W5 — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 25, 2016
My prediction: Bradford limits his mistakes, as he's done for a while now (more on that later), and the Vikings grind out a 20-14 win, using a Manning turnover or two to set up the offense with advantageous field position.
Here are a few more stats to watch for during the game:
1. Defensive game might be better for the Giants
A defensive game, though, might be exactly what the Giants need. Including last week's loss, when Manning throws for at least 350 yards in a game, the Giants have posted a 7-13 record, according to STATS.
In those games, Manning's thrown 25 picks. And he's been more prone to multi-pick meltdowns, which makes sense given he's airing the ball out more frequently in those games. In seven of those games, he's tossed at least two interceptions -- like last week |
to buy the nomination.” Ogg won the Democratic primary and later the general election, thanks in part to her own last-minute money dump from Soros, who spent $500,000 on ads supporting Ogg.
Soon after she was sworn in, Ogg moved to Soon after she was sworn in, Ogg moved to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, placing her at odds with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ call for stricter enforcement of the nation’s drug laws.
Soros spent more than $7 million influencing local prosecutorial races in 2015 and 2016, The Washington Times Soros spent more than $7 million influencing local prosecutorial races in 2015 and 2016, The Washington Times reported
Billionaire George Soros REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
It appears that Soros will continue involving himself in local races.
His intervention on behalf of Krasner was the first time in Philadelphia history that a super PAC had supported a candidate for district attorney, Philadelphia Magazine His intervention on behalf of Krasner was the first time in Philadelphia history that a super PAC had supported a candidate for district attorney, Philadelphia Magazine noted. Whitney Tymas, an officer for the Soros-funded super PAC, told the magazine that the money flowing to Krasner was “because of his commitment to public safety and criminal justice reform.” As he often does, Soros worked from the shadows — Krasner claimed Soros supported him despite the fact that he’s “never met” the billionaire or anyone from his organization.
“I think everybody realizes that the vast majority of police officers in Philadelphia are really good people,” Krasner “I think everybody realizes that the vast majority of police officers in Philadelphia are really good people,” Krasner said in a conciliatory victory speech. “Like me, they hate bad police officers and they need the backing of law enforcement to make sure that the good police officers are promoted, that the good police officers have room to do their job, that the good police officers are safe, and that the bad police officers who endanger them and who cause there to be disrespect and a rift between them and the community are out of the way.”
Krasner’s supporters, however, showed far less tact.If there is anything that gets demagogic politicians and pundits riled up, it’s the closing of tax loopholes, and the tax-hike demagogues might just be getting one of their wishes come December.
Bloomberg reports that most online consumers will pay sales taxes in some shape or form in the next few months.
Currently, consumers pay taxes on goods purchased straight from Amazon, but they can avoid paying taxes on goods if they purchase them through Amazon’s third-party merchants. By the start of December this could all change, as several merchants are expected to start collecting taxes in return for partial amnesty from alleged back taxes.
No stranger to inciting controversy, Donald Trump has even jumped into the fray by stating in an earlier tweet that Amazon has brought “great damage to tax paying retailers.”
Those in favor of closing sales-tax loopholes contend that retailers such as Amazon are supposedly responsible for tax-base erosion and other fiscal imbalances in the states that they operate in. Although well intentioned, calls for closing tax loopholes miss the mark. The underlying problems that are overlooked in this discussion are the burdensome tax policies and profligate spending programs already present in many states.
Unbeknownst to many pro-tax politicians, tax hikes not only hurt the businesses themselves through lagging production, they also hurt consumers as companies pass the costs onto consumers via higher prices on goods and services.
Most of the states that have clamored for the closing of loopholes are characterized by their already byzantine tax systems and unsustainable spending programs. Art Laffer of Laffer Curve fame has demonstrated that raising taxes does not necessarily lead to increased tax revenue.
With labor and capital being more mobile than ever, raising taxes or even adding more forms of taxation can have a contractionary effect on state budgets and economies. In effect, many businesses must seek greener pastures in low-tax jurisdictions, thus denying their home state potential tax revenue and possibly exacerbating budget deficits.
This type of dynamic ensures tax competition among states, which is optimal for taxpayers. Pro-tax politicians obviously despise tax completion because it creates a “race to the bottom” of sorts that incentivizes state governments to keep taxes low. In turn, this creates a climate of fiscal discipline where states must respect the ability of taxpayers to shift economic activity to friendlier tax districts.
In the same vein, overspending does not give state governments a blank check to raise taxes wherever they want. Most of the spending problems that certain states face is due to the government’s overreach in many sectors of the economy such as education, healthcare, and transportation. Instead, these sectors would be better served through privatization and other cost-cutting measures.
States already possess the power to tax Internet sales, on firms actually present in their states. Given the dismal track record of the current federal tax system, a federal solution to sales tax issues will only further complicate matters.
A much more reasonable way to tackle this problem is for state governments to implement territorial-oriented systems of taxation. As the economist Dan Mitchell aptly noted, there should be a connection between taxes and government services. For example, a Virginia-based business should be paying Virginia taxes. Said business uses infrastructure, security, and other public services provided by the Virginia government; thus it makes sense for them to pay a reasonable tax rate for the public services they enjoy.
All in all, closing tax loopholes for out-of-state retailers that operate online would hurt business, consumers, and taxpayers alike. Just like the federal government, state governments would be best served by a simplified tax system with a broader tax base. At the end of the day, the taxpayer is a customer and he has every right to take his business elsewhere if he feels that his government is not providing quality services and friendly tax policies.Acting city police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn (left) has set up a committee to see where the investigation into the death of a policeman by Ferrari driver and Red Bull heir Vorayudh "Boss" Yoovidhya (inset) went wrong. (File photos)
A committee has been set up to investigate a group of police officers at Thong Lor station in the city over their handling of a 2012 hit-and-run involving an heir to the Red Bull energy drink empire, acting city police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn says.
The Thong Lor police station was responsible for handling the case involving Vorayudh "Boss" Yoovidhya, who drove into and killed a traffic officer, and was subsequently charged with speeding, reckless driving causing death and failing to stop his car to help a victim after the crash.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit said the inquiry is in line with Section 131 of the Criminal Code that requires investigators to gather evidence and build a case without delay.
The inquiry will focus on why Mr Vorayudh could not be indicted before the one-year statute of limitations on his speeding charge expired in 2013.
Of the three charges, the speeding charge, expired after Mr Vorayudh failed to report to prosecutors.
The suspect's lawyer, Thanit Buakhiew, claimed his client could not attend because he was in Singapore on a business trip and had come down with the flu.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit said if the police had done their job properly, Mr Vorayudh would not have been allowed to leave the country.
In a criminal investigation where a victim is killed, police usually seek a court order to detain the suspect who, if granted bail, will be barred from travelling abroad, according to the acting commissioner.
He said the investigators responsible for the case might have used a technicality to avoid seeking a court order for the suspect's detention.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit said the suspect apparently exploited a technicality to drag out the investigation by lodging a petition with Attorney-General Chulasingh Vasantasingh to seek a fair investigation.
Mr Vorayudh submitted six separate petitions, all of which were granted.
Police investigators initially charged Mr Vorayudh with reckless driving causing death and failing to stop his car to help a victim, before forwarding the case to state prosecutors.
However, the case was sent back to the police as prosecutors also wanted to indict him for speeding after security camera footage showed he may have been driving at up to 170kph when the accident took place.
The acting commissioner was also critical of the police's decision not to charge Mr Vorayudh with drink-driving, a charge that has a statute of limitations of five years.
Meanwhile, Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin na Ayudhya, who also hails from a wealthy family, and caused an expressway crash that killed nine people in 2010, has applied to do more community service at Phramongkutklao Hospital.
The court is currently deciding whether her performing the community service there should count towards her parole time.
Ms Orachorn, who was 16 years old when the crash happened, and not even eligible to hold a licence at the time, was eventually found guilty of reckless driving causing death, although her prison sentence was suspended.
Ms Orachorn is required to do 48 hours of community service a year for four years, a condition she must meet to avoid jail time.Hey everyone!
We are happy to announce two huge pieces of news for the upcoming Street Fighter V… the return of Nash, and the online beta program!
Charlie Nash has been a fan favorite character in the Street Fighter series for years and finally makes his comeback in Street Fighter V, although noticeably a little... different. For those who are unfamiliar with him, continue on for a quick history lesson.
First mentioned in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991) by Guile during his quest for revenge; Nash was a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and one of Guile’s best friends. Although it was hinted that M.Bison was involved in Charlie’s disappearance in the past, it was never really fully explained...
...Until the Street Fighter Alpha series that is. In Street Fighter Alpha II (1996) we see firsthand that a helicopter controlled by M.Bison’s forces make quick work of Nash as M.Bison gets away. Initially presumed to be dead by both friends and foes alike, Nash’s return shows that his story is far from over.
While the mysteries surrounding his return will become clear later on, for now we’re pleased to announce that the originator of the Sonic Boom is back with quite a few new tricks that you can see in the photos below.
Nash takes to the air and comes down toward the opponents with a sharp flip kick.
Nash grabs the opponent and slams them to the ground before infusing their face with more force than he uses to throw a sonic boom.
Nash slices through the air with a sharp kick that knocks the opponent away!
What is Nash’s goal in SFV? You will have to wait and see.
The second piece of news is perhaps the most exciting of all. Also announced today, we will be performing the largest and most ambitious online beta program in franchise history with Street Fighter V on PS4 and PC! These tests will be essential to collect your feedback and to ensure that Street Fighter V is the best iteration yet. In North America, players who pre-order the game will automatically be enrolled into the beta program.
More details, including timing on the beta program will be revealed in the future so stay tuned for updates. Until then, SONIC BOOM!Spring in Our Steps Cleanup III: Peete Alley at Vine Street Posted by OTR Matters on March 22, 2012 · 2 Comments
Spring in Our Steps has partnered with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful to clean up Peete Alley in OTR at Vine Street this Saturday anytime between 9am and 3pm. Keep Cincinnati Beautiful is providing supplies for the cleanup including gloves, bags, rakes, trowels, loppers, and SuperCans. The goal is to return Peete Alley to a walkable and beautiful corridor. Park + Vine is providing The Herbal Sage Tea Company iced tea to volunteers and $1 off drink coupons!
Here’s a description of the event:
Here we are–the third Spring in Our Steps cleanup. It’s getting serious. This time, we’re partnering with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful to begin returning Peete Alley to a walkable–and even beautiful–corridor.
We’ll be spending the day in a little known alley off Vine Street in upper Over-the-Rhine (The Northern Liberties, for your nerds). Driving, walking or biking Vine Street, between Mulberry and W/E Clifton, you may have noticed a huge dumpsite, straddled by a full block of vacancies.
We need dozens of volunteers to come out in full force, in order to make it worthwhile. KCB will send the Hamilton County Sheriff Inmate Work Detail to remove the large and dangerous items (mattresses, ottomans, carpets), Thursday and Friday afternoons. WE will spend Saturday weeding, picking up litter and recyclables, and making Peete Alley walkable again. KCB will also provide us with litter sticks, bags, and the infamous SuperCans we’ve been ogling over.
Stay tuned for food and drink. Coffee Emporium has been so great to us, supplying us with coffee for the past two cleanups. The more people who show, the more we can manage donations of coffee, beverages, food.
Let’s make this the biggest cleanup, this side of Vine Street!
Location:
The nearby Peete Street steps:
And the same scene as captured by noted Cincinnati artist Caroline Williams in the 1930s:If it wasn't clear already, the culture war is definitely on now — and the pollsters say it's working,
With the polls moving the Conservatives' way and sensing that a majority could yet be in sight, the Tory campaign is pressing hard on the hot button of identity politics, promising a new RCMP "tip line" to enable Canadians to report "barbaric cultural practices" such as sexual slavery or so-called honour killings.
On CBC News Network's Power & Politics, Liberal pundit Amanda Alvaro fumed that this was a "barbaric political practice" by the Conservatives.
A good line, but, hey, could two more weeks of cultural combat put the Conservatives over the top? Somebody seems to think so.
Even as two of his colleagues were promising the new tip line, Calgary Conservative Jason Kenney launched a fresh attack on the wearing of a niqab, or face veil, which he called "medieval" and "tribal."
While he was at it, Kenney blasted the Liberals and the NDP — again — for opposing the revocation of citizenship for convicted terrorists.
Do we need a tip line?
Of course, Canadians can already call police to report any crime, at any time. It's hard to see how calling a different number will make much difference. Besides that, the urgent need for a special tip line does not seem to have gripped the Conservatives during their 10 years in office — only now, in the final days of an election campaign.
One thing the tip line does, though, is enable them to keep talking about an issue that seems to be firing up the troops.
The Conservatives' emphasis on the defence of what they call "Canadian values" is credited by pollsters with a significant uptick in their support, particularly in Quebec.
And it's not a risky strategy: a poll done by the Privy Council Office in March of this year, paid for by taxpayers, found 82 per cent of Canadians in support of the Conservatives' bid to ban the wearing of a niqab at citizenship ceremonies. In Quebec, that number was even higher — 93 per cent.
"We need to stand up for our values," said Conservative candidate Chris Alexander, who is in a tight race for re-election in the Ontario riding of Ajax.
"We need to do that in citizenship ceremonies. We need to do that to protect women and girls from forced marriage and other barbaric practices."
Joining him was Kellie Leitch, the Conservative candidate in Simcoe-Grey, who said the tip line would mean that "citizens and victims can call with information about incidents of barbaric cultural practices here in Canada."
She did not say what, if anything, prevents Canadians from doing that now.
However, she did say there would also be a new RCMP task force to enforce the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, which received royal assent in June. In addition, she promised a $12-million fund, over four years, to assist overseas aid groups to stop forced marriages of girls and young women in conflict zones.
"The Conservative government is not afraid to defend Canadian values and to be clear that these practices have no place in Canadian society," said Leitch.
Kenney takes on the'medieval' niqab
Kenney, simultaneously, was in Halifax to tout the Conservatives' naval shipbuilding project. When asked about the niqab, though, he seized the chance — and denied that he was in any way demonizing Muslims.
"I think it's completely wrong-headed to associate the niqab with Islam," Kenney said.
"The niqab reflects a medieval tribal custom that reflects a misogynistic view of women."
Kenney is correct that the vast majority of Muslim women, in Canada and worldwide, do not wear a veil and do not see it as a religious requirement. On the other hand, it just happens that those who wear it tend to be Muslims.
A new passport?
But, details, details. They don't seem likely to interfere with the Conservative strategy. Kenney pressed on, repeating his attacks on those who differ with the cancellation of citizenship for Canadian convicted terrorists.
Kenney referred to the case of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, from Calgary, who was videotaped burning his Canadian passport while fighting with ISIS in June 2014.
"Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Mulcair," said Kenney, "think that if that fellow shows up at one of our embassies, we should issue him a new passport and welcome him back to Canada."
Both the Liberal and NDP leaders have said terrorists who are Canadian citizens should be in jail. But Tom Mulcair, well aware of the erosion of his poll numbers in Quebec, seemed to want to change the subject when he appeared for a pre-debate interview on City-TV in Montreal.
Mulcair said he would counter the Conservative tactics "by making sure that we don't let Stephen Harper hide behind the niqab."
When the host asked, "Well, let's talk about the niqab," Mulcair responded, "Well, let's talk about his balance sheet — about what he's done to Canada."
But the Conservatives do want to talk about the niqab. And passports. And barbaric cultural practices. And, if a majority is possible, they're not going to stop.Sloan Extend 'One Chord to Another' Anniversary Tour
Published Mar 14, 2016
As previously reported Sloan are taking their 1996 albumout on tour this year to mark its 20th anniversary. Following some recently rolled-out tour dates, the Maritimes-bred alt-pop quartet have offered up details on another clutch of concerts around Ontario.While the first batch of "One Chord to Another 20th Anniversary Tour" dates gets underway early next month, running from Barrie, ON, towards Vancouver Island, Sloan have now added a few U.S. appearances to the schedule before heading back out to Ontario. All told, there are eight new celebratory shows taking place in the province this May, including a performance at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre on May 14.No need to worry if you're a Sloan fan further out east, as the band confirmed to Exclaim! that a third round of concert appearances as part of the tour will be revealed later this year. Those particular dates are expected to take place in the fall.For the time being, you'll find the band's updated tour schedule down below.The details have yet to arrive in full, but Sloan will be issuing an anniversary box set behind, much like how they delivered a B-sides-loaded edition of Twice Removed in 2012. The ETA for this expanded release is still unclear.You can read Exclaim!'s Essential Guide on Sloan over here Tour dates:04/05 Barrie, ON - Roxy Theatre04/06 Sudbury, ON - Townehouse04/07 Thunder Bay, ON - Crock's04/08 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club04/09 Winnipeg, MB - The Pyramid04/10 Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre04/11 Lethbridge, AB - Average Joe's04/13 Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Fred's04/14 Red Deer, AB - Bo's Bar and Grill -04/15 Edmonton, AB - The Needle Vinyl Tavern04/16 Calgary, AB - The Marquee04/18 Nelson, BC - Spirit Bar04/19 Penticton, BC - The Mule04/20 Vancouver, BC - Imperial Theatre04/21 Victoria, BC - Sugar04/22 Nanaimo, BC - The Queens04/23 Seattle, WA - Barboza04/24 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge04/26 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop05/05 Stratford, ON - Masonic Concert Hall05/06 Peterborough, ON - Red Dog05/07 Hamilton, ON - Dundas Valley Montessori School05/08 Fort Erie, ON - Bell Tower Sanctuary05/10 London, ON - London Music Hall05/11 Waterloo, ON - Maxwell's05/12 Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall05/13 Sarnia, ON - Station Music Hall05/14 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert TheatreSend Gigster your app idea and it sends you back that app. No coding. No hiring. No wrangling freelancers. Just a fundamental shift in how software gets built. That’s why Andreessen Horowitz has led a new $10 million Series A for Gigster just 18 weeks after its launch.
The lauded venture firm was impressed with Gigster’s artificial intelligence engine. It converts a client’s product proposal into a development plan, and helps Gigster’s army of remote developers plug in pre-made code blocks to efficiently build the app. Built by co-founder and CTO Debo Olaosebikan, Gigster’s AI perfectly fits Marc Andreessen’s investment thesis that “software is eating the world“, and Andreessen partner Chris Dixon’s thoughts about “software eating software development“.
Gigster has helped build a dating app for muslim millenials, a way for citizens of the developing world to buy electricity, and has over 50 more projects in the pipes. Co-founder and CEO Roger Dickey tells me “The turn-key service model — no one is doing it exactly like we are. Gigster democratizes software development.”
Dickey and Olaosebikan founded Gigster a year ago. Dickey had been coming up with app ideas while working at Zynga after selling it his game studio and leading creation of hit title Mafia Wars. After leaving and trying to prototype these apps, he realized how hard it was to hire and manage great freelancers from services like Odesk/Upwork.
The pair built Gigster to take that hassle out of building an app. The company finds top-notch freelance developers, designers, and project managers with pedigrees from MIT, CalTech, Google, and Stripe, and only accepts 5% of applicants. A sales engineer discusses proposals with clients, and using the AI engine, comes back with a price quote and production schedule in about 10 minutes. Then Gigster manages the entire development process through delivery of the fully-functional app.
Gigster scored a late entry into Y Combinator and ended up with $2.5 million in funding from YC, Greylock, Bloomberg Beta, Felicis Ventures, AngelList’s Naval Ravikant, Facebook Messenger’s Stan Chudnovsky, and Twitch’s Emmit Shear. Within two weeks of its launch in late July, Gigster already had $1 million in sales booked.
Initially, Gigster was focused on serving independent entrepreneurs and smaller startups. But now, Dickey tells me “the client base moved to enterprise”. It’s now giving big, slow companies that software development superpowers of nimble startups. Working with more professional clients that know what they want also makes the whole process smoother. The startup will now compete more with Pivotal Labs. Gigster has now had over 300 customers.
Perhaps its biggest challenge will be retaining quality and speed as it scales up. Gigster apps are built to be full-functional minimum viable products rather than perfectly polished user interfaces, so the company could look to offer follow-on design services.
Building out its own AI platform will be the focus of Gigster new $10 million. The Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz also includes Y Combinator Continuity Fund I, Ron Conway of SV Angel, Ashton Kutcher of Sound Ventures and Jason Calacanis of Launch Fund. Lars Dalgaard, Andreessen partner and former CEO of human resource management giant SuccessFactors, will join Gigster’s board.
Andreessen is clearly bullish on the changing nature of software development. Years ago it invested in the seed round of freelancer marketplace Toptal. Though Toptal requires clients to manage the talent they hire, they could still be seen as a competitor to Gigster for getting apps built.
However, Dickey contends that “project management is the place where the most human error happens.” Gigster relieves you of that labor, for a price. If you’re willing to pay it, Dickey concludes “Everybody has their own engineering team.”HOOVER, Ala. -- The burning sensation resonating from Kenyan Drake's left leg told him something was seriously wrong.
Moments after two Ole Miss defenders converged on Alabama's dynamic running back -- one hitting him high, as the other went low -- Drake lay on the turf inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, sun shining down, looking at his left ankle twisted in the opposite direction.
Shock and the fear of a football-less future immediately sunk in for Drake, who could have flirted with an early departure to the NFL after his junior season with his 1,381 career yards of total offense. The little pain he experienced vanished from a speedy setting of his ankle by Alabama's medical staff, but after just four plays in the game -- and his only touch being a catastrophic one -- Drake was carted off the field with a broken leg and a dislocated ankle.
“It was pretty gnarly. It was pretty bad," senior center Ryan Kelly said of the sight of Drake's leg after the injury.
An injury like that to a player so used to making defenders look silly with his elusiveness and speed can have lasting affects -- both mentally and physically. The mental part can bury a player before he even touches the field again. Uneasiness and a tentative mindset can cripple a player because of fear of another injury.
Drake said he didn't focus on that, instead turning his attention to surgery -- which he had the night of his injury -- and rehab.
After pushing around a one-legged scooter for about a month and a half, Drake's left leg went into a boot and his arms over crutches.
“I hated that they made me get off of it and start walking on crutches," Drake said with a laugh. "I was getting around really well and I felt like I regressed when I got on crutches.”
Drake started jogging for the first time inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during his team's Sugar Bowl preparation and was running and cutting in a black, non-contact jersey by spring practice. According to coach Nick Saban, Drake even registered a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash.
“I had the determination that I wanted to be back a lot quicker than [doctors] said I should be," he said. "It was about battling against a timetable.
“Once you get back on the field, it’s almost second nature. You’re just back there running again.”
The fear of re-injurying it? Well, if Drake feels it, his teammates haven't noticed.
“I don’t see the fear in his eye," Kelly said. "I see a full-on attack like he’s always been.”
Nine and a half months after his gruesome injury, Drake says he "could play today," even though an injury like his usually takes 12 full months to heal completely.
Drake has turned heads since the start of the spring with his speed and determination, and it has his teammates giddy about the prospects of what they'll get from him this fall.
“In 7-on-7s, it looks like he’s still got it," linebacker Reggie Ragland said. "Coming off the injury, he might start off a little slow, but Kenyan is a freakish athlete.
“Kenyan changed the whole definition of our team. [The coaches] can spread him out, put him in the slot, use him at running back. He’s an offensive weapon kind of like coach [Lane] Kiffin had Reggie Bush at USC. For the most part, coach is going to put Kenyan in the right position to make plays and win ball games. Kenyan is a great player, and I’m glad he decided to come back.”The Orioles’ 5-4, 11-inning walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night was unusual in many ways, from the beginning – when right fielder Seth Smith circled the bases on his bloop single-turned-second-inning-three-ring-circus play – to the end, when Smith drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk to win the game in anticlimactic fashion.
The Orioles mustered little offense for most of the night, going scoreless for eight straight innings before rallying to score two runs in the bottom of the 11th on three walks, two singles and a sacrifice fly.
No, it didn’t have the excitement of most walk-off wins – and it was one of the Orioles' uglier games of the season – but Smith's four-pitch walk from reliever Danny Farquhar with two outs and the bases full showed the Orioles resilience on a night when they struggled to muster any offense for most of the game.
“We scored the three [going into the 11th] and what did we have, 12, 13, 14 hits?” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I don’t know how many we ended up with. There was some offense there. I’m hoping as we get into the flow of the season a little bit where the weather cooperates a little bit and guys can get into a routine a little bit more. But to be where we are … very seldom are you going to be functional on all cylinders, but those are the types of games you like to win.”
The Orioles tied the score in the 11th, loading the bases with one out on singles by Chris Davis and Welington Castillo and a walk to Hyun Soo Kim. Jonathan Schoop then scored the tying run on a line-drive out to center field, scoring Davis on a sacrifice fly. Ryan Flaherty then drew a walk to load the bases again for Smith.
It marked the first time a game ended with a pitcher entering the game and throwing four consecutive balls to the first hitter he faced, issueing a walk-off walk since Aug. 20, 2013, when the Red Sox's Brayan Villarreal walked the Giants' Marco Scutaro to end the game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“It's awesome,” Smith said. “Every win is big. That's all that matters at the end of the day, at the end of the season. [To] be down in extra innings and come back and win is always good for the morale and moving forward, probably less so winning than the feeling of losing an extra-inning game at home, but still really good."
After scoring three runs in the second inning, the Orioles (14-6) recorded just three singles and placed just one runner in scoring position in innings three through 10.
The Orioles remained unbeaten in seven series this season (6-0-1) as they head to New York and Boston to continue an opening five weeks that has been dominated by division games.
Rays catcher Jesus Sucre’s broken-bat RBI single with two outs in the 11th off right-hander Alec Asher tied the game. Asher (1-0) put two runners on in the 11th, walking Logan Morrison and hitting Shane Peterson with a pitch before Sucre’s bat shattered as he looped a ball down the right-field line to score Morrison.
The Orioles bullpen was unable to preserve a one-run lead for starter Dylan Bundy.
The Orioles entered the top of the eighth clinging to a one-run lead, but right-hander Mychal Givens, who stranded an inherited runner in scoring position in the seventh – allowed a leadoff double to Derek Norris. Left-hander Donnie Hart then hit pinch hitter Rickie Weeks Jr. with a pitch and walked left-handed hitter Kevin Kiermaier on nine pitches.
That created a no-out, bases-loaded jam for right-hander Darren O’Day, who retired all three batters he faced, but a run scored on Brad Miller’s fielder’s choice groundout, a sharply hit ball on which first baseman Davis dived into the hole to keep in the infield.
Bundy recorded his fifth straight quality start to open the season, allowing just two runs – a pair of homers to shortstop Tim Beckham – over 6 1/3 innings.
Right-hander Brach Brach dodged a pair of hits while pitching scoreless ninth and 10th innings for his first multiple-inning outing of the season.
The Orioles had a rare opportunity to score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning after Manny Machado opened the inning landing on second after an infield single deep into the hole at shortstop and Beckham’s ensuing wild throw into the stands.
But the Orioles came up empty. After Davis walked, struggling slugger Mark Trumbo struck out looking and Castillo hit into an inning-ending double play.
Smith scores himself on 'Little League home run'
Smith rounded the bases on his own single on an error-filled play that had to be seen to be believed. Smith’s single scored two runs – including himself – in the team’s three-run second inning.
With Flaherty on first base, Smith looped a single to center field that Kiermaier took on a hop and threw to third to attempt to nab Flaherty. Kiermaier’s throw was wild, getting past third baseman Evan Longoria.
Rays pitcher Alex Cobb backed up the play, and after seeing Flaherty round third, he threw back to Longoria, but the throw ricocheted off Flaherty’s helmet and into no-man’s land in left field, enabling Flaherty to score easily.Northeast Queens will see a host of capital improvements after another record-setting round of participatory budget voting by the community.
Councilman Paul Vallone announced this year’s four winning projects, awarded a total of nearly $1.4 million in funding. Residents cast 6,214 votes — the most of any Queens Council District.
Receiving the most votes was an electrical upgrade project at Bayside’s P.S. 41, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. The school will be awarded $500,000 for a full electrical upgrade to meet safety standards and support modern technology.
“This is a celebration for Bayside and is completely on the heels of the parents and families of P.S. 41 who came together for the community,” said Joseph Ferrara, principal of P.S. 41. “It speaks volumes of what a community can achieve when they come together.”
Three other projects on the ballot will also receive funding:
The NYPD will install four security cameras in areas throughout northeast Queens to enhance crime prevention. ($141,000; 1,729 votes)
Bayside High School will install 3,200 new student lockers in the cafeteria and basement corridors, providing each student with their own locker. ($650,000; 1,603 votes)
Whitestone Library, located at 151-10 14th Rd., will undergo a technology upgrade ($100,000; 1,226 votes)
“The results clearly show that the district has overwhelmingly embraced the success of the participatory budgeting process,” Vallone said. “At a time when voter turnout is at a record low, we have created a way to engage our youth and youngest voters as to the power and importance of voting.”
Items on the ballot were discussed and decided upon at a series of neighborhood assemblies sponsored by Councilman Paul Vallone last October. Voting kicked off on Saturday, March 25 and ran until April 2 at voting locations set up within community gathering places.
“This monumental, eight month task could not have been possible without the continuous dedication of our delegates, community liaisons, volunteers, staff and especially Vito Tautonico, our Director of Constituent Services, who spearheaded the process,” Vallone said. “I look forward to continuing to grow the process next year.”Sofia Harman phoned police after her mother, who has a rare medical condition that affects her heart, collapsed
A three-year-old girl who helped save her mother’s life has been praised for her quick thinking.
Sofia Harman raised the alarm when her mother, Patricia Hannington – who has a rare heart condition, collapsed at the family home in Clacton, Essex. She had already told her daughter what to do in the event of an emergency.
Sofia immediately phoned Essex police after discovering her mother had collapsed.
Call handler Julie Buckley kept Sofia talking about her pet dog in order to establish the home address and track down the stricken mother before taking her to hospital for treatment.
Sofia and her family were invited to police headquarters in Chelmsford where the youngster was presented with a bravery certificate.
DCC Matt Horne said: “We are all very proud of Sofia and our emergency operator Julie.
“Sofia, having just turned three years old knew exactly what to do when her mum collapsed – this is because her mum took the time to explain and teach Sofia this important life skill. We have released the recording because Sofia’s family want other families to know that we must start teaching our children how to call for help as early as possible.
“To be able to meet this very special little girl, and to see her meet with Julie, was lovely.”
Buckley said: “For a child of her age, it was amazing that she knew exactly what to do. It was great meeting her and seeing just what it means to her family.”What We Want Wednesday
Free Giveaway
This past week was a store credit giveaway. Congrats to /u/draxus
We have been working on the new store in Austin day and night, and can’t wait to see you guys at our physical location.
Be on the look out for new product releases over the next few weeks, we slowed down releases while we were getting the store up, but we are now back on schedule.
So for this week’s Giveaway the MVP 2.0 rushed to the top of the charts for the WWWW tally. The last time we did the MVP you guys smashed all upvote and comment records!!! Enter to win this mod and a 30ml of your choice from our stock of AxiomVaping.com’s juice!
To be eligible for this Drawing you must |
Barth said. Rex Features 36/42 Romola Garai The actress told The Guardian she felt “violated” after she went to a meeting with Weinstein at the age of 18 and he met her in his hotel room wearing nothing but a dressing gown. Getty 37/42 Heather Graham Graham claimed that during a casting opportunity in the early 2000's Weinstein had told her he had an open relationship with his wife. “He could sleep with whomever he wanted when he was out of town. I walked out of the meeting feeling uneasy,” Graham told Variety. “There was no explicit mention that to star in one of those films I had to sleep with him, but the subtext was there.” Graham was never hired to work in a Weinstein film. Rex Features 38/42 Jessica Hynes Spaced and W1A star Jessica Hynes tweeted about an encounter with Weinstein earlier this week, but subsequently deleted the tweet. Rex Features 39/42 Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. “I said, over and over, ‘I don’t want to do this, stop, don’t’.” She added: “He’s a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. That’s the most horrible part of it, and that’s why he’s been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like it’s their fault.” Getty 40/42 Louisette Geiss The former actress said she met Weinstein to pitch a film script she was working on. During the meeting, Weinstein allegedly went out and reappeared naked and got into a jacuzzi where he masturbated in front of her and said he would make the script into a film if she stayed and watched. Getty 41/42 Liza Campbell Liza Campbell, a British writer and artist, alleged that “Olympically ugly” Weinstein asked her to join him in the bath and began getting undressed at a hotel. In a piece for The Times, Campbell claimed she was forced to sprint to the door to escape. Rex Features 42/42 Louise Godbold Writing in a blog post, Louise Godbold, a non-profit director in Los Angeles, said her encounter with Weinstein took the form of an “office tour that became an occasion to trap me in an empty meeting room. She said then Weinstein was “begging for a massage, his hands on my shoulders as I attempted to beat a retreat.”
He said that he was aware of the settlement between actress Rose McGowan and the film mogul, and said his then-girlfriend Mira Sorvino told him about an incident where Weinstein reportedly made unwelcome advances and touched her.
"I couldn't believe he would do that so openly," Tarantino said. "I was like: 'Really? Really?' But the thing I thought then, at the time, was that he was particularly hung up on Mira. I thought Harvey was hung up on her in this Svengali kind of way.Because he was infatuated with her, he horribly crossed the line."
The New York Times broke the original story which reported incidents spanning almost three decades of alleged sexual harassment, assault, and rape.
On 19 October the Los Angeles Police Department announced it was opening an investigation into whether Weinstein raped an Italian model - who has not been named - in 2013.
An LAPD spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times: "The Los Angeles Police Department's robbery homicide division has interviewed a potential sexual assault victim involving Harvey Wesintein which allegedly occurred in 2013. The case is under investigation."
Last week a statement from Weinstein's spokesperson Sallie Hofmeister said: "Mr Weinstein obviously can't speak to anonymous allegations, but he unequivocally denies allegations of non-consensual sex."When they announced their breakup in September, English/Australian indie-pop greats Allo Darlin’ mentioned they’d be playing a final show in London, the city where they formed and spent most of their life as a band. Since then, they’ve added a couple extra London farewell gigs the day before, and today they’re sharing the A-side from their final single. “Hymn On The 45″ makes for a fitting finale, and not just because it’s about settling into a new city (singer-guitarist Elizabeth Morris and her husband relocated to Florence a few years back). The song is is quintessential Allo Darlin’: sentimental but not saccharine, Paul Rain’s guitar practically duetting with Morris as she spins clever turns of phrase into contagious melodies. Hear it below, where you’ll find details on next week’s sold-out farewell gigs.
Farewell shows:
12/10 London, UK @ MOTH Club (2PM, with Night Flowers)
12/10 London, UK @ MOTH Club (7PM, with The Hayman Kupa Band + DJ Scared To Dance)
12/11 London, UK @ Scala (7:30PM, with Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums + Josie Long + DJ How Does It Feel To Be Loved?)
The Hangover Lounge DJs will also be hosting an Allo Darlin’ Special at The Water Rats in London at noon on 12/11. The band will not be appearing at this event. Admission is free.
The “Hymn On The 45″ b/w “Wanderlust” single is out 12/9 on Fortuna POP!/The Hangover Lounge.neta
TwitterのTLで知ったのだが、少し前に海外の掲示板で"sleep sort"というソートアルゴリズムが発明され、公開されたようだ。このアルゴリズムが面白かったので紹介してみる。
Genius sorting algorithm: Sleep sort
1 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 12:22 諸君！オレは天才かもしれない。このソートアルゴリズムをみてくれ。こいつをどう思う？ #!/bin/bash function f() { sleep "$1" echo "$1" } while [ -n "$1" ] do f "$1" & shift done wait example usage:./sleepsort.bash 5 3 6 3 6 3 1 4 7 2 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 12:27 >>1 なん…だと…。こいつ、動くぞ！ っておい！0..218382のリストのソートに218382秒も待たされるのかよ！ 3 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 12:31 >>2 まあ、最悪のケースだとそうなるな。 4 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 12:45 これの計算量はどんなもんだろう？ 5 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 12:56 #!/bin/bash function f() { sleep $(echo "$1 / 10" |bc -l) echo "$1" } while [ -n "$1" ] do f "$1" & shift done wait 最適化に成功したぞ！ ただしsleepが浮動小数点数を受け付けるシステムじゃないと動かないので注意な。 6 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 13:10 >>4 そうだな…正直よくわからんが、O(入力値の中の最大値)なんじゃないか。 7 Name: Anonymous : 2011-01-20 14:16 O(入力値の中の最大値 + n)じゃないかな。スレッドの生成に比例した時間が余計に掛かるだろ。 しかしこれはすばらしい。...
これは面白い！まさかsleepを利用してソートができるとは！実行してみると確かに値がソートされていることがわかる。スレッドはこのあともしばらく続き、C#・Erlang・Lisp・C・Perlなどの言語でも実装されたようだ。
せっかくなので私もPerlで実装してみた。上記掲示板でのオリジナル実装とは異なり、サブルーチンとして独立させているので汎用的に使える。
#!perl use strict ; use warnings ; use Time::HiRes qw(sleep) ; use IO::Select; use Data::Dumper; sub sleep_sort { my @input = @_ ; my @output ; my $watcher = IO::Select-> new (); my @children ; foreach my $value ( @input ) { my $pid = open my $io, '-|' ; defined ( $pid ) or die $! ; if ( $pid == 0 ) { sleep $value / 10 ; print $value ; exit ; } else { $watcher ->add( $io ); push @children, $pid ; } } while ( $watcher ->count > 0 ) { foreach my $io ( $watcher ->can_read( 0 ) ) { $watcher ->remove( $io ); push @output, < $io >; close $io ; } } waitpid $_, 0 for @children ; return @output ; } print Dumper ([ sleep_sort @ARGV ]);
スレッドやファイバを使っても実装できるだろうが、今回はopen()によるforkとIO::Selectを使ってみた。AP Photo/David J. Phillip
How Each Team Has Gotten Here
New England Patriots
14-2 regular season
1st Round Bye
Beat Houston 34-16 in the Divisional Round
Beat Pittsburgh 36-17 in the AFC Championship
Atlanta Falcons
11-5 regular season
1st Round Bye
Beat Seattle 36-20 in the Divisional Round
Beat Green Bay 44-21 in the NFC Championship
This Super Bowl is one of the most exciting matchups in recent memory. There are a number of intriguing storylines: New England’s dynasty versus the up and coming Falcons, the Falcons’ number one offense against the Patriots’ number one defense, the controversy surrounding Deflategate and Roger Goodell, and two MVP candidates, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady, dueling it out.
In yesterday’s article, Each Team’s Keys to Victory, I mentioned that Bill Belichick will look to shut down Julio Jones. Belichick’s known for successfully eliminating players from games based on his game plan. Despite this, I think Jones is poised to have a big day. New England’s defense is overrated. Their talent doesn’t back up their season statistics; they had an easy schedule and Belichick is their coach, which probably created this discrepancy. Furthermore, Julio Jones should physically dominate New England’s defensive backs. He isn’t going to win the game single-handedly, but his effectiveness will open up opportunities for other players.
Atlanta’s offense this year is the best we’ve seen since Peyton Manning threw for over 50 touchdowns in 2013, a season which culminated in a blowout loss to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII. I think this year’s Atlanta team may actually be better than that Broncos offense because of their two-headed monster, Freeman and Coleman, who, in tandem, have close to 2500 scrimmage yards and 24 touchdowns. They can gash teams through the ground or through the air, and have a nose for the end zone once the Falcons get near the goal line. In terms of competition, New England’s defense doesn’t pose as significant a threat as Seattle’s did in 2013. I expect Atlanta to play a much stronger game than Denver did against Seattle.
Devonta Freeman & Tevin Coleman || Thunder and Lightning || 2016 ATL Falcons Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2O1aEht5Hs
Atlanta seems to have the momentum and talent, but New England has the experience. Brady and Belichick have been to six straight AFC title games and this will be their 7th Super Bowl. Experience is something that can’t be overlooked, making New England a reasonable (and popular) pick.
However, there has to be a first for everything. I am going to pick the Falcons to win this Sunday. Their offense has been magical during the playoffs and is on a historic run. Even though Brady may have a great day, I think Atlanta’s offense has too much firepower and will overwhelm the Patriots with a historic Super Bowl performance. A Falcons win just feels right. They’re peaking at the right time, they have incredible chemistry, and it seems like this is their year. Matt Ryan might never get back to a Super Bowl, but this year, he’ll be heading home with the Lombardi trophy.
Atlanta has proven me wrong every playoff game this year. Hopefully, I am not too late to jump on the bandwagon.
Atlanta 30 New England 28
Ryan is currently a student at the University of North Carolina. He grew up in the Bay Area and has had Raiders season tickets his entire life fostering his love for the NFL. He has founded his own sports website, thejrreport.com and works at the Sports Desk for the Daily Tar Heel. You can follow Ryan on twitter @rytime98 if you want to discuss anything sports. http://thejrreport.com
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RelatedVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has used the military, legislative and judicial power consolidated during 15 years of socialist rule in a sudden series of blows against opponents who have spent more than a month protesting in the streets, knocking down their barricades and throwing dissident leaders in jail.
Thursday dawned with two more opposition politicians behind bars, one of them sentenced to more than 10 months in prison. And pro-government lawmakers had already started trying to put another outspoken critic behind bars as well, moving to strip an opposition congresswoman of her legislative immunity from prosecution.
Maduro has been warning his rivals for weeks that they could soon meet the same fate as opposition hardliner Leopoldo Lopez, who was jailed on charges related to the Feb. 12 protests that initiated the wave of unrest, which has so far led to at least 28 deaths, most of them after Lopez was arrested.
Sweeping arrests
San Diego Mayor Enzo Scarano was removed from his post by the Supreme Court, arrested and on the same day sent to begin a 10 1/2-month prison term for failing to heed a court order to have protesters' barricades removed from the streets of his city.
San Cristobal Mayor Daniel Ceballos was arrested as well on charges of rebellion and conspiracy. Maduro said in a speech last month that Ceballos would soon join Lopez behind bars for fomenting violence. "It's a matter of time until we have him in the same cold cell," Maduro said.
The federal government itself moved in this week to clear out the plaza at the heart of the demonstrations against inflation, shortages, crime and perceived official intolerance, sending national guardsmen to take over Plaza Altamira in the capital.
Previous Next
Luis Vicente Leon, president of Caracas-based polling company Datanalisis, said the government's recent moves were a step toward radicalizing the country's political process.
"Without a doubt (Maduro) has perceived that the protests are not going to stop so it's best to simply confront them and deal with them harshly," Leon said, adding that the opposition will likely find less room to maneuver because the government seeks to create a sense of fear that anyone even demonstrating peacefully could face danger.
Maduro's rivals said they would not be bullied into submission, vowing new marches.
Two-time opposition presidential candidate and Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles said through his Twitter account Thursday that Maduro had "thrown gasoline on the fire."
"He and only he will be responsible for the situation that unfolds in the country," Capriles wrote.
Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres on Thursday distanced federal authorities from the arrests, saying it was other government branches that were acting "to protect the right of the majority and not to protect the right of a small group that under the excuse of protesting wants to muddle the lives of Venezuelans."
San Cristobal, where the wave of protests began, is being run by an unelected official who had been serving as a city administrator, one of Ceballos' top aides, Ronni Pavolini, told The Associated Press.
Ceballos, a member of Lopez's Popular Will party, had been outspoken in denouncing the harshness with which government security forces attacked the demonstrations in his city near Venezuela's western border with Colombia.
Alfonso Medina Roa, attorney for the San Diego mayor, said that town would be run by an administrator designated by Scarano while he serves his sentence. A director of the National Electoral Council said the body would meet to propose a schedule for new elections in San Diego, where Scarano was elected in December with 75 pe rcent of the vote.
The lawyer said Scarano was "sentenced without justice, sentenced without accusation."
Potential for more violence
Protests continued on Thursday, when police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a student-called protest of several thousand people in Caracas. Some of those demonstrating against the arrests of the mayors threw objects at riot police. There were no injuries reported.
The night before, several businesses were looted or burned, including a large supermarket, in San Diego. Carabobo state Gov. Francisco Ameliach, a member of the ruling party, used his Twitter account to blame "terrorist groups that were sown and protected in San Diego by authorities."
Venezuela's National Assembly on Tuesday voted to start a process to strip opposition lawmaker Maria Corina Machado of her immunity so they could bring charges against her for allegedly trying to destabilize the government.
Machado, a former presidential candidate, was expected to speak Friday at a meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington about the situation in Venezuela. Because the Venezuelan government controls the country's seat at the organization, Panama has offered Machado its seat to make her presentation to the regional body.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki expressed concern Thursday over the arrest of the two mayors. "The Venezuelan government should stop the violence against its citizens and opposition officials who are exercising their freedom of speech," Psaki said.On New Years Eve, in the city of Cologne, Germany, what was supposed to be a night of celebration turned disturbing very quickly.
We’ve learned that hundreds of women may have been sexually assaulted or had their property stolen that night by anywhere from 400 to 1,000 men. So far, hundreds of criminal complaints have been filed — and there are likely many more who haven’t done that yet.
How does this sort of thing happen?
Many of the women filing reports pointed the finger at men of “Arab or North African origin” — in other words, the same breakdown as many of the immigrants coming into the country.
It’s unclear whether this was coordinated, though with that many people allegedly involved, it very well could have been.
The whole situation has left German media outlets and politicians trying to figure out how to report this. They have been one of the countries most welcoming to refugees, and yet, this problem may be the result of that generosity. On the flip side, law-abiding Muslims are doing their best to distance their community from the actions of those who may share their faith.
Police said investigators working with video footage have identified 16 young men — mostly of North African origin — who may be suspects and are working to determine whether they committed any crimes. Authorities have not released names for most of the men. While officials have cautioned against casting suspicion on refugees in general, [Chancellor Angela] Merkel said “we must examine again and again whether we have already done what is necessary in terms of … deportations from Germany in order to send clear signals to those who are not prepared to abide by our legal order.”
Obviously, a lot of details are unclear, and no one wants to see all Muslims (or brown people) punished for the crimes of a subset of people who may see women in a different light due to their religious and cultural beliefs.
What’s certainly unhelpful is Cologne’s Mayor Henriette Reker suggesting that German women change their habits as a result of these reports:
“It is always possible to keep a certain distance that is longer than an arm’s length,” Ms. Reker told reporters on Tuesday, suggesting that the city authorities would provide guidelines for young women who find themselves surrounded by aggressive men trying to grope them.
The victims did nothing wrong and there’s no reason for them to act (or dress or look) differently. The only people who need to change their ways are the men who did this.
Maajid Nawaz, a Muslim who’s been outspoken about the cowardice of the “Regressive Left,” is adamant that liberals can’t ignore this problem, specifically the role that theology and culture play in all this:
What will feed this racism, bigotry, and xenophobia even more is deliberately failing to report the facts as they stand. Doing so only encourages the populist right’s rallying cry against “the establishment.”
He suggests a few solutions that have worked in other countries:
Norway has led the way here, offering voluntary nationwide classes that expand upon Norwegian social and sexual norms to newly arrived migrant men. The German border town of Passau in Bavaria, has already started a similar program for male refugees, while Danish politicians aim to approve the same measure after a string of attacks in Denmark. Among other measures, it is my view that such classes should be mandatory for new arrivals across the continent. These classes should form part of a citizenship, integration, and employment course, before residency permits are provided. In any case, they would help refugees come to grips with the strange new world they have just fled to, and can only make their job prospects better.
This isn’t a German problem. This is a problem that affects all of us who live in countries that are supposed to be melting pots. Freedom of religion doesn’t mean one group’s beliefs get to trump our shared rules, whether we’re talking the treatment of women or abiding by the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision.
I thought it was hypocritical for people to not call the Planned Parenthood shooter in Colorado a “Christian terrorist” when they would have jumped to that kind of conclusion in a heartbeat if he were Muslim. I thought it was unfair for the white Mormons who took over a federal building in Oregon to be treated like babies when we all know the result would have been very different if they were black.
For the same reason, if the evidence points to these attacks being perpetrated by refugees who come from already persecuted backgrounds, that still can’t be an excuse to avoid the facts.
(Image via Shutterstock)By Harriet McLeod
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The family of a 19-year-old man shot dead by police through the open window of the car where he was sitting asked the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday to investigate the incident.
Zachary Hammond died on July 26 in the small upstate town of Seneca, South Carolina.
"The issues that surround the death of Zachary Hammond are issues of national significance," family attorneys Eric Bland and Ronald Richter Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday. "While many other recent events have involved white on black police shootings, police brutality and the excessive use of force are race neutral issues."
Police have said Hammond drove his Honda Civic directly at officers when they asked him to put his hands on the steering wheel during a stop that was part of a drug sting.
Seneca Police Chief John Covington said in a news release on Friday that Lt. Mark Tiller, who fired at Hammond, was "the victim of attempted murder."
Tiller is a 10-year veteran of law enforcement who has been employed with Seneca police since 2010, Covington said.
A private pathologists' report found that Hammond was shot twice, once in the left shoulder from behind and once in the left side of his chest.
The chest wound punctured his heart and lungs and killed him, according to the autopsy.
The family disputes the police account of the encounter.
"Clearly this officer was not in any danger at the time he fired the two shots into the car, of being hit by the car," Bland said in an email. "There was no gun. This officer was not being shot at."
"One of two things happened," Bland said. "The officer negligently thought there was a weapon in the car and there was not or he was angry at Zachary for not following his instructions or that Zachary was trying to flee so he shot him."
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said it is investigating the shooting.
A Seneca prosecutor has not commented on the case.
"The fact that Zachary is white and the police officer is white shouldn't matter," Bland said in a phone interview. "This shooting of an unarmed white teen should matter as much as if it were a black unarmed teen."
(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Karen Brooks and Lisa Lambert)Layers of earth are deformed by the collision of the Pacific and North American plates along the southern San Andreas Fault north of the Salton Sea near Mecca, Calif. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
Excerpted from Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault by John Dvorak, out now from Pegasus.
Reporter: Did anyone predict last night’s earthquake?
Charles Richter: Not yet.
The 1970s was to be the decade when earthquake prediction became a reality. In 1975 the Chinese government announced that it had ordered an evacuation of a major city hours before a major quake struck. The Russians were saying that they were using a variety of techniques routinely to predict not only large earthquakes but moderate ones, too. And in the United States, scientists had discovered a number of anomalies near Los Angeles—a broad uplift of the ground, a slowing of seismic waves, increased emission of radon gas—that indicated the city would soon be razed by strong seismic shaking.
And then it all collapsed—that is, the effort to predict earthquakes collapsed.
In 1976 the greatest seismic calamity yet in modern times left hundreds of thousands of people dead in China—and government officials gave no indication that they knew such a disaster was coming.* The evidence used by Russian scientists was scrutinized by other scientists who concluded the Russian effort was plagued by inconsistencies and unsubstantiated claims. And in the United States, additional measurements showed that the anomalies that seemed to doom Los Angeles had either disappeared, or, maybe, had never existed at all.
And the world community of seismologists remains divided—at times, vehemently—over the issue of whether it will ever be possible to predict earthquakes. It’s a question that’s been raised again as the network of faults in Southern California has awakened with seismic activity in recent months. It is a complex problem. And, to date, no one has yet predicted an earthquake.
An attempt to predict an earthquake near Parkfield, Calif., in the 1980s failed. But this effort was the closest anyone has come to predicting an earthquake—that is, to identifying the fault, giving the magnitude, and limiting the time period when the calamity would occur.
* * *
The San Andreas Fault can be divided into three main segments. The northern segment runs from Cape Mendocino to San Juan Bautista—the part of the fault that ruptured in 1906. The southern segment begins around Cholame, just north of Carrizo Plain, and runs south, eventually forming the southern boundary of the Mojave Desert, continues through Cajon Pass and San Gorgonio Pass, can be picked up 20 miles east of Palm Springs in Coachella Valley, and ends at Bombay Beach on the east side of the Salton Sea. The northern half of the southern segment—from Cholame to Cajon Pass—ruptured in 1857; the southern half of the southern segment—from San Gorgonio Pass to Bombay Beach—did so in about 1690. So all of the San Andreas Fault has broken during a major earthquake in the last few hundred years except for a short middle segment that runs from San Juan Bautista to Cholame and includes the ranching community of Parkfield. This 150-mile segment of the San Andreas Fault is distinctly different from the other parts of the fault: Here the fault is slowly and continuously sliding.
Ten miles south of San Juan Bautista is DeRose Vineyards. It is a family-owned business where the winemaking and tasting room is located in a large building with a concrete floor and metal walls and roof. On the day I visited, I identified myself as an earthquake tourist. The person who was pouring the wine pointed immediately to the center of the building and said, “It’s over there.”
Here the trace of the San Andreas Fault is all too apparent. Running along the floor is a line of broken concrete slabs, up to a foot across, that extends the full length of the building. Where the fault runs beneath a metal wall, the wall has been sheared apart, the two halves now standing as much as two feet apart. Broken ends of twisted rebar are exposed where the metal wall once connected to the concrete floor. A plaque attached to a wall in the center of the DeRose Winery building proclaims the San Andreas Fault at this spot to be a registered natural landmark.
If one drives south of DeRose Vineyards, one can find sets of cracks running diagonally across the pavement. These, too, are the San Andreas Fault. They are visible, as is the slow destruction of the winery at DeRose Vineyards, because along this segment the fault is always sliding. And the sliding can be found as far south as Parkfield, where the fault runs under a bridge. As one might expect, the bridge has a distinct bend over the exact place where it crosses the San Andreas Fault.
The slow sliding is known as seismic creep, caused in part by a constant jitter of small earthquakes. At DeRose Vineyards, the fault slides about an inch a year. At Parkfield, it is half that amount, which means occasionally the Parkfield section has to catch up. It does so with a jolt—a moderate earthquake.
Six times—in 1857, 1881, 1901, 1922, 1934, and 1966—the Parkfield section has surged forward. Each event has been nearly identical in size—corresponding to a magnitude-6 earthquake—and each successive event has occurred, on average, 22 years after the previous one. Moreover, there seemed to be definite precursory signs before the last two events. The main shocks in 1934 and again in 1966 were preceded 17 minutes by a strong foreshock that was felt over a wide area. Furthermore, an irrigation pipe that crossed the rupture zone separated nine hours before the 1966 event. All this gave credence to the idea that the next Parkfield earthquake might be predicted.
In 1985 a panel of 12 scientists, formally known as the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council, endorsed a Parkfield prediction, saying that there was a 95 percent chance that a magnitude-6 earthquake would occur along the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault by 1993. A dense network of instruments was installed in the hopes of trapping the earthquake, to detect precursory signs that might occur in seismic patterns, in ground movements, in electric or magnetic fields, in radon-gas emission, or in the chemistry or level of water wells. And then people waited.
Twice, an “A”-level alert was issued, on Oct. 19, 1992, and again on Nov. 14, 1993. Both alerts were triggered after felt earthquakes, similar in size to what preceded the 1934 and 1966 events, occurred. Both times there was an increased awareness that the predicted earthquake might occur within the next 72 hours. California state agencies and emergency services were notified. And both times … nothing happened.
The year 1993 came and went, and no earthquake. Then 1994, 1995, and so on. Finally, at 10:15 in the morning on Sept. 28, 2004, a magnitude-6 earthquake ruptured the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault. The predicted earthquake had occurred. Or had it?
There were important differences between the events of 1934 and 1966 and the one that occurred in 2004. First, in 1934 and 1966, the ground rupture began north of Parkfield and propagated south. In 2004 it was in the opposite direction: The rupture started south of Parkfield and propagated north. More important, in the dense network of instruments there were no precursors recorded minutes, hours, or days before the event. There was no foreshock or increase of seismic activity before the event. There was no damage to irrigation pipes. There was no measured change in electric or magnetic fields or in chemistry or level of water wells. Most disconcerting, there was no measured ground movement: There was no warping or rise or fall of the ground surface. There was no underground compression or slight expansion of rock—no dilatancy—and this could be measured with great precision.
Five instruments known as borehole strainmeters were installed within a few miles of where the 2004 rupture formed. Essentially, each instrument consists of a fluid-filled bag stuffed deep down a borehole. If the surrounding rock is compressed or stretched by a tiny amount—equivalent to taking a 100-mile-long rigid bar and compressing or stretching one end by the diameter of a human hair—the bag undergoes a small compression or expansion. But no change was recorded for weeks to seconds before the earthquake. As far as anyone can tell, the 2004 Parkfield earthquake was a spontaneous event.
The Parkfield experiment was successful in identifying where an earthquake would occur and how big it would be, though the all-important when was missed; the event came 12 years too late. Which raises the question: Will it ever be possible to predict earthquakes?
The answer, as it is seen today, is: maybe.
The question of earthquake prediction can be reduced to a more tractable and straightforward question: What triggers a large earthquake?
Imagine this: Initially, an earthquake fault, such as the San Andreas, is relatively quiet. Only a few small earthquakes are occurring, popping off, in a familiar analogy, like kernels of heated popcorn. Then the popping of one earthquake kernel happens to set off more kernels, and those set off more kernels until there is an explosion, or cascade, of kernels popping, a rupture forms, and a large earthquake is produced.
Or imagine this: The lower region of the San Andreas Fault is slowly sliding—without earthquakes—because here the rocks are hot and plastic and are driven to slide smoothly by the slow and constant movement of the Pacific and North American plates. As the slipping region grows, the sliding accelerates until it reaches a critical speed to where a rupture forms in the brittle overlying rock, and a larger earthquake is produced.
In the former case—the cascade model of earthquake kernels—the beginning of any large earthquake is no different from the beginnings of countless small ones, which means it is impossible to ever predict large earthquakes.
In the latter case—the pre-slip model—a long process occurs that prepares the San Andreas for a sudden and major slip. In that case, earthquakes might be predicted if we can figure out how to measure the slow sliding and subsequent buildup.
Which idea is true—or whether earthquakes work in some other manner entirely—is still the focus of much research today and is hotly debated. But this much is true: When there is a major earthquake, the probability of another major earthquake happening soon after in the same region goes way up. Once the Earth’s crust starts to adjust to the slow buildup of pressure between the tectonic plates, that pressure may not be relieved simply as a single large event but as one—or more—major earthquakes happening in a short time period.
To put this in concrete numbers: History shows that whenever there is a major earthquake in California, say a magnitude-6 event, which can do substantial damage—there is a 1-in- 20 chance that another earthquake of equal or greater magnitude will happen in the same general area within the next three days.
This leads to a practical concern. After a major earthquake, people should brace themselves for an equal or larger event. Emergency services, such as fire and police stations and hospitals, need to prepare for additional injuries and for the disruption of still more roads and utilities. And for those who are attempting to rescue people who are already trapped under debris, those rescuers should be aware that a larger earthquake could strike and a greater catastrophe may happen.
Excerpted from Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault by John Dvorak, out now from Pegasus.
*Correction, April 22, 2014: This piece misstated that the 1976 Tangshan earthquake as the greatest seismic calamity yet. The 1556 Shensi earthquake killed more people, according to the USGS. (Return.)A slew of nonprofits and public agencies will share $6.37 million in taxpayer funding next year to curb violence in Oakland, mostly by providing jobs and social services in neighborhoods that are beset by crime.
The money derives from Measure Z, a parcel tax and parking surcharge that Oakland voters approved in November 2014 to improve public safety. It provides $24 million a year to help staff the Police Department and fund community-based violence-prevention programs. Organizations that competed for funding had to show they would steer youth and young adults into productive lives, while helping break a cycle of violence and trauma in Oakland.
Among the grant recipients was Youth Alive, a group that reaches out to youth in the hospital after they’ve been stabbed or shot, or right after they’ve been released from juvenile hall. It was awarded more than $1 million, the lion’s share of which will go toward a collaboration with Oakland California Youth Outreach, to mediate conflicts that erupt in the streets.
The Mentoring Center secured $620,000 in funds to provide intensive case management and conflict mediation, partly in conjunction with Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice. The Family Violence Law Center was granted $450,000 to help survivors of domestic violence and assist with restraining orders. The Center for Employment Opportunities received $320,000 in job-training funds for young adults, ages 18 to 35.
Staff from the city’s Human Services Department — which has an arm called Oakland Unite that manages public safety funds — recommended awarding 30 grants in all, allocating the money to 24 nonprofit and public agencies, out of 44 that applied. The City Council approved those awards Tuesday.
Clients from several of the organizations that received funding gave emotional speeches at the council meeting, highlighting the urgency of Measure Z.
“I just got out of prison two weeks ago,” said Tommy Robinson, who had come to advocate for Oakland California Youth Outreach.
Robinson said he’d spent more than a decade behind bars, and the last six years in solitary confinement.
“It was tough going from being isolated to being around people again,” Robinson said, adding that the group had helped him put together a resume and readjust to the outside world.
“Welcome home,” said council President Lynette McElhaney, her voice quavering.
Erin Scott, |
was walking home from school and in the 3600 block of West Ainslie when a man approached her from a four-door, older-model, silver sedan, police said. He asked the girl for directions to a public restroom and then removed his pants and started touching himself inappropriately.
An 11-year-old girl was targeted while walking home from school on May 26 in the Irving Park neighborhood. She was in the 4100 block of North Richmond about 8 a.m. when a man approached her from a full-size, red or burgundy van, police said. He motioned for the girl to come closer to him, but she ran away fearing for her safety and alerted authorities of the incident.
Disturbing String of Crimes on NW Side Prompts Police Alert
Police are warning Chicago residents after multiple child luring and sexual exploitation of child incidents were reported on the city's Northwest Side. Susan Carlson reports. (Published Monday, June 5, 2017)
Later that night, a 30-year-old woman was targeted in the same neighborhood. She was walking in the 4300 block of North Spaulding when a man approached her from behind and touched her midsection through her clothing, police said. She confronted the man, and he ran away heading north on Spaulding in the alley.
The offender in the four incidents was generally described as a 25- to 40-year-old Hispanic man, police said.
Anyone with information on the incidents should contact Area North detectives at (312) 744-8200. Anonymous tips can be submitted at tipsoft.com.
Copyright SunTimesWorking an 8-5 desk jobs has its pros and cons. I’ve been happy to transition into weekday only work as I used to work as a waitress and didn’t have my weekends to enjoy with friends and family. One of the main downsides though is being at a desk for 8 hours and not having many options to eating healthy.
Preparation is key for anyone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My favorite little trick in preparing my lunch is the storage container I use to prepare my lunches. I use these Ziploc Container, Divided Rectangle, 2-Count(Pack of 2) to pack my lunches. They have a decent size section for your protein/salad/main course, a smaller section for a vegetable and a smaller section for either dressing or some fruit or a little chocolate bar for dessert!
Another bonus to bringing your lunch is how much money you will save. The average lunch costs around $7 to dine out where most of the options below will only cost $2-3 per servings. That’s a $22.50 savings a week or $1170 a year! That’s a Caribbean vacation for us single folks or a nice chunk of change to help get your family to Disney world.
On to the brown bag lunch ideas!
Wraps are a quick and easy solution to lunch and are very tasty! You can see a recipe for a wrap I had recently here. Grilled chicken breast is great for on-the-go. You can precook multiple breasts at one time at the start of the week and then slice them up and toss them in a salad, shred them for tacos or even a Chick-Fil a style chargilled sandwich, there’s tons of possibilities! Soups can be put in thermos’ to keep warm until lunch. Try making a large batch on the weekend in your crock pot then save some in the fridge for the week and freeze your leftovers in ziplock bags for easy weeknight dinners or future lunches. Good ole’ sandwiches. Just like wraps the possibilities are endless; chicken salad, hummus and veggies, egg salad, lunch meat, anything. Taquitos, burritos or tacos. There’s a way to make a healthier option of just about anything. Use whole wheat tortillas as your base, if you use canned beans be sure to rinse them, add a lean meat if you want, all the veggies and some fat-free shredded cheese. Taquitos can be made in bulk prior to your work day and are great reheated. Salads! That little section in the container i suggested is great for salad. Add whatever veggies you’d like on top of your choice of lettuce/spinach/arugula and then you’re protein. Be sure that you’re meat has cooled to room temperature or is even already refrigerated so it doesn’t wilt your greens. Leftovers. Pack over all of the leftovers from a nights meal in individual containers and you already have at least a days worth of lunch ready if not more. Whole Grain pasta salad made with a light vinaigrette and low fat cheese. You can add in sliced carrots, zucchini, and whatever else your pretty little heart desires. Peanut butter! Peanut butter toast, peanut butter celery, peanut butter crackers. Peanut butter is awesome and goes great with just about anything in my opinion. It’s very filling and is a great candidate for your protein source! Frittatas are great when reheated and are very filling but light enough for a nice meal at work that won’t have you dragging half way through the day.
I hope you found these helpful. If you have any other suggestions I’d love to hear from you!
Disclaimer-*Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Other posts you may enjoy::AL MUKALLA, Yemen — As the raid got underway in his village, Mubarak al-Harad was woken first by barking dogs, then explosions. Instinctively, he grabbed his gun.
“We thought we were being attacked by another tribe,” Mr. Harad said. “We are constantly at war with many tribes.”
He saw three helicopters in the distance. United States commandos and Yemeni soldiers were advancing toward the village, Wadi Abadan, on a mission to rescue an American hostage being held by the Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, along with a South African.
Mr. Harad knew that his 28-year-old son, Sheikh, who was in the village, was a longtime member of the affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. But Mr. Harad said that he and other residents had no idea that Sheikh had smuggled foreign hostages into Wadi Abadan. So the tribesmen of the village fought back against the Americans, convinced that their homes and families were under attack, he said.Advertisement Well-known minister faces complaint over same-sex marriage Share Shares Copy Link Copy
KCCI has learned a formal complaint has been filed against a well-known Methodist minister in Des Moines for performing a same-sex marriage.View videoThe United Methodist Iowa Conference said it's an issue that's dividing the church.For 27 years, if Methodist ministers or staff needed advice, they went to Reverend Dr. Larry Sonner. He is the founder of Pastoral Care and Counseling.Now, he is charged with violating the sacred trust of the church."It's an equal rights issue. Why shouldn't everyone have the same that I have and one of those rights is marriage," Sonner said in an exclusive interview with KCCI.Sonner said he knew he would face consequences when he married a lesbian couple last month outside a church in West Des Moines. In the Methodist Book of Discipline that is incompatible with Christian teachings."I think when you do have any king of civil disobedience, you are saying, 'I will take the consequences,'" said Sonner.The Bishop of the Iowa Conference released a statement saying the appointive cabinet entered into a time of prayer and commitment to promote and engage in Holy Conversation around the ways in which our church is in distress and disagreement."It is causing a great deal of division in the United State and Iowa. We are definitely not in the like mind on this issue," said Rev. Bill Poland, assistant to the bishop.One Iowa, which advocates for LGBT issues, said the Methodist Church as a great history of human and civil rights."It really brings to the surface the need to have this conversation that they understand love is love and open their doors to the same-sex couples," said Donna Red Wing, executive director of One Iowa.Sonner could be defrocked, lose part of his pension, his housing allowance and his health care. He said that is something he is willing to give up to stand up for what he believes in."We're the only major denomination besides Baptists and Roman Catholics, we have to move ahead on this," said Sonner.Sonner will meet with the Bishop on Dec. 1. Both sides said they hope they can come to a resolution that will lead to healing and unity in the church.The French researcher who caused a scientific storm when he claimed to show that some GM food led to tumours and cancers in rats has accused the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) of "recklessly endangering public health" by not demanding long-term testing of the foods.
In a series of parliamentary and public meetings held this week in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, Prof Gilles-Eric Séralini has challenged UK politicians and safety authorities to review the way safety is assessed.
Séralini, a molecular biologist at Caen University, said: "Our research found severe toxicity from GM maize and [Monsanto pesticide] Roundup. The British Food Standards Agency has uncritically accepted the European Food Safety Authority's dismissal of the study, even though many of EFSA's experts have been exposed as having conflicts of interest with the GM industry. At the very least, the British government should demand long-term mandatory safety testing on all GM foods before they are released onto the market," he said.
"The British scientific authorities are deliberately misleading their government and are recklessly endangering public health in ignoring the findings of our research."
Séralini's study found that rats developed much higher levels of cancers and died earlier than controls when fed a diet of Monsanto's Roundup-tolerant GM maize NK603 for two years, or were exposed to Roundup over the same period. The usual industry tests last for 90 days.
The former member of two French government committees assessing the safety of GM foods suggested that the results could be explained by the endocrine-disrupting effects of the pesticide Roundup, and over-expression of the transgene in the genetically modified organism (GMO).
But although the €3.2m study was published in a peer-reviewed journal and claimed to be the most thorough long-term testing of GM food ever done, it attracted a torrent of criticism from the industry and some academics. It was refuted by several food standards agencies, including the UK's FSA as "biased, poorly performed, bogus, and substandard."
Monsanto, whose pesticide Roundup is engineered to be in most of the world's GM food crops, said it "did not meet minimum acceptable standards for this type of scientific research."
Séralini, in Britain for the first time since the paper was published, said he had been shocked by the "dishonesty" of many of his critics. "They reacted without checking anything. Mostly their quotes were stupid like 'GM has been used for years so it must be OK'. The fact that they were so violent suggested they had something to hide.
"I have been shocked at the conflicts of interests of so many scientists. There's much more than I thought. The problem is that there is a small group of scientists who attack you without checking the data for themselves. They do not demand the data from Monsanto."
But he said one year on his heavily criticised methodology is now being vindicated. A French government agency has called for tenders to repeat the experiment, and the EFSA has issued new guidelines to assess the risk of long-term toxicity from GM foods, which he said largely validate the way he conducted his experiments. EFSA has also accepted that no standardised protocol or guidelines exist.
However a spokesman for EFSA said: "EFSA's recent report has no implications on the authority's previous opinions related to the Séralini study and it should not seen as a validation of this study."
Séralini said: "I am not upset with GM, only the way it is controlled and assessed. It is bad for food. We are using the technology to make 'pesticide plants'. The way the technology is used is not neutral. I was in favour of GM. I am a molecular biologist. I believed it would reduce pesticides but I saw it did the opposite."
The problem, he said, was not just the pesticide, in this case Roundup, which is widely known to be highly toxic, but the GM process itself. "This was a landmark finding, to show that the GM 'event' itself is a problem. The GM is designed to produce enzymes which indirectly destroy the protective compounds in the plant.
"I am sorry that the link between GM and pesticides is not made. The GM allows more pesticide to be contained in the plant. Nearly 80% of GMOs are designed to absorb Roundup. The other 20% are designed to produce their own pesticide. We found that pesticides are not really tested."
The issue may not be resolved until both Monsanto and Séralini publish the raw data from their studies. "We have put our data in the hands of a notary and will release it as soon as they release theirs. Monsanto wants to know what data we have. They do not want a comparisonof my data to theirs. They want to hide their data.
"I discovered that their [Monsanto] historical data is wrong. They say to me 'you haven't looked at the historical data.' But I believe their historical data is contaminated. I believe Monsanto and the regulatory authorities have systematically underestimated the side-effects [of GM food]. All the regulatory tests are falsified by contamination of the data."
He said he wants his data to be compared. "That is the only way to show what I have done is 10 times better than they have. My data is just raw data. Theirs is important for the release and consumption of [commercial] food."
An FSA spokeswoman said: "This paper was reviewed by EFSA – and by a number of other regulatory bodies around the world – all of whom agreed that the results did not support these conclusions. EFSA's assessment has been backed by many other bodies who have carried out detailed reviews of the study and of the significance of the results. This includes the national food safety authorities in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Our own scientists at the FSA agree with the points raised in these reviews.
"In relation to the claimed link between GM maize and cancer, the study used a strain of rats that is particularly prone to tumours. It is therefore not surprising that tumours were seen both in the GM-fed animals and in the non-GM fed controls. However, the number of animals used in the study was too small to determine whether there were significant differences between the two groups."Referring to the Israeli Embassy staff’s departure, he said, “The ambassador has run away for nothing.”
Protesters said the site of their rally, a vacant lot next to the Kaluti mosque in a residential neighborhood, was the scene of almost weekly anti-Israel activities under the auspices of a group calling itself the Anti-Zionist and Anti-Discrimination Society.
But this particular protest gained more attention and traction after organizers called for a million marchers on Facebook, apparently inspired by the attack on the embassy in Cairo and Turkey’s recent expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and downgrading of relations with Israel.
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“The Egyptians cannot be more pro-Palestinian than we are,” said Rami Ayyash, 23, a Jordanian of Palestinian descent from the Baqa’a refugee camp north of Amman.
The revolution in Egypt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, a trusted Israeli ally, and the ensuing feeling of popular empowerment have released long-held anti-Israel sentiment out into the open in Egypt and Jordan, the two Arab neighbors that have made peace with Israel.
The mostly young protesters at the core of Thursday’s demonstration called the Israeli ambassador a “pig” and burned at least two homemade Israeli flags.
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.
But the Palestinians are also split on fundamental issues. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has said that he intends to pursue a vote at the United Nations next week for the purpose of gaining recognition for a Palestinian state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, areas occupied by Israel in the 1967 war.
The dominant call at the Amman rally, however, was for the liberation of all of what the protesters called Palestine, meaning the pre-1948 British Mandate territory stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, and a rejection of the Israeli state.
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“We disagree with him on this issue,” said Allah Ersheid, 35, the owner of a clothing store in Amman whose father came from Jenin in the West Bank, referring to Mr. Abbas.
“We will not accept what Abbas is claiming,” added Mr. Ayyash from the refugee camp, describing the Palestinian president as having settled for “a fifth of the Palestinian land, a third of the people and a quarter of the authority.”
This is a time of rising tension between Jordanians of Palestinian origin and the original inhabitants of the area known as East Bankers. Some East Bankers were upset by official diplomatic cables recently released by WikiLeaks that they said showed meddling by an American diplomat in this delicate issue. A group of retired Jordanian generals protested outside the American Embassy in Amman on Wednesday.
In an illustration of the tensions, across the road from Thursday’s anti-Israel rally, patriotic music blared from the house of an East Banker family who had placed loudspeakers on the front porch. The songs often drowned out the chants of the protesters.
“They are not real Jordanians,” the head of the family, Jaafar Abu Hashish, said of the demonstrators who were mostly of Palestinian descent. “They are not against Israel, they are against Jordan,” he said.After watching this video, no one should doubt Bill Gates’ commitment to raising awareness of the issues around sanitation and its importance to economic and social development in emerging markets.
In the video, Gates drinks water made from human waste to prove that the technology developed by Janicki Bioenergy, a small engineering firm based outside of Seattle, works.
Sanitation in developing countries is a huge problem. Poor waste disposal causes the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children each year and prevents them from developing both mentally and physically, as Gates notes in his blog post on the new technology.
“If we can develop safe, affordable ways to get rid of human waste, we can prevent many of those deaths and help more children grow up healthy,” Gates writes.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is backing a pilot project for Janicki’s project in Senegal later this year.
The technology isn’t particularly groundbreaking. Distillation, which purifies a liquid by heating it to a vapor then condensing it, is a basic principle of high school chemistry. Evaporating the water vapor from waste sludge and condensing it creates the water, which is then purified (and it’d be nice to know exactly HOW they purified the water and assured their multi-billionaire philanthropist backer that it was safe to drink). The remaining sludge is then heated in a steam engine and runs a generator to produce electricity.
Water from waste (or blackwater) has been a hard sell in many geographies, and in the developing countries that Gates targets, there’s an operational challenge in collecting the waste before it can be purified. Some startups like the MIT spinout, Sanergy, are working on solving the problem of waste detection.
In Gates’ post on the technology he seems to indicate that the company will rely on truckers to take the waste to the Omniprocessor facility designed by Janicki Bioenergy.
“The sanitation system as we know it in the developed world cannot work in developing countries. So what we need in developing country is very simple systems,” says Doulaye Kone, senior program officer at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The next-generation processor will be designed to handle waste from 100,000 people, which can produce up to 86,000 liters of potable water a day and a net 250 kw of electricity, according to Gates. If it helps even one family get a glass of fresh water, it seems well worth the effort.Great news everybody! It seem like Lotus will finally start to simplify things by adding lightness, and in this case, more power as well. Here comes the barely road legal 3-Eleven.
The Lotus 2-Eleven was pretty bonkers back in 2007. According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, Lotus is now working on its equally mad successor called the 3-Eleven, which will be based on the Exige and pack even more power than their "all new supercar," the Evora 400.
Based entirely on the Exige, Pistonheads says the exact numbers will be 420 horsepower from the 3.5 V6 and a curb weight of 1,962 pounds (890 kg) according to Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales. The new main man also promises a 180mph top speed and a Nürburgring lap time of 7:09.
Lotus will get it approved for road use before it debuts at the Frankfurt Show in September, with production limited to 311 units.
Advertisement"Scalar product" redirects here. For the abstract scalar product, see Inner product space. For the product of a vector and a scalar, see Scalar multiplication
In mathematics, the dot product or scalar product[note 1] is an algebraic operation that takes two equal-length sequences of numbers (usually coordinate vectors) and returns a single number. In Euclidean geometry, the dot product of the Cartesian coordinates of two vectors is widely used and often called "the" inner product (or rarely projection product) of Euclidean space even though it is not the only inner product that can be defined on Euclidean space; see also inner product space.
Algebraically, the dot product is the sum of the products of the corresponding entries of the two sequences of numbers. Geometrically, it is the product of the Euclidean magnitudes of the two vectors and the cosine of the angle between them. These definitions are equivalent when using Cartesian coordinates. In modern geometry, Euclidean spaces are often defined by using vector spaces. In this case, the dot product is used for defining lengths (the length of a vector is the square root of the dot product of the vector by itself) and angles (the cosine of the angle of two vectors is the quotient of their dot product by the product of their lengths).
The name "dot product" is derived from the centered dot " · " that is often used to designate this operation; the alternative name "scalar product" emphasizes that the result is a scalar, rather than a vector, as is the case for the vector product in three-dimensional space.
Definition [ edit ]
The dot product may be defined algebraically or geometrically. The geometric definition is based on the notions of angle and distance (magnitude of vectors). The equivalence of these two definitions relies on having a Cartesian coordinate system for Euclidean space.
In modern presentations of Euclidean geometry, the points of space are defined in terms of their Cartesian coordinates, and Euclidean space itself is commonly identified with the real coordinate space Rn. In such a presentation, the notions of length and angles are defined by means of the dot product. The length of a vector is defined as the square root of the dot product of the vector by itself, and the cosine of the (non oriented) angle of two vectors of length one is defined as their dot product. So the equivalence of the two definitions of the dot product is a part of the equivalence of the classical and the modern formulations of Euclidean geometry.
Algebraic definition [ edit ]
The dot product of two vectors a = [a 1, a 2, …, a n ] and b = [b 1, b 2, …, b n ] is defined as:[1]
a ⋅ b = ∑ i = 1 n a i b i = a 1 b 1 + a 2 b 2 + ⋯ + a n b n {\displaystyle \mathbf {\color {red}a} \cdot \mathbf {\color {blue}b} =\sum _{i=1}^{n}{\color {red}a}_{i}{\color {blue}b}_{i}={\color {red}a}_{1}{\color {blue}b}_{1}+{\color {red}a}_{2}{\color {blue}b}_{2}+\cdots +{\color {red}a}_{n}{\color {blue}b}_{n}}
where Σ denotes summation and n is the dimension of the vector space. For instance, in three-dimensional space, the dot product of vectors [1, 3, −5] and [4, −2, −1] is:
[ 1, 3, − 5 ] ⋅ [ 4, − 2, − 1 ] = ( 1 × 4 ) + ( 3 × − 2 ) + ( − 5 × − 1 ) = 4 − 6 + 5 = 3 {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\ [{\color {red}1,3,-5}]\cdot [{\color {blue}4,-2,-1}]&=({\color {red}1}\times {\color {blue}4})+({\color {red}3}\times {\color {blue}-2})+({\color {red}-5}\times {\color {blue}-1})\\&=4-6+5\\&=3\end{aligned}}}
If vectors are identified with row matrices, the dot product can also be written as a matrix product
a ⋅ b = a b ⊤, {\displaystyle \mathbf {\color {red}a} \cdot \mathbf {\color {blue}b} =\mathbf {\color {red}a} \mathbf {\color {blue}b} ^{\top },}
where b ⊤ {\displaystyle \mathbf {\color {blue}b} ^{\top }} denotes the transpose of b {\displaystyle \mathbf {\color {blue}b} }.
Expressing the above example in this way, a 1 × 3 matrix (row vector) is multiplied by a 3 × 1 matrix (column vector) to get a 1 × 1 matrix that is identified with its unique entry:
[ 1 3 − 5 ] [ 4 − 2 − 1 ] = 3 {\displaystyle {\begin{bmatrix}\color {red}1&\color {red}3&\color {red}-5\end{bmatrix}}{\begin{bmatrix}\color {blue}4\\\color {blue}-2\\\color {blue}-1\end{bmatrix}}=\color {purple}3}
Geometric definition [ edit ]
Illustration showing how to find the angle between vectors using the dot product
In Euclidean space, a Euclidean vector is a geometric object that possesses both a magnitude and a direction. A vector can be pictured as an arrow. Its magnitude is its length, and its direction is the direction that the arrow points to. The magnitude of a vector a is denoted by ‖ a ‖ {\displaystyle \left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|}. The dot product of two Euclidean vectors a and b is defined by[2][3]
a ⋅ b = ‖ a ‖ ‖ b ‖ cos ( θ ), {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =\|\mathbf {a} \|\ \|\mathbf {b} \|\cos(\theta ),}
where θ is the angle between a and b.
In particular, if a and b are orthogonal (the angle between vectors is 90°) then due to cos ( 90 ∘ ) = 0 {\displaystyle \cos(90^{\circ })=0}
a ⋅ b = 0. {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =0.}
At the other extreme, if they are codirectional, then the angle between them is 0° and
a ⋅ b = ‖ a ‖ ‖ b ‖ {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|\,\left\|\mathbf {b} \right\|}
This implies that the dot product of a vector a with itself is
a ⋅ a = ‖ a ‖ 2, {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {a} =\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|^{2},}
which gives
‖ a ‖ = a ⋅ a, {\displaystyle \left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|={\sqrt {\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {a} }},}
the formula for the Euclidean length of the vector.
Scalar projection and first properties [ edit ]
Scalar projection
The scalar projection (or scalar component) of a Euclidean vector a in the direction of a Euclidean vector b is given by
a b = ‖ a ‖ cos θ, {\displaystyle a_{b}=\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|\cos \theta,}
where θ is the angle between a and b.
In terms of the geometric definition of the dot product, this can be rewritten
a b = a ⋅ b ^, {\displaystyle a_{b}=\mathbf {a} \cdot {\widehat {\mathbf {b} }},}
where b ^ = b / ‖ b ‖ {\displaystyle {\widehat {\mathbf {b} }}=\mathbf {b} /\left\|\mathbf {b} \right\|} is the unit vector in the direction of b.
Distributive law for the dot product
The dot product is thus characterized geometrically by[4]
a ⋅ b = a b ‖ b ‖ = b a ‖ a ‖. {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =a_{b}\left\|\mathbf {b} \right\|=b_{a}\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|.}
The dot product, defined in this manner, is homogeneous under scaling in each variable, meaning that for any scalar α,
( α a ) ⋅ b = α ( a ⋅ b ) = a ⋅ ( α b ). {\displaystyle (\alpha \mathbf {a} )\cdot \mathbf {b} =\alpha (\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} )=\mathbf {a} \cdot (\alpha \mathbf {b} ).}
It also satisfies a distributive law, meaning that
a ⋅ ( b + c ) = a ⋅ b + a ⋅ c. {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot (\mathbf {b} +\mathbf {c} )=\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} +\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {c}.}
These properties may be summarized by saying that the dot product is a bilinear form. Moreover, this bilinear form is positive definite, which means that a ⋅ a {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {a} } is never negative and is zero if and only if a = 0 {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} =\mathbf {0} }, the zero vector.
Equivalence of the definitions [ edit ]
If e 1,..., e n are the standard basis vectors in Rn, then we may write
a = [ a 1, …, a n ] = ∑ i a i e i b = [ b 1, …, b n ] = ∑ i b i e i. {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\mathbf {a} &=[a_{1},\dots,a_{n}]=\sum _{i}a_{i}\mathbf {e} _{i}\\\mathbf {b} &=[b_{1},\dots,b_{n}]=\sum _{i}b_{i}\mathbf {e} _{i}.\end{aligned}}}
The vectors e i are an orthonormal basis, which means that they have unit length and are at right angles to each other. Hence since these vectors have unit length
e i ⋅ e i = 1 {\displaystyle \mathbf {e} _{i}\cdot \mathbf {e} _{i}=1}
and since they form right angles with each other, if i ≠ j,
e i ⋅ e j = 0. {\displaystyle \mathbf {e} _{i}\cdot \mathbf {e} _{j}=0.}
Thus in general we can say that:
e i ⋅ e j = δ i j. {\displaystyle \mathbf {e} _{i}\cdot \mathbf {e} _{j}=\delta _{ij}.}
Where δ ij is the Kronecker delta.
Also, by the geometric definition, for any vector e i and a vector a, we note
a ⋅ e i = ‖ a ‖ ‖ e i ‖ cos θ = ‖ a ‖ cos θ = a i, {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {e} _{i}=\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|\,\left\|\mathbf {e} _{i}\right\|\cos \theta =\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|\cos \theta =a_{i},}
where a i is the component of vector a in the direction of e i.
Now applying the distributivity of the geometric version of the dot product gives
a ⋅ b = a ⋅ ∑ i b i e i = ∑ i b i ( a ⋅ e i ) = ∑ i b i a i = ∑ i a i b i, {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =\mathbf {a} \cdot \sum _{i}b_{i}\mathbf {e} _{i}=\sum _{i}b_{i}(\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {e} _{i})=\sum _{i}b_{i}a_{i}=\sum _{i}a_{i}b_{i},}
which is precisely the algebraic definition of the dot product. So the geometric dot product equals the algebraic dot product.
Properties [ edit ]
The dot product fulfills the following properties if a, b, and c are real vectors and r is a scalar.[1][2]
Commutative: a ⋅ b = b ⋅ a, {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =\mathbf {b} \cdot \mathbf {a},} which follows from the definition (θ is the angle between a and b): a ⋅ b = ‖ a ‖ ‖ b ‖ cos θ = ‖ b ‖ ‖ a ‖ cos θ = b ⋅ a. {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} =\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|\left\|\mathbf {b} \right\|\cos \theta =\left\|\mathbf {b} \right\|\left\|\mathbf {a} \right\|\cos \theta =\mathbf {b} \cdot \mathbf {a}.} Distributive over vector addition: a ⋅ ( b + c ) = a ⋅ b + a ⋅ c. {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot (\mathbf {b} +\mathbf {c} )=\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} +\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {c}.} Bilinear: a ⋅ ( r b + c ) = r ( a ⋅ b ) + ( a ⋅ c ). {\displaystyle \mathbf {a} \cdot (r\mathbf {b} +\mathbf {c} )=r(\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} )+(\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {c} ).} Scalar multiplication: ( c 1 a ) ⋅ ( c 2 b ) = c 1 c 2 ( a ⋅ b ). {\displaystyle (c_{1}\mathbf {a} )\cdot (c_{2}\mathbf {b} )=c_{1}c_{2}(\mathbf {a} \cdot \mathbf {b} ).} Not associative because the dot product between a scalar (a ⋅ b) and a vector (c) is not defined, which means that the expressions involved in the associative property, (a ⋅ b) ⋅ c or a ⋅ (b ⋅ c) are both ill-defined.[5] Note however that the previously mentioned scalar multiplication property is sometimes called the "associative law for scalar and dot product"[6] or one can say that "the dot product is associative with respect to scalar multiplication" because c (a ⋅ b) = (c a) ⋅ b = a ⋅ (c b).[7] Orthogonal: Two non-zero vectors a and b are orthogonal if and only if a ⋅ b = 0. No cancellation: Unlike multiplication of ordinary numbers, where if ab = ac, then b always equals c unless a is zero, the dot product does not obey the cancellation law: If a ⋅ b = a ⋅ c and a ≠ 0, then we can write |
suggest that Ulbricht was not the Dread Pirate Roberts."
She went on to point out that one of the charges against those agents, the DEA special agent Carl Force, included that Ulbricht had paid him for counterintelligence information about the law enforcement investigation of the Silk Road. Force was, in essence, allegedly working as the Dread Pirate Roberts' mole inside the DEA. "The investigation of SA Force is, if anything, inculpatory as it suggests that Ulbricht, as DPR, was seeking to pay law enforcement for inside information to protect his illegal enterprise," she adds.
Ulbricht's defense team didn't immediately respond to WIRED's request for a comment on the judge's ruling.
Forrest's decision against Ulbricht's call for a new trial is perhaps no surprise. It comes after no less than five other calls for a mistrial from Ulbricht's defense, all of which she rejected. The defense has nonetheless vowed to appeal the case, a decision that will fall to a panel of three appellate court judges. Ulbricht was convicted in February of all seven counts against him, including narcotics trafficking and money laundering conspiracies, and even a kingpin charge usually reserved for mafia dons and drug cartel leaders. He faces sentencing on May 15, though his defense has asked for that date to be delayed to better argue against the prosecution's calls for a life sentence.
The criminal case against Carl Force and the allegedly corrupt Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges, meanwhile, will continue to proceed in the Northern District of California, where charges were filed against them late last month. But regardless of those two agents' guilt or innocence, it seems Ulbricht's own guilty verdict is now one step closer to finality.
Here's the judge's full ruling:
Forrest New Trial DenialThree more ministers from Justin Trudeau's cabinet will be in the United States this week, as the federal government continues to lobby American leaders and lawmakers about the importance of maintaining unfettered trade between the two countries.
With U.S. President Donald Trump hoping to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and others suggesting the imposition of a border adjustment tax on imports to the United States, the Trudeau government has been at pains to stress how the American economy benefits from access to Canadian companies and consumers.
That effort has expanded beyond the Trudeau cabinet's dealings with its American counterparts to include outreach at the state and municipal levels, with Canadian ministers targeting a list of 11 key states.
This week, Transport Minister Marc Garneau will travel to Florida (where he worked during his career as an astronaut), while Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will go to California.
Earlier this month, Finance Minister Bill Morneau was in Indiana to meet with the state's governor and tour CN Rail's train yards in Gary.
You can't really ask for a better tour guide than the Mayor! Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/karenaboutgary">@karenaboutgary</a> for joining us at <a href="https://twitter.com/CNRailway">@CNRailway</a>'s Kirk Yard this morning. <a href="https://t.co/2duyVe9YWY">pic.twitter.com/2duyVe9YWY</a> —@Bill_Morneau
'Economic and strategic' ties
"The ties between our two countries are economic and also strategic," Trudeau told an audience in Houston, Texas, last month. "This is the most successful economic relationship in the world, supporting millions of middle-class jobs on both sides of the border.
"Canada buys more from America than does any other country. We are the number one customer of two-thirds of U.S. states, and in the top three for 48 states."
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall also recently travelled to Des Moines, Iowa, where he and Andrew Leslie, parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister, met with state leaders.
In addition to Florida, Texas, Iowa and California, the Liberals are targeting Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and New York.
The Trump administration has circulated a draft letter with some of what it might be looking for in a renegotiation of NAFTA, but it is not yet clear when those discussions might officially begin.
As part of its own preparations, the Trudeau cabinet recently met with former prime minister Brian Mulroney, whose government negotiated NAFTA in the early 1990s.
The possibility of a border adjustment tax is also likely tied up in the Trump administration's hopes for larger tax reform.
And Trump is also expected to sign an executive order on Tuesday that relates to "buy American" and "hire American" policies, potentially adding to the list of cross-border concerns for the Trudeau government.
"One of the things that we're trying to explain is what are the ramifications of making trade more difficult between our two countries," Bill Morneau told CBC Radio's The House earlier this month.
"And I found a very receptive audience in that message and in particular that message that that tax has the very real potential impact of raising costs for American consumers and raising prices — retail price. Surely that's going to be negative for Americans."Mall staple Hot Topic is taking another chain under its umbrella for a $122 million price tag, announcing that it’s acquiring Geeknet, Inc., parent company of online retailers ThinkGeek and ThinkGeek Solutions, for $122 million. Commemorative T-shirts with cheeky sayings for everyone!
Hot Topic is known for its mall stores as well as its status as an online purveyor of goods you might find at the mall. It announced the acquisition today, noting that the $122 million total equity value includes $37 million of cash and cash equivalents.
Geeknet, as Bloomberg points out, was once part of a company known as the hottest IPO on the block before the dotcom bubble burst. Back then, its customers knew it as VA Linux Systems, one of the first companyies to sell personal computers with the open-source Linux operating system pre-installed. Nowadays, Customers know ThinkGeek for its focus on merchandise tied to video games, comic books and sci-fi franchises.
“We are pleased to have entered into this agreement and look forward to adding Geeknet’s innovative products and services to our portfolio,” said Lisa Harper, Chief Executive Officer of Hot Topic in a press release. “Geeknet’s unique concept and approach to the online retail community is a strong fit with our business strategy, which is focused on delivering great products for avid fans of various licensed properties, and we are excited about the opportunity to help drive profitable growth and further enhance value for Geeknet’s customers.”
One of the Biggest Tech IPOs of All Time Is Getting Bought by a Teen Clothing Store [Bloomberg]There's encouraging news for the world's coffee addicts. US researchers have found that people who live longer tend to be people who enjoy a caffeinated cup or two - as long as you stay away from the milk and sugar.
The study from the US government's Cancer Institute studied more than 400,000 people, and found drinkers of two to three cups a day had a 10 - 13 per cent chance of outlasting those who eschew the brew.
But as the good news percolated through the bean scene, cafe dwellers said they would have continued with their daily fix - even if the study's had given the opposite results.
Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports from Washington DC on why coffee drinkers aren't losing any sleep over their health.Article By Drew Spriggs
Have you ever witnessed somebody who has never deadlifted before in their life walk into a gym and perform a perfect (and often quite strong) deadlift with absolutely minimal coaching? This is a phenomenon I witnessed a few times, and like most people I put this down to them coming from a sporting background or having ideal levers. However, after looking at quite a few people who have had this ability, I’ve found this often isn’t the case. People with the LEAST ideal levers for deadlifting often were able to deadlift well on their first try, and these people often had no sporting background. After spending some time coaching these newer people, I found something common in everybody who had this knack for deadlifting – they were all able to perform a basic hip hinge very successfully, most with almost a 90 degree ROM (ie. torso parallel to ground). This being said, you would think that developing this movement pattern would be a priority for the majority of new gym attendees out there right? Unfortunately this is rarely the case, but Valhalla Strength – South Brisbane is here to change that.
Raeanne Pemberton, of Belle of the Bar fame, seen here pulling 420lbs has put a lot of work into her hinge pattern, and it’s paying off massively with all of her deadlifts. Photo courtesy of Mindy Stewart Morgan
The hip hinge is one of the five basic movement patterns – squat, hinge, upper body push, upper body pull and carry. Forming the basis for the deadlift (and anything related to it), the hip hinge consists of two phases – hip flexion with a posterior weight shift while retaining a completely neutral lumbar spine, followed by complete hip extension via the hamstrings/glutes and ending up in a neutral but ‘stacked’ position – neutral pelvis, slight lordotic lumbar spine, rib cage tucked down and shoulders directly over the middle of the foot. This movement pattern performed correctly ensures that the abdominal muscles are being used to stabilise and brace the lumbar spine, and the hamstrings are being used for the majority of hip extension, with extension being concluded by the glutes. Given the importance of having a strong (and hopefully safe deadlift), this is undoubtedly the most important movement pattern for the strongman and strongwoman as well as being the foundation movement for a whole host of fantastic supplemental exercises – barbell hip thrust, any deadlift variety, the setup for the Pendlay row and even has it’s fingers all over Olympic weightlifting. I believe that poor hinge patterning is also a large risk factor in workplace injuries caused by picking up objects off the floor – at every workplace health and safety meeting you see, there is a huge focus on “lifting with the legs” – however from a biomechanical point of view the hip hinge allows you to utilise the legs safely and effectively without having to “squat” any items up (great for older populations who have knee injuries).
Now you have a bit of an idea about what the hinge pattern looks like, what are the effects of a poor hinge pattern?
• Deadlifting never ‘feeling right’
• Inability to get into a deadlift start position with a neutral lumbar spine
• Excessive erector loading while deadlifting,instead of utilising the hamstrings.
• Lumbar hyperextension at lockout
• Consistent unintentional hitching/lapping of deadlifts
• Weak/tight hamstrings and glutes
• Flexion/extension cycles through the lumbar spine – what I believe to be a big contributor to back injuries while deadlifting
This is most definitely not the hinge pattern we are looking for
Fixing and perfecting the hip hinge should therefore be a massive priority for everybody stepping foot into the gym, even more so for anybody who has a lower back issue. On multiple occasions I have had with clients who have been unable to deadlift without lower back pain, but after proper cuing of the hinge pattern and working on increase its ROM, they have been able to deadlift with no pain whatsoever; as a strength coach I am not here to try and ‘fix’ pain, but if we can take care of it incidentally then all the better! There is another big benefit to hinge pattern work for anybody who is chasing strength goals – hinge pattern work will directly contribute to building a stronger deadlift EVEN with very low weights due to neural adaptions. Let’s now have a bit of a close look at the hinge, and how it can be used for a great deadlift.
The way I teach hinging for most new clients is simple – starting with feet roughly shoulder width apart and a slightly tucked pelvis (to reduce the anterior tilt that most people have, and line up the pelvis to the diaphragm) and after breathing in and bracing your torso, push your hips backwards while having your knees slightly unlocked (but not bending from them). Continue ‘reaching back’ with your hips until you feel your hamstrings get tight, and your shoulders can’t go any lower without needing to flex through your thoracic or lumbar spine – it can be useful to either perform these sideways in a mirror, or have a friend watch your lower back. Initially, it will be hard to tell when you reach the limit of your hinge ROM and your lumbar spine starts to bend, but after a bit of experience it will be easy to feel where this point is. The goal is to hinge to just before that point. Most people will have a tendency to want to just bend over – this is NOT what we want, as it will result in an anterior shift in weight. If you are moving and feel yourself tipping forward, this is occurring. It may also useful to stand around 10cm in front of a wall/rack/box, as you will know you’re doing the right thing if you feel your glutes come in contact with whatever is behind you. Once you have reached the point just before lumbar flexion occurs, squeeze your hamstrings/tuck your pelvis posteriorly to extend your hips until you get to the point where you are your tallest, then give your glutes an extra squeeze at the top. This should coincide with the ‘locked’ deadlift position’ – slight lumbar lordosis, ribcage tucked down, knees locked, neutral shoulders. Perform 3-5 sets of 10 reps with zero weight to get a feel for the movement before you decide to progress from there – this is also an ideal warmup for any sort of deadlifting movement, and can be performed multiple times a day every day.
Takeaway points:
• ensure your weight is shifting backwards instead of forwards – this will ensure the hinge is being done properly
• get to know the sensation of reaching your end of ROM, and when your lumbar spine starts to flex – avoid this happening
• always picture tucking your hips slightly forward to engage your glutes, especially at the locked position
• *maintain your knees being slightly unlocked, but try to reduce any movement through them
Some do’s and don’ts are below.
Hinge Do Not’s – Start with Excessive Hyperextension
Hinge Do Not’s – Bending Forward Instead of Shifting the Weight Posteriorly
Hinge Do Not’s – Allow the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine to Round
Hinge Do’s – Start with Relatively Neutral Lumbar Spine
Hinge Do’s – Only Go As Far as your ROM Allows
Now you know what the hinge movement feels like, it’s time to get an approximation of your ROM. My opinion is everybody should aim for a ROM of 90 degrees (that is, with the knees straight the torso is flat to the ground). If you already have this, then you should still be working on the hinge pattern frequently for the neural adaptions and carryover to most posterior chain exercises. A common view held by people that are aware of the hinge pattern is that limited ROM is caused by tight hamstrings (as is the misconception that tight hamstrings cause poor squat depth). Having tight hamstrings will be common to anybody that has a poor hinge pattern, however assuming that it isn’t caused by other issues (injury, severe anteriorly rotated pelvis, etc), tight hamstrings are generally a SYMPTOM of a poor hinge pattern – not the cause! Movement-based ROM limitations are your bodies way of stopping you from getting into positions where it lacks muscular control – in essence, your hamstrings are only tight because your body has NO idea what to do when it goes past the point where the hinge stops! This is the fundamental difference between flexibility and mobility in my opinion – flexibility is just the ability to bend a single joint to the very ends of your biomechanical ROM, whereas mobility is the ability to get into these end-range positions and have the muscular control and strength to produce force there. The first step is of course to diagnose your hinge ROM. I don’t believe being completely accurate is necessary, as only having a ROM of 45 degrees or so will be very evident and a sign that you need to work on it. If you have less than 90, the way I’ve helped develop it in clients is outlined below.
To be done daily:
• 5 minutes of rockback or 90/90 breathing (recommended to all my clients, regardless of goals or background). This helps activate torso musculature and relax hip flexors/spinal erectors, and in itself will often increase hip hinge ROM.
• 1×10 bodyweight hinges, ensuring no lumbar flexion. Nice and slow, just to warm up the hamstrings
• 3×6 weighted (kettlebell or dumbbell that weighs 5-10kg is ideal for the majority of people) hinges with a 5 second pause and complete exhale at the bottom of the movement. Keep these strict, and don’t go into lumbar flexion.
Rockback Breathing is a great way to ensure you relax hip flexors and lumbar erectors – two things that take a beating while training for strongman
The reason for the pause is simple – your body starts becoming more ‘comfortable’ at this end range, and over time the ROM will increase. Adding in the exhale is a powerful way to stimulate the vagus nerve, which will help release tight muscles and speed up the process. Ever wonder why masseuses will tell you to keep breathing while you’re getting something tight worked on? This is the reason! Performing this exercise frequently will go a long way to improving your hinge pattern and help increase strength in movements that require a hinge.
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Like this: Like Loading...Saints are canonized only after their deaths; there’s no such thing as a living saint. It was only after the deaths of Jesus Christ and Mohammed that their respective religions, Christianity and Islam, acquired the sweeping force that enabled their adherents to lay waste countless cities and countries, the while slaughtering millions whose crime was being unwashed. Even the escaped Jews of Egypt waited for the death of Moses to begin the first of their by-now-numerous ethnic cleansings of Palestine.
I was born in 1945. Being the age I am, I might hope to live long enough to observe the announcement of the death of the last “Holocaust survivor;” I have already noted announcements, first, of the last veteran of the War Between the States and later, of the First World War. Both announcements were, in some sense, nominal, depending as they had to on records of who was a veteran and who was not, and whether they are alive or dead.
The inevitable announcement will dismay, or threaten, those younger poseurs who have, in one or another of many ways, managed to assume the sacrosanct office of Holocaust Survivor. The announcement will signify to them: the game is up! Cut it out now! The Last One is dead, so you’d better not be popping up and saying you’re one, too—you’ll be denounced and exposed.
Guesses as to what percentage of today’s “Holocaust survivors” are fakes are necessarily somewhat arbitrary, but it’s logically provable that since some time or other—I’ve chosen 1970 as a round-numbered year—the number of opportunists exceeded the number of genuine Holocaust veterans, at least insofar as self-proclaimed contenders are concerned, since real veterans of such experiences tend, for a number of good reasons, to be discreet about their qualifications. Latter-day “survivors” will have, at that ineluctable time in the future, to seek out some other scam to employ in their mulcting professions.
But the hallowed occasion of the future will spell disaster for one other interested group of people, and it’s not one you’d expect to suffer on the occasion in question: revisionists. Yes, (we) revisionists.
The defining quality of a martyr is that the martyr must be dead. Whether the martyr died on a cross, or in a gas chamber, or even at the hands of his malefactors is not quite as inflexible as this requirement of being dead. And if the martyr is, as in the case of Holocaust Survivors, a group (that in fact grows actuarially larger with each passing year), then the group cannot be “a martyr” until every last one of them is dead, whether in penury or in ease and luxury. And one day, everyone potentially or actually a victim of that Holocaust will be dead—no two ways about it.
When that day is declared to have arrived, revisionists of the history in question will be moved from a position of disparagement and condemnation to a place directly atop the funeral pyre of the Last Victim. They will become, inescapably, defamers of the dead, a crime in European countries such as Germany that seems to have no applicability to defamees convincingly portrayed as having been Nazis.
Heretics burned at the stake for blasphemy in the Middle Ages were not so toasted for having dishonored the reputation of any living person; they were roasted for having in some way or other dishonored the memory of someone dead—Christ in most cases. Fates bearing comparison to being burned at the stake await those who, perhaps as early as the present day, are known to have seriously questioned anything about the experiences of the departed deities, or even the purposes, methods or guilt of those said to have tormented them.
As ersatz victims (children of Victims, grandchildren of Victims) rush to reap the rewards of second-hand victimhood, the sentences imposed on revisionists of all kinds will make the judgments meted out to hyperannuated prison guards such as John Demjanjuk seem mild—and the accused will encompass incisive thinkers of any age, not just those who are demographically at the threshold of death.
Those bewailing that inevitable time when “there will be no one left who can bear witness to the atrocities” conceal—consciously or not—an impending Inquisition that will make the intellectual atrocities committed to the present date seem a mere exercise. There will be criminal proceedings in places such as the United States where previously atrocities such as the extradition of Germar Rudolf had to be conducted sub rosa. There will, in that and other jurisdictions, be new laws prohibiting “hate speech” and “defamation of the dead” that will enable still more prosecutions, including those of offenders whose crimes were committed long before the laws were enacted that made their acts crimes.
The feeding frenzy of moral entrepreneurs will be gruesome indeed, at least from the perspective of its victims, among which will number both Freedom and its handmaiden, Truth.
The entire affair, totally anticipatable at the present remove, constitutes an opportunity that moral entrepreneurs are no doubt already contemplating, with an eye to capturing the cash-and-fame prizes that will go to whoever seizes that precious, earliest, moment when it can be pulled off.
The last eligible Victim will have been born (likely in a concentration camp) around the time I was. To note his or her death, I shall have to outlive them—unlikely in view of the financial incentives he or she has to continue to draw breath. But you, dear reader, if you are younger, may live to see the vaunted Event.
If, at that time, you might be identified somehow as a revisionist, God help you. Perhaps you should lie low for a decade or two, and only peep above the edge of the trench sometime well after the Terrible Event has occurred.
It will grow safer after that moment has passed … but slowly, ever so slowly. Remember Christianity. And Islam. And Judaism. And above all, those moral vultures who feed off popular hatred.Scarlett Fakhar says she was fired by KRIV-TV following pro-Donald Trump Facebook post
Former Fox 26 -KRIV reporter Scarlett Fakhar posted on her Facebook page that she was fired from Fox 26 in Houston. (Source: Facebook) Former Fox 26 -KRIV reporter Scarlett Fakhar posted on her Facebook page that she was fired from Fox 26 in Houston. (Source: Facebook) Photo: Facebook Photo: Facebook Image 1 of / 40 Caption Close Scarlett Fakhar says she was fired by KRIV-TV following pro-Donald Trump Facebook post 1 / 40 Back to Gallery
Scarlett Fakhar will no longer be reporting the news via KRIV-TV, a Fox Television Stations representative said on Thursday.
Fakhar's departure follows a controversial post she made on her personal Facebook page, extolling U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and chastising President Barack Obama and African-Americans.
UNDER FIRE: KRIV-TV reporter blasted for pro-Trump Facebook post
Fox 26 Anchor Scarlett Fakhar is being scrutinized for posting her...
Following a scathing critique from Scott Jones on FTVLive.com and other reports, Fakhar apologized for her statements.
"I profusely apologize for making public my personal views on the outcome of the election and other issues. It was wholly inappropriate, as a journalist, to do that. Again, my sincere apologies."
Her farewell post on her Facebook fan page was less apologetic, reading in part:
"Fox 26 Houston fired me today for expressing my conservative views on my private Facebook page. That is all I will say for now."
Fakhar joined Fox 26 Houston in 2015 from Austin's KTBC-TV, another Fox-owned television station. She was a weekday general assignments reporter for the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts.Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and Kairi make up four of the new Princesses of Heart. Come theorise who the last three Princesses will be!
Details Published on March 29, 2013 @ 02:06 am Written by Cecily
With the recent release of KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, no doubt we've all been hit with a blast from the past, even more as yesterday, March 28th in Japan, was the 11th anniversary of the original title. To cope with the tremendous nostalgia the community has been feeling as of late, a batch of new official keychain samples have been revealed!
These keychains feature the familiar artwork of Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy from both KINGDOM HEARTS and CHAIN OF MEMORIES. Just don't expect your keys to transform into a full-blown mystical weapon!
There is no information regarding the products at this moment, but we'll keep you updated.
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Source: Hidemi MatsuzukaIn this day and age, we’re pretty lucky to have air-travel that allows us to fly all over the world at a whim. It’s something that would have been unimaginable a little over a century ago. In a matter of hours, we can fly to an entirely different continent, and minus the check-ins and security checks, flights usually go pretty smoothly.
However, there are still lots of people that are terrified of flying – especially those who’ve never been on a plane. They feel extra vulnerable being so many thousands of feet up in the air despite the fact that death by plane crash is extremely unlikely.
Personally, I think flying is a cinch. On the other hand, if I happened to have spot my pilot taking selfies while leaning outside of the cockpit window 40,000 feet in the air, I’d probably be pooping my pants too. Sound farfetched? Well, it appears that such pilots so actually exist. Pilot Ganso was flying over New York City, and being the main man on the flight, he was expected to, well, continue doing his job so that the passengers could finally reach their destination.
However, he decided that this time around he was not going to resist taking a peek at the concrete jungle from above. “What do I get out of being a pilot if I can’t take advantage of the beautiful views that are at my disposal“, he presumably thought to himself.
Just last month, the Brazilian pilot even posted the photos on his Instagram page – just in case no one believed him. While in his cockpit, he leaned out of the window to take the daring photo in spite of the undeniable danger in doing so.
In fact, this next picture is even more incredible as it shows the pilot reaching his selfie stick out of the window while flying over a sea of clouds.
In the following picture, it appears that his entire torso is firmly outside of the window as the captain puts his full trust in the autopilot to take a daring selfie above the beautiful South African coast.
The pilot’s 44,000 followers couldn’t believe that he had dared to do something so dangerous during a flight. However, some were pretty skeptical as to whether the photo was real or not. So, are the photos really all they appear to be?(CNN) -- International oil companies are jockeying for advantage in the new Libya, buoyed by news that damage to the energy infrastructure appears to be slight. But they remain anxious about a lack of security and are holding off sending workers back into the country.
National Transitional Council officials report little damage to oil export terminals in eastern Libya (at Ras Lanuf and El Brega) and have appealed to employees to return to work. The two terminals handle the bulk of oil exports pumped from the Sirte basin. But the rebels have also begun to use, with help from Qatar, a terminal at Tobruk.
The NTC official in charge of oil and the economy, Ali Tarhouni, told Reuters news agency Thursday that he expects production can reach 500,000 to 600,000 barrels per day within a few weeks, and return to the prewar level of 1.6 million within a year.
Some industry analysts believe that is optimistic. Sources at Italian oil company Eni (the largest producer in Libya) forecast production at 750,000 barrels by sometime early next year. Energy consultants Wood Mackenzie estimate it will take three years for production to recover to the prewar level. But that would depend on the prompt return of foreign workers.
In a recent report, Wood Mackenzie estimated "six months will be required for NOC (Libya's state-owned oil firm) staff, international companies and foreign workers to return and re-establish supply lines and assess and repair damaged infrastructure."
Libya has always relied on foreign expertise to exploit its oil, but expatriate workers may be reluctant to return before the violence -- and the threat of abduction -- abates. The waters off Tripoli, where heavy gunbattles continued Thursday, contain important fields like the Bahr Essalam. But in the east, too, there are still pockets of fighters loyal to deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi and there are ongoing clashes.
Spanish oil company Repsol said last month that its assets in Libya were intact, but said staff would only return to the country when fighting ceased and it would take at least four weeks to resume production. Marathon Oil, based in Houston, said it has had preliminary talks with the National Transitional Council about restoring production when the situation stabilizes.
The worst scenario for the NTC -- and the oil companies -- is a prolonged campaign of sabotage by opponents of Libya's new rulers. Wood McKenzie noted that Gadhafi supporters sabotaged the pumping station that moved oil from the Sarir and Messia fields early in the conflict and said: "Libya's oil fields are located in the vast, remote Saharan desert, making them impossible to defend from attack." Other analysts point out that only now, after a prolonged insurgency, is Iraq's oil output recovering to pre-invasion levels.
Rehabilitating the oil industry is one of the NTC's priorities because oil has provided 95% of the state's export revenue. While Libya's new rulers will benefit from the release of the old regime's assets and international aid, they need a predictable revenue stream.
A short journey across the Mediterranean, Libya is the ideal source for southern Europe, with its plentiful reserves of "light sweet" crude, a high-quality oil. Some European refiners are not equipped to process "sour" crude, industry experts said, and that has intensified competition for other sources (mainly Nigerian) of high-quality oil in the absence of Libyan exports.
However unpredictable the current situation, European oil companies are gearing up for battle. The major players from there before the uprising began were Italy's Eni, Total of France and Repsol. British giant BP is also trying to get a larger slice of Libyan exploration projects. It concluded a $900 million deal with the Gadhafi regime three years ago to explore for gas. Other players include OMV of Austria and Marathon. China, through its state-owned CNPC, had begun exploring off the Libyan coast to help feed its insatiable appetite for Africa's mineral wealth but recently terminated several contracts because of the unrest.
Eni has been lobbying hard to retain its dominant role, concerned that Total may get preferential treatment from the new government because of France's leading role in the military campaign to oust Gadhafi. Company officials said Eni has been in regular contact with the rebels since April and CEO Paolo Scaroni predicted a "positive future for Eni in Libya."
Scaroni is to visit Libya next week to sign an agreement to supply gas for vehicles and natural gas to make electricity.
Italy has moved quickly to unblock Libyan assets worth more than $500 million. But there may be concern in Rome that senior NTC member Mahmoud Jibril headed for Paris before Rome.
Some NTC officials have suggested that those states most heavily involved in the conflict against the Gadhafi regime -- which include Britain, France and Qatar -- will have an advantage when it comes to reconstruction projects. Other states -- like Russia, Brazil and China -- that opposed action against the Gadhafi regime may find it an uphill battle with Libya's new rulers.
Tarhouni told Reuters on Thursday that all current contracts would be honored. He said it was far too early to contemplate new contracts. "It's the last thing on my mind," he told Reuters.
NTC officials have also pledged to reform the notoriously corrupt National Oil Company, often used as a piggy bank by the Gadhafi family.In just few more months 2014 will come to an end.Even before the year has ended, actresses are fighting over to be crowned as undisputable queens in various departments.One coveted department is the kissing category. If we check a list of films released in 2014, where our reel ladies have gone dirty and smooched on screen, the names of Alia Bhatt and Sunny Leone figure on the top.While Alia’s kiss scene with her co-star Arjun Kapoor in 2 States raised several eye-brows, Sunny broke all conventions to kiss her female co-star Sandhya Mridul in Ragini MMS 2.We don’t know whom the voters will decide as a winner, but Kannada film industry will definitely rally behind Sunny as she has recently shoot for an item number in her Sandalwood debut DK starring Prem. Her shoot in Bangalore saw a bevy of her fans making a beeline to catch a glimpse of the former porn star.The pond at Pembroke College, Cambridge. I have seen deeper rain puddles in Edinburgh.
I recently spent two weeks at OCaml Labs, the University of Cambridge implementing a compiler for the experimental, research language Links with effect handlers. During those two weeks I managed to compile a substantial subset of the Links language to native code, in particular, I managed to compile some programs that use handlers. My Links compiler reuses most of the infrastructure from the OCaml effects/multicore compiler.
At OCaml Labs I was working with KC Sivaramakrishnan, whom is working on the Multicore OCaml project.
In this post I shall discuss numerous three things: I will briefly describe the compiler infrastructure, discuss an example program that compiles, and how I encode multi-shot handlers.
Compiler infrastructure
My stay at OCaml Labs was really productive. I managed to implement a compiler for an interesting subset of Links with effect handlers. It is still very much work in progress as there are many Links primitives that the compiler does not yet support. The source code for the compiler is available at the Links repository in the effect-handlers-compilation branch.
The reason I was able to implement a compiler for effect handlers this fast is that I am hooking into the OCaml effects/multicore compiler backend. The OCaml multicore project uses effect handlers to provide multicore support. A consequence of reusing the OCaml infrastructure is that I get the translation of Links into native code almost for free. Furthermore, I had direct access to people who are familiar with the OCaml compiler infrastructure. This made the process of integrating Links with infrastructure smooth.
The OCaml backend embodies several intermediate representations (IRs). Figure 1 depicts a diagram representation of the OCaml backend.
Figure 1. A diagrammatic view of the compiler infrastructure.
There are several potential entry points, but for maximum flexibility I chose to translate the Links IR into the OCaml Lambda IR. This gives the option of compiling to either byte or native code. At the moment I am only focusing on native branch. But in the future it may be interesting to take advantage of compilers like js_of_ocaml that translates OCaml byte code into JavaScript.
In the most recent OCaml compiler Lambda gets translated into Flambda, which is an optimisation framework. But since Links does not compile with the latest OCaml compiler (due to third party dependencies) I am bypassing this phase for now. However, I plan to merge Flambda back in at a later point.
Coin tossing example running natively
I have previously used the coin tossing example to demonstrate programming with handlers. It is the smallest, non-trivial example that demonstrates the handler abstraction that I am familiar. The simplicity of the example makes it a good first program to compile.
I shall briefly summarise the coin toss example. The example comprise a nondeterministic choice operation and an exception operation, which we name Choose and Fail respectively:
Here Zero is the empty type. The empty case statement switch (...) { } conveniently lets us assign a polymorphic type to the function fail such that we may use it in any context. We use the operations to model a coin toss and a drunk coin toss:
After flipping the coin a drunkard may fail to catch it. We capture this in drunkToss by nondeterministically choosing between toss and fail. In the example, we have two different interpretations of Choose :
randomResult randomly interprets the operation as true or false.
randomly interprets the operation as or. allResults enumerates the sample space by trying both truth values.
The latter interpretation has the most interesting implementation:
It enumerates the sample space by first interpreting Choose as true and afterwards as false. The result of an interpretation is a list of outcomes. The Return -clause lifts the outcome of a coin flip into a singleton list. In the Choose -clause the outcomes of either interpretation get concatenated. The open handle is the effect forwarding construct in Links. An aside: I am actually planning to get rid of |
's remarks.
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In Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump said there’s “nothing you can do, folks,” if Clinton installed a nominee, pausing to add that “Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is.” The remark was widely interpreted by Democrats as a veiled call for violence against Clinton, though Trump’s campaign said the remarks were simply a reference to the political power of gun owners.
Butterfield is not convinced and urged Republicans to follow the lead of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and vow to oppose Trump.
“Donald Trump is a reckless individual who will say or do anything,” Butterfield said. “That’s inciteful to use language about the Second Amendment... it should be denounced.”Introduction
Several organizations, including the Club For Growth, have produced campaign-style advertisements in a bid to boost Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary. Club for Growth/screenshot
Only 100 U.S. senators — not the general public — will vote to approve President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees.
But that’s not stopping several conservative organizations from launching ad blitzes promoting Trump’s Cabinet picks — most notably Betsy DeVos, Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, who critics have panned as a wealthy partisan hack with no practical experience in public education.
Two conservative nonprofit groups in particular, the Club for Growth and America Next, are pushing back hard, producing broadcast television ads supporting confirmation of DeVos, a GOP megadonor and staunch advocate for charter schools and school vouchers.
Both Club for Growth and America Next are nonprofit groups organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the federal tax code. That means their primary mission has to be social welfare, a category that includes issue advocacy ads that don’t specifically seek to influence a political election.
Such groups aren’t required to reveal their donors, which means the public has no way of knowing who is paying for the pro-DeVos ads.
The lion’s share of those TV ads came from America Next, which aired nearly 300 spots nationally through Feb. 5, according to data provided to the Center for Public Integrity by Kantar Media/CMAG, which tracks television advertising. Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal created America Next in 2013.
“Why is the radical left so full of rage and hate?” asks the off-camera narration for one spot, called “Angry Liberals.”
It continues: “They still can’t accept that Trump won and they lost. Now extreme liberals like Elizabeth Warren are trying to stop Betsy DeVos from becoming secretary of education. Why? DeVos angers the extreme left because she exposes their hypocrisy. DeVos wants low income kids to have the same choices that liberal elitists have for their families. DeVos wants equal opportunity in education for all kids and that makes angry liberals even angrier.”
The Club for Growth, meanwhile, aired a handful of spots targeting Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both Democrats. In both cases, the ad said the senator could be the deciding vote on DeVos and urged viewers to call their senator and tell them to “support President Trump and vote to confirm Betsy DeVos for secretary of education.”
The ads serve several purposes. They certainly put added pressure on senators such as Manchin and Heitkamp at a time when DeVos opponents have swamped senators’ phone lines, organized protests and lobbied against her. The ads simultaneously endear their sponsors to Trump and his administration. They also serve as fundraising tools — particularly the digital ads, which are a couple of clicks away from donation pages.
Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have said they will not support DeVos, suggesting her confirmation could result in a 50-50 Senate vote. In case of a tie, Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tiebreaking vote.
The advertising around Trump’s Cabinet nominees is “quite unique,” said Mitchell West, a senior analyst for Kantar Media/CMAG, which tracks political advertising. “This is likely the beginning of a very active and unpredictable year for advocacy advertising.”
The Club for Growth and America Next both didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Center for Public Integrity. Club for Growth is also running digital ads on Twitter and on websites such as National Review. The 45Committee, another conservative nonprofit whose sister super PAC supported Trump during the 2016 election, has also released a pro-DeVos web promotion.
In addition to the advertising effort, dozens of news stories on the DeVos nomination have included quotes from Ed Patru, a spokesman for a group called “Friends of Betsy DeVos.” The group isn’t officially incorporated anywhere, according to Patru, and doesn’t seem to have left a paper trail.
Patru, a vice president at Washington public affairs firm DCI Group, said the group is “an independent effort. It’s a loose coalition of her friends, supporters, allies.”
He declined to give the names of anyone involved with the group or the size of it, though he said it’s larger than just him.
“You’ve got a situation where you’ve got really scores of people who are interested in helping out and supporting her but in order to kind of avoid a situation where we have total chaos … I’m sort of the designated spokesman for the effort,” he said.
Patru, a former Republican political operative who knows DeVos from his days with the Michigan Republican Party, said he is working pro bono. “I haven’t taken a dime directly or indirectly from Betsy or any of her interests,” said Patru, whose previous work includes serving as communications director for the failed U.S. Senate campaign of Linda McMahon, a top Trump bankroller and the president’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration.
Patru said the group is operating independently of DeVos herself.
Conservative groups have also run ads to support Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price and Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions.
But DeVos’ nomination has proven unusually polarizing. Opponents have swamped senators’ phone lines, organized protests and lobbied against her.
“This has never happened before with an education secretary nominee,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in an emailed statement.
“We’ve never seen someone tapped for this job who is so ill informed, who is so overtly hostile to public education, and who would give such preferential treatment to for-profit schools, vouchers and other strategies that actively drain funding from public schools.”President Barack Obama will seek $83.4 billion in additional “emergency” funding for the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which if approved would bring the 2009 funding to around $150 billion and the overall costs of the two wars to nearly $1 trillion.
The use of emergency funding requests to avoid putting the war’s costs in the overall military budget was a tactic which Obama was a harsh critic of when the Bush Administration practiced it, and already some Congressmen are criticizing the new president for adopting the same “off the books” tactic as he continues to fight the same wars.
The request is in addition to the $534 billion military budget the administration unveiled earlier in the week. That budget was for fiscal 2010, and was an increase over 2009.
In February the first Obama budget proposal was made public, and he made a point of the importance of putting the war funding “on the books” at the time. Despite today’s request and the seemingly low-ball estimates in the proposed budgets, spokesman Robert Gibbs insists “this will be the last supplemental” the administration will bring forward to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, among the critics of the request, says it “will deepen and expand our military presence in Afghanistan indefinitely,” and that “it will prolong our occupation of Iraq through at least the end of 2011.” The Obama Administration intends to keep up to 50,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzTexas legislators are poised to mess with judges. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Ever since the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages, red state legislators have struggled to come up with creative new ways to legally demean gay people. This year, Texas and South Carolina appear poised to up the ante: Rather than pass state laws stripping gay people of their rights, legislators in both states will consider barring state judges from ruling in favor of gay marriage. Any judge who violates the law by siding with gay plaintiffs would lose her salary, her pension, and her benefits—including health insurance.
There is, however, a slight problem with these laws: They are wildly, blatantly, uncontestably unconstitutional. A federal judge has already declared Texas’ gay marriage ban to be unconstitutional, and the 4th Circuit (which covers South Carolina) ruled in favor of a constitutional right to marriage equality last summer. Further, an overwhelming number of federal courts have interpreted the Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Windsor to mandate the invalidation of every gay marriage ban.
Any state judge in Texas or South Carolina who rules in favor of gay marriage, then, will simply be following federal law. And thanks to the Constitution’s supremacy clause, federal law is “the supreme law of the land,” superseding “anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary.” By threatening to lay off any state judge who dares use federal law to strike down anti-gay state statutes, Texas and South Carolina would be in clear violation of the supremacy clause.
Irresponsible chatter about firing or impeaching pro-gay judges is, of course, nothing new—and the odious strategy of threatening progressive judges stretches back to the days of “massive resistance” during the Civil Rights Era. The framers of the Constitution clearly anticipated this kind of delinquency among state legislators, which is part of why they wrote the supremacy clause in the first place. But I doubt the men who created our system of federalism could have anticipated just how cockily some states would flout the clear command of federal law. Perhaps Texas and South Carolina will come to their senses and reject these absurdly broad bills, which would seem to forbid all state officials—including clerks and social workers—from recognizing same-sex marriages. But if the states’ track records are any indication, Texas and South Carolina will go as far as they can to debase and degrade the gay Americans living within their borders.Story highlights Navy's new destroyer USS Zumwalt boasts operations center bristling with new technology
Advanced workstations allow one sailor to do the work of several on older warships
Although the Zumwalt is the Navy's largest destroyer, it has a small minimum crew of about 130
The operations center is designed to be used by the video-game generation
The Navy's new super stealthy destroyer, the USS Zumwalt, has a lot in common with Hollywood's starship Enterprise, according to folks who've seen it in person.
First launched last year, this is a massive $3 billion warship -- the largest type of destroyer in the modern Navy by about 65%. One thing that sets it apart is a very small crew.
Compared with about 300 sailors needed for similar warships, the Zumwalt's minimum compliment is only 130.
The smaller crew is made possible by advanced automated systems which "make it much easier and much more effective for the sailor to operate," says former Navy Capt. Wade Knudson, who now serves as Zumwalt program director for Pentagon contractor, Raytheon.
Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – The USS Zumwalt, the U.S. Navy's newest warship, floats out of dry dock Monday, October 28, in Bath, Maine. The first of the new DDG-1000 class of destroyers, it will be the Navy's largest stealthy ship when it begins missions. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – The DDG-1000 is longer and faster than its predecessors, and it will carry state-of-the-art weapons that can destroy targets more than 60 miles away, according to the Navy. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – The Zumwalt is 610 feet long and 81 feet wide. It weighs about half as much as the USS Arizona, which sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – The ship is named in honor of Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., who was chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – Capt. James A. Kirk, the executive assistant to the director of surface warfare, will be the commanding officer of the USS Zumwalt. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – Much of the ship's superstructure is wrapped in a canopy made of lightweight carbon-fiber composite. The ship is also built on angles so that it is 50 times harder to spot on radar than an ordinary destroyer. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – Coming out of dry dock does not mean the ship is ready to put to sea. The shipbuilder will now begin installing weapons. The Zumwalt will be equipped with a new missile-launching system capable of firing 80 missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Photos: U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer – The Navy had planned to spend up to $20 billion to design and deliver seven DDG-1000 destroyers. But cost overruns cut production to three ships. Hide Caption 8 of 8
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In the operations center -- which in many ways is the heart of the ship -- sailors are surrounded by an array of video displays that have been designed to be used by a generation raised on video games, Knudson says.
Raytheon tested the technology configuration in the operation center with young, gamer sailors, Knudson says. "We've brought them down to our labs and we got direct feedback from them using human-factor engineers in order to make sure that we've integrated all the displays and information in a way that they can use the systems most effectively."
The result, he says, is less chance of making errors on the ship. "The system and the computer provide information to the sailor in a way that they're used to."
Work stations inside the center are outfitted with three common displays, Knudson says. "You can sit down at any of the systems and operate them."
At 610 feet long and 80 feet wide, the Zumwalt is about 100 feet longer and 20 feet wider than ships in the Navy's current fleet of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers featured in the action-packed 2012 film "Battleship."
A Raytheon mock-up of a Zumwalt operations center roughly similar to the facility aboard the Navy's newest destroyer.
Although it's huge, the Navy says this thing is surprisingly stealthy.
Much of the ship is built on angles that help make it 50 times harder to spot on radar than an ordinary destroyer. "It has the radar cross-section of a fishing boat," Chris Johnson, a spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command, told CNN last year.
Sean Gallagher, of the self-described "alpha geek" website Ars Technica, got a chance last year to explore a mockup of the Zumwalt's operation center. The workstations are part of the ship's Common Display System -- nicknamed "keds" for short, Gallagher reported.
Sailors operate keds with "trackballs and specialized button panels," Gallagher reported. Operators have an option to interface by using touchscreens, if they prefer, according to Gallagher.
The whole operations center technology array saves manpower by allowing sailors to monitor multiple weapons systems or sensors, Gallagher reported. The Zumwalt, Gallagher wrote, also includes limited wireless networking capability.
The way all the ship's weapons, radar and other systems are displayed to users and the captain, Knudson told CNN, "it really give them unprecedented situational awareness."
"That ability is truly going to be a game-changer."
The Zumwalt is about 100 feet longer than older Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like this one, the USS Ramage.
In its current configuration, the Zumwalt will carry a considerable arsenal of weapons, including two Advanced Gun Systems (AGS), which can fire rocket-powered, computer-guided shells that can destroy targets 63 miles away. That's three times farther than ordinary destroyer guns can fire.
But one day it could be fitted with advanced weapons systems that are currently experimental, including a laser weapon and an electromagnetic railgun.
Electromagnetic railguns don't need to fool around with needless explosive warheads or propellants. These fearsome weapons inflict damage by sheer speed. The gun uses electromagnetic force to blast a missile 125 miles at 7.5 times the speed of sound, according to the Navy.
The laser weapon -- which could be fired by one sailor on a video game-like console -- is designed to take on aircraft or small surface vessels.
Currently undergoing sea testing, Knudson says the Zumwalt is expected to join the rest of the Navy fleet sometime in 2016.Your Gateway to Health, Strength, and Muscle
THE Community Center for Self-Resistance Exercise
The exercises described herein are bona-fide strength-gaining, muscle building exercises, all of which require no equipment and can be performed virtually anywhere at any time. You could do them all at once, which would require your setting up a routine that you would faithfully adhere to, or you could spread them out throughout the work day, as I do. If you choose to spread out your exercises, be sure to do all of the exercises for one group of muscles at a time. For example, when I get to work and am waiting for my computer to load, I go through all of the chest exercises.
Background
I once lifted weights five mornings a week for twelve straight years. One morning I just wasn’t inspired go through my routine, and ended up stopping altogether. For the next four years I got absolutely no exercise whatsoever, and then one day I took a hard look at myself and wasn’t too happy with what I saw. All my weight had traveled south and consolidated around my waist. My arms, shoulders, and chest had become flabby and had shrunk considerably in size. I decided it was time to get back into shape and to rebuild the physique I had once been proud of. With a Herculean effort I renewed my morning workouts, and within three months I was just about back to where I once was. The problem was that the enthusiasm of previous years just wasn’t there and it took every ounce of resolve I had to get through the routines. The workouts also began leaving me feeling fatigued. I kept up my morning routine for six months until, finally, I felt the need to give it a rest. Well, I wasn’t about to give up all that I had worked so hard for, so I decided to make a study of alternative forms of exercise that would be as close as possible to the effectiveness of weight lifting. I scoured the Internet picking up ideas from a great number of sources. I experimented with various exercises, integrating those exercises I found to be effective into a routine I was developing. Armed with my knowledge of body building, I was able to identify the most effective exercises, and I was also able to develop exercises of my own. In fact, about thirty of the exercises found in this program I created myself. The end result is that I have put together the most efficient and effective weightless workout routine I possibly could. The best part is, I no longer have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to do a workout. I just integrate my exercises into my work day at the office, leaving me with free time and a lot more energy throughout the day.
How I Developed My Program
In developing my program, I adhered to the following guidelines: I would either adopt or develop only the best of the best. There are only so many hours in a day and no one has the time to waste on exercises that don’t produce maximum results.
. There are only so many hours in a day and no one has the time to waste on exercises that don’t produce maximum results. The main focus of the exercises would be geared towards building muscle – exercises that challenge muscles to the max and force them into growth. As much as possible, I have duplicated the movements of weight-lifting. I don’t have much use for exercises that “tone”, which, I’ve concluded, is a code word for next to useless.
The exercises would require no equipment and could be performed while either standing, sitting, or utilizing a wall, allowing me to exercise virtually anywhere at anytime. This makes the program ideal for people who can't get to a gym or cart weights around; people who travel, students, military personel. You can take Zen-in-the-Art with you on vacations. Keeping all of the above in mind, I set about carefully analyzing each muscle group – neck, shoulders, chest, back, arms, forearms, abdomen, and legs – and came up with series of exercises for each muscle group that would cover the full range of movement and target the muscles in each group from an effective range of angles, resulting in full development. After having spent months developing, adding to, and refining my program, I am now satisfied that it is the most comprehensive and effective weightless bodybuilding program that exists, and it has certainly turned out to be much more effective than anything I could have hoped for!
Do these exercises really work?
Absolutely! I know that these exercises really work for for the simple reason that any significant form of resistance applied to muscles will cause them to strengthen and grow, and I have proven to myself just how effective these exercises truly are. I had approached all of this with the hopes that I would be able to maintain, to a lesser degree, a size and musculature that would be produced by lifting weights. To my great astonishment, these exercises have actually improved my physique! My muscles feel hard and pumped, as though I had been lifting weights. My arms are as big as ever and rock hard, my shoulders have become more defined, and my back has actually broadened. I've also discovered a very different kind of concentration involved in Self-Resistance exercise - a sort of mind and body becoming one.
The exercises are divided into three types –
Isometric, Isotonic and Stretch
Isometric – Pushing against an unmovable object. When performing isometric exercises, you should not rush into them and immediately start pushing as hard as you can. You should feel your way into them, concentrating on the muscles they are building, working your hands into just the right grip, gradually increasing resistance until you are at maximum effort, and then holding the exercise for 10 seconds. Holding the exercise for any longer than 10 seconds has no further effect. When you feel ready to push an isometric to maximum effort, first take in a deep breath and then push, releasing your air in a slow, steady rush as you hold the isometric. Isotonic – Involving movement for a given number of repetitions. For these exercises, you will be using either your body weight or self-resistance - pitting one limb against the other, with one limb acting as a moveable resistance to the other limb. Because you have to let up with the resistance limb to allow the other limb to move, the onus is on you to make it as difficult on yourself as possible. You have to really focus on these exercises and feel each repetition all the way through, feeling the muscles being worked, imagining yourself to be moving an almost impossible amount of weight. Concentrate. Again, take in a deep breath of air at the start of a repetition, and then release the air while performing the repetition. Stretch - Isolating and contracting muscles. When performing these exercises, stretch with every fiber of your being. Feel what the benefit of a good stretch to the max does for your muscles, as well as for your sense of well-being.
Breathing
I can't overemphasize the importance of proper breathing, not only for the exercises, but in your daily life, as well. Breathing is, literally, the breath of life, and deep breathing will keep you healthy and will aid in curing what ails you. Deep breathing is a key factor in building muscle. Have you ever been engrossed in doing something and then you suddenly take in a deep breath of air? That's your body telling you thay you've got to get some air circulating. So, pay attention to the proper breathing technique as described above. Also, the first exercise described in this program is a deep breathing exercise, and this is the one exercise you should do everyday - a couple of times a day, if you want to. When you walk, walk at a quick gait. Get the blood circulating and get the lungs forcefully pulling in air. Breathe deeply!
How often should these exercises be done?
Because of the intense nature of these exercises - forcing your muscles to work at maximum performance - each exercise needs to be performed only once in a day with a day's rest in between. In fact, a day's rest in between the same exercises is crucial. There is a very definite physiological reason for not doing the same exercises every day. When you perform an intense exercise, you are actually breaking down muscle cells. Afterwards, blood begins rushing into your muscles, carrying nutrients and rebuilding those muscle cells, making them bigger and stronger than they were before. This is why nutrition is so important when following a fitness program. This process generally takes 48 hours to complete itself. In truth, it is during this period of recovery that your muscles actually grow in size and strength. By doing the same intense exercises daily, you are not allowing your muscles sufficient time to recover and you will soon wear out, not to mention not making much in the way of gains. I do the upper body exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and then the leg exercises on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. One set of ten repetitions is all that is needed for the self-resistance exercises. For the body weight exercises, do one set of as many repetitions as you feel you can handle. The deep breathing and stretching exercises can be done daily if you choose to do so. If the mood strikes, it certainly won’t hurt to do some or all of the stretching exercises a couple more times in a day. You can pick and choose. I find myself doing most of the stretching exercises a few times a day, simply because I feel an urge to do so. SETS - You can do sets if you choose to. In otherwords, do an exercise once and then repeat it. This applies to the isotonic exercises only. You could select a few choice exercises and do a second set of each one. For example, if upper arm development is of primary interest to you, you might want to do a second set of TR-6 and BI-2 (in the Arms category). If you do this, then perform the related isometrics only at the end the second set. Performing isometrics more than once or holding them for longer than 10 seconds has no further effect. Consistency is the key. By integrating these exercises into your daily routine and performing them faithfully week after week, and month after month, your muscles will dramatically strengthen and grow!
Why Zen?
Zen is the Oriental philosophy, or more accurately, the state of being, of total control. It is the ability to perform tasks effortlessly. For example, a Zen Archer can place an arrow in its mark without conciously attempting to do so. The physical task of drawing the bow, aiming, and letting fly the arrow becomes irrelevant as the Zen master, the arrow, and the target become as one. Anyone who shoots a good game of pool knows this heightened state of being. In this same manner, performing these exercises becomes as much an exercise in mind control as it does a physical activity. As you do these exercises more and more, you will develop an inner memory of how these exercises should feel when performed to maximum effectiveness. Rather than consciously applying pressure with the resistance limb, you will be able to virtually let it go limp, thinking of it as a 'dead weight', and it will virtually take on a life of its own, becoming an object almost impossible to lift. You will also find that your ability to focus will become more and more acute, and thinking your muscles into further growth will become as much a part of the exercises as the physical aspects of the exercises, themselves. Because you are using your own body to develop your own body, the whole routine becomes as much an exercise in meditation as it is an exercise in building muscle.
If this aspect of Zen and how it relates to exercise interests you, there is an on-going, informative discussion in The Forum.
Final words
If you have come across my site and are inspired to adopt my routine, I wish you well and hope these exercises are just what you were looking for. As in any exercise program, you will begin to see results within the first two weeks, and then it generally takes about three months before you begin to see a real transformation. If you have always wanted to build yourself up but never got around to it because of time constraints or a lack of desire to "pump iron", or a hesitation at investing in expensive equipment, then this routine may suit you to a tee. I can say with confidence that these exercises will, over a period of time, add inches to your arms, chest, shoulders, and legs. Best of luck!
The Exercises
Copyrighted Illustrations by Shenandoah. Please Note:
The exercises described in the links below were selected or created to be performed anywhere at any time, such as in an office setting. For additional exercises, see the Additional Exercises and Routines page.
There are a lot of exercises contained in this site. Don't feel that you must do all of them in order to benefit. You can pick and choose. Again, see the Additional Exercises and Routines page.Representatives of two real estate companies are travelling with the B.C. Premier on a trade mission to Asia, raising questions about the optics of the perceived partnership at a time when many are calling for an end to foreign real estate investment.
The B.C. government lists more than 60 companies taking part in the trade mission to Korea, Japan and the Philippines as part of the province's strategy to create more international trading partners.
Listed among those companies are two real estate brokerages Nu Stream Realty and Sutton West Coast Realty.
This news comes weeks after realtors in Vancouver came under question for advertising property information in China, before the same opportunity to buy was advertised in Canada.
Information about B.C. properties for sale — translated into Chinese from the Multiple Listing Service used by agents —was published through a Shanghai-based company to give clients a jump on bidding, according to the Victoria Times Colonist report on April 13.
Concern over foreign capital and real estate
"It's bad optics," said University of British Columbia business professor Tsur Somerville.
"At a time when people in the Lower Mainland are very concerned about the extent to which foreign capital is driving up prices here and contributing to affordability options, it seems a little bit politically dicey to take [brokerage] firms... along on a trip to Asia."
The trade mission is not visiting China.
One of the companies, Nu Stream Realty, said it is on the trade mission to promote its commercial real estate division.
"This trip is mainly the commercial purpose. So we don't do any promotion for the residential side," said Anna Zhang, the company's executive vice president for commercial division.
She said one example of the goal of the trip is to find investors for construction projects in B.C.
"We want to promote B.C. and Vancouver particularly as a great place to do business... we want to attract more overseas investors," said Zhang, who said there are 100 agents in the four-month-old company.
"I am sure it is not the government [of B.C.] paying for it," Zhang confirmed.
CBC News reached out to Sutton West Coast Realty, but the company has not responded.
In a written statement, the province said companies apply to take part in the trade mission and pay their own way on the trip.
"While real estate is not a specific industry sector of focus on the mission, companies in the industry may have an interest in connecting with foreign companies that intend to establish a presence in Vancouver and will require information on site selection, leasing office space, etc.," the statement said.
The province did not respond to questions about how companies chosen for the trip are selected.Donald Trump speaks in Harrisburg, PA (Screengrab / Fox News)
Donald Trump on Wednesday described former CNN commentator Jeffrey Lord as one of his “few sources of truth,” during a tax speech in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
After crowd-testing the two slogans “Made in America” and “Made in the USA” (“Made in the USA” won), Trump turned to Lord, who was apparently in the crowd in Harrisburg.
“Hi Jeffrey, the great Jeffrey Lord,” Trump said. “He was on ‘fake news’ CNN for a long time, he was one of my few sources of truth.”
Trump called Lord a “good man,” leading the crowd in a round of applause.
Lord was fired from CNN in August after he wrote the words “Sieg Heil!” to a liberal activist on Twitter.
“Nazi salutes are indefensible,” a CNN spokesperson said about the network’s decision. “Jeffrey Lord is no longer with the network.” In response, Lord said CNN caved to “bullies.”
Trump has faced criticism over his sluggish disavowal of neo-Nazis following a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In his initial statements following the attack, the president argued there were “very fine people” on both sides of that incident.
The president went on to tell the crowd of truckers he’s “given up a lot” by becoming president. “My other life was very good,” Trump said.
Watch below, via Fox News: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
Jamie Carragher will take a hands on role in his new Sports and Learning Academy.
The Liverpool FC legend has launched the venture to provide expert training and education for teenagers looking to launch a career in football.
A team of dedicated coaches will lead the two-year course but Carragher will make time amongst his busy media schedule to visit students on a regular basis.
The Academy is the latest venture from the former Reds defender after the success of his 23 Foundation and Jamie Carragher Soccer Schools.
Based at the Brunswick Youth and Community Club in Bootle the programme equivalent to three A-levels so an ideal platform towards university and encompasses anatomy and physiology, fitness, coaching, nutrition, psychology, sports analysis, organising sports events and much more.
“At the beginning it wasn’t something that was in our thoughts. We started the Foundation and then the Soccer Schools and we have this Academy now,” said Carragher.
“It wasn’t in our plans initially but things have snowballed since I set up the Foundation and finished playing. The Soccer Schools have expanded and this is a great partnership for us. I hope that in 12-18 months there will be new things.
“We’d love to see someone go on to an Academy or a club and it would be great to see really top coaches come from this.
“But it is mainly about getting them employment because we know how hard that is at the moment.
“Football is a passion for people within the city. Not many people can play the game professionally but there are ways to stay in the game. The main aim is to try and give people hope and belief that there are employment opportunities out there.
“I was very lucky in that I went to Liverpool as soon as I’d finished school.
“But your friends sign up for apprenticeships and things like that. It is difficult.
“Employment is a major issue, not just in this city, but nationwide. It looks like it might be slightly improving but if we can play our part then that’s great.”
For more information on the course and how to apply email: info@jamiecarragher academy.co.uk or call 0151 922 3552.
Carragher added: “We can’t guarantee that people are going to become great coaches but we will help them become better people.”
More Liverpool FC news:
Carragher: If Liverpool win the title it will rank as one of the best ever
Who is Liverpool's most prolific striker in European competition?
In pictures: 15 potential Bosman transfers for the Reds
Sterling: Dr Steve is brilliant for me
Young Liverpool starlet looking ahead to biggest game of his career against Manchester UnitedPhoto in the public domain (via Wikipedia).
Who’s Afraid of Larry Lessig?
James Kwak Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 28, 2015
Larry Lessig is running for the Democratic presidential nomination on a single issue — political equality — and a promise to resign as soon as Congress passes a bill that would help level the electoral playing field, end partisan gerrymandering, make it easier for working people to vote, and reduce the power of money in politics. As I’ve said before, he has my vote (and my money).
The funny thing is, the Democratic establishment seems intent on making Lessig’s point for him by keeping him out of the upcoming debates. To participate in the first debate, candidates have to get at least 1% support in three national polls. Lessig so far has only been included in one qualifying poll — in which he got 1% — but not in any subsequent ones. It’s not entirely clear why, but one factor is that the Democratic National Committee has not officially welcomed him to the race — and the DNC certainly isn’t lifting a finger to help him.
Nor, for that matter, are Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Clinton and the DNC presumably don’t want anything that could upset her coronation. Sanders is probably afraid that Lessig could split the not-another-Clinton vote and the not-another-moderate-Republican vote, both of which are his at the moment. As far as I can tell, neither Clinton nor Sanders has mentioned Lessig, let alone said that he should be included in the national polls.
There’s a petition you can sign if you want Lessig to be allowed to qualify for the debates. But for now, it’s money that talks. And Hillary Clinton’s campaign just invited me to a fundraising event in Western Massachusetts.
So here’s my pledge:
I will not donate any money to any Democratic presidential nominee (or his or her “unaffiliated” Super PAC) in this election cycle, either in the primary or the general election, who does not publicly state that Larry Lessig should be given a fair chance at qualifying |
200 years. Rolfe would later marry Pocahontas and secure his place in every fourth-grade history book. But the real accomplishment had already been made when he planted those first seeds in the rich Virginia soil almost 400 years ago.
My seeds arrived within a few days, and in mid-March the Virginia cigar crop was officially on its way. The first surprise was the seeds themselves. You might think that tobacco seeds would be big, imposing things, something akin to a pumpkin or watermelon seed or even a corn kernel. Nope. Tobacco seeds are very small, tinier than the head of a pin; they look a lot like ground black pepper. Drop the seed container and you lose them for certain. Plant them outside and you run the risk of a sudden gust of wind, or worse, a strong rain washing them away. Because the seeds are so small, they aren¿t actually ¿planted¿ at all. Instead, they are sprinkled on top of the soil. Plant them more than one-sixteenth of an inch in the ground and you can forget about ever getting a mature plant.
To avoid these potential nightmares, I elected to plant the seeds indoors in little containers for the first few weeks, then transfer them outside when the tiny plants looked as if they could make it on their own. It was a great plan that would require some finessing that the Fuentes never needed to confront¿negotiations with my wife for every square inch of window space in the house. It all looked like a scene out of Little Shop of Horrors: tiny plant containers were everywhere.
Within two weeks, I had very small green buds poking up out of the containers. Within three weeks every container had at least five or six tobacco plants emerging. I thinned some out and started planning for the next stage, transferring them outside.
I knew I needed some help on deciding when it would be best to do the transfer, and how to prepare the ground for tobacco (the information in my tobacco-growing books was rather limited). Quick as you can say ¿Cohiba,¿ I was back online, writing to the Virginia Cooperative Extension office for advice. Ask these guys a question on how to plant tomatoes and they will gladly give you reams of information. Need to kill some aphids on your roses? They have a million possible solutions. But ask them about growing tobacco for cigars, and you are on your own. Virginia may once have grown the world¿s best tobacco, but the state apparently has forgotten the long-lost art.
Three weeks later, I started rotating my seedlings outside on sunny days to condition them for the upcoming transfer. That¿s when disaster struck in the form of a two-year-old girl from Tucson. When I wasn¿t looking, the little terror had toddled over to the flat of seedlings that I had placed outside and was quite busy pulling them out, one by one. (What is it about women and cigars, anyway?) I saved about three-fourths of the ¿crop.¿
I still had about 50 plants ready to transplant and it was time to prepare my field. Tobacco is not the easiest crop to grow. It needs lots of fertilizer and an abundance of potassium. For this reason, early farmers in Virginia had first burned off the existing fields, thereby creating a sufficient amount of potassium in the soil. Instead of setting my neighborhood on fire, I bought several bags of potassium and spread it around liberally. I also bought a giant container of Miracle Gro. Ever see the picture of the guy who sprayed it on his tomato plants and ended up with tomatoes the size of basketballs? I had to believe that Miracle Gro would help create the biggest tobacco crop in North America. More importantly, the chances of the Fuentes using Miracle Gro on their plants in the Dominican Republic had to be small. Here was my chance to get a leg up with good ol¿ American know-how.
With the ground prepared and the seedlings ready for transplanting, I faced the next big problem of all tobacco growers: labor. Tobacco is one of the most labor-intensive crops to grow, requiring an unbelievable amount of attention and care. The plants have to be watched daily for bugs and disease. Harvesting is done in stages, and for fine cigars, the leaves are harvested at different times and picked individually. Once harvested, the leaf-curing process is nightmarish and labor-intensive. Worse yet, absolutely no part of the process can be mechanized. Not surprisingly, Thomas Jefferson urged Virginians to grow other crops. Tobacco growers, Jefferson noted, were ¿in a continual state of exertion beyond the power of nature to support.¿
When you consider the labor involved in growing tobacco, you begin to understand why most of the finer cigar tobacco is grown in areas with exceedingly low labor costs such as Cuba, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Nobody could ever make a decent cigar if you paid workers the American minimum wage. It¿s just not possible.
For my crop I decided to rely on conscripted labor. I invited my young professional friends over when work needed to be done, plying them with alcohol and barbecue. I quickly set up a schedule for a Planters Party, Harvest Party, Curing Party and Rolling Party. In hindsight, the cheap labor was not all that skilled: lawyers, business leaders and technology CEOs make poor field hands. The work did get done, but more often than not it was I who was out in the field late at night tending the crop.
Shortly after the plants were established, I doused them on a weekly basis with enough Miracle Gro to turn them into redwoods. Slowly, they began to grow. Soon I had very respectable plants of three to four feet.
Then disaster struck again. This time it was the tobacco hornworm, which awoke from a long slumber in my Virginia field to gorge again on fine Virginny tobacco. This worm is a truly nasty bug that devours tobacco leaves until it swells to several thousand times its original size. A small bug will become gargantuan within a day if unchecked. I immediately noticed that 10 percent of my crop was infected. Doing some quick math, it didn¿t take too long to figure out that my entire crop would be lunch for the hornworm if I did not act, and act fast.
But what to do? Cuban and Honduran tobacco are heavily fumigated with God only knows what kind of chemicals. The average cigar smoker has absolutely no clue as to how heavily the average tobacco crop is fumigated. Ever see those reviews of cigars that state that a cigar has a ¿peppery¿ taste? Well, if you ask me, chances are that peppery taste is the residue of chemicals with which the farmer bombarded his crop.
I thought I could apply advanced concepts of organic farming by using some organic pesticides. Sure, I might lose some tobacco, but on the positive side I could boast that my tobacco was totally organic and no pesticides were used. So I mixed up a solution of lemon juice, habanero pepper, Tabasco and soap. I sprayed every bug I saw and waited patiently for them to start squirming. They didn¿t. The next day, the hornworms, considerably larger than the day before, were doing the macarena across my tobacco leaves. They loved the pesticide and were thriving.
This was getting serious. A couple more days and I would be growing nothing but stalks. Worse yet, at the geometric rate the hornworms were growing, they would soon become a threat to livestock and children. Tougher measures were needed.
Organics were out. Instead, I went to the local tree nursery and bought every product that Ortho makes for killing bugs. I mixed them all together into a nasty Ortho cocktail and sprayed every bug in sight. I have not seen a bug since.
It was then time to prime the plants by pinching off sucker stocks (additional shoots that rob nutrients from the leaves) and the flowering crown in order to channel the plant¿s energy into the production of larger leaves. This is a lot like pinching off tomato plants, with one big exception: the tobacco plant is very gummy, and an incredibly sticky resin quickly adheres to your hands. This resin is easily removed¿by continually washing your hands with lava soap for three days. Getting rid of it any sooner is impossible.
Weeks passed and the plants prospered. Harvest time arrived in July and my friends were once again summoned to the fields. My plants, admittedly on the steroid of Miracle Gro, topped out at about five feet high. Each leaf was handpicked and sewn together with others. This method is called the ¿sewn sunshine¿ method of harvesting. The process starts with picking (¿pulling¿ in tobacco jargon) the lower leaves and working your way up. I tried to keep the big leaves together, but as the alcohol began to take hold of my ¿workers,¿ the discipline began to slip. I wanted to cut the beer ration, but with temperatures in the low 100s and humidity at an all-time high, I didn¿t dare. It would have been mutiny for sure. Still, when we were finished, we had a lot of tobacco leaf ready for the next stage of the process.
Each green bundle was then hung from a pole. Once each pole was covered with leaves, I suspended them from my basement¿s rafters. There they hung for several weeks until they turned a rich shade of brown.
I then packed them in a big cardboard box to ferment. Many people think you can smoke the leaf as soon as it turns brown. Not true. Tobacco has to be very carefully cured before it can be transformed into a cigar. If the leaves get too hot you end up with expensive compost. But if the fermentation is not allowed to progress properly, the leaves dry up and crumble to dust. Great cigars require an unusually high degree of craft, science and sorcery to get them just right. I was beginning to think that I would never see a single cigar out of the mess that now occupied half of my basement.
Each week I carefully inspected the leaves. They seemed to be doing OK. I carefully stripped off a few that showed signs of mildew, reshuffled the bundle and repacked it. I kept up this process for several more weeks and then stored the entire eight-pound bundle of tobacco in my humidor. What was left looked pretty good to me, but at this point, how would I know?
By this time I had thousands of hours of backbreaking manual labor behind me for a small bag of tobacco. I had no idea how to properly roll the cigars and, alas, that lost art had long ago left Virginia. In the hands of a good roller, tobacco is magically transformed from a weed into a thing of beauty. In Cuba, the master cigar rollers are people of great merit and distinction. Long ago, America viewed good cigar rollers as artists as well. But that time has passed.
Except in Florida. Virginia may have lost the art of good cigar rolling, but it is alive and well in Miami amidst the Cuban exiles. After checking around I found a small shop called the Tobacco Factory that was owned by a young Cuban named Rudy Rodolfo. His family has been in the tobacco business for more than a hundred years, and when I told him that I needed a good roller for some tobacco that I had grown in my Virginia backyard, he was, to say the least, a bit skeptical.
¿Let¿s see if it is any good first,¿ he said while unwrapping my bundle of treasure and inspecting each leaf. I waited in total panic. He concluded the inspection with a long ¿Hmmmm,¿ adding, ¿Looks pretty good. I can¿t believe you learned how to do this from a book.¿
I told him of my grandiose plan to make a better cigar than the Fuentes. He smiled kindly and said, ¿There is only one way to really know. Let¿s roll a couple and see how they smoke.¿
He lit up a leaf and took a nice, full puff. My tobacco was, of course, very young, and as such would probably burn poorly. Rodolfo told me not to be surprised if the taste was rather strong; it takes time to mellow, which is why good cigars are aged a few years, much like fine wines. He was a bit surprised to see that my tobacco burned nice and even. I got another long ¿Hmmmm,¿ but the mood was a lot lighter. By this time, the entire shop was surrounding my small bundle and waiting for Rodolfo to make his final pronouncement. He took another puff, then asked the group, ¿Can you believe this guy? This is good tobacco!¿
We quickly got down to business. Rodolfo recommended that we use a good Dominican wrapper on my tobacco and make robustos. I needed to stretch the crop as much as possible, since I had promised all the ¿field hands¿ a box each as further compensation. If we made robustos, Rodolfo estimated that I would get about 20 boxes.
As a small, gnarled little man approached us, Rodolfo introduced me to Jose Hernandez, who was once the number one roller for Partagas in Havana. Rodolfo said he would have Hernandez roll my cigars and guaranteed that they would look better than anything Fuente can produce. It would take him a couple of weeks to roll all my tobacco, just the time I needed to design a cigar label.
I decided to name my cigars Virginia Blues. George Washington originated the term to describe his most loyal and dependable soldiers who served with him during the French and Indian War. The Virginia Blues were no summer soldiers or sunshine patriots who quit the cause when the going got rough. They stuck it out, endured all the hardships, and gained the everlasting respect of Washington for their bravery and loyalty. The original Virginia Blues had all the qualities I hoped to emulate with my cigars: loyalty, pride, determination. I liked that. I liked that a lot.
I went back online to find a printer willing and able to help me design a cigar band. I talked to half a dozen printers who had some experience with bands; most were very skeptical about printing a small run of 500. I begged and pleaded with an excellent printer and cigar lover in New York named John Sabatino of Master Image. He told me that he was sick of guys asking him to print counterfeit cigar bands like Cohiba. When he realized that I wanted bands for new cigars that for the first time would have the words ¿Handmade in Virginia,¿ he warmed to the idea, gave me a good price, and quickly helped me design a respectable label that he then produced. They looked great.
Invites were sent to all who worked on the crop, announcing the birth of Virginia Blues, the rarest and most expensive cigar in America. We had a wonderful party and presented each of the field hands with a box of the finished product.
In all, I had 650 cigars for my efforts. I didn¿t want to think about what they had cost me to make; let¿s just say that each cigar was a lot more expensive than an OpusX. My good fortune to find a master roller was certainly evident; the cigars looked better than anything I had ever seen. The Dominican wrapper was just beautiful and each cigar was as well rolled as any Cuban cigar I had laid eyes on. They were gorgeous.
My fellow aficionados, who earlier were a bit skeptical of my endeavors, were amazed. We put several to a taste test and everyone was pleasantly surprised. The burn was consistent; the ash was nice and tight. In short, Virginia Blues were a hit!
I now appreciate a fine cigar far more than ever before, and I learned some very valuable lessons about cigars. For starters, there is no such thing as an expensive handmade cigar. When you examine all the steps that are required to make a cigar¿growing the tobacco, curing it, rolling it, and aging it to perfection¿it is indeed a remarkable process, and whatever price the consumer pays for such a cigar is well justified. Second, I learned that the art of making a cigar is nothing but high sorcery, its secrets carefully hidden.
But I had overcome the odds, perhaps with luck, maybe with persistence, but in the end I was able to produce a fine cigar. As I sat with my friends, smoking a cigar made from the first premium cigar tobacco grown and rolled in Virginia in more than 50 years, I was content. I had beaten Fuente. The OpusX was no longer the rarest cigar in America. That position of honor is now occupied by Virginia Blue.
You think it is hard to find an OpusX? Well, just try to get your hands on a Virginia Blue. There are only 25 boxes. Five are being reserved for the future weddings of my two daughters and for the births of their offspring, so that leaves 20. Eighteen boxes were given to the field hands. One was given to the senior senator from Virginia, John Warner, whom I hoped appreciated the gesture. The last box was sent to Marvin Shanken, the editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado. So if you want to get the rarest cigar in America, you¿re going to have to beg one from one of these people. Good luck!
Douglas Doan is a West Point graduate and has a master¿s degree from Harvard, a perfect education for a tobacco grower. He is busy planning next year¿s crop in Great Falls, Virginia.The U.S. Navy wants to improve its ability to store, generate and surge electricity on ships to accommodate exponentially increasing demand for power, service officials said.
The rise is driven in a large part by the advent of lasers, electromagnetic rail guns and computing technologies on vessels today.
Naval Sea Systems Command recently released a planning document, “Naval Power Systems Technology Development Roadmap,” which calls for new research to identify ways to generate and store power on ships, according to Dr. Timothy McCoy, director of the Electric Ships Office.
McCoy and other Navy experts examined the evolution of the need for electrical power at sea, comparing it to the growth of ship size, or “displacement,” over the past century. They found exponential growth in the level of ship-borne and generated electricity.
“If you go back to the very first destroyer, we were putting electric plants on that which were 3 to 4 kilowatts in rating," McCoy said in an interview with Military.com. "Today, our DDGs have 9,000 kilowatts on board and the DDG 1000 has 78,000 kilowatts on board. The rating of the power plant has grown exponentially, and the size of the ships has also grown. However, the percentage of the ship that is electric power producing or involved in electric power distribution is growing in relation to everything else. Electric power is getting more and more important on ships."
On-board power and electricity is needed to support systems such as communications devices, lighting, sonar, radar and weapons, McCoy said. Electric motors are also a key component of alternative propulsion technologies such as the hybrid-electric drive auxiliary propulsion system -- which powers several Navy ships such as the USS Makin Island Amphibious Assault Ship and others in development such as the USS America and USS Tripoli.
The so-called road map is intended to inspire collaboration within academia, the Defense Department and the Navy, and to identify some of the methods needed to better integrate electrical systems onto ships now and into the future, McCoy said.
For instance, while the Navy is already deploying everything from solid-state laser weapons and electromagnetic rail guns to high-tech sensors and radar systems, the service expects more of these technologies will be used in the future.
“The far-term involves additional uncertainty, but it is expected that additional directed-energy weapons requiring even more power will become available as well as higher-powered sensors and rail guns of increasing size and capability," the document states. "It is likely that Navy platforms will operate these systems simultaneously."
The paper is designed to establish a common approach to developing and introducing electric power systems across various types of Navy ships, McCoy said.
"Given historical technology development cycles and insertion time periods, now is the time to plan and take action required to support future naval power systems and capabilities to influence technology developments in future ships," he said.
As a result, the document makes a handful of recommendations designed to address these challenges, including the development of an energy “magazine” technology to provide intense bursts of power when needed for weapons such as lasers and rail guns.
“The idea is to store some energy in electrical form – maybe in capacitors," McCoy said. "We will have some sort of electrical energy stored on the ship so that when these weapons say, ‘I need to go from zero to a megawatt and I need to do it now,’ we can. When it is done, we need to go back down to zero or almost zero."
Capacitors are able to store an electric field between two conducting plates with an insulator between them, he said.
A promising technology are high-voltage, high-temperature semi-conductors that use silicon carbide -- compounds of silicon and carbide blended together forming a crystalline lattice that is able to operate at higher temperatures and switch electrical charges faster, McCoy said.
“Silicon carbide is a different physical material and it has different physical properties," he said. "One of those is called wide band gap – that is just the amount of excitation it takes to move an electron from one state to an excited state. These wide band gap materials can operate at higher temperatures.
“Semi-conductors are called semi-conductors for a reason," he added. "When you put electricity through them you have a fair amount of losses that turn into heat. Wide-band gap materials like silicon carbide are pretty promising. What we see with these is a way to revolutionize the power and electronics industry."This article is from the archive of our partner.
When President Obama announced a spending freeze on the federal budget for the next five years in his State of the Union address, he left out any specifics on reductions in military funding. Yet, as many national debt-watchers are aware, the money given to the military still accounts for almost a quarter of all government spending, by even the most conservative estimates. The United State's military expenditures exceed that of every other nation on earth, combined. Critics occasionally point out that the spending hasn't quite led to smashing successes overseas in the past few years, either.
Regardless of your feelings on the military, the deficit looms. Reducing the size and scope government is all the rage--what are the chances of the military's budget getting reduced? Just yesterday Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was on the offensive with Congress over some potential cuts. How did we come to outspend the rest of the world on defense? Are our armed forces prepared for the battles we may face in the twenty-first century? And how do we balance our national security interests with the budget? These are some questions being asked.
Don't Expect Any Major Cuts Military spending in America is a'sacred cow' that will be very difficult to touch, writes Andrew J. Bacevich on Mother Jones.
By 1950 at the latest, those poli cymakers (with Kennan by then a notable dissenter) had concluded that the possession and deployment of military power held the key to preserving America's exalted status. The presence of US forces abroad and a demonstrated willingness to interve ne, whether overtly or covertly, just about anywhere on the planet would promote stability, ensure US access to markets and resources, and generally serve to enhance the country's influence in the eyes of friend and foe alike--this was the idea, at least.
Republicans Increasingly Divided Over Defense Spending, reports Elisabeth Bumiller and Thom Shanker at the New York Times. "This deficit that we have threatens our very way of life, and everything needs to be on the table," Rep. Chris Gibson says in the article, a Tea Party aligned congressman and retired Army colonel from New York's Hudson Valley.
Tea Partiers Will Fall In Line With Defense Hawks Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway is skeptical that the Tea Party will put their actions where their anti-big government mouths are.
Notwithstanding the libertarian tendencies in the movement, these people are, at heart, populist Republicans, and they’ll adopt the same flag-waving-as-foreign-policy attitude that we’ve seen from the GOP in recent years. Already we’ve seen signs of this as Sarah Palin has taken it upon herself to make it clear within the Tea Party movement that fiscal conservatism shouldn’t apply when it comes to defense spending, and I expect that the same argument will be made when it comes to the foreign policy adventures that the Palin/Hannity/Limbaugh wing of the party seems to love so much.
The Constitution Is Misconstrued in Argument for Defense "First of all, the Constitution empowers Congress to raise an army and a navy, it's true, but it doesn't actually create a duty... to do so," argues the blog Cup O'Joel. "In fact, it limits army appropriations to just two years at a time. Why? So that the Congress can frequently discuss whether the size and footing of that army is appropriate to the needs of the nation." He quotes a key passage from Federalist 28: "We should recollect that the extent of the military force must, at all events, be regulated by the resources of the country," it says.
Brains Not Bombs, says Harlan Ullman at the New Atlanticist. "The traditional U.S. solution to military threats has generally been to spend rather than think our way clear of danger," he notes. But "brains win wars. That means elevating education to provide the learning knowledge and understanding for our military to be better able to cope with a future that will be almost certainly more demanding. Thinking more, while spending less, can and will work."
Time For a 21st Century Military, Gary Hart writes in this January's Atlantic.
Warfare itself is changing. Organized violence by nation-states, though still plausible, is diminishing. Instead, unconventional conflicts involving stateless nations, tribes, clans, gangs, ethnic nationalists, and religious fundamentalists are clearly rising. Sooner or later some lethal combination of drug cartels, arms syndicates, international mafias, and terrorist groups will acquire weapons of mass destruction. All of these factors require a more sophisticated understanding of security than that which defined the Cold War. Neither al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Taliban in Pakistan, the mafia in Russia, nor the drug cartels in Mexico fear our strategic weapons, large Army divisions, or carrier task groups. We need a new statutory basis to do for 21st-century security what the National Security Act of 1947 did: lay the legal groundwork for defensive policies that address the realities of a new era.
The Hawkish Argument "The blood of our troops is much more precious than tax dollars saved. The left has long condemned 'gold-plating' our military. But in Desert Storm, the virtue of this investment was clear. Despite facing a huge, battle-tested army with the best technology the Soviets could provide, our weapons systems were so advanced that America lost almost no casualties in achieving total victory," says Bruce Walker at the American Thinker.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.Below is the source from our first web-server. It serves a single page, named /hello_world, which returns a simple plain-text message. Note the three elements of the page:
Declare a handler, binding an HTTP path to a predicate. The notation root(hello_world) uses an alias-mechanism similar to absolute_file_name/3 and allows for moving parts of the server locations easily. See http_absolute_location/3. We could also have used '/hello_world'. The predicate server(?Port) starts the server. It simply creates a number of Prolog threads and then returns to the toplevel, so you can (re-)load code, debug, etc. The implementation of /hello_world. The single argument provides the request details, which we ignore for now. Our task is to write a CGI-Document: a number of name: value -pair lines, followed by two newlines, followed by the document content, The only obligatory header line is the Content-type: <mime-type> header. Printing can be done using any Prolog printing predicate, but the format-family is the most useful. See format/2.
:- use_module(library(http/thread_httpd)). :- use_module(library(http/http_dispatch)). :- http_handler(root(hello_world), say_hi, []). % (1) server(Port) :- % (2) http_server(http_dispatch, [port(Port)]). say_hi(_Request) :- % (3) format('Content-type: text/plain~n~n'), format('Hello World!~n').
To run this server, put the above code in a file, load the file into Prolog and run the goal below. 5000 is the port-number. This can be any number between 1001 and 65000 (depending on your OS). Now direct your browser to http://localhost:5000/hello_world and enjoy your first Prolog-based web-server!
?- server(5000).
Where is Apache, ISS, Tomcat,...?
Oops, we do not need that. The full manual gives options for redirecting requests from Apache to our server, so that your server is reachable on the default port 80. Actually, the SWI-Prolog HTTP server libraries are very much like Tomcat, but now for Prolog. The SWI-Prolog website is handled by SWI-Prolog, redirected from an Apache server.Nazario Moreno, head of Mexico's La Familia drugs gang, is thought to have been killed in gun battles between police and traffickers
One of Mexico's most notorious drugs bosses is believed to have been killed after clashes between gunmen and security forces.
Nazario Moreno, known as The Craziest One, the head of the powerful La Familia cartel, was presumed dead after fighting in the western state of Michoacán, according to the national security chief, Alejandro Poire. At least five others, including an eight-month-old have also died in violence that has raged in the state since Wednesday night.
Armed men blockaded roads leading to Morelia city, and hijacked cars and lorries while firing shots to force drivers and passengers from their vehicles.
Moreno is believed to be the leader of La Familia, a gang that uses pseudo-religious philosophy to justify the murders of rivals and keep its traffickers from abusing drugs.
The group, which officials say is Mexico's main trafficker of methamphetamine, captured nationwide attention in 2006 by rolling severed heads on to the floor of a disco in Uruapan city.
Shortly afterwards, the Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, sent thousands of federal troops and police into Michoacán, his home state and the base of La Familia.
Moreno preached Bible scripture mixed with self-help slogans to gang members and tried to promote a mystique that is unique among Mexican gangs by claiming to protect the local population.
Last night's blockades came a day after three people were killed in a shootout between suspected La Familia gunmen and federal police in Apatzingán de la Constitución, another city in the state.
One of those killed was a baby of eight months who was in a taxi with his mother, according to the attorney general's office. Another was the teenage daughter of a former Apatzingán mayor. She was a passenger in a car caught in the crossfire and was not deliberately targeted.
By last night, the death toll had risen to five, including two federal police officers. Three other officers were injured.
The violence followed the arrest of several key La Familia leaders. One of those held, Sergio Moreno Godinez, said under police interrogation last month that the cartel was in decline. He confirmed the authenticity of a letter, emailed to journalists and dropped on the streets of several towns, saying the cartel wanted to disband and negotiate a truce with authorities. The government has ignored the offer.
If his death is confirmed, Moreno will be the second drugs kingpin to be eliminated in just over a month, after the killing of the Gulf cartel's Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén last month.
La Familia was hit last year by the arrests of two leaders, and is fighting the Zetas and the Beltrán Leyva cartel for control of the Michoacán coast, where traffickers receive illegal shipments of chemicals to make methamphetamines.In a surprising move, the FRBNY has just released the holdings of Maiden Lane I, II and III. Here is what the Fed is saying about this development:
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today announced that it has expanded the information that it makes available to the public related to the Maiden Lane portfolios. The new information includes nearly all of the holdings of Maiden Lane LLC (ML)—with the exception of residential whole loans as that would violate individual borrowers’ privacy—and all of the holdings of Maiden Lane II LLC (MLII) and Maiden Lane III LLC (ML III). The additional information includes the CUSIP number, descriptor, and the current principal balance or notional amount outstanding for all of the positions in each of three Maiden Lane portfolios. The Federal Reserve recognizes the importance of transparency to its financial stability efforts and will continue to review disclosure practices with the goal of making additional information publicly available when possible. The release of this information today comes after reaching agreement on issues of confidentiality with JPMorgan Chase with respect to the assets of ML and the American International Group, Inc. (AIG) with respect to ML II and ML III.
As a reminder:
ML was formed to facilitate the merger of The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase. The New York Fed extended credit to ML to acquire certain assets of Bear Stearns.ML II and ML III were formed to facilitate the restructuring of the government’s financial support to AIG. The New York Fed extended credit to ML II to purchase residential mortgage-backed securities from the securities lending portfolio of several regulated U.S. insurance subsidiaries of AIG. The New York Fed extended credit to ML III to purchase multi-sector collateralized debt obligations from certain counterparties of AIG Financial Products Corp.
Some preliminary observations:
ML 1, in addition to holding a boatload of CDOs, has quite a few Residential whole loans, a variety of single names CDS, of which the bulk is CMBX, AMBAC, MBIA, PMI, CDS on Commercial Real Estate, CDS on Munis, CDS on non-agency RMBS, CDS on Non-residential ABS, some treasuries, and just under $3 billion in Interest Rate Swaps.
ML 2, as noted, contains $35 billion of Non-Agency MBS. It also contains $280 million in cash, held with a Goldman Sachs account. (GOLDMAN SACHS FIN SQ GOVT FS)
ML 3 consists of a variety of CDOs whose notional value is given as $56 billion. Once again, the Fed parks its cash of $383 million in this account with Goldman Sachs.
We will dig through these in detail shortly.
Full listing of assets:
ML 1
ML 2
ML 3WESTERN Bulldogs gun Tom Liberatore’s 2015 AFL season is over before it began, after a torn ACL injury suffered in the NAB Challenge.
The Bulldogs’ midfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in their win over Richmond in the NAB Challenge.
SUPERCOACH SCORES: DOGS v TIGERS
“Our initial prognosis of an ACL tear was confirmed today by MRI, and we are all feeling for Tom, who is an integral part of our team,” general manager, Graham Lowe said.
“He is in good spirits however, and we know he will take his rehabilitation in his stride. Tom is an extremely resilient young man, and will return bigger and better from this setback.”
Liberatore’s serious injury put a dampener on the Western Bulldogs’ return to their Whitten Oval headquarters.
He was just warming to his first AFL game at the club’s spiritual home when a legitimate tackle in a contest left him writhing in agony, clutching the left knee.
The 22-year-old club best and fairest winner limped off midway through the NAB Challenge opening quarter after his left leg buckled under a heavy tackle by Tiger Ty Vickery near the boundary line.
Luckily, he was only 20m from the interchange gate and the support staff quickly hurried him to the bench.
After strolling out to the quarter-time huddle with an ice-pack on the knee, Liberatore and a trainer disappeared up one of the players’ race before the start of the second quarter.
He wore a compression bandage on the knee when the players filed out of a meeting following the 22-point win against an understrength Richmond.
“He’s tough and resilient and no doubt he’ll come back from it. He’s such an important person and player around the club, so it’s disappointing because he’s crucial to the fabric of the footy club,” Beveridge said.
“He’ll play a role (this season), no matter what.”
High-profile young Bulldog forward Tom Boyd made a modest debut for his new team in front of 9513 faithful fans.
Boyd’s first and only goal for the Dogs was a gift, a relayed free kick after Richmond’s acting captain Steven Morris was a little late with a tackle early in the second quarter.
The high-price recruit was never going to miss with the set shot from the edge of the goal square.
“I thought he was terrific. He spent a bit of time in the ruck and competed. He didn’t have any big impact on the scoreboard, but he gave us a real contest and that’s a really big step for him today,” Beveridge said.
“It’s important he fits into what our forward line is going (to look like). And he is. He’s going to be one of the generals down there and, like the rest of our young guys, he has to grow up quickly for us to be a challenger.”
Admittedly, Boyd worked up the field as a high forward, allowing big Jack Redpath to put in an early bid as one of the Dogs’ key forward targets.
Redpath, who has played only three AFL games, moved stylishly considering his 194cm frame and his two goals were the finishing touches to an eye-catching performance.
Beveridge said he was happy with the progression of stopper Liam Picken’s transformation to a forward role.
“He’s such a dour, hard customer. But even early in his career, he had a creative side. I wouldn’t like to play on him as a backman and he’s hard as nails in the midfield. He’s one of our versatile players and one of our really experienced players,” the Dogs new senior coach said.
5 Things We Learned
ONYA SKIP: Captaincy won’t be a burden for Bulldog Robert Murphy. He quickly settled back into his sweeper role across half-back, repulsing an attack and then controlling the rebound with his unhurried work by hand and foot.
FAST DOGS: New coach Luke Beveridge has the Bulldogs playing a fast, play-on brand. Now he just has to sharpen up the efficiency with the ball, particularly in the forward half. His |
launching armed attacks against Israel. Today, many Palestinians are convinced that they can achieve more through stabbings, vehicular rammings and shooting attacks than sitting with Israel at the negotiating table. The Qatar-based Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal, seized the anniversary as an opportunity once again to remind everyone of his movement's real goals. Speaking on the Al-Jazeera TV network, which serves as a platform for the Muslim Brotherhood organization (Hamas is an offshoot of Muslim Brotherhood), Mashaal said: "We are moving forward with our resistance to achieve our national project... We are looking forward to liberating Palestine and cleansing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and protecting it from division and demolition. We also seek the return of the refugees to their homeland and the liberation of our prisoners from Israeli jails." When he talks about "cleansing" Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Hamas leader is referring to Jewish visits to the Temple Mount. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have been exploiting these visits to incite their people against Israel. They claim that Jewish visitors are "desecrating" the holy site and should not be allowed to set foot there. These words mirror those used by President Mahmoud Abbas, who said that Palestinians will not allow Jews to "defile with their filthy feet" the Al-Aqsa Mosque (although no Jew has entered the mosque itself). Mashaal, who in the past few years has been living as royalty in Qatar (the country that is the main patron of Muslim Brotherhood), went on to emphasize that Hamas has "not changed its strategy of liberating Palestine." He also said that, "Military work remains the backbone of liberation." Hamas, he added, "Continues to believe in the full liberation of Palestine and that jihad and resistance are the only means to expel the occupation and liberate Palestine and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque." According to Mashaal, Hamas continues to look toward Arab and Islamic countries, including Iran, for the military, financial and political support to achieve its goal of destroying Israel. Hamas's armed wing, Ezaddin Al-Qassam, boasted on this occasion that 22 of its men have been killed since the beginning of 2016, while preparing for the next war with Israel. Most of the Hamas men were killed when the tunnels in which they were working in collapsed. Hamas continues to build new tunnels and renovate those that were destroyed during the last war with Israel in 2014. Hamas says it wants to use these tunnels in the future to infiltrate Israel and kill or kidnap Israeli civilians or soldiers. Ironically, while Hamas pursues its round-the-clock efforts to prepare for war against Israel, its leaders do not hesitate to depict themselves as victims, and warn of supposed Israeli plans to launch a "new aggression" against Palestinians. Hamas believes that Israel does not have the right to defend itself against rockets and terror attacks. It even considers Israel's self-defense as an "act of terror." Take, for example, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum's recent assessment. Lashing out at U.S. aid to Israel, Barhoum said that the American military and financial aid to Israel constitutes "official support for terrorism." This is effectively Hamas's message to the new U.S. administration: Stop supporting Israel with weapons and money because that hinders our goal of destroying Israel. In yet another sign that exposes Hamas's ongoing preparations to attack Israel, the movement last week held a drill with live ammunition in the northern Gaza Strip. The drill enacted, among other things, an incursion into a civilian populated area. Hamas said the drill was the fruit of 380 hours of non-stop military training of its "Special Units." Hamas's rhetoric and actions leave no room for doubt as to its intentions. Twenty-nine years after its establishment, a defiant Hamas continues to believe that Israel can, and should, be destroyed. The dream to eliminate Israel remains alive and well among many Palestinians, as evidenced at Hamas rallies by the massive turnouts. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, however, are kissing cousins when it comes to Israel. Hamas's talk of jihad against Israel is right in line with Abbas's speech before the 7th Congress of Fatah, which convened in Ramallah two weeks ago. "What has been achieved so far is a small jihad, and the big jihad is still awaiting us," Abbas declared. According to Abbas's aides, the PA president was referring to a different type of jihad -- one that relates to his ongoing efforts in the international arena to isolate and delegitimize Israel, to force it to make far-reaching concessions to the Palestinians. Abbas's diplomatic warfare against Israel began several years ago, with the PA's efforts to join international institutions and seek unilateral recognition in the UN of a Palestinian state. His ultimate goal is to have the international community exert pressure on Israel to withdraw fully to the pre-1967 lines. Abbas wants to establish a Palestinian state with the help of the international community, and not through direct negotiations with Israel. He is convinced that his "diplomatic jihad" against Israel is no less effective than the Hamas jihad of terrorism. This Abbas talk of "small" and "big" jihad comes at a time when Abbas and Hamas are in courting mode. Some reports have suggested that Abbas recently sent conciliatory messages to Hamas in yet another bid to end the dispute between the two sides. He and Khaled Mashaal have had regular phone contact, with both expressing a desire to end the conflict between them. The reports have even suggested that the two rival parties may be preparing to resume their "reconciliation" talks in Doha under the auspices of Qatar. Last October, Abbas met in Doha with Mashaal and another Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, as part of his rapprochement with the Islamist movement. The meeting was said to be held in a cordial atmosphere, and some Palestinian political analysts point to a warming of relations between the two sides. Last October, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Qatar with Khaled Mashaal and another Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, as part of his rapprochement with the Islamist movement. Pictured above: Abbas (right) meets with Khaled Mashaal in Qatar on July 20, 2014, in a previous reconciliation attempt. (Image source: Handout from the PA President's Office/Thaer Ghanem) Yet even if Abbas manages to achieve reconciliation with Hamas, this move should not be seen as a sign of pragmatism on the part of the Islamist movement. Under no circumstances will Hamas relinquish its policy of the destruction of Israel and its replacement with an Islamist state. The movement's own words on its anniversary provide the best proof of this intention. To their credit, Hamas leaders are nothing if not honest about their commitment to Israel's destruction. Abbas certainly will not attempt to convince Hamas to abandon this fundamental goal. So, as far as Hamas is concerned, reconciliation means that Abbas will move closer to the Islamist movement and not vice versa. In fact, Mahmoud Abbas seems to believe that Hamas's and his jihads complement each other. Thus, Hamas will continue its deadly jihad, while Abbas will pursue his "diplomatic jihad" against Israel. From his point of view, Hamas's terrorism will only increase the pressure on Israel to capitulate. Here Abbas has an ally in Hamas: to multiply jihads to force Israel to its knees. Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem. Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on Twitter © 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute. Related Topics: Palestinian Authority Recent Articles by Khaled Abu Toameh Palestinians: "The Slap of the Century", 2019-02-21
Palestinians: "Journalism" Hamas Style, 2019-02-14
Why Palestinians Oppose an Anti-Iran Coalition, 2019-02-09
Preparing for Peace - The Palestinian Way, 2019-01-29
Palestinians: The 'Political Detainees' No One Talks About, 2019-01-23 receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free gatestone institute mailing list en 10 Reader Comments Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply-> Reply->What started as a walk to the park with his dogs ended with a trip to the hospital for a Denver dog owner. 32-year-old Mark Ashford says he was beaten black and blue by two Denver Police officers."They punched him and pinned him up against the fence and forced his head into the concrete." Ashford's attorney, Will Hart, said the beating that was caught on camera is a clear case of Excessive Force. "This happened when he was walking his dogs, he has a conversation with another citizen that the police officer doesn't like and as a result, he ends up in the hospital," said Hart.Hart says Mark Ashford was walking his dogs near 20th and Little Raven in LoDo, when he saw police pull over a driver for failing to stop at a stop sign. Ashford told the driver he saw him stop and would be willing to testify in court. Hart says the officer overheard him and "wasn't very happy."That's when Ashford says the Denver police officers demanded his I.D. and detained him. Ashford tried to take a picture of the officers to document the incident, and a few second later he was on the ground.Police charged Ashford with interference and resisting arrest. Hart says, the charges were later dropped because the officers violated Ashford's 4th amendment rights, "they had no reason to stop him, take his ID or detain him."An Excessive Force complaint was filed against both officers involved. A Denver police spokesperson says the internal affairs department has completed its investigation, but they are now turning the case over to the independent police monitor. Police won't say if the officers were disciplined in any way until the investigation is complete.Japanese Nursing Home for Dogs
Japan will get its first nursing home for dogs with round-the-clock monitoring by doctors and a team of puppies to help aging pooches feel younger, a pet products company said Wednesday.
Owners pay 98,000 yen ($800) a month to keep their dogs at the Soladi Care Home for pets, which opens Friday, according to a joint release by Soladi Co. and the Endo Veterinary clinic in Tochigi, eastern Japan.
Veterinarians at the home will offer round-the-clock monitoring and residents will be fed specially fortified food, the release said.
The home, which can accept 20 dogs at one time, will also employ puppies to play with the aging dogs to help them keep fit and feel younger, the release said.
Analysts say that a boom in pet ownership in Japan, coupled with better health care and a more balanced diet, has led to a surge in elderly pets in Japan.
That has spurred doting owners to turn to vitamins, aromatherapy and even acupuncture to help their companions through their old age.
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Why does the Department of Homeland Security all of a sudden want to oversee security for the election in November? Just a little while ago I checked the Drudge Report, and I was greeted by the following headline all in red: “HOMELAND SECURITY TO TAKE CHARGE OF ELECTIONS”. I was immediately alarmed, because I had already heard about how local election databases had been hacked, and Donald Trump has expressed concern that the presidential election in November could be rigged somehow. So I immediately clicked on the link and it took me to an article from the Washington Examiner…
Even before the FBI identified new cyber attacks on two separate state election boards, the Department of Homeland Security began considering declaring the election a “critical infrastructure,” giving it the same control over security it has over Wall Street and and the electric power grid. The latest admissions of attacks could speed up that effort possibly including the upcoming presidential election, according to officials. “We should carefully consider whether our election system, our election process, is critical infrastructure like the financial sector, like the power grid,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said.
I would definitely agree with Johnson that our election system is critical infrastructure.
But can a Department of Homeland Security that has been packed with Obama appointees actually be trusted to handle the security for our elections in a fair manner?
Unfortunately, I believe that is a legitimate question.
However, I will concede that something needs to be done. Just the other day, FBI Director James Comey admitted that his agency is taking the threat of election cyberattacks “very, very seriously” after a couple of local election databases were successfully attacked. The following comes from ABC News…
Three days ago, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., sent a letter to Comey, expressing concern that “the threat of the Russian government tampering in our presidential election is more extensive than widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results.” In late June an “unknown actor scanned a state’s Board of Election website for vulnerabilities” and, after identifying a security gap, exploited the vulnerability to conduct a “data exfiltration,” or unauthorized data transfer, the FBI said in a recent bulletin. Earlier this month, hackers used the same vulnerability in an “attempted intrusion activities into another state’s Board of Election system,” the FBI said.
The integrity of our elections is absolutely paramount. Without free and fair elections we might as well not even have a country.
So the fact that hackers have proven that they can hack into some of our systems is quite alarming indeed.
According to the Daily Beast, voter databases in Arizona and Illinois were the ones that were victimized…
The FBI’s analysis of the hacks, contained in a security alert first reported by Yahoo News, shows that Arizona’s elections website was penetrated in June using a common vulnerability that’s well known to security experts. Then, in July, Illinois’ voter files were accessed apparently using stolen login credentials, which could have been obtained by spear phishing a state employee.
So was much damage done by these hackers?
Well, it has been documented that many voters in Arizona did have their party affiliations changed without their knowledge or consent, and this rendered them unable to vote during the primaries…
During the primary election in Arizona, for instance, a number of voters found that their party affiliation had been changed without their knowledge. When they showed up to vote in the state’s closed primary elections, some were told they were ineligible to vote with the party of their choice. State officials have blamed the problem at least in part on an error at the state’s driver registration bureau. But similar problems have reportedly cropped up in California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Needless to say, we can’t have hackers messing with our elections, and something needs to be done.
I just don’t know if the Department of Homeland Security can be trusted or if they are the ones that should be fixing this problem.
Before I close this article today, there is one more item that I would like to bring up. In the past, there has been much speculation on the Internet that some sort of “event” could suspend or delay the coming election, and that is why the following headline from U.S. News & World Report caught my eye: “A Candidate’s Death Could Delay or Eliminate the Presidential Election“. This is how that article begins…
The presidential election could be delayed or scrapped altogether if conspiracy theories become predictive and a candidate dies or drops out before Nov. 8. The perhaps equally startling alternative, if there’s enough time: Small groups of people hand-picking a replacement pursuant to obscure party rules. The scenarios have been seriously considered by few outside of the legal community and likely are too morbid for polite discussion in politically mixed company. But prominent law professors have pondered the effects and possible ways to address a late-date vacancy. “There’s nothing in the Constitution which requires a popular election for the electors serving in the Electoral College,” says John Nagle, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, meaning the body that officially elects presidents could convene without the general public voting.
In this article and this article I documented how Hillary Clinton’s health appears to be rapidly failing. It is entirely possibly that if her health continues to go downhill that she might not even make it to election day.
Alternatively, many among the elite would be extremely happy if something caused Donald Trump not to make it to election day. So let us definitely pray for his health and safety and the health and safety of his family.
This election season has already been the strangest one that we have seen in decades, and I have a feeling that it is going to get a lot stranger over the next couple of months.
In the end, let us hope and pray for a fair, honest and safe election, because the American people should get to choose who will be leading them for the next four years.Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that the club don't need "big names" as he seeks to rebuild his squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
Klopp has already added Sadio Mane, Joel Matip and Loris Karius to his squad, while rivals Manchester United have added the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
However, the German coach is happy with building a team rather than trying to sign one or two superstars.
"If we go for players and there is obviously no chance, there is no point," he told reporters. "Look for players you can have and make the best of it. I am 100 percent happy with the guys we have brought in until now.
"This period in every year is one of a lot of expectations. Everyone expects big names and a big improvement because of big names and if you don't know the players it's like 'What are we doing? What are they doing?'"
Liverpool spent over £30 million on Mane, with more arrivals expected at Anfield, but Klopp insists that the team ethic comes first.
"Nobody thinks about the good games we played last season," he added. "They only think United or City have taken this player and we have taken what's-his-name, but for us it is about creating and building a team for next year.
"We have to prove that our thinking about the team is right. We have to build a special bond with the right mentality.
"It is using experience, using the base and not killing the base and starting completely new."As expected, Monday’s opening showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump drew a massive — and record-breaking — audience, with at least 80.9 million viewers tuning in across 12 broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen data obtained by CNN Money. That makes last night’s 93-minute matchup the most-watched presidential debate ever, and represents a roughly 20 percent jump over the 67.2 million viewers who caught the first debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney four years ago. What’s more, the 80.9 million figure will tick even higher once PBS is added to the tally, and it also doesn’t include the millions who likely watched online. The previous most-watched debate was the first (and only) slugfest between President Jimmy Carter and challenger Ronald Reagan, which Nielsen estimates drew 80.6 million on October 28, 1980 — just days before the election.
Trump-Clinton has now surpassed that tune-in total, but there’s an important asterisk attached to this “record.” The U.S. population in 2016 is currently estimated at just shy of 325 million people — a full 100 million larger than the number of Americans alive in 1980. So, as a percentage of the population, Monday’s debate simply didn’t dominate viewing the way Reagan-Carter did. In fact, the 1980 debate itself isn’t the biggest debate in American history when measured by percentage of homes who watched. That honor actually goes to the penultimate of the four Nixon-Kennedy debates, which Nielsen says reached 61 percent of all American living rooms. Carter-Reagan was seen in 58.9 percent of homes. Nielsen has not yet released its household estimate for Clinton-Trump, but it almost certainly didn’t surpass either of the aforementioned debates. This doesn’t mean Monday’s matchup wasn’t a blockbuster: In an age of audience fragmentation and limitless viewing choices, these numbers are nothing to sniff about. But in terms of capturing the attention of the country as a whole, it was not a historical watershed.Major changes are stirring when it comes to how our country farms and eats—especially in terms of how we treat animals caught up in the food supply. Nowhere is this more evident than in the egg industry.
In the 1940s, a group of farmers in Los Angeles looked for an easy way to keep up with the ballooning demand for eggs. Their solution? Bring chickens indoors and confine each egg-laying hen to a single wooden cage.
Over the decades that followed, those wooden cages were replaced with wire cages, each of which came to hold not a single hen, but many hens—giving each bird less space than an iPad on which to live her entire life.
In the process, much was sacrificed. Animal welfare advocates and scientists point out that caged chickens live miserable lives, virtually immobilized—prevented from engaging in many of their most important natural behaviors. And caged hens have been shown, in over a dozen scientific studies, to harbor more food safety risks, like Salmonella, than their cage-free counterparts.
With so many problems attached to cage production and clear benefits to cage-free production, the food industry is now racing to eliminate cages: McDonald’s—which uses over 2 billion eggs each year—announced a year ago this month that it would go whole hog on the conversion, switching to 100% cage-free eggs over time. Since then, over 200 other food industry titans have followed suit, including Wal-mart (which sells a quarter of our nation’s groceries), Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons and virtually every other big name in food you might be able to think of (and even many you’ve never heard of).
These announcements make sense: with countless consumers now actively seeking products that align with their values, companies—and their investors—can face either great risk or great returns from how a company addresses animal welfare issues. (SeaWorld’s stock, for example, has taken an absolute nosedive as a result of controversy over animal cruelty concerns.)
When it comes to food, “Shoppers want food retailers to prioritize animal welfare [even] over environmentally-sustainable practices,” reports the Food Marketing Institute. “Animal welfare must be considered as a shopper value that retailers need to manage towards.”
The World Bank agrees. “In the case of animal welfare,” reports the Bank’s International Finance Corporation, “failure to keep pace with changing consumer expectations and market opportunities could put companies and their investors at a competitive disadvantage in an increasingly global marketplace.”
But while much of the food industry is indeed keeping pace on this issue, others are a bit slower in the race to the top. Post Holdings—known for products like Post Raisin Brand—recently acquired one of the largest egg producers: a company called Michael Foods. While Michael Foods certainly is a major supplier of cage-free eggs, the company still confines hens in cages and seems to lack any plans for switching to 100% cage-free production.
This stands in stark contrast to its customer base. Just one of the more than 200 companies with cage-free policies, Sysco, accounts for roughly 15% of Michael Foods’ annual sales. It also stands in stark contrast to the competition: indeed, other major egg producers—Rembrandt Foods, Rose Acre, Hillandale, Hickman’s, JS West and more—have announced goals of going all-in on the cage-free conversion.
In today’s economy, ethics rule the roost. Companies which respond positively and proactively to changes in how their customers view their products will continue to float while others may find themselves slowly sinking. That’s the free market in action. And in this case, despite some outliers, it’s that free market which will end up also providing a greater degree of freedom for animals in our food supply.Venda chiefs allegedly offered the SABC COO a 10-year-old child as a wife.
JOHANNESBURG - The Commission for Gender Equality says it's investigating claims that a 10-year-old child was offered as a wife to South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) acting chief operations officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
Commission spokesperson Javu Baloyi has confirmed a complaint has been lodged with the commission and investigations are now underway.
Venda chiefs reportedly offered Motsoeneng a gift of a wife, a cow and a calf during his visit to Thohoyandou in Limpopo.
Baloyi says the commission is concerned about underage marriages and cultures undermining the rights of children.
Meanwhile, Motsoeneng is waiting to hear from his employers regarding Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report on his appointment and it's unclear if he will remain in his position at the SABC.
Madonsela revealed damning findings following a probe into maladministration at the corporation.
She said Motsoeneng's actions cost the SABC R29 million after it had to settle several cases brought by the people Motsoeneng had fired.
Madonsela's investigation also showed that Motsoeneng received three appraisals which increased his salary from R1.5 million to R2.4 million a year.
She also found Motsoeneng's appointment was irregular, stating that he committed fraud by lying about his matric qualification.President Donald Trump’s attendance at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum has understandably resulted in an outcry from would-be attendees — some of whom have backed out of appearing at the opening in protest against presidential policies that they believe undermine the ongoing struggle for civil rights. In a joint statement, Democratic Reps. John Lewis of Georgia and Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi said:
“President Trump’s attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum. The struggles represented in this museum exemplify the truth of what really happened in Mississippi. President Trump’s disparaging comments about women, the disabled, immigrants, and National Football League players disrespect the efforts of Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Medgar Evers, Robert Clark, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and countless others who have given their all for Mississippi to be a better place. After President Trump departs, we encourage all Mississippians and Americans to visit this historic civil rights museum.”
The White House responded, calling their protest “unfortunate” in a statement issued by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “We think it’s unfortunate that these members of Congress wouldn’t join the President in honoring the incredible sacrifice civil rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history. The President hopes others will join him in recognizing that the movement was about removing barriers and unifying Americans of all backgrounds,” Sanders said in a press pool report.
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Read that again. Sanders was upset that "these members of Congress" weren't going to honor the "incredible sacrifice" of "civil rights leaders." Does she know that one of "these members of Congress" was one of her aforementioned "civil rights leaders?" Rep. John Lewis is — along with Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, Whitney Young, Roy Wilkins and A. Philip Randolph — one of the momentous "Big Six" civil rights leaders who organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, considered a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. As the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis organized sit-ins in the 1960s to protest segregation. He was also one of the Freedom Riders, a group of of black and white civil rights activists who rode on segregated buses through the South to challenge Jim Crow laws. Many were beaten, attacked by mobs, or sent to prison.
This isn't a good look for Sarah Huckabee Sanders, nor the Trump administration. Though Huckabee Sanders seems to revel in issuing Orwellian, hypocritical statements that belie basic facts or history.
Likewise, there have been numerous instances where Trump has made public statements that were either openly racist or used white nationalist dog whistles. Moreover, it’s no secret that the president is disinterested in social justice (the travel ban and the wall are just a couple of examples).
Rather than supporting a civil rights leader's right to protest, Sanders condemned him. Thus, an event that was meant to be celebration of civil rights gains has turned into another episode of the Trump Show.2nd Apr 2011
Tip #7 – Introducing the Flixel Power Tools
For the latest Flixel Power Tools please go here
Update May 11th 2011
Since writing this tip the Flixel Power Tools have grown from strength to strength having all been updated to use the new Flixel 2.5 plugin system. Plus there are loads of new classes, a new test system and a comprehensive Getting Started Guide. I will leave this Tip here as it applies to Flixel v2.43 but if you are coming to this fresh then please…
For the latest Flixel Power Tools please go here
— End of Update
Quite frankly flixel is awesome. It allows me to rapidly build games. The sort of games I like playing (and therefore making!) While it does a lot for you it is lacking in a few key areas. After all it’s just a framework, and frameworks are meant to be built-upon.
That is where the Flixel Power Tools come in! At the time of writing there are 13 new classes, all neatly arranged in a single package, that push flixel just that little bit further. There is also a test suite which include 16 easy-to-follow examples of the power tools in action, with a funky visual menu system and a way to actually see what they do. I always find it easier to learn by looking and then checking out the code!
The majority of these tools work without even touching the core flixel code-base. Although there are some that do require it, so with that in mind I’ve provided a fully Patched version of flixel 2.43. But if you’ve got your own build there are instructions on manually patching at the top of each class that needs it, and work-arounds should you not want to touch anything at all!
I will continue to expand the library of tools and the test suite. And of course keep them in-line with the way in which the flixel codebase is changing at the moment. For now here is a quick overview of what each new class offers:
FlxBitmapFont
Allows you to use bitmap fonts in your games very easily. It’s extremely fast. Fast-enough for real-time updates, or a GUI or HUD display. The rendered text is just a normal FlxSprite, so you can do with it whatever you like. Extensive character-set handling options and fully documented.
font = new FlxBitmapFont(bluepinkFontPNG, 32, 32, FlxBitmapFont.TEXT_SET2, 10); font.setText("easy :)", true, 0, 8, FlxBitmapFont.ALIGN_CENTER); 1 2 3 4 font = new FlxBitmapFont ( bluepinkFontPNG, 32, 32, FlxBitmapFont. TEXT_SET2, 10 ) ; font. setText ( "easy :)", true, 0, 8, FlxBitmapFont. ALIGN_CENTER ) ;
FlxButtonPlus
Takes the FlxButton class you already know, and then pimps it out some! You can specify parameters for the callback, the button width, height and text in the constructor. Change the button text dynamically. Set hover-over and hover-out callbacks. And the default button style is now a nice gradient filled affair (which you can control the gradient colours of yourself). Or just use loadGraphic to replace it.
playback = new FlxButtonPlus(32, 32, toggleMusic, null, "Play Music"); 1 2 3 playback = new FlxButtonPlus ( 32, 32, toggleMusic, null, "Play Music" ) ;
FlxCollision
Collision in flixel is handled with bounding boxes. Which is basically two rectangles colliding, and if they intersect you get a collision back. This class takes it the necessary step further and adds pixel perfect collision testing. Only the intersecting area is tested for speed. And you have control over the alpha tolerance level (so you can exclude pixels with an alpha level less than what you need). It also works with scaled, rotated or animated FlxSprites! and is perfectly fast enough to use in real-time.
if (FlxCollision.pixelPerfectCheck(player, spikes)) { // Player really did hit those spikes! } 1 2 3 4 5 6 if ( FlxCollision. pixelPerfectCheck ( player, spikes ) ) { // Player really did hit those spikes! }
FlxColor
A very comprehensive class for serious colour manipulation! As well as being able to rip-apart and put back together colour values across all kinds of ranges (ARGB, 24/32 bit, to/from Hex, etc) it also has support for colour interpolation; HSV colour wheel generation; random colours and advanced colour effects. Including: getting a complement harmony colour, analogous harmony, split complement harmony, triadic harmony and RGB to HSV and HSV to RGB conversion.
FlxColor.getRandomColor(20); FlxColor.getComplementHarmony(0xff00ff00); 1 2 3 4 FlxColor. getRandomColor ( 20 ) ; FlxColor. getComplementHarmony ( 0xff00ff00 ) ;
FlxDelay
A useful timer that can be used to trigger events after certain amounts of time are up. Uses getTimer so is low on resources and avoids using Flash timer events. Also takes into consideration the Pause state of your game. If your game pauses, when it starts again the timer notices and adjusts the expires time accordingly.
timer = new FlxDelay(2000); timer.start();... if (timer.hasExpired) {... } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 timer = new FlxDelay ( 2000 ) ; timer. start ( ) ;... if ( timer. hasExpired ) {... }
FlxDisplay
A work-in-progress class. At the moment contains one function: screenCenter, which takes an FlxSprite and then centers it on the x or y axis (or both).
FlxFlod
This provides an interface between Christian Cortis excelled Flod replay library and flixel. Flod allows you to play MOD music in your games. The MOD format was made popular on the Amiga via SoundTracker, ProTracker, etc. Flod provides the most accurate replay of the MOD format at present (beating most desktop players). This class provides for a very easy interface to it.
Also hooks properly into the flixel sound system. So if you change the volume, or mute or pause your game, FlxFlod will re-act properly.
FlxFlod.playMod(musicMOD); 1 2 3 FlxFlod. playMod ( musicMOD ) ;
FlxGradient
Gradients are a staple of most retro games, usually used for pretty sky-backdrops or to fill in game objects or text panels. This class provides an extremely easy way to create those. It can generate an FlxSprite filled with the gradient, or overlay a gradient onto an existing FlxSprite (or portion of it). It can also generate an Array full of gradient values for use outside the class. Just give it an array of colour values, and it will do the rest. Gradients can also be “chunked”, making them less smooth (and more retro!) and rotated to any angle.
var gradient1:FlxSprite = FlxGradient.createGradientFlxSprite(32, 32, [0xFF0000, 0xFF8000, 0xFFFF00], 2 ); 1 2 3 var gradient1 : FlxSprite = FlxGradient. createGradientFlxSprite ( 32, 32, [ 0xFF0000, 0xFF8000, 0xFFFF00 ], 2 ) ;
FlxGridOverlay
I use grids a lot in my games, usually for aligning on-screen elements or sprites. This handy class will generate an FlxSprite filled with a grid of your dimensions and colours. The grid can be in a checkerboard style, or vertical stripes, and it can also be overlaid on-top of an existing FlxSprite (if you set the alpha channel on the colours you can build-up some really nice effects with just one line of code!) The background of the Test Suite was created with this class.
FlxGridOverlay.overlay(background, 16, 16, 320, 240, false, true, 0x44e7e6e6, 0x44d9d5d5); 1 2 3 FlxGridOverlay. overlay ( background, 16, 16, 320, 240, false, true, 0x44e7e6e6, 0x44d9d5d5 ) ;
FlxMath
Like it or not, math is fundamental to game progaming! This class provides some new or just faster math routines, which a lot of the other classes in the package rely on. Things like radian/degree conversion, vector lengths, dot products, random numbers between ranges, random signs, value wrapping and a really fast sin/cos table generator.
// Gets a random number between 0 and 10 but excludes numbers 4 and 5 from the possible results FlxMath.rand(0, 10, [ 4, 5 ]); 1 2 3 4 // Gets a random number between 0 and 10 but excludes numbers 4 and 5 from the possible results FlxMath. rand ( 0, 10, [ 4, 5 ] ) ;
FlxVelocity
A class to help with setting and using the velocity of FlxSprites. With this you can move one sprite towards another, move a sprite towards the mouse, get distances between sprites / mouse and get angles between sprites and the mouse.
It doesn’t sound very exciting (and it’s not to look at) but they can start to save you real time, and keep your code tidy and clean.
// Move the blue ball towards green at a speed of 180 pixels per second FlxVelocity.moveTowardsObject(blue, green, 180); 1 2 3 4 // Move the blue ball towards green at a speed of 180 pixels per second FlxVelocity. moveTowardsObject ( blue, green, 180 ) ;
Classes still in development
To be fair most of the classes are still being built! But these are 3 experimental ones in the library today: FlxMotion (will be used to control sprite motion such as bouncing, wobbling, etc), FlxPlama (a nice plasma colour effect) |
screening” helmets are similar to those in Culture novels and that the “Familiar” has striking similarities with Culture drones.
I’m sure there are plenty of other hidden links in the book; my own knowledge of Banks’s science fiction is too limited to spot them. But that isn’t really important. Indeed, I don’t think that knowing about the novels of the Culture series is likely to add much extra to your understanding of The Bridge. After all, it would be odd to release a book that only makes sense if you’ve read ones that haven’t yet been formally finished or published.
But it is tempting to view The Bridge as a kind of mystical key to the rest of his career – the vital piece in a multiyear plan. This was a writer with big ideas, not to mention plenty of earlier drafts of Culture novels that he hadn’t so far been able to publish. The Bridge was a connection to these future releases, and a neat way to air and test ideas that he had long been incubating.
Of course, that’s also a simplistic view. The Bridge clearly wasn’t only written to soften up literary fiction snobs or to introduce the concerns of the Culture worlds. Nor were the connections the book makes to Banks’s future SF only put in there to ease the minds of his readership. They are there because they are essential to the spirit, philosophy and plot of the book. Also – and this is why this subject is so alluring – I think Banks put most of this stuff in just for fun. He liked the ideas. He enjoyed the possibilities. He was playing games. He was living by a brilliant bit of advice he himself would give years later:
“In the end, writing about what you know – that hoary and potentially limiting, even stultifying piece of advice – might be best seen as applying to the type of story you’re thinking of writing rather than to the details of what happens within it and perhaps, with that in mind, a better precept might be to write about what you love, rather than what you have a degree of contempt for but will deign to lower yourself to, just to show the rest of us how it’s done.”
Seems like a sensible way to go about things.
• Reading group: How The Bridge crosses into Alasdair Gray’s LanarkCrooked Forest, Nowe Czarnowo
Crooked Forest
The Crooked Forest (Polish: Krzywy Las), is a grove of oddly-shaped pine trees located outside Nowe Czarnowo near the town of Gryfino, West Pomerania, Poland.
This grove of approximately 100 pines was planted around 1930, when its location was still within the German province of Pomerania. Each pine tree bends sharply to the North just above ground level, then curves back upright after a sideways excursion of three to nine feet (1–3 m). It is generally believed that some form of human tool or technique was used to make the trees grow this way, but the method and motive are not currently known. It has been speculated that the trees may have been deformed to create naturally curved timber for use in furniture or boat building.[1][2] Others surmise that a snowstorm could have knocked the trees like this, but to date nobody knows what really happened to these pine trees.[2][3]
References [ edit ]
Coordinates:Wests Tigers may be granted salary cap relief to sign another player as back-rower Liam Fulton considers whether to hang up the boots because of a series of concussions suffered this year.
Fulton, who has decided to stand down from playing for the rest of this season, is believed to be contemplating his longer term future after receiving a report from Paul McCrory on the results of scans he underwent last week in Melbourne.
Knockout blow: Liam Fulton has been forced from the field with concussion four times in six matches this season. Credit:Getty Images
Dr McCrory is a neurologist and sports physician with particular expertise in traumatic brain injury.
The 29-year-old Fulton has been forced from the field with concussion four times in six matches this season and been stood down from playing the following match on each occasion.Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department – 4th District Investigative Section continue to investigate a commercial burglary of a Sprint Store in the Aspen Hill area that occurred early yesterday morning.
The total value of the stolen cell phones was over $57,000.
Detectives are releasing surveillance video of the suspects and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying them.
On March 16 at approximately 9:30 a.m., 4th District officers responded to the Sprint Store located at 13605 Connecticut Avenue for a burglary that had just been discovered by an employee arriving to open the store for business. Video surveillance captured the suspects enter the business’ rear door at approximately 6:07 a.m. One suspect is observed prying open a safe and both suspects can be seen stealing cell phones from the safe.
The suspects also steal cash from the business and are seen leaving the Sprint Store at 6:25 a.m. (Please note that the time stamp shown on the video is incorrect).
The total value of the stolen cell phones was over $57,000.
Detectives believe that these two suspects may also be responsible for a similar burglary that occurred on March 15 at a Sprint Store in Beltsville.
Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has information about this burglary is asked to contact the 4th District Investigative Section at 240-773-550.
Tipsters can also call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or enter a tip online.
Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment for this felony crime.A MAN who was attacked by a crocodile yesterday managed to escape after he wrestled and poked the beast in the eyes “like a true Territorian”.
He then decided to have first aid “in the form of Carlton Dry.”
Duty Superintendent Louise Jorgensen said the 20-year-old man had been hunting geese in wetlands near Wudaduk Outstation, about 20km from the remote community of Peppimenarti.
The man was attacked by a crocodile after wading into the water to recover a goose he had shot.
The crocodile is estimated to be about 2m in length.
GALLERY: WHAT A LOAD OF CROC!
“The crocodile had launched at him, latched onto his right arm and tried to pull him underwater, Superintendent Jorgensen said.
“Like a true Territorian he wrestled the crocodile and was able to shake it off finally by poking its eyes.”
After the man returned to shore, he was administered first aid and conveyed to Wudaduk Outstation by quadbike where further first aid “in the form of Carlton Dry was administered”.
“When Police and clinic staff arrived he was conveyed in a mildly intoxicated state to the clinic where his wounds were cleaned,” she said.
The man was going to be conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital by Care Flight for numerous puncture wounds, tears and claw marks to his arm and back but opted to drive instead.
The attack was reported about 7.20pm.Paper Pusher
Researcher Clayton stood before the small office door and double-checked to make sure he was in the right place. The room was so out of the way that it looked like it had been built as an afterthought. Clayton gave a quick look around, and then knocked. This was to be his first assignment for the Foundation.
“It’s open,” shouted a voice from inside the office. Clayton took a deep breath and stepped inside.
At the center of the room was a large desk decorated with all manner of small trinkets. The near and side walls of the room were covered in motivational posters, while the far wall was lined with numerous old filing cabinets, most of which were labeled with what appeared to be someone's name. A single man sat alone in a chair behind the desk with a friendly smile.
“Dr. Cameron?” Clayton asked as he began to inch his way towards the center of the room.
“In the flesh,” declared the man in the chair. His head was bald and starting to spot, and a thick pair of glasses sat on his crooked nose. Rather than a lab coat, he wore a bright green knitted sweater that appeared a few sizes too big. “Just 'Donald' will be fine, though. The actual doctors tend to get their feathers ruffled if they catch you calling me by their precious title.”
Clayton smiled as Donald laughed at his own joke and ushered him to take a seat.
“Are you ready to begin?” Donald asked.
Clayton nodded enthusiastically.
“Great,” Donald replied. “First things first, we’ll need to get your desk moved here. You’ll also want to make sure you invest in a very good chair. Your back will never last otherwise.”
Clayton nodded a second time. He looked around the desk once more. Among the objects that caught his eye were a miniature ship in a bottle, a silver Rubik's cube with the different sides represented by various colored gears, and what appeared to be a large alligator tooth.
“What is it exactly that you do for the Foundation, Donald?” Clayton’s eyes were drawn to the numerous filing cabinets along the far wall.
“Glad you asked.” Donald swiveled in his chair and rolled over to the filing cabinets, banging one of them on the top. “I’m in charge of these.”
Donald proceeded to write his name on a small label and slid it into place on one of the few unused cabinet drawers. He then sat twiddling his thumbs. Clayton opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but ceased when Donald held up his hand. After a few more seconds Donald opened the drawer and pulled out a small file folder; the date and hour were printed neatly on its label. He then rolled back to his desk and opened the folder, removing a sheet of paper from inside and sliding it to Clayton. Half the page was covered in black type that said: iamcurrentlythinkingaboutdemonstratingwhatthisobjectdoesforyou over and over.
“Basically, if your name is on one of those drawers, then your thoughts are recorded on the paper that appears inside, all nice and organized by the day and hour you had it,” Donald explained.
“It all runs together.” Clayton looked on in awe.
Donald chuckled as he fed the paper into a nearby shredder and then removed the label with his name from the filing cabinet drawer.
“It sure does!” he exclaimed. “Human thoughts don’t run in nice little sentences and paragraphs. They happen in an instant and run smack dab into each other. It’s called'stream of consciousness'. Our job is to read these papers, and turn the jumble into useful information. You’ll get used to reading the transcripts after a while.”
“If the Foundation can access anyone’s thoughts, why are we the only ones assigned to the task?” Clayton looked over the cabinets again. “There must be thousands of people out there whose thoughts are of considerable value.”
“Sure there are; the only problem comes from the number of requirements these damn things have when they operate,” Donald said as he leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath as he began to enumerate the cabinet’s problems on his fingers.
“First off, the drawers have to be closed to work, meaning that if you have it open, you stop collecting the person’s thoughts. If you close the drawer without returning the file to the cabinet, it goes blank and you're stuck with just a useless ton of paper. You’d think you could get around that by just writing the person’s name on two drawers, but if you do that then neither drawer works. On top of that, these cabinets only store about four days’ worth of thoughts. After that, the older thoughts begin to disappear as the new ones are being written. Finally, you have the problem of how to interpret the damn things. You can’t just scan them into a computer because the text won’t appear on digital copies or images.”
“That sounds like a lot of work for little pay-off, even if you can decipher the pages,” Clayton said, his enthusiasm fading.
“There are individuals whose thoughts are just important enough that the Foundation is willing to put in this kind of effort,” Donald replied, cleaning his glasses. “It’s not as difficult as you might think. We open up a cabinet, scan about two hours’ worth of thoughts for anything of use, and then we place the file back and move onto the next person. At the end of the day we give Director Holman a report. The task forces make one hell of a punch when they already know what their target's plans are. ”
Donald finished with a chuckle, followed by punching the air. He then reached into his desk and pulled out a clipboard with several forms attached.
“A few doctors who work on some of the more exciting projects also use the cabinets as a form of keeping notes,” he added as he slid the clipboard and a pen to Clayton. “I’m going to need you to sign these real fast. Standard furniture and office transfer forms. When you get to the last page, just use the spot below my name.”
“So we do this day in and day out?” Clayton began to sign on the many dotted lines. The last page was a single yellowing piece of paper. It appeared to be a sign-up sheet with a title that read "Records Withdrawal." There were at least five different signatures, but all of them were crossed out except for Donald's. Clayton signed below Donald’s signature, and watched in shock as Donald's signature crossed itself out.
“Actually, that’s what you’ll be doing day in and day out,” Donald gleefully explained. “I’ve done this for the last ten years, and have been on the Director about getting me a replacement for the last five. Now that you’re on the sign-up sheet, I can get out of here and onto better things.”
“What do you mean?” Clayton’s face grew pale as Donald’s smile grew wider.
“These filing cabinets only work for whoever’s name is most recently added to that list you just signed!” Donald got to his feet. “And now you’re it! I’m free at last!”
Clayton remained silent. His expression had become more horrified the more and more Donald laughed.
“Oh, cheer up!” Donald said with a wave of his hand. “You’ll be fine. I doubt they’ll keep you down here as long as they’ve kept me! In fact, I’m sure Director Holman will -”
Donald was interrupted as two security officers rushed in, accompanied by a tall well-dressed man who was out of breath.
"God damn it, Donald! What the hell do you think you're doing with the sign-up sheet!" the man bellowed between gasps for air. His expression then changed to one of worry as he noticed Clayton.
“Ah, Director Holman,” Donald addressed the visitor. “I’ve just finished showing him the ropes. He’s all signed up!”
“You didn’t…” Holman uttered.
“Oh, but I did, Director!” Donald sneered. “I’ve been replaced! Five years I’ve been hounding you for relief and every time you promise me a replacement you whisk them away to work on some other project! I took matters into my own hands this time! There is not a god damn thing you can do about it!”
“Do you have any idea how much you’ll set back at least four different operations?!” Holman shouted back. “People might die because of this!”
“Oh come on, Director,” Donald frowned. “Don’t judge Clayton’s performance already; he hasn’t even started writing reports yet.”
Holman fell silent at this comment, his right hand rubbing his temple as he closed his eyes.
“Get him out of here,” Holman sighed. The security personnel immediately went to work, grabbing Donald by the shoulders and forced him towards the door.
“I've already won, Director!” Donald called back as he was evicted from the premises.
The room quickly went quiet at that point. Clayton looked to Holman for answers.
“I’m sorry about this,” Holman said as he took a few deep breaths and then grabbed the Rubik's cube off Donald’s desk. He fiddled with the puzzle in his hands as he continued to speak. “Donald had twenty years of loyal service up to this point. The man hated this assignment, but this is the first time he actively attempted to alleviate his situation outside of a strongly worded letter.”
“Why has he been down here for so long? Why—” Clayton questioned.
Holman held a hand up to signal that he needed to calm down.
“The longer you’re continuously bound to the filing cabinets, the better you are at reading the transcripts.” Holman placed the Rubik’s cube back on the desk. “What you and I see as stream of consciousness, Donald read as properly formatted sentences and paragraphs. By the time we learned of this effect, he’d already been at work for close to four years. We've been meaning to get him a replacement for some time now, but there was always another person of interest we needed to monitor, and less and less time to monitor them in.”
“You’re not planning on keeping me bound to this thing, are you?” Clayton inquired. “You can’t do that!”
“For the time being I’m going to need you to take one for the team and fill this post.” Holman placed a hand on the distraught researcher’s shoulder. “There are people whose lives depend on the information that may be in those cabinets.”
“You can’t be serious…” Clayton got to his feet. He watched helplessly as Holman made his way to the door.
“I’m sorry, Clayton. There’s nothing I can do at this point,” Holman stepped back into the hallway. “I’ll get back to you as soon as we sort this out.”
Once he was alone, Clayton looked at a poster on the far wall. It depicted a cat hanging from a branch with the term “Hang in there!” printed beneath. For a few brief seconds he stood and stared at the helpless animal in the poster, but then fell back into his chair and placed his head in his hands.A dolphin was discovered dead in the Hudson River Thursday, June 21, 2012. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Mathew Katz
CHELSEA — A dead dolphin was found floating near Chelsea Piers Thursday morning, days after one was spotted swimming on the Hudson River, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Riverhead Foundation, which had been searching for the lone dolphin since it was seen in the Hudson Sunday evening, said it was too soon to say whether the dead dolphin was the same as the one that was spotted Sunday.
"We won't know if it's the same dolphin until we match the dorsal fin," said Kim Durham, spokeswoman for the foundation, which monitors marine mammals in New York.
But sources said that it was highly likely, given the rarity of lone dolphins in the Hudson River.
The common dolphin's carcass was found near Pier 59 in Chelsea, and was secured by Chelsea Piers staff until a crew from the Riverhead Foundation could arrive to inspect it, Durham said.
She said it was too early to determine the cause of death.
Scott Seisler, general manager of the marina at Chelsea Piers, said he made the grim discovery about 7 a.m. Thursday.
"We called the Coast Guard and tried to figure out what to do with it," he said, adding that the dolphin was found hitting up against the docks.
"It’s sad, the poor little animal. I feel bad for the dolphin."
A crew from Riverhead Foundation arrived Thursday afternoon to retrieve the dolphin and bring it back to their Long Island facility to determine the cause of death.
James Sullivan, a marine mammal stranding technician for Riverhead, didn't immediately notice any injuries on the dolphin's body.
"There was no obvious unusual trauma," he explained of the 150-pound dolphin, noting that it had been dead in the water about four hours. "In some cases it will be emaciated by being outside, but he’s been floating all morning. We don’t know if he’s bloated from saltwater."
Sullivan added that it's not rare to find dead dolphins in the city's waterways because of their attraction to the waters here.
"They come here because the water heats up and their food sources bloom — things like mackerel, herring and other small bait fish," he said.
Sullivan added that his organization receives about 15 to 20 calls a year, mostly regarding live seals.
An autopsy on the dolphin will be done either Friday or over the weekend, Durham said.
She encouraged anyone who sees a marine mammal in distress in the future to call the foundation's hotline at (631) 369-9829.Unionization Bid Sparks Discord in L.A. Charter Network
A bid to unionize a popular Los Angeles-based chain of charter schools has led to a protracted battle between the schools' management and the district teachers' union, at least temporarily stranding some 700 teachers in labor limbo.
The situation at the 27 campuses of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools illustrates the tensions charter organizations face as they evolve and mature: Merit pay, benefits, and governance—all treated differently in many charter schools than in regular public schools—are key points of concern for teachers embracing the union drive.
The conflict is also emblematic of sharp divisions already established in the Los Angeles district's unique schooling landscape. Charters in Los Angeles are praised for generally outperforming traditional schools, but have also been criticized for high rates of teacher turnover. The district school board's members—typically backed either by philanthropists supportive of charter growth or by a teachers' union opposed to it—have long been divided over the role of the typically nonunion schools.
Charters have expanded steadily in the city, but so have other school models favored by the United Teachers Los Angeles, such as "local initiative schools," which are unionized but freed from some work rules. In light of that tension, a successful bid to unionize Alliance schools would come as a symbolically important win for the UTLA.
"We can argue about outcomes, but if there's any success the charter movement has had, it's de-unionization," said Christopher Lubienski, a professor of education policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For the UTLA, "this is a foot in the door. It's not a two- or three-school mom-and-pop shop. It's a major chain."
Information or Intimidation?
Unionized charter schools remain rare nationwide, in part because with charters unions must do the painstaking work of organizing at a building-by-building level.
Nevertheless, both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have spent more time and energy of late on charters, including hiring staff explicitly devoted to organizing those schools. (The UTLA is affiliated with both organizations.)
About a fifth of Los Angeles' 211 charter schools are currently unionized, though not all by the UTLA.
Now just over decade old, Alliance schools have expanded rapidly and currently educate some 12,000 mostly low-income children.
The unionization drive within Alliance dates at least as far back as March, when at least 70 teachers informed the organization that they planned for the UTLA to represent them and wanted to reach agreement on a neutral organizing environment free from interference from management. (California labor law requires a majority of employees to sign authorization cards before an employer must recognize a bargaining unit.)
But by the end of last month, the UTLA/Alliance Educators had filed three charges of unfair practices with the state's Public Employment Relations Board, alleging that Alliance management violated labor laws by refusing to meet with organizers and retaliating against one teacher active in the union drive.
Alliance officials don't dispute that they've resisted unionization. A website the group created, at www.ouralliancecommunity.com, hosts a number of fact sheets contending that performance bonuses and other perquisites could be at risk under a labor contract. It also highlights the UTLA's general opposition to charter school growth, and features an online petition that asks teachers and parents to sign in support of an "independent Alliance."
But the organization denies that it has violated labor laws, contending that its actions are meant to give a fuller picture of what teachers might face with a union in the picture.
"We dispute that that is considered coercion or interference. It's passive information," said Catherine Suitor, the director of development and communications for the charter network.
Differing Perspectives
Even in a network like Alliance, school cultures and teachers' previous experiences vary greatly, shaping perspectives on whether a union would be an aid or a hindrance.
Elana Goldbaum, 31, a high school history teacher at Alliance Gertz-Ressler High School, said unionization would ensure that teachers' concerns carry weight with administrators.
"There's a big difference from when the decisionmakers get to decide when they want to take your input, versus being accountable to taking the input," she said. "When there's no legitimate system, a lot of our concerns fall through the cracks."
Alliance's benefits package is a central concern for teachers as the organization grows larger and older, and as more staffers have families, Goldbaum said. Another concern is compensation, which is now heavily dependent on a performance-evaluation system not all teachers trust.
"The pressure under the system is extraordinary. I can't even describe it," Goldbaum said.
Serving as counterpoint is William "Kip" Morales, 53, who has spoken against unionization. A technology teacher at Alliance Susan & Eric Smidt Technology High School, he said he's been able to win raises of more than 30 percent under the performance system and has a good relationship with his principal.
And Morales has a particular reason to be suspicious of the UTLA. Seven years ago, in his first year teaching at a regular Los Angeles public school, he was laid off under reverse-seniority rules and felt that the union didn't do enough to advocate for teachers' jobs.
"Why bring in an organization whose track record is a big fail?" he said. "They haven't represented teachers well in negotiating with L.A. Unified."
Related Blog
Such complexities show why it's still unclear how many Alliance teachers would vote in favor of unionization.
By the end of the previous school year, nearly 150 teachers had signed a petition indicating their support of the union. But Alliance officials said that number is out of date, claiming that 40 percent of those teachers left the network voluntarily at the end of the 2014-15 school year.
A vote by the current teachers is unlikely until after the state labor board ruling on the charges against Alliance. A hearing is scheduled to begin Nov. 2.
Vol. 35, Issue 03, Pages 1, 14
Published in Print: September 9, 2015, as Unionization Bid Sparks Discord In L.A. Charters
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Back to TopIn the last few minutes Penrose Tackie, European Brand Manager for GT5, has confirmed the schedule for GT Academy 2012 and there’s been a couple of small changes…
GT Academy this year, like the first GT Academy, features a first qualifying round that takes the format of a standalone, downloadable pack. The pack is free to download from PSN, starting on May 1st and doesn’t require Gran Turismo 5 in order to play it. The pack features exclusive content and challenges that “should be a lot of fun whether you’ve played Gran Turismo before or whether you are coming to the game as a complete newbie“. Some of the content is teasingly glimpsed in the video below, but the exact nature of the challenges remains under wraps for now.
In another change, not all of Europe will be fighting for one berth. As we revealed nearly three months ago, Germany will be getting its own GT Academy competition, but it now seems that Russia will get its own too. The rest of Europe – UK & Eire, France, Spain, Portugal, BeNeLux, Poland, Switzerland and Austria – will face off against each other in the final bootcamp at Silverstone later this year. The USA is also involved in its own GT Academy, running parallel to the European Academies, meaning there will be four GT Academy winners in 2012 and doubling the Academy alumni!
The first qualification round begins on May 1st for all European gamers (May 2nd for US gamers) and run through to June 24th before gamers are selected for the regional finals. The overall prize remains a seat in the Dubai 24 Hour race in January 2013.
Best of luck to all participants!
More Posts On...Dr Michele Ferrari has told Cyclingnews that he is studying the documents from the USADA doping investigation but refused to be drawn on if or how he will respond to the multiple accusations that he helped Lance Armstrong and other riders dope with EPO, Growth Hormones and blood transfusion techniques. Related Articles Ferrari, Del Moral and Marti banned for life in US Postal case
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Speaking from his home on the outskirts of Ferrara, where riders –including Armstrong - often secretly visited him, the 59-year-old Italian seemed unperturbed by the weight of doping accusations that have emerged thanks to the USADA investigation.
"I'm going to take time to study 1000 pages of documents from USADA. It's taken them two and half years to gather the documents, so it's going to take me some time to go through them…" he told Cyclingnews.
Dr Ferrari is mentioned 489 times in just the 202-page Reasoned Decision document published by USADA. His name and allegations of how he helped riders dope also appear multiple times in other documents and affidavits.
USADA revealed the intimate role played by Dr. Ferrari in masterminding Armstrong's Tour de France success, a relationship that ran from before the Texan’s diagnosis with cancer in 1996 through to his comeback in 2009. USADA was able to trace more than a million dollars in payments to the Italian doctor, with payments ranging from 1996 to 2006.
The report also includes numerous eyewitness accounts from Armstrong's teammates, detailed in affidavits.
Tyler Hamilton confirmed under oath that, "Dr. Ferrari injected [him] with EPO on a number of occasions." Hamilton's first injection of EPO from Dr. Ferrari came in Dr. Ferrari's camper while training at Sestriéres in 1999.
An affidavit in Italian by Italy's Leonardo Bertagnolli includes details of conversations secretly recorded by Italian police, where Dr Ferrari allegedly explains how to cheat anti-doping tests for EPO, how to carry out blood transfusions and where he even discusses other rider's doping cases. He even indicated the make of industrial fridge Bertagnolli should buy to safely store his blood.
When Cyclingnews suggested the scale of the evidence against him was overwhelming, Dr Ferrari replied: "As I said, I'm going to look at the documents and I'll speak when I feel it's the right moment.”
He then abruptly interrupted the conversation.
USADA has already banned Dr Ferrari for life based on the evidence collected. However he has denied the accusations on his personal coaching website 53x12.com.
“I have NEVER witnessed any kind of doping practices taking place within the USPS team: I never went to races and at the team training camps I have attended, I was simply performing functional testing and making training programs;” he writes in a posting dated July 12.
“With regards to the alleged testimonies of riders, some were infamous protagonists of unfortunate events and documented lies; the others probably are those "semi-Champions" who chose to dope, chasing dreams of glory and money or just for envy, organizing it all themselves for their own sake.”
Despite being in the spotlight, Dr Ferrari has continued to give coaching advice via 53x12.com, responding to questions as recently as October 14.Lawyer Discussing DUIs with Al Rantel
Myles L. Berman, a trusted Los Angeles drunk driving and DUI attorney, appeared on The Al Rantel Show to discuss a number of issues about drunk driving, DWI, and DUI arrests. Myles and Al talk in this first part of the conversation about the arrest and sobriety test process. For more information on your legal rights following a drunk driving arrest, contact the skilled Los Angeles DUI lawyers at the law firm of Myles L. Berman.
Intro: Christmas DUI and Drunk Driving Show
Christmas DUI Enforcement and Checkpoints
Refusing Portable Breath Tests and Breathalyzer Tests
Forced Blood Draws to Test Sobriety and Alcohol Level
Can blood tests to measure sobriety by inaccurate?
Are field sobriety tests a flawed way to measure sobriety?
DUI, DWI, and Drunk Driving Attorneys defend the Accused
KABC AM 790 TALK RADIO – AL RANTEL PODCAST – DECEMBER 21, 2007 PART 1
INTRO: CHRISTMAS DUI AND DRUNK DRIVING SHOW
In this first segment of the interview, Al Rantel introduces his annual Christmas DUI and drunk driving/DWI attorney Myles L. Berman, who serves clients throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. Al mentions two acquaintances who received DUIs the night before the interview, both of whom become the focus of drunk driving questions later on.
Rantel: It is our annual Christmas DUI show on The Al Rantel Show with Top Gun DUI Defense Attorney Myles L. Berman. This is our ninth show, Myles, for Christmas.
Myles L. Berman: You know it goes by fast, Al.
Rantel: This is our ninth show and we both look exactly like we did nine years ago… in fact we look better.
Myles L. Berman: To me you do.
Rantel: How are you? You look good. How is your family?
Myles L. Berman: I’m doing fine, thank you. Everybody is doing fine. Thank you.
Rantel: You still giving them hell down there? We still take calls by the way from Myles. Especially from people that get angry with him. But I got to tell you what happened today because this is really amazing. It shows you what’s going on. This is God’s honest true story. Myles, you’ve been booked to do this show for months, because you know, the last show I’m no the air every Christmas.
Myles L. Berman: Correct.
Rantel: Which is why you’re here.
Myles L. Berman: Right.
Rantel: And we’ve done it for nine years so this is not some planned thing. So today—I know you’re coming on, of course—today my phone rings once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Two different people that I know and they both said, “I got a DUI last night.” And I was like, “Oh my God.” And the next question is—because they all know, you know—after nine years, “How do I get the top gun, because I’m scared,” and I told them I’ll tell Myles you’re a friend of mine and he takes care of all his clients, but I’ll put a word for you. But I was shocked because, what are the chance that two people calling me in the same day? And the day you’re coming on the show.
Myles L. Berman: It happens. You know, it happens. It just can happen to anybody at any time.
CHRISTMAS DUI ENFORCEMENT AND CHECKPOINTS
In this segment of the interview, radio host Al Rantel and L.A. DUI/DWI defense attorney Myles L. Berman speak about DUI enforcement during Christmas and the holidays. To learn more about your legal rights in a drunk driving case, contact the skilled Los Angeles DUI lawyers at the law firm of Myles L. Berman.
Rantel: Are there a lot more arrests this time of year?
Myles Berman: Yeah. You know the weather has got a lot to do with DUI enforcement.
Rantel: How so?
Myles L. Berman: Because when it rains, cops don’t like administering field sobriety tests in the street. It’s just a fact of life that when weather is bad, arrests go down. So my only conclusion is that police don’t like to go outside—
Rantel: Well, the weather was clear last night.
Myles Berman: Now we’re building up to… now they got to make up. So there’s a certain number of DUI arrests that occur annually and monthly and cyclically. And now there is going to be much more DUI enforcement. I have some checkpoint information for you.
Rantel: Oh, you do?
Myles L. Berman: Yeah.
Rantel: Aren’t we in what’s called a period of maximum enforcement? That’s what they call it, isn’t it?
Myles Berman: I’m starting to hear terms like that.
Rantel: Which means they’ve got a lot of people out looking.
Myles Berman: Yes, and economics come into play because the checkpoints are funded by the government and often times checkpoints are multi-agency checkpoints and so they have to not only justify the checkpoints but they have to keep this process going in order to get future checkpoints funded. So in order to get funded they have to show results, so it’s kind of like a viscous cycle.
REFUSING PORTABLE BREATH TESTS AND BREATHALYZER TESTS
In this segment of the interview, radio host Al Rantel and L.A. DUI/DWI defense attorney Myles L. Berman continue their discussion about drunk driving issues. Rantel brings up the situation of his two friends mentioned earlier in the show. The primary focus here is whether or not a driver can refuse an alcohol level/sobriety test.
Rantel: Well, we’re going to talk about all that stuff, but I want to start off by telling you, I asked each one of them what they did last night because you and I have been talking about this subject for so many years. I know the drill and you and I have talked about it and you have given years of advice to people and it’s controversial because everybody is angry about people who drive drunk. But I don’t know. My two friends—well one of them is not really a friend, I just know him. I won’t say how because I don’t want to get too specific but I don’t know if they’re guilty or not.
Myles Berman: They’re not guilty!
Rantel: Right. They’re not. But I’m just saying, you know… but here’s what they did. I always ask people what they did. And one said, “I took the breathalyzer in the cop car and then I took it again when they took me to” —wherever they took him to book him.
Myles L. Berman: Right.
Rantel: |
かわして自爆させた中邑は背後から棚橋の後頭部目がけてボマイェを叩き込む。中邑はコーナー二段目からダイビング・ボマイェを発射。滾りまくった中邑は渾身のボマイェを狙ったが、バックに回り込んだ棚橋は回転足折り固め。
しかしカウント2で返した中邑はカカト落としからスライディング式ボマイェを側頭部に叩き込む。だが、棚橋はカウント2で返す。中邑はランドスライドを狙うが、強引に逃れた棚橋はツイスト・アンド・シャウト（＝ネックスクリューからのシャウト）。棚橋はスリングブレイドを決めるとクロスボディー式ハイフライフローを決めると、正調ハイフライフローを決めたが、中邑はこれもカウント2で返す。
棚橋はドラゴンスープレックスを狙うが、中邑が踏ん張るとダルマ式にスイッチ。しかしヘッドバットで逃れた中邑はストレートパンチからランドスライドで叩き付ける。ダブルダウン状態になると、観客からは両選手への大声援が飛ぶ。先に立ち上がった中邑だが、棚橋も下から殴っていく。
両者立ち上がってエルボー合戦になると、棚橋はエルボースマッシュ。中邑が思わず片膝をつくが、棚橋をねじ伏せてニースタンプを連打するとニーリフト。だが、キャッチした棚橋はドラゴンスクリュー。スリングブレイドを狙うが、中邑は飛び付き腕十字。やや体勢を崩しながらもどうにか腕十字に捉えた中邑だが、棚橋も必死にクラッチ。
だが、中邑は三角絞めにスイッチ。棚橋は立ち上がろうとするが、中邑は下からの十字を狙う。だが、顔面を踏みつけて脱出した棚橋。そこに中邑がボマイェを叩き込むがカウントは2。30分が経過し、中邑はぐったりする棚橋を引き起こすと、コーナーの上に乗せて雪崩式ランドスライドを狙う。しかし踏ん張った棚橋はエルボーを連打してから張り手。
そこから至近距離からのハイフライフローで押し潰した棚橋はドラゴンスープレックスで投げるがカウント2。棚橋はうつ伏せで倒れている中邑の背中にハイフライフローを投下すると、仰向けにして正調ハイフライフローを投下して3カウント！
エンディング
8年ぶり2度目のG1制覇を達成した棚橋だが、試合後は両者倒れたまま。どうにか立ち上がった棚橋は勝ち名乗りを受けると歓喜のガッツポーズ。すると中邑が握手を求める。棚橋がその手を握り返すと中邑はその腕を掲げて棚橋を称えた。その様子を武藤と蝶野が見つめるという歴史的瞬間。
蝶野が優勝旗を渡すと、武藤が優勝賞金の小切手を渡す。そしてゴン中山さんから優勝トロフィーを受け取った棚橋は高々と掲げてみせる。武藤、蝶野、中山さんと共に記念撮影に応じた棚橋はマイクを持つと「ありがとうございましたー！ 夏を極めました。みんなのお陰です、ありがとうございます。そしてもっとありがとうを言わせてください。プロレスを知ってくれてありがとう、プロレスを好きになってくれてありがとう、そして会場に来てくれてありがとう。そして応援してくれてありがとうございましたー！ 今日でG1は終わりますけど、プロレスはずっと続いていくんでこれからも応援よろしくお願いします。ありがとうございましたぁ！」と言ってから、リングを降りようとする。
が、当然このまますんなりとリングを降りるわけはなく、一度滾ってからリングに戻った棚橋は、小松からエアギターを受け取ると「両国ー！ 両国ー！ 両国ー！ 盛り上がっていこうぜー！」と叫んでエアギターを披露。さらにコーナーに登って「ラスト！」と叫んでからアンコールに応えた棚橋はエアギターを叩き付けて破壊。
しかしリングサイドの女性ファンから新しいエアギターを受け取った棚橋は「じゃあラスト、新曲いきます！」と叫んでから3度目のエアギターを披露すると、「タナハシ、サイコー」コール。全身でコールを浴びた棚橋は「ありがとう。最後までありがとうございました。じゃあ最後に会場の皆さん、そしてG1を見てくれた皆さん、愛してま〜す！」と叫び、輝く紙テープを浴びた棚橋は超満員の場内に向かって人差し指を突き上げると、両腕で渾身のガッツポーズ。そしてリング上を寝転がって全員紙テープまみれになって喜びを噛みしめた。
その後、優勝旗をエアギター代わりにしていた棚橋だが、何と優勝旗が折れるアクシデント！ これにはリングサイドに駆けよってきたファンもびっくりした表情だったが、苦笑いした棚橋は優勝旗を尾崎リングアナに預けると、優勝トロフィーを掲げてからこの日もリングサイドのファン一人一人とハイタッチをしたり、タオルで汗を拭いて回ってみせた。
＜試合後コメント＞
中邑真輔
「……燃えたでしょう。リングの上で全部、全部吐き出した！」
棚橋弘至
ーー優勝おめでとうございます！ 今の気持ちをあらためて教えてください！
「とうとう、8年ぶりに夏を極めました。シリーズが長くて、日程がきつかった分、充実感がすごいです。あふれてきます」
ーー今ご自身から8年ぶりという言葉がありました。2007年に優勝した時とは全く違う景色、ファンの声が広がっていたと思うのですが。
「本音を言うとね、お客さんには帰ってほしくないというか、いつまでもあの空間にいたいという気持ちでした」
ーー試合後にリング上にいた時間もいつも以上に長かったように思うのですが。
「その後起こった事（＝優勝旗が折れてしまったこと）もね、あったけど、（※自分に言い聞かせるように）心は折れなかったという事で、よろしくお願いします！」
ーー若干隣にある旗が短いような気もしますが……
「はい！ 徹夜で直します！ こんな出来事、本当に100年に一回ですよね（苦笑）。すいませんでした！」
ーー今日の決勝の相手は中邑真輔選手でした。それについてはいかがでしょうか？
「……東京ドームで初対決してから、いろんなところでライバルと見られて、そういう中で戦ってきたけれど、それだけだったんでね。ライバル、それ以上何を望むんだって話ですけど、『ライバルでしょ？』で片づけられてしまうのは嫌ですね。また今日を境にライバル以上の関係性を俺は望みます」
ーー今日は放送席に武藤さん、蝶野さんの2人が見守る中での決勝戦でしたが。
「光栄です！ 第1回から25年という歴史があるんで、歴史に敬意を示しつつ次なる一歩をという。その姿勢はこれまでもこれからも変わらないです」
ーー次なる一歩ということですが、これからG1王者としての戦いが待ち受けていますが、これから先についてはどのようなイメージがありますか？
「このG1という1か月の期間で、新日本プロレスの中心に戻りました。誰がなんと言おうと俺が新日本プロレスの中心です。そして俺が中心になった方が絶対に新日本プロレスは面白い。次に期待してください」
ーー新日本の中心になるという事でIWGPのベルトも気になるところかと思いますが。
「G1終わってもね。プロレスはまだまだ続いていくんで。このG1の勢いをこのまま続けていって。そうしたら自ずとベルトも戻ってきます」
ーー開幕戦でのお客さんとの世界一チャラくて重い、「ちょっくら優勝してきます」という約束を見事に果たしましたね
「リング上で言えば良かったですね（笑）。ちょっくら優勝してみました」
ーー今年の夏はNumber、月刊別冊カドカワと、プロレス以外のメディアの表紙を飾り、今回のG1も優勝で飾ったということで、棚橋選手には忘れられない夏になったのではないでしょうか？
「……今の時点で、シチュエーション、ファンのみなさん、結果、すべてが最高です。でも満足しないでさらに上を目指します」
ーー当然新日本の中心として、顔としてという事ですね？
「もっと行けるんです、プロレスは。もっと行けるから、それだけを信じて。……ありがとうございました！」As pieces of the nation’s new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), continue to take effect throughout the country many continue to mount opposition to the new rules. Some of the objections raise questions of religious liberty and many of those revolve around the controversial topics of contraception and access to abortions.
However, one challenge to the ACA raises the question of whether people should carry health insurance at all if they have “sincerely held religious beliefs” that preclude them from seeking medical care. The so-called “Equitable Access to Care and Health Act” is a proposed bill in both the House and Senate. HR 1814 is widely supported by the Christian Science lobby as well as 216 members of the House of Representatives and 30 senators according to an “action alert” on the website of the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
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Christian Scientists typically do not seek healthcare and therefore claim they should not be forced to buy health insurance coverage under the ACA. They are holding a “national call-in” lobbying day on Tuesday, urging supporters to call members of Congress and ask them to support the bill.
Those in opposition to the exemption argue that allowing religious exemptions would set a reckless legal precedent, raise healthcare costs for those who do purchase insurance, and endanger the children of those who refuse medical care.
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Rita Swan of the organization, Children’s Healthcare Is A Legal Duty (CHILD), says she worries mainly for the children.
“Our organization has information on hundreds of American children who have died because of their family’s religious objections to medical care. Many others get to the emergency room at the last minute, and their medical care is much more expensive than it would have been if the children had a medical home and routine basic care. HR 1814 increases the risk to children in faith-healing sects and the cost to the state if the children do get medical care,” Swan is quoted as saying in the action alert.
Others argue that asking for the exemption may be valid but there is likely a better way to assure that everyone has to put money into a national healthcare system and circumvent the religious questions.
Dr. Don McCanne, writing for the Physicians for a National Health Program, says he understands the objections of Christian Scientists and others and that a universal national plan is the simplest solution.
“Do not fund it based on medical need, but fund it through equitable, progressive tax policies. Under such a system, anyone can decline medical care for whatever reason, religious or otherwise (except if the person's disorder constitutes a genuine threat to public health),” McCanne writes.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation is also urging people to call Congress members and oppose HR 1814.
Sources: Freedom from Religion Foundation, Physicians for a National Health Program
undefinedCompose is a conference for typed functional programmers, focused specifically on Haskell, OCaml, F#, SML, and related technologies.
Typed functional programming has been taken up widely, by industry and hobbyists alike. For many of us it has renewed our belief that code should be beautiful, and that programming can be as enjoyable as it is practical. Compose is about bringing together functional programmers of all levels of skill and experience — from technical leads to novices, and from long-time hackers to students just getting started.
Our experiences have shown that the theoretical can be put into practice with great success, and that topics once considered “advanced” can be made understandable and spread widely. For example, type systems, often considered complex, can simplify our lives by teaching compilers to do some of our reasoning for us.
Compose is about learning together— sharing knowledge, insights, techniques, and sometimes just awesome things we made. Space is limited, so register soon!
For more information, please visit us at http://composeconference.orgA recurring guest star has been shooting scenes for the new season of Doctor Who in Cardiff.
The episode is directed by Hettie Macdonald (‘Blink’) and is believed to be Season 9’s opener, ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’.
SPOILERS BELOW…
Jemma Redgrave, who has played Kate Stewart since 2012, was seen filming at Caerphilly Castle yesterday with Jenna Coleman as Clara and extras in UNIT uniforms.
Redgrave has previously appeared as UNIT’s Chief Scientific Officer – the daughter of classic character Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart – in ‘The Power of Three’, ‘The Day of the Doctor’ and ‘Death in Heaven’.
Season 9 began filming in Cardiff last month and will air on BBC One this autumn.
> Here’s everything we know about Season 9 so far.
Are you looking forward to Kate’s return? Let us know below….- On Feb. 6, Pope Francis’ autographed Harley Davidson motorcycle and leather jacket were auctioned in France, bringing in more than $350,000 for a local charity in Rome.
Presented to the Pope last June when Rome hosted the 110th anniversary celebration of the iconic American motorcycle, the Harley Davidson autographed by the pontiff was auctioned off at 210,000 euros – $284,000 – plus fees, which is nearly 15 times its normal retail price, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the newspaper, the buyer of the bike bid over the phone and asked to remain anonymous; however Bonhams, the auction house, revealed that there was a good chance the bike would stay in Europe.
Following the sale of the motorcycle, a leather jacket, also signed by Pope Francis, sold for more than 50,000 euros – roughly $70,000.
When the Pope announced last fall that he would be auctioning the Harley Davidson set, he also revealed that all proceeds will be given to fund the renovation of Caritas’ Don Luigi di Liegro Hostel and Soup Kitchen at Rome’s Termini train and metro station.
The two projects have operated since 1987 to help relieve the suffering of close to 1,000 people every day, Caritas Rome reports.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 6, Bonhams's head of collector motorbikes, Ben Walker, explained that the premium of the Pope’s Harley “is even higher than for, say, a Steve McQueen bike,” referring to the 1960s-70s actor and motorcycle collector.
In the past, Pope Francis has encouraged both clergy and religious to be humble in choosing their method of transportation, telling a group of seminarians and religious novices in July that he feels hurt whenever he sees a priest or a sister with a nice new car.
“And, if you like that beautiful car, think about how many children are dying of hunger,” he said, encouraging them to choose a simpler mode of transportation.
As a cardinal in Argentina, Pope Francis was well-known for taking public transportation.
In September, the Pope accepted a used Renault 4 with 186,000 miles on its odometer as the gift of an Italian priest.SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - Spokane County Sheriff's detectives are trying to figure out why a man who was shot by a homeowner Sunday night would hide from police and refuse medical help, even though he was bleeding to death.
The fatal shooting between a resident and an intruder, identified as Nakia Shane Burland, 42, happened around 8:30 p.m. in a neighborhood near the intersection of Flora Road and Montgomery Avenue.
This part of Montgomery where the house is located is waterfront property. Residents have the Spokane River and Centennial Trail right in their backyards. In the past, thieves have used the trail to access the neighborhood and steal things, and that might be what's behind Sunday night's shooting.
The homeowner told detectives he was acting in self defense. He said somebody knocked on his front door and he went out his side door to confront the stranger in the darkness.
"He did arm himself prior to answering the door, when he did go outside on the porch, he initially didn't see anybody, but then noticed a male in his yard," said Spokane County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Gregory.
The homeowner, who served his county as an Army reservist in Iraq, peered into the darkness and tried to get Burland to leave.
"That is the information we reviewed from the homeowner, is that after he had told the male to leave, several times, the male charged toward him," said Gregory.
Neighbors say that's when they heard a single shot.
Burland then ran back towards the trail and was hiding just off this home's back porch when officer's found him.
"The deputies continually tried to calm him down and they were able to detain him and get medics in there, but the male continued to be uncooperative," said Gregory.
But by then, Burland, who had been shot in his femoral artery, had lost so much blood that he died at the scene.
The homeowner has been cooperating with detectives and has not been charged.
Now, detectives will be taking autopsy results and information about the Burland's history and adding it into the equation about whether or not this use of deadly force was justified. The final decision will be up to Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell.During a quiet moment in his White House office, Vice President Biden meets with staff members. Some analysts have called him the most powerful vice president of the modern era, and President Obama has tasked him with many top priorities.
During a quiet moment in his White House office, Vice President Biden meets with staff members. Some analysts have called him the most powerful vice president of the modern era, and President Obama has tasked him with many top priorities. Melina Mara/The Washington Post
When Vice President Biden arrives in South Carolina on Friday to headline a sold-out dinner for state Democrats, here’s what you can expect to go down:
Biden will stoke speculation that he wants to run for president in 2016 by pressing the flesh in the first-in-the-South primary state. He will show himself to be on a first-name basis with many of the local politicians and county activists who will line up to greet him. They will gush over his attributes — genuine, down-to-earth, rock solid on the issues. As Dick Harpootlian, the state party chairman, put it, “We’re tickled pink to have him.”
Yet by the time he leaves, the reality of being Joe Biden will sink in: A promotion to the top job is a long shot, at best.
For Biden, who, his family and advisers say, is weighing whether to run in 2016, several paradoxes are at work. He is beloved by grass-roots Democrats, but mainly as the avuncular No. 2 to Barack Obama. From the South Carolina Lowcountry to the Iowa heartland, there are no signs — none yet, at least — of a “Draft Joe” movement. “There just isn’t,” said Sue Dvorsky, a former head of the Iowa Democratic Party.
Biden clearly has the experience and gravitas to ascend to the presidency, but many Democrats say he may have been in Washington too long (since 1973) to win an election. He is President Obama’s governing partner yet is rarely seen as Obama’s heir apparent. For that mantle, and for the nomination, he is likely to face stiff competition in the form of Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former secretary of state and, according to most everyone, the 2016 front-runner.
Washington Post photojournalist Melina Mara talks about her behind-the-scenes photos of Vice President Joe Biden. Mara received unprecedented access to the vice president as he rode in his limousine and met privately with advocates, politicians and civil rights leaders. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)
“Because she’s a Democrat, I can’t say she’s the elephant in the room, but she’s certainly the dominant donkey,” said Robert Shrum, a veteran Democratic presidential campaign strategist. “If she decides to run, it’ll be almost impossible to prevent her from being the nominee. If she doesn’t run, I think Biden’s the odds-on favorite.”
Yet even then, “he will not have it easy,” said Donald Fowler, a former Democratic National Committee chairman and South Carolina native who is close to the Clintons.
Biden remains a distant presence in the 2016 field. One Democratic politician who is considering a presidential run has focused his deliberations with advisers entirely on how, or even whether, to challenge Clinton. According to one of the advisers, Biden has not entered into the equation.
‘Five-dimensional chess’
At some point, Biden will be making some calculations of his own.
“It’s like five-dimensional chess,” said Ted Kaufman, a longtime confidant of Biden’s who was appointed to succeed Biden in the Senate after he was elected vice president in 2008. “You can sit around and think about it and dream about it, but really, it’ll get decided later, and that’s when it’ll get serious.”
People close to Biden laid out several considerations on his mind, starting with fundamental political concerns: Would the country effectively turn backward by picking a baby-boomer white man to succeed a youthful black president? Will the Obama administration three years from now be considered a success, particularly on the economy?
And there’s the matter of whether Clinton runs. This, Kaufman said, is a “major consideration” because “he and Hillary are actually friends.”
The best scenario for a Biden candidacy would be if Clinton stays out of the race, the economy is going gangbusters and voters want a third Obama term. But Biden cannot control these determinants. So, confidants said, he is thinking about more personal factors, including his decades-long presidential aspirations.
Biden, a spry 70, keeps a travel schedule that would exhaust most men half his age. But he will be 73 when the next election rolls around, and those close to him said he knows his age would be an issue.
For Biden, who has been running for office since his 20s, not running would feel unnatural — especially if his vice presidency is deemed successful, those close to him say.
But not running also offers him a chance to make serious money for the first time in his life. Biden, who ranked among the poorest senators, could rake in millions of dollars in short order by hitting the speaking circuit, publishing a memoir or serving on corporate boards. Biden finds the prospect of building a financial cushion for his family particularly alluring, confidants said.
Sometime in the next two years, advisers said, Biden will sit down with his wife, Jill, three children and the rest of their family to decide whether to launch another national campaign. (Biden declined through an aide to be interviewed for this article.)
“I don’t think it’s any real secret that it’s something that he’s going to think about,” said Biden’s eldest son, Beau, the attorney general of Delaware. “I want him to give it real thought. I think he’d make a great president.”
The vice president thinks the 2016 speculation keeps him relevant and helps give the Obama administration political leverage in the second term, people close to him said. If Biden announced that he was not going to run, the thinking goes, it could hasten the administration’s eventual lame-duck status.
Besides, many said, Biden enjoys all the buzz.
“It’s like being a baseball player and people speculating about whether you’re going to be in the Hall of Fame,” Kaufman said. “Clearly, this is the ultimate compliment.”
‘He is himself’
One question hanging over the deliberations is whether Biden can win. He’s run for president twice and failed miserably. In 1988 he withdrew before the primaries after a plagiarism scandal, and in 2008 he dropped out the night of the Iowa caucuses after garnering just 1 percent of the vote.
The odds for a third try are not good, at least based on recent polling — which, 31 / 2 years out, should be taken with a grain of salt. A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that 65 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support Clinton, while 13 percent back Biden. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo stood third, at 4 percent.
If Clinton does not run, 45 percent would support Biden, with 15 percent for Cuomo and other potential candidates in single digits.
Relative to 2008, when Obama began as an underdog but overtook Clinton as the front-runner, it could be more difficult for Biden to make a powerful impression and surpass her because his public image is well established.
There’s also the question of whether Biden — a garrulous creature of conventional constituency politics — would appeal to a changed Democratic coalition. Over the decades, Biden built deep ties to working-class whites, who once made up the core of the Democratic base. But in the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, Obama reshaped the coalition to include many more young voters, Latinos, African Americans and gays.
Fowler said Biden would find it harder to adapt to meet the politics of the moment compared with younger possible candidates, such as Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley or Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
“Joe Biden has just been around too long to do that again,” Fowler said. “He is himself. And the association with Obama is not going to replace who he is.”
In his first five years as vice president, Biden has carved out an identity with core convictions that appeal to the Democratic base — on gun control, on gay marriage, on women’s rights. He doesn’t shy from speaking his mind; last year, he irked Obama’s advisers by publicly coming out ahead of the president in support of legalizing gay marriage.
Privately, Obama’s White House advisers often knock Biden as an unscripted politician drawn to the spotlight and prone to making gaffes. But what they see as a lack of discipline and polish, voters may admire as refreshing candor, supporters say.
“He’s genuinely witty; he’s spontaneous,” Shrum said. “I think it makes him much more real to voters.”
Biden is embracing his caricature. His office recently began a series of podcasts on the White House Web site called “Being Biden” that feature the vice president narrating a behind-the-scenes photograph to give fans a taste of his life. Early installments show Biden at his alma mater cheering on the University of Delaware’s Lady Blue Hens in their locker room during the NCAA playoffs; serving dinner rolls at a hunting club’s wild-game dinner; and showing off his West Wing desk to actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays a vice president in the HBO comedy series “Veep.”
‘It wasn’t a good deal’
These outtakes belie the seriousness of his role. Some historians have begun calling Biden the most powerful vice president of modern times. Obama tasked him with some of the top priorities of this administration — the 2009 economic stimulus and middle-class recovery, the war in Iraq, fiscal negotiations with Congress, and the push for stricter gun laws.
Biden established a reputation as the administration’s closer, the guy who can cut a deal with a bitterly divided and often paralyzed Congress.
Late last year, it was Biden who negotiated an accord with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to avoid the fiscal cliff. When reporters asked what his selling point was, a smiling Biden said, “Me.” Obama showered praise on the vice president, calling his work in brokering the compromise “extraordinary.”
But Biden’s decision to insert himself in those negotiations was not entirely welcome in all quarters of the White House. Some officials thought he bargained away too much of the leverage they had with the end of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts and got too little in return. The deal did nothing to prevent the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester or to avert another crisis over the debt ceiling.
“It wasn’t a good deal,” one top White House official said at the time. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal thinking, also said that Republicans tend to pick up the phone and call Biden when they are trying to get something past the White House that is “not good for us.”
This year, Biden has focused almost exclusively on gun control. Obama tasked him with building public momentum around such proposals as universal background checks for gun buyers and limits on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as with lobbying senators to pass them.
Biden succeeded at galvanizing the public but not at the inside game. Just minutes before a Senate minority blocked a compromise on background checks, Biden was exasperated at having been outmaneuvered by the National Rifle Association.
“I hope to God that there’s 60 people up there who have the courage to stand up,” Biden said, referring to the tally needed in the 100-seat Senate. By then, however, he knew the vote was going to fall short.
Still, the tragic backdrop of the gun debate played to Biden’s humane side. Whenever Biden encountered former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a 2011 shooting in Tucson, the vice president would praise the nurses at her side, who tend to go unrecognized.
“To turn his attention for five solid minutes to a nurse and say, ‘You do God’s work’... they come home from our trips just blown away,” said Pia Carusone, Giffords’s top aide.
Biden got emotional every time he spoke about “those beautiful little babies” shot dead Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were slain in a school massacre. He forged relationships with Newtown families, making long calls to them at night from his residence. Sometimes Biden told them about how he lost his first wife and 1-year-old daughter in a 1972 car accident. But often he would just listen.
“Most of the discussion is him with the phone to his ear and listening to a mom and dad’s grief or how they’re coping,” Beau Biden said. “I just think he helps them get to the next day.”
Scott Clement and Karen Tumulty contributed to this report.
Discuss this topic and other political issues in the politics discussion forums.Nick Williams talks to Rhys Patchell while the player is on the medi-cart
Sam Warburton says Cardiff Blues fly-half Rhys Patchell is "up and about" and being assessed by medical staff after being carried off during the Pro12 defeat by Ulster.
Patchell spent a night in hospital for assessment after the incident.
Ulster forward Nick Williams has been cited for allegedly striking Patchell.
"He was in today (Monday) being seen by the medics and undergoing the normal concussion protocols," said Blues flanker Warburton.
The Wales captain was rested for the match against Ulster, but said he had been in touch with Patchell after seeing the incident.
"I sent him a text saying I was worried sick about him, but he replied straight away," said Warburton.
"He's up and about, which is great to see."
Williams was sin-binned for a careless challenge after his forearm appeared to connect with the number 10's head in the first half.
Patchell was treated for 10 minutes before being taken off the pitch.
Blues coach Dale McIntosh said after the match that the Ulster forward should have received a red card for the offence on Patchell, who has now returned to Wales.
Ulster won the match 36-17 to lie second in the table, two points behind leaders Glasgow.Now, I was a teacher’s kid – a child at the same school my mother taught at. Teachers’ kids tend to meet other teachers’ kids. I’ve never heard any one of them have this experienced any differently, so I would guess it is pretty universal: besides, it makes sense. Authority is assumed to bias in favor of its own (whether children, or friends, or merely those like themselves). It is a perception which needs no proof – but needs a lot constant visible evidence to counter. If you’re a sensible teacher who loves their child, you make sure there are no signs of favoritism, and in fact are harsher and less trusting with them, than other kids. If you’re the kid… no matter how much you love your mother or father the teacher, you do not ever show this affection or close bond at school. In fact, if you’re smart, you’re a somewhat naughty brat, and get in trouble with the authorities (the teachers) – worse trouble than the other kids doing the same thing.
Because it is about perceptions, and credibility.
The same is true of competitions or governments. Your friend or cousin Freddie might have the best picture in the show, or might really be the best man for the lucrative government job… but if you want to have any credibility, any trust, any value… you can show no favoritism as the authority. You have to actively display bias against Freddy.
If your foes start saying you’re being a bit harsh on Freddy, you’re doing it right.
They trust you, you have credibility. Your prize (be it the Hugo or the Toronga Junior Prep art prize) is worth having. Your government is an asset, not a predatory liability.
That trust is a hard won.
And very easily lost.
Regaining it is twice as hard, if not impossible.
Now after the Hugos last year, a cabal centered on the site ‘Making Light’ asked for the Hugo Nomination data.
Making Light is essentially the mouthpiece of Tor Editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden and his wife Theresa. Tor as a company are financially affected by the outcome of various awards, they appear to be rapidly moving toward being the leading literary sf/fantasy publisher. Literary sf is really the only part of the genre positively affected in any major way by awards. Many of participants in the site are at least in some way beneficiaries of grace-and-favor from Tor. Making Light was the site on which PNH revealed knowing the outcome of the Hugo Novel category nominations while the result were embargoed, making either the Hugo administrators to be dishonest and unethical (having informed someone with no right to know and a financial interest), or himself part of some form of corruption. It is thus established it is not a disinterested group, or one with a good reputation for ethical behavior. Among them are the prime suspects in the orchestrated media smear against the Sad Puppies last year in which they got libeled as racists, sexists and homophobes. This was retracted (as it was a provably false libel) but mysteriously popped up in other publications. Where possible we tracked back the linkages, and yes, it’s a very interconnected group, and those having both the motive and the opportunity for this are rare. They’re also plainly the teacher’s kids. We have public statements on file from Kevin Standlee, saying what a friend PNH was and asset Tor was.
The people from Making Light wanted the data to test a new voting scheme going by the acronym EPH.
Everyone else out there thought releasing the anonymized data would be a great idea. On the puppy side of the table, we wanted to see if there was evidence that cabals (such as the group centered on ‘Making Light’) were conspiring to do in secret what the puppies had done in public (which it seems is supported by the evidence laid out in here). Now, there is nothing illegal about voting in concert or as a block. To do so in secret – and then to be outraged because others do so in public is, to put it mildly, hypocritical, especially if you have financial interest in the outcome.
The Hugo administrators for Sasquan refused. They cited the fact that it was impossible to sufficiently anonymize the data to avoid breach of privacy rules.
Which was irritating, but their decision to take. I took it as the teacher protecting their kids’ secret little slate. This is always the problem that authorities face with people they are known to favor. They bring their actions under suspicion of bias very easily.
Fast forward to this year. To File 770. Where Jameson Quinn – one of the Making Light cabal plotting to institute EPH announces that he and Bruce Schneier have been given the anonymized data, and tested it. Incidentally (because he’s not too bright, it seems) he announces that there is a weak correlation between the non-puppy nominations and what was nominated, but that this was much stronger in the puppies and what they nominated. Now, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that, without knowing the ‘secret slates’ Quinn and Schneier could not separate voters for those cabals from other voters. So: if a ‘weak’ correlation shows up with ALL of the data, there is a high probability that indeed, there was secret concert voting by some. After all, the pattern of ‘you nominate mine, I’ll nominate yours |
react accordingly.
This installment of "Speaking UNIX" looks at dialog and Zenity and shows how you can turn any script into a convincing GUI application. You use dialog with traditional, text-based interfaces; Zenity proffers the style of the modern, windowed desktop.
Add dialog boxes to any shell script
A command-line utility typically offers sufficient options to completely control each invocation. Some switches may enable or disable a feature, while other switches may process arguments, such as a list of names. On the command line, you present (nearly) all the information up front and let the job go. Graphical applications are very different. Choices are made through menus, check boxes, and file browsers. A graphical application takes in a little information, processes it, and then usually asks for more information. It's said that GUI applications are event driven.
The dialog utility spans the two worlds. You invoke the utility whenever you need input from the user, and then return to your script to continue processing whatever data was provided. In other words, if you write a script to use dialog, you'll likely ignore command-line arguments and instead use dialog to prompt for information when necessary.
If your system lacks the dialog utility, you can easily install it with your distribution's own package manager, or you can build it directly from source. For example, if your system uses Aptitude, you can install dialog with the command:
sudo apt-get install dialog
Otherwise, to build from source, download the code from maintainer Thomas Dickey's Web site (see Related topics) and run the typical trio of commands:./configure && make && make install :
$ wget http://invisible-island.net/datafiles/release/dialog.tar.gz $ tar xzf dialog.tar.gz $ cd dialog-1.1-20100428 $./configure $ make $ sudo make install
After the installation, you should have a new utility named dialog in your path. Type man dialog to see the bundled documentation.
Using dialog is simple: It's just another UNIX command. You display a dialog box of your choice using the command's options, then capture the result and perform some logic based on that value. Some variations of dialog place the result of the command directly in the special shell status variable, $?, which you should save or interrogate immediately after the dialog command exits (because a subsequent command will immediately change its value). Other, typically more complicated variations of the dialog command both set the shell status variable and generate other results. To make things simple, dialog provides the --stdout option to always emit its result to standard output, making it easy to capture data with command evaluation (a combination of a command in back quotes and an assignment statement).
For example, the command dialog --yesno is one of the simplest variants. It presents a question, prompts for either a yes or no response, and returns either 0 or 1 in $? depending on whether the user selected "Yes" or "No," respectively. You can test the value of $? and execute some conditional code. Here's is a working snippet you can add to a shell script:
dialog --yesno "Do you want to continue?" 0 0 rc=$? if [ "${rc}" == "0" ]; then echo Yes else echo No fi
The --yesno option requires at least three arguments: text for the question and the height and width of the dialog box itself, measured in rows and columns. If you don't require specific dimensions, you can always use 0 for either height or width to size the dialog box automatically. (There are also options for placing the window relative to the top left corner of the window.) Figure 1 shows --yesno in operation.
Figure 1. The --yesno operation
The dialog option --calendar presents a calendar to allow the user to choose a specific date. If the user chooses a date, and then clicks OK, the command returns 0. If, however, the user clicks Cancel, the command returns 1. Moreover, if the user clicks OK, the command emits the date selected to standard output. Here's an example using command evaluation to yield a date:
RESULT=`dialog --stdout --title "CALENDAR" --calendar "Please choose a date..." 0 0 9 1 2010` retval=$?
The --title option uses the next argument to add a title to the dialog box and can be used with any dialog command. Much like --yesno, you provide some text to prompt the user. Next, the options 0 0 again specify automatic height and width, and the options 9 1 2010 dictate the initial day, month, and year, respectively, shown in the calendar. The Tab and arrow keys alter the calendar and choose a date. After the dialog box is dismissed, if retval is 0, the value of RESULT is the date selected. Figure 2 shows the calendar dialog box.
Figure 2. The calendar dialog box
The dialog command offers most of the controls typically found in a graphical application:
--infobox simply presents information: It does not expect any input. The information box remains on screen only briefly. To prolong its display, place a sleep command between it and the next command.
simply presents information: It does not expect any input. The information box remains on screen only briefly. To prolong its display, place a command between it and the next command. --input collects a single, typed response. You might use this command to collect your user's name or zip code.
collects a single, typed response. You might use this command to collect your user's name or zip code. --textbox displays the contents of a text file. If the file exceeds the vertical height of the dialog box, a control allows for simple scrolling up and down.
displays the contents of a text file. If the file exceeds the vertical height of the dialog box, a control allows for simple scrolling up and down. --menu and --radiolist present a list of choices and allow the user to select one. The two kinds of dialog box are functionally equivalent but have slightly different visual styles to better simulate what a GUI might present. Specifically, the --radiolist command renders ( ) to mimic radio buttons.
and present a list of choices and allow the user to select one. The two kinds of dialog box are functionally equivalent but have slightly different visual styles to better simulate what a GUI might present. Specifically, the command renders to mimic radio buttons. --checklist displays a list of items that the user can enabled or disabled individually.
The output of each dialog variant differs but is either a single value or a list of quoted values separated by white space. For instance, --checklist, which is great for choosing one or more options, emits a list of quoted values, where each value is associated with an enabled option. An example demonstrates the operation:
RESULT=`dialog --stdout --checklist "Enable the account options you want:" 10 40 3 \ 1 "Home directory" on \ 2 "Signature file" off \ 3 "Simple password" off`
The backslash ( \ ) at the end of lines 1, 2, and 3 are continuations; everything from RESULT to off` is one command. If the user enabled Home directory and Simple password, $RESULT would be "1" "3". The arguments to --checklist are the height and width, the number of list elements at any time (you can scroll to see additional items if some are occluded), and the checklist options, where each option is a value, a description, and whether the option is initially enabled or disabled.
You can type dialog --help at any time to see the list of general and dialog -specific options. There are tons of uses for dialog.
Got pixels? Use Zenity.
Zenity is to the UNIX desktop what dialog is to simple terminal windows. You can use Zenity to open GTK+ dialog boxes from any shell script. In fact, Zenity shares many of the same features as dialog ; the only difference is that Zenity works in an X Window System environment. Zenity comes bundled with GNOME. If you don't run GNOME, you can install Zenity separately (however, expect a large number of GTK+ libraries to be installed, too). You can also download the source of Zenity from the GNOME project pages (see Related topics for a link).
Here's a quick example. The command:
zenity --question --text "Do you want to continue?"
produces something like Figure 3. (The machine used for demonstration is running Ubuntu 10.) If you click OK, the command returns 0. Otherwise, it returns 1.
Figure 3. A simple question
Like dialog, Zenity has a good number of options—perhaps even more than dialog —but the options are well named and thus self-explanatory. You'll likely find Zenity more advantageous than dialog, especially as most computer users have an X desktop of some sort.
Zenity offers many of the same controls as dialog. Here is a snippet to collect a name:
ENTRY=`zenity --entry --text "Please enter your name" --entry-text "Your name" --title "Enter your name" if [ $? == 0 ]; then zenity --info --text "Hello $ENTRY\!" fi
Again, if the exit code of zenity is 0, then ENTRY has the person's name. Here is the calendar example from above rewritten to use Zenity:
DATE=`zenity --calendar --day "9" --month "1" --year "2010" --format "%Y-%m-%d" if [ $? == 0 ]; then echo $DATE fi
Although Zenity is a little more verbose—there are separate options for day, month, and year, for example—the additional switches free you from remembering the precise usage sequence of arguments. Zenity's calendar also allows you to specify the format for output, using standard strftime() codes. The result of this command would be something like 2010-1-9 for 9 January 2010.
Zenity also provides a progress meter to show the state of an operation. It reads data from standard input line by line. If a line is prefixed with the octothorpe, or pound sign ( # ), the text is updated with the text on that line. If a line contains only a number, the percentage is updated with that number. Listing 1 shows is an example from the Zenity documentation.
Listing 1. The Zenity progress meter
#!/bin/sh ( echo "10" ; sleep 1 echo "# Updating mail logs" ; sleep 1 echo "20" ; sleep 1 echo "# Resetting cron jobs" ; sleep 1 echo "50" ; sleep 1 echo "This line will just be ignored" ; sleep 1 echo "75" ; sleep 1 echo "# Rebooting system" ; sleep 1 echo "100" ; sleep 1 ) | zenity --progress \ --title="Update System Logs" \ --text="Scanning mail logs..." \ --percentage=0 if [ "$?" = -1 ] ; then zenity --error \ --text="Update canceled." fi
The sub-shell (wrapped in parentheses) performs a series of tasks—albeit sleep delays in this contrived example—and emits output to a Zenity progress meter via a pipe. Before each step, the sub-shell emits a number to advance the progress meter, which starts at 0 per --percentage 0, and then emits a string prefaced with # to change the status message. Thus, the progress meter steps along to mark the work of the script. If Zenity exits with code -1, the Cancel button was clicked.
Again, to use dialog or Zenity, replace code where you previously referenced a command-line argument with a dialog box. With a little creativity, you can turn your shell scripts into first-class desktop citizens.
At some point, you may find that your requirements exceed the capabilities of both shell scripting and the dialog and Zenity tools. In those instances, you may turn to C/C++ and build native applications for the desktop, but you can also turn to advanced scripting languages and language bindings for any number of robust GUI frameworks.
One combination is the Ruby scripting language and the Ruby bindings for the wxWidgets framework. Ruby is object oriented, expressive, concise, and runs on most operating systems. The wxWidgets framework is also available on every major platform, including Mac OS X, Windows®, Linux®, and UNIX. Because both are portable, you can write an application once in Ruby and run it everywhere. Another, simpler option is Shoes. Although not as rich as wxWidgets, Shoes is fairly quick to learn and use. The code in Listing 2 realizes a calculator in 70 lines of code.
Listing 2. A calculator in Shoes
class Calc def initialize @number = 0 @previous = nil @op = nil end def to_s @number.to_s end (0..9).each do |n| define_method "press_#{n}" do @number = @number.to_i * 10 + n end end def press_clear @number = 0 end {'add' => '+','sub' => '-', 'times' => '*', 'div' => '/'}.each do |meth, op| define_method "press_#{meth}" do if @op press_equals end @op = op @previous, @number = @number, nil end end def press_equals @number = @previous.send(@op, @number.to_i) @op = nil end end number_field = nil number = Calc.new Shoes.app :height => 250, :width => 200, :resizable => false do background "#EEC".."#996", :curve => 5, :margin => 2 stack :margin => 2 do stack :margin => 8 do number_field = para strong(number) end flow :width => 218, :margin => 4 do %w(7 8 9 / 4 5 6 * 1 2 3 - 0 Clr = +).each do |btn| button btn, :width => 46, :height => 46 do method = case btn when /[0-9]/; 'press_'+btn when 'Clr'; 'press_clear' when '='; 'press_equals' when '+'; 'press_add' when '-'; 'press_sub' when '*'; 'press_times' when '/'; 'press_div' end number.send(method) number_field.replace strong(number) end end end end end
An introduction to Ruby and Shoes is beyond the scope of this article, but here are some of the most important constructs:
The bulk of the Ruby class Calc uses Ruby's metaprogramming features to define functions at run time for all the digit keys and for the math operation keys.
uses Ruby's metaprogramming features to define functions at run time for all the digit keys and for the math operation keys. The code beginning Shoes.app... creates the GUI for the calculator, rendering the layout and the buttons for it. Shoes provides two containers to assemble layouts: the stack and the flow. A stack is a vertical stack of elements, with each element placed directly beneath the element preceding it. A flow packs elements in as tightly as it can until it reaches the limits of its bounding box, and then wraps the remaining elements. (You can think of a stack as an HTML <div> and a flow as an HTML <p>.) You create a stack or flow using a Ruby block.
creates the GUI for the calculator, rendering the layout and the buttons for it. Shoes provides two containers to assemble layouts: the and the. A stack is a vertical stack of elements, with each element placed directly beneath the element preceding it. A flow packs elements in as tightly as it can until it reaches the limits of its bounding box, and then wraps the remaining elements. (You can think of a stack as an HTML and a flow as an HTML.) You create a stack or flow using a Ruby block. The innermost flow block loops, creating all the buttons in the application and effectively binding each button to its method. (The case statement returns a method name; the line number.send(method) calls that method on the instantiated calculator.)
block loops, creating all the buttons in the application and effectively binding each button to its method. (The statement returns a method name; the line calls that method on the instantiated calculator.) The line number_field.replace strong(number) updates the calculator display with the result of the most recent calculation. Emitting number causes the class to call its own to_s ("to string") method.
Other scripting languages have similar libraries, and there are many more choices for Ruby itself, including Ruby Cocoa to develop Cocoa applications on Mac OS X with Ruby. Pick your favorite open source scripting language, find a lightweight GUI toolkit, and start coding.
We don't need no stinkin' compiler!
If you've already mastered shell scripting, combine your work with dialog or Zenity to add interactivity. And once you need more programming power than what the shell provides, consider a language such as Ruby or Python and any one of several windowing toolkits. You don't need a compiler to write great desktop applications.
Downloadable resources
Related topics
Speaking UNIX: Check out other parts in this series.
wxWidgets: Read more about wxWidgets, the cross-platform GUI framework.
dialog project page: Download the source code for dialog.
project page: Download the source code for. Zenity: Get the source code for Zenity from the GNOME project pages.
Shoes: Learn how to script applications with Shoes, a GUI library for Ruby.It's been 18 years since Francois Legault first won a seat at the National Assembly.
With recent poll numbers suggesting a steady rise in support for the Coalition Avenir Quebec he now sees himself with a very good chance of becoming the next premier of Quebec.
But Legault knows the best way to make that breakthrough will be to earn support from a group that's been eluding him ever since he launched the CAQ five years ago.
His first political career, as a hardline separatist, haunts him still among the anglophone and allophone population of Quebec.
"The anglos, they still see me as a former guy from from the PQ," he said earlier this month.
In the early days of the CAQ Legault tried to play it both ways by promising not to make sovereignty an issue for at least a decade.
Now he is taking a harder line and acknowledging that separation is an idea that has come and gone.
Legault says that a vote for the CAQ is a vote for Canada, plain and simple.
"I want to be clear and I want to promise everybody that never at the CAQ will there be a referendum. Never," said Legault.
The former PQ cabinet minister says it's not a contradiction, just realistic.
"I'm a pragmatic guy, and we have to be realistic. Two-thirds of Quebecers, they don't want to hear about the sovereignty of Quebec," said Legault.
He says Quebecers have been trapped in the same polarizing pattern for decades, and that it is time to move past thinking there is only one federalist party in the province.
"People were only voting on one subject. The ballot question was: are we for or against the sovereignty of Quebec?" said Legault.
It's a debate that has crippled the province, and prevented Quebecers from tackling the economy, education, and other provincial issues.
"Economic growth is still slow, the GDP per capita is very low compared to other states or provinces in North America," said Legault.
Trying to court anglophone and allophone voters who traditionally support the Liberal party may be a tough sell because while Legault has given up on the idea of sovereignty, he is still very much putting Quebec first.
"I think it's important that we protect not only our language, French, but also protect our values," said Legault.
He also wants to see Quebec have more control of immigration, with better tools for integrating those immigrants.
"We already select about 70% of new immigrants at the Quebec government level, so why not 100%?" said Legault.
But he wants to do that as a strong Quebec within a united Canada.
"You can be proud of being Quebecer and proud of being a Canadian," said Legault.
Premier Philippe Couillard has accused Legault of "fanning the flames of intolerance" for questioning the government's immigration targets, and the CAQ has lost at least one high profile supporter because of that very issue.
Dominique Anglade is a Liberal cabinet member, who said she left her position as president of the CAQ in part because Legault's party isn't as open as it used to be.
Last September she said that as a child of immigrants, she had to leave the CAQ.
"Questions around identity, questions around immigration and for me it's not a small issue. My parents were immigrants. This is something that is really a part of my DNA. I can't look at this and say it represents me," said Anglade.
Legault acknowledges that his party needs more diversity, having only elected ethnic francophone MNAs without any visible minorities, but said he believes Anglade had other reasons for leaving.
"She would like that we be open to everybody, to all kinds of value and we have a difference of opinion on that. But honestly, that wasn't the real reason why she accepted the offer of the Liberal party. It was because she wanted to be a minister, and that's it, that's all," said Legault.
He said that immigration and diversity and integration are important issues, not just in Quebec, but in the UK where he said the vote to leave the European Union was due, in part, to "a rejection of the multiculturalist approach."
Legault argues that being inclusive means making provincial pride something for everyone to enjoy, starting with the Fete Nationale.
He says the annual celebrations have been far too politicized for far too long.
"We're all proud to be Quebecers and on this day we should celebrate our pride to be Quebecers. That's it, that's all. It shouldn't be about the sovereignty of Quebec," said Legault.
He said it's frustrating that people who have lived for decades in Quebec won't wave the fleurdelisé because they see that as a symbol of sovereignty.
"We have to change that. We have to find a way to stop dividing people," said Legault.
It's a message he he hopes will convince voters to take a closer look at his party.Hollywood vanity notwithstanding, there's a long tradition of actors seeking credibility by drastically altering their appearance for a role. Matthew McConaughey is only the latest to follow this approach, having dropped 40 pounds for his much-talked-about turn as a man stricken with AIDS in Dallas Buyer's Club. Yet simply gaining or losing pounds is hardly a surefire way to craft a convincing performance. Given that such transformations often are so severe that they prove to be glaring distractions, stars tread a fine line between enhancing and ruining their lead turns when they radically screw with their looks. With that in mind, we've assigned some grades to ten of the movies' more memorable body transformations, based not so much on how striking they are but on how well they actually work.
Jared Leto
Chapter 27
IMPRESSIVENESS (1-10): 1
Jared Leto did his best Robert De Niro impersonation for his Chapter 27 starring role as Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon, packing on a whopping 67 pounds via tons of ice cream. That drastic size increase caused Leto to get gout, though it was mostly for naught — the actor's weight gain was merely part and parcel of a performance defined by mannered affectation. Unlike Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary, Leto's girth seemed less a natural extension of the role than a means of attracting award attention.
Jonah Hill
21 Jump Street
IMPRESSIVENESS: 2
Jonah Hill's persona is inextricably linked with his rotund size, so when he dropped weight for 21 Jump Street, the effect was not only jarring but also more than a little off-putting. Though his newly svelte frame was clearly meant to make him more convincing as an undercover cop, Hill looked downright gaunt — which in turn made his sarcastic wisecracking come off as more callous than it seemed when he was roly-polyer.
Matt Damon
Courage Under Fire
IMPRESSIVENESS: 3
Running 6.5 miles each morning and evening while barely eating (and drinking lots of coffee and smoking cigarettes) helped Matt Damon lose 41 pounds to play a medic wrecked by guilt (and drugs) in Courage Under Fire — looking so sickly that director Ed Zwick was reportedly scared by the sight of the actor when he first showed up for work. Alas, while the role helped launch his career, his physical emaciation is so stark that it overwhelms his performance, commanding all of one's attention whenever he's on screen.
Edward Norton
American History X
IMPRESSIVENESS: 5
Like Brad Pitt in Troy, Edward Norton got himself diesel for American History X. His early murder scene, committed in nothing but boxer shorts, is memorable both for the method of his homicide (an unforgettable curb-stomp) and for the sight of Norton's burly frame tattooed with swastikas. His newfound size isn't quite enough to fully convince one of his intimidating badassery, but it's nonetheless in keeping with the character.
Rooney Mara
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
IMPRESSIVENESS: 5
Rooney Mara's turn as goth-punk hacker Lisbeth Salander is moderately undercut by her physical size — she's slight to the point of seeming fragile, which conflicts with Lisbeth's supposed ferocity. Nonetheless, her body transformation does as much as possible to convince one of both her rage and reclusiveness, with shaved eyebrows, multiple piercings, and a closely cropped jet-black hairdo going a long way toward selling the outlandish character.
Demi Moore
G.I. Jane
IMPRESSIVENESS: 6
A year after famously flashing her fake boobs in Striptease, Demi Moore went the opposite direction for this Ridley Scott-helmed military drama. Bald and buff, Moore's physical hardness comes across as an obvious and borderline-contrived attempt to distance herself from her previous film's notoriety (and the image it helped give her). Still, it remains a dedicated body makeover that's completely in tune with the actress's own deceptive toughness.
Tom Hanks
Cast Away
IMPRESSIVENESS: 7
Tom Hanks did double-duty body transformation for Cast Away, gaining 50 pounds for the bookending sections of the film, and then dropping that and more — over the course of a year — for the stranded-on-an-island bulk of Robert Zemeckis's drama. Drastic without seeming over-the-top (and, according to Hanks, responsible for him getting diabetes), it's a shift in line with the character's ordeal that never goes so far into extreme territory that it takes attention away from Hanks's expression of the character's suffering and strength.
Charlize Theron
Monster
IMPRESSIVENESS: 7
An Oscar win validated Charlize Theron's uglification for her role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Yet if it proved that nothing pleases awards voters more than beautiful women making themselves unattractive, it's also a physical alteration that — in her grimy hair and gnarly teeth — powerfully evokes the deeply rooted repulsiveness (and messiness) of the character and her circumstances.
Robert De Niro
Raging Bull
IMPRESSIVENESS: 9
For years the standard-bearer of cinematic makeovers, De Niro's corpulence as late-in-life Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull remains a magnificent physical manifestation of the character's self-destruction. All sweaty, ungainly, gone-to-seed sloppiness, De Niro's weight gain is presented with minimum glamour — there isn't a trace of look-at-me narcissism to his performance, which uses girth to fully express the man's pathetic, marginalized fate.
Christian Bale
The Machinist
IMPRESSIVENESS: 10
There's weight loss, extreme weight loss, and then the starving-oneself-to-near-death weight loss practiced by Christian Bale for The Machinist. An insanely dangerous stunt? Definitely. And yet Bale's skeletal appearance proves that, when pushed to its absolute furthest extreme, such body transformations can be both distracting gimmicks and jaw-droppingly compelling feats of artistic devotion to performance. For now, it's attention-grabbing emaciation without rival.
Follow The Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQCulture.Quarterbacks Ricky Ray and Henry Burris have become accustomed to sharing the same stage on Labour Day.
As he has many times for the early September game, Burris said he anticipates arriving at the stadium with his head on a swivel, taking in the sights and scents of the tailgaters firing up their grills before the city's most exciting game of the year.
When the game kicks off, Ray knows he may hear rival fans in the especially rowdy stands yelling some of the old cracks he's heard many times about his hairline.
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The Battle of Alberta on a long string of Labour Days has featured the two veteran pivots: Ray's Edmonton Eskimos taking on Burris's Calgary Stampeders. But this year, the two are among the many new faces experiencing their first Labour Day contest between the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Ray, Burris and their new head coaches are experiencing the yearly long weekend game at Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium for the first time, yet they're quickly soaking in the intensity that surrounds it.
The Argonauts and Tiger-Cats have met on Labour Day 44 times, dating back to 1948. Hamilton has won the last two Labour Day meetings, in 2009 and 2010. After a one-year-hiatus in 2011, the game returns to Ivor Wynne, which will close at the end of season, making way for a new stadium.
"It's more than just another game, there's a lot riding on this," Burris said Sunday. "I look forward to experiencing new things and I'm excited to be part of a rivalry I've watched for so many years. There is real energy and tradition surrounding the last Labour Day game at Ivor Wynne. That is something I couldn't have experienced in Calgary."
Burris has been told about how venomous it will be on the field – bigger hits, especially vicious trash talking, extra physical play, pushing and fighting among piles of players. The fans in Hamilton are known to greet the Argo players on Labour Day with showers of insults, beer and spit. Ray figures the years in the Alberta game have prepared him for it.
"Everyone makes fun of my hairline, that's why you always see me on the sideline with my helmet half on," Ray said with a laugh. "I have played in Labour Day games like this – big rivalry games – and that experience can help me out in this situation."
New Ticats coach George Cortez was reminded this week about how personally the fans take a rivalry game, how the wins and losses on Labour Day stick out. He recalled speaking to a group of Second World War veterans as an assistant coach of the 1992 Stampeders, who had just won the Grey Cup.
"One gentleman got up and said, 'Coach, I want to congratulate you for a great season and winning the Grey Cup, but you lost to Edmonton on Labour Day,'" Cortez said. "That's a sign of how important these rivalries are to a lot of people."
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Argos coach Scott Milanovich is eager to experience his first Labour Day rivalry contest in some time, a duel between 4-4 Toronto and 3-5 Hamilton. As an assistant coach of the Montreal Alouettes, he didn't participate in a yearly Labour Day duel. But he is sensing the energy.
"You don't have to get them motivated this week," Milanovich said. "They're up. The key is to keep them playing within what you've coached them to do – playing with discipline. I don't want them to get so emotionally charged up that they lose control and do something to hurt the team."
Linebacker Kevin Eiben will play his first Labour Day contest as a Ticat after a long career with the Argos. He joked that he won't miss being hit with drinks, insults or the $20 parking fee he was charged when he drove up as an Argo each year.
"I've been coming here for 12 years playing in this Labour Day Classic, all in the Double Blue," Eiben said. "But now I'm in the Black and Gold. I'm ecstatic, I feel like a kid again."Duskers v0.31 is now in the "Future" branch. Beta is here (almost)!
[docs.google.com]
Major Add: Experimental Daily and Weekly Challenges, including in-game Global and Friends Leaderboards - let us know what you think!
Major Add: Alias parameters and ability to reference nest other alias commands into a new alias. Keep an eye on the pinned thread for description of how to use these new features.
Added: New walls and tiles based on ship type
Added: Audio indicators for possible pending radiation leak
Added: Visual glitches in Drone View on various events (radiation damage, attack, etc). Can turn off in Graphical Options Menu (see “HUD Static” and “Static Indicators” settings).
Added: Dead enemy models - better able to tell an alive enemy from a dead one!
Added: Hint to teach new players how to use Motion when it is unable to scan a room that might have an enemy in it
Added: Several sounds from drone collisions to patrol bot to UI interactions to interface enable/disable. Also changed Drone pickup sound (when in DV) and some general ambient sounds in DV.
Added: Player ship navigation “animation” when moving between Systems and Ships. You can turn off from the Graphic Options menu.
Added: Teleporter mod that allows you to teleport sensors and traps into another room. The sensor/trap to teleport must be near the drone with the teleporter installed.
Added: Ability to turn off the red enemy indicator rectiles in the difficulty menu
Minor Add: ‘time’ command that returns the current mission time
Major Change: Different Interfaces on the same ship can have different commands (ex: might only find ‘shipscan’ on one, but ‘defense’ on another)
Changed: Alias UI
Changed: Drones no longer start out with a “veer” (turning left or right). Instead, they MAY start to veer after taking a high-level of damage. It’s (almost always) a repairable veer, that gets less noticeable the better the health of the drone.
Changed: Lootable Drones now can have 2 - 4 slots (most often still 3)
Changed: Help Manual to include some of the less common commands, such as F8 as well as showing new players the help manual (open to Tips) on their second run for training.
Change: The swarm enemy type can now spawn in half-sized swarms as well as original sized
Change: the slime enemy has a new look
has a new look Change: Upgrades on trading post now can have a random age and, sometimes, even a quantity of 0.
Change: New “UI” when drone visual is broken. Dead drone (not disabled, but broken ones) also use that new UI so you can no longer look through that drone’s camera
Change: Drones with 0HP in the boarding config UI now show up in a different color to make more noticeable. Something similar occurs in the Modification UI, as well.
Change: Transporter now has a 2 second “cool down” between each use (similar to the cool down already on Teleport)
Change: Airlock with a seal about to break now blinks
Change: Fuel Access can take damage like other in-room equipment when a room is vented or explosions happen
Major Fix: Commandeering a Medical Ship with a Quarantine Bypass
Upgrade was causing the game to lock up and/or behave otherwise in an improper manner
Fixed: Bug when resetting from in-game causing crash later on
Fixed: Exploit when killing a patrol bot by venting into space would leave behind scrap
Fixed: Exploit when setting broken items to a trading post, could exit/return to get the same upgrade back, fully repaired
Fixed: When commandeering, scrap on drones outside of the docking bay was not being shown in the mission summary window (did not affect actual scrap, a UI thing only)
Fixed: A drone lost in space do to a vent opening could be “seen” if using SPACE to toggle to drone view
Fixed: At some point the “schematic view lost” event stopped working. Added back in.
event stopped working. Added back in. Fixed: Error in Asteroid code that (occasionally) caused the console to keep printing that a particular room was hit by one.
Removed: All references to Constellations.
Optimization: Reworked enemy code for more efficient code and less processing overhead, overall (has the cool side-effect that sounds don’t travel through doors).
As usual, please opt into the "Future" branch if you're brave enough to test out what we're working on (see HERE for how to opt-in).Daily/Weekly challenges to see who's the best Dusker out there! Glitch effects and new art for each ship! Much more audio and atmosphere! More robust alias system! An eerie waning that radiation may flood, Drones with more & less slots! Exclamation marks!! The full list below :)If you do find bugs that you believe might be specific to this version please post them in the Support/Issues/Bugs Sub-forum with "[v0.31]" at the beginning of the title.(WARNING: THIS UPDATE MAY RESET YOUR DATA. If you are in the middle of a run and aren't willing to start a new one you may want to wait till your run is ended, or see THIS post)Please let us know your thoughts/feedback on any of these things below!Thanks!-Tim Keenan (Duskers creator guy)GRAND RAPIDS -- The existence of Adam and Eve, and the departure of a Calvin College professor who discussed the matter, are back in the national news spotlight. John Schneider, a longtime Calvin College theology professor until recently, has said there was no historical Adam and Eve. (His
) "Evolution makes it pretty clear that in nature, and in the moral experience of human beings, there never was any such paradise to be lost," Schneider said in an
, broadcast today.
"So Christians, I think, have a challenge, have a job on their hands to reformulate some of their tradition about human beginnings." His departure is also being debated by Chronicle of Higher Education blogger Mike Ruse, who headlines his piece as
Ruse says Schneider took "early retirement" after he "got into hot water with the president of Calvin College, who thinks that Schneider has been violating the terms of his employment." The college's acting prov |
from fundraising and any other financial dealings, officials said.
Parents learned earlier this year there may not be a senior dance, a school yearbook or graduation regalia because those items were all funded by the now-penniless parent teacher organization.
“I feel hurt, because it’s not right that our kids don’t get these things,” said Nicole Lopez, a parent from Jamaica whose son, Justice, is in the graduating class. “Other kids got them and they take them for granted, but it’s a memory and memories last forever.”
Graduating seniors will receive T-shirts and go on a senior trip, for which parents are required to pay
$65 per child to offset costs. They will also have a graduation ceremony with awards, but without wearing traditional garbs.
The school’s principal, Paula Cunningham, refused to comment on the situation and directed calls to the DOE. The DOE confirmed the audit, but wouldn’t answer further questions.
“This matter is currently under review internally, we are unable to provide additional information at this time due to the pendency of the ongoing investigation,” a DOE spokesman wrote in an email.
During a recent meeting at the school led by the new PTA leadership, Cunningham told parents that her hands are tied in the situation, even as parents suggested increasing senior dues to cover the nearly $6,000 needed to make the graduation special.
The dance is estimated to cost about $2,000, the yearbook could be about $1,650 and caps and gowns would be $13.50 per student, or more than $2,200 total, according to parents’ estimates.
“We as a building, as a school, are allowed to have one fundraiser for the entire year. That fundraiser was supposed to be for the entire school,” Cunningham said. “We don’t have funds that we can spend on caps and gowns. We don’t have funds that we can spend on a prom. We sent out letters explaining that the PTA paid for things that cost a lot of money.”
Parents and students are outraged and they feel their kids are being thrown under the “school” bus because not much is being done to remedy the situation.
“I think [the school is] being selfish and that they just want to do what they want, and they aren’t thinking of the kids,” Lopez said.
Dozens of parents have begun to hold weekly senior committee meetings, sacrificing time on busy weekday nights to figure out how raise the necessary money to create a yearbook and senior dance.
But time is against them: the “Moving Up Ceremony” is scheduled for June 25.
While parents are scrambling, kids are hoping they don’t lose out of their full graduation celebration after years of hard work.
“I want to be able to remember fifth grade,” Justice said, “because it’s the only year [in elementary school] that I’m actually going to be able to graduate.”
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RECOMMENDED STORIESAffected by the storm? Send your photos to CNN iReport, but please stay safe
(CNN) -- Rain lashed parts of the Philippines on Saturday as Typhoon Hagupit barreled toward the coast, bringing roaring winds and the threat of massive storm surges.
Satellite images show the eye of the storm, which lost its super typhoon status again Saturday, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) off the eastern coast of the island nation.
The storm, the strongest so far this year, is expected to make landfall Saturday evening or Sunday morning, local time, over the Eastern Samar to Northern Samar area, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
It's packing sustained winds of 175 kilometers an hour (109 mph) near the storm's center, with gusts of up to 230 kph (143 mph).
Millions of people have been scrambling to get out of the typhoon's way, or battening down in hotels on higher ground, away from the coast.
Public storm warning signals have been applied in a number of provinces amid predictions winds could rip off roofs, cut power and damage buildings. Residents in low-lying areas have been warned about possible flash floods and landslides.
Preparing for the worst
While current forecasts show the storm skirting north of Tacloban, the people there aren't taking any chances.
They suffered enormously when Super Typhoon Haiyan smashed into the coast last November, killing more than 6,000 people and creating apocalyptic scenes of splintered houses, ships on streets and and debris piles for as far as the eye could see.
Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez said they're better prepared this year after learning the lessons of Haiyan a year ago. Residents are taking the storm warnings seriously and most people have fled the city, he said.
This time, Hagupit, known locally as Typhoon Ruby, is expected to cross the coast farther north, toward Legazpi.
Officials there expected to evacuate an estimated 75,000 people ahead of the typhoon's arrival, Mayor Noel Rosal said Friday.
"There's a danger that there will be heavy rains for about four hours and I am very, very worried at this moment," Rosal said.
Most forecasters predict the storm will move northwest through the island nation after landfall, passing south of the capital city of Manila. PAGASA projects that the storm will exit the country on Wednesday.
Hagupit, the name used by World Meteorological Organization, means "lash" in Filipino.
Fears over effects of the storm
With the storm fast approaching, authorities are not only worried about the typhoon itself, but the effects of the fierce winds, possible flooding and storm surge.
PAGASA warned of intense rainfall between 7.5 millimeters and 20 millimeters per hour and rough seas. It also warned of storm surge that could reach up to 5 meters (16 feet) high.
More than 80 domestic flights were canceled, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Schools, businesses and government offices closed at the end of the week to give people time to prepare. Government agencies stockpiled tens of thousands of canned food packages in case of shortages.
Shop owners nailed boards on windows to protect them from wind, while fishermen moved boats onto dry land.
Many Filipinos took to social media to spread warnings and urge one another to prepare and pray for the country.
"Hoping for the best, expecting the worst," Twitter user jinglebelles17 posted.Why Economics Will Never Be a Legitimate Science
(December 24, 2013)
"If we expect an economic theory to behave like a theory of physics, with non-trivial predictions about the future, we're never going to get one." Back in August I explored Why Isn't There a Demonstrably Correct Economic Theory?. Many commentators have noted the obvious, that economics is a pseudo-science rather than a real science: beneath the fancy quantification and math, economics is fundamentally the study of human behavior, and that complex mix of dynamics cannot be reduced to a tidy econometric model that spits out accurate predictions. One key element of science is that the results must be reproducible, that is, the same experiment/conditions should yield the same results time and again. I suspect that economic models are not applicable across all times and situations; a model might "work" in one era and in a very specific set of circumstances, but fail in another era or in a similar set of circumstances. Since human behavior is based in culture as well as in naturally selected (genetically driven) behavior, then cultural milieus and values obviously play critical roles in shaping economic behaviors. So presenting an economic model as "scientific" and quantifiable is in effect claiming that the bubbling stew of human culture can be reduced to quantifiable models that will yield predictions that are accurate in the real world. This is clearly false, as culture is not a static set of objects, it is a constantly shifting interplay of feedback loops. This helps explain why human behavior is so unpredictable. Virtually no one successfully predicted World War I in 1909, and no one predicted the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1985. Another reason all economic theories fail as scientifically verifiable models is that economics boils down to a very simple dynamic: those in power issue financial claims on resources as a "shortcut" way of gaining control of the resources without actually having to produce the resources or earn the wealth via labor and innovation. I think this is the one fundamental dynamic of economics, and it does not lend itself to reductionist models. Longtime correspondent Chuck D. recently explained why economics will never be predictive (i.e. a real science) like physics: If we expect an economic theory to behave like a theory of physics, with non-trivial predictions about the future, we're never going to get one. If, on the other hand, we accept economic theories which explain why we'll never get the kind of economic theory we'd like to have, the kind that would support investment decisions and government policy formulation, we can formulate THAT kind of theory. (If you want a physicist to decide whether light is a stream of particles or a pattern of waves, you're not going to get an answer.) Von Neumann and Morgenstern came pretty close when they applied mathematical game theory to economic behavior. In game theory terms, if there existed an economic theory which provided any kind of advantage to those who understood it, either it would be kept a secret (so as not to give up the advantage), or the "game" itself would adapt to invalidate the theory. The reason for the failure of economics to produce "the theory we'd like to have" is not merely that people are complex, just as modern physics doesn't say that "electrons are really hard to locate;" the problem is that any conceivable process for observing the electron disturbs its position and/or momentum, invalidating the observation. A theory of economics cannot be both useful and well-known. (Can we call this a statement of "meta-theory"?) So, the competitive (game-like) nature of economics means that the usual incremental accumulation of knowledge that applies in natural science is impossible. To succeed in the market, I need to have better information and/or interpretation than at least one other trading opponent (oops, I almost said "trading partner"!) There are two ways for me to have better knowledge than you do: either I think hard about the data I gather (and keep the results to myself), or I promulgate disinformation and misinterpretation (see "talking my book"). In other words, I don't need to be smart if I can make you stupid. It's just the opposite of science. It's not even necessary for everyone to proliferate misinformation, as long as there's enough of it around to create uncertainty about the truth. (You and I, for example, can see things quite clearly, and still not turn the tide of madness around us.) Thank you, Chuck, for an insightful, thought-provoking commentary.
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The Nearly Free University and The Emerging Economy:
The Revolution in Higher Education Reconnecting higher education, livelihoods and the economy With the soaring cost of higher education, has the value a college degree been turned upside down? College tuition and fees are up 1000% since 1980. Half of all recent college graduates are jobless or underemployed, revealing a deep disconnect between higher education and the job market. It is no surprise everyone is asking: Where is the return on investment? Is the assumption that higher education returns greater prosperity no longer true? And if this is the case, how does this impact you, your children and grandchildren?
We must thoroughly understand the twin revolutions now fundamentally changing our world: The true cost of higher education and an economy that seems to re-shape itself minute to minute. The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy clearly describes the underlying dynamics at work - and, more importantly, lays out a new low-cost model for higher education: how digital technology is enabling a revolution in higher education that dramatically lowers costs while expanding the opportunities for students of all ages. The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy provides clarity and optimism in a period of the greatest change our educational systems and society have seen, and offers everyone the tools needed to prosper in the Emerging Economy. Read the Foreword, first section and the Table of Contents.
print edition (list $20, now $18) Kindle edition: list $9.95
Things are falling apart--that is obvious. But why are they falling apart? The reasons are complex and global. Our economy and society have structural problems that cannot be solved by adding debt to debt. We are becoming poorer, not just from financial over-reach, but from fundamental forces that are not easy to identify. We will cover the five core reasons why things are falling apart:
2. Crony capitalism
3. Diminishing returns
4. Centralization
5. Technological, financial and demographic changes in our economy The reasons are complex and global. Our economy and society have structural problems that cannot be solved by adding debt to debt. We are becoming poorer, not just from financial over-reach, but from fundamental forces that are not easy to identify. We will cover the five core reasons why things are falling apart: 1. Debt and financialization2. Crony capitalism3. Diminishing returns4. Centralization5. Technological, financial and demographic changes in our economy Complex systems weakened by diminishing returns collapse under their own weight and are replaced by systems that are simpler, faster and affordable. If we cling to the old ways, our system will disintegrate. If we want sustainable prosperity rather than collapse, we must embrace a new model that is Decentralized, Adaptive, Transparent and Accountable (DATA). We are not powerless. Once we accept responsibility, we become powerful.
Kindle: $9.95 print: $24
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blog My Books Archives Books/Films homeHello and welcome to the first programmer blog of this project. Before I start, let me start with a brief introduction on what Pantheons of Kreas is and a little bit of history. Pantheons of Kreas is a role-playing game where you start out as a simple farmer boy that seeks out adventure in the world. The combat is based on real-time rather than a turn-based, quickening the pace of gameplay. So far, I have implemented a basic inventory system with active and inactive units, as I’ll explain later, and the base combat system shown below.
To attack, the user will simply click and drag a unit with a border, indicating that it is ready to attack, to an enemy. The enemies will randomly fire projectiles back, so the user must quickly exterminate the enemies before all his minions die! Because there are only 5 available battle spaces for the user to put in units, called active units, we thought that the user should have some more flexibility and have a separate place for the inactive units. Some other features are map movement and NPCs.
This is a menu that will pop up if you click on an NPC. Some NPCs will have the ability to sell items or give quests. The shop functionality is being worked on right now, but will definitely be part of the alpha stage of testing. Quests are not quite as developed as the shop, but I plan to implement it before alpha. Alpha is scheduled to be released before the end of this year (meaning a lot of work for me!).
All the user information is stored in an online database, giving each user the ability to have their personal accounts wherever they go. Right now, I am working on the PC platform, but because of the simple combat system, porting to a mobile environment will not be too bumpy.
Although this is my first dev blog, the team and I started development long before, around the end of March 2014. In the beginning, I started out programming my own game engine in Java, which was very tedious and slow. Having a 3D world at that point was completely unthinkable. After a few months of grueling effort, I switched over to Unity. Progress definitely improved since then, and the team and I came a long way from our humble beginnings. We have picked up many people with many talents along the way, from artists to SFX producers, and the whole development experience has been the highlight of the last 1.5 years.
That wraps it up for this post. I hope you are as excited about alpha release as I am and see you next time!One of the most dedicated and well known Eagles fans of all time, "Eagle Joe" Borden, has passed away at the age of 62.
"Training camp will not be the same without Eagle Joe," said Andy Reid in a statement. "He was a fixture at our practices every summer for many, many years. He knew every player on the roster, their 40 time, their college and their statistics, it seemed. He bled green. And even though he was struggling with various illnesses in recent years, he still managed to travel to Lehigh a few times every camp. He always had a kind word of encouragement to each of our players and coaches. He never asked for anything and never expected anything, he just wanted to be around his Eagles family. We will certainly miss Joe and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends in their time of loss."
Eagle Joe has been at every Eagles training camp since 1975 when Mike McCormack was the Eagles head coach. Years later, Buddy Ryan got wind of Joe's story and started giving him field passes for camp. Since then, every Eagles coach has carried on the tradition of giving him on field passes to see practices. In fact, when Eagle Joe was declared legally blind in 2007 and could no longer drive a car, Andy Reid and Jeff Lurie decided to send a limo to his house in Exton every morning to pick him up.
This is an unassuming guy who worked at Acme that decided to use every vacation he had for the last 32 years going to to see Eagles' training camp. In 2001, he actually became part of the hall of fame when he was chosen as the Eagles representative in the "Visa Hall of Fans."
He exemplifies the kind of special relationship us Eagles fans have with our team. It's a sad day in the Eagles Nation for sure.Independence Day All-Stars
by
As a British person, Independence Day doesn’t mean very much to me, other than the fact it’s the day our Empire got significantly smaller (not bitter, honest!). However, whilst all you guys on the other side of ‘the pond’ enjoy your barbecues, booze and fireworks there is one part of the day that I can fully get behind: BASEBALL! So in celebration of this most American of days, I have created an All-American All-Star team for your delectation. Next week I may also put together an All-International team for them to play against, but today it’s all about the Stars and Stripes.
Players are eligible only if they are born in the USA (hey, if it’s good enough for picking Presidents it’s good enough for me) and extra credit is given to a player for added American-ness (THIS IS NOT JUST A LIST OF THE BEST AMERICAN PLAYERS!).
CATCHER: BUSTER POSEY (San Francisco Giants) Born in Leesburg, GA
A lot of catchers are not the best looking players on a team, which may be a result of their profession. Not Buster Posey. Buster Posey manages to combine his Gold Glove play behind the plate and Silver Slugger prowess at the plate with his sultry looks. Basically, Buster Posey is the grown up version of Zach Efron in the High School Musical films. Though this is normally considered somewhat annoying by those of us not blessed with either athletic talent or good looks, he fits in perfectly as the catcher for this All-American team. He is also called Buster, which is insanely American.
FIRST BASE: NICK SWISHER (Cleveland Indians) Born in Columbus, OH
Nick Swisher, the self-proclaimed ‘Mayor of Brohio’ is a big, brash, loudmouth (which is basically how the rest of the World sees the USA) but in a lovable manner (eh, maybe not so much). Swisher’s personality fills the clubhouse and leaks onto the field. In terms of being an All-American, Swisher’s brashness alone gets him into this team.
SECOND BASE: CHASE UTLEY (Philadelphia Philles) Born in Pasasdena, CA
We all thought Chase Utley was done didn’t we? In 2011 and 2012 his Batting Average, Home Runs and RBI were all down and he battled with injury. But over the last season and a half he has been something of a renaissance man, and this year will see him return to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2010. Utley’s grinding work ethic typifies the hard-working American man and his re-emergence as a true force gets him a place on this team. Still plays for the Phillies though, so a bit of a downer there.
SHORTSTOP: DEREK JETER (New York Yankees) Born in Pequannock Township, NJ
I’m not normally one for the Jeter love-in, especially not on the Present Collecting Tour that is his 2014 season. We all know he’s not been able to hack it at Short for a long time now, and over the last few seasons his batting has fallen off as well, but he’s still The Captain, the symbolic leader of the Evil Empire, the Yankees player it’s okay to like after the exit of the Sandman. Jeter, in a horribly cliched fashion, does everything ‘the right way’ and there’s barely a bad word to be said against him (Red Sox fans aside). His play typifies the All-American ideal, meaning that he can play terrible SS defense on the All-American team.
THIRD BASE: DAVID WRIGHT (New York Mets) Born in Norfolk, VA
Speaking of ‘Captains’, Captain America makes the cut as well. Obviously, being in New York means a player is subject to immense media scrutiny and Wright handles it with aplomb. He also handles with aplomb the fact he’s stuck on the Mets and the crushing disappointment every season must bring. Also, his World Baseball Classic exploits which gained him his nickname allow him to be the ‘All-American Hero’ on this team.
LEFT FIELD: JONNY GOMES (Boston Red Sox) Born in Petaluma, CA
Because nothing says “I love America” like wearing the Star Spangled Banner as a jacket.
CENTRE FIELD: JACOBY ELLSBURY (New York Yankees) Born in Madras, OR
I thought about putting Mike Trout here as he embodies the idea of ‘American excellence’, but I went with Ellsbury as he is the best of the three, non-Hispanic, Native American players (the other two being Joba Cahmberlain and Kyle Lohse). Though Native Americans may be more closely associated with Thanksgiving, I feel that in creating the All-American team there should be some representation from the Native American community.
RIGHT FIELD: BRYCE HARPER (Washington Nationals) Born in Las Vegas, NV
Harper might be as close as this list gets to having a classic American Bad Boy on it, the Mormon James Dean if you will. This obviously riles some but others just revel in his sheer ability (no matter where he bats in the line-up). Though he may be a polarising figure, it’s people like him who have played a part in making America what it is today, hence, he’s on the team.
DESIGNATED HITTER: PRINCE FIELDER (Texas Rangers) Born in Ontario, CA
It is still my theory that the Tigers traded Fielder to Texas because they knew not doing so would’ve been a crime to all Baseball fans. Though Fielder is a Californian, he seems to fit so perfectly with the whole Texas ethos to the point where I imagine he gets paid in these bad boys. Big Prince is so entirely big America that it would be a crime not to have him on this team.
STARTING PITCHER: CLAYTON KERSHAW (Los Angeles Dodgers) Born in Dallas, TX
Kershaw fills two roles in this All-American team. Firstly, he is a big, rugged Texan (if Roger Clemens was still playing he’d be in this spot) who throws the ball hard. Second, he basically encapsulates the American idea of being bigger and better with his domination of other pitchers: Oh, you’ve got a good slider? Clayton’s is better. You got a good curveball? Clayton’s is better. You pitch a no-hitter and give up walks? Pur-lease. There is no more dominant player in the game right now than Kershaw, and that’s why he’s an All-American here.
RELIEF PITCHER: JARED HUGHES (Pittsburgh Pirates) Born in Stamford, CT
This may seem a little bit left-field, given that Hughes is hardly as well known as the rest of the players on this list, but go with me. The reason that Hughes is on this list is that he is one of only two players (the other being Sergio Santos, who was nearly picked for this slot, but invalidated as he currently plays in Toronto) born on the Fourth of July! A guy born on Independence Day is surely the obvious choice to pitch in Relief for the All-American squad.
AdvertisementsThe foreign relations of The Islamic Republic of Mauritania have been dominated since independence by the issues of the Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara or Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) as well as recognition of its independence by its neighbors, particularly Morocco. Mauritania's foreign relations are handled by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and the good foreign minister is Ahmed Ould Teguedi.
History [ edit ]
Mauritania became independent from France in 1960. However, it did not join the United Nations until 1961 due to an initial veto by the Soviet Union. The Arab League disapproved of Mauritanian independence due to Morocco's ambitions for Mauritania. Eventually, Mauritania was admitted to the United Nations in 1961 in response by the Soviet Union to a favorable vote for Mongolia's admission in the same year. Mauritania did initially support France in Northwest Africa to counterbalance Morocco's ambition. By 1962, however, Mauritania turned away from wholesale support of France and began normalizing relations with its neighbors, eventually establishing diplomatic relations with Mali in 1963 through the Treaty of Kayes, Algeria and the United Arab Republic in 1964. In 1963, Mauritania joined the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which then caused Morocco to resign (Morocco did not recognize Mauritania until 1969). At this point, Mauritania, encouraged by the OAU and the Arab League, did not seek diplomatic relations with Apartheid South Africa, Israel or Portugal. Today, however, Mauritania has normalized relations with South Africa and Portugal, with the downfall of the Apartheid system in South Africa as well as the retreat from colonialism in Portugal.
Claims to Western Sahara territory [ edit ]
In 1976, when Spain withdrew from the Western Sahara, Mauritania annexed a third of it. Upon this, both Algeria and Morocco withdrew their ambassadors from Mauritania. The rebel Polisario group began raids on Mauritania in 1976 and lasted until 1979 when Mauritania withdrew its claims from the Western Sahara and recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as the sovereign government of the Western Sahara territory, though Morocco took control of the SADR because of Mauritania's withdrawal. Since this time, Mauritania has declared neutrality in the dispute, seeking a peaceful and expedient end to the conflict; diplomatic relations with Algeria and Morocco have resumed.[1]
Suspension of African Union membership [ edit ]
Following a military coup d'état in 2005, Mauritania's membership in the African Union was suspended "until the restoration of constitutional order in the country".[2] This left Mauritania diplomatically isolated within Africa, as it left Mauritania the only country on the African continent except Morocco without full membership in the African Union.[3]
In March 2007 democratic rule was restored in Mauritania, with presidential elections declared "free and fair" by international observers,[4] though after the 2008 coup membership was once again suspended.[5]
Relations by country [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]This Veterans Day, here's an idea for showing appreciation for the men and women who have served past and present:
If you meet a veteran or if you have veterans in your family, talk to them about their experiences. Actually engage them about that time. We can more deeply honor them by listening and truly understanding their sacrifices for this country.
And building connections can help bind us and remind us of our shared humanity. This country could use some of that right now. These personal stories — whether from decades ago or today — should matter to us all.
Duncanville teen Andy Fancher gets that. He's the 18-year-old who's recording the testimonies of veterans, mostly from World War II, to ensure their histories are preserved. In his free time, he's interviewed more than 50 so far for his YouTube documentary series and received well-deserved national attention.Section 10.27 of Circular 230 regulates fees charged by tax practitioners concerning matters before the IRS and restricts the use of unconscionable or contingent fees in tax-related representations. In general, these Comments discuss the provisions in § 10.27 addressing “contingent fees,” defined in § 10.27(c)(1) to include “a fee that is based on a percentage of the refund reported on a return, that is based on a percentage of the taxes saved, or that otherwise depends on the specific result attained.” In 2009, the Service and the Department of the Treasury proposed three clarifying changes to § 10.27, all of which we believe would be improvements.
As a general matter, however, we believe that § 10.27 remains too narrow in identifying circumstances when a tax practitioner may agree with a client to be compensated based on the result obtained in a tax matter. We believe that § 10.27 should permit tax practitioners to charge a result-based fee (in whole or in part) in matters before the Service when the taxpayer’s position will be transparent and subject to direct scrutiny by the Service. These cases would include requests for private letter rulings, claims for refund and the like. Moreover, we believe that one of the proposed changes to § 10.27 may have the unintended consequence of prohibiting a relatively common practice, which is an agreement between a tax practitioner and a client, in determining the final fee in a tax matter, to consider the tax result attained. In addition, because the definition of “contingent fee” in § 10.27(c)(1) significantly differs from the common understanding of that term, we believe the title of § 10.27(b) should be changed to minimize confusion; we recommend that the word “Contingent” in both the title of § 10.27(b)(1) and in the defined term in § 10.27(c)(1) be changed to “Prohibited” and that conforming changes be made in the text of § 10.27(b) and 10.27(c)(1).
Finally, we urge the Service and Treasury to repeal the “120-day rule,” which currently prohibits a contingent fee in a matter if a claim for refund or amended return is filed more than 120 days following the commencement of an examination or a challenge to an original return.Traffic could be seen moving slowly around 12:30 p.m. through the stretch of I-94 near 84th Street that had been closed due to mud on the road. Credit: Mike De Sisti
Mud on the road near the Zoo Interchange forced the closure of part of the highway.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office tweeted at about 11:45 a.m. that Highway 45 southbound to I-94 eastbound had been closed because of a "mudslide." The closure was expected to last up to three hours.
The closure, however, appeared to be closer to 84th Street on I-94. Mud could be seen there coating the surface of the highway as crews worked to clean it up, but traffic had begun moving again through that stretch of highway as of 12:30 p.m.
Heavy rain had been hitting southeast Wisconsin in rounds Tuesday morning, with up to an inch in the National Weather Service's forecast for the day.
The closure at the Zoo Interchange came as crews were preparing to briefly shut down I-94 in both directions to string up a communication line that had been knocked down earlier in the morning by a construction vehicle.
That closure, between 68th Street and 84th Street, had been scheduled to happen at 11:30 a.m. and last 15 minutes, but it was been delayed until 12:30 p.m.The Right and Left Lung
Human lungs are divided into right and left lungs, and further subdivided into lobes. The right and left lung are not symmetrical, since your right lung has three lobes and your left lung has two. The lobes on both sides of your lungs are separated by fissures. The oblique fissure separates the largest lobe, the left upper lobe, or superior lobe, from the one below it. The lower is called the left lower, or inferior, lobe. The right lung's lobes are separated by the horizontal fissure, dividing the superior and middle lobe, and the oblique fissure, dividing the middle and lower lobe.
Lung and Heart
The left lung is a little smaller than the right lung, since your heart is a little left of center of your chest. The heart, found in between the left and the right lung, occupies some of the space where your left lung is found. The two-lobed left lung makes room for your heart. A diagram showing a cross section of the lung lobes and heart reveals the left lung partially surrounding the heart.
Further Lung Divisions
Lungs continue to subdivide, the lobes becoming lobules. There are about 130,000 lobules, measuring 3.5 millimeters across. Lobules, in turn, have smaller bronchi branching off of them. Bronchi continue to branch and finally end in a complex system of air sacs called alveoli, numbering three million. Tissue located there is so thin that it would take 50 layers laid on top of each other to attain the thickness of tissue paper. This is the where the gas exchange takes place and your blood becomes oxygenated. It only takes about one minute for all your blood to pass through the lungs when you are at rest.You take around 25,000 breaths each day, inhaling over 10,000 liters of air. Heart and lungs work together in close cooperation to maintain your blood at a properly oxygenated level.After a slew of top Republican lawmakers publicly disavowed the anti-tax pledge pushed by Grover Norquist, the lobbyist is pushing back. On CNN Monday, Norquist promised that he and the anti-tax group, Americans for Tax Reform, would "certainly highlight who has kept their commitment and who hasn't."
Two of the senators open to breaking their pledge not to raise taxes under any circumstances -- Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) -- are up for reelection in 2014. And Norquist stressed that lawmakers would face true accountability from their constituents.
"You're not having that argument with me," he said. "You made a commitment to your voters."
Although prominent senators have broken with Norquist over the tax pledge in the last week, several House Republicans have in the past attempted to distance themselves from the effort by arguing that they only meant to pledge for a two-year term, not for the remainder of their congressional careers. They argue that the current fiscal crisis demands a more balanced position to deficit reduction that cannot be achieved without putting new tax revenues on the negotiating table.
But Norquist says that Americans for Tax Reform make it clear to lawmakers that it is an extended commitment when they are getting ready to sign.
"It's not for a two-year period," he said. "It's explained to everyone when they sign, it's in writing with them when they sign, that it's a commitment for while you are in the House or while you are in the Senate. If you run for a different office, you take it again....[Rep. Steve] LaTourette (R-Ohio) once tried to make that case, and it doesn't pass the laugh test."
The anti-tax lobbyist, however, is not concerned that the recent statements from the likes of Chambliss and Graham will lead to a GOP reversal on tax hikes.
"No pledge-taker has voted for a tax increase," he said. "You've had some people discussing impure thoughts on national television."
To see which lawmakers have reversed their positions on the anti-tax pledge -- and who could be at the receiving end of Norquist's campaign -- check out the slideshow below:Save this picture! Courtesy of University of Washington Department of Architecture website, http://arch.be.washington.edu/
In a posthumous 1990 essay “A Black Box: The Secret |
APA left and Truex lost his ride.
The New Jersey native landed at Furniture Row, a single-car team from Denver, last year. But there was no success to be found.
He suffered through the worst year of his career, finished 24th in the standings and looked like an absolute non-factor. At the same time, longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and Truex struggled to balance his personal and professional life.
This year, though, there was magic to be found. Furniture Row blossomed with new crew chief Cole Pearn, and Truex opened the season with top-10 finishes in 14 of the first 15 races – including a stirring victory at Pocono Raceway in June.
A summer slump made Truex drop off the radar, but he showed signs of strength again once the Chase started. He didn’t finish worse than 15th in any of the races leading to Homestead, and that turned out to be enough to advance through each elimination round on points.
It’s also been a positive year for Pollex, who has just three more chemotherapy treatments in her battle to beat cancer. She and Truex are some of NASCAR’s most philanthropic people, and their annual Catwalk for a Cause event – featuring children with cancer – is one of the highlights of the NASCAR calendar.
Now, the couple will be able to toast to good health, a turnaround year for both – and a championship.
Kevin Harvick, 2015 Sprint Cup Series champion
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – In the end, the fastest car won. Again.
Kevin Harvick made it two straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, capping off a season in which he typically showed up at the track as the car to beat.
Though Harvick only had three wins entering Homestead, he could have had four, six — maybe even eight more. He compiled an astonishing 12 second-place finishes prior to Homestead – the most of any driver since Bobby Allison in 1972 — while crushing his previous career highs for top-five finishes, top-10s and laps led.
It was a much more dominating season than in his first championship run, which came during his debut season at Stewart-Haas Racing. Paired with crew chief Rodney Childers, the No. 4 was the favorite entering the championship weekend — and the season itself.
But to pull off a repeat, Harvick had to be fast enough to avoid the many pitfalls that come with the Chase for the Sprint Cup. A playoff that has often turned wacky and wild took out many contenders through odd circumstances, but it somehow couldn’t prevent Harvick from winning for a second straight year.
Harvick’s Chase this time was far less smooth than his first championship year. He opened the Chase by getting crashed by Jimmie Johnson, then punching the six-time champion during a conversation in the driver motorhome lot.
The next week, he dominated at New Hampshire Motor Speedway but ran out of gas and left without comment. That left Dover International Speedway, where he again dominated and scored the victory in a must-win situation – only to be accused by competitors of intentionally damaging his car during the celebration.
At Talladega Superspeedway three weeks later, Harvick’s engine was about to blow up on a green-white-checkered restart. But just when it looked grim, Harvick triggered a multi-car crash – some drivers said intentionally – to end the race and preserve his spot in the next round.
But it still wasn’t easy. At Texas Motor Speedway, he had to drive the last 100 laps holding a broken shifter in place with one hand. That summed up his Chase overall: Managing to perform despite facing more adversity than most other drivers.
In the end, Harvick made it through to Homestead and was able to perform in a high-pressure situation yet again. The 39-year-old might be known as “The Closer,” but he should also be known as Mr. Clutch.
Jeff Gordon, 2015 Sprint Cup Series champion
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Jeff Gordon’s mere presence as a contender in NASCAR’s championship race was a fairy tale in itself – not only for Gordon and his team, but for NASCAR and its fans.
As everyone knows, not all fairy tales have a happy ending. But this one did.
Gordon became a member of the most exclusive club in sports on Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, joining the likes of John Elway and Ray Lewis as legends who went out on top, retiring from their sport as champions.
But Gordon’s achievement on an individual level might be even more impressive. In some ways, it’s the ultimate mic drop.
Fourteen years after the “Drive for Five” began, Gordon is finally a five-time Sprint Cup Series champion. He crossed the finish line first among four Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers in NASCAR’s championship race, electrifying a sold-out crowd filled with people who traveled from all over the country to see Gordon’s last race.
Homestead was already going to be a celebration of Gordon’s career and legacy. A certain Hall of Famer and one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers ever, Gordon helped take the sport to new heights on a national level with his personality and marketability.
Now it’s a celebration of all that and more – and unlike Gordon’s career, the party isn’t going to end any time soon. This is probably the greatest feel-good moment in NASCAR since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway, just months after his father was killed at the same track.
Certainly, the other drivers will be disappointed to come up short. But everyone knew how big it was to be part of Jeff Gordon’s last race. Kyle Busch repeatedly referred to Gordon as his childhood hero this week; Kevin Harvick said he was holding back from his normal head games out of respect to Gordon.
In terms of larger-than-life personality and character, Gordon might only be matched by Richard Petty — whose own final race was Gordon’s first.
As Gordon’s career wound down this season, there was debate over his greatest achievement. Most settled on a victory in the inaugural Brickyard 400, or perhaps the four titles.
But what just happened at Homestead might top them all.
“I mean, that’s life‑changing,” Gordon said Friday when asked about the mere possibility of winning the title. “I’m sure it’s been done in some sport, but I don’t think it’s ever been done in this sport.
“That’s too much for me to think about. I have no idea. It would be the best one I ever did, I can tell you that.”
Pinch yourself, NASCAR nation. Now it’s real. As it turns out, some dreams do come true.
2014
Joey Logano, 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Joey Logano’s nickname at one time was “Sliced Bread,” as in the best thing since.
But that moniker got moldy and was eventually dropped when the first four years of his NASCAR career made him look more like a bust than a budding star.
As of Sunday night, he doesn’t need to worry about a nickname anymore. Now Logano can simply be called “champion.”
Logano’s Sprint Cup Series championship, clinched by beating three other drivers in the first-ever winner-take-all finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, marks the first of many championships for the Team Penske driver.
He’s only 24 years old – the same age Jeff Gordon was when he won his first championship – but is already in his sixth full season. Drivers often seem to get better with age and experience, peaking in their late 30s.
That should frighten Logano’s competitors, because it means he probably has two decades of racing left if he stays healthy. With that much time, and with already so much talent, Logano could become the next Jimmie Johnson.
But first, he’ll have a championship to celebrate and a brand to build. This will elevate his profile, which is currently nonexistent beyond NASCAR circles. Logano wasn’t one of last year’s 10 most popular drivers and, despite major sponsors like Shell and Coca-Cola, isn’t a recognizable name in the sports world.
That should start to change now that he’s a NASCAR champion – and happens to occupy the demographic NASCAR seeks as well. Though Logano often hears boos during driver introductions due to past clashes with veterans such as Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, he’s actually an affable happy-go-lucky kid who can usually be found with a smile on his face.
Logano’s life is about to change, though. He’ll carry the mantle of champion into a busy offseason in which he plans to marry fiancée Brittany Baca on Dec. 13 (she picked the date 12/13/14 to make it easy for him to remember).
Legendary driver Mark Martin said Logano “can be one of the greatest that ever raced in NASCAR. I’m positive. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
That was in 2005. Logano was 15.
Nine years later, the champ is just getting started.
Denny Hamlin, 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – To win his first championship, Denny Hamlin just needed to Be Like Mike.
With friend Michael Jordan on hand for support, Hamlin exorcised his personal demons from choking away the 2010 title and won his first career NASCAR title Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, known to call his shot, repeatedly emphasized how confident he was in his car and ability at Homestead prior to Sunday’s race. But he wasn’t the favorite, since Hamlin had scored just one top-five finish in the Chase for the Sprint Cup prior to the finale.
Ultimately, Hamlin came through and delivered on a promise he made to Gibbs as a kid in 1992: He’d someday drive for JGR and win a title for the former football coach.
Thanks to Hamlin, Gibbs now has more Cup titles (four) than Super Bowl rings (three). And according to Hamlin, everyone should have seen this coming.
When NASCAR changed the Chase for the Sprint Cup format in January, Hamlin immediately decided the new rules were made for him.
He slid into a booth at his favorite restaurant, eyes poking from beneath a baseball cap, and laid out how his championship would happen. If he could survive the first two rounds, the third round – featuring some of his best tracks – would be almost a sure thing.
And then there was Homestead, which Hamlin said was perhaps his favorite track – even more than Martinsville Speedway.
Apparently, more people should have listened. That’s exactly how the championship unfolded – and now Hamlin can stop getting questions about whether he has the mental fortitude to deliver in a clutch situation.
After all, it was just four years ago when Hamlin coughed up a lead in the final race, letting the pressure get to him as Jimmie Johnson won the title instead.
This time, Hamlin was determined to relax and have fun. He told friends and family not to talk about racing but keep the conversations casual and light. He spent Saturday night at an early birthday dinner instead of locking himself in his motorhome.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old might not be done yet, either. He’s quietly been one of NASCAR’s top drivers since JGR plucked him from the Late Model ranks and then elevated him to Cup in 2006.
With a championship under his belt and the confidence to know what he can do under the new Chase format, Sunday’s championship might not be his only one.
Ryan Newman, 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion
(Note: I wrote this under the assumption that if Newman won the title, he wouldn’t do so by winning the race. I almost got burned on this one.)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The tortoise beat the hare.
Ryan Newman didn’t have the fastest car, the best team or the most resources this season. He didn’t have the statistics, either – no wins and just four top-five finishes entering NASCAR’s championship race.
But it was Newman, not his heavily-favored competitors, who emerged victorious Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion.
He is perhaps the most unlikely NASCAR champ ever, the result of a new system that was supposed to emphasize winning but instead produced the first winless champion in series history.
The merits of Newman’s title will be debated for years. But whether or not he was deserving in the traditional sense, Newman started the season under the same rules as everyone else – and beat them all.
Newman and his Richard Childress Racing team survived three elimination rounds — they used consistency to make it through – and then beat the faster cars of Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin straight up in the championship race.
Every other driver had the same opportunity as Newman, but he’s the one who pulled it off. In that sense, it’s not his fault that NASCAR has a winless champion; he did what it took to win the title.
But NASCAR should absolutely make a tweak to the format to ensure this situation never happens again. The best solution might be to say no winless driver can qualify for the four-driver championship race unless they’ve won at least one race by the end of the Eliminator Round.
That way, consistency can be rewarded for 35 races but it would stop short of letting a winless driver become champion.
Of course, that ship has sailed now. Newman is somehow NASCAR’s new champion, and everyone involved with the sport will have to take a closer look at how exactly this could have happened.Blackguards, Daedalic Entertainment's turn-based role-playing game, is now available for Windows PC and Mac via Steam, the company announced today.
Discounted to $35.99 and $53.99, the standard and deluxe editions are currently 10 percent off on Steam for the first week of launch. The deluxe edition includes Blackguards, 150-page artbook, soundtrack, digital World Map, developer interview diaries and six wallpapers.
The special edition is available from GOG for $40.49, while Green Man Gaming offers Blackguards for $39.99 and Blackguards: Deluxe Edition for $59.99 (25 percent using voucher GMG25-0YUM5-VKMVU).
Those who bought Blackguards via the Steam Early Access, which rolled out last November and last week, will receive an automatic update including the final version of the game.
Following player feedback collected during the game's Steam Early Access period, the full release of Blackguards will allow players to create their own characters from scratch. The customizable character patch will roll out with the game's release.
The strategy-influenced RPG was originally slated to launch in the third quarter of last year but was delayed to "ensure the highest quality, even if we tread on new ground," according to the Deponia developer. To learn more about Blackguards, check out the developer diary that explores how the designers dealt with rules usually associated with pen-and-paper games.Fake Hate. Muslim Woman Lied About Trump Supporters Attack – Admits She Made It All Up
FAKE HATE—
A Muslim woman who said she was attacked and robbed by vicious Trump supporters admitted she made the whole thing up.
The story made national headlines by the liberal media.
It was just another hoax.
Buzzfeed reported, via Religion of Peace:
A woman who claimed she was attacked and robbed by two men near the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, including one wearing a Donald Trump hat, made up the story, police said in a statement. The woman had alleged the men yelled obscenities at her and took away her wallet and hijab, a scarf sometimes worn by Muslim women, The Advertiser reported. Lafayette Police officials said in a statement the incident is no longer under investigation, the paper reported. “During the course of the investigation, the female complainant admitted that she fabricated the story about her physical attack as well as the removal of her hijab and wallet by two white males,” the statement reportedly read. Police did not immediately respond to a BuzzFeed News request for additional information.(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
By Tim Gray, Variety
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has approved a sweeping series of substantive changes designed to make the Academy’s membership, its governing bodies, and its voting members significantly more diverse. The Board’s goal is to commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020.
“The Academy is going to lead and not wait for the industry to catch up,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “These new measures regarding governance and voting will have an immediate impact and begin the process of significantly changing our membership composition.”
Related: Michael Caine on Oscars: ‘You Can’t Vote for an Actor Because He’s Black’
Beginning later this year, each new member’s voting status will last 10 years, and will be renewed if that new member has been active in motion pictures during that decade. In addition, members will receive lifetime voting rights after three ten-year terms; or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy Award. We will apply these same standards retroactively to current members. In other words, if a current member has not been active in the last 10 years they can still qualify by meeting the other criteria. Those who do not qualify for active status will be moved to emeritus status. Emeritus members do not pay dues but enjoy all the privileges of membership, except voting. This will not affect voting for this year’s Oscars.
At the same time, the Academy will supplement the traditional process in which current members sponsor new members by launching an ambitious, global campaign to identify and recruit qualified new members who represent greater diversity.
Related: Mark Ruffalo Calls America ‘Rife With White Privilege Racism’
The decision was made at an emergency board meeting Thursday night. Academy honchos, including president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and CEO Dawn Hudson, opted not to wait for the regularly scheduled board meeting on Jan. 26. The changes were announced Friday morning.
Also on Thursday, sources said the Academy met with ABC officials and reps of Chris Rock, confirming that he will host the Feb. 28 ceremony. Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and Will Smith said they will not attend. Some other activists had urged Rock to withdraw; he never addressed those directly, but insiders said he believes he can do more good by remaining, since the Academy Awards reach a worldwide audience.
After worldwide media criticism over the Jan. 14 Oscar nominations, Academy officials knew they had to make some bold moves, and make them quickly. The image of the Oscars and the Academy were tarnished when the all-Caucasian lineup of 20 actors immediately led to bigger questions about the lack of diversity within the Academy — and ultimately within the industry.
Related: Will Smith Says He Won’t Attend Oscars
Nobody was asking for quotas or affirmative action; instead, the protests were angry at Hollywood’s longtime failure to recognize racial and gender diversity in the country. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that non-whites constitute nearly 40% of the population. Yet studio decision-makers are overwhelmingly white and male, which is reflected in their films and especially their awards hopefuls.
Hudson and Boone Isaacs have helped champion a push to invite more diverse members; in June, the org announced invitations to a record 322 new members, representing a cross-section of the population. But with 6,261 voting members, the new additions apparently didn’t make much of a dent.
The Academy has 17 branches; actors nominate actors, editors nominate editors, and so on; the entire eligible membership votes on final Oscars.
Four days after the Jan. 14 announcement of nominations, Boone Isaacs issued a statement saying there would be “dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership.” She did not give details at the time.
Watch a supercut of every Best Picture winner ever:A good weekend for music productivity. Got some bass practice in on Saturday morning and read some of the March issue of Recording and got back to Fool Play on Sunday morning.
March’s segment of Recording’s First Steps series focused on selection of studio monitors. I’m beginning to lean towards just sticking with my stereo speakers at least while I’m making the demos of the songs. I really want to limit my spending at this point. I recently discovered that the “lite” version of the Ableton Live DAW software only allows 8 tracks, which I bumped up against when I was trying out some background vocals. Again, this will probably suffice for demos as I can mix down tracks if necessary.
One minor acquisition I must make is another instrument cable. As I have only been plugging my bass into my amp for quite a long time, but when I thought of putting a mic on my bass amp and playing along to the metronome on my keyboard, I realized I was a chord short (some people realized that about me long ago).
Here is a snippet of what I did manage to get down to “tape.” (I ended strumming acoustic guitar to the metronome and then playing bass to that.)
I think the vocals are starting to take shape (especially the second verse). I am struggling a bit with trying to fit in “Stop Your Quiet” before “Fool Play” in the chorus and am thinking of just leaving it out. Listening to it again, I realize I’ll need to practice a lot and I’m hearing a little Cat Stevens in it.
-Multi TrackerComing Out of the Temporal Closet
Packy McElroy Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 28, 2016
How to deal with aging by denying it’s even happening
This morning, as on December 28th every year, I found myself deeply triggered and bound in a strong-gripped fetal position on my bed as I listened to the eternal pinging of Facebook notifications on my phone.
My birthed-day had come.
For year-queers such as myself, it can be a particularly troubling day, emotionally, but really just another hellish reminder of the Calendro-normative constructs that dominate our society.
December 28th, 1987, the date I was birthed with, is really just another day for me; it wasn’t until I had met people born on February 5th, 1988 that I understood who I really was: a date-fluid, year-queer.
Let’s not forget many famous people including Jesus Christ — ever heard of him? — were calender-benders: biblical scholars in noting Jesus’ year of birth put it between 6 BC and 2 AD — even the Messiah couldn’t be forced to accept society's datist orthodoxy by nailing down a birthday.
This year, as I celebrate not my birthday but the day that was my birthday, the day I was birthed, my birthed-day, and also the day I decided to say “not today!” to today, I want to encourage other year-queers, trans-annos, cross-menses, and our anti-datist allies to come out of the temporal closet and join me and the thousands of older women and men who have been fighting this battle for generations; people who the mainstream call “liars” when they distort their “birth” birth year to reflect their true heterocontextuality.
My Aunt Diane has turned 43 for the last 12 years, and we are proud of her courage and support her wholly.
This year is also one of deep reflection as I look back on some of the losses in this community. May God rest the original year-queer, Zsa-Zsa Gabor who with the help of a legion of skilled Hollywood surgeons continually updated her birth year until her body was forced to give in to the oppressive cultural forces of aging.
But there is hope on the horizon, America has just elected a man who through a powerful combination of modern medicine, ancient alchemy, and deft styling-skills has halted the aging process completely and created a totally believable awesome haircut, which everyone buys is not a combover.
With a victory for visibility and new hope for the future of people who identify as year-queers, I can’t help but smile and say, “bring it on 2017. My birthday’s a-comin’ up!”
— — —
If you enjoyed this follow me on twitter and check out:
Rage Against the [Outrage] Machine
Why Delegitimizing Trump is a Bad Idea
Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?
Voter ID laws are not Racist
Nullification, the New NormThe Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is pushing on with its lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over the TSA's whole-body imaging scanners. The privacy group filed the suit in July asking for an emergency stay of the controversial program. The federal appeals court denied the request for a stay, but did allow the lawsuit to proceed. EPIC filed its opening brief this week, alleging that the machines' ability to take nakey scans of us violates the Fourth Amendment, the Privacy Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act, among others.
There are now hundreds of the machines in airports across the country. Those opposed are worried about both the privacy and potential health risks. EPIC wants the program halted for further review and is now joined in its lawsuit by "three frequent air travelers": notable security expert Bruce Schneier; human rights activist Chip Pitts, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations legal council Nadhira Al-Khalili.
One of the interesting claims in the current brief that was not included in EPIC's original request for a stay is the allegation of a violation of the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act. That would be the law passed by Congress in 2004 that is used, in part, to fight upskirt filming. The Act [PDF] prohibits the filming of private parts -- it makes an exception for cleavage -- when individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, even if they are in a public place.
The law specifies that it applies in "circumstances in which a reasonable person would believe that a private area of the individual would not be visible to the public, regardless of whether that person is in a public or private place." So if people know that their private areas are visible, does the law apply? If there are representational avatars instead of real naked people -- a software fix devised by scanner makers L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. and OSI Systems Inc. -- does it apply?
These questions and the constitutional privacy issues raised by the scanners will be hashed out soon enough. The government will be filing its reply brief by December 1, and then the case should move on to oral arguments. If the court were to rule in EPIC's favor, the TSA will have to "revise its airport screening program so that it complies with federal law," says EPIC president Marc Rotenberg.
Chip Pitts, co-plaintiff in the suit, argued on a press call today that, if nothing else, the program needs a deeper investigation. "We're sleepwalking into a surveillance society," Pitts said.
For full disclosure: I was the emcee at EPIC's 2010 Privacy Awards Dinner in May, though I did not make any jokes about full body scanners.One of my goals in my project was to create a colour selector, which has many features but uses little space. However it’s hard to select a colour, if the chooser is small, because 1. it’s small and 2. a small chooser with view pixels cannot show all colours.
I approached this from two sides: a space efficient and configurable layout, so that the user can select whichever size fits him best and an optional zoom, so that the user can make the widget small and yet simply make the chooser bigger, if he needs it.
Edit2:
The colour patches below the selectors represent common colours from the image and on the right there will be a history of last used colours..
So here are some screenshots, on how it looks like currently.
This is a ‘big’ layout,
‘small’ and space efficient,
a popup with a bigger selector,
and finally a page from the settings window.
Not all of the settings are connected already, the colour selector (triangle in the images) is just a dummy and the whole thing is not connected to the painting colour.
But I hope to get some comments on the layouting, maybe some more ideas and so on. I’ve just enabled building of this plugin in trunk, if you want to test it, you probably also have to enable this docker in settings menu -> dockers -> Color Selector Ng.
Edit:
This is still work in progress, next steps will be to gather some comments on usability, refine layouting and move on to implement pigment, colour selectors and so on. It’s not even half time of GSoC 🙂VTJRaen Profile Blog Joined July 2011 United Kingdom 235 Posts Last Edited: 2013-06-12 14:31:10 #1
GameShop's UCAP & Mythology Open Monthly Tournament
Welcome to the new tournament starting at 19:00 CET on the 5th of July 2013. This tournament will allow anyone in Diamond league or higher to sign up and potentially win money from our 75 euro prize pool. We are very excited to bring you this tournament, including players from two semi-professional clans who are well established in the Starcraft II scene.
We have a great broadcast lined up from Mythology's very own Jesse “VocTer” Raen, whose previous works include the WCS EU qualifiers and the EMS RaidCall Team League, and BelleNoirTV who works tirelessly to provide the European scene with entertaining streams and community casts, as well as travelling to offline events such as the Dutch Starcraft League where he worked alongside known WCS EU commentators Lyrlian & Madals.
The prize pool, provided by GameShop, is split as follows:
3rd - €10
2nd - €15
1st - €50
Prizes will be given through PayPal right after the results (no more than 30 minutes delay) by our admin.
Map pool is simply the current ladder maps:
Akilon Wastes (2)
Bel'Shir Vestige LE (2)
Derelict Watcher TE (2)
Neo Planet S LE (2)
Newkirk Precinct TE (2)
Korhal Sky Island LE (4)
Red City LE (4)
Star Station (4)
Whirlwind LE (4)
Admins: MythOdin and Gensai
Channel: GameShopOpen on Battle.net
Casters: BelleNoirTV and MythVocter
Binary Beast link:
Visit the teams working to provide this tournament:
http://www.ucap-esports.co.uk/
http://clan-myth.com/
GameShop's UCAP & Mythology Open Monthly TournamentWelcome to the new tournament starting at 19:00 CET on the 5th of July 2013. This tournament will allow anyone in Diamond league or higher to sign up and potentially win money from our 75 euro prize pool. We are very excited to bring you this tournament, including players from two semi-professional clans who are well established in the Starcraft II scene.We have a great broadcast lined up from Mythology's very own Jesse “VocTer” Raen, whose previous works include the WCS EU qualifiers and the EMS RaidCall Team League, and BelleNoirTV who works tirelessly to provide the European scene with entertaining streams and community casts, as well as travelling to offline events such as the Dutch Starcraft League where he worked alongside known WCS EU commentators Lyrlian & Madals.The prize pool, provided by GameShop, is split as follows:3rd - €102nd - €151st - €50Prizes will be given through PayPal right after the results (no more than 30 minutes delay) by our admin.Map pool is simply the current ladder maps:Akilon Wastes (2)Bel'Shir Vestige LE (2)Derelict Watcher TE (2)Neo Planet S LE (2)Newkirk Precinct TE (2)Korhal Sky Island LE (4)Red City LE (4)Star Station (4)Whirlwind LE (4)Admins: MythOdin and GensaiChannel: GameShopOpen on Battle.netCasters: BelleNoirTV and MythVocterBinary Beast link: http://binarybeast.com/xHotS1306124 Visit the teams working to provide this tournament: Multiplay eSports Co-Ordinator
JayPower Profile Joined March 2011 Netherlands 171 Posts #2 This is going to be awesome! Jaypowersc2.com for Guides, Videos, Replays and Coaching
Ceonsamea Profile Joined April 2011 United Kingdom 21 Posts #3 Awesome! :D
BelleNOiR Profile Joined April 2011 Czech Republic 165 Posts #4 Damn right this is going to be awesome! I mean c'mon: They have the super-VocTer and some other dude I hear is decent casting this event. How could it end up NOT being awesome! :D "Storm first, ask questions later." - BelleNOiR 2012
CLNNN Profile Joined January 2011 United Kingdom 41 Posts #5 Good luck! : D
Goedebuur Profile Joined June 2011 Netherlands 3 Posts #6 Sweet gonna sign up!
TeCH_TT Profile Joined October 2011 Germany 63 Posts #7 Allready good players signed up!
This is gonna be fun. Thx to UCAP and Mythology at this point.
Lokter Profile Joined July 2012 United Kingdom 7 Posts Last Edited: 2013-06-21 23:35:30 #8 Gonna be a great tournament. Owner of UCAP eSports.
VTJRaen Profile Blog Joined July 2011 United Kingdom 235 Posts Last Edited: 2013-07-05 14:22:55 #9
With some already notable players signed up to compete (including Complexity's qxc, Greek national champion Giselher, Mythology's JayPower & Quantic's MaSsan) the first of GameShop's monthly tournaments looks set to be a tough fight for the €75 prize pool.
A live broadcast WILL be provided on
This is an incredible opportunity for any players at Diamond level or above to test their skills in Heart of the Swarm and potentially walk away with both an increased fanbase and a portion of our prize pool. You won't want to miss out on this. Sign-up link: http://binarybeast.com/xHotS1306124 With some already notable players signed up to compete (including Complexity's qxc, Greek national champion Giselher, Mythology's JayPower & Quantic's MaSsan) the first of GameShop's monthly tournaments looks set to be a tough fight for the €75 prize pool.A live broadcast WILL be provided on www.twitch.tv/mythodin and is set to feature Mythology's VocTer (Known for his work in the UK with GameSocialTV) and BelleNOiR (Known for his work at the Dutch Starcraft League Finals & his various livestream shows) starting at 8pm CEST.This is an incredible opportunity for any players at Diamond level or above to test their skills in Heart of the Swarm and potentially walk away with both an increased fanbase and a portion of our prize pool. You won't want to miss out on this. Multiplay eSports Co-Ordinator
goswser Profile Blog Joined May 2009 United States 3506 Posts #10 Cool, just heard about this and signed up say you were born into a jungle indian tribe where food was scarce...would you run around from teepee to teepee stealing meat scraps after a day lazying around doing nothing except warming urself by a fire that you didn't even make yourself? -rekrul
Aviend Profile Joined March 2012 Finland 23 Posts #11 Expecting sick good games tonight!I took my first ride in a self-driving car yesterday. It was during the grand opening of Intel’s Advanced Vehicle Lab in San Jose, Calif. Automotive supplier Delphi used some Intel electronics and other tech to retrofit an Audi SUV into an autonomous vehicle. I piled into the back with a couple of other journalists and we took a two-mile drive through real Silicon Valley traffic.
We had a safety driver who could take over the car in case of emergency. But once we were out on the road, the driver pressed a button and the self-driving software took over. The car’s display showed what the vehicle’s artificial intelligence and vision system could see, based on data coming in from 26 different sensors. I could see other cars as gray objects and possible routes in green. The sensors can generate 45 terabits of data per hour, and they help the car generate its “world view,” or the area around it.
The sensors included cameras on all sides, Lidar (light detection and ranging), and radar. The Lidar shows you what’s around the immediate vicinity, and the sensed objects, such as cars or pedestrians, show up on the screen. On the screen, you can also see the color of the traffic signal, even if it happens to be obscured from your view. That’s because the traffic lights on the test route were outfitted with dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), which allow the signal to wireless broadcast the status of the signal to the sensors in the car.
Image Credit: Dean Takahashi
The car took off just like one controlled by a human driver would. It made decisions quickly, and it pulled off a perfect lane change a couple of times, though it actually moved into the right turn lane more quickly than I would have done. When we turned into a street that had no lane markers the car wasn’t confused about where the lanes were. Overall, it was a fairly complex route, with plenty of signals and traffic. Not once did the car make me worry about my safety.
The car picked up speed limit changes on the signs, and it adjusted its speed accordingly. All the processing took place in the vehicle, and our driver never had to put his hands on the wheel. The route wasn’t preprogrammed, though the car did have a couple of waypoints it had to reach. Beyond that, it figured out the best route on its own. The autonomous car wasn’t overly cautious, and it felt very human in that way. The demo was flawless.
Intel is testing a bunch of cars in the lab in San Jose. Jack Weast, chief systems architect for autonomous driving solutions at Intel, said that the multiple redundant sensors are necessary because you need to have the right tool for the job. You can’t build a house with just a hammer, and you need multiple sensors and a variety of processors to handle the tasks of a self-driving car.
Image Credit: Dean Takahashi
“It’s quite an interesting data challenge because there are lots of different kind of sensors with different kinds of processing,” Weast said.
A fully autonomous car could require 10 cameras, five Lidars, and 10 radars. With all those sensors, a single autonomous car can generate 4 terabytes a day of data, Weast said.
You can connect to cellular or Bluetooth networks. Over time, Intel wants to bring 5G wireless networking into the car. That could bring tremendous speeds of multiple gigab |
. Stay tuned as we announce a new presenter soon.
What about all the triple j Specialist Shows? Glad you asked - all your favourite presenters will be back in 2018 to share their passion and flex their genre expertise.
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Nkechi Anele covers all things blues, reggae, roots, world beats, alt country, and folk on Roots ‘n All
covers all things blues, reggae, roots, world beats, alt country, and folk on Roots ‘n All Lochlan Watt keeps it loud on triple j’s home of heavy music, The Racket
keeps it loud on triple j’s home of heavy music, The Racket Josh Merriel touts the latest, greatest punk, hardcore, ska, and emo sounds on short.fast.loud.
touts the latest, greatest punk, hardcore, ska, and emo sounds on short.fast.loud. Hau Latukefu bumps you the best local and international gear on the Hip Hop Show
bumps you the best local and international gear on the Hip Hop Show The Aston Shuffle’s Vance and Mikah have you got your good vibes covered on Friday Night Shuffle
have you got your good vibes covered on Friday Night Shuffle Kristy Lee Peters infuses your Saturday night with non-stop mixing, mash-up mayhem on House Party
infuses your Saturday night with non-stop mixing, mash-up mayhem on House Party Shantan Wantan Ichiban soundtracks your after-hours with club joints and dirty grooves on The Kick On
soundtracks your after-hours with club joints and dirty grooves on The Kick On Andy Garvey will get down producing the best dance DJ sets from Aussies and overseas acts for Mix Up
will get down producing the best dance DJ sets from Aussies and overseas acts for Mix Up Tim Shiel will find you brave and creative sounds and electronic music to fall in love with on Something More
triple j Unearthed radio will continue to highlight the best new Aussie music 24/7 in 2018, including its popular music discovery programs Tops, Amped, and Handpicked. Double J Radio has some big changes in 2018, not just Zan on Mornings - find those details at Double J here.
triple j’s 2017 regular programming will finish up on Sunday 17 December but we've got a wealth of summer programming for you to enjoy until we start up again on Monday 8 January, with programs from Alex Dyson, Bridget Hustwaite, Sally & Erica, and more.STORY
Capsule is a short science fiction drama following the story of Michael Harper, a construction worker, contracted on planets far from home. We join Michael as he is left falling through space in an escape capsule, heading for a crash landing on Jupiter's moon Europa. He is rapidly descending in to the planet's atmosphere and we follow him through his own personal and psychological journey, aided only by the comforting guidance of an emergency operator. Throughout the story, Michael is left questioning all aspects of his life as he looks back over his past and considers his future.
Still from our test shoot
WHAT IS THE FILM?
Capsule is the graduation film from Staffordshire University Filmmaker, Simon Hill. Written as a one room, science fiction drama, it is an extremely ambitious production for a student film. This is combatted by our fantastic crew; combining current and graduated students from the Media (Film) Production course. To allow us to have full control over how the film looks, we have built the set from scratch. Taking influence from such films as Alien and creating a mechanical and gritty feel to reflect the story.
Still from test shoot with front panel taken out
The script is a collaboration between Simon Hill, Kieran Sadler and Jonathan White, using their love for and knowledge of science fiction film, to create a story that draws the audience in and connects them with the character leaving a lasting impression. Taking inspiration from films that have done similar, such as Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Pandorum and Moon, we have taken the element of isolation and reflection of past events to create a great atmosphere to the film. Like many science fiction films, Capsule is designed to take the audience through an intense story line, being trapped and also the human aspect of Michael. We intend to intensify all of this with strong sound design, enhancing the atmosphere.
CAST
To play the role of Michael, we have cast Mark Drake, a fantastic and versatile actor from london who has recently starred as a tortured slave in HBO's 'Game of Thrones', along with other various short films and TV Programmes.
Mark Drake
Due to his impressive short film background, he was the perfect choice for the role. Through taking on the role of Michael, Mark has thrown himself in to developing his character through talking to ex RAF personnel about emergency radio etiquette, to further accentuate the film's realism. We are looking forward to working with Mark and seeing him bring the character to life.
Mark Drake in HBO's Game of Thrones
OUR TEAM
The Crew is made up of talented individuals who have worked together on many short films which have gone on to be screened at festivals around the world. Their involvement will allow for the vision of the film to be realised, creating a visually striking and compelling film.
WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?
So where does your lovingly invested money go to?
Production Design - Props and materials to bring the futuristic vision to life.
Equipment rental - Although Staffordshire University supports us with equipment for free, we will have to rent additional lighting and grip equipment to allow for the cinematography to be the best it can be, which includes renting lenses to take the film to another level.
Catering - We have talented people working on this film for free, but we still have food expenses, a well fed crew is an efficient crew.
Film festivals and Promotion - Once finished we would like to send the film out to as many festivals as we possibly can, to get it seen by as many people as possible. We would also like to create some promotional material for the film, to allow us to spread the film more effectively.
Find out more at - facebook.com/capsulefilmBy Matt Treon
In 1995, in the inner-city Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood crossed by E. 99th Street and St. Clair Ave., five young hip-hop musicians followed up their hit single “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” with their internationally successful LP E. 1999 Eternal. The title paid tribute to the street corner frequented by the rappers, as well as their mentor, the late Easy-E. and produced the anthemic “1st of tha Month” and the groove-heavy lament “Tha Crossroads.” E. 1999 Eternal confirmed the arrival of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony as a hip-hop group entering the game on a mission to change it.
With a sound shaped by an industrial urban landscape in the heart of the American Midwest — itself an intersection of classic hip-hop sounds from the East and G-funk creeping in from the West —Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s game-changing album mixed styles from both coasts. But the group also added in darker goth-like tones as well as gospel-styled modes. From the jump, the group’s musical signature came from blending rapid-fire rhymes with a soulful delivery style, often as melodic as it is rhythmic. Each member had a distinct delivery style, collectively covering a huge tonal range, yet the entire Bone family seemed to possess the distinctive BTNH rap-melody blend to near-equal degree.
“Rappers laying down tight verses, then mixing in a chorus with a melodic hook had already become standard when it came to arranging a great track, but we came on the scene and cut the seams out, showing everyone we could do both ourselves, and changed the sound of rap,” said Stanley Howse, better known as Flesh-N-Bone, during a recent interview with The Marquee. “In the beginning, we hit with a style that was all our own.”
Now, twenty years after the group dropped E. 1999 Eternal, the original five members are consciously pulling the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony plug with what will be their final album, E. 1999 Legends.
This year, employing a similar business model to the one hip-hop guru RZA cooked up for Wu-Tang, BTNH will press only one copy of E. 1999 Legends and sell it to the highest bidder, with an opening bid of $1,000,000. Unlike RZA’s plan, however, BTNH will hand off the master copy of their final album with the intention of its buyer obtaining distribution rights as well. “Things’ve changed since 1995,” Flesh said, laying out the group’s plans, “and there’s no reason to do things the old way just because, you feel? It’ll be an experiment, but we also want to make sure all of our fans get to hear our final cut. We don’t want it to just die in one person’s hands, or just sit on some rich dude’s shelf.”
Hip-hop is rooted in tradition, but also thrives on innovation, and according to Flesh, “innovation has always come from the use of technology and ways of doing business, as well as music.”
In addition to side-stepping the standard distribution model the group will make E. 1999 Legends a double LP with sides A/B consisting of tracks cut by the five original members, and sides B/C focusing on collaborations with a large cast of hip-hop characters including K. Lamar, A$AP Mob, and others as potential participants. Flesh even hinted at the possibility of an unreleased Easy-E track making its way out of the archives.
The album also promises to provide a culturally significant close to the group’s hip-hop tenure. In an age when so many artists seem to limp around on cultural life support, not really putting out anything new (or at least not anything of lasting value), this sort of exit is itself worth note. “We want to go out clean,” Flesh said. “But it’s also a way to expand. We’ve all got our hands in different types of entertainment, working in film, other musical outfits, business ventures, and now we’ll be able to move in new directions, but also expand the larger Bone brand. We’re musicians first, but we’ve also created a business that feeds our families. Hip-hop is great because you can try and take the stage and bring some new music to the scene, or you can work as an engineer in a studio, and so many people can put food on the table, paid for by rap music,” Flesh said, a telling sound of gratefulness and pride coming through in his voice.
This year, along with setting E. 1999 Legends in motion, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony plan to embark on a massive world tour. But first, in Denver, the group will take the stage to perform the original, legendary E. 1999 Eternal in its entirety for the first time ever as a way to light it up one more time before they shut it down. It’s one hell of an exit. “We’re going to bring it back to the beginning,” Flesh said, “and hit the tracks where the world first heard of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.”
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Fillmore Auditorium January 17
Recommended if you Like:In one corner, we have an international, orbital laboratory that cost over $150 billion to build and operate. In the other, a $23 billion and growing program to develop a huge new deep-space rocket and spacecraft to carry humans to the moon and beyond. Now, they will face off in a Darwinian struggle for survival, unless US lawmakers can find a third way.
“About half of the current [NASA] budget is allocated to low-Earth orbit endeavors which consist of the International Space Station, commercial cargo, and commercial crew,” a former NASA and Lockheed Martin executive, A. Thomas Young, told US lawmakers in February. “The other half of the budget is for human exploration which includes [the Space Launch System rocket] and Orion [spacecraft]. A $4.5 billion annual budget is clearly inadequate for a credible human exploration program. A choice must be made and made soon between [low-Earth orbit] and exploration.”
The decision won’t be made this year. Though there was an astronaut in the oval office as a beaming president Donald Trump signed a bill March 21 to fund NASA through 2018, it didn’t bring the government any closer to launching humans to the ISS, much less to distant planets.
“This bill changes almost nothing about what NASA is doing,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, an advocate of Martian exploration, occasional Trump advisor, and NASA contractor, wrote on Twitter. “Existing programs stay in place and there is no added funding for Mars. Perhaps there will be some future bill that makes a difference for Mars, but this is not it.”
A false choice?
Most independent experts share Musk’s view that the budget does not meaningfully change the balance Young described between supporting the ISS and its commercial programs, and funding the deep-space exploration budget.
The bifurcation exists because the attempt to replace the retired Space Shuttle with a new US -government rocket built with traditional contracting methods was cancelled by the Obama administration after going over budget and falling behind schedule. Embarrassingly dependent on Russia to access the space station, the US pushed money toward faster and cheaper commercial programs to ferry cargo and then astronauts to ISS, sometimes referred to as the ”space taxi” program, while repurposing the cancelled rocket’s technology toward deep space exploration in the form of SLS and Orion.
In the last decade of shrinking US government budgets, a zero-sum dynamic has emerged that has hindered both efforts. SpaceX and Boeing’s efforts in the ISS “space taxi” program have faced delays due to underfunding, while the current budget for SLS and Orion contemplates just two flights by 2021. That’s hardly the major exploration program anyone envisions, and one reason the Trump White House has pushed NASA to add astronauts to the system’s first flight.
There’s another way to look at the dilemma: it may be a false choice. The US government could decide to fully fund both programs. NASA officials like human exploration chief William Gerstenmaier say that ISS serves as an important testbed for the technologies needed to take humans beyond low-Earth orbit, even as they make clear that those exploration programs are their first priority.
“NASA’s predominant role should be to move to deep space, and take the private sector along with us to deep space, and to do that we need to relinquish the NASA role in low-Earth orbit,” Gerstenmaier said last week.
Trump, in his own way, has put his finger on why it has been so difficult for Congress to choose between fishing and cutting bait.
“The folks behind me have been so involved in it,” Trump said of the powerful lawmakers who had sponsored the NASA spending bill. ”They love NASA. They love everything it stands for and they love the people in their areas. You have a couple of areas that are going to be very much benefited by this…it’s a lot of jobs and these are great jobs.”
Dueling visions
The major contractors behind SLS and Orion, especially Boeing and Lockheed, have a long history of close cooperation and rich contracts with NASA, protecting this relationship with political support from politicians whose districts host their factories and design centers. The companies who operate more independently from government space programs, particularly SpaceX, have gained political clout in recent years with strategic investments, but still face a deficit of influence.
Yet the failure of the traditional contractor model to replace the Space Shuttle made clear the necessity of a new approach; Boeing’s decision to participate in the “space taxi” program reflects this reality. With multiple new heavy rockets expected from US companies in the coming years, the fear in traditional aerospace circles is that even the most extreme exploration missions will also be outsourced to cheaper rockets, just as NASA is attempting to do with flight to low-Earth orbit.
The newer space companies face a fear of their own: That the ISS will cease operations in 2024, as currently planned. They and some within the US government want to extend the station’s operation until 2028, in an effort to continue recouping the initial costs, continue scientific projects and because of its importance to commercial space. NASA’s ”space taxi” programs provide vital funding to SpaceX, Orbital ATK, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada Space Systems, while ISS play hosts to commercial companies ranging from space imagers to cubesat launchers to space hotel developers.
A path to transition
The leadership of the House science committee made clear what it thinks of that extension during a hearing on the future of the space station on March 22:
“It’s probably not too far a leap to say that the initial point of the hearing was to draw a contrast of SLS vs. ISS and the futures of each respective program,” says Phil Larson, a former Obama space advisor and SpaceX employee who now works at the University of Colorado. “And that’s why I think you saw the [witness list] at first not include any commercial spaceflight companies.”
After some pointed tweets, Eric Stallmer, the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, was added to the panel to make the case for an extension. His argument was that broader use of public-private partnerships at ISS could generate more revenue to offset operational costs. But he also made clear that supporting the operating costs of ISS after 2024 was not a task private industry is able to take on.
“The commercial sector is moving in the right direction [but] to fully privatize the station it would be difficult, you would need that expertise that NASA offers,” Stallmer said. “Fifty-fifty would be a great starting off point.”
That model may provide an opportunity for a third way between choosing deep space or low-Earth orbit. Another reason to delay the closure of the ISS might be increasing concern over other countries’ space ambitions, expressed by Texas representative Brian Babin as a fear of “turning over human presence in low-Earth orbit to China.”
Some excuse to earn or reallocate more funding may be necessary for the success of either program, as many lawmakers would rather have their cake and eat it too—the exact situation that has left both programs behind schedule.
“We have the commercial companies going to and from the International Space Station and we have NASA going out and exploring the heavens,” Florida senator Bill Nelson said after Trump signed the NASA spending bill. “And we’re going to Mars.”ONALASKA, Texas - Members of the Texas Game Warden dive team recovered the body of a male swimmer they say drowned during a triathlon.
Collin Campbell 27, was a passionate athlete with a powerful will to compete and win in one of the most grueling of physical tests -- the triathlon.
Friends called him completely driven and dedicated to giving all he had.
"I'm just completely shocked. I was just talking to Collin yesterday and I'm just really shocked," friend and neighbor Jay Biedenharn said.
But after 7:30 a.m. Sunday while competing in the swim portion of the Onalaska Half Distance Triathlon on Lake Livingston, investigators said Campbell suddenly disappeared about midway through the course on his way back to shore. Co-racers reported not seeing him ever leave the water.
The Texas Game Warden's Office was called to search the waters with side-scanning sonar, a device that can see images through deep water.
Before 5 p.m., divers with the game warden's dive team recovered Campbell's body in over 11 feet of water on the bottom of the lake.
After training intensely every day for five months with his team from PR Endurance Sports, Campbell was found dead on the bottom just beyond the midway point returning to shore.
PR Endurance Sports posted the news on its Facebook page, saying:
"It's with great sadness that we have to share this news. Today, we lost our teammate and brother Collin Campbell. Collin drowned during the swim at Onalaska 70.3. He was a strong swimmer, so this news was shocking to us all."
Always seen as a strong swimmer, friends of Campbell are stunned by what has happened.
"I'm just so sad. I just know he was working his butt off trying to do the best he could in this triathlon," Lauren Kennedy said.
A fellow triathlete took a photo of Campbell's bike after hearing news of the drowning.
Bike of man who drowned during triathlon
Game wardens first reported the possible drowning Sunday at the KOA Campgrounds.
Texas Game Wardens are responding to a possible drowning on Lake Livingston this morning. pic.twitter.com/75aQPTLKYe — Texas Game Warden (@TexasGameWarden) September 11, 2016
Campbell was the HOA president at The Villa 8 Shady Acres Community. He had competed in several triathlons in the past and had been training for this race for five months -- biking, running and swimming every day to get ready.
Campbell worked for GE Oil and Gas in sales.
An autopsy to determine exactly what happened to Collin in the middle of the water race is scheduled for Monday.
Copyright 2016 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.BOSTON -- The Bruins have placed forward David Krejci and defenseman Kevan Miller on long-term injured reserve, which allows general manager Peter Chiarelli to have salary-cap flexibility prior to Monday's trade deadline.
Placing Krejci (out four to six weeks with a partially torn MCL in his left knee) and Miller (out for the season due to right shoulder surgery) on LTIR gives Chiarelli an estimated $6 million to play with.
However, there's no imminent trade for the Bruins, a league source said.
If Chiarelli acquires a player or two before the deadline and Krejci is ready to return prior to the end of the regular season (which is still a possibility), the Bruins would have to be cap compliant. If Krejci does not return until the playoffs, any new players added to the Bruins' roster, along with Krejci, would be eligible for the playoffs, because the cap doesn't come into play for the postseason.
Krejci said this week he did not want to be placed on LTIR.
"This question is for management, but no, I don't want to sit out. I want to play, obviously," Krejci said. "If there's only a little chance I can play, I would like to play. Management has to do whatever they feel is right for the team and get our team into the playoffs. It's not an easy decision for them, but [Chiarelli has] been making good decisions since I've been here, so I'm pretty sure he's going to make the right one again."As noted here on Hit & Run last week and on FiveThirtyEight.com yesterday, there is no comprehensive national database of shootings by police. Though academics like David Klinger and Jim Fisher have been on the case for years, there hasn't been a coordinated effort to compile all the necessary data into one place, until now.
As part of its coverage of the unrest in Ferguson, MO, following the police shooting death of unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, Deadspin, the hugely popular Gawker Media-affiliated sports and pop culture website, is asking its readers to help crowdsource information on police shootings from 2011-2013.
For a few hours today, they were allowing their readers to update a Google doc spreadsheet, which proved unwieldly due to a limit on the number of concurrent users accessing the doc. They have since moved to soliciting info via a submission form on the site.
The expected beta-testing kinks aside, you can check out their submissions so far and see they're off to a pretty impressive start.
Hoping to avoid being deluged with redundant or inaccurate data, they have provided these guidelines:
Using Google's search tools, isolate a single day (e.g. Jan. 1, 2011, to Jan. 1, 2011) and search for the term "police involved shooting" (don't use quotation marks). Use Chrome's Incognito mode when searching to ensure you aren't getting local results.
Read each link on the first 10 pages of results; for any instances of shootings involving a police officer, log them in the spreadsheet.
We're looking at 2011, 2012, and 2013, and tracking date, name, age, gender, race/ethnicity, injured/killed, armed/unarmed, city, county, state, agency, number of shots, a brief summary, and a link to a story about the incident are to be filled out as best as possible given the information in all stories about the incident.
Before starting in, take a look at the submissions here and pick a day that no one has begun. Remember, we're starting off looking at just the past three years.
Often, the first day of reports will not have personal details, and a second search of subsequent days will fill in more of the story.
A later death, after a person is hospitalized in a police-involved shooting, is considered a death for our purposes.
We are looking for any incidence of a police officer shooting and hitting another person.
We are not looking for incidences of police officers discharging their weapons and hitting no one. In a perfect world these would be tracked, since often the only difference is that the shot missed, but these incidents are not as thoroughly reported and would probably bias the data.
Please keep the data as neat as possible. Work within specific months, make sure you're in the correct year, keep the columns clean and add peripheral information in the Summary portion, etc.
Considering the sheer volume of highly personal information the government collects and analyzes (often without consent), it is simply outrageous that the public has to struggle to find even the raw data tallying something as vital as government agents shooting citizens.
Deadspin's efforts at providing transparency on police shootings are a great example of public volunteerism stepping up to fill a void deliberately created by the government, which would rather not have this conversation.
Now, who will be the first to step up and crowdsource the data behind police shooting dogs?Iran's Parliament in Tuesday’s open session approved a single-article bill on JCPOA dubbed ‘Iranian Government's Reciprocal and Proportional Action.’ The bill indicates that the government within the framework of Parliament’s National Security resolutions can voluntarily implement the JCPOA on the condition that it complies with provisions and tasks set by the Parliament in the implementation process.
Paragraph 1 of the single-article bill prohibits the development or/and use of nuclear weapons according to Ayat. Khameni’s Fatwa: “According to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s Fatwa, no government in Iran is allowed to develop or/and use nuclear weapons, and the government is required to actively pursue the policy of global nuclear disarmament. It is also obliged to actively participate in all international, legal and diplomatic efforts for saving humanity from the threat of nuclear weapons and their proliferation by establishing zones free of weapons of mass destruction, particularly by forming a regional coalition to free the Middles East from nuclear weapons especially in regard to the nuclear disarmament of the Zionist regime.”
Article 2 stresses that mutual cooperation in the implementation of JCPOA must be respected.
With an emphasis on sanctions removal, Article 3 underscores the need for deterrence in the adoption of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
According to Article 4, projects in the field of nuclear development must be implemented in line with the commercialization and industrialization of Iran's nuclear activities in a 15-year period.
Article 5 points to redesigning of Arak Heavy Water Reactor. According to the Article, the other side must meet its obligations to redesign Arak Reactor concurrent with the fulfilment of commitments by Iranian side.
Article 6 of the bill prohibits the inspection of the Islamic Republic's military sites, unless it is conducted under supervision of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Article 7 focuses on the need for strengthening the country’s defensive power. According to the Article, the Armed Forces must be strengthened in terms of offensive and defensive missile in Air Force, Army and Navy.
Article 8 indicates lifting of sanctions on the first day of the implementation of the accord. It underlines that the government should take measures to inhibit adoption of any new sanctions against Iran.
Article 9 states that the assets released resulting from the implementation of JCPOA must be allocated to the resistance economy and prosperity of national production.
Note 1 of the single-article bill focuses on the need for Iran’s Foreign Ministry to present a report every six months on the implementation of JCPOA to the National Security Council.
The single-article bill was approved with 161 votes in favor, 59 against and 13 abstentions out of the 250 present lawmakers in Tuesday’s open session of the Parliament.
MS/2939387There’s something about Teesta Setalvad. It takes a lot of courage to take on a powerful government for ten long years. It calls for a lot of self-belief to pursue complex legal cases in the face of an unfavourably disposed state machinery. It takes real guts to wage an all-out war against dangerous communal elements. She has fought for the 2002 communal riots victims well and the activist has not stopped yet.
The verdict in the Naroda Patiya case is significant. It is for the first time the courts have held politicians guilty in a riots case. But the import of Teesta’s fight goes much deeper. But for Citizen for Justice and Peace, the organisation she represents, the rate of conviction in the riot cases would have been dismal. There have been more than a hundred conviction in different riot cases so far, a record in the country. She has revived the public faith in the Indian judiciary.
The Gujarat government would possibly have buried the riot cases silently and efficiently — in a repeat of 1984 Delhi riots cases — but for her forceful intervention. Before the Supreme Court directed a SIT probe into nine such major cases following an NHRC appeal, many of the accused were acquitted by the state’s lower courts. There was not enough evidence against them or the complainants changed their testimony. The police are alleged to have worked overtime in many instances to ensure that justice to riot victims was not only delayed but also denied.
Teesta’s presence on the scene has changed all that. Her forceful intervention along with other civil society groups made the Supreme Court ask the state to reopen as many as 2,108 riot cases which had been closed citing lack of evidence. The appeal from civil society groups, including that of Teesta’s, made Supreme Court ask the state to reopen as many as 2,108 riot cases which had been closed citing lack of evidence. The state police was forced to identify nearly 1,600 cases for reinvestigation. It made arrests besides launching investigations against 40 police officers for their failures.
In the Naroda Patiya case, after the local police registered several FIRs naming powerful accused, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch intervened and dropped the names. "Without the Supreme Court monitoring these cases, without protection to the witnesses, without legal aid to the victim-witnesses justice could not have been done," she mentioned, replying to a question during an online chat on the CNN-IBN website. She has set a trend in Gujarat which could be emulated by victims of riots everywhere in the country. She has made people aware that they could have trust in the judiciary and the judicial process. Both grind slow but grind finally.
For all practical purposes, she has been the face of the fight for justice of the victims of the communal violence of 2002. Not many in Gujarat love that, especially the rabid right wingers. She has been called a Congress stooge, a Left agent and other names. The BJP-inclined intellectuals have been detecting political designs in her anti-Narendra Modi posturing. But to her credit, she has managed to keep a straight face and carry on. The record of her activism reveals no pronounced bias though she could be termed more Left than the Left of centre. However, in Gujarat she has made her cause bigger than her ideology. The court verdicts reveal she is on the right track.
Her record, as her detractors would point out, has not been free from blemishes. In 2004, Teesta was accused of pressuring Zaheera Sheikh, the prime witness in the Best Bakery case, to twist statements and offering inducements for the purpose. However, she was cleared of the charge a year later. She was castigated by the Supreme Court for raising the communal riots cases with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. RK Raghavan, who headed the SIT probe into the riots cases, told the Apex Court that the rights activist has manufactured cases of horrendous killings and tutored witnesses to provide evidence on fake incidents.
But to her credit, Teesta has not faltered. If her efforts manage to nail more politicians, she could end up making Gujarat proud of its sense of fairness. Hate her, love her but you cannot deny there’s something special about her.
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SALT LAKE CITY -- Demand for a Utah company's bulletproof backpacks and even child-sized body armor has skyrocketed in the aftermath of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.
Amendment II has been in business for a couple of years now, selling its brand of lightweight armor called "Ryno-Hide" to police agencies and the military. They began putting sheets of the armor in children's backpacks a year ago.
"The concept came up as things happened at schools," Rich Brand, Amendment II's Chief Operating Officer, told FOX 13 on Tuesday. "Children need protection as well."
Brand said initially, they would only sell a handful of the backpacks and child-sized body armor at gun shows. The backpacks retail from $150-300. After the Newtown shooting that killed 20 children, the demand for the product skyrocketed. There has been so much demand, the company said, it has overloaded their website.
"Our armor was being bought to protect people, the 'preppers,' is the term," Brand said of those who would typically buy it for personal use. "At this point, it's transcended to everyone. Anyone who's sending out a child into the world, seeing what can happen now, they want to protect their children."
Brand insisted they did not seek to capitalize on the school shooting. Parents FOX 13 spoke with on Tuesday had mixed reaction to the idea of pint-sized body armor and bulletproof backpacks.
"Times are crazy right now," said Rene Salas. "People are shooting all the time, out of their mind."
Others said they believed it would instill more fear in children.
"I'd rather have an administrator or a teacher be armed and trained to handle situations like that if they were to occur," said Laron Zaugg. "But having a child always having to think about that and be prepared for that every day as they get ready for school would be way over the top."
Maryann Martindale, the executive director of the progressive think-tank Alliance for a Better Utah, questioned the necessity of such a purchase. Martindale, who owns a handgun, said she is not "anti-gun," but wanted to see a more reasonable approach to gun laws in the aftermath of last week's shooting.
"I think when these things happen we have the chance to ask ourselves tough questions," she said. "One of those is what kind of a society do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a society where we send our kids to school in Kevlar backpacks and arm our teachers? I think we create more chaos by responding that way.""We'll toil our way back to the front"
Spa-Francorchamps, Sunday 23 August
As predicted, the flat-out sweeps of Spa-Francorchamps proved difficult for the McLaren-Honda package, and we finished 13th (Fernando Alonso) and 14th (Jenson Button).
Both drivers made quick getaways, jumped a handful of cars, then ran to the flag using a three-stop strategy. An ERS deployment issue affected Jenson’s progress, meaning he lost touch with his team-mate. Fernando was able to make a little more initial headway, but an overall lack of pace meant he was also unable to outpace the cars around him.
FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-30-01
Started: 20th Finished: 13th Fastest Lap: 1m53.692s on lap 34 (+1.276s, 5th) Pitstops: Three: laps 8 (2.89s), 20 (4.70s) and 32 (3.00s) [Pri-Opt-Opt-Opt]
“That was a tough race and a painful weekend: we simply weren’t competitive today.
“My only fun came at the start – to start 20th and be 14th at the end of the first lap was a good feeling. After that, our overall pace wasn’t good enough, but at least we got both cars to the finish, so hopefully we can learn a bit for the next race.
“That’s just the way things are at the moment. Monza will also be difficult, but I’m sure we’ll have some better races after that.”
JENSON BUTTON, MP4-30-04
Started: 19th Finished: 14th Fastest Lap: 1m55.533s on lap 38 (+3.117s, 15th) Pitstops: Three: laps 11 (3.84s), 20 (4.12s) and 35 (2.87s) [Pri-Opt-Opt-Opt]
“From the early laps, I had a problem with the deployment from the ERS pack. I’d get deployment from it in different places now and again, but it was never really deploying and recovering as it should. It would cut immediately after Raidillon, for example, and then I’d have to rely on the ICE alone.
“That’s a lot of power to lose, and it meant I was driving the Kemmel Straight and the straight up to Blanchimont without any deployment at all. You can’t really do much in that situation.”
ERIC BOULLIER - Racing director, McLaren-Honda
“Of all the circuits on the current Formula 1 calendar, to this one is our car indubitably least suited.
“That being the case, it would be disingenuous indeed if we were to move to look askance at our finishing positions here today.
“Granted, to finish 13th and 14th on a circuit that has hosted 14 McLaren grand prix wins is unpropitious in the extreme, but splenetic we are not. Moreover, working shoulder to shoulder with Honda, we’ll work as assiduously as is humanly possible in an effort to make the progress necessary to toil our way back to the front.”
YASUHISA ARAI - Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport
“Obviously, it was a difficult race, even with the updates we brought to Spa.
“ |
innings with a 3.83 ERA this year, not bad at all for an inning eating reliever.
2014 was Petit’s breakout year, it was his first full season in MLB; prior to that point he had been up and down, including all of 2010 in the minors, then 2011 and most of 2012 in Mexico. He has been a long reliever and spot starter his entire career, one of his plus points is that to keep his place as the 25th man on the roster he is happy to start a game with little notice and come in to pitch in relief after sitting for ten days. 2015 was the first year when nearly all of his appearances were out the pen, he only had one start.
Despite struggling to stay in MLB Petit’s career highlights would be pretty high on most pitcher’s resumes.
In 2009 he had a no-hitter broken up in the 8th and finished with a one hitter.
In 2012 Petit became the only player to have played on a Little League World Series winner and an MLB World Series winner (despite not making a playoff appearance). (This is via Wikipedia, can this possibly be true?)
In 2013 he had a perfect game broken up with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, getting the complete game shut-out.
In 2014 he retired 46 straight batters in 15.1 perfect innings, an MLB record.
. Also in 2014 he pitched 6 innings of the infamous 18 inning disaster at Nats Park, winning the game by limiting the Nats to one hit and zero runs.
He followed that up with three scoreless innings and a win in the ALCS, and a scoreless appearance and a win in the World Series before finally allowing two runs in his fourth playoff appearance.
One concern is that most of those accomplishments were done in AT&T Park, possibly the most pitcher friendly ballpark in MLB. Another is that as a long reliever he does get to bat on occasion, he has a.045 career batting average, zero walks, and zero extra base hits in 121 plate appearances.
Petit was non-tendered by the Giants after a less consistent 2015, he was cut in order to clear roster space for younger relievers rather than based on the about $3 million he would have been owed via arbitration. He chose the Nats because of their recent history of making the playoffs and because he knows Ramos, Lobaton, Perez, and Kelley.
Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon did pitch for the Nats last year, but he was signed late in the season so many fans might not be familiar with him yet. He is a 35-year-old righty who grew up in Louisiana. He is due $11 million for 2016 based on agreeing to a $2 million pay cut to come to the Nats. Papelbon has also pitched for the Red Sox and the Phillies, he is the career saves leader for both teams.
2015 was an off year for Papelbon in the saves department, only 24, down from his usual numbers in the mid 30s. He pitched 63 innings in 59 games for a very nice ERA of 2.13, even better than his career average of 2.35. Before being traded to DC he had a 2015 ERA of 1.59, which dropped to 3.02 here. For the year he had 56 strike outs and only 12 walks.
Papelbon had a 95 MPH fastball in 2011 which has been declining, reducing his effectiveness as he relies on power. He also has a splitter and a slider. Baseball Reference predicts that his numbers for 2016 will match his numbers to end the year for the Nats, a 3.00 ERA in 63 innings and only 20 saves.
Papelbon actually played in the DC area once before, during the summer after his Freshman year in college he played in Silver Spring for the Takoma Park Thundercats.
Early in his career Papelbon was a long reliever, he even started three games in Boston in 2005 prior to his official rookie season. Beginning in 2006 he moved to the closer role, setting a rookie record for ten saves in April. He went on to place second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2006 and followed that up with the Delivery Man of the Year award in 2007. Papelbon hit the 200 saves mark in a record 359 appearances, an MLB record. He is a regular in the All Star Game, with seven trips, including each of the last two years.
Papelbon really made a name for himself up in Boston during the playoffs. In his first six appearances he held his opponents scoreless. He had three saves in three World Series appearances in 2007, including the final out. After that success he had some notable setbacks. A blown save in the elimination game of the 2009 ALDS was his last playoff appearance and a blown save in the last game of 2011 led to the Red Sox being eliminated in the Wild Card race.
Papelbon, also known as Slap Happy Pappy or just Slappy, is very deliberate on the mound and has been fined several times by MLB for taking too much time between pitches. He is a no nonsense old pro, expressing his displeasure with the Philly fans as warranted. Slappy is a clubhouse guy who does not tolerate young players who speak with the media about internal team issues and he has shown a strong dislike for loafing on the base paths.
Going into 2016 it appears that the 7th, 8th, and 9th for the Nats will start out Gott -> Kelley -> Slappy, possibly switching to Kelley -> Gott -> Slappy.
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GoogleA longtime attorney for the city of Gainesville remained in jail Monday after being accused of prowling in and around a woman's home while naked.
A longtime attorney for the city of Gainesville remained in jail Monday after being accused of prowling in and around a woman's home while naked.
Ronald D. Combs, 59, of 706 NE Fifth Place, is one of two senior assistant city attorneys. He has worked for the city as an attorney since March 1986, and records show his salary is $137,300.
City Attorney Nicolle Shalley could not be reached for comment Monday on Combs' employment status.
According to a Gainesville Police report, the woman was in her home in the 500 block of Northeast Eighth Avenue in the Historic Duck Pond neighborhood when the incident occurred shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday.
The woman told police a noise woke her and she saw a naked man standing in her bedroom who ran off when he saw that she was awake.
The woman got up and found that a back door that she had locked before she went to bed had been opened.
She called 911 and police responded and saw a man wearing only a skull cap and running shoes moving through yards in the neighborhood.
Police chased the man, who turned out to be Combs, through yards and streets. He refused to stop and officers chased him to a house in the 700 block of Northeast Fifth Terrace, where they shot him with a Taser in order to apprehend him.
Combs remained in the Alachua County jail on Monday evening without bond on charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, prowling and resisting arrest without violence.For some reason, eggplant used to intimidate me. Its floppy texture, neutral taste, and seemingly over-involved cooking methods made me think it would be something I’d never master.
I was wrong.
Since getting my hands on my first eggplant last year, it’s become one of my absolute favorite fruits (yes, fruit, even though it’s a vegetable in my book).
Two of my absolute favorite recipes utilizing eggplant have been my Cashew-less Vegan Queso and my Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Dip. It’s neutral flavor help it absorb flavors extremely well, and depending on how you cook it, its texture is extremely versatile – from super creamy to super crisp.
And in this little gem of a recipe, it’s crispy to the max.
This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Izy from Top with Cinnamon. It’s straight out of her beautiful new cookbook, Top With Cinnamon.
Although it’s not a vegan cookbook, it has a lot of recipes that can be easily adapted to a vegan diet. And when I laid my eyes on her crispy aubergine pesto pasta, I knew it was the one for me.
This recipe took a few tries to get just right sans egg, but I think I’ve done it (simply)!
It requires just 10 ingredients, employs easy methods, and takes a little more than 1 hour from start to finish. It is a little bit more involved than some savory meals I’ve cooked, but it’s one that John and I both love and crave, so it’s worth the extra time and effort!
I think you guys are going to LOVE this recipe! It’s:
Comforting
Crispy
Warm
Rich
Flavorful
Saucy
Delicious
Satisfying
& Simple!
I knew this recipe was a winner when I served it to John and he literally went back for seconds before I could! I love it when happy meal discoveries like that happen.
If you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it as much as we did! As always, tag us on Instagram with #minimalistbaker or Twitter @minimalistbaker if you do. Cheers!Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder that involves positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Prepulse inhibition of startle reflex (PPI) is a paradigm that assesses the sensorimotor gating functioning and is impaired in schizophrenia patients as well as in animal models of this disorder. Recent data point to the participation of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia. Here, we focus on the effects of cannabinoid drugs on the PPI deficit of animal models of schizophrenia, with greater focus on the SHR (Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats) strain, and on the future prospects resulting from these findings.
Schizophrenia is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that affects 0.7% of world's population (MacDonald and Schulz, 2009) and involves positive (i.e., delusions and hallucinations), negative (e.g., anhedonia, social withdrawal, affective flattening), and cognitive symptoms (such as impaired processing of information and deficits in working memory) (van Os and Kapur, 2009). Currently, schizophrenia's pharmacotherapy is mainly limited to the positive symptoms and associated with severe side effects and high rates of treatment resistance (Briles et al., 2012; Hasan et al., 2012; Abi-Dargham, 2014).
KEY CONCEPT 1. Schizophrenia
Debilitating psychiatric disorder that affects 0.7% of world's population and presents an onset between late adolescence and early adulthood. Schizophrenia's symptomatology includes positive, negative and cognitive symptoms.
Sensorimotor gating is a physiological process that filters sensory information as it is transmitted to motor output systems, preventing information overload and cognitive fragmentation (Cryan and Reif, 2012). This process is impaired especially in schizophrenia (Braff et al., 2001), but also in other neuropsychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (Ahmari et al., 2012), Tourette's syndrome (Swerdlow et al., 2001), Huntington's disease (Swerdlow et al., 1995), and bipolar disorder (Perry et al., 2001). Prepulse inhibition of startle reflex (PPI) is considered an operational measure of sensorimotor gating and is extensively used in translational studies of schizophrenia, since it is seen in both rodents and humans (Braff et al., 2001). PPI is defined as a reduction of acoustic startle reflex to an intense stimulus (pulse) when immediately preceded by a low intensity stimulus (prepulse).
KEY CONCEPT 2. Sensorimotor gating
Physiological process that filters sensory information as it is transmitted to motor output systems, preventing information overload and cognitive fragmentation. It is impaired in schizophrenia and in other neuropsychiatric disorders.
KEY CONCEPT 3. Prepulse inhibition of startle reflex (PPI)
Reduction of acoustic startle reflex to an intense stimulus (pulse) when immediately preceded by a low intensity stimulus (prepulse). PPI is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating and is seen in both rodents and humans, being extensively used in translational studies.
Prepulse inhibition of startle reflex (PPI) is disrupted in schizophrenia patients and evidence show that PPI deficits are positively correlated to thought disorder (Perry and Braff, 1994; Perry et al., 1999), and associated with impaired functional status and with the presence of auditory hallucinations (Swerdlow et al., 2006; Kumari et al., 2008). PPI deficits are improved by treatment with antipsychotic drugs (Kumari et al., 1999; Weike et al., 2000; Leumann et al., 2002; Oranje et al., 2002; Minassian et al., 2007; Wynn et al., 2007; Martinez-Gras et al., 2009), and this improvement is associated with treatment-related amelioration of schizophrenia symptoms (Minassian et al., 2007). PPI is also disrupted in several animal models of this disorder (Swerdlow et al., 2008), being a useful paradigm to investigate the neurobiology and pharmacotherapy of information processing abnormalities in schizophrenia.
KEY CONCEPT 4. Antipsychotic drugs
Drugs used primarily to treat psychotic states, in particular schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The antipsychotic drugs are classified in typical and atypical compounds: the typical antipsychotic drugs are associated with motor side effects, and the atypical are linked to metabolic disturbances.
Recent data point to the involvement of the Endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The endocannabinoid system was described subsequent to the identification of the molecular target of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the main psychoactive compound of Cannabis sativa, and comprises the classical cannabinoid-1 and 2 receptors (CB 1 and CB 2 ), their endogenous ligands known as endocannabinoids (e.g., anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol), and the enzymes involved in the endocannabinoid's synthesis and degradation.
KEY CONCEPT 5. Endocannabinoid system
System described subsequent to the identification of the molecular target of Δ9-THC. It comprises the cannabinoid-1 and 2 receptors (CB 1 and CB 2 ), their endogenous ligands (named endocannabinoids) and the enzymes involved in the endocannabinoid's metabolism.
The contribution of the endocannabinoid system in schizophrenia is suggested based on some compelling evidence. The exposure to Δ9-THC may induce a transient psychotic condition in healthy subjects (D'Souza et al., 2004; Morrison et al., 2009), whereas in schizophrenia patients, cannabis consumption provokes more and earlier psychotic relapses, even among those under antipsychotic treatment (Linszen et al., 1994; D'Souza et al., 2005; Grech et al., 2005). Moreover, cannabis use has been proved to be a risk factor for psychotic outcomes (Matheson et al., 2011). In accordance, several alterations in the endocannabinoid system are seen in schizophrenia: (1) levels of anandamide are increased in patients' cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood (Leweke et al., 1999, 2007; De Marchi et al., 2003; Giuffrida et al., 2004); (2) post-mortem studies show increased CB 1 density in patients' dorsolateral prefrontal, anterior cingulate and posterior cingulate cortices (Dean et al., 2001; Zavitsanou et al., 2004; Newell et al., 2006; Dalton et al., 2011); (3) in vivo studies using positron emission tomography (PET) reveal increased density of CB 1 in the brain in both medicated and non-medicated schizophrenia patients (Wong et al., 2010; Ceccarini et al., 2013); (4) polymorphisms of the genes that code the cannabinoid receptors CB 1 and CB 2 are associated to some schizophrenia phenotypes (Ujike et al., 2002; Chavarría-Siles et al., 2008; Ishiguro et al., 2010). In addition, pre-clinical studies show that cannabinoid drugs are able to modulate schizophrenia-like behaviors, including PPI.
In the work that generated this focused review, we evaluated the effects of four cannabinoid drugs on the PPI deficit displayed by the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) strain an animal model characterized by our group to study several aspects of schizophrenia (Levin et al., 2014; Table 1). Here, we will focus on the effects of these four cannabinoid drugs—WIN 55212,2 (WIN–cannabinoid agonist), rimonabant (CB 1 antagonist/inverse agonist), AM404 (anandamide uptake inhibitor) and cannabidiol (CB 1 antagonist, anandamide uptake inhibitor, among other effects)—on PPI of animal models, mainly the SHR strain, and on the future prospects resulting from these findings.
KEY CONCEPT 6. Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) strain
Inbred strain developed by brother-sister mating rats with hypertensive phenotype of the outbred strain Wistar. SHRs display spontaneous hypertension and also several behavioral abnormalities that fit the behavioral phenotype associated with schizophrenia.
TABLE 1
Table 1. Cannabinoid drugs as potential agents to treat prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI) deficits in schizophrenia.
SHR strain was developed by selecting rats from Wistar strain with hypertensive phenotype and brother-sister mating (Okamoto and Aoki, 1963). In addition to hypertension, the inbreeding selected some behavioral abnormalities—such as impulsivity, impaired sustained attention and hyperactivity—leading to the proposal of the SHR strain (mainly young animals) as an animal model for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is noteworthy that most of the studies using SHR as ADHD model were performed using as control the Wistar-Kyoto strain (developed by inbreeding Wistar rats without hypertension). Wistar-Kyoto rats may be inappropriate as a control strain since they display inactivity and depressive-like behavior when compared to Wistar rats (WRs) (Overstreet, 2012), and do not show genetic similarities when compared to SHRs (Johnson et al., 1992; St Lezin et al., 1992). In addition, SHR's predictive validity as ADHD model is inconsistent: several studies describe that the administration of psychostimulants (drugs used to treat ADHD) does not attenuate SHRs' behavioral abnormalities (Amini et al., 2004; Yang et al., 2006; van den Bergh et al., 2006; Bizot et al., 2007; Barron et al., 2009; Calzavara et al., 2009), and may even potentiate them (Amini et al., 2004; Yang et al., 2006; Barron et al., 2009; Calzavara et al., 2009).
Conversely, we reported that SHRs, when compared to WRs, display schizophrenia-like behavioral abnormalities. SHRs display increased locomotion (a model for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia—Lipska and Weinberger, 2000), decreased social interaction (that mimics the negative symptoms—File and Seth, 2003), and deficits in the contextual fear conditioning (associated with impairments in emotional memory seen in schizophrenia—Maren et al., 2013) and PPI. These abnormalities are reversed by antipsychotic drugs (with varied effects in WRs, depending on the drug, the dose, and the behavior), but not by psychostimulant drugs, mood stabilizers, dopaminergic antagonists without antipsychotic activity or drugs that modulate anxiety (Calzavara et al., 2009, 2011; Levin et al., 2011). In addition, psychotomimetic manipulations, such as sleep deprivation and administration of psychostimulants, potentiate the behavioral abnormalities displayed by SHRs and induce a schizophrenia-like behavioral phenotype in WRs (Calzavara et al., 2009, 2011; Levin et al., 2011)—as seen in other animal models of the disorder, as well as in patients (Laruelle et al., 1999; Jones et al., 2011). As a result, the SHR strain has been used to investigate genetic alterations related to schizophrenia as well as novel therapeutic strategies for this disorder, including cannabinoid drugs (Levin et al., 2012, 2014; Almeida et al., 2013, 2014; Diana et al., 2015).
WIN is an agonist of CB 1 and CB 2 receptors. The acute administration of WIN attenuates the SHRs' PPI deficit, and does not modify the PPI of WRs—although a trend to reduce the WRs' PPI is seen with the lowest dose (Levin et al., 2014). Accordingly, other studies demonstrate that WIN reverses the PPI impairment displayed by psychosocially stressed mice (Brzózka et al., 2011) and induced by chronic administration phencyclidine (Spano et al., 2010), two other animal models of schizophrenia. The beneficial effect of WIN on the PPI of psychosocially stressed mice is prevented by pretreatment with the CB 1 antagonist rimonabant (Brzózka et al., 2011), suggesting an involvement of these receptors on the WIN's actions on sensorimotor gating functioning.
In rodents without PPI deficits some authors describe absence of WIN effect on PPI (Bortolato et al., 2005; Brzózka et al., 2011), but others show that WIN disrupts PPI when administered systemically (Schneider and Koch, 2002; Wegener et al., 2008; Brosda et al., 2011), intra-prefrontal cortex, or intra-ventral hippocampus (Wegener et al., 2008). In addition, repeated administration of WIN during puberty induces PPI deficits that last until adulthood (Schneider and Koch, 2003; Schneider et al., 2005; Wegener and Koch, 2009; Klein et al., 2013). Therefore, WIN seems to present a psychotomimetic profile (supported also by its effects on other schizophrenia-like symptoms—Schneider and Koch, 2002; Pamplona and Takahashi, 2006; Wegener et al., 2008; Spano et al., 2010; Almeida et al., 2014), being unsuitable for schizophrenia patients.
The administration of the CB 1 antagonist rimonabant worsens SHRs' PPI deficit, and does not alter PPI levels in WRs (Levin et al., 2014). The absence of rimonabant effects in WRs is corroborated by previous studies with animals without PPI impairments (Martin et al., 2003; Malone et al., 2004; Malone and Taylor, 2006; Ballmaier et al., 2007). In animal models of schizophrenia, while some studies show that rimonabant is able to counteract the PPI impairments (Malone et al., 2004; Nagai et al., 2006; Ballmaier et al., 2007), others show no effect (Martin et al., 2003; Malone and Taylor, 2006). In addition, clinical trials show that rimonabant induces significant psychiatric side effects, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety, and increases suicide-related adverse events (Christensen et al., 2007; Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee, 2007; Topol et al., 2010). These data, thus, argue against the clinical use of this compound.
It should be noted that both a CB 1 /CB 2 agonist and a CB 1 antagonist provoke differential effects in WRs and SHRs (Levin et al., 2014). This information suggests that these rat strains display distinct endocannabinoid system functioning. Indeed, our group observed that SHRs present higher CB 1 density in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices when compared to WRs (Almeida et al., submitted), which is in accordance with data from schizophrenia patients (Dean et al., 2001; Zavitsanou et al., 2004; Newell et al., 2006; Wong et al., 2010; Dalton et al., 2011; Ceccarini et al., 2013).
AM 404 is a competitive and selective inhibitor of anandamide transportation, and therefore increases its extracellular levels. Anandamide is an endocannabinoid that acts as an agonist of CB 1 and CB 2 receptors and of vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1). When administered to WRs and SHRs, AM 404 did not modify their PPI levels (Levin et al., 2014). No other study has investigated the effects of AM 404 on PPI of animal models of schizophrenia. In control animals, one study shows absence of AM 404 effects on PPI in Sprague-Dawley rats (Bortolato et al., 2006), but another reveals that AM 404, either injected acutely or chronically, disrupts PPI in Swiss mice (Fernandez-Espejo and Galan-Rodriguez, 2004). Evidence, therefore, do not support the use of AM 404 as a strategy to treat sensorimotor processing deficits associated to schizophrenia.
It is worth mentioning that the doses of AM 404 used in our previous study have been shown to increase anandamide levels in plasma and brain regions of rats (Giuffrida et al., 2000; Bortolato et al., 2006). Clinical findings show that the levels of anandamide in the cerebrospinal fluid of non-medicated schizophrenia patients are negatively correlated to their psychotic symptoms (De Marchi et al., 2003; Giuffrida et al., 2004), and that prodromal individuals with lower levels of anandamide display a higher risk for transitting to psychosis earlier (Koethe et al., 2009). These results led some authors to suggest that anandamide plays a protective role in schizophrenia. The absence of AM 404 effects on the PPI of SHRs suggest that increasing anandamide levels is not sufficient to restore SHRs' PPI impairment.
Cannabidiol is one of the major constituent of cannabis, being the most abundant after Δ9-THC. Cannabidiol acts as an antagonist of the cannabinoid receptors CB 1 and CB 2 agonists and inhibits the reuptake and degradation of anandamide. It is also an antagonist of the orphan receptor GPR55 and an agonist of the serotonin receptor 5-HT 1A and of the vanilloid receptors TRPV1 and TRPV2 (Izzo et al., 2009). When administered to SHRs, cannabidiol restores the PPI deficits (Levin et al., 2014). In fact, this compound has been shown to restore the PPI impairments provoked by MK-801 (Long et al., 2006), and by systemic or intra-accumbens administration of amphetamine (Pedrazzi et al., 2015). In addition, when administered repeatedly, cannabidiol prevents the PPI disruption induced by chronic administration of MK-801 (Gomes et al., 2015). Acute or chronic administration of psychostimulant drugs such as MK-801 and amphetamine are used to model schizophrenia. The results, thus, point to an antipsychotic profile of cannabidiol and to the use of this compound on the treatment of sensorimotor gating impairments seen in schizophrenia.
KEY CONCEPT 7. Cannabidiol
One of the over 60 compounds of Cannabis sativa, being the most abundant after Δ9-THC. Unlike Δ9-THC, cannabidiol is a non-psychotomimetic drug, and presents antipsychotic, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective actions.
In animals without PPI impairments, some authors describe that cannabidiol does not modify the PPI levels when administered acutely or chronically (Long et al., 2006; Gomes et al., 2015; Pedrazzi et al., 2015), while one study shows that it is able to disrupt PPI (Gururajan et al., 2011). Nonetheless, in our previous work, administration of cannabidiol increased PPI in WRs (Levin et al., 2014). Interestingly, typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs have been shown to increase PPI in WRs and Sprague-Dawley rats (Hoffman et al., 1993; Swerdlow and Geyer, 1993; Johansson et al., 1995; Depoortere et al., 1997a,b; Levin et al., 2011). This effect is mainly seen when PPI levels are below 50%, which is our case. Therefore, the effects of cannabidiol on PPI of WRs are in accordance with the antipsychotic profile suggested for this drug.
The mechanisms whereby cannabidiol modifies PPI are still to be elucidated. Our data suggest that the increase in PPI promoted by this drug is not only due to an increase in anandamide levels, since the anandamide uptake inhibitor AM 404 does not modify PPI (Levin et al., 2014). Likewise, it is unlikely that the cannabidiol's antagonism of CB 1 receptors is the mechanism responsible for its effect on the PPI deficit of SHRs, given that the CB 1 antagonist rimonabant promoted an opposite outcome (Levin et al., 2014). Regarding cannabidiol's action on CB 1 receptors, it is noteworthy that although this compound is able to antagonize cannabinoid CB 1 /CB 2 receptor agonists-induced stimulation in brain membranes, this effect is observed with K B values in the nanomolar range, way below the Ki for displacement of [3H]CP55940 from CB 1 and CB 2 (Pertwee, 2008). In addition, the effectiveness of cannabidiol in inhibiting [35S]GTPγS binding to brain membranes of wild-type mouse is not different from CB1−/− mouse (Pertwee, 2008). On the other hand, Long et al. (2006) described that cannabidiol's ability of restoring the PPI deficit induced by MK-801 is prevented by pretreatment with capsazepine, a TRPV1 antagonist. Thus, although other mechanisms of action cannot be disregarded, cannabidiol's effects on PPI seem to be at least partially related to its action on the vanilloid system.
Other animal studies, investigating additional schizophrenia-like behavioral paradigms, support cannabidiol's antipsychotic properties (Table 3). The administration of this compound is able to diminish the stereotyped behavior and the hyperlocomotion—behaviors that model the positive symptoms of schizophrenia—induced by psychotomimetic drugs (Zuardi et al., 1991; Moreira and Guimaraes, 2005; Long et al., 2010; Gururajan et al., 2012). Cannabidiol also restores drug-induced impairments in social interaction (Malone et al., 2009; Gururajan et al., 2012), and counteracts the deficit in contextual fear conditioning displayed by the SHRs (Levin et al., 2012).
TABLE 2
Table 2. Summary of the studies investigating the effects of cannabinoid drugs on the PPI of animal models.
TABLE 3
Table 3. Antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol in psychiatric patients and in schizophrenia-like behaviors in animal models (for PPI, see Table 2).
The promising aforementioned pre-clinical data led to clinical studies (Table 3). In healthy volunteers, cannabidiol is able to attenuate the psychotic symptoms induced by the administration of psychotomimetic drugs (Karniol et al., 1974; Zuardi et al., 1982; Bhattacharyya et al., 2010). In a case-study, this cannabinoid significantly reduced schizophrenia symptoms in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), in a way superior to the typical antipsychotic drug haloperidol (Zuardi et al., 1995). Moreover, an open-label study with Parkinson's disease patients showed that cannabidiol administration, in addition to their usual treatment, decreases psychotic symptoms—evaluated by BPRS and by the Parkinson Psychosis Questionnaire—without worsening their motor function (Zuardi et al., 2009). Also, several studies suggest that cannabidiol is safe in humans and animals, and does not alter physiological parameters (blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature) or induce motor and psychological side effects (Bergamaschi et al., 2011).
Thereafter, a double-blind controlled clinical trial with schizophrenia patients was performed: treatment with cannabidiol, for 4 weeks, decreased patients symptoms—evaluated by BPRS and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)—in a way non-inferior to amisulpride, one of the most effective antipsychotic drugs currently in use. Interestingly, the cannabinoid induced fewer side effects (weight gain, changes in prolactin levels and extrapyramidal symptoms) than amisulpride, and treatment with cannabidiol, but not with amisulpride, led to an increase in the levels of anandamide in serum that was associated with the decrease of psychotic symptoms (Leweke et al., 2012).
All these encouraging clinical and pre-clinical data led to a recent proof-of-concept study by GW Pharmaceuticals. The phase IIa included 88 schizophrenia patients only partially responsive to standard antipsychotic treatment, who received cannabidiol or placebo in addition to their antipsychotic medication for 6 weeks. Cannabidiol was consistently superior to placebo in attenuating the schizophrenia symptoms, and did not induce serious adverse events (GW Pharmaceuticals, 2015).
Taken as a whole, data regarding the effects of cannabinoid drugs on PPI reinforce the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the sensorimotor gating functioning and in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Among the drugs that act on the endocannabinoid system, pre-clinical and the subsequent clinical data point to cannabidiol as the most promising compound for treating schizophrenia symptoms without inducing significant side effects. Nevertheless, most of the clinical evidence that suggests cannabidiol as a new antipsychotic agent or adjunctive treatment does not investigate specifically sensorimotor gating/ PPI deficits. Accordingly, data from pre-clinical studies using animal models, like our previous one (Levin et al., 2014), are fundamental to support future clinical studies focused on these deficits in schizophrenia patients.
Author Contributions
All authors listed, have made substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.
Funding
This work was supported by grants of “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo–FAPESP” and of “Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico–CAPES.”
Conflict of Interest Statement
JH, AZ, and JC are co-inventors of the patent “Fluorinated CBD compounds, compositions and uses thereof. Pub. No.: WO/2014/108899. International Application No.: PCT/IL2014/050023.”
The Other authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Author Biography
Vanessa C. Abilio is a professor at the Department of Pharmacology and coordinates the animal models division at the Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences (LiNC) – Department of Psychiatry, at the Federal University of Sao Paulo. Her research is focused on the use of animal models of schizophrenia to investigate the pathophysiology of the disorder and new potential preventive and therapeutical strategies.
References
Almeida, V., Levin, R., Peres, F. F., Niigaki, S. T., Calzavara, M. B., Zuardi, A. W., et al. (2013). Cannabidiol exhibits anxiolytic but not antipsychotic property evaluated in the social interaction test. Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry 41, 30–35. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.10.024 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar
Almeida, V., Peres, F. F., Levin, R., Suiama, M. A., Calzavara, M. B., Zuardi, A. W., et al. (2014). Effects of cannabinoid and vanilloid drugs on positive and negative-like symptoms on an animal model of schizophrenia: the SHR strain. Schizophr. Res. 153, 150–159. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.01.039 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar
Ballmaier, M., Bortolato, M., Rizzetti, C., Zoli, M., Gessa, G., Heinz, A., et al. (2007). Cannabinoid receptor antagonists counteract sensorimotor gating deficits in the phencyclidine model of psychosis. Neuropsychopharmacology 32, 2098–2107. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301344 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google |
you boyfriend or girlfriend?
What good is a theoretical understanding of a language, if in reality you can not practice it to fluency beyond the classroom. Lets separate the academics from real people, when trying to analysis the question.
This is not just a ranking of the hardest language to learn mind you, rather a ranking for realistic, practical people who are in the trenches of life and want to learn a new language for communication purposes. Not a ranking for academics who are living on Stratos, the city of clouds or lost in the labyrinth of the stacks in their university library.
I have not considered languages that have under one million native speakers. Even through humanistically important on equal par with all other languages, they are too remote or inaccessible for any real life learning. Patois dialects are excluded. These are important languages, just not for the average person. I also have not considered extinct or ancient languages which have even a more alien grammatical structure.
People write me and say hey Mark here is a language that has a hundred cases and sounds mostly like whistlers, and people often talk backwards, certainly this must be the most difficult. My reply how many people speak it? Similarly, you might say well there is a language spoken by some children on my block, they made it up. For me unless there are a million speakers does not pass the cut.
Map of difficulty with green being a breeze and red being, well more arduous foreign languages.
My reply to the FSI’s rank of the number of hours needed to learn a language -Anti-glottology at its best
There is an annoying mythology of language difficulty, that is perpetuated by Foreign Service institute. How many hours it takes to achieve various levels in a language after academic study. This is no valid. Unless you are 18-21 and a full-time student at a university and giving equal or greater weight to written language as compared to spoken, then that is bunk.
Who has the time to study in the ivory towers a language university or prepare like a diplomat except someone in some cushy government job? It is not the real world. Speaking is much more important than writing and reading.
Written language for the masses only came into significance in the last 100 years, in contrast to the 7 millions years of Homininae communication when there was first a divergence in our evolutionary tree and changes in our heterochrony gave us the capacity for prolonged language acquisition. Further the written language is in the process of a strange de-evolution with rise of texting messages and ADD. Lets be honest here, few people can study like an egghead, rather they want to just communicate.
Example of how people learn in Africa and the Middle East
When I was in North Africa (several times) I was amazed people could talk in the open market in several languages with little effort. They never opened a book or wrote in a foreign language. Language is about speaking. It is about communication not something you learn in a book. How long was it like that? The first one million years of human evolution from Primates until about 1950 when world illiteracy went from less than 1% to over 50%. So for tens of thousands of years for most humans, language was about the speaking, that is it. For a few thousand the landed elite and first estate class has some form of written language but this was not most people. Lets be real language has nothing to do with a book, only the tongue and ear. Therefore when FSI or any other person assets Chinese or Asian languages are hard, they are not if you strip away the crazy characters to a non-Asian person.
The worst thing about the modern communication
It irritates me that one person will state something on the web and it is recycled by every content mill blogger ad infinitum. People take ideas for fact without looking at them objectively. I call this the flat earth syndrome of language learning. Just because an expert says it does not mean it is true.
Aristotle believed the heart was the center of human cognition and the brain was an organ of minor importance. For centuries people took this as fact.
That does not mean the academics are wrong, and Asian languages are not more difficult for an English native speaker to achieve a level of mastery, but look at this objectively.
Modern linguistic snake oil salesman
Also when someone says on the web, you can learn a language in three hours or even three months, and they are trying to sell you something, I would say, ‘I have some swap land in Florida to sell you that will appreciate in value any day now’. I would like to personally like to call them up and test their fluency in Polish. My point is the web is a great place but discern sensation seekers and academics from someone like myself who is linguistically challenged, yet has dedicated his life abroad to learning foreign languages.
How linguistic science is different from physical science
Despite my quantification above, there is no way you can objectively measure linguistic ranking or difficulty like the hard sciences like physics or chemistry measure a phenomenon in a vacuum. Even in physics things are tested, regression are run and retested. There is debate and paradigms are challenged every few decades.
So are you telling me, that in not a social science but a humanities like Language that because some government organization for a very specific program makes a statement fifty years ago, everyone including people on the Internet take it as fact and recycle it ad nauseam?
Evolution of phraseology and variance from linguistic universals as a measure of difficulty.
Departure from universal grammar and linguistic universals and structures is that are natural constructs of the human brain could be a measure of difficulty with some objectivity, however, how you measure it I have no idea how you would do this. Typological universals and other measures are left for future research.
Why Asian languages are not hard – Palaver about Asian foreign language acquisition
No grammar to speak of, no cases, not complex plurals, short words. People argue they have tones but these are subtle pronunciation differences and in my experience I am understood when I speak Mandarin for example with poor pronunciation easier in comparison with Polish. I know author and teacher of Chinese in NYC and he says most of the people who walk in off he street learn Chinese pretty fast. He has a book called Easy Mandarin. It is only the written language that is hard.
Errors and omissions statement
Yes I know in the image I typed Finish and Hinidi, need to fix this, when I get my computer back from Amishland. I am writing an Amish language program. Also the scope of this article can not be comprehensive because the proliferation of languages, for example, I need a follow up to cover, Turkish, Greek, Armenia, Georgian etc. When writing you have to make choices to make a point rather than cover ever detail, however, these are worthy for discussion in the comment area.
Back to Polish – the trophy winner
When you speak of Phonology, sound approximation from the native language to the target Polish ranks near the top as the tongue twisting, multi-syllabic mixing of consonants and vowels are unmatched by any shorter Asian word, even with tones. I stated at the top that the average Polish learner is not fluent until the age of sixteen. It sounds like a bold statement but read on.
Yes Poles can communicate before that, but subjectively, for such an intelligent population of people (and Poles are highly intelligent and educated) proportionally I have seen an inordinate amount of Polish youngsters struggle with their own orthography, pronunciation, grammar at disproportionate levels compared to say English speakers.
Factor out any genetic differences by comparing Polish Americans who are identical genetically to Poles in Poland, yet learn English as their native language at a different rate than Polish as a native language. My daughter who is bilingual finds English much easier than Polish. There are differences in the rates humans learn languages based on the complexity of the language, and this is seen in native speaker language acquisition.
Examples and references that back up my theory of modern of linguistics that give a better understanding of how people acquire a second language:
In social linguistic acculturation Model or SLA, was proposed by John Schumann and focused on how an individual interacts with the society. Some societies more easily transmit culture.
Gardner’s socio-educational model – Similar to above and deals with the inter-group model of “ethnolinguistic vitality”.
Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky developed a theory of zone of proximal development.
I want to know your feedback and research so they may benefit second language learners.Criminals can guess your Visa credit or debit card number, expiry date, and its security code in just six seconds, researchers have warned.
Experts at the Newcastle University, UK have claimed that it is “frighteningly easy” to compromise Visa’s credit card system online. It could take criminal hackers “as little as six seconds” using guesswork, with access to a laptop and an internet connection. Distributed Guessing Attack, the attack method identified by Newcastle researchers was possibly also used in the recent Tesco Bank heist, where the bank lost £2.5 million.
Attackers used DGA to get around the security features that are employed to stop online fraud, giving hackers an entry point for the attack on the UK bank.
Only Visa cards are susceptible to the security flaw
In a clever brute force attack, researchers figured out that if you made the guesses for the card’s security number from a number of different websites, the card’s security system wasn’t triggered. The process involves guessing and testing hundreds of permutations of expiry dates and CVV numbers on hundreds of different sites to avoid triggering fraud protection measures.
Researchers have outlined the method in IEEE Security & Privacy paper, that confirms that this hacking method doesn’t even require any sophisticated level of hacking knowledge or equipment, as it only takes a laptop and a connection to the internet.
MasterCard credit and debit cards aren’t vulnerable to this security exploit, as they track this same attack method when an attacker tries to guess across different websites. The payment system is designed to shut down cards after 10 attempts or fewer, researchers added.
Visa, however, isn’t designed to take account of multiple websites. As shown in the video at the end of this post, an attacker can easily compile the gathered information to bombard multiple vendors’ sites, trying out different combinations of card number, CVV, and expiration code, easily dodging individual site limits and avoid detection of fraudulent activity.
Talking about the prevention techniques that could be pursued, PhD research student Mohammed Ali said:
To prevent the attack, either standardisation or centralisation can be pursued (some card payment networks already provide this). Standardisation would imply that all merchants need to offer the same payment interface, that is, the same number of fields. Then the attack does not scale anymore. Centralisation can be achieved by payment gateways or card payment networks possessing a full view over all payment attempts associated with its network. Neither standardisation nor centralisation naturally fit the flexibility and freedom of choice one associates with the Internet or successful commercial activity, but they will provide the required protection. It is up to the various stakeholders to determine the case for and timing of such solutions.
Before publishing their findings, the research team contacted Visa. The payment giant unfortunately didn’t take the research too seriously. In an email to the Independent, it said, that “the research does not take into account the multiple layers of fraud prevention that exist within the payments system, each of which must be met in order to make a transaction possible in the real world.”
Tesco Bank said the fraud last month affected 9,000 customers. But Visa doesn’t want you to worry about it; “the most important thing to remember is that if their card number is used fraudulently, the cardholder is protected from liability.”I normally don’t write book reviews, but it’s something I should definitely consider doing more often because there are far too many books I love that sit all too quiet on the shelves and deserve the voices who love them to scream I LOVE YOU.
And that’s how I felt about The Stumps of Flattop Hill.
While it is short, it’s a masterpiece, and here’s why;
First, the art is wonderfully done, and second, Lamug doesn’t shy away from taking a character on an adventure that may not end well and I was happy with that. Life is life, and all too often our realities can prove that what we set out to do doesn’t always end well, and it’s an important message for everyone. We live in a culture where parents are afraid to talk about these topics because it’s a situation nobody wants to face or deal with, but it’s real, it’s life, and it’s unfortunate. Most children’s books in the U.S. shy away from darker themes and I’ve always wondered why. Sure, there are many beloved bright and lovely books for children that I absolutely adore, but there are some really dark ones that stood out more to me as a child. Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark, for instance, is one that got me reading, it lured me in with a fish hook. There were some darker themes to my childhood and that book spoke to me, I was able to connect to it just as much as I did to the brighter ones and that’s a good thing.
The Stumps of Flattop Hill may be a scary story, but it’s no different than what our children may face in their own lives, and it’s great if there are books out there that our children can relate to, whether it’s scary or not.
I applaud Lamug for not shying away from these very important themes and being very tasteful about it, in both art and words.We couldn’t be more satisfied. Last race was a big challenge for us and we mastered it. We got 4 incredible points. Again everything went better than expected. Where should we begin? With Glock laying in hospital eating all day ice-cream? With our third driver, who was watching all day porn or with Perez first retirement?
We will start with our little reserve-driver Roberto Merhi. He did an excellent job. Maybe he was just born for wet conditions. First race, first points. What could’ve been better? Wet grid-girls? No, not yet! But you can be sure Merhi enjoyed some Jägermeister-shots after race. Yes, he is old enough. If he stays this strong pornhub will maybe do some special presents for him. Stay tuned.
There was another big news, we didn’t reveal. We were working with durex on new rain-tear-offs. A new invention we tested in some of the worst conditions you can image. This race. Merhi was the only driver who was equipped with them and he raced really safe. After the race he stated “I am very happy with the new tear-offs, I’ve never seen clearer in rain and I think I’m gonna use durex in special conditions, too. Just private, you know [laughing].”. It’s our fault Perez was running without. Use your fantasy and you know why Perez retired.
Perez retired cause he wanted too much. He was in 8th position and there was a solid chance to beat Räikkönen. It was a hard fight at the end of the race and the sight of Perez was nearly zero. The fight was intense and Kimi didn’t give any room. It was like Japanese GP 2007, Massa against Kubica. Just switch, year, track and names and you can imagine how intense this fight was. In the end Perez just slipped off the track and got stuck. We are not angry, cause Perez did a good season this far. He was a bit sad after race, but at our little after-party everything was ok, again.
Stay tuned, more news are incoming shortly. We are working hard in background.Barcelona’s Tactics, formation and 3 men defense
What is the formation that is being used by most of the teams now a days or even in the worldcup 2010? The answer is without a doubt 4-5-1 [4-3-3/4-2-3-1]. Which shows that teams are now playing with single striker. This brings a new question into mind. When we play 4-4-2 we need two center backs to track both the strikers, why do we need 2 center backs when there is only one striker?
2 Center backs vs 1 striker
When this situation comes, one of the defenders will track the striker and other will be waiting to cover the first defender. The left and right backs will track the opposite teams 2 forwards. Which suggests the one of the Central defenders is always free. Also the second defender can push into midfield or initiate forward runs. Now another question, Why do we need 4 at the back always?
do we need 4 at the back?
when the teams play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, as we saw above, one of the central defenders is free. So why can’t we manage the defense with 3 men and push one extra men into midfield? This idea is not a new one and in the past many team tried it. Most recent is Mexican team at the world cup. And now Barcelona started improvising this formation.
Barcelona’s Formation [vs Rubin]
OK. Here i marked defenders[yellow] Alves[2], Pique[3],Puyol[5], Maxwell[19] and Midfield[orange] Xavi[6],Mascherano[14],Busquets[16] and Forwards[Pink] Villa[7], Iniesta[8],Pedro[17], as per the UEFA formation diagram.
The actual formation when they played was different. Both the left and right backs pushed forward. Mascherano moved to a position in between Pique and Puyol.
Now this is 3-4-3 formation. The forwards are very narrow, both Villa and Pedro likes cut in and attack.. this allows the left back and right backs who already pushed higher up the pitch to drive further up the pitch.
In general, the teams playing against Barcelona tends to sit deep and defend. When Barca has the wide defenders pushing forward and giving them the extra width to attack, that stretches the defense of the opposition. This is very much possible because all the men that Barca uses as wide players [pedro, messi, villa] likes to cut inside and play. This also makes the forward 3 of the Barca very narrow. The extra central defender will cover the space infront of the goal while the other two takes relatively wide positions to cover the space left by the full backs.
Barca played the same formation/tactics against Atletico Madrid. In this match they used Busquets as the extra central defender with Xavi and Iniesta in front of them covering the midfield.
Will this works always?
This will work every time the opposite team sits deep or just trying to defend. In case your opponent choose 4-4-2 to play against this 3-4-3 formation [like Atletico Madrid] you are leaving one of the central defenders free at all the time by deploying both strikers higher up the pitch. The best formation will be 4-4-2 with second striker playing behind the main striker or a false nine role. Another thing that can work against 3-4-3 is long diagonal balls to the strikers.
Different version of this approach by MUFC
Sir Alex used this formation in their game against Everton. He placed O’shea just in front of the central defenders. Both the full back for forwarded in that match. It all worked well for united but they didn’t defend well in the last few minutes of the match when everron took corners, so not much was written about this formation or use of the extra man in the central defense.
AdvertisementsNEW DELHI: While acquitting a rape accused recently, a court commented that no one discusses the “dignity and honour” of men, given that everyone is fighting for the rights, honour and dignity of women. Besides, it said, laws meant to protect women might be misused by women.“Perhaps, now it’s the time to take a stand for men,” Nivedita Anil Sharma, special judge of POCSO Act court, said. She found several contradictions in the testimony of the complainant and her parents, pointing out the prosecution's “miserable failure”.Noting that victims were now being called “survivors”, the court asked: “An acquitted accused, who has remained in custody for a considerable period during inquiry, investigation and trial, and who has been acquitted honourably, should he now be addressed as a rape case survivor?”It added: “He may also file any case for damages against the prosecutrix, if advised.”The 20-year-old rape case had seen anomalies and improvements in statements of its main witnesses, including the complainant. The prosecution had claimed that a minor girl, residing with her parents, was abducted and raped on September 18, 1997.The complainant had said that the accused would visit her house. On the day of the incident, she claimed to be alone when the accused threatened her and abducted her, only to rape her later.But the court pointed out that if the girl was being abducted in broad daylight and, that too, in a residential area, why did she not raise an alarm. Additionally, three important aspects — forensic evidence, age of the complainant and day of the incident — were held against the prosecution.In the absence of medical evidence, coupled with the fact that the victim’s statement had serious inconsistencies, the court could not place trust on her evidence. And when it came to establishing the motive of the accused, the police’s version appeared to be untrue. The court said: “No reason is shown as to why the accused would jeopardise his future.”Without mincing words, it opined that no man, accused of rape, could be convicted if the witnesses had not supported the prosecution case, or given quality evidence. “It should not be ignored that the court has to confine itself to the ambit of law and contents of the file as well as testimonies of the witnesses and is not to be swayed by emotions or reporting in the media,” the court said.In the court’s view, the man's ordeal could continue even after his acquittal as it must have caused an uproar in society and his acquittal might not even be noticed.This week, Thomas and Kathryn went to court to attempt agree on custody of their two children. Today we know that an agreement as been reached and was accepted by the judge as the final judgement. Thomas has received full custody of the children. The agreement, posted exclusively by FitsNews states that he will consult with Kathryn on all major events regarding health, education and so forth. However, should the two disagree, Thomas is sole decision maker.
Kathryn will have open access to all medical and educational records of the children.
Kathryn’s visitation remains supervised for now. During Phase One, she can only see the children at Kathryn’s mother’s home or at her grandfather’s house in Mount Pleasant. Her mother will supervise visits in Monck’s Corner and Nancy Dennis (Kathryn’s Aunt) will supervise visits in Mount Pleasant. This arrangement is Phase One of the visitation agreement. During this phase she will have supervised visits every other weekend. This Phase continues for eight visits. Kathryn must continue to pass drug and alcohol tests in order to Keep these visitation rights. This phase should last approximately four months. If any visitations are missed, she must complete eight visits before moving to the next phase. Actually this phase will last until she has passed six months of hair follicle tests; however, the agreement also says this phase will last until October 15th. Kathryn will pick up and drop off the children from their daycare.
In Phase Two, is the same as Phase One. However, she will have eight hours of unsupervised visits from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday. The rest of the visitation must be supervised. This phase is set to last for two months.
Phase Three is the same as phase two with the addition of 8 hours of unsupervised visitation on Sundays.It also adds another full day (Monday) of supervised visits. This phase will last for two months.
Phase Four is the same as phase three with the addition of another full day of supervised visitation on Tuesdays. Also added is an overnight unsupervised visit from Saturday morning until Sunday evening. This is a two month phase.
During Phase Five, Kathryn would have the children for a full week of supervised visitation, plus from Friday night to Sunday night she can have unsupervised visitation.
Both parties have agreed to return to mediation after Kathryn is able to prove that she has been clean and sober for one year. The start date on that appears to be April 15 of this year. In the event of a relapse, the entire process begins again at Phase One.
Kensie has some sort of therapy every Monday morning. Kathryn is required to drop Saint at daycare and take Kensie to her therapy session. Side note, the document states that Kensie was born in Florida. How is that possible?
Kathryn gets the children on Thanksgiving and Christmas on odd numbered years with the restrictions outlined by whatever phase she is in.
Thomas’ travel to California with the kids is limited to no more than one month in duration. During those times he is required to pay for Kathryn’s airfare and lodging as well as the cost of a visitation supervisor. Alternately, they can agree to make up visitation dates. It seems they will have to do alternate dates anyway as the order says that Kathryn can only be required to travel for visitation once in any given month.
The kids are not allowed to call any third party Mother or Father and must be immediately corrected if they do. The parents are not allowed to disparage each other or allow others to do so within earshot of the children. They are not allowed to disparage each other on social media and should discourage their friends from doing so. They shall not drink, do drugs or expose the children to pornography while in their care. No overnight dates when the child is in their custody. The nannies cannot discuss the children on social media. If they do they must be fired immediately. No boyfriends or girlfriends can solely supervise the children until they have been dating for four months. I think that time should be longer.
Kathryn’s father is specifically named as a person who can not at any time be the supervisor or the sole caregiver of the children. That’s interesting. Also, Kathryn’s fathers dog must never be around the children at any time. Also, in a seemingly related note, the children are not to be around guns or within 300 yards of gunfire.
The parents have the right to two phone calls or Facetime visits each week they are not with the children.
All communication between parties must go through a “wizard” program that the court system has. They must pay the cost involved in using the system.
Kathryn got her wish and got the nanny and her daughter fired. But only if and when she completely Phase One. At that point a new nanny must be hired.
Thomas can request drug tests on Kathryn at any time. He will bear the expense unless Kathryn fails the test. If she fails she must pay him back within ten days. Thomas requests the test via the wizard and Kathryn must be tested within 24 hours of his posted request so she must check the system at least daily. Failure to test within 24 hours will be treated as a failed test and return her to Phase One.
Both parties must have a parental fitness evaluation done by a psychologist named by the court. Kathryn is not allowed any of her unsupervised visitation until this test is completed.
Kathryn has to pay Thomas child support in the amount of $100 a month.
Each side agrees to pay for their own attorney fees. Thomas agrees to pay 75% of the Guardian ad Litem fees. Kathryn will pay the remainder.
Wow. Clearly, there is still a big concern about drugs and alcohol. Remember Kathryn agreed to all of this during mediation.
Do you guys think Kathryn will make it to phase five?
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TweetWatching Hillary Clinton beaming sidewise onstage as Elizabeth Warren taunted Donald Trump brought the Wrigley twin ditty to mind: Double your pleasure, double your fun, with double good, double good, Doublemint gum.
Instead of two happy twins riding a tandem bicycle to celebrate chewing gum, the Clinton-Warren sixties sister-clones — wearing blond bobs and shades of blue — rode Trump with a gobsmacking double punch.
Railed the senator from Massachusetts: “Now, Donald Trump says he’ll make America great again.... It’s stamped on the front of his goofy hat. You want to see goofy? Look at him in that hat.”
This was her way of topping Trump’s repeated use of “goofy” to insult her.
And: “When Donald Trump says ‘great,’ I ask: ‘Great for who, exactly?’ ” she said. “When Donald Trump says he’ll make America great, he means make it even greater for rich guys just like Donald Trump.... That’s who Donald Trump is.... And watch out, because he will crush you into the dirt.”
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, right, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at a rally in Cincinnati on June 27. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
And so the Twitter wars between a non-candidate and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee will likely continue. Doesn’t Trump realize that he’s the one running for president?
Clinton’s rally, the first to feature Warren, was followed by a sisterhood hug that only women can exchange. That simple embrace signified a new benchmark in women’s and American history and changed the political narrative for all time. Not only can a woman win a major party’s nomination, but also it’s possible that two women can team up as running mates.
The idea that Warren might become Clinton’s vice presidential pick has been floating around for a while and is appealing if only for the prospect that two women could fill an entire presidential ticket.
Warren certainly is as qualified as many men who have filled the role. She obviously doesn’t mind serving as the attack dog for Clinton. And Warren may be the one grinding Trump into the dirt, invective for invective. In a word, she’s fearless to his careless.
Warren and Clinton haven’t always been so cozy, but, for the eternal record, women differ from one another in as many ways as men do. Warren is further to the left than Clinton ever meant to be. And she comes far more naturally to a populist message. While Clinton was being forced leftward by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Warren was continuing her years-long progressive crusade.
Her endorsement of Clinton and her new role as a rowdy, crowd-warming act constitute a bridge between Sanders supporters and the presumptive nominee they never wanted. Warren captures the anger and anti-1-percent angst of the liberal left and lays it like a wreath at the feet of the woman who would become the first female president.
Warren is a peace offering who aims to wage war on Trump. And she’s on to his greatest weakness. He can’t take a ribbing and he can’t stand being challenged by a woman. It gets under his skin like nothing else. Thus, when Warren says he looks goofy in a hat, he calls her Pocahontas (for her having said she has Native American blood).
What’s clear is that Warren won’t back down no matter what Trump tosses her way.
Speaking strictly as an observer, I think Trump may be losing his ranking as top draw in the political circus. If Warren stays on the stage, it’s nearly assured that all eyes will be on her — which might cause Clintonites some concern.
Like Trump, Warren has that certain something that fills arenas and draws people to their feet. That’s where the similarities end. A Harvard law professor before she ran for the U.S. Senate, Warren is smart, eloquent on consumer protection issues and passionately committed to well-defined principles. One needn’t agree with her to appreciate her vigor, as well as a steely-eyed softness that comes across in person.
Unlike Trump, she’s in possession of an agreeable personality. Even when yelling across a surging crowd, she manages to avoid sounding strident. Close up, she’s warm, engaging and nonthreatening.
Most important, she allows Clinton to step back from the fray and gives everyone a chance to imagine what a two-woman ticket could look like. Too much the same? Too soon for two? For whom?
It may be true, as someone wrote me, that Clinton’s greatest virtue is her opponent. But it’s also plain that Warren is her greatest asset.
Talk about a twofer.
Read more from Kathleen Parker’s archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.One hand, two directions
I recently read an interview with Antonio Esfandiari where he mentioned the $600,000 pot we played in season seven of High Stakes Poker. He had 7♥8♥, I had pocket fours, and the flop came T♣6♥4♥. We got all the money in, me with a set and Antonio with a double gutter and a straight flush draw. I lost the pot when Antonio turned a flush and I failed to pair the board on the river. At that point, it was the biggest hand Antonio had ever won in his life, while for me, it was the one that really did me in on High Stakes Poker.
I haven't played a high roller event since I lost that pot, whereas it really turned Antonio around. He did really well that session and started playing high roller and super high roller events shortly thereafter. Antonio, of course, went on to win the largest tournament prize ever awarded at the inaugural One Drop event at the WSOP. I almost think the result of that pot ended up sending each of us in different directions.
A lot of people believe pots like that couldn't be real, and I've been asked many times if the hands on High Stakes Poker were set up to induce action. I can guarantee you that was not the case. The reason the hands can look a little bit set up to people is because only the most interesting ones made the cut. When you take out all the boring hands and only leave the compelling ones, it can seem artificial. I remember speaking with one of the producers at the end of an eight-hour session, and he told me the day's action was so boring there was only one hand they might show.
We also played for our own money. Some people sold off action and weren't playing for 100% of themselves whereas I always was. We were paid an appearance fee of $1,250 an hour ($10,000 a session), but everything on the table came out of our own bankrolls. Not only did I have 100% of myself on High Stakes Poker, but that $600,000 pot did some damage, and it changed the course of the events I played in the following years. I have no doubt Antonio would have been successful regardless, but there's a good chance we wouldn't have seen him atop the money list if he hadn't won that pot.
Obviously I could have turned it around with some better play and better luck since then. Like the coach of a losing football team might say, "It's just one play. The last play that went wrong may have cost us the game, but there were all those other plays in between that could have altered our course." This was a memorable hand, a costly hand, but it is just one hand in a long, long poker game.WASHINGTON — Individuals and institutions from across the country representing a diverse cross-section of interests, perspectives, and concerns filed friend-of-court briefs today with the Supreme Court in support of Charlie Craig and David Mullins, a same-sex couple refused service by a Colorado bakery that claimed that selling them a wedding cake would violate the owner’s religious beliefs and artistic freedom.
The case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, has sparked pushback and warning from civil rights leaders, legal scholars, business voices, faith leaders, and LGBT advocates across the country. The couple is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which will appear before the court on December 5 for oral arguments.
Today’s filing of friend-of-the-court briefs showcases the diversity of voices supporting the couple at the center of the case. The list of those filing briefs includes:
More than 35 national business leaders (including Citi, Marriott, and Apple, among many others)
national business leaders (including Citi, Marriott, and Apple, among many others) The nation’s most prominent civil rights voices (including NAACP LDF, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights)
Leading legal scholars and experts
Almost 1,300 faith leaders
More than 200 members of Congress (led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney)
State attorneys general from across the country (including Republican AG Cynthia Coffman of Colorado)
Over 150 mayors of cities and municipalities from coast to coast
Hundreds of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs (Jose Andres, Anthony Bourdain, Padma Lakshmi, and Carla Hall)
The nation’s leading LGBT rights advocacy organizations
Top medical and health organizations
Women’s health advocates
Impacted people
The complete list of supporters filing briefs can be found here.
“Nobody should be turned away from a business, denied service, fired from their job, or evicted from their home simply because of who they are,” said Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU. “The issue in this case is whether there is a constitutional right to discriminate. Such a ruling would turn the constitution’s promise of equal treatment under the law on its head. It would have implications far beyond LGBT people, and would put into jeopardy long-standing laws against discrimination across the country.”
Civil rights leaders have also rallied around the case, arguing that a ruling in favor of the bakery would create a slippery slope that threatens to have consequences reaching people far beyond the LGBT community. Briefs filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law highlight the dangers this case presents to groups who have been traditionally discriminated against.
Rep. John Lewis, one of the nation’s most prominent civil rights voices said, “As a nation based on laws, we must move forward, not backwards. I remember the signs that said ‘whites only’ and ‘colored only.’ I remember when businesses open to the public engaged in blatant discrimination against people based on religion, race, and gender. To allow any business discriminate based on sexual orientation in this day and age is simply wrong and would be a step back to darker time. We have an obligation to speak up and speak out for the rights of each and every person to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Legal scholars have also lined up to warn of the constitutional implications the case would have if the court rules in the favor of the bakery, arguing that distorting notions of First Amendment protections to justify discrimination will weaken the foundation of our nation’s bedrock principles and overall justice system.
“Discrimination in the marketplace has never been accorded affirmative constitutional protections,” said Tobias Barrington Wolff of the University of Pennsylvania Law School |
What an amazing series that was. Toronto has shown some courage to go in and give Washington all they can handle. The Leafs have shown even more promise for future years to come. But I digress.
Here’s the schedule:
#Blueshirts 2nd Rd Schedule:
G1 4/27 @ OTT 7p
G2 4/29 @ OTT 3p
G3 5/2 MSG 7p
G4 5/4 MSG 7:30p
*G5 5/6 @ OTT
*G6 5/9 MSG
*G7 5/11 @ OTT pic.twitter.com/cJJua5yD9m — New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 24, 2017
As the New York Rangers prepare for the Ottawa Senators, who has the advantage in all aspects of the game? What should the New York Rangers be on the lookout for?
Offense
Alain Vigneault decided to switch things up in the Montreal series by substituting hard-nosed Tanner Glass with the highly skilled Pavel Buchnevich. The move added another offensive threat to the lineup while also deepening the Rangers offensive lines. Let’s take a look at the New York Rangers forward lines.
Deploying four lines that can contribute offensively is the definition of forward depth. These New York Rangers are a prime example of forward depth.
Take in this statistic in for a second. Every New York Rangers players except two (Marc Staal and Pavel Buchnevich) has a point in the playoffs. Wow, now that’s depth.
The fourth line at times has been our best and most consistent line. Grabner adds an element of speed and skill to a line that is willing to put their head down and work, work, work. Fast has been the best all around Blueshirt forward in the playoffs and displays his heart every game.
Vesey has been explosive with Nash and Stepan. Look for him to improve every game for the remainder of the playoffs. Nash has channeled his youth and has finally started to drive the net again causing traffic and top notch rebound opportunities. Hayes and Miller were sub-par the entire Montreal series but found themselves in game six. Hayes made the
Hayes and Miller were sub-par the entire Montreal series but found themselves in game six. Hayes made the incredible pass to Zucccarello and looked to gain confidence from there. Kreider was also not himself against Montreal, but improved throughout the series. His broken Russian (“da”) will help Buchnevich on the ice. Nonetheless, this combination was effective and Zibanejad looks to be turning the corner.
The Ottawa Senators also possess some offense depth but nothing to the same caliber as the New York Rangers. Below are the lines the Senators used in game six against the Bruins on Sunday.
Ottawa’s second line has been their most dynamic in the playoffs. Derick Brassard leads the team in the playoffs with eight points (two goals and six assists) while Bobby Ryan on the wing has a team leading four goals along with three assists.
Clark MacArthur is also a threat to watch posting two goals including the series clincher in overtime on Sunday. Hoffman and Stone have been quiet thus far in the playoffs, but were able to produce big points in the regular season, 61 and 54, respectively. Kyle Turris also had a good offensive year with 55 points, centering the top line during the regular season.
The Ottawa Senators have the same level of offensive skill as the Montreal Canadiens without the gut-wrenching physicality. The lack of physicality plays directly into the New York Rangers hand, allowing them to use their speed and skill to drive the offense.
The Ottawa defense, to be discussed in a later article, will have a hard time matching the forward depth the Blueshirts have to offer. The Rangers should be more focused on creating offense, rather than physicality, against the Ottawa Senators.
Overall, this series possesses less of an offensive threat to Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh, and the New York Rangers. That being said, Hank and the defense need to stay strong on their game and shut down the Sens from the start.
An interesting side note: both Derick Brassard and Mika Zibanejad led their teams in points in the playoffs, respectively. Now there’s a storyline if I’ve ever seen one. Who will keep it up for their respective teams? We will soon find out.
Overall Offensive Advantage: New York Rangers
For full coverage of New York Rangers playoff hockey, be sure to check out the ESNY New York Rangers Team Center.
Stayed tuned for additional parts to the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators Outlook. In the coming days we discuss the goaltending matchup, the blueline battle, and who will prevail on special teams.The alleged discrimination took place as Shimon Peres arrived at the station, the hub for high-speed trains, on March 8, to discuss the Middle East peace process.
It is now the subject of an official complaint by the SUD-Rail transport union which says everything was done to ensure there were "no Muslim employees to welcome the Head of the State of Israel".
Mr Peres and a delegation of other senior Israelis arrived on a morning train from Belgium, and were greeted by staff from SNCF, France's national railway, and their baggage-handling subsidiary, ITIREMIA.
The previous day however, a site manager told all workers at the station about the ban on black staff, and those of North African descent, because they might be Muslim.
Secular France does not officially recognise anybody's religion, but it was assumed by management that anyone from a "black or Arab" background might be Muslim – an assumption "based on the appearance of the workers", according to a SUD-Rail statement.
The SUD-Rail statement called on SNCF to publicly condemn the incident as "unacceptable".
Gare du Nord has a large number of workers from an ethnic minority in its workforce, many of whom live in the suburbs of Paris.
SNCF initially blamed the discrimination on "security protocol" advised by the French Interior Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Paris, but this has been emphatically denied by both.
Instead, the order came from SNCF management, with a spokesman for the state-run company pledging "a full investigation".
The row is particularly embarrassing for SNCF because of the part it played in the Holocaust during the Second World War.
In 2011 the organisation made its first formal public apology to Holocaust victims, many of whom had been entrained to death camps in Germany on lines which ran out of Gare du Nord.
France has the largest Muslim population in western Europe, with up to six million living in the country.Jason Pierre-Paul releases fireworks PSA (Video)
Jason Pierre-Paul has teamed up with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for a public service announcement about the dangers of fireworks, and it was released Thursday morning in advance of the 4th of July holiday weekend.
In the PSA, Pierre-Paul tells CPSC chairman Elliott Kaye that he feels “truly blessed to be alive” after he lost a large portion of his right hand in a fireworks accident last year. You can see the video below:
Pierre-Paul told Good Morning America that he lit a professional-grade firework and it went off while he was still holding it. As he already stated before, JPP is not planning to get anywhere near fireworks displays or any other type of 4th of July celebration this year.
In recent months, Pierre-Paul has shared gruesome details and photos from his terrifying incident. Kudos to JPP for trying to help others learn from his mistake.Update: Dark Lord Day tickets will be sold online at noon Central on Monday, March 17 (yes, St. Patrick's Day) at crowdsurge.com/darklordday/
Okay, beer fans, you can finally pick your season ticket packages and tell you cousin whether you can attend her wedding. Three Floyds Brewing Co. has set its Dark Lord Day extravaganza for Saturday, April 26th. The doors will open at 10:00am Central Time on the grounds of the brewery, 9750 Indiana Pkwy, Munster, Indiana.
This will be the 11th (or so) annual iteration of the one day a year when 3 Floyds offers its Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout, a black, sticky brew running about 15% alcohol by volume, and brewed with coffee, vanilla, and an extra fermentable like molasses. First released in 2002, its popularity grew until the Floyds were able to sell their entire production run in one day, first just to dozens of people showing up at the brewery, and now to over 6,000 people lucky enough to score a "Golden Ticket." Many more people have shown up at the industrial park where Floyds is located, bringing along coolers from their own beer stashes to share with other beer fans.
The "Golden Tickets" will go on sale March 17th, at 12pm, Central, through an online link that will be provided at the DLD website at the on-sale time. Those who get through will be able to purchase two tickets at $30 each. You'll be able to pick your timed admission period to enter the brewery and buy your allotment of Dark Lord. While the final allotment isn't known until after the beer is bottled, it has almost always been a four-pack of 22 oz. bomber bottles. Each ticket will also have a scratch-off spot, which may entitle the holder to buy a special barrel-aged Dark Lord variant.
The Dark Lord site notes that the Floyds brewpub will be closed for the day. All purchases will be cash-only, though ATMs will be on site. Also expect live music and several guest beers to be tapped within the event fences.
If you can't get in to this event, there will be many more chances to get some exclusive beers later. The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has set its 11-day Chicago Craft Beer Week for May 15 - 25. This celebration of local beer will kick off with a "Beer Under Glass" event at Garfield Park Conservatory, and will be marked throughout the event with hundreds of tap takeovers, educational events and beer dinners, ending with a West Loop Craft Beer Festival at the Chicago French Market under the Ogilvy Transportation Center.
The CCBW's main web page is still showing information from the 2013 event, but new updates are now appearing on their Facebook page. Watch either of these sites for your chance at tickets to some of the exclusive events.This is tutorial number 5 in Golang tutorial series.
Definition
The term constant is used in Go to denote fixed values such 5, -89, "I love Go", 67.89 and so on.
Consider the following code,
var a int = 50 var b string = "I love Go"
In the above code a and b are assigned to constants 50 and I love Go respectively. The keyword const is used to denote constants such as 50 and I love Go. Even though we do not explicitly use the keyword const anywhere in the above code, internally they are constants in Go.
Constants as the name indicate cannot be reassigned again to any other value and hence the below program will not work and it will fail with compilation error cannot assign to a.
package main func main() { const a = 55 //allowed a = 89 //reassignment not allowed }
Run in playground
The value of a constant should be known at compile time. Hence it cannot be assigned to a value returned by a function call since the function call takes place at run time.
package main import ( "fmt" "math" ) func main() { fmt.Println("Hello, playground") var a = math.Sqrt(4)//allowed const b = math.Sqrt(4)//not allowed }
Run in playground
In the above program, a is a variable and hence it can be assigned to the result of the function math.Sqrt(4) (We will discuss functions in more detail in a separate tutorial).
b is a constant and the value of b needs to be know at compile time. The function math.Sqrt(4) will be evaluated only during run time and hence const b = math.Sqrt(4) throws error main.go:11: const initializer math.Sqrt(4) is not a constant.
String Constants
Any value enclosed between double quotes is a string constant in Go. For example strings like "Hello World" or "Sam" are all constants in Go.
What type does a string constant belong to? The answer is they are untyped.
A string constant like "Hello World" does not have any type.
const hello = "Hello World"
In the above case we have assigned "Hello World" to a named constant hello. Now does the constant hello have a type? The answer is No. The constant still doesn't have a type.
Go is a strongly typed language. All variables require a explicit type. Then how does the following program which assigns a variable name to an untyped constant Sam work?
package main import ( "fmt" ) func main() { var name = "Sam" fmt.Printf("type %T value %v", name, name) }
Run in playground
The answer is untyped constants have a default type associated with them and they supply it if and only if a line of code demands it. In the statement var name = "Sam", name needs a type and it gets it from the default type of the string constant "Sam" which is a string.
Is there a way to create a typed constant? The answer is yes. The following code creates a typed constant.
const typedhello string = "Hello World"
typedhello in the above code is a constant of type string.
Go is a strongly typed language. Mixing types during assignment is not allowed. Let's see what this means by the help of a program.
package main func main() { var defaultName = "Sam" //allowed type myString string var customName myString = "Sam" //allowed customName = defaultName //not allowed }
Run in playground
In the above code, we first create a variable defaultName and assign it to the constant Sam. The default type of the constant Sam is string, so after the assignment defaultName is of type String.
In the next line we create a new type myString which is an alias of string.
Then we create a variable customName of type myString and assign it to the constant Sam. Since the constant Sam is untyped it can be assigned to any string variable. Hence this assignment is allowed and customName gets the type myString.
Now we have a variable defaultName of type string and another variable customName of type myString. Even though we know that myString is an alias of string, Go's strong typing policy disallows variables of one type to be assigned to another. Hence the assignment customName = defaultName is not allowed and the compiler throws an error main.go:7:20: cannot use defaultName (type string) as type myString in assignment
Boolean Constants
Boolean constants are no different from string constants. They are two untyped constants true and false. The same rules for string constants apply to booleans so we will not repeat them here. The following is a simple program to explain boolean constants.
package main func main() { const trueConst = true type myBool bool var defaultBool = trueConst //allowed var customBool myBool = trueConst //allowed defaultBool = customBool //not allowed }
Run in playground
The above program is self explanatory.
Numeric Constants
Numeric constants include integers, floats and complex constants. There are some subtleties in numeric constants.
Lets look at some examples to make things clear.
package main import ( "fmt" ) func main() { const a = 5 var intVar int = a var int32Var int32 = a var float64Var float64 = a var complex64Var complex64 = a fmt.Println("intVar",intVar, "
int32Var", int32Var, "
float64Var", float64Var, "
complex64Var",complex64Var) }
Run in playground
In the program above, the const a is untyped and has a value 5. You may be wondering what is the default type of a and if it does have one, how do we then assign it to variables of different types. The answer lies in the syntax of a. The following program will make things more clear.
package main import ( "fmt" ) func main() { var i = 5 var f = 5.6 var c = 5 + 6i fmt.Printf("i's type %T, f's type %T, c's type %T", i, f, c) }
Run in playground
In the program above, the type of each variable is determined by the syntax of the numeric constant. 5 is an integer by syntax, 5.6 is a float and 5 + 6i is a complex number by syntax. When the above program is run, it prints i's type int, f's type float64, c's type complex128
Now I hope it will be clear how the below program worked.
package main import ( "fmt" ) func main() { const a = 5 var intVar int = a var int32Var int32 = a var float64Var float64 = a var complex64Var complex64 = a fmt.Println("intVar",intVar, "
int32Var", int32Var, "
float64Var", float64Var, "
complex64Var",complex64Var) }
Run in playground
In this program, the value of a is 5 and the syntax of a is generic (it can represent a float, integer or even a complex number with no imaginary part) and hence it is possible to be assigned to any compatible type. The default type of these kind of constants can be thought of as being generated on the fly depending on the context. var intVar int = a requires a to be int so it becomes an int constant. var complex64Var complex64 = a requires a to be a complex number and hence it becomes a complex constant. Pretty neat :).
Numeric Expressions
Numeric constants are free to be mixed and matched in expressions and a type is needed only when they are assigned to variables or used in any place in code which demands a type.
package main import ( "fmt" ) func main() { var a = 5.9/8 fmt.Printf("a's type %T value %v",a, a) }
Run in playground
In the program above, 5.9 is a float by syntax and 8 is a integer by syntax. Still 5.9/8 is allowed as both are numeric constants. The result of the division is 0.7375 is a float and hence variable a is of type float. The output of the program is a's type float64 value 0.7375.
Thats it for constants. Please shared your valuable feedback and comments.
Next tutorial - FunctionsLAST WEEK WE were reminiscing about college life in the ‘real capital’, and we’ve already discussed glorious days spent in DCU and Trinity, so it only seems fitting that our next port of call is the largest university in Ireland.
University College Dublin began life in the city centre, before moving to a sprawling south Dublin campus about 50 years ago.
Hold on to your hard hats because we’re heading to Belfield, where memories, myths and legends lie beneath every single concrete slab.
1. Contrary to popular belief, UCD students don’t all walk straight out of the pages of a Ross O’Carroll-Kelly book.
Source: RTÉ
There are over 30,000 students. They don’t all rock dubes and chinos.
Source: Screengrab via YouTube
2. Getting to class can prove more challenging than getting your degree.
The bus or DART is the best option for those who don’t live locally, but woe betide you if you’re tying to get to college during rush hour.
Nothing says Monday morning 9am lectures like being sandwiched between secondary school kids’ on a packed bus, in tail-to-tail gridlock on the Stillorgan dual carriageway.
3. For some, getting home is no picnic either.
If you haven’t squeezed on to a 6 o’clock bus home from Belfield then you haven’t lived.
Of course, that’s provided the bus actually shows up (we’re looking at you number 17) or the driver is willing to stop on the flyover for you after 10pm.
Source: University Observer
Bonus points for those who can remember the days when the number 10 bus reigned supreme.
4. Campus Accommodation is the Holy Grail.
Source: University Observer
You don’t need to worry about buses or cars when you actually live in Belfield. Living on res isn’t as much fun since they put the gates up, but campus accommodation is still a precious commodity.
Belgrove was cherished for its proximity to the Student Bar, while Merville was THE place to be for wine and chicken fillet rolls.
Glenomena = Postgrad/serious student palace and Roebuck?
5. There’s a Blackrock Campus.
Source: Google Maps
You’ll never really go there unless you’re doing a course at the Smurfit School or sitting Applied Language exams though.
6. You WILL need a map to find things at some stage.
Source: UCD
Strategic meeting points are key and you’ll definitely spend time trying to work out the best routes for lecture to lecture sprints.
Nobody wants to run from a tutorial in Roebuck and arrive late to a crowded lecture in the utterly cavernous Theatre L.
7. One of the most famous landmarks is basically a giant egg.
Source: College Tribune
It’s not your average egg though. It’s a mammal’s egg, covered with little ‘swimmers’. And there was panic when they temporarily removed it.
8. Swimming in the lake is NOT advisable.
That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been done though. Sure some lad even went skinny dipping. In broad daylight. In front of a whole host of students.
Source: YouTube
The lake is a great spot to meet friends during the summer or eat your lunch on a lovely day though, provided the seagulls behave themselves.
Source: University Observer
9. The secret spots aren’t quite so secret.
Source: Dave!
The ‘Secret Lakes’ behind the veterinary buildings are probably the worst-kept secret on campus and the ‘Secret Tunnels’ aren’t so secret either.
Students have ventured behind the grate near the trees opposite what is now the old student centre and one even documented their experience for The University Observer.
Source: redbottlecapbeercan/Reddit
10. Freshers Week is spent in a giant white tent.
Source: University Observer
You’ll join millions of societies inside that white cave of wonders, but only head to events where famous faces are guaranteed to appear.
11. There are as many urban legends as there are students.
Source: UCD
The most commonly accepted one is that the whole campus is designed to be riot proof.
Once you’ve made an eejit of yourself trying to run down those widely spaced steps you’ll probably start to believe it too.
12. The Student Bar used to look like this.
Source: University Observer
And you spent many a glorious wasted afternoon drinking Beamish or Fosters in there. Black Monday? You genuinely don’t remember.
13. The bar was one of the best places to eat along with Elements, Cafe Brava, Centra at Merville and O’Brien’s in the Conway Institute.
Not to mention the good old Forum Bar.
Source: University Observer
Between this and The Pit the modern day students don’t know what they’re missing, eh?
And that Apache in Elements. That was awesome.
14. You have wonderful memories of afternoons spent in the bowels of the Newman Building.
Source: University Observer
Sure who didn’t spend at least ONE afternoon shooting pool in The Trap?
15. Electives will make or break you.
Source: Shutterstock
You’ll do ANYTHING for an easy 5 credits and woe betide anyone who gets in your way.
16. And lecturers who don’t use Blackboard are the devil incarnate.
Source: Shutterstock
Source: Screengrab via YouTube
17. The Vice President for Students sends the BEST emails.
Source: @DonieSullivan 18. Walking around Belfield in nothing but your jocks and a lab coat is the most amusing way to raise money for charity. Source: UCD Societies 19. There’s always something being built. ALWAYS. If it isn’t a new Student Centre it’s a new Science Block, a new car park or a new Law School. Is it any wonder no two buildings EVER look the same? Source: UCD
20. The James Joyce Library is where good intentions go to die.
Source: University Observer
You can never find a plug for your laptop or end up being ridiculously distracted while sitting at one of those desks that looks out over the lake. As a result, you spend more time taking coffee breaks with friends in the Student Shop than studying.
Sure everybody knows that anyone who REALLY wants to study heads down to Health Sciences anyway.
21. This man should be feared and loved in equal measure.
These lads gave Librocop a Steven Seagal box set for Christmas. Source: Alan Pierce
22. Exams = Bi-annual pilgrimage to Ballsbridge.
Source: University Observer
If you’re lucky you’ll spend Christmas in the luxury of the main hall of the RDS. If you aren’t, it’ll be off to Industries with you.
Summer days are spent in the utterly enormous Simmonscourt, where some insist there is a lingering scent of horse show hay.
Source: University Observer
The most amusing invigilator in Ireland more than makes up for it though.
23. When it comes to Trinity College, keep your friends close but your ‘enemies’ closer.
Source: Flickr
Cultural norms dictate that you should have an inexplicable distaste for Pearse Street Polytechnic/Pearse Street IT or whatever other jovial nickname you’ve got for the old rival.
However, you still need tickets to the Trinity Ball and enjoy the option of drinking in The Pav, so having friends in TCD is actually a bit of a bonus.New and nearly complete cranial remains of Pholidosaurus purbeckensis are described on the basis of specimens recovered from the Berriasian locality of Cherves-de-Cognac, France. Two skulls, associated mandibles and a set of dorsal osteoderms are available and allow a refinement of the anatomy of the genus, known otherwise from coeval deposits in Germany and England. Because of its longirostrine morphology, convergent with other crocodylomorph lineages, the phylogenetic relationships of Pholidosaurus are likely to be affected by Long Branch Attraction problems. Various tests of removing/excluding longirostrine lineages confirm that Dyrosauridae have a labile position and that their affinities with Pholidosauridae are weakly supported. Results from comparative anatomy and phylogenetic analyses recover Pholidosaurus as the basalmost member of Pholidosauridae, a group closely related to Goniopholididae. Pholidosaurus is recovered together with abundant remains of Goniopholis and with more limited remains of Theriosuchus. The paleoecology of Pholidosaurus and more generally, of Pholidosauridae, is discussed.CANDACE Bushnell, who rose to fame writing about being desperate and dateless in New York City in the 1990s, now reckons women should forget bedrooms and focus on boardrooms.
The author who created Carrie Bradshaw and her three fashion-addicted friends in Sex and the City (pictured), which became a hugely popular TV series and spawned a few ordinary film spin-offs, says boardrooms lack broads.
Bushnell, 54, was in Brisbane addressing a ballroom full of women (and a few token blokes) for a Business Chicks lunch.
Amid a flurry of topics, including a previous visit to Australia when she was "several years younger with a lot less Botox", Bushnell urged women to "lean in".
She was referring to the book du jour for female professionals, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook.
The nub of the book is that women should be more outspoken, should put themselves forward for roles instead of letting men run the show.
They should aim high, instead of settling for middle management. Of course they should, but the reality is that leaning in isn't enough.
For decades plenty of intelligent, ambitious Australian women have been trying their level best to lean, climb or crash their way to the top.
The upshot? Not much.
Last year, women comprised 15.4 per cent of non-executive directors of the ASX200 companies and held 9.2 per cent of executive positions in the top 500 companies.
The Workforce Gender Equality Agency says we've had "a decade of negligible change for females in executive ranks".
Clearly, whatever we've been doing is not working.
While it's fashionable for Candace Bushnell and others including shadow treasurer Joe Hockey to crow about equality, where's the plan to achieve it?
Hockey has distanced himself from his suggestion two years ago to mandate 30 per cent women on boards, an idea Governor-General Quentin Bryce was open to because we needed to break the "old boys" stranglehold on business.
But when quotas have been effective overseas, why not try them here?
Norway, France, Belgium, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain have quotas and all have experienced a surge in female participation on boards.
Thomas Clarke, a professor of management and director of the Centre for Corporate Governance in Sydney, says in France quotas have lifted the percentage of women directors in the top 17 companies from 7.2 in 2004 to 25 today.
"The number of countries opting for mandatory quotas is increasing, though the consensus in Australia is for voluntary targets," Clarke says.
By 2015, Mirvac is hoping to have 35 per cent female board membership, Coca Cola, Brambles, Telstra and NAB 30 per cent, and Woolworths 25 per cent.
There are voluntary targets too in senior executive roles, with companies such as Westpac and Leighton Holdings shooting for 40 per cent by 2014 and 2016 respectively.
Quotas, however, remain unpopular, with the standard line being that appointments should be merit based.
They certainly should be, but quotas and merit are not mutually exclusive.
You can't tell me that for all the women who've graduated from university and entered the workforce in recent decades that only one-tenth of them are up to the task of running a company or sitting on a board.
Merit is simply an excuse used to mask the blatant discrimination that persists in this country.
In Norway, the leader in workplace equality where women are required by law to fill 40 per cent of board memberships, merit isn't a problem.
The country's top female executive Mimi Berdal sits on several boards and says she knows of no woman who is there just to make up the numbers. All are highly capable, Berdal says, and if this were not the case, nomination committees were to blame.
It stands to reason that if we create more opportunities, more people - male or female - will be able to shine.
If Australia is to pay more than lip service to the goal of equality, shouldn't we be identifying, nurturing and rewarding merit in both sexes?
History has shown we can't wait for society to catch up; the march to egalitarianism has been painfully slow.
High-flying Sydney banker Peter Hunt of Greenhill & Co admitted as much in February when he called for a change in the Corporations Act to include a quota of 25 per cent female directors on boards.
Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Liz Broderick weighed in, saying: "If it's necessary to give a jolt to a misaligned system, we should do it."
Voluntary targets are commendable but when quotas have proven successful, couldn't they be the jolt Australia needs?
Kylie Lang is the editor of Qweekend, every Saturday in The Courier-Mail
Email: kylie.lang@news.com.auThe Financial Times has said that the implied valuation means that Facebook is now has a higher valuation than technology giants such as eBay and Yahoo!, which have capped market values of $30.1 billion and $18.3 billion respectively.
David Gelles, a reporter for The Financial Times wrote: “Common stock in Facebook is trading as high as $76 a share as investors scramble to get a piece of the company before it files for an initial public offering, which analysts say could be the biggest technology IPO since Google’s $1.67bn flotation in 2004.
“While Facebook and other successful Silicon Valley companies, such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Zynga, are delaying their IPOs because of perceived weak appetite on the public markets, some investors are not content to wait. They are acquiring stakes in technology companies while they are still private, hoping that their eventual IPOs will send share prices even higher.”
Facebook, which registered its 500 millionth member last month, is currently financed through a mixture of investment firms and venture capital companies. It is not yet know when the company will float, although there have been hints it will not be until 2011.CHENNAI: India is all set for the maiden launch tomorrow of an indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle(RLV)--that is being dubbed as its own space shuttle-- from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh."The weather is fine and the countdown for the launch is on schedule," K Sivan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), told PTI this evening.The RLV Technology Demonstration ( RLV-TD ), that is ultimately aimed at putting satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter atmosphere, will be carried up on a solid rocket motor. The nine-metre long rocket weighs 11 tonnes."The launch window for the RLV-TD is between 7am and 11 am," a senior ISRO official said.Very similar in its looks to the US space shuttle, the the double delta-winged RLV-TD being experimented is a scale model which is almost 6 times smaller than the final version.The 6.5 m long 'aeroplane'-like structure weighs 1.75 tonnes and will be hoisted into the atmosphere on the special rocket booster.After launch from the Sriharikota spaceport, about 100 km from here, it will be glided back onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal, some 500 km from the coast.The vehicle will be taken to a height of over 70 km and released for its re-entry into the atmosphere.The mission, known as the hypersonic flight experiment, is expected to last about 10 minutes from liftoff to splashdown.The RLV-TD is described as "a very preliminary step" in the development of a reusable rocket, whose final version is expected to take 10-15 years.This will be the first time ISRO will be launching a winged flight vehicle.The government has invested Rs 95 crore into the RLV-TD project.Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) Chairman Kiran Kumar while explaining the importance of the experimental RLV said it is essentially an attempt by India to bring down the cost of making infrastructure in space.If reusable rockets become a reality, the cost of access to space may come down by 10 times, he said."The RLV is a mechanism for us to bring down the cost of launch. We intend to go through a series of technology demonstration exercises, first one of it, what we call HEX-01, that is a hypersonic experiment. It is called a winged body," Kumar said."Therefore, we are designing for the first time a winged body, which will come back from space. It will be carried up on a solid rocket motor. In addition, this is the first of a series of experiments and we still have a long way to go till we reach the actual RLV, which will give us a tremendous capacity in terms of launching at a very low cost," he added."We will be launching from Sriharikota, and the plane like winged body will land in the ocean, in the Bay of Bengal. That is the first one, but then ultimately, the objective will be this winged body will come and land on the Sriharikota island," Kumar said.Kumar said ultimately a kind of a runway like one used to see for American space shuttles will be made in Sriharikota."When it comes to the final stage, that is what will happen. This winged body will come back on to the land at Sriharikota."Abstract
Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and have been shown to improve various cardiometabolic risk factors. We aimed to investigate the association between walnut intake and incident type 2 diabetes in 2 large cohort studies: the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHS II. We prospectively followed 58,063 women aged 52–77 y in NHS (1998–2008) and 79,893 women aged 35–52 y in NHS II (1999–2009) without diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline. Consumption of walnuts and other nuts was assessed every 4 y using validated food frequency questionnaires. Selfreported type 2 diabetes was confirmed by a validated supplemental questionnaire. We documented a total of 5930 incident type 2 diabetes cases during 10 y of follow-up. In the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model without body mass index (BMI), walnut consumption was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and the HRs (95% CIs) for participants consuming 1–3 servings/mo (1 serving = 28 g), 1 serving/wk, and ≥2 servings/wk of walnuts were 0.93 (0.88–0.99), 0.81 (0.70–0.94), and 0.67 (0.54–0.82) compared with women who never/rarely consumed walnuts (P-trend < 0.001). Further adjustment for updated BMI slightly attenuated the association and the HRs (95% CIs) were 0.96 (0.90–1.02), 0.87 (0.75–1.01), and 0.76 (0.62–0.94), respectively (P-trend = 0.002). The consumption of total nuts (P-trend < 0.001) and other tree nuts (P-trend = 0.03) was also inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, and the associations were largely explained by BMI. Our results suggest that higher walnut consumption is associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes in women.
Introduction
Diabetes is estimated to affect 25.6 million American adults (1) and 366 million people worldwide (2), |
lifting mechanism (front, surface low pressure and upper level wave) coming through overnight and early morning, this is simply the wrong time of day for a major severe outbreak.
Instability WILL be present, but not to the level supporting a derecho. In fact, the morning model guidance suggests that significant values of instability will remain to the south of the Washington region (Figure 5).
Figure 5 NAM 4-km model prediction of instability (CAPE, or Convective Available Potential Energy) at 9 p.m. tonight. A pocket of moderate instability is located across extreme southern Maryland and the Tidewater, Virginia region. Only minimal instability is predicted for the Washington region. (Stormvistapro.com).
This makes sense, given the trajectory of the low pressure system directly over the Washington region: The system’s warm sector must track to our south, across central and southern Virginia, while the cool side envelops northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. This is what the models have been consistently advertising for several runs.
By mid-morning, the front and low pressure will be pushing south and east of the Washington region, moving us out of the system’s warm sector before significant solar heating can re-energize the air mass.
The other severe storms ingredient is wind shear, the change in wind speed and/or direction with increasing height. Different values and configurations of shear are a strong determinant of severe storm type, whether cells will organize into a squall line, or a bow echo, or spin up into supercells. A strong speed increase through mid-levels can organize weak supercells and bow echoes. Add a veering component in low levels (winds turning from southerly to westerly) and strong supercells capable of large hail and tornadoes develop.
Tonight’s wind shear is forecast to be modest, in a timeframe from about sundown until sunrise. Because of this shear, even small amounts of buoyant energy (instability), combined with uplift associated with the low pressure region, can lead to longer-lived, organized cells complexes.
Here’s a look at what the high resolution (mesoscale) models are predicting in terms of convective coverage and intensity tonight.
Figure 6. HRRR (High Resolution Rapid Refresh) mesoscale model prediction of surface radar reflectivity, valid 10 p.m. June 4. Bands of heavier convection track through region, and diminish after 1-2 a.m. (WeatherBell.com)
Figure 7. 4 km NAM model prediction of surface radar reflectivity, 1 a.m. June 5. Note the “split” around D.C. with heaviest convection primarily to the south and west.
Figure 8. WRF (Weather Research and Forecast model) high resolution simulation of radar reflectivity, valid 2 a.m.June 5. Note heavy activity over southwest Virginia, and a weaker system tracking north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
It’s possible that a large, intense bow echo may develop across the Ohio Valley later this afternoon and evening. A recent study found that whether such a large storm complex survives its transit across the Appalachians depends critically on the amount of instability available on the lee side (east of the mountains). With the predicted low values later tonight, any approaching convective system should weaken substantially.
Several models scenarios, including the bottom above, suggest that system remnants would essentially “split” the D.C. region with stronger, possibly severe storms moving to our south (in the more unstable air)…with a weaker complex (showers, embedded general thunderstorms) passing through north-central Maryland.
The most likely scenario for today includes a 20 percent chance of pop-up thunderstorms late this afternoon and early this evening, simply because of an unstable afternoon air mass. Some of these could be locally strong, but this is more likely to the south of the immediate Washington area, and along the higher terrain to our west.
After sunset, as the main piece of energy approaches, this includes frequent showers, some of which may be heavy, along with thunderstorms. Lightning could be fairly intense, and I cannot rule out isolated strong (40-60 mph) wind gusts. SPC states that locations in the Washington region have a 5% chance of severe (60 mph+) wind gusts. Some locations could pick up in excess of 1 inch rainfall. Isolated power outages would stem more from lightning than severe winds.
Given the most likely scenario outlined above, we will still keep our eye on any approaching, organized convective system, and its intensity trend. There is a low probability that such a storm could end up on our doorstep more intense than what guidance is currently predicting. Given the reduced skill in predicting individual derecho systems 12-18+ hours in advance, I cannot unequivocally state that we are completely out of the woods.
CWG will be monitoring the situation through the day and evening and will issue updates as needed.Arcosanti is a projected experimental town with a molten bronze bell casting business in Yavapai County, central Arizona, 70 mi (110 km) north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet (1,130 meters). Its arcology concept was posited by the Italian-American architect, Paolo Soleri (1919–2013). He began construction in 1970, to demonstrate how urban conditions could be improved while minimizing the destructive impact on the earth. He taught and influenced generations of architects and urban designers who studied and worked with him there to build the proposed 'town.'
View of Arcosanti from the southeast, showing buildings from Crafts III on the far left to the guestrooms in the right foreground.
The goal of Arcosanti is to explore the concept of arcology, which combines architecture and ecology. The project has the goals of combining the social interaction and accessibility of an urban environment with sound environmental principles, such as minimal resource use and access to the natural environment.[1] The project has been building an experimental town on 25 acres (10 ha) of a 4,060-acre (1,640 ha) land preserve.
The Arcosanti apse
Ground was broken in 1970 to begin construction on the site, and has continued at a varying pace through the present. The most recently completed building was finished in 1989.[2] The population has tended to vary between 50 and 150 people, many of them students and volunteers. Ultimately, the goal has been for Arcosanti to house a population of 5,000 people.[3] Thirteen major structures have been built on the site to date, some several stories tall. One master plan, designed in 2001, envisions a massive complex, called "Arcosanti 5000", that would dwarf the current buildings.
Many features are particular to the design and construction of Arcosanti. For example, tilt-up concrete panels are cast in a bed of silt acquired from the surrounding area, giving the concrete a unique texture and color that helps it blend with the landscape. Many panels were cast with embedded art. Most buildings are oriented southward to capture the sun's light and heat — roof designs admit the maximum amount of sunlight in the winter and a minimal amount during the summer. The structure built to shelter bronze-casting is built in the form of an apse, a quarter-sphere or semi-dome. The layout of all the buildings is intricate and organic, rather than the grid typical of most US cities, with the goals of maximum accessibility to all elements, a combination of increased social interaction and bonds, together with privacy for the residents.
Existing structures at Arcosanti are meant to begin to provide for the complete needs of a community. They include: a five-story visitors' center/cafe/gift shop; a bronze-casting apse; a ceramics apse; two large barrel vaults; a ring of apartment residences and quasi-public spaces around an outdoor amphitheater; a community swimming pool; an office complex, above which is an apartment that was originally Soleri's suite. A two-bedroom "Sky Suite" occupies the highest point in the complex; it, as well as a set of rooms below the pool, is available for overnight guests. Most of the buildings have accessible roofs.
Visitors' center and residence
Arcosanti has a Camp area, built by and for the original construction crew. It is used today as housing for people most interested in development of the agricultural department. Camp has a small greenhouse, with easy access to gardens and large agricultural fields that as of March 2017 were not being cultivated. Terraced greenhouses are planned along the slope of the main building site for winter plant and garden space, and to collect heat to distribute through the buildings.
Arcosanti was conceived of and remains primarily an education center, with students from around the world visiting to attend workshops, classes, and to assist with the continuing construction. 40,000 tourists visit yearly.[4] Tourists can take a guided tour of the site or make reservations to stay overnight in guest accommodations.[5]
Some Arcosanti funding comes from selling the bells made and cast from clay and bronze on site. Additional funding comes from donations, and fees for workshops that last up to five weeks. Much of the present construction at Arcosanti has been done by workshop participants and volunteers.[citation needed] The average salary at Arcosanti is minimum wage.[6]With the federal government’s shutdown nearing its second week, Democrats dared House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to prove his claims that he didn’t have the votes on a continuing resolution to re-open the government or raise the debt limit without concessions from President Barack Obama.
As lawmakers returned to work in Washington, the Republican speaker’s assertions took center stage.
The government shutdown is nothing compared to the potential economic peril that could result if leaders don't agree to raise the nation's debt ceiling. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
“There are not the votes in the House to pass a clean CR,” Boehner said in an interview on ABC Sunday, despite informal whip counts collected by NBC News and other outlets suggesting that as many as 21 House Republicans could join with Democrats to pass a simple extension of spending that would reopen the federal government.
But the funding fight appears poised to bleed into the Oct. 17 deadline by which lawmakers must authorize more borrowing to finance existing spending, or risk defaulting on the national debt.
"We're not going to pass a clean debt-limit increase," Boehner said of that deadline. "I told the president, there's no way we're going to pass one. The votes are not in the House to pass a clean debt limit. And the president is risking default by not having a conversation with us."
In short, Republicans in Congress appeared no closer to resolving their fiscal differences with Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress. But wrapping the debt ceiling into the impasse only raises the stakes for the impasse’s outcome.
Top Talkers: The House does have the votes to pass a clean CR, Joe Scarborough asserts despite House Speaker Boehner's comments suggesting otherwise. Which begs the question: Will all of this go to the debt ceiling and beyond? And if it does, how hard is the Oct. 17 deadline date? The Morning Joe panel -- including Jeremy Peters, David Ignatius, Harold Ford Jr. and Steve Rattner -- discusses.
Democrats – who have demanded a clean extension of both government spending and the debt limit – have demanded that Boehner move to approve those measures as a precondition of broader negotiations over government spending.
And so the second week of the shutdown essentially opened with Democrats calling Boehner’s bluff.
“If there are not votes to open the government as Speaker Boehner says, why is he so afraid to call the vote and prove it?” White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer asked Monday morning on Twitter.
The president himself, though, was scheduled to stay out of the public eye after waging a PR blitz against Republicans for much of last week.
But as the shutdown appeared ready to extend into its second week – and perhaps longer – it was clear that something would have to give in the next 10 days, or risk a severe blow to seriously harm an already-shaky American financial system, and threated to plunge the United States back into recession. Republican leaders suggested that another weekend of work could be in the cards, especially as the debt ceiling deadline neared.
The first seven days of the shutdown were more full of political posturing and blame-placing than sincere negotiations to restart the government.
Thousands of government programs remain on hold, and most services have been reduced to bare-boned staff. National parks are shuttered, and hundreds of thousands of government workers have been ordered to stay home.
One bipartisan breakthrough came over the weekend after the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to legislation from the House GOP guaranteeing back pay for furloughed federal workers.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013.
That bill, though, was only one of the handful of limited spending bills proposed by Republicans to reinstate funding for some of the most visible consequences of the shutdown, like children's cancer research on hold or the officially-closed World War II memorial.
Democrats have argued for days that the surest way to ensure all of those programs would be for the House to finally vote to approve the simple, six-week extension of government spending favored by Obama and his Democratic allies.
And though there are emerging signs of bipartisan support for such a measure, Republicans' insistence on passing a series of messaging-oriented bills suggested that the GOP was locked into its position for the long haul.
Most prognosticators agree that one side will eventually blink, and not allow the U.S. to default. But Boehner and Obama have each built such immense political stakes into this standoff's outcome that at least one of them will suffer greatly from the eventual resolution.
How that resolution might play out appeared to even bewilder Boehner, who responded when asked when the shutdown fight would conclude: “If I knew, I would tell you.”
This story was originally published onThe Stars don't have the reputation of a team with a strong blueline. Walk into any fantasy trade forum or thread, be it on reddit, or the hfboards, and everyone can't wait to offer you a bunch of third pairing defensemen they think Dallas needs for Valeri Nichushkin. But that's because Dallas has a strong pipeline of quality prospects. It'd be darn near impossible to have every blueline prospect bust. The boom is here. It's just distributed unevenly.
And none have garnered more hype and acclaim than Dallas' 2012 3rd round pick, Esa Lindell.
Part of what makes Lindell a shoe-in for Dallas' blueline is pedigree. He hasn't been the proverbial big fish in the small pond. In his draft year, he was a point per game defensemen for Jokerit U20 in SM Liiga's junior league. In the playoffs, he remained productive. That year for Finland's U18 team, he was productive. And so on...
When he finally made his way into the Finnish Elite League, he stopped being productive for a bit, only to once again find himself the blueline goal scoring rock Assat needed for the 2014-2015 season (while also being their 3rd best scoring skater overall). When he came to Texas as a rookie, he was kind enough to bring his magnetic grin, and goal scoring prowess to Dallas' AHL affiliate too. Lindell ended the 2015-2016 season for the Texas Stars with 42 points: good for 16th in overall rookie scoring (only San Diego's Brandon Montour, and Syracuse's Anthony DeAngelo had more as rookie blueliners), and 9th in defensemen scoring.
So you're saying there's a chance?
Lindell doesn't play a very complicated game. When he has possession of the puck, and he's at the point, he likes to shoot. Here he is "missing" from the left point:
Even with a forward in front of him forcing him to retreat, he gets the shot right on Anton Khudobin's pads, allowing Stars forward Remi Elie to grab the rebound. And here he is not missing:
This is Lindell's strength. With or without space, he threads the needle like a smocking guild savant. This is something that Dallas has, frankly, missed in recent years. Dallas has had puck movers in recent years but that didn't make them skilled shooters: guys like Alex Goligoski, and Trevor Daley could help transition the play but they were awful at getting the puck on net.
He also has no problem activating on the Power Play, where sometimes he'd rather just shoot from the goalie's doorstep:
Lindell probably has the best shot of any blueliner in Dallas' organization. Yes, that includes John Klingberg, but only in terms of pure mechanics: release, velocity, and accuracy are second nature to Lindell. Obviously, Klingberg is better at using his feet to get open, so both use different methods to get the puck on net, but it's effective. And it's effective thanks to Lindell's aggressive philosophy.
Depth chart victim or depth chart valedictorian?
I'm gonna delve into criticisms of Lindell's game, so let me clarify. My issues relate to Lindell, the player. Not Lindell, the prospect. That's an important distinction because as a prospect, Lindell is doing what is asked of him. He's playing progressively tougher competition, logging minutes, improving his game, and producing. For a 22 year old defensemen, that is all you can ask of him.
However, the devil is always in the details. So for those bullish on the prospect of him just taking over the blueline this season, let's slow it down. Let's slow it waaaay down.
For one, Dallas needs defensive IQ on the blueline, and no scouting report has ever defined Lindell by his defensive prowess. Mike Farkas of Hockey's Future has always harped on Lindell's transitional game:
There are some rough edges to Lindell's game - the angles he takes defensively and his transition skating being principal among them...
The second gif will be a perfect example of what Farkas is talking about but for now, let's look at a scene that looks eerily familiar to Dallas Stars fans:
These are the things that Goose, Daley, and others were guilty of; aggressive pinching leading to odd man rushes or breakaways. It's just one play, so there's no need to define him by it, but it highlights his trademark aggression, which isn't always an asset. Now here's where Farkas' specific criticism comes from (and it's a flaw that is more prevalent):
Lindell is neither fast, nor agile so his first instinct is to poke check and use his reach. Except because he doesn't have good lateral mobility, the Rampage player easily avoids him by angling for position. The play itself isn't a disaster. His defensive partner, Julius Honka (seen saving Lindell's bacon in the last gif as well), has the man that slides past him. But Lindell's transitions remain problematic because he has to turn his whole body (contrast this play with Mattias Backman's reaction I highlighted Tuesday). When he turns his back to the play he can't see what's unfolding behind him. Not only that, but San Antonio clearly has possession and numbers by the time they're transitioning. This is when the defender must respond to the play. Not the puck. And he still needs work in that area; especially if he expects to be prepared against the NHL's speed.
Lindell has traditionally been the Robin to his partner's Batman. When Lindell looks good, it's because he has a good partner. He thrived when paired with Stephen Johns, Julius Honka, and in international play when he's had players like Rasmus Ristolainen and Ville Pokka. These were players who either had stout defensive games like Johns and Ristolainen, or who could do the leg work of moving the puck out of the zone like Honka and Pokka.
If he makes the cut in Dallas, who he's partnered with will probably be the difference. Playing third pair minutes with a rotating cast of Jordie Benn, Patrik Nemeth, and Jamie Oleksiak won't give his game room to breathe. Being reunited with Johns, or getting a nice try out with the Kling might yield better results. But he can't simply be handed over top four minutes either.
Lindell is an interesting figure because while I personally take issue with the way he's been advertised ("big two way defensemen!"), this doesn't make me any less enthusiastic. Yes, his game is still raw in certain areas, but 22 year old defensemen usually look that way. Difference being that 22 year old defensemen typically haven't scored 40+ points in their AHL debuts.Melissa Parke attacks Labor support for Government's immigration laws after High Court ruling
Updated
Labor MP Melissa Parke has lashed out at her party for supporting the Federal Government's "utterly repugnant" offshore processing regime following a High Court ruling upholding the policy of detaining asylum seekers on Nauru.
Key points: High Court brings down majority ruling finding immigration laws constitutional
Retiring Labor MP Melissa Parke says laws are in "serious violation of our international legal obligations"
Labor, Government reaffirm support for offshore detention
The retiring Member for Fremantle said a Bangladeshi asylum seeker's challenge to offshore processing on Nauru would have been successful if the Government had not rushed through amendments to the Migration Act in June last year.
The Government changed the law to close a loophole in the funding arrangements, which it feared could be undermined by the challenge.
The former lawyer at the United Nations took a swipe at the Opposition for supporting the hurried legislation and said Australia's laws were "certainly a serious violation of our international legal obligations and are utterly repugnant in a moral sense".
"It was the Government's despicable and rushed amendments to the Migration Act in June last year, which were unfortunately supported by the Opposition, that resulted in today's High Court win," she said in a statement to Lateline.
"The High Court made it clear that the applicant would have been successful in arguing that the Commonwealth and the Minister acted beyond their power in detaining her on Nauru, if not for the 2015 amendments which had retrospective effect."
Dutton: 'We aren't going to put people in harm's way'
Ahead of the ruling, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton signalled his intention to send a group of 160 adults, 37 babies and 55 children currently in Australia back to Nauru.
"Once the medical assistance has been provided to that person and it's no longer required, then people are then returned to Nauru," Mr Dutton said.
"So there will be medical advice that's provided, and we'll look at the individual cases, but I've given an assurance — I'm not going to send children back into harm's way."
During the High Court case the Government changed the law to close a loophole in the funding arrangements, which it feared could be undermined by the challenge.
The Government's current arrangements were found to be constitutional by a majority of the High Court's bench.
However the most recent appointment to the bench, Justice Michelle Gordon, issued the lone dissenting judgement that the laws rushed through in June were invalid.
Ms Parke said she raised concern over the numerous inquiries and reports on abuse of asylum seekers during debate over the legislation.
She said she had "expressed concern that the extremely broad wording of the bill and its retrospectivity would appear to validate the detention of asylum seekers and all actions and arrangements in offshore detention centres since August 2012".
"This has come to pass and the result will be vulnerable families, including children, potentially being sent back to an extremely unsafe environment, and impunity for perpetrators of abuse," she said.
After Wednesday's decision, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said the policy of offshore detention should not necessarily be abolished altogether.
"I don't think it's necessary to say... that it's time to end that policy," he said.
Government urged not to return people to Nauru
One of the asylum seekers, who was held in detention on Nauru before giving birth to a son in Darwin last year after complications during the pregnancy, has told 7.30 she fears for her child if they are sent to the island.
"It's like dying. It's waiting for dying," the mother said.
Paediatrician Dr Josh Francis, who treats children in detention in Darwin, also told 7.30 the disruption of immigration detention could have lasting negative effects on children.
Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs said under Australia's international obligations, the best interests of the children expected to be sent back to Nauru should still be the primary consideration.
"[The] High Court decision in no way requires the Government to return the children and their families to Nauru," she said.
"Given the risk of harm to these children and their need for ongoing medical care, we strongly urge the Government not to return them to Nauru."
Mr Turnbull told Parliament the Government would consider the judgement but that current policy had kept Australia's border secure and prevented drownings at sea.
"The people smugglers will not prevail over our sovereignty," he said.
"Our borders are secure. The line has to be drawn somewhere and it is drawn at our border."
Topics: immigration, community-and-society, federal-government, federal-parliament, courts-and-trials, australia, pacific, nauru
First postedUPDATE: The Portland Water Bureau on Saturday lifted the boil water notice for the entire city of Portland. Read more
Original story below.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The city of Portland has issued a boil water notice for all customers after state health officials detected E. coli bacteria in water samples at three locations over a three-day period.
"Until further notice, all Portland Water Bureau customers and those in the affected areas should boil all tap water used for drinking, food preparation, tooth brushing and ice for at least one minute. Ice or any beverages prepared with un-boiled tap water on or after May 20 should be discarded," the water bureau said on its website.
{>}{>}How to survive the boil water order
Officials said 670,000 people are affected by the boil water notice. It is the largest boil water notice in the city's history.
"We're painfully aware that we're going into a holiday weekend and that this is an inconvenience for people," City Commissioner Nick Fish said. "We regret that, but we're also guided by good science and regulations."
Frequently asked questions (from the Portland Water Bureau)
The water bureau said in three separate incidents from May 20 to May 23, repeat water samples confirmed total coliform and E. coli in drinking water samples.
The water samples that tested positive for bacteria were collected at Mt. Tabor Reservoirs 1 and 5, and at the SE 2nd Avenue and Salmon Street water sampling station.
The bureau says both reservoirs have been taken offline.
It's unclear what caused the contamination. The water bureau is investigating, but officials said at a news conference Friday afternoon that they may never know the cause.
All Portland Water Bureau customers are affected. Also affected are customers of the following water providers:
Burlington Water District
City of Gresham (North of I-84)
Lake Grove Water District
Lorna Portland Water
Palatine Hill Water District
Rockwood Water District
Tigard Water Service Area (including Durham, King City and Bull Mountain)
Valley View Water District
West Slope Water District
"While we believe at this time that the potential health risk is relatively small, we take any contamination seriously and are taking every precaution to protect public health," said Portland Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff.
He also stressed that water customers shouldn't depend on home water filtration systems to treat their water.
The city of Gresham buys water from Portland, which means that all Gresham water customers north of Interstate 84 should boil their water, the city said. And According to the city, Rockwood Water People's Utility District is also affected.
Customers will be notified when they no longer have to boil their water, the bureau said. The earliest time the boil water notice could be lifted is Saturday, after the bureau receives new test results. Those test results are expected Saturday morning.
Water Bureau administrator David Shaff told KATU the bureau will know whether it can lift the boil water notice at around 11 a.m. Saturday.
"The chance of any health problems related to this water test result is low. If any problems occur, we would expect diarrhea," said Dr. Paul Lewis, Interim Tri-County Health Officer. "We monitor cases of bacterial diarrhea and will be aware of any increase following this event."
Bottled water flew from the shelves at Portland grocery stores as shoppers filled their carts.
Schools remain open
Portland Public Schools announced that schools would remain open on Friday. Students and staff were told not to use drinking fountains. District spokeswoman Christine Miles said water bottles would be delivered to students.
The Centennial School District also announced that schools would remain open Friday. But students and staff will not be able to use the drinking fountains in hallways, classrooms and offices. Centennial High School, Butler Creek and Pleasant Valley Elementary are not affected, the district said.
In the Gresham-Barlow School District, only Clear Creek Middle School is affected by the boil water notice. According to the district, it has shut down the drinking water system at that school.
Hospitals have bottled water
Providence announced that its Portland Medical Center has bottled water available for patients, employees and visitors.
OHSU has bottled water for everyone at the hospital. Employees have been told not to drink tap water or use ice.
Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center is delivering bottled water to all patients. Food service employees are not serving food that requires tap water.
Restaurants
As you can imagine, area restaurants are also affected and they are either modifying what they serve or are closing.
Some examples:
Stumptown Coffee announced on Twitter that it has closed all its Portland cafes until further notice.
McMenamins says its locations are open, but they are serving bottled water and cans of sodas. And they are limited in what they can serve.
Also, some Chipotle locations are closed, including the one on Northeast Weidler.
Some restaurants are also stocking up on bottled water and ice.
Brasserie in downtown Portland made three runs for ice, sodas, bottled water and even some vegetables.
Manager Sheila Scott said they ran out of money because of those emergency items they've had to buy. They're also expecting revenue to go down because of people staying in.
Other restaurants that have closed include Deschutes Brewery, The Rum Club, and the Firehouse Restaurant. Others are having drink specials, including the Double Dragon and The Park Kitchen.
Symptoms of illness
The water bureau believes the potential health risk is low but symptoms can include:
Diarrhea.
Cramps.
Nausea.
And headaches.
If any of these symptoms persist, you may want to seek medical advice.
Infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems are most at risk.
More information
Maps and additional information can be found on the Water Bureau's website or by calling 503-823-7770.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.Women Have No Right To Free Contraceptives Or Anything Else From Men
Mark Plus asked a good question.
Mark Plus has a point. Women accuse men of feeling entitled to sex with women, but the reality is that women are full of entitlement. Women think they’re entitled to free contraception (paid for by men whether its their male employers or via government assistance) and men’s wallets in general. Women think they’re entitled to husbands when they decide they want to get married and divorce where they get half or more of a man’s assets when they no longer feel like being married. Women even think they’re entitled to sex. You just don’t notice it most of the time because they don’t want to have sex with most men, but they quickly get violent when a man they want refuses to have sex with them. As you can see from that link, women also feel entitled to use violence against men while denouncing “violence against women”.
When a woman accuses a man of entitlement its just really projection on her part. Women think they’re to entitled to anything a man has including his body. In reality, men owe women absolutely nothing. If women want contraception or anything else, they can work to pay for it themselves without government assistance like the supposedly adult humans they claim to be.
AdvertisementsJury selection is set to begin on Monday in the trial of Richard Henry Bain, the man accused of killing a person nearly four years ago outside a Montreal nightclub while the Parti Québécois was celebrating an election victory inside.
Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer was informed on Friday that Bain, 66, of La Conception, has recovered enough from recent surgery to take part in his trial on six charges at the Montreal courthouse. There was a possibility the trial could have been delayed for months if Bain had not recovered, but the accused, who appeared before Cournoyer via a video linkup with a detention centre, told Cournoyer he was ready to proceed.
Cournoyer is expected to ask a series of questions to vet potential jury members. The trial will be held in English and testimony from witnesses who speak French will be translated for Bain.
The case against him involves the Sept. 4, 2012, shooting outside the Metropolis nightclub while the Parti Québécois were celebrating an election victory inside. It occurred while the newly elected Premier, Pauline Marois, was delivering her victory speech to the crowd inside. Sound technician Denis Blanchette, 48, died in the shooting and another technician Dave Courage, was injured.
Bain will be tried on an indictment that lists six charges in all:
the first-degree murder of Blanchette;
the attempted murder of Courage;
the attempted murder of police officer Sgt. Stéphane Champagne;
the attempted murder of a group of 12 other people;
the possession of incendiary materials (gasoline containers and flares) for the purpose of committing an indictable offence; and
intentionally or recklessly causing damage to the Metropolis nightclub by fire or explosion
Bain was arrested immediately after the shooting occurred.
pcherry@postmedia.comLewandowski: Heads Will Roll After Trump Jr. Leaks (VIDEO)
Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former campaign manager, commented Wednesday that the leaker behind the coverage of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian lawyer meetings will be fired.
As previously reported, on Saturday The New York Times published another hit piece on the Trump Campaign and a meeting with Russia.
On “Fox & Friends”, Lewandowski stated:
“Anybody, and I mean anybody who is not on the president’s agenda that works in this administration should absolutely be removed immediately...”
Beyond this, Lewandowski states early on that he was the campaign manager at the time and comments that, “if this was a meeting that had any information that would have been relevant to the campaign, or could have potentially impacted the outcome of the election, I would have been made aware of it, President Trump would have been made aware of it. Neither one of us know anything about the meeting, because it was a nothing meeting.”
Lewandowski added:
“I don’t know who the leaker is but let me tell you this, if it were up to me, and somebody was speaking to the media [and leaking information detrimental to Trump], I would fire them on the spot, and Donald Trump will do the same.”
The group that organized the meeting with Trump advisers and the Russian lawyers was the same Democratic group Fusion GPS that was behind the discredited Trump dossier, according to a report from Circa News.
Watch Corey Lewandowski speak with “Fox & Friends” about the matter below:
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.comThis is a list of the oldest verified dogs in the world, listed by age, all of whom have attained the minimum age of 20. Aging in dogs depends on breed, size and diet.
Oldest verified dogs by age [ edit ]
The following dogs' ages were authenticated via Guinness World Records. A document is required by Guinness, such as a birth certificate, to prove his or her age.[citation needed]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ [3] The study concluded that while Australian Cattle Dogs are a healthy breed and do live on average almost a year longer than most dogs of other breeds in the same weight class, record ages such as Bluey's ("Verified") or Chilla's ("Unverified")[4] should be regarded as uncharacteristic exceptions rather than as indicators of common exceptional longevity for the entire breed. One of the oldest verified dogs (and several unverified) was an Australian Cattle Dog. This has prompted a study of the longevity of the Australian Cattle Dog to examine if the breed might have exceptional longevity. The 100-dog survey yielded a mean longevity of 13.41 years with a standard deviation of 2.36 years.The study concluded that while Australian Cattle Dogs are a healthy breed and do live on average almost a year longer than most dogs of other breeds in the same weight class, record ages such as Bluey's ("Verified") or Chilla's ("Unverified")should be regarded as uncharacteristic exceptions rather than as indicators of common exceptional longevity for the entire breed.By: Steven Padilla
There are many things that annoy stand-up comedians. Sometimes they talk amongst themselves about it. Other times they keep it to themselves.
I am a member of the Facebook group Connected Comedians. It’s a group where you can pose a question and get some great feedback. Sometimes general and sometimes more on a personal level.
I asked the group what they thought were the most annoying things in stand-up comedy today.
Here are the results…
People recording CDs/DVD who are barely starting comedy. You’re taping an hour but you’re not even a strong feature. ~Josh Homer
The industry taking comics with 5 good minutes and ramming them down America’s throat and marketing them as vets. ~Josh Homer
Comics who think hosting means going 1st and just doing material. ~Josh Homer
Comics who get press, not based on talent, but a friend who works at the magazine/blog. ~Josh Homer
Comedians who don’t “know their time” on stage, who notoriously go over, and claim they didn’t know. Old joke: How come comedians don’t go to heaven? Because they never see the light. ~Leighann Lord
Blue MCs who set the tone of the show with “pussy” jokes, thereby making it harder for ever other comic on the show who is not blue. ~Josh Homer
Comics who flat out lie about their credits/accomplishments. ~Josh Homer
Comics who steal jokes. ~Josh Homer
Being Bitter,Success is Situational not Obligational! ~Louie Bruce
The phrase Alt comedy. ~Jim Mendrinos
Amateur comics acting as if they’re entitled to stage time. It’s a privilege. Be grateful someone’s willing to let you suck on their stage for the sake of you working to get better. ~Jordan Cooper
Show Promoters who market Open Mics like a |
Ellard. He doesn’t know what would have happened if he’d gone to Chuck McCullough, who’s the inspector general for the intelligence community. He doesn’t know what would have happened if he went to the intelligence committee with this information….I believe NSA has publicly stated that they're not aware that Mr. Snowden did in fact raise his concerns with people, so we don’t know what would have happened if he'd gone through channels because he chose not to exhaust his remedies in that regard," the ODNI lawyer said.
However, Ellard has said publicly that he would have told Snowden that the NSA's phone-call metadata program was legal. "Perhaps it’s the case that we could have shown, we could have explained to Mr. Snowden his misperceptions, his lack of understanding of what we do,” Ellard said at a Georgetown conference last month.
While Litt asserted that the recent leaks "have really not been about whistleblowing at all" and he spoke in grave tones about the national security damage done by recent leaks, he said the administration is moving assertively to make public more information about intelligence programs.
"The best way to prevent the damage that leakers can cause is by increased transparency on our part," Litt said. "We must continue to ensure that our secrets are protected, but we need equally to ensure that only secrets are protected....Public confidence in the way that we conduct our admitted secret actitiyes is essentialy if we are to continue to be able to anticipate and respond to the many threats facing our nation."
Litt said officials are now playing close attention to the risks that secret programs will be disclosed and considering whether maybe they shouldn't be secret in the first place. And he said he's aware the real test of the administration's promises to be more proactive on transparency will come when officials declassify a program that isn't yet widely known.
"It's absoslutely a fair point to say that we should not—and we are not—limiting ourselves only to materials that are directly responsive to what’s been leaked," the ODNI lawyer said.
In any event, Litt said, the wave of recent leaks has convinced the intelligence community that a business-as-usual approach to secrecy and disclosure just isn't viable any more.
"I do know we're not going to go back to the old paradigm with repsect to how we protect information and what we choose to release," he said.The Fatal Frame games have established themselves as the byword for suspense-filled horror. There are no showers of blood or shotguns, no hideous demons with heads attached to their backsides, and definitely no muscle-bound heroes called Jack. Instead, you play as a fragile-looking Japanese schoolgirl and are only ever armed with a flashlight and a special camera that can exorcise the ghosts that haunt whatever spooky location it is that you find yourself in. The games are superb.
Tentatively subtitled Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the fourth Fatal Frame outing arrives in Japan at the end of July and fresh details emerging from its native land suggest that it’ll be every bit as brilliant yet bum-clenchingly terrifying as its predecessors. The game is set on the ‘mysterious’ Rougetsu Island, home to a haunted mansion (who’d have thought it) where five girls from the same family were kidnapped when they were small children. We presume they’re sisters.
Two of the girls died after leaving the island, but some years later the other three decide to return and solve the mystery of their kidnap. You’ll play as Ruka, but if the other games are anything to go by, there’ll be sections where you play as one of the other two girls. You’ll probably be able to hear the petrifying screams of the others girls echoing around the mansion. As to how the game will play on Wii, little was forthcoming at the time of writing. However, the camera and flashlight simply have to be controlled with the Wii remote or there will be much rabble-rousing. As per the title, masks will definitely play a prominent role – but what? Will you have to use them like amulets to defeat the stronger-willed ghosts? Or are they linked to the kidnap? We just don’t know, but one thing’s for sure – we can’t wait to find out...
The scans from Japanese game magazine Famitsu reveal the artistic styling to be very much in keeping with previous games – all sepia tints and hues, and dusty, deserted, shadowy locations. Which is fine by us. Shibata Makoto is co-directing the game with Suda51, and as Shibata has worked on all the previous titles, we’re more than hopeful that this will be the best Frame yet.
Jun 20, 2008Wilbur Little was one of the 200,000 black soldiers who served the U.S. in World War One. The day he returned to Blakely, Georgia in 1919, he was met at the train station by a group of white men who forced him to take off his uniform. A few days later when he was again seen wearing the uniform, a white mob lynched him. Little’s murder and that of other returning black soldiers, many also in uniform, sent out a clear message that the sacrifices made by African Americans for the cause of liberty in Europe had not lead to racial equality in America.
Racial tensions in the U.S. increased dramatically in the months following the war, and blacks had to fight, quite literally, for their survival. The massive migration of southern blacks to northern cities and the re-emergence of the Ku Klux Klan contributed to the unrest. Black social consciousness was increasing, urged on by men like Marcus Garvey with his “back to Africa” movement, and Father Devine who was calling for black pride. Military service had given blacks a new sense of confidence and political awareness and they were beginning to demand their rights.
The return of these newly-empowered soldiers spawned a nationwide surge of violence against blacks. Race riots erupted in several cities, the worst in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. In 1919, whites in Elaine, Arkansas massacred hundreds of black people in retaliation for the efforts of sharecroppers to organize themselves. The number of lynchings in the U.S. increased from sixty-four in 1918 to eighty-three in 1919. For African Americans, the end of the war meant anything but peace. Poet and author James Weldon Johnson characterized the bloody summer of 1919 as the Red Summer.
Lynching had long been deeply embedded into America’s racial psyche. The end of World War One saw this deadly form of vigilante “justice” reinvigorated into a modern symbol of enduring white power and superiority. Lynching was aimed at expelling blackness from the white community and reaffirming the purity of the white race. It was often targeted at the mythical “black beast rapist” who embodied white fears of black hypersexual animalism. Throughout the Red Summer of 1919, lynchings and their aftereffects followed a similar pattern:
A black person, usually a man, is accused of some heinous crime, such as raping a white woman The accusation is assumed to be true The white mob lynches the accused, then marches into the black areas of the town destroying property and beating up or killing residents.
This pattern of terrorism and intimidation was repeated again and again during the Red Summer of 1919 when black communities and economic centers were burned to the ground. Often the accused was charged with nothing more than showing defiance or arrogance by wearing a U.S. military uniform.
In the succeeding 100 years we like to think that such days are long behind us, and that we will never again see the abuses of African Americans described in my historical novel, A Place near the Front. But nooses found recently at several locations in the National Mall and in other spots around the country remind us that we may not have progressed as much as we think.
As Lonnie Bunch writes in the New York Times: “The person who recently left a noose at the National Museum of African American History and Culture clearly intended to intimidate, by deploying one of the most feared symbols in American racial history. Instead, the vandal unintentionally offered a contemporary reminder of one theme of the black experience in America: We continue to believe in the potential of a country that has not always believed in us, and we do this against incredible odds.”
“The noose — the second of three left on the National Mall in recent weeks — was found late in May in an exhibition that chronicles America’s evolution from the era of Jim Crow through the civil rights movement. Visitors discovered it on the floor in front of a display of artifacts from the Ku Klux Klan, as well as objects belonging to African-American soldiers who fought during World War I. Though these soldiers fought for democracy abroad, they found little when they returned home.”
“So, what does it mean,”Mr. Bunche asks, “to have found three nooses on Smithsonian grounds in 2017? A noose inside a Missouri high school? A noose on the campus of Duke University? Another at American University?”
“I would argue, ”he contends, “that it answers a naïve and dangerous question that I hear too often: Why can’t African-Americans get over past discrimination?”
“The answer is that discrimination is not confined to the past. Nor is the African-American commitment to American ideals in the face of discrimination and hate.”
“The exhibitions inside the museum combine to form a narrative of a people who refused to be broken by hatred and who have always found ways to prod America to be truer to the ideals of its founders.”Russell Burden / Getty Images
Marijuana does not impair lung function—at least not in the doses inhaled by the majority of users, according to the largest and longest study ever to consider the issue, which was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers working on a long-term study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults or CARDIA study) tested the lung function of 5115 young adults over the course of 20 years, starting in 1985 when they were aged 18 to 30.
They found that marijuana use was almost as common as cigarette smoking in the sample, which was designed to reflect the U.S. population. Among participants, the average marijuana user toked 2-3 times a month, while the average tobacco user smoked eight cigarettes a day. Those who smoked both tended to do so slightly more frequently than those who smoked only cigarettes or only marijuana.
The study was “well conducted” and is “essentially confirmatory of the findings from several previous studies that have examined the association between marijuana smoking and lung function,” says Dr. Donald Tashkin, professor of medicine at UCLA and a leading scientist in the area. He was not associated with the new research.
“The major strengths of this study are that it included a far larger number of subjects followed for longer than any of these previous studies,” he adds.
MORE: Teen Drug Use: Marijuana Up, Cigarettes and Alcohol Down
While tobacco smokers showed the expected drop in lung function over time, the new research found that marijuana smoke had unexpected and apparently positive effects. Low to moderate users actually showed increased lung capacity compared to nonsmokers on two tests, known as FEV1 and FVC. FEV1 is the amount of air someone breathes out in the first second after taking the deepest possible breath; FVC is the total volume of air exhaled after the deepest inhalation.
“FEV1 and FVC both actually increased with moderate and occasional use of marijuana,” says Dr. Mark Pletcher, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco and the lead author of the study.
That was a bit of a surprise, says Pletcher, since “There are clearly adverse effects from tobacco use and marijuana smoke has a lot of the same constituents as tobacco smoke does so we thought it might have some of the same harmful effects. It’s a weird effect to see and we couldn’t make it go away,” he adds, explaining that the researchers used statistical models to look for errors or other factors that could explain the apparent benefit and did not find them.
MORE: Marijuana Slims? Why Pot Smokers Are Less Obese
The improvement wasn’t seen in the heaviest users, however. At high levels of marijuana use—for example, in those who smoked more than 20 times a month—FEV1 slipped back to levels seen in nonusers and a reduction was seen in, um, the most chronic smokers. But FVC remained high in even the longest term, heaviest users.
So why might marijuana users have greater lung capacity than nonsmokers? Consider Bill Clinton’s famous non-denial denial of his marijuana use, “I didn’t inhale” and Barack Obama’s retort that he “inhaled frequently; that was the point.” Unlike cigarette smokers, cannabis users usually draw deeply on the joint or pipe— and hold each puff in, typically for as long as physically possible.
“In some ways, marijuana smoking is really a lot like doing a pulmonary function test,” Pletcher says. This “practice” or “exercise” might expand lung capacity and account for the unusual results.
He cautions, however, that long term exposure to marijuana smoke at the most extreme doses probably does damage the lungs, although he concedes that the evidence from the study on this point is “weak.”
The authors conclude:
Marijuana may have beneficial effects on pain control, appetite, mood, and management of other chronic symptoms. Our findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana for these or other purposes may not be associated with adverse consequences on pulmonary function. It is more difficult to estimate the potential effects of regular heavy use, because this pattern of use is relatively rare in our study sample; however, our findings do suggest an accelerated decline in pulmonary function with heavy use and a resulting need for caution and moderation when marijuana use is considered.
Since the study focused on cardiovascular disease and even the oldest participants had not yet reached the highest risk ages for lung cancer, it does not provide new information on cancer risk, but it does confirm the link between cigarette smoking and long-term lung function declines.
Tashkin, however, has studied this issue extensively. He says, “The largest epidemiologic (case-control) study of the association between marijuana use and lung cancer failed to demonstrate that marijuana increases the risk of developing lung (or, for that matter, upper airway) cancer.”
He notes that a much smaller, recent study from New Zealand did claim to find a link, but only in very heavy users. He says, “The authors’ interpretation of their data can be faulted because of the small numbers of their subjects exhibiting such heavy use, which rendered their estimates of risk imprecise.”
Why smoking marijuana and smoking tobacco should have such different effects on the lungs is still a matter of dispute. Many researchers believe that it’s simply a matter of dose: most marijuana users smoke a few times a month, while most cigarette smokers light up multiple times a day.
But Tashkin argues that specific properties of marijuana also matter. He says that THC has anti-inflammatory and immune suppressing properties, which may prevent lung irritation from developing into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a devastating lung disorder frequently caused by tobacco smoking.
As for cancer, he says, “the THC in marijuana has well-defined anti-tumoral effects that have been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of cancers in animal models and tissue culture systems, thus counteracting the potentially tumorigenic effects of the procarcinogens in marijuana smoke.”
Whatever the cause, it seems that those who argue that marijuana is harmful because of its smoke are going to have to find a different line of attack.
MORE: U.S. Rules That Marijuana Has No Medical Use. What Does Science Say?
Maia Szalavitz is a health writer at TIME.com. Find her on Twitter at @maiasz. You can also continue the discussion on TIME Healthland’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEHealthland.I think it’s time to put up a new post on IPv6 and NAT. Mainly because I’m still getting comments on my old NAT66 post from last year. I figured it would be nice to create a new place for people to start telling me how necessary NAT is for the Internet of the future.
In the interim, though, I finally had a chance to attend the Texas IPv6 Task Force Winter 2012 meeting. I got to hear wonderful presentations from luminaries such as John Curran of ARIN, Owen DeLong of Hurricane Electric, and even Jeff Doyle of Routing TCP/IP book fame. There was a lot of great discussion about IPv6 and the direction that we need to be steering adoption of the new address paradigm. I also got some very interesting background about the formation of IPv6. When RFC 1550 was written to start soliciting ideas about a new version of IP, the Internet was a much different place. Tim Berners-Lee was just beginning to experiment with HTTP. The majority of computers connected to the Internet used FTP and Telnet. Protocols that we take for granted today didn’t exist. I knew IPSec was a creation of the IPv6 working group. But I didn’t know that DHCP wasn’t created yet (RFC 2131). Guess what? NAT wasn’t created yet either (RFC 1631). Granted, the IPng (IPv6) informational RFC 1669 was published after NAT was created, but NAT as we know and use it today wasn’t really formalized until RFC 2663. That’s right, folks.
The reason NAT66 doesn’t exist is because IPv6 was built at a time when NAT didn’t exist.
It’s like someone turned on a lightbulb. That’s why NAT66 has always felt so wrong to me. Because the people that created IPv6 had no need for something that didn’t exist. IPv6 was about creating a new protocol with advanced features like automatic address configuration and automatic network detection and assignment. I mean, take a look at the two IPv6 numbering methods. Stateless Automatic Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) can assign all manner of network information to a host. I can provide prefixes and gateways and even default routes. However, the one thing that I can’t provide in basic SLAAC is a DNS server entry. In fact, I can’t provide any of the commonly assigned DHCP options, such as NTP server or other vendor-specific fields. SLAAC is focused solely on helping hosts assign addresses to themselves and get basic IP connectivity to the global Internet. Now, take DHCPv6. This stateful protocol can keep track of options like DNS server or NTP server. It can also provide a database of assignments so I know which machine has which IP. But you know what critical piece of information it can’t provide? A default router. That’s right, DHCPv6 has no method of assigning a default router or gateway to an end node. I’m sure that’s due to the designers of DHCPv6 knowing that SLAAC and router advertisements (RA) handle the network portion of things. The two protocols need to work together to get hosts onto the internet. In 1995, that was some pretty advanced stuff. Today, we think auto addressing and network prefix assignment is pretty passé.
Instead of concentrating on solving the dilemma of increasing the adoption rate of IPv6 past the 1% mark where it currently resides, we’ve instead turned to the Anger and Bargaining phases of the Küber-Ross model, otherwise known as the Five Stages of Grief. The need for IPv6 can no longer be denied. The reality of running out of IPv4 addresses is upon us. Instead, we lash out against that which we don’t understand or threatens us. IPv6 isn’t ready for real networking. There are security risks. End-to-end communications aren’t important. IPv6 is too expensive to maintain. People aren’t smart enough to implement it. Any of those sound familiar? Maybe not those exact words, but I’ve heard arguments very similar to that leveled at IPv6 in just the two short years that I’ve been writing. Think about how John Curran of ARIN must feel twenty years after he started working on the protocol.
Anger is something I can handle. Getting yelled at or called expletives is all part of networking. It’s the Bargaining phase that scares me. Now, armed with a quiver of use cases that perhaps 5% of the population will ever take advantage of, we now must delay adoption or move to something entirely different to support those use cases. It’s the equivalent of being afraid to jump off a diving board because there is a possibility that the water will drain out of the pool on the way down. The most diabolical is Carrier Grade NAT. Let’s NAT our NATed networks to keep IPv4 around just a little longer. It won’t cause that many problems, really. After all, we’ve only got 65,536 ports that we can assign for any given PAT setup. So if we take that limit and extend it yet another level, we have 65,536 PATed PAT translations that we can assign per CGN gateway. That has real potential to break applications, and not just from an end-to-end connectivity point of view. To prove my point, fire up any connection manager and go to http://maps.google.com. See how many separate connection requests are spawned when those map tiles start loading. Now, imagine what would happen if you could only load ten or fifteen of them. There’s going to be a lot of blank spots on the that map.
Now, for the fun part. I’ve been accused of hating NAT. Yes, it’s true. I dislike any protocol that breaks basic connectivity and causes headaches for troubleshooting and end-to-end communications. I have to live with it in IPv4. I’d rather not see it carried forward. That’s the feeling of many IPv6 evangelists. If you think I dislike NAT, ask Owen DeLong his feelings on the subject. However, to say that I dislike NAT for no good reason is silly. People are angry at me for saying the emperor has no clothes. Every time I discuss the lack of need for NAT66, the same argument gets thrown in my face. Ivan Pepelnjak wrote an article about about using network prefix translation (NPT) in a very specific case. If you are multihoming your network to two different providers and not using BGP then a case for NPT can be made. It’s not the best solution, but it’s the easiest. Much like Godwin’s Law, as the length of any NAT66 argument increases, the probability of someone bringing up Ivan’s article approaches approaches one.
So, I’ve found a solution to the problem. I’m going to fix this one scenario. I’m going to dedicate my time to solving the multihoming without BGP issue. When I do that, I expect choirs of angels to sing and a chariot pulled by unicorns to arrive at my home to escort me to my new position of Savior of IPv6 Adoption. More realistically, I expect someone else to find a corner case rationale for why IPv6 isn’t the answer. Of course, that’s just another attempt at bargaining. By that point, I’ll have enough free time to solve the next issue. Until then, I suggest the following course of action:
AdvertisementsJohn Partridge and Tiffany Pollard went head to head in the Celebrity Big Brother house tonight.
The pair had a rather intense discussion with Tiffany confronting John on his "evil" and "controlling" ways.
Tiffany began by saying that John had taken charge of the house and claimed "that puppet task has gone to your head."
"What do you want me to do?" replied John.
"See, that's the problem," complained Tiffany. "Everything you do, people want you to do but then you'll screw it."
"That's controlling, you're controlling, stop the bulls**t," she warned.
John responded: "Because you said it?"
Tiffany continued, accusing John of putting the house on highs and lows when he wanted and suggested that her fellow housemates were too ignorant to see it.
"You can be quite evil," Tiffany went in, "You're arrogant, you get everyone in your pocket, you know it's true.
"This is why [the public] boo you because they see the things we don't get to see, what I know are taking place in this house."
A little later, John declared: "I might be arrogant but you have to be in this life and you f**king know it."
He went on: "We are all manipulative in here. Believe it or not Tiff I like you. I've grown attached to you here because I thought you were my friend."
"I am your friend, a friend will take you to the side, the weaker ones in this house, you wrap them around your finger," Tiffany replied.
The American reality star went on to admit that she was also able to 'control' the other housemates but not the same way John did, remarking: "It's intimidation with me."
Branding John a "stark raving a**ehole," Tiffany added: "I love you [but] you control this house and that's what bothers me," going on to say that he was playing a game by laying, err, "eggs of care".
"I don't think I do, if it was something I thought I did, I would own it," John insisted. "We're all in this for ourselves, I know you are."
"I am," conceded Tiffany, "I do want to stay in this thing."
"My game is done. I get paid," said John candidly. "I can tell you I don't want to win. I don't need to walk out of here the winner. I've already won."
Celebrity Big Brother continues nightly on Channel 5.UBC scientists in Antarctica have launched a telescope that will hopefully reveal what happened at the very beginning of the Big Bang.
SPIDER — an instrument fitted with six telescopes bolted together and attached to a helium balloon — launched on Dec. 31, said Mark Halpern, a member of the SPIDER team and a UBC professor with the department of physics and astronomy.
SPIDER will attempt to find patterns of polarizations that could have only been made in primordial light in the fractions of a second after the Big Bang.
If it finds these patterns, "it would be a smoking gun of how the universe began," Halpern said on CBC's On The Coast.
According to Halpern, scientists theorize that during the Big Bang, there was an "unbelievable expansion of the universe... that the whole universe came to be in a tiny fraction of a second out of something that at the start was way less than a grain of sand, and then stopped expanding."
The telescope weighs about the same as a Ford Explorer and is attached to an inflatable helium balloon that is roughly the the size of a professional hockey arena. It will remain airborne for 20 days at an altitude of 36 km, cruising on the circumpolar winds that circle the coast of Antarctica.
The puzzle for scientists is understanding why the universe, which is so old, didn't fly apart or collapse, Halpern said.
"If it kept expanding, it would now be empty... It would be so expanded that the number of atoms per cubic metre would be uninteresting."
SPIDER was shipped from Canada, where it was built over the course of a decade. Researchers had to break it up into pieces and then put it back together on site.
The researchers chose Antarctica for two reasons — if there was an accident and the telescope fell down, there would be minimal harm to humans, and secondly, by riding the circumpolar wind, SPIDER would land back roughly where it started.
Also on HuffPostThe Cincinnati Bengals are getting ready to face a new season after a disappointing 2016 that saw them limping down the stretch. The Bengals went 6-9-1 last season and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2010. This was mostly due to an ineffective offensive line early in the year, coupled with injuries to some of the stalwart players on offense. But a new season brings new hope for fans.
While Cincinnati employs some great players on their roster, there are unknown players that could always break out and make a name for themselves. This is true for every team, every season. Last season we saw Josh Shaw emerge as the starting nickel corner and Rex Burkhead taking the reins at running back the last few games of last season.
It’s tough to predict breakout candidates simply due to the fact that injuries can bite at any time, or the fact that players sometimes fail to live up to the hype.
With that said, let’s take a look at the top-six players that could have breakout seasons and provide some hope in 2017.Standing as a startling collection of futuristic Italian architecture from the 1930s, perched on a desert mountaintop high above the Red Sea, the Eritrean capital of Asmara has been listed as a Unesco world heritage site.
Announced as one of a series of new “inscriptions”, which are expected to include German caves with ice-age art and the English Lake District, Asmara is the first modernist city in the world to be listed in its entirety.
First planned in the 1910s by the Italian architect-engineer Odoardo Cavagnari, Asmara was lavishly furnished with new buildings after Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, when the sleepy colonial town was transformed into Africa’s most modern metropolis. As the “little Rome” at the centre of Italy’s planned African empire, it became a playground for Italian architects to experiment.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Asmara Theatre. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
“It has an unparalleled collection of buildings that show the variety of styles of the period,” said Edward Denison, a lecturer at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture, who has been working as an adviser to the Asmara Heritage Project, helping to put together the 1,300-page bid document, the result of two decades of research. “You get a sense that the architects were getting away with things here that they certainly wouldn’t have been able to do in Rome.”
From the daring cantilevered wings of the Fiat Tagliero service station, modelled on a soaring aeroplane, to the sumptuous surrounds of the Impero cinema, the city is full of buildings that combine Italian futurist motifs with local methods of construction.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fiat’s Tagliero garage, a petrol station with 60ft concrete wings mimicking an aeroplane taking off Photograph: Peter Martell/AFP/Getty Images
Behind the sharp cubic facades stand walls of large laterite stone blocks, carefully rendered to look like modernist concrete constructions, finished in shades of ochre, brown, pale blue and green – much more colourful than their European counterparts.
Some buildings, such as the Orthodox cathedral, have a bold hybrid style, with African “monkey head” details of wooden dowels poking through the facade, originally used to to bind horizontal layers of wood together between the blocks of stone.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Orthodox cathedral in Asmara. Photograph: Radu Sigheti/Reuters
Elsewhere, there are handsome villas, stylish shops and heroic factory complexes, sampling from modernism’s broad palette, including novecento, rationalism and futurism, most of which remain in an unusually well-preserved state.
“While other countries like Libya and Somalia were understandably keen to trash their colonial heritage,” said Denison, “Eritrea was subject to a decade of British rule and 40 years of Ethiopian rule, so the process was more gradual.”
When independence finally came in the 1990s, a sudden rash of modern buildings made many realise the value of their colonial heritage.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The central mosque. Photograph: James Baigrie/Getty Images
A moratorium on building in the city was established in 2001, which is now planned to be lifted with the introduction of a new conservation management plan, updating the regulations for the first time since the 1930s.
The inscription of Asmara – along with historical centre of M’banza Kongo in Angola – goes some way to addressing the under-representation of Africa on the Unesco world heritage list. Of 814 cultural sites worldwide, only 48 are in the African continent, fewer than in Italy alone.CLOSE The United States and Cuba are closer to resuming commercial flights between the two countries. The diplomatic advance would help open the way for U.S. airlines to begin flying to Cuba within months. Newslook
In this Nov. 1, 2001, file photo, the first passengers of the first flight of Continental Airlines from Miami arrives at the Jose Marti Airport of Havana, Cuba. The United States and Cuba have reached an understanding on restoring regularly scheduled commercial flights, Cuban and American officials said Dec. 16, 2016. (Photo11: AP)
MIAMI — Booking a trip to Cuba is about to get a whole lot easier.
Under an agreement announced Thursday — the one-year anniversary of the historic shift in relations between the United States and Cuba — airlines can begin operating regularly scheduled commercial flights between the two nations. That means Americans will soon be able to hop online, click a few buttons and head to Havana.
U.S. interest in the long-isolated island peaked this year after President Obama announced that the U.S. would begin normalizing relations with the Communist government there. But that diplomatic change did little to ease the onerous process American citizens go through to get there, including the complicated charter flight system that has been the only way to legally travel between the two countries.
Thomas Engle, the U.S. State Department's deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs, said there could be up to 110 round-trip flights a day under the new agreement, nearly quadrupling the current flow. That includes 20 flights a day between the U.S. and Cuba's capital city of Havana, and 10 a day between the U.S. and nine international airports spread across the island.
Engle said the U.S. was pushing for unlimited flight opportunities, but the Cubans wanted to establish a limit due to concerns their airports could not handle such a high volume of passengers.
Traveling as a tourist is still forbidden under U.S. law, but American travelers flooded the island this year under 12 categories approved by the government, including humanitarian, educational and people-to-people trips designed to increase communication between citizens of both countries. Jeffrey DeLaurentis, head of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, said this week that U.S. travel to the island was up 50% in 2015.
Airlines that have been operating charter flights to Cuba say there's demand for more.
"Interest in Cuba has reached levels not seen for a generation," said Scott Laurence, senior vice president of airline planning for JetBlue, which has been operating charter flights from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.
American Airlines shared its excitement over the new routes with a tweet showing a pilot holding a Cuban flag out the window of one of its planes.
The U.S. and Cuba have made many changes in the past year: reopening embassies in each others' capitals and striking new business deals in the medical, tourism and communications fields. But the aviation agreement marks the most significant step yet in the push to restore normalized relations.
The practical effect for U.S. travelers will be an easier process to book their trips.
All travelers to and from Cuba have been using charter flights carefully monitored by the U.S.. Travelers must present their visas, identification and payment information to agents, and all travelers must certify their trip falls under one of the approved categories.
The new agreement would create a system more familiar to travelers. That may include the ability to book a trip through online and eliminate the long-standing practice of checking in four hours before a flight.
The deal follows other developments in recent months that should make traveling to, and communicating with, Cuba far easier for people in the U.S. That includes a pilot program to send mail directly between the two countries after decades of shipping items through other countries as well as the first U.S.-issued debit cards eligible for use there, easing the long-standing requirement that U.S. travelers pay for everything in cash.
The U.S. still maintains an economic embargo on Cuba, which bars most trade and travel to Cuba. Only Congress can end or alter the embargo, and Republicans have said they won't do so until there are major changes in the government.
The aviation agreement caps off a year of change and puts the onus on Cuba to absorb moretravelers. The flood of Americans has left Havana's hospitality industry running at "110% of capacity," making hotels hard to find, restaurants overbooked and tour operators working overtime, said Pedro Freyre, a lawyer with the Miami-based Akerman law firm who is advising U.S. businesses interested in operating in Cuba.
With the added flights, Freyre said the Cubans will be tested even more.
"You're running at capacity now?" he said. "You ain't seen nothing yet."
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Ynf5a4Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders of the PVV party votes in the general election in The Hague, Netherlands, March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, who was trailing far behind the party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte in exit polls in parliamentary elections, said Rutte “has not seen the last of me”.
“Thank you PVV Voters! We won seats!,” Wilders said in a tweet. “The first victory is in! And Rutte has not seen the last of me yet!!”
Wilders’ PVV was trailing Rutte’s VVD by a seemingly insurmountable 12 seats in an exit poll published by Dutch broadcaster NOS.
(Reporting By Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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Fed raises rates for second time in three months
Key Republican lawmaker said he did not believe the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower
Northern Ireland vote jolts already disunited KingdomNow that the operational leadership and visible face of Boko Haram, in the person of the filth called Mr. Abubakar Shekau (aka Darul Tawheed), has finally admitted that they were responsible for the abduction of hundreds of our school girls and that they intend to ‘’sell them in the market like slaves’’, it is pertinent and necessary for us to consider some of the emerging, though uncomfortable, facts.
This will enable us to understand the nature of who and what we are dealing with and allow us to consider what the appropriate response ought to be if we really want to solve the problem. Permit me to share the following facts that have been brought to my attention:
1. That the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has told us that 90 per cent of the girls that were abducted from their school at Chibok were Christians.
2. That President Goodluck Jonathan himself alluded to this during his last media chat when he said that ‘’the majority’’ of girls that were abducted were Christians.
3. That the majority of the girls that either ‘’escaped’’ or were released by their abductors were Muslims.
4. That the Governor of Borno State refused to accept the counsel and abide by the directives of WAEC that the exams should |
hours and then tried in court for doing their job. These are the people who were outraged by US hypocrisy in Syria, Libya – you can finish the list yourself – and reminded the world who used chemical weapons most often, even resorting to nuclear bombs. These are the people who did things the Western mainstream media would have never done. But those were peaceful times. And now we’ve got a genuine war going on – no, thank God, it’s not in Crimea. It’s a media war. Every single day, every single hour the guys who work for us are told, “You are liars, you are no journalists, you are the Kremlin propaganda mouthpiece, you’ve sold yourselves to the Russians, it’s time you quit your job, and everybody is laughing at you, so change your mind before it’s too late.”
The storm of articles posted about RT over the last couple of days – literally tons of printed copy - looks as if it were written to dictation. Hardly any respectable media outlet refrained from lambasting and lynching RT journalists in articles or reports. Our employees listen to their colleagues, their fellow citizens, and their potential employers, as career prospects are obviously important to every journalist. How many could withstand this pressure? Well, some will and some won’t. Some sincerely disagree, as they believe their own country more than mine. Others are simply thinking about their future. And it’s hard for me to judge them.
This is all typical of a media war. We’re not the first and we will not be the last to go through this. During the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera staff in Lebanon made headlines by resigning en masse. Their Egyptian colleagues followed suit. Over twenty journalists resigned citing disagreement with the channel’s editorial line. That this happened without any pressure from the world mass media was due to the fact that, throughout the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera was completely in tune with the global mainstream. So no one sought to criticize the channel, on the contrary, everyone praised its coverage.
A couple of minutes after Liz made her statement, we found all the major news media in the world - as our exhausted spokeswoman put it, “CNN, NYT, pretty much everyone” – glowing with schadenfreude, as they lined up for official feedback from RT. This included those who had ignored the news of the Ashton-Paet phone leak revelation, as if it didn’t happen. A rival media anchor’s resignation is certainly much more newsworthy and more relevant to the Ukraine crisis than two European leaders saying opposition henchmen may have been killing people.
I can see very clearly why I continue to work for a channel that stands alone (!) face-to-face with thousands and tens of thousands of Western news outlets, showing everybody the other side of the story, under daily attacks from the media against which it can hardly fight back. It’s my country. There is no other choice for me. But the foreign journalists who work for RT across the globe do have a choice. Some of them might be asking themselves, “Why would I have to defend Russia at the expense of my career, my future, my reputation, why would I tolerate humiliation by my fellow journalists?” Few can say “Because I’m telling the truth, and there’s no one else to tell it.” Some will fail to find the answer and quietly resign. Others will perform their resignation on air in a self-promotional stunt, perhaps securing fantastic career prospects they wouldn’t have dreamt of before.
Standing out from the crowd is hard, sometimes unbearable. I wish the best of luck to those who can’t take it. To those who continue to do their best for RT, who know they are right even if the whole world says otherwise, I have to say I’m proud of you. IMMENSELY PROUD.
Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chiefFrance have taken a giant stride towards the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with a resounding 4-0 win over New Zealand in Montreal's Olympic Stadium. After a solid start, the Junior Ferns found that they no answer to the European champions' pace, power and attacking flair in a one-sided encounter.
The French had won their opening match 5-1 but coach Gilles Eyquem still opted to make five changes, and the players he brought in made a massive contribution to an impressive team performance. Indeed, while New Zealand started solidly in the opening quarter-of-an-hour, the pace of Lindsey Thomas on the right flank soon began to cause the underdogs all manner of problems.
Claire Lavogez, the star of Les Bleuettes' victory over Costa Rica, also impressed, and it was the gifted No10 who laid on the opening goal after 22 minutes. Renowned as a set piece specialist, Lavogez justified her reputation with a brilliant free-kick from the right, delivered into the perfect area between goalkeeper and defence, and leaving Kadidiatou Diani simply to make contact - with the ball flying in off the forward's shins.
Soon after, Lavogez nearly went from provider to scorer, going for goal with an audacious free-kick close to the byline and forcing an excellent save from the out-of-position Lily Alfeld. The France No10 would not be denied, though, and seven minutes into the second half Diani returned the compliment, dribbling her way to the byline and measuring an inch-perfect cutback into the midfielder's path. Lavogez duly took full advantage, smashing an unstoppable first-time shot high into the net.
France were firmly in control by this stage, creating - and missing - a series of gilt-edged chances to extend their lead. Indeed, it took the introduction of substitute Clarisse Le Bihan to provide a little cutting edge to their flowing attacking moves, with the Guingamp forward striking twice in the closing stages.
First she used her pace to race through on to a long ball over the top and beat Alfeld at her near post with a powerful low right-foot shot. Then, with eight minutes remaining, she added further shine to the scoreline by shooting home from close range after the Kiwi keeper had flapped at a free-kick swung in from the right.
The French will now wait to see whether Costa Rica can put the seal on their qualification by beating or drawing against Paraguay, while New Zealand know that their final match against Las Ticas could well determine who advances to the last eight.
Live Your Goals player of the match: Claire Lavogez (FRA)How best to describe The OA, Netflix’s new … well, that’s what I’m trying to figure out here — how to describe this thing.
At times, it feels like the sort of show that would be a background joke in an episode of BoJack Horseman and/or something Jack Donaghy would pitch on 30 Rock.
Rating 2
At other times, it feels as if co-creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij discussed the plot of Lost with a time traveler at a Y2K-themed end of the world party, only both Marling and Batmanglij were incredibly high, then wrote down what they could remember the next day in between shifts at their New Age bookstore jobs.
At still other times, it reveals itself to have a mythology that’s equal parts X-Men, book of Revelation, Sense8, and those installments of The Family Circus where the dead grandparents return to watch over their grandchildren as angel ghosts.
Have I mentioned that as soon as the word “angel” is uttered, you’ll say, “Oh, I know what The OA stands for,” then spend roughly seven hours waiting to be proved right? Have I mentioned that the show’s big dramatic climax involves very exciting tai chi? Have I mentioned that the cast is stacked with people you’ve loved in other things?
The important thing is that The OA defies description. To talk about it is to rob it of some of its weirdo power. I can’t precisely tell you if I liked or hated this show. I don’t even know. I liked some of it. I hated some of it. But I enjoyed watching it because I couldn’t believe it was a real television program.
In that sense, then, there’s only one way to describe The OA: This is the peak of Peak TV.
The one question you’ll keep asking while watching: How did this show get made?
The OA exists because the television industry has expanded so rapidly that there’s a huge surplus of content providers and not enough content to keep them all fed. In that sense, Netflix deciding to make a show with Marling and Batmanglij (who were behind the intriguing indie film The Sound of My Voice) makes sense. The show also boosts the producing power of Brad Pitt and his team at Plan B, who have been behind a lot of great films (Selma, The Big Short, etc.).
So from that point of view, Netflix would have been stupid not to make something with this team. And superficially speaking, The OA is the sort of thing Netflix fans could really get into.
It follows a young woman named Prairie (Marling) who disappeared seven years ago but is discovered jumping from a bridge into the water below. She survives, returns to her parents in Michigan, and then starts mumbling about how she’s “the OA.” Oh, and Prairie used to be blind, but now she can see.
Related Watch The OA on Netflix
She won’t talk about it with anyone but a small group of teenage boys (and their teacher), to whom she relates her life story. This leads to the first indication that The OA won’t be like other TV shows: At 57 minutes into its first episode — which runs 70 — the show’s opening credits unspool, and then it cuts from 2016 Michigan to 1987 Russia. Sure, I thought. Right. We’re doing this.
From there, The OA cuts freely between the OA telling her story and Prairie’s upbringing, first in Russia, as the child of oligarchs, then in the United States as the adopted daughter of a childless couple who found her in an attic. (I promise you: When I sound like I’m making up a plot point from this show, I am not.) In the meantime, she nearly dies in a school bus crash, which adds a whole other plane of existence (where she communes with a goddess) to the tale.
Batmanglij directed the series, and he has a good eye for contrasting the humdrum reality of the OA’s return to where she grew up and the grand, epic sweep of her backstory. The show’s mythology is occasionally enjoyable in its sheer audacity, and the cast is really great, particularly Jason Isaacs as a mysterious man Prairie meets, and Phyllis Smith as a teacher who falls under the OA’s sway.
But the series fails one crucial test: the “oh, just come the fuck on” test. And to explain why that’s the case, I’m going to have to go into a little more detail. Spoilers follow. (Yes, I’ve barely spoiled this series so far.)
All of The OA’s best qualities can’t obscure the suspension of disbelief it requires
If you’re wondering where Prairie went in her seven missing years, I can tell you: She was kidnapped by a man played by Isaacs, who holds her in a glass cage in his basement, along with other people who’ve had near-death experiences. He’s trying to establish contact with the other side. So he keeps drowning them, over and over again, hoping to do just that.
Anyway, as Prairie and her compatriots (whose number slowly swells to five) are killed, many, many times, only for the astral plane to spit them back up because it’s not ready for them yet, they slowly begin to realize that they are being gifted with “movements,” which will give them certain superpowers when performed in tandem. In theory, this is a nifty idea; in practice, it ends up looking more like people doing angry aerobics at each other as dramatic music swells on the soundtrack.
I want to believe that you could make a good TV show about anything, and I love, in particular, the way Batmanglij and Marling convey the abject horror of having your face covered with a container slowly filling with water. Yes, this series spends way too long with a bunch of people trapped in glass cages — like, several episodes — and it starts to take on some of the claustrophobia of its setting. But the revelations are well-paced, and the general idea of near-death experiencers having the key to humanity’s future has promise.
But in the end, it’s just too much. The idea that the only thing humanity needs to unlock other dimensions of power is interpretive dance is one that requires much, much more grounding than The OA is willing to grant it. You either go with it, because you buy everything the OA (the character) is telling you — or you don’t. And I didn’t.
The series banks everything on the weird tonal whiplash that results from flashing between the mystical otherworldly bullshit of the OA’s story and the more realistic tales of her attempts to reintegrate with the little town she grew up in, but it never finds a way to make the mystical bullshit believable. There’s a potentially good reason for that, but it arrives far too late to make a difference. And when realism and mysticism converge in the finale’s final 20 minutes, it’s absolutely ludicrous. (The angel dancing foils a school shooting — but only because it distracts the utterly baffled shooter long enough for someone to knock him down. Nevertheless, a stray bullet hits The OA in the heart!)
And yet I’m still glad I watched this thing. Its very existence serves as proof that TV is more than willing to take wild swings on ideas that barely rise to the level of “half-baked,” and there were several moments per episode when I could feel myself falling under the sway of whatever kooky dream Marling and Batmanglij had cooked up for me, only to be pulled out.
There’s something in The OA, even if that something is complete and utter dross. It’s too well-observed in its best scenes — usually the ones featuring the teenage boys trying to navigate this weird spiritual awakening they’re going through — to be entirely written off, and I admired its willingness, from time to time, to call bullshit on itself. But those moments are usually too little and too late.
The show opens with a woman jumping off a bridge, then proceeds to give her a bunch of followers who really would jump off a bridge if she asked them to. Some viewers will join them. I’m still standing on the bridge, though, hoping everybody else is having a great fall.
The OA is streaming on Netflix.The sense of outrage seems to be unanimous.
A race car driver — a guy who polluted the world with noise for a living — is suing a local farming family who scratch a modest living out of the earth. Not a good public relations move. Particularly since said race car driver has only lived on Wadmalaw for three years, while the Ambroses have been farming out there for the last 35.
Yesterday, the Post and Courier reported that NASCAR driver and Daytona 500 winner Ernie Irvan and his wife, Kim, are suing their neighbor Pete Ambrose because his farm business is causing dust and noise and ultimately disturbing the couple's peace. As most locavores know, the Ambrose family started selling community supported agriculture shares a couple years back, and now they have hundreds of subscribers who get weekly boxes of vegetables and produce from the farm. They also let you on to the farm to pick your own berries and tomatoes during the growing season. Where's the harm in that?
Locavores, being an active bunch of passionate foodies, have jumped in to defend their beloved local farmers. The comments on the P&C website are four pages deep and a new "Save Ambrose Farm" Facebook group was started this morning to show their support of the Ambroses "against the lawsuit filed by racecar driver Ernie Irvan and his wife, which, if successful, might mean the end of the farm forever."
The group is planning to stage a "friendly showing of support" at the courthouse when the trial date is set. They're also accepting donations for the Ambrose Family Farms Legal Fund.ADVERTISEMENT
Rand Paul brought some libertarian philosophy into the Republican presidential primary this week, in the form of the old "taxation is slavery" bumper sticker. He even indexed it to a handy percentage scale! Andrew Kaczynski has the tape: "I'm for paying some taxes. But if we tax you at 100 percent then you've got zero percent liberty. If we tax you at 50 percent you are half-slave, half-free."
Paul is probably getting his argument from Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which famously argued: "Taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor." (Note that not even he went so far as to say taxation was literally identical to slavery.) His book was probably the most convincing case that can be made for this stone-cold form of libertarianism, where all "redistributive" policy is morally abhorrent and only the night watchman state is permissible.
Nevertheless, it's still garbage. Nozick's book constructs a detailed procedural account of justice, arguing that redistributive taxation is theft because it is a coerced transfer. He was a smart guy, and it's very hard to get one's hooks into his argument. The weakness, as with all extremist accounts of property rights, is not with the logic but the premises — particularly when it comes to the very beginning of property.
Go back far enough in history, and there would have been no property of any kind. The moment somebody fences off a piece of land, it necessarily destroys the liberty of everyone else in the world, since they no longer have the right to access that land. Nozick admits this is the case, but still wants to set up initial property rights. So he embraces a concept that he calls the "Lockean proviso."
This proviso allows appropriation of unowned things, so long as it does not worsen the situation of anyone else. And what about people last in line, so to speak, who can't appropriate anything because everything is already taken? Well, they will benefit from the general prosperity brought on by market capitalism.
Note what kind of argument this is: It rests on the overall welfare-enhancing consequences of adopting Nozick's ideas.
The whole point of the "taxation is slavery-ish" argument is that infringing liberty to increase general welfare is morally impermissible. Yet here is Nozick, leaning on a boon to general welfare to justify a violation of liberty so he can get property rights going. This is no different from taxing the rich to provide food stamps, or from the kind of single-payer health insurance system that socialist Bernie Sanders endorses.
The upshot is that the austere libertarianism implied by Paul's statement is fundamentally unworkable. The horse stumbled right out of the gate, and has to be put down. Neither Milton Friedman nor Friedrich von Hayek went nearly so far. Even Nozick himself apparently abandoned it after a few years.
Let me also comment on Paul's gruesome tin ear on display here.
What is slavery really? In the U.S. context — and given the reference to Abraham Lincoln's "House Divided" speech, this is clearly what Paul was getting at — slavery was full property rights in human beings.
It was also incomprehensibly brutal. Owning a person presented a challenge to Southern capitalists, since slave labor has no monetary incentive to work. They solved this problem neatly, with daily violence. Set a steadily increasing daily work quota (pounds of cotton picked, typically), and if it was not achieved, make up the difference with an equal number of stripes with the whip.
In this way, Southern slaves were forced to increase their labor productivity by some 400 percent from 1800 to 1860, achieving a level that was not matched until the development of the mechanical cotton picker. Southern slavery thus robbed both the body and the mind, using systematic torture to force slaves into inventing and spreading techniques of extreme manual dexterity (picking cotton by hand is very difficult).
So if Rand Paul really believes that 1 percent taxation is exactly equal to 1 percent slavery, why doesn't he sound like an abolitionist? Why not seize one of the federal armories in an attempt to start an all-out war against a monstrous injustice? Indeed, by this measure there would be more slavery today (about 27 percent of GDP taxed) than in in 1860 (1.4 percent taxed, 12.6 percent of the population enslaved).
Only a moral idiot would think to make such an equivalence.In December, Reuters released the first of a special series detailing the growing chasm of income inequality in the United States. The series is appropriately titled "The Unequal State of America: How Uncle Sam Widens the Income Divide."
The report found that the difference between the top 5 percent of households in the nation's capitol is now 54-to-1. (Only 20 years ago it was an infinitesimal 39-to-1.) Further, the report illustrated Washington D.C.'s culture of crony capitalism and particularly the exponentially widening trough for private companies to make obscene amounts of money from public contracts in the defense sphere.
Income inequality isn't a new issue. But what I found particularly jarring about the Reuters study -- published in the midst of President Obama and House Speaker Boehner's fight over which programs for the poor, sick and elderly they would cut and whose taxes they would raise to support the growing insatiable monstrosity that is the military industrial complex -- was the fact that no one seems to see the elephant in the room.
This is capitalism.
As we honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. it's important that we honor who the man really was and not who he's been mythologized to be. Dr. King was a fearsome and voracious critic of American economic policy and were he alive today I have to imagine that even at age 84 he would be more active than ever.
King died on April 4, 1968, preparing to lead a Poor People's March on Washington that he hoped would close down the U.S. Capitol building.
"To his family, King was murdered because he was no longer the King of the March on Washington, simply asking for the whites only signs to come down," wrote Verne E. Smith and Jon Meacham in an article for Newsweek. "He had grown radical: the King of 1968 was trying to build an interracial coalition to end the war in Vietnam and force major economic reforms."
King in his later years had turned his attention from the African-American civil rights struggle to the economic struggles of all Americans who were not getting a fair shake in this the land of opportunity.
He realized in the months leading up to his death that civil rights were empty without human rights that included economic rights. For people too poor to eat at a restaurant or afford a decent home, anti-discrimination laws were hollow and meaningless.
King understood that the issues the nation's poor faced were largely a result of the economic systems in place.
"There is something wrong with capitalism," he said in a 1967 speech.
In that speech, called "Where Do We Go From Here," King described, in great detail, just what was wrong with capitalism:
There are forty million poor people here, and one day we must ask the question, 'Why are there forty million poor people in America?' And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising a question about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society...And you see, my friends, when you deal with this you begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the oil?' You begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the iron ore?' You begin to ask the question, 'Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that's two-thirds water?' These are words that must be said.
On a number of other occasions King called for radical changes in the structure of American society and a redistribution of wealth and power in the United States.
Albert Einstein, in his essay, "Why Socialism" argued:
Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being. As a solitary being, he attempts to protect his own existence and that of those who are closest to him, to satisfy his personal desires, and to develop his innate abilities. As a social being, he seeks to gain the recognition and affection of his fellow human beings, to share in their pleasures, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to improve their conditions of life. Only the existence of these varied, frequently conflicting, strivings accounts for the special character of a man, and their specific combination determines the extent to which an individual can achieve an inner equilibrium and can contribute to the well-being of society.
Unlike Einstein, King was not a socialist, because he came to a very simple understanding about the philosophies of socialism -- they don't work. Socialism necessarily leads to communism and communism ignores the inherent realities of who we are as human beings.
In the exact same speech in which he damned capitalism, King rightly distanced himself from socialism:
Now, don't think you have me in a bind today. I'm not talking about communism. What I'm talking about is far beyond communism...I read 'Communist Manifesto' and 'Das Kapital' a long time ago, and I saw that maybe Marx didn't follow Hegel enough. He took his dialectics, but he left out his idealism and his spiritualism. And he went over to a German philosopher by the name of Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made it into a system that he called 'dialectical materialism.' I have to reject that. What I'm saying to you this morning is communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social. And the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both. Now, when I say questioning the whole society, it means ultimately coming to see that the problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.
What Dr. King was saying is that communism and socialism are not the answer because both philosophies ignore a part of our humanity that's as important as anything else about us. We are social beings who care about each other, but we also have a need to improve ourselves and a need to serve ourselves and those closest to us. We have a need to compete and while that need can often get the best of us, it can also bring out the best in us.
"Only market capitalism solves the two major problems that face any economy - how to provide an incentive to innovate and how to solve the problem of decentralized information," said Prof. Gary Wolfman of Hillsdale College. "The reason there is so much innovation in a market system compared to socialism or other forms of central planning is that profit provides the incentive for innovators to take the risk needed to come up with new products."
Wolfman goes on to point out, "Over the last 100 years capitalism has reduced poverty more and increased life expectancy more than in the 100,000 years prior."
But capitalism doesn't work for the same reason Communism and socialism don't work -- capitalism ignores the fact that life is social. Perhaps more importantly than the existential crisis it creates is the economic crisis it inures.
As I've pointed out before, today 400 individuals have as much wealth as an entire half of America. One percent of people own 40 percent of the wealth and are taking in more of the nation's income than at any time in history since the 1920s. Eighty percent of this country's citizens have only 7 percent of its wealth.
There is certainly something wrong with capitalism and we shouldn't be afraid to say that.
Let's continue the work that King didn't get to finish. Let's not forget the radical economic changes he called for and strive for the more perfect synthesis he sought.The stringent laws which govern Swiss banks are derivative of the nation’s privacy legislation, and now – thanks to the PRISM scandal – the country is fast becoming the ideal location for those turning their back on the cloud.
Recent leaks of the American National Security Agency’s (NSA) PRISM surveillance program have sparked growing concern over data privacy, with implications for global corporations using US-controlled cloud services, such as AWS, Azure and Dropbox. As a result, businesses are now turning to Switzerland for their data hosting needs.
Swiss ‘private’ hosting companies are seeing huge growth because privacy in Switzerland is enshrined in law. As the country is outside of the EU, it is not bound by pan-European agreements to share data with other member states, or worse, the US. Artmotion, for example, has witnessed 45 per cent growth in revenue amid this new demand for heightened privacy.
Until now the PRISM scandal has focused on the privacy of the individual, but the surveillance undertaken by NSA and Britain’s own GCHQ has spurred corporate concern about the risks associated with using American based cloud providers to host data. It is especially troubling for businesses with data privacy issues, such as banks or large defence and healthcare organisations with ‘secret’ research and development needs.
Before PRISM, the US was at the forefront of the cloud computing industry and companies worldwide flocked to take advantage of the scalable benefits of cloud hosting, as well as the potential cost savings it offered.
However the scandal has unearthed significant risks to data for businesses, as well as for their customers. With US cloud service providers, the government can request business information under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without the company in question ever knowing its data has been accessed.
For businesses large and small, data vulnerabilities and the threat of industrial espionage from US hosting sites can present real security risks or privacy implications, and it’s causing a real fear. Business owners are worried that by using US based systems, private information could potentially be seen by prying eyes.
The desire for data privacy has therefore seen a surge in large corporations turning to ‘Silicon’ Switzerland to take advantage of the country’s renowned privacy culture, which helps them host data without fear of it being accessed by foreign governments.Since the party held it’s first National Executive meeting in Delhi, on February 26, reports have been pouring out of rifts within the party. Sources witness to the meeting say that there was high drama and much ugliness at the way former friends faced off against each other. Sources say that two letters were written to the National Executive on the 26th, one by Bhushan and the other by Bhushan and Yadav together, which dna has access to.
It has become clear that Delhi CM and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal wants both Yogender Yadav and Prashant Bhushan out of the National Executive, the decision making body of AAP. Bhushan and Yadav have been bringing up questionable party practices, which has drawn Kejriwal’s ire. Though refusing to give details, Bhushan confirmed that the news reports are true and that he and Yadav had raised questions of “transparency, candidate selection, swaraj and regular meetings”. He added, “there is a problem and we have raised structural issues about the systems relating to the party.”
Bhushan’s letter severely indicts the party on multiple counts. He also warns it of becoming “just another one man centric party, which is prepared to use any kind of means to attain power”. Kejriwal’s growing cult of personality has been a cause of concern and Bhushan makes it a point to credit the volunteers of the party for the win. He also writes that this win is, “ the result of the dissatisfaction with the present BJP government which is now increasingly being seen as anti people.
Both letters rake up the funding scam AAP found itself in before the elections, where four cheques of Rs 5 lakh each were donated to the party by suspicious companies. These led to allegations of money laundering by the party.
The joint letter says, “The party was right to say that our dealing was clean and transparent. The media was right to say that these companies did not look genuine business entities. We had tasked the PAC with screening donations above Rs. 10 Iakhs precisely to save ourselves from such dubious donors. We now need to get to the root of these donations and find out if the PAC scrutiny mechanism failed and work out ways to avoid such an embarrassment in the future.”
Sources say that these cheques were never kept in front of the PAC. Bhushan calls out Kejriwal on overruling decisions taken by the National Executive: “the lack of recording decisions of the NE/PAC has led to situations where decisions taken by the NE (about not seeking Congress support for forming the government in Delhi after we resigned last year) were repeatedly flouted. Not only was a letter sent to the LG asking him to postpone the dissolution of the Assembly in June, but even as late as November, just before the actual dissolution of the Assembly, attempts were being surreptitiously made to seek Congress support to form the government again in Delhi without having to contest elections.”
The non existence of minutes of PAC and NE meetings were of major concern in both letters. “Even when the NE had decided to let the States decide whether to contest elections in their States, that decision was frustrated by Arvind deciding not to allow the states to contest elections... in his speech on the day of oath taking, Arvind announced that the party should not contest elections in other States for the next 5 years. Though that may be his view, but such public airing of views by the convenor of the party at such an important function would naturally be taken to be the view of the party.”
Saying that this violates the the party’s principle of swaraj, he adds,
“All this, along with the One person centric campaign which was run during this election in Delhi, is making our party look more and more like the other conventional parties.”
Sources say that Bhushan, his father Shanti Bhushan and Yadav still support expanding the party in other states. Bhushan questions how “many of our most dedicated volunteers are facing humiliation at the hands of people who call themselves office bearers and then misbehave with ow dedicated volunteers.”
Both letters also bring the issue of AAP’s missing gender parity, something party Lokpal Admiral Ramdas’s note also pointed out. Ramdas’ note had also mentioned the “ crisis brought about by Prashant Bhushan’s unhappiness with candidate selection and decision making processes.” Bhushan’s letter brings up the matter, saying that many old volunteers too were unhappy with these candidates being parachuted into the party.
Bhushan had placed a list of 12 candidates with criminal and/or corrupt backgrounds in front of the party before the Delhi Assembly elections. Of these, only two had been removed. His letter raises grave doubts about these MLAs: “Our own party had complained against several of them that they distributed money and liquor or beat up our volunteers in the last elections, when they had contested on the tickets of other parties. One of them (the original Wazirpur candidate) went back to the BJP within a few hours of our giving him a ticket. Another was implicated in illegally importing and storing liquor in the middle of the election. There was a video which surfaced about one of them where he is heard saying that it is okay to lure people to his Jan Sabha by offering them liquor. We did not cancel their tickets even after finding this out. One of them had been made the constituency prabhari and promised a ticket immediately after he agreed to take the rap for our party putting out a communal poster for which some of our volunteers were arrested. They are our current MLAs, and will be handling crores of MLA funds and will exercise several other powers such as giving PDS certificates etc.”
So angry are the two camps with each other that it seems they aren’t even talking directly. A three member committee comprising National Executive members Gopal Rai (also Delhi’s Transport and Rural Development Minister), Professor Arvind Kumar and Pankaj Gupta, has been constituted to communicate with Kejriwal, Bhushan and Yadav, to help them come to and relay decisions to others, explains Professor Kumar.
It is learnt that senior leader Ashish Khetan and Ashutosh most strongly took Kejriwal’s side, in opposition to Bhushan and Yadav. They argued to give Kejriwal a free hand to reconstitute the Parliamentary Affairs Committee. This decision was taken in another NE meeting on 27 February, which Bhushan and Yadav did not attend. There is a strong chance that with Kejriwal calling the shots, Bhushan and Yadav will lose their place in the PAC.At least one person has been killed and 19 injured after a car has ran into protesters at the Charlottesville protests between Unite the Right and counter demonstrators. RT journalist on the scene said that there were “extremely heavy injuries” sustained during the incident.
The victim was identified by police as a 32-year-old woman. Charlottesville Police Department chief Al Thomas told a press conference that the woman was crossing the street as the “three-vehicle crash” occurred.
UPDATE: 20yo Ohio man charged with murder after ramming car into Charlottesville protesters & killing woman
The detained driver of the car has been identified as James Alex Fields Jr., 20, according to Superintendent Martin Kumer, of the Albermarle-Charlottesville County Regional Jail, who briefed the media.
Fields Jr. faces charges of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and a failure to stop his vehicle.
University of Virginia Medical Center earlier told the New York Times it has treated 19 people for injuries and that one person is dead.
The Charlottesville mayor, Mike Signer tweeted that a life had been lost and adding that he is "furious and heartsick by the car crash that has injured many."
I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here. I urge all people of good will--go home. — Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) August 12, 2017
Video footage taken at the scene by RT America’s web producer Alex Rubinstein shows a damaged light-colored Toyota vehicle and a larger dark-colored SUV.
“I saw two cars that were totaled, the trunk was just completely smashed. A woman was inside crying, there was blood on the hood of her vehicle, there was blood all over the place… I saw about sixteen people injured, some of them flying through the air over the hood of the car,” Rubinstein said.
READ MORE: 'It was an intentional attack': Eyewitness describes deadly Charlottesville car plowing incident
Another video posted on Facebook shows the moment the dark gray car rams into the light gray car before violently reversing.
A number of people appear to be thrown into the air with the force of the crash. The street was crowded with demonstrators at the time.
A |
's observations fell into obscurity and were ignored by mathematicians, physicists, and engineers studying water waves until 1965 when Norman Zabusky and Martin Kruskal published their numerical solutions of the KdV equation (and invented the term "soliton") (Zabusky, 1965). Kruskal derived (1) as an asymptotic (continuum) description of oscillations of unidirectional waves propagating on the "cubic" Fermi–Pasta–Ulam (FPU) nonlinear lattice (Fermi, 1955)(Porter, 2009b)(Weissert, 1997). Meanwhile, Morikazu Toda became the first to discover a soliton in a discrete, integrable system (the system is now referred to as the Toda lattice) (Toda, 1967).
In 1965, Gary Deem, Zabusky, and Kruskal (Deem, 1965) produced films that showed interacting solitary waves in an FPU lattice, the KdV equation, and a modified KdV equation; see the discussion in the review article (Zabusky, 1984). We depict the dynamics of solitons in the KdV equation in the space-time diagram of Figure 1. Robert Miura recognized the significance of this result and found an exact transformation between this modified KdV equation and equation (1) (Miura, 1976). This awakened the mathematical study of solitons, as Clifford Gardner, John Greene, Martin Kruskal, and Robert Miura in 1967 were able to solve the initial-value problem for the KdV equation by introducing the inverse scattering method (Miura, 1968)(Gardner, 1967)(Gardner, 1974), providing an appropriate notion of integrability for continuum frameworks. Vladimir Zakharov and Alexei Borisovich Shabat generalized the inverse scattering method in 1972 when they solved the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation, another model nonlinear PDE, demonstrating both its integrability and the existence of soliton solutions. In 1973, Mark Ablowitz, David Kaup, Alan Newell, and Harvey Segur demonstrated the existence of soliton solutions (and proved the integrability) of several other nonlinear PDEs, including the sine–Gordon equation (which was already known to be integrable based on Albert Backlünd's 19th century investigations of surfaces with constant negative Gaussian curvature). Other researchers have subsequently derived other integrable PDEs (in both one and multiple spatial dimensions) and constructed accompanying soliton solutions. As the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equation illustrates (see Section 3), one needs to be more nuanced as to what constitutes a "soliton" in multiple spatial dimensions. When studying solitary waves in nonintegrable equations, analytical techniques typically rely on perturbative methods, asymptotic analysis, and/or variational approximations (Kivshar, 1989) (Scott, 2005) An important example of a nonintegrable system with exact solutions for isolated solitary waves are the coupled mode equations for fiber Bragg gratings in optics.
Research on solitary waves and solitons remains one of the most vibrant areas of mathematics and physics (Scott, 2005). It has had a broad and far-reaching impact in myriad fields ranging from the purest mathematics to experimental science. This has led to crucial results in integrable systems, nonlinear dynamics, optics, biophysics, supersymmetry, and more. Later in this article, we will discuss some of the types and applications of solitary waves. First, we construct soliton solutions to (1).
Explicit construction of the KdV soliton
It is illustrative to demonstrate the construction of the soliton solution of the KdV equation (1) explicitly. We start with the ansatz \[ \tag{2} \phi = \psi(y)\,, \qquad y = x - Ut, \]
which describes a wave translating with speed \(U\.\) Inserting this into (1) yields \[ \tag{3} -U\psi' + \psi''' + 6\psi\psi' = 0, \]
where \(' \equiv \frac{d}{dy}\.\) Integrating (3) and then multiplying the resulting equation by \(\psi '\) and integrating again yields \[ \tag{4} -\frac{U}{2}\psi^2 + \frac{1}{2}(\psi')^2 + \psi^3 + G_1\psi + G_2 = 0, \] where \(G_1\) and \(G_2\) are constants of integration.
We want a solution in the form of a localized pulse, so we need \(\psi\,\) \(\psi '\,\) and all higher derivatives to vanish as \(y \rightarrow \pm \infty\.\) This implies that \(G_1 = G_2 = 0\.\) [If one keeps nonzero constants, one can instead derive extended waves in the form of elliptic functions (Whitham, 1974).] This gives \[ \tag{5} -\frac{U}{2}\psi^2 + \frac{1}{2}(\psi')^2 + \psi^3 = 0. \]
Solving (5) by separation of variables yields \[ \tag{6} \phi(x,t) = \frac{U}{2}{\rm sech}^2\left\{\frac{\sqrt{U}}{2}(x-Ut-x_0)\right\}, \]
where \(x_0\) is a constant. We depict the solution (6) in Figure 4.
Figure 4: The wave \(\phi(x,t)\) in equation ( 6 ) with \(U = 5\,\) \(x_0 = 0\,\) and \(t = 0\.\)
The solitary wave menagerie
Since the discovery of solitary waves and solitons, a menagerie of localized pulses has been investigated in both one dimension and multiple spatial dimensions (Scott, 2005), though one must be nuanced when considering what constitutes a solitary wave (or even a localized solution) in multiple spatial dimensions. Many localized pulses have been given a moniker ending in "on" for conciseness, although they do not in general have similar interaction properties as solitons. The most prominent examples include the following:
Envelope Solitons (Scott, 2005): Solitary-wave descriptions of the envelopes of waves, such as those that arise from the propagation of modulated plane waves in a dispersive nonlinear medium with an amplitude-dependent dispersion relation. One typically uses the descriptor bright to describe solitary waves whose peak intensity is larger than the background (reflecting applications in optics) and the descriptor dark to describe solitary waves with lower intensity than the background.
(Scott, 2005): Solitary-wave descriptions of the envelopes of waves, such as those that arise from the propagation of modulated plane waves in a dispersive nonlinear medium with an amplitude-dependent dispersion relation. One typically uses the descriptor to describe solitary waves whose peak intensity is larger than the background (reflecting applications in optics) and the descriptor to describe solitary waves with lower intensity than the background. Solitary waves with discontinuous derivatives : Examples of such solitary waves include compactons (Rosenau, 2005)(Rosenau, 2018), which have finite (compact) support, and peakons (Camassa, 1993), whose peaks have a discontinuous first derivative. There have also been studies of cuspons (Scott, 2005), which have a singularity in the first derivative rather than simply a discontinuity.
: Examples of such solitary waves include (Rosenau, 2005)(Rosenau, 2018), which have finite (compact) support, and (Camassa, 1993), whose peaks have a discontinuous first derivative. There have also been studies of (Scott, 2005), which have a singularity in the first derivative rather than simply a discontinuity. Gap solitons (Scott, 2005)(Carretero-González, 2008): Solitary waves that occur in finite gaps in the spectrum of continuous systems. For example, gap solitons have been studied rather thoroughly in NLS equations with spatially periodic potentials and have been observed experimentally in the context of both nonlinear optics and Bose–Einstein condensation.
(Scott, 2005)(Carretero-González, 2008): Solitary waves that occur in finite gaps in the spectrum of continuous systems. For example, gap solitons have been studied rather thoroughly in NLS equations with spatially periodic potentials and have been observed experimentally in the context of both nonlinear optics and Bose–Einstein condensation. Intrinsic Localized Modes (ILMs) (Campbell, 2004)(Flach, 2008): ILMs, or discrete breathers, are extremely spatially-localized, time-periodic excitations in spatially extended, discrete, periodic (or quasiperiodic) systems. (At present, it is not clear whether analogous time-quasiperiodic solutions can be constructed for general lattice equations.) ILMs, which are localized in real space, arise in a large variety of nonlinear lattice models and are typically independent of the number of spatial dimensions of the lattice, the size of the lattice (which is, however, assumed to be large), and (for the most part) the precise choice of nonlinear forces acting on the lattice. The mechanism that permits the existence of ILMs has been understood theoretically for well over a decade, and such waves have now been observed in a large variety of physical systems. In common parlance, it is also typically assumed that intrinsic localized modes arise naturally from a system rather than due to impurities or defects. In this context, an ILM is a special type of discrete breather (which can be centered about an impurity and is otherwise as described above) rather than synonymous to a discrete breather, and many scholars also reserve the term "ILM" for modes that are stable or at least very long lived.
(Campbell, 2004)(Flach, 2008): ILMs, or, are extremely spatially-localized, time-periodic excitations in spatially extended, discrete, periodic (or quasiperiodic) systems. (At present, it is not clear whether analogous time-quasiperiodic solutions can be constructed for general lattice equations.) ILMs, which are localized in real space, arise in a large variety of nonlinear lattice models and are typically independent of the number of spatial dimensions of the lattice, the size of the lattice (which is, however, assumed to be large), and (for the most part) the precise choice of nonlinear forces acting on the lattice. The mechanism that permits the existence of ILMs has been understood theoretically for well over a decade, and such waves have now been observed in a large variety of physical systems. In common parlance, it is also typically assumed that intrinsic localized modes arise naturally from a system rather than due to impurities or defects. In this context, an ILM is a special type of discrete breather (which can be centered about an impurity and is otherwise as described above) rather than synonymous to a discrete breather, and many scholars also reserve the term "ILM" for modes that are stable or at least very long lived. \(q\)-breathers (Mishagin, 2008)(Flach, 2008)(Flach, 2005)(Checin, 2002)(Checin, 2005): Exact time-periodic solutions of spatially extended nonlinear systems that are continued from the normal modes of a corresponding linear system. In contrast to ILMs, \(q\)-breathers are localized in normal-mode (Fourier) space, so that almost all of the energy is locked into a single Fourier mode for all time. (The label \(q\) refers to the wave number of the normal mode.) They also provide the best-known explanation for FPU recurrences.
(Mishagin, 2008)(Flach, 2008)(Flach, 2005)(Checin, 2002)(Checin, 2005): Exact time-periodic solutions of spatially extended nonlinear systems that are continued from the normal modes of a corresponding linear system. In contrast to ILMs, \(q\)-breathers are localized in normal-mode (Fourier) space, so that almost all of the energy is locked into a single Fourier mode for all time. (The label \(q\) refers to the wave number of the normal mode.) They also provide the best-known explanation for FPU recurrences. Topological Solitons (Scott, 2005): Solitons, such as some solutions to the sine–Gordon equation, that emerge because of topological constraints. One example is a skyrmion, which is the solitary-wave solution of a nuclear model whose topological charge is the baryon number. Other examples include domain walls, which refer to interfaces that separate distinct regions of order and which form spontaneously when a discrete symmetry (such as time-reversal symmetry) is broken, screw dislocations in crystalline lattices, and the magnetic monopole. One-dimensional topological solitons are necessarily kinks, which we discuss below.
(Scott, 2005): Solitons, such as some solutions to the sine–Gordon equation, that emerge because of topological constraints. One example is a, which is the solitary-wave solution of a nuclear model whose topological charge is the baryon number. Other examples include, which refer to interfaces that separate distinct regions of order and which form spontaneously when a discrete symmetry (such as time-reversal symmetry) is broken, in crystalline lattices, and the. One-dimensional topological solitons are necessarily kinks, which we discuss below. Kinks (Scott, 2005): The only one-dimensional topological solitary wave, it represents a twist in the value of a solution and causes a transition from one value to another. Kinks can sometimes be represented using heteroclinic orbits, whereas pulse-like solitary waves can sometimes be represented using homoclinic orbits. Kinks are sometimes used to represent domain walls.
(Scott, 2005): The only one-dimensional topological solitary wave, it represents a twist in the value of a solution and causes a transition from one value to another. Kinks can sometimes be represented using heteroclinic orbits, whereas pulse-like solitary waves can sometimes be represented using homoclinic orbits. Kinks are sometimes used to represent domain walls. Vortex Solitons (Kevrekidis, 2008) (Scott, 2005): A term often applied to phenomena such as vortex rings (a moving, rotating, toroidal object) and vortex lines (which are always tangent to the local vorticity). Coherent vortex-like structures also arise in dissipative systems.
(Kevrekidis, 2008) (Scott, 2005): A term often applied to phenomena such as (a moving, rotating, toroidal object) and (which are always tangent to the local vorticity). Coherent vortex-like structures also arise in dissipative systems. Dissipative Solitons (Cross, 1993) (Scott, 2005)(Purwins, 2005): Stable localized structures that arise in spatially extended dissipative systems. They are often studied in the context of nonlinear reaction–diffusion systems.
(Cross, 1993) (Scott, 2005)(Purwins, 2005): Stable localized structures that arise in spatially extended dissipative systems. They are often studied in the context of nonlinear reaction–diffusion systems. Oscillons (Umbanhowar, 1996): A localized standing wave that arises in granular and other dissipative media that results from, e.g., the vertical vibration of a plate topped by a layer of free particles.
(Umbanhowar, 1996): A localized standing wave that arises in granular and other dissipative media that results from, e.g., the vertical vibration of a plate topped by a layer of free particles. Higher-Dimensional Solitary Waves (Scott, 2005): Solitary waves and other localized (and partially localized) structures have also been studied in higher-dimensional settings. One example of a genuine two-dimensional soliton is the "lump" solution of the KP equation of the first type (i.e., the KP1 equation). This type of soliton decays algebraically rather than exponentially and is sometimes described as "weakly localized". The KP1 equation also has unstable line soliton solutions (a generalization of the soliton solutions of the KdV equation), which decay exponentially in all but a finite number of directions. The KP equation of the second type (i.e., the KP2 equation) differs from the KP1 equation in that it has the opposite sign in front of its diffusion term. The KP2 equation has stable line-soliton solutions, which (unlike line solitons in the KP1 equation) can merge with each other to form a single line soliton (which can, in turn, disintegrate into two separate line solitons).
Numerous generalizations of the above examples have also been investigated, as one can consider chains of solitons, discrete analogs of the above examples (such as discrete vortex solitons), semi-discrete examples (such as spatiotemporal solitary waves in arrays of optical fibers), one type of soliton "embedded" in another type, solitary waves in nonlocal media, quantum solitary waves, and more.
Applications
Figure 5: Experimental discrete breather, produced via modulational instability, in a bi-inductance electrical lattice. Figure courtesy of Lars English and adapted from (English, 2008)
Solitary waves of all flavors arise ubiquitously in fluid mechanics, optics, atomic physics, biophysics, and more (Scott, 2005)(Dauxois, 2006)(Porter, 2009b)(Remoissenet, 1999). It is impossible to discuss these manifestations exhaustively, so we show a few exciting figures and restrict ourselves to brief discussions of some of our favorite examples:
Nonlinear Optics (Scott, 2005)(Agrawal, 1995)(Porter, 2009c)(Efremidis, 2003)(Stegeman, 1999)(Segev, 1992): Solitary waves are omnipresent in nonlinear optics. There have been extensive experimental and theoretical investigations about both spatial solitary waves, in which nonlinearity balances diffraction, and temporal solitary waves, in which nonlinearity balances dispersion. From a mathematical perspective, continuous nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equations are among the hallmark models in nonlinear optics, as they describe dispersive envelope waves (via solitary-wave solutions of the NLS) of the electric field in optical bers, and discrete NLS (DNLS) equations can be used to describe the dynamics of pulses in, e.g., optical waveguide arrays and photorefractive crystals. Classes of solitary waves known as second-harmonic generation (SHG) solitary waves, which are so-named because they occur in \(\chi^2\) (second-order nonlinearity) materials in optics, have been created experimentally in both spatial and temporal domains (Di Trapani, 1998). Such materials have also been used to provide perhaps the only experimental generation of spatiotemporal solitary waves, in which there is a simultaneous balance of diffraction by self-focusing modulation and dispersion by phase modulation (Liu, 1999). There have also been numerous studies of light bullets, which are three-dimensional localized pulses in self-focusing media with anomalous group dispersion. The properties of optical solitary waves can be manipulated experimentally through both "dispersion management" and "nonlinearity management" (Malomed, 2005)(Centurion, 2006).
Figure 6: Simulation of spin-wave localization in an antiferromagnet with a demagnetization field. The areas with higher energy are shaded in bluer colors. The sample-shape parameter \(\beta\) measures the ratio of demagnetization energy to exchange energy. Initially, one observes the formation of a single broad ILM in the entire 1024-spin lattice. Energy is then rapidly transferred to a smaller region from the rest of the lattice, so that the ensuing excitation breaks up into several virtually stationary and strongly localized defects. Figure courtesy of Lars English and adapted from (English, 2003)
Bose–Einstein Condensates (BECs) (Kevrekidis, 2008)(Carretero-González, 2008)(Porter, 2009c): At very low temperatures, particles in a dilute Bose gas can occupy the same quantum (ground) state, forming a BEC, a coherent cloud of atoms which appears as a sharp peak in both position and momentum space. As the gas is cooled, a large fraction of the atoms in the gas condense via a quantum phase transition, which occurs when the wavelengths of individual atoms overlap and behave identically. The macroscopic dynamics of BECs near zero temperature is modeled by an NLS equation known as the Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation. BEC solitary waves of numerous types have also been modeled using other models, such as DNLS equations. Because of the similarity of the model equations, many of the solitary-wave phenomena that were originally studied in the context of nonlinear optics arise here as well, and the extreme tunability of BECs has been a major boon for both theoretical and experimental studies. For example, bright solitary waves were created in \(^{7}\)Li atoms (Khaykovich, 2002)(Strecker, 2002) and gap solitons have been created in \(^{87}\)Rb (Eiermann, 2004). Additionally, there have been several theoretical studies on manipulating the properties of solitary waves in BECs via nonlinearity management (which can be achieved in principle by exploiting the properties of Feshbach resonances) (Malomed, 2005). Many novel types of solitary-wave structures have now been created in BEC laboratories, and research on nonlinear waves in BECs continues to develop at a rapid pace. One of the most important current experimental challenges for work on solitary waves in BECs (and also nonlinear optics) is the creation of stable two-dimensional and three-dimensional solitary waves in the presence of cubic self-focusing nonlinearity, as such structures must be stabilized in order to prevent them from collapsing (in accord with theoretical predictions).
Figure 7: 1995 recreation of Russell's soliton in the Union Canal. Figure courtesy of Chris Eilbeck and Heriot–Watt University.
Water Waves (Scott, 2005)(Whitham, 1974)(Kharif, 2009)(El, 2002): Russell's "wave of translation" was a water-wave soliton, and (as discussed above) Korteweg and de Vries derived their nonlinear wave equation to describe the shallow water waves that Russell had observed. The KdV equation arises in the long-wavelength limit, and shallow-water solitary waves have been the subject of numerous laboratory experiments. Solitary waves also arise in deep water, as shown by the pioneering work of Vladimir Zakharov who derived an envelope wave description whose limiting case satisfies an NLS equation (Zakharov, 1968). Additionally, solitary-wave solutions have been constructed in more sophisticated models in fluid dynamics, and there has been a lot of work on myriad types of solitary waves. For instance, various scientists have attempted to explain the large and seemingly spontaneous freak waves (or rogue waves) as solitary waves. Additionally, tidal bores have been explained in terms of dispersive shock waves, which consist (in spatial profile) of a leading pattern in the form of a solitary traveling wave and a trailing pattern in the form a wave train with slowly modulated amplitude that eventually asymptotes to a stationary state. Other interesting studies have focused on turbulent velocity fields that can arise from the breaking of solitary waves (Ting, 2008), 3D vortex structures under breaking waves (Watanabe, 2005), and the spilling and plunging of waves (Jensen, 2005).
Figure 8: Three dark solitary waves in an \(^{87}\)Rb Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC). The intensity increases from dark to light, so these solitary waves are lower-density pulses in a higher-density background. The axial (horizontal) length of the BEC is about 250 microns. Figure courtesy of Peter Engels.
Biophysics (Scott, 2005)(Davydov, 1982)(Scott, 1992)(Peyrard, 2004)(Campbell, 2004): There have been some attempts to use solitary-wave descriptions to describe various biophysical phenomena. One example is the Davydov soliton, which satisfies an equation that was designed to model energy transfer in hydrogen-bonded spines that stabilize protein \(\alpha\)-helices. The Davydov soliton represents a state composed of an excitation of amide-I and its associated hydrogen-bond distortion. It has been used to describe a local conformational change of the DNA \(\alpha\)-helix, and there now exists experimental evidence of such states. Another type of DNA solitary wave was introduced by Peyrard and Bishop, who interpreted solitary-wave solutions of a model for DNA denaturization as bubbles that appear in the DNA structure as temperature is increased. The Peyrard–Bishop model also admits ILM solutions, and ILMs have also been investigated both theoretically and experimentally in the context of biopolymers. Using a model similar to Davydov's, local modes in molecular crystals have also been described using solitary waves. More controversially, solitary waves have recently been used in neuroscience as an alternative to the accepted Hodgkin–Huxley model to describe the traveling of signals along a cell's membrane (Heimburg, 2005).
Microelectromechanical (MEM) and Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) Devices (Campbell, 2004)(Sato, 2003)(Kenig, 2009): Among the primary classes of systems in which ILMs have been studied are MEMs or NEMs consisting of arrays of nonlinear oscillators (such as cantilevers).
Figure 9: A vortex lattice in a rapidly rotating BEC. In this image, which is taken after the condensate expands when the trap is turned off, the diameter is about 900 microns. The trap has a diameter of about 125 microns, as the in-trap spacing between vortices is about 7 microns and there are about 18 rows of vortices across the BEC. Figure courtesy of Eric Cornell and Peter Engels.
Josephson Junctions (Scott, 2005)(Campbell, 2004): A Josephson junction is a nonlinear oscillator consisting of two weakly coupled superconductors that are connected by a non-conducting barrier. Such junctions might prove to be important for producing quantum-mechanical circuits such as superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). Additionally, some of the most visually striking ILMs have been observed in arrays of Josephson junctions. The first experimental realization of an array of such junctions revealed excitations that arose from spatially localized voltage drops at particular junctions as a homogeneous DC bias current traversed an annular array. Solitary waves in "long Josephson junctions", which are much longer than the intrinsic length scale known as the Josephson penetration depth (which is of the order 1–1000 \(\mu\)m), are known as fluxons because they contain one quantum of magnetic flux.
Granular Crystals (Sen, 2008)(Nesterenko, 2001)(English, 2005)(Boechler, 2010): Granular crystals consist of a tightly-packed array of solid particles that deform when they contact each other. They are modeled by an FPU-like set of equations with an asymmetric potential (there is only a force when the particles are squeezing each other) that arises from the Hertzian description for contact between elastic particles. Granular crystals exhibit a highly nonlinear dynamic response, and the equations of motion give zero when they are linearized (although additional linear forces, such as gravity and precompression, can also be included with appropriate experimental setups). Taking a long-wavelength asymptotic limit of the equations of motion gives a partial differential equation whose only diffusion term is nonlinear. This equation admits traveling compacton solutions that match well with waves that have observed experimentally. (Such compactons give the best approximation that one can achieve with a continuum approximation, but a more accurate analysis reveals instead that the tails of the associated wave solutions of the original equations of motion exhibit a doubly-exponential decay.) Other types of solitary waves, including ILMs, have been observed in the presence of precompression.
Figure 10: Transition from discrete diffraction [sub-panels (a,c)] to nonlinear self-trapping [sub-panels (b,d)] of a probe beam in a ring-shaped photonic lattice. The arrow indicates the center of the lattice and the cross indicates the input position of the probe beam. Figure courtesy of Xiaosheng Wang and taken from (Wang, 2006)
Surface Waves (Scott, 2005)(Cross, 1993)(Umbanhowar, 1996): Numerous interesting nonlinear wave phenomena can occur on the surface of a "continuum" (e.g., fluids, solids, and appropriate granular materials—which can often be modeled using continuum descriptions), and some of them admit solitary-wave descriptions. Although it can be applied more broadly, the term surface wave is often used to refer to a relatively specific class of examples. These include the pattern-forming standing waves called Faraday waves that form, e.g., on the surface of continua housed in vertically vibrated receptacles [similar phenomena have now also been seen in other settings, such as BECs (Engels, 2007) ]; soliton-like oscillons that switch between peaks and craters and have been demonstrated in vertically-vibrated plates of granular materials, viscous fluids, and colloids; and acoustic surface waves, which travel along the surfaces of solid materials.
Figure 11: (Left) Compacton-like solitary waves in a granular chain consisting of a sequence of steel–Teflon dimers. (Each dimer consists of a spherical steel particle followed by a spherical Teflon particle.) The vertical axis shows the force in Newtons (horizontal lines are 2 N apart), and the horizontal axis shows the time in microseconds. The 13th and 33rd particles are made of steel, and the 24th particle is made of Teflon. (Right) Panel (a) shows the experimental configuration for chains composed of dimers consisting of \(N_1\) steel particles and \(N_2\) Teflon particles. Panel (b) shows the embedding of a Piezo-sensor to record the force in a particle. Both panels are from (Porter, 2009)
Plasmas (Scott, 2005)(Kourakis, 2005): One of the convenient testbeds to study the dynamics of solitary waves has been plasmas, which consist of a large number of charged particles. For example, the KdV equation has been used to describe the local ion density (reflecting the local departure of the charge from neutrality) in a perturbation of the charge density. Other equations that admit soliton and solitary-wave solutions, including the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equations and more complicated variants of both the KdV and KP equations, are also prominent in the study of plasmas. Dusty plasmas, which contain small suspended particles, have been modeled using nonlinear oscillator chains that admit several types of solitary-wave solutions (such as ILMs).
Figure 12: An oscillon in a vertically-vibrated layer of bronze beads. Figure courtesy of Paul Umbanhowar.
Field Theory (Deligne, 1999)(Rajaraman, 1987)(Manton, 2001)(Mason, 1997)(Coleman, 1985): Solitons and their relatives, such as instantons, are also important in both classical and quantum field theory. Topological solitons such as monopoles, kinks, vortices, and skyrmions are key to the modern understanding of field theory. (Non-topological solitons such as Q-balls have generally played a less central role than their topological counterparts.) In \((1 + 1)\)-dimensional quantum field theory, topological soliton solutions of the sine–Gordon equation can be mapped to elementary excitations of the Thirring model (an exactly solvable quantum field theory). This provides a toy model for more physically relevant examples in which the role of solitons is played by magnetic monopoles that can be mapped to electrically charged elementary particles via an equivalence that is given the name strong–weak duality or, more commonly, S-duality. S-duality is also an essential feature of string theory. Instantons give non-perturbative corrections to path integrals, and they play a crucial role in quantum field theory (especially in tunneling phenomena). Because of their algebraic structure, topological instantons can sometimes be constructed explicitly using methods from subjects such as twistor theory. Topological solitons also arise in various parts of string theory and supergravity (such as in studies of \(D\)-branes and \(NS\)-branes), as well as in the study of defects such as domain walls and cosmic strings. Figure 13: A holographic image of a bulk strain soliton in a Poly(methyl methacrylate) [PMMA] bar. Figure courtesy of Galina Dreiden and Irina Semenova.
Bulk Solitary Waves in Solid Waveguides (Samsonov, 2001)(Porubov, 2005)(Khusnutdinova, 2008): Elastic rods, plates, and layered structures are ubiquitous in modern constructions and devices. Nonlinearity can arise both from finite values of strain ("geometric nonlinearity") and from material properties ("physical nonlinearity"). Longitudinal bulk ("density") solitary waves can propagate in solid waveguides when nonlinearity is balanced by spatial dispersion due to the non-negligible transverse size of a waveguide. In the simplest cases, the solitary waves can be modelled as solutions of a "doubly dispersive" Boussinesq-type equation that contains two kinds of dispersion terms of the same order of magnitude. In contrast to linear waves and shock waves, bulk solitary waves in homogeneous solid waveguides do not exhibit significant decay or shape transformation, which suggests that these waves could be used for nondestructive testing of inhomogeneous waveguides. Splitting ("delamination") in a layered waveguide results in generation of a train of solitary waves from a single incident solitary wave. This has been observed in experiments using holographic interferometry (Dreiden, 2010).
% kdv.m - Solve KdV equation by Fourier spectral/ETDRK4 scheme % A.-K. Kassam and L. N. Trefethen 4/03 % % This code solves the Korteweg-de Vries eq. u_t+uu_x+u_xxx=0 % with periodic BCs on [-pi,pi] and initial condition given by % a pair of solitons. The curve evolves up to t=0.005 and at % the end u(x=0) is printed to 6-digit accuracy. Changing N % to 384 and h to 2.5e-7 improves this to 10 digits but takes % four times longer. % Set up grid and two-soliton initial data: N = 256; x = (2*pi/N)*(-N/2:N/2-1)'; A = 25; B = 16; u = 3*A^2*sech(.5*(A*(x+2))).^2+3*B^2*sech(.5*(B*(x+1))).^2; p = plot(x,u,'linewidth',3); axis([-pi pi -200 2200]), grid on % Precompute ETDRK4 scalar quantities (Kassam-Trefethen): h = 1e-6; % time step k = [0:N/2-1 0 -N/2+1:-1]'; % wave numbers L = 1i*k.^3; % Fourier multipliers E = exp(h*L); E2 = exp(h*L/2); M = 64; % no. pts for complex means r = exp(2i*pi*((1:M)-0.5)/M); % roots of unity LR = h*L(:,ones(M,1))+r(ones(N,1),:); Q = h*mean( (exp(LR/2)-1)./LR,2); f1 = h*mean((-4-LR+exp(LR).*(4-3*LR+LR.^2))./LR.^3,2); f2 = h*mean( (4+2*LR+exp(LR).*(-4+2*LR))./LR.^3,2); f3 = h*mean((-4-3*LR-LR.^2+exp(LR).*(4-LR))./LR.^3,2); g = -.5i*k; % Time-stepping by ETDRK4 formula (Cox-Matthews): set(gcf,'doublebuffer','on') disp('press <return> to begin'), pause % wait for user input t = 0; step = 0; v = fft(u); while t+h/2 <.005 step = step+1; t = t+h; Nv = g.*fft(real(ifft(v)).^2); a = E2.*v+Q.*Nv; Na = g.*fft(real(ifft(a)).^2); b = E2.*v+Q.*Na; Nb = g.*fft(real(ifft(b)).^2); c = E2.*a+Q.*(2*Nb-Nv); Nc = g.*fft(real(ifft(c)).^2); v = E.*v+(Nv.*f1+(Na+Nb).*f2+Nc.*f3); if mod(step,25)==0 u = real(ifft(v)); set(p,'ydata',u) title(sprintf('t = %7.5f',t),'fontsize',18), drawnow end end text(-2.4,900,sprintf('u(0) = %11. |
Ages 3�up. (May)
K-Gr 2—This wordless picture book is set in Dudley's fanciful Storywoods forest. With photographs of dioramas, she tells the story of Hank, a bearlike stuffed animal who finds an egg that has fallen from its nest. He tries various means to return it to the nest but cannot quite reach. A log he rolls up to the trunk doesn't lift him high enough and neither does the ladder he crafts together with twigs and twine. So, he carries the egg off with him to his campsite and tucks in for the night. Dudley has done a particularly good job with the lighting in the charming campsite scenes. The next morning Hank carries the egg back to its tree, wraps it in foliage, and watches as the mother hummingbird flies it home. The eggs eventually hatch, and Hank has three new friends. What is most unique about this book is how the setting is constructed. Dudley uses felt, paper, stone, and a variety of other materials to create her dreamy world. This is a book that is suitable in a one-on-one setting, as readers will want to take time to look again and again at the fine detail in the photos.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CAKENTWOOD, MI — A national atheist group chapter is claiming victory in a religious discrimination lawsuit brought against a Detroit-area country club that canceled a 2011 speech by famous atheist author Richard Dawkins allegedly because of the man’s lack of religious belief.
, based in Kentwood, said a settlement was reached Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the federal lawsuit bought against the
of Rochester Hills in April 2012 in U.S. District Court.
for unspecified damages after it canceled a Oct. 12, 2011 speech and dinner event by Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist who has authored several prominent books on atheism. The CFI alleged the Rochester Hills club illegally denied use of its facilities to the public based on religious beliefs after owner Larry Winget saw Dawkins discuss his new book on the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor." The CFI alleged violations of Title II of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Michigan Civil Rights Act, as well as breach of contract after the club put the kibosh on the dinner event. According to the complaint, CFI alleged that club employees acting under the direction of Winget called them to cancel the event because Winget “does not wish to associate with certain individuals or philosophies.”
Jeff Seaver and Jennifer Beahan with the Center for Inquiry-Michigan, an atheist group which sued a Detroit-area country club for religious discrimination following a canceled speech by author Richard Dawkins.
The 100 seat, $95 per-ticket dinner was relocated to the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester. CFI Michigan executive director Jeff Seaver was plaintiff in the case. Messages left with Wyndgate administrative staff seeking comment on the case were not returned on Tuesday. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but CFI Michigan representative Jennifer Beahan said “I’m happy it was a good amount we are able to cover our costs and support our programming” with. The organization describes itself as “advocating for science, reason, and secular values.” In late 2011, the CFI sparked a flurry of debate in heavily-religious West Michigan with a
that questioned the necessity of God in a person’s daily life.
Related
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New York-based CFI legal director Steven Fox said “this is the first case we know of that uses the civil rights that protect against discrimination in use of public accommodations on behalf of the non-religious.” Because the case was not decided by a judge or jury, it is not technically precedent setting, but Fox said it should be “persuasive to some other court that the non-religious do have these rights.”
Editor's note: Sensitivity training was not part of a settlement between the Center for Inquiry and Wyndgate Country Club. Incorrect information about the settlement was provided to MLive by CFI.
Email Garret Ellison or follow him on Twitter.BAGAN, 18 August 2015: Myanmar’s Ministry of Culture says close to 12 temples in Bagan are in urgent need of protection due to recent rains and erosion.
Temple No. 1752, built in the 13th century, buckled last week after being pounded by weeks of unusually heavy rain, the ministry said. Only about 20% of the original structure remains.
The temple was damaged by an earthquake in 1975, but a 2003 renovation that cost USD2,029 failed to prevent subsequent structural failure.
Irrawaddy media quoted the ministry’s Department of Archaeology director, Kyaw Oo Lwin, saying other temples could suffer the same fate if they were not immediately tended to.
“The recent rain was unusual in Bagan. Rain penetrated structures through cracks and the bricks were compromised, so it collapsed easily.”
The director said a team of archaeology department staff have been deployed to examine small temples and assess structural threats. Nearly a dozen of Bagan’s some 3,000 temples were found to be in a critical condition.
Association of Myanmar Architects chairman, Sun Oo, said that while recent rains may have exacerbated structural weaknesses, the temples have already withstood centuries of volatile weather and should be carefully restored after comprehensive review.
“We’re now carrying out assessments in line with UNESCO standards. In the past, ministries didn’t follow the rules about how to maintain old temples, that’s why some of them collapsed. Maintaining temples is urgent, but it should not be done hastily.”
The Bagan area spans about 42 square kilometres (16 miles) peppered with ancient temples built between the 9th and 13th centuries, when some 55 Buddhist kings ruled the Bagan Dynasty.
The Bagan Archaeological Zone is one of 14 sites in Myanmar to be nominated for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and experts believe Bagan will be listed within the next few years.Finally, a year after his release, Oracle is now enabled in Captains Mode, which raises the question: what does the hero even do? His skills involve the interactions of buffs and dispels, which are some of the most obscure and least understood mechanics of Dota. There’s no tutorial that runs through the list of exceptions for what is a basic dispel, a strong dispel, or what draws the line between a removable and unremovable buff. This kind of knowledge requires both practice and study. Judging by the meager win rate and popularity of Oracle, it’s fair to say that the public has accomplished neither.
Oracle’s Unpopularity
The Dota playing public suffers from the unpopularity of Oracle. He’s currently the 3rd least popular hero, right above Chen and Visage. When it comes to learning a hero, the organic method is to either play the hero, or play against it. With Oracle, he’s in 1.97% of games with a 40.97% win rate(bottom of our charts, before Arc Warden arrived). It’s a rare sighting to see Oracle in the game, and when he’s there, his impact is evidently low. This also follows even at higher skill brackets, where his win rate peaks at 45% in the 5k+ MMR bracket, and at the recent WCA tournament in China, where he had a 44.4% win rate across 9 games. His utility in the pro scene is still nascent, but his win rate in pubs has bottomed consistently.
A significant reason for is that Oracle is just weak, in the efficacy of his spells and his role in the meta. He is subpar as a core, and as a support he relies too heavily on levels to maximize the synergies between his skills. Each skill on its own is lukewarm in its effect. Fortune’s End is a poor stun; Fate’s Edict a poor Repel; Purifying Flames a poor nuke. However, each of these skills has a subset of interactions and synergies with dispels, buffs, and debuffs. It’s in these complexities where Oracle may have potential.
Dispels and Debuffs: Unlocking Oracle’s Skills
There are three categories of dispels: basic ones, strong ones, and ones from spell immunity, such as activating a BKB. Dispels allow you to remove buffs from opponents or debuffs from you allies. Basic dispels can remove basic stat effects such as slows and stuns, whereas strong dispels can in addition remove hard disables, such as stuns. Some of the most familiar examples involve using Aphotic Shield or Press The Attack to free a stunned ally. These two skills are both considered strong dispels. A basic dispel, such as Tornado or Diffusal Blade’s Purge, will not remove stuns but can remove a rune’s effect or slow such as Venomous Gale. With Oracle, the main interactions are between his own skills, but there’s a chart for the diligent who wish to dive deeper.
Oracle’s skills incorporate a basic dispel and a strong dispel, with Fortune's End and False Promise. False Promise is an improved version of Shallow Grave:doubles healing and removes debuffs, such as stuns, upon intial cast. Fortune’s End is Oracle’s basic dispel, and the essential spell that unlocks the potential in his other two spells: Fate's Edict and Purifying Flames. Both of these two spells can be used offensively and defensively on allies or enemies, and the dispel from Fortune’s End is what determines their utility:
Fate’s Edict has a buff and debuff component, so it can be used offensively for it's disarm and defensively for it's 100% magic resistance. Both effects are considered as a single buff or debuff, and dispelling Fate's edict would remove both effects. Purifying Flames has interactions with both Fate’s Edict and Fortune’s End. Used defensively, Fate’s Edict can be cast on your ally before Purifying Flames to nullify the damage and allow your target to heal. Used offensively, Fortune’s End can dispel the life regeneration from Purifying Flames, turning it into a nuke.
Compared to Oracle, a hero like Invoker is straightforward and simple. Even with ten spells, each of Invoker’s spells serves an obvious purpose—Ghostwalk to evade, Coldsnap to stun. With the exception of False Promise, each of Oracle’s skills are situational. They can be used on any hero target, whether ally or enemy, and it’s up to the player to determine which is the best spell to use, and the best way to use it. Then, follow that with the corresponding spell that maximizes its potential.
Bringing It Altogether
Not only do Oracle's four spells have intertwining mechanics but they also involve the web of interactions of dispels vs. buffs and debuffs. It's not a surprise that after all this time he still hasn't shown his full potential yet. However, that potential is highly dependent on his ability to gain levels, the composition of heroes and their spells in the game, and the understanding of the player using him. Pub players have a year to showcase Oracle’s potential. With Oracle now enabled in Captain’s Mode, it’s the pros turn.
Corrections: Oracle has been in Dota 2 for only one year, instead of two (in Dota 1). False Promise cooldown was incorrectly implied. Fate's Edict is considered as a single buff or debuff, and dispelling it would remove both effectsI am a student at UC San Diego, unremarkable in many ways, but you may already know who I am. I am that girl who sits in the first few rows of your lecture hall and outspokenly voices her opinions. I am that girl you’ve seen handing out donuts in Revelle Plaza, candles on Library Walk, or freshly baked bread in Argo 4. I am that girl who wears the long, patterned skirts around campus; I’m told they are pretty eye-catching. Quite often, I start to introduce myself to a student I’ve never met, and they’ll say, “Oh, I know you!” What you mean is that you think you know me. And some of the things you think you know about me might be based on my identity as an Orthodox Jewish woman. But are you sure you know that about me?
About a month ago, a friend of mine met me for dinner fuming over something she’d heard in lecture that day. In a course about “Culture and Society,” her professor had described women in the Orthodox Jewish world as passive objects, or perhaps victims of men’s laws. This narrative bothered and concerned my friend, and when she shared it with me, I felt the same. My friend did not feel as though she had the authority to speak up during the lecture, but as an Orthodox Jewish woman myself, I feel passionately about correcting misinformed or misguided information about my religion. I wrote an email to that professor the next day and told her a little bit about my life. While the professor responded respectfully and clarified her opinions tactfully, I realized that this is a story worth sharing with more of the UCSD community. So here’s what I know about me.
First and foremost, I have chosen my lifestyle. I dress according to a code of modesty, I participate in certain religious rituals specific to women, and I pray in a synagogue that separates men and women. I choose to live the way I do, unlike the way my family raised me, because I am empowered by Orthodox Judaism. Orthodox Judaism the way I know it is woman-centric. The Jewish legal code often centers around protecting and affording rights to Jewish women, and if you read Jewish texts thoroughly, you would have no trouble finding numerous instances of powerful, prestigious, and influential Jewish women. Sarah the matriarch in the Five Books of Moses, the prophetess Deborah in Prophets, Queen Esther in the Writings, and the sage Bruria quoted in the Talmud are some of my greatest role models. Anyone claiming that traditional Judaism “oppresses” women simply hasn’t done their research.
One of the reasons most commonly cited by people who think Jewish women are “oppressed” relates to dress code. In fact, my friend told me her professor had described Orthodox women’s dress by placing both hands on her throat, almost in a choking motion. It saddens me that anyone would view the way I dress in such a way. It is ludicrous to imagine that the code of Jewish modesty, which addresses guidelines for women and men, would ask women to choke themselves on impossible necklines. In truth, one element of Jewish modesty as it pertains to women does include wearing necklines that reach the collar bones.
Women like me who dress this way have chosen to do so. Women like me dress this way because we value our bodies. In fact, our choice to reserve our bodies for certain contexts and certain people’s eyes only reflects the dignity and self-esteem we feel as women. Personally, I find my dress code liberating, not restrictive, and empowering, not oppressive. You may choose to reflect your self-confidence differently in your dress, and I respect your right to do so. All I ask is that you take a moment to understand me and my choice before you judge what it says about me.
I encourage you to write back to me with a comment below. I hope to frame this opinion article not as a final statement, but as an invitation to open dialogue. As we walk around our campus, observing our fellow students and making our snap judgements, let’s listen to more voices than just the one inside our own heads. Let’s learn each other’s names and stories instead of hypothesizing blindly about the mysterious “others” we encounter. Now that you know a little more about me and my community, I’d love to know more about you and your world. Let’s keep the conversation going. What story will you tell?
Nora Yagolnitser is a staff writer for The Triton. We welcome responses to opinion pieces. If you’d like to submit a response, or comment on a different issue affecting the UC community, please submit here.Venezuelan riot police have used teargas and water cannon to break up protests in the capital Caracas.
Violence broke out on Saturday after supporters and opponents of the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro staged rival rallies, AFP news agency reported.
It was the latest in a wave of demonstrations that has left three people dead, 60 injured and about 100 arrested.
On Saturday Maduro told thousands of people attending his rally that a police manhunt was underway for the opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez.
He said Lopez had "ordered all these violent kids, which he trained, to destroy the prosecutor's office and half of Caracas and then goes into hiding".
He denounced what he called a US-backed "fascist" plot to oust him from power and challenged Lopez: "Turn yourself in coward."
Rules for television
On Saturday anti-government protesters threw objects and taunted the police, who responded with volleys of teargas and a water cannon truck, or "whale" as Venezuelans call it.
Most were students, who have spearheaded nearly two weeks of protests against Maduro. Rampant crime, soaring inflation and basic goods shortages are their main grievances.
The protesters have demanded that Maduro step down, although opposition leaders have said that political conditions are not favourable at present for the president's exit.
Seeking to quell the unrest, Maduro late on Friday announced a 10-point plan to crack down on crime that includes disarming the population, increased police patrols, as well as unspecified "clear rules for television".
In a statement on Saturday, John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said: "We are alarmed by reports that the Venezuelan government has arrested or detained scores of anti-government protestors and issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. These actions have a chilling effect on citizens' rights to express their grievances peacefully."
Despite having the world's largest proven reserves of crude oil, the country has severe economic problems and a deep divide between rich and poor.This is a guest post from Rayna Stamboliyska and Pierre Chrzanowski of the Open Knowledge Foundation France
Etalab, the Prime Minister’s task force for Open Government Data, unveiled on December 18 the new version of the data.gouv.fr platform (1). OKF France salutes the work the Etalab team has accomplished, and welcomes the new features and the spirit of the new portal, rightly summed up in the website’s baseline, “share, improve and reuse public sector data”.
OKF France was represented at the data.gouv.fr launch event by Samuel Goëta in the presence of Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister of France, Fleur Pellerin, Minister Delegate for Small and Medium Enterprises, Innovation, and the Digital Economy and Marylise Lebranchu, Minister of the Reform of the State. Photo credit: Yves Malenfer/Matignon
Etalab has indeed chosen to offer a platform resolutely turned towards collaboration between data producers and re-users. The website now enables everyone not only to improve and enhance the data published by the government, but also to share their own data; to our knowledge, a world first for a governmental open data portal. In addition to “certified” data (i.e., released by departments and public authorities), data.gouv.fr also hosts data published by local authorities, delegated public services and NGOs. Last but not least, the platform also identifies and highlights other, pre-existing, Open Data portals such as nosdonnees.fr (2). A range of content publishing features, a wiki and the possibility of associating reuses such as visualizations should also allow for a better understanding of the available data and facilitate outreach efforts to the general public.
We at OKF France also welcome the technological choices Etalab made. The new data.gouv.fr is built around CKAN, the open source software whose development is coordinated by the Open Knowledge Foundation. All features developed by the Etalab team will be available for other CKAN-based portals (e.g., data.gov or data.gov.uk). In turn, Etalab may more easily master innovations implemented by others.
The new version of the platform clearly highlights the quality rather than quantity of datasets. This paradigm shift was expected by re-users. On one hand, datasets with local coverage have been pooled thus providing nation-wide coverage. On the other hand, the rating system values datasets with the widest geographical and temporal coverage as well as the highest granularity.
The platform will continue to evolve and we hope that other features will soon complete this new version, for example:
the ability to browse data by facets (data producers, geographical coverage or license, etc.);
a management system for “certified” (clearly labelled institutional producer) and “non-certified” (data modified, produced, added by citizens) versions of a dataset;
a tool for previewing data, as natively proposed by CKAN;
the ability to comment on the datasets;
a tool that would allow to enquire about a dataset directly at the respective public administration.
Given this new version of data.gouv.fr, it is now up to the producers and re-users of public sector data to demonstrate the potential of Open Data. This potential can only be fully met with the release of fundamental public sector data as a founding principle for our society. Thus, we are still awaiting for the opening of business registers, detailed expenditures as well as non-personal data on prescriptions issued by healthcare providers.
Lastly, through the new data.gouv.fr, administrations are no longer solely responsible for the common good that is public sector data. Now this responsibility is shared with all stakeholders. It is thus up to all of us to demonstrate that this is the right choice.
(1) This new version of data.gouv.fr is the result of codesign efforts that the Open Knowledge Foundation France participated in.
(2) Nosdonnees.fr is co-managed by Regards Citoyens and OKF France.
Read Etalab’s press release online hereThe 2008 cyberattack on the United States was the "worst breach of U.S. military computers in history". The defense against the attack was named "Operation Buckshot Yankee". It led to the creation of the United States Cyber Command.[1][2][3]
History [ edit ]
It started when a USB flash drive infected by a foreign intelligence agency was left in the parking lot of a Department of Defense facility[citation needed] at a base in the Middle East. It contained malicious code and was put into a USB port from a laptop computer that was attached to United States Central Command. From there it spread undetected to other systems, both classified and unclassified.[1][2]
The Pentagon spent nearly 14 months cleaning the worm, named agent.btz, from military networks. Agent.btz, a variant of the SillyFDC worm,[4] has the ability "to scan computers for data, open backdoors, and send through those backdoors to a remote command and control server."[5] It was suspected that Russian hackers were behind it because they had used the same code that made up agent.btz before in previous attacks. In order to try to stop the spread of the worm, the Pentagon banned USB drives, and disabled Windows autorun feature.[6]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]Soyuz-2-1v lifts off successfully Russia's brand-new Soyuz-2-1v rocket made a successful debut on December 28, 2013, lifting off from Pad 4 at Site 43 in Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 16:30 Moscow Time (7:30 a.m. EST). The Soyuz-2-1v rocket is powered by a legendary NK-33 engine originally developed during the 1970s for the giant Soviet Moon rocket, the N1. Although Soyuz-2-1v will carry lighter payloads than those launched on existing rockets in the Soyuz family, the new vehicle paves the way to the development of much more powerful launchers, such as Soyuz-2-3, Soyuz-3 and Soyuz-2-3v. Previous chapter: Development of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket The first Soyuz-2-1v lifts off on Dec. 28, 2013. Above: The payload configuration in the first mission of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket. Credit: TsSKB Progress During its first test launch, the Soyuz-2-1v rocket with the Volga third stage carried an experimental version of the 50-kilogram Aist satellite and a pair of SKRL-756 radar-calibration spheres for the Ministry of Defense. All three payloads were released from a special adapter mounted on the Volga upper stage after it had entered a near-polar orbit. The launch had to be postponed from December 23 and December 24, as final tests revealed last-minute technical problems, official Russian media said. The second and final phase of integrated tests, known as KI2 conducted within 24 hours before launch, included loading of the rocket with liquid oxygen oxidizer and its subsequent drainage. The fueling with both oxidizer and kerosene fuel would be conducted just few hours before launch. In the remaining 24 hours before the launch attempt on December 25, glitches in ground equipment required to postpone the liftoff from 16:30 to 18:00 Moscow Time. According to a posting on the web forum of the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine, during the first fueling liquid oxygen loaded onboard the rocket was not cooled sufficiently due to problems with the operational documentation. As a result, the oxidizer had been drained and the new fueling had to be conducted. The State Commission overseeing the launch was scheduled to convene at 14:00 Moscow Time on December 25 to give green light to the fueling and the liftoff of the vehicle. Industry sources did confirm that the fueling of the rocket had started. However, around 10 minutes before a scheduled liftoff at 18:00 Moscow Time, the launch was scrubbed. As it transpired later, one of the valves in the pneumatic and hydraulic system of the first stage operated slower than it was programmed to do by the automated launch sequence. Ground crews then proceeded with another drainage of the oxidizer from the rocket. According to a spokesman of Russian air and space defense forces quoted by the official Russian media, the mission had been postponed until 2014, h owever multiple posters on the online forum of the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine reported that efforts had been continuing to fix the ground hardware that had caused the delay and make another launch attempt before the end of the year. Engineers found and fixed the problem with the ground system that had controlled the offending valve, while the launch site officials scrambled to organize a supply of additional cryogenic propellant to replenish available cashe lost to evaporation. The State Commission overseeing the launch apparently convened in Plesetsk around 16:00 Moscow Time on December 26 and set the new launch attempt for December 28, 2013, at 16:30 Moscow Time. A backup launch opportunity was reserved on the same day at 18:00 Moscow Time. By December 27, the launch was set for 14:00 Moscow Time on December 28. Roskosmos officially confirmed a scheduled launch attempt, following a meeting of the State Commission, which made a decision to proceed with the fueling of the launch vehicle, the agency announced at 11:19 Moscow Time on December 28. However on December 28, the launch was scrubbed yet again, apparently just minutes before a scheduled liftoff at 14:00 Moscow Time. Unofficial sources said that the same problem with a slow valve had resurfaced, apparently caused by operations under very cold conditions. Again, engineers urgently worked to reprogram the launch sequence. A semi-official Interfax news agency then reported that the State Commission had been scheduled to convene within an hour to consider whether to proceed with another launch attempt on the same day at 18:00 Moscow Time, however few minutes later, the same agency quoted a representative of the Russian air and space defense forces as saying that the mission had to be postponed until 2014. His statement was proved wrong once again, as the officials in Plesetsk were reported pressing for launch on December 28 at 16:30 Moscow Time. According to operational guidelines, the rocket could go through no more than three cycles of fueling and defueling before a required refurbishment at its manufacturer plant. Since the vehicle had already been loaded with propellant three times, it would have to be removed from the launch pad and returned to the city of Samara for repairs had this latest launch attempt failed. Above: The rollout of the first Soyuz-2-1v rocket to the launch pad in Plesetsk around Dec. 17, 2013. Finally a liftoff! This time, the launch vehicle blasted off as planned and quickly disappeared into the fog and low clouds above the launch pad. The first (core) stage of the rocket was expected to fire for 196 seconds. According to the Interfax news agency, the first stage, along with the payload fairing, was expected to fall into the Barents Sea, while the second stage was to enter orbit. The separation of the Aist satellite from the Volga third stage was scheduled 1.5 hours after launch. After the release of its payload, the Volga upper stage was programmed to deorbit over the Pacific Ocean, where Russian authorities requested a zone closed to navigation. Ironically, there was no technical capability for a controlled deorbiting of a larger second stage. Therefore, it was expected to reenter the Earth atmosphere, as a result of natural decay caused by a friction with rarified air. Around one hour after the launch, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared the launch of the first Soyuz-2-1v rocket a success, while posting an image of the wrong rocket along with the announcement. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Volga upper stage separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle at 16:37 Moscow Time. The Major General Aleksandr Golovko, the Commander of the Russian air and space defense forces, VKO, conducted a general command of the launch, the Ministry of Defense announcement said. As expected, shortly after 18:00 Moscow Time, a poster on the online forum of the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine reported a successful separation of the Aist satellite from the Volga upper stage. At 18:18 Moscow Time, Roskosmos announced that payloads separated from the Volga upper stage at 18:10 Moscow Time. Western radar detected an object from the Soyuz-2-1v launch (probably a second stage) in a 259 by 595-kilometer orbit with an inclination 82.434 degrees toward the Equator. Another object was then found in a 610.3 by 638.9-kilometer orbit, essentially confirming that the Volga upper stage successfully fired in apogee of the initial elliptical orbit and thus inserted its payload into a final circular orbit. Three more fragments from the mission were circling the Earth in a similar orbit, likely confirming that the Aist satellite and both radar-calibration spheres had successfully separated from the Volga upper stage. Alternatively, objects could represent Aist, two spheres and an adapter, while the Volga had already deorbited by the time these observations were made. Preparations for the first launch At the beginning of 2012, the first launch of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket was promised in the second quarter of that year (540), however by mid-April, the mission was re-scheduled for September. By that time, the primary payload of the launch -- the Aist satellite -- was complemented with a cluster of spheres, which were apparently intended for calibration of ground radars. In the meantime, the rocket intended for the first launch was coming off production line. Following series of checks at TsSKB Progress' Test and Checkout Facility, KIS, in Samara, it was to be ready for shipment to Plesetsk launch site by the end of April. Around a month later, it would be followed by the Volga upper stage, which was also in final stages of production by April 2012. At the time, the launch complex was promised to be ready for the mission by June 15. Preparations of the rocket were plagued by problems with the steering mechanism of the propulsion system on the first stage. It had to be removed from the rocket, returned to the manufacturer for repairs and re-tested for the second time. According to the plans by the end of July 2012, the new rocket would be shipped to the northern cosmodrome in the second week of August and rolled out to the launch pad No. 4 of the 17P32-4 launch complex at Site 43 on August 23 for testing, including loading of liquid oxygen and gases onboard the vehicle. On August 9, 2012, the official Russian media did confirm that all components for the Soyuz-2-1v's first mission, including the Volga upper stage, an adapter and a payload, had arrived to Plesetsk. At the time, a test rollout of the rocket to the pad was planned for August 25, followed by the first launch in the fourth quarter of 2012. However by August 29, the rollout was planned for September 4. By that time, only "dry" tests on the pad were expected without loading of propellant onboard. As expected, the rollout of the vehicle started at 07:00 Moscow Time on September 4. According to an official statement of the Russian space agency, the rocket was installed into vertical position for a four-day rehearsal of all pre-launch operations but fueling. Speaking at the expanded meeting of the company' management on November 16, 2012, the head of TsSKB Progress Aleksandr Kirilin said that the first launch of the Soyuz-2-1v had been scheduled for April 2013. However by March of that year the mission was delayed until the second half of the year. At the beginning of April 2013, TsSKB Progress announced that the firing test of the first stage would take place before the end of the month, with the actual launch planned at the end of summer 2013. After additional technical problems, the critical firing test of the first stage was finally scheduled for May 30, 2013. No official statements on the results of the test had appeared, however unconfirmed reports on the web said that the firing on May 31 had again been interrupted by an emergency cutoff command 50 seconds before the nominal completion of the engine burn, possibly due to a temperature readings from one of the sensors. A test facility in Peresvet remained intact, however the status of the rocket stage, which suffered a serious damage during the first firing attempt previous August, was still unclear as of June 3, 2013. On June 4, OAO Kuznetsov announced that the first stage of the Soyuz rocket successfully went through a firing test. According to the company's statement disseminated by the official Russian media, the NK-33A engine "functioned according to a nominal sequence and the operational logic of all systems of the rocket stage, confirming its high reliability." The statement provided no information on the duration of the test or other details. A poster on the Novosti Kosmonavtiki web forum explained that the test has been qualified as a success despite the stage fired for 150 out of planned 202 seconds. The firing was cut short after a leak had been detected in one of the propellant supply lines leading to the RD-0110R steering engine. The main NK-33A engine functioned as planned. The culprit was found to be related to the non-standard interfaces in the propellant line of the experimental unit. In particular, they were fastened, rather than welded together. Since such interfaces would not be used on the actual rocket, the test was certified as successful. Later that month, the head of TsSKB Progress Aleksandr Kirilin told journalists at the Paris Air and Space Show in Le Bourget that Soyuz-2-1v had been scheduled to fly two missions in September and October. On December 18, 2013, TsSKB Progress design bureau, which developed the rocket, announced that the meeting of the State Commission a day earlier made a decision to roll out the launch vehicle to the launch pad for the second phase of integrated testing. The official statement did not mention the launch date which was rumored to be December 23. Industry sources reported on the Novosti Kosmonavtiki web forum that autonomous tests had started on December 18 and continued during the next day. They had to be followed by integrated and general tests before a green light could be given to the liftoff. Technical problems uncovered during these trials reportedly delayed the launch until December 25. Despite the introduction of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket represented a significant breakthrough for the Russian space program, official Russian sources had provided very little information on the upcoming launch. Instead, an anonymous source in Russia relayed latest information to a French space historian Nicolas Pillet, who then disseminated it via a number of popular web forums. Soyuz-2-1v No. 2 In parallel with preparations for the first launch of Soyuz-2-1v, TsSKB Progress promised to select a payload for the second test launch of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket, which was then planned for 2013. By May 2012, the company disclosed that the Mikhailo Lomonosov satellite (a.k.a. TUS) would be launched in the second mission of Soyuz-2-1v. As of November 2012, the delivery of the Mikhailo Lomonosov satellite to the launch site was promised in September 2013. As of October 2012, the shipment of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket, its Volga upper stage and an adapter to Plesetsk was scheduled no later than November 2013. Some of the parts from the second vehicle were cannibalized for the repairs of the EU-763 test article damaged in a botched firing test in August. As of October 2012, the second vehicle and its upper stage were scheduled to be ready for launch in September 2013. By June 2013, the mission was expected in the fourth quarter of 2013, or as early as October. By that time, the rocket and its upper stage were still waiting for the delivery of several components during June and July at their prime manufacturing plant in Samara in order to meet the deadline for the shipment to Plesetsk in September of 2013. However around the same time, it was also reported that the primary payload for the mission -- the Mikhailo Lomonosov (TUS) satellite -- could have been delivered late, requiring an alternative cargo for the launch. More payloads for Soyuz-2-1v Also, in the middle of 2012, the head of the Russian space agency Vladimir Popovkin named a British satellite manufacturer SSTL and South Korea among commercial users of the launch vehicle. In October 2012, the Director General of the Gonets communications network Dmitry Bakanov told RIA Nov |
8 - 2012 : ROPE SWING, just a bit of fun funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2008 : Cctv Watch, map of bristol cctv camers funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2016 : M32 HITCH-HIKING SPOT, escape bristol to the north, east and west funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2008 : Self Portrait At 42, study of persona both physical and emotional funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2016 : STONE AGE HUNTING, hands and rocks murdering life for food funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2008 : Drunk On Capitalism, funded by Interface, University College Gent, Gent, Belgium.
2008 - 2016 : ILFRACOMBE EVACUATION PLAN, when and how to flee the city funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2008 : Borderxing Zine, small packet of photos funded by Vooruit, Gent, Belgium.
2008 - 2010 : Chalk Graffiti, meaningless public drawings funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2009 : Riverxing, how to cross waterways funded by None, None, None.
2008 - 2008 : Map Of Terrorism, strategic response to state terror funded by Tate, London, United Kingdom.
2007 - 2007 : Sticker Groups And Packs Graffiti, power in numbers funded by None, None, None.
2007 - 2007 : Polling Station, 3 step guide to voting in the united kingdom funded by None, None, None.
2007 - 2007 : Art And Technology, some text about reach funded by Exit Media, Madrid, Spain.
2007 - 2011 : ROCK AND BREAKFAST, classic accommodation funded by None, None, None.
2007 - 2007 : Bristol Blue Flag, swimming in the bristol docks funded by None, None, None.
2007 - 2010 : SUSPENSION DISBELIEF, end of artistic life project funded by None, None, None.
2007 - 2017 : ORCHARD OF AVON, distributed feral orchard funded by None, None, None.
2007 - 2007 : Daily News, animal news in delhi funded by The Royal Society Of Arts, London, United Kingdom.
2006 - 2006 : Bicycle Receipt, do not encourage polluters funded by None, None, None.
2006 - 2006 : Memorial Stone, media art excavation funded by Hartware, Dortmund, Germany.
2006 - 2010 : Avon Canoe Pilot, the river as street funded by Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom.
2006 - 2026 : Still Life Unstill, composition of international artist funded by None, None, None.
2006 - 2006 : Phone Charger, provocative punk gadget funded by None, None, None.
2006 - 2006 : Avon Canoe Ferry Jetty, how to cross the river avon funded by Stuffit Peak Oil, Bristol, United Kingdom.
2005 - 2005 : National Urban Orienteering Trials, making the everyday an adventure funded by None, None, None.
2005 - 2010 : Food For Free, free food in bristol funded by None, None, None.
2005 - 2005 : Sponsored Influenza Pandemic Evacuation Rehearsal, a summer camp for survivalists. funded by None, None, None.
2005 - 2005 : Anonymous Letter Box How To, setting up and using anonymous letter boxes funded by None, None, None.
2005 - 2005 : Prepare For Death, A 'how to' in preparing for ones own death funded by Arts Council Of England, Exeter, United Kingdom.
2005 - 2005 : DRY STORE, national cache network funded by Star Radio, Cardiff, Wales.
2005 - 2005 : Camera Obscura Road Trip, experience inverted image inspired motion sickness funded by Spike Island, Bristol, United Kingdom.
2005 - 2015 : DAY PLAN, study of daily movement funded by Proboscis, London, United Kingdom.
2005 - 2005 : The World Downhill Skate Championships, 3 days of descents in europe's steepest city funded by The Watershed, Bristol, United Kingdom.
2004 - 2004 : Lunch Packs, supporting energy and comfort levels funded by The New Museum, New York, Usa.
2004 - 2004 : Artist's Self Portrait At 38, study of persona both physical and emotional funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : Foret Fountainebleau Forage, three days of clambering and leaping on empty bellies funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : Trust The Lies, Not The Truth Fly Poster Graffiti, pret a paste poster funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : Equality Is Deceit, but a necessary one funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : Served, irational collective strategic server techniques funded by Arts Council Of England, London, United Kingdom.
2004 - 2004 : Fly Poster's Glue Guide, how to make edible glue for anti social cohesion funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : Sparror Server Review Gala, review of cubecinema art server funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2014 : THE STATUS PROJECT, a guide to jumping bureaucratic hurdles funded by Helix Arts, Newcastle, United Kingdom.
2004 - 2004 : Do It Yourself Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid Day, biotech trade fair funded by Arts Council England, Exeter, United Kingdom.
2004 - 2004 : It Costs More To Be Poor Fly Poster And Sticker Graffiti, attempt to communicate the non random nature of poverty funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : Borderxing Slide Show, dull, over long holiday slides commentary funded by New Museum Of Contemporary Art, New York, United States.
2004 - 2004 : There And Back Again Workshop, server disaster recovery workshop funded by Arts Council England, London, United Kingdom.
2004 - 2004 : Technique Over Technology Workshop, will to virtual machines and embodied mensch funded by Arts Council England, London, United Kingdom.
2004 - 2004 : Look Over The Wall Fly Poster Graffiti, reproduction metal sign on paper funded by None, None, None.
2004 - 2004 : New Used, explore your feelings funded by Department Of Work And Pensions, Bristol, United Kingdom.
2003 - 2003 : Spy V Spy, win 1000 pounds for best photograph of Bristol's CCTV chief funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Design For Teekprojekt, anti-consumer flyposter project funded by Teekprojekt, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
2003 - 2003 : Advert Expressionism Billboard Graffiti, expressionist street painting funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2013 : International Tree Climbing Day, become routed in ascents, transitions, swings and jumps funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Botantical Guide To Borderxing, pocket steganographic guide funded by The New Museum, New York, United States Of America.
2003 - 2003 : Fly Poster Graffiti Retrospective, remade fly posters funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
2003 - 2003 : Global Warming Fly Poster Pair Graffiti, remade and newly made poster pair funded by None, Bristol, United Kingdom.
2003 - 2003 : Tunnel Treasure Hunt, Urban underground exploration in search of the Tunnel Treasure Trove funded by Arts Council England, Exeter, United Kingdom.
2003 - 2013 : Free Map Of Bristol, street map of bristol funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Representation Reverses Reality Fly Poster Graffiti, remade pedestrian signs funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Redacted Artist Diary 2003, delete key generation diary funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Skateboarder's Map Of Bristol, gradient route planner for pushers and rollers funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : For Sale Sign, luxury murder required residential sign board funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Profound Profanity Chalk Tag Graffiti, attempt to inspire confusion through truth and beauty funded by None, None, None.
2003 - 2003 : Chalk Tag Graffiti Retrospective, remade chalk tag graffiti funded by Department Of Work And Pensions, Bristol, Uk.
2003 - 2010 : The Tunneling Project, offensive underground activities funded by Arts Council England, Exeter, Uk.
2003 - 2003 : Sub Station, excavation of station tunnel funded by Arts Council England, Exeter, United Kingdom.
2003 - 2003 : Collective Manouvers, bristol summer games, urban olympics 2003 funded by Arts Council England, Exeter, United Kingdom.
2003 - 2003 : Red Net, multi-functional, permeable, portable surface funded by Arts Council England, Exeter, United Kingdom.
2002 - 2002 : Photographic Associations, my photo album funded by None, None, None.
2002 - 2002 : Tour D'fence, hands and feet on tour of Bristol's finest fences funded by None, None, None.
2002 - 2002 : Community Courier, updated underground parcel courier service (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
2002 - 2002 : D-fence Cuts, attempt to isolate via void funded by None, None, None.
2002 - 2002 : Bristol 2008, BRISTOL2008 - European Capital of Culture Bid. funded by None, None, None.
2001 - 2001 : Rubbish2router, build your own network infrastructure from scrap funded by Cubecinema, Bristol, Uk.
2001 - 2011 : Borderxing Guide, make your own border check point funded by Tate/ Mudam, London/ Luxembourg, Uk/ Luxembourg.
2001 - 2001 : Studio 32c, studio for nomadic arts (ruin) funded by Bristol City Council Housing Benefit, Bristol, Uk.
2001 - 2021 : Climbing, physical critique of public space funded by None, None, None.
2001 - 2001 : Frequently Asked Questions, questions we ask ourselves each day funded by Arts Council England, London, Uk.
2001 - 2001 : International Urban Adventurers Rally, weekend of physical architecture funded by None, Null, Null.
2001 - 2001 : Skip2server, build your own server from scrap funded by Irational.org, London, Uk.
2001 - 2001 : Knife, fighting for right to carry tools of my trade funded by Legal Aid, Bristol, Uk.
2001 - 2001 : Should I Be Worried, intrusion anxiety funded by None, None, None.
2000 - 2000 : Unfare, Free unlimited train travel offer (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
2000 - 2000 : Irational Courier, underground parcel courier service (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
2000 - 2000 : Wedding, heath and kate's wedding funded by None, None, None.
2000 - 2000 : Ccnow, ecomerce net.art project (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1999 - 1999 : Net.art Consultants, donate net.art to major collections funded by None, None, None.
1999 - 1999 : Concealed Microphone Sticker Graffiti, attempt to alarm the general public funded by None, None, None.
1999 - 1999 : Identity Swap Database, find a similar face and trade places (ruin) funded by Telefonica, Madrid, Spain.
1999 - 1999 : At-banff, at-banff mailing list archive funded by None, None, None.
1999 - 1999 : Hidden Cctv Sticker Graffiti, attempt to alarm the general public funded by The Banff Centre, Banff, Canada.
1999 - 1999 : Cultural Terrorist Agency, funding agency for counter property/ representation propaganda funded by Da2, Bristol, Uk.
1999 - 1999 : Radio 90, internet & fm cellular pirate radio station (offline) funded by None, None, None.
1999 - 1999 : Location=yes, Cultural location becomes increasingly more important with geographic dislocation. funded by Art Teleportacia, Moscow, Russia.
1999 - 1999 : Natural Reality Superweed, Genetically modified anti-capitalist weed funded by Cultural Terrorist Agency, London, Uk.
1999 - 2009 : London Pirate Listening Station (offline), local to global sounds (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1999 - 1999 : The World Service, net.radio groupware (ruin) funded by Lovebytes, Sheffield, Uk.
1998 - 1998 : Reflexive Search Engine, visitors are shown their own worst desires funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Imaging Natalie, portrait of natalie bookchin (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Heath's Homework, heath's submission to natalie bookchin's assignment (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : _readme.html, own, be owned or remain invisible - artist's Self Portrait At 32 funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Uk State Censored Anti Black Psyop Censorship Spam, rewrite of child fun spam provocation funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Uk State Censored Reflexive Search Engine, survey of internet most searched for subjects funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Realty, adidas nike pseudo wars (ruin) funded by Remote C, Linz, Austria.
1998 - 1998 : Irational Disinformation, email disruption campaigns funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Spam Generator, techniques of spam attack and defense funded by Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Ausria.
1998 - 1998 : Star Map, generate fantasy alogories funded by The Banff Centre, Banff, Canada.
1998 - 1998 : C4d, Criticism Curator Commodity Collector Disinformation (unfinished) funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Heath's Desktop, Submission for The First International Online Desktop Exhibition funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Biotech Hobbyist Magazine, magazine for bedroom biotech (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1998 - 1998 : Cctv Sabotage, system sabotage via optical illusion funded by Apex Art, New York, Usa.
1998 - 1998 : Artist's Signature, ascii art funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Routeless 97, ruin of roaming irationalists travels (ruin) funded by Hull Time Based Arts, Hull, Uk.
1997 - 1997 : Irational Competitions, various irational deceptions funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Phonesex For Women, a fully vetted portfolio of professional perverts funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : The 7-11 Mailing List, chaotic nonsense from your favourite store funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Cern, european lab for network collision funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Cctv, a world wide watch - closed circuit television (ruin) funded by Channel, London, Uk.
1997 - 1997 : Virtual Realty, claim your or somebody elses stake in cyberspace (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Received Drawings, Messages from Rachel B to Heath B funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Junk Mail Remailer, if you are tired of junk mail then return it to source (ruin) funded by Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria.
1997 - 1997 : American Express Mailing List, 'that will do nicely' solicitor's letter funded by None, None, None.
1997 - 1997 : Isolation In Velocity, speed inducing street graphics funded by Hull Time Based Arts, Hull, Uk.
1996 - 1996 : Cybercafe, mother of all irationalists funded by None, None, None.
1996 - 1996 : Skint, the internet beggar (ruin) funded by Hull Time Based Arts, Hull, Uk.
1996 - 2006 : PROJECT X, graffiti street internet interface funded by None, None, None.
1996 - 1996 : Refresh, ruin of an primedial network ring (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1996 - 1996 : The Pleasur Project, exploration of simple pleasures funded by None, None, None.
1996 - 1996 : Pain Of Existance, 'cut the screen, crack the lense!' they said funded by None, None, None.
1996 - 1996 : Corporate Skip Raider's Manual, guide to the best rubbish bins in london funded by None, None, None.
1996 - 1996 : Vunerability, electronically active postcards to disable alarms funded by Discord: Sabotage Of Realities, Hamburg, Germany.
1995 - 1995 : Communication Creates Conflict, street level communications gateways funded by Icc, Tokyo, Japan.
1995 - 1995 : @phone, directory of public telephones (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1995 - 1995 : Cybercafe Bbs, bulletin board for art and hacking (ruin) funded by None, None, None.
1995 - 1995 : Wwwart_index, front page for easylife.org funded by None, None, None.
1995 - 1995 : My First Web Page, Stuff done by heath bunting over the past few years funded by None, None, None.
1995 - 1995 : Visitor's Guide To London., the official irational guide to london town funded by None, None, None.
1995 - 1995 : Communication Creates Conflict (japanese), street level communication gateways funded by Icc, Tokyo, Japan.
1995 - 1995 : Chalk Tag Graffiti, scratches and scriblings of a roaming irationalist funded by None, None, None.
1994 - 1994 : Underground Movement, alphabet traced by journeys on london underground funded by Dhss, London, Uk.
1993 - 1993 : Avon Gorge Fly Poster Graffiti, the biggest fly poster in the world funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
1992 - 1992 : Desire Seduce Discard, disposable slogan funded by None, None, None.
1992 - 1992 : Fly Poster Graffiti, various paper stuchos funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
1992 - 1992 : Electro Magnetic Installation (emi), weekend clandestine radio station funded by Hand Made Glass (hmg), Bristol, Uk.
1992 - 1992 : Hash Mark Chalk Tag Graffiti, 1 - 1000 funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
1992 - 1992 : Graffiti Stencils, various graffiti stencils funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
1992 - 1992 : Inversion Fly Poster Graffiti, everything is the opposite of what it represents funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
1991 - 1991 : Advertising Art, conceptual art group funded by Dhss, Bristol, Uk.
1991 - 1991 : Ty Nant Water Bottle, the designing of a blue spring water bottle funded by None, None, None.
1990 - 1990 : Most Art Says Nothing To Most People, subvertising funded by None, None, None.
1990 - 1990 : TYPING, Typos of street psycho funded by None, None, None.
1990 - 1990 : Stained Glass, glass graft funded by None, None, None.
1987 - 1987 : Skateboarding Poet, small book of poems funded by Dhss, Bristol, United Kingdom.
(Go To: Top: Biography: References: Projects: Presentations and Exhibitions: Teaching: Media Reports: Sponsorship)
2011 - Identity Bureau, RESPONSE:ABILITY, Transmediale, Berlin, Germny
2011 - Colliding Discourses, VII Shiryaevo Biennale, Sumara Art Center Gallery, Sumara, Russian Federation
2011 - Privacy And Identity, Can We Govern Information in a Digital Society?, University Of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
2011 - Bordering Identity, ground level, Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
2010 - Money And Art, campfire conversations, Street Training, London, United Kingdom
2010 - Borderxing Slide Show, ground level, Quad, Derby, United Kingdom
2010 - Ground Level,, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, United Kingdom
2010 - Adventure Education, art school alternatives, Corridor 8, Manchester, United Kingdom
2010 - Electron To Election, 15th anniversary, Center For Cultural Decontamination, Belgrade, Serbia
2010 - Status Project, old media, Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom
2010 - Home Made Money, CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND KNOWLEDGE FACTORIES: ANALYSIS AND RESISTANCE, Free / Slow University Of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
2010 - Escape And Evasion Workshop, the knot, Trampoline, Warsaw, Poland
2010 - Identity Shopping, and salon, Abandon Normal Devices, Manchester, United Kingdom
2010 - Stone Vs Drone,, Bblackbox, Basel, Switzerland
2010 - Bunting And Kennard’s 2-day Workshop,, And Festival, Manchester, United Kingdom
2010 - The System,, Triple S Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom
2010 - My Maps, Whose Map is it?, Institute For International Visual Arts, London, United Kingdom
2010 - Activism Disguised As Art, get away - Camouflage & Charisma, Theater Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Germany
2010 - Human Bondage, tracing mobility symposium, Radiator Festival, Nottingham, United Kingdom
2010 - Food For Free, Art in the City Lecture series, Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom
2010 - Masses Distort Ideology,, Fundacja Bec Zmiana, Warsaw, Poland
2010 - Critical Malfunction, Alternativa Housewarming, Instytut Sztuki Wyspa, Gdansk, Poland
2009 - Avon Canoe Pilot, bursary scheme, Arts Admin, London, United Kingdom
2009 - Drawing Your Perfect Day, drawing exchange festival, Spike Island, Bristol, United Kingdom
2009 - Stone Age Survival, c words, Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom
2009 - Getting Ahead In Life, wealth of nations, Cinema City, Novi Sad, Serbia
2009 - Ubiquitous Administration Language, Ubiquitous Computing at a Crossroads Workshop, Ubicomp, Nottingham, United Kingdom
2009 - Status Project Maps, rank - picturing the social order, Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, United Kingdom
2009 - Mobile Telephone Map, Pronto! On Telephony, Plug In, Basel, Switzerland
2009 - Countering Insecurity, infected seminar, Kurator, Plymouth, United Kingdom
2009 - Day Planning, Vermessen. Strategien zur Erfassung von Raum, Buender Kunstmuseum Chur, Chur, Switzerland
2009 - Portrait Of Jamie Williams, Beyond the Image, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, United Kingdom
2009 - Rope Swing, take place, Spacex, Exeter, United Kingdom
2009 - Polish Workers In The United Kingdom, -, Goldex Poldex, Krakow, Poland
2009 - Survival Technologies, art of the digital, Fact, Liverpool, United Kingdom
2009 - Poor Status, the makers, Banff Centre, Banff, Canada
2009 - Status Project Maps, rank - picturing the social order, Northern Gallery For Contemporary Art, Sunderland, United Kingdom
2009 - Superweed, the social critique, Kalmar Konstmuseum, Kalmar, Sweden
2009 - Having A Perfect Day, -, Free / Slow University Of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
2009 - Keeper's Walk, summer of dissent, Plan 9, Bristol, United Kingdom
2009 - Brandon Hill Food For Free, craftivism, Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom
2009 - Status Project Exhibtion, -, Dispari Dispari, Reggio Emilia, Italy
2008 - Figs Of Bristol, tools for actions, Canadian Centre For Architecture, Montreal, Canada
2008 - Status Chalk Board, image radio, Mad Emergent Art Center, Eindhoven, Netherlands
2008 - Borderxing, place@space, Kunstencentrum Z33, Hasselt, Belgium
2008 - Status Portraits, performing space residency, Trampoline, Berlin, Germany
2008 - From Dance To Coal Mining, international network for contemporary performing arts, Bunker, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2008 - Status Maps, Revolution I Love You, Translocal, Budapest, Hungary
2008 - Status Walk, live and media arts, Institute Of Contemporary Arts, London, United Kingdom
2008 - The Game Of Life, the game is up, Vooruit, Gent, Belgium
2008 - Fence Climbing Challenge, passengers, None, Warsaw, Poland
2008 - Low Res Resistance, the wonderful world of irational, Museum Of Contemporary Art Of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
2008 - Art And Religion, cafe artistique, Axis Web, Leeds, United Kingdom
2008 - Borderxing Guide, land wars, Te Tuhi Centre For The Arts, Manukau City, New Zealand
2008 - Maps For Watching Television, Industrial Lies, Dispari Dispari, Reggio Emilia, Italy
2007 - Hung Up On Walls, irational.org: Tools, Techniques and Events, Glasgow Cca, Glasgow, United Kingdom
2007 - Making Money, New Economy, Artists Space, New York, United States Of America
2007 - An A-z Of The System, Surveillance City, Trampoline, Nottingham, United Kingdom
2007 - From Clubcard To Citizenship, the status project, The Ica, London, United Kingdom
2007 - Borderxing, there is no border, Galerie Im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Austria
2007 - Food For Free, International ECO+ART, Khoj International Artists' Association, New Delhi, India
2007 - Avon Canoe Pilot, port city, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, United Kingdom
2007 - Avon Canoe Pilot, port city, Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom
2006 - Go With The Flow, manifesto room, Performance Studies International, London, United Kingdom
2006 - Borderxing, Eldorado, Musée D´art Moderne Grand-duc Jean, Luxemburg, Luxemburg
2006 - Weedanism, av festival, Social Futures Institute, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
2006 - Cutting, Climbing, Crossing, dayplandrugblog, Overgaden, Copenhagen, Denmark
2006 - Urban Survivalism, sustainability and contemporary art, Translocal, Budapest, Hungary
2006 - How To Change Your Identity And Location In Ten Minutes, forum 06, Art Box, Athens, Greece
2006 - Offensive Email, art and activism, Mejan Labs, Stockholm, Sweden
2006 - Day Planning For Everyone,, Kalmar Konst Museum, Kalmar, Sweden
2006 - Pirate Radio Shoutouts, radio revolten, Radio Corax, Halle, Germany
2006 - London Pirate Scanner, Satellite of Love, Rotterdam Film Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2005 - Status Maps, database imaginary, Blackwood Gallery At The University Of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
2005 - Cooking Cleaning And Shopping, city rumble, Overgaden, Copenhagen, Denmark
2005 - The Bumps, simbiosis zone de contacto, None, Luarca, Spain
2005 - Border Ecology, art and ecology, The Royal Society For The Encouragement Of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, London, United Kingdom
2005 - Spaghetti Junction Research Station, brave new brum, A2rt.org, Birmingham, United Kingdom
2005 - Joined Up Finances For Artists, arts funding surgery, Byron Bay Center For The Arts, Byron Bay, Australia
2005 - Peckam Free Food Walk, Mark Dion : MICROCOSMOGRAPHIA, South London Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2005 - Making A Map Of It, Art i educació en la societat de la informació, Fundacio La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain
2005 - How To Change The Status Of Media Art, radiator festival, Trampoline, Nottingham, United Kingdom
2005 - Lunch Boxes, REALISMUSSTUDIO - Office Hours, Ngbk - Neue Gesellschaft Für Bildende Kunst E.v., Berlin, Germany
2004 - Borderxing, Detox – the Murmansk connection, The National Touring Exhibitions, Norway, Oslo, Norway
2004 - Steps To Domesticate Biotechnology, art of the biotech era, Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide, Australia
2004 - Community Disaster Recovery, the customs house, Helix Arts, Southshields, United Kingdom
2004 - Move Yourself To Another Decade, creative digital technology talks at tate modern, Da2, London, United Kingdom
2004 - Permeable Impermanence, tension, Foam, Brussels, Belgium
2004 - Lajos Galambos Proven Networking Techniques, international symposium on net.art, Media Factory, Pecs, Hungary
2004 - Art And Separation, art circle talks, Galerija Balen, Slovonski Brod, Croatia
2004 - Duo Works, rules of crime, New Museum Of Contemporary Art, New York, United States Of America
2003 - Sub Surface, sub surface, Station, Bristol, Uk
2003 - Skint - The Internet Beggar, transmediale.03, Transmediale - International Festival For Art And Digital Culture, Berlin, Germany
2003 - On The Net, 6ª Bienal de Video y Nuevos Medios de Santiago, Museo De Arte Contemporáneo, Santiago, Chile
2003 - Art And War, art intervention seminar, Control Magazine, London, Uk
2003 - Virtual Vert, art for networks, Reg Vardy Gallery, Sunderland, United Kingdom
2003 - Public Highway Residencies,, Spike Island, Bristol, United Kingdom
2003 - Superweed To Borderxing, kulturell terrorism, Galleri Valfisken, Simrisham, Sweden
2003 - Money For Nothing,, Hmp Leyhill, Wotton Under Edge, United Kingdom
2002 - Borderxing Guide, schleuser net, Kunstverein Munchen, Munchen, Germany
2002 - Identity Swap Database, FotoFest 2002, Fotofest, Houston, United States Of America
2002 - How To Be Irational, labculture, Artsway, Sway, Uk
2002 - Methods Of Camouflaging Ones Smell, Second First Committee Hearings: Transmission, Death, Technology, International Necronautical Society, London, Uk
2002 - Art Is The Foundation Of Politics, border crossings, Tate Modern, London, Uk
2002 - Self Demotions Techniques, esc 01, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2002 - Global Radio Phone In, a fair place, None, Istanbul, Turkey
2002 - Architecture Of Boundaries, psychogeography panel, Urban Drift, Berlin, Germany
2001 - Regressive Technology, autonomous channels, Constant Vzw, Brussels, Belgium
2001 - Playful Trickster, Mediamatic workshop Rules&Players, Mediamatic, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2001 - Linux Survivalism, strange attractor, Horse Hospital, London, Uk
2001 - Doing Net.art Without Computers, ncc48, Mur.at - Verein Zur Forderung Von Netzwerkkunst, Graz, Austria
2001 - Erasing Microsoft, aboriginal streams, Aboriginal Arts, Banff, Canada
2001 - Pirate Radio Listening, london calling, Sonar, Barcelona, Spain
2001 - Network Vandalism, New Media: networks conference, Cca Glasgow, Glasgow, Uk
2001 - On A Plate, art servers unlimited 2, Mama, Zagreb, Croatia
2001 - Mvcradio Launch, encuentros, Ministerio De Educación Cultura Y Deporte Espanya, Teruel, Spain
2000 - Guided Tour Of Exhibit, world information, Public Netbase, Vienna, Austria
2000 - Hybridising Media, net congestion, None, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2000 - Our Friends The Corporations, net art, The Gallery Channel, London, Uk
2000 - Counter Surveillance Techniques, Liquid Hacking Laboratory, Old Boys Network, Nuernberg, Germany
2000 - Community Building Software, net net net lecture series, Museum Of Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles, Usa
2000 - Net Audio Workshop And Irational's Online Toolkit, Site Gallery, Tech-nicks, Sheffield, Uk
2000 - Art (gm), Art and Genetix residency, The Watershed, Bristol, Uk
2000 - Self Maintaining Authorship, School of the Arts and Architecture, University Of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Usa
2000 - Glocal Gateways, art for networks, Chapter Arts, Cardiff, Wales
2000 - Genetix Xchange, art & communication 4, E-lab, Riga, Latvia
1999 - Irational Groupware, lux residency, Lux Centre, London, Uk
1999 - Net Radio To Fm Radio Links, RX, The Cube, Bristol, Uk
1999 - London Underground, Underground, Bridewell Theatre, London, Uk
1999 - Irational Exploits, Expo Destructo, I/o/d, London, Uk
1999 - Superweed, CRASH! Corporatism & Complicity, Institute Of Contemporary Arts, London, United Kingdom
1999 - Irational Art,, Hartware Podium, Dortmund, Germany
1999 - Building Pirate Radio Networks, radioactiv workshop, None, Labin, Croatia
1999 - Superweed,, Project Lxx, Arhus, Denmark
1999 - Radio90.fm, Radioactiv, Labib Art Express, Labin, Croatia
1999 - Radio Nation, toot, Htba, Hull, Uk
1999 - Funding Superweed, Translocation, Terminal Bar, Prague, Czech Republic
1999 - Net Art In Europe, infozone, Musée D'art Moderne De La Ville De Paris, Paris, France
1999 - The World Service, Synch or Stream Festival, The Banff Centre, Banff, Canada
1999 - Irational Groupwarez, Gallery residencies, Lux Centre, London, Uk
1998 - Surveillance Systems, Scattered Affinities, Apex Art, New York, United States Of America
1998 - Hightech Biotech To Peoples Bedrooms, Art Servers, Backspace, London, Uk
1998 - Communications Guerilla, Revolting, Crash Media, Manchester, Uk
1998 - Net.radio - Loud And Bad, comm-x-change, The Thing, Basel, Switzerland
1998 - Reflexive Search Engine, Cyber Heart, Walter Philips Gallery, Banff, Canada
1998 - Cctv, Subfiction, Werkleitz Gesellschaft, Werkleitz, Germany
1998 - Loyal Audience, Net, Art and Audience, Kunsterlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
1998 - Net.radio To Fm, Acoustic Space, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
1998 - Database Interventions, Lovebytes Hypertribes Festival, Lovebytes, Sheffield, Uk
1998 - _readme.html, La Biennale de Montréal 1998, Biennale De Montréal, Montreal, Canada
1998 - Irational Collective, Pandaemonium, London Electronica Arts, London, Uk
1998 - Net.radio, Intermedia, Triskel Arts, Cork, Ireland
1997 - Disney And Child Porn, Apocalypso, Banff Centre For The Arts, Banff, Canada
1997 - As Bad As We Can Be, multimedia awrd launch, Salon De Livre, Geneva, Switzerland
1997 - Tesco Sainsbury Clubcard, New Ways of Communicating, Jetai, Glasgow, Uk
1997 - Revisiting London, Documenta X, Documenta, Kassel, Germany
1997 - Irational Competitions, Smart Show 97, Muu, Helsinki, Finland
1997 - Conceptual Tools, virus, Zurich Design Museum, Zurich, Switzerland
1997 - Net.art On The Move, net.art residency, Kunsterlhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
1997 - Street Networking, hautlabor, Die Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
1997 - In Under 5 Mins, Anti with E, Backspace, London, Uk
1997 - Hacking The Social, Younet launch, Younet, Lausanne, Switzerland
1997 - Institutionalising Net.art, Cyber.T, Artamis, Geneva, Switzerland
1997 - Personal Data Mining, Virotechnics, Cybernetic Culture Research Unit, Wolverhampton, Uk
1997 - Irational Generalities, Beauty and the East, Ljudmila, Ljubjana, Slovenia
1997 - Crypto Liberal Capitalism In Culture, Summer Summit, Banff Centre For The Arts, Banff, Canada
1997 - Gathering Personal Data, Xchange, Re-lab, Riga, Latvia
1997 |
Media and released as open-source under the condition that it be properly recognized.
Another investigation by DigitalTrends reporter Andrew Couts suggested that the troubled HealthCare.gov website cost an estimated $500 million – more than the price of both Facebook and Twitter, which operated for years before hitting a similar number. There are numerous voices now calling for the resignation of Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, who is in charge of implementing the Affordable Care Act.
House Republicans will hold hearings on HealthCare.gov's technical glitches on Thursday, October 24. So far, Sebelius is declining to testify.1 of 15 View Caption
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) walks off of the court after the game at Vivint Smar Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) dribbles up court during NBA playoff game between Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) fires a shot during NBA playoff game between the U Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) warms-up prior tot he start of NBA playoff game be Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) guards Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Gree Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots as the Utah Jazz host the Golden State Warrior Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots as the Utah Jazz host the Golden State Warrior Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) rises up with Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Th Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) slams the ball as he gets between Utah Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) gets fouled by Golden State Warriors center JaVale Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) dribbles pastGolden State Warriors guard Shaun Liv Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) pushes the ball up court but is cut off Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) tries to get the ball inside during NBA playoff ga Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) gets in front of Golden State Warriors forward KevGoing door to door isn't easy – and healthcare reform is hardly a quick sell especially in an election season when armies of volunteers spread out to pitch everything from presidential candidates to voter registration drives to ballot initiatives.
Two months out from Election Day, Julie Perla has the unenviable task of knocking on strangers’ doors in a Denver neighborhood, asking them to wait while she explains the nation’s complex, flawed healthcare system, a proposal to fix it and why the TV ads from opponents that run constantly on local channels are wrong.
Perla is pitching ColoradoCare, a citizen-sponsored amendment that would make Colorado the first state in the country to opt out of the Affordable Care Act in favor of an unproven experiment in a statewide, single-payer healthcare system.
Voters in the battleground state of Colorado will play a key role in swinging the Presidential election but the yes or no decision on ColoradoCare will impact the long-term financial health of their state budget and the physical health of every one of its residents.
Converting no to yes
ColoradoCare is deeply important to Perla, who experienced the struggle to insure the sick firsthand when her 19-year-old daughter developed a blood clotting disorder that made her a liability for insurers.
That experience inspired Perla to go back to school for a Master’s in public health and she now devotes all of her time to the cause as a regional organizer for the Amendment 69 campaign. But even Perla acknowledges the citizen-driven effort will be an uphill battle to Election Day.
“We have such opposition from corporations and billionaires who are opposing this, we are relying on grassroots efforts,” she says.
Six years after President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law following a contentious national debate, Amendment 69 volunteers are targeting millennial voters using innovative efforts like a volunteer-built app and YouTube-friendly media events like flash mobs to reach voters. But the bulk of the work is still done the old-fashioned way – through door-knocking and informational meetings.
Today, Perla knocks on the door of a woman who has decided to vote no in November after seeing TV ads that raise the possibility of long waiting lines for doctors and high taxes.
By the time they’re done talking, Perla has not only changed the voter’s no into a yes – she’s signed her up as the newest Amendment 69 volunteer.
Seven-year battle
“If we speak to people – they get it,” explains Colorado State Senator Irene Aguilar. She has just wrapped up a ColoradoCare presentation for a neighborhood association meeting in her district. The fight for Amendment 69 largely exists because of Aguilar, who is also a doctor and saw the costs of healthcare first-hand working at a safety net clinic.
“Unfortunately, I saw people all the time who were choosing between the necessities of daily life and medical care,” says Aguilar. She notes that many of those patients ultimately would end up going on Medicaid and Medicare programs once their conditions worsened, ultimately costing the government more money than early intervention and preventative care would have cost.
The problem inspired Aguilar to run for the state senate, where she led four ultimately unsuccessful attempts to pass a statewide system into law. She then joined other supporters of healthcare reform in promoting Colorado’s citizen ballot initiative, collecting enough signatures to get the measure up for consideration on the ballot in November.
Aguilar says ColoradoCare’s estimated $25 billion cost replaces the $30 billion Coloradans spend on healthcare costs now, while addressing the needs of 350,000 uninsured people and 870,000 underinsured in the state of Colorado. Opponents argue ColoradoCare’s cost would double the state’s budget and cripple small businesses with additional payroll and income taxes.
“We’re talking about something that’s literally saving half the population’s ability to live a productive life and have health,” she says, “and they’re just dismissing it out of hand because they don’t understand the complexities of healthcare.”
Imperfect plan
But in the small mountain community of Silverthorne, Colorado, Dr. Erin Sain understands the complexities of healthcare costs all too well. She’s carrying out her own form of voter education about ColoradoCare – writing editorials against the amendment for the town newspaper and talking to patients at the dental practice she started five years ago.
As one man waits for a routine checkup at her dental practice, he asks her about “the ad on TV about the health insurance thing.” She tells him there are many unknowns behind Amendment 69.
The problem is not so much the intention behind ColoradoCare but in its execution, says Sain. Even with a statewide system, she argues, Colorado would still run up against the realities of the overall high cost of healthcare and pharmaceuticals nationwide as well as the purchasing power of insurance companies.
Paying ColoradoCare’s 6.6% employee payroll tax combined with the 10% income tax, Sain would not be able to sustain her six-person business. Additionally, her dentistry could suffer under the amendment’s still-unclear medical reimbursement rates, a proposal she says is “kind of like asking somebody to apply for a job without knowing what your compensation is going to be.”
Sain says it’s not easy to come out in opposition to any proposal that would fix flaws in the way insurance companies do business and address concerns that have emerged since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
“We all want the same thing,” says Sain, “We all want quality, affordable healthcare. The problem I see with ColoradoCare is that it does not address enough of the reasons why our healthcare is expensive.”
Slim chance of passing
That debate is certain to continue in Colorado well past Election Day, when polls show voters will likely reject turning ColoradoCare into law. Back in the Denver neighborhood, Julie Perla acknowledges the possibility that all of her grassroots door-knocking and organizing may not translate into enough votes.
“Even if we’re not successful in November,” she says, “We’re moving the ball forward and we’re effecting change and people are going to become more and more aware of healthcare reform.”MEERUT: The 22nd amendment of Central Motor Vehicles Rules was brought into action starting Friday with an exponential increase in fee of licence, driving test and fitness tests. The procedure of issuing of a driving licence including driving tests which used to cost Rs 250 will now cost Rs 500. This, however, will increase further by Rs 300 every time an individual sits for a repeat driving test.The amendment that was done on July 28, 2016 had invited objections in 30 days time but as no objections came they came into force on Friday i.e. on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.“The fee has been increased for the first time after 1989 and this is the reason that there is a huge gap between the old fee and the new fee. A learning licence that was earlier issued with a fee of Rs 30 has been increased to Rs 150 with an extra charge of driving test fee of Rs 50, which was not there at all earlier,” said Ranjeet Singh, assistant regional transport officer (administration).The other fee that has increased include issue of international driving permit from Rs 500 to Rs 1000, addition of another class of vehicle to driving licence from Rs 50 to Rs 100. While fee for renewal of driving licence will continue to be Rs 200, fee for renewal of driving licence for which application is made after the grace period has been increased from Rs 150 to Rs 300.As soon as the order reached the RTO department in Meerut at 2pm, all types of acceptance of fee for driving licence and other 27 categories were put on hold and the residents had to return home. It was only later that a fresh order reached to take fee by means of manual receipts that it was decided to continue the work as usual from Saturday onwards.“The new software will be updated by Monday and starting then the work can be carried out easily. As of now, an entire day will go in checking the changed amount so that no errors are made in manual acceptance of fee,” said Singh.The fee for conducting test of a vehicle for grant or renewal of certificate of fitness has been increased from Rs 60 to Rs 200 and Rs 400 (for motorcycles: manual and automated), from Rs 200 to Rs 400 and Rs 600 (for three wheelers or light motor vehicle or quadricycle: manual and automated) and from Rs 500 to Rs 600 and Rs 1000 (medium or heavy motor vehicle: manual and automated).The inspiration behind the Humphrey Bogart film The African Queen, the East African campaign of the First World War is the largest conflict yet to take place on African soil in terms of scale and impact. Yet, it has languished in undeserved obscurity over the years with many people only vaguely aware of its course of events.
In Britain, most of the commemorative events held to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War have been firmly focussed on Europe and the heavy fighting that took place there. In contrast, the remembrance of far-way theatres has been much more subdued despite the enormous impact and devastation of the conflict on the societies that it touched.
East Africa stands out as the prime example of this relative neglect; it was the battleground for four empires and their African subject peoples with fighting that ranged from modern Kenya and Uganda in the north through Tanzania to Mozambique in the south, leaving hunger and devastation in its trail. Despite lasting for over four years and impacting the lives of millions of people, it still remains one of the least known theatres of the war.
While the name and exploits of the famed German commander, General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the 1950s film The African Queen, which was inspired by an episode of the campaign, remain in the public consciousness, it is less appreciated that apart from the famous King’s African Rifles, the British brought in troops from the United Kingdom, India, South Africa, Nigeria, the Gold Coast, the Gambia, the West Indies, Nyasaland as well as both North and South Rhodesia to fight alongside with those from the Belgian Congo and Portuguese Mozambique. The opposing Germans, cut off by sea and blockage, used ingenuity, endurance and ruthless exploitation of their colonial subjects to survive in the field until the final Armistice in November 1918.
In contrast to the Western Front, the distances in East Africa were enormous and troop levels were low. Although there were a number of pitched battles, operations in East Africa were dominated by that of patrols and isolated columns moving through heavy bush with the nerve-wracking and constant threat of ambush. It was not uncommon for columns to advance a hundred miles through dense bush with their bases far in the rear and dependent on civilian carriers to move their supplies on their heads. Most of this had to be accomplished while marching on foot in terrain that ranged from arid deserts to tropical jungles to formidable mountains and usually on inadequate rations and in ragged clothing. Apart from the enemy, soldiers had to contend with dangerous wild animals such as lions, elephants and hippos as well as the clouds of voracious insects that carried pestilence and made life a misery. The results were unprecedented levels of sickness, including malaria, dysentery, and pneumonia, for humans, while nearly every single pack animal perished from disease.
In 1914, the British brought in substantial reinforcements from the Indian Army to reinforce the King’s African Rifles and then subsequently two divisions of South Africans for the offensive of 1916. But decisive victory eluded them while disease and overwork ravaged their ranks. It was to be a greatly expanded African force that led the clearance of German East Africa in 1917 and then the pursuit through Mozambique in 1918. They were backed by the thousands of carriers who moved their food, equipment and ammunition as well as the hundreds of thousands of others who worked the war economy. The full story of the East African campaign is told in The Forgotten Front which is based on archival research in five countries that draws on the original documents written by the participants. It is a story of heroic human endeavour and terrible suffering set in some of the most difficult terrain in the world.
It certainly deserves to be less ‘forgotten’…
By Ross AndersonIt should be pointed out that the theory of evolution is just that, a theory.
And, if you happen to be the sort that believes ape men cavorted with Tyrannosaurus Rex 6,000 years ago — as many still apparently do —you’re welcome to disprove Darwin if you can. I will still think you’re a nut job.
Yet, despite over a century’s worth of scientific investigation and the overwhelming consensus among scientists that its basic premise is irrefutable, evolution still has its detractors. The wilful ignorance of creationism persists. To borrow a line from the creationists’ creed, good Lord.
Not that their refutation of science is problematic, particularly. They, and the Flat Earthers, are welcome to the 16th century. Their time is past, literally and figuratively. The greatest threat they pose now is to school curricula and the national mean IQ, both of which they would weaken.
Climate-change deniers are another thing altogether. Their refutations of the scientific consensus — which overwhelmingly finds that global warming and climate change are real and anthropogenic, despite what deniers say — do carry real consequences. The longer we dither over discredited arguments, and the longer our attention is distracted by the cherry-picking of deniers, the shorter time we have to find solutions to the very real dangers of climate change.
Their latest argument that global warming doesn’t exist comes from a recent communique from the British Met office, which hosts the National Climate Information Centre. The Met has digitized records of Great Britain’s climate going back to 1910, and its data for temperature records goes back to 1654.
One global-warming denier, David Rose of the Mail on Sunday, claimed that a “quietly released” (read “purposely hushed-up”) report by the Met office on Dec. 24 of last year showed that global warming stopped 16 years ago and that “there has been no statistically significant increase in the world’s average temperature since 1997.”
The “speed of global warming,” Rose wrote, “has been massively overestimated.”
“At the end of last year,” Rose wrote in a March 16 column, “the Met Office revised its ten-year forecast predicting a succession of years breaking records for warmth. It now says the pause in warming will last until at least 2017.
“Its source is impeccable. The line showing world temperatures comes from the Met Office ‘HadCRUT4’ database, which contains readings from more than 30,000 measuring posts.”
This wasn’t new ground for Rose: he had written as much in an earlier story in October, 2012. But the Met “report,” he wrote in his March 16 column, confirmed officially what he had wrote earlier.
His assertions quickly became the favourite posting point for climate-change deniers, and I speak from personal experience.
After I had written some columns about climate change in the last few months, several emailers took me to task by mentioning the Met “report” and the statistical proof it carried showing mean global temperatures had not gone up for the last 16 years. In Monday’s paper, one letter to the editor read:Mumbai: AIB comedian Tanmay Bhat is in a major trouble!
Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has threatened to thrash him. Also, MNS has decided to file an FIR against him.
Comedian Tanmay Bhat's purported video in which he allegedly mocked veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has evoked a sharp reaction from several circles including MNS.
"Tomorrow morning, I am going to visit Shivaji Park police station and file FIR against Bhatt," 'MNS Chitrapat Sena' president Ameya Khopkar said on Sunday night.
He demanded that the video uploaded by Bhatt be removed immediately.
The comedian reportedly posted the video on May 26 on Facebook titled "Sachin vs Lata Civil War" and cracked apparently not-so-funny jokes about both these legends.
Anupam Kher has also slammed Tanmay for the video.Get the biggest Royal Family 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
Helpless game birds are being reared in “abominable” battery-style cages in preparation for the annual shooting season.
Thousands of pairs of partridges on one farm are locked up in small barren boxes with metal sides.
Their only view is of either the sky or the ground.
They are imprisoned for months on end to lay eggs, which will hatch into the birds bred for the season that opens each September.
Disturbing images of the degradation have been released by campaigners Animal Aid.
The charity insists the photos show the real face of a bloodsport enjoyed by royalty and celebrities, including David Beckham and Madonna.
Investigators claim to have found dead birds at Heart of England Farms, in Warwickshire, alongside others that had sustained damaged beaks and feather loss.
Fiona Pereira, of Animal Aid, said: “There are tens of thousands of these breeding birds in industrial farms all across the country.
“They are being used to produce eggs that will become the next generation of live targets for shooters.
“It is abominable that such suffering — for so-called sport — is permitted.
“We want to see an end to the killing of animals for sport.
“But in the immediate future, we want an end to these battery-style cages used to confine the breeding birds.”
Photos obtained by Animal Aid appear to show dead partridges left in the egg collection trays.
Images also show birds fitted with bits and shrouds designed to stop them damaging the other birds.
Waste, including dead birds, also appeared to have been dumped in a field where cattle were grazing.
Calculations by Animal Aid, based on visits by an investigator and also using Google Earth, claim there were 2,232 cages for pheasants.
Depending on whether there are seven birds per cage or nine, this would give between 15,624 and 20,088 birds.
For breeding partridges, there were allegedly 10,080 cages, which equates to 20,160 partridges.
The charity had previously visited the farm in 2005 and now claims that little has changed – despite a Government code of practice being introduced.
But a spokeswoman for Heart of England Farms said: “This appears to be another attempt to reignite an old story which involves members of an extremist organisation trespassing on our land in an attempt to ‘dig the dirt’ on our practices of breeding game birds as part of their overall opposition to shooting.
“We are visited weekly by a game bird vet — while the Animal and Plant Health Agency have the visited site.
“These professionals have no concerns with our practices and their opinion has greater standing than members of the public with extremist views.”
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Ms Pereira replied: “Animal Aid is an entirely peaceful organisation dedicated to campaigning against animal cruelty.
“We filmed and documented some practices at Heart of England that breach animal welfare guidelines and reported them to the relevant authorities.
“We hope people will be as shocked as us that the law permits these beautiful birds to be incarcerated and exploited for their eggs, in order for shooters to use live birds as feathered targets.
“We are calling for a change to the law to abolish these horrific cages.”
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs estimated in 2015 the UK rears between three and six million red-legged partridges and between 20 and 30 million pheasants each year for shooting.
Some estates — including the Royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk, run under supervision of the Duke of Edinburgh – raise wild pheasants to shoot each year.
But increasing numbers of these birds, and up to half of all partridges bred for shooting, come from the cages.
Heart of England Farms is one of the major suppliers of eggs and hatchlings to UK shooting estates.
Prices start from 47p per chick and discounts are available for orders over 10,000.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states that “good practice” means that animals need to be given a “suitable environment” and “be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns”.
(Image: Getty)
And according to Defra’s code for keeping game birds, they must “be provided with appropriate space and facilities to ensure the avoidance of stress and to allow the exhibition of normal behaviour patterns”.
The official document adds: “Barren raised cages for breeding pheasants and small barren cages for breeding partridges should not be used.
"All laying systems used for the housing of birds should be designed and managed to ensure the welfare of the birds.
“Any system should be appropriately enriched.”
An RSPCA spokesman said: “We believe that game birds reared or kept for breeding should not be reared in any type of cage as it can cause unnecessary distress and suffering.
“This investigation highlights some of the concerns with the cage system used for game bird rearing or those kept for breeding.
“The RSPCA is opposed to shooting for sport, but where game birds are reared or kept for breeding, they should have access to appropriate facilities.
“This includes sufficient space and enrichment, be kept in such a way that devices are not required to minimise pecking injuries and not kept in any type of cage.
“In addition, we are concerned that it appears dead birds were left in a field and that cattle had access to the carcasses.”
Under-fire sport that’s shooting itself in the foot - by Chris Packham
This is factory farming on an industrial scale and clearly needs better regulation and enforcement of the existing rules.
The government’s laissez-faire attitude to spot checking these farms is inappropriate and is in need of immediate attention.
The birds are not a domestic species, so they would be horribly stressed in these appalling crates where, contrary to the guidelines, there is absolutely no natural enrichment at all.
This clearly displays scant regard for these animals’ welfare.
They are treated as egg machines – and all so that their offspring can be shot. The shooting industry is under fire from many angles at the moment.
Conservationists like myself have had enough of the persecution of birds of prey, the use of lead shot and the mismanagement -of important habitats.
And now this.
The responsible and sustainable shooting fraternity needs to distance itself rapidly from those who are very seriously damaging its interests.After months of rumors, Netflix has officially given the green light for a The Punisher series. Entertainment Weekly reports that Marvel has just ordered a new series starring the gun-toting vigilante first introduced in Daredevil season 2. Jon Bernthal is set to reprise the role of Frank Castle, army veteran turned anti-hero, for the show. Writer and producer Steven Lightfoot will serve as showrunner.
The sixth Marvel series on Netflix
The Punisher, which will follow Frank Castle's quest for bloody justice in Hell's Kitchen, will be the sixth series in Marvel's stable of Netflix shows. It joins the likes of Daredevil, the Peabody Award-winning Jessica Jones, and the upcoming Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders on the streaming network.
The Punisher is back. Locked and loaded.https://t.co/nGKCa2taEV — Netflix US (@netflix) April 29, 2016
The decision to launch a new series with the Punisher makes sense. Apart from both Daredevil and Jessica Jones receiving strong reviews from critics in the last year, Bernthal's performance as Frank Castle was praised by critics for its rawness. There's no word yet on when the series will premiere, but expect Castle to make his return at some point in the next few years.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, ExplainedIt was a newsworthy morning down at the Scotiabank Saddledome yesterday, as for the first time this season, Sam Bennett skated with the Calgary Flames’ main group.
Bennett has been sidelined with a shoulder injury that he had surgically repaired early in the fall, and he’s been around the team recuperating, rehabbing and getting back into shape. Now he’s skating with the team in a non-contact jersey, and one would expect things will progress through him being cleared for contact and then cleared entirely within a few weeks. At this point, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t fully cleared by the third week of February.
So…what do you do with him if you’re the Calgary Flames?
OPTION A: KEEP HIM UP
Sam Bennett was really good in the pre-season. He was dynamic, speedy and creative, and all with basically one good shoulder. Imagine how good he’ll be full healed! (Granted, he was playing in pre-season against a bunch of guys, some of whom definitely weren’t NHL caliber.)
Upside: Bennett gets some NHL games in, figures out where he fits in and what he needs to work on.
Downside: The Flames are, somehow, in a playoff push. There’s no reason to throw an 18-year-old kid into that pressure cooker. Plus, they’d need to clear a roster spot and once Glencross returns, the forward ranks are really jammed up. Oh, and what if he sucks? No sense in killing his confidence if you don’t absolutely have to.
OPTION B: SEND HIM ON A CONDITIONING STINT
Worried about sending an 18-year-old into the proverbial fire of an NHL playoff race? Well, throw the training wheels on and send him to Adirondack, where head coach Ryan Huska can put him through the paces for two weeks. Granted, he’d need to eat up a roster spot in Calgary during that tenure, but it’d give him playing time and buy the Flames some time before they need to make a decision.
Upside: Bennett gets some AHL games in, figures out where he fits in versus guys like Emile Poirier and the other AHL stars. The coaching staff can get some intel on him, as well.
Downside: Bennett takes minutes away from guys who were playing well in the AHL to begin with. Oh, and there’s arguably more goons and idiots in the AHL than the NHL, so the chances of him getting clobbered by a big body may actually be higher there. (This was also the prominent argument against sending Johnny Gaudreau to the AHL.) He eats up an NHL roster spot despite not being able to help the NHL roster.
OPTION C: SEND HIM BACK TO KINGSTON
He’s 18. He’ll be one of the better players in the OHL. Why not send him back to get some games under his belt in junior before turning him pro?
Upside: Bennett gets some OHL games in, gets his confidence up by dominating some junior kids and playing in the playoffs
Downside: Kingston’s not a very good team, so he won’t get many playoff games in. But hey, that means he could be brought back up by Calgary (or loaned to Adirondack) in late March when the Frontenacs are out of the post-season…
WHY WOULD I DO?
Honestly, the best bet may be a combination of B and C. The Flames could send Bennett to the Baby Flames for a couple weeks, some some pro games in, and then return him to junior afterwards. There’s absolutely no reason not to handle Bennett with kid gloves. He’s coming off major surgery, and the last thing the team needs or wants is for him to have further issues because they got greedy or impatient.
That said, I expect to see Bennett around the ‘Dome in April – either because the Flames kept him up or because they brought him back after Kingston’s playoff appearance.So today my gift was found right by my door upon my return from lunch. And I was pretty darn excited: indeed, I jumped up and down! The package was wonderfully decorated and within were items that I couldn't believe would be any more well suited for me as hometown exchange items from Mexicali! I quite honestly can't believe it, they are awesome!
The envelope was decorated with a great drawing, but within was an awesome bag with Frida Kahlo on it (and she's one of my favorite artists, too! I enclose a picture of other items that I own regarding her -- her life and art fascinates me and so this item is oh so perfect for me!). I already try never to use plastic bags if I can avoid it, so reusable bags like this one are really very much appreciated!
Then there was a great bracelet with my name on it. It is pretty rare that I find items with my name on it as it is so this is pretty cool!
And the turtle! Do you realize that turtles are one of my favorite animals? I actually have quite a few little tiny turtles on my shelves (an unintentional turtle collection) and this is my first bobblehead one so that's awesome! Thanks so much for getting me items that (whether intentionally or not) suit me ever so well! Thank you THANK YOU! :)Image caption Leonard Kernott and Patricia Jones bought the house in 1985 and took out a joint mortgage
A man who left his partner nearly 20 years ago is not entitled to half the value of the house they had shared, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The highest court in the UK decided Leonard Kernott was instead entitled to 10% of its value.
Patricia Jones was challenging a Court of Appeal ruling which gave Mr Kernott an equal share of the home's value.
The Essex bungalow was bought in joint names but, after separating, Ms Jones solely paid the mortgage for 13 years.
The judgement applies to unmarried couples in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own law on unmarried couples' rights.
Lawyers said Tuesday's decision could alter the legal landscape for unmarried couples arguing over property after separating.
It is thought there are more than two million co-habiting couples in England and Wales.
Equal shares
During a hearing in May, the Supreme Court heard that ice-cream salesman Mr Kernott, 51, and Ms Jones, 56, broke up in 1993 after sharing the house in Thundersley for eight years.
It's a sad day for men who are left in a similar position to me and it feels like the law will always side with the woman. Leonard Kernott
The couple bought the house in 1985 in joint names and took out a joint mortgage. It was valued at £240,000 in 2008.
When Mr Kernott moved out, Ms Jones continued to pay the mortgage.
Last year the Court of Appeal decided that Mr Kernott was still entitled to half the value of the house because the couple owned equal shares when they separated and neither had done anything to change the situation since.
But Supreme Court judge Lord Kerr said that the split of 90% and 10% originally imposed by a county court judge was "a fair one between the parties".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Patricia Jones's lawyer, Ivan Sampson said it "has been a nightmare for everybody"
'Paid for everything'
Ms Jones's solicitor Ivan Sampson said his client was "ecstatic" with the ruling, however he added that at four years, the length of the case meant it had been a "nightmare" for everybody.
Mr Kernott said he accepted the judgment and hoped to move on with his life.
He said he had never wanted 50%, but had thought 25% was a "fair reflection" of what he had put into the property.
"When I lived there, I paid for everything and I completely refurbished the place," Mr Kernott added.
This case involved an ordinary couple who were forced to fight through four levels of court William Healing, Family lawyer
"I have been painted as this ogre who walked out on his family. I love my family, I didn't want to leave but it was made unbearable for me to stay.
"It's a sad day for men who are left in a similar position to me and it feels like the law will always side with the woman.
"I'm battling a serious illness and that is more important to me right now. I just want to put all of this behind me."
He told BBC Look East that when he left, he had agreed with Ms Jones that he would get his half of the house when she was ready to split the house up or buy him out.
"As time went on, I knew she would never be ready so I waited until my youngest son was 18 - I wanted my children to live in the house without any upheaval.
"I thought I would have been angry about this; I expected it to go her way because the judgement took so long. It should never have gone as far as this."
'Protect weaker partners'
BBC correspondent Jane Peel said the court was saying that when a couple have not made their intentions clear, each of them is entitled to what it deems to be fair.
"The financial contributions that couples have made are relevant but there are many other factors which enable the court to decide what shares were either intended or were fair in all the circumstances," she added.
William Healing, family law partner at Kingsley Napley, said more clarity was needed in the law.
"Despite the Supreme Court achieving a fair result for Ms Jones, the law remains grey and unclear," he said.
"This case involved an ordinary couple who were forced to fight through four levels of court."
Mr Healing added that the difference between the two court rulings of the amount that Mr Kernott would have been entitled to was £90,000.
The family lawyer called for an overarching law, such as in Scotland, to "protect the weaker party in unmarried couples and to provide certainty".
In Scotland, the law recognises that a couple who live together as if married (or in a civil partnership) have had rights and obligations between them.
If the couple separate then either can claim against the other for any economic disadvantage that he or she has suffered in the interest of the family unit, and for any economic advantage that the other person has gained.
Philippa Cunniff, a partner at family law firm Turcan Connell, said Scottish courts allow for a greater degree of certainty than the courts in England and Wales.
"It is almost inconceivable that a case of this nature would have ended up in the Supreme Court had it been decided under Scots law," she said.Adjusted for inflation, that'd be about $740 million today.
Adjusted for the revenue juggernaut that is the National Football League, and you can add several hundred million to that bottom-line figure.
Now adjust for the fact the Vikings get to play in a fancy new stadium, starting this Sunday... and subtract the $500 million the team isn't paying for it... (carry the two)... and pretty soon we're talking real money.
Forbes magazine says the Vikings are worth an estimated $2.2 billion, good for 17th in the NFL, and a 38 percent spike since the same rankings were published last year. The supply-side magazine calls U.S. Bank Stadium a "far more lucrative home than either the Metrodome or TCF Bank Stadium," the University of Minnesota facility where the Vikings plied their trade for the last two seasons.
If you're a homeowner, and would like to make your own dwelling "more lucrative," consider following the Vikings' lead, and building a bunch of suites that you can sell to corpoations, law firms, and the super-rich. The new Vikings stadium has six different kinds of suites, including Norseman Suites, which, according to this illustration, will cater to attractive young people, boring white dudes who surprise you with a Black Power salute, and couples whose legs gradually vanish.
U.S. Bank Stadium suite prices range from $25,000 a game to $35,000, on average. All are sold out, but you can get on a waiting list, in case you think your immediate future will make you the kind of person that throws down $35,000 on a Sunday afternoon.
Because the socialist-when-it-suits-'em team owners share revenue from the league's rich television contract, it's little decisions like box seats (how many, and how much) that make the difference in team value. That, and advertising: Forbes highlights the Vikings' $200 million deal with U.S. Bank, which gets stadium naming rights for 20 years.
Th Vikings' opponents this Sunday, the Green Bay Packers, are valued at $2.35 billion, 13th among all teams. The Dallas Cowboys ranked first in the league at $4.2 billion, with projected revenues of $700 million this year. That's a whole lot more than the $306 million in revenue Forbes predicts for the Vikings this year.
But don't weep for Zygi Wilf. No matter what the numbers say, you're always winning if you're the guy who owns the scoreboard.Mitt Romney is the kind of guy who just never goes away, even when you really, really want him to. Readers will recall that Mitt had some funny ideas about foreign policy back in |
limiting it to economic action.3 The political party had thus redeemed itself in the 1905 Revolution in Russia, showing its necessary role for the workers’ political, social, and economic action, confirming Lenin and Luxemburg’s prior arguments against economism.
Luxemburg regarded the lessons of the 1905 Revolution in Russia to be a challenge to and hence a “crisis” — a potential critical turning point — of the SPD in Germany. Continuing her prosecution of the Revisionist Dispute, Luxemburg argued for the concrete necessity of the political leadership of the party over the unions that had been demonstrated by the 1905 Revolution in Russia. By contrast, the tension and indeed contradiction between the goal of socialism and the preservation of the institutions of the workers’ movement — specifically of the labor unions’ self-interest — which might be threatened by the conservative reaction of the state against the political action of the socialist party, showed a conflict between movement and goal. The Revisionists thought that a mass political strike would merely provoke the Right into a coup d’état.
Demand for redemption
.
Walter Benjamin, in his draft theses “On the Concept of History” (1940), cited Luxemburg in particular when describing history itself as the “demand for redemption.” Not only did Luxemburg raise this demand with her famous invocation of Marx and Engels on the crossroads in capitalism of “socialism or barbarism,” but as an historical figure she herself calls out for such redemption.
The conflict in and about the party on which Luxemburg had focused was horribly revealed later by the outbreak of war in 1914, when a terrible choice seemed posed, between the political necessity to overthrow the Kaiserreich state to prevent or stop the war, and the need to preserve the workers’ economic and social organizations in the unions and the party. The war had been the Kaiserreich’s preemptive coup d’état against the SPD. The party capitulated to this in that it facilitated and justified the unions’ assertion of their self-preservation at the cost of cooperation with the state’s war. This self-preservation — what Luxemburg excoriated as trying to “hide like a rabbit under a bush” temporarily during the war — may have been justified if these same organizations had served later to facilitate the political struggle for socialism after the Prussian Empire had been shaken by its loss in the war. But the SPD’s constraining of the workers’ struggles to preserve the state, limiting the German Revolution 1918-1919 to a “democratic” one against the threat of “Bolshevism,” meant the party’s suppression of its own membership. Past developments had prepared this. The Revisionists’ prioritization of the movement and its organizations over the goal of socialism had been confirmed for what Luxemburg and Lenin had always warned against: the adaptation and liquidation of the working class’ struggles not into a potential springboard for socialism, but rather a bulwark of capitalism; the transformation of the party from a revolutionary into a counterrevolutionary force. As Luxemburg had so eloquently put it in WWI, the SPD had become a “stinking corpse” — something which had through the stench of decomposition revealed itself to have been dead for a long time already — dead for the purposes of socialism. The party had killed itself through the Devil’s bargain of sacrificing its true political purpose for mere self-preservation.
In so doing, supposedly acting in the interests of the workers, the workers’ true interests — in socialism — were betrayed. As Luxemburg put it in the Junius Pamphlet, the failure of the SPD at the critical moment of 1914 had placed the entire history of the preceding “forty years” of the struggles by the workers — since the founding of the SPD in 1875 — “in doubt.” Would this history be liquidated without redemption? This underscored Luxemburg’s warning, decades earlier, against dissolving the goal into the movement that would betray not only the goal but the movement itself. Reformist revisionism devoured itself. The only point of the party was its goal of revolution; without it, it was “nothing” — indeed worse than nothing: It became a festering obstacle. The party was for Luxemburg not only or primarily the “subject” but was also and especially the object of revolutionary struggle by the working class to achieve socialism. This is why the revolution that the party had facilitated was for Luxemburg merely the beginning and not the end of the struggle to achieve socialism. The political problem of capitalism was manifest in how the party pointed beyond itself in the revolution. But without the party, that problem could never even manifest let alone point beyond itself.
During the German Revolution — provoked by the collapse of the Kaiserreich at the end of WWI — Luxemburg split and founded the new Communist Party of Germany (KPD), joining Lenin in forming the “Third” or Communist International, in 1919: to make clear the political tasks that had been manifested and advanced but ultimately abdicated and failed by the social-democratic parties of the Second International in war and revolution. Just as Luxemburg and Lenin had always maintained that the political party for socialism was necessary to advance the contradiction and crisis of capitalism as it had developed from Marx’s time to their own, so it became necessary in crisis to split that party and found a new one. Turning the international war of capitalism into a socialist revolution meant manifesting a civil war within the workers’ movement and indeed within Marxism itself. Whereas her former comrades in the SPD recoiled from her apparent revolutionary fanaticism, and “saved” themselves and their party by betraying its goal (but ultimately faded from historical significance), Luxemburg, as a loyal party-member, sacrificed herself for the goal of socialism, redeeming her Marxism and making it profoundly necessary, thus tasking our remembrance and recovery of it today. |P
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Notes
1 Selected Political Writings of Rosa Luxemburg, ed. Dick Howard (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1971), 38-39.
2 Quoted in Georg Lukács,“The Standpoint of the Proletariat,” Part III of “Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat” in History and Class Consciousness: Studies in Marxist Dialectics (1923), trans. Rodney Livingstone (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1971), 195.
3 See also my essay “Lenin’s Liberalism,” Platypus Review 36 (June 2011).
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Ever since Hollywood and their Australia-based anti-piracy group AFACT lost their copyright infringement liability case against local ISP iiNet, authorities have been keen to find a way to restart negotiations on the issue of online piracy.
Pushed along by the Attorney General’s Department, discussions between rightsholders and ISPs took place during late 2011 and 2012 in the hope that a mutual agreement could be reached. That proved impossible. Frustrated at what one ISP said was a failure to get to the root of the problem – a reluctance to provide Australians with desirable content in a timely manner and at a fair price – iiNet walked out.
Now close to a year later it seems that the whole debate is set for a reboot, with the new Coalition Federal Government putting its weight behind both entertainment companies and Internet service providers in the hope of finding an urgent solution.
According to The Australian, the Attorney-General’s Department has sent out letters to Australia’s leading ISPs and content creators requesting their participation in a series of roundtable meetings. New Attorney-General George Brandis is reported to be treating copyright infringement as a priority issue.
So what will be on the agenda? Details are scarce, but traditionally there are at least a couple of areas where ISPs can help rightsholders.
The first is by the implementation of a three or six-strike style scheme, where subscribers are monitored by anti-piracy companies and issued with warnings that are passed on by their ISP. While these can be purely educational, rightsholders do like a punishment element for the most persistent of pirates. However, iiNet will not go along with that.
“iiNet won’t support any scheme that forces ISPs to retain data in order to allow for the tracking of customer behavior and the status of any alleged infringements against them,” said iiNet Chief Regulatory Officer Steve Dalby. “Collecting and retaining additional customer data at this level is inappropriate, expensive and most importantly, not our responsibility.”
Since any agreement would have to implemented equally across the country’s main ISPs, a strike scheme with punishments seems to be dead in the water, without fresh legislation at least. So, the suggestion is that ISPs could be asked to do what many others are currently doing around the world – implement blocking of file-sharing sites. The notion has drawn the ire of the local Pirate Party who say they condemn any kind of censorship regime.
“Yet again we are faced with a government that is an enemy of the Internet,” said Simon Frew, President of Pirate Party Australia. “Previous Attorney-Generals organized secret meetings between ISPs and the copyright lobby, deliberately excluding consumers, and now history repeats. We demand that any consultation about the future of the Internet be conducted transparently and include competent and trusted representatives of the community, not just vested interests.”
It’s no surprise that online piracy has again become a political issue in Australia. This past year the country has been in the news several times due to infringement issues, including a public admonishment by the U.S. Ambassador to Australia which referred to Aussie TV fans as “some of the worst offenders” in the world when it comes to downloading TV shows such as Game of Thrones.Match facts
June 26-30, 2014, Barbados
Start time 1000 (1400 GMT)
Brendon McCullum scored only 31 runs in the first two Tests © WICB Media/Randy Brooks Photo
Big Picture
A six-Test winning streak and the World T20 title had signaled the possibility of a change in fortune for West Indies in 2012 and 2013. It was not to be. They lost four of the next five Tests; Darren Sammy lost the captaincy and retired from the format. The wholesale changes - a revamped bowling attack - did not produce immediate success in the first Test against New Zealand in Jamaica, but West Indies battled through five days to level the series in Trinidad. The third Test in Barbados brings with it the hope of a morale-boosting win for the hosts.
There's a lot at stake for New Zealand too. They have won only one series in the Caribbean, in 2002, and arrived for this tour with a reputation that has gained weight over the last two seasons. They added to it with a "nigh perfect" performance - in Brendon McCullum's words - at Sabina Park but faltered in Port-of-Spain, highlighting the difficulty of winning an away series. New Zealand will be raring to take the opportunity and need the captain McCullum, their only batsman without runs, to lift his game.
West Indies were heartened by the manner in which their batsmen responded after the problems in the first Test. They brought in two in-form players for the Trinidad Test - Kraigg Brathwaite and the uncapped Jermaine Blackwood - and reaped immediate rewards. Brathwaite scored his maiden Test hundred while Blackwood impressed with 63. The others chipped in too - Darren Bravo made his first Test century at home, Kirk Edwards' aggressive fifty was a statement of intent, and Chris Gayle smashed his way through to the target. With Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor, the bowling looks in good shape.
If the Bridgetown pitch promises to be as seamer-friendly as it is said to be, the contest may be decided by which team handles pace better. New Zealand, with more technically sound batsmen, would consider that to be a head start.
Form guide
(Most recent first)
West Indies WLLLD
New Zealand LWDWW
Watch out for
Jerome Taylor's return to Test cricket has been positive. He is the leading bowler in the series with 10 wickets and has kept batsmen under constant pressure with his accuracy. Taylor has swung the ball, old and new, at pace, and on more fortunate days he would have had more wickets to show for it. He is eight short of 100 and will hope the Bridgetown curator prepares the ideal surface for him to reach the milestone.
Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor were the stars of New Zealand's home summer prior to this West Indies tour. Taylor's three centuries, including a career-best 217, set up a 2-0 win against West Indies, while McCullum 224 and 302 helped beat India 1-0. They have had no success in the Caribbean though. Despite getting some runs, Taylor has appeared scratchy. McCullum's form has been worse - 31 runs in four innings. Considering how long the offspinner Mark Craig batted in the second innings at Port-of-Spain, similar resolve from the New Zealand captain could have helped his team save the game.
Team news
West Indies are unlikely to tinker with the XI that squared the series irrespective of the availability of offspinner Shane Shillingford, who missed the last Test due to a niggle. Shannon Gabriel, who replaced Shillingford, was the least threatening of the three West Indian seamers, but he found life on a dying pitch towards the end of the Test. With Barbados likely to have the most pace-friendly conditions, and Shillingford blunted due to the ban on his doosra, Gabriel's case is stronger.
West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Sulieman Benn, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shane Shillingford/Shannon Gabriel
The difference between West Indies and New Zealand's XIs in Port-of-Spain was the make-up of their bowling attacks. New Zealand played two spinners to West Indies' one. The visitors have changed that for Barbados, bringing in left-armer Neil Wagner as the third seamer in place of the legspinner Ish Sodhi, whose four wickets were expensive in Trinidad. Mark Craig was wicketless in the second Test but his marathon batting effort in the second innings went in his favour.
New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Neil Wagner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mark Craig, 11 Trent Boult
Pitch and conditions
Rain is likely over the next five days, but if forecasts are to be believed the weather will not disrupt the Test too much. It is the pitch the teams will be keeping a careful eye on. "Kensington always has a little bit in it for the bowlers as well," Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, had said. New Zealand will not mind that either.
Stats and trivia
This will be West Indies' 50th Test at Kensington Oval. They have won 22, lost 10 and drawn 17
New Zealand registered their first Test win in the West Indies in 2002, at Kensington Oval
New Zealand beat West Indies six times in 30 Tests till 2000, and six times in 14 games after the turn of the century
Quotes
"It's beautiful, a great atmosphere. Good wicket to bat on at all times. Barbados is very passionate about the game. A fantastic ground, love playing here personally, you get quality for your shots."
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle
"The opposition is not going to allow you to play that sort of cricket (second Test) all the time but that's the cricket we want to play and that's what we will set out to do."
Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach
Devashish Fuloria is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Most of us understand that popular music is popular because its lyrics are simple and easy to repeat, a driving factor in achieving that communal feeling we as humans are constantly longing for. While there's nothing inherently wrong with our tendency to group thoughts or sounds that are easily shared, I also find it alarming that popular music—essentially the benchmark of collective entertainment standards—is rarely able to produce lyrical content that exceeds a fourth-grade reading level.
Last year, DJBooth managing editor Brendan Varan highlighted a study that examined the reading level required to understand the lyrics in popular music. I suggest reading the entire article, but to summarize: lyrical complexity has been on a steady 10-year decline, and that particular study rated R&B/hip-hop as dead last in complexity.
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A new study from BuzzHarmony, however, analyzed nearly 500 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Chart from the last six decades (1960 to 2016) and produced a list of the top 15 lyricists in popular music. Their study shows that while lyrics in popular music are still technically dumber over the last decade than they had been prior, generally speaking, the vocabulary of popular music has doubled over the past 50 years, and hip-hop is leading the charge.
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To complete this study, the BuzzHarmony team took one week's worth of songs found the Billboard Hot 100 Chart from each of the last six decades and analyzed their lyrical content using a Python readability library to determine the average number of “difficult words” used by artists in each given decade.
To clarify, the study defines “difficult words” as, “words not on a list of the Dale-Chall readability formula, which uses a list of approximately 3,000 words that groups of fourth-grade American students could reliably understand.”
When it comes to the number of difficult words used by artists, hip-hop is clearly at the forefront with T.I., Drake and—of course—Coolio taking the top three spots, all averaging above 70 difficult words in their songs that reached Billboard’s Top 100. The study cites terms like "relationship," "faithful," "finesse," "impressions," "diploma" and "hustler" as being the fuel behind these three artists’ bump in complexity.
The study then examined which songs employed the most and least difficult words in their lyrics, and in that category, hip-hop absolutely dominated.
As you can see, there’s only one song on the list of “most difficult words” that isn't hip-hop—Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time”—while hip-hop is non-existent in the list of “fewest difficult words.” Their findings also show that while we might be in the midst of a decade-long slump, popular music still contains double the number of difficult words on average than it did in the '60s. So, we’re not exactly in Idiocracy territory just yet.
While the study doesn’t draw any outright correlation here, I think it’s worth noting that the lyrical complexity of popular music really started hiking in the mid-'80s, which is right around the time hip-hop started gaining some real traction in the U.S. I’m just saying, maybe hip-hop has been a major driving force behind an increase in lyrical complexity in popular music, and even if it hasn’t, we’re definitely holding it down for lyrical complexity as a genre. So, kudos to hip-hop.
Of course, this is just a small study that doesn’t take into account the value or purpose of the words used in music, simply the objective difficulty of them, so by no means is this an authoritative finding.
It does, however, offer a fun look into the trends in popular music, and it gives us some solid debate fuel for when someone tries to tell us hip-hop isn’t intelligent music. I will pull out these charts, don’t test me.
Photo Credit: VH1New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a promise -- or a threat -- for congressional candidates: In advocating more gun control, he'll put his money where his mouth is.
Just ask the House hopeful who faced over $2.2 million Bloomberg-funded ads -- or talk to the Democrats charged with trying to take back the House majority in 2014.
The billionaire mayor spent the money attacking former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, a Democrat who had been favored to win a Chicago-area House seat, over her "A" rating from the National Rifle Association. On Tuesday, 75 days after 20 children and 6 adults were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, she lost decisively to former state Rep. Robin Kelly in the Democratic primary for disgraced Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s seat in Illinois' second congressional district.
"This is an important victory for common sense leadership on gun violence, a problem that plagues the whole nation,” Bloomberg said in a Tuesday night statement -- commenting on a special election primary in a district nearly 800 miles from his home. As she conceded, Halvorson blamed Bloomberg's money for her failed campaign.
Her loss is one of the first real data points to dot the political landscape facing President Barack Obama -- and the Democrats he'll need to stand with him -- as he pushes a package of new gun control laws in the wake of the Newtown shootings. The president wants to ban assault weapons like the gun used at Newtown, limit the number of rounds of ammunition in magazines, require universal background checks for gun buyers and make gun trafficking a federal crime.
It would be all but impossible for an assault weapons ban to pass the Senate — and prospects for any new laws are even dimmer in the GOP-controlled House. But lawmakers from both parties say could support requiring anyone who buys a gun to get a criminal background check. Under current law, people who buy guns from private sellers aren't required to get that check.
So why does Halvorson's race matter to the legislative and political fights? After all, skeptics note, gun control isn't a controversial issue in urban Chicago, a city plagued by gun violence and a high murder rate. Bloomberg's tactics would likely be much less effective in a rural swing district with an ingrained hunting culture.
But going after every pro-gun Democrat isn't quite the point, advocates say. Instead, it's a way of reassuring lawmakers -- particularly in swing suburban areas -- that someone will have their back if they support new gun restrictions.
And it's also about telling Republicans in similar situations -- like those who hail from suburban Philadelphia, New York and Denver -- that there's a new threat.
"The NRA has been the only game in town. That's not going to be the way it is anymore, and races like Halvorson's...are intended to send that message," said Mark Glaze, executive director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the advocacy group that Bloomberg co-chairs.
In the past, the NRA has aggressively targeted lawmakers who back new gun laws. After a Democratic Congress passed an assault weapons ban in 1994, Republicans swept back to power in the House. The ban was allowed to expire in 2004. This time around, the NRA is opposing universal background checks.
Now, though, Democrats insist Bloomberg's millions amplify a new reality: changing public attitudes in the wake of Newtown. Polls show support for new gun restrictions is higher than it's been in more than a decade. And gun control advocates have retooled their message, focusing on reducing gun violence instead of trying to litigate Second Amendment rights. It's a distinction some Democrats believe will help turn the tide on an issue they've historically struggled with -- one strategist compared it to focusing on raising taxes on the rich during the 2012 campaign, helping their party win on the broader tax issue, where Republicans had previously claimed the upper hand.
There's already evidence that suburban Republicans are staking out support for some new gun laws -- a reality that GOP strategists were eager to point out.
"I think the idea of background checks across the board, I'm not opposed to them," Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., told the Las Vegas Review Journal's editorial board. "I disagree with people who say that this is going to be the first step to gun registration, which leads to gun confiscation."
"I agree with the president that we can and should strengthen the nation's background-check system," Rep. Pat Meehan, R-Pa., said in January. Also supporting stronger checks is fellow Philadelphia-area Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick.
After Newtown, polls show support for stricter gun laws is increasing even among Republicans. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll out Tuesday showed 61 percent of Americans think gun laws should be more strict, the highest percentage since 2000, after the Columbine shootings months earlier. That's up from 51 percent in January of 2011, the last time the poll question was asked prior to Newtown. The shift is largely due to Obama's coalition of Democrats, African Americans and Hispanics. But among Republicans, 37 percent now say gun laws should be stricter. Just 24 percent of Republicans said so in January 2011.
Obama and Democrats want to act fast on gun measures to maintain that momentum. In the Senate, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy wants to start the process of writing new gun laws on Thursday. Republicans could push that another week.
In advance of the hearings, Democrats are scrambling to hash out a deal with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla, on a background check bill. Coburn has been negotiating with Democrats for weeks, but talks have stalled in recent days over how to keep track of private gun sales so police can later track guns used in crimes. Democrats and gun control advocates say gun sellers need to keep a record or the law will be toothless, while Republicans argue that could lead to the federal government tracking gun owners.
"There absolutely will not be record keeping on legitimate, law-abiding gun owners in this country," Coburn said on "Fox News Sunday."
The slowed negotiations with Coburn have prompted Democrats, led by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, to ratchet up what's been ongoing outreach to other moderate Republicans who might be willing to sign on. Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that he's been involved in working on legislation.
Leahy's committee is also going to take up the likely doomed assault weapons ban, which California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is sponsoring. Democratic leaders have pledged a floor vote on the measure -- a move Obama urged at his State of the Union address, when supporters in the chamber erupted into chants of, "vote, vote, vote."
Holding the vote is a significant part of the political calculus: It would allow Democrats in red states or swing districts to say they've opposed Obama's plan to ban weapons while still giving them an opportunity to tout support for other measures to reduce gun violence.
"I want it on the floor," Feinstein told NBC News on Tuesday.
NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Carrie Dann contributed to this report.Image caption The Estonian cyclists appeared in three videos, published by their captors
Seven Estonians have been freed in Lebanon, after being kidnapped nearly four months ago.
They were released in the town of Arsal in the eastern Bekaa valley, the Estonian foreign ministry said.
"We have taken the freed compatriots to the French embassy in Beirut. Their health condition is good," said the ministry in a statement.
The group were tourists who were seized by gunmen in Bekaa after entering the country from Syria on a bicycle tour.
"The main thing now is for our seven fellow countrymen to get home to their families and loved ones as quickly as possible," said the Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet.
Mr Paet is expected to fly to Lebanon and escort his freed compatriots on their flight home.
Since Estonia lacks diplomatic representation in Lebanon, the cyclists were taken initially to the French embassy in the capital, Beirut. French diplomats were active in seeking their release.
"Our sole priority right now is to ensure they arrive at the embassy safe and sound, and then we will hear whatever details they have," said the Lebanese Interior Minister, Marwan Charbel.
The Bekaa valley is notorious for its lawlessness.
A previously unknown group called Haraket Al-Nahda Wal-Islah, or Movement for Renewal and Reform, claimed to have carried out the kidnap, and demanded a ransom.
Image caption The touring cyclists had crossed from Syria into the lawless Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon
The kidnappers released three videos showing the hostages. The videos did not make political demands.
It is not been made public whether a ransom was eventually paid to secure the release of the cyclists.
During their investigations, the Lebanese authorities have arrested a number of suspects, including known Islamists. But most of the detainees have been released for lack of evidence.
Kidnapping of Westerners was once relatively common, but has become much rarer since the end of the civil war in 1990.To meet mounting water demands, treated wastewater has become an important source of irrigation. Thus, contamination of treated wastewater by pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) and the fate of these compounds in the agricultural environment are of increasing concern. This field study aimed to quantify PC uptake by treated wastewater-irrigated root crops (carrots and sweet potatoes) grown in lysimeters and to evaluate potential risks. In both crops, the nonionic PCs (carbamazepine, caffeine, and lamotrigine) were detected at significantly higher concentrations than ionic PCs (metoprolol, bezafibrate, clofibric acid, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, sulfamethoxazole, and sildenafil). PCs in leaves were found at higher concentrations than in the roots. Carbamazepine metabolites were found mainly in the leaves, where the concentration of the metabolite 10,11-epoxycarbamazepine was significantly higher than the parent compound. The health risk associated with consumption of wastewater-irrigated root vegetables was estimated using the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) approach. Our data show that the TTC value of lamotrigine can be reached for a child at a daily consumption of half a carrot (∼60 g). This study highlights that certain PCs accumulated in edible organs at concentrations above the TTC value should be categorized as contaminants of emerging concern.The Browns quarterback room has tumbled into the abyss in the buildup to Week 17.
With Brian Hoyer nursing a shoulder injury and rookie Johnny Manziel ruled out with the tweaked hamstring he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Panthers, Cleveland dialed up Rex Grossman about a job.
The journeyman, though, didn't bite.
ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler first reported Monday that the sides couldn't hammer out logistics, especially with Grossman hosting family for the holidays. NFL Media's Jeff Darlington later confirmed that Grossman, 34, has no desire to sign for the one-week league minimum.
To be clear: The Browns have been turned down for candy canes, Yule Log on Channel 11 and a few boozy glasses of eggnog with the in-laws.
Grossman's declined RSVP leaves Cleveland all but certain to start undrafted rookie Connor Shaw on Sunday against the Ravens. Shaw showed moxie in the preseason, but four straight losses have squeezed any sense of hope out of this once-promising Browns campaign.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Week 16 game and breaks down the playoff picture. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.President Trump had a blast pushing a red button in the Oval Office during a recent interview.
But he only wanted to quench his thirst — not launch nuclear Armageddon.
“With the push of a red button placed on the Resolute Desk that presidents have used for decades, a White House butler soon arrived with a Coke for the president,” the AP reported.
Stephen Colbert breathed a huge sigh of relief Wednesday night.
“Thank God, I was worried there,” the “Late Show” host said. “He’s just turning the Oval Office into an 8-year-old’s drawing of a dream treehouse.”
The funnyman wiped his brow and upper lip with his tie.
“‘There will be a button where I get a Coke wherever I want, a slide with a ball pit, and Bigfoot sleeps over and he teaches me karate,’” Colbert imagined the commander-in-chief demanding.
“Good for him!” Colbert added. “The president deserves to be refreshed.”
He then showed the roaring audience a photo of the butler: oft-mocked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie holding a tray with a Coke can.
Fallout from the hot-button issue mushroomed on social media.
“Poor choice. My understanding is that if he just switched to #Pepsi he could bring everybody together,” @NathanStrout tweeted.
“Better than the nuclear button on his desk (yes I know that’s not a thing except on comedy shows),” posted @MattDumbill, to which @RonaldClump responded: “Waitin for the day he mixes up the two.”For more than 15,000 students across the country, Wednesday marked the first day of Resistance School — a program where the educational focus is mobilizing against President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Each one of us has people in our lives who were disturbed by the outcome of the election and saw it as a call to action,” said Joe Breen, one of the Resistance School co-founders. He’s a third-year student in a joint degree program at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School. “We |
continue to drive many land management decisions."
One aspect the report covered was freshwater quality, which had started to show signs of stress.
It even ranked the threats to freshwater, based on a survey of regional authorities. It concluded agriculture was the biggest threat, followed by urban sewage.
"Agriculture outranks other sources of pressure on water largely because of the scale of pastoral farming," it said.
"Water quality deteriorates in streams, rivers and lakes which drain agricultural catchments, with agricultural run-off causing elevated nutrient and sediment loads. Microbiological contamination from the run-off of agricultural wastes also contributes to the poor condition of many small rivers and streams in agricultural catchments."
More recent reports have shied away from ranking threats in such a way. Our Fresh Water 2017, for example, put it more broadly: "The main pressures on the quality of our fresh water result from land-based activities."
Some of the problems identified in 1997 have worsened, while others improved.
Nitrogen concentrations in waterways, an emerging issue then, have increased. The yearly nitrogen load from agriculture was estimated at 107,000 tonnes in 1997, which had risen to 137,000 tonnes by 2012.
"It is obvious from nitrate-nitrogen concentrations... that many of our rivers probably exceed the guideline and are at risk of developing nuisance algae," the 1997 report said.
Our Fresh Water 2017 reported that nitrate-nitrogen concentrations were still increasing in more than half of monitored river sites.
The 1997 report noted, however, that "the agricultural sector has become more aware of the problems". By 2017, there had been a notable improvement in phosphorus concentrations and visual clarity, likely due to improved stock exclusion and better wastewater treatment in urban areas.
The pressures on water were likely to continue, and become more complicated.
"The pressures from non-point source pollution, introduced species and environmentally harmful development have barely begun to be dealt with."
CLIMATE CHANGE FORECAST
Well before it had entered the mainstream public consciousness, climate change was covered at length by the 1997 report.
It noted that New Zealand was performing poorly against its early obligations. The report projected that based on the trend at the time, net emissions by 2020 would increase to 2.5 times the 1990 level.
That is unlikely to happen: net emissions are now 64 per cent above 1990 levels. But the debate over the capacity to meet obligations remains an issue today.
It also covered what had been the growing awareness of biodiversity decline, which the report covered over 175 pages.
It concluded "the future seems bleak" for many indigenous species, which had been "the main victims and the silent cost-bearers of our impacts on the environment".
Its list of things needed to protect biodiversity was large: land use would need to change, pest control increased, restoration efforts maintained and improved, and more effort on public awareness
Today, some of those things have been achieved, but biodiversity remains in a vulnerable state: many native seabirds, land bids, and freshwater fish are at risk of extinction.
The 1997 report made one point more strongly than any other. There needed to be better collection of data for things to improve.
"Our first, and strongest, conclusion then is that New Zealand's environmental information, including the collection and integration of data, needs to be improved," it said.
And so the challenge remains.
Our Fresh Water 2017, the most recent environmental report in the series, two decades before it began, concluded: "A key takeaway from this report is the need to get better at collecting and reporting consistent data on fresh water."Neolithic monument in County Meath, Ireland
For the Clannad song, see Newgrange (song)
Newgrange (Irish: Sí an Bhrú[1] or Brú na Bóinne)[2] is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of Drogheda on the north side of the River Boyne.[3] It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
The site consists of a large circular mound with an inner stone passageway and chambers. Human bones and possible grave goods or votive offerings were found in these chambers. The mound has a retaining wall at the front, made mostly of white quartz cobblestones, and it is ringed by engraved kerbstones. Many of the larger stones of Newgrange are covered in megalithic art. The mound is also ringed by a stone circle. Some of the material that makes up the monument came from as far away as the Mournes and Wicklow Mountains. There is no agreement about what the site was used for, but it is believed that it had religious significance. Its entrance is aligned with the rising sun on the winter solstice, when sunlight shines through a 'roofbox' and floods the inner chamber. Several other passage tombs in Ireland are aligned with solstices and equinoxes, and Cairn G at Carrowkeel has a similar 'roofbox'.[4][5] Newgrange also shares many similarities with other Neolithic constructions in Western Europe, especially Gavrinis in Brittany, which has both a similar preserved facing and large carved stones, in that case lining the passage within.[6] Maeshowe in Orkney, Scotland, with a large high corbelled chamber,[7] and Bryn Celli Ddu in Wales have also been compared to Newgrange.
It is the most famous monument within the Neolithic Brú na Bóinne complex, alongside the similar passage tomb mounds of Knowth and Dowth, and as such is a part of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Newgrange consists of approximately 200,000 tonnes of rock and other materials. It is 85 metres (279 ft) wide at its widest point.[8]
After its initial use, Newgrange was sealed for several millennia. It continued to feature in Irish mythology and folklore, in which it is said to be a dwelling of the deities, particularly The Dagda and his son Aengus. Antiquarians first began its study in the seventeenth century, and archaeological excavations took place at the site in the years that followed. Archaeologist Michael J. O'Kelly led the most extensive of these and also reconstructed the frontage of the site in the 1970s, a reconstruction that is controversial and disputed.[9] Newgrange is a popular tourist site and, according to the archaeologist Colin Renfrew, is "unhesitatingly regarded by the prehistorian as the great national monument of Ireland" and as one of the most important megalithic structures in Europe.[10]
Physical description [ edit ]
Mound and passage tomb [ edit ]
Cross section sketch of the passage
The Newgrange monument primarily consists of a large mound, built of alternating layers of earth and stones, with grass growing on top and a reconstructed facade of flattish white quartz stones studded at intervals with large rounded cobbles covering part of the circumference. The mound is 76 metres (249 ft) across and 12 metres (39 ft) high, and covers 4,500 square metres (1.1 acres) of ground. Within the mound is a chambered passage, which may be accessed by an entrance on the southeastern side of the monument. The passage stretches for 19 metres (60 ft),[11] or about a third of the way into the centre of the structure. At the end of the passage are three small chambers off a larger central chamber with a high corbelled vault roof. Each of the smaller chambers has a large flat "basin stone" where the bones of the dead may have been deposited during prehistoric times. Whether it was a burial site remains unclear. The walls of this passage are made up of large stone slabs, twenty-two of which are on the western side and twenty-one on the eastern side. They average 1½ metres in height;[12] several are decorated with carvings (as well as graffiti from the period after the rediscovery). The ceiling shows no evidence of smoke.
The entrance passage to Newgrange, and the entrance stone
Situated around the perimeter of the mound is a circle of standing stones. Twelve standing-stones survive out of a possible original thirty-five or thereabouts. Most archaeologists suggest that they were added later, during the Bronze Age, centuries after the original monument had been abandoned as a ritual centre.
Art [ edit ]
Megalithic art on one of the kerbstones
The retaining wall and kerbstones
Newgrange contains various examples of graphic Neolithic rock art carved onto its stone surfaces.[13] These carvings fit into ten categories, five of which are curvilinear (circles, spirals, arcs, serpentiniforms, and dot-in-circles) and the other five of which are rectilinear (chevrons, lozenges, radials, parallel lines, and offsets). They are marked by wide differences in style, the skill-level needed to produce them, and on how deeply carved they are.[14] One of the most notable types of art at Newgrange are the triskele-like features found on the entrance stone. It is approximately three metres long and 1.2 metres high (10 ft long and 4 ft high), and about five tonnes in weight. It has been described as "one of the most famous stones in the entire repertory of megalithic art."[15] Archaeologists believe that most of the carvings were produced prior to the stones being erected, although the entrance stone was carved in situ before the kerbstones were placed alongside it.[16]
Various archaeologists have speculated as to the meanings of the designs, with some, such as George Coffey (in the 1890s), believing them to be purely decorative, whilst others, such as Michael J. O'Kelly (who led the 1962–1975 excavation at the site), believed them to have some sort of symbolic purpose, because some of the carvings had been in places that would not have been visible, such as at the bottom of the orthostatic slabs below ground level.[17] Extensive research on how the art relates to alignments and astronomy in the Boyne Valley complex was carried out by American-Irish researcher, Martin Brennan.
History [ edit ]
The Neolithic people who built the monument were native agriculturalists, growing crops and raising animals such as cattle in the area where their settlements were located.
Construction and burials [ edit ]
The original complex of Newgrange was built between c. 3200 and 3100 BC.[18] According to carbon-14 dates,[19] it is approximately five hundred years older than the current form of Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, as well as predating the Mycenaean culture of ancient Greece.[20] Some put its period of construction somewhat later, at 3000 to 2500 BC.[21] Geological analysis indicates that the thousands of pebbles that make up the cairn, which together would have weighed about 200,000 tonnes, came from the nearby river terraces of the Boyne. There is a large pond in this area that is believed to be the site quarried for the pebbles by the builders of Newgrange.[22] Most of the 547 slabs that make up the inner passage, chambers, and the outer kerbstones are greywacke. Some or all of them may have been brought from sites approximately 5 km away,[23] from the rocky beach at Clogherhead, County Louth, about 20 km to the northeast. The facade and entrance were built with white quartz cobblestones from the Wicklow Mountains, about 50 km to the south; dark rounded granodiorite cobbles from the Mourne Mountains, about 50 km to the north; dark gabbro cobbles from the Cooley Mountains; and banded siltstone from the shore at Carlingford Lough.[23] The stones may have been transported to Newgrange by sea and up the River Boyne by fastening them to the underside of boats at low tide.[24][25] None of the structural slabs were quarried, for they show signs of having been weathered naturally, so they must have been collected and then transported, largely uphill, to the Newgrange site.[22] The granite basins found inside the chambers also came from the Mournes.[23]
Frank Mitchell suggested that the monument could have been built within a space of five years, basing his estimation upon the likely number of local inhabitants during the Neolithic and the amount of time they could have devoted to building it rather than farming. This estimate, however, was criticised by Michael. J. O'Kelly and his archaeological team, who believed that it would have taken a minimum of thirty years to build.[26]
Excavations have revealed deposits of both burnt and unburnt human bone in the passage, indicating human corpses had been placed within it, some of whom had been cremated. From examining the unburnt bone, it was shown to come from at least two separate individuals, but much of their skeletons was missing, and what was left had been scattered about the passage.[27] Various grave goods were deposited alongside the bodies inside the passage. Excavations that took place in the late 1960s and early 1970s revealed seven'marbles', four pendants, two beads, a used flint flake, a bone chisel, and fragments of bone pins and points.[28] Many more artifacts had been found in the passage in previous centuries by visiting antiquarians and tourists, although most of these were removed and went missing or held in private collections. Nonetheless, sometimes these were recorded and it is believed that the grave goods that came from Newgrange were typical of Neolithic Irish passage grave assemblages.[29] The remains of animals also have been found in the structure, primarily those of mountain hares, rabbits, and dogs, but also of bats, sheep, goats, cattle, song thrushes, and more rarely, molluscs and frogs. Most of these animals would have entered and died in the chamber many centuries or even millennia after it was constructed: for instance, rabbits were only introduced to Ireland in the thirteenth century.[30]
Gold jewellery from Roman times deposited in the mound (British Museum)
During much of the Neolithic period, the Newgrange area continued to be a focus of some ceremonial activity. In the Late Neolithic, it appears that Newgrange was no longer being used by the local population, who did not leave any artefacts in the structure or bury their dead there. As the archaeologist Michael J. O'Kelly stated, "by 2000 [BC] Newgrange was in decay and squatters were living around its collapsing edge".[31] These people were adherents of the Beaker culture, which had been imported from mainland Europe, and made Beaker-style pottery locally.[31] A large timber circle (or henge) was built to the southeast of the main mound and a smaller timber circle to the west. The eastern timber circle consisted of five concentric rows of pits. The outer row contained wooden posts. The next row of pits had clay linings and was used to burn animal remains. The three inner rows of pits were dug to accept the animal remains. Within the circle were post and stake holes associated with Beaker pottery and flint flakes. The western timber circle consisted of two concentric rows of parallel postholes and pits defining a circle 20 metres (66 ft) in diameter.[citation needed] A concentric mound of clay was constructed around the southern and western sides of the mound that covered a structure consisting of two parallel lines of post and ditches that had been partly burnt. A free-standing circle of large stones was raised around the Newgrange mound. Near the entrance, seventeen hearths were used to set fires. These structures at Newgrange are generally contemporary with a number of henges known from the Boyne Valley, at Newgrange Site A, Newgrange Site O, Dowth Henge, and Monknewtown Henge.[citation needed]
The site evidently continued to have some ritual significance into the Iron Age. Among various objects later deposited around the mound are two pendants made from gold Roman coins of 320–337 AD (now in the National Museum of Ireland) and Roman gold jewellery including two bracelets, two finger rings, and a necklace, now in the collections of the British Museum.[32]
Purpose [ edit ]
There have been various debates as to its original purpose. Many archaeologists believed that the monument had religious significance of some sort or another, either as a place of worship for a "cult of the dead" or for an astronomically-based faith. The archaeologist Michael J. O'Kelly, who led the 1962–1975 excavations at the site, believed that the monument had to be seen in relation to the nearby Knowth and Dowth, and that the building of Newgrange "cannot be regarded as other than the expression of some kind of powerful force or motivation, brought to the extremes of aggrandizement in these three monuments, the cathedrals of the megalithic religion."[33] O'Kelly believed that Newgrange, alongside the hundreds of other passage tombs built in Ireland during the Neolithic, showed evidence for a religion that venerated the dead as one of its core principles. He believed that this "cult of the dead" was just one particular form of European Neolithic religion, and that other megalithic monuments displayed evidence for different religious beliefs that were solar-oriented, rather than ancestor-oriented.[33]
View of Newgrange's elevation
Studies in other fields of expertise offer alternative interpretations of the possible functions, however, which principally centre on the astronomy, engineering, geometry, and mythology associated with the Boyne monuments. It is speculated that the sun formed an important part of the religious beliefs of the Neolithic people who built it. One idea was that the room was designed for a ritualistic capturing of sun rays on the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice, as the room gets flooded with sunlight, which might have signaled that the days would start to get longer again. This view is strengthened by the discovery of alignments in Knowth, Dowth, and the Lough Crew Cairns leading to the interpretation of these monuments as calendrical or astronomical devices.
Formerly, the Newgrange mound was encircled by an outer ring of immense standing stones, of which twelve of a possible thirty-seven remain. Evidence from carbon dating suggests that the stone circle which encircled Newgrange may not be contemporary with the monument however, but was placed there some 1,000 years later in the Bronze Age. This view is disputed and relates to a carbon date from a standing stone setting that intersects with a later timber post circle, the theory being, that the stone in question could have been moved and later, re-set in its original position. This research implies a continuity of use of Newgrange of over a thousand years; with partial remains found from only five individuals, some question the tomb theory for its purpose.[citation needed]
Once a year, at the Winter Solstice, the rising sun shines directly along the long passage, illuminating the inner chamber and revealing the carvings inside, notably the triple spiral on the front wall of the chamber. This illumination lasts for approximately 17 minutes.[5] Michael J. O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to observe this event on 21 December 1967.[34] The sunlight enters the passage through a specially contrived opening, known as a roofbox, directly above the main entrance. Although solar alignments are not uncommon among passage graves, Newgrange is one of few to contain the additional roofbox feature. (Cairn G at Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery is another, and it has been suggested that one can be found at Bryn Celli Ddu.[35]) The alignment is such that although the roofbox is above the passage entrance, the light hits the floor of the inner chamber. Today the first light enters about four minutes after sunrise, but calculations based on the precession of the Earth show that 5,000 years ago, first light would have entered exactly at sunrise.[citation needed] The solar alignment at Newgrange is very precise compared to similar phenomena at other passage graves such as Dowth or Maes Howe in the Orkney Islands, off the coast of Scotland.
Discovery, excavation, and restoration [ edit ]
Mythology and folklore during Medieval and Early Modern periods [ edit ]
During the medieval period, Newgrange and the wider Brú na Bóinne Neolithic complex gained various attributes in local folklore, which was often connected to figures from wider Irish mythology. The monuments of the Brú were thought of by some as being the abode of the supernatural Tuatha De Danann, whilst others considered them to be the burial mounds of the ancient kings of Tara. Amongst those who believed the folkloric tales relating the Brú to the Tuatha De Danann, it was commonly thought that they were the abode of the most powerful of the Tuatha, particularly The Dagda, his wife Boann, and his son, Oengus. According to the eleventh-century Book of Lecan, the Dagda had built the Brú for use by his family, whilst the twelfth-century Book of Leinster describes how Oengus tricked his father into giving him the Brú for all eternity. Another text, The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Grainne also implies that Oengus owned the Brú, when he declared how he took his friend Diarmaid to it.[36]
Sometime after 1142 the structure became part of outlying farmland owned by the Cistercian Abbey of Mellifont. These farms were referred to as 'granges'. Newgrange is not mentioned in any of the early charters of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but an Inspeximus granted by Edward III in 1348 includes a Nova Grangia among the demesne lands of the abbey.[37]
On 23 July 1539, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII, Mellifont Abbey and its demesnes became the fortified mansion of an English soldier of fortune, Edward Moore, ancestor of the Earls of Drogheda.[38]
On 14 August 1699, Alice Moore, Countess Dowager of Drogheda, leased the demesne of Newgrange to a Williamite settler, Charles Campbell, for 99 years.[39]
Antiquarianism during seventeenth and eighteenth centuries [ edit ]
The entrance to Newgrange in the late 1800s, when the mound had become largely overgrown
In 1699, a local landowner, Charles Campbell, ordered some of his farm labourers to dig up a part of Newgrange, which then had the appearance of a large mound of earth, so that he could collect stone from within it. The labourers soon discovered the entrance to the tomb within the mound, and a Welsh antiquarian named Edward Lhwyd, who was staying in the area, was alerted and took an interest in the monument. He wrote an account of the mound and its tomb, describing what he saw as its "barbarous sculpture" and noting that animal bones, beads, and pieces of glass had been found inside of it (modern archaeologists have speculated that these latter two were in fact the polished pottery beads that subsequently have been found at the site and that were a common feature of Neolithic tombs).[40] Soon another antiquarian visitor, Sir Thomas Molyneaux, professor at the University of Dublin, also came to the site. He talked to Charles Campbell, who informed him that he had found the remains of two human corpses in the tomb, one (which was male), in one of the cisterns, and another farther along the passageway, something that Lhwyd had not noted.[41] Subsequently, Newgrange was visited by a number of antiquarians, who often performed their own measurements of the site and made their own observations, which often were published in various antiquarian journals; these included such figures as Sir William Wilde, Thomas Pownall, Thomas Wright, John O'Donovan, George Petrie, and James Ferguson.[42]
These antiquarians often concocted their own theories about the origins of Newgrange, many of which have since been proved incorrect. Thomas Pownall conducted a very detailed survey of New Grange in 1769,[43] which numbers all the stones and also records some of the carvings on the stone and asserted that the mound originally had been taller and a lot of the stone on top of it had been removed, a theory that has been disproven by archaeological research.[44] The majority of these antiquarians also refused to believe that it was ancient peoples native to Ireland who built the monument, with many believing that it had been built in the early medieval period by invading Vikings, whilst others speculated that it had been built by the ancient Egyptians, ancient Indians, or the Phoenicians.[45]
Modern conservation, archaeological investigation, and reconstruction [ edit ]
The entrance to Newgrange in the early 1900s, after much of the debris had been cleared
At some time in the early 1800s, a folly was built a few yards behind Newgrange. The folly, with two circular windows, was made of stones taken from Newgrange. In 1882, under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act, Newgrange and the nearby monuments of Knowth and Dowth were taken under the control of the state (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as it was then known), and they were placed under the responsibility of the Board of Public Works. In 1890, under the leadership of Thomas Newenham Deane, the board began a project of conservation of the monument, which had been damaged through general deterioration over the previous three millennia as well as the increasing vandalism caused by visitors, some of whom had inscribed their names on the stones.[46] In subsequent decades, a number of archaeologists performed excavations at the site, discovering more about its function and how it had been built; however, even at the time, it was still mistakenly believed by archaeologists to be built during the Bronze Age rather than during the earlier Neolithic period.[47] In the 1950s, electric lighting was installed in the passageway to allow visitors to see more clearly,[48] whilst an exhaustive archaeological excavation was undertaken from 1962 through to 1975, the excavation report of which was written by Michael J. O'Kelly and published in 1982 by Thames and Hudson as Newgrange: Archaeology, Art and Legend.[49]
Following the O'Kelly excavation, further restoration and reconstruction took place at the site. Based on the positions of the cobblestones, and after conducting experiments, O'Kelly concluded that they had made up a retaining wall, but had fallen from the face of the mound. As part of the restoration, this wall was'rebuilt' and the cobblestones were fixed into a near-vertical steel-reinforced concrete wall surrounding the front of the mound. This work is controversial among the archaeological community. P. R. Griot described the monument as looking like a "cream cheese cake with dried currants distributed about."[50] Neil Oliver described the reconstruction as "a bit brutal, a bit overdone, kind of like Stalin does the Stone Age".[51] Critics of the new wall claim that the technology to fix a retaining wall at this angle did not exist when the mound was created.[citation needed] Another theory is that some, or all, of the white quartz cobblestones had formed a plaza on the ground at the entrance. This theory was preferred at nearby Knowth, where the restorers laid the quartz stones out as an "apron" in front of the entrance to the great mound.
The inward-curving dark stone walls on each side of the entrance are not original, nor are they intended to suggest Newgrange's original appearance, but were designed solely to facilitate visitor access. A visitor guide book to the site, however, has a reconstruction drawing depicting Neolithic inhabitants using Newgrange that shows the modern entrance as if it were part of Newgrange's original appearance.[52]
Location and access [ edit ]
Newgrange is located 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi) west of Drogheda in County Meath. The interpretive centre is located on the south bank of the river and Newgrange is located on the north side of the river. Access is only from the interpretive centre.
Access to Newgrange is by guided tour only. Tours begin at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre from which visitors are taken to the site in groups.[53] Current-day visitors to Newgrange are treated to a guided tour and an re-enactment of the Winter Solstice experience through the use of high-powered electric lights situated within the tomb. The finale of a Newgrange tour results in every visitor standing inside the tomb where the tour guide then turns off the lights, and then turns on ones simulating the sunlight that would appear on the winter solstice.
To experience the phenomenon on the morning of the Winter Solstice from inside Newgrange, visitors to Bru Na Bóinne Visitor Centre must enter an annual lottery at the centre. Of the thousands who enter, twenty are chosen each year. The winner is permitted to bring a single guest. The winners are split into groups of ten and taken in on the five days around the solstice in December when sunlight can enter the chamber, weather permitting.[54]By Janaki Murali
When about 10,000 farmers parked their tractors willy-nilly on the busy thoroughfares of Bengaluru on Thursday during peak school closing hours, it brought the city to a standstill. Several commuters and school children were stranded for hours on the main arterial roads and some Bengalureans missed their flights too.
The farmers came on their tractors to the city from the districts of Kolar and Chikkaballapur, leading a procession to the Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah’s residence. Trouble began around mid-morning, when some 250 tractors driven by angry farmers tried to get into the city, but were stopped by police barricades at Devanahalli, a suburb, that also houses the international airport. It didn't take long for the protesters to break through the barricades, to continue their march to Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power. A lathi-charge followed and many farmers were injured.
The farmer leaders, Kodihalli Chandrashekhar and R Anjaneya, told the media that the government had promised water supply from the Yettinahole lift irrigation project, but that they had learnt from scientists that this would not be feasible and had come to the state’s capital looking for a permanent solution.
While the agitating farmers have called for a bandh in Kolar and Chikkaballapur on Friday to protest the lathi-charge, the opposition was quick to condemn the police action. As reported by the Indian Express, JDS Leader, HD Kumaraswamy said, “The government should have allowed the farmers to protest and assured them on their demands.”
According to the Bangalore Mirror, the issue was also raised on the floor of the House later in the evening, and BJP party leader Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri demanded an answer from the state government as to why the farmers were lathi-charged.
But let’s take a step back.
The farmers’ protest in Bengaluru on Thursday, was just waiting to happen. The farmers’ plight has been ignored for too long.
Karnataka farmers launched their protest as early as September last year, demanding a solution to the severe water crisis they were facing. Their demands included irrigation projects, increasing ground level water and rejuvenation of tanks and lakes in their region. All tanks, wells and bore wells had gone dry in the region by then.
According to a Deccan Herald report, the irrigation minister, MB Patil had met protesters and promised to discuss with representatives in November last year. When nothing happened, farmers of Kolar and Chikkaballapur called for a bandh on 21 December, 2015. The Chief Minister then called for a meeting, but failed to find a solution.
What is appalling is that nearly 1000 farmers have been estimated to have committed suicide in Karnataka last year alone. Crop loss and severe drought conditions were said to have led to the deaths.
So now, many more lives do we need to see being snuffed out before our leaders take action.
In north Karnataka alone, several districts received less rainfall last monsoon. Many farmers had even suspended sowing operations for the Rabi season.
Karnataka was the first state to declare its 136 taluks across 27 of its 30 districts as drought-hit as early as August last year. Farmers of drought-hit areas are eligible for crop loss compensation and loan restructuring.
Yet sadly, the state’s farmers continue to wait for relief seven months later.
According to a report in Livemint, the Karnataka government had stated that it would allocate Rs 1 crore per taluk. The state government had in turn asked the Centre in August last year for Rs 3500 crore to compensate the farmers. An inter-ministerial team from the Centre had even visited Karnataka in September last year.
But sadly, nothing has moved on the ground.
The states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have already declared drought in their districts. Other states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Haryana are expected to join the line of drought hit states too.
So isn’t it time our politicians stopped playing the blame game – the Karnataka Opposition blames the state government and the Karnataka government blames the Centre - for a change, why don’t our elected leaders sit together and find a solution?
It’s not going to be easy, for drought and farmers’ suicides do not beg for an easy answer.
But, if we have to prevent the brewing farmers’ unrest from metamorphosing into water waters between the states next, our leaders have to act fast.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.Sounds too good to be true. There must be a catch. There is always a catch.
Using molten salt as both the heat transfer fluid and the thermal storage medium sounds great. Problem is, this is somewhat innovative, and the demo plant has only been in operation since 2004. So while six years of performance history is good, it is not the same as the 20+ year track record that trough using thermal oil can point to in the Mojave Desert. So it doesn't have a 20-year track record. Who cares? Well, the investment banks care, and since they hold the purse strings on the funds to build utility-scale solar plants, if they ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
As analyzed in the recently released GTM Research CSP 2011 report, the LCOE for CSP and PV are currently pretty close (around $0.12-$0.15/kWh in the U.S. Southwest). The problem is that PV costs are expected to decline faster than parabolic trough costs over the next decade (see chart below).
Perhaps utilities will be willing to pay extra for storage. Or perhaps innovators will find a way to reduce trough's costs to keep pace with PV. But how? Archimede believes the answer lies in the use of molten salt as the heat transfer fluid, which would allow plants to operate at higher temperatures -- generating more electricity and reducing the costs of storage (as smaller tanks could be used). While attending the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, I was able to meet with Paolo Martini from Archimede and he shared some specifics on the benefits of using molten salt.
Benefits include:
1) Lower plant cost
The plant cost should be 20% lower than a traditional trough plant (thanks to the removal of heat exchangers and the use of smaller storage tanks).
2) Higher electricity output
The higher temperatures will allow plant efficiency to be 6% better than traditional trough plants (thanks to the removal of losses from the heat exchangers, and from matching the preferred temperature of turbines).
3) Lower O&M expense
Maintenance expenses are lower as there is no need to replace the oil and reduced receiver tube replacement requirements (when using oil, the tubes may need to be replaced due to vacuum corruption).
4) Easier to site
Another strength of using molten salt instead of thermal oil is that in Italy (and France), the government only allows trough plants with oil in industrial zones, whereas plants with molten salt have more flexibility in choosing a location.
The net result of all these benefits is a potential significant reduction of LCOE.
One concern for the technology is that molten salt has a freezing point of 230 degrees Celsius, so the system needs to be carefully designed to prevent the salt from solidifying. As a precaution, the Archimede systems incorporate electric heater elements as a backup in case of malfunction. But according to Archimede, since the demo plant began operation in 2004, the auxiliary electric heater has never been needed.
Archimede is moving forward with its technology in Italy and India. The company now has a 100 MW authorization in Italy: 25 MW near Rome, 65 MW Sicily (likely two plants), and 10 MW in Puglia. These plants would be eligible for a €0.28 feed-in tariff, as long as they are completed by 2013. The plan is for them to break ground by end of 2011.
In addition, Archimede has a DOE/NREL project using an innovative molten salt composed of three compounds, which lowers the freezing point to 120 degrees Celsius (vs. 230 degrees Celsius), with the expectation of significant reductions in thermal losses.
Will using molten salt as the heat transfer fluid be the silver bullet that significantly lowers the cost of CSP? Archimede is betting that it is.Borders between countries will become "irrelevant" by the end of the century and the UK should prepare for that, John McDonnell has said.
The shadow chancellor said a borderless world was inevitable and people were already "ignoring" existing borders.
He also said the UK should be doing more to help the millions of migrants arriving in the European Union.
Mr McDonnell gave a speech in 2013 in which he suggested borders could become a thing of the past.
Asked to elaborate on this theory, by writer Rahil Gupta, Mr McDonnell said: "Inevitably in this century we will have open borders. We are seeing it in Europe already.
"The movement of peoples across the globe will mean that borders are almost going to become irrelevant by the end |
an anti-fracking group where you live.
Check out our factsheet about Cuadrilla’s plans, your community may be threatened with impacts (e.g. fracking waste being dumped or transported through your community) even if you live hundreds of miles from Lancashire.
THERE ARE TOXIC FRACKING SUPPORT SITES ALL OVER THE UK!!!WARNING: THIS ESSAY CONTAINS BOTH UNDERTALE SPOILERS AND STUFF THAT MAY ANGER THE FANDOM; PARTICULARLY FANS OF GENOCIDE CHARA. Do not read unless you A. Have already played Undertale, and B. Can tolerate the contents of this post.
The Many Faces of Chara
A Comparison of Undertale Theories
Added a hierarchy of fan theory evidence.
Added the origins, major influences, and major arguments of each theory.
Renamed Reincarnation Theory to Passive Frisk Theory, added new variations on the theory.
Renamed Control Theory to Third Entity Theory, added new information.
Added a list of common Chara depictions by fans, plus links to examples.
Expanded on the rise and current fall of Genocide Chara Theory, as well as the rise of Narrator/Passive Chara Theory.
Added a section on what will happen if Toby Fox confirms one of the theories.
I. Introduction
lying
Where this essay came from.
The goal of this essay is to compare theories, not be a theory.
this is not a theory essay, but a comparison of theories.
because there isn't one.
II. The Variables
The hierarchy of fan theory validity.
I. IntroductionA. Where this essay came from.B. The goal of this essay is totheories, nota theory.II. The factors.A. The Hierarchy of fan theory validity.B. All we know about Chara.C. The Main Variables1. Are the player and Chara (or player and Frisk) separate entities?2. Does Frisk have control over themselves at all times?3. Was Chara always with Frisk?4. Is Chara evil by default, or do they become that way?5. If Chara is evil, do they have a shot at redemption?D. The Chara Theory QuestionnaireIII. The TheoriesA. Player Chara TheoryB. Passive Frisk Theories1. Theory A: Frisk is dead.2. Theory B: Frisk is blind.3. Theory C: Frisk doesn't care.4. Theory D: Frisk is Chara.C. Genocide Chara Theories1. Theory A: Chara is wearing out Frisk.2. Theory B: The Player is fighting Chara for control over Frisk.3. Theory C: Frisk is wrestling control from Chara.D. Narrator Chara Theory1. Theory A: They are Frisk's Active Guide2. Theory B: They are Frisk's Passive Guide3. Theory C: They are your narrator only.E. Summons Theories1. Theory A: Frisk Summons Chara2. Theory B: Player Summons CharaF. Third Entity Theories1. Theory A: The Player and Chara vs. Frisk2. Theory B: The Player vs. Chara vs. FriskG. Redemption Theories1. Theory A: Frisk saves Chara2. Theory B: The Player saves Chara.F. The Sliding Scale of Chara Portrayals1. Always Chaotic Evil Chara2. Redeemable Villain Chara3. Tragic Chara4. Anti-Hero Chara5. Heroic CharaIV. Chara's Final Speech, Annotated and Filtered Through Each TheoryA. On Undertale's Flimsy Fourth WallB. First Genocide RunC. Restarting the GameD. Second Genocide RunV. Where did Genocide Chara come from?A. Popular Opinion: Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's true.1. How an idea spreads.2. Comparing delivery methods of the various theories.B. Dodging Responsibility: Chara as a scapegoat for gaming violence.C. The Gimmick: Thevillain of Undertale, and it's not Chara, but something all humans have...VI. Future DirectionsA. The Downfall of Genocide Chara Theory1. Militant fans that give the theory a bad name.2. Lack of solid evidence compared to other theories.3. Mobilization of the Undertale Community.B. The dawn of the new Charas1. Passive Chara fits the tale of Undertale2. Passive Chara has more character depth than Genocide Chara3. Passive Chara can be used in many more ways than Genocide CharaC. In the event Toby Fox announces the truth...D. EpilogueWhen I first played Undertale in the Spring of 2016 (live on a stream, and a blind run, while we're at it), I was told midway through that Frisk, the character you control, and Chara, the character you name, are two separate characters, long before I ever got to the True Lab. I made a little stream card using an Undertale pack for create.swf, a vector sprite program commonly used by Touhou Project fans, and I had no idea there was a difference between Frisk and Chara, and when I made a stream intermission card of me dressed as Chara, somebody pointed this spoilery fact out. On a subsequent stream, I made a new card of me in Frisk's outfit, but little did I know of the journey I was about to embark regarding the nature of these characters.As I played, I pieced together as much as I could, eventually reaching the idea that maybe Chara was to Frisk where Asriel was to Flowey. When I reached the VHS tapes in the True Lab, I thought my ideas were confirmed. Looking at the tapes and compared to the legend the monsters told in New Home, it turned out Chara was the one behind bringing Asriel up to the surface, trying to harvest six human souls to unseal the barrier and likely go to war with humanity, and that they've turned over a new leaf by helping Frisk escape the underground. The final battle was an intense spectacle as I and Frisk battled Asriel together, and where the epilogue and finale were a great statement on video game endings:, the player, don't get the happy ending, but rathergets the happy ending. Not long later, I decided I'd make a thumbnail image for the final battle, using myself as Chara and Frisk as themselves. I thought it was a beautiful ending to a beautiful game...Then I went online and saw the Undertale fandom, and they had a different story.different story.In Undertale fandom at the time, it was generally accepted as fact that Chara is, by default, evil. It was accepted Chara has glowing red eyes and wanted nothing more than to destroy everything. There was a growing minority out there of those calling themselves the Chara Defense Squad, arguing that Chara was either the narrator or, as I thought, the player. Doing a search for Chara on DeviantArt would yield mostly red-eyed evil Charas holding knives or manipulating Frisk. On TVTropes, evil Chara was considered canon, and any notion of a good Chara was a "fan theory," despite the fact there was not enough information supporting a goodevil Chara, meaning even evil Chara was just a fan theory (and if you want to see badly people reacted to this, look at the replies to anyone who said this, saying, "Evil Chara isn't a fan theory! I read the Wikia and TVTropes pages, and Chara breaks the fourth wall to talk to the player! Therefore, it's a FACT!"). Even thedepictions of Chara show them with red eyes, even to this day. I felt like the only one who has ever uploaded anything regarding Player Chara.And I wondered,Of course, by May 20th, when I made the second edition of this guide, things changed: in the month-and-a-half since I first started writing this, I noticed an exponential growth in Narrator Chara theory and comics based on this idea. The Chara Defense Squad has grown from only a handful of artist on Tumblr to thousands. A poll on Reddit revealed that from 900+ people, Narrator Chara Theory has become the dominant theory. Just recently, TVTropes has opened the floodgates to allow Narrator Chara-related edits.As of June of 2016, there's now a fandom-wide debate regarding what can be separated as the Genocide Chara Theories (Chara is 100% evil) and the Passive Chara Theories (Chara is neutral and changes depending on how you influencing them). Fans are at eachother's throats regarding which theory is "right," with the Genocide Chara fans saying, "We were here first, so we must be right!," and the Passive Chara fans saying, "But we have more evidence!" Then the Genocide Chara fans screamed back, "But we have more evidence!" And the debate hasn't stopped.I originally wrote this essay to ask,Are these portrayalsfounded on any solid evidence like the fans claim? And if not, what makes Genocide Chara more appealing than Player Chara or Narrator Chara? And are there other theories in between all of these? In my search for answers, I found that there's actually a wide variety of possibilities.It turns out I wasn't alone: in the time I wrote this essay, a revolution was brewing across social media and gaming sites sharing these same views. Genocide Chara is slowly being overtaken by Narrator Chara, but why?With it, we can analyze what makes each theory strong or weak, and predict which one is more "accurate" than the others. For the truly curious, I have linked each theory to the major essays explaining each one, assuming there are any to begin with, as well as the works that were crafted from each theory.However, before we go any further, I must nail home a point that I already mentioned in the disclaimer:If you want my personal views of Chara, you've come to the wrong place: although I'll give a few ideas here and there, this essay isn't about "my" theories, and anyone who claims this essay is about "my" theory or theories is either a liar, an idiot, or both.I'm not here to say who's right or wrong: the most I can say is that some of the theories don't hold up as well as the others, but I'm not here to judge.Of course, this won't stop me from saying one theory is weaker than the other, otherwise there'd be no point in comparing the theories. However, please remember that just because I say one theory is weaker than the other doesn't mean I'm saying it's "wrong."as any Undertale fan can attest, a weak character in an RPG can still win a battle against a stronger opponent. So, no matter how many times I say, "Theory X is weaker than Theory Y," I will never,say Theory X is "wrong."Rather ironically,Remember(to which I will immediately tell fans of both series to lay off eachother: I'm only using them as an example of how communities scramble to figure out theories, only to have the rug pulled out from under them at the last second) and how everyone was trying to find out the identity of the child murderer and the purpose of the Purple Man? Was he a killer? Was he the one that made the robots go crazy? Was the Phone Guy behind it all? Was the Purple Man the Phone Guy? The problem withtheories was that they were all based on speculation and no in-game evidence. And, just because you see them in-game doesn't count as "in-game" evidence, i.e. seeing the person on-screen and going, "OH MY GOD, IT'S THEM! THAT MUST MEAN SOMETHING!" So when the third and fourth games came out, everyone's theories went up in a puff of smoke (or rather, a puff of the creator explaining things in a way that contradicted everyone's theories).Meanwhile, what's going on in Undertale fandom? I know at least two people who haveme simply because I hold an opposing Chara view, not to mention have had several friendships threatened simply because I hold an opposing view. I don't knock them for holding their views, but they accuse me of militantly defending my viewpoint and put words in my mouth of me accusing Chara of "doing nothing wrong" (which you'll find isn't true once you read this essay), only to go on to militantly defend their own viewpoint as "the right one."It may seem contradictory to some that I like both evilgood Chara, but to me, there's no point in defending either:Use this guide to understand the other theories, not hate others for them.If somebody wants to argue, have a civil debate and never hate the other person for holding an opposing view. I don't want this fandom tearing itself apart over something so trivial. At the end of the day, this is a game, and we're just fans of that game. Unfortunately, some fans are so downright militant that they'll do whatever it takes to threaten others over a fictional character, to which I sayEven if Toby Fox eventually releases the truth, fans will still have their headcanons.Now, let us end this singular view of Chara and move onto the next...Before we actually look at the theories themselves, we must look at whatthe theories. As I said before (and will keep reminding your throughout this essay),If we want a comprehensive, detailed look at these theories, we need to see what they're made out of before we can really say which one holds up better than the others.Sometimes the creator of a work wasn’t clear about something, sometimes they want the audience to fill in the gaps, and sometimes they just don’t care. When this happens, fans try to piece together theories explaining why things are the way they are, why certain characters have which motivations, why and how different things happened that otherwise went unexplained.
Obviously, it has to do with the quantity and quality of the evidence. The quantity part is easy: you just organize the evidence in a way that creates a compelling argument, and the more you have in the right groupings, the stronger the argument. However, which evidence you use will greatly determine whether the argument will be considered genius, the ramblings of a paranoid nutbag, the verbal diarrhea of an idiot, or a flaming bag of dog crap from a troll.
Below is my personal hierarchy of evidence. Naturally, not everyone will agree which piece of evidence fits where, and not every fan theory is made up of a single type of evidence, but you can bet each one will likely fall under one of nine types:
In-Story Content: It actually freakin’ happened in the story! This is something you can screencap, quote, or otherwise show off with no explanation. I believe the best influence requires the least amount of explaining, where the evidence does 90% or more of the talking. For example, you believe Papyrus helped influence Sans to become a sentry. The good news is that if you constantly insult Papyrus, Sans will eventually tell you that Papyrus was the one who encouraged him to join. You can screenshot this and quote this, but this also doesn't stop you from saying, "Well, Sans was only using that as an excuse." It will, however, make it much harder to defend. Another person noted that Napstablook, like Frisk and Chara, has an ambiguous gender, and compiled a series of screenshots showing how everyone called Napstablook "they." Most fans go with the idea that Napstablook is male, even though there are screenshots to say we don't know otherwise. The same applies to Mettaton: despite the fact that everyone refers to him as male (something you can screencap and quote) and a very manly-sounding "Oooh Yeees," before his boss fight, some fans consider Mettaton nonbinary, which is extremely difficult to defend thanks to screencaps. But does this stop some fans from arguing Mettaton might by nonbinary or even female? Of course not!
Honest Word Of God Statement: The creator is honest and sets the record straight. Oh Word Of God Statements, how I love thee. I love it when creators actually offer explanations for their own work. However, these are much harder to come by for many reasons. First of all, why explain something when speculation fuels community discussion? Second, not every creator has the time and/or desire to interact with fans. Third, some don’t even bother, knowing that some critics believe in the idea of “Death of the Author,” where they believe their opinion can supercede the creator’s intent. The most famous example is Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Robert Frost was out shopping, saw a beautiful snowfall, and wrote a poem about it because he thought it looked pretty. However, this didn’t stop an art critic from spending his entire life trying to “prove” it was about somebody contemplating suicide. Frost relented for years, until finally giving up and saying, “You know what? Fine. It’s about suicide. Now will you shut up?!” In Undertale, fans were constantly wondering whether you could do anything with Sans' machine. Although Toby did not reveal its purpose, he eventually said the machine could not be fixed. Of course, this won't stop fans from figuring out what the machine was in the first place or why it even broke to begin with.
Concrete In-Story Evidence: Compiling a series of arguments from concrete in-story evidence or supplementary materials. This is where you piece together a plot hole from various hints and ideas dropped throughout the story. The maxim here is, “If it didn’t happen, we can’t use it. Everything to patch up this hole must come from the story itself: NO OUTSIDE ARGUMENTS.” Here, if you’re using a Wiki full of actual source materials (Touhou Wiki comes to mind, with full translations of its game universe guides), you can compile your arguments using that. Otherwise, beware (I’ll discuss this more below under #8). One of the strongest things the Narrator Chara theories have is that the theorists behind them find a consistent tone in the narration between the Pacifist and Genocide Routes, playfully (or creepily) interacting with the player on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, this is also where people can begin to say, "You're looking too deeply into this," or, "You're over-complicating things." (Then again, as you'll notice in the comments below, people said my analysis of the different theories is "looking too deeply into this" and such. Maybe they're just looking too deeply into this essay, or maybe they just skimmed it and thought it was like the examples in #4, despite my constant insistence that this isn't "my" "theory," but a comparison of other people's theories...)
Vague In-Story Evidence: Compiling a series of arguments from vague in-story references or supplementary materials. Unlike 3, this is where you piece together minor things in a story to build up a bigger picture of what’s going on. This is one of the biggest complaints the Passive Chara fans have against the Evil Chara fans: that the evil Chara fans use the "poisoning Asgore with buttercups" incident (and related incidents) as proof that Chara was "always" evil, even though the game never says one way or another (fun fact: as a kid, I too thought buttercups and butter were related, and this scared the hell out of me when I played Undertale). The only scenes in which Chara is actually present, they scold the player directly, and yet this is considered proof that Chara, Frisk, and the player are all separate entities and that Chara was "always" evil. (Now again, I must remind you all that this essay is about comparing the theories, and I'm not here to say what's "right," because each theory has holes in it. All I'm saying is that this is a weakness in the Evil Chara theories. So, don't shoot the messenger: just because I report it doesn't mean I'm the one who came up with it. You don't blame news reporters for the disasters they cover, do you? If not, then don't blame me for covering what other people think.)
Trolling/Vague Word Of God Statement: The creator gives an answer, but they’re a troll or the statement is vague. When the creator has a tendency to screw with the fanbase, think twice, because any theory can go out the window in a heartbeat. Of course, there are moments they can be honest, but in this case, you’re best gathering solid in-story evidence or waiting for an honest and concrete reply. Toby Fox himself did a Narrator Chara gag post in response to someone asking what would happen if Chara encountered Mettaton MEOW, while Temmie, co-creator of many of the characters, hinted at Player Chara in another series of posts. These are the creators, but these are also gag posts, so how seriously you should take them is rather vague.
Manipulation: Using rhetoric, charisma, or influence alone to push your argument. If you’ve read my Advice-A-Day series when I was doing that, you know how much I hate when people try to influence people with no solid grounding or evidence, using manipulation alone as their sole tactic. It’s basically lying: it’s dirty, low-down, and worst of all, it works on the simple-minded. Luckily, the above items on this hierarchy can shoot down a charismatic charlatan theory any day because solid grounding and ethical influence is the best influence. Again, this is where the Evil Chara theories are weak (and again, don't shoot the messenger): most theories that delve into the idea that Chara are evil mostly cite psychological theories about completionist gaming, complacency, the Milgram Experiment, and all sorts of psychological stuff without actually noting anything from the game itself. Of course, there are plenty of Passive Chara theory posts that do the same, but since the idea of a Passive Chara is relatively new, we don't see as much of it: especially since most Passive Chara theories rely entirely on what happens in-game with very little outside information. Blaming the most mysterious character in the story. This is nearly the bottom of the barrel, and what most people tend to do with fan theories. Here, rather than formulate an argument, rather than even make any attempt to try to influence other people, you merely say, “The person we know least about is responsible!” Naturally, this is where Dr. W.D. Gaster gets brought in: the fan community logic appears to be, "If something doesn't make sense, blame Gaster." There are a number of theories to which I have utterly ignored that start with, "Chara is good/evil/whatever because Gaster-" STOP. Unlike Chara, Gaster does not appear in-game, Gaster does not affect how you play or experience the game, Gaster is merely a really neat Easter egg and speculation fuel. Unlike Gaster, Chara appears in-game, there's plenty of lore surrounding them, and how you view Chara definitely affects how you experience the game. We'll dive more in-depth into this in a moment, but for now, know this: Gaster is an incredibly flimsy excuse for any theory. In fact, I'll even go as far as to say studying Gaster is a total waste of time: nobody can pinpoint a solid grounding for Gaster, and Gaster's story can change at any time, so only study Gaster at your own risk. Using a fan wiki, mainly composed of more fan theories. In school, most teachers have banned Wikipedia. Why? Because Wikipedia is freely editable, and not everyone who edits Wikipedia is qualified. Luckily nowadays, most people who edit Wikipedia are enthusiasts who always cite their sources. With fan materials, not so much: places like fan wikis, Wikia, and even TVTropes are freely editable by everyone, but from what I’ve seen from the various fandoms, the first theory that ends up on TVTropes often sticks on TVTropes. Hell, I remember when the page for my own Diamond In The Rough was full of outdated scenes and ideas for months after it got finished, despite how many people edited/added new tropes around the outdated scenes and ideas. When I talk to Undertale fans, their general response regarding various fan theories is, “Well, I heard it on TVTropes, so it must be true,” even though TVTropes themselves have just allowed an expanded view of Chara for future edits. Now, I’m not knocking TVTropes by any stretch: I freaking LOVE TVTropes. They’re an inspiration to writers and a great archive of every storytelling conventional imaginable. However, even TVTropes is aware of “Edit Wars” where users battle to edit articles with their own opinion on what’s “right.” My point is that if you’re going to use a fan wiki, remember that you’re basically getting articles written by more fans. Luckily, the appeal of a wiki is the community can collectively edit it and refine the article to become better and better, but you’re better off just formulating your own argument: you know, just like the fan wiki writers do! The same applies to this essay: don't change your view of Chara simply because I say which theory has more or better evidence, because I'm just another fan. The whole point here is to think more critically about how you view each theory, and if your critical thinking leads you to a viewpoint that's the total opposite of mine, good! At least you're thinking for yourself instead of letting somebody tell you how to think!
ARGUMENT BY ASSERTION: Believing you are right because you are right. Welcome to the bottom of the barrel. Here, the argument is simply, “It’s true because I believe it. If you don’t believe the truth, i.e. my opinion, you’re bullying me and an enemy of the fan community.” At this point, anyone who believes in this is beyond help, stewing about in their own anger and frustration with whatever community they’re plaguing at the moment. You can quickly spot these folks out of a crowd because they’re quickly banned from most fan forums or exiled from most groups on community websites. That, only they're simply the jerk nobody wants to be around for their 24-7 fuming temper. Nobody wants to talk to them because they’re nigh impossible to reason with for their loose grasp on reality, and their self-serving memory ensures anyone who disagrees with them is always the “bad guy.” In this case, let’s say somebody believes that Asgore was always evil: that it was his intention since day one to slaughter humanity, using Chara as a scapegoat by guilt-tripping them into doing what they did, and even by the end of the game, he's still trying to poison Frisk. It's generally accepted among everyone that Asgore is, as everyone says, a big fluffy pushover, and in his boss fight, he really doesn't want to fight you. I'm sure if asked, Toby Fox would think anyone who thought Asgore was evil was truly crazy. Everything above #9 contradicts this theory: there are tons of in-game screenshots, tons of concrete hints, tons of vague hints, it's all over the wikis, there's very little this terrible theory can work with. But do you think any of this will stop this person from still believing Asgore was always evil? HELL NO! Why let a little thing like reality get in the way of a perfectly good theory? While most fans will simply give up and say, "I guess it was a dumb theory," this moron will argue to the ends of the Earth that Asgore had it out for humanity ever since Asgore "started the war against humanity" and that, "it only got worse after they were sealed underground, but that was likely part of Asgore's plans to rally the monsters against the humans." Any attempt to disagree will arouse infinite anger from them and they will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth to somehow get you back and prove you wrong. Needless to say, these people give fans a bad name, and they’re generally hated by their peers.
In-story content: As I'll get to "All We Know About Chara," there is quite a large amount of tangible stuff regarding Chara we can work with. This content is the only thing we should be able to make our theories out of: the more meta the theories get, and the more the theories rely on manipulative rhetoric and less on actual in-game content, the less reliable it is. Ideally, a good theory will rely entirely on what happens in-game only with no additional commentary. Honest Creator Statement: As of writing, Toby Fox has not given an official word on Chara. When that day comes, however, this essay will serve as a reminder of and warning about fan theories and how seriously some people take them. Once again, I must remind you all I'm not here to "defend" any particular view as much as explain them, look at their strengths and weaknesses, and compare them. I won't be heartbroken if my personal view is wrong, but I guarantee you a lot of people are going to denounce Undertale once each of these theories but one crumble under the weight of Toby Fox's words. The only thing that can save these theories is if Toby Fox says, "Chara was meant to be open to interpretation." In that case, use this guide to sort which one you most agree with. (I will cover what will happen if Toby Fox announces the truth in-depth at the end in VI. Future Directions.) Argument from concrete in-story evidence: This is where you use in-game content and lore to piece together a larger picture. Remember: evidence is not "proof". Proof for Narrator Chara Theory (which we'll explore when we get to the questionnaire) would be if the game suddenly stopped and Chara reminded Frisk they were the narrator. Instead, evidence suggests something might by true by connecting the dots. Most famously, thefloweryfanclub's/Determinators' A CHARActer Analysis takes a comprehensive look at the game's narration and argues that there is a consistent tone on both the Pacifist and Genocide routes. There's no "proof," but the dots thefloweryfanclub/Determinators connects are extremely compelling: even those who are diehard Genocide Chara fans say, "Well, nothing can sway my opinion that Chara is 100% evil, but when you look at it that way, I can see how you can believe that."
Argument from vague in-story evidence: This is where most of the interpretation about Chara's past comes in: was Chara always evil, did they become evil, or were they just misguided? Was Asriel telling the whole truth about Chara? When Chara laughed off poisoning Asgore, was it a nervous laugh or an evil laugh?
Trolling or Vague Creator Statement: Again, refer to the Tweets Toby and Temmie had in regards to Chara.
Manipulation alone: This, unfortunately, is the biggest weak point of most Evil Chara theories. I'll get more into videos like these when we study the theories in-depth, but for now, watch this video by The Imaginary Axis titled "Chara's True Form Revealed (The REAL Villain of Undertale)." Notice the difference between his argument and A CHARActer Analysis. Notice how much in-game evidence and screenshots he uses in proportion to psychological concepts and fancy words. You may think, "Well, other Genocide Chara Theory videos must use actual in-game evidence. You must be spinning it because you have a bias to the other theories!" Again, don't shoot the messenger. Look up the rest of the videos and you know I'm not lying. (I've linked several more under the in-depth theory analyses. We'll return to them later, plus several more essays.)
Blaming the mysterious: Naturally, you'll run into folks who believe Chara and Gaster are linked. DON'T BOTHER. (Protip: If the words "W.D. Gaster" appear in any Undertale fan theory, especially to explain something that's not related to Gaster, stay away from it!)
Using a fan wiki or sources: Chances are, you only believe what you believe because you heard it on TVTropes, the Undertale Wikia, or from your fellow Undertale fans on Reddit, Tumblr, or wherever you frequent. Don't be a sheep: figure out your own theory, even if it doesn't fit in this essay, even if it goes against what I or anyone else believes.
Argument by Assertion: As I said earlier, some fans will defend their view of Chara no matter what. They will end relationships, block people, argue to the ends of the Earth that they are "right," even though nobody has a definite answer, and that Toby Fox can rip away anyone's theory the moment he says so. Again, there is no right Chara theory (yet, anyway, if ever). Defending your theory is a sure-fire way to ruin your relationships and end up disappointed.
All we know about Chara.
Toby Fox officially said it's best you name Chara after yourself for the best experience.
When they were alive, they brought great joy to the Underground.
According to Asgore, they had a look of hope in their eyes.
According to Asriel, they came to Mt. Ebott because they were unhappy and hated humanity.
They have a wide smile and rosy cheeks. They also wear a similar striped sweater to Frisk's.
Asriel believed Chara wasn't the best person, and the tapes back up they were domineering at times.
They were involved in an incident where they cooked a pie for Asgore, but accidentally used buttercups instead of cups of butter. They laughed the situation off.
They wanted to pass through the barrier so badly that they gave their life for it, poisoning themselves with buttercups.
They were the one who planned to use Asriel to go to the surface and collect six human souls, but at the last second, Asriel bailed out, took control from Chara, and died to stop Chara.
Adding to the above, when Chara is connected with someone else's soul, they don't have perfect control: the two must share a body and have equal control.
Chara was buried right where the player starts. In the Pacifist Epilogue, Asriel returns to this spot.
Chara is responsible for Asriel being turned into a flower and their parents separating.
When Frisk kills something, Chara gets the EXP and LV.
When Frisk equips anything, Chara grows stronger. However, Chara's stats protect Frisk.
Chara's name appears on the Save file, not Frisk's.
In the Genocide route, Chara believes their own purpose for being revived is power, and decides to destroy everything.
In the Genocide route, Chara has bleeding eyes and blood flowing out of their mouth should the player refuse to erase the world.
In the Tainted Pacifist "I Choose to Stay" end, Chara has red eyes for only one scene.
. In the Tainted Pacifist "I Have Places To Go" end, Chara crosses out everyone in the final group photo.
In the Pacifist Route, Asriel thinks Frisk is Chara until Frisk spells it out for him.
In the Genocide Route, Flowey/Asriel addresses you as Chara, claims you have stolen Frisk's soul, and still thinks Chara's plan is to unseal the barrier, mainly to reek havoc on humanity.
When you restart the game after the Pacifist Run, Flowey addresses you as Chara. He also reveals that Chara is the one in charge of resetting the timeline.
In the Pacifist Epilogue, dropping Chara's Heart Locket on Chara's grave will cause Frisk to lightly set it down and pat it, as opposed to violently throw it away like everywhere else. Normally, the message is randomized, but every player I've encountered has gotten the same message on every playthrough in that same spot. Either that's insane luck, or there's a trigger there for that to happen.
In the Genocide Route, the Worn Dagger is renamed Real Knife and the Heart Locket is renamed The Locket, both with Chara's narration describing the items. The Worn Dagger is used for cutting plants and actually serves a purpose to aid Frisk in their battle against Asgore, but in the Genocide Route, the knife is useless other than to show Chara's complete overtaking of Frisk.
After completing the Genocide Route, Chara blames you (either as Frisk or yourself) for destroying the world, and only grants you a second chance if you sell your soul to them.
When playing Genocide twice, Chara refers to themselves as a demon, and says your soul (Frisk's or the player's) carries a perverse sentimentality for wanting to rebuild and destroy the world over and over again.
Chara apparently likes chocolate: Toriel keeps a bar in her fridge, but when Chara looks in Asgore's empty fridge in the Genocide Run, they say, "No chocolate..."
Just like how Asriel and Asgore both say, "Howdy," Toriel and Chara both say, "Greetings."
Chara can knit, and made a "Mr. Dad Guy" sweater for Asgore.
Chara's alternative narration becomes more dominant in the Genocide route, which becomes increasingly pessimistic and stilted. Otherwise, the narration sounds increasingly heartwarming and sympathetic towards Frisk, even calling Frisk by their name when they look in the mirror.
Nearing the end of the Genocide Route, Flowey says Chara is just like him, who replayed the game over and over again just to see how the characters would react each time, before deciding to embark upon a Genocide Route himself.
Sans appears to know about Chara. In one of the main menu screens for the Pacifist Route, after befriending Undyne, Sans stands atop Chara's name and winks at the screen. In the Judgement Hall, Sans seems to know exactly how much LV and EXP Chara has, as Frisk does not appear to have these stats. During the Genocide Run, he reveals he knows about an "anomaly" messing with the timeline, and he did his best to find a way to appease it with jokes, food, and friends before realizing it won't work, and that it's all going to end with the timeline being destroyed merely out of curiosity.
Those are the types, butOkay. We've talked enough about theories about theories. Let's actually get into the study of Chara.As I said before, in-game evidence trumps all, and the more concrete the evidence, the easier you can see the road ahead.When I |
, San Sebastián, any number of lovely places around the world: it's simply, yet again, lazy stereotyping."
The putative "spat" with Germany is, according to all my evidence, just the latest non-row, the latest lashed-together tissue of confection which will always accompany rows between tabloids of competing nations, based on spurious non-research. 'Twill, I suspect, be ever thus. The silly-season tabloid wars should bother no right-thinking person. But there is a serious note, picked up by Susan Grant, a fortysomething primary teacher visiting from Broughty Ferry, Dundee and intrigued by my tale, prismed through those French fears of web exposure, of the etiquette of social media: "I may not be an expert on beach manners." Being from a part of the Tay estuary not notorious for its year-round baking heat, Susan isn't unduly troubled by skin cancer or the subtleties of thong etiquette.
"But I growing increasingly conscious of a huge generational difference to the etiquettes of personal privacy. Young people can be deeply careless with the privacies of their colleagues from more decorous times: I and many similarly aged colleagues have featured on Twitter and Facebook – for, say, maligning a director of education or some such – when such conversations as we had either didn't exist or were bound by between-ourselves rules. A phrase that doesn't seem today to exist, and I can fully believe that young Brits are the very worst."Danny Ainge has talked quite a bit in the media over the past week about the availability of his star players if the right offer lands in his lap, but Paul Pierce -- one said star players -- isn't letting the talk affect him. Despite the current Boston Celtics slump, Pierce says he's simply not paying attention to all of the off the court rumblings.
The veteran swingman went on record with CSN's A. Sherrod Blakely to talk about how he's (not) being affected by the trade rumors swirling around his team.
"I don't really read the papers. I don't really monitor everything that's been said. I'm just more concerned about this group, what goes on in this locker room and with my teammates," Pierce said. "I'm just concerned with the boys in this room."
As Blakely notes, however, the Celtics aren't exactly doing their jobs as it pertains to being professional basketball players. Boston has posted a 5-9 record thus far this season, good for third in their division, as Pierce is averaging less than 15 points per game and shooting less than 40 percent from the field -- both career-lows.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Celtics as far as personnel moves are concerned over the coming weeks. It seems safe to say Pierce won't start caring about them until something definitive happens, however.
"You can't pay attention to that," he said after the Celts' 79-71 loss to the Phoenix Suns Friday night. "That's part of the business. You just gotta do your job as a professional each and every day. That's about it."
For on Pierce and the Celtics, be sure to check out the always-awesome CelticsBlog.The Pilot for the American Remake of 'The IT Crowd' is Online
The pilot for NBC’s never-aired US version of “The IT Crowd” has been leaked (at least for now) onto YouTube, notes Splitsider. Update: And now it’s down, though there’s still a version on DailyMotion — see below.
The original UK series ran on Channel 4 and was the creation of Graham Linehan, who’s also responsible for “Father Ted” and “Black Books.”
The British series was a winningly geeky sitcom about the IT department at Reynholm Industries, an upscale company with an incomprehensible business model, and included gags about the Armin Meiwes German cannibalism incident and a website created to help the hopelessly sports ignorant fake knowledgable conversations about last night’s game. It was very funny, and among others starred Richard Ayoade and Chris O’Dowd, whose stars have since been on a rise in the world of film (Ayoade, in addition to acting, directed last year’s “Submarine”).
The US version, which you can watch below, has Ayoade back in the part of Moss and the not nearly nerdy enough Joel McHale taking on the role of Roy, originated by O’Dowd. This pilot was filmed back in 2007 and was actually greenlit by NBC until being killed off by new chairman Ben Silverman. The episode below doesn’t work nearly as well as the UK version, but is an interesting look at what might have been — McHale, of course, ended up in “Community” not long after, while Ayoade will next be seen in the Ben Stiller comedy “The Watch.”
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.Washington (CNN) Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments about "no go zones" in European cities, insisting that some Muslim immigrants are trying to "colonize" European cities and "overtake the culture."
And the United States could be next, warned Jindal, a Republican who is considering a 2016 presidential run.
"They may be second, third, fourth generation, they don't consider themselves part of that country. They're actually going in there to colonize, to overtake the culture," Jindal said. "If people don't want to come here to integrate and assimilate, what they're really trying to do is... overturn our culture."
Jindal ratcheted up his controversial take on Muslim immigration during an appearance Wednesday on Fox News, the same network that originally reported the existence of "no go zones" in the U.K. and France before pulling its reporting and issuing four separate apologies on air.
The network had originally reported that the British city of Birmingham was a Muslim-only city and that neighborhoods in European cities like Paris were no-go zones controlled by radical Islamists.
Fox News host Neil Cavuto told Jindal, "We reported the same and we were wrong. We botched it and we apologized for it."
But Jindal stood by his comments, incorrectly claiming that Fox only apologized for reporting that entire cities were "no go zones."
JUST WATCHED Paris Mayor plans to sue Fox News Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Paris Mayor plans to sue Fox News 04:26
"There are absolutely neighborhoods where the police are less likely to go in," Jindal said, claiming that there are neighborhoods in the UK where Muslim immigrants are imposing Sharia law.
Asked whether he was still calling those areas "no go zones," Jindal said, "You can call it whatever term you want, but there are neighborhoods, we have communities of people who don't want to integrate, don't want to assimilate."
The potential 2016 contender has racked up significant media coverage since he first said he first talked about "no go zones" in European cities on Monday. He has also continually emphasized that his comments are indeed controversial.
Jindal also criticized President Barack Obama, accusing him of not labeling the attackers in Paris as terrorists, though Obama had swiftly condemned the attacks as a terrorist act.
Obama has however taken heat from Jindal and other Republicans for staying away from labeling the terrorist threat as radical Islam.
"We're at war with radical Islam whether he wants to call it or not," Jindal said on Wednesday.
Drawing on his Indian heritage, Jindal insisted that the race or religion of immigrants is not what's important, but that immigrants to the U.S. must learn English and integrate and assimilate to American culture.
"It used to be OK to call America the melting pot, now the politically correct one wants to say, look we can't impose our culture on others, we can't impose our values on others, that's nonsense," Jindal said.What’s up with the Series A?
On the one hand, $10-25M rounds; on the other, a “Crunch”
Nikhil Basu Trivedi Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 30, 2014
A couple months ago, I was chatting with a first-time entrepreneur who had recently raised a couple million dollar seed round after graduating from a well-known startup accelerator. He told me of his fundraising plan:
I’m guessing I’ll raise a $15-20M Series A in about a year… by that point, we’ll have shown product/market fit so we’ll be ready to step on the gas.
5 years ago, that wouldn’t have been “the plan.”
Series A rounds used to be different. The prevailing view back then was that the Series A, defined for our purposes as the first round of institutional venture funding for a technology startup, was typically a $2-6M round after which investors would own 10-30% of the company.
When Twitter raised a $5M Series A in July 2007, it had 300K users after usage had spiked to 60K tweets per day during SXSW in March 2007.
When Stack Overflow (now Stack Exchange) raised a $6M Series A in October 2010, it had grown to 7.1M monthly unique visitors in less than two years.
There are countless examples of the “standard” $2-6M Series A from 2007-2011 even for companies with significant usage or sales traction.
The $10-25M Series A
Yet something seems to have changed over the past year and a half.
Snapchat raised a $13.5M Series A in February of last year. RapGenius raised a $15M Series A in July 2013. Clinkle raised a $25M Series A pre-launch. Already in 2014, Teespring has raised a $20M Series A, StyleSeat raised a $10.2M Series A, Oyster raised a $14M Series A, Medium raised a $25M Series A, and Coin is rumored to be raising a $15M Series A.
Is this the new normal? Are entrepreneurs expecting to be able to raise larger Series As, and are investors willing to invest $10M+ at the Series A stage?
By analyzing Crunchbase data, I found that there were 102 Series A rounds between $10-25M in size in 2013, up from 35 rounds of such size in 2009.
Note that this data is limited only to US-based companies, excluding companies tagged as “biotech,” and is by no means complete. For example, it excludes “Series A” rounds that may be tagged as “Venture Round” or another classification other than “Series A” in Crunchbase.
The data indicates that there’s been a clear increase in the number of large Series A rounds being raised by companies, particularly over the past year, which confirms the anecdotal evidence that we’re seeing in the venture capital industry.
So what about the Series A Crunch?
There was much talk last year about the Series A Crunch. The number of seed- and angel-funded companies has exploded over the past few years, and the thesis behind the Crunch is that many of those companies are not able to raise a Series A given the lack of increase in investors and dollars going towards Series A rounds relative to seed rounds.
How can it be that some companies are facing the Series A Crunch while at the same time there are more $10-25M Series A rounds being funded by investors than ever before?
A further analysis of Crunchbase data shows that the average Series A round has actually declined in size over the same time period as the number of $10-25M Series A rounds has increased in number. The average Series A round size peaked in 2011 at $6.41M and declined to $5.82M in 2013. The median Series A round has remained at $3M for the majority of 2009-2013.
Note that this data is limited only to US-based companies, and is by no means complete. For example, it excludes “Series A” rounds that may be tagged as “Venture Round” or another classification other than “Series A” in Crunchbase.
Clearly, the $10-25M Series A, while a reality for more companies than before, is not the reality for all.
The reality is that the Series A Crunch has led to a Series A Bifurcation.
Series A Bifurcation: companies with momentum can raise $10-25M rounds, but companies without it raise much less. The median Series A round size in 2013 was $3M.
Companies with factors such as traction as exhibited by usage growth or revenue growth, or an all-star team, or an insanely compelling story are raising larger Series A rounds than in the past. But companies without such momentum are finding it harder to raise a Series A, often having to raise smaller Series A/“Seed+” rounds, or bridge rounds, or facing the reality of having to shut down.
What does this mean for entrepreneurs?
While there are many high profile companies raising $10-25M or larger Series A rounds, this is not the new normal for all entrepreneurs.
If your company does not have significant momentum behind it, you may face the dreaded Series A Crunch. And even if you do have traction and are able to raise a large Series A, be careful. “Maximizing runway can minimize success.”The Making of "Shadow Of The Colossus"
Speaking of pseudo-HDR rendering, the glow effect where light overflows onto the surrounding areas during the post- processing (the bloom effect) is traditionally a general-purpose eff ect. Our implementation introduces exposure and simulation of the pupil with the proper brightness, which is not usually done. Furthermore, with SOTC, this is done according to the scene where the player is.
[ Pseudo-HDR rendering ]
At first, it tends to bright white (left picture), but the real-time effect settle s gradually to it's proper brightness (right picture). The eye keeps adjusting...... * Behind the scenes of pseudo-HDR rendering in Shadow Of The Colossus "To tell the truth, it uses the same basic principles as our previous title 'ICO'. When looking at it in a certain way, it would be fair to say it is a development of that."
- Takuya Seki, SCE lead production department
With Shadow Of The Colossus, the scene defines boxes (trigger boxes) everywhere on the map, (for this article I've decided to call them scene boxes for convenience), which when the player is inside, it dictates the settings for the effect from that area. In other words, if you think back to the sanctuary example, "because the inside of the sanctuary is always dark, when you looked at the bright outside from there, it appears saturated", this is because the scene definition instructs it to "do just that". "You do the rendering itself normally. Afterwards, depending on the scene effect that has been defined, it just applies the effect where light starts overflowing in the outside scene."
- Seki
The rough algorithm is outlined below: 1.
Rendering the distant view, and save it.
2.
Foreground rendering.
3.
Composite the distant view and foreground together.
It uses the contents of the Z-buffer like a mask pattern (see image 2). 4.
Again using the Z-buffer, generate a separate image of the mask pattern.
5.
Reduce this to 64x64 pixels, using a bilinear filter. (This makes it ultra-low resolution.)
This gets reused in step (8). 6.
Blend in the previous frame (from step 7) using a percentage specified in the scene box.
7.
Store the image for use in step (6).
It is used for drawing the next frame. 8.
Expand step (5) to a suitable resolution, using the bilinear filter.
Thus, it becomes the material for the bloom effect where the distant view starts bleeding out from the shape of the foreground. 9.
Blend (7) and (8) using a ratio specified in the scene box. [1. Distant view rendering] [2. Foreground rendering] [3. Blend of distant view and foreground]New Card Reveals - Ancient Shieldbearer, C'Thuns Servant, Lore of the Cards - C'Thun
Dehaka Confirmed & Skills
Balance Druid Spell Animations, WoW Chronicle Volume 1, Blue Posts, Tweets, Movie
Shadow Mantle x Marauder Interaction on PTR
John Yang replied to a tweet from Desolacer explaining that the Shadow's Mantle 2 piece bonus set is not intended to work with Marauder and its pets. Keep that in mind when watching the Philosophios video below, testing on the PTR and planning your S6 DH builds.
Originally Posted by Blizzard Hey John, is the Shadow2p/Marauder4p combo a bug or intended on the 2.4.1 PTR? Shadow's Mantle 2pc is not intended tot work with pets. (Twitter)
Patch 2.4.1 DH Summary by Philosophios
Demon Hunter master Philosophios has put together a video going over all the changes for DHs currently on the Patch 2.4.1 PTR. While we don't know if all those changes will go live as they are currently, specially after some bug fixes, it is still a really good recap for those interested!It’s been a busy week in baseball. From crazy brawls (#1, #2) to one of the worst called strikes you’ll ever see, this week has seemingly had it it all. Of course, amidst the chaos, there were plenty of players seeing their stock improve to the point where they can aid fantasy teams.
To help out with your potential waiver options, we’ve rounded together 6 featured experts. The experts were given a list of targets (below 50% Yahoo ownership) and were tasked with ranking the players based on rest of season value. Their picks were then combined to produce consensus waiver wire rankings. So if you’re looking for some advice, check out the results below…
Featured Pros
KJ – (Fantasy Team Advice)
Neil Parker – (The Fake Baseball)
Michael Pichan – (RotoInfo)
Bryan Curley – (Baseball Professor)
Igor Derysh – (Sports Jerks)
Jordan Tozzi – (Legion Report)
Batter Rankings (Waiver Wire)*
*List consists of relevant players with less than 50% ownership in Yahoo! leagues
Batter Advice
Each expert was asked to share advice about a positional player they like along with any other waiver wire suggestions they have. Here’s what the pundits had to say…
KJ – Fantasy Team Advice
When ranking the hitters I like to look at the guys who have a job for the rest of the season. After all, what good will they be if you don’t have their bat available come fantasy playoff time. That is why guys like Starling Marte, Brandon Moss, and Lucas Duda top my list. All 3 should see consistent playing time the rest of the year, while guys like Evan Gattis, Daniel Nava, and Gerardo Parra will see their playing time decrease over the course of the season.
Michael Pichan – RotoInfo
As much as I love Matt Adams (my #9 due to being a non-regular) and Brandon Moss, I just believe adding a middle infielder, in Jean Segura, who has the potential to bat around.300 with 15 home runs with double-digit steal potential, at a position of scarce talent, is something owners will need to fill, more so than adding a 1B/CI player.
Igor Derysh – Sports Jerks
Matt Adams can flat out hit. Although he is currently coming off the Cardinals’ bench, his pure ability will make it impossible for Mike Matheny to keep him there. Adams dominated the minors at every level: 22 HR, 88 RBI,.896 OPS in 121 games at Single-A, 32 HR, 101 RBI,.923 OPS in 115 games at Double-A, and 18 HR, 50 RBI, and.986 OPS in just 67 games at Triple-A. He’s ready to dominate the next level.
Neil Parker – The Fake Baseball
When looking to make a waiver move it is easy to grab the guy with the best stats, but keep in mind their potential playing time going forward. Starling Marte, Jean Segura and Cameron Maybin, for example, have everyday jobs, whereas Evan Gattis, Vernon Wells and Gerardo Parra may find their at bats challenged when injured players return. At this stage of the season I’m targeting potential yearlong contributors, not warm bodies for the next 3 weeks. I also don’t tend to use bench spaces up or add players to sit behind my studs. For example, if you own Prince Fielder, how much value does Brandon Moss have for you? Whereas a Danny Espinosa and Jean Segura platoon could give you excellent fantasy shortstop production all year long if you ride their individual hot streaks and play the matchups.
Bryan Curley – Baseball Professor
Despite the fact that Evan Gattis is sure to lose his job once Brian McCann is healthy enough to suit up for the Braves, he’s one of my must-target waiver players right now. Manager Fredi Gonzalez has been batting Gattis fourth in Atlanta’s lineup with Freddie Freeman out, and that’s a major vote of confidence for such an inexperienced player. Gattis has proven he has the power stroke, but he actually demonstrated good plate discipline in double-A last year (the highest of the three levels he played at in 2012) with a 9.7% walk rate and a 14.0% strikeout rate. It’s early but his 8.0% walk and 20.0% strikeout rates with the Braves this year are great signs he’s not overmatched by major league pitching.
Jordan Tozzi – Legion Report
Players unlisted (Yahoo ownership above 50%) that should be targets:
Jed Lowrie (79% Yahoo owned) sports an intriguing line of.412 Avg. with 3 HR’s, 10 Runs and a 1.294 OPS. Continue to ride the hot hand in Oakland. Also, Manny Machado (64% Yahoo owned) should be all-systems-go after belting a pivotal HR Wednesday night vs. Boston. He followed that performance up with a 3 for 4 night on Thursday. His stat line isn’t pretty for the year at the moment, but we sense a hot streak.
SP Rankings (Waiver Wire)*
*List consists of relevant players with less than 50% ownership in Yahoo! leagues
Pitcher Advice
KJ – Fantasy Team Advice
Shelby Miller is the consensus #1 here for good reason, and I am buying into the Barry Zito hype as my #2 pickup. He hasn’t lost in 16 consecutive appearances, and over that stretch he is striking out 6.3 batters per inning. Zito has plenty of value as the Giants give him a chance to win every time he takes the mound, and as long as this streak stays alive he should be owned in all formats.
Michael Pichan – RotoInfo
Most of these pitchers are merely streaming options, besides Shelby Miller and Barry Zito. I recommend Miller as your top target based on his higher potential for strikeouts than Zito, but if your team is already stocked with some high strikeout pitchers whose ERA/WHIP will blow hot and cold, then adding Zito would make more sense as he can help balance your ERA/WHIP fluctuations.
Neil Parker – The Fake Baseball
I’m a streamer and encourage the approach of frequently adding and dropping pitchers based on favorable matchups and keeping roster spots available to employ the strategy. However, when I am looking at potential pitcher additions for more than just a streaming start there are a number of things I’m targeting. Firstly, there is the obvious advantage to pitching in the NL where there isn’t a DH. I also want a guy on a strong team that provides ample run support and also boasts a solid bullpen. Barry Zito won 15 games last year with average numbers; Cliff Lee won 6 games with exceptional numbers. The readily available options aren’t going to be able to win on their own often, or provide solid numbers consistently, or else they’d be owned, so keeping their supporting cast in mind is important.
Igor Derysh – Sports Jerks
Tommy Hanson’s 4.48 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 2012 turned many fantasy owners off but his overall body of work can’t be denied. In four years with the Braves, Hanson posted a solid 3.61 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 635 IP. Until last season he had never allowed more than 17 homers in a season. He owns a 8.4 K/9 and 2.70 K/BB career ratio, and plays on a team that should win plenty of games.
Bryan Curley – Baseball Professor
Ervin Santana is one player who’s getting no love after a disastrous 2012 season. His velocity was way down last year, his fastball flattened out, and home runs became a problem. This year he seems to have more movement on his pitches, though the velocity is down another tick according to some pitch tracker sources, and in the early going he has maintained his usual high strikeout rates. A little home run luck, or at least regression towards the mean HR/FB rate, would make Santana a league average pitcher (or maybe slightly better) in ERA and WHIP with a shot at a 200-strikeout season.
Jordan Tozzi – Legion Report
A player unlisted (Yahoo ownership above 50%) that should be a target if available is Alex Cobb (74% Yahoo owned and deservingly so). Cobb has a small sample size of 7.1 IP, hurling a shutout with 6 Ks. We expect a Lance Lynn 2012 type season from Cobb this year. Legion Report loved him as a sleeper this year and continues the Jim Cramer “Buy Buy Buy” notion going forward.
Additional quality pitching candidates are Shelby Miller and Jose Fernandez. Taking on rookie pitchers always adds a certain type of risk to your portfolio, however the ability for Miller and Hernandez to rack up Ks makes them worth the gamble.
—
Thanks to this week’s Featured Pros for sharing their advice. Be sure to visit each expert’s site for additional fantasy insight. Also, if you’re looking for a fun way to play fantasy baseball AND win cash, check out FanDuel’s Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship. You can still qualify for FanDuel’s mega-contest that will pay out over $1 million this summer.
Enjoy the games this weekend!A PREDATOR accused of slaughtering a girl he met on Tinder because she refused sex and then bathing her dead body in acid has been caught after a major manhunt.
Accused Emmanuel Delani Valdez Bocanegra, 26, was quizzed when friends and family of his victim reported her missing after she hooked up with him via the dating app.
2 Emmanuel Delani Valdez Bocanegra has been accused of a horrific murder after his date rejected him
2 Francia Ruth Ibarra was only 26
Gruesome remains of human bones were found in bin bags on his apartment balcony beside canisters of caustic soda and hydrochloric acid.
Six kilos of human flesh retrieved from the bones have been DNA matched with the victim, Francia Ruth Ibarra, also 26.
Her clothes were found hidden in a bag inside the apartment in Leon, central Mexico.
The pair had met through the dating app Tinder and had then met several times over the past few months before Francia disappeared.
Her university friends backtracked her social media postings and found she'd been dating Boncanegra, a former student.
Related stories 'HOPE YOU DIE A LONG SLOW DEATH' Jeers as serial killer Stephen Port gets whole-life jail term for four drug-rape murders Exclusive My old ch-app is itchy Dating apps 'are to blame' for a record number of randy OAP catching STIs, experts claim Jihadi Tinder Now ISIS savages are targeting DATING APPS in desperate bid to recruit woman as sex slaves jihadi's gay sex secret Bastille Day terrorist used dating apps to meet MEN and his phone was filled with snaps of lovers Exclusive TABLET PORN IS ARGROSS Horrified dad buys Argos tablet for his son's sixth birthday and finds it loaded with porn apps
He reportedly killed her after she refused to have sex with him and dissolved her body to make it look like she's simply run away.
Police tracked Boncanegra to Mexico City where he was arrested.
In November satanist Stefano Brizzi admitted strangling and dismembering a policeman he met on Grindr.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.Allison Arieff on design and architecture.
The driverless car, like other utopian pursuits, seems always to be just out of reach. It’s captured the imagination of many for at least a century: in 1918, the Oakland Tribune reported (in a section I wish all newspapers would bring back called “New and Interesting Facts from Science and Life”) that “the new car will be all glass-enclosed and controlled entirely by a set of push buttons. It will have no clutch, gears or transmission, will sit low, have small clearance and punctureless tires.”
Photo
It’s striking that 1918’s Motor Car of the Future doesn’t look — or operate — all that different in concept from the 2013 one (or, for that matter, from the 1957 one, which was projected to run on electricity). Our collective visions of the future seem almost always to draw from a limited visual tool kit.
Photo
The driverless car doesn’t look any more futuristic today (in fact, it pretty much looks like … a car), but what is radically different now is that the means to make that car drive autonomously have been figured out. For example, Google’s driverless cars — the ones you hear the most about — have completed over 300,000 autonomous-driving miles accident-free. Many experts, from architects to automobile executives, predict the ascendancy of the autonomous vehicle within three generations. Allstate is preparing actuarial tables; Ford, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, among other car manufacturers, in an unusual shift toward long-term planning, are seeing the writing on the wall and have developed working prototypes. (This may be a smart strategy, given how the United States is trending; in China, meanwhile, car ownership is growing by more than 10 percent annually.)
Much to the delight of the futurist/Singularity-ist Ray Kurzweil, we’ve come to a point when driverless cars are not so much of a technology and engineering challenge anymore. “We’re now arguing over the date of when this will happen,” says Gerald Tierney, a senior associate at the architecture firm Perkins + Will who helped organize the 2010 RedCar Colloquium to explore and advance the evolution of “personalized ubiquitous and autonomous transportation.” He predicts a time in the not-so-distant future when this new wave of transportation will be so ingrained we won’t even think about it. “It becomes so ubiquitous. It will be like when we turn on an electric light. We don’t think about the mechanics of doing so.”
But all the geeky enthusiasm overlooks serious, um, roadblocks with regard to urban design and social equity. And, if you’ll forgive the hyperbole, the American dream — which is, after all, deeply grounded in the car, the social signifier that is the three-car garage and, even, the red Corvette that is the midlife crisis. There are some very good things autonomous vehicles might possibly provide — yet the obstacles to their integration seem insurmountable. If we’ve struggled so much to get a few hybrid cars on the road, how could we ever begin to get even near replacing our existing auto-dependent system?
But back to the possible upsides. First, a potentially safer way to get around. Cars are dangerous — over 32,000 people were killed by motor vehicles in 2011 alone — mostly because of the people who drive them. Remove the driver, say autonomous advocates, and you’ll remove the danger. Further, self-driving vehicles provide mobility for those who lack it — the disabled, seniors, even children — and for those who perhaps shouldn’t have access to it otherwise (i.e., drunken drivers).
Second, freeways are crowded and don’t work particularly well. No matter the intervention by experts (more lanes, wider lanes, car pool lanes), gridlock ultimately asserts itself. Autonomous vehicles increase the efficiency of freeways by anywhere from 100 to 300 percent, mostly by having them behave more like a networked rail system. “Freeways will be given over to cars that drive themselves,” says Tierney. Further, with the rise of the use of social apps, more rides will be shared. So, theoretically, less road space will be able to carry more people, allowing land to be reclaimed for public use (bike lanes, parks, rain gardens and the like).
Photo
What About the Bus?
All of the above assumes a lot. First and foremost, an embrace of the driverless car takes as a given that cars are the future. Instead of exploring more effective transit solutions that could carry more people from one destination to the next, the driverless car, by definition, keeps the car as the No. 1 choice for getting from A to B. Imagine if Google (which runs more than 100 shuttle buses throughout the Bay Area each day to get its own employees to work) had put comparative brainpower around accessible public transit instead of to individuals driving alone — or rather being driven, while alone — in cars.
But Why Are We Still Focusing On the Car?
Self-driving cars seemed futurist a century ago; today, it seems out of touch to focus on cars at all. Americans are buying fewer cars, driving less and getting fewer licenses as each year goes by. Rates of car ownership are decreasing. Bikeshare, rideshare and carshare programs are gaining in popularity and acceptance, as are transit-oriented communities.
So why continue to design and plan for a car-based society? Transit innovation is possible, and is indeed inspirational, in many non-North-American cities. The TransMilenio bus rapid transit system in Bogotá, Colombia, for example, comes to each bus stop every 10 seconds and carries close to 40,000 passengers per hour, 1.6 million per day. (Every 10 seconds — can you imagine?) In the United States, it feels like all that innovation is connected to the automobile with app-enabled carsharing, ridesharing and even the renting out of one’s driveway for extra revenue. While this sort of invention is a welcome addition and helps reduce the problem of one person driving alone in one car, it has the potential to lessen our belief in public transit as a public good as greater numbers of people turn to these customized solutions for getting to work.
I began writing this article during the Bay Area’s BART strike the week of July 1, and it was disconcerting to hear many folks in the Bay Area shrug their shoulders (or stick their feet in their mouth) about the loss in service. For them, it was a minor inconvenience, remedied with a $15 ride from the Uber car service (“everyone’s private driver”) or from the on-demand carsharing service Lyft in lieu of a train trip. (Forbes magazine, among others, has argued that the greatest obstacle to driverless cars may well be taxi drivers.)
I wish more start-ups would devote similar zeal to non-car-focused pursuits. And that these innovations were not app-dependent, and by extension, accessible to those without smartphones.
(And it must be said, inherent in an embrace of driverless cars is an assumption of benevolence. The utopian notion that these vehicles would eliminate danger from the driving equation is naïve at best — it’s not difficult to imagine how easily the freeway’s computer networks could be hacked.)
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Do Driverless Cars Enhance Density — or Encourage Suburban Sprawl?
Tech-optimists see driverless cars as a boon to urban densification, but cars — with or without drivers — aren’t what make a city vital or interesting. Self-driving cars aren’t necessarily effective in getting cars faster on surface streets, they make traffic flow better on freeways. No one is going to support inefficient freeways but endeavoring to make car travel so effortless feels like a gracious invitation to endless suburban sprawl. If you can read your iPad, enjoy a cocktail or play a video game while commuting, time spent in the car becomes leisure time, something desirable. Long commutes are no longer a disincentive.
America’s car-dependent culture has been encouraged (and subsidized) for the last half-century; instead of bucking that trend, a driverless car culture remains car-dependent.
Should Your Car Work Like a Timeshare Condo?
Driverless cars can ultimately erase the need for car ownership — if not the need for cars. So how would that work? The most prevalent model being discussed right now is the subscription model. Instead of buying a single car you’d sign up for a full range of a car manufacturer’s offering. If you were planning on taking the family to the mountains for the weekend, an S.U.V. would pull up to your door on command. Just need to grab a few groceries? A SmartCar could swing by at your convenience. This flexibility is enabled by smartphones, of course, but what you gain in convenience you may sacrifice in privacy.
An added benefit of the subscription model? You never need to worry about parking again — but has anyone figured out how we’re going to retrofit all those parking lots? There would still be a need for parking of course (cars would typically be parked in central locations like rental cars at airports), though less of it given the declining rates of car ownership predicted to come with autonomous vehicles.
What About Social Equity?
Public transit is a public good. Autonomous vehicles — not so much. If you could afford a BMW before, you’ll be able to afford a subscription to BMW’s suite of offerings in this scenario. You can select a car to fit your task and even your mood. But if you couldn’t afford a car before, you probably won’t be able to afford a self-driving one either. The issue of equity — particularly for those who are most often passengers today — is glaringly absent from discussions of driverless cars.
How Would the Transition Happen, Anyway?
Exactly. The greater efficiency and safety presumed to come with driverless cars assumes the absence on the road of cars with drivers. If human behavior is the wild card, how do you keep those pesky humans out of the way?
How that might be achieved has yet to be determined. Think about hybrid and electric cars right now: when I attended a conference on Smart Cities last fall, I saw eight different |
don’t know who this miner is,” etang600 told Bitcoin Magazine. “We are trying to figure out ways to contact him. But it’s still pretty early; we have only been signaling for two weeks, so we hope they’ll update.”
Litecoin, SysCoin and Viacoin and the F2Pool Dilemma
Litecoin ($200 million market cap for #6 spot on CoinMarketCap), SysCoin ($6.9 million market cap for #49 spot on CoinMarketCap) and Viacoin ($1.1 million market cap for #104 spot on CoinMarketCap) are also planning to implement Segregated Witness.
But since Viacoin is merge-mined with Litecoin, and SysCoin is merge-mined with Bitcoin, all three coins are facing the same problem: Bitcoin and Litecoin mining pool F2Pool is not signaling support for the soft fork.
In addition to benefits offered by a malleability fix, SysCoin will adopt Schnorr signatures: a signature scheme that could make both Bitcoin and SysCoin more efficient. Unsurprisingly, therefore, SysCoin backend developer Jagdeep Sidhu is hopeful F2Pool will start signaling support for the upgrade soon.
“F2Pool will probably signal support for Segregated Witness on Bitcoin and SysCoin together,” Sidhu told Bitcoin Magazine. “But I think they’re still in wait-and-see mode.”
When asked by Bitcoin Magazine last autumn, F2Pool operator Wang Chun said his system could not build C++11 and that’s why he was holding off on SegWit signaling.
Today, on Twitter, Chun suggested he may be able to finally compile C++11 code when Debian 9 is released.
I’ve heard rumors that Debian 9 will come with a C++11-compatible compiler. So let’s prayer for it could be released sooner and sooner. https://t.co/uW0ob1x80H — Wang Chun (@f2pool_wangchun) March 20, 2017
But some are skeptical that an inability to compile C++11 is the real reason Chun isn’t signaling support yet. For one, compiling C++11 should not be that difficult in the first place. And as Sidhu pointed out, the latest version of SysCoin is already coded in C++11. Since SysCoin recently hard forked, older versions of the software are no longer compatible, so any SysCoin miner must be able to compile C++11. That includes F2Pool.
SegWit signaling will start soon on Viacoin, but Romano is not very optimistic about quick activation either. “It seems more likely they want to refrain from activating Segregated Witness on altcoins because that would give them even less reason to hold off activation on Bitcoin,” he said.
Romano went even further. “Maybe F2Pool are under some hidden pressure or coercion, and are trying to make a plausible cover story. It is well known that Jihan Wu of Bitmain controls the supply of about 70 percent of the mining hardware. His mining pool is blocking SegWit on Bitcoin, and he is able to exert pressure on miners and pools by sanctioning new equipment sales should they go against his wishes.”
F2Pool operator Wang Chun told Bitcoin Magazine that he preferred not to comment at this time. But in response to Romano’s comment, Bitmain’s Jihan Wu said:
“They are customers of us, and there is enough competition in the market. (Where is the other so-called "30%" coming from?) This theory is not right on the assumption part. Wang Chun of F2Pool is a very mature man, he gives no sh* to any authorities or political pressure.”Unlike in baseball, where you could mistake Babe Ruth's slugger for a modern-day one, in cricket the difference in sizes and weights is mind-boggling - and harmful
AB de Villiers' fastest ODI century is a victory of big bats over logical law-making © Gallo Images
The other day, this column emailed a former player of global renown, asking whether a particularly astonishing feat of batsmanship, having won the day for the team he supported, had generated joy. As suspected, it had not, not remotely. Only one clue is proffered as to his identity, and a blindingly obvious one at that: he did not get where he is today by wearing a helmet.
Never mind the unapologetic absence of objectivity. Here was the saddest, maddest commentary on cricket in the 21st century. Never mind that victory had accrued to the ex-player's team, a team about which he cares enormously, a team unaccustomed to smiling; the bigger picture, the dominance of bat over ball, was unavoidable, and far too painful to permit even a crumb of solace. His lament is not a lonely one. Unbalanced cricket is about as useful as a tuneless song. Just as rhythm only gets you so far, it takes a lot more than thwack to appreciate the full craic.
Mind you, AB de Villiers' eruption in Jo'burg on Sunday may have done us a favour. What can you say when the fastest century ever made in an ODI is now a mere one ball slower than the swiftest in T20? That the justification for two limited-over formats is running out of steam? You bet. It also reminds us of a fact of contemporary cricketing life at once admirable and utterly unappetising. Never, on the one hand, has the game been so blessed with positive mindsets. Attack is the default; defence is for wimps.
Notwithstanding sluggish, even pitiful over rates, let alone chief executives' pitches, the 624-and-54-for-1-plays-524 draw is going the way of cheap housing and exorbitant oil prices. Padding up is now as shrewd a gambit as peppering Viv Richards with long-hops. Twenty-five years ago, the prospects for either development were on a par with opening the Sun and not finding a topless model on page three.
Unfortunately, the price of record-smithereening and a new audience has been horribly steep - and all because lawmakers, regulation-changers and broadcasters are on the same patronising, profoundly misguided side.
The only (relatively) new aspect of all this, of course, is the influence of the broadcasters. To them, the pie-flinging fraternity, six-curbers, match-abridgers and income-reducers to a man, are the very devil. The only truly bowler-friendly measures taken since the arrival of one-day cricket have been the advent of the DRS and the outlawing of the aluminium bat. Conspiracy theorists might not be alone in suspecting that the BCCI's objections to the DRS are even more insidious and toxic than billed.
The only truly bowler-friendly measures taken since the arrival of one-day cricket have been the advent of the DRS and the outlawing of the aluminium bat
Major League Baseball endured a remarkably similar identity crisis two decades ago - and ignored it with much the same aplomb. The brand was in dire straits - lousy image, profits in freefall. Livid with club owners and militant outfielders alike, fans deplored the 1994-95 players' strike; to them it was "Billionaires v millionaires". When play resumed, attendances plummeted.
As fate would have it, Bill Clinton had recently passed the Dietary Supplement and Health Act (DSHEA), shifting the onus of responsibility from drug companies - to prove their products were safe - to the Federal Drug Agency, to prove they were unsafe. According to Howard Bryant's brilliant investigation, Juicing the Game, this begat "a medicine cabinet the likes of which the sports world had never seen". Steroid use abounded, transforming so-so sluggers into home-run factories. Eyebrows were raised, but as the crowds thronged back, only the pitchers were complaining. Illuminating indeed was the tagline for one fearlessly sexist ad campaign: "Chicks dig the long ball."
Fifty home runs in a major league season was long considered heroic. From 1876 - when the National League opened for business - until 1977 it was accomplished 14 times. In 1927, Babe Ruth topped his own record with 60; not for a further 34 years did Roger Maris go one better; not for 37 more did Mark McGwire (70) and Sammy Sosa (66) surpass Maris. The next three seasons saw McGwire hit 65, Sosa 63 and 64 before Barry Bonds battered 73. From 1995 to 2007, there were 23 50-homer campaigns.
New, intimate ballparks certainly helped, but those bulked-up biffers stoked rumours of performance-enhancement - all the more so when fatalities ensued. Cue presidential intervention, Congressional hearings and 2007's desk-buckling Mitchell Report. Dope tests were finally introduced; heavy suspensions followed. Only twice since 2007 has that 50-homer mark been breached, the peak 54. The average number per game in 2014, 0.86, was the lowest since 1992. Coincidence? Hmm.
Nothing spoke more eloquently for the new climate than the Kansas City Royals, perpetual underdogs whose unlikely march to last year's World Series was fuelled not by home runs - none of the other 29 clubs tallied fewer - but daring base-stealing, supreme fielding and Scroogian relief pitching. No less telling, mind, has been the success of the San Francisco Giants, Series victors in 2010, 2012 and 2014 while finishing, respectively, 11th, bottom and 19th of the homer chart. Attendances? Not only have they not withered, they have risen.
Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's home-run record after a 34-year wait © New York Daily News Archive
Baseball may not have rediscovered credibility by design, but the sound of clicking turnstiles poses questions for cricket; the second might be even more distasteful than the first:
1) In ten years' time, who the hell is going to want to bowl for a living (or even a playing)?
2) Are cricket lovers less discerning than their baseball brethren?
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So far as we know, cricket cannot cite drugs as an alibi for its grotesque bowlerphobia - though one can't help but wonder what hallucinogens were on the table when the decision was taken to tighten those already criminal fielding restrictions. At bottom, the changes that have facilitated the paradigm shift of the past decade stem from the same mentality that drove baseball to ignore drug abuse: a conviction that what turns the masses on is not vibrant competition nor close finishes nor an even-handed exposition of differing skills, but how often spectators catch the ball.
We all know the list of charges, so this column will desist from detailed repetition. It does, however, have one reinvigorated gripe. Earlier this month, Channel Nine asked Mark Taylor to compare one of his own late-1990s vintage bats with David Warner's current weapon: the accompanying shot of both implements was as depressing as it was gobsmacking.
Forgive the belated gatecrashing of this well-attended party, but sometimes only the evidence of one's own eyes can bring home the impact of something taken for granted. Judging by my admittedly oversized TV screen, the face of the blade brandished so fruitfully by Taylor - the former Australia opener who withstood Wasim, Waqar, Maco and Curtly, matched Don Bradman's Test-best 334, and remains the last man to amass 800 runs in a series - was barely wider than the edge of Warner's.
In many ways Warner is Taylor's spiritual opposite. Even without such a ludicrously mighty asset, that innate aggression would still have allowed him to terrify bowlers, thrill Australians and neutrals alike, and have sponsors forming a disorderly queue. But how many more of those shots might have been catchable - or play-on-able?
Enhanced equipment has benefited many ball games. Better-strung rackets with broader sweet spots have revolutionised tennis, improving defence as well as attack. Advances in golf-club design have levelled the fairway - invest in those humongous drivers and even an average pro can be a millionaire; winning majors, conversely, still depends on the subtleties of the putter. Lighter, flightier f***balls are easier to swerve and hit from a distance, encouraging enterprise while being less hazardous to heads. All, on balance, have been boons. It is considerably harder to defend the small trees that currently pass muster as cricket "bats".
Sure, it can be argued that greater confidence in their destructive qualities breeds adventure, audacity and innovation. However, given the way the game has sped up, would that not have happened regardless? Maybe not quite to the extent of a batsman ransacking 149 off 44 balls in an ODI, or a team chasing down 232 in a T20 international, but I did see Somerset savage Devon for 413 for 4 at Torquay back in 1990. And Graeme Pollock broke the 200 barrier as long ago as 1974, when the hippest word in bat design was the Gray-Nicolls Scoop, which actually removed a sizeable chunk of wood.
In common with their cricketing counterparts, the bats swung by major league hitters must be wooden; most favour ash. Regulations cover length and diameter. In a cabinet at the Baseball Hall of Fame stands an array of bats once whirled by Ruth, Maris, McGwire and Sosa; the differences, to the naked eye, are largely imperceptible, marginal at best. To come across a similar display at Lord's is to be convinced that the MCC is the most free-spirited, radical organisation in the entire history of the ball.
Once upon a time it was enough for the custodian of the laws to stipulate a maximum width and length, of blade and handle. Given the unpoliced strides taken by Messrs Woodworm, Spartan and Kookaburra, to persist in overlooking thickness looks ever more like suicidal folly. Until it clapped eyes on Warner's and Taylor's bats, this column firmly believed that the limited-overs variations, stage for the most grievous and regular excesses, could only be transformed by looser fielding restrictions and/or a removal of constraints on bowling allocations. However tardily, slimmer bats now top that wishlist.
As that underrrated social commentator Mr Meat Loaf once assured us rockers, two out of three ain't bad. In this instance, one out of three will do - so long as it's the right one.
Rob Steen is a sportswriter and senior lecturer in sports journalism at the University of Brighton. His book Floodlights and Touchlines: A History of Spectator Sport is out now
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Image by Dana Romanoff (Getty Images)
The US government is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for withholding contraception and abortion services from immigrant minors in its care.
The ACLU of Northern California alleges that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has granted federal funds to religious groups that illegally deny family planning and emergency contraceptive services to the minors. Further, they claim that by doing so, the ORR has denied the immigrant minors their federal rights and ignored the separation of church and state.
The suit filed by the ACLU details how harmful the federally-funded religious shelters have already been to many of the vulnerable children who are in custody of the US government.
"One young woman—who was hospitalized for suicidal ideation after she became pregnant as the result of rape by one of her 'guides' to the United States—was kicked out of her Catholic-affiliated shelter because she asked for an abortion," the suit alleges.
As a result, she was transferred to another shelter, away from the social workers and other shelter support staff who constituted her only support system in this country. Another young woman, who had also become pregnant as a result of rape on her journey to the United States, was denied placement at a shelter near her family in Florida because the two available shelters both had religious objections to caring for teens who seek abortions.
One young woman—who was hospitalized for suicidal ideation after she became pregnant as the result of rape by one of her 'guides' to the United States—was kicked out of her Catholic-affiliated shelter because she asked for an abortion.
Each year, the federal government takes thousands of unaccompanied refugee minors into its custody. "Many have come to the United States fleeing abuse and torture in their home countries," the ACLU states in its suit. "Many have been sexually abused or assaulted either in their home countries, during their long journey to the United States, or after their arrival." The unaccompanied children are referred to the ORR, which is tasked with providing care for them. In 2015 alone, 33,726 unaccompanied refugee minors came into the care of the ORR.
Read More: When You're Trans and Undocumented, Few People Can Help
The ORR uses funds it receives from Congress to give grants to more than 30 private organizations across the US, including a few religious groups, who help provide homes for the young immigrants. One of those private religious groups is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), an organization that consistently refuses to provide medical care that is not in line with its religious beliefs.
Despite its explicit religious practices, the USCCB received $10 million in grants from the ORR in 2014 alone, which it has spent on subgrants doled out to a network of Catholic facilities across the country. In turn, those facilities are supposed to provide care for thousands of unaccompanied refugee children.
The ACLU alleges that these groups frequently withhold care they are legally obligated to provide—namely family planning and emergency contraceptives. The civil liberties group is seeking a permanent injunction to ensure that the grants given for the care of unaccompanied immigrant minors are implemented without the imposition of religious restrictions.
The ACLU's case cites the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, two laws that led the ORR to instate a regulation in 2014 that would require its grantees to "provide unaccompanied immigrant minors who are victims of sexual assault with access to reproductive healthcare." The regulation, which USCCB vehemently protested, also said ORR would ensure "unimpeded access to emergency medical treatment, crisis intervention services, emergency contraception, and sexually transmitted infections prophylaxis" for any unaccompanied immigrant minors who have experienced sexual abuse while in federal custody. The case also points to a 1997 settlement in which it was decided that the federal government must provide access to family planning and emergency health care for unaccompanied immigrant minors.
The ACLU claims that by funding groups that refuse to provide these health services on the grounds of their religious beliefs, the defendants (the Secretary of Health & Human Services and Director of the ORR) are endorsing and advancing a religious belief and ignoring the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution, which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Because taxpayer dollars support the programs, the ACLU says taxpayers have been "coerced" into "supporting and subsidizing a particular set of religious beliefs."Of all the popular fantasy book series, the one hero (or anti-hero, rather) that I identified with most in certain ways was Elric of Melniboné from Michael Moorcock’s Elric Saga. Not because he was royalty—that aspect I don’t identify with—but because unlike most fantasy heroes and warriors he was not physically robust. He was of ill constitution, weak and frail, and needed a multitude of medicines and sorcery to maintain enough strength to rule and fight. And his sword, Stormbringer, is one of the most compelling weapons in fantasy lore—long, big and black (wait, that came out wrong) it was an enchanted, vampiric weapon that drained the soul energy of its victims and sustained Elric’s life with it.
As a closet goth, I equally appreciated Elric’s appearance which was impeccably gothic. He was often depicted in illustrations as wearing full black armor contrasted with his sickly albino skin and tortured, crimson eyes, his black sword never far from his side.
Though there has never been a movie, the Elric series have been adapted in graphic form numerous times, somewhat recently by BOOM! Studios and even by Marvel. I have not read any of these works so I can’t comment on them, but I can say that a new adaptation from Titan Comics by writer Julien Blondel and artists Didier Poli, Robin Recht, and Jean Bastide is an absolutely sumptuous treat for anyone who has read any of the books and loved them.
Elric, Vol. 1: the Ruby Throne seeks to not just adapt again but also to improve. It adds a few twists to Moorcock’s original narrative and, in an introduction to this volume, Moorcock states that he not only approved of these adjustments he wishes he himself had thought of them. He also writes:
“This is perhaps the first graphic version of Elric fully to capture the sense of utter decadence I tried to convey in the books.”
And decadent it is. Artists Robin Recht and Didier Poli together with colorist Jean Bastide have created a vision of a kingdom and city gorged on enough naked bodies, blood, sex and violence to make Sodom and Gomorrah look like Disneyworld (it’s so NSFW that I’m having trouble finding suitable sample images to use for this post!). But it is also lavish, epic and magnificent. It is no wonder that this book required two artists and a colorist to illustrate it. Panel after panel will make your jaw drop and stare in wonder at the scale and level of detail in the architecture, the costuming, the everything. Melniboné has been brought to stunning visual life and it’s unsurprising that Moorcock himself heartily approves.
For those not familiar with the Elric saga, he is the last in a line of emperors of Melniboné, an empire so old, vast, powerful and cruel it puts Rome to shame. But unlike his forebearers he is cursed with a conscience and philosophical temperament, burdened with the duty of ruling a kingdom and legacy that he inwardly does not embrace. And, as mentioned, he is doubly cursed with a sickly body that does not heed his will (the artists effectively depict this physical and spiritual weariness, often showing Elric hunched over or leaning on something for support). Elric’s ambitious cousin, Yyrkoon, sees his emperor’s introspective and sometimes merciful nature as a weakness that will be the ruin of Melniboné’s glory and plots to overthrow him.
For a hardcover, Elric, Vol.1: The Ruby Throne is pretty slim—just 66 pages. But each and every page and panel is gripping and is packed with painstaking effort and detail.
Look, let me just save you the trouble of having to think. Simply, if you’re a fan of fantasy, get this. If you’re a fan of comics, get this. And if you’re especially a fan of Michael Moorcock and his Eternal Champion, then get this not only for yourself but for your friends and fellow comic and fantasy geeks and help propagate the dark splendor of the anguished antihero clad in black known as Elric of Melniboné.Case Study
SOS NI & ISL Waste Tackling Hunger & Food Waste
SOS NI
A partnership that started just 18 months ago, between local charity SOS NI and ISL Waste Management, has seen around £450,000 of food marked for destruction, diverted to helping those most in need through the charity’s Food Programme.
A truly excellent example of a circular economy, ISL is working with its food distribution clients in a way that not only reduces their waste food destruction costs, but helps SOS NI feed around 1,500 – 2,000 people per week.
Joe Hyland of SOS NI cannot speak highly enough of the team at ISL.
“When we contacted ISL to set things up, we were looking for a professional organisation that could increase our network of contacts in the food distribution sector to allow us to ramp up our Food Programme,” says Joe.
“Not only has ISL delivered brilliantly on that, putting us in touch with some of the largest companies in this sector, but we also have an agreement with them that whatever food waste does eventually need to be destroyed, they will collect and dispose of it.”
Donating Food Waste To NI Charities, Food Banks & More
Working with 56 different organisations, the SOS NI Food Programme ensures that all donated food is delivered to the right place and distributed to the right people.
“We engage with charities, community groups, churches, food banks, hostels and shelters who have the on the ground knowledge to make sure that the system cannot be abused and only those most in need benefit from the service,” Joe explains.
Danny Paton, Customer Accounts Manager with ISL says:
“Our unique relationship with the SOS NI Food Programme is extremely fulfilling and one that is developing all the time. As an organisation, we are constantly looking for innovative solutions to save our clients’ money while also delivering tangible benefits to the wider community both environmentally and economically.
“When Joe approached us for help, we grabbed the opportunity with both hands, knowing the excellent reputation enjoyed by him and SOS NI and the potential of utilising our blue-chip client base with such an organisation to help meet the increasing needs of those most deprived in our society.”
Contact ISL if you would like more information on this scheme, or if you’d like to donate your food waste to those in need.Theis the national chart of South Korea and is intended to be the equivalent ofinandin theCheck out the chart rankings for the month of August 2013 (August 1 - August 31) below!
Gaon Chart National Digital Singles Ranking
Rank Artist & Title GAON Count Agency & Distributor 1 San E - Story of Someone I Know 47,484,093 Brand New Music / Loen 2 EXO - growl 42,279,761 SM Entertainment / Kt music 3 f(x) - Rum Pum Pum Pum 36,896,257 SM Entertainment / Kt music 4 Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar 36,336,190 Chrome Entertainment / CJ E&M 5 Bumkey - Attraction 33,902,705 Brand New Music / Loen 6 2NE1 - Do You Love Me 33,675,437 YG Entertainment / Kt music 7 Huh Gak - That You're Mine 29,091,790 A Cube / CJ E&M 8 Brown Eyed Girls - Kill Bill 27,461,008 Nega Networks / Loen 9 Hyorin - Driving Me Crazy 26,634,733 Bon Factory / Loen 10 Lim Jeong Hee - Luv Is 24,726,288 Big Hit Entertainment / Loen
Gaon Chart National Physical Albums Ranking
Rank Artist & Album Album Sales Label & Distributor 1 EXO - XOXO Repackaged (Kiss Ver.) 186,281 SM Entertainment / Kt music 2 EXO - XOXO Repackaged (Hug Ver.) 126,618 SM Entertainment / Kt music 3 VIXX - Jekyll 84,457 (2013 Total: 106,234) Jellyfish / CJ E&M 4 Seungri - Let's Talk About Love 73,469 YG Entertainment / Kt music 5 B.A.P - Badman 73,052 TS Entertainment / Loen 6 Kim Hyun Joong - Round 3 67,231 (2013 Total: 103,383) Key East / CJ E&M 7 SHINee - The Misconceptions Of Us 42,687 SM Entertainment / Kt music 8 MBLAQ - Love Beat 36,746 JTune / CJ E&M 9 ZE:A - Illusion 36,314 Star Empire / Kt music 10 TEEN TOP - TEEN TOP Class 35,235 TOP Media / Loen
Online Downloads For The Month
Rank Artist & Title Download Count Label & Distributor 1 San E - Story of Someone I Know 647,432 Brand New Music / Loen 2 EXO - Growl 542,120 SM Entertainment / Kt music 3 f(x) - Rum Pum Pum Pum 484,861 SM Entertainment / Kt music 4 2NE1 - Do You Love Me 479,905 YG Entertainment / Kt music 5 Bumkey - Attraction 465,939 Brand New Music / Loen 6 Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar 426,972 Chrome Entertainment / CJ E&M 7 Huh Gak - That You're Mine 413,112 A Cube / CJ E&M 8 Hyorin - Driving Me Crazy 377,641 Bon Factory / Loen 9 Brown Eyed Girls - Kill Bill 371,604 Nega Networks / Loen 10 Lim Jeong Hee - Luv Is 353,584 Big Hit Entertainment / Loen
Online Streams For The Month
Rank Artist & Title Streaming Count Label & Distributor 1 Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar 13,303,191 Chrome Entertainment / CJ E&M 2 San E - Story of Someone I Know 13,139,387 Brand New Music / Loen 3 f(x) - Rum Pum Pum Pum 12,090,148 SM Entertainment / Kt music 4 Ailee - U&I 11,300,386 YMC / Neowiz Internet 5 A Pink - No No No 11,011,586 A Cube / CJ E&M 6 EXO - Growl 10,968,728 SM Entertainment / Kt music 7 B2ST - Shadow 8,868,590 Cube / Universal Music 8 Brown Eyed Girls - Kill Bill 8,648,399 Nega Networks / Loen 9 Davichi - Missing You Today 8,303,150 Core Contents / Kt music 10 Lee Seung Chul - My Love 8,162,071 CJ E&M / Jinnenwon music works / Baek Ent.(Newser) – A 20-year-old man streamed himself hanging his 11-month-old daughter on Facebook Live before killing himself Monday evening in a vacant hotel in Thailand, the AP reports. According to the New York Times, a four-minute video shows a crying Wuttisan Wongtalay tying a noose around his daughter's neck and dropping her over the side of the hotel in Phuket. Family members—including the baby's mother—saw the video and called police, the BBC reports. Officers arrived to find Wongtalay having hanged himself as well. Police say Wongtalay was jealous and upset with his wife, who he had accused of being with another man.
The video of Wongtalay killing his daughter was on Facebook for about 20 hours before the company removed it. Facebook sent condolences to the family, calling the incident "appalling." "Our hearts go out to the family of the victim," Facebook said in a statement. The company had already promised to review its Facebook Live procedures this month after a man in Cleveland streamed himself killing an elderly man. Facebook Live has also seen live-streamed sex abuse, rape, suicide, and child abuse this year. (Read more Facebook Live stories.)[Ed. Note: Bartosz Bielecki is TAI’s Polish correspondent. Bart covers all things Marcin Gortat from the mother country, including transcribing Gortat interviews with Polish media (which are classic, by the way). Bart also once wrote-in Paul Pierce on the Polish presidential ballot. Check out his previous work on TAI.
Today, Bart provides an overall look at Poland’s performance with Gortat at EuroBasket 2015. Poland went 3-2 in opening stage games but got eliminated by Spain this past Saturday in the knock-out stage.]
Perhaps for the last time in his career, Marcin Gortat suited up for the Polish National Team for FIBA EuroBasket. But before we analyze his 2015 performance at the event (which started on Sept. 5 and ends on Sept. 20, taking place in France, Germany, Croatia, and Latvia), it’s important to drive down Poland’s road to the European tournament.
Gortat skipped last year’s Eurobasket Qualifier games, something Poland could easily afford, as Germany was the only serious rival at that stage. Even without the NBA’s only Pole, Poland managed to advance to this year’s Championships.
Due to NBA rules, Gortat joined the team late—on the first of August, the same day that Poland was to play its first test-game against the Czech Republic. Despite joining the team just a few hours before the game (Gortat rushed through half the country in his Porsche Panamera to make it on time, per his tweet), the center for the Wizards logged some minutes off the bench. It was possible without any practice because Poland coach Mike Taylor has worked with Gortat for a while and has implemented a system well-known by him—Poland’s playbook this summer is actually similar to that of the Washington Wizards. The plays even had the exact same names, so Gortat knew what the point guard was calling out.
What’s interesting is the fact that the Polish Hammer initially denied rumors about the Polish National Team implementing Washington’s system to help make him joining the team easier. The story with the Wizards’ playbook began in an unlikely place: coach Taylor shared this information directly with a journalist. Most intense followers of the Wizards could recognize some of the plays, anyway, especially the inbound ones. Coach Taylor was able to pull it all off thanks to the good relations with the Wizards’ staff. Last season he was a frequent guest at the Verizon Center. The relationship worked both ways, as the Wizards’ Senior VP of Basketball Operations, Tommy Sheppard, flew to Poland for the scrimmage against the Czech Republic, so he could also talk to Tomas Satoransky, a 2012 second round pick of Washington (32nd overall).
Poland’s pre-Eurobasket games finished with mixed results. After beating the Czech Rep. twice, Poland lost to Latvia, Slovenia, Germany, and Spain, but they were able to beat Turkey, Angola, Belgium, and a couple of less-demanding opponents like Iceland and Lebanon. My takeaway from those games was that there were too many plays run for Gortat. That string of friendly games was when the “Poland is addicted to Gortat” opinion was born amongst close observers of the team. The Polish Machine was getting better with every game, yet Poland wasn’t looking great overall with him on the court. Polish players treated Gortat as the Michael Jordan of the team and looked to deliver him the ball at all times, even when there were no passing lanes. What made things look even worse was when Gortat was given a day off, Poland beat Turkey and looked really good as a team. Mike Taylor admitted after the game that he rested his star to see how the team would do without him. The next night, when Gortat returned to the roster, Poland lost to a Dennis Schröder-less Germany team.
Poland officially opened this year’s EuroBasket with a game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 5 in Montpellier, France. Without its biggest stars—Mirza Teletovic, Jusuf Nurkic, and Nihad Djedovic—Bosnia was seen as Group A’s weakest team. Poland ended up winning the game, 68-64, but it surely wasn’t the performance everyone was looking for. Adam Waczyński, who plays in the Spanish league, led the Poles with 15 points.
The next day, Poland faced another team that couldn’t count on its biggest stars: Russia. Despite the absence of NBA players, Russia is still a very good team. After a dramatic finish (Gortat fouling a Russian player during another Russian player’s shot, resulting in a five-point play), Poland prevailed and won by a narrow margin, 82-79. Despite the mistake, which Gortat later called “one of the worst mistakes of [my] career,” it was Marcin’s best game of the tournament. The Polish Hammer recorded 18 points and six rebounds, but Waczyński once again topped all scorers with 23.
The next game on September 7 was a matchup between teams with perfect 2-0 records—Poland versus France, the reigning EuroBasket Champions. Gortat was matched against Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz for portions of the game. The young Frenchman stood up to Gortat, finishing lobs, blocking Gortat’s shots, and even dunking on him. The Polish Hammer got a chance for revenge, as he had a wide-open, buzzer-beating 3-point shot to send the game into overtime, but the ball bounced off the rim and Poland lost, 66-69. Gortat recorded his only tournament double-double in this game, adding 11 rebounds to his 10 points. Waczyński, who celebrated his son’s first birthday, was once again on fire, leading Poland with 18 points. Tony Parker led France with 16 points and Gobert scored eight points with seven rebounds.
Next up: Israel on September 9. Before the game, Poland already secured a spot in the elimination round of the Eurobasket. The game versus Israel was easily Poland’s worst game of the tournament. The Poles committed 23 turnovers and lost, 73-75. Waczyński and Damian Kulig each had 13 points, while Gortat added 11. Gal Mekel and Omri Casspi—Israelis who’ve spent time in the NBA—paced their team with 18 and 14 points respectively.
Finland was Poland’s last opponent in the group stage: not a star-loaded team, but a good and unselfish roster led by the coach Henrik Dettmann. Poland’s second unit’s performance was the story of the game, as the team caught fire when the starters, except Adam Waczyński, were subbed out. Poland ended up winning the game by 13 points and advanced to the Round of 16 full of hope. As EuroBasket watchers might expect, Waczyński scored 17 points to lead the team. Gortat was benched after a few minutes of the third quarter and did not return. After the game he admitted that he asked coach Taylor to keep the bench players on the court, as they were the better unit that game. Gortat and his backup, Przemek Karnowski, each scored 10 points.
Unfortunately, the EuroBasket elimination round matchup wasn’t very kind to Poland, as they had to face Spain—one of the best teams in the world, even with the absences of Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Jose Calderon, Juan Carlos Nav |
A fair and resolute leader who has cracked down on corruption in his country
versus a disreputable and reckless career politician up to her shoulders in corruption
He goes on to observe that Viagra was actually planted in an effort bolster the then Madam Secretary's claims:
The boxes of pristine Viagra found next to burnt-out tanks weren’t the only things planted in Libya. According to its report, Amnesty “failed to find evidence for these human rights violations [used to justify intervention] and in many cases has discredited or cast doubt on them. It also found indications that on several occasions the rebels in Benghazi appeared to have knowingly made false claims or manufactured evidence.” (4)
The icing on the illegal war cake is that before Hillary started spreading rape rumors, Libya was considered a “high human development” country by the United Nations:
In 2010, Libya ranked 53rd in the UN’s Human Development Index among 163 countries. With life expectancy at birth at 74.5 years, an 88.4% adult literacy rate and a gross enrolment ratio of 94.1%, Libya was classified as a high human development country among the Middle East and North Africa region.
Libyans once enjoyed a higher standard of living than two-thirds of the planet. Now their country is terrorist stronghold ruled by competing warlords." (4)
If that's what Hillary did to Libya, what can we expect her to do to the United States.. to Eastern Europe? HRC is gearing up for war against Russia, demonizing Putin while she sharpens her butcher's knives. But what kind of leader is Vladimir Putin? How does he deal with corruption? Let's find out.
According to a writer for Signs of the Times
"In recent weeks in Russia, significant internal political events have taken place tied to the arrest or detention of several senior officials on charges of corruption. The loudest of these was the arrest of the Kirov region (northern Russia) governor Nikita Belykh. The governor was arrested while receiving yet another bribe in the amount of 400,000 euros.
Over the last half a year, several arrests of high-ranking officials and politicians (including governor, regional center mayor, or deputy minister) have been made in Russia. On June 1st, the mayor of Vladivostok (a regional center on the Pacific coast), Igor Pushkarev, was arrested. Prior to Pushkarev, the governor of the Sakhalin region, Alexander Khoroshavin, and Deputy Minister of Culture Grigory Pirumov were also arrested. And this is far from a complete list of the arrests and detentions of high-ranking officials over the past six months. In all of these cases, the charges are the same: corruption and abuse of office. But these are only the most high-profile arrests and detentions. Judging by press reports, over the past year alone the number of high-ranking corrupt officials arrested has reached dozens (or, more likely, hundreds)."
I'd wager that if Hillary was a Russian politician, she'd be doing hard time in a prison cell for her many crimes and gangster level corruption. In America, she's bolting straight towards the presidency.
Hillary is an establishment politician up to her shoulders in lies and corruption. I don't agree with all of Trump's policies and rhetoric, but he's an outsider, and if he wins, he'd really shake things up. It's hard to say at this point if he will win, as so many people resent HRC and see her for what she is, but at the same time she has the black and female vote, not to mention the system being totally rigged.
I am unequivocally on the side of Russia, and should war break out, I will eagerly write in defense of Her. I am a follower of the Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin and a proponent of what is reffered to as the Fourth Political Theory, a plea for political creativity in an era of late-capitalist globalism devoid of an actual politic free from financial influence, the absence of ideology, theorized by Dugin and others. The Fourth Political Theory supercedes liberalism, fascism and communism, taking from the three preceding ideologies what was good and rejecting what was bad. We seek to escape the nihilism of liberalism while at the same time avoiding the pit falls of the xenophobic and imperialist brands of the far-right and the weakness, degeneration, lack of depth and futility of the far-left. In short, we seek to establish a strong and unified nation free from multiculturalism as well as segregation, in which socialism, folk and tradition meet in harmony. We look to Russia as a beacon of truth and light in a world of degenerate liberalism and all encompassing darkness. We find in Russia a fierce defiance waged against the parasitic liberal degeneration of the modern West, a suitable balance of the beloved Slavic traditions of old, an unprecendented racial harmony between various ethnic groups while at the same time maintaining cultural integrity and racial preservation, protecting its society from the degeneration of the family, the daily emasculation of men, the daily masculinization of women, and the rampant corruption and abuses of the super wealthy that has become so commonplace here in the United States. Russia is the future of our world, grounded lovingly in the wisdom and tradition of the past. Atlanticism is a blind giant wandering around aimlessly in the dark, crushing smaller, weaker but more principled nations and peoples in its wake. One candidate in this theatrical election will make war with Russia; the other will make peace with Her. Vote like your lives depend on it, because they do.
Sources:
1.) http://www.anonews.co/wikileaks-emails-hillary/
2.) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/03/fbi-leaks-hillary-clinton-james-comey-donald-trump
3.) http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/10/11/leaked-email-shows-hillary-clinton-reportedly-wrote-saudi-arabia-qatar-funding-isis
4.) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riley-waggaman/hillary-clinton-turned-nation-into-isis-safe-haven_b_9571956.html
5.) https://www.sott.net/article/321965-Putin-wages-anti-corruption-campaign-against-Russian-ruling-class-to-prevent-Ukrainian-scenario But it's this point that I find to be most damaging:(4)
We've seen Hillary scapegoat Russia during the presidential debates, accusing Trump of being in cahoots with Vladimir Putin. Trump flatly denied these allegations, claiming to have never met or spoken to Putin. In reality, Hillary's disrespectful accusations leveled against the Russian Government are merely political manoeuvring, using Putin to get at Trump, reviving cold war paranoia and hysteria to further demonize her opponent and boost her credibility as an uncompromising leader -- but it is a dangerous diversion, much more reckless than her use of a private email server.From the outset of her email scandal, the controversy surrounding the lack of security guarding the emails the Madam Secretary sent and received on a private email server, many of which contained classified information at the highest classified level, was rapidly overshadowed by the incriminating content of the emails themselves. In a way, her barefaced corruption and recklessness, unprecedented for such an influential politician of her prestige and stature (perhaps with the exception of Richard Nixon), has been a blessing in disguise for political dissidents and the alternative right -- HRC herself has dealt her own presidential campaign the fatal death blow that will send her reeling to impeachment, trial, possible conviction and, finally, political infamy. We can only hope for such an outcome. The other scenario is a bleak one: increased tensions with the Russian Federation, with whom the United States is already on shaky grounds, which could ultimately result in an all out war in which the nuclear possibility is always on the table.Jay Syrmopoulos, an author at The Free Thought Project, gave a run down of Hillary's rigging of the media and manipulation of journalists, revealed in her leaked email correspondence:(4)This 1977 Datsun 120A F-II looks to be in extraordinarily good condition and even sounds as if it may retain a high degree of originality. Marketed in the US as the F10, these FWD compacts were sold here with massive DOT bumpers that ruined their quirky but oddly endearing bodywork, and this one’s slim Euro market items transform its appearance for the better. Find it here on finn.no in Hønefoss, Norway for 37,500 NOK (~$4,475 USD today). Special thanks to BaT reader Oliver K. for this submission.
Though we’d stop well short of describing it as an attractive car, there’s still something very cool about its funky detailing and strange, almost Citroen SM-like side profile. These taillights are particularly interesting, and this one’s light blue color and matt black factory wheel covers work very well together. Note the Nissan plaque on the hatch’s left rear corner–American cars were badged as Datsuns only. The seller mentions some rust bubbling on the driver’s door but this isn’t immediately apparent in any of the photos provided.
The interior looks fantastic as well and has clearly been used very lightly over the past 38 plus years. The odometer shows 50k and change kilometers, or about 31,000 miles when converted. We like that the standard steering wheel and original radio have been retained, while the long, windy gear lever looks like it’d almost be suitable for use in a small pick-up of the same era. Note the oddly placed tachometer, which along with the AM/FM Clarion indicate this car to be a fairly high-spec example.
120 rather than 110 nomenclature indicate that the motor is a 1171cc A12 four as opposed to the base, 988cc A10. Good for a nice round 70 HP and 70 lb ft, these little fours found their way into several period Nissan products including the car-based Sunny truck. Said to be in very good running and driving condition, engine bay appearances certainly seem to support such claims.
It’s always a little weird to see such low-mileage, well-preserved Japanese cars floating around Europe, and though far from a desirable model, we’re still happy to see this one counted among those ranks.An update on a blog I wrote a few weeks back about team personnel compensation:
There has been confusion in NHL circles about where exactly fired coaches/executives fit into all this if they remain under contract.
The initial explanation I was given from someone in the know was that if a coach/executive was fired, even if still under contract, the team in question did not qualify for draft pick compensation from the team hiring the fired person. That was also what most team executives I had spoken with thought.
However, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, who authored the memo on this, told ESPN.com Monday that for coaches, general managers or presidents of hockey operations who are fired but remain under contract, their teams are privy to draft pick compensation if they choose to pursue it.
But the team can also waive the draft pick compensation if it wants, Daly said.
The reason many teams would waive in most cases is they're more interested in getting the person who is under contract but no longer working for the team off the books. So why discourage a hire elsewhere.
Still, it certainly adds a new wrinkle to it all.
Let's take fired Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli as an example. He has three years left on his deal. As per Daly's interpretation of the rule, the Bruins do in fact have the right to draft pick compensation if they want it.
Now, you would think the Bruins wouldn't want to block any attempt by another team to hire Chiarelli since they owe him a salary for three more years. But the point is, they apparently could demand a pick if they wanted.
What's interesting about all this is that it runs counter to what many team executives believed was the original point of wanting to bring back compensation. One executive told ESPN.com Monday he had always thought the rule was just to protect, for example, a team like the Detroit Red Wings when they allow Steve Yzerman or Jim Nill to go elsewhere for better opportunities, not to try to squeeze a pick out of someone you fired.
Which is why this has the potential now to be very intriguing -- and potentially contentious -- moving forward. We shall see.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Steven Rosenberg said the convoy began moving before dawn
More than 100 lorries carrying Russian aid are heading towards the border with Ukraine, amid continuing confusion over their final destination.
The lorries have turned off on to a road towards a rebel-controlled border crossing in the Luhansk region.
A senior International Red Cross (ICRC) official, Laurent Corbaz, is flying to Kiev and then Moscow to discuss the Russian aid initiative.
The ICRC says Ukraine and Russia need to clarify border crossing procedures.
The situation is reported to be desperate in the rebel-held city of Luhansk, where for more than a week civilians have been short of water, food and electricity. Phone lines are also down as shelling continues.
Russia has dismissed as absurd claims that its convoy is a pretext to send military supplies to the rebels.
But Ukraine has said the convoy must be inspected by international monitors before it can be let in.
The BBC's Steve Rosenberg is following the convoy's progress and tweeted that military vehicles are escorting the big white lorries.
They are now about 35km (22 miles) from the border, and he says it is unclear what will happen when the convoy reaches the border.
Image caption Military vehicles are escorting the aid convoy through southern Russia (pic: BBC's Steve Rosenberg)
An ICRC spokeswoman, Anastasia Isyuk, said "the question of border crossing procedures and customs clearance (for the aid convoy) still has to be clarified between the two sides," Reuters news agency reported.
Ukrainian lorries carrying aid also set off on Thursday from Kiev, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, the Ukrainian news agency Unian reported. They were heading for Starobelsk in the Luhansk region.
In other developments:
Russian President Vladimir Putin is to make a speech in Crimea shortly, accompanied by Russian MPs. He will also speak to local people on the peninsula, annexed by Russia in March in a move that drew international condemnation
Mr Putin is to discuss the Ukraine crisis with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto on Friday in Sochi, on Russia's Black Sea coast
Fighting in eastern Ukraine has intensified in recent weeks, with the UN saying there has been a spike in the number of deaths.
Some 2,086 people have been killed since the conflict began in mid-April, and more than half of them in the past two weeks, the UN said.
Image copyright AP Image caption The lorries were sprinkled with holy water before setting out
Image copyright AFP Image caption Reports on Wednesday said the lorries were heading to the border in Kharkiv region
The head of the pro-Russian rebels in Luhansk, Valery Bolotov, says he is stepping down temporarily because of an injury and will be replaced by his "defence minister" Igor Plotnitsky. The rebels run the self-declared "Luhansk People's Republic" in defiance of Kiev.
Recently a new leader also took charge in the rebel "Donetsk People's Republic" - Alexander Zakharchenko.
The Russian convoy - reckoned to be 262 lorries - began its journey in the Moscow region on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night they parked at a military base in the southern city of Voronezh. Then on Wednesday the Ukrainian authorities said the convoy would not be allowed into the Kharkiv region, which is under Ukrainian government control.
The BBC's Steve Rosenberg says more than 100 lorries set off southwards before dawn on Thursday.
Russia announced its intention to send a convoy earlier this week, saying it was in discussions with Ukraine's government and the Red Cross.
But Ukraine's government seemed unwilling to let the convoy cross into its territory.
The fighting in the east began when pro-Russian rebels seized government buildings and tried to declare independence.
The military launched an operation to retake the east, and stepped up its activities in June.The 1970s was arguably the single decade of the 20th century when recorded music was most central to culture. There were, of course, fewer kinds of media competing for the average consumer’s time—television meant just a handful of channels, video games were the size of refrigerators and could be found in arcades. As the used vinyl bins of the world are still telling us, records were the thing. Labels were flush with cash, sales of LPs and singles were brisk, and record stores were everywhere. Home stereos were a standard part of middle-class culture. Analog recording technology was at its zenith, FM radio was ascendant, and the AM dial still focused on music. The children of the baby boom were coming into their late twenties and thirties—young enough to still be serious music consumers, but old enough to have their own generation of children who were starting to buy music.
And then there was the music itself. Disco, an entire cultural movement fueled by a genre of music—with massive impact on fashion, film, TV and advertising—was utterly ubiquitous. Rock music emerged from the ’60s as to go-to choice of white youth culture. Soul and funk were reaching new levels of artistry. Punk, the first serious backlash against the rock mainstream, came into its own. Records from Jamaica were making their way to the UK and, eventually, the U.S., changing sounds and urging a new kind of political consciousness. As culture moved in every direction at once, there were more great songs than anyone could count.
As voted by our full time staff and contributors, these are Pitchfork's 200 best songs of the 1970s.
Listen to the best songs of the 1970s on Apple Music and Spotify.B.C. Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth said there’s not yet any framework in place to crack down on impaired drivers as the legalization of marijuana looms.
The comments came as Ontario said it plans to introduce tougher penalties for drivers caught behind the wheel while under the influence of cannabis.
READ MORE: Ontario introducing tougher laws, stiffer penalties for drug-impaired drivers
Instead, the province is waiting to see what changes will be made by the federal government with Bill C-46, legislation that will amend Canada’s impaired driving laws, Farnworth said Tuesday.
WATCH: Coverage of marijuana legalization on Globalnews.ca
“What I’d like to see British Columbia do is work with other provinces so we have a common regime right across the country. That would probably be the best way to go,” he said.
“At this particular time, we haven’t put in place what a specific penalty would be.”
READ MORE: Canadian police look for guidance on marijuana legislation
As for intoxication tests, Farnworth said the province will also look to Ottawa for help.
“I know there’s been a lot of work done on saliva tests, for example. [The federal government has] indicated to us that they will be there to support the province in that regard.”
WATCH: Will B.C. follow Ontario’s lead when it comes to distributing marijuana?
But issues surrounding testing for marijuana-related impaired driving will need to be resolved by the time pot is legalized July next year, Farnworth insisted.
Last week, Ontario’s public safety minister said that province will bring in increased fines and longer suspensions for drivers who break the law.
READ MORE: As pot legalization looms, will police keep making arrests?
Ontario is also implementing a zero tolerance policy for teens aged 21 and under, novice drivers and all commercial drivers in the province.
Senior Canadian police officials have also asked Ottawa to postpone the legalization date, over concerns that more time is needed to teach officers how to enforce new laws.
Ottawa has pledged to table legislation legalizing marijuana for recreational use by July 2018.This year's Miami Beach Pride celebration was marked by perfect sunshine weather, and rainbows in the forms of flags in a sea of thousands of LGBT South Florida locals, out-of-towners and community allies.
"I actually moved back to Miami from Orlando today, and the Pride is the best welcome back to this city. I love the energy that comes from the LGBT community here in Miami. It can't be replicated," said Johnathan Navedo, 24.
Fort Lauderdale resident Janae Sweet, 23, was at the event with friends.
"It's a really just a day to get together with friends, have some drinks, have some laughs and just be part of this community," she said.
Pride Week began on Monday, April 3, with the rainbow flag raising ceremony at City Hall in Miami Beach, followed by the Miss Miami Beach Pride Pageant and silent auction. The new title for Miss Miami Beach Gay Pride transitioned from last year's winner Kalah Mendoza to this year's winner Joanna James.
One key event was every evening from Thursday through Sunday in which "Pride Lights the Night" paid tribute to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Buildings throughout the area lit up in the colors of the rainbow flag.
The festival was host to a beach party, DJs, exhibitors, community booths and more. Signage included promotion of Madrid Pride, which takes place June 24 through July 2.
Of course, on the beach boardwalk shirtless gay men and bikini-topped women were commonly found. The beach itself was packed as well with those who wanted to really take advantage of the sun and sand.
On the actual day of the parade, the streets were lined with twinks, bears, muscle guys, drag queens, androgyny, flamboyance; as well as lesbians and members of the trans community — all of which were diverse in race, ethnicity and age.
The parade started on 5th Street and Ocean Drive and traveled north to 15th Street. There were 70-plus parade floats, convertibles, marchers and motorcycles. Palace Bar, and others, were packed tightly with thirsty patrons.
Friendly and flamboyant media personality Ross Mathews was the parade's grand marshal.
"We love this city. We love the people. And, I love our community," Mathews said in a retweeted video Celebrity Cruises, a sponsor of Miami Beach Pride, posted on its Twitter page from April 7. On the day of the parade, Mathews tweeted, "Extra proud today!"
Established by former Miami Beach Mayor, Matti Bower, as an initiative of the Miami Beach Gay Business Development Council, Miami Beach Gay Pride is a not-for-profit organization that produces free, safe, quality mass-appeal events that are open to all, and that include the Parade, Festival, Expo, and adjunct, officially sanctioned Miami Beach Gay Pride events.WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A tour of the world's most religious countries wouldn't be all mountaintop shrines and magnificent temples -- it would also take you to some pretty bleak places. Gallup Polls in 143 countries reveal that among countries where average annual incomes are $2,000 or less, 92% of residents say religion is an important part of their daily lives. By contrast, among the richest countries surveyed -- those where average annual incomes are $25,000 or more -- that figure drops to 44%.
Why is a population's religiosity consistently connected to its wealth, or lack thereof? Sociologists going back to the 19th century have theorized that societies naturally grow more secular as they modernize -- that is, as people begin to grow better off in terms of education and living standards, the importance they attach to religion begins to recede.
But these secularization theories have come under fire more recently for their inability to tell the whole story. Other researchers have shown that religion is in fact a powerful positive force for disadvantaged populations. In 2004, Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris used data from the World Values Survey to document a growing "religiosity gap" between developing and industrialized populations. They argued that people in the poorest societies live with much greater vulnerability to forces that threaten their existence, so they're more likely than those in developed nations to rely on religion for hope.
Gallup's 2008 surveys in 32 countries with average annual incomes of $2,000 or less (the countries are listed in the "Survey Methods" section) document the extent to which religiosity appears to affect residents' emotional health. Specifically, they are more likely than those in the less religious group to say they experienced enjoyment the previous day, and they are less likely to have experienced a range of negative emotions.
These differences persist even after factoring in other variables that might affect respondents' emotional states such as gender and age. Now compare these results with those from the world's richest countries -- i.e., the 31 countries surveyed in 2008 where residents have average annual incomes of $25,000 or more.
Note that the differences here are smaller -- in fact, in the two cases in which they are more than a couple of percentage points, they are in the opposite direction from those we saw among the poorest countries.
The Social Side of Religion
In rich-world countries, one reason people that are more religious are less likely to get an emotional lift from their faith may be that they have fewer similarly devout people to share that faith with. This gets to another line of thought that emphasizes the social connections that religion fosters in developing societies. Common faith traditions give residents access to social networks and opportunities to forge meaningful relationships that offer emotional satisfaction, as well as a safety net -- a literal form of "social security" -- in times of crisis.
An ongoing analysis by Princeton economists Angus Deaton and Danny Kahneman and Gallup senior consultant Raksha Arora supports this concept, finding that respondents who are more religious give higher ratings on a life evaluation scale in countries where religiosity is more common overall.
In other words, as you move to countries where higher proportions of people say religion is important to them, the relationship between that question and overall life satisfaction gets stronger.
Gallup's data also reveal that in poor countries residents who are more religious are more likely than those who are less religious to say they had positive experiences and interactions the previous day. For example, those in the more religious group are more likely to say they were treated with respect all day and that they smiled and laughed a lot that day. Again, these differences are smaller or nonexistent among rich-world populations.
Where Is the "Religion Lift" Strongest?
Finally, let's take a closer look at those poorer countries where 1) there are enough residents who are less religious to meaningfully compare them with their more religious counterparts (7% of the population was our lower limit) and 2) religiosity is most closely associated with more positive emotions and experiences. We can clearly see the effect in most sub-Saharan African countries, but in three countries -- Uganda, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso -- it is particularly dramatic.
Controlling for the effects of age, gender, and household income, the connection between religiosity and enjoyment is just as strong or stronger.
What do these three countries have in common that might help explain why religiosity appears to have such a powerful effect? Many factors unique to each country may be at play, but it's notable that they share three characteristics:
Prominent role of religion in culture. In all three countries, religious traditions are an important part of public life. In Ethiopia, for example, religious festivals are enthusiastically celebrated by entire communities, with members of all faiths participating together. High levels of religious acceptance. None of the three countries has a completely homogenous religious makeup -- all have some mix of Christianity, Islam, and indigenous faiths -- but all three have a history of harmonious coexistence between different faith communities. Low government involvement in religion. The government does not formally align itself with any particular religion in any of the three countries. Nor does the government in any of the three seek to limit or control the religious practices of its people.
It seems likely that these three elements contribute to an environment that maximizes the benefits of religiosity, while minimizing the likelihood of costly religious conflict.
Bottom Line
Gallup Poll results support the idea that the social and psychological benefits of religion are strongest in the world's poorest countries. However, these effects vary from country to country, and as history has shown, religion is often associated with devastating conflict as well. One implication seems to be this: Strategies for development in the world's poorest countries should seek to leverage the positive power of religion by promoting conditions, such as interfaith harmony and low state interference, under which its benefits are most likely to come shining through.
Survey Methods
Global results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews conducted in 2006, 2007, and 2008 with approximately 1,000 adults in each country. Results from each country have an associated sampling error of ±4 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.
Countries or areas surveyed with average annual incomes of $2,000 or less include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Kenya, Kosovo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Burma (Myanmar), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Countries and areas surveyed with average annual incomes of $25,000 or more include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.Indie-developers Molleindustria have just released their satirical game Phone Story onto the Android Market today. The game isn’t without controversy, however. The satirical collection of mini-games in Phone Story are aimed at exposing “the dark side of your favorite smartphone” (ie: Apple’s iPhone) by explaining the process that goes into making the device. From the mines in the Congo, the suicidal Foxconn factories in Taiwan to the inevitable release of the iThing Beta, Phone Story holds nothing back.
Of course, the game hit too close to home for Apple and even though they approved the app for sale in their App Store on Sept 9th, they promptly removed it a few days later on Sept 13th. But other than a five-finger slap to the face of Apple just what terms did Phone Story violate? Apple claims that the game violated four iOS app rules with its depictions of child abuse (code 15.2), objectionable or crude content (16.1) and promises to turn over a portion of the money to charity (21.1 and 21.2). Faced with either censoring the app to conform with Apple’s standards or releasing their “educational” game onto the Android Market, Molleindustria decided on the latter.
If you want to check it out (I already beat it), the game is available right now in the Android Market for only $1 and don’t forget to hit up their website here for more info. Molleindustria promises to donate all proceeds to “organizations working to solve the issues mentioned in this game.” Keep in mind the game does require Adobe AIR which is a good 6MB download.
Thanks, Sam!
[Market Link] [Via WiredUK]CTV.ca News Staff
NATO commanders are putting the Canadian Forces in charge of the Arghandab district, north of Kandahar city, a region where U.S. troops have sustained heavy casualties since being assigned there earlier this year.
"The local population is frustrated. So I think that's one of the purposes of this strategy -- to deploy troops in areas and keep them there," Mark Sedra, of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, told CTV News.
Task Force Kandahar will gain an additional U.S. battalion and Afghan National Army unit that will each serve under its command by the new year, said Brig. Gen. Frederick Hodges, director of operations for NATO's southern command.
Retired major-general Lewis McKenzie said that's a sign of great respect from the U.S.
"We're the only nation in the 28 NATO nations where the Americans entrust their troops under our command," he said.
Hodges said NATO intends to deepen its hold in Kandahar, before using any surplus troops to clear neighbouring Helmand province.
In a telephone interview from Kandahar, Canadian Press reporter Jonathan Montpetit told CTV News Channel that NATO is "trying to regain the momentum of the insurgency in the south, which is really what they've identified as the biggest problem area in the country."
Michel Drapeau, a retired Canadian Forces colonel, told CTV News Channel that the Arghandab district doesn't appear to be any more dangerous than the area Canadian soldiers currently patrol in Kandahar.
"We'll have to wait and see whether or not this is going to be more perilous... and probably in the end, it will mean very little except that we will be operating in a sector that we haven't been up to now," Drapeau said during an interview from Ottawa.
It is possible that the changes were made with an eye to the fact that Canada will be pulling its soldiers out of the war-torn country by the end of 2011, he said.
Under the new plan, U.S. troops currently serving in the Arghandab district will be reassigned to protect the roads in and around Kandahar. The U.S. troops currently serving in Kandahar, in turn, will then fall under the direction of the Canadians.
Hodges said the changes will take place regardless of U.S. President Barack Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Obama committed 30,000 more U.S. troops to the NATO effort to secure southern Afghanistan.
With a report by CTV's Lisa LaFlamme and files from The Canadian PressIce-cream bandits are flipping their stolen desserts to bodegas, according to 13th Precinct commanding officer Deputy Inspector Brendan Timoney. View Full Caption Shutterstock/Keith Homan
MANHATTAN — Your bodega ice cream may be hot.
A string of ice cream thefts at Manhattan drug stores was motivated not by a love of dessert — although that cannot be entirely ruled out — but rather by the resale value of the frozen treats, according to the 13th Precinct commanding officer Deputy Inspector Brendan Timoney.
The crew of dairy bandits arrested earlier this month for stealing thousands of dollars worth of Häagen-Dazs and Ben and Jerry's ice cream from Duane Reade and CVS pharmacies across Manhattan were most likely flipping it to corner delis on the cheap, Timoney said.
“They’re stealing it and selling it to bodegas,” he said. “You see it with all kinds of stolen goods.”
► See a MAP of Duane Reade and CVS pharmacies hit by Häagen-Dazs thieves.
Timoney added that the ice cream thieves are likely small-time operators with no connections to organized crime, but the frequency of the crimes makes it difficult for police to narrow down delis involved in the resale of stolen goods or dampen the demand for them, he said.
“It’s harder to find who they’re selling to unless they give us information,” he said.
Police rounded up seven thieves on Feb. 2 in connection to a monthslong shoplifting spree between November and January, where 28-year-old Philip Jaudoa and his crew of six, some of them minors, targeted six Manhattan pharmacies, distracting employees while others stuffed the frozen treats into backpacks and fled.
In one of the hits, Jaudoa and his team managed to snag a whopping $1,683 worth of ice cream cartons, including Häagen-Dazs, Ben and Jerry’s, and Talenti, according to a criminal complaint.
Four days after their arrest, a pair of shoplifters grabbed 66 containers of Häagen-Dazs valued at $375.54 from a Midtown Duane Reade, police said.
Just five minutes later, two thieves struck a West 57th Street Duane Reade, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, and walked out with 224 Häagen-Dazs containers worth $712.32, according to authorities.
Officials could not say if the two incidents were related.
Most recently, on Feb. 11, officers caught a teen red-handed as he tried to leave the Duane Reade at Broadway and 52nd Street with $54 worth of ice cream in his backpack, police said.Crisis in the eurozone is 'worse than Lehman Brothers collapse' says top European financial regulator
Peter Praet, chief economist at the European Central Bank has issued a stark warning to European finance ministers ahead of today's meeting in Brussels
The crisis in the eurozone is more dangerous than the collapse of Lehman Brothers during the banking crash nearly four years ago, a senior European regulator said last night.
Peter Praet, chief economist at the European Central Bank, said the situation in the single currency bloc was worse than the events which toppled the US investment bank in September 2008 and plunged the global economy into recession.
The stark warning from such a senior figure at the Frankfurt-based institution will cause alarm at today’s meeting of European finance ministers in Brussels.
It came as borrowing costs in Spain and Italy soared in a dramatic escalation of the debt crisis stalking the eurozone.
Spain’s crucial ten-year bond yield – the amount its government pays to borrow – lurched back into the danger zone above 7 per cent. In Italy, the interest rate rose above 6 per cent.
Fears are mounting that Spain will need a full-blown state bailout on top of the £80billion rescue package agreed for its broken banks. It is thought that Italy could then be the next domino to fall – wreaking havoc in Europe and throughout the world.
‘The eurozone crisis is now much more profound and fundamental than at the time of Lehman,’ Mr Praet said.
Greece, Ireland and Portugal have already been bailed out and Cyprus has asked for emergency aid to save it from collapse. European Central Bank president Mario Draghi warned national leaders that they had ‘no time to waste’ in getting to grips with the crisis.
He said last month’s European Union summit – the 19th since the crisis began with the meltdown in Greece – was only the ‘first step’ towards saving the region.
At the meeting at the end of June, European leaders outlined plans for a banking union policed centrally by the ECB. They also agreed to allow countries to get loans from eurozone bailout funds in an attempt to reduce borrowing costs.
Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, has called for bold action and told EU leaders there is 'no time to waste' in solving the current eurozone crisis
But since the summit, Finland and the Netherlands have voiced opposition to such a move, fuelling |
, and continues to be, devastating. But there are two ways you spiral after a family tragedy of that magnitude: up or down. There’s little room to stay in between.
Over the next three years I would write a lot and play golf, often doing one or both of those things at the expense of spending time with my family. As Churchill said, we are often using weapons in life that are ill-designed to deal with such an event as the loss of a child. In that video Vince Gill says, “Brother George [Jones] taught us all how sing with a broken heart.” If we can learn how to play golf with a crooked stick, then we can learn how to go through life with the broken hearts we pile up along our path. It’s just that sometimes we need reminding.
As I pulled the cart strap around the bag and clamped it down, I looked up at the mountains that embrace the property and thought about the Vince Gill song. I also thought about my daughter. It’s hard to convey the existential things that happen on a golf course when you play by yourself. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does you can’t help but share it with someone. When I rented the Mizunos in the clubhouse, all I was trying to do was take an opportunity to play golf and try out some clubs that were creating buzz in the golf world. What ended up happening was some unexpected healing.
My opening tee shot went a little right (I blamed it on the new driver). I hopped in and steered the cart to the opposite side of the hole, veering off the cart path to find my ball in some slight rough. I promptly hit a wedge just short of the green (my altitude calculations for yardage weren’t very precise), jumped back in the cart and drove to the green. Pumping the parking brake on the cart, I got out and saw the marshall approaching the green. He said, “It’s cart-path only on the course today,” and I apologized. At first, I was annoyed because neither the pro nor the marshall had given me this information and, had I known that I wouldn’t have paid for a cart.
With bygones being bygones, I went about my round. It turns out, the cart-path only status gave me more time to walk and take in the scenery, so there’s the first uptick in the spiral. Since I was alone, I started playing music through my iPhone and kept on rolling. As I tell you the next part of this story it will be hard for you not to think I made it up, but I promise, it happened just as you read it.
I played the first 11 holes just letting one of my playlists cycle through some ballads (I’m a ballad kind of guy) and I pulled up to the par-4 12th hole. When I stepped out of the cart I grabbed my phone out of my pocket to take a picture and that damn Vince Gill song came on again. While the intro was playing, I took this picture.
I had to reset over the golf ball three times because I couldn’t keep my composure. Finally, on the fourth attempt, I striped a drive right over that fairway bunker you see, almost directly in line with the top of that mountain. When I got to my ball the song was about halfway through and Vince Gill was in the middle of a silky guitar solo. I played the shot to the front of the green and it bounced up to about 25 feet. To that point, I hadn’t made a birdie in the round and didn’t expect this one to fall either. (I wasn’t worried about the score all that much with rented clubs at 8,000 feet above sea level.) The universe had other plans.
I parked the cart and walked to the green with my Cleveland milled putter in hand, pulled the flag and lined up my putt. I set up over the ball and took my practice strokes looking at the hole (as I always do). As I placed the putter behind the ball I could still hear the song playing in my pocket. I made the stroke and the ball took off. It broke about six inches around the halfway mark (not what I read) and fell into the hole. It would be the only birdie I’d make all day.
As I replaced the flag and walked off the green the music stopped. I’d reached the end of my playlist.
I finished the round in quiet solitude, admiring the mountains and the lesson they’d taught me. Sometimes, in order to move forward in life, ill-designed tools are the only thing you need. And sometimes, they aren’t so ill-designed. Maybe golf is a game where we play with weapons better suited for chopping down baby trees or tilling a garden, but if it were easy it wouldn’t be something you did for a lifetime.
I’ve been playing golf for over half my life to some degree, and it’s never meant more to me than it did that day. Not because of any specific shot, but because of the power residing in the desire to improve at something. I walked into the clubhouse expecting to get some rentals and play a round of golf, then grab some dinner and spend the rest of the night in the room. I did those things, but somewhere in the middle of the round I realized that I’d been trying to avoid dealing with something terrible that happened to my family, something I couldn’t control and can’t change.
That’s why we love golf, right? Because we think that we can control the outcome with enough grinding and mindless practice. As we all soon learn, though, mindless practice will get you nowhere in this game… and that’s the same in life. I don’t want to build up the moment on 12th hole as something that will will forever change my life; it’s too early to tell, but it did change my day and my week.
Churchill was right, we’re trying to hit a “very small ball.” The last time I checked, though, the hole was bigger than the ball.Our new Tier 6 Resolute Class Advanced Heavy Cruiser is now live! Enjoy our weekend sale from now until July 20th at 10AM PDT where you can get the Resolute Class for 2500 ZEN instead of 3000 ZEN!
We’re excited to reveal the stats of the awesome new Tier 6 Resolute Class Advanced Heavy Cruiser. This starship is an enhanced version of the Excelsior Class Advanced Heavy Cruiser Retrofit. This Tier 6 cruiser comes equipped with a special console and can unlock a new starship trait at level 5 Starship Mastery. Below are the stats for this new Tier 6 starship and its fleet variant. Both this ship and its fleet variant will be released at the same time.
The Tier 6 Resolute Class Advanced Heavy Cruiser was inspired by the classic design of the Excelsior Class Advanced Heavy Cruiser. This modified Advanced Heavy Cruiser has been completely updated to the latest standards of Starfleet Engineering Corps.
This starship features a Lieutenant Commander Engineering/Command specialist seat.
The Advanced Heavy Cruiser [T6] comes with an Advanced Transwarp Drive which allows you to instantly travel to ten locations in the Alpha and Beta Quadrant at no cost.
Ship Details
Tier: 6
Availability: C-Store
Faction: Starfleet
Required Rank: Vice Admiral
Hull Strength: 44,850 at level 50 and 52,000 at level 60
Shield Modifier: 1
Crew: 750
Fore Weapons: 4
Aft Weapons: 4
Device Slots: 4
Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Ensign Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Commander Engineering/Command, 1 Commander Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Science
Console Modifications: 3 Tactical, 5 Engineering, 2 Science
Base Turn Rate: 8 degrees/second
Impulse Modifier: 0.15
Friction/Traction: 40
+5 All Power
Advanced Transwarp Drive
Console - Universal - Tactical Maneuvering Matrix
Starship Ability Package (Cruiser) Absorptive Plating (+Physical and Kinetic Resistance) Rapid Repairs (+Hull Regen) Enhanced Plating (+Energy Resistance) Armored Hull (+Max HP) Improved Weaponized Emitters (Starship Trait)
Cruiser Communications Array Command - Strategic Maneuvering Command - Shield Frequency Modulation Command - Weapon System Efficiency Command - Attract Fire
Console – Universal – Tactical Maneuvering Matrix
The Advanced Heavy Cruiser [T6] comes equipped with the Tactical Maneuvering Matrix universal console. The Tactical Maneuvering Matrix makes an Advanced Heavy Cruiser even more durable and maneuverable. When activated, Pursuit Mode uses complex predictive algorithms and specialized inertia-less maneuvering thrusters to improve the ship's Speed, Turn Rate, and Damage Resistance, and the amount increases with the number of enemies in combat range. Additionally, your directed energy weapons will cripple your target's engines and maneuvering thrusters for a short time. This will dramatically reduce their turn rate and speed.
This console provides a passive bonus to turn rate, speed, and damage resistance.
This Console Mod can be equipped only on Advanced Heavy Cruisers, in any console slot. You may only equip one of these mods.
Improved Weaponized Emitters (Starship Trait)
Upon achieving level 5 in the Advanced Heavy Cruiser [T6]'s starship mastery, you will unlock the Improved Weaponized Emitters starship trait. While this trait is slotted your Aceton Beam and Overwhelm Emitters abilities cause radiation damage over time to enemies within 3km of the target.
Fleet Advanced Heavy Cruiser [T6]
The Tier 6 Advanced Heavy Cruiser was inspired by the classic design of the Excelsior Class Advanced Heavy Cruiser. This modified Advanced Heavy Cruiser has been completed updated to the latest standards of Starfleet engineering.
This starship features a Lieutenant Commander Engineering/Command specialist seat.
The Fleet Advanced Heavy Cruiser [T6] comes with an Advanced Transwarp Drive which allows you to instantly travel to ten locations in the Alpha and Beta Quadrant at no cost.
The Fleet Advanced Heavy Cruiser [T6] has been specifically designed to support your Fleet. Fleet Starships are built to the highest standard and have increased Hull Hit Points, Shield Strength and an additional Console slot. Tier 6 Fleet ships do not have a 5th Starship Mastery level and thus do not unlock a Starship Trait.
Ship Details
Tier: 6
Availability: Tier 3 Fleet Shipyard
Faction: Starfleet
Required Rank: Level 50
Hull Strength: 49,335 at level 50 and 57,200 at level 60
Shield Modifier: 1.1
Crew: 750
Fore Weapons: 4
Aft Weapons: 4
Device Slots: 4
Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Ensign Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Commander Engineering/Command, 1 Commander Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Science
Console Modifications: 4 Tactical, 5 Engineering, 2 Science
Base Turn Rate: 8 degrees/second
Impulse Modifier: 0.15
Friction/Traction: 40
Advanced Transwarp Drive
+5 to All Power Levels
Starship Ability Package (Cruiser) Absorptive Plating (+Physical and Kinetic Resistance) Rapid Repairs (+Hull Regen) Enhanced Plating (+Energy Resistance) Armored Hull (+Max HP)
Improved Weaponized Emitters Cruiser Command Array Command – Strategic Maneuvering Command – Shield Frequency Modulation Command – Weapon System Efficiency Command – Attract Fire
DISCLAIMER: All information in this blog post is subject to change.
Phil “Gorngonzolla” Zeleski
Lead Systems Designer
Star Trek Online
Discuss in the forumsThe percentage of Americans who call themselves Christians has dropped dramatically over the past two decades, and those who do are increasingly identifying themselves without traditional denomination labels, according to a major study of U.S. religion being released today.
The survey of more than 54,000 people conducted between February and November of last year showed that the percentage of Americans identifying as Christians has dropped to 76 percent of the population, down from 86 percent in 1990. Those who do call themselves Christian are more frequently describing themselves as "nondenominational" "evangelical" or "born again," according to the American Religious Identification Survey.
The survey is conducted by researchers at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and funded by the Lilly Endowment and the Posen Foundation. Conducted in 1990, 2001 and last year, it is one of the nation's largest major surveys of religion.
The increase in people labeling themselves in more generic Christian terms corresponds strongly with the decline in people identifying themselves as Protestant, the survey found. People calling themselves mainline Protestants, including Methodists and Lutherans, have dropped to 13 percent of the population, down from 19 percent in 1990. The number of people who describe themselves as generically "Protestant" went from approximately 17 million in 1990 to 5 million.
Meanwhile, the number of people who use nondenominational terms has gone from 194,000 in 1990 to more than 8 million.
"There is now this shift in the non-Catholic population -- and maybe among American Christians in general -- into a sort of generic, soft evangelicalism," said Mark Silk, who directs Trinity's Program on Public Values and helped supervise the survey.
The survey substantiated several general trends already identified by sociologists: the slipping importance of denomination in America, the growing number of people who say they have "no" religion and the increase in religious minorities including Muslims, Mormons and such movements as Wicca and paganism.
The only group that grew in every U.S. state since the 2001 survey was people saying they had "no" religion; the survey says this group is now 15 percent of the population. Silk said this group is likely responsible for the shrinking percentage of Christians in the United States.
Northern New England has surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country; 34 percent of Vermont residents say they have "no religion." The report said that the country has a "growing non-religious or irreligious minority." Twenty-seven percent of those interviewed said they did not expect to have a religious funeral or service when they died, and 30 percent of people who had married said their service was not religious. Those questions weren't asked in previous surveys.
The survey reflects a key question that demographers, sociologists and political scientists have been asking in recent years: Who makes up this growing group of evangelicals? Forty-four percent of America's 77 million Christian adults say they are born again or evangelical. Meanwhile, 18 percent of Catholics also chose that label, as did 40 percent of mainline Christians.
"If people call themselves 'evangelical,' it doesn't tell you as much as you think it tells you about what kind of church they go to," Silk said. "It deepens the conundrum about who evangelicals are."The first comprehensive anti-patent troll bill was introduced last week, and yesterday it debuted to a mostly receptive hearing in the House Judiciary Committee. But lawmakers were divided on a part of the bill important to some would-be patent reformers: establishing a patent office review system for "covered business method" patents.
Other parts of the bill would create more transparency in patent ownership, make it easier for companies to recover legal fees after winning a patent case, and shift rules around discovery and disclosure during litigation. The bill would also allow suits against customers who are users of a technology to be stayed when the manufacturer gets involved.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) introduced the bill by describing "abusive patent litigation" as a "drag on the economy" and calling out several of the most notorious examples of patent trolling in the past few years. Lodsys, a patent-holder that has gone after iOS developers, was called out by name.
"These suits target settlements at just under what it will cost for litigation," said Goodlatte. Shell companies are asking for payouts based on common practices like "sending a photo copy to e-mail, aggregating news articles, offering free Wi-Fi in your shop, or having a shopping cart on your website," noted Goodlatte. "The patent system was never intended to be a playground for frivolous litigation."
Next to speak was the ranking Democratic committee member, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). While he agreed action was required, "our first rule should be to make sure we do no harm to our patent system," said Conyers.
He wasn't sure they needed to consider fee-shifting, for instance, when the Supreme Court is due to hear a pair of cases involving fee-shifting in patent cases. Nor did Conyers favor expanding the "covered business method" or CBM review program.
Expanding the so-called CBM program would have a big effect, because it would allow defendants to challenge many patents for around $100,000, instead of spending the $1 million or more typically required to fight a patent in federal court.
The current CBM program is a ten-year trial program that only applies to patents issued after the America Invents Act, passed in 2011, took effect. That means that most of the business-related patents reformers consider abusive can't be challenged under the program as it currently stands.
While some aspects of the bill have broad support in the tech industry, companies are divided about an expanded CBM. Many Internet companies support an expanded CBM review program, as do "Main Street"-type companies like supermarkets and restaurants, which are new but influential components of the anti-patent troll coalition. However, there's also a big coalition of businesses that opposes the CBM program—including some more established tech companies with more patents, like Microsoft, Adobe, Qualcomm, and Xerox.
The four witnesses who spoke were Krish Gupta, deputy GC at EMC Corp.; Kevin Kramer, head IP lawyer at Yahoo; David Kappos, who was the head of the US Patent and Trademark Office until recently and now is a lawyer in private practice; and Robert Armitage, former GC at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.
Of the three witnesses, only Kramer supported expanding the CBM program. Kappos was vocal in his concern that the program should not be expanded from its focus on "financial service" patents to encompassing software patents.
"Let it settle in further," suggested Kappos. "Extension of that section to software innovations should be avoided. The US is home to a software industry that dazzles the world."
Troll overreach: Don’t mess with the burger joint
While there is some disagreement and confusion as to what changes are appropriate, now that more lawmakers are weighing in on the issue, it is clear that patent trolls are in for some kind of pushback. They have reached too far, demanded money from too many small businesses in too many cities. As an EFF attorney noted last week, the trolls have done much of the reformers' hardest work for them.
"In my area, local credit unions were the subject of a lawsuit from the patent assertion entities, just because they had features on their websites that have to do with online banking features," said Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA). "They had to make a decision between reducing staff and proceeding with a lawsuit. Finally they gave up and settled with the patent trolls."
The overreach was palpable and has made an impression on politicians. Rep. Brent Farenthold (R-TX) was incredulous that Whataburger, the Texas-based chain of hamburger joints, had been targeted by a patent suit.
"They make hamburgers!" sputtered Farenthold. "They don't play in the intellectual property game... You know there's a problem when I can't get Wi-Fi and the prices at my grocery store are going up because they're tagged by frivolous lawsuits."
Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) named names, describing the patent threat letters his constituents had handed to him. Marino cited a letter from Farney Daniels, the Texas law firm pushing ahead with the now-notorious scanner patents; another letter from the firm of John Desmarais, who made waves in the legal world by leaving his corporate law firm to work for Intellectual Ventures and other patent plaintiffs; and a letter from Innovative Wireless Solutions LLC, yet another shell company wielding patents it says entitle it to payments from users of Wi-Fi.
"These are typical letters," said Marino. "They fail to state a claim. One has a little diagram. Apparently I have some problems in my own house, because my computer, and my wife's, and my kid's, are all linked together. That is how ridiculous these letters are. Particularly in my district, people are scared to death when they get something like this, because they don't know what's going on... why should criminal charges not be filed against someone for doing this?"Get Fancy Omiyage at this Japanese Confectionery at Kāhala Mall
Minamoto Kitchoan opens its second location, selling expensive cookies, mochi and jelly.
By Maria Kanai
One of the best-sellers at Minamoto Kitchoan is the fukuwata senbei, waffle cookies with a sweet filling. The shop, now open at Kāhala Mall, has vanilla, chocolate and matcha flavors.
Photos: Catherine Toth Fox
In Japan, if you get a gift, you give a gift. It is pretty much The Law.
And gift giving can get intense, where you have to guesstimate the price of the gift you’ve received, make sure yours at least matches, looks just as pretty, is given back within an appropriate amount of time. The list goes on.
Minamoto Kitchoan is a confectionery store that’s all about Japanese omiyage culture, with gourmet sweets called wagashi flown from Okayama prefecture.
Last week, it opened its second Hawai‘i branch in Kāhala Mall. It’s a kiosk close to Longs Drugs and Macy’s. It’s smaller than the first Hawai‘i location, which opened in September 2013 at Ala Moana Center, but has all the popular items such as the chocoramikasa (chocolate cream-filled mini pancakes) and ayashirabe (mochi cakes). These wagashi are intricately wrapped in beautiful paper and boxes, which make them perfect gifts to family and friends (or to treat yourself).
We tried an assortment during a media tasting, and our favorite was the fukuwata senbei, waffle cookies ($3 per piece) with a sweet filling. It’s one of the best-selling treats at Minamoto Kitchoan, according to store manager Yayoi Akana. “Fuku means happiness, and fukuwata means to give good luck,” says Akana. The filling flavors come in chocolate, vanilla or matcha. We loved the matcha, a light green tea cream filling sandwiched between two waffle cookies, which are not overly crunchy and lean more toward crumbly. Like most Japanese treats, these cookies aren’t too sweet.
Akana says that Minamoto Kitchoan is most famous for using fresh fruits, as in the bite-size, assorted fruit jellies ($14 to $20), which have flavors that include grace dew, pineapple, banana, mango, muscat, strawberry and raspberry. The specialty item though, is the shimizuhakuto jelly or the white peach gelatin.
“The white peach jelly is made using special techniques. We pick the perfect, best-quality peaches from our trees grown in Okayama prefecture,” she says. “The peaches are blocked from direct sunlight, and we get rid of ‘bad’ fruits on the tree, so all the nutrition, sweetness and juiciness can be found in one perfect peach. It takes a lot of time. The price may be a little expensive, but if you eat it, you’ll understand why it’s worth it.”
It also sells specialty fruit jelly, including this seasonal peach flavor, which tastes like the real fruit.
So we tried it. While we’re generally not fans of jellies because they are too artificial and overly sweet, the white peach gelatin tastes like you’re biting into the real fruit. It’s, well, peachy. Plus, it looks gorgeous. Each jelly is individually wrapped in white and pink paper, resting on a small mini basket, and, when opened, looks like it’s a peach cut in half. There’s even a gentle warning printed in Japanese on the container: “Some water may escape when opened, so please to enjoy with care.” So much detail!
And yes, the price is expensive. It’s $12 for one jelly, and the boxes range from $25 to $73. But it does make for a thoughtful gift. We suggest you give this to your boss on his or her birthday or your mother-in-law upon first meeting.
Minamoto Kitchoan, Kāhala Mall, 4211 Waiʻalae Ave, 734-2220, kitchoan.comAnalysis
When Julian Fantino was elected to Parliament in November 2010, he was seen as a star. A former Toronto police chief and Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, the hard-nosed police boss had the credentials to shine in a Conservative government that billed itself as tough on crime.
Four years later, the view is very different.
When auditor general Michael Ferguson released a critical report detailing the hurdles many veterans still face trying to access mental health services, Mr. Fantino was an ocean away in Italy. His office defended the trip, which marked the 70th anniversary of the Second World War’s Italian campaign. But some questioned whether Mr. Fantino was running from the auditor’s findings. Or worse, whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper had decided to keep him out of sight.
Some see Mr. Fantino’s performance at Veterans Affairs as spectacularly disastrous. Footage of a nasty exchange with veterans in January, where the minister took issue with a finger-jabbing soldier before storming out, went viral. So did video of Mr. Fantino being chased down a hallway by the wife of a vet suffering from PTSD in May. Both incidents shadow him to this day.
But those who have worked with Mr. Fantino say those examples don’t do him justice.
Four years after arriving in Parliament, Mr. Fantino’s political weaknesses have been exposed and the government is on the defensive when it comes to its treatment of veterans. It could be only a matter of time until he is replaced.
On the surface, Mr. Fantino had the hallmarks of an outstanding veterans affairs minister. He ran two large police forces before being elected to Parliament. He performed well as secretary of state for seniors shortly after arriving in Ottawa.
Former staff, veterans groups and even opposition critics say he harbours a genuine affection for veterans.
Perhaps that is not surprising. Mr. Fantino was born in Italy in 1942, when the country was under the heel of Benito Mussolini’s fascists. It wouldn’t be until two years later that Allied Forces, including thousands of Canadians, would free the country.
NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer, born in the Netherlands, believes the experience was informative because “our parents were both liberated by the Canadians.”
Except the majority of veterans seeking the government’s assistance today are peacekeepers or former military members who served in Afghanistan. Some are still in their 20s. And they haven’t been shy about voicing their anger over the barriers they face gaining support and services.
“The majority of veterans are not disabled and disadvantaged,” said former veterans ombudsman Pat Stogran. “The ones who are killing themselves are the ones who are very desperate and being abandoned.”
Mr. Fantino, as a police chief, displayed little empathy for those — such as aboriginal groups, gay activists and other subsections of society — who sought to air their grievances through public protests. While some described him as tough and no-nonsense, others saw him as polarizing, insensitive and aloof.
“He has no time for political games, or what he thinks are political games,” said one former staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
[np_storybar title=”Julian Fantino apologizes to vets as Mulcair joins call for minister’s firing after ‘unacceptable meeting’” link=”http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/28/veterans-group-calls-julian-fantinos-resignation-or-firing-after-tory-minister-fails-to-meet-over-closures/”%5D
January 28, 2014: Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino blamed a Tory meeting that ran long as he apologized for showing up “very late” for a scheduled appointment with ex-soldiers after the group called for his resignation.
Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair, however, says Fantino’s actions are disgraceful. He joined the former soldiers in demanding Fantino step down or be fired after the minister abruptly cancelled his meeting with the veterans, only to then appear at the last minute and apparently insult the group.
Read more …
[/np_storybar]
“If there is a family of a victim, and he thinks you are not representative of the group and you’re doing this to embarrass me, then he’s going to walk away. And he doesn’t give a sh– what anybody thinks about it.”
Mr. Fantino has been able to push some initiatives to help veterans. He launched a review of the New Veterans Charter, the system through which modern veterans receive benefits. He secured more money for funerals and burials. He championed adding the Boer War and Afghanistan to the National War Memorial.
But he has failed to address the most pressing complaints voiced by veterans, including changing the department’s culture to make it more receptive to veterans’ needs, which in turn has contributed to the recent public relations disasters. And when he is challenged in public, the results have not gone well.
“What will live with him through the rest of his career is that finger-pointing,” said an official with one Canadian veterans’ organization. “That was a really bad day that has literally overshadowed his tenure.”
The official says the incident and others have contributed to an atmosphere of distrust toward the government among large parts of the veterans’ community.
Veterans Affairs was supposed to be a strength for the Conservative government, which had long touted itself as the most pro-military. It has become a weakness under Mr. Fantino’s watch. Sensing blood, opposition parties plan to make veterans an election issue next year.
“He’s been absent since he became minister,” said Liberal veterans affairs critic Frank Valeriote. “He has not heard the pleas of our veterans.”
Recognizing the danger, the government brought in reinforcements: retired general Walter Natynczyk, the former chief of defence staff, became the department’s top bureaucrat last month.
Widely respected, Mr. Natynczyk will be charged with doing what Mr. Fantino couldn’t: instilling a new, pro-veteran culture into the department; and offering a caring, compassionate face to Veterans Affairs. The appointment has been met with rave reviews.
“The Legion is really hoping that Minister Fantino listens carefully and takes the advice of his new deputy minister,” said Royal Canadian Legion spokesman Scott Ferris.
Yet even with Mr. Natynczyk’s appointment, Mr. Fantino’s time as veterans affairs minister may be running down. Critics say the prime minister can’t shuffle Mr. Fantino out of the position so close to an election, as that would be seen as an admission of failure.
“If they do that, then the government will admit they have bigger problems,” said Mr. Stoffer.
But the minister’s office has been shaken up, with his chief of staff leaving in recent weeks. Mr. Fantino has made few public appearances. His parliamentary secretary, Parm Gill, is taking on a greater role in Question Period. The government has just months before an election where its treatment of veterans — and Mr. Fantino’s perceived role — may factor in to the outcome.
Jan 28, 2014:In charge sheets that read like a horror tale, a woman has been accused of repeatedly hitting her Indonesian maid with a hammer, striking out at her with a pestle, hurling a knife at her, mauling her finger and disfiguring her with a bamboo pole.
Zariah Mohd Ali, a 53-year-old mother of two, faces a total of 30 charges over incidents that allegedly took place at her Woodlands flat in a matter of months, between June and December 2012.
Her husband, 55-year-old security guard Mohamad Dahlan, faces one charge of hitting the maid on the head with a frying pan cover.
The charges against Zariah are more detailed and numerous.
She is accused of hitting her 34-year-old helper, Ms Khanifah, with a hammer five times on the head, twice on the mouth - leaving her with broken teeth - and once on the knee.
She also allegedly used a pestle to hit Ms Khanifah six times and stabbed her in the shoulder five times. Twice, she is accused of using a bamboo pole to strike at her helper's left ear. The second strike is said to have partly led to Ms Khanifah's ear lobe being permanently disfigured.
Among the 28 Penal Code charges that Zariah faces, five involve causing grievous hurt. She also faces two charges of failing to provide Ms Khanifah with adequate food and rest.
One of the charges says that Zariah forcefully pushed back Ms Khanifah's little finger on her left hand, resulting in "permanent impairment of the powers of the joint".
Zariah is said to have acted rashly by throwing a knife at Ms Khanifah.
On another occasion, she is accused of hurling a small knife that inflicted a cut on the victim's abdomen.
Zariah also allegedly splashed detergent on Ms Khanifah's eyes.
The catalogue of complaints does not end there. According to the charges, Zariah stabbed Ms Khanifah in her shoulders, hit her forehead and nose with a pestle and slashed and cut her across her arm and knee.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz told the court that the prosecution is ready to proceed with the case. It has offered to proceed on 10 charges against Zariah, with the rest being taken into consideration. It wants to proceed with one charge against the husband.
The couple's lawyer, Mr Louis Joseph, sought a four-week adjournment yesterday to take instructions and make representations. Zariah is out on $15,000 bail. District Judge Soh Tze Bian fixed the case for a pre-trial conference on Sept 29.
If convicted of the most serious charge of causing grievous hurt, Zariah could be jailed for up to 15 years and fined on each charge. For failing to provide adequate food and rest, the maximum penalty is a $5,000 fine and six months in jail.
When contacted, Mr Louis said his client has been physically incapacitated by a stroke and could not have inflicted the injuries.One of the world's biggest cruise lines has pulled a popular resort city from its itineraries because of concerns about violent crime in the area.
Carnival Corporation’s Holland America line runs eight different cruises that stop in Mexican locations, but it has now scrapped Acapulco from its itineraries for both 2017 and 2018 due to rising security fears.
Holland America released a statement Wednesday which read, “Due to recent security concerns, Holland America Line has replaced calls at Acapulco, Mexico, with alternative Mexican ports on eight scheduled 2017/2018 cruises.
“Itineraries include seven Panama Canal [sailings] and one South America cruise.
“Guests on affected cruises have been notified of the change. At Holland America Line, the safety of our guests is our top priority.”
Acapulco is a major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico that has long been popular with vacationers within Mexico and from around the world.
It became famous as a luxury destination in the 1950s for Hollywood stars. It was later immortalized in the 1988 hit song by the Four Tops, that was written and produced by Phil Collins and Lamont Dozier for the soundtrack to the film "Buster."
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
In the film, Buster, played by Collins, flees to Acapulco after taking part in a robbery in London.
Since then, million the world over have flocked to beautiful rocky beaches of Pacific town.
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But the area in Mexico has been marred by violence in recent years.
A message on the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reads: “Due to an increase in violent crime in recent months, you should exercise a high degree of caution in Acapulco and surrounding areas.”
Although Carnival has dropped Acapulco from its itinerary, other cruise companies including Norwegian Cruise Line Holding and Silversea Cruises are currently continuing to operate in the area.
This article originally appeared on The Sun.Declassified illustration of the STRAWMAN signals intelligence payload showing the multiple payloads and antenna configurations. This image has been edited for clarity. (credit: Dwayne Day) The wizard war in orbit (part 3) SIGINT satellites go to war
By early 1968, the United States military was involved in an escalating ground and air war in Vietnam. American aircraft were being shot down at the rate of nearly one a day, and Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing of North Vietnam, was in full swing as B-52s unloaded racks of bombs over the jungle. The US Air Force was engaged in a constant battle against Vietnamese SA-2 surface to air missiles (SAMs), jamming them and spoofing them, electrons dueling invisibly in the air. American airmen with the job of physically destroying the missiles, going by the name Wild Weasels, went into battle with patches on their shoulders bearing the acronym “YGBSM.” It was reportedly the response of one electronic warfare officer when first told what he would be doing: “You gotta be shittin’ me…” he said. Fighting SAMs was a brutal business, and eventually the US military brought its top secret signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellites into the war, using a strategic asset for tactical purposes. That effort followed over a half-decade advance in electronics and spacecraft technology. Electronic battle In late 1962, the Committee on Overhead Reconnaissance, or COMOR, started work on developing a SIGINT targeting process analogous to that used for satellite photography. This was an effort to move from the ad hoc arrangement of launching satellites based upon perceptions of new threats to a more formalized and efficient system that would prioritize targeting requirements. COMOR’s job was to identify targets that satellites would focus on, not establish requirements for new satellites themselves. However, unlike photographic satellites that could be directed against a variety of new targets without requiring physical redesign, a new Soviet electronic emitter often required development of new equipment to detect and measure it, not simply the reuse of existing equipment. Thus, COMOR’s SIGINT job evolved to include not only picking targets, but also recommending new satellites that |
under half of its Republicans became Democrats. And some of those who changed - it's difficult to say how many - could be in trouble with the law.
At least one member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections wants to investigate some Republicans who may have crossed party lines only to influence which Democrat would face John McCain in November.
Anyone who crossed lines was supposed to sign a pledge card vowing allegiance to their new party. In Cuyahoga County, dozens and dozens of Republicans scribbled addendums onto their pledges as new Democrats.
"For one day only."
"I don't believe in abortion."
A Plain Dealer review of thousands of records showed few of those who switched were challenged by poll workers.
Sandy McNair, a Democratic member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said Friday that the manipulation of the system was troublesome.
"It's something that concerns me, that I think needs to be looked at further," McNair said. "This is not a structural thing by the Republican Party. If it's a problem at all, it's on an individual level."
Lying on the pledge is a felony, punishable by six to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Election watchers said they don't know any cases that have been prosecuted in Ohio. And it's unlikely the Republican crossovers influenced the outcome since Clinton handily defeated Obama, said Edward Foley, an election-law professor at Ohio State University.
But he said Ohioans need to learn the rules governing their voting - and poll workers need to enforce them.
In a nutshell, here how it's supposed to work: Ohio voters are allowed to switch party affiliations on the day of a primary election but only if they sign a pledge vowing to support their new party - and mean it.
If a majority of poll workers at a precinct doubt a voter's sincerity, they can challenge the voter even if the voter signed the pledge.
In the days following the election, The Plain Dealer interviewed more than two dozen voters - most of them Republicans who crossed over to Democrats last week.
None - including five who acknowledged lying about supporting the Democrats - were challenged. And several said poll workers never asked them to sign a pledge, but gave them a Democratic ticket.
A movement is afoot...
Some Republicans refer to it as "the plot."
It started a few weeks ago when conservative radio powerhouse Rush Limbaugh suggested that his Republican following cross over during the primary to vote for Clinton. Clinton, Limbaugh argued, would be easier for McCain to beat in November.
Soon, local morning radio show host Bob Frantz echoed Limbaugh on WTAM AM/1100, and the buzz began to grow.
Cuyahoga County Republican Chairman Rob Frost tried to tamp down the temptation. He contacted Republican voters and appeared on the Frantz show urging Republicans "not to heed the siren call of Rush Limbaugh and others.
"Elections are not something you should be playing games with," Frost said last week during a telephone interview. Yet temptation was strong.
North Ridgeville Republican Hazel Sferry said she was kicking herself all day Tuesday after voting for McCain.
Don't get her wrong. Sferry supports McCain.
But after she voted, she ran into her niece who told her about "the plot."
Her niece, Republican Sherry Newell, said she voted for Obama because she thought McCain had a better chance against him.
Regardless, Sferry said she thought it was a great idea to mess with the other party if it helped McCain win.
"I don't mind being deceptive to politicians," she said. "They are deceptive to us."
On both sides of the Cuyahoga
On the other side of Cleveland, temptation to cross over was strong, too.
Republican Kitty Anderson began working in voting precincts during the early 1960s and Tuesday's turnout in the Republican stronghold of Chagrin Falls was the largest she had ever seen.
It was also the most crossover voting.
Anderson, 76, and her husband Donald, 78, both helped fellow Republicans change parties all day and when it was time for them to vote, they crossed over, too.
"We are both concerned about what Obama would do if he was president. We don't trust him," Kitty Anderson said. "I have five grandchildren, and I keep thinking I want this world to be safe for these kids. I don't feel good about Obama. He just seems to be so vague."
Come November, the Andersons said they will likely vote for McCain.
But not all of Chagrin Falls crossovers were motivated by the same things.
John Baggett, 50, said there was no single thing that turned him against the Republicans.
Baggett, a former military man who describes himself as conservative, said he believed the GOP has led the country in the wrong direction.
"In presidential elections, you always seem to have to pick the lesser of two of three evils," he said. "And to me, the Republicans are either way too far to the right or they're just saying things to please people. So I'm prepared to give the other party a chance."
Baggett voted for Clinton.
In Cleveland and in some predominantly black suburbs, some black Republicans said they faced an unprecedented choice.
Donald Durrah, 65, lives on Wade Park Avenue just two doors down from Democrat and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones - one of Clinton's most ardent supporters.
It's hasn't been easy being one of the few Republicans in the neighborhood, said Durrah.
But for decades, he believed the Republicans represented his interests, particularly since he was a small businessman. In recent years, Durrah said that's changed.
He hasn't liked the Republican presidential choices.
Then this winter, Obama's message caught his ear.
Obama talked about hope and the future, Durrah said, and "I wanted to participate in that change."
Plain Dealer reporters James F. McCarty, Joe Wagner, Terry Oblander, Joe Guillen, April McClellan-Copeland, Henry Gomez and Amanda Garrett worked on this story, which was written by Garrett.BY: Follow @chandlergillDC
Libertarian vice presidential nominee Bill Weld said that Hillary Clinton’s campaign planted the story that he was going to abandon his running mate, Gary Johnson, and endorse her instead, the Boston Herald reported Monday.
"That was completely planted by the Clinton campaign," the former Republican governor of Massachusetts said Monday on Boston Herald Radio.
Weld has already said he is not going to leave the Libertarian ticket, calling such a scenario "wishful thinking on the part of the two-party duopoly" earlier this month.
Weld said this rumor started because the Clinton campaign has zoned in on his harsh criticism of Donald Trump.
"They know I’m not a fan of Mr. Trump," he said. "They’ve heard what I’ve said about him. They heard me spend much of the summer defending Mrs. Clinton on her email issue."
"We do differ from the Democrats on fiscal issues, we haven’t made a secret of that, but they could be forgiven for thinking I seemed a little bit milder towards Mrs. Clinton than Mr. Trump," Weld added.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said last week in a conversation with USA Today’s Bill Sternberg, with very colorful language, that these rumors had no merit and Weld was not going to drop out of the race.
"That is bullshit," Johnson said bluntly.
"We are on Facebook Live," Sternberg responded.Activists Say Fracking Fails to ‘Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’
MONTROSE, Pennsylvania, USA, Sep 17 2015 (IPS) - U.S. activist Vera Scroggins has been sued five times by the oil industry, and since October 2013 she has faced a restraining order banning her from any properties owned or leased by one of the biggest players in Pennsylvania’s natural gas rush, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation.
“I feel like a half-citizen, because corporations can do whatever they want and citizens can’t. Corporations have broken environmental laws and keep working,” the retired real estate agent, who is a mother of three and grandmother of two, told IPS.
Since 2008 Scroggins, with the Shaleshock Media network of artists and media activists, has been fighting hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”, the technique used to produce shale gas, in the rural community of Montrose, Pennsylvania, population 1,600.
In Montrose, which is in Susquehanna County, there are some 1,100 wells in 600 gasfields, as well as 43 compressor stations, which help the transportation process of natural gas from one location to another.
“There is polluted water, flow-back water, the transformation of rural areas damaged by the operation of wells. There are quite a few long-term legal and financial liabilities to ensure that that legacy is properly addressed.” -- Tyson Slocum
This infrastructure, owned by seven companies, is near homes and schools.
The Marcellus shale formation stretches across the northeastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is one of the large shale gas deposits that have led to the United States being dubbed “Frackistan”.
Fracking involves the massive pumping of water, chemicals and sand at high pressure into a well, which opens and extends fractures in the shale rock deep below the surface, to release the natural gas trapped there on a massive scale. The technique is considered damaging to health and the environment.
Fracking generates enormous volumes of liquid waste that must be treated for reuse, as well as emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is far more potent than carbon dioxide, the most important cause of global warming.
“The wells pollute the water and the methane escapes into the air. Many people don’t know what’s going on, they don’t have information. I don’t feel safe with how fracking has been done,” said Scroggins, who lives in Montrose with her husband, a retired teacher. There is a gas well just one kilometre from their home.
Fracking, with its tall steel drilling rigs, has modified the local landscape, along with the constant traffic of trucks hauling soil, sand and water.
Activists complain that the development of industry in rural areas like Montrose is ruining the countryside, while the accumulation of methane can lead to explosions or respiratory ailments among local residents.
In its Annual Energy Outlook 2015, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that about 11.34 trillion cubic feet of dry natural gas was produced directly from shale gas in the United States in 2013 – about 47 percent of total U.S. dry natural gas production that year.
And about 4.2 million barrels per day of crude oil were produced directly from shale oil or tight oil resources in the United States in 2014 – 49 percent of total U.S. crude oil production.
Oil is the main source of energy in the United States, accounting for 36 percent of the total, followed by natural gas (27 percent), and coal (19 percent).
In Pennsylvania, gas production soared from 9,757 cubic feet in 2008 to 3.05 million in 2013.
In this state, the site of the first U.S. oil boom, 9,200 wells have been drilled, and over 16,000 permits for fracking have been granted.
The United States is the country that is most heavily exploiting shale gas and oil at a commercial level.
Fracking was given a boost in 2005, when the Energy Policy Act exempted the technique from seven major federal environmental laws, ranging from protecting clean water and air to preventing the release of toxic substances and chemicals into the environment.
With that backing, the industry unleashed a flood of lawsuits seeking to dismantle local and state environmental, health and contractual regulations adverse to its interests.
In the case of Pennsylvania, the state legislature approved the Oil and Gas Act (Act 13) in September 2012, which restricted local governments’ ability to zone and regulate natural gas drilling and required municipalities to allow oil and gas development in all zoning areas.
But city councils, local residents and environmental organisations fought the law, and in 2013 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down sections of it, saying they were unconstitutional and violated citizens’ environmental rights. This allowed local communities to once again apply zoning rules in granting permits for shale gas production.
Along the side of the road, the traveller constantly sees signs reading Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. But what is happening in rural areas does not seem to be in line with the slogan.
Ray Kimble, a 59-year-old mechanic, has experienced that contradiction in Dimock Township, where he lives. He told IPS that in his community, which is near Montrose, the water has been polluted since 2009 by drilling and fracking operations.
“They have damaged the town. We don’t want them here,” said Kimble, who added that he has a chronic cough and his ankles are swollen from contact with toxic waste while he worked for the industry as a driver.
Now he refuses to drink the tapwater and dedicates his time to carrying clean water to families affected by the contamination.
Dimock, population 1,500, was featured in the prize-winning documentary “Gasland” by U.S. filmmaker Josh Fox, which exposed the damage caused by fracking and helped spawn the first lawsuits against the shale gas industry, which were settled out of court.
Kimble’s house is just over 150 metres from a gas well.
“There are short-term profits with shale gas, but what happens when the wells dry up and the waste is left?” activist Tyson Slocum remarked to IPS.
“There is polluted water, flow-back water, the transformation of rural areas damaged by the operation of wells. There are quite a few long-term legal and financial liabilities to ensure that that legacy is properly addressed,” said Slocum, the director of the Energy Programme of Public Citizen, a consumer interest group that has provided advice to people affected by fracking.
The industry is now facing the sharp drop in international oil prices, the credit crunch, and growing public opposition to fracking.
In the last eight months, some 400 towns and cities in 28 states have adopted vetoes or moratoriums on fracking. The most far-reaching decisions were taken in the states of Vermont, the first to ban fracking, in 2012, and New York, which did so in December.
“Why don’t they build a well besides a politician’s home? Citizens don’t want them near our houses,” said Scroggins.
“I hope there won’t be a major leak, because it will be devastating. But the industry doesn’t acknowledge it has done something bad,” the activist added.
Slocum says the states have bowed to the industry’s interests. “The balance between profits and public health has been vilified, the debate on jobs and economic benefits is secondary,” he said.
Edited by Estrella Gutiérrez/Translated by Stephanie WildesTyler Cowen recently argued in his New York Times blog that the present stagnation in economic growth may be partially due to the lack of massive wars on the scale of the World Wars and Vietnam.
Before further examining his argument, let us stress what he is not arguing.
He is not arguing that we should therefore want more major wars. His claim is positive, not normative. In fact he ends the article with a good word for the position that it is better to not have massive wars, even at the cost of stagnation. (While this may technically absolve him from holding a pro-war position, he is still providing an argument that is effectively pro-war for anyone who happens to not share Cowen’s professed preference.)
He is also not making a Keynesian argument about war spending boosting the economy by stimulating demand.
Finally, he is not making any kind of argument about the economic benefits of prosecuting such wars, but only of preparing for them. The alleged economic benefit of a massive war comes from the precedent it establishes. The precedent of a past massive war raises the prospect of a future massive war. Cowen argues that such a prospect pressures governments to get basic economic policies “right,” in order to ensure the national economic strength necessary to win such a war. As he puts it, “War brings an urgency that governments otherwise fail to summon.” He partially blames the lack of such urgency for our present economic stagnation, arguing that currently “…nations have very little fear of being taken over militarily, and thus their politicians don’t face extreme penalties for continuing stagnation.”
There are two types of war-induced “right” economic policies that Cowen posits. One is government “investment” in science, technology, and infrastructure. Peter Klein, in the Mises Blog, handily refuted the very notion that this is a worthy goal in the first place. On Facebook, Klein encapsulated, with a dash of humor, his already concise and devastating critique as follows:
Tyler conflates invention and innovation, ignores opportunity costs, confuses selection and treatment effects of government spending, and gets the case studies wrong. Other than that, it was a great column.
The other war-induced “right” economic policy Cowen offers is the general liberalization of the economy. The idea seems to be that governments will liberalize so that the resulting increase in national wealth can later be mobilized in the case of another massive war.
The biggest problem with this argument is that it presupposes that the prevailing ideology among people in the government is such that it is generally accepted that the truly prudential path to increasing national wealth is liberalization. This is an assumption that perhaps has never been true, and certainly has not been true since the fall of 19th century liberalism and the rise of the Progressive Movement: not for the general populace, and especially not for the personnel of the state. Instead, the prevailing ideology, especially in government, is still that “scientific management” of the economy is the path to economic vitality.
Under the actual prevailing ideology that dominates the state, if the “extreme penalties for continuing stagnation” threatened by a prospective massive war were to “focus the attention of government” on anything, it would not be on liberalization, but on “getting serious” about overcoming all remaining obstacles (brutally, if necessary) to its mission of “rationalizing” the economy through planning and regulation, and of centrally “mobilizing” it for war preparedness.
So, Cowen’s incentive/factor analysis is all wrong. And, even if, solely for the sake of argument, we were to take such a false conclusion for granted, it would only have to do with one relevant factor, which is far from the most important one. You can’t have the “beneficial” precedent of a massive war without having the war itself. And Cowen admits that the prosecution of war itself is economically destructive. So, when he blithely characterizes “the persistence and expectation of peace” as being a contributing factor to economic stagnation, he effectively assumes, without argument, that the allegedly growth-boosting effects of the precedent of war outweigh the growth-hampering effects of the war itself.
Cowen versus Higgs
And there are two other major growth-hampering impacts of war that Cowen not only doesn’t factor in, but that he doesn’t even mention: (A) the war-induced increased economic statism that does not directly involve “death and destruction,” and (B) the remainder of that increase that lingers after the war. It is the latter, and not some alleged “focus on liberalization,” that is the chief peacetime legacy of war. The greatest living theorist and historian on this subject is Robert Higgs.
Cowen would have us believe that the “urgency” provided by the threat of war is conducive to liberal reform. However, Higgs, in his work on the “Crisis Hypothesis” showed how “urgency” is actually big government’s best friend. He elucidated and empirically demonstrated with regard to modern America how “national emergencies call forth extensions of governmental control over or outright replacement of the market economy” because they “markedly increase both the demand for and the supply of governmental controls.”
As Higgs showed, this is especially true of that most ancient of national emergencies, war. In his classic book, Crisis and Leviathan, Higgs wrote:
At the outbreak of war a suddenly heightened demand for governmental provision of military activities leads immediately to displacement of market-directed resource allocation, by greater taxation, governmental expenditure, and regulation of the remaining civilian economy.
Cowen would also have us believe that it is more conducive to liberalization and economic growth if the wars we fight are big and involve existential stakes. Again, Higgs would have none of this:
The larger and longer is the war, the greater is the suppression of the market economy. Modern “total” war, widely regarded as jeopardizing the nation’s very survival, also encourages a lowering of the sturdiest barriers—constitutional barriers and adverse public opinion—that normally obstruct the growth of government.
This is a big reason why war, as Randolph Bourne famously said, “is the health of the state.”
And contrary to Cowen’s claim about war’s legacy of peacetime liberalization, Higgs’s work on the “Ratchet Effect” shows how post-crisis/war retrenchments of state power are virtually never complete. And therefore, as each national emergency passes, it leaves behind a legacy of permanent extensions of state power. Following a thorough examination of the relevant data, Higgs concluded Crisis and Leviathan by writing:
After the ideological transformation that took place during the Progressive Era, each genuine crisis has been the occasion for another ratchet toward Bigger Government.
And of course, that includes the major wars. According to Higgs’s exhaustive research, every major American war since at least the Progressive Era, not only has not engendered liberalization, but has ratcheted up the size of the state and its grip on the economy.
Cowen’s thesis about massive war and the economy is simply untenable, in terms of both incentive analysis and empirical analysis.
Case Study: World War I
Probably the most baleful modern war, in terms of its far-reaching consequences, economic and otherwise, was World War I. It is thus an excellent example of just how wrong Cowen is. The ramifications of this war have received much consideration recently, because this is the centennial year of its inception. Charles Burris’s blog post, “Consequences of the Great War,” is a good collection of links to outstanding resources on this topic, including some classic works by Murray Rothbard.
Rothbard’s most concise survey on the subject, however, is quite unheralded; it can be found in the collection of his memos titled Strictly Confidential, and is embedded in a critique he wrote of an American history textbook. Read on to see just how wrong Cowen’s thesis is for this pivotal war especially:
One of the most important truths about American history is the fateful impact that wars have had in aggrandizing the State and crippling individual liberty, not only during but also as a permanent legacy after the war.
World War I gave the United States an enormous push down the road to socialism, toward the Big State. In the first place, World War I was the first war in which the burgeoning crew of left-wing ideologues and experts (many of whom are still around) were called in to “plan” and mobilize the economy for war. No previous wars required “mobilization” of the economy; but in this war the whole crew of economists, industrial planners, sociologists, etc. were ready: price control, labor control, priorities, production planning, etc.—all had their baptism of fire in World War I. (…)
From then on World War I became the great model and inspiration for the later generations of socialists and planners: “if we can do it for war.”…
Further, World War I saw an enormous increase in the government budget and tax rates, especially income-tax rates. (…)
If there was conscription in the Civil War, World War I was the first war where Americans were drafted to fight in “foreign wars”—an act that many constitutional lawyers (see John W. Burgess) insisted was unconstitutional.
As in previous wars, there was an effectively higher “tariff” which was cemented by a high tariff right after the war. The Army and Navy budgets greatly increased. World War I also led to enormous suppression of civil liberties, including the passage of state and federal antisedition laws, and anti-alien laws. Monetarily, the United States went effectively off the gold standard for the duration, thus going on fiat paper, and multiplying inflation.
And, moreover, World War I was the first era in which the federal government acted to sponsor, favor, and even create labor unions. It was also the initiator of federal public housing.
Higgs also extensively discussed the institutional impacts and legacies of World War I, and how they were, contrary to Cowen’s thesis, virtually all in an extremely deliberalizing and economy-harming direction.
The [two years following 1916]… witnessed an enormous and wholly unprecedented intervention of the federal government in the nation’s economic affairs. By the time of the armistice the government had taken over the ocean shipping, railroad, telephone, and telegraph industries; commandeered hundreds of manufacturing plants; entered into massive economic enterprises on its own account in such varied departments as shipbuilding, wheat trading, and building construction; undertaken to lend huge sums to business directly or indirectly and to regulate the private issuance of securities; established official priorities for the use of transportation facilities, food, fuel, and many raw materials; fixed the prices of dozens of important commodities; intervened in hundreds of labor disputes; and conscripted millions of men for service in the armed forces. It had, in short, extensively distorted or wholly dispelled markets, creating what some contemporaries called “war socialism. (…)
The result was “a marked shift toward corporatism in the nation’s business affairs. Entire industries, even entire economic sectors, as in the case of agriculture, were organized and disciplined as never before, and brought into close and regular relations with counterpart congressional committees, cabinet departments, and executive agencies… From the war can be dated the origins of the modern practice of massive informal collusion between the government and organized private enterprise.
Thus, among the war’s most significant legacies was a heightened politicization of the nation’s economic life.
And just as baleful as the institutional legacy of the Great War was its ideological legacy. Higgs continues:
The associationalism of the 1920s intimates the most pregnant of all the war’s legacies: ideological change. (…) “[T]he experience of war planning,” said Soule, “exerted a permanent influence on the thinking of the economists and engineers who participated in it.
But the economists and engineers were not the only ones affected; many others experienced the same change of views. In particular, business men came away from the war with a new perspective on the relation of government and business. According to Clarkson, who circulated actively in the business community, men who had served as authoritative allocators of the resources during the war “meditated with a sort of intellectual contempt on the huge hit-and-miss confusion of peace-time industry… From their meditations arose dreams of an ordered economic world… They beheld the whole trade of the world carefully computed and registered in Washington, requirements noted, American resources on call, the faucets opened or closed according to the circumstances.” Of course they envisioned their own hands on the faucet handles. (…)
The above excerpts do not cover World War I’s long-term baleful impacts on subsequent monetary policy in America (although both Rothbard and Higgs cover that elsewhere; for example, in Rothbard’s America’s Great Depression and A History of Money and Banking in the United States). A fantastic survey of that subtopic can be found in David Stockman’s recent article Sarajevo is the Fulcrum of Modern History. It is often noted how the Federal Reserve helped make America’s entry into, and disastrous exacerbation of, World War I possible. What is less understood is how, in turn, World War I helped create the Federal Reserve as we know it. Stockman redresses this by marvelously explaining how World War I triggered the Fed’s metamorphosis into a fully fledged monetary central planning machine:
“During World War I the US public debt rose from $1.5 billion to $27 billion—an eruption that would have been virtually impossible without wartime amendments which allowed the Fed to own or finance U.S. Treasury debt. These “emergency” amendments—it’s always an emergency in wartime—enabled a fiscal scheme that was ingenious, but turned the Fed’s modus operandi upside down and paved the way for today’s monetary central planning.
As is well known, the Wilson war crusaders conducted massive nationwide campaigns to sell Liberty Bonds to the patriotic masses. What is far less understood is that Uncle Sam’s bond drives were the original case of no savings? No credit? No problem!
What happened was that every national bank in America conducted a land office business advancing loans for virtually 100 percent of the war bond purchase price—with such loans collateralized by Uncle Sam’s guarantee. Accordingly, any patriotic American with enough pulse to sign the loan papers could buy some Liberty Bonds.
And where did the commercial banks obtain the billions they loaned out to patriotic citizens to buy Liberty Bonds? Why the Federal Reserve banks opened their discount loan windows to the now eligible collateral of war bonds.
Additionally, Washington pegged the rates on these loans below the rates on its treasury bonds, thereby providing a no-brainer arbitrage profit to bankers.
Through this backdoor maneuver, the war debt was thus massively monetized. Washington learned that it could unplug the free market interest rate in favor of state administered prices for money, and that credit could be massively expanded without the inconvenience of higher savings out of deferred consumption. Effectively, Washington financed Woodrow Wilson’s crusade with its newly discovered printing press—-turning the innocent “banker’s bank” legislated in 1913 into a dangerously potent new arm of the state.”
It was this wartime transformation of the Fed into an activist central bank that postponed the normal post-war liquidation—-moving the world’s scheduled depression down the road to the 1930s. The Fed’s role in this startling feat is in plain sight in the history books, but its significance has been obfuscated by Keynesian and monetarist doctrinal blinders—that is, the presumption that the state must continuously manage the business cycle and macro-economy.
Having learned during the war that it could arbitrarily peg the price of money, the Fed next discovered it could manage the growth of bank reserves and thereby the expansion of credit and the activity rate of the wider macro-economy. This was accomplished through the conduct of “open market operations” under its new authority to buy and sell government bonds and bills—something which sounds innocuous by today’s lights but was actually the fatal inflection point. It transferred the process of credit creation from the free market to an agency of the state.
One can also find analyses similar to these above of the baleful long-term economic impacts of World War II in the works of Rothbard, Higgs, and others.
Why?
The War Party’s drumbeat for re-escalating American involvement in the Iraq War has just begun. So why, especially now of all times, would Cowen debut, in such a high-profile space, an argument that is so facile and wrong, and yet so potentially dangerous in the hands of warmongers? To give him the benefit of the doubt, he does not strike me as a crypto-warmonger, striving and secretly wishing for a new massive war, even as he exclaims, “perish the thought!”
A more likely explanation is indicated by Cowen’s participation in the fad of “pop economics,” inaugurated by the 2005 bestseller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. A characteristic feature of this fad is the concoction of novel, attention-getting, semi-scandalous, quirky arguments, that are purportedly ironclad in spite of how counter-intuitive they are. Such intellectual curios help burnish the image of pop economists as “rogue” iconoclasts and provide hipness to a profession otherwise generally considered staid and “dismal.” And of course the NPR/New York Times dilettanti go gaga for it. Maybe that’s what this is all about.
Otherwise it is almost unfathomable how someone so widely touted as a preeminent “free market” economist could try so hard to seek out culprits for economic stagnation in such bizarre places, and yet turn such a blind eye to the obviously red-handed state. (When it comes to the state, pop economists tend to be pretty tame for a gallery of “rogues”.) It wouldn’t be original or quirky enough to join the Austrian economists in blaming the gargantuan economic interventions of D.C. and the EU, especially since the post-9/11 wars, the 2008 bailouts, and the inception of QE (it is notable that Cowen’s list of possible stagnation culprits doesn’t even mention the Fed). Better to make a name for himself by whipping up some artful confection about a lack of “technological low-hanging fruit” or this new one about governments getting “scared straight” by the prospect of a massive war.
If the great Austrian economist Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk were still alive, he might have the same compliment and advice for Tyler Cowen as he had for Joseph Schumpeter. As Guido Hülsmann tells it:
Böhm-Bawerk acknowledged Schumpeter’s brilliance but wrote that he wished to see Schumpeter turn to serious work.California attraction The San Francisco Dungeon announced it will host a two-day pop-up Rat Cafe, allowing guests to enjoy a pastry and coffee while interacting with domesticated rats. Photo by The San Francisco Dungeon/Facebook
May 19 (UPI) -- A California tourist attraction is offering guests the opportunity to dine with live rats at its pop-up Rat Cafe.
The San Francisco Dungeon announced, the Black Rat Cafe, a two-day pop-up shop that will allow visitors to interact with rats while enjoying a pastry and a coffee before entering the dungeon attraction.
Be forewarned: the fare at this pop-up experience is neither locally grown nor sustainably sourced," the dungeon said. "Guests can sip their coffee while seated at bistro-style tables, nicely draped with red and white gingham tablecloths...all while being surrounded by rats."
Admission to the Black Rat Cafe, which will only be open on July 1 and July 8, is set to begin at $49.99 and will include a pastry, beverage and admission to the dungeon.
San Francisco Dungeon spokesman Matthew Clarkson told Eater San Francisco the food served at the cafe will be prepared offsite and will be cleared away before the rats are allowed into the room.
"We're obviously following all food code and hygiene requirement," he said.
California-based rat rescue and adoption agency will provide the rats that customers of the cafe will be given the chance to interact with.
"They do make very good pets and if looked after, they're as clean as a cat or a dog," Clarkson said.Disabled People’s Organisations Australia fears system is having unfair impact on those with disability
Disability advocates have put further pressure on the government to suspend its automated debt recovery system, while Centrelink continues to refer distressed and suicidal individuals to Lifeline.
Disabled People’s Organisations Australia, a collection of disability support and advocacy groups, has called on the government to immediately halt the recovery process, which has relied on a crude and automated data-matching process to begin chasing 169,000 debts from welfare recipients since July.
Co-chief executive officer Matthew Bowden said he feared the system was having a particularly unfair impact on those with a disability.
“Many people with disability rely on social security payments to make ends meet. For those that work in casual or contract work, this new system appears to be particularly problematic,” Bowden said.
This is what happened when Centrelink called to review my false debt accusation | Michael Griffin Read more
“The majority of people with disability being reviewed will have been entitled to social security payments and have done nothing wrong. People with [a] disability may need more time and support to understand the information and respond, may need the information in different, accessible formats and should have increased advocacy available to engage with the Centrelink system and manage such a stressful situation.”
The group called for the government to immediately suspend the system. It adds to a growing number of groups calling for the system’s suspension, including the Australian Council of Social Service, Autism Awareness Australia, the Community and Public Sector Union, Labor, the Greens, independent Andrew Wilkie, and senator Nick Xenophon.
In a further sign of the system’s impact on individuals, Centrelink is referring some Twitter users to Lifeline. The tweets, clearly made by concerned staff, show the level of damage the system is causing.
Former Greens leader Christine Milne drew attention to the tweets on Thursday, writing: “What sort of government terrifies its poorest people then tells them to ring Lifeline? Centrelink debacle must stop. PM should intervene now,” she wrote on Twitter.
Wilkie on Wednesday said his office had fielded complaints from four people who were suicidal since first raising problems with the system in early December. He said one of the more than 100 complaints he had received involved a woman being erroneously told she owed $69,000, more money than she had ever received. When she queried the debt, it was reduced to $3,000, without explanation.
“This is a systemic problem, the harm it is causing is very broad,” Wilkie said. “I’ve had people who have approached me who have been frightened, absolutely scared, people who are paying this money because they are so frightened by this very official letter.
“I’ve had four people now approach me in my office who I would describe as presenting as suicidal and in all those cases we’ve taken what action we thought was appropriate.”
Centrelink’s debt recovery risks would have been known at senior levels – ex-official Read more
Wilkie referred the matter to the commonwealth ombudsman four days before Christmas. He said the ombudsman’s office had now responded and was gathering information.
The automated compliance system works by matching an individual’s reported income to Centrelink with information held by other agencies, such as the Australian taxation office. Where a discrepancy is detected, a letter is automatically sent asking them to prove they were entitled to their benefits, sometimes up to six years old.
The matching process is marred by significant flaws, including its tendency to simply average out a person’s yearly income over Centrelink’s 26 fortnightly reporting periods. If the discrepancy cannot be explained within 21 days, a debt is automatically raised.
If it is not disputed or paid, Centrelink refers the case to one of three private debt collectors, collectively on contract for about $15m. Many people are not receiving the letters or are simply paying the debts without question.
• Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467. Beyond Blue also provides information and support on 1300 22 4636NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in ten older adults prescribed a powerful painkiller after surgery was still filling prescriptions for the drug a year later, a new study from Canada shows.
Because so-called opioids, which include codeine and OxyContin, have a higher risk of abuse and overdose than other painkill |
Guide to facilitate a discussion in conjunction with a screening of The Memphis 13.
The stories of the Memphis 13 can connect with students of all ages. Using this Classroom Discussion Guide, build a lesson (or more) out of exploring the film’s stories, themes, and questions.
The Memphis 13 was created to not only share the stories of 13 incredibly brave young people, but also to provide a starting point for conversations about inclusion, tolerance, and social change. Included here are resources for you to use the film to spark such a conversation in your classroom or in your community, with your friends, your family, or your colleagues. Check out the Trailer for a preview…
Share Your Experience
Have you attended a screening or seen the film? Do you have stories of your own experience breaking a barrier? Please consider sharing your experiences here!
How was the film received?
Was there anything you found particularly compelling? Useful? Surprising? These could be items from the film or from the discussion that followed.
Have you had your own experience with the breaking of barriers – as a participant or an observer? If so, what was similar about the barrier-breaking experiences of the Memphis 13? And what was different?
What do you know about the desegregation story in your own community?
What were some of the most compelling, thoughtful, difficult, or inspiring questions of the night?
Hearing how viewers connect these stories to their own lives and contexts drives home the universality of some of the film’s themes. Please share photos or videos from your event, ideas for others organizing screenings, personal experiences of breaking barriers, or questions about the film. You can do so either here or via email (info@thememphis13.com) or the film’s Facebook page. Thank you so much for your feedback and engagement.Older Americans can be a burden on the economy — but for cash-strapped families, they’re a lifeline.
Roughly one in four adults 25 years old and over got $100 or more from parents in 2011, according to Judith Seltzer, a sociology professor at UCLA who analyzed Census data and the June 2012 Survey of Consumers. The average gift was $6,500. Better-educated parents were more likely to give: Nearly 37% of adults with college-educated parents received assistance.
Grandparents also provide child care. About 28% of grandparents provided at least 50 hours of care per year for grandchildren they didn’t live with, and nearly one-third of grandmothers who live with a grandchild have primary responsibility for them. More affluent grandparents, meanwhile, tend to help adult children with mortgage costs, house down-payments and education, greasing the wheels of economic mobility for their grandchildren, research shows.
The upshot: Older people are quietly serving as an emergency-support system for adult children struggling with a weak economy and high joblessness — and indeed, with years of slow wage growth and declining economic mobility.[x] Remain where you are and observe passivelyGoing to middle school is plot, but in-character-logically speaking, there's no reason to go follow the cyclist to the middle school all the way on as our first action as opposed to staying and checking on the environment[x] Attempt to engage passing middle school students.There's seems to be no reason to not. Assuming this a illusion of somesuch, interacting with them is unlikely to pose any danger. Assuming we are really went back in time, interaction similiarly pose no danger. At worst we would be thought as an oddity. But we may stand to gain some information, any of which is highly premium in current state of super-duper confusion.[X] Do not attempt to pose as Shizuki-san-[X] Identify that your last name is also ShizukiThere are no reason to pose as this other Shizuki that is not Ryouko. Nevermind that it stand abyssmal chance to succeed, not only because we lack any (IC) information about this Shizuki-san (though I guess perhaps some Clarisse has some archived files about past Shizukis?) but because it is pretty much in doubt whether Ryouko is capable of any meaningful subterfuge.[X] Pretend everything is normal.I consider enlisting assitance, but for now let's keep on the lower key side. We may still chose to enlist assitance later, once we have a bit more bearing.This 1960 Studebaker Lark wagon is a claimed 44k mile example of the marque’s compact family car. With a chassis dating to 1953 and a pre-war engine, these first generation cars were not sophisticated. This one’s said to be very original, wears a handsome color combination and appears to be in quite decent shape. Find it here on Craigslist in Homer Glen, Illinois for $5,675.
Based on the preceding full-size Studebakers, but with cut down overhangs and a shortened wheelbase ahead of the firewall, the Lark retained a very large passenger cabin for its size. Finished in black with red and chrome trim, this wagon shows nicely with the only pictured rust in the spare tire well and lower hatch seal area. All trim appears to be intact, and the easily bent grille looks completely straight.
Able to seat six, the cabin is finished in red vinyl. Though everything looks a bit dusty, upholstery seems to be in fine shape, and painted surfaces do not show any obvious scratches. This low-trim car appears to have rubber matting rather than carpets.
The L-head Champion Six dates to the mid 1930s, and though robust and relatively economical, it was never known to be powerful. This example is backed by a 3- speed transmission with overdrive. The only recent work mentioned is a new battery, new brakes and fresh tires. Running condition is not specifically mentioned, either.
There can’t be many sub-50k mile Lark wagons left, and these cars’ combination of reliability, simplicity and practicality make for relatively low-stress ownership.Yesterday, HTC started rolling out the Android 4.3 with Sense 5.5 update for the International variant of the One. The latest version of Sense 5.5 brings with it a lot of new features and enhancements, most of which can be already seen on the One Max.
The official change-log of the update does not list most of the new features and enhancements that users would be enjoying post the update. Worry not, as I have compiled a list of all the changes and enhancements that HTC has introduced for the One with Sense 5.5.
Blinkfeed enhancements
With Sense 5.5, HTC is making it possible to disable Blinkfeed altogether. The feature can be disabled by pinching on the screen using two fingers, and then tapping on the Blinkfeed Off option present on the top left.
That’s not all though, as the company has slightly refreshed the look of Blinkfeed by including a hamburger style navigation drawer. The company has also added some of the most requested features into Blinkfeed including Google+ and custom RSS feeds integration.
Blinkfeed now not only acts as a social media aggregator, but also as a RSS reader. There is also an offline mode so that the phone can pre-fetch articles while it is connected to Wi-Fi so that you can read it later on.
Updated Recents App UI
HTC has updated the Recents app UI with bigger tiles. This new implementation looks better and makes better use of the available space.
Updated Camera, Gallery and Music App
The Camera and Gallery app have both been updated in Sense 5.5 as well, with the latter receiving a fairly major UI overhaul. The only changes to the Camera app is the inclusion of a new mode – Panorama 360. The dual shot feature, as seen on the HTC One Max and on the leaked firmware, is missing from the final OTA update.
The Gallery app gets a brand new Holo look. Instead of tapping on the Action bar and then switching to Events, Albums etc., users now need to slide left and right to switch to different views. The Video Highlight feature has also got a UI and now adheres to the Holo guidelines. This change, in my opinion, is in the right direction. With the previous Gallery app, it was not really obvious that taping on the action bar would change to different views.
The Music app also gets a similar Holo update as the Gallery app. Apart from this, there have been no other additions to the app.
Do Not Disturb
Taking inspiration from Samsung and Apple, HTC has included a Do Not Disturb mode with Sense 5.5. In Do Not Disturb mode, the One will automatically silence all calls, messages, notifications for the specified time. Thankfully, HTC also provides an exception list, so that incoming calls and other notifications from the specified contacts will not be muted.
Miscellaneous
The Quick Toggles are now user-editable and they can be positioned as per the user’s wish. There can be 12 quick tiles, with HTC providing tiles for nearly all the frequently accessed options.
As a bonus, HTC is bundling 25GB of free storage space on Google Drive for all One owners with Sense 5.5. Sadly, this offer is only valid of One devices with a locked bootloader. Developer edition and units with unlocked bootloader won’t be eligible for the free 25GB of storage space for 2 years.
Apart from the above listed changes, there are a lot of minor UI changes throughout the Sense interface. Nearly all these changes are positive in nature, and will be appreciated by One owners.
One major regression in the update is the removal of lockscreen settings from Sense. All the pre-installed Sense widgets and various lockscreen themes have been removed. On the bright side, HTC’s new lockscreen implementation allows the use of lockscreen widgets without the Sense lock screen clock being present all the time.
Drop drop in a comment and let us know if I have missed any major enhancement or feature!
Like this post? Share it!Transcription:
Hey, Digital Fam! My name is John D. Saunders and in today’s Digital Block, we talk about how to create killer Facebook ad targeting with one free tool, Audience Insights. Let’s go.
So, really quick, audience insights is a powerful platform that helps you correctly target your ideal buyer via Facebook. It works for aggregating a wealth of information into an easy to use dashboard with info like geography, demographics and purchase behavior.
In our case, we want to find the ideal candidate for an urban T-shirt brand called Mint 86. With audience insights, we can find out the most popular geography, education, and purchase behavior. It’s a great tool that’s definitely underutilized. So, let’s dive in and create a buyer persona in real time.
All right, guys. So, let’s dive in to Facebook insights. To access it, you can get through through your ad manager by clicking the ad manager button at the top, hitting all tools and actually going to audience insights. I have to save it in my tabs so I’m just going to click this.
Now, once you get to audience insights, it’s going to give you a dashboard full of– ton of content and information. Now, it will organize that information in a few ways. Actually, let me start over. So you can either target everyone on Facebook, people connected to your page, or custom audience.
So for example, if you have an e-mail list or you already have a custom audience in Facebook ads, you can dissect that data and see how many are men, how many are women and so forth. So, in the sake of collecting all the data, we’re going to do everyone on Facebook because what we want to do is create a few buyer personas.
So we’re going to be promoting this little brand that’s a T-shirt company, like A Bathing Ape but, you know, boys club type of brand. So, in order to find the ideal buyer persona, we’re going to use some of these interests here in the audience insights. So quick, let me do an overview of audience insights as a whole.
All right, so the main dashboard looks like this. The first thing that you’ll see which is most prominent is the age and gender. Now, Facebook insights data is reported in two ways. One, it’s by when people create a profile, their username, their birthdate, male, female, that’s all contributed to Facebook as a user.
Now, it also takes arbitrary data that it has and cross references that with Facebook IDs. Now, Facebook ID is kind of like your social security number for Facebook. They’ll cross reference that and ask how they tie in your lifestyle, where you live. They also tie in household income on specific areas. So that’s how data is aggregated into audience insights.
Now, the main things you see are age and gender. You’ll see lifestyle, meaning, what type of life individuals lead. Remember, this is data for everyone on Facebook and you can see that they automatically took United States of America and there is 150-200 million monthly active people on Facebook living in the US right now.
Now, if I look at lifestyle and I click select an audience, I can look at the most prominent lifestyle individuals in the US. Now, Apple Pie Families is most prominent. You can get more info by highlighting over the I. These are middle-aged couples, middle class with school children. So this is part of the most populous segment on Facebook. So this is just a quick overview.
You can also look at page likes. The number one page liked by everyone in the US is WalMart. Amazon is not far behind, Target. And then you can see top sports, the top arts and humanities pages. So here’s the top pages considering everyone in the US. Now for the location, and I hit select an audience. New York is the most popular, it’s a really densely populated, probably the most densely populated place in the US, so of course, they might have the most Facebook users.
You can hit activity and see how many pages the average person likes, how many times they comment, how many post they like so you could see that all of these people are pretty active.
Household, we’ll show the immediate income. So the mean income is 50-75k right now in the US based on active users on Facebook and then their purchasing power and what they buy. So we’re going to go into this a little bit more detail once we create a buyer persona.
Okay, so let’s get into the nitty gritty. Mint 86 is a clothing brand similar to A Bathing Ape or Billionaire Boys Club, young, urban, hip, cool. So, what we want to do is look at the interests of similar pages. So for example, I’m going to highlight my mouse over interests and I’m going to do Billionaire Boys Club. That’s a brand by Pharrell, cool, urban brand, pretty hip, pretty cool.
So if I go there and I’m going to go back to demographics, it’s going to show me the breakdown of who likes that page. So as you can see, it’s 85% men, 15% women, right. If I hit select an audience, it’s a lot of apple pie families and solid single parents.
So these are white collar professionals, metrocentrics, those that have a comfortable income that can actually expend this money on these types of products because Billionaire Boys Club is a little bit on the pricey side. If you go down a little bit more, we can see the relationship status is single, the education level. Most of them have college and then job title is super important too.
So if we hit select an audience, it will bring the most important ones at the top, production, management, administrative. So a lot of these people have day jobs. If they’re working during the day, those might be peak times to set up our Facebook ads and the times to post when they’ll see it.
So if I go back to the top, I’m actually going to break down this content a little bit more. Since 85% of the– on the page are men, let’s go ahead and hit gender, men. So now, that’s going to bring this even more granular data. So now, we’re just targeting men since they’re the biggest segment.
Once I did that, this change a little bit but not too much. Relationship status, single, same job titles. Now, if I go to page likes, this will show me their top pages. Of course, Billionaire Boys Club is top, Adidas is up there. Hype Beast which is like a social media blog for fashion and style is up there as well.
Now, one really important piece is page likes. So this shows us how relevant other pages are in comparison to Billionaire Boys Club. So, if one person likes Billionaire Boys Club, their affinity is, they might like another page that’s similar. So you could see the relevance is one, let’s go ahead and change that.
So if I hit this, it will show me the most relevant brands in comparison to Billionaire Boys Club. So Adidas has a relevance of 66 which was pretty high. The audience is 10,000 as 1.5 million Facebook likes. Now, we also see Kanye West, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Dr. Dre– so these are all comparable information.
Now, if I hit location, the top cities of course, New York, [7:12] capital of the world, that’s where the cool kids live, I guess. They have 26% audience which is awesome. We can actually do just an ad segment for New York, targeting New York individuals that fit into our criteria.
We created this quick little spreadsheet to record some of our data. You could see here and I’ll send you a download button for this but if you take a look at it, we put in location, age, gender, interest, lifestyle and so forth. So we can create these segments when we get to Facebook ads.
So if I go back, and I go back to demographics– as you could see, the biggest age segments are 18-34. So what we can do is breakdown this age gap a little bit more. So, let’s do 18-34. Now, we’re getting a little bit more different career-building lifestyle data. So here, you could see the biggest thing is career building, 18-34, trying put your hassle on, trying to build so that you could have a family, so you could buy a house, purchasing. You have a lot of purchasing power at this point.
If I go to page likes, it didn’t change too much but if I go down to page likes and hit relevance, I could still see Adidas, Kanye West, Snoop Dog are still up there. So you could be cool, interesting segments that we could target with our ads. Now if I go back to location, New York is still up there. Activity shows how frequent these individuals use Facebook. So as you can see, the 18-34 segment liked a lot of pages. They comment a little bit more than everyone else. And they also like and share more than others as well.
Now, another big, important piece is device users. We want to see what devices they’re using the most, right. So we see desktop and mobile’s 48, mobile only is 50%. So 50% of these users only use mobile. So that’s another segment that we can create with our ad to just target mobile individuals.
If I go to household, you can see that the purchasing power is about 50-75%, the singles, so they’re usually on one income. Household size is usually one because they’re single and then, this is the most important piece or one of the most important pieces especially if you’re doing e-commerce.
So if I hit purchase, you could see their retail spending is 60% lower, right but if I go to select the audience, I click this, the biggest thing that they purchase is clothing, 56% affinity. So, clothing, food, and drinks, subscription services, these are the top three for millenials 18-34 individuals looking to purchase online through digital sites like Amazon or Hype Beast or any other site like that. So that tells me that I’m definitely in the right segment.
So the next thing I do is I record this in my insight spreadsheet. Location, we’re doing all of US, age 18-34, male, Billionaire Boys Club is the interest. It’s their lifestyle, they’re renting a condo, single family, some of the page they like, the devices they use, their household income, purchase behavior, 56% clothing which is huge and then the reach. That could be seen right here. So, 25-30, you can find that right here.
So now, I want to do one more thing. Let’s go back to demographics and we could see that 57% are 18-24 so let’s dissect this segment one more time before we finish. So let’s go to 18-24. Okay, perfect. Now if we could select audience, we get a little similar here.
And if I go to page likes, we’ve got Billionaire Boys Club, ice cream brand is still up top, musicians, athletes, and if we have relevance, we’ll see at the top Kanye West is up there, Facebook, Family Guy, Eminem. So these are the biggest segments for 18-24. New York is still one of the top locations.
Activity, they do a lot of liking on Facebook as you could see. Most of them are on mobile but it’s similar to 18-34. And then household income is still pretty similar. Also, if I go to purchase, they boost in audience, clothing is another top factor. So we know that this segment is also pretty powerful when it comes to that as well.
Now, you can also look at the vehicles or the type of vehicles that they purchase. So, when you’re building your Facebook ads in these segments, sometimes you’re going to be targeting stuff not specific to the product you’re selling. So, for example, we could target sports cars or convertibles or individuals who are looking to purchase between 18 and 24. It’s not necessarily tied into the clothing brand but they have a large affinity towards these types of products.
So, again, audience insights is a great way to dissect your buyer persona, find your buyer persona and go ahead and note those here so that you can target these individuals via Facebook ads.
The last thing you want to do is hit save, and then you can save these audience and I will also notate it somewhere here so that you know which segment it includes. And then once you do that, you hit save and then you can use audience in any of your Facebook ads.
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If you thought last week was bizarre to the point of surreal for ESPN, there’s more.
Former ESPN NFL insider Ed Werder said on his Doomsday Podcast (via SportsBusiness Daily) that ESPN asked him to work the draft after letting him go. He declined.
“It seemed like it was my option and I chose not to,” Werder said. “I just didn’t feel like it was the right place for me to be.”
Since Werder’s contract still has time left on it, ESPN could have simply waited to cut the cord on him until after the draft. Instead, Werder was paid to not work — and will continue to be paid to not work until he finds another job that ESPN allows him to take, but only if ESPN receives credit for what he makes elsewhere.
Werder said on the podcast that he believes he was “unjustly fired” (Commissioner Roger Goodell apparently agrees; Werder explained that Goodell said he was “angered” by the move), and that the layoff decisions weren’t based on merit. Which begs the question of what the basis for the decisions really was, if they weren’t based on keeping the best and moving on from those employees who weren’t?
If that seems odd, consider this: John Ourand of SportsBusiness Journal reports that some of the employees who were fired have contracts that last up to five more years, and that several reporters offered to continue working during those contracts but were told they couldn’t.
It seems like anything but the responsible and prudent way to run a major division of Disney, a publicly-traded company. Although the overriding goal was to slash costs due to a massive and ongoing reduction in subscribers, getting rid of people based on reasons other than merit and refusing to let people who wanted to continue to work from working makes little sense, and only compounds the bad decisions that led ESPN to the point at which these massive cuts were even necessary.Mike Pence, the fundamentalist Christian whose views are so extreme that he cannot be alone with a woman other than his wife, and Donald Trump, who brags about sexually assaulting women and famously stumbled over an attempt to quote a biblical passage while on the campaign trail, seem to hold wildly divergent religious views. Yet both adhere to variations of Christianity inflected with arrogance. Together they represent two troubling trends in American Christianity, trends which appear to prove all the complaints secular liberals ever leveled against Christians.
Pence adheres to biblical literalism. Put simply, this view asserts that the Bible is a transparent document, one that prescribes specific behavioral guidelines. Glossing over the fact that the Bible is a complex text built of ancient fragments brought together by human hands, that it does not speak directly to many modern issues, and that even on its own terms it encompasses numerous contradictions, these Christians confidently declare that the Bible provides clear guidance for every Christian. Literalists arrived at this position only relatively late in Christian history, in response to various challenges from many quarters, including biblical scholarship, advances in science, and a rise in unbelief. Cutting through the complexities and the need to make choices, literalists declared all choice to be false and all discussion to be error. It was a comforting if simplistic and authoritarian solution to the problem of uncertainty.
Its arrogance lies in the hubris of those who believe that only their chosen answers are correct. Its potential to harm others comes when adherents gain political power and force their mandates on nonbelievers. One of the many dangers emanating out of the Trump White House is the power of Pence to impose not his religion but the behaviors his religion dictates onto the rest of us. Women’s rights and gender equality are on Pence’s hit list.
Trump’s religion, although very different, is similarly alarming. Unsurprisingly Trump accepts a religious viewpoint that tells him he is uniquely awesome. Whatever he has—however he acquired it—God wants him to enjoy to the fullest. Although traditional Christian social practice mandates that believers exercise humility, charity and other virtues that put others before self, Trump’s faith rejects all curbs on self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement. This religious position, known as Prosperity Theology, is newer than Pence’s literalism. It preaches that God wants the rich to be not only rich but selfish. Its attraction to a man like Trump—born to wealth, selfishly guided by his own desires, endlessly demanding that others adore him but never judge him—is transparent.
Trump accepts a religious viewpoint that tells him he is uniquely awesome.
The arrogance of Trump’s faith can be found in its elevation of the financially successful individual above all others. The rich are rich because God wants them to be so, and he furthermore wants them to enjoy that wealth without qualms or any sense of obligation to others. A religion for the arrogantly wealthy, Prosperity Theology ignores much traditional Christianity. It must brush off Jesus’s parable (Matthew 19:24). In that Gospel, Jesus said “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” With this warning, Jesus cautioned that the wealthy had to confront additional temptations unique to them, the temptations of arrogance, selfishness, and greed. In this life their road was easier, but their prospects in the next life were dimmed, if they just enjoyed their wealth without regard for others. Prosperity preaching asserts precisely the opposite: take what you can grab and if you succeed, enjoy it without a second thought, for your success proves you have God’s blessing.
Pence’s arrogance leads him to believe that he knows exactly what God wants us all to do and that he ought to force that on us if he has the power to do so. Trump’s faith simply endorses his own self-regard, elevating his personal whims to God’s desires. The political marriage of the two men is obviously one of expedience, given the great disparities in their beliefs and goals. Yet between them, they can do a great deal of damage. Arrogant self-righteousness and egotistical self-regard together wield power over the rest of us.I can’t believe I am seriously writing about this, but it really happened! The 8th seeded TCU Horned Frogs moved on to face the number 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks after demolishing Oklahoma 82-63 on Wednesday night. Kansas was without their star stud freshman Josh Jackson after he was suspended for not reporting to court after a traffic incident…..and oh boy did that hurt them. Now don’t get me wrong, one player doesn’t make a team but having Jacksons for today’s game would have definitely helped Kansas.
It also didn’t disturb TCU that they were basically playing down the road from Kansas’ campus. S o it was basically a home game for Kansas and it made it even that harder for them to hold that lead for the game. The game was back and forth in the first half with TCU clinging to a one point lead at 43-42 as the first half buzzer rang. Then when the second half started TCU came out hot and firing on all cylinders. The Horned Frogs actually had an 11-point lead on the Jayhawks at one point in the second half. The eighth-seeded Horned Frogs trailed 80-76 with just over a minute remaining, but a parade of free throws knotted it at 80-80, and Alex Robinson’s driving layup gave TCU the lead at 82-80!
Kansas’ superstar Frank Mason answered with a pair of free throws for Kansas to tie the game at 82-82, but the Horned Frogs got the ball back down the court quickly and dumped to Desmond Bane in the corner and he was fouled by Kansas’ Svi Mykhailiuk while putting up a shot from behind the three-point arch. So this resulted in Bane getting three shots at the line for the lead with 2.5 seconds left, and long story short, he sunk all three like a pro! Then, Devonte Graham’s tying 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the rim, and the Horned Frogs leaped off their bench to celebrate a massive upset of the tournament’s No. 1 seed!
BIG Momentum Swingers (Coach’s version):
When the Jayhawks built a 39-27 lead late in the first half, because of Mykhailiuk’s hot shooting and Mason’s ability to get to the rim, it disappeared after TCU’s coach Jamie Dixon got a technical foul. Dixon yelled across the court at one of the officials after Lagerald Vick’s basket gave the Jayhawks their biggest lead of the game. Mason extended the advantage with two free throws, but it seemed as if the Horned Frogs began to channel Dixon’s intensity down the stretch and use that against Kansas. TCU closed the half on a 16-3 run, highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers, and held a 43-42 lead into the locker room.
Then early in the second half, it was Bill Self’s turn to boil over. He took umbrage to a goaltending call that gave TCU a basket and refused to back down even when Mykhailiuk tried to distract the official! But it didn’t have the same effect as Dixon’s rant did, at least right away. The Horned Frogs instead stretched their lead to 60-49 with 13:55 left in the game. The Jayhawks finally went on their run a few minutes later with Mason getting it started with a four-point play and then finishing it with a driving layup that gave Kansas a 71-70 lead.
When TCU’s Kenrich Williams fouled out with 3:12 to go, the Jayhawks looked poised to finish the game off with a win. Instead, the Horned Frogs showed remarkable composure in the Jayhawks’ home-away-from-home. When the buzzer rang to mark the Horned Frogs extraordinary upset, this meant that the tournament’s top seed was done in the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.
Big Picture
TCU showed outstanding endurance during this whole entire game. Most teams would have given up after blowing that 11-point lead, especially to Kansas, I mean when they come back from a double-digit deficit they can’t be stopped. Huge credit goes to their entire team to never giving up, you also can’t forget Jamie Dixon who coached them beautifully! All around it was a fantastic game by the Horned Frogs and they will use that momentum in their next game against Iowa State.Illumination Entertainment/Universal’s The Secret Life Of Pets is headed to the No. 1 spot next weekend at the nation’s box office with tracking showing a higher gross than what conventional wisdom is thinking. While tracking has the new animated family film opening around $80 million-$90 million, we’re thinking that Disney’s Finding Dory could swim away with anywhere between $25M-$30M next weekend to nip at Pets’ heels. With that in mind, an opening around $70M-$80M for this non-sequel romp is not out of the question.
Regardless, it will be yet another No. 1 opening for Illumination.
The original, high-concept film Secret Life Of Pets in 3D will open in previews Thursday at 6 PM. One of the picture’s comps, Disney’s Zootopia (also original fare), opened to $75M in March of this year before it became a billion-dollar baby. Illumination/Uni’s family film is opening in the heart of the summer when kids are out of school.
Pets is on its way to open above Illumination pic Despicable Me‘s $56.39M which also opened in July — albeit 2010. In that year Toy Story 3 was also in its fourth weekend of release and dropped about 31%. With the same percentage drop, that would put Finding Dory at around $28M next weekend.
To help ensure a big opening for Pets, NBCUniversal has really opened the doors on cross-promotions and have been promoting the film for a year in another great marketing campaign from the studio.
Universal launched with the Pets trailer ahead of Minions last year and this film received more trailer targets than any film in the studio’s history. Given that it’s not a sequel, this is one of the biggest original animated IP launches in recent memory. Think Zootopia. Xfiniti, Comcast’s major broadband provider, has been doing a big promotion and the film enjoyed spots during the Super Bowl and the NBA playoffs. In fact, a special short starring the NBA’s Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant aired in 18 games throughout the first round of the NBA postseason in early April.
Chrysler is doing a promotion as well. But they also targeted pet owners through customized marketing materials in-store at Petsmart and via National Pet Day and on Facebook. They even created the PetMoji app so pet owners can turn their own pets into cartoon characters.
Pets has already opened overseas, but in only six markets. As a precursor of what we expect to come across international, it had No. 1 openings in all of them. The early international total through Monday is $30.9M so far with 60 more territories to open. The comp for this one is Zootopia. The Olympics don’t come into play (its in Rio this year) until August 5 and run through August 21. The family film has been No. 1 in the UK/Ireland for two weeks running so far and has already passed Kung Fu Panda 3 there to become the second-biggest animated film opening (behind Finding Dory, of course) so far.
The other new offering this coming weekend will be Fox’s — a comedy starring Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza. That could open around $15M, give or take $2M. The new film will have previews at 7 PM on Thursday. Efron’s average weekend gross is $25.3M (helped by bigger opening such as the original Neighbors).
This film is, of course, counter-programming targeted to the millennials. The R-rated film will find its core audiences late night and this audience has been very underserved this summer so far.
One item of note: Bollywood title Sultan which stars leading man Salman Khan is opening this weekend in the U.S. and just might end up sneaking into the Top 10.Posted on 08 September 2017
– The Republic of Kazakhstan today announced plans to bring wild tigers back to their historical range in the Ili-Balkhash region, and signed a memorandum with WWF to jointly implement a tiger reintroduction programme.“Kazakhstan is moving along the path of green development. We are honoured to be the first country in Central Asia to implement such an important and large-scale project, that not only will bring wild tigers back to their ancestral home, but also protect the unique ecosystem of the Ili-Balkhash region,” said Askar Myrzakhmetov, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.The signing ceremony took place in the pavilion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy in Kazakhstan within the framework of EXPO-2017, with the participation of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Myrzakhmetov, WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini and WWF-Russia Director Igor Chestin.“I am proud to witness the signing of the memorandum between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and WWF here in the Pavilion of the Netherlands at EXPO 2017. The Netherlands was one of the first supporters and sponsors of this bold and innovative project, and we are excited to be part of this key milestone today,” said Dirk Jan Kop, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in opening the signing ceremony.Kazakhstan’s tiger programme will contribute to Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, a commitment made by tiger-range governments at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.If successful, Kazakhstan will be the first country in the world to bring wild tigers back to an entire region where they have gone extinct for nearly half a century. Tiger relocation projects have only been achieved within national borders and in areas that are considered |
opportunities that she didn't have, and I keep thinking that each generation should have a better opportunity. One of the greatest satisfactions I had in life was tutoring a group in a work-study program, and these were young people between the ages, I think, of eighteen and twenty-one, who had dropped out of school, the traditional school. As they got older—which, eighteen was old when you dropped out at fourteen—they had decided to go back, and I felt they were giving themselves a second chance. So it was a satisfaction for me to go and tutor those young people. And this is what I think. We need to give ourselves chances, rather than saying, "I can't do it" or "Someone is keeping me down."
Sometimes it may be a little harder, but we still have to struggle through it. If I can be a role model, that's fine. Because when I talk to kids in the eighth grade, I will tell them, "Your parents can go back to school. There's no age limit. You can always keep learning." And I think we need to keep learning. But again, that's my opinion.
Johnson: Did it surprise you when people were looking at you as a role model? I mean, knowing that it was normal for you. You felt that that was a normal course for your life.
Easley: I still think it's normal. I think it's still a normal course, I really do. I still think it's a normal course. I'm thinking of the people I grew up with, and that's what we have to go back to, where we came from. My friends, they all went to college. They were encouraged to go. We did not come from rich families. We weren't born with silver spoons. We came from working parents. Some of us did come from one-parent households, but we had parents who encouraged us, who raised us in a way that, this is what you need to do to keep moving ahead, and you will have to. That's the thing. We were never told that, oh, it will be so easy, things will be given to you. We didn't expect that. We expected to work for it.
So when I look at my friends—as I said, I was home recently with two of my childhood friends, that we had just kept in touch. The one is a businesswoman. She runs her own business. My other friend is a Ph.D. who teaches at the college level. I have lots of friends who went to school and kept going to school. Like the one friend I mentioned, she has another sister who's a Ph.D. and one sister who's a medical doctor. We're all Southerners, we're all from Birmingham, so I don't see this as being different. It's like you're doing what's available, what you're supposed to do because you have the opportunity, so take advantage of it. But I never see myself as standing out as unique or different, but if I can offer encouragement to anyone, be it a child or an adult, that pleases me. But I don't think of myself as being unique. I mean, unique in a way, but it's just that there are so many people out there doing a similar thing.
Johnson: Some of the ladies we've talked to, they began work in the forties and the fifties and they felt that by working for the federal government, it was more of an open environment, or accepting environment, as far as females working and that sort of thing. Do you feel that you would have had some of the same experiences if you hadn't work for NACA or NASA, or do you think your opportunities would have been the same, or different?
Easley: Now? I don't know. I don't know because I never worked for anyone else. It's difficult to say what would have been if you weren't really there. But I think even with the federal government out at NACA, women were placed in computing division or even—I remember someone, I think, who had a degree in accounting, who may have been put in clerical work. Remember, we're still dealing with people who have certain perceptions as to where women ought to be. Nothing was given to minorities or women. It took some fighting to get that equal opportunity and we're still fighting today. Of course, you know that. So I can't say what would have been if I'd gone to work for private industry. I do not know. Well, I'll never know. I don't think I'm going to work there.
Johnson: I wouldn't if I were you.
Easley: I don't fool myself and say, "Oh, gosh, I worked for the government." I mentioned earlier about one of the things that several of us thought about the government, that you couldn't be fired from the government. I've heard that expression for years and years. "You can't be fired from the government." Well, they may call it a reduction in force, but those people were let go. The results were the same, as if you say "You're fired" or you're going to be gently escorted out. You're out of a job. And that surprised a lot of us, back in the seventies. We just didn't know that could happen, but we found out, yes, it can happen. I still don't know why or how the people were chosen. I guess I feel differently that—I can't speak that I felt that, oh, gosh, I had better chances here than I would there. I do not know.
Johnson: When you speak to other groups or when you were doing college recruiting, you were encouraging other people to choose your field? Is that something you would still do, or what would you tell people?
Easley: When I went recruiting it was really for engineers.
Johnson: Was it? Really?
Easley: That's what it was because that's what we do most of the recruiting for. And when I recruited, I'm just really recruiting for engineers. I'm telling them about what's here, what the lab has to offer. And when I would go out and do a talk, I would talk on different subjects, and one of my favorites was always space spinoff, to talk about it. Or when I'd go to career days, I don't especially encourage people to be a mathematician, a scientist, or an engineer. I'm trying to encourage them to be something.
You just need to be—prepare yourself for whatever field you want to do. I don't expect of you to be engineers or scientists or mathematicians. We still need great teachers, because if we didn't have teachers, we'd have no engineers or scientists. We need the nurses, we need the doctors, we need the attorneys. We need the shops. There are so many different fields, but prepare yourself to be something. My talking was never just, "Look at what I am and be that." That's not what it was all about. It's just encourage them to prepare themselves. People find it strange that I would oftentimes stress English, to really learn English, because that's the language we use to communicate.
And I talk about the report-writing. I say, "We have a report manuscript section, and that's because not all of our engineers are real good with English, so we need someone to—the editors, the technical editors, to go over those reports and to be sure that they're able to understand what someone is trying to say." And I said, "You may be the best scientist in the world, and you get in your lab and you do all of this good work, but if you can't communicate it to someone else, it does you no good." So yes, I do. That was one of the things I always stressed. Learn English. Because we do communicate. That's the language that we communicate in. It's not something you can go say, "Oh, it doesn't do me any good." But it does do us good. I would still stress that today, because that's how we communicate. I need to know what you're saying and you need to know what I'm trying to convey to you. So it was not all technical.
Johnson: Any other advice you'd give someone that was considering entering your field today?
Easley: Well, I would suggest that you take any possible courses, math courses, that are being offered, at the earliest opportunity, if you have a chance. If they're being offered in elementary school, whatever they are, start then, and just take whatever is available. Don't give up on it. Just stick with it. Don't listen to people who always tell you it's hard, and walk away from it. And I think we do make that mistake sometimes, listening to someone who says, "Oh, math is so hard," and maybe you won't even attempt it. For perhaps it won't be that hard for you, if you look into it. And they could be telling you that a foreign language is too hard, and maybe if you tried it, you could accomplish what you wanted to. That is kind of with anything you want to do, not just one field. Investigate, and then make your own decision. That would be my advice.
Johnson: You mentioned some of the committees and organizations. You were an Equal Employment Opportunity counselor?
Easley: Yes, EEO counselor.
Johnson: Any other thing? The ski club, you mentioned you were a part of that.
Easley: I'm one of the founders of our ski club. I was the first president out here. As I said, I was in the Speakers Bureau. You know, you do all those other little things. There's a Suggestion Awards Committee and all. There's just a bunch of little things you do through the years. They may not show up on a resume, but at the time I think they were meaningful, they were helpful. Again, we were helping people get an award for some suggestion they had made. We had a running club out here. I was also a part of the running club at one time. I used to be a runner. The work is fine, but I think the social bit is also that you're able to socialize with your coworkers. Not that you have to, but it's nice to be able to, if you so choose.
Johnson: It builds that team feeling, I'm sure.
Easley: For instance, as an example, the ski club. We would meet, and after we met, we'd all go out. A bunch of us would go out to dinner someplace, and someone made a comment that we make a lot of decisions at dinner that we don't do during that formal hour or so that we meet. But if something would come up, like maybe the whitewater rafting or let's go see a play someplace. That kind of thing would come up in the informal setting, while you're together socially. So we did a lot of that.
But skiing became a great big part of my life also. I became involved even with the ski council here in the city, the area, because we have our NASA Lewis Ski Club, but we joined a ski council that's an umbrella organization of about two dozen or more ski clubs in the greater Cleveland area. Well, I eventually became president of the ski council, and that was a big part of my life. For three years I was president of that. So that all sort of grew out of the group we had here, and it expanded to something that was kind of city-wide. I find that we can do a lot of things. Work is something that we need to do in order to survive. We can enjoy it or we can not enjoy it, but, thankfully, I enjoyed mine. I've enjoyed the people I've met and I can't stress that enough. And not just the person I sat next to in the office, but a cross-section of people.
Right now, I have been gone since December of [19]'89, but there are still a lot of people. I mean, today we've been lucky that no one is on this floor, but I chuckle sometimes that I really don't have time to go into the lab. I don't have time to talk. Because I enjoy seeing the people that I once knew, and I've met some of the ones who were not here when I was, didn't work here at the time, but I've met them since then. So it's always nice to be able to come back here. And that's why I thought this would be a better setting to meet with you than someplace away. That it's like, back in a familiar place.
Johnson: You mentioned your mother several times, as probably your most ardent supporter. Is there someone else in your personal life or professional life, anybody at NASA, that you feel like was a mentor, or somebody that you really felt—or more than one person—that you felt may have contributed to your career or your belief in yourself?
Easley: I already had my belief in myself when I came here. Well, I did. I already did. But there are people, and I can't just point out any one who was, oh, gosh, like this person really took me by the hand and really showed me the way. But there are people who helped me along the way. That's the work part of it. There's no one who would be on a level with my mother, because of her, from the time I was a little kid, just constantly, constantly giving me encouragement. When you brought the report card home, the smile on her face, and how happy she was with the grades. If there was an A and a B, she would encourage me to bring that B up the next time. You know, you have to work on that. And I didn't get paid. I didn't get pennies or nickels or quarters for grades. Well, I know some families do that. I didn't get that kind—it was not that kind of thing. It was her encouragement, her pleasure, and her smile, when the report card came home.
So yes, there is no one else who was on that level, but through the years, I've had help from a lot of different people, and I think we don't really make unless someone helps us. Maybe some of us don't get the help that other people get, but we have to take advantage when we are getting help. So there are several people who have helped along, throughout life. There are people who have helped.
Johnson: I'm going to stop the tape for just a minute and then we'll come back, and just a couple more questions and we'll close it out.
Well, while you were here, there were some pretty famous Ohioans associated with the space program that came through here. In fact, Neil Armstrong began in 1955 here, the same year you came. Did you ever have a chance to work with any, like John Glenn or Neil Armstrong, or any occasions to work with them?
Easley: No, I did not. I just remember some of the earlier astronauts came to train on something we call a whirly-gig [gimbal rig]. I think it was called a whirly-gig. But you looked at them from afar, but I never worked with them. But I remember they came. This whirly-gig was some, like three circles of whirling. I think we called it a whirly-gig. They were here. One of my tours, they would come—maybe some of them came and spoke to us on the Ad [Administration] building steps and we all went over to hear them, but I never worked with them directly. But one of my memories of that class that Judy [Judith A.] Resnik [Ph.D.] was a member of, that astronaut group. She was from Ohio.
When they were new, the fresh class or group, they came here to visit and to tour, and I was one of the drivers. I can't remember. Did they have ten, twelve, fifteen? I can't remember how many were in that class, but we took them touring the lab and the facilities, and I was one of the drivers. I might have had two or three of them with me, in the car with me. We, of course, went to different buildings, different facilities, and I had the car that acted up and I can't remember his name—not the car, the person. As we drove across the street, he said, "There's a snake." I looked, and he says, "Let's get it."
I thought, "That's not a snake. Get it away." I looked in the rear-view mirror and what I thought was a leaf was actually something, and we turned around, and he got out and picked it up. He wanted to scare Judy with it. By the way, I can't believe we did that, as adults. They were a great group of kids. But we did pick it up and I found a box to put it in, but she took it, and she was going to give it to someone. I mean, give it to a friend of some kind. But what I remember about that particular group, we all went out, after being together at all of these facilities during the day, we all went down the street to a place called Yesterday, to a restaurant, to dinner. Judy's dad—her parents came up and had dinner with us, and we had the greatest time. We left that place—they had live music. Now, these are my good memories.
They had live music there and we left there and went over to the airport to a Sheraton-Hopkins, to a place called Final Approach, and I think all of them had the greatest time. Because perceptions about cities—they didn't realize there was so much fun to be had in Cleveland, and that's the hotel they happened to be staying in. I remember that group for that much. Of course, what happened with them. It was [Ellison S.] Onizuka [Ronald E.] McNair [Ph.D.], they were all up there with us. That was my closest to a bunch of them. It was in a work-type situation. You know, I was driving them around. But we have had other astronauts come and appear, but I've never actually done hands-on work with them. But I have gotten to meet them, some of them, through the years.
Johnson: In fact, Ohio has the largest number of astronauts of any state. I think it's twenty-four now. Good concentration.
Easley: I was thinking of someone else I was on a program with in Chicago, but I can't remember his name. I guess we were at Chicago State [University]. After a while you forget all of the things. Oh yes, we used to go and do week-long programs sometimes. Like we did it at Chicago State. We'd do a week-long program, have the kids from elementary schools come in and do things for them, different experiments. We've done the same kinds of things here at home, but, again, those were kind of other duties and a cross-section of people who would go into it.
Johnson: Were those all volunteer opportunities? Did you volunteer to do this?
Easley: Oh, they're all volunteer. Yes, they're all volunteer. You just have to be excused from your regular work in order to do it. Yes, they were all volunteer. Like our Christmas show I talked about. When those people worked at night, I remember someone saying to one of the very talented people, when she watched them work, she said, "You guys should get paid for doing this." She says, "No. Then it would be work. It would not be fun." But yes, those were volunteer. When we go out and do career days or career weeks, it's a volunteer-type thing, but you're still representing NASA. That's where you're coming from.
Johnson: When you retired in [19] '89, December of '89, did you just decide, now's my time, or did you begin working on something else?
Easley: No. When I retired, I—well, in my life earlier, I never thought of just doing nothing. I always thought I would do something after I retired, but I kind of thought, maybe I'll do real estate, but it was not etched in stone. So I retired in December of '89, and for three years, I was fully retired. I did not have a paying-type job, but I did a lot of volunteer work, because people know that you're there and if they know, they will ask you to do things. And I would always say yes. Lots of people have heard me say that I put more miles on my car as a retiree than I did as a worker.
I became very involved with the ski council and as president, I tried to attend as many different groups as I could. That means driving to Sandusky, Youngstown, Warren, to the Akron area, and the different clubs around Cleveland, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could have run for four years, but into the third year of the presidency, I decided, I think I'm satisfied now. I won't run for a fourth year, and I think I'll go and take real estate classes, so that is what I did. But for three years I was fully retired, and I was just meeting different groups all the time, and I was very, very busy with that. Now, real estate allows me to work other people's hours. Well, we are called independent contractors, but I know that we have to work with the people when they are off from their traditional nine-to-five jobs.
So I don't have to get up at 6:00 a.m. if I don't wish to, but then some days I do, because I choose to do it. I still call it retirement, I enjoy it, I do travel. Most of my travel, believe it or not, is built around skiing. I never went to Europe until I went on a ski trip. Actually, I never saw a mountain until I went out West on a ski trip. Now, I had never traveled before. I started to ski when I was forty-six years old, so I've been able to see a lot of things, but skiing has sort of been the thing that pushed me there. I may go to a place and not even ski, but it gets me to that area and I can tour. So I'm enjoying life, I've always enjoyed life, and I still do. And I like to play.
Johnson: Any other physical activities? I know you mentioned running.
Easley: I used to run. I do play tennis and I do golf. I do lots of things, none of them well.
Johnson: But you have a good time.
Easley: I do. I have a good time. And I think part of it is the people. Now, the running was a very alone-type thing. That, I could do alone and enjoy it, but I enjoy golfing. I enjoy being with other people. I enjoy doing things with people, whether it's golfing or going out to dinner. It's just that I like to do things with people. I have never been bored in retirement, and there's never a day that I say, "I wonder what I can do." There are always more opportunities that I can take advantage of, and I like it that way.
Johnson: Are you still involved in any tutoring or anything of that sort?
Easley: Only if they catch me. Actually, when I met those other computers, it was because I went out to do a program at Mills College in Oakland [California]. So every so often, I'm still found. I don't tutor on a regular basis, but if someone asks me to come to a career day, I will do it, to talk to the students. I'm always willing to do it. So yes, I still will be involved, as long as I possibly can, and as long as anyone asks me to do it.
Johnson: Are there any specific anecdotes or any incidents or happenings, than we haven't talked about, that happened while you were here at NASA that you want to mention, or anything you can think of offhand?
Easley: Well, not off the top of my head. I just can't think of anything. It seems like I've said a lot.
Johnson: We have. We've talked a lot.
Easley: I can't think of just any specifics, but if they come up, I'll make a note of them, if I think of any.
Johnson: Is there any topic that we didn't cover that you wanted to mention, about your work?
Easley: I think we've pretty much covered most of them. Again, I will stress, for me, it was wonderful, it has been a wonderful time to be alive, to see all of the changes that took place in my work life, from where we were to where we went. And to still see changes. I'm just fascinated by all of the changes. We can fax this and email that and voice mail. I mean, it's just fascinating to me.
Johnson: Are you keeping up with all the gadgets?
Easley: I'm not playing with them. I do what is necessary. I bought a computer because I thought I needed to, but I don't sit on it and play to see how much I can dig into. I don't have the time or the desire. I will get the email and I'll send it, but I don't play with it. It's not like this fascinating thing I play with. I'd much rather be out doing something actively, like on the golf course or doing other things. But some of the things I get are the necessities.
Johnson: Well, I appreciate you talking to me today and sharing your career and your many accomplishments, and your well-rounded career at NASA. In closing, I just want to thank you again.
Easley: Well, I thank you for coming and taking the time to talk to me. I'm always willing to talk, if anyone wants to hear anything I have to say.
Johnson: Well, we certainly enjoyed it. Thank you.
Easley: Well, thank you.|
Good news! The users of our JavaScript Gantt Chart may update their library to the version 3.3. What did this update bring to you? Surely, some fixes and improvements, but the coolest thing is that the component has obtained even more powerful features and extended abilities.
Note: the votes here are very important for us at the stage of planning the update.
Auto Scheduling
New update introduces the dependency scheduling feature. Now the tasks can be scheduled automatically based on dependency links between them.
For example, if you have task A and task B and Finish to Start relation between them, the start date of the B will be automatically set to the end date of the task A, and will be updated each time the task A is changed. This feature allows you to generate and maintain the project schedule by specifying the relations between tasks, without need to set dates of each task manually.
Fullscreen Mode
The latest version of the component provides you a simple but useful feature – ability to expand the schedule to the full screen. It will be a very handy feature for those who work with big projects, or when you need to show a gantt you working with from your screen.
Support of unscheduled tasks
Starting from dhtmlxGantt 3.3, a gantt chart now can contain the tasks with the dates that aren’t specified yet – such items are shown as rows in a chart, but there is no schedule in a timeline area.
Backward planning
In addition to setting task schedule as the dates of start and finish, or date of start and duration, you can now specify the task times as a date of end and duration – the start date will be calculated manually.
Content Security Policy compliance
In the version 3.3 gantt makes a step towards a safer web. The component received an initial support of CSP, Content Security Policy, and now allows you to disable text-to-Javascript mechanisms on your page while maintaining full functionality.
Note: the support is not full, inline styles still must be allowed for a correct work of the component.
Ability to drag-and-drop tasks in whole gantt structure
The ability to reorder tasks by drag and drop has been updated – now it’s possible to drop tasks to any level, not only within the same tree level.
Per-column grid sorting
Sorting of grid columns can be customized even further. Now you can specify custom sorting rule of any complexity to each column.
REST mode for ajax loading/saving
Now you can use the REST mode for the request. This mode will allow easily integration of dhtmlxGantt into the RESTfull app or attach it to Web API. We’ve also fixed known issues and added support of JSON format in server response.
Moreover, the update contains various bugfixes and some performance improvements that target loading big amounts of tasks. Please note that some of the listed updates concerns PRO Edition only.
Our documentation was also updated. The Standard Edition can be downloaded here. PRO users with active support subscription will receive the updated version via email.Here at Pinshape, we’ve been growing like crazy, and without a doubt, one of the most common questions we get asked by the community is “What’s selling?”. Well, our 3D Printing Trends report has the answer! Take a look into the 3D printing industry!
We’ve combed through our masses of data, crunched the numbers and came up with these 7 easy-to-digest insights about what the 3D printing community loves to print. As you might expect, some of these insights may be pretty obvious, but now you’ll know just how much the details of your design listing really matter!
1. How To Price 3D Models
This is one of those insights that is pretty obvious; the lower the price of the design, the more likely it is to sell. The designers that tend to see the most success are the ones that price their work in a range that most consumers don’t really question the price at, very much like $0.99 apps on the app store.
2. What To Design
While every designer has their own field of expertise and inspirations, there are certainly some categories of designs that makers prefer over others. The most downloaded designs tend to be those that fall into the Toys & Games or the Home categories, while Jewelry & Fashion falls way behind.
3. How Often To List New Designs
When it comes to getting noticed, staying active on a marketplace is key for designers. Regularly posting new designs for sale really helps, since 50% of all transactions happen in the first 2 months after being listed. Keeping a fresh portfolio means more views and sales for the new items, as well as the older items in your portfolio.
4. Design Descriptions Matter
Putting some effort into not only the way you design something, but also how you present it for sale makes a big difference. Having a description of your design goes a long way; with 50 words or more, you’re 1.7 times more likely to sell something than if you have a shorter description.
5. People Love Pictures
Like with most things, makers like to know what they’re getting before they decide to buy 3D printable files. In this case, the data backs that up, indicating that you’re a whopping 3.1 times more likely to sell a design when you have at least 3 different pictures of your model in your listing.
6. Makers Print What Others Print
If you want to help out your sales even more, make sure to show off the prints you’ve done of your files. Our data shows that Prints (uploaded proof that a design will print successfully, along with the slicing settings to get the same results) make a design 2.7 times more attractive to makers than those that don’t have any proof or printability.
7. Real Photos Win
Last, but certainly not least, taking high quality photos of your already printed design has by far the largest effect of all our 3D printing trends. We found that designs with photos of real, already 3D printed designs are 7.3x more likely to be sold than those with computer generated renders. What a difference!
BONUS TIP: Spread the Word
As we mentioned, the Pinshape community is growing FAST! We’ve seen over 100% month-over-month growth for the past 4 months straight. This is great news for makers because we have more great designs than ever! For designers, that means there are more sales than ever. We’re doing what we can to get the word out about Pinshape, but our most powerful weapon in building this community is YOU! To help the community continue to flourish, make sure to share your work on your social media accounts and tell your 3D printing friends about Pinshape.
Do you want to start selling and sharing your work on Pinshape, or just want to find cool 3D printable designs? Great, you can get started for free today, and with our Thingiverse importer, you can be up and running in minutes!Tesla Motors Simulator
Unofficial simulator where you can interact with different vehicles from Tesla Motors. Features:
Vehicles: Roadster 2020, Model S, Model X, Model 3, Semi
The real test track that's located behind the Tesla factory in Fremont, California
The co-founder of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, has also founded the rocket company SpaceX. Two of the rockets in the background are from SpaceX. The other rocket is the Saturn V that launched us to the Moon
The boring machine from The Boring Company, which is another project by Elon Musk
Reviews
Dude, your game is awesome. I just spent 2 hours in this. Thank you. Pale_Rider28
I love that you have the Tesla Track on there. I actually used to be one of the Test drivers, and then after I was the lead for that team. internetmexican
This game is amazing and there are tons of fun stunts to do. Redline Gaming
I don't even know if I can call this a game - it's more of an experience. Neilogical
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...and follow me on Twitter: @eriknordeusI was never big on Halloween growing up. I mean of course I always went Trick-or-Treating but my costumes were always lame! What made it fun was fun going with friends/family, houses that went all out on decorations and FREE candy (Mr. Goodbar please). But more than anything I always looked forward to sitting in front of the TV for my favorite show’s Halloween specials. Here are my favorite one’s from the 90’s.
5. Boy Meets World – And Then There Was Shawn
The best thing about Halloween specials is that it didn’t have to make sense to the rest of the season You can kill off characters…bring in new ones…do whatever! Boy Meets world did it right. They brought Jennifer Love Hewitt in this epsisode! I mean, Jennifer Love Fefferman…
Best Quote: “We’ll always remember he was that tall” – Cory
4. Freeks and Geeks – Tricks and Treats
This is what Halloween was like for me growing up. Except, luckily I never had my candy stolen by bullies who tried to fight me. AND my sister never egged my friends and me. But being weird and still wanting to Trick or Trick in Junior High…right here!
Best Quote: “I’m not a little girl…I’m a bionic woman!” – Bill
3. Family Matters – Stevil
The episode ends in a dummy dance off…need I say more?
2. Home Improvement – I Was A Teenage Taylor
One of the best shows from the 90’s that I think gets overlooked. They always had the BEST Halloween specials too! The one were Tim and Jill hire someone to scare the boys was my favorite. Gotta love that tool man’s pranks. I’m still not sure how you spell his grunt…uuuuuhhhuh?
Best Moment: Randy giving the kid dressed as Simba (he voiced him in the Lion King) extra candy and less to the kid dressed as Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen in Toy Story).
1. The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror III
Simpsons always do Halloween the best…especially in the 90’s. The hardest part was picking one episode. But this one has it all! A killer Krusty doll, a Zombie Flanders and some of the best quotes of all-time. It’s just not Halloween without the Simpsons.
Best Quote: “Marge, the doll’s trying to kill me and the toaster’s been laughing at me!” – HomerThere’s always a tension in classical architecture between reproduction and invention. Some people just want a copy of something they like and some designers want to invent new ways of being classical. But one of these points of view doesn’t exclude the other. To understand why, we need to look more closely at classical architecture.
More than anything else, classical architecture is a tradition and traditions look to the past. The easiest way to show that you’re part of that tradition is to reproduce something that’s gone before. And the easiest way to defend what you’re doing is to say it was successful before—so why not now?
And yet, to produce something today that looks just like something from the past is to produce something that isn’t the same, but is different. The first time round it will have been an invention and an invention is not the same as a reproduction. It may look the same, but people don’t feel the same about an invention as they do about a reproduction and what matters is what people feel about things. That’s why we make architecture.
This isn’t the way that most classical architects think when they reproduce, nor is it the way that most opponents think about classical architecture. On the one hand, there’s something comforting about seeming to make the much-treasured past come alive again. On the other hand, there’s something suspect about trying to live in an age that no longer exists. But neither is right.
Each reproduction is something modern. It was made because modern people wanted it, it was designed (and even a reproduction has to be designed) by a modern designer, it was made with modern technology (all technology available now is modern), and it was made by modern people.
When we look at the past, we can see this in action. In the 15th century in Italy people wanted to re-live ancient Rome. They tried to make literature like the ancients and buildings like the Romans. This is what they thought they were doing, but today we can see this just as typical of the 15th century.
Reproduction in practice is hardly ever quite the same. If we carve a wooden column capital today, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll use identical tools to those of the 15th century, the same sharpening technique or the same workshop conditions. Add to this that back then workmen and architects weren’t too concerned with precision like we are today and, in the end, an apparently identical column capital won’t be made |
conducted by independent researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Safer Transportation Research Centre at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, "The results of our study indicate that there is currently a risk difference with respect to the risk of injury given a crash between E.U. specification cars and U.S. models," said Andras Balint, a traffic safety analyst at the Swedish research centre and a co-author of the study. "Therefore, based on these results, immediate recognition of U.S. vehicles in the E.U. could potentially result in a greater number of fatalities or serious injuries in road traffic," he said. "The potential impact is difficult to quantify because it depends on a number of other parameters." ETSC member Antonio Avenoso said "This study shows that the E.U. and U.S. trade negotiators would potentially be putting lives in danger by allowing vehicles approved in the U.S. to be sold today in Europe and vice-versa. "What's needed is an open and transparent process for getting both sides up to the highest-level of safety across all vehicles," he said. "Clearly without much more research and analysis, including vehicle safety standards in the TTIP agreement would be irresponsible." Round two of the next formal TTIP negotiations begins next month, and the proposed free trade deal is set to become the biggest deal of this sort ever made, the Independent reports. It's likely the motor vehicle sector will be the biggest beneficiary; harmonization of auto regulations across the Atlantic may bring in over €18 billion per year for the European Union and the U.S. economies, according to a study by the U.S. think-tank Petersen Institute of International Economics reported earlier this year. The major study was commissioned by the car industry to show that current U.S. and EU safety standards were very similar, The Independent reported.But that's not what the research found. Instead, it showed that American cars are definitely not as safe when it comes to front-side collisions, a common cause of accidents that frequently result in serious injuries.The findings were not submitted, or announced publicly by the industry bodies that funded the study.The research shows that trade negotiators would possibly be placing lives in danger by allowing U.S.-approved vehicles to be sold in Europe and vice-versa.The news spotlights a global industry already in hot water following the Volkswagen emissions scandal earlier this week.The research was sponsored by the Washington-based Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), and the study was announced in a joint press release with the European car lobby ACEA and the American Automobile Policy Council, the Independent reports.These giants in the automotive industry represent the biggest names, including Chrysler, Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen.As the second- and third-largest vehicle producers worldwide, according to Common Dreams, the E.U.and U.S. combined account for about one-third of the world's global vehicle production, according to a report prepared by the Congressional Research Service in 2014.When announcing that the report had been commissioned in May 2014, industry lobbyists said that "under a TTIP, the two regions would represent the largest share of auto production and sales ever covered by a single trade agreement."In a briefing published on Thursday, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a non-profit based in Brussels, reported "The car industry is hoping to be one of the biggest beneficiaries from a TTIP agreement, partly by removing tariffs on imports, but mainly by removal of so-called non-tariff measures (NTMs).In 2013, the AAM stated that regulatory differences between the U.S. and E.U. "can act as non-tariff barriers to trade," translating into higher costs for consumers, Common Dreams reports.That led the ETSC to note "carmakers on both sides of the Atlantic have argued that safety standards are equivalent, i.e., not the same, but offer similar outcomes."Obviously the auto industry's hushed-up report shows that isn't the case.So on Thursday, the ETSC declared wasn't comprehensive enough to be considered equivalent either full or in part and said the situation isn't likely to change within the deadline for the TTIP negotiations at the end of the year.It also said that the process in which the current work is being done isn't transparent or open enough, especially in regards to public policy on vehicle safety, "which is quite literally a matter of life and death," the ETSC said.Part of the problem is that the E.U.'s research and position papers regarding vehicle safety for the TTHIP have only been made available for scrutiny by the public and by experts after they have already been discussed by trade negotiators, the ETSC said.The best approach would be to remove vehicle safety harmonization from TTIP negotiations.The study was conducted by independent researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Safer Transportation Research Centre at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, Mail Online reports."The results of our study indicate that there is currently a risk difference with respect to the risk of injury given a crash between E.U. specification cars and U.S. models," said Andras Balint, a traffic safety analyst at the Swedish research centre and a co-author of the study."Therefore, based on these results, immediate recognition of U.S. vehicles in the E.U. could potentially result in a greater number of fatalities or serious injuries in road traffic," he said. "The potential impact is difficult to quantify because it depends on a number of other parameters."ETSC member Antonio Avenoso said "This study shows that the E.U. and U.S. trade negotiators would potentially be putting lives in danger by allowing vehicles approved in the U.S. to be sold today in Europe and vice-versa."What's needed is an open and transparent process for getting both sides up to the highest-level of safety across all vehicles," he said. "Clearly without much more research and analysis, including vehicle safety standards in the TTIP agreement would be irresponsible."Round two of the next formal TTIP negotiations begins next month, and the proposed free trade deal is set to become the biggest deal of this sort ever made, the Independent reports.It's likely the motor vehicle sector will be the biggest beneficiary; harmonization of auto regulations across the Atlantic may bring in over €18 billion per year for the European Union and the U.S. economies, according to a study by the U.S. think-tank Petersen Institute of International Economics reported earlier this year. More about ttip, Car industry, us car safety report, ttip deal, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership More news from ttip Car industry us car safety report ttip deal Transatlantic Trade... Transatlantic Trade... US and EU safety sta... American cars are de... serious injuries frontside collFully electric doubledecker bus with new compact battery to launch in autumn, as London prepares for ultra low emission zone, reports China Daily
For years, London’s red doubledecker buses have dominated the capital, where nearly 1,000 routes are operated by 8,700 buses, many of them doubledeckers. Although there has been a gradual move to hybrid vehicles, many are still diesel-powered.
This will all change in October, when the world’s first pure electric zero-emission doubledecker bus, designed and built by Chinese automotive manufacturer BYD, will enter service in London.
The electric doubledecker bus represents a technology breakthrough in public transportation, said Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD Auto Europe.
“In the past, electric vehicle manufacturers have produced electric buses with three batteries – at the vehicle’s front, back and top – but this design would not work with the doubledecker bus. BYD’s advanced technology is able to make the batteries more compact, so the battery on top of the bus is no longer required,” he said.
“London has the most dense population in Europe and has the highest visibility of doubledecker buses. London is replacing 700 to 800 doubledecker buses every year, so there is a big market.”
According to Ho, the inspiration to supply doubledecker buses to London came about two years ago when Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD, met with London mayor Boris Johnson.
“Boris Johnson said to our chairman, ‘If you can make it, I will buy it’.
“Actually, electric cars came before gasoline cars, but because of the weakness of the batteries, gasoline cars became more successful. But now is the time for electric cars to take over gasoline cars,” Ho said, explaining that the environmental benefit and the fuel cost savings of electric vehicles give them a distinct advantage.
Denis Naberezhnykh, the head of ultra-low emission vehicle and intelligent transportation system technology at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, praised BYD’s achievement.
“Until now, fully electric doubledecker buses have been considered unfeasible. This is mainly due to the competing requirements for battery space and passenger capacity,” Naberezhnykh said.
He says unlike their single-decker counterparts, doubledecker buses in London typically cannot accommodate batteries on the roof due to the height limits of the vehicle.
“A purely electric doubledecker bus not only provides further options for the electrification of London’s bus fleet, but with growing pressure to improve air quality in cities and the impending introduction of the ultra low emission zone in London, it provides another way of reducing emissions,” Naberezhnykh said. The zone is set to launch by 2020.
“Over the next few years, we can expect to see a growing shift toward the electrification of public transport vehicles, as we seek to reduce air pollutants in urban centres and improve local air quality. Ensuring that these vehicles are able to operate the demanding duty cycles without excessive charging time requirements will be a vital factor in accelerating this shift.”
London has already introduced hybrid buses in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of public transport.
The latest development is the New Routemaster bus, designed by English designer Thomas Heatherwick, which is 15% more fuel efficient than the existing hybrid buses and 40% more efficient than conventional diesel doubledeckers.
The first New Routemaster vehicles, nicknamed “Boris buses” after the mayor of London, began service on a limited number of routes in 2012, and it is planned that more than 600 of the buses will enter passenger service by 2016.
BYD chose London for the launch of the all-electric doubledecker bus because of the vehicle’s iconic significance, but the same technology can be applied to many other markets, including European markets such as Germany and Asian markets such as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
Many of these markets would require localisation of design to suit customer needs, for example, with regards to wheelchair access, but the core technology of battery, control system and electric drivetrain would all be the same, according to Ho.
The first batch of BYD doubledecker buses will consist of five vehicles, all manufactured in China. Ho says BYD will explore the possibility of local manufacturing if the quantity supplied increases.
BYD won’t disclose the cost of the buses, explaining that it is highly dependent on customer specifications and volume, but says the electric buses can help save about 70% of the costs of fuel, producing long-term savings.
The latest New Routemaster costs £325,000 each, compared with £200,000 for an existing hybrid vehicle, according to the mayor’s office.
“For a bus, the largest part of the cost is actually the fuel, so over the long term electric vehicles can give a big cost saving effect,” Ho says.
The main challenge for electric buses is the lack of charging points, as is the case with other electric vehicles, because the technology is still relatively new, he says.
His team is working with Metroline, the London bus operator, to install charging infrastructure at bus depots, and is providing guidance on how to install the charging points, where to install them, what type of power requirements are needed. The company has invited Metroline engineers to China to see similar facilities.
Two years ago, BYD supplied two single-decker buses to the London bus operator Go-Ahead, which are still in use. BYD also helped Go-Ahead with installing the charging points.
The charging points are installed at bus depots, where the buses are parked at night, so the way the buses operate during the day is not affected. Most bus routes can be serviced for a full day on a single charge, needing only four hours to recharge during the night, using cheaper off-peak electricity, he says.
Founded in Shenzhen in 2003, BYD is already a leader in electric vehicles in both its domestic and international markets.
Ho says in Europe the company hopes to focus on the commercial vehicle market first, producing buses and taxis, because these vehicles can reach a wider user base and help BYD to build up a brand in Europe.
BYD has supplied vehicles to many countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, the UK and Spain. Its European headquarters is in the Netherlands.
Looking ahead, Ho is optimistic about growth in the use of electric vehicles in Europe, because cities are becoming increasingly densely populated with many people preferring to live in the city, creating a big demand on public transport.
Meanwhile, the environmental credentials of the electric vehicles is also a big contributor to this trend, as European cities move increasingly to reduce pollution, he says.
According to China’s ministry of industry and information technology, some 19,000 plug-in electric cars, buses and trucks were produced in China in May. The International Energy Agency says China ranks third on the list of countries using pure electric cars, with 80,000 sold since 2008.Police respond to home invasion
Blackman-Leoni Township public safety officers investigate an armed home invasion Friday, Dec. 23, that resulted in a shooting on Winifred Street in Blackman Township.
(MLive Media Group)
BLACKMAN TWP., MI - Police are continuing to search for an intruder believed to have been shot when he entered the home of an elderly man on Winifred Street.
As of Tuesday morning, he had not been found, Blackman-Leoni Township public safety Deputy Director Christoper Boulter wrote in an email.
A man fired at least four times Friday night at the intruder, said to be armed with a knife, and the man fled with the homeowner's gun and pickup truck.
Police believe the shooting was justified. "Someone came into his home, was armed with a knife, and assaulted him. He does not have a duty to retreat, and he was defending himself," Boulter wrote.
The two struggled and the homeowner went by Jackson Community Ambulance to Henry Ford Allegiance Health with what Boulter said were facial injuries.
Police initially were called about 9:40 p.m. to the home north of W. Argyle Street.
Homeowner fires at armed intruder who escapes with firearm in stolen truck He left the house, with the homeowner's gun and pickup truck, and officers were searching for the vehicle, Blackman-Leoni Township public safety Deputy Chief Christopher Boulter said.
A neighbor said the homeowner lives alone and fears he will be robbed.
Police were searching for a gray or silver 2006 Chevrolet Silverado with a crew cab and Michigan handicap license plate No. B4040, Sgt. Ralph Vanheyningen said.
The man is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees the truck was advised to stay clear of the vehicle and call 911.A handful of Green Bay Packer football players are now going for their close-ups. Fullback John Kuhn and former right tackle Mark Tauscher, running back Ahman Green and defensive end Michael Montgomery — along with former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell are co-starring in an indie comedy about an avid fan whose home literally lines the parking lot of the famed Lambeau field (home of the Packers). And, it’s a true story in time for the kick-off of the September football season.
The project, The 60-Yard Line, is based on the life a friend of filmmaker Ryan Churchill. The story follows Ben “Zagger” Zagowski and Nick “Polano” Polano who are best friends and co-workers and buy a house whose back door is right up against the parking lot of the stadium. One is forced to pick between a football fan party life and a girl. “Beer is consumed. Lives change. There’s a cow.” is the film’s tagline.
The guys all play themselves and are in more than one scene with speaking roles.
“If you walk out the back door of his house, you are in the parking lot,” said writer/producer Churchill who came out of the Second City comedy program in Chicago. After buying the house, the friend found out that he, Kuhn and Tauscher had mutual business friends in Wisconsin. So after games, the two football players would go and hang out at the house.
lfound out about the film and wanted to be in it as well. The former champ was actually on the field when the Packers won the SuperBowl in 2o10.
“Our goal was to get as many players as we could. We got to Green Bay two weeks before we started filming and it turned out that a local sportscaster is best friend with an actor in Los Angeles who told him about the film,” said Churchill. “The local sportscaster worked with Ahman Green. They knew about the movie locally and decided to help so we wrote Green into the movie. Montgomery is now an actor in Los Angeles and he heard about the film and wanted to be in it so he’s in it as well.”
The film was directed and also produced by Leif Gantvoort from a script by Churchill and Nick Greco. Alex McCullough and Greco also produced. The film also stars Randall Park, Cedric Yarbrough and Chelsey Crisp. Kimberley Crossman is also in the film.
The film is currently in post.Every week Inside Africa takes its viewers on a journey across Africa, exploring the true diversity and depth of different cultures, countries and regions. Follow presenter Errol Barnett on Twitter: @ErrolCNN
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (CNN) Sewage-lined streets, crumbling concrete homes and jagged sheets of metal are in stark contrast to the formally dressed man standing proudly in the middle of it all.
His name is Daniel Etienne. He grimaces into a Cuban cigar and happily sports two pairs of designer sunglasses; one straddling his eyes, the other tucked into his suit. He is a loyal and unapologetic member of " Les Sapeurs."
In this Kinshasa neighborhood, eight of them strut the congested streets, decked out in a wide-array of name brands; from Gucci and Christian Dior to G-Star and Yohji Yamamoto. Three-piece suits, shiny black leather shoes and flashy accessories are all part of an eccentric dress code -- and demeanor to match.
"I could use that money to help with the war that is happening in the East but [they're] so expensive it might hurt people's feelings," says Papa Griffes, of his pricey threads.
He describes himself as the "supreme commander of Les Sapeurs" or "Sap" for short. While he wouldn't admit to the actual cost, some Saps boast of spending $5,000 on a single suit. But in a country with one of the highest poverty levels in the world, how is a trend like this even possible or accepted?
Part of the performance put on by Sapeurs is showmanship, smoke and mirrors. Papa Griffes is actually a shoemaker and designer by trade so he stitches up and repairs each member's look.
His crew dresses up together just once a week, meeting first at Griffes's shoe-repair shack in the parking lot of a local bar before stepping out. It's also typical for Sapeurs to trade their expensive clothes with each other to keep up an appearance of affluence.
Still, the Sapeur following has cultural significance beyond the facade of fabric. Born out of gradual economic improvements leading up to independence, both the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its confusingly named neighbor, the Republic of the Congo, broke free of Belgium and France's colonial grip respectively in 1960.
The capitals of Kinshasa and Brazzaville on opposing sides of the Congo River became centers for a new African francophone elite, flying to Paris and returning to show off sophisticated garments.
For the first time in the modern era, the Congolese were empowered after decades of brutality and economic subjugation enforced by foreigners. Papa Wemba, the famous singer credited with popularizing the Sapeur look with his group Viva La Musica, says inspiration partly came from his parents who took great pride in dressing up on Sundays back in the '60s, "always well put together, always looking very smart."
Things changed in the DRC shortly after independence, when Joseph Mabutu assumed power, renamed the country Zaire and implemented a strict non-Western dress code.
Papa Wemba wanted to challenging the status quo -- not vocally, but visually. So he devised the acronym SAPE, roughly translated from French to mean "the Society of Atmosphere-setters and Elegant People." By dressing up his band in the SAPE style, the adoring Congolese crowds soon followed suit -- literally.
Since then, Sapeur swagger and the freedom of expression it represents have attracted legions of followers in central Africa and beyond.
By now they've earned an increasingly visible status in popular culture; Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni profiled them in his book " Gentlemen of Bacongo," The Wall Street Journal anointed them "the most unlikely fashionistas." They pop up in music videos and in the book "History of the Congo," the Saps are included in great detail. They are an important part of the Congolese story.
Papa Wemba invited CNN to one of his musical performances in Kinshasa being attended by Papa Griffes and company and it became obvious how serious this movement is today. A dapperly dressed Sapeur from a competing clique danced with a woman in front of Papa Griffes and afterward flung open his cape -- yes, cape -- kicking-off a fashion face-off.
What followed were multiple poses on the dance floor as each Sapeur defended his reputation. Labels were revealed, heads flung high and jackets swung around. In a country torn apart by colonialism, corruption, civil war and poverty, these men have found something refreshing in which they can take great pride.
They've also devised a sort-of entertaining conflict resolution that requires buttons instead of bullets, belts instead of bombs. In a very real way, we could all learn something from these special Congolese standouts: honor history, keep conflict resolution peaceful and never tell anyone how much you really paid for your fancy clothes.There are just two real estate developments connected to President Donald Trump that special counsel Robert Mueller has showed a reported interest in so far: there’s the Trump SoHo, of course, subject of pages upon pages of dirt-digging, but there’s also the failed Trump International Hotel and Tower, a boondoggle every bit as embarrassing as the SoHo disaster. The developers of the Toronto project, which was just a licensing deal for Trump, hold close connections to oligarchs in the former Soviet bloc, and the project’s sales structure was a mirror image of the Trump SoHo’s—as are its legal troubles.
What makes the 67-story tower interesting to Mueller, as the Wall Street Journal has reported, is the link between the project and Vnesheconombank, or VEB, the state-owned Russian bank on whose board Vladimir Putin himself sat, and that has been under U.S. sanctions since 2014. And the link between that bank and the Toronto project is Alexander Shnaider, a 49-year-old billionaire commodities trader whose career was initially spent buying “erstwhile state assets in the republics and satellites of the Soviet Union,” to quote a Globe and Mail profile from the year after the Trump Toronto was announced.
Born in what was then Leningrad but raised in Israel and Toronto, Shnaider went to work in the 1990’s for his then-father-in-law, Lithuanian trader Boris Birshtein, one of the first major moneymen to emerge from the wreckage of the USSR. Shnaider, whose worth Forbes pegs at $2.85 billion, abhorred the spotlight at the time, telling Forbes in 2005, “I don’t know if I am ready for all this attention.” By the time the Trump-branded hotel finally opened in 2012 however—two years behind schedule—Shnaider was happy to appear at the ribbon-cutting.
Symon Zucker, Shnaider’s attorney, told TPM that his client has not been contacted by federal investigators looking into some of Trump’s business deals as part of their probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Trump was badly in need of new partners by the time Shnaider came along in 2004. The Toronto tower had its initial debut in 2001, with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company proclaiming that Trump would join as “co-developer of the Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences.”
The announcement was made in a joint press release between the Ritz-Carlton and The Bowmore Group of Companies. In the first of a more-than-decade-long parade of indignities heaped on the Toronto tower, The Bowmore Group of Companies turned out to be chaired by one Lieb Waldman, who had been convicted of stealing $900,000 in a bankruptcy scam in Pennsylvania and was in Canada avoiding extradition. Ritz-Carlton pulled out of the project.
Trump didn’t waste time: He and Shnaider began ironing out the Toronto project in 2002, and in 2004, Trump re-unveiled the hotel by way of a website praising his own acumen in typically understated terms: “Some dream in black & white. Others never dare. A visionary dreams in bold vivid hues. Donald J. Trump dreams in color.”
His new partners were both very happy to let him take top billing on the tower, even as they purchased the necessary site for the project for $27.4 million. The two people in charge were Shnaider and another Russian-born man, Val Levitan, the CEO of Talon International Development, which Levitan and Shnaider formed to manage the project. Levitan would later testify that his experience with vending machines made him a competent hotel manager, according to Mitchell Wine, who represents a group of plaintiffs suing Shnaider, Levitan and Trump for misrepresenting the value of apartments in the Toronto tower.
One of the stranger aspects of Trump’s hotel deal in Toronto, and in the SoHo development, was the mixed-use nature of not just the building but the units within it. Briefly, the units were sold as condos with a panoply of exorbitant monthly fees; when the owners weren’t in the units, which they were required to vacate 245 days of the year, they were rented as hotel rooms, with the rental income used to offset the fees. Low room occupancy rates—much lower than advertised to prospective investors—meant the units didn’t just fail to generate revenue, they cost the owners a bundle.
Despite reusing the SoHo template, Trump had no skin in the Toronto game, however colorful his dreams, said Wine, who contended Trump still has “a duty of care” to people who invested in the project on the strength of his reputation.
“What he seems to do in all his projects is he gives you the impression that he’s building the building, it’s all the glitter and glamour and quality of his name,” Wine told TPM. “And then when you read the fine print, he has nothing to do with the building. He’ll come to some of the openings.”
Shnaider’s reputation was much darker. The most interesting acquisition he made during his post-Soviet era of fortune-building was a Ukrainian steel mill: The sale of the mill, Zaporizhstal, after Perestroika was a suspiciously closed-off affair, the Globe and Mail reported—as were the sales of many assets in the bizarre and dangerous world of post-Soviet privatization where the soon-to-be-billionaire thrived. Shnaider sold Zaporizhstal in 2010, but to whom and how, no one appears to be sure; Shnaider hasn’t disclosed the buyer, and Zucker told TPM he doesn’t know who the buyer was.
Shnaider had been due to sell the mill for $1.2 billion to Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine, and a major political player and backer of Putin-supported Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. Akhemtov, in fact, was former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s first major political employer in Ukraine.
When Shnaider ultimately did sell the mill for a reported $1.7 billion to an unnamed buyer, at least 50 percent of his shares in it were sold through a complex offshore transaction financed by VEB, as detailed in the Panama Papers. An anonymous source told the Russian newspaper Kommersant at the time of the sale that the bidders themselves were Russian. Today, companies owned by Akhmetov hold a controlling interest in the mill.
Zucker told the Wall Street Journal some $15 million from the sale of the mill had been used to cover cost overruns for the Toronto tower; later, he told the newspaper he couldn’t confirm that any money from the sale went toward the project. Zucker took exception to the Journal’s characterization of Shnaider’s financial dealings as suspicious—the deal, he said, was no different than Vnesheconombank financing a mortgage.
“Even if he’d wanted to put it into the Trump hotel, he could have,” Zucker told TPM. “It’s his money!”
Levitan resigned in 2013, after he, Shnaider and Trump started fielding lawsuits from their clients, one of them a class action, that accused them of selling units in the Toronto tower as investment opportunities—something they’d promised they wouldn’t do when they submitted their initial prospectus to Canadian regulators.
The developers then defaulted on a $310 million Austrian bank loan in 2015. Exactly one week before Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, a Canadian bankruptcy judge placed his branded Toronto tower into receivership. The building’s new owners, a holding corporation run by JCF Capital, decided to get rid of the Trump name in June; workers began to remove the signage on what is now the Adelaide Hotel in July.
For the privilege of removing Donald Trump’s name from its facade, the Adelaide paid the Trump Organization at least $6 million.Minishcap1, a Challenger player in multiple seasons and #1 Singed on Lolskill, has been a strong critic of Dynamic Queue and the direction Riot has gone with League of Legends. In this interview, Minishcap1, will discuss his opinions on Dynamic Queue, the current state of Singed and the most optimal way to play him, and what he'd change to make Singed competitively viable again.
Describe the strategy you created for Singed & why it’s necessary (Zz’Rot rush) for him to be optimal.
Minishcap1: My strategy revolves around the idea that Zz’Rot Portal helps Singed overcome his garbage laning phase.
I started doing this back in January. Lane-bully champions were meta, and they were all pretty tough matchups for Singed. I was trying to figure out a way to deal with them when my friends and I came across a random platinum player in a normal game. He was playing Singed, and had built a Zz’Rot Portal as a troll item. I thought it was stupid until I saw just how much pressure he could put on a tower, so right then and there I decided that I would make Zz’Rot portal work in a variety of matchups. I was actually the first player in NA to use Zz’Rot Portal to climb the ladder at the beginning of this season. Streamers then started to pick up my strategy of placing it under your own tower in top/mid lane to safely poke the enemy towers while keeping the portal alive.
It’s necessary in most matchups because:
- Singed has a hard time pushing towers quickly, and
- Singed has a very weak laning phase versus a LOT of champions
Getting a Zz’Rot first-item allows Singed to move around the map, have defensive stats, and be a general nuisance while he farms past his abysmal early-game.
Put yourself in the shoes of a lead designer. What would you do to rework Singed?
Minishcap1: I would first inform people that Singed’s kit is extremely archaic and is pretty difficult to make function in high-elo in Season 6.
Personally, I would change his passive. Singed’s current passive converts 25% of his mana into health. This is pretty useless, considering that the most effective builds on Singed don’t have any mana items at all. It is an extremely non-interactive ability that’s boring, one-dimensional, and just ancient in design. I’ve come across a few different ideas concerning a new passive for Singed:
- Singed’s Poison trail is now permanently on, cannot be toggled off (Similar to Aurelion Sol passive). Singed’s Q changes from Poison Trail to ‘Mix Mix Swirl’.
Q – Mix Mix Swirl: Singed can press Q to change his poison trail into one of three new trails. Purple trail shreds 0.5 MR per second while dealing normal damage, Blue trail shreds 0.5 Armor per second while dealing normal damage (can also slow instead), Red trail deals bonus damage. These three consume a bonus flat amount of mana per second. Green is the default trail, and functions the same as live.
- Singed gains more movement speed the lower his health is.
- Last idea: Singed actually uses his shield, and gains a slowly generating shield (think S5 turrets) when he is moving towards enemy champions.
- Grounded OR Poison Trail dot applied by his W.
What made you first try Singed? Why do you still play him?
Minishcap1: I first picked up Singed back near the end of Season 2 because I saw a youtube video where a Singed player was popping his ult and running around full teams of people, slowly DPSing them to death. It seemed like fun.
I keep playing him to this day because he’s easily the most unique champion in the game, alongside only maybe Shaco and Heimerdinger. All other champions besides these three fall into the same repeating pattern of: farm -> skirmish -> objective -> repeat. Singed, however, requires you to think outside of the box if you want to win with him. Singed is a map-pressure champion. You have to know how to create distractions, draw jungler attention, and how to escapeganks/have great map awareness while proxying.
How is Singed in the current state of the meta?
Minishcap1: With the gradual nerfs to top-lane tanks culminating in patch 6.11 with Ekko/Maokai nerfs, and big buffs to Trinity Force, we are finally starting to see Bruisers in top lane again. Bruisers are much more interactive to play against, because you can actually outplay a bruiser. You can damage a bruiser.
As of 6.11, Singed is in a better spot than he was before. He’s not quite as good as he was in season 5. I still think he’s a little bit weak, personally, but giving him a passive that actually contributes to his kit would help with that.
What would need to happen for Singed to be competitively viable again? He was played in every season’s worlds except season 5.
Minishcap1: If Singed is ever going to be competitively viable, two things need to happen.
- The frequency of competitive lane swaps needs to go down. Singed can do literally nothing in a traditional lane swap. However, Singed is a great double-jungler, but that strategy was nerfed.
- This brings me to my second suggestion, which is that Singed’s W (Mega Adhesive) should apply ticks of Poison Trail until it wears off. This would give Singed a form of (very high mana cost) ranged waveclear, which would make ranged matchups and laneswaps just a little bit better for him to endure.
Also, for the love of all that is good in this world, give Singed back the tenacity on his ult that was removed in Season 3. Modern champions have insanely overloaded kits that are full of cheap, effective CC. A little bit of tenacity back on Singed’s ult isn’t going to make him OP.
In addition to this, I would make Singed’s W (Mega Adhesive) apply ticks of his currently selected poison to the targets it is slowing. This would give Singed at least a crappy form of ranged waveclear of some sort, something that nearly every other champion in the game has.
What top laners do you feel you have the most difficulty playing against? What about champions?
Minishcap1: As far as players go, I wouldn’t really say that anyone gives me a lot of difficulty. However, some players are definitely more talented than others. You’ll notice a distinct difference between an LCS top laner and solo queue stars. I think learning to deal with tilt is a greater obstacle to overcome than one player will ever be.
Champion matchups are a bit different. There’s a reason most players consider Singed to be a joke champion, and that’s because what makes him unique also makes him have an awful laning phase versus a huge number of champions. He has three abilities which each cost 120 or more mana to use. Pretty silly considering that mana items are not the most optimal on Singed.
Maokai and Ekko are probably still a bit too strong. Currently, Irelia is probably the strongest and most difficult, because Vlad and Swain are thankfully permabanned. As far as tough matchups go, stuff like Teemo, Lulu, and Gnar will always be the hardest for Singed due to their ability to kite and deal constant damage.
What would you recommend to handle playing against a Singed? What strategies should a player execute?
Minishcap1: Your first step is going to be to laugh at the poor enemy top-laner who picked an ancient and archaic champion like Singed. No dashes, gap closers, sustain, ranged waveclear, high base damages, or low mana costs in 2016? Pick any meta top-laner and beat on that poor Singed player until you send him back to 2012 when people actually took Singed seriously. You’ll quickly realize why everyone thinks Singed is a joke now.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Singed is playable, and I think you can win games with him. If you couldn’t, I wouldn’t be playing the game. However, it’s a million times easier to learn to play a meta champion than it is to learn to play Singed. If you don’t feel like playing any meta top-laners, you can always go for the classic Teemo/Gnar/Lulu picks which usually tilts Singed players pretty hard.
You’ve been a strong critic of Riot’s Dynamic Queue system. How |
announcement is expected on October 4th, but Google has yet to say anything.Opponents of food products with GMOs have recently elicited fatwas from top clerics, declaring commercial sale and cultivation of genetically-altered crops “not permitted.”
Local media is at the center of the campaign, with Tasnim news agency on Sunday publishing a letter to state officials by a group of university professors, researchers and activists, urging a ban on the trade, growth and imports of GM food.
“It is many years since genetically-modified products entered the food chain in Iran without consumers’ knowledge. Credible information suggests that no tests have been carried out to evaluate the risks which such products might have,” the letter said.
It was addressed to parliament and ministries of health and agriculture, urging “more sensitivity to the hazards of GM products,” Tasnim reported.
Signatories warned of efforts by a group of GM food advocates who were after commercialization of GM rice, wheat, cotton, potatoes and sugar beet “under the guise of attaining self-sufficiency and preventing imports.”
Almost no food carries labels listing genetically-modified ingredients in Iran. Allegations of a rise in cancer cases and other diseases have fueled speculations that GM products could be a culprit among other causes.
Tasnim cited a warning by Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Alavi-Gorgani about health and security risks of genetically-manipulated products.
Israel, the senior cleric said, is behind the campaign to promote GM food. “May God help our beloved officials realize that this is one of the colonial ways,” Ayatollah Alavi-Gorgani said.
According to a fatwa by the cleric, “scientific research in the field of genetically-modified products has no problem but as long as their safety and harmlessness has not been scientifically verified, commercializing them is not permitted.”
Last year, Iran imported $5.5 billion of GM products, according to head of the Iranian Organic Association Ali Nourani who said the imports were threatening the health of consumers.
Nourani has said Iran’s move toward embracing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) makes no economic sense.
“The Iranian society is not starving to say we must move toward genetically modified products, which amounts to toying with the health of the people.”
Across the world, opponents have cited a number of independent studies linking GMOs to a wide range of diseases and even possible environmental disasters.
In July, Russian media said the country had joined more than 30 countries, including China, banning the use of GMOs in food production under a bill signed by President Vladimir Putin.
The European Union has rigorous restrictions in place on GM cultivation in the 28-member bloc while countries such as France have banned the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
A variety of GM products, chiefly rice and cooking oil, is imported into Iran, however. Iran has also been dabbling with biotechnology for years, cloning its first sheep in 2006.
The first GM rice is already grown in Iran for human consumption. In May 2015, the first sample of Iran’s GM cotton was unveiled by Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati.
According to Ali Karami, a specialist in medical biotechnology and genetic engineering, an “import mafia” is behind the distribution of GMO products in the country.
In February, he told Tasnim that imports of genetically modified products were a “Zionist plot” to infect Iranians, citing them a “serious example of infiltration.”Busting Loose -- The Mother of Re-Invention
I think for most of us, it's not on the level of gee, I'd like to be President of the United States. And, in fact, who really wants that? What a pain in the ass. I can't imagine having to spend 16 hours a day dealing with politicians, radio talk show hosts, angry vegetarians and the cast of "Fantasy Island," aka North Korea.
Frankly, as a guy and a Player, I'd rather grow up to be Johnny Depp -- all the notoriety and half the grief, 50 times the money, a 45-acre private island in the Bahamas, a creative outlet in the movies. Plus, I get to play a pirate. Arrgggh. Women, I'm thinking Oprah? Kate Winslett? Angela Merckel? I don't know, you tell me. We have plenty of creations to choose from.
(Oh, then there's the guy whose "job" was to eat his way through the two most famous
For me, it's started out on a little less grand level. it's a combination of realizing what I can play at now, and what I would like to discard. Sort of like the guy in a series of radio commercials for STP Oil, the "I don't wanna be that guy" guy. He laments not being able to do simple manly things like changing the oil in his car, home repairs or hunting. He knows more about cooking oil than motor oil. He wants to get grease on his hands.
I can relate. I don't want to be that guy who looks at everything through the prism of whether he can afford it or not.
I don't want to be that guy who sits in front of his computer 13 hours a day until his eyes bleed and his brain synapses fry because he's too lazy to get out of the house.
I don't want to be that guy who cruises travel sites every day, but never books a flight anywhere.
I don't want to be the guy who settles for a McDonald's hamburger when he could be eating sushi -- in Japan.
I don't want to be the guy who uses coupons at the grocery store.
I don't want to be the guy with basic cable when he could have HBO and Cinemax.
I don't want to be the guy who takes his date to an art reception because there will be free food and wine.
You get my point. Eventually, as I realize what I don't want to be, when I understand the limitations I've put on myself, then I can start playing in a bigger arena.
For example, I've noticed a change in my response to the question, "what do you do?" No, I'm not answering, "I seek enlightenment through a process called Busting Loose, so that I can realize my true essence as an infinitely abundant and joyful being." I haven't quite come out of the closet in that regard.
But now the answer is along the lines of, "Well, this week, I'm writing a screenplay and solving the newspaper crisis." Or "Today, I'm producing a television show and saving the non-profit arts community." Or "Next week, I'm launching an internet marketing campaign and I'm going to give the local music scene an international presence and make it bigger than Austin."
I'm thinking bigger and more creatively. I don't want to confine myself. I'm realizing I'm more than just a persona defined by a certain set of skills and society's expectations -- and my own stories.
Plus I get bored easily. So one crusade morphs into another depending on whether I'm still having fun with it. But I'm expanding as a Player in ways I would never have considered before. I'm approaching people I would never have approached, just for the fun of doing it, and asking for things I would never have asked for, for the same reason.
The response isn't even important. It's the taking the chance that is fun.
Understanding we are living in an illusion of our own creation is the mother of re-invention. So take a minute and think about what you're doing this week. Anyone for tennis and buying a villa in Tuscany? Thought so.
One of the great gifts of Busting Loose is the chance to re-invent ourselves on the playing field while we do the serious behind-the-scenes work through the Process. I'm seeing so many more possibilities that I didn't realize before.I think for most of us, it's not on the level of gee, I'd like to be President of the United States. And, in fact, who really wants that? What a pain in the ass. I can't imagine having to spend 16 hours a day dealing with politicians, radio talk show hosts, angry vegetarians and the cast of "Fantasy Island," aka North Korea.Frankly, as a guy and a Player, I'd rather grow up to be Johnny Depp -- all the notoriety and half the grief, 50 times the money, a 45-acre private island in the Bahamas, a creative outlet in the movies. Plus, I get to play a pirate. Arrgggh. Women, I'm thinking Oprah? Kate Winslett? Angela Merckel? I don't know, you tell me. We have plenty of creations to choose from.(Oh, then there's the guy whose "job" was to eat his way through the two most famous culinary regions of Italy and decide which made the best food. Arrrggh indeed.)For me, it's started out on a little less grand level. it's a combination of realizing what I can play at now, and what I would like to discard. Sort of like the guy in a series of radio commercials for STP Oil, the "I don't wanna be that guy" guy. He laments not being able to do simple manly things like changing the oil in his car, home repairs or hunting. He knows more about cooking oil than motor oil. He wants to get grease on his hands.I can relate. I don't want to be that guy who looks at everything through the prism of whether he can afford it or not.I don't want to be that guy who sits in front of his computer 13 hours a day until his eyes bleed and his brain synapses fry because he's too lazy to get out of the house.I don't want to be that guy who cruises travel sites every day, but never books a flight anywhere.I don't want to be the guy who settles for a McDonald's hamburger when he could be eating sushi -- in Japan.I don't want to be the guy who uses coupons at the grocery store.I don't want to be the guy with basic cable when he could have HBO and Cinemax.I don't want to be the guy who takes his date to an art reception because there will be free food and wine.You get my point. Eventually, as I realize what I don't want to be, when I understand the limitations I've put on myself, then I can start playing in a bigger arena.For example, I've noticed a change in my response to the question, "what do you do?" No, I'm not answering, "I seek enlightenment through a process called Busting Loose, so that I can realize my true essence as an infinitely abundant and joyful being." I haven't quite come out of the closet in that regard.But now the answer is along the lines of, "Well, this week, I'm writing a screenplaysolving the newspaper crisis." Or "Today, I'm producing a television showsaving the non-profit arts community." Or "Next week, I'm launching an internet marketing campaignI'm going to give the local music scene an international presence and make it bigger than Austin."I'm thinking bigger and more creatively. I don't want to confine myself. I'm realizing I'm more than just a persona defined by a certain set of skills and society's expectations -- and my own stories.Plus I get bored easily. So one crusade morphs into another depending on whether I'm still having fun with it. But I'm expanding as a Player in ways I would never have considered before. I'm approaching people I would never have approached, just for the fun of doing it, and asking for things I would never have asked for, for the same reason.The response isn't even important. It's the taking the chance that is fun.Understanding we are living in an illusion of our own creation is the mother of re-invention. So take a minute and think about what you're doing this week. Anyone for tennisbuying a villa in Tuscany? Thought so.The year was 2006, and a young cornerback by the name of Devin Hester was about to embark on a journey. Picked by the Chicago Bears in the second round, Hester was about to ignite a fan base. The words electric was used for the cornerback turned wide receiver/punt returner, though his selection would be a widely criticized move at a time when the Bears were still in desperate need of offensive weapons.
However Hester would leave his mark in the league instantly, returning a punt in his debut as a Bear. In fact Hester would have six touchdown returns in his first 13 games. Hester was a pinnacle reason the Bears were able to reach their first Super Bowl appearance since 1985. On the opening kickoff Hester would go all the way for the fastest lead in Super Bowl history (recently broken by Seattle), stunning the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2007 Chicago embarked on an experiment that would ultimately fail to work out. Lovie Smith decided to install Devin Hester in the offense. For a few years Hester would play decently well. In 2009 Hester became the Bears number-one wide receiver; at the same time, the general manager traded two first round picks to bring in Jay Cutler.
During that season, Hester caught 57 receptions for 757 yards. However, this would mark the beginning of his decline. Hester struggled with simple things that marked the difference between marginal and good (not even great) receivers. Hester continually had issues running routes and had incredibly inconsistent hands.
His great speed was an incredible asset, but he was ultimately incomplete as a receiver. These issues would eventually wear on fans and Cutler. Cutler quickly lost chemistry and confidence with Hester, leading to him being an afterthought in the passing game. Hester would begin to decline in total yards and touchdowns over the next two seasons.
After the 2012 season, Jerry Angelo was replaced by current general manager Phil Emery. Hester had already been on the decline for two years in terms of both receiving and return ability, prompting new offensive coordinator Mike Tice to install what he called the “Hester package” — basically certain offensive plays that involved the return man (mostly as a decoy), demoting him to the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart. He would finish the season with 242 yards on 23 receptions. Mike Tice was fired after his first season after failing to put together a capable offense, as was Lovie Smith (the guy who took a chance on Hester to begin with). Hester contemplated retirement shortly after the announcement, but would continue into his final year of his contract.
Marc Trestman did not see the same potential as Lovie in terms of receiving ability, a point justified by his declining production. Hester was put strictly on return duty, and saw his greatest return year in terms of total yards from kickoffs; however, it was simultaneously his worst for punt returns. Hester would net a career high of 1,442 yards on kick returns, and a career low of just 18 yards from punt returns.
Without a role on offense, his value dwindled and his cap hit prompted what has followed over the last few days. On March 6, Hester alluded to the possibility that the Bears would part ways with him on NFL Network. The 2013 season would be his last in Chicago, as Trestman and Emery have decided he just doesn’t fit what they are trying to do.
Hester’s days as a Chicago Bear have come to an end. It’s difficult to keep a player just to return kicks, especially at Devin Hester’s cost, without adding depth to another part of the team. A rookie like Michael Ford can return kicks and provide depth at the running back position.
If Hester could have turned into that deep threat Lovie had hoped for, his value would make sense; otherwise it was just time to move on. In his announcement on the NFL Network, Hester seemed genuinely upset about his time in Chicago coming to an end. To some degree, Chicago fans should be upset as well.
It’s sometimes hard to remember what made Hester so incredible, but it was a weird feeling watching a punt returner just get you excited about what he was capable of doing. As a fan, Hester should be remembered for all the incredible moments that he brought to the Bears. As an organization, the Bears had to move on. For all of Hester’s past greatness, nostalgia doesn’t win championships.Last year, Invest Atlanta won applause by launching an ambitious new Housing Strategy that called for reducing the number of vacant, blighted homes in the city by 20 percent by 2020, among other goals.
At the time, officials counted some 1,500 units they wanted to see demolished or inhabited in the next four years. Beyond their impact on neighborhood morale and commercial investment, vacant houses in parts of Atlanta present another — and more morbid — problem, as the AJC chronicles this week.
In the shadow of downtown and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, two more bodies turned up this week in an abandoned house. As with other cases, the house in question is owned by a Buckhead-based investment group, the newspaper reports.
Neighbors said the blighted properties give the impression that crooks can get away with murder — literally. But this case was unusual, in that the home was relatively well-maintained, the lawn mowed.
Beyond the case this week, the story paints a disturbing, anecdotal picture:
Dead bodies are no rare occurrence in the abandoned properties west of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the new home of the Atlanta Falcons. Some are squatters who died of chronic health problems or addicts who overdosed. In one case, two decomposing bodies found in a home a couple of miles west belonged to women who were strangled months apart. Others are murder victims who were killed elsewhere and dumped, as in the case of a dismembered woman found in a vacant lot near Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.
Quick, somebody call code enforcement.America’s Largest Kaleidoscope has been mesmerizing guests since 1996. The silo is over 56 feet tall and is a multi-media presentation that wows audiences with brilliant moving images and theater-quality sound. The overall kaleidoscope concept was designed by award winning kaleidoscope artist Charles Karadimos. The specially-created video used as the imagery for the kaleidoscope was designed by Isaac Abrams, a pioneer in the psychedelic art movement of the 60’s, and his son, Raphael, a computer artist. Accompanying the visuals is a musical score by Gary Burke, a local composer and drummer who has worked with Frances Ford Coppola and Bob Dylan. Listen for hints of folk, jazz, big band, psychedelic rock and patriotic grandeur. Better than the Fourth of July! The video’s 3-dimensional effect is created using a tapered, three-mirror system. Each mirror is 37 feet tall and weighs 2.5 tons. Combined, they form a precise pyramid tapering from 15 feet at the bottom to 5 feet at the top. They reflect a constantly evolving virtual sphere with a 50 foot radius.Muay Thai Punches
When training in a Muay Thai Camp in Thailand, Muay Thai would-be fighters are taught different techniques important to this combat sport from Thailand. One of such techniques is the Muay Thai punch. Muay Thai training in Thailand promotes and had seen numerous local Thai and foreign fighters develop into strong and successful Muay Thai world champions. It just proves the kind of Muay Thai Training Phuket gyms offer – one that ensures a trainee a successful career in kickboxing.
A basic of Muay Thai techniques is the Muay Thai punches. At a time when men did not have any weapon to fight wild animals and even human beings as well, they made use of every part of their body as a defensive weapon needed for survival. Punch is the easiest defensive and offensive weapon to control compared to the other parts of the body.
What to Hit with Muay Thai Punch
In Muay Thai gym Phuket trainers emphasize the proper Muay Thai Punch techniques in order to accurately hit the target. The fighter should use the knuckles as this is the most effective way to hit the target. The usual target of a Muay Thai fighter is the area of the upper body towards the face. But regardless of where the punch hit the target, it is important to remember to immediately pull back the fist away from the opponent in order to prevent exposing the fighter to counter-punching of the opponent. The punch thrown should unnerve the opponent.
There are five categories of Muay Thai punches, which are learned in any Muay Thai a gym Thailand is plentiful. These are:
The Jab
This is used to find the range by irritating the opponent. Accurate and skillful jabbing will cause the opponent to feel anxious. This punch requires a lot of practice on the punching bag. This type of punch could be used in defense, attack or retreat.
The Straight Punch
Muay Thai trainers ensure that each fighter is taught to use straight punch mainly to attack the opponent’s facial area such as chin, nose, or mouth. The knuckles are used to increase the effectiveness of this punch along with twisting the opponent’s shoulders. Straight punch is always use after the jab.
The Hook
This punch is used mainly to attack side facial area such as the temple, nose, or ear. The elbow is bent a bit and the back of the knuckle is used to attack. To increase the effectiveness of the hook, a fighter may combine the hook with twisting the opponent’s shoulders.
The Swing
This type of punch is generally thrown at a further distance than the distance covered by the hook. Targeted by swings are areas around the jaw line or the ribs. When there is a gap on the opponent’s body or face, a swing can be thrown. As the punch hits the target, make sure that the knuckles take the brunt of the impact.
The Uppercut
Muay Thai fighters use the uppercut punches to target to attack the opponent’s chin and stomach. To do the uppercut, knees and elbows are bent slightly before a punch is made vertically to attack the opponent. When the opponent is very close to the Muay Thai fighter or when they are in a stooping position, the uppercut will be more effective. Alternatively, it is also possible to attack by knee kick instead of uppercut.
Muay Thai punches if combined with different style of kicks could badly hurt an opponent especially if it’s done with so much power. Everyday intensive Muay Thai training enhances a fighter’s skill and senses in mastering the art of the sport, which could make any fighter one of the best.For the better part of a quarter of a century, Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa has caught the attention of scientists and the lay public alike. Although it is the smallest of Jupiter’s four Galilean satellites, NASA’s Galileo mission returned data that strongly suggests that Europa hosts a tidally heated ocean of liquid water rivalling Earth’s oceans in total volume beneath a protective icy veneer up to tens of kilometers thick. The presence of this ocean of water and tidally-driven chemical energy sources makes Europa a prime target for scientists looking for extraterrestrial life. Still unconfirmed observations in 2012 by the Hubble Space Telescope that could indicate the presence occasional plume activity have only heightened interest in this tempting astrobiological target.
Since before the end of NASA’s Galileo mission in September 2003, the scientific community has studied a range of mission options to return and study Europa and its potential to host life. Unfortunately the multi-billion dollar price tags for these proposed flagship-class missions as well as commitments to other expensive programs such as NASA’s James Web Space Telescope and the ongoing Mars exploration program have hampered any progress towards a Europa mission for well over a decade. That has finally changed in recent years as support for a dedicated mission to Europa to be launched in the early 2020s has materialized in the Administration and Congress
NASA’s currently envisioned Europa mission would send a solar-powered spacecraft into a long, looping orbit around Jupiter to perform repeated close flybys of Europa over a three-year period. In total, the mission would perform 45 flybys at altitudes ranging from 25 kilometers to 2,700 kilometers. Presumably if the spacecraft exceeds its design life and its systems survive the repeated exposure to Jupiter’s intense radiation environment, even more flybys would be possible during an extended mission.
In 2014, NASA invited researchers to submit proposals for instruments to study Europa. Thirty-three were reviewed and, of those, nine were selected for the upcoming Europa mission. These instruments are:
Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) – Principal investigator Dr. Joseph Westlake of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Laurel, Maryland. This instrument works in conjunction with a magnetometer and is key to determining Europa’s ice shell thickness, ocean depth, and salinity by correcting the magnetic induction signal for plasma currents around Europa.
Interior Characterization of Europa using Magnetometry (ICEMAG) – Principal investigator Dr. Carol Raymond of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California. This magnetometer will measure the magnetic field near Europa and – in conjunction with the PIMS instrument – infer the location, thickness and salinity of Europa’s subsurface ocean using multi-frequency electromagnetic sounding.
Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) – Principal investigator Dr. Diana Blaney of JPL. This instrument will probe the composition of Europa, identifying and mapping the distributions of organics, salts, acid hydrates, water ice phases, and other materials to determine the habitability of Europa’s ocean.
Europa Imaging System (EIS) – Principal investigator Dr. Elizabeth Turtle of APL. The wide and narrow angle cameras on this instrument will map most of Europa at 50-meter resolution, and will provide images of areas of Europa’s surface at up to 100 times higher resolution.
Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) – Principal investigator Dr. Donald Blankenship of the University of Texas, Austin. This dual-frequency ice penetrating radar instrument is designed to characterize and sound Europa’s icy crust from the near-surface to the ocean, revealing the hidden structure of Europa’s ice shell and potential water within.
Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS) – Principal investigator Dr. Philip Christensen of Arizona State University, Tempe. This “heat detector” will provide high spatial resolution, multi-spectral thermal imaging of Europa to help detect active sites, such as potential vents erupting plumes of water into space.
MAss SPectrometer for Planetary EXploration/Europa (MASPEX) – Principal investigator Dr. Jack (Hunter) Waite of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio. This instrument will determine the composition of the surface and subsurface ocean by measuring Europa’s extremely tenuous atmosphere and any surface material ejected into space.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph/Europa (UVS) – Principal investigator Dr. Kurt Retherford of SwRI. This instrument will adopt the same technique used by the Hubble Space Telescope to detect the likely presence of water plumes erupting from Europa’s surface. UVS will be able to detect small plumes and will provide valuable data about the composition and dynamics of the moon’s rarefied atmosphere.
SUrface Dust Mass Analyzer (SUDA) – Principal investigator Dr. Sascha Kempf of the University of Colorado, Boulder. This instrument will measure the composition of small, solid particles ejected from Europa, providing the opportunity to directly sample the surface and potential plumes on low-altitude flybys.
This proposed suite of instruments will add greatly to our knowledge of Europa and allow detailed planning for more in depth missions of exploration in the future. While all of these instruments would contribute important pieces to the overall picture of Europa, I am especially intrigued by SUDA which promises to make direct measurements of any dust particles from the putative Europan plumes or launched from the surface as a result of micrometeorite impacts.
SUDA is a four-kilogram device whose heritage can be traced to earlier instruments like the Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer (CIDA) flown on NASA’s Stardust mission launched in 1999 and the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) which, among other things, has been used to analyze plume particles from Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, as part of the ongoing Cassini mission. A prototype for SUDA has already been built and tested by the PI, Sascha Kempf, and his team at the University of Colorado – Boulder.
With a collecting area of 220 square centimeters, dust particles would enter SUDA’s aperture and pass a series of electrical grids to impact a ring-shaped target inside the instrument’s main chamber. Here even a slow moving dust particle would be vaporized and the resulting ions analyzed to determine their masses. In this way, the composition of the dust particle is determined for molecular weights in the 1 to 250 amu range with a mass resolution of 2%. As a result, the composition of the surface of Europa and the ocean beneath can be indirectly sampled using SUDA. And if it proves that the Europan plumes actually exist and NASA’s Europa spacecraft can be directed through them, the subsurface ocean of Europa can be more directly sampled just as Cassini has recently sampled the subsurface water of Enceladus by analyzing this moon’s plume particles.
The results from SUDA as well as other searches for plumes or concentrations of dust particles in the vicinity of Europa using instruments like MASPEX and EIS also raises an intriguing possibility for future missions to Europa. If the plumes or other concentrations of dust prove to be present in sufficient quantities near Europa, it should prove possible to gather these particles during multiple flybys using aerogel collectors of the sort used during NASA’s Stardust mission to Comet Wild 2 in 2004 and return them to Earth for a much more detailed analysis than would be possible using any space borne instrument (see “A Europa-Io Sample Return Mission” for more details). A similar mission has been proposed to return samples of plume particles from Enceladus called LIFE (Life Investigations For Enceladus). Although the mission concept has continued to evolve over the last several years and the proposed launch date has now been pushed out to possibly 2030, similar hardware from this New Frontier-class mission could be used for a Europa sample return mission for a tiny fraction of the cost of a conventional sample return mission involving a lander.
Of course, all of these plans depend on NASA getting this proposed mission off the ground and to Europa. While at the moment there seems to be support in Congress and the Administration to fly a mission to Europa, the various factions involved seem to have conflicting visions for that mission and its goals. And even if some consensus is reached, the multi-billion dollar price tag for this mission will make it a target for cancellation by a future Congress and Administration if Federal budget priorities change. This would be especially true if the goals of this mission become too ambitious and its costs begin to rise too much as happens too often with NASA’s large space projects including their flagship-class planetary missions. With luck, however, the long awaited mission to Europa will finally be on its way within a decade.
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Related Reading
“A Europa-Io Sample Return Mission”, Drew Ex Machina, March 27, 2014 [Post]
General References
Bruce Dorminey, “NASA May Plumb for Signs of Life in Enceladus Plumes”, Forbes (on line), April 29, 2015 [Article]
S. Kempf et al., “SUDA: A Dust Mass Spectrometer for Compositional Surface Mapping for a Mission to Europa”, European Planetary Science Congress 2014, Vol. 9, ESPSC2014-229, 2014 [Paper]
P. Tsou, D.E. Brownlee, C.P. McKay, A. Anbar, H. Yano, Nathan Strange, Richard Dissly and I Kanik, “Low Cost Enceladus Sample Return Mission Concept”, Low Cost Planetary Mission Conference – 10 (Pasadena, CA; June 18 – 20, 2013), 2013 [Presentation]
“NASA’s Europa Mission Begins with Selection of Science Instruments”, NASA Press Release 15-104, May 26, 2015 [Press Release]This extraordinary video shows the moment a beachgoer sliced open a pregnant dead shark to save her pups and lead them to the ocean.
An American family found the deceased mother shark on a beach in Cape Town, South Africa, but noticed that something inside the creature was still moving.
Realising there could be baby sharks inside, the gruesome but remarkable footage shows the man using a knife to perform a makeshift C-section on the animal.
Beachgoers noticed movement inside the body of a dead shark that had washed up on the beach in Cape Town, South Africa
Realising there could be pups inside, a man cut the mother shark open to look inside, finding three babies (first pictured in man's hand, right)
As the beachgoer cuts into the shark, a witness can be heard saying: 'Err... I don't think there's a baby in there.'
But moments later something begins to wriggle inside, causing the good Samaritan to jump back and shout as a baby shark squirms in his hand.
A woman is heard telling the man to 'not get bitten' as he tentatively reaches down to help the pup make it to the ocean.
The stand-in vet, right to be careful as sharks are born with a full set of teeth, rolls the pup over before grabbing it by the tail and tossing it into the sea.
Witnesses shout 'congratulations' as a second baby shark begins to move, with one woman hailing it the 'coolest thing I've ever seen' as the pup is carried to the ocean.
The gruesome but remarkable beach birth of three pups was captured by Beth Cordell and uploaded to YouTube.
Witness shout 'congratulations' and cheer as three pups are rescued from the dead body of their mother
The man is seen holding the pups by their tails, avoiding their teeth, and carrying them to the ocean
The video's description reads: 'This video is a good example of respect to all forms of life... You cannot help but admire the beach goers that helped the baby sharks live a life in the ocean.'
Despite their unconventional entrance to the world, the sharks are likely to live normal, healthy lives.Exclusive: a whistleblower from RBS’s shadowy GRG unit claims that staff destroyed businesses “that didn’t need destroying” in an attempt to help save the bank during the credit crisis.
Staff inside RBS‘s global restructuring group, GRG, used “immoral, survivalist tactics” to destroy a number of businesses “that didn’t need destroying” in an attempt to help save the bank during the credit crisis.
These are among a series of shocking allegations from the first ever whistleblower inside GRG to go public.
The whistleblower says of the unit’s tactics towards its customers: “We gave them choices and they chose one bad thing or the other bad thing.”
He also claims that GRG deliberately charged high fees to push businesses to the brink, intercepted payments and put the money into RBS’ own accounts and stripped firms of their assets to make a profit for the bank.
The ‘vampire’ bank
GRG is already the subject of at least three investigations after a report commissioned by the business secretary, and another by RBS itself last year, questioned its behaviour.
Lawrence Tomlinson, the author of the report for Vince Cable, earlier this month told MPs that RBS was a “vampire” bank which has systematically destroyed small businesses by its ruthless treatment of entrepreneurs.
The whistleblower we spoke to would appear to corroborate that view. He told me GRG was set up to help nurse ailing businesses back to health, but halfway through 2008, he claims staff inside GRG were told the unit’s ethos had to change.
From that point on we wouldn’t be just looking to save businesses. We would be looking to recover all the monies back – RBS GRG whistleblower
“We were pretty much told at that point in time that the ethos, the mission statement, of GRG had changed,” he said. “From that point on we wouldn’t be just looking to save businesses. We would be looking to recover all the monies back that we had lost as much as possible. Overnight that took effect.”
He said the amount of cases that were saveable suddenly fell from 75 per cent to probably 40 per cent.
“Although nothing had actually changed in terms of case save-ability, all that had changed was the people making the decision at the time,” he added.
Pushed to the brink
He says the number of businesses inside GRG began to swell. And pressure was put on GRG operatives to come down hard on clients.
“It was at that point in time we started making different decisions and strategies with clients that wouldn’t have had those decisions before.”
While in the past they would meet with clients with a view to helping them, now a new “script” was adopted.
“We would tell them we were nervous. We would put them on a watch list,” he said. “From that point on we would start saying we wanted to sign new terms and agreements with you where we take X stakes in your company or we take larger fees from your company.”
The whistleblower admitted that in many cases the fees weren’t for any actual support, but merely to weaken the business.
When asked by Channel 4 News, what the fees were for, he said: “Nothing really. The fees were just really there to make sure that they were being pushed to the brink, in my opinion. And we were often asked why we weren’t putting more fees on these companies to get the most out of them.”
How one business collapsed
This is exactly what happened to Mr and Mrs Smith. They ran a small hotel and events business in Suffolk but were suddenly transferred to GRG in 2008, they claim, for no apparent reason.
“They advised us that because in their eyes we were too highly geared…. we had too much lending, that they would have to look at their support for us and how they were going to take us forward and the fact that they needed to sell one or either of our assets,” the couple told Channel 4 News.
Any assets we had that we wanted to sell onwards we couldn’t really legally hold in to at RBS so we would move them to West Register – Whistleblower
Once entering GRG the Smiths were charged monthly fees for support, although they say the fees were never fully explained to them. In all, they were forced to pay out more than half a million pounds in just over two years, which eventually pushed the Smiths into bankruptcy.
Both hotels were sold and one ended up in another investment unit of RBS, called West Register.
In a statement, RBS said: “After the crash, tens of thousands of our customers saw their asset values plummet and ended up in serious financial difficulty. This was an economic crisis for Britain, but it was also a very personal tragedy for many families and small businesses around the country of which this is a prime example.
“In this case, we gave continued support for four years including over £480,000 in new loans and overdrafts. RBS has written off £767,000 on this |
they had to receive compensation[1].
In short: if you were good, chances were you weren’t going anywhere.
“There was no such thing as free agency,” Chambers said. “If a team had you, then you had to sign with that team unless they traded you. You really couldn’t move. There was no movement at all. Therefore, contracts were kind of locked into what you could make.”
Chambers was better than good. The 6-10 forward was coming off a stellar five-year stretch in Seattle in which he averaged 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. His MVP performance in the 1987 All-Star game had put him firmly in the consciousness of NBA personnel and fans, alike.
The Sonics, however, appeared less than thrilled with the state of their frontcourt despite Chambers’ presence. They pulled off a draft-day trade to bring up-and-coming forward Michael Cage to Seattle. They had drafted another long-limbed, athletic forward in Derrick McKey the year before.
Chambers knew his own worth, but wondered how he’d be able to show it with the Sonics’ shifting toward a different group of frontcourt players. With his contract now up for renewal, Chambers assumed he’d simply be retained and then traded when the right deal came along. Until that happened, it looked like he had no choice but to return to Seattle under uncertain circumstances.
Until head of the NBA players’ union Larry Fleisher called.
“He called my agent after Seattle had given me a qualifying offer,” Chambers recalled. “He said ‘don’t accept it, because we feel like we’re going to get this unrestricted free agency thing done.’”
Days later, it became official. Players whose contracts had concluded would be truly free to choose their teams if they met two conditions:
1) have been in the league seven years or more and
2) have played through two NBA contracts.
As a player who met both requirements and whose talents would be in high demand, Chambers, it turned out, would be the perfect pioneer for the NBA’s new frontier of free agency.
Chambers 60-Point Game: Part 1
When the new collective bargaining agreement – and its subsequent unrestricted free agency rules – became official in 1988, Suns General Manager Jerry Colangelo looked over at Seattle owner Barry Ackerley.
“You’re going to lose Chambers,” Colangelo said.
The long-time Suns’ manager did not dare assume the star forward would wind up in Phoenix, but he and his staff were determined to do all they could to make that possibility a reality.
At 12:01 a.m. of Friday, July 1, 1988, Chambers’ home phone in Los Angeles rang. On the other end of the line was Suns assistant coach Paul Westphal.
Phoenix’s choice of caller was nostalgically strategic. The two had a history derived from having the same agent and having run basketball camps together. The Suns had also left a good impression on Chambers in his last game against them the previous season.
“The year before we had played against the Suns [after] they had gotten Kevin Johnson, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin,” Chambers said. “Loved what they were doing as a team. Loved Kevin Johnson as a point guard, Jeff Hornacek [also]. I jut felt like, since they had [traded forward] Larry [Nance], they needed that guy to come back and fill that spot.”
His train of thought ran parallel to that of the Suns.
“If you look at our roster, we have a young nucleus,” Colangelo said just days before signing Chambers. “In the [1988] draft[2], we added defense, rebounding, athletic ability, quickness and a lot more scoring than people might realize. If we can add a bona fide veteran player who can play and get some numbers, that would be perfect.”
High-Flying Sun
The negotiations between Chambers and the Suns became the predecessor of free agent wining and dining that would define the process in decades to come. Westphal had secured a meeting with their potential prize at his home in Los Angeles. He was joined by Colangelo and head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who had recently taken over the job that summer.
The trio went armed with three things: niceties, a vision and a contract.
“Our intention in going there to meet with Tom was not for cordial conversation, but to come back with a signed contract,” Colangelo said. “I don’t think Tom knew that morning that he would be a Phoenix Sun by that night.”
He didn’t, but the idea became more and more appealing as that summer Saturday saw the sun pass overhead. The meeting had started at 9:00 a.m., and there was little sign it would end after lunch.
“The Suns were very aggressive,” Chambers admitted. “Cotton, Jerry and Paul were sitting in my house and they basically weren’t going home until they made a deal.”
Chambers wasn’t put off by Phoenix’s proactive approach. They might have been trying to beat him into submission, but they were beating him with millions of dollars. It was hard not to accept, let alone complain.
“They made a hell of an offer, and in my judgment we had to take it,” he said.
Chambers 60-Point Game: Part 2
The speed with which an agreement was reached and ultimately announced blew the NBA and its followers away. Even with the ink of his own signature drying at the bottom of a five-year, multi-million dollar contract, Chambers was still trying to grasp what had happened.
Instead of being off-handedly used as a property, he had been wooed as a highly-sought after athlete. More importantly, the final decision had been his.
“They came in the door and offered me a deal. I couldn’t refuse it,” he said. “It caught me off guard. I was prepared to talk to six or seven other teams. I was in a unique situation to be able to pick and choose a team. I never had a chance to talk to anybody else.”
“[Unrestricted free agency] was cutting-edge stuff. It was stuff that hadn’t really been done...You could get a player and not have to give up anything for him except for money?” — Tom Chambers
“It was cutting-edge stuff,” Chambers now reflects. “It was stuff that hadn’t really been done. Even though they offered me more money than Seattle – quite a bit more – and it seemed like a huge contract, it became obsolete almost instantaneously. You could get a player and not have to give up anything for him except for money? That’s where it went kind of crazy after that.”
The Suns, meanwhile, were elated. Not only had they jumped out ahead of the rest of the league to nab that summer’s free agent prize, but they had set a precedent, one that would eventually land them the likes of Clifford Robinson, Steve Nash and Goran Dragic.
“This is a statement,” Colangelo declared at the time. “We will do whatever we can to be competitive. When we looked at the free agent list, there was no question in our mind who would have the most impact for our team – Tom Chambers. He is in the prime of his career with a lot of great years ahead of him.”
The words proved prophetic. Chambers improved his scoring 25.7 points per contest in 1988-89, then poured in an other-worldly 27.2 points per game in 1989-90. He and Johnson became on the league’s best duos, one that helped lead the Suns to consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances. In the following four years, he was named an All-Star three times (1989-1991) and honored with two All-NBA Second Team spots (1989, 1990).
Before all that happened, Fitzsimmons joked about the immediate effect of Chambers’ arrival.
“I immediately became a better coach when Tom signed,” he laughed.The UFC will be traveling across the pond this Saturday night. UFC Fight Night 107 will go down in London, England and has a fully stacked card from beginning to end. If you want to watch UFC Fight Night 107 online, you’ll easily be able to as long as you have access to UFC Fight Pass.
The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET with the prelims. After the nine prelim fights, the main card will start at 5:00 p.m. ET. The event is headlined by what looks to be a great fight between Jimi Manuwa and Corey Anderson. The light heavyweight bout looks like it’ll be one of the more exciting fights of the year thus far.
Heading into the fight, Jimi Manuwa is the early favorite, but the odds are definitely pretty tight. This is pretty consistent throughout the entire card, as many of the fights are looking too close to predict. Overall, this event looks like it’ll certainly be a night of great fights.
Easily Watch UFC Fight Night 107 Online with UFC Fight Pass
The only way you’ll be able to watch UFC Fight Night 107 online is through UFC Fight Pass. Like many other organizations, UFC decided it wanted to launch its own dedicated streaming service and UFC Fight Pass was the end result. It’s an incredibly popular service for UFC fans and it offers just about everything you need to keep up with all the biggest fights.
For one, the UFC offers dedicated events that are exclusively available to UFC subscribers. That’s how you’ll get UFC Fight Night 107 live streaming since there’s no other channel or service that’ll be broadcasting the events live.
Another great thing is a lot of the early prelims for most of the biggest UFC events are exclusively available on UFC Fight Pass. This count for the UFC pay-per-view fights as well as a lot of the ones aired on FS1.
Another great part of the service is the on-demand library of fights. Some of the best UFC fights can be easily watched on-demand with the service, so you get a lot more than just UFC Fight Night 107 streaming.
You can get all of this and can watch UFC Fight Night 107 online free with a weeklong free trial on UFC Fight Pass. This’ll give you the opportunity to test the service out and explore the huge on-demand library.
When you’re ready to subscribe, you’ll have a few options. You can subscribe on a monthly basis for $9.99 per month, sign up for six months at a rate of $8.99 per month, or full a full year at a cost of $7.99 per month.
One of the best things about cutting cable nowadays is the ability to watch sports. Now, you don’t have to miss out on all of the best sporting events. It used to be almost impossible to watch sports online without cable, but now you actually have a bunch of options. Check out our full guide to watching sports online if you want to learn more.Item posted by Ludovic Courtès <civodul> on Wed 23 Mar 2016 01:48:47 PM UTC.
It’s a feature that many users were waiting for: proper GNOME support in GuixSD. Good news: the forthcoming Guix and GuixSD release will give you exactly that! Don’t miss the obligatory screenshot!
You would think adding GNOME is routine distro work involving a lot of packaging and bits of plumbing that’s already been done a hundred times, which is probably true! Yet, adding GNOME support turned out to be interesting in many ways: it’s a good test for GuixSD’s declarative operating system configuration framework, it’s a way to formalize how this whole software stack fits together, and it’s been an insightful journey into GNU/Linux desktop plumbing!
Of course, a lot of software needs to be packaged to begin with. This had been on-going for some time, culminating with the addition of a gnome meta-package thanks to the hard work of 宋文武 (Sou Bunnbu) and other hackers. On the way, we added an auto-updater for GNOME packages, because all these package recipes need love.
The more interesting parts were system integration. Modern GNOME/Freedesktop environments rely on a number of daemons, most of which talk over D-Bus, and extending each other’s functionality: udev, udisks, upower, colord, geoclue, and polkit, to name a few. Being able to compose all these system services was one of the driving use cases behind the design of GuixSD’s new service composition framework. With this design, we knew we were able to have fine control over the service composition graph. Challenge #1 overcome!
Since GuixSD uses the GNU Shepherd and not systemd as its init system, we needed a way to provide the “logind” functionality that systemd implements, and which allows GNOME to know about users, sessions, and seats.
So Andy Wingo courageously started by extracting logind from systemd, leading to “elogind”. At this point, we had this daemon that could keep track of logged-in users and active sessions, and which GNOME could talk to over D-Bus… provided all the relevant PAM services would use the pam_elogind module so that elogind knows when a user logs in and out, as Andy nicely explained it.
This pam_elogind thing is a typical example of a cross-cutting concern: if you use elogind, then you want all the relevant login-related PAM services (mingetty, the X login manager, commands such as su, the SSH daemon, etc.) to use pam_elogind. To achieve that, we updated our PAM service such that it could be extended with such cross-cutting modules. At last, we had proper logind support!
At this point, the brave could start using GNOME on GuixSD but would soon realize that, for example, the “power off” button wouldn’t have the desired effect, or that changing a laptop’s backlight wouldn’t work because polkit, the daemon that allows unprivileged users to perform privileged operations like that one, was missing essential policy files.
You would think you can finally change the brightness of your screen, but no! Turns out that polkit would refuse to run gnome-setting-daemon’s backlight helper program because elogind happened to fail to map PIDs to sessions. Whatever.
Of course there were still a bunch of embarrassing glitches such as GNOME suspending right after it wakes up from suspend, failure to start in QEMU, or the lack of GNOME’s favorite font. Well, it seems that all these are gone now!
GuixSD users can now enable GNOME by adding one line in their operating system configuration. Overall, this has been a nice experience involving a variety of areas.
About GNU Guix
GNU Guix is a functional package manager for the GNU system. The Guix System Distribution or GuixSD is an advanced distribution of the GNU system that relies on GNU Guix and respects the user's freedom.
In addition to standard package management features, Guix supports transactional upgrades and roll-backs, unprivileged package management, per-user profiles, and garbage collection. Guix uses low-level mechanisms from the Nix package manager, except that packages are defined as native Guile modules, using extensions to the Scheme language. GuixSD offers a declarative approach to operating system configuration management, and is highly customizable and hackable.
GuixSD can be used on an i686 or x86_64 machine. It is also possible to use Guix on top of an already installed GNU/Linux system, including on mips64el and armv7.Image caption US President Barack Obama said the continued violence in Syria was "heartbreaking"
Security forces have been shelling rebel-held towns in Syria, activists say, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to continue fighting "terrorism".
A boy and five soldiers were reportedly killed as troops launched an assault on the southern town of Herak, a base of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
Activists also said 23 people had died in Homs, five days after the FSA pulled out of the city's Baba Amr district.
A new UN Security Council resolution is meanwhile reportedly being discussed.
The US proposed demanding an end to the violence, first by Syrian government forces and then by armed rebels, the Associated Press said.
The five permanent members of the Security Council, plus Morocco - the Arab representative - are to discuss it behind closed doors on Tuesday.
We would like to urge our American and European partners not to engage in wishful thinking Russian foreign ministry
Russia and China have vetoed two previous resolutions, saying they were unbalanced and only demanded the government stop attacks.
The Russian foreign ministry said earlier that, contrary to reports in US and European media, its position on Syria had not changed because Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had won Sunday's presidential election.
"We would like to urge our American and European partners not to engage in wishful thinking. The Russian position on the Syrian settlement has never been affected by opportunistic considerations and is not formed under the influence of electoral cycles," a statement said.
US President Barack Obama later said the situation in Syria was "heartbreaking", but that there was no "simple solution".
"On the other hand, for us to take military action, unilaterally, as some have suggested, or to think that somehow there's some simple solution, I think is a mistake," Mr Obama said.
'Massacre' videos
As the international community remained divided on how to end the violence, which the UN says has left more than 7,500 people dead in the past 12 months, deadly clashes were reported across Syria on Tuesday.
The bombardment of Herak, a town in Deraa province, began in the morning and triggered "very intense" fighting between security forces and a large number of FSA fighters holed up inside, the head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AP.
Image caption Activists said a mosque in Herak was shelled by a tank after residents took refuge there
Explosions shook the town as shells reportedly hit residential areas and mosques, where armed defectors were believed to be sheltering.
A video posted online showed what activists said was the inside of the Abu Bakr al-Saddiq mosque in Herak. It was littered with rubble, while its doors had been blown off and its windows shattered. A man on camera said a tank fired at the building after residents sought refuge inside.
Mr Abdul Rahman said the rebels had ambushed an armoured personnel carrier, killing five soldiers and wounding several others.
He and the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), another activist group, said a 15-year-old boy had also been killed by snipers.
The LCC said 35 people had been killed by security forces across Syria on Tuesday. Twenty-three people had died in Homs, it added, including 13 members of two families, who were allegedly killed with knives by security forces personnel and pro-government militiamen in Baba Amr.
The private TV station al-Dunya, which is very close to the Syrian government, meanwhile broadcast video which it said showed the massacre of an entire extended family of 16 or 17 people - ranging from a one-year-old child to an 85-year-old man - who had allegedly been killed in their home in Baba Amr by men armed with knives.
Al-Dunya said it was the work of "armed terrorist gangs", who are blamed by the government in Damascus for all the trouble in the country. But activists said the slaughter was the work of security forces, and named all the victims as "martyrs" of the revolution against President Assad.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption One woman from Homs told the BBC's Paul Wood how two of her brothers were detained, and one was killed
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Red Crescent are still being prevented from entering the district to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded on the grounds that it is too dangerous.
But meanwhile a big clean-up operation has got under way there, shown by Syrian state TV. The state news agency said residents were returning because the authorities had "restored stability and security".
President Assad said the Syrian people had "again proven their capacity to defend the nation and to build a new Syria through their determination to pursue reforms along with the fight against foreign-backed terrorism".
'Humanitarian corridors'
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said, however, that more than 1,500 people, mostly women and children from in and around Homs, have crossed the border with neighbouring Lebanon to escape the violence.
Humanitarian aid corridors to Syria must be opened right away and we must heap pressure on the Syrian administration to deliver humanitarian aid to the Syrian people Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister
Spokeswoman Dana Suleiman told the AFP news agency that 170 families - each comprising about six or seven people - had sought refuge in the village of al-Fakha and 50 others in the nearby town of Arsal.
Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian forces had shelled a bridge over the Orontes river at the village of Rabla which was being used by refugees to reach Lebanon.
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Syria to allow the opening of humanitarian corridors to get relief supplies to civilians.
"Humanitarian aid corridors to Syria must be opened right away and we must heap pressure on the Syrian administration to deliver humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, especially to Homs," he told parliament.
"The Arab League decision on Syria must be implemented without wasting any more time," he added, referring to its demand that Mr Assad hand over power to his deputy immediately - something he has rejected.
The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, is to arrive in Damascus on Wednesday. She said her aim was to "urge all sides to allow unhindered access for humanitarian relief workers so they can evacuate the wounded and deliver essential supplies".
However, the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says that with the Syrian government apparently bent on crushing resistance wherever it finds it, her chances of achieving anything significant appear slight.The video of 13-year-old Ally Wakefield being forced to do a split by Coach Ozell Williams and other cheerleaders is difficult to watch. Now Denver Police have gotten involved in the case where the cheerleading coach at East High School forced Ally into a painful split, as reported by 9 News. Several people at the school have been placed on leave after the events in the disturbing video were made known, including the cheer coach, assistant cheer coach, high school principal – as well as the assistant principal and the Denver Public Schools deputy general counsel. It was the start of cheer camp at East High School when the 13-year-old Wakefield found herself held down into a split in June by Coach Williams and her new cheerleading teammates.
Eight cheerleaders can be seen in the video, forcing Ally into a split, as Ally explained that Ozell had his knees on her back leg. The cheerleader was in so much pain that Ally says she begged her coach to make them stop, at least nine times. Wakefield continued to ask those pushing her down into the forced split to stop as her face contorted in pain. Later, Ally would explain how Ozell and the others pushed her into such pain that she felt her muscles tearing during the process. The minors in the video have had their identities obscured.
Warning: The below video is disturbing.
Meanwhile, Ozell is famous in his own right. Williams and his backflips are a well-known sight during Broncos games. Only one week into Ozell’s new gig as the cheerleading coach at East High School, Williams now finds himself placed on leave. The videos were recorded by others and sent to the media anonymously. Ally’s leg was injured when she was forced into the split.
The East High School Athletic Director, Lisa Porter, was informed of the incident via email, wherein Ally’s mom wanted to know what the school would do about the injury. Other girls have quit the cheer team in the wake of the viral video, with parents wondering why the painful split process was allowed in the first place. Complaints against Ozell have come into the school for months.
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Now the school is dealing with the fallout from the viral East High School video, with the institution claiming that the above-listed folks have been placed on leave while the matter is investigated. When the results of the investigation into the cheerleading incident is complete, they will be shared with the public. The school claims they prohibit actions that place students in danger.
[Featured Image by Oleksandr Osipov/Shutterstock]If the Greens are going to be the UKIP of the left in 2015 they can do without their own fruitcakes and loonies getting headlines for the wrong reasons. Speaking to the Economist, Green leader Natalie Bennett argued that being on benefits in the UK is worse than being one of India’s 179 million people living below the poverty line:
“The world is sodden with stuff, it cannot have more stuff,” said Ms Bennett. Yet [the Greens] do not appear to have considered what that would mean for billions of the world’s poorest people, almost none of whom live in Britain. When Bagehot suggested to her that there was a problem with this, Ms Bennett said he was worrying too much: to be poor in India wasn’t so bad as to be on benefits in Britain, she suggested, “because at least everyone else there is poor too”.
They would rather the poor were poorer, provided the rich were less rich…This afternoon, Brown University’s Janus Forum will be hosting a debate titled, “How Should Colleges Handle Sexual Assault?” The debate will feature Wendy McElroy, ifeminists.com editor and “rape culture” skeptic, facing off against Feministing.com founder Jessica Valenti. In response to some students’ complaints about the event, Brown president Christina Paxson announced the creation of an alternative event to be held at the very same time.
Paxson declared in a campus-wide email that her counterprogramming, titled “The Research on Rape Culture,” will provide students with “research and facts” about “the role that community norms and values play in sexual assault.” The message isn’t hard to discern: No need to hear the debate, folks; here’s a better event that will tell you everything Brown University thinks you need to know.
Support for the creation of this alternate event hinges on the idea that Brown is responsible for the emotional “safety” of its students. Indeed, The Brown Daily Herald reported that “multiple students have said they feel the event … goes against the University’s mission to create a safe and supportive environment for survivors.” Event organizers clearly anticipated this reaction, telling the Herald that they would be “hosting Sexual Assault Peer Education in Salomon 203 at the same time as the debate if at any point during the lecture students need to leave and receive support.” But Paxson’s announcement of the “Research on Rape Culture” event took this effort a step further by actually discouraging students from even attempting to listen to the debate. Given the debate organizers’ prior arrangements to provide support to anyone who actually felt the need for it, Paxson’s choice to counterprogram the event makes little sense in terms of “emotional safety.” But it makes all the sense in the world if you assume the real goal is to provide an intellectual cocoon for students—an effort to create a ideological bubble on campus in which students’ beliefs will be free from challenge.
It’s important to note that Brown’s actual mission (as articulated on its website) says nothing about emotional or intellectual “safety” and a whole lot about free inquiry. Yet Paxson’s response (and that of some student supporters) threatens the spirit of academic freedom and reinforces ideological rigidity on campus. Moreover, as The Brown Daily Herald pointed out in an excellent editorial published today, Paxson’s tacit condemnation of the Janus Forum event represents a bizarre shift in her attitude toward free speech since the shouting down of Ray Kelly’s lecture last October. The Daily Herald’s Editorial Board writes:
[F]orcing students to choose between attending these two events effectively marginalizes the importance of unfiltered dialogue and discussion, a point ironically underscored by the administration in its criticism of the hindered Ray Kelly lecture. […] Paxson’s plan seems to contradict her response to the Kelly event regarding free speech. In the words of Paxson in her campus-wide response to the Ray Kelly incident, “Brown has sound policies that promote and preserve freedom of expression, even when the ideas being expressed may be abhorrent.” Though the character of the Ray Kelly lecture may have indeed dealt with an issue not explicitly present on campus (i.e. the stop-and-frisk policy of the New York Police Department), this underlying tenet of free expression cannot merely adapt to the topic of discussion, regardless of its ultimate degree of sensitivity or attention.
Following the Kelly heckler’s veto fiasco, Paxson issued a report publicly denouncing the spectacle as antithetical to Brown’s values and even suggested that protestors might face disciplinary action. Paxson’s free speech fervor, though, was apparently short-lived.
Organizers of the Janus Forum debate also expressed disappointment in the way Paxson reacted to criticism of Wendy McElroy’s participation in the event. They point out that her debate opponent, Jessica Valenti, would most likely address the “research on rape culture” Paxson deems so important. In a Daily Herald column, the group stressed its commitment to “leaving no belief unchallenged, no matter how dearly held,” and argued that the alternate event stifles, rather than deepens, conversation about the salient issue of sexual assault. “It is an unsettling precedent for our president to use her position to decide what counts as acceptable discourse,” writes The Janus Forum.
As a 2014 alumna of Brown University, I find this controversy tragically ironic. In the aftermath of Ray Kelly’s derailed lecture, many students I spoke with stated that they did not exactly object to Kelly’s invitation to speak; rather, they felt that Brown’s offering a platform to Kelly served as an endorsement of the former New York City police commissioner’s stop-and-frisk policies. These students claimed that a Janus Forum-style debate with Kelly would have been appropriate and valuable. But just one year later, as Brown prepares to host another controversial speaker—in a Janus Forum debate, no less—the campus’ commitment to challenging and being challenged by ideas seems only to have atrophied.The secret to longevity has been sought for centuries. What exercises, beverages, foods, and characteristics grant the key to a long life? These five women have a number of secrets worth sharing, after all they are the last living people born in the 1800’s.
These incredible women have seen it all, two World Wars, the Cold War, the first flying airplane, television set, and the Internet. A conversation with any one of them proves delightful, interesting and highly informative.
Women tend to live longer than men. It’s unknown exactly why but theories hint at a couple of different factors, such as estrogen helps protect the heart until after menopause. So while these women do have the upper hand when it comes to living a long life, they clearly have some other tricks up their sleeve.
These 5 charming women live in different parts of the world, but they all seem to agree on the same tricks to a long life: sleep, activity, exercise, and eating good food.
World’s Oldest Living Person, Misao Okawa
116-years-old, Born On March 5, 1898
The Japanese are known for living long lives, but Misao Okawa is the oldest living Japanese person ever. Okawa was married, but has been a widow for the last 83 years, as her husband died in 1931. Her secrets to living a long life: good genes, good sleep, exercise, and sushi. “Eat and sleep and you will live a long time.” Misao told Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
Susannah Mushatt Jones, United States
115-years-old, Born On July 6, 1899
Susannah Mushatt Jones, known as Miss Susie, was born in Alabama to sharecroppers; she was the third oldest of 11 siblings. In 1923, she moved to New York City, where she still lives today.
Susannah presented “Negro Music in France” at her high school graduation, and was awarded a seat at the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. Since her parents could not afford college, she moved to New York instead. Her family says she is a kind woman who has helped many of her family members afford college. Jone’s niece says, “She wants everyone to go to college.”
America’s Oldest Person, Gertrude Weaver
116-years-old, Born On July 4, 1898
Yet another lady on this list born to sharecroppers, Gertrude was married in 1915 and had four children. Only one of her four children is still alive, he is now in his nineties. Weaver’s favorite activities include Bible study, manicures, and “wheelchair dancing.” Weaver told Time, “We chair dance because we can’t get up anymore.”
Europe’s Oldest Living Person, Emma Morano, Italy
115-years-old, Born On November 29, 1899
Emma is the only woman on this list that still lives completely on her own without any assistance. She was the first born out of 8 siblings and remains the only one still alive today. She worked in a jute factory until 1954, at which time she switched occupations and worked in a boarding school kitchen until 75 when she retired.
Morano says her eating habits have helped her live so long, she eats one raw egg and one cooked egg each day, just as the doctor recommended back when she was 20-years-old.
Jeralean Talley, United States
115-years-old, Born On May 23, 1899
Jeralean Talley was born into a difficult life picking cotton and peanuts. In 1935, she moved to Inkster for better economic opportunities. Here she married Alfred Talley, and the two of them had one child. Alfred passed away in 1988 at the ripe old age of 95.
Even without her other half, Jeralean still lives a fun life with her large family. She now lives with her daughter and takes annual fishing trips, and even hits up local casinos. Until she was 105 she remained an active bowler and always mowed her own lawn. That being said, perhaps it’s no surprise that she cites an active lifestyle as the key to longevity.
Photo Credits: imgur, usatoday, Bored PandaCongress leader and Member of Parliament A H Vishwanath has alleged that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is behind the bomb explosion in Malleshwaram near the BJP office in Bangalore.
Addressing the media on Thursday, he demanded a CBI probe or a joint investigation by the CBI and CID, into the matter. The investigations should be completed before the elections, he added.
He said that the RSS, which has “an established criminal record” had conspired the blasts to “deviate” the voters’ attention from BJP’s maladministration.
Sympathy tactics
Vishwanath said that the BJP government was not ready to face the elections, and through the explosion, it was trying to create a sympathy wave.
He alleged that the district administration had failed to take appropriate measures to curb poll code violations. Stating that JD(S) candidate of K R Nagar, Sa Ra Mahesh had violated the model code of conduct during filing nomination, he said that the constituency should be declared as sensitive.
He alleged that Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas had submitted false information in the affidavit about his property. “Ramdas lives in a house worth 15 crore and has 20 vehicles,” he added.
Ramdas, in his affidavit had claimed that he does not any residential building or vehicles, except for a motorcycle.Advertisement
Parents of newborn babies often worry about how they are going to cope with their new arrival.
But for Noel and Sue Radford, the experience has become second nature because the 41-year-old mother, from Morecambe, Lancashire, has just given birth to her 19th child.
The couple, whose children’s ages range from a few weeks old to 27, are the parents of Britain’s biggest family, and brought home their newest member this week - Phoebe Willow.
Scroll down for video
Noel and Sue Radford from Morecambe, Lancashire pictured with their large family last year before the birth of their new daughter Phoebe Willow. The family now live in a large £240,000 Victorian house that they bought 11 years ago
The family posted these photographs of their latest arrival on their website, including one of Phoebe Willow with her older sister Hallie, who was born last summer
And even though Mrs Radford is still getting over the birth of her 7lb 15oz daughter, she was still thinking about the possibility of having another child.
Mrs Radford told The Sun: ‘Phoebe is so beautiful and I am happy to have her here safely for now — but never say never.
‘Our friends and family keep saying I should have one more child to get an even number, rounding the family off at 20.
‘I can’t rule it out. At the moment I am happy to have Phoebe with us. She is healthy and a little stunner. We are over the moon to have her here.
‘The rest of the kids are lining up to have a cuddle with her. I find it easy to run the family because they muck in so much.’
The family said they were 'thrilled to announce the safe arrival of our precious baby girl Phoebe Willow Radford', who was born on Sunday
Mrs Radford, who takes care of the family at home while her husband works at the family bakery, has to make her way through nine loads of washing a day to keep her family in clean clothes
The couple, whose children’s ages range from a few weeks old to 27, are the parents of Britain’s biggest family
The couple, who rose to fame on Channel 4 documentary series 16 Kids And Counting, run a successful family-owned bakery and pie business and do not claim benefits.
Phoebe, who was born after a 40-minute labour, joins siblings Chris, 27, Sophie, 22, Chloe, 21, Jack, 19, Daniel, 17, Luke, 15, Millie, 14, Katie, 13, James, 12, Ellie, 11, Aimee, ten, Josh, nine, Max, seven, Tillie, six, Oscar, four, Casper, three and Hallie, 13 months.
Writing on their website today, Mr and Mrs Radford said: 'We are so thrilled to announce the safe arrival of our precious baby girl Phoebe Willow Radford, who arrived on Sunday the 24th July at 3.37pm weighing 7lb 15oz she’s so gorgeous and so far a very chilled out little girl. The children are totally besotted with the newest member of the family.'
Though Mr and Mrs Radford consider themselves the parents of 19 children, the couple sadly lost their son, Alfie, in July 2014, 23 weeks into the pregnancy. They gave Hallie, who was born last summer, the middle name 'Alphia' as a tribute to |
and climate research in the US and other countries.
The letter, which went to all AR4 Lead Authors, Coordinating Lead Authors and Review Editors, contains some disturbing statements as to the direction of IPCC science. In its Third Assessment Report (AR3) published in 2001, especially in the Summary for Policymakers, the IPCC attempted to suppress climate history, particularly the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age with the discredited hockey-stick. In the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) published in 2007, the IPCC largely ignored or dismissed climate history. The letter states that Working Group I will remain firmly behind the findings of AR4.
After a decade of the IPCC suppressing climate history, increasingly, discussions of the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age are appearing in the literature. If the upcoming Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), due out in 2013, fails to address climate history, its science will be biased and unreliable. Please see links under Climategate Continued.
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Secret Email Addresses: The correspondence of US government officials and employees, when acting in an official capacity, is part of the public record, which legally must be preserved. The law applies to email correspondence as well as physical correspondence. The letter discussed above is an example of NOAA adhering to the law. In the past, some government officials and employees have failed to adhere to the law. The determined Christopher Horner has discovered that a number of government agencies / employees keep secret email addresses where they conduct official business. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) is one such organization. The director of GISS, James Hansen, is a political activist in global warming alarm and energy policy.
These activities are disturbing because the historic temperature record produced by GISS has been repeatedly changed to the point that the 1930s warm period and the cooling from about 1940 to 1975, which gave alarm of an impending new Ice Age, barely exist. See Global Temperatures: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/
Please see links under Suppressing Scientific (or Public) Inquiry. Please note that, whenever possible, TWTW avoids politically or ideologically slanted links and believes the public disclosure laws apply to all regardless of political party or ideology.
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North Atlantic Climate Change: Last week, TWTW linked to a study taken in Svalbard, an archipelago north of the Arctic Circle. The study asserted that the current warm period is warmer than previously warm periods. Since the results are inconsistent with a large body of evidence across Greenland and North America, TWTW suggested that it may be an outlier or part of a cycle. Several readers asserted it was and send examples of prior studies. Euan Mearns referenced a study by Bond, et al, “Persistent Solar Influence on North Atlantic Climate During the Holocene”, Science 294 (5549): 2130–2136. Kenneth Towe sent a study by Kenneth Drinkwater showing a dramatic North Atlantic climate shift in the 1920s and 1930s based on temperatures, fish stocks, spawning areas, food biomass, etc.
This week’s NIPCC Reports links to a study reporting on climate change in Iceland for the past 10,200 years (the Holocene). The study indicates there is nothing unusual about the current warm period or the rate of warming.
In addition, past TWTWs have linked to changing Svalbard temperatures especially the December 17, 2011 which linked to an article showing a relationship between the solar cycle and Svalbard temperatures and predicting that the temperatures will decline in the future: http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.3256
Also, as linked in the September 24, TWTW, the Antarctic Peninsula appears to undergo cyclical warming and cooling. Please see links under Changing Climate and NIPCC Reports.
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Measurement Issues: Roy Spencer reports that he and John Christy are seeing that the Aqua satellite they most depend upon for their temperature monitoring is experiencing increasing noise. They will have to adjust the datasets for this noise, which they hope to accomplish within a few weeks. No doubt, the adjustments will receive intense outside scrutiny and some will declare the instrument noise makes the satellite data unreliable. But those who wish to examine the adjustments will be able to do so before and after they are done. This is in contrast with NASA-GISS historic temperature data which are modified without public announcements. Please see links under measurement issues.
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Climate Sensitivity: The amount the earth will warm with a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has been a major issue for years. Classical theory indicates that it will be about 1.1 deg C (2 deg F). The IPCC, its models, and the climate establishment insist warming will be more than this because the warming will cause an increase in atmospheric water vapor (the major greenhouse gas) which will amplify the CO2-caused warming, a net positive feedback. Other climate scientists, such a Richard Lindzen, have stated that based upon their empirical research the warming will be dampened by other climate effects, a net negative feedback. New research indicates that the warming will be 1.1 deg C +/- 0.4 deg C – the same as the classical theory.
The controversy will continue. But, what is interesting is the wide range of estimates of climate sensitivity with the median estimates ranging from 0.7 deg C to 8 deg C. Until this issue is empirically resolved, model projections are simply sophisticated speculation. Please see links under Climate Sensitivity.
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Additions and Corrections: Reader William Dwyer corrected TWTW when he pointed out the correct title for the magazine that reported deficiencies in Fisker’s automobile, Karma, was Consumer Reports not Consumers Report. As always TWTW deeply appreciates additions and corrections.
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Unintended Movie Humor? Several blogs have noted that the new movie “Promised Land”, this is strongly against hydraulic fracturing is financed, in part, by the government of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is one of the Persian Gulf oil states and in June produced about 2.6 million barrels a day, much of it for export. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-15/abu-dhabi-exports-first-pipeline-oil-to-pakistani-refinery-1-.html
The bloggers suggested that investing in the movie was motivated by something other than an investment diversification plan. Negative marketing (a form of propaganda) can be a prudent investment.
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Number of the Week: 1,667 times. Last week TWTW linked to an article on the results from the US Geological Survey (USGS) testing of water wells near Pavillion, Wyoming, which the EPA had declared were contaminated by hydraulic fracturing. The EPA announced that the USGS findings were consistent with the EPA’s earlier findings. According to a UPI, report the USGS findings showed the presence of hydrocarbon benzene, which is considered to be carcinogenic to be within 3 percent of the EPA recommended limit for well water. The EPA had reported that it had found benzene to be 50 times the recommended limit. Thus, the proportion of benzene found in the water by the EPA is 1,667 times the proportion the USGS found. The word consistency has a different meaning to the EPA than to most of us.
It should be noted that the natural gas wells in Pavillion are not deep underground wells in dense shale, but are shallow wells apparently in the Wind River formation which is largely composed of claystone, siltstone, and sandstone, which are far less dense. http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=WYTwdr%3B0. Any adverse findings cannot be logically applied to hydraulic fracturing of shale. Please see links under EPA and other Regulators on the March.
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ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below please see this week’s TWTW at: www.sepp.org. The articles are at the end of the pdf.
1. Opening Statement of the Honorable Joe Barton
Chairman Emeritus, Committee on Energy and Commerce, The American Energy Initiative, Sep 20, 2012 (No URL)
[SEPP Comment: Embraces the work of Fred Singer.]
2. The EPA’s Pebble Beaching
Rewriting the Clean Water Act to kill an Alaska mining project.
Editorial, WSJ, Sep 30, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443989204577603311958126108.html?mod=ITP_opinion_2
3. Bakken Crude Prices Rise as Railroad Reach Grows
By Ben Lafebyre, WSJ, Oct 4, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443635404578036631081423440.html?mod=WSJ_Energy_leftHeadlines
4. Cuomo’s De-Fracking
New York’s Governor favors rich greens over the upstate poor.
Editorial, WSJ, Oct 3, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443635404578034451214517808.html
5. India Oil Firms Buy Stake in Carrizo’s Colorado Asset
By Rakesh Sharma, WSJ, Oct 4, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443768804578036142920495454.html?mod=WSJ_Energy_leftHeadlines
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Climategate Continued
Will Stocker Retaliate against the U.S?
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Oct 4, 2012
http://climateaudit.org/2012/10/04/will-stocker-retaliate/
The ‘secret’ IPCC Stocker WG1 memo – found!
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Oct 4, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/04/the-secret-ipcc-stocker-wg1-memo-found/
[SEPP Comment: Link to the letter.]
Suppressing Scientific (or Public) Inquiry
The Cyber Bonfire of GISS’s Vanities
By Chris Horner, WUWT, Oct 4, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/04/the-cyber-bonfire-of-gisss-vanities/#more-71977
The Liberal War on Transparency
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Oct 5, 2012
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2012/10/5/the-liberal-war-on-transparency.html
Czars, Lies and Email: What Information Is the Left Trying to Delete From History?
By Christopher Horner, The Blaze, Oct 2, 2012 [H/t Cooler Heads]
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/czars-lies-and-email-what-information-is-the-left-trying-to-delete-from-history/
Challenging the Orthodoxy
New Paper “An Empirical Study Of The Impact Of Human Activity On Long-Term Temperature Change In China: A Perspective From Energy Consumption” By Li And Zhao 2012
By Roger Pielke, Sr, Climate Science, Oct 1, 2012
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/new-paper-an-empirical-study-of-the-impact-of-human-activity-on-long-term-temperature-change-in-china-a-perspective-from-energy-consumption-by-li-and-zhao-2012/
[SEPP Comment: Measured temperature increases are closely related to local energy consumption, an indicator of increased human activity.]
International research group shows that the aging of organic aerosols is caused by OH radicals
Climate models need to be updated
Press Release, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Oct 4, 2012 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/15768_ENG_HTML.php
[SEPP Comment: As an amusing sidelight, published hiking guides of the Blue Mountains of Australia state the blue haze is caused by natural organic aerosols. For years, environmentalists in the US have been claiming the Great Smokey Mountains got its name steam coming off the mountains after a thunderstorm and that the haze of the Blue Ridge was caused by automobiles – as if the pioneers who named it had automobiles.]
Throwing Money at Climate Lies
By Alan Caruba, Warning Signs, Oct 1, 2012
http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2012/10/throwing-money-at-climate-lies.html
Environmentalists Create Another False Claim About Climate Change
By Tim Ball, A Different Perspective, Oct 3, 2012
http://drtimball.com/2012/environmentalists-create-another-false-claim-about-climate-change/
[SEPP Comment: Contrary to the claims of the global warming / climate change alarmist, there is nothing unusual in the rate of current climate change.]
Europe’s Media Goes Completely Deaf & Dumb When It Comes To Record High Antarctic Sea Ice
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Oct 2, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://notrickszone.com/2012/10/02/europes-media-goes-completely-deaf-dumb-when-it-comes-to-record-high-antarctic-sea-ice/
Defending the Orthodoxy
Humans added plenty greenhouse gases before industrialisation
By Staff Writers, Paris (AFP), Oct 03, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Humans_added_plenty_greenhouse_gases_before_industrialisation_999.html
UN official: Climate skeptics are losing
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Oct 1, 2012
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/259525-un-official-sees-climate-skepticism-falling
[SEPP Comment: “Christiana Figueres, the United Nations’ top climate change official” at conference by the International Emissions Trading Association.]
Ocean acidification emerges as new climate threat
By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post, Sep 30, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/ocean-acidification-emerges-as-new-climate-threat/2012/09/30/8457e6e8-08b8-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html
[SEPP Comment: The headline encapsulates the rigor of the thinking in the story.]
A pinch of salt for new carbon storage modeling
By Freya Roberts, Carbon Brief, Sep 27, 2012
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2012/09/saltmarshes-seagrasses-dont-quite-solve-climate-change
Can we estimate the tipping point into irreversible climate change? We assess the One Hundred Months campaign
By Roz Pidcock, Carbon Brief, Oct 4, 2012
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2012/10/can-we-define-the-tipping-point-into-reversible-climate-change
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Southern Hemisphere becoming drier
By Staff Writers, e Science, Oct 3, 2012
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2012/10/03/southern.hemisphere.becoming.drier
Hey, School Teachers: Those Greenhouse Effect Experiments Are Junk
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Oct 2, 2012
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2012/10/hey-school-teachers-those-greenhouse-effect-experiments-are-junk/
Questioning European Green
Three years until the lights go out
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Oct 5, 2012
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2012/10/5/three-years-until-the-lights-go-out.html
Power shortage risks by 2015, Ofgem warns
Britain risks running out of energy generating capacity in the winter of 2015-16, according to the energy regulator Ofgem.
By Staff Writers, BBC, Oct 5, 2012 [H/t Bishop Hill]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19842401
[SEPP Comment: Wind power will be no help on cold, still winter nights.]
Offshore wind prospects hit by grid costs
By Gerard Wynn, WAtoday, AU, Oct 3, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.watoday.com.au/environment/climate-change/offshore-wind-prospects-hit-by-grid-costs-20121003-26y5b.html
[SEPP Comment: It costs money to connect electricity generated by off-shore wind power to on shore consumers?]
Wind farms given £34m to switch off in bad weather: Households stung by secretive payments
By Sam Greenhill and Graham Grant, Mail Online, Sep 30, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210986/Wind-farms-given-34m-switch-bad-weather-Households-stung-secretive-payments.html
Questioning Green Elsewhere
The Limits of Wind Power
Very high wind penetrations are not achievable in practice due to the increased need for power storage, the decrease in grid reliability, and the increased operating costs
By William J. Korchinski and Julian Morris, Reason Foundation, October 4, 2012
http://reason.org/studies/show/the-limits-of-wind-power
Green-energy policy hurts America
By Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Market Watch, Oct 3, 2012 [H/t Cooler Heads]
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-10-03/commentary/34227582_1_energy-policy-green-energy-green-energy
Expanding the Orthodoxy
Council of war gathers for world’s biodiversity crisis
By Staff Writers, Paris (AFP), Oct 05, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Council_of_war_gathers_for_worlds_biodiversity_crisis_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Efforts to save Earth’s natural resources? “Nearly half of amphibian species, a third of corals, a quarter of mammals, a fifth of all plants and 13 percent of the world’s birds are at risk of extinction, according to the “Red List” compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”]
Interior Department seeks climate change advisers
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Oct 3, 2012
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/259959-interior-department-seeks-climate-change-advisers-
Problems in the Orthodoxy
Kyoto: The last rites
Where better than the Qatari capital to perform the last rites over the Kyoto Protocol?
By Peter Glover, Commentator, Oct 1, 2012
http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1727/kyoto_the_last_rites
Al Gore Walks Away From Green Energy
By Bill Gunderson, The Street, Oct 4, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11727215/1/al-gore-walks-away-from-green-energy.html
Seeking a Common Ground
Can we predict the duration of an interglacial?
Perspective by William McClenney on the paper of the same title, WUWT, Oct 2, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/02/can-we-predict-the-duration-of-an-interglacial/
“Understanding The Impact Of Dam-Triggered Land Use/Land Cover Change On The Modification Of Extreme Precipitation” By Woldemichael Et Al 2012
By Roger Pielke Sr, Climate Science, Oct 5, 2012
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/understanding-the-impact-of-dam-triggered-land-useland-cover-change-on-the-modification-of-extreme-precipitation-by-woldemichael-et-al-2012/
[SEPP Comment: Large scale dams and irrigation can intensify rainfall.]
Rebuilding public trust in science for policy-making: Japan perspective
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Oct 2, 2012
http://judithcurry.com/2012/10/02/rebuilding-public-trust-in-science-for-policy-making-japan-perspective/#more-10127
[SEPP Comment: Among the important omissions in the given list is that the products from models that have not undergone rigorous testing are speculation, not scientific knowledge and that difference must be emphasized.]
A Canadian View: Language Matters in Global-Warming Debate
By Tom Harris, The Epoch Times, Oct 3, 2012
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/a-canadian-view-language-matters-in-global-warming-debate-299275.html
Climate Sensitivity
Climate sensitivities in various papers
By Lubos Motl, Reference Frame, Oct 6, 2012
http://motls.blogspot.com/2012/10/climate-sensitivities-in-various-papers.html#more
Asten 2012
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Oct 6, 2012
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2012/10/6/asten-2012.html
New paper on climate sensitivity estimates 1.1 ± 0.4 °C for a doubling of CO2
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Oct 5, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/05/new-paper-on-climate-sensitivity-estimates-1-1-%C2%B1-0-4-c-for-a-doubling-of-co2/#more-72012
Climate sensitivity and the Stern report
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Oct 1, 2012
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2012/10/1/climate-sensitivity-and-the-stern-report.html
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
What have the Romans ever done for us?
By Simon, Australian Climate Madness, Oct 4, 2012
http://www.australianclimatemadness.com/2012/10/what-have-the-romans-ever-done-for-us/
Want to make a paper more alarming and appealing to coverage? Blame the Romans for climate change
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Oct 4, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/04/want-to-make-a-paper-more-alarming-and-appealing-to-coverage-blame-the-romans-for-climate-change/
Sea-level study shows signs of things to come
By Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX), Oct 05, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Sea_level_study_shows_signs_of_things_to_come_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Irreversible global warming will drown us – eventually.]
Not a problem for your children, or theirs (recurring)
By Lewis Page, The Register, Oct 3, 2012, [H/t GWPF]
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/03/sea_level_rise_barely_30cm_by_2100/
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Great Barrier Reef coral halved in 27 years: study
By Staff Writers, Sydney (AFP), Oct 2, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Great_Barrier_Reef_coral_halved_in_27_years_study_999.html
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
1 Billion To Die By 2030: Global Warming’s Deadly Rampage!
By William Briggs, His Blog, Sep 28, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=6257
Climate hype via Hogwarts Lab
By Peter Foster, Financial Post, Oct 1, 2012
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/10/01/peter-foster-climate-hype-via-hogwarts-lab/
Not So Hot
The new climate-change study getting all the headlines is deliberately misleading. Too bad so many in the media got fooled.
By Bjorn Lomborg, Foreign Policy, Sep 28, 2012
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/28/not_so_hot
A Classic Tale of Global Warming Alarmism
By Patrick Michaels, World Climate Report, Oct 5, 2012
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2012/10/05/a-classic-tale-of-global-warming-alarmism/#more-555
[SEPP Comment: Why a New York Times journalist should be reported to the UN’s High Commission on Data Torturing!]
Climate: Scepticism highest in US, Britain – poll
By Staff Writers, Paris (AFP), Oct 04, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_Scepticism_highest_in_US_Britain_poll_999.html
[SEPP Comment: It is the belief that before human emissions of carbon dioxide, climate was stable that is unscientific.]
Climate skeptics gaining ground in media
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Oct 5, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/05/climate-skeptics-gaining-ground-in-media/
[SEPP Comment: More survey silliness. A good link for a detailed critique of the ridiculous 97%.]
Models v. Observations
RS Workshop on Handling Uncertainty in Weather & Climate Prediction. Part I
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Oct 2, 2012
http://judithcurry.com/2012/10/02/rs-workshop-on-handling-uncertainty-in-weather-climate-prediction-part-i/#more-10086
[SEPP Comment: May have interesting results, hopefully.]
Measurement Issues
UAH V5.5 Global Temp. Update for Sept. 2012: +0.34 deg. C
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Oct 5, 2012
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2012/10/uah-v5-5-global-temp-update-for-sept-2012-0-34-deg-c/
UAH Global Temperature Update for September, 2012: +?.?? deg. C
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Oct 4, 2012
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2012/10/uah-global-temperature-update-for-september-2012-deg-c/
What Is the Sound of 130 Wind Turbines Turning?
Researchers record undersea sound at offshore wind farm site
By Kate Madin, Oceanus, Oct 5, 2012
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/cape-wind
[SEPP Comment: What may become an important experiment, taking measurements of the area before, during, and after construction of the wind farm.]
Changing Weather
Dr. Ryan Maue releases new hurricane frequency data showing a negative trend in the last 30 years
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Oct 1, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/01/dr-ryan-maue-releases-new-hurricane-frequency-data-showing-a-negative-trend-in-the-last-30-years/
Changing Climate
The regime shift of the 1920s and 1930s in the North Atlantic
Kenneth F. Drinkwater, Institute of Marine Research and Bjerknes Center for Climate Research, P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway, Progress in Ocenography, Feb-March 2006 [H/t Kenneth Towe]
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079661106000036
Antarctic Peninsula Warming, Time After Time
By Doug Hoffman, Reproduced by GWPF, Sep 24, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/doug-hoffman-antarctic-peninsula-warming-time-after-time/
[SEPP Comment: More on research reported previously.]
Changing Seas
Venice Lagoon research indicates rapid climate change in coastal regions
By Staff Writers, Southampton UK (SPX), Oct 05, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Venice_Lagoon_research_indicates_rapid_climate_change_in_coastal_regions_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Driven by urban heat island effect.]
Sea Level Fall Defies Climate Warnings
By Staff Writers, The Australian, From GWPF, Sep 29, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/sea-level-fall-defies-climate-warnings/
Changing Sea Ice
The 2012 Arctic Ice Melt – An Unusual Year
By David Whitehead, GWPF, Oct 2, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/the-2012-arctic-ice-melt-an-unusual-year/
Arctic Ice Confounds Models
By Doug Hoffman, Resilient Earth, Sep 30, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://theresilientearth.com/?q=content/arctic-ice-confounds-models
Cold Hard Fact: Antarctic Sea Ice is at Record High
By Art Horn, Energy Tribune, Sep 28, 2012
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm/11760/Cold-Hard-Fact-Antarctic-Sea-Ice-is-at-Record-High
According to NOAA data, all time Antarctic sea ice extent record was set on Sept 22nd, 2012
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Sep 29, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/09/29/according-to-noaa-data-all-time-antarctic-sea-ice-rxtent-record-was-set-on-sept-22nd-2012/
[SEPP Comment: All time since satellite measurements started in 1979.]
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see www.NIPCCreport.org
The Mass Balance of the Karakoram Glaciers
Reference: Gardelle, J., Berthier, E. and Arnaud, Y. 2012. Slight mass gain of Karakoram glaciers in the early twenty-first century. Nature Geoscience 5: 322-325.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/oct/2oct2012a1.html
Northern Scandinavian Summer Temperatures of the Past Two Millennia
Reference: Esper, J., Buntgen, U., Timonen, M. and Frank, D.C. 2012. Variability and extremes of northern Scandinavian summer temperatures over the past two millennia. Global and Planetary Change 88-89: 1-9.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/oct/2oct2012a3.html
The Holocene Climate of the North Atlantic Region
Reference: Larsen, D.J., Miller, G.H., Geirsdottir, A. and Olafsdottir, S. 2012. Non-linear Holocene climate evolution in the North Atlantic: a high-resolution, multi-proxy record of glacier activity and environmental change from Hvitarvatn, central Iceland. Quaternary Science Reviews 39: 14-25..
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/oct/3oct2012a2.html
Better Models Needed to Link Extreme Weather to Global Warming
Reference: Editorial (18 September 2012): Extreme Weather. Nature 489: 335-336 doi:10.1038/489335b.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/oct/3oct2012a5.html
[SEPP Comment: The call for better models ignores the most critical missing element in IPCC climate science – the need to understand climate history and what caused changes long before major emission of greenhouse gases.]
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
CO2 Credits and China
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Oct 5, 2012
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/co2-credits-and-
[SEPP Comment: Unlike California, in China economic growth is more important than CO2 emissions.]
Deutsche Bank Closes Down Climate Casino
By Administrator, GWPF, Oct 3, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/deutsche-bank-shuts-down-climate-department/
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
The bogus debate over fossil-fuel subsidies
By Peter Foster, Financial Post, Oct 4, 2012
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/10/04/peter-foster-the-bogus-debate-over-fossil-fuel-subsidies/
Subsidizing Big Wind: The Real Costs to Taxpayers
By Robert Bryce, Manhattan Institute, Oct 2012
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ir_25.htm#.UG2kclH5Xrq
EPA and other Regulators on the March
New House Bill Seeks to Reform EPA’s Science Advisory Board
By Sonel Patel, Power News, Oct 4, 2012
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/5038.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2535577&hq_l=9&hq_v=5e660500d0
[SEPP Comment: A much needed effort.]
Less chemicals found in Wyo. fracking zone
By Staff Writers, UPI, Sep 28, 2012
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/09/28/Less-chemicals-found-in-Wyo-fracking-zone/UPI-83601348861324/
New data out from Wyo. gas field with theorized fracking-pollution link, but no smoking gun
By Mead Gruver, AP, Sep 27, 2012
http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/49b6bc2dd50e49c5b1a53ae9359b0661/US–Fracking-Groundwater-Pollution
Giving in to fears of fracking
By Staff Writer, ACSH, Oct 2, 2012
http://www.acsh.org/giving-in-to-fears-of-fracking/
[SEPP Comment: Dr Gilbert Ross states that traveling from western New York towns into Pennsylvania is a bit like traveling during the cold war from East Germany to West Germany – one area is economically stagnant the other prosperous.]
Energy Issues – Non-US
The Shale Gas Boom: How Scared is the Kremlin?
By Jen Alic, Oil Price, Oct 4, 2012
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/The-Shale-Gas-Boom-How-Scared-is-the-Kremlin.html
[SEPP Comment: The US has overtaken Russia as the world’s largest natural gas producer, and has also overtaken Russia as the world’s second largest oil producer. The Sierra Club is opposed to expansion of all non-conventional production of oil and gas in the US. However, the Sierra Club does not have much political clout in Russia.]
Next cold war? Gas drilling boom rattles Russia
By Staff Writers, AP, Sep 30, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/APa101793a7eb4445dad3f3f797b5faa45.html
Spain Adds $32 Billion Power-System Bailout to Bank Rescue
By Ben Sills, Bloomberg, Oct 1, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-01/spain-adds-32-billion-power-system-bailout-to-rescue-of-banks.html
Energy Issues — US
Liberating the Energy Economy: What Washington Must Do
By Mark P. Mills, Manhattan Institute, Sep 2012 [H/t Marita Noon]
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/pgi_02.htm#.UGyEUlH5Xrp
America’s booming energy industry has emerged as the no. 1 job-creating sector of the U.S. economy
Mark J. Perry, Carpe Diem, via AEI, Oct 1, 2012
http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/10/americas-booming-energy-industry-has-emerged-as-the-no-1-job-creating-sector-of-the-u-s-economy/
[SEPP Comment: The statistical techniques used are less than rigorous.]
Two visions for energy: Smugness or prosperity?
By Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Washington Examiner, Oct 2, 2012 [H/t Randy Randol]
http://washingtonexaminer.com/two-visions-for-energy-smugness-or-prosperity/article/2509613?custom_click=rss#.UGxGMU01_cg
U.S. Policies And Economic Doldrums Fuel Chinese Energy and Tech Grabs
By Larry Bell, Forbes, Oct 2, 2012
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2012/10/02/u-s-policies-and-economic-doldrums-fuel-chinese-energy-and-tech-grabs/
US bars China wind farm deal on security grounds
By Staff Writers, Washington (AFP), Sept 28, 2012
http://www.winddaily.com/reports/US_bars_China_wind_farm_deal_on_security_grounds_999.html
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
The Natural Gas Revolution: Creator And Destroyer
By Al Fin, GWPF, Sep 30, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/the-natural-gas-revolution-creator-and-destroyer/
Energy Independence from Fracking
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Oct 2, 2012
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/energy-independence-from-fracking/
Even with fewer drill rigs, shale gas production continues to rise
By Andrew Maykuth, Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct 3, 2012
http://articles.philly.com/2012-10-03/business/34219187_1_gas-production-shale-gas-pennsylvania-s-marcellus-shale
Washington’s Control of Oil and Gas
Obama drilling chief: ‘Time-out’ might be needed as industry takes |
forward to talking with the bishop and others about environmental impacts, progress that has already been made, as well industry’s future vision for balancing energy supply, environment and economy in the region.”History
The castle today
The Castle of Sedan is a grand medieval fortress that dominates the city of Sedan with its impressive stature.The Castle is one of the largest feudal fortress in Europe; its construction took more than 150 years until it was finally completed. The fortress was originated around 1424 by, who built a small manor house with two twin towers. The fortress was further reinforced by his son and completed by(Eberhard grand-grandson) who finished the most important work.In the first part of the 16th century, the fortifications were modernized: the curtain wall was thickened by an additional 26 metres and a circular terrace with cannon was constructed. The bastions were added in the next century, but unfortunately some of them were destroyed at the end of the 19th century.Turenne, an illustrious military architect, who became a Marshal of France, was born in the Castle of Sedan in 1611.An important historic event took place on September 1, 1870: the castle was surrounded by the Prussian army during the Franco-Prussian War and Emperor Napoleon III had to surrender the following day in the small nearby town of Donchery.In the second part of the 20th century, the castle was restored several times. Today it is a great tourist attraction in the Ardennes region; it also houses the office of tourism of the city as well as a 3-star hotel.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. doctors have begun treating the first patient to receive human embryonic stem cells, but details of the patient enrolled in the landmark clinical trial are being kept confidential, Geron Corp said on Monday.
A fluorescent microscope image shows human embryonic stem cells in this photo taken at Stanford University and released by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, March 9, 2009.REUTERS/Michael Longaker/Stanford University School of Medicine/California Institute for Regenerative Medicine/Handout
Geron, whose shares were up 6.4 percent on the Nasdaq late on Monday afternoon, has the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration license to use the controversial cells to treat people, in this case patients with new spinal cord injuries. It is the first publicly known use of human embryonic stem cells in people.
“The patient was enrolled at Shepherd Center, a 132-bed spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital and clinical research center in Atlanta, Georgia,” Geron said in a statement.
“Shepherd Center is one of seven potential sites in the United States that may enroll patients in the clinical trial.”
Northwestern University in Chicago is also ready to enroll patients.
Geron’s stem cells come from human embryos left over from fertility treatments. They have been manipulated so that they have become precursors to certain types of nerve cells.
The hope is that they will travel to the site of a recent spinal cord injury and release compounds that will help the damaged nerves in the cord regenerate.
The Phase I trial will not be aiming to cure patients but to establish that the cells are safe to use. Under the guidelines of the trial, the patients must have very recent injuries.
Geron said the Shepherd Center would keep details of the patient confidential.
“When we started working with human embryonic stem cells in 1999, many predicted that it would be a number of decades before a cell therapy would be approved for human clinical trials,” Geron President and CEO Dr. Thomas Okarma said in a statement.
‘GREAT NEWS’
“It’s great news — my hat’s off to them for being the first,” Dr. Bob Lanza of Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology, which has a human embryonic stem cell trial close to FDA approval, said by email.
“It ushers in a new era for stem cell therapy. We hope to follow them into the clinic very soon — knock on wood — we’re hoping to get the green light from the FDA in the coming weeks.”
ACT’s product is a human embryonic stem cell trained to become a retinal cell. The company has asked the FDA for permission to use it in patients with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a genetic eye disease that progresses to blindness.
“If it works, there will hopefully be far fewer critics of research on human embryonic stem cells, especially in the USA,” said Robin Lovell Badge of the National Institute of Medical Research at Britain’s Medical Research Council.
“If it does not, the critics will no doubt be rejoicing, but they will be foolish to do so. Other trials will follow soon, for a range of clinical problems — and even if just one works well, it will all be worthwhile.”
Geron is not subject to limitations on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, as it has done all its work with its own funding.
The U.S. government is embroiled in a legal battle over the cells. Just weeks after he took office in 2009, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that eased limitations on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.
Opponents of their use say it is wrong to use a human embryo to make the cells, and two researchers have sued the National Institutes of Health. A federal appeals court has allowed continued federal funding of the work until the case is heard.Inside French Prisons, A Struggle To Combat Radicalization
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images
With 2,500 inmates, the penitentiary institution of Fresnes, about 20 miles south of Paris, is one of the largest prisons in Europe. Like most French prisons, Fresnes is overcrowded. Built in the late 19th century, its tiny cells, each meant for one prisoner, most often house three.
Inmates scream curses and catcalls from their barred windows as I visit a small, empty sports yard ensconced between cell blocks. Plastic bags and punctured soccer balls are caught in the surrounding concertina wire.
The prisoners here yelled out in just this way back in November 2015, refusing to honor a minute of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks on Paris cafes and the Bataclan concert hall.
Fresnes prison director Philippe Obligis says he began to see a radicalization problem here well before those attacks took place.
"There were some radical Muslims who were putting huge pressure on regular Muslims to adopt a certain kind of behavior," he says. "Like taking a shower with their clothes on and not listening to music or watching TV."
Many of the homegrown terrorists who've launched attacks in recent years in places like Paris and Brussels were radicalized in prison — often while serving jail terms that had nothing to do with terrorism. In France, where a disproportionate number of prison inmates are of Muslim background, authorities are struggling to deal with the phenomenon.
In 2014, Fresnes became the first French prison to separate radicalized inmates from the general prison population — they were put in an entirely separate wing, one person to each cell, and had different guards from the other prisoners.
After 2015, which began with the January attacks at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Kosher supermarket, and ended with the Bataclan attack in November, some other French prisons began separating inmates too. Several of the terrorists who killed nearly 150 people that year were common criminals who had become radicalized in prison.
In 2016, the French government put money into a rehabilitation program for radicals deemed not too far gone. The prisoners in these new anti-radicalization units received visits from psychologists and historians; they had the chance to attend some workshops or receive some training.
The radical units were controversial, especially after two guards at one prison were attacked in September of last year. In November, the French interior minister announced an end to the program.
Instead, the French government boosted security around the most dangerous prisoners — both radicals and not. And intelligence collecting in prisons was beefed up. A bureau of central intelligence for prisons was created earlier this year.
Around 350 French prisoners are serving jail terms for terrorist-related offenses. And a further 1,340 inmates convicted of regular crimes are identified as radicalized.
"They'll contaminate the others"
Businessman Pierre Botton went to jail for white collar crime in the 1990s and founded Together Against Recidivism, an organization devoted to improving the lives of prisoners. He says it's nearly impossible to think about reforming in jail because prisoners are mainly just struggling to survive.
He believes radicals should be separated in different prisons entirely, because otherwise, they'll inevitably interact with the rest of the prison population. He notes what happened when the only surviving terrorist from the Paris Bataclan attacks landed in a French jail last year.
"When Salah Abdeslam arrived, they clapped," says Botton. "Do you understand what I'm saying? When he arrived in the jail, they clapped. They applauded."
Botton says criminals like Abdeslam are icons in jails in the Paris region, where up to 70 percent of inmates identify as Muslim. Keeping records on the religion and ethnicity of French citizens is illegal, so there are no official statistics. But Botton says about 70 percent of prisoners in the Paris region observe the Muslim festival of Ramadan.
"So when you put guys like this who represent a certain ideology in the heart of a prison, surrounded by 4,000 inmates, there's a huge risk they'll contaminate the others," he says.
Yannis Warrach, a Muslim cleric who works in his spare time at a top-security prison in Normandy, says prison is so brutal, inmates can only survive if they're part of a gang. He has seen how the radicals recruit newcomers.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Eleanor Beardsley/NPR Eleanor Beardsley/NPR
"The ones who preach and proselytize will at first be nice to a detainee. They see his desperation," he says. "They'll befriend him, give him what he needs. Then they'll say it's destiny. They'll say that God has a mission for him. And little by little, they brainwash him, telling him French society has rejected him, he can't get a job because of his Arab last name, and he was always put in the worst classes at school.
"The problem is," says Warrach, "it's often true."
Warrach says these young men must have hope for a different future to break out of the spiral of failure. He says French leaders have failed to change the socioeconomic factors that keep many French people of Muslim descent on the bottom rungs of the ladder.
Another big problem, he says, is the prevalence of hard-line, Salafist reading material in jails — often French translations of Saudi, Wahhabist tracts that advocate literal, strict interpretation of religious doctrine.
"I work to debunk this stuff," says Warrach. "I give inmates under pressure a historical context of the faith and another narrative of Islam."
He says that because of the pressure from radicals, who consider him an agent of the French government, he has to meet secretly with inmates who desperately want his help. Instead of meeting in rooms designated for religious worship, which are open, they meet in special prison visiting rooms for inmates' lawyers, where no one can observe them.
Because of its strict separation of religion and state, Warrach says France is the only country in Europe where being a prison cleric is not considered a profession. He says he only receives a small stipend, but that he can't build a life around it — there are no retirement plans or other benefits. Because of this, there can't be an imam at the prison every day, which creates a huge void, he says. And it leaves plenty of room for uninformed, extremist interpretations of Islam in French prisons.An obese wife has shed half her body weight in order to make a lifetime of memories with her dying husband.
Taylor Murphy, 24, from Seattle in Washington, USA, tipped the scales at 127kg when partner Ricky Carrington, 29, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer and given 15 months to live.
After using food as ‘emotional crutch’ her whole life, Taylor knew she needed to be in the best physical shape to make the most of their time together.
She went from multiple large Starbucks mochas, takeaways and chocolatey treats, to a restricted food intake after having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy last year.
Taylor switched healthy meal-planning combined with daily exercise with her husband and lost an impressive 63kg.
Image: Caters News Service
Now she’s making up for lost time wearing a two-piece on the beach for the very first time and couple’s activities from visiting theme parks, Disneyland and more.
Taylor, a retail store manager, said: “When my husband was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer, I used food as an emotional crutch.
“It’s been absolutely devastating for us, I wasted a lot of my life eating, sleeping and not being with him, but now we’ve both got to keep fighting now.
“For the first couple of months it was really numbing but I got a reality check and decided to make the best experiences I can in however much time we have left.
“After our wedding, I thought about what I could do to get happy and healthy for him, I made the decision to have weight loss surgery.
Images: Caters News Service
“A lot of my weight loss success came down to knowing I couldn’t fail I wasn’t just doing this for myself but my husband too, failing was not an option
“I have so much more energy now, before I used to get home and go straight to bed after eating, now I’m not as tired.
“Having so much more energy has made our marriage all the stronger, I feel like my weight and mood was breaking him down before.
“Recently on the beach I was wearing a two-piece and didn’t care about what anybody thought, before I never thought I would ever be able to do that.
“I don’t feel like I’m being judged any more, before I was scared, miserable and constantly hiding who I am.
“Now we’ve been making the most of our time from visiting Disneyland, Hawaii, to hikes, beach breaks, visiting Pike Place Market and things I wouldn’t have had the energy to do before.”
Images: Caters News Service
Taylor weight soared out of control from poor nutrition choices, including regularly eating takeaways for most meals, desserts as a snack and high-sugared drinks.
She added: “I was always overweight, growing up I made bad food choices and while I was active, I didn’t put a lot of energy into it.
“I didn’t have the best mental state before, I was the face of the company for so was on a cycle of working, eating then going to sleep.
“My reactions and emotions were always focussed around food – whether it was when I was sad or happy.”
But after partner Ricky’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis with a glioblastoma in 2014, she knew she had to change to be fit enough to take care of him and to make their lives as happy as possible.
Taylor said: “Unfortunately with the cancer we know there will be a point where I will need to take care of him, at that time I couldn’t even take care of myself mentally or physically.
Image: Caters News Service
“I knew I couldn’t eat my emotions away anymore, food was not going to help and so I made the decision to change my life.”
She opted for weight loss surgery in Mexico, which combined with healthy eating and regular exercise led her to transform her body.
Since slimming down to 64kg, Taylor says as well as the change in her mentality, colleagues and friends often double-take when they see her.
Taylor said: “Before at work I would hide in the back office some days because people are judgemental and I didn’t feel good about myself but now I feel great.
“Now people don’t recognise me when I walk into stores I haven’t visited for a while, one of the girls I knew took 15 seconds to realise who I was.
“It says a lot about how different I look now, I don’t hide behind loud, colourful clothing and my hair like I used to – I’m getting attention for the right reasons.”
Taylor now intends to start competitive bodybuilding.
Image: Caters News Service
She said: “My weight loss has implemented great lifestyle changes and hobbies that don’t revolve around drinking and eating anymore.
“Before I was large but now I have strong thighs and a slim, muscular build, I wear crop tops in public and get a lot of complements.
“I was even told that I look athletic, which was something I never thought would happen.”
Taylor attributes her husband as her inspiration and motivation for losing weight so quickly, but also says social media played a part in helping to keep herself accountable.
She said: “Ricky is very supportive, where some partners can struggle when their partner loses a lot of weight mine has been incredible.
“He compliments my body, tells me I’m beautiful and loves my confidence, he can see how happy I am and I love hearing the compliments about how thin I am now.
“I never thought I would be so confident and happy with where I am in life, I’m shocked and so proud.”
DIET NOW
Breakfast – premier protein shakes
Snacks – almonds
Lunch – piece of ham with cheese and fruit
Snacks – premier protein, string cheese or vegetables
Dinner – lamb chops with zucchini noodles
Dessert – power crunch bar
DIET BEFORE
Breakfast – two Starbucks chocolate croissants with Venti iced mochas
Snacks – cookies and KitKat bars
Lunch - seafood pasta or PFChang with a Redbull
Snacks – chocolate mousse or cake
Dinner – half a large pizza
Dessert – tiramisu or ice creamSaturday, November 6, 2004; Page F05
One benefit of testing Whirlpool's laundry appliances was the opportunity to talk with Lucinda Ottusch, one of the company's fabric techonologists, and demystify some of the laundry process.
The first myth debunked: Dryer heat does not shrink garments. After all, as Ottusch pointed out, a hot iron does not shrink clothes; in fact, the heat and pressure of the iron cause the garment to stretch out. Rather, she said, shrinkage is caused by the tumbling action as the garments hit the sides of the dryer. Shrinkage is also caused by the washing process itself.
When a garment is made, Ottusch said, manufacturers often stretch a fabric to its max so that slightly less cloth is needed. (A tiny bit of fabric factored over thousands of identical garments is a significant savings.) But when the garment is washed, the cloth fibers will shrink to their natural state. The warmer the water, the greater the reversion. If you were to put on jeans when they were wet, you would find they were too small, Ottusch said. The degree of movement of the garments during the washing process also affects the fibers, she added. As a general rule, the tumbling action of a front-loader produces less movement and fiber reversion than the agitation of a top-loader.
A "preshrunk" garment has already been washed, so the garment will not be as affected by the laundering process.
Compared with washing, which can shrink clothes, drying them with heat has the opposite effect. As a garment loses moisture, the fibers will stretch a bit; as you wear the garment, the heat of your body will increase this stretching. But, Ottusch said, the drying process can damage fabrics made of natural fibers such as cotton, linen and wool, if too much moisture is removed. These fibers have a natural moisture content, even when they feel dry (with cotton it's 5 percent; with wool as much as 17 percent).
When the fibers are over-dried, they will reabsorb moisture from the atmosphere. The occasional over-drying will usually not cause a problem, but when it happens repeatedly, the fibers will be weakened and the clothes won't last as long or wear as well, Ottusch said.
A dryer can also affect the appearance of garments. Dark ones can rapidly lose their brand-new look as they hit the sides of the drum. This raises microscopically small fibers and gives the seam areas a powdery appearance, Ottusch explained. With some types of fabric, however, the raised fibers are a plus. With a towel, for example, the raised fibers make it feel softer.New Plan Entry - Unlimited Talk, Text & 4GB Data at $39/mo. Get It Today!
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Malik Sparkman, the brave young Coffee High student who was diagnosed with kidney cancer in August of last year, has passed away. Malik, a talented football player for the Trojans who was going to play an integral role in the Coffee High defense during the 2014 season, received the devastating news of his diagnosis just prior to week one of football season. Instead of spending the fall playing football, he was in a hospital bed, undergoing treatments for his illness that were at times worse than the disease itself.
Malik’s illness touched the entire Coffee County community, and citizens throughout the county helped make the final 10 months of his life truly a time to remember. Throughout his illness, Malik’s courage, strength, and faith in the face of insurmountable odds inspired thousands. He was a brave young man and faced his battle with a confidence and peace that only comes from an unshakeable faith in his Creator.
As of this evening, Sunday, May 17, 2015, Malik’s fight has come to an end. He is no longer suffering. He is no longer in pain. He has realized the full fruits of his faith and he is now enjoying heavenly rest. Through his illness, Malik Sparkman touched countless lives. He made a positive impact on everyone with whom he came in contact. Coffee County has lost one of its best and brightest, and Heaven has welcomed home a true angel.
Malik, we are all better people for having known you, and you will be missed more than you ever know. May you find the rest in Heaven that escaped you over the last year of your young life. You will never be forgotten.
Russell Flanagan, page owner of Coffee County Ga. Police Scanner on Facebook, has compiled a video in honor of Malik's life and the inspirational beauty he brought to an entrie community. To view the video, click here.WOMEN aren't very good at reading maps, and men are incapable of multi-tasking.
At first glance they might seem like a couple of hoary old stereotypes from the battle of the sexes. But are they?
A new study looking at the neural wiring of the male and female brain has concluded that there may be some truth to commonly held beliefs about what makes men and women tick.
The study, published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, has found striking differences between the way that men's and women's brains are wired to work.
The study, one of the largest ever conducted scrutinising the "connectomes'' that link different parts of the brain, was carried out by the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.
A total of 949 individuals (521 females, 428 males) aged between eight and 22 underwent diffusion tension imaging (DTI), a sophisticated water-based imaging technique that can highlight and map out the fiber pathways of the brain.
The study found a greater degree of neural connectivity from front to back within one hemisphere in males, suggesting brains were wired to facilitate connectivity between perception and co-ordinated action.
Women's brains meanwhile were wired between left and right hemispheres, indicating they facilitated communication between the analytical and intuition, the study found.
"These maps show us a stark difference - and complementarity - in the architecture of the human brain that helps provide a potential neural basis as to why men excel at certain tasks and women at others,'' said Ragini Verma, a radiology department professor at Perelman who worked on the study.
The study reported that on average men are more likely better at learning and performing a single task, such as navigating.
Women meanwhile were likelier to have a superior memory and social cognition skills - making them better equipped for multi-tasking and creating solutions which could work for a group.
"It's quite striking how complementary the brains of women and men really are,'' said one of the study's authors, Ruben Gur.
``Detailed connectome maps of the brain will not only help us better understand the differences between how men and women think, but it will also give us more insight into the roots of neurological disorders, which are often sex related.''
The study noted only a few gender differences in the connectivity in children under 13, but found more pronounced differences in 14 to 17-year-olds and young adults older than 17.Protecting Lithuania from Russia is to be Germany's responsibility, according to the new NATO defense plans that emerged at this week's summit in Brussels. The German Defense Ministry showed on Wednesday evening just how seriously it is taking this task, confirming to the DPA news agency that next year it will be sending Leopard 2 tanks to the Baltic country's Russian border in addition to the 650 soldiers it had already promised - though it would not clarify how many.
The move is part of NATO's wider plan to protect its Baltic members, who have all shown concern about Russian ambitions following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent war in eastern Ukraine.
A NATO battalion of around 1,000 soldiers will be stationed in Lithuania as of June next year, and will then be rotated every six months. Around 450 to 650 of these troops are to be supplied by the Bundeswehr, while the others will come from France, Belgium and Croatia. German media reported that the combat-trained unit will also be equipped with tanks, armored vehicles, snipers, and engineers.
Defending the defensive measures
Each of the alliance's major powers is sending troops to bolster the defenses of the countries bordering Russia, so while Germany is helping Lithuania, Poland will be protected by the US, Latvia to be manned by the Canadians, and Britain is to help reinforce Estonia.
Germany is playing a major part in NATO's mission in the Baltic area
The plans are likely to further antagonize Russia, whose government has criticized NATO's military plans in the region before. "The alliance is concentrating its forces on limiting a non-existent threat from the East," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the summer.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen defended the measures, calling the deployment "exactly appropriate" and "defensive." "This is a clear signal that an attack on one NATO country will be considered an attack on all 28 NATO countries," she said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also indicated that the mission was a response to Russian aggression. "Russia is prepared to use its military power," he said in Brussels. "It is necessary for NATO to answer that."
Gustav Gressel, Russia specialist at the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes that NATO's new plans are actually fairly measured, given the circumstances. "Russia still enjoys military superiority in that area of about five-to-one," he told DW. "It's not at all an offensive threat against the Russians - but rather a cautious, small-scale reaction to the build-up and military mobilization Russia has been undergoing. It doesn't change the military balance in the Baltics."
Baltic fears
Stoltenberg said NATO had no choice but to respond
In fact, the Baltic states would have liked NATO to commit more troops to their border areas, Gressel argued. "Since 2009, Russia has trained its forces in scenarios of invading the Baltic countries," he said. "For the Baltic countries, this is a real thing, this is not something that might at some point happen."
Even though it is economically isolated and can ill afford to take new territory, Russia's political system requires shows of military power for its own population, Gressel argued. "It is increasingly difficult to predict what Russia will do, or when Russia will perceive military provocation. So you'd rather be on the safe side and signal to Russia that there is no free ride in the Baltics."
But at the same time, NATO is trying to strike a balance. "You have to hedge against the risk that Russia gets adventurous," he said. "But on the other hand, you don't want to maneuver Russia into its self-fulfilling prophecies of a threat. In my view, Russia's saber-rattling is for domestic consumption and their military knows that NATO is not going to invade."
Germany has contributed to NATO's biggest rearmament drive since the end of the Cold War, last year ordering an extra 100 Leopard 2 tanks - mostly by modifying previously decommissioned vehicles. At the same time, the upper limit of 225 tanks that had been agreed as part of the military reform of 2011 was increased to 328.“Modern industry, in overturning the economical foundation on which was based the traditional family, and the family labour corresponding to it, had also unloosened all traditional ties.” – Karl Marx, Capital
I open up my browser and type “pornhub.com” into the search bar. Once the page loads, I hover my cursor over “videos” and click on “most viewed.” This is a type of occupational research for a sex worker like me. The ad on the right side of the page says “small, tiny, teens gettin’ fucked!” It’s an animated.gif: the male performer wraps his hands completely around the circumference of the female performer’s torso, demonstrating just how small and tiny this teen getting fucked is.
Of the four videos displayed at the top, only two of them feature third-person cinematography showing the whole body of both performers. One of them is a lesbian incest fantasy video, the other is an interracial video, the title of which refers to the white male performer as “innocent” and the black female performer as “his First African Princess.” The other two videos feature a mix of first person, or “POV,” shots and third person shots which barely show more of the male actor than his dick. One of these videos is an internal ejaculation, or “creampie,” video; the other is an incest fantasy video. Both feature an all-white cast and heterosexual sex. Naturally, the white man is the absolute Subject, and everyone else is the Other.
According to a study featured in an early 2016 issue of sexology publication The Journal of Sex Research, porn viewers have more egalitarian views about gender than non-viewers. The specific metrics used by the study to assess whether participants have “gender egalitarian views” are a series of questions which gauge the extent to which they agree with contemporary liberal status quo with respect to gender and the family. The study shows that porn viewership is positively correlated with the beliefs that abortion should be legal, and that women should be allowed to work outside of the home and hold positions of power in society. Other studies have shown that pornography exposure is correlated with positive attitudes about premarital sex among younger adults and that women who view pornography are more likely to hold sexually liberal attitudes as well as have engaged in sex work. A plurality of Pornhub.com viewers support Bernie Sanders; most support marijuana legalization and federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Porn is a form of media which typically delivers images of women’s sexual objectification – the camera focuses on the woman’s body and her affective performance while the male performer seldom exists more than a few inches above his navel or below his knees – and where genres commonly cater to exploitative sexual proclivities (incest, “barely legal” teens, gangbangs, exploitation of domestic laborers such as maids and babysitters, and so on). It might seem counterintuitive that consumption of this media would correlate to liberal ideas.
The Industrial Revolution ushered in an explosion of sex work. The working class family, no longer able to maintain the same sexual division of labor as the cottage industries of rural peasantry, faced a labor crisis. Working class women more often had to turn to survival sex work. During the Victorian era, Marx and Engels wrote, “In its completely developed form, [the] family exists only among the bourgeoisie. But this state of things finds its complement in the practical absence of the family among the proletarians, and in public prostitution.” Eventually, the labor movement won a “family wage” for many working class men, creating a professional class of “housewives.” Women in the workforce also came to have expanded access to higher paying jobs. Sex work, however, has continued to be ubiquitous at the margins of capitalist society, where wages are lowest and family relations are the most unstable.
Pornography was illegal in most western societies until relatively recently. The first societies to legalize pornography outright were Northern European nations known for their liberal gender relationships: Denmark legalized pornography in 1969, followed by Sweden and the Netherlands in 1971. Obscenity jurisprudence in the United States has been more complicated; a coherent definition of obscenity (versus protected speech) has only existed on a federal level since 1973, with the Supreme Court’s Miller test. Jurists opened the possibility for considering porn a constitutional right. This gave space to the rise of the so-called “Golden Age of Porn”, when major porn productions like Deep Throat and The Devil in Miss Jones saw widespread theatrical release and were taken seriously as film by critics – a phenomenon New York Times Magazine called “porno chic.”
But videotape ended The Golden Age of Porn: in the 80s, new technology such as VHS made pornography a much more straightforward affair of mediating arousal and big budget erotic cinema productions became far less profitable by comparison. Naturally, this affected the type of content being produced—a combination of lower production costs and more pervasive home viewership allowed for more erotic niches to be catered to. This trend has exploded since the 90s. The democratization of digital media production and distribution means that far more people are able to be producers, consumers, and performers of porn than ever before.
The internet has provided a platform for the proliferation of countless new genres and new fetishes. POV, a “gonzo” style shot from the perspective of the male performer, was one of Pornhub.com’s 20 top searches in 2015. It’s a very popular style of porn cinematography, making an appearance in many different genres. And it would not have been possible without the omnipresence of high quality digital handycams. It’s unsurprising that in the hands of an industry which receives 98% of its revenue from men, this technology is used to construct images of male sexual subjectivity. Male subjectivity is so absolute in the sex industry that when porn showing heterosexual sex depicts the man as an object of erotic desire, it gets marketed to gay men.
That the historical process which has created an industry dedicated to propagating the ideology of white male sexual subjectivity also seems to have created an industry which propagates liberal ideas about gender is to be expected. In Capital, Marx writes, “the technical subordination of the workman to the uniform motion of the instruments of labor, and the peculiar composition of the body of workpeople, consisting as it does of individuals of both sexes and of all ages, gives rise to a barrack discipline.” The ideology of liberal democracy—of capital—has the tendency to equalize all work. For profits to be accumulated from trade in commodities (which are the product of applied labor-power), labor-power in the abstract must necessarily have the ability to be freely bought and sold—to be commanded by capital. The kinds of arbitrary restrictions on civil rights opposed by porn viewers—such as preventing some women from working outside their homes—do not follow the long term logic of the accumulation of capital. Porn viewers, consuming media which is a technologically advanced product of sexual labor, therefore tend to hold ideologies which are more advanced from the perspective of capital’s ability to extract value from gendered labor.
That capitalism has been a liberalizing force with respect to gender is well known—it eventually brought with itself suffrage and civil equality. Capital has failed, however, to substantially alter gender relationships to the extent where persons with sexually commodifiable bodies are relieved of the pressure, from the destabilization of family and economic relationships, to sell their sexual labor to men. This was the case when Friedrich Engels wrote of sex work in the context of the dire situation of the urban proletariat at the time of the Industrial Revolution in The Condition of the Working Class in England. It is is the case currently when Black trans and gender nonconforming people are 47 times more likely to do sex work than women in general. Inasmuch as media is an ideological reflection of the social forces which produces it, media depicting sex work will promulgate liberal gender egalitarianism for exactly what it is—an ideology which allows for equality only to the extent that civil equality reifies an efficient trade in labor-power as a commodity, in the abstract.
According to Jörg Metelmann’s paper, “Dialectic of Pornographic Enlightenment,” the proliferation of erotic media became inextricably linked to modernity and bourgeois liberalism at the time of the French Revolution. The dialectic of pornographic enlightenment is the tension between the construction of transcendentally mechanical erotic pleasure (i.e., seemingly separated from social relationships embedded in the reproduction of labor-power) and the tendency for said transcendence to annihilate the subject’s capacity for pleasure. Metelmann cites Horkheimer and Adorno’s reading of Marquis de Sade’s Juliette, where the eponymous character derives erotic gratification from the desecration of the Sacrament—ironically depending on tensions in an ideological schema which she rejects (feudal-aristocratic Catholicism) in order to experience pleasure: “Juliette’s critique is discordant, like the Enlightenment itself. In so far as the flagrant violation of the taboo…has not adjusted proficiently to the new reality, it lives on with sublime love as faith in that now proximate utopia which makes sexual pleasure free for all.” In destroying the idea which gives it its sexual power, the erotic desecration of the Sacrament is a kind of autoerotic asphyxiation: Sexual liberation ultimately annihilates the subject’s capacity to experience the pleasure they are pursuing.
Conflating erotica like Sade’s with media which is the product of sexual labor under the umbrella term “pornography”, Metelmann notes that pornography has gone from being a form of underground liberal propaganda to being an established, consumer-oriented genre in contemporary “porno-democratic” societies: “Maintaining this critical and very political function of early pornography as a central element of the dialectic of enlightenment, we can describe the cultural processes of pleasure and modernity as alternations between disembedded sex (= pornography as the fiction that sex simply exists) and re-embedded sex.” Mechanized pleasure, or “disembedded sex”, is only disembedded to the extent that it is actually separated from social relationships embedded in reproduction. Modern pornography is not just erotic media, however, it is also mediated sexual labor. For the average person who works in porn, their labor is not “speech.” For the many porn performers who work as escorts, porn is effectively another escorting gig—one which also serves as an advertisement for their escorting businesses. Sex work is never “dis |
practices for security – such as offline key generation and storage. They should understand principles of conflict of interest and be able to maintain a distance from operations, so that they will not be subject to coercion or other undue influence. A disinterested third party also provides investors, employees, and the community with an increased level of protection thereby justifying an increased confidence in operations as evidence of good corporate governance.
What the Third Party Should Not Do: The third signer should not also act as an entity for dispute resolution due to conflict of interest. Organizations can seek dispute resolution through traditional justice systems (though the level of justice, efficiency, and effectiveness varies by jurisdiction), alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) mechanisms, or ideally negotiation with the other party. As a matter of good governance, internal dispute resolution methods should be selected at organizational inception. There are many viable ADR mechanisms available including traditional or online arbitration, mediation with contractual settlement, and collaborative law with contractual settlement. When a dispute arises, the third party should not execute any transactions until the dispute has been appropriately resolved and proof of resolution is presented to the third party.
How would the third party know of a dispute? One way to ensure the third party does not execute any transaction without consent of all signers is to implement a process requiring verification of consent by all signers. This protective measure ensures that no one signer can bypass internal controls and seek approval of the external third party to consummate an unapproved expenditure. Verification also ensures that no internal party can claim they didn’t consent to a transaction after execution. The verification requirement also encourages open communication among the signers, which should lead to early identification of misunderstandings and better overall management of the financial health of the company.
The Process
Setting Up Accounts / Multi-Signature Addresses: For many organizations a three account system will work well to provide internal controls and a reasonable level of security. The three accounts are the capital account, to hold investment and profits, the operations account, to pay operational expenses, and the revenue account where clients deposit payment for goods and/or services. The interplay between the accounts and stakeholders are depicted below.
Example of Funds Flow Using Three Multi-Signature Addresses / Accounts
In the illustration above, notice that deposits into each account can be executed with a single signature, withdrawals typically require more than one signature. The structure itself provides one layer of protection by separating funds, the multi-signature requirements provide another, the third party signer provides a third layer of protection.
The level of organizational control and oversight will vary for each organization, and for each account within each organization. However there are some simple best practices that should be considered when setting up organizational multi-signature accounts. Also remember that there are no limits on the number of bitcoin accounts an individual or organization can create, use, or abandon – without fees, without explanation, and without bureaucratic paperwork. Finally, note that in this section the word account is used in place of multi-signature address to parallel account structure in traditional corporate banking and for ease of reading. Each account listed could more accurately be described as a multi-signature address.
Capital Account: Every company should have an independent capital account. Deposits in this account should include initial funding by owners and investors, continued funding by owners and investors, and profit. Withdraws from this account could include bi-weekly or monthly transfers to the operating account if necessary, distribution of profits to owner’s personal accounts, or transfers to an owner or investor as a buy-out or return of equity.
Capital Account Set-Up: A multi-signature capital account should be set up to require no less than two of three signatures. Some companies invite investors to be signers on the capital account, some do not. There are benefits and drawbacks to each position. A well-funded profitable organization will typically have a large balance in the capital account, thereby justifying additional security measures and controls such as additional signature requirements. Regardless, remember not to inadvertently give control of the account to directors and/or investors by incorrectly setting up the account to allow them to authorize transactions independently. For example, if the authorized signers on a capital account are two investors, two directors, and one third party, the required signatures should be no fewer than three of five. Note that under this arrangement if the two investors convinced one director to withdraw funds, the three of them could execute the transaction without approval of the other director or the independent third party. This is why the account set up and strategy should be carefully considered prior to funding and the company should consult with a professional in this space. Set up correctly, this system provides superior internal checks and balances for directors, provides investors with the ability to monitor and possibly exert some control over large expenditures, and includes a contingency signature plan through an independent third party.
Operations Account: Every company should have an operations account which is used to fund the day-to-day operations of the company. All organizational expenses, except transfers directly from the capital account for the reasons stated above, should be paid from this account. For new companies, initial funding will likely come from the capital account. After the organization establishes positive cash flow (as explained below), this account should be funded from the revenue account. There will be a lot of activity on this account, as it is used to fund operations. Therefore this account is separated from the capital account in order to shield capital from mistakes and malfeasance.
Operations Account Set-Up: The set up of this account will depend largely on your organizational structure and the internal controls of your organization, however there are some best practices to consider. Be sure consider the balance between trust, accountability, and efficiency. While some companies use a traditional one signer account for the organizational account in order to expedite payments, for the reasons above, it’s not advised. At minimum, the account should be set up as a one of two, as a safety net in case the regular signer (eg. a bookkeeper or admin) becomes incapacitated or unavailable. A better practice would be to require two of three, with an outside third party as the third signer. Remember, the two internal signers on this account can be, but do not need to be, the same internal signers as the capital account. The third party can be the same because they should be independent. Typically investors are not signers on this account as they are not involved in day-to-day business operations. Some organizations implement additional internal controls, such as requiring email verification for expenditures exceeding 25BTC. Your multi-signature professional should be able to provide a number of set-up options, explain the benefits and drawbacks of each, to help you decide what is best for your organization.
Revenue Account: Every company should have a revenue account, to which clients make payments. Whether the organization sells goods or services, the incoming revenue account should be separate from the operational expense and capital accounts. Typically a revenue account should be swept into the operational account and/or the capital account, weekly or bi-weekly, depending on cash flow. If sales are good, this account should have a lot of incoming activity. Clients make payments to multi-signature accounts just as they would to a traditional bitcoin address, however instead of paying an address that begins with a “1” (traditional bitcoin address) they pay an address that begins with a “3” (multi-signature address). You could use this as an opportunity to inform clients about your corporate governance strategy and why you’re using multi-signature accounts, which will likely set you apart from your competition.
Revenue Account Set Up: Set up of the revenue account or accounts will depend largely on the organizational needs and structure. Some organizations will have more than one revenue account. However, all revenue accounts should require a minimum of two of three signatures, again utilizing an outside third party as the third signer. Sometimes a three of five or a four of seven signature design is used. The signers can be, but do not have to be, the same signers on the operations account. The revenue account should be set up similarly to the operations account, in structure and policies. As always, be sure to discuss options with your multi-signature professional prior to implementation.
Transactions
Preliminary Testing Before Funding: After the accounts are set up, each address should be tested first by funding it with a very small amount of bitcoin. Why? To ensure access to the funds, the ability to transfer as expected, and to provide an opportunity for everyone to practice the transfer protocol. Every combination of signatures should be tested. For example, if the operations account is set up as a two of three the following tests must be conducted:
Test 1: Alice + Bob
Test 2: Alice + Ellen
Test 3: Bob + Ellen
Never move a large amount of bitcoin into a multi-signature address until you have thoroughly tested the technology, your implementation of it, and process with all participants and ensured everything works well with small amounts.
Transaction Protocol: Requests for signatures, whether they are sent for signing to another employee or an independent third party, should follow a protocol. Why? Simple standardized procedures serve to reduce errors and provide accountability.
The following protocol standards were adopted by one of my clients, who has agreed to allow me to share them in this article for illustration purposes. Protocols should be adjusted for your specific organizational needs. Though not discussed below, proper key storage and offline signing protocols should be included in all implementations.
Signature Request Protocol: Signature requests should be delivered via email, with all authorized signers cc’d. They should include a properly formed transaction, that the person simply needs to sign and return to the sender. The email should include enough information to allow the internal directors to make a business decision as to whether or not the transaction should be executed. Alternatively, the email could reference a prior conversation, meeting, or email without disclosing material business concerns. If a signer becomes incapacitated, proof of incapacity satisfactory to the third party signer, must be provided along with the signature request.
Verification Protocol: When a request is sent to the third party, they will independently verify consent of all signers prior to signing the transaction. If the third party cannot obtain consent from all of the other signers, then the third party will not execute the transaction without proof of incapacity. Proof of incapacity requirements, thresholds for transaction execution, and third party signer protocols should be defined specifically for each organization prior to implementation of the multi-signature corporate governance strategy.
Broadcast Protocol: Transaction originators should be the ones to broadcast the finalized (fully signed) transaction to the bitcoin network, giving them one more opportunity for review. Additionally, having the originator be responsible for transmitting the transaction properly aligns the authority with the responsibility, avoiding confusion or process errors.
Transaction Examples
In the following examples, assume the authorized signers are Alice, CEO; Bob, CFO, and Ellen, the independent third-party signer and the account requires valid transactions be signed by two of the three authorized signers.
Most transactions will not require the involvement of the third party at all. If the two authorized signers agree on the transaction and both signers are available, the transaction is executed by the employees (in this case Alice and Bob). If however, one of the signers is traveling and cannot access cold storage, the organization can still access funds by requesting a signature from the third party (in our example, Ellen).
Alice and Bob would like to move 25BTC from the revenue account to the operations account in order to fund payroll. Either Alice or Bob could create the transaction, using a multi-signature service like www.coinb.in/multisig.
Normal transactions, both employees available to sign: For purposes of this example, assume Alice creates the transaction and signs it. She can then send an email to Bob, directly, requesting his signature on the transaction. Bob can then counter-sign the transaction. Now the transaction has the requisite two signatures. Bob returns the transaction by email to Alice and Alice transmits it to the bitcoin network, thereby executing it and transferring the funds.
Example of a transaction requiring the third party: Bob is on vacation and accidentally drops his laptop in the pool. Alice prepares and signs a transaction transferring funds from the revenue account to the operating account so that she can make payroll payments. She emails Bob, requesting the second signature and receives the bad news: Bob cannot sign because the key was stored on the laptop. There’s a backup in Bob’s safe back home but he won’t be able to access it for another two weeks. Bob has been planning this vacation all year and really doesn’t want to cut it short. Bob and Alice decide to send the transaction to Ellen for her signature, to ensure employees are paid on time. Alice then forwards the transaction to Ellen and after a brief, slightly embarrassing phone call between Bob and Ellen, Ellen counter-signs the transaction with Bob’s verbal approval. Ellen sends it back to Alice and Alice transmits it to the bitcoin network. Bob can continue his vacation and the employees will be paid on time.
Multi-signature corporate bitcoin accounts are inexpensive to implement, an effective governance tool, improve security and resilience and can be implemented today with only minor process changes in every bitcoin startup company. There’s really no excuse for poor financial governance.
Thanks to Andreas M. Antonopoulos for security process advice and review, Nikos Bentenitis of CoinSimple for corporate governance and implementation testing and many others for their review, feedback and comments.
Pamela Morgan is an attorney and business consultant focusing on using blockchain technology to improve business and legal processes. Her smart law practice, Empowered Law offers Third-Party Multi-Signature services, including complete documentation, software tools, process manuals and implementation advice for effective financial governance in bitcoin companies. Contact pamela@empoweredlaw.com for details.
Bitcoin’s Multi-signature for Corporate Governance by Pamela Morgan, Empowered Law is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
AdvertisementsIt was a cold, overcast afternoon this Saturday in Columbus, but that didn’t stop throngs of black and gold clad supporters from flocking to the ‘Fre to celebrate one of the most wonderful days of the year, Crewsmas. The annual season opener is always a special occasion, and the 2017 edition had the added intrigue of being a rivalry game, as Columbus Crew SC’s enemies from the Windy City (or thereabouts) the Chicago Fire came to town.
The game started off positively for the Black & Gold, with Ethan Finlay netting a 17th minute header. The first half was essentially oneway traffic, but the second half proved a different story. David Accam scored in the 73rd minute to split the points.
Here are six thoughts on Crew SC’s first match of 2017
Gregg Berhalter got out-coached
The first half went just about according to plan for head coach Gregg Berhalter. His side retained possession, created chances, held the Fire to relatively few looks at goal, and converted one of their chances into a goal. The Black & Gold hit the ground running, quite literally, with sharp passing from the midfield and incisive runs from wingers Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay. Berhalter seemed to have his squad fired up for the season opener, and the looked like a team that wanted to make a statement.
They were assisted, partially, by a very poor first half from Chicago, who looked listless at times. They allowed Crew SC to dictate the play, sitting back behind the ball, not employing a high press, and generally reacting rather than attacking. This allowed Crew SC to do what they do best — pass the ball around, get wide, and create chances.
The second half was something different entirely.
Veljko Paunovic made several tactical tweaks at half-time that Crew SC, and more specifically Berhalter, had no answers for. A switch in formation led to wider play and instantly produced more chances, and on defense the Fire began to pressure the Crew high up the field, producing several turnovers in dangerous areas. The very comfortable looking Black & Gold of the first half found themselves under immense pressure, and the momentum began to swing to the men from the Midway.
While these changes were obvious to me, Berhalter, as has so often been the case in his tenure, he stuck to his guns, his system, and his plan. Columbus tried to continue playing essentially the same way, out of the back under the pressure, but found it hard going. The team was not helped by the (likely pre-planned) substitution of Ola Kamara for Adam Jahn due to fitness. Kamara looked dangerous and a threat to goal. Jahn… didn’t.
The simple fact is that Gregg Berhalter did not adjust well enough to the changes his counterpart made in the second half, and it might just have turned a win in to a draw
Taking positives from a loss... er... tie...
There were a lot of questions surrounding this team coming in to Crewsmas 2017. With so many new pieces many, myself among them, wondered how they’d play together. The answer is… fairly well.
One question focused on the two central partnerships, Nico Naess and Jonathan Mensah in defense and Wil Trapp and Mohammed Abu in midfield. Both parings acquitted themselves quite well overall, with the midfield duo looking particularly promising. Abu looked like an MLS quality player from the first whistle, quietly putting in solid work on both sides of the ball. While he lacks the physical dynamism of Tony Tchani, he was a solid counterpart to Wil Trapp, who put in a workmanlike performance in his first match as Crew SC Captain.
The defensive duo looked fairly solid, with a few reservations. Mensah was the physical presence we expected, and Naess continued his solid positional defending we saw from him last year.
Another new player, Jukka Raitala, also looked a natural fit for the Berhalter system, and seemed to have a solid understanding of when to go forward and when to stay back.
While neither are new, both Ethan Finlay and Justin Meram were positives from this draw. Many attributed at least part of last year’s struggles to the under-performance of Finlay, but Saturday he put in a typical hard-working shift and showed flashes of his quality that Crew fans have come to expect. A surprising header in the box opened his account for the year, and his chemistry with Harrison Afful seemed to be improved over last year as well.
Meram, for his part, contributed the quality cross Finlay converted, and caused problems for the Chicago defense with his dribbling skill and runs. Ola Kamara didn’t look one hundred percent, but also showed flashes of quality as well, which may bode well for the Crew SC attack this season.
All that being said…
This team is not the finished product
It wasn’t all puppy-dogs and rainbows out there. While the team looked better than I expected, there were definitely areas that needed improving, more or less across the board.
While Naess and Mensah seemed to gel fairly well at the back, there were several times a runner got in behind, only to be thwarted by the offside flag of the assistant referee. While playing that game may have worked out on Crewsmas, against the David Villa’s or Sebastian Giovinco’s of the world it would be near suicidal. Mensah was also quite shaky at times on the ball, misplacing several passes and turning the ball over entirely too often for a Designated Player. He and Harrison Afful both could have done much better on the Fire goal, though the blame can’t be laid squarely on either one.
Federico Higuain, so crucial to the Crew SC attack, also had a rocky game. He looked hungry to prove himself after a down year in which he missed much of it to injury, and perhaps was putting too much pressure on himself, as he looked to be forcing it at times. He misplaced several passes in decidedly non-Pipa like fashion, and generally struggled to get in to the match. While he worked hard on both sides of the ball, which is always encouraging, he was far from effective. Crew fans will hope he shakes off the rust quickly, because the offense goes though him.
One area where Raitala definitely needs work, however, is in his rapport with Meram. The two were just not on the same wavelength out there, and it showed. Both have real match-changing quality, but if they can’t get on the same page, it won’t matter at all.
Speaking of not on the same page, the much-hyped Brazilian midfielder Artur made his debut, and didn’t seem to be in the same book as his teammates. It was probably too soon for the young defensive (?) midfielder to be appearing, but Berhalter is incredibly high on him, and probably thought he could steady the ship. It didn’t quite go that way. Artur misplaced passes, made the wrong runs, and generally looked not quite ready for primetime. It was likely just a case of not having enough time training with his new team-mates, but it has to be said: it was an inauspicious debut for the youngster.
FOUR- STICK TO THE PLAN (BERHALTER BALL CAN STILL WORK)
Stick to the Plan (Behalter ball can still work)
So let’s talk about the goal. It was perhaps the most Berhalterian goal ever scored, and proof that “the system” can still be effective. A long stretch of possession led to getting the ball wide, a cross came in, it was headed home.
Now some of the credit for this goal has to go the Chicago defense for being so accommodating, but it was still a well executed run of play from Crew SC. The passing was good, the movement was good, the right run was made, the cross was excellent, and it was finished well. This just proves that despite all the talk (a lot of which came from me) of Berhalter’s system being figured out, it can still produce results.
The ‘right’ stuff
Much of the Black & Gold’s early dominance came via the righthand side, where Afful ran rampant. He had what amounted to the freedom of MAPFRE Stadium for much of the first half, and caused the Chicago defense all sorts of headaches. His speed was a well-known commodity, and he put it to good use Saturday. His passing looked good, and his understanding with Finlay in front of him looked much improved.
Afful took a nasty but inadvertent cleating which he had to run off, and that may have impacted his play the rest of the way. At the start of the second half there was more of an effort to get Raitala involved, either due to Afful’s injury or general game planning, but the team’s attack seemed to suffer for it.
If Afful continues his first-half level of play in future games, good things will happen for Crew SC.
What is going on with Tony Tchani?
There was much speculation on what the Crew SC team sheet would look like, but I feel it’s pretty safe to say no one really expected Tony Tchani, key contributor for Berhalter’s entire tenure, to be left out of the 18 entirely.
He was not listed on any injury reports, so it is assumed that his absence is performance-based. While he didn’t cover himself in glory in preseason, Tchani is a dynamic player that, on his day, can be a game-changer.
With Berhalter obviously high on both Abu and Artur, it seems Tchani may be the odd man out of the midfield. It will be interesting to see what, if any future Tchani has with Crew SC, and if he is surplus to requirements, what Berhalter may get for him.
Agree? Disagree? Did I miss something incredibly important? Leave us a comment below or join the discussion on Twitter at @MassiveReport.
Until next week- Stay MassiveLa La Land is a common euphemism for Los Angeles and Hollywood, but it’s also writer/director Damien Chazelle’s newest film. Chazelle originally shopped La La Land around without much success and so moved on to another film project, Whiplash. Five Oscar nominations with three wins went a long way to break the ice and secure funding for La La Land. The new film tells the story of two struggling artists – Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician. La La Land was conceived as a musical set in modern day Los Angeles. It harkens back to the MGM musicals of the 50s and 60s, as well as French musicals, including Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
One of the Whiplash Oscars went to Tom Cross for Best Achievement in Film Editing. After working as one of David O. Russell’s four editors on Joy, Cross returned to cut La La Land with Chazelle. Tom Cross and I discussed how this film came together. “As we were completing Whiplash, Damien was talking about his next film,” he says. “He sent me a script and a list of reference movies and I was all in. La La Land is Damien’s love letter to old Hollywood. He knew that doing a musical was risky, because it would require large scale collaboration of all the film crafts. He loves the editing process and felt that the cutting would be the technical bridge that would hold it all together. He wanted to tell his story with the language of dreams, which to Damien is the film language of old Hollywood cinema. That meant that he wanted to use iris transitions, layered montages and other old optical techniques. The challenge was to use these retro styles, but still have a story that feels contemporary and grounded in realism.”
Playing with tone and time
La La Land was shot in approximately forty days, but editing the film took nearly a year. Cross explains, “Damien is great at planning and is very clear in what he shoots and his intentions. In the cutting room, we spent a lot of time calibrating the movie – playing with tone and time. Damien wanted to start our story with both characters together on the freeway, then branch off and show Mia going through her day. We take her to a specific plot intersection and then flashback in time to Sebastian on the freeway. Then we move through his day, until we are back at the intersection where our two stories collide. Much like the seasons that our movie cycles through – Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall – we end up returning to this specific intersection later in the film, but with a different outcome. Damien wanted to set up certain timelines and patterns that the audience would follow, so that we could ricochet off of them later.”
As a musical, Tom Cross had to vary his editorial style for different scenes. He continues, “For Sebastian and Mia’s musical courtship, Damien wanted the scenes to be slower and romantic with a lot of camera moves. In Griffith Park, it’s a long unbroken take with rounded edges. On the other hand, the big concert with John Legend is cutty, with sharp edges. It’s fragmented and the opposite of romantic. Likewise, when they are full-on in love and running around LA, the cutting is at a fever pitch. It’s lively and sweeps you off your feet. Damien wanted to be careful to match the editing style to the emotion of each scene. He knew that one style would accentuate the other.”
La La Land was shot in the unusual, extra-wide aspect ratio of 2.55:1 to replicate cinemascope from the 1950s. “This makes ordinary locations look extraordinary,” Cross says. “Damien would vary the composition from classic wides to very fragmented framing and big close-ups. When Sebastian and Mia are dancing, there’s head-to-toe framing like you would have in a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers film. During their dinner break up scene, the shots of their faces get tighter – almost claustrophobic – to be purposefully uncomfortable and unflinching. Damien wanted the cutting to be stripped down and austere – the opposite of what’s come before. He told me to play the scene in their medium shots until I punched into their close angles. And once we’re close, we have to stay there.”
Tricks and tools
The Avid Media Composer-equipped cutting rooms were hosted by Electric Picture Solutions in North Hollywood. Tom Cross used plenty of Media Composer features to cut La La Land. He explains, “For the standard dialogue scenes we used Avid’s Script Sync feature. This was very handy for Damien, because he likes to go over every line with a fine tooth comb. The musical numbers were cut using multi-cam groups. For scenes with prerecorded music, multiple takes could be synced and grouped as if they were different camera angles. I had my assistant set up what I call ‘supergroups’. For instance, all the singers might be grouped into one clip. The instruments might be in another group. Then I could stack the different groups onto multiple video tracks, making it easy to cut between groups, as well as angles within the groups.”
In addition to modern cutting techniques, Cross also relies on lo-fi tools, like scene cards on a wall. Cross says, “Damien was there the whole time and he loves to see every part of the process. He has a great editor’s mind – very open to editorial cheats to solve problems, such as invisible split screen effects and speed adjustments. Damien wanted us to be very meticulous about lip sync during the musical scenes because he felt that anything less than perfect would take you out of the moment. His feeling was that the audience scrutinizes the sync of the singing in a musical more than spoken dialogue in a normal film. So we spent a lot of time cutting and manipulating the vocal track – in order to get it right. Sometimes, I would speed-ramp the picture to match the singing. Damien was also very particular about downbeats and how they hit the picture. I learned that while working with him on Whiplash. It has to be precise. Justin Hurwitz, our composer, provided a mockup score to cut with, and that was eventually replaced by the final music recorded with a 95-piece orchestra. Of course, when you have living, breathing musicians, notes line up differently from the mockup track. Therefore, we had many cuts that needed to be shifted in order to maintain the sync that Damien wanted. During our final days of the sound mix, we were rolling cuts one or two frames in either direction on the dub stage at Fox.”
Editors and directors each have different ways to approach the start of the cutting process. Cross explains, “I edited while they were shooting and had a cut by the time the production wrapped. It’s a great way for the editor to learn the footage and make sure the production is protected. However, Damien didn’t want to see the first cut, but preferred to have it on hand if we needed it. I think first cuts are overwhelming for most directors. Damien had the idea of starting at the end first. There’s a big end scene and he decided that we should do that heavy lifting first. He said, ‘at least we’ll have an ending.’ We worked on it until we got it to a good place and then went back and started from the beginning. It re-invigorated us.”
Tom Cross wrapped with these parting thoughts. “This was a dream project for Damien and it was my dream to be able to work with him on it. It’s romantic, magical and awe-inspiring. I was very lucky to go from a film where you get beaten down on the drums – to another, where you get swept off your feet!”
For more conversations with Tom Cross, check out Art of the Cut.
Originally written for Digital Video magazine / Creative Planet Network
©2017 Oliver Peters
AdvertisementsEconomies of Scale, Economies of Speed, and Push Distribution
Download: MOLOCH: Mass-Production Industry as a Statist Construct.
I. The Origins of Sloanist Mass Production
A Fork in the Road
A Wrong Turn
The Role of the State in Tipping the Balance
II. The Institutional Imperatives of Sloanism
Economies of Scale, Economies of Speed, and Push Distribution
Microeconomic Institutional Forms for Providing Stability
Mass Consumption to Absorb Surplus
Political Capitalism
State Action to Absorb Surplus: Imperialism
State Action to Absorb Surplus: Creation of New Industries
III. Conclusion
Alfred Chandler, like Galbraith, was thoroughly sold on the greater efficiencies of the large corporation. He argued that the modern multi-unit enterprise arose when administrative coordination “permitted” greater efficiencies. [45]
By linking the administration of producing units with buying and distributing units, costs for information on markets and sources of supply were reduced. Of much greater significance, the internalization of many units permitted the flow of goods from one unit to another to be administratively coordinated. More effective scheduling of flows achieved a more intensive use of facilities and personnel employed in the processes of production and so increased productivity and reduced costs. [46]
Organizationally, output was expanded through improved design of manufacturing or processing plants and by innovations in managerial practices and procedures required to synchronize flaws and supervise the work force. Increases in productivity also depend on the skills and abilities of the managers and the workers and the continuing improvement of their skills over time. Each of these factors or any combination of them helped to increase the speed and volume of the flow, or what some processors call the “throughput,” of materials within a single plant or works…. [47]
Integration of mass production with mass distribution afforded an opportunity for manufacturers to lower costs and increase productivity through more effective administration of the processes of production and distribution and coordination of the flow of goods through them. Yet the first industrialists to integrate the two basic sets of processes did not do so to exploit such economies. They did so because existing marketers were unable to sell and distribute products in the volume they were produced. [48]
The mass-production factory achieved “economies of speed” from “greatly increasing the daily use of equipment and personnel.” [49] (Of course, Chandler starts by assuming the greater inherent efficiency of capital-intensive modes of production, which then require “economies of speed” to reduce unit costs from the expensive capital assets).
What Chandler meant by “economies of speed” was entirely different from lean production’s understanding of flow. Chandler’s meaning is suggested by his celebration of the new corporate managers who “developed techniques to purchase, store, and move huge stocks of raw and semifinished materials. In order to maintain a more certain flow of goods, they often operated fleets of railroad cars and transportation equipment.” [50] In other words, both the standard Sloanist model of enormous buffer stocks of unfinished goods, and warehouses full of finished goods awaiting orders — and the faux “lean” model in which inventory is swept under the rug and moved into warehouses on wheels and in container-ships.
(The reader may be puzzled or even annoyed by my repeated use of the term “Sloanism.” I got it from the insightful commentary of Eric Husman at GrimReader blog, in which he treats the production and accounting methods of General Motors as paradigmatic of 20th century American mass-production industry, and contrasts them with the lean methods popularly identified with Taichi Ohno’s Toyota production system.)
“Sloanism” refers, in particular, to the management accounting system identified with General Motors. It was first developed by Brown at DuPont, and brought to GM when DuPont acquired a controlling share of the company and put Alfred Sloan in charge. Brown’s management accounting system, whose perverse incentives are dissected in detail by William Waddell and Norman Bodek in Rebirth of American Industry, became the basis of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that prevail throughout American corporate management.
In Sloanist management accounting, inventory is counted as an asset “with the same liquidity as cash.” Regardless of whether a current output is needed to fill an order, the producing department sends it to inventory and is credited for it. Under the practice of “overhead absorption,” all production costs are fully incorporated into the price of goods “sold” to inventory, at which point they count as an asset on the balance sheet.
With inventory declared to be an asset with the same liquidity as cash, it did not really matter whether the next ‘cost center,’ department, plant, or division actually needed the output right away in order to consummate one of these paper sales. The producing department put the output into inventory and took credit. [51]
…Expenses go down…, while inventory goes up, simply by moving a skid full of material a few operations down the stream. In fact, expenses can go down and ROI can improve even when the plant pays an overtime premium to work on material that is not needed; or if the plant uses defective material in production and a large percentage of the output from production must be scrapped. [52]
In other words, by the Sloanist accounting principles predominant in American industry, the expenditure of money on inputs is by definition the creation of value. As Waddell described it at his blog,
companies can make a bunch of stuff, assign huge buckets of fixed overhead to it and move those overheads over to the balance sheet, making themselves look more profitable.
It’s a system summed up perfectly by Paul Goodman’s notion of the culture of cost-plus. And as Waddell points out, the GDP as a metric depends on the same GAAP assumptions as American industry: it counts expenditure on inputs, by definition, as the creation of wealth. [53] The American corporate economy is governed by a set of metrics much like that of the Soviet planned economy. A given “output” represents an economic value equal to the inputs it consumes, regardless of whether anyone actually wants the output, whether they work, or whether they could have been produced with a fraction of the inputs.
American factories frequently have warehouses filled with millions of dollars worth of obsolete inventory, which is still there “to avoid having to reduce profits this quarter by writing it off.” When the corporation finally does have to adjust to reality, the result is costly write-downs of inventory.
It did not take much of a mathematician to figure out that, if all you really care about is the cost of performing one operation to a part, and you were allowed to make money by doing that single operation as cheaply as possible and then calling the partially complete product an asset, it would be cheaper to make them a bunch at a time.
It stood to reason that spreading set-up costs over many parts was cheaper than having to set-up for just a few even if it meant making more parts than you needed for a long time. It also made sense, if you could make enough parts all at once, to just make them cheaply, and then sort out the bad ones later.
Across the board, batches became the norm because the direct cost of batches was cheap and they could be immediately turned into money — at least as far as Mr. DuPont was concerned — by classifying them as work-in-process inventory. [54]
Under the Sloan system, if a machine can be run at a certain speed, it must be run at that speed to maximize efficiency. And the only way to increase efficiency is to increase the speed at which individual machines can be run. [55] The Sloan system focuses, exclusively, on labor savings “perceived to be attainable only through faster machines. Never mind that faster machines build inventory faster, as well.” [56]
The lean approach has its own “economies of speed,” but they are the direct opposite of the Sloanist approach. The Sloanist approach focuses on maximizing economies of speed in terms of the unit cost of a particular machine, without regard to the inventories of unfinished goods that must accumulate as buffer stocks as a result, and all the other enormous eddies in |
on accusations that his country violated human rights.
In February, a United Nations panel submitted a report accusing the North Korean government of systematic torture, killings and starvation and said top leaders could be held accountable for crimes against humanity. The General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses later this year, but only the Security Council, where Russia and China wield veto power, can refer the matter to the international court. China, North Korea’s main ally, has already indicated it will probably block such a move.
The North Korean government has recently tried to improve its relations with Moscow as a possible counterbalance to China. Beijing has been under international pressure to use its economic influence to discourage the North from conducting nuclear and missile tests and engaging in other acts seen by the West as provocations. Years of sanctions have left North Korea increasingly reliant on trade with China, and leaders in Pyongyang, the capital, have grown uncomfortable with that economic dependence, and the leverage it gives Beijing, analysts said.
For its part, Russia has tried to coax North Korea into cooperating with its economic expansion in the Far East.In an all time first, a paralyzed man was able to move his hand using only his thoughts thanks to a groundbreaking new device that bypasses the spinal cord to allow for direct brain to muscle electrical connectivity. From Ohio State University:
Ian Burkhart, a 23-year-old quadriplegic from Dublin, Ohio, is the first patient to use Neurobridge, an electronic neural bypass for spinal cord injuries that reconnects the brain directly to muscles, allowing voluntary and functional control of a paralyzed limb. Burkhart is the first of a potential five participants in a clinical study.
“It’s much like a heart bypass, but instead of bypassing blood, we’re actually bypassing electrical signals,” said Chad Bouton, research leader at Battelle. “We’re taking those signals from the brain, going around the injury, and actually going directly to the muscles.”
The Neurobridge technology combines algorithms that learn and decode the user’s brain activity and a high-definition muscle stimulation sleeve that translates neural impulses from the brain and transmits new signals to the paralyzed limb. In this case, Ian’s brain signals bypass his injured spinal cord and move his hand, hence the name Neurobridge.WASHINGTON WILL VOTE
The fight over marriage equality in Washington is moving to the ballot.
The Secretary of State’s office announced today that opponents of a marriage equality law had turned in 247,331 signatures, many more than the 120,577 they needed to get a repeal on the ballot.
The state also found a significant number of “questionable petition sheets” that are being forwarded to police. But there weren’t enough to scuttle the entire push.
So when voters go to the polls in November, marriage equality will be on the ballot in one form or another in four states — Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, and Maine.
In Maryland, opponents also recently qualified to put the state’s newly passed marriage equality law up to a majority vote. Marriage equality opponents needed to gather more than 55,000 signatures and also turned in more than needed.
LGBT activists had already begun gearing up for a fight. Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the coalition leading the campaign, announced a long list of moves it has made to stop the repeal, including new campaign offices hiring 12 field staffers. A recent poll from Public Policy Polling found that 57% of voters would uphold the law.
In Minnesota, PPP found a 10-point swing toward the pro-marriage side in four months, with independents driving fresh support. Now 49% of voters are against amending the Minnesota constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
In Maine, voters will have to decide whether to reverse a previous decision made at the ballot box in 2009, when voters scrapped the state's marriage equality law. Polls there also show marriage equality ahead early on.
One reason for activists to be hopeful in Washington is it’s one of the few states ever to pass a measure at the ballot box that affirmed same-sex relationships. In 2009 voters passed Referendum 71, which kept in place the state's “everything but marriage” version of domestic partnerships. A recent poll in Washington by Strategies 360 found that 54% of voters say same-sex couples should be able to legally marry.
The new measure will be called Referendum 74 and voters can either “approve” or “reject” the new marriage equality law.Rock-hard feces and oddly bitten bones are helping to flesh out one of the biggest crocs of prehistory, researchers say.
As long as a stretch limo, Deinosuchus—"terrible crocodile"—likely prowled shallow waters and hunted dinosaurs its own size, the evidence suggests.
Last week paleontologists announced their conclusions after analyzing pieces of 79-million-year-old fossilized dung, or coprolites, that appear to be the first known droppings from Deinosuchus. The discoveries offer the newest insights into the lives of the giant crocs, which roamed much of what is now the United States and northern Mexico.
Sand and shell fragments in the droppings, found within the last few years near a Georgia stream, suggest the croc preferred estuaries, where, at least in the Georgia—home to a great concentration of Deinosuchus remains—it probably dined mostly on sea turtles, researchers say.
Despite the Georgia Deinosuchus's relatively docile prey, "we're pretty sure it was the apex predator in this region," said Samantha Harrell, an undergraduate at Columbus State University in Georgia, who presented her research March 17 at a Geological Society of America meeting in Baltimore.
The team also found a fossilized shark tooth embedded in the outside of a coprolite. But because the tooth bears no signs of having been digested, the team suspects a shark left the tooth behind when scavenging on Deinosuchus droppings. (Related: "Fossil Feces Is Earliest Evidence of North American Humans.")
What the researchers didn't find in the feces are bone or other bits of undigested animals.
"That's actually good," Harrell said, "because both modern and ancient crocs have digestive juices that eat up bone, horns, teeth, and just about everything else"—so the "empty" dung supports the idea that the feces are from a croc.
Crocs vs. Dinosaurs
Outside Georgia, Deinosuchus apparently took on slightly more challenging prey, according to older bite-mark evidence, which Columbus State paleontologist David R. Schwimmer presented alongside Harrell at the meeting.
Deinosuchus tooth impressions in the bones of their prey tell the tale of titanic battles in which the 29-foot-long (9-meter-long) crocs took down dinosaurs their own size—including the T. rex relatives Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis and Albertosaurus (see picture above).
"One of the marks shows signs that the bone was healed, which means that the animal survived the bite," Schwimmer said.
"That proves that at least this one specimen was obviously [indicative of] predation and not scavenging."
Schwimmer first noticed strange, dimpled, egg-shaped indentations in Georgia sea turtle fossils. Later he saw similar marks in dinosaur bones in Big Bend National Park in Texas and in the New Jersey State Museum.
"I realized these bites were from something with really powerful jaws and lots of teeth," he said. "And it was pretty obvious that this big, blunt-toothed croc was the source.
"There was nothing else I've found that could create blunt bite marks like these."
Uncouth Eater
Tooth marks, though, can show us only part of the picture, said Stephanie Drumheller, an expert on ancient crocodile bites.
"Modern crocodilians"—crocodiles, alligators, and related extinct forms—"are more than capable of swallowing smaller prey whole and disarticulating larger animals into bite-sized pieces," leaving little evidence behind, said Drumheller, a Ph.D. candidate in geoscience at the University of Iowa.
"We can infer that a giant like Deinosuchus would be capable of even more destructive feeding behaviors."
The bite-mark evidence that does exist, though, raises a question: Why would a croc capable of taking down big, meaty dinosaurs waste its energy on turtles? In a word: location.
Modern crocs, which hunt a wide range of prey, eat whatever's available in their areas. The same factor may have determined whether <i>Deinosuchus</i> individuals feasted largely on turtles or dinosaurs or other prey, Drumheller said.
Giant Crocs Not Built to Last?
North America-born Deinosuchus also underscores that giant crocs arose at different places and times, said University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno, who discovered 110-million-year-old Sarcosuchus imperator—aka SuperCroc—in Niger.
"In Deinosuchus, and independently in SuperCroc, we have two lineages, one older than the other, that [prove] crocodile bodies grew to a gargantuan size—to dinosaur size," said Sereno, a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence.
Deinosuchus, which lived just before the close of the Cretaceous period, is more closely related to modern croc lineages than SuperCroc—yet still faded to extinction.
What happened to these prehistoric leviathans?
A fully grown giant male croc likely would have had to commandeer miles of river territory to regularly find enough prey sustain itself, Sereno explained. So space constraints likely kept population numbers low—making the giant crocs vulnerable to extinction in tough times.Q: Is it true that there are bills in Congress that would exempt members and their staffs and families from buying into “Obamacare”?
A: No. Congress members and staffers will be required to buy insurance through the exchanges on Jan. 1.
FULL QUESTION
Is it true that there are bills in the House and Senate that will exempt members and their staff and families from buying into Obamacare?
FULL ANSWER
Several readers have asked us about Congress attempting to exempt itself from the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. A few said that a Facebook post claimed that President Barack Obama, Sen. Harry Reid and Democrats in Congress were trying to “get themselves exempted from Obamacare,” in the words of one reader.
But there is no bill in Congress calling for an exemption from the health care law. In fact, members of Congress and their staffs face additional requirements that most Americans don’t have to meet.
Under the health care law, their insurance coverage will have to switch from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the group of private insurance plans that cover 8 million federal employees and retirees, to the exchanges created by the law. Those exchanges are meant for those who buy coverage on their own, the currently uninsured and small businesses. Members of Congress and their staffs would be the only employees of a large employer in the exchanges, which are set to begin offering insurance in January.
So, why is the false “exempt” claim making the Facebook rounds? There is reportedly concern on Capitol Hill that the Office of Personnel Management, which administers the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, won’t be able to smoothly transition members and their staffs into an exchange. The concern, as a Roll Call story explained, was that the government wouldn’t be able to make contributions toward the federal employees’ premiums, at least at the beginning of 2014. That would mean employees would pick up the whole tab for their insurance policies. Right now, the government pays 72 percent of premiums on average.
The “exempt” claims were sparked by a Politico report on April 24 that said secret talks were being held by lawmakers to change the requirement to get insurance through the exchanges because of this concern. The headline on the story said “Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption.”
After the story was published, a spokesman for Sen. Harry Reid said there hadn’t been any discussions to exempt Congress from “provisions that apply to any employees of any other public or private employer offering health care.” And Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California told Politico that lawmakers and their staffs will indeed get insurance through the exchanges. “[T]he federal government will offer them health insurance coverage that they obtained through the exchanges because we want to get the same health care coverage everybody else has available to them,” he said.
We contacted the Office of Personnel Management and received this statement from an administration official: “Members of Congress will not receive anything that is not available to the public. The law doesn’t allow them to get insurance from FEHB, they are going to get insurance on the market place, just like uninsured individuals and small businesses.”
We can’t say what did or didn’t happen in any secret meetings. But we can say that no bill has been introduced to exempt members of Congress from the Affordable Care Act — and they were never exempt in the first place. Even if, hypothetically, Congress were to nullify the provision requiring members and their staffs to get insurance on the exchanges, it still wouldn’t amount to an exemption from the law. Lawmakers and staffers would be subject to the mandate to have health insurance or pay a fine, just as everyone else is.
The law provides a few exemptions from the requirement to have insurance, but only for those who earn too little to file taxes, those with financial hardships, those who can’t find affordable coverage, and some religious groups that qualify for Social Security exemptions, mainly Mennonite or Amish.
An Old Falsehood
Bogus claims about Congress being “exempt” date back to early 2010, when different health care bills were still being debated. Some Republicans claimed that Americans, except for members of Congress, would be forced into the government-run “public option” (which wasn’t part of the final bill that became law) or state-based exchanges (which are part of the law).
As we said previously, members of Congress get private health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which actually served as a model for the exchanges. Federal workers pick from among many health plans. The exchanges would operate in the same way — like a marketplace for those shopping for private insurance.
But some Republicans pushed the idea that if the exchanges were good enough for other Americans, they should be good enough for Congress. So, an amendment by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa was added to the Senate bill requiring that the federal government offer only health plans that were part of an exchange to members of Congress and their staffs. The law’s final language on this, written by Sen. Tom Coburn, says that: “the only health plans that the Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of Congress or congressional staff shall be health plans that are — (I) created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act); or (II) offered through an Exchange established under this Act.”
Congressional “staff” is defined as “all full-time and part-time employees employed by the official office of a Member of Congress, whether in Washington, DC or outside of Washington, DC.” As we reported before, Coburn said the provision wouldn’t apply to those working for committees or leadership staff, and a Congressional Research Service report agreed that could be the case.
In other words, the Affordable Care Act places on lawmakers and their staffs additional requirements that don’t pertain to other Americans with work-based insurance.
Update, Aug. 7, 2013: The Office of Personnel Management issued a proposed rule on Aug. 7 explaining that members of Congress and applicable congressional staff will be required to purchase health insurance coverage through the exchanges created by the law. However, according to the proposed rule, the federal government, as the employer, will still be able to make a contribution to health insurance premiums as it currently does. The contribution will be no greater than that now offered to members and their staffs under the FEHB program, and members and their staffs will not be eligible for premium tax credits made available to other persons purchasing health insurance through the exchanges.
— Lori Robertson
Sources
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Public Law 111–148. 111th Congress
The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. OPM.gov. accessed 3 May 2013.
Ethridge, Emily. “Health Insurance Anxiety on Capitol Hill.” 25 Apr 2013.
Robertson, Lori. “Congress Exempt from Health Bill?” FactCheck.org. 20 Jan 2010.
Jackson, Brooks. “Health Care for Members of Congress?” FactCheck.org. 25 Aug 2009.
Bresnahan, John and Jake Sherman. “Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption.” Politico. 24 Apr 2013.
Baker, Sam. “Dems won’t seek ObamaCare exemption.” The Hill. 25 Apr 3013.
Henig, Jess. “More Malarkey About Health Care.” FactCheck.org. 19 Apr 2010.Relatives and a lawyer for a Pennsylvania mother who, disregarding medical advice, drove five hours to Boston to get treatment for her ailing infant said Monday that authorities badly overreacted when they issued a middle-of-the-night Amber Alert for the child.
Tiffany Cherry, 36, was arrested early Saturday at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she had taken her 2-month-old son after driving from a clinic in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She had been told by a nurse practitioner at the Pennsylvania clinic to take her son to a nearby emergency room to be treated for severe dehydration, according to authorities, and when she failed to appear with him the alert was issued.
At her arraignment Monday in Roxbury, Cherry’s lawyer described her as a devoted mother who did what she thought was best for her son.
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“I think this was completely blown out of proportion,” her lawyer, Stephen Weymouth, told reporters outside the courthouse. “Pennsylvania overreacted. I don’t think this was a proper use of the Amber Alert.”
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Unlike most Amber Alerts, which are issued to report abductions, this warning involved the health of the child and warned that Cherry had fled. Under Pennsylvania guidelines, alerts are issued when an abducted child “is believed to be in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.”
The alert was delivered around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, jolting awake residents across a multistate region.
Cherry was charged as a fugitive from justice in Pennsylvania, where she is wanted for endangering the welfare of a child. She was released on $250 bail — far less than prosecutors had asked for, drawing cheers from her relatives in the courtroom and overwhelming her with emotion.
Relatives said Monday the child was improving. A doctor at Children’s Hospital told police the boy did not suffer any trauma but had to be admitted for blood work, according to a police report.
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The Department of Children and Families has taken custody of Cherry’s two children.
Cherry declined to comment as she left the courthouse with her relatives after posting bail.
After driving from Pennsylvania on Friday, and dropping her older son off with a niece in Waltham, Cherry took the infant, whose name is Quavai, to Children’s, Weymouth said. Cherry initially took the 2-month-old to the Pennsylvania clinic because she was worried he was losing weight but never believed the baby was in imminent danger, he said.
Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Before her aunt's arraignment, Tarshi Cherry of Waltham said that Tiffany Cherry is "a great mother."
“There was no pending medical emergency,” he said.
Cherry, who grew up in Boston and is moving back, felt uncomfortable at the Geisinger Kistler Clinic and preferred to have her son treated in Boston, Weymouth said.
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In arguing for low bail, Weymouth said Cherry was devastated about what happened and did not pose a flight risk.
“She is desperate to see her children again,” he said.
A number of Cherry’s relatives attended Monday’s arraignment to show support.
Cherry’s niece, Tarshi Cherry, told reporters her aunt wanted to return to the hospital she was most familiar with.
“She has a specific doctor she goes to,” she said. “She didn’t feel comfortable [in Pennsylvania] and wanted to come home.”
She said Cherry also rushed back to Boston because she needed someone to look after her older son while she focused on her baby. Tiffany Cherry had lost a child several years ago shortly before her due date and wanted to make sure her baby had the best care possible.
“She thought this was the best way to do it,’’ she said.
Cherry was ordered to return to Pennsylvania by early November to address the charges there and to address three warrants related to prostitution and motor vehicle violations in the Boston area.
She also faces charges in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In February, she was charged with five motor vehicle violations in Luzerne County, Pa., and pleaded guilty to driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without a license, and moving violations, court records show.
The Amber Alert was issued after police in Pittston, Pa., received a call from the nurse practitioner that Cherry had not taken her child, who was described as “seriously ill,” to the emergency room. When they did not find her at her home in Pittston, they issued warrants for her arrest on charges of child endangerment.
Pennsylvania authorities did not comment Monday on the decision to charge Cherry.
According to a Boston police report, Cherry said she got “the runaround” at the clinic before being advised the baby should be admitted to the hospital.
The Amber Alert system began in 1996 as a warning system to help find abducted children. Amber stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was named in honor of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted while riding her bicycle and later found murdered.
There have been nearly 800 successful recoveries through the alerts, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Tarshi Cherry said she was confident the family would be reunited soon.
“She is a great mother,” she said. “It’s her whole life.”
Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff “Pennsylvania overreacted. I don’t think this was a proper use of the Amber Alert,” said Stephen J. Weymouth, attorney for Tiffany Cherry.
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John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globepeteGiven how front-foot line calls are tougher than they look, this change would allow the umpire more time to focus on decisions after the ball is delivered
Incorrect calls, like the one that let Adam Voges off in the Wellington Test, also cause delays, slowing over rates
No one should be surprised that the front-foot no-ball law is creating controversy and confusion and that umpire Richard Illingworth's error gave Adam Voges a monumental reprieve in the Wellington Test.
In 1962, Richie Benaud asked Sir Donald Bradman - both favoured a back-foot law - to act as an umpire in the nets to prove how the then new front-foot no-ball law was unworkable. When the photographs taken in that experiment were developed, Benaud found, "An umpire, on more occasions than not, would be calling no-ball when, in fact, the ball was perfectly legitimate, by something like half an inch. It was just that the umpire's line of sight was pushing the bowler's boot forward so it looked as though it was a no-ball."
Knowing that, it's no surprise Illingworth incorrectly called Doug Bracewell's delivery that bowled Voges a no-ball. What's less clear is why a batsman is reprieved by video replay of a no-ball but a bowler isn't entitled to similar privileges. The answer, we're told, is the poor old batsman might alter his shot on hearing the umpire's call of "no-ball".
What planet are these officials from? If a bowler - even one operating at 150 to 160 kph - oversteps by mere millimetres (the general infringement), it makes absolutely no difference at the batsman's end. And secondly, under the front-foot no-ball law a batsman facing a fast bowler doesn't have time to change his mind, let alone his shot, by the time the umpire's call registers.
Over the years, all sorts of weird and not-so-wonderful changes to the law have been proposed, including that a third umpire be placed on the field to adjudicate solely on the front foot. I wonder what excuse would be proffered when this umpire inevitably got in a tangle with a fielder during either an attempted catch or run-out?
A simple return to a back-foot no-ball law, which was only abandoned because of draggers, would not only eradicate the confusion and inconsistency but also bring other positives to the game.
If the umpire placed a disc where he wants the bowler to land his back foot so that he's not encroaching on the batsman's territory, that should ensure fair play all round
A back-foot no-ball law would virtually eradicate the infringement and make over rates less of a blight on the game. By having the standing umpire concentrate on the bowler's back foot rather than front foot, he would have longer to focus on the batsman's end of the pitch. This should improve umpiring standards, especially when fast bowlers are operating.
How do you overcome the sole objection to this change: the possibility that it would resurrect draggers, with their front foot landing way beyond the batting crease?
If the umpire placed a disc where he wants the bowler to land his back foot so that he's not encroaching on the batsman's territory, that should ensure fair play all round.
How does the umpire know where to place the disc for each bowler? Simple. There's footage of every international bowler taken from side-on via run-out cameras, so by viewing this footage, a mark is established for all bowlers. This is one way technology can be utilised to improve the game. Bowlers' marks could be reviewed from time to time.
There are two complaints about this proposed system.
1) It's arbitrary.
Well, no more so than the front-foot no-ball law, where bowlers of differing heights land their back foot in vastly different positions. This would be the same under the proposed law but the umpire has more time to adjudicate by watching the back rather than the front foot.
2) Umpires prefer laws that are black and white.
What can be more muddled than the current situation, where replays of two different deliveries, going on to strike exactly the same spot on a stump, show one is out and the other is not out lbw, because of the decision made by the on-field umpire? The black-and-white excuse is pure obfuscation.
As I often hear, "The problem with common sense is, it's not that common." That saying is applicable to many of the current laws and it's time the flaws were seriously addressed.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator for Channel 9, and a columnist
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See What Our Customers Are Saying!After enjoying the Bonelli's eagle hunt, we settled down for a while in the boat and was watching the water scape, river terns fishing, cormorants and the overall beauty of Bhadra.
From a far distance, we saw a huge thing lying the in the river bank. It was a full grown tusker - a male asiatic elephant. It was lying with it's head tilted up, and one of the tusk was half broken. It didn't look active, and the pose was not so good to see.
Somebody in the boat said "there is some problem with the elephant". No one could argue that point, as the elephant was not moving at all. After sometime, the hind legs started moving, and it looked like he is suffering from some pain. I was worried if the elephant is alright, and I didn't want to witness a tragic event.
Everybody was eagerly watching the elephant, as we approach closer and closer. The cameras all were off. Suddenly, the elephant got up! What a huge animal!! Then it played for sometime with water, splashed all muddy water over it, cooled down for sometime... It was a great relief for all of us in the boat. And, as usual, the cameras celebrated the moment than us - kach kach kach kach... everyone clicked the elephant play time.
After some play in water, it got up and showered itself a lot of mud from the river bank over all parts of the body, as if humans apply lotion/cream/powder.
Then it majestically walked in to the forest. I could see a lot of smiles in the boat. A great moment we had :)!!!!!Image copyright China Photos/Getty Images Image caption Officials want couples to see marriage as a serious undertaking
Couples who want to apply for a marriage licence in Beijing will have to dress smartly in future, or risk being turned away.
The city's Civil Affairs Bureau has announced a new rule stipulating that couples won't be issued a licence to wed if they show up in shorts, T-shirts or other casual wear, the state newspaper Beijing Daily reports.
The bureau's marriage registration director, Han Mingxi, says people aren't showing sufficient respect for the process. "It is not unusual to see couples registering in shorts and slippers. It shows their carelessness and disrespect for marriage," he tells the paper. "From one glance you can see that marriage registration is being treated as a casual affair, and this is prone to many problems."
Coming into effect on 1 July, the new rule is part of efforts to tackle the capital's divorce rate. Mr Han says his bureau is currently analysing a large number of divorce cases, and asking experts to "propose methods and ways to promote marriage and family happiness".
China's divorce rate has been rising for more than a decade: in 2015, the government said that 3.6m couples ended their unions during the previous year. Beijing had the highest rate among cities, with 55,000 divorces in a single year.
There has been a mixed response to the new rule among Chinese social media users. "Marriage is not child's play, it should be dignified," writes one on the Sina Weibo microblogging site. But others think applying for a licence shouldn't have to be a big deal. "What if a young couple want a low-key event?" asks one user, who thinks that applying for a licence is "simply a boring and tedious process" anyway.
Next story: 'Rude' bear statue removed near China securities HQ
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.On an elegant dead-end block on the north side of Telegraph Hill is 225 Chestnut St., a swanky modernist building with panoramic bay views. It’s about the last place you would have expected to find a clandestine CIA program during the Cold War.
Yet from 1955 to 1965, this building was the site of “Operation Midnight Climax” — a top-secret mind-control program in which CIA agents used hookers to lure unsuspecting johns from North Beach bars to what they called “the pad,” then dosed the men with LSD and observed the X-rated goings-on through a two-way mirror while sitting on a portable toilet swilling martinis.
As John Marks notes in his 1977 book, “The Search for the ‘Manchurian Candidate’: The CIA and Mind Control,” the CIA’s obsession with mind control had its origins during World War II, when the agency’s predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services, set up a “truth drug” program whose purpose was to discover a substance that would make subjects reveal their secrets.
The drug of choice was a concentrated liquid form of marijuana. The first field test in 1943 was administered to a New York mobster by George White, a tough-guy OSS captain who had been an agent in the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. The results were promising — White’s sidekick said “every (subject) but one — and he didn’t smoke — gave us more information than we had before” — but ultimately inconclusive.
Red enemy
When the CIA was created in 1947, it continued to do mind-control experiments, with the enemy now being communism. Eastern bloc show trials like that of Hungarian Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, who in 1949 confessed to crimes he apparently did not commit, and reports of communist brainwashing during the Korean War led the CIA to fear there was a “mind-control gap” and that the U.S. was in second place.
So the CIA authorized covert mind and behavior control programs. Drugs were given to people deemed expendable, including North Korean POWs, mental patients, prisoners, addicts and prostitutes. Before the programs were shot down, hundreds of scientists would work on them.
In 1943, a Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann developed an unbelievably powerful drug called LSD. When the technical branch of the CIA learned about this drug, the gung-ho head of its chemical division, a young chemist named Sidney Gottlieb, persuaded CIA official Richard Helms that the agency should investigate it as a spy tool. On April 13, 1953, CIA director Allen Dulles approved a program for “covert use of biological and chemical materials” with an initial budget of $300,000. Its name: MKULTRA.
Dangerous game
The CIA began to fund LSD projects at many institutions, including Columbia University and Mount Sinai Hospital. Informed consent and other moral niceties were dispensed with. One researcher kept seven subjects, junkies enticed by promises of hard drugs, on LSD for 77 straight days. No follow-up on them was ever done.
The CIA was playing an extremely dangerous game. In 1953, Gottlieb dosed a CIA colleague, Frank Olson, causing Olson to undergo a mental crisis that ended with him falling to his death from a 10th-floor window. But this horrific incident only put MKULTRA temporarily on hold.
Gottlieb soon hired White, the narcotics agent and former OSS captain, to run two “safe houses” for LSD testing in Greenwich Village. White administered LSD, knockout drops and marijuana to his unwitting “guests” using food, drinks and cigarettes, then tried to get them to talk.
In 1955, White was transferred to San Francisco, where he had worked as a journalist, and rented out the apartment on Telegraph Hill. To give his pad the desired French-whorehouse look, White furnished it with Toulouse-Lautrec posters, a picture of a French can-can dancer and kinky photos of women in bondage and domination poses.
“It was supposed to look rich,” a narcotics agent who regularly visited told Marks, “but it was furnished like crap.”
Watching the show
White installed bugging equipment and a two-way mirror behind which he would sit on a portable toilet, quaffing a martini from the pitcher he kept in the refrigerator, and observe the proceedings. The prostitutes who staffed the operation were paid in part with chits they could use for favors such as getting out of jail.
The CIA was particularly interested in the venerable question of how sex could be used to get a man to talk. At first White and his colleagues wondered if having the prostitute offer some extra sexual service might work, but soon realized that, in the words of an observer, “We found the guy was focused solely on hormonal needs. He was not thinking of his career or anything else at that point.”
The postcoital period was deemed more effective. The men expected the hookers to hurry off, and became emotionally vulnerable when the women said they wanted to stay a few more hours.
Operation Midnight Climax soon expanded beyond the Telegraph Hill pad. CIA operatives began dosing people with acid in restaurants, bars and beaches. They also used other, more exotic drugs: “If we were scared enough of a drug not to try it out on ourselves, we sent it to San Francisco,” a CIA source told Marks. And the agency began using the prostitutes to lure men of all sorts, not just marginal figures, back to the safe house.
Shutting down
The project continued until 1963, when the CIA’s inspector general stumbled upon the safe houses and raised a ruckus. The Chestnut Street pad was shuttered in 1965.
White later recalled, “I toiled wholeheartedly in the vineyards because it was fun, fun, fun. Where else could a red-blooded American boy lie, kill, cheat, steal, rape and pillage with the sanction and blessing of the All-Highest?”
Because the agency destroyed most of MKULTRA’s files, no one will ever know how many lives and minds its illegal and unethical activities damaged or destroyed. (It should go without saying that it achieved none of its murky-at-best research objectives.) Had New York Times reporter Seymour Hersh not exposed the CIA’s illegal spying on Americans in 1974, opening the door to subsequent investigations, this weird and ugly chapter in U.S. history might never have come to light.
Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book “Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco,” awarded the 2013 Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com
Trivia time
Most recent trivia question: What fabled San Francisco restaurant that opened in 1950 featured 50 different hamburgers on the menu?
Answer: The Hippo at 2025 Van Ness Ave.
This week’s trivia question: What mayor vowed to make San Francisco the “Paris of the West”?
Editor’s note:
Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Gary Kamiya’s Portals of the Past tells those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Francisco’s extraordinary history — from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond. His column appears every other Saturday, alternating with Peter Hartlaub’s |
in February 18, 2011. Its music video was released on March 16, 2011, and it was filmed in Tokyo, one week before the earthquake and the tsunami. The video was directed by Ben Mor.[21] The group's third single was "Don't Stop the Party" and it was released on May 10, 2011. On the same day, a music video for the song was released on iTunes, along with the single. The video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on stage and backstage footage of the group during The E.N.D. World Tour in 2009–10. The video premiered on Vevo on May 12, 2011. On May 22, the group appeared on the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and won 1 of their 4 nominations, for "Top Duo/Group".
February 6, 2011 the Black Eyed Peas headlined the Super Bowl halftime show. The Black Eyed Peas were the second artist to have performed in both the Super Bowl and Grey Cup halftime shows, and are one of only three artists to have ever done so As of February 2017.[22][23] Shania Twain did it before them (performing in the 2002 Grey Cup and 2003 Super Bowl halftime shows)[23][22] and Lenny Kravitz did it after them[22] (performing in the 2007 Grey Cup and 2014 Super Bowl halftime shows).
On the July 6, 2011 during a concert at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, the Black Eyed Peas announced they are taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour. will.i.am later confirmed the news on Twitter, adding that the break does not mean they will "stop creating".[24] On November 23, 2011, the group made their last performance for The Beginning Tour in Miami with opening acts including Cee Lo Green and Queen Latifah.
2015–present: 20th anniversary, Fergie's departure, and Masters of the Sun
During an interview with NRJ, will.i.am in talking about his solo album also confirmed that the Black Eyed Peas would start recording sessions for their seventh studio album in 2015.[25] In an interview on Capital Breakfast, will.i.am said that the Peas will reform in 2015 for their 20th anniversary.[26] The Peas premiered a new song titled "Awesome" that was included in commercials for the 2015 NBA playoffs. The song did not include Fergie, with people questioning if she would be a part of the upcoming album. On the 20th anniversary of their debut, the Peas premiered a new song titled "Yesterday" through Apple Music,[27] though the song also does not feature Fergie.
On August 31, 2016, the Black Eyed Peas released a new version of their song "Where Is the Love?". The song is titled Where's the Love? and is credited to "The Black Eyed Peas featuring The World". The song as well as the accompanying video feature all four members of the group, will.i.am, Fergie, apl.de.ap & Taboo,[28] and many other popular artists such as Justin Timberlake, DJ Khaled, and Jessie J.[29] It is the group's most recent work with Fergie, and her last live performance with them happened in 2015.[30] On June 3, 2017, they performed at the opening ceremony of the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final in Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The performance, which included a pyrotechnic display, ran over time and forced the kick-off to be delayed by several minutes.[31]
On June 2, 2017, a Billboard article rumored that Fergie was departing from the band. will.i.am dismissed this, but they did announce that she was taking a break from the group to work on her sophomore solo album Double Dutchess while the remaining members were working on the graphic novel Masters of the Sun.[32]
On January 9, 2018, Black Eyed Peas released their first single without Fergie, titled "Street Livin'". On February 18, 2018, will.i.am confirmed Fergie would not feature on the group's seventh studio album, in an interview with the Daily Star.[33]
On May 17, 2018, the Black Eyed Peas released a single called "Ring the Alarm", the first single to feature new member, Jessica Reynoso.[34] The single "Get It" was released on July 10, 2018.[35] The music video for Constant pt. 1 and 2 was released on YouTube on August 30, 2018.[36] The group released another single titled "Dopeness", featuring South Korean rapper CL, on October 25, 2018.[37]
Their seventh studio album, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, was released the following day on October 26. This is their first album, without Fergie, in almost eight years.
Appearances
On September 8, 2009, the group performed live for Oprah Winfrey's 24th Season Kickoff Party, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. An estimated 21,000 dancers in the streets performed a flash mob to the live performance of "I Gotta Feeling".[38] The group performed at the American Music Awards of 2009 with the songs "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow". They also won 2 out of 3 categories in which they were nominated; Favorite Rock/Pop Group & Favorite R&B/Soul Group.
On March 30, 2010, the Black Eyed Peas were the first group to broadcast a concert live in 3D.[39] In June 2010, the Black Eyed Peas performed "Where is the Love?", "Pump It", "Meet me Halfway", "Boom Boom Pow", and "I Gotta Feeling" at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration concert in South Africa. The concert had over 700 million viewers worldwide, making it the biggest event the group performed in. They also performed at T in the Park 2010 on the NME Stage on the Friday July 9 and Oxegen in Kildare, Ireland on Saturday July 10 on the Vodafone stage. In July 2010, the Black Eyed Peas performed "Boom Boom Pow", "Rock That Body" and "I Gotta Feeling" in Central Park as part of Good Morning America's free summer concert series. In December 2010 they appeared on the seventh series of The X Factor in the UK performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)". On April 2, 2011, the group appeared on the 24th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
Charity events
On December 10, 2005, the Peas cover of the John Lennon classic "Power to the People", which was mostly recorded on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, was released by Amnesty International as part of the Make Some Noise campaign to celebrate human rights. The song was later released on the 2007 John Lennon tribute album, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
At the release of video-clip for the single "Just Can't Get Enough" in early 2011, the group spent a short film to the whole country of Japan as that country had been recently hit by an earthquake and the group filmed the video a week before the disaster in the country.[40] In July 2011, the Black Eyed Peas founded a school for New York teenagers where students of 13–19 years can learn video production and music using professional equipment.The Peapod Foundation, in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation, opened the music academy and media Peapod Adobe Youth Voices in Manhattan on July 19. The school will have its facilities in a building operated by the Urban Arts Partnership, which provides art-school programs for adolescents studying in areas of very low income. Young people will be admitted according to the recommendations of their teachers and their expressions of interest in the subjects taught, such as camera work, editing and graphic design.[41] On September 3, 2011, the group performed a concert in Minot, North Dakota to benefit the victims of the 2011 Souris River flood that damaged over 4,000 homes and displaced over 12,000 people in Minot and along the Souris River.[42] Fergie is married to Minot native, Josh Duhamel. On September 30, 2011 the group performed a free concert, "Chase Presents The Black Eyed Peas and Friends", for over 50,000 people in New York City's Central Park.[43] The event raised over $4 million for the charity.[44]
On August 31, 2016, the Black Eyed Peas' remake of their song, "Where Is the Love?", "Where's the Love?" was released and will.i.am told in an interview that all proceeds raised from the song will go to his "i.am.angel foundation", which funds educational programs and college scholarships in the United States.[45]
Other media
In June 2011 Ubisoft announced they were developing The Black Eyed Peas Experience, a dance video game for Kinect and Wii.[46] On November 11, 2011, the video game was released internationally in association with Ubisoft.
Members
Apl.de.ap – vocals, drums (1995–present)
Taboo – vocals, DJ (1995–present)
Will.i.am – vocals, piano (1995–present)
Jessica Reynoso – vocals (2018–present)
Former members
Kim Hill – vocals (1995–2000)
Dante Santiago – vocals (1995)
Sierra Swan – vocals (1998–2000)
Fergie – vocals (2002–2016)
Timeline
Discography
The Black Eyed Peas on The E.N.D Tour in tour at Madison Square Garden, 2009
Studio albums
Tours
Comic book
Awards and nominations
See alsoBrendan Rodgers says his Liverpool side "may be the chihuahuas that run in between the legs of the horses" as the Premier League title race intensifies.
The Northern Irishman made his quip in response to recent comments made by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
The Blues boss has tried to play down his side's own chances by describing them as a "little horse."
Media playback is not supported on this device Rodgers praises 'peerless' Gerrard
A 3-2 win at Fulham on Wednesday put Liverpool within four points of Mourinho's table-topping side.
Reds skipper Steven Gerrard, whose injury-time penalty secured victory at Craven Cottage, is upbeat about his team's chances but say they "need to keep pushing".
He added: "If we're still in the mix when the Champions League restarts, then who knows what might happen?"
Liverpool have not won the title since 1989-90, but Chelsea still have to visit Anfield, as do third-placed Manchester City.
City and Arsenal are also in Champions League action next week, at home to Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively, while Chelsea visit Galatasaray the week after.
In contrast, Liverpool have not got a midweek league game scheduled for the rest of the season.
"They have all got big Champions League games while we've only got to think about one game a week," said Gerrard.
Liverpool had to overcome a scare before seeing off bottom club Fulham.
Liverpool's key remaining games 16 March: A v Manchester United 30 March: H v Tottenham 12 April: H v Manchester City 26 April: H v Chelsea
Kolo Toure's own goal gave the Cottagers a surprise lead before Daniel Sturridge levelled following Gerrard's delightful pass.
Kieran Richardson took advantage of poor defending by Martin Skrtel to restore Fulham's advantage, but Philippe Coutinho equalised from 20 yards before Gerrard's penalty.
The spot-kick was awarded by referee Phil Dowd after Sascha Riether's clumsy stoppage-time challenge on Sturridge.
Asked about Liverpool's title chances, Rodgers feels their rivals need to slip up.
"It's still the other teams to lose," he said. "They've more points than us. We'll just go into each game trying to improve on every facet of our game.
"The players are doing magnificently at the moment and we're certainly showing great signs of improvement. We're trying to be the best we can be. There're no limits to our ambition of trying to be the best."ADVERTISEMENT
"Sometimes a beer is just a beer," said John Dickerson in Slate. But not when it's mixed with politics. President Obama is hoping to defuse a racially charged situation by talking over beers with black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and James Crowley—the white police sergeant who arrested Gates. Beer, you see, is the drink of the backyard and the ballgame, so it's "the antithesis of the strutting and overreacting that gripped all three male actors in this drama."
Please, said Julie Mason in the Washington Examiner. Obama's White House "beer-fest" is nothing more than a "pointless and contrived photo op." The president, who plunged into the affair by saying that the police had acted "stupidly" by arresting Gates when investigating a possible break-in at the professor's home, is supposedly going to use the get-together as a "teachable moment" on race, but "at least half the point of the deal was for the three to be photographed together, smiling and holding beer."
Precisely, said Lynn Sweet, the journalist who asked Obama about the Gates arrest at a news conference, in Politics Daily. "The 'teachable' moment may be that conversations don't have to be stuck in the loop of a soundbite." Maybe by hoisting a beer with Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley on Thursday evening the president wants to show "that sometimes people say things they regret."Full Details
What you’ll receive in the Specialty Coffee Advent Calendar
24 x 50g packages of freshly roasted, whole bean specialty coffee – individually numbered for each day of advent. The coffee will be roasted by 12 of the top craft coffee roasters in Scandinavia, 2 bags from each roaster. Each day features a unique single origin coffee. Details of each day’s coffee will be revealed on the KaffeBox website and Facebook page on the day it is to be brewed.
Shipping – Free shipping worldwide
We want to provide you with the best possible opportunity to taste each days selection. In order for the beans to stay as fresh as possible, we’ll be shipping the advent calender in three shipments of 8 bags each.
The shipping dates are as follows:
Nov 19: First 8 packages (Dec. 1-Dec. 8)
Nov 27: Second 8 packages (Dec. 9- Dec. 16)
Dec 5: Third and final shipment (Dec. 17-Dec. 24)
We can’t promise the arrival date of your advent box (unless you live in Norway or choose DHL shipping), but shipping times are often:
Norway 1-3 days, Europe 3-7 days, World 3-9 days. We realize some countries may receive their box after the first day of advent (Australia, parts of Asia, South America). We chose to ship on the given dates as a balance between delivering ultra fresh beans and shipping in time for advent.
Water Project
For every advent calendar sold, KaffeBox donates kr 200,- to charity: water.The amount raised from last year’s calendar was enough to solely sponsor the building a clean water well in Malawi.While visiting Denver last month to research an article about marijuana legalization, I witnessed a puzzling phenomenon: Cannabis entrepreneurs were demanding an onerous rule requiring vertical integration, while politicians and regulators favored a more flexible, less prescriptive approach. The explanation for this role reversal lies in the vested interests created by Colorado's complicated medical marijuana regulations, which helped set the stage for full legalization but left a legacy of anti-competitive restrictions that may continue to warp the emerging recreational market for years to come.
Since 2010 medical marijuana centers (MMCs) in Colorado have been bound by what is known as "the 70/30 rule": They must grow at least 70 percent of what they sell, and they may not sell more than 30 percent of what they grow to other MMCs or producers of cannabis-infused foods. This rule forced uncomfortable mergers between growers and sellers, required expensive investments in cultivation space and equipment, and, along with a regulation limiting MMCs to six plants per patient, demanded burdensome recordkeeping and reporting to account for every last gram. Having gone through all of that, many MMC owners contemplating the recreational market worry that they will face competition from newcomers unencumbered by the 70/30 rule. This week the Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force tossed them a T.-rex-sized bone, approving a recommendation that the state legislature maintain the 70/30 rule for at least three years and bar new businesses from competing with the existing MMCs during a one-year "grace period." The task force is also recommending state limits on the size of marijuana growing operations and on the number of licenses one business can hold.
The task force's recommendation (scroll down to "Recommendation #RF-6") argues that "restricting license applications to existing medical marijuana licensees, and those with pending applications with the state licensing authority, for a specified period of time ensures the transition to and expansion of recreational marijuana will be controlled." It says "limiting the size of cultivation facilities will reduce the risk of excess production that could increase the risk of diversion outside of the regulated model," while "restricting the number of licenses permitted under the vertical integration model by any single common ownership business structure will limit the risks of market domination by a few players." All of which sounds like window dressing for regulations that serve the interests of incumbent businesses at the expense of new entrants and consumers.
Tellingly, the recommendation offers no real justification for keeping the arbitrary 70/30 rule, although it alludes to "the risk of diversion." Until now, "diversion" meant that marijuana intended for patients ended up being sold to recreational users. But now that Amendment 64 has broadened the legal marijuana market to include anyone 21 or older, "diversion" means marijuana going to people younger than that or to people in other states. Either way, there is no reason to think that vertical integration is necessary to prevent diversion. In other industries where diversion is a concern, such as alcohol and pharmaceuticals, retailers are not required to manufacture the products they sell. With alcohol, in fact, the opposite is true: The regulatory system that most states (including Colorado) adopted after Prohibition generally forbids vertical integration.
Amendment 64 declares that "marijuana should be regulated in a manner similar to alcohol," which is hard to reconcile with a requirement that retailers produce 70 percent of what they sell. Jack Finlaw, co-chairman of the Amendment 64 task force, observed at Tuesday's meeting that "if you read Amendment 64 in its entirety, this [recommedation] is going in a pretty dramatically different direction, and I think we need to be prepared to answer questions from the public about embracing a model that is the antithesis of how we regulate alcohol." Supporters of the 70/30 rule draw an analogy to brew pubs or wineries that sell directly to consumers, but in neither of those cases is everyone who sells the product required to make it; you can still buy beer and wine from retailers who had nothing to do with producing it.
At a January 24 meeting of the Regulatory Framework Working Group, the subcommittee that proposed the recommendation approved by the task force on Tuesday, Denver City Councilman Chris Nevitt was baffled by the argument that the 70/30 rule prevents diversion. "I am still left scratching my head about vertical integration and why it is so important," he said. "The 70 percent rule is endlessly complicated and confusing....I totally understand the anxiety of an industry that has made all of these investments and put your asses on the line....But I am still scratching my head." He was not the only one. In a nonbinding straw poll, the vast majority of the working group favored a regulatory system that neither requires nor forbids vertical integration. The only votes in favor of the 70/30 rule came from representatives of the medical marijuana industry. "We need to maintain the edifice of what continues to work in Colorado," insisted Norton Arbelaez of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group. "A decoupled system would require an exponentially larger number of transactions. The risk for diversion is enormous." Meg Sanders, proprietor of Gaia Plant-Based Medicine, allowed that "there are a lot of ways we can tweak the existing system" but warned that "we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
During the public comment period, one MMC owner after another got up to echo Arbelaez and Sanders. "The current medical marijuana system works for us," said Erica Freeman of Choice Organics, an MMC near Fort Collins. "Changing the rules again will force new mergers," warned Tad Bowler of Rocky Road Remedies in Steamboat Springs. "The small centers won't be able to compete." Bruce Grainger, co-owner of Kind Love in Denver, offered a counterintuitive defense of current restrictions, saying, "Competition actually works, and the free market works." Chris Bokidis, owner of the Kine Mine in Idaho Springs, argued that Colorado's strict regulations have helped ward off federal interference, because "a closed market is a controlled market." Michael Elliott, executive director of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group, declared "we are united" in supporting the 70/30 rule.
But not everyone in the industry agrees with this line. "The 70/30 rule does not work," declared Jessica LeRoux, owner of Twirling Hippy Confections in Denver. "This is not vertical integration. This is vertical protectionism." LeRoux, who sells cannabis-infused chocolates and cheesecakes to MMCs across the state, said that while some of her customers would continue to grow most of the marijuana they sell after switching to the recreational market, others are in rural areas where they would not be able to find the warehouse space necessary for a bigger grow operation. As she later explained it to me, "I want everyone to have autonomy and choice and the ability to do what they think is best for them and make investments that make sense."
That was not the position that ultimately prevailed, although it initially seemed to have majority support in both the working group and the task force. The recommendation approved this week is a compromise in the sense that it says the 70/30 rule should sunset after three years (lengthened from two years in the original version), "at which time the General Assembly shall consider de-coupling the manufacturing and retail licenses and propose an 'open integration' model."
Rob Corry, a Denver attorney and longtime marijuana reform activist, calls the 70/30 rule "completely unworkable and economically illiterate." But he also sees a postive aspect to the wrangling over vertical integration. "On the one hand," he says, "I'm disappointed at rent-seeking behavior and businesses that seek the heavy hand of government to prevent them from getting any new competition. On the other hand, it means that our industry has grown up and is behaving like every other industry out there."
[I have corrected the quote from Amendment 64.]GOP WHISTLING PAST THE END OF AMERICA
An election almost as important as the presidential election will be held next Tuesday, and conservatives aren't making a big deal of it, just as they didn't make a fuss over the 2008 Minnesota Senate election as Al Franken stole it from under their noses.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as the election was being stolen: "Minnesota has a reputation for clean and fair and good elections. We've got 4,100 precincts run by volunteers. They do a good job, and we thank them."
Government unions are trying to oust Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from office for impinging on their princely, taxpayer-supported lifestyles. If Walker goes down, no governor will ever again suggest that snowplow operators work when it snows. No governor will dare try to deprive public school teachers of their Viagra. Forget about ever actually firing unnecessary government employees.
Always leading the nation, California has already been bankrupted by the public sector unions. That's the country's future if Walker doesn't win, and it's not going to matter who's in the Oval Office.
Democrats know what's at stake. They're treating this election like the Normandy invasion. Meanwhile, Republicans are sitting back, complacently citing polls that show Walker with a slight lead.
Polls don't register passion.
Public employee unions have vast organizing abilities, millions of dollars in union dues at their disposal, not to mention millions of voters who are either union members themselves or relatives of union members. And it's their lifestyles being voted on.
The public sector unions will turn out 99.9 percent of their people. Even if they are only 15 percent of the electorate, that could be enough. Union members will have every distant relative, every neighbor, every person they can drag to the polls, voting to recall Walker next Tuesday.
Ordinary people answering polls may agree with Walker, but they'll have to decide: "Do I really want to get out of bed early and drive to the polls, just so they don't recall the governor?"Looking back elicited a shoulder shrug, a head tilt and an "Eh," from Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni before he delved into a more thoughtful description.
The season wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great.
The overall feeling when assessing the National Women's Soccer League team's inaugural season was one of mediocrity — more so in regard to his performance than the players' effort, he said.
The Pride ended their first year on an eight-game winless streak, including seven losses and a draw, for a final record of 6-13-1 and ninth place out of 10 teams. They were competitive in most matches but couldn't take that next step to becoming regular winners and playoff contenders.
"I haven't had as long a spell as a coach with not winning," Sermanni said, adding his worst winless streak before this year was with a men's side in Australia, which lost six consecutive matches. "So, it's not so much the team. I think if I look at the team and the players, then no, I don't have that feeling.
CAPTION Nani, the winger, was born in Cape Verde and represents the Portugal national team. He was officially introduced as Orlando City’s new designated player on Monday Nani, the winger, was born in Cape Verde and represents the Portugal national team. He was officially introduced as Orlando City’s new designated player on Monday CAPTION Nani, the winger, was born in Cape Verde and represents the Portugal national team. He was officially introduced as Orlando City’s new designated player on Monday Nani, the winger, was born in Cape Verde and represents the Portugal national team. He was officially introduced as Orlando City’s new designated player on Monday CAPTION Orlando Pride star and Brazilian legend Marta on Monday claimed her sixth FIFA Player of Year award after she was named The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2018 during Orlando Pride star and Brazilian legend Marta on Monday claimed her sixth FIFA Player of Year award after she was named The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2018 during CAPTION Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar completed his final round of chemotherapy Tuesday Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar completed his final round of chemotherapy Tuesday CAPTION After Orlando City's 1-2 loss to Atlanta United, fans threw trash onto the soccer field. After Orlando City's 1-2 loss to Atlanta United, fans threw trash onto the soccer field. CAPTION A high-tech business that makes crystal and silicon lenses for fighter jets and tanks was all shook up over construction of the Orlando City Stadium across the street — and now it’s suing the soccer team, the city and the general contractor. A high-tech business that makes crystal and silicon lenses for fighter jets and tanks was all shook up over construction of the Orlando City Stadium across the street — and now it’s suing the soccer team, the city and the general contractor.
"When I say that's how I felt about the season, I felt that way more on my behalf and in my performance, that I didn't get a team out there and win games when I've been able to do that in the past in similar circumstances. So, I feel really frustrated by that."
Sermanni has a long history of coaching start-ups — the Australian women's national team in the 1990s — and taking over and turning around dire situations, such as when he inherited a 3-17-1 New York Power team of the former WUSA league in 2003 and improved to 7-9-5 the following year. And he's used to winning, going 13-0-3 as the U.S. women's national team head coach in 2013.
What eats at Sermanni the most is the Pride games lost against teams he believed were competitively similar. For example, a 1-0 loss against the last-place Boston Breakers on July 31. He also looks back at the 2-1 home loss June 26 versus regular-season leader Portland as a turning point in the season, he said. The Thorns scored two goals in the final 10 minutes.
"That was a game that we should have won," Sermanni said. "And then we lost the playoffs right after that game and we lost a bit of momentum after that."
Off the field, Sermanni is proud of the club's performance in its first year. The Pride averaged an announced crowd of 8,785 fans per game at Camping World Stadium, ranking second in the league. It's an accomplishment overlooked as many compare the numbers to those of Orlando City, which averaged more than 31,000 in MLS.
Portland led the NWSL by far with an average attendance of 16,945.
"I think to just compare it with Orlando City is a false comparison," he said, noting the Lions' attendance is exceptional even by MLS standards. "Our attendance would compare favorably anywhere with any [women's] team in the world, even the top European teams. So, I think that's kind of an unfair comparison. And it makes it a little bit more stark the fact that you're playing in a 60,000-seater stadium and there's 6,000 to 7,000 people in there."
The environment should be considerably better next season when the Pride move into the club's new downtown stadium, which will seat about 25,500 people.
Sermanni felt the players on the inaugural roster gave heart and effort and did well in a tough year that saw their best players leave for months at a time to compete in the Olympics. The club is revamping in the offseason and looking to bolster every position aside from goalkeeper, already strong with national team member Ashlyn Harris and talented young backup Aubrey Bledsoe.
So, there's just one thing left frustrating the veteran coach that he will seek to change next season: "That I wasn't able to find a way to get our team to win more games."
ardelgallo@orlandosentinel.comBy Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Nicholas Walters was within earshot Wednesday when promoter Bob Arum said he wants to make a Walters-Vasyl Lomachenko unification fight in October or November.
Jamaica’s Walters is all for it. Colombia’s Miguel Marriaga is an undefeated, heavy-handed challenger, but Walters (25-0, 21 KOs) expects to knock out Marriaga (20-0, 18 KOs) in their “Boxing After Dark” main event Saturday in The Theater at Madison Square Garden (HBO; 10 p.m. ET).
If that happens, a featherweight championship unification fight against Urkaine’s Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs), the highly skilled southpaw who holds the WBO 126-pound title, is the bout Walters wants next.
“It’s a big fight,” Walters, 29, said. “The world wants to see that fight. Like I say, Uncle Bob is the man who makes the fights. I’m the guy who fights the fights. You talk to Top Rank, HBO and if they can make the fight, I’ll fight the fight.”
Arum made his position clear on Walters-Lomachenko.
“That’s the fight I want to make,” Arum said. “No f---ng around – go right into that fight. People would love that fight. That would be a great f---ing fight.”
Walters, who won the WBA featherweight title by knocking out Nonito Donaire (34-3, 22 KOs) in the sixth round of his last fight, agrees.
“He’s a good fighter,” Walters said of Lomachenko. “He has skills and everything. … I’m happy for him. He’s a great champ, a very good fighter. When we get the chance to fight, it’s going to be a good fight.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.Jump To: Page 1: Corsair Bulldog 2.0 Barebones System Review Page 2: Corsair Bulldog 2.0 Overview Page 3: Corsair Bulldog 2.0 System Information Page 4: Corsair Bulldog 2.0 Overclocking Page 5: General Performance Page 6: Gaming Performance Page 7: Power, Temperature and Noise Page 8: Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Corsair Bulldog 2.0 Barebones System Review
Last year, Corsair continued to expand it’s product lines from it’s background in memory and storage devices by introducing to the Bulldog, a VR-ready gaming PC designed to be used in the living room. The Bulldog is available as either a barebones system priced at $399, or a full ready to use system which will vary in price depending on the components. For those that aren’t aware, a barebones system included the basic components to as a base to build a full PC. Within the Bulldog, is a mini-ITX motherboard, power supply, and a CPU liquid cooler. In order to complete the system, you have to select your CPU, Memory, storage drives, and an optional graphics card. The Bulldog 2.0 is a refresh of the original Bulldog, system designed to support the latest Intel Kaby Lake processors with a Z270 based motherboard.
Within a small chassis, airflow is going to be a major focus, as you need to keep components cool is critical when building a high end 4K and VR capable gaming machine. Corsair has a done a good job at making all everything easily accessible within a tiny footprint, which measures 404x448x145mm or 15.9×17.6×5.7in. In addition to the included Z270 mITX motherboard, SF600 power supply, and the updated Hydro H6 SF CPU cooler with a new quieter ML series fan, Corsair has provided support for a 2.5″ SSD and a 3.5″ hard drive (or up to 3 2.5″ SSD’s), a liquid cooled graphics card (up to 300mm in length).
Features and Specifications:
Bulldog Chassis: Designed for maximum airflow and minimum noise, now with quiet 92mm fans powered by the same magnetic levitation technology used in our award-willing ML Series fans.
Hydro Series H6 SF Cooler: Improved from last year, the new H6 SF cooler is quieter even under the most extreme conditions while letting you overclock your Intel K-series CPU.
SF600 Power Supply: The included industry-leading, award-winning SF600 power supply gives you 600 watts at 80 PLUS Gold certified efficiency, more than enough for overclocked CPUs and the fastest graphics cards.
Intel Z270 Motherboard: Built for the 7th Generation Intel Core processors, overclocking-ready with support for DDR4, high bandwidth built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and 10Gbps USB 3.1 Type-C
Our review sample of the Bulldog 2.0 included the MSI Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard.
MSI Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC Socket 1151 CPU (Max Support) i7 Chipset Intel Z270 Chipset DDR4 Memory 3800(OC)/3600(OC)/3200(OC)/3000(OC)/2800(OC)/2600(OC)/2400/2133MHz Memory Channel Dual DIMM Slots 2 Max Memory (GB) 32 PCI-Ex16 1 PCI-E Gen Gen 3 SATA III 4 M.2 Slot 1x 2280 Key M, 1x 2230 Key-E (Wi-Fi) RAID 0/1/5/10 TPM (header) 1 LAN 10/100/1000 *1 USB 3.1 Ports (Front) 2 (Gen 1, Type A) USB 3.1 ports (Rear) 1 (Gen 2, Type A), 1 (Gen 2, Type C), 2 (Gen 1, Type A) USB 2.0 ports (Front) 2 USB 2.0 ports (Rear) 2 Audio ports (Rear) 5 + S/PDIF output DisplayPort 1 HDMI 1 DirectX 12 Form Factor Mini-ITX
Corsair Bulldog 2.0 Barebones Additional Parts
As this is a barebones system, there are certain other components that are necessary to get it up and running. Specifically, you need a processor, memory, and a drive for the operating system. For us to review the Bulldog 2.0 Barebones case, Corsair loaned us some optional hardware to use for testing of the Bulldog 2.0.
Corsair Bulldog 2.0 Barebones Part Model Pricing Video Card MSI/Corsair GeForce GTX 1080 Sea Hawk X $709.99 SSD Corsair Neutron XTI 480GB $179.99 Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000MHz 16GB DDR4 $124.99 CPU Intel Core i7-7700K $349.99 Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit $92.99
The Corsair Bulldog 2.0 barebones kit is $399, so by the time you add in the other pieces that we were loaned for this review the total cost of this system would be around $1457.95 shipped.
Now let’s take a brief look at the Bulldog 2.0 itself |
under her first commander, Captain John Blankett.[2]
Service [ edit ]
The China fleet of East Indiamen left Macao on 21 March 1791. Leopard and Thames escorted them as far as Java Head.[3]
French Revolutionary Wars [ edit ]
On 24 October 1798, Leopard captured the French privateer vessel Apollon, which was under the command of captain La Vaillant. On 22 August 1800 Leopard captured Clarice.[4]
Because Leopard served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March – 8 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.
Napoleonic Wars [ edit ]
Leopard left Britain on 30 March 1806 as escort to a convoy that included Asia, Lady Burges, Lord Melville, Lord Nelson, and Sovereign. During the night of 20 April Lady Burges wrecked on a reef off Boa Vista, Cape Verde. Boats from the convoy were able to rescue 150 of the 184 people on board; 34 or 38 drowned. Leopard left the convoy at Latitude 9°N, and arrived at Spithead on 8 June.[5]
The Chesapeake-Leopard affair [ edit ]
In early 1807, a handful of British sailors—some of American birth—deserted their ships, which were then blockading French ships in Chesapeake Bay, and joined the crew of the USS Chesapeake. In an attempt to recover the British deserters, Captain Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, commanding Leopard, hailed Chesapeake and requested permission to search her. Commodore James Barron of Chesapeake refused and Leopard opened fire. Caught unprepared, Barron surrendered and Humphreys sent boarders to search for the deserters. The boarding party seized four deserters from the Royal Navy–three Americans and one British-born sailor–and took them to Halifax, where the British sailor, Jenkin Ratford, was hanged for desertion. The Americans were initially sentenced to 500 lashes, but had their sentence commuted; Britain also offered to return them to America.
The incident caused severe political repercussions in the United States, and nearly led to the two nations going to war.[6]
Leopard escorted a convoy from Portsmouth on 6 May 1808.[7] Leopard left the convoy on 28 July at.[8]
She then was part of the convoy assigned to Josias Rowley in the Mauritius campaign of 1809–11 in the Indian Ocean.
Fate [ edit ]
In 1812, Leopard had her guns removed and was converted to a troopship. On 28 June 1814 she was en route from Britain to Quebec, carrying a contingent of 475 Royal Scots Guardsmen, when she grounded on Anticosti Island in heavy fog. Leopard was destroyed, but all on board survived.
Leopard in fiction [ edit ]
In Patrick O'Brian's novel Desolation Island, the fifth book of the Aubrey–Maturin series, Jack Aubrey commands Leopard on a cruise through the Atlantic and Indian oceans after the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, a voyage which included the sinking of the fictional Dutch ship of the line Waakzaamheid, and a disastrous collision with an iceberg. In the sixth book, The Fortune of War, the ship is left at a British station in the Dutch East Indies, unable to support her complement of guns. She is called the "horrible old Leopard" in the fourth book in the series The Mauritius Command, and in other books in the series, and ends its days as a store ship sailing from the English Channel to the Baltic.[9]
Game developer Lucas Pope based the layout of the titular ship in his game Return of the Obra Dinn on the layout of the HMS Leopard.[10]
Notes [ edit ]SORRY Pink Floyd, real sounds from the dark side of the moon are way trippier.
A crew of astronauts on Apollo 10, three months before Neil Armstrong’s famous landing, captured “music” while orbiting the backside of the moon — when communication is temporarily cut-off with Earth — according to newly released sound recordings of the 1969 mission.
The mission was taking one of its 31 turns around the lunar body when whizzing and whistling sounds unlike anything the astronauts had ever heard filled the spacecraft.
“You hear that? That whistling sound?” asks one of the astronauts before mimicking the eerie noise: “Whooooooooo!”
“That music even sounds outerspacy doesn’t it?” he says.
“That sure is weird music,” says his companion.
The team of three, Thomas P. Strafford, John W. Young and Eugene A. Cernan, continued to comment on the strange noise for the next hour before the ship rounded to the Earth-facing side of the moon.
Retired Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden said if he had been there, cut off from communication with NASA headquarters, he would have freaked out.
“If I were to hear something back there, the first thing probably, it would freak me out,” Worden says in the preview of the Science Channel series NASA’s Unexplained Files.”
The recording had been locked away for nearly 40 years until reams of data from the Apollo missions was declassified in 2008, and now shared publicly through the documentary TV series. It starts a third season on Tuesday.
In preview, the experts don’t explain the source of the space music, which predated Pink Floyd’s album by four years.When you offer your date a drink, you should always have a few options that you won't have to look up in a cocktail book. These go-to drinks are easy to make (and remember) and are sure to satisfy.
I’ve been making drinks for myself, my wife, and our friends for several years now. I even run a nightly cocktail blog. So you’d think I’d have a bunch of recipes memorized, and I do, but I still look the majority up in my collection of cocktail books, just to be sure.
There’s something to be said for expediency, though, and if you’re bringing someone special home for a drink, the last thing you need to be doing is pulling out reference books. It’s nice to have a few go-to drinks memorized, and it looks pretty cool when you can whip one up quickly, with assurance, without checking your measurements.
When it comes to cocktails, whiskey and gin rule, making up by far the bulk of drink recipes, both classic and modern. There’s good reason for this: whiskey and gin are incredibly versatile while also having enough character of their own to add a certain je ne sais quoi to any cocktail that contains them. So I’ve picked one drink each for these two spirits. In addition, I’ve added a vodka cocktail, because there are an awful lot of people out there who either don’t like gin and whiskey, or just aren’t very adventurous. You may be surprised by my choice, but keep reading and I’ll explain (there’s also a fourth cocktail quietly hidden in the following recipes).
All of these cocktails are fast and easy to make, and exclusively use inexpensive ingredients that you should always have on hand. Onward!
Your Go-to Whiskey Cocktail
The Manhattan
The Old-Fashioned would also be a fine choice, here, and it’s certainly easy enough to memorize that I recommend doing so. But it’s also a pretty aggressive blast of whiskey. The Manhattan is a little smoother. A little more subtle. And since it’s arguably even easier to make, we’re using it here.
The key is the vermouth. I like to go fifty-fifty with a light, non-aggressive sweet vermouth like Martini, and something strong and bitter, like Punt e Mes or Cocchi de Torino. But if you’re not looking to store multiple bottles of sweet vermouth (in the fridge, please!) then my strong recommendation is a hefty dose of Dolin and an extra shake of bitters.
2.5 oz. Bourbon or Rye Whiskey (Check out the Great Bourbon Roundup for ideas)
.5 oz. Sweet Vermouth (see above)
Heavy Dash Aromatic Bitters (Angostura is traditional and excellent)
Combine all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or ice-filled rocks glass (I prefer the former). Garnish with a maraschino cherry – Luxardo makes the best by far, though they’re a little pricy.
Your Go-To Gin Cocktail
The Martini
Here’s where we squeeze two cocktails into one: you can make this drink with vodka, if you want (and if you’re some kind of barbarian!), but a true Martini is made with gin, and is better for it. The way the liquor’s juniper-heavy botanicals mix with the light, sweet, aromatic vermouth is perfect. The first sip of a well-made martini, using fresh ingredients, is heaven.
Again: work with fresh, chilled vermouth. If your bottle’s been open for more than a month, especially at room temperature, toss it. Old vermouth oxidizes and tastes … well, gross, which is why so many people think they don’t like it.
I like a 5:1 gin to vermouth mix. You should experiment to determine your preference (and it doesn’t hurt to ask your date – they might be a ‘just wave the bottle by it’ person).
2.5 oz. Gin (see our Great Gin Roundup for ideas)
.5 oz. Dry Vermouth (again I recommend Dolin)
Dash Orange Bitters (Regans’ are great here)
Combine all ingredients in a pint glass over ice and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist. If you prefer olives as a garnish, I recommend swapping the orange bitters for herbal bitters like Urban Moonshine or Bitters Old Men Great in ’28.
Your Go-To Vodka Cocktail
The Cosmopolitan
OK, there are a few caveats with this drink: first, it requires you to stock lemon vodka. Second, it requires cranberry juice. Third, it’s a Cosmo … that dreaded and much-maligned pink-drink from Sex and the City. Why would you want to make one of those?
Well, here’s the deal: there’s a strong argument to be made that the Cosmopolitan is the best vodka cocktail ever created. The only other real contenders are the Moscow Mule, which is just a Dark and Stormy with less flavor (and requires you to stock ginger beer), and the Lemon Drop, which is very one-note (and requires you to spend time frosting the rim of the glass). You could also argue for the Bloody Mary, but that’s a breakfast drink.
When it comes to lemon vodka, there are many solutions. First, you can grab a bottle of lemon bitters and effectively use them to simulate lemon vodka on command. Second, you can infuse regular vodka with lemon slices for a day or two, and it’ll keep forever (literally: you could open it up and drink it 300 years from now). Third, you can just use regular vodka, perhaps with a few drops of lemon juice. Finally, you can buy an inexpensive bottle of lemon vodka at any liquor store in the country.
For cranberry juice, I like to buy a 16 oz. bottle (or smaller if I can find it). Kept unopened, you can store it for literally years in a cupboard, and even after opening it’ll last a solid month in the fridge because the juice is so acidic. Just keep one on hand and replace it as needed.
1.5 oz. Citrus Vodka (Svedka is tasty and inexpensive)
1 oz. Orange Liqueur, aka Curacao (Cointreau is traditional, Bols is cheap and fine)
.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.25 oz. Cranberry Juice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
There you have it: three (or four) delicious and classic cocktail recipes that can be easily memorized and quickly whipped up when company comes home. Cheers!Stuff Dutch people like: Licorice, or Drop that is for you highly ingeburgerd (integrated) folk!
Dutch people love licorice. But not the kind of licorice you are thinking about, not that North American variety of chewy sugary red stick stuff or the slightly-salty black chewy stuff. No, the Dutch prefer a slightly more offending version: which I refer to as the poison-flavoured-stuff.
I’ll say it again, licorice is at the top of stuff Dutch people like list. In fact, they eat the most amount of licorice per capita of any people in the world : a true Stuff-Dutch-People-Like fact! How much do they love it you ask? Well, enough do eat more than 4 pounds of it a year, each!
The Dutch Drop comes in a variety of different flavours and genres. There are four primary types of drop: soft & sweet, soft &salty, hard &sweet and hard & salty. Drop can be bought just about anywhere, but can also be found in drugstores and pharmacies as Dutch people also believe it has some sort of medicinal properties (mainly concerning sore thoarts and tummy aches).
The versions of drops go on and on from Engelse drop (English) to honingdrop (honey), muntdrop (mint) to the obscure oceaandrop (ocean –huh?). Drop doesn’t come in spiraly tubes like it does across the pond, but rather pedestrian shapes such as circles, squares, diamonds, ovals, cubes and coins. I’ve recently spotted a new trend –theme shaped drop: licorice cars anyone? Indeed –try autodrop! Like cats so much that you want to eat them? Well, then you’re sure to love Katjes drop! Of course the pinacle of all poison taste is the very scary: Dubbel Zout. Try at your peril!
Dutch people also love to force their love of drop onto unsuspecting foreigners.A group of UBC students took top honours at a global technology competition.
The team of four won 25,000 euros at the Ericsson Innovation Awards for students in Stockholm on Friday.
They invented SoundVision, a software application that turns 3D spatial information into sounds, which they hope will assist those who are visually impaired better understand their surroundings.
"It's still surreal, I can't believe it," said 18-year-old Karan Grover.
The first-year computer science student was on a team with Tanha Kabir, 18, Jonathan Ho, 21 and led by YK Sugishita, 24.
A whopping 843 teams from 72 countries participated in the competition which was judged by a panel consisting of Prince Daniel of Sweden and executives from Ericsson and Google.
"It was really nerve wracking... but I think once we started having conversations with them, we realized they were really nice people and became more comfortable," said Grover.
The team behind SoundVision jumped to their feet after hearing they had won the Ericsson Innovation Awards 2016. (Ericsson)
'Third place is a good spot'
Despite spending 50 to 60 hours a week on their project for the past month and a half, Grover said he and his friends were shocked by their win.
They thought a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the runners-up, would be the winners.
"I remember us four sitting beside each other, our suits and SoundVision t-shirts," he said, describing the winners' announcements. "They went to 4th place... we're like, "Okay, I think we got third place. Third place is a good spot.'"
But as one name was called after another, the UBC students didn't hear theirs — until the very end.
"Once we got first, we all just kind of freaked out," recalled Grover with a big smile. "It's just awesome."
How it works
In a release, Ericsson praised SoundVision for helping to "create truly inclusive cities where every citizen is empowered."
The technology uses a sensor for mobile phones to scan 3 metres in front of a user for spatial measurements.
Grover and his team wrote a program to read and convert that data into sounds which are fed to bone conduction headphones.
If there are objects to the left, a sound is fed through the left ear. If there are objects to the right, the user would be alerted in their right ear.
Pitch levels correspond to the height and distance of the objects — a soft, high-pitched sound could represent a tall person who is faraway.
Grover said this team has been working with the CNIB for feedback and his hope is to eventually patent and sell the technology.Ireland will host Australia in a one-off International Rules Test at Croke Park on Saturday, 21 November.
The GAA and the AFL today confirmed the match, which comes after last year’s match between the two countries in Perth, which Australia won.
The last time the International Rules series was in Croke Park, Ireland won the second of two Tests - they had won the first in Breffni Park 57-35 - 37-116, for a 173-72 overall series win.
GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail welcomed what he called Australia’s commitment to the format.
“We are confident that the Irish public will turn out in large numbers to see the best of the two codes compete for the Cormac McAnallen Cup and we welcome Australia’s commitment to the series and their decision to once again select All Australian players for the game,” Ó Fearghail said.
GAA Director General Páraic Duffy said: “The success of last year’s one-test series has prompted us to continue with this format for 2015 with a view to re-igniting interest in the cross-code game in Ireland.”
AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said the AFL was delighted to return to Ireland and would do so with the same approach used in last year’s Test match in Perth, with only All Australian players eligible for selection as part of the tour party.
“Australian and Irish fans want to see a spectacular and competitive contest played between the most talented AFL players and Ireland’s best Gaelic footballers,” Mr McLachlan said.
Australia will be coached by a panel of Alastair Clarkson, Ross Lyon and Chris Scott for the Test.[Note: The following is a guest post by Prof. Dan Reiter of Emory University]
Joshua Goldstein wrote in the preface to his award-winning, 2001 book War and Gender that while finishing his book he “discovered a list of unfinished research projects, which I had made fifteen years ago at the end of graduate school. About ten lines down is ‘gender and war,’ with the notation ‘most interesting of all; will ruin career—wait until tenure.’” This was probably not a completely inaccurate assessment, at the time. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the study of gender and international relations was viewed by many as outside the mainstream of IR, lending itself only to post-modern and critical methods of inquiry. Fortunately, during this period scholars such as Cynthia Enloe, Ann Tickner, Spike Peterson, and others sloughed off this marginalization, producing path-breaking work on gender and IR, asking new questions, posing new theoretical answers, and crafting entirely new agendas.
The status of the study of gender and IR could not be more different today than what it was when Goldstein wrote those words in the mid-1980s, as I describe in a forthcoming Journal of Conflict Resolution article. Since 2000 a new wave of scholars, including Laura Sjoberg, Charli Carpenter, Dara Cohen, Mary Caprioli, and others built on earlier work and broadened and deepened the study of gender and IR. The study of gender is now one of the hottest rising topics in IR. Even better, though in earlier days positivist IR scholars shied away from examining gender, positivist methods such as experiments, statistical analysis of observational data, surveys, and theory-testing case studies are now routinely employed to examine gender in IR alongside the other approaches. And, for those of us crassly interested in publishing in reputable outlets, gender/IR work now frequently appears in top journals and presses. The August 2013 issue of the American Political Science Review, for example, had three articles on gender and IR. Oxford University Press has an entire series on gender and international relations.
There are intriguing and important gender-related questions across the breadth of IR that have begun to be asked and answered. They include: What is the nature of the gender gap in public opinion on the use of force? What are the different ways in which terrorist and insurgent groups use females as combatants? What determines levels of sexual assault in wartime? Are female politicians less belligerent than male politicians? How does societal gender inequality condition a state’s propensity for intrastate and interstate conflict? How does gender condition public attitudes about foreign economic policy? How does a person’s sex affect his or her ability to perform the variety of functions of modern combat? How might gender affect the behavior of other international actors like judges and central bankers? What factors affect global gender equality norms? Can mixed gender units better perform peacekeeping and state security functions? This is an incomplete list, and many important, even fundamental puzzles concerning gender and IR remain largely unsolved. That is, there is much fresh, untilled soil for energetic scholars to cultivate.
And, gender lends itself quite nicely to positivist methods. Though biological sex does not equate to gender, they are of course correlated and sex is one of the easiest personal attributes to observe (much easier to observe than, say, attributes such as preferences or threat perception). The anatomy of how biological sex might affect behavior is directly observable, for example by monitoring testosterone levels in experimental subjects. And, though gender is endogenous to some factors, biological sex is largely exogenous, enabling scholars to skirt some causal inference problems. Last, the field is enjoying the publication of a wide variety of gender-related data sets, including WomanStats, Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts, World Bank data, UN Development Programme data, and others.
Scholarship aside, gender is and will remain a critically important topic in current IR events. The next American president could be female. The national leaders of South Korea, Germany, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Liberia, Bangladesh, Norway, and a number of other countries are all female. We have the first ever American female chair of the Federal Reserve Bank. Women around the world continue to be the targets of gendered violence at horrific levels. A large part of what makes groups like Boko Haram and ISIS so abhorrent is their treatment of women and girls. The US military in 2013 committed to achieve gender integration in its military, and the UN continues to pursue gender integration of its peacekeeping forces. That is, in many important areas understanding current events and crafting foreign policy recommendations requires thinking about gender.
In short, we’ve now come full circle from Goldstein’s pessimistic mid-1980s viewpoint. For a bright young IR graduate student–female or not, feminist or not, positivist or not–gender is exactly what he or she might consider starting to work on to launch an exciting and rewarding research career.At the authority board meeting, a new member, David R. Jones, questioned whether the proposals unduly hurt low-income riders, many of whom cannot receive the bonus because they cannot pay for more than one ride at a time. Mr. Jones, who was nominated to the board by Mr. de Blasio, has pressed the mayor to support the half-price MetroCard plan.
Spending $6 a day to ride the subway or bus is too difficult for some New Yorkers, Mr. Jones said.
“That’s a lot of money, particularly for people who fall farther below the poverty line,” he said. “That starts to become prohibitive.”
The state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, said in September that the authority’s financial outlook had improved recently because of the economic recovery and low energy costs and interest rates. But Mr. DiNapoli has repeatedly warned about the agency’s growing debt, which he said could reach $41 billion by 2020.
On Tuesday, Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents thousands of subway and bus workers, held a rally outside the authority’s headquarters to demand raises during the next round of contract negotiations. Mr. Prendergast said on Wednesday that the workers deserved a raise, and that the authority had planned on a 2 percent annual wage increase.
For drivers, tolls will rise just as the authority moves to eliminate tollbooths in favor of automatic tolling — a key priority of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, who effectively controls the authority. The E-ZPass toll at the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, for instance, will rise by 22 cents to $5.76. At the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the E-ZPass toll will increase by 44 cents to $11.52, and the cash toll will increase by $1 to $17.
The authority’s chief financial officer, Robert E. Foran, said commuters who would be paying more for fares would see several benefits, including subway station improvements and countdown clocks on additional lines. The system was also expanding, he noted, with a new subway station at Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s Far West Side and the scheduled opening of the Second Avenue subway line on the Upper East Side by the end of the year.
“There is a direct connection between new service being provided,” he said, “and the request for a fare and toll increase.”Once again the elitists on Capitol Hill have set their own agenda above that of the constituency. The Saturday vote on the government-run healthcare bill, should be noted as a blatant disregard for the wants and needs of the citizen. That seems to be setting the stage for “taxation, without proper representation“.
The ever-increasing cost of such legislation can do nothing good for the citizenry. The government-run rationing of healthcare for seniors and veterans, an over-reaching tax hike for small business, and forced coverage with a criminal mandate is just the base of my concern. The very aspect of such a government reach is surely to be seen as an act against the Constitution.
The Constitution is a platform for our very existence, as a nation. Without such accord, we would fall to a dismal standing. In all the writings of this glorious document, I am still not able to understand where the document sets the accordance of the right to healthcare. Further, I can see no legitimacy for such a government-mandated policy. I have taken upon myself to read the Constitution, and it's precedence among the founding of our Republic.
Now, let it be known, I am not a constitutional scholar. Yet, it is found to be educational for the citizen to read the Constitution. I encourage all to enlighten themselves with such readings. My children are fully aware of our founding documents, and are encouraged to read and ask questions about such. It can only secure your status as a citizen. As well as a duty and responsibility for all Americans.
As to the constitutionality of government-run healthcare, I cannot find it. I would like to know what the the constituency thinks on this matter. What do you think? Is it constitutional? If so, why and how?
The great State of Indiana has been burdened by the agenda of the elitists on Capitol Hill, as well as their own State Assembly. The blame has to be laid upon those of guilt, and a measure of that blame can be laid squarely with our local government. Our State Assembly has been nowhere to be seen while the sovereignty of our rights, as a state, has been disseminated. Where are they now? Have they bothered to ask if you needed support from the state level? No, of course not. They use the excuse of, “the federal mandate overtakes that of the state”. Well, all I ask for is representation. Will they stand up and defend the Indiana Constitution?
My door has not had a knock. Nor has my phone rang. The support of the people cannot be seen as coming from our own representatives of the state. They should be polling the constituency on what the needs and wants are. Am I right? We pay our taxes, now we want representation. If our very own legislators aren't there to support our needs and wants, then where is it to come from?
As Citizens' Sovereign, we are the legitimate convening authority. Such authority is inherent in both the U S Constitution and the Indiana Constitution.
U S Constitution:
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Indiana Constitution:
ARTICLE 1.
Bill of Rights.
Section 1.
WE DECLARE, That all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that all power is inherent in the people; and that all free governments are, and of right ought to be, founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and well-being. For the advancement of these ends, the people have, at all times, an indefeasible right to alter and reform their government.
Section 2.
All people shall be secured in the natural right to worship ALMIGHTY GOD, according to the dictates of their own consciences.
Section 3.
No law shall, in any case whatever, control the free exercise and enjoyment of religious opinions, or interfere with the rights of conscience.
It can be found especially intriguing that Section One of the Indiana Constitution makes statement of “…an indefeasible right to alter and reform their government.” An amazing statement if taken as to the very definition of indefeasible. “Not capable of being annulled, voided, or undone.” That very meaning could be a designation of American Citizen. Am I wrong? If yes, then how so?
It is time to set the stage for a return to our own sovereignty, and therefore the proof shown to our elected officials. This proof is the right of authority to that of the Citizen Sovereign. The duties and responsibilities of our elected officials are to be enforced. The enforcement of such duties will be shown by a simple vote. That vote will set the mandate.
This vote must be shown at all levels of government. The very aspect of our founding was the need for local representation. Thus, through such legation, the people show strong.
Again, I must thank all readers for taking the time to ponder my thoughts on this matter. Remember that I am just one man, and it is all “One Man's Opinion”.
“REFORM, REFORM, REFORM!”The economic recession, however, has driven many men recently laid off from white-collar jobs to search for positions in the educational field, making experts optimistic about future prospects. Bryan Nelson, director of MenTeach, an advocacy group for male teachers based in Minneapolis, believes the inclusion of male teachers in the classroom is crucial for the creation of a realistic environment for children to learn in. “The message we're sending to boys is that, not only is teaching a women's realm, but perhaps education is as well,” he told the Tribune.Chuck Carney of Indiana University echoes Nelson’s viewpoint, advocating for the crucial importance of male teachers in educational environments. Quoting an Education Policy Brief from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP) at Indiana University, Carney suggests that “as long as there is a great disparity in the teacher workforce, children will continue to form sexist gender relations, based on the concept that ‘women teach and men manage.’”At the same time, several schools in the state of Maryland have attempted to make up for the lack of men in elementary and middle school classrooms by enrolling parents as volunteers. The Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) program organized by the Talbott Springs Elementary School in Columbia, Md., for instance, “encourages fathers or adult males to spend the day at school, where they do everything from assisting teachers with lessons to eating lunch with students,” John-John Williams reported for the Baltimore Sun. The program is meant to provide positive male role models for young boys and girls, and “overcome a traditional bias about gender roles in schools,” Williams wrote.When Android 3.0 was designed and launched specifically for tablets, the ugly voice of fragmentation screamed out from dissenters. We had a phone OS on Android 2.3/2.4 called Gingerbread, a tablet OS on Android 3.0 called Honeycomb, and a lot of confusion amongst the community. Eric Schmidt silenced much of that confusion at MWC in Barcelona, saying Ice Cream would merge Gingerbread and Honeycomb… but now we’re learning a great deal more.
Not only will Ice Cream merge Gingerbread and Honeycomb, but it will also merge Google TV into the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) Code Branch according to an article on GTV Source.com. We verified this with our tipster and signs point to “yes” at Google IO 2011.
In case you didn’t catch that… it’s huge news. In my humble opinion, Google TV is an ENORMOUS opportunity for an entire industry (television) to take the leap that it’s promised for decades (Internet TV). With the addition of apps and games from Android Market, I strongly believe Google TV will be a somewhat unstoppable force. We’ve known Google TV is based on Android and Chrome, but merging it into the AOSP branch means a lot of things, starting with Google’s supreme confidence and motivation in Google TV itself.
Google has been catching a ton of flack for not releasing the Honeycomb source code – it’s time to stop complaining. While everyone cries “fragmentation”, Google attempts to prevent the fragmentation, and then everyone cries “you’re not Open Source”! In my mind, Google has done a great job of balancing a project driven by Open Source concepts without losing control of Android’s momentum.
We reached out to one of our trusted tipsters regarding the [Icecream = Google TV + Honeycomb + Gingerbread] rumor and not only did they confirm it… they also provided some feedback of their own. According to this anonymous source, part of the reason Google is with-holding Honeycomb source code is BECAUSE of the planned integration with Google TV. If Google were to release the source code of Honeycomb now, then launch Ice Cream with Google TV integration, we’d be looking at the same problems and disparities between Gingerbread and Honeycomb all over again. Only this time the odd man out would be the newly added “TV” features.
What does the addition of Google TV to AOSP mean for consumers? A lot… but most of it is behind the scenes stuff. If phones, tablets, and TVs are all pulling from the same code that uses the same APIs, I see two immediately huge benefits:
Quicker updates. Google only has to update ONE code base which will account for phones, tablets and TVs. Fix it once or add a feature once and they’re golden across the board. This will allow Google to FOCUS on one “product” – the AOSP – with many different device types enjoying the benefit.
Easier/seamless integration between services running on different hardware since they’re based on the same code. Take for example the “Speech-to-text” operation on your Android Phone (I use it all the time). If Android OS and Google TV are not only using the same code for this, but it’s pulled from the same exact place, it maximizes consistency and greatly reduces the possibilities of headaches and compatibility problems.
While the above analysis could be considered a healthy mix of rumor and speculation, out tipster flat out told us that we can expect AOSP to merge Google TV, Honeycomb, and Gingerbread at Google IO. Of course timelines always change, as do plans, but this would be a HUGE step in the right direction for Google TV and open the door for Android Market on Google TV which we’ve been eagerly awaiting. Plus it all just makes sense.
I have no doubt that Google TV will eventually be HUGE. It’s a great concept on it’s own, but with the full momentum of Android behind it… I’m not sure it can lose. In my mind, the bigger question mark is Chrome and Chrome OS.
We’ve previously heard about HTML5 killing Apps and even Google CEO Eric Schmidt said most mobile apps will soon be written in HTML5. Chrome is Google’s insurance policy. They’ve got Android on the native mobile side and Chrome on the HTML side – they’ve got two leading horses in one of the most important races in all of technology. Chrome OS is more of an experiment in my mind, but testing the waters for how a atrictly HTML5-based, mobile-connected device can work. Once – and if – the shift from native apps to HTML5 takes place… Google will already have a huge head start.
Just as Google TV is merging into the Android source, I wouldn’t write off Chrome eventually being merged as well. Android has such a powerful brand name and following that people KNOW it and people WANT it. If Google launched anything as “the new Android XYZ” it would immediately grab consumer and critic attention. Although, as proven by the slow start of Google TV, it’s got to have the killer content to go along with it or we’ll hear it in one ear and out the other.
If you’re interested in GoogleTV hit up GTVsource.com, subscribe to their RSS, and join the Google TV Forum. If you’re a Chrome lover of all kinds (Browser, Extension, OS, Cr-48, etc…) visit our friends at ChromeSpot.com, subscribe to their RSS, and join the Chrome Forum.
PLEASE NOTE: this is regarding the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) and nothing consumers – or even developers – will notice cosmetically. It’s all ‘behind-the-scenes’ stuff… but important stuff that will certainly affect us all in the long run!
[Via GTVsource – thanks anonymous for verifying details!]NBN Co has revealed that one-third of all active fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) services are currently incapable of achieving a downlink in excess of 50 Mbps.
The network builder this afternoon released a set of figures showing Layer 2 attainable bitrates for the FTTN portion of its network, as of June 18.
The figures – for the first time – reveal just how many FTTN lines are incapable of achieving higher speeds in the part of the network that NBN Co controls.
The company repeatedly quotes a |
lembre de quantas munições leva um cunhete, 1495 munições é ridículo; granadas de gás lacrimogénio e ofensivas? E granadas defensivas nem uma? É que quem quiser fazer estragos a sério usa granadas defensivas (bem sei que é contra intuitivo, Google it). Mais uns cordões e umas merdices e está o filme feito.
Ora bem, para haver um problema de inventário que é a única explicação plausível há duas hipóteses, uma envolvendo corrupção outra negligência.
Periodicamente há material que tem que ser destruído por ultrapassar o prazo de validade e há, ou havia, vários métodos de o fazer. Basta o tipo encarregue de contar o material a abater fazê-lo sem rigor nenhum (em vez de contar, digamos 364 LGFs contou 320 meio a olho, em vez de 52 cunhetes de munições contou 51, etc. ). Passado uns tempos há uma inspecção e o inventário está todo gatado. Vocês sabem qual é a percentagem que as grandese profissionalíssimas cadeias de supermercados usam para desaparecimentos antes de os produtos chegarem às prateleiras: 7%. E não é só por roubos, é também e essencialmente por erros de contagem. Outra hipótese é o material ter sido encomendado (imaginemos 1500 LGF), pago e parte nunca ter sido entregue e alguém se abotoa com a diferença que, honestamente, são trocos. Claro que vai dar asneira mais cedo ou mais tarde, mas muita gente metida nestas coisas não prima pela inteligência (ver o caso recente na FA e os mantimentos).
Agora, ninguém, mas mesmo ninguém me convence que houve assalto algum ao paiol de Tancos. Mas é que não mesmo. Eh pá! Qualquer paiol está cheio de granadas defensivas. Alguém que quer fazer estragos ou ganhar guita as deixa lá ficar e leva mei a dúzia de ofensivas e de gás lacrimogéneo? Olhem, quem inventou esta história bem pode ir gozar com o raio que o parta. Pedrógão não vai ser esquecido e teve o lado bom de permitir identificar as alforrecas ao serviço do poder.
Nem era preciso PJ, bastaria a PJM agarrar em todos os inventários e ir andando para trás e facilmente chegaria ao buraco. Mas pronto, quem poderia explicar está constitucionalmente impedido de falar (e ainda sabe o que é a honra), quem pode falar está a salvar a pele, a própria e a de outros porque isto escalou. Os imberbes da Central de Informações são uns meninos cheios de maquiavelismo livresco mas sem noção nenhuma do Mundo.
Na imagem um M72 LAW, 2,5kg, 640€ cada um. Segundo os espanhóis são 44 coisas daquelas que faltam.What could possibly be the connection between the new Elantra GT and the 1979 European press launch of GM's X-Body cars?
For this then-U.K.-based writer, it's the ocean-wide difference that once existed between European and American suspension tuning – and whether that difference still even exists.
In 1979, GM let us compare X-cars tuned for the European market against the flabby U.S. setup. The Euro versions not only handled infinitely better, their firmer suspensions actually delivered a superior ride, too.
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The memory resurfaces now because the Elantra five-door – now entering its fourth generation for 2018 – has always traded on its European character. Old-world drivers overwhelmingly prefer tailgates to trunk lids, so the Korean auto maker's European design and engineering centres take charge of the five-door versions.
At one time, the Euro shtick worked. The first-generation 2001-2006 Elantra GT came to Canada with the same suspension chassis setup as in Europe, which not only benefited handling, but also delivered a classy ride.
But has this euro pitch run its course? Typical North American chassis tuning has radically transformed in recent years; heck, today's Cadillacs steer better than most BMWs. At the same time, the last-generation Elantra GT was proof that no amount of fine tuning on the Nürburgring could overcome the flawed rear suspension layout it shared with the North American Elantra sedan.
On that score, the 2018 GT is already ahead of the game. The GL and GLS models share the reformed torsion-beam suspension of the regular 2017 Elantra sedan, while the GT Sport gets independent rear suspension (IRS) like the Sport sedan – though, surprisingly, Hyundai says the GT is tuned a little less aggressively.
Powertrains (mostly) mirror the sedan's. The GT's base 2.0-litre genereates 161 horsepower, 14 more than the Atkinson-cycle version in the sedan; the Sport's mighty-mite 1.6-litre turbo claims the same 201 horsepower as its sedan counterpart, though its exhaust note seems more muted. Six-speed manual transmissions are standard; the optional automatics are conventional six-speed on the 2.0-litre and seven-speed DCT on the 1.6 turbo.
The preview route certainly wasn't chosen to give the GT an easy pass. Undulating roads that were often as rough as they were tortuous revealed that even the base suspension has exorcised the demons that afflicted the old model. That said, the Sport provided a more composed ride, despite its stiffer springs and shocks.
Hyundai claims the Elantra sports 705 litres of behind-the-seats cargo space.
Nuances of steering feel varied according to powertrain and (on automatics) the choice of drive mode, but all were satisfying to helm as we explored levels of agility and grip appropriate to each model's aspirations.
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Whether the Elantra GT is "European" isn't really the point any more. Rather, do its dynamics measure up to benchmarks like the VW Golf or Honda Civic? Frankly, I wouldn't want to answer that one without driving them all on the same roads on the same day. The fact that it's that close tells you all you need to know about how far this Hyundai has come.
The GT should be in showrooms next month, though prices had not yet been set at writing.
Tech specs
The Elantra comes with one of two available four-cylinder engines.
Price: Not set
Not set Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder; 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder
2.0-litre four-cylinder; 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder Drive/transmisson: 2.0: Six-speed manual/six-speed automatic; 1.6 turbo: Six-speed manual/seven-speed DCT automatic
2.0: Six-speed manual/six-speed automatic; 1.6 turbo: Six-speed manual/seven-speed DCT automatic Fuel economy (litres/100 km): N/A
N/A Alternative hatchbacks: Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Kia Forte5, Mazda3 Sport, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla iM, VW Golf
Looks
The GT's profile has reverted from being very wedgy before to a more upright, cab-rearward stance, fronted by Hyundai's latest cascading grille design. Aluminum wheels are standard – 16-inchers on GL, 17s on GLS and 18s on the Sport.
Interior
Drivers get adequate six-way manual seat adjustment on the 2.0s and great eight-way power on the Sport. The dashboard flaunts its European-ness with a standard free-standing eight-inch screen and the power-lock button on the centre stack. Claimed cabin volume is up slightly, though rear knee room is less than in some rivals.
The dashboard flaunts the car’s European character.
Performance
The base 2.0-litre supplies a pleasing mix of "quick and quiet" while the Sport's 1.6 turbo trades some peace for a lot more pace. Expect the DCT transmission to optimize the test-track 0-100 time (in the low seven seconds), but in real-world use, the robotized clutch doesn't fully mask some turbo launch lag. We'd pick the stick in a heartbeat: the sweet clutch and slick lever all but guarantee shunt-free shifting, and normal pedal work is enough to keep the engine in the heart of the boost zone, which starts well below 2,000 rpm.
Technology
The headliner is Hyundai's new Blue Link embedded telematics – Hyundai's answer to GM's OnStar – at no charge for five years. Of course, only the top-trim Sport Ultimate has it. Same goes for high-end safety nannies such as adaptive cruise, automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. But all trims do include blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and backup camera as well as CarPlay, Android Auto and SiriusXM.
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Cargo
The seat backs no longer fold wagon-style, so they lie less flat than before but still flush with the two-position deck floor in its upper position. Setting it lower generates claimed behind-the-seats cargo room of 705 litres, second only to the Honda Civic in its segment.
Verdict
8.0
The Elantra has come a long way, and can now be compared with segment benchmarks like the VW Golf and Honda Civic.
Transformed suspension and available turbo engine elevate the 5-door Hyundai to hot-hatch potential.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.A new surgical implant could pave the way for a major progression in brain surgery, resulting in live monitoring of swelling achievable with minimal fuss. Extrapolated over other areas in the future, the discovery could also help drive organ monitoring.
A group of neurosurgeons and engineers in the US have devised a sensor that can be implanted relatively simply during brain surgery, monitoring swelling and allowing for immediate responses by doctors.
Should the sensor make its way into the current surgical landscape it will bring forward a process stuck in the 1980s, according to one Irish doctor who worked on the project.
A revolution
“Bioelectronics is going through a revolution at the moment,” explained Cork man Rory Murphy, a neurosurgery resident at the hospital as well as Washington University School of Medicine, which helped develop the product.
“We think our discovery is an exciting example of this,” he told me, with his team’s findings published in Nature.
Brain injuries are very commonly seen by Murphy and his colleagues in St Louis, with them working on projects like this every day.
The risk of swelling on the brain, though, is a constant reminder of how far we still have to go before neurosurgeons are truly happy with the tools on offer. In the US alone, for example, 50,000 people die from brain-pressure-related injuries every year.
Drilling down
“At the moment to test for swelling we drill a hole in patients’ heads and put in a small fibre optic cable which hooks up to a machine beside the bed,” explained Murphy. “It works very well but it’s 1980s technology.”
Murphy collaborated with engineers in the laboratory of John A. Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, to build new sensors.
The devices are made mainly of polylactic-co-glycolic acid and silicone, and they can transmit accurate pressure and temperature readings, as well as other information.
These sensors are about the size of a hypothermic needle, while they also dissolve after a period of time. That means they can be implanted during surgery, and then used afterwards to monitor patients’ subsequent recovery.
Advanced materials
“With advanced materials and device designs, we demonstrated that it is possible to create electronic implants that offer high performance and clinically relevant operation in hardware that completely resorbs into the body after the relevant functions are no longer needed,” Rogers explained.
“This type of bio-electric medicine has great potential in many areas of clinical care.”
It’s not ready for human patients yet, though. The team tested the sensors in saline solution first, which dissolved them in a few days. They then moved up to lab rats with Murphy, Rodgers and co hopeful that the subsequent successful results will put them in line for patient trials in the near future.
Small sensors, big results
“We’ve proven the concept. There are more federal hoops we need to get through. It’s still a good few years before this would be on the market,” said Murphy, who has another year or so finishing his neurosurgery training in the US before he returns to Ireland.
Sensors in medicine are becoming a big thing, with Irish involvement consistent throughout many discoveries. For example, late last year Tyndall and the NIBRT joined forced for PATsule, a project to developing a new kind of sensor for monitoring drug making.
Generally, sensors rest in a fixed position in bioreactors – which are the vessels that contain biological materials for bioprocessing the pharmaceuticals – and monitor material that they touch, giving good data to scientists with regard to the stage of the medicine production.
PATsule, though, will see sensors move freely throughout the bioreactor, providing a stream of data to monitor factors that might affect product yield or quality – the sensors are used solely for the production of protein therapies.
When all else fails
With regards neurosurgery, though, Murphy’s discovery could be huge. In patients with traumatic brain injuries, neurosurgeons attempt to decrease the pressure inside the skull using medications.
If pressure cannot be reduced sufficiently, patients often undergo surgery. The new devices could be placed into the brain at multiple locations during such operations.
“The ultimate strategy is to have a device that you can place in the brain — or in other organs in the body — that is entirely implanted, intimately connected with the organ you want to monitor and can transmit signals wirelessly,” explained Murphy.
That way it can provide information on the health of that organ, allowing doctors to intervene if necessary to prevent bigger problems.
“And then after the critical period that you actually want to monitor, it will dissolve away and disappear.”
Main image via ShutterstockWorking women without children earn more than men – but that all changes for those with kids.
WORKING WOMEN PAY a higher penalty for motherhood in Ireland than anywhere else in western Europe.
Figures compiled by employer-comparison site Glassdoor show that median wages for women with no children are significantly higher than earnings for men in Ireland – one of only two European countries included in its data that showed the same trend.
However mothers with at least one child earned significantly less than male workers, with the pay difference between women aged 25 to 44 with children and those without standing at 31 percentage points.
That was higher than in next-placed Germany, where the pay gap for mothers was 23 points. Italy, Spain and Belgium had the lowest pay differentials for women with children at 3 points or lower.
Source: Glassdoor
Click here for a larger version
Ireland also had one of the lowest workforce participation rates for women, relative to their male peers, in the survey, finishing ahead of only Greece and Italy on the measure.
The Republic has consistently maintained the highest fertility rate of any country in the EU, however parents are also subjected to among the highest fees for childcare and early education when compare to wages.
The European Commission has repeatedly highlighted the issue as a “significant barrier” to getting more women into the workforce in Ireland.
Representation in management
When it came to women in senior positions, Ireland’s report card was mixed. The country ranked ahead of only Portugal, Greece and Estonia for female representation at a boardroom level, with about one in 10 directors’ roles here held by women.
Source: Glassdoor
Click here for a larger version
However Ireland ranked ahead of many of its peers when it came to female representation at a managerial level. Around one-third of all senior positions in the country were held by women. Norway, at nearly 40%, had the highest proportion.
Source: Glassdoor
Click here for a larger version
Education is key
The report also highlighted the extent to which education could help address the widespread levels of gender inequality in the EU workforce.
The gender gap in employment levels was below 10% in Ireland for women who received a university education, however it stood at more than 20% for those who never finished their upper second-level qualifications.
Source: Glassdoor
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Glassdoor chief economist Andrew Chamberlain said the overall results for Sweden, Norway and Finland showed it was possible to achieve “near gender parity in the workplace”.
“This balance in the labour market can be a lesson for other countries. However, even in Norway the ‘cost of motherhood’ in terms of lower wages for women with children is one of the highest in Europe, illustrating that no country in the world is perfect.”“Chinese overseas spending is growing by double digits. This is a problem that needs our attention. To change the situation, we not only need tariff reductions and good-quality domestic products, we also need the government to get involved a high level,” said Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group. Wang made the remarks on Aug. 25 at the 10th Wanda Group Annual Commercial Convention.
Wang, the richest man in China, quoted official statistics in his speech, noting that Chinese outbound travel spending amounted to 2.5 trillion yuan, even without the inclusion of expenses for medical treatments and sports. Wang pointed out three important characteristics of Chinese overseas spending: ongoing two-digit growth; overseas shopping, which includes everything from luxuries to daily articles; and emerging consumer sectors, such as overseas physical examinations and medical treatment.
Wang also disclosed that one district government in Seoul, South Korea actually invited him to invest in plastic surgery hospitals for Chinese women by providing cheap land. However, Wang refused, since such an investment would push even more Chinese to consume abroad.
When discussing the reasons behind overseas spending, Wang surmised that price is the most major determinant, followed by quality and brand. He insisted that there are issues in the current pricing system, caused partially by tariffs. Chinese consumers are plagued by concerns over the quality of products in China, so they prefer to buy more secure commodities in foreign countries. The popularity of e-commerce without direct contact makes the situation even worse. In addition, some consumers shopping for luxuries enjoy the feeling that they are buying something they cannot access at home.
Wang proposed three measures to reduce overseas spending. First, professional studies on overseas spending are an urgent priority, such as surveys on market volume, targeted consumers and the impacts on China. Second, the government needs to regulate the market from a high level. For instance, Wang believes that companies intentionally drive up the price of luxury goods in China. Third, Wang hopes to see a media campaign for Chinese products, and for counterfeit and shoddy products to be minimized through stricter quality standards.It is recommended that adults perform at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days a week to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and many other diseases. A new study has found that long-term endurance training actually changes the way genes are expressed in skeletal muscle, improving metabolism and controlling inflammation. This information could be used to prevent and treat diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Carl Johan Sundberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden was principal investigator of the project, and the paper was published in Epigenetics.
“It is well-established that being inactive is perilous, and that regular physical activity improves health, quality of life and life expectancy,” Sundberg said in a press release. “However, exactly how the positive effects of training are induced in the body has been unclear. This study indicates that epigenetics is an important part in skeletal muscle adaptation to endurance training.”
For the three-month-long study, 23 healthy young adults engaged in 45 minutes of endurance training four times a week. The participants cycled with one leg, using the leg not completing exercise as a control. Muscle biopsy samples were taken from each leg, both before and after the study. The researchers were looking for epigenetic changes, that is, temporary changes to genetic expression due to environmental factors. Activity levels of more than 20,000 genes were analyzed, and 480,000 loci were checked for methylation. Methylation of DNA impacts the level at which a gene is expressed.
Ultimately, Sundberg’s team found a relationship between change in methylation and activity of about 4,000 genes. Increased methylation was seen in regions of genes associated with metabolism and the ability for muscle to adapt. Areas with decreased methylation were tied to genes responsible for inflammation. The majority of these epigenetic changes weren’t located on the gene itself or even in the promotor region, which would have been expected. Instead, the methylation changes were seen in the enhancer regions which are located relatively far away from the gene in question.
“We found that endurance training in a coordinated fashion affects thousands of DNA methylation sites and genes associated to improvement in muscle function and health,” added Sundberg. “This could be of great importance for the understanding and treatment of many common diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but also for how to maintain a good muscle function throughout life. Interestingly, we also saw that there were epigenetic differences between male and female skeletal muscle, which may be of importance to develop gender specific therapies in the future.”
In order to fully understand the therapeutic potential of endurance training to make these epigenetic changes, future studies may use a larger group of participants, utilize different exercises, investigate how long the changes last, and explore whether or not the effect is dose-dependent.When Kamehameha I attempted to unite all eight of the Hawaiian islands, he was successful by 1795 with all but two - Kauai and the nearby island of Niihau. It would take the great King fifteen more years before he was able to subdue the two hold-outs (in 1810).
He actually never conquered the remaining two islands. After assembling a fleet of ships to do battle, Kamehameha heard some surprising news. The hold-out chief - Kaumuali'i - had decided to surrender instead of risking more bloodshed.
Nine years later, after Kamehameha I died, Kaumuali'i thought he would have a chance to pull the two islands out of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was unable to do so, however, because Kamehameha's widow - Ka’ahumanu - had her husband's adversary kidnapped. She then forced him to marry her.
Kauai and Niihau thus remained part of the Kingdom of Hawaii (until it was ended). However... Kamehameha V agreed to sell all of Niihau, and some of Kauai, to Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair - in 1864 - for the equivalent of $10,000 in gold. After she died, Sinclair's descendants continued to own the island - and they still do.
Sinclair's grandson - Aubrey Robinson - decided to forbid most people from visiting Niihau, and that policy continues. When visitors do come ashore, they generally do not mix with the locals and there are no overnight accommodations.
Islanders receive most of their income from the U.S. Navy, which operates an installation at the top of a sea cliff. They also generate revenue from creating special leis made from pupu (small shells which wash ashore during the winter months).
Believe it or not... but... President Franklin Roosevelt considered the island of Niihau as a possible headquarters for the United Nations. He had his Secretary of State, Cordell Hull - who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945, in large part due to his work in setting up the United Nations - seriously consider such an option:
The State Department prepared maps and memoranda on the suggested locations in the Azores and on the island of Niihau, Hawaii, and the President expected to take them to Quebec with him. (See the Memoirs of Cordell Hull, Volume 2, Part 2, page 1681.)
It's fair to wonder how such a proposal could have passed muster with the island's owners, given their views about visitors to Niihau.
NOTE: The location of Niihau is noted in red on this image.WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cited unclassified messages exchanged inside a UK intelligence agency to back his refusal to be extradited to Sweden. One of the messages calls sex-related allegations against Assange “a fit-up”.
The Australian, who has been stranded at Ecuadorian embassy in London for almost 12 months, cited instant messages he received from Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British signal intelligence body.
One message from September 2012, which Assange read out in a Sunday night interview with Spanish TV program Salvados, says: "They are trying to arrest him on suspicion of XYZ … It is definitely a fit-up… Their timings are too convenient right after Cablegate."
Another conversation he cited goes: "He reckons he will stay in the Ecuadorian embassy for six to 12 months when the charges against him will be dropped, but that is not really how it works now is it? He's a fool… Yeah… A highly optimistic fool."
Assange did not explain who the people exchanging the messages were, but said he managed to obtain them because they were not classified.
"[GCHQ] won't hand over any of the classified information," he said. "But, much to its surprise, it has some unclassified information on us."
GCHQ confirmed to RT that it released the info to Assange under the Data Protection Act. It can be used by individuals to obtain personal information that UK bodies have about them. The agency is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, the usual mechanism for getting information of interest released by officials.
It stressed that the comments Assange received do not reflect GCHQ’s official stance in any way.
“As was made clear to Mr. Assange when the information was disclosed to him, the comments that he refers to in his recent interview were a small number of casual observations on a current affairs issue made by a handful of staff on GCHQ's internal informal communication channels. The comments were entirely unrelated to the individuals' official duties,” a spokesman for the agency said in an email.
A British court ordered that Assange be extradited to Sweden, where authorities want to question him on sex-related allegations. He refuses to go to there unless it guarantees that it won’t extradite him to the US, where he faces espionage charges over data released by WikiLeaks.
Ecuador has given Assange asylum and houses him in a small basement room in its London embassy. UK law enforcement keeps a close eye on the embassy, ready to arrest Assange should he leave the diplomatically-protected building.
The cost of the surveillance, which is believed to involve two police vehicles and eight officers on duty at all times, is now over $16,500 a day, Scotland Yard recently reported. The operation cost British taxpayers over $5 million since Assange got his refuge on June 19, 2012. By the time the anniversary falls, the sum is expected to have gone over $6.3 million.The idea grew out of the tragedy of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. A dear friend of mine of Jewish faith, horrified at the growing intolerance and hate in the world and the comments she was hearing that the Paris attacks somehow represented the values of Islam, approached me to see what we could do to counteract these global messages of hate. Through MoverMoms, an organization that we are both active in and one that promotes volunteerism and community building, we decided to host a ‘conversation on tolerance’. As mothers, we understood the unique and critical role that we play in shaping our children’s world views and in modeling respect for people who think and pray differently. About 20 women joined, of different faiths, and a friend and trained facilitator helped us get to know each other better. She asked each of us to choose a photograph, of every day scenes and ordinary objects, from hundreds laid out on my kitchen table; one that spoke to us and to why we decided to come that afternoon. The stories that flowed from the simple photograph provided a window into our values, hopes, and lives; the sharing was sincere and profound. We knew we had to keep these conversations going.
We decided one way to gather in a warm and inviting setting that would be conducive to sharing would be to cook together; and in the process to ‘stir it up’ – share stories of faith and tradition and ask the sometimes hard questions that we may not otherwise dare ask. “Stirring it up in the Kitchen” was created, and we had our first gathering on Thursday evening. The mixing of spices and stories, flavors and faiths, traditions and ingredients was deliciously inspiring.
We used the cookbook “Jerusalem” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, a beautiful collection of recipes from the Arab east and Jewish west parts of the city. As we chopped onions, ground cumin, ladled lentils, and browned pine nuts, we talked about our families, fasting in our faith, favorite recipes, and where to find rose water. An American Muslim shared how she converted to Islam 15 years ago, and how much comfort and solace she finds in fasting; she also told us that she is a power lifter, to everyone’s amazement, which triggered a whole host of other questions: “Does wearing a hijab and long sleeves get in the way of lifting? How do people in the gym perceive you?” Another shared how her family is a mix of Christians, Jews, Muslims, African Americans, and how such diversity feels so comfortable for her children. Another, opened up about how she felt envious seeing my emotional reaction when the azan played on the iphone, because she too once had that feeling; but it was taken away from her by a forceful regime that pushed a harsh and strict form of faith.
We didn’t want the evening to end; we could have shared all night. When theMuhallabieh (milk pudding) was passed around, someone asked what was in the accompanying syrup. “What, Baileys?!,”she said in surprise. “No, it’s bay leaf syrup,” the cook clarified. We all had a good laugh.
Perhaps a poignant reminder that miscommunication can happen so easily; and why it’s so important to keep talking with each other – and stirring, and simmering, and sautéing …
To learn more about MoverMoms and to donate to our work to help the most needy in our community and to promote tolerance and understanding, please visit http://www.movermoms.com.
This post is a feature from the blog “30days30deeds.com”, by Salma Hasan Ali. Throughout Ramadan, altM will be featuring one inspiring story per week from the blog. This is the second post in the “30days30deeds.com” series being featured on altM. For an introduction of the series and the first post, you can read the story of Mukhtar Mai here. You can follow the blog by subscribing at “30days30deeds.com” or liking the Facebook page.
The Jerusalem cookbook used by MoverMoms is featured in this NYT article about “Jerusalem fever”, an increased interest in food from Jerusalem. Read about it here:Karachi, PAKISTAN - Sabeen Mahmud, a prominent Pakistani social and human rights activist, has been shot dead, shortly after hosting an event on Balochistan’s "disappeared people", in the southern city of Karachi, officials have told Al Jazeera.
Mahmud, 40, was the director of T2F [The Second Floor], a café and arts space that has been a mainstay of Karachi’s activists since it opened its doors in 2007. She was one of the country’s most outspoken human rights advocates.
Mahmud was shot four times at close range, with bullets going through her shoulder, chest and abdomen, police told Al Jazeera. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the National Medical Centre hospital at 9.40pm.
Mahmud had been on her way from the event, along with her mother, when her car came under fire from unidentified gunmen, according to police.
Her mother was also shot twice, but was undergoing treatment in hospital and was out of immediate danger, hospital officials said.
Mahmud had been present at the opening of a discussion called "Unsilencing Balochistan," hosted at T2F, where prominent Baloch rights activists Mama Qadeer, Farzana Majeed and Muhammad Ali Talpur had been speaking.
Wounds'reopened'
Qadeer and Majeed have long championed the cause of Balochistan’s "disappeared," a term used to describe people who have been abducted in Balochistan, with their bodies often found years later. The Voice of Baloch Missing Persons organisation, which both activists belong to, says that more than 2,825 people have "disappeared" in this way since 2005.
They allege the disappearances, which are mostly of Baloch rights activists and students, have been carried out by the Pakistani government and its powerful ISI intelligence agency, a charge the agency denies.
Just over a fortnight ago, a similar talk with the same speakers at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), was cancelled at the last minute “on orders from the government”, according to a LUMS statement.
"Sabeen was a voice of reason, pluralism and secularism: the kind of creed that endangers the insidious side of constructed Pakistani nationalism," Raza Rumi, a rights activist who escaped an assassination attempt in March 2014 and now lives in the United States out of fear for his life, told Al Jazeera.
"In her work, she was neither a political partisan nor a power seeker but Pakistan’s state and non-state actors are averse to any form of dissent. This is why she had to be killed," Rumi said.
"Her death has simply reopened my wounds. She gave me support when I escaped death and now I feel even more scared to return to Pakistan. Her death is a huge blow to Pakistan’s civil society and social change movements."
'Brutal and blatant'
Sabeen was a voice of reason, pluralism and secularism: the kind of creed that endangers the insidious side of constructed Pakistani nationalism Raza Rumi, activist
A friend of Mahmud's in Karachi, who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity due to safety fears, said she had contacted him on Tuesday to ask for advice about whether she should go ahead with the event.
"She was having doubts, and the person who had initially agreed to moderate the discussion had backed out,” he said.
"We discussed the possible blowback that she and T2F could potentially get in response to holding the event, but I never imagined it would be as brutal and blatant as this."
Another friend of Mahmud's, who raced to the hospital minutes after she had been shot, said "at least a hundred people" had gathered outside the hospital for the activist, within moments of her arrival.
"I raced through the hospital corridors to get to the ER envisioning a defiant Sabeen who was going to laugh at her own plaster or dressing," the second friend said.
"She stood up and hosted an event for a group of people who have no voice despite the threats she had gotten. She did not back down - gave her life.
"She's been silenced to instill fear in the heart of the upper-middle class, the English-speaking folk who have become politically vocal for rights and equality."
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest, and least densely populated province, has been the site of multiple armed guerilla campaigns against the state by separatist forces, the latest of which is ongoing since 2005. The province is the least economically developed, and has the worst social indicators in areas such as health and education.
Pakistan's armed forces have been battling the separatists through ground and air operations, and many parts of the province are cut off from the rest of Pakistan due to the conflict.
Baloch rights activists say intelligence agencies have also been carrying out a systematic campaign of silencing dissent through the disappearance of activists, even those who have not taken up arms.
Nasrullah Baloch, the chairman of the Voice of Missing Baloch rights organisation, said his group condemned the attack, and said those responsible should be tried for their crimes.
"Whenever voices are raised against rights abuses in Balochistan, the government tries to suppress them. Suppressing voices does not solve the issue, indeed it only makes the voices become louder."
Follow Asad Hashim on Twitter: @AsadHashimValerie Letourneau will face UFC women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193 without one of her longtime cornermen.
Letourneau (8-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC), 32, who co-headlines the Nov. 14 event at Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, told MMAjunkie in October that she would be cornered by UFC welterweight Hector Lombard (34-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who currently is suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a positive steroid test.
But after being advised by the UFC’s anti-doping partner, USADA, of a potential violation of its “prohibited association” rule, Lombard will not do the job.
“We are aware of the relationship between Ms. Letourneau and Mr. Lombard, and we have been in contact with both of them to advise them of the rules in regards to prohibited association,” USADA Director of Communications Annie Skinner wrote to MMAjunkie in an email. “After being informed of the rules regarding prohibited association, Ms. Letourneau has since confirmed that Mr. Lombard will not be cornering for her or serving in any other prohibited capacity during his sanction.”
Skinner said USADA was in communication with the UFC fighters over “the last few weeks” on the issue. MMAjunkie was unable to reach Letourneau or Lombard for immediate comment.
Lombard was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in March when a post-fight drug test at UFC 182 revealed the presence of desoxymethyltestosterone, a designer steroid. He claimed the positive test was caused by a supplement given to him by a person in his “inner circle” and apologized to the UFC and commission.
In her October interview |
might pursue nullification of federal laws that go against its interest as a transition society. States rights would no longer be the exclusive province of the gun nuts and anti-abortionists. Vermont wont secede, Sale says. Its just not happening. Yet, as a decentralist, I do appreciate the move toward independence in as many spheres as you can. Were likely to see more examples of nullification than secession. Look at whats been nullified so far. Real-ID is virtually dead because its been nullified. Marijuana laws in the states have effectively nullified federal prohibition laws. With Obamacare, states are just not setting up their own statewide exchanges.
The more serious Vermont gets about being self-sufficient, the more they might run up against federal regulations. Thats a good way to go to see if they have power to nullify. Because ultimately when you combine all the powers to nullify, you come up with secession.
On the day before the balloting last November 6, secessionist candidate Robert Wagner went looking for votes in the village of Hancock. When he rang at one of the homes, an old man came to the door and told the candidate that his nephew had been killed in Afghanistan. We get sucked into these wars halfway around the world, when theres no sense to it, said the man. Its not about terrorism. Its all about the oil. These people in D.C. are not thinking about their own people. Maybe wed be better off as our own country.
Wagner, being wary of the word when door-knocking, hadnt mentioned secession. I dont push it, he told me. Ill let them get there themselves.
Wagner described to me what had happened when Hurricane Irene hit Hancock in 2011. The White River rose, swept away entire homes, and disinterred the corpses in nearby cemeteries. A wall of water out of the mountains shredded Route 100, leaving 20-foot canyons, isolating the village. National Guard helicopters were slow to arrive. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was nowhere to be seen. The residents held potluck dinners and planning sessions by candlelight, deputized a leadership, heaved pebbles and gravel in backhoes to begin the repair of the roads they had no permits to do so and sent emissaries on foot to outlier settlements, checking on the old and the infirm. Rick Gottesman, who lives with Kathleen Byrne at her inn and who told me he was a quiet secessionist, wrote about Irene in an e-mail: There was palpable pride in the town and its people and a distinct we-aint-waitin-for-no-gubmint attitude. With rivers bursting with water, forests full of firewood, abundant gardens and most of all each other, we could have easily continued for several more weeks and longer.
A week after the ballots were counted, I called Wagner to get the results. He had lost for the second time. But he had snagged 18 percent of his district more than four times his votes in 2010 and had won the village of Hancock. He vowed to run again in 2014.
Reprinted from The American Prospect with permission from the author.
The Best of Christopher KetchamProject L2: IPv6-to-IPv4 Reverse Proxy (20 pts.)
haproxy
Haproxy is in the Ubuntu archives, but we can't use apt-get install haproxy because the archive copy is too old and does not support IPv6.
Downloading haproxy
From the Menu bar, click Applications, Accessories, Terminal. In the Terminal window, execute these commands (When you are prompted to, enter your password):
cd /usr/local/src
sudo wget http://haproxy.1wt.eu/download/1.4/src/haproxy-1.4.11.tar.gz
Compiling haproxy
sudo tar -xzf haproxy-1.4.11.tar.gz
cd haproxy-1.4.11
sudo make TARGET=linux26 ARCH=i386
Wait while a screen or two of messages scroll by. When the $ prompt reappears, in the Terminal window, execute this command:
sudo make install
Preparing the haproxy startup script
In the Terminal window, execute these commands:
sudo mkdir /etc/haproxy
cd examples/
sudo cp haproxy.cfg /etc/haproxy
sudo cp haproxy.init /etc/init.d/haproxy
sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/haproxy
sudo nano /etc/init.d/haproxy
In the nano text editor, execute these commands:
Ctrl+W
Ctrl+R to start search and replace
At the "Search (to replace):" prompt, type
/usr/sbin
press Enter
At the "Replace with:" prompt, type
/usr/local/sbin
Press Enter
At the "Replace this instance?" prompt, type
A
you should see a message saying "[ replaced 6 occurrences ]"
Save the file with Ctrl+X, Y, Enter
Preparing the haproxy config file
In the Terminal window, execute this command:
sudo nano /etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg
In the global section, add a # to comment out this line:
# chroot /usr/share/
Your file should look like the image below on this page:
Scroll down to the defaults section and make these three changes:
Change the mode http line to
mode tcp
# option httplog
# redispatch
Use the down-arrow key to move to the first line starting with listen. Press Ctrl+K repeatedly to delete that line and all the lines below it. Then type in these lines:
listen ipv6proxy80 0::0:80 mode tcp server ipv4server80 147.144.1.212:80 maxconn 4000 listen ipv6proxy443 0::0:443 mode tcp server ipv4server443 147.144.1.212:443 maxconn 4000
Save the file with Ctrl+X, Y, Enter
Starting haproxy
In the Terminal window, execute these commands:
cd /etc/haproxy
sudo /usr/local/sbin/haproxy -f haproxy.cfg -V
You should see four lines ending with "test results OK" and then a line saying "Using sepoll() as the polling mechanism.", as shown below on this page:
Checking for Listening Processes
In the Terminal window, execute this command:
netstat -an | more
You should see local addresses of :::80 and :::443 with a state of LISTEN, as shown below on this page:
Finding the Linux Machine's IPv6 Address
In the Terminal window, execute this command:
ifconfig
Find the eth0 interface's public inet6 address, as shown below on this page--it will start with 2, not with fe80. If your Ubuntu machine is not connected to the Internet via IPv6, you need to correct that. The previous Linux project explained how to connect a Linux machine through the host Windows machine's gogoCLIENT tunnel.
Viewing the CCSF Web Page over IPv6
The CCSF Web page is not currently available to IPv6 clients. But you have just fixed that with your haproxy machine. In the Windows host machine, open a Web browser and put the IPv6 address of the haproxy Linux machine in the address bar, enclosed in square brackets [], like this:
In the browser, press Enter. The CCSF Web page opens, as shown below on this page:
On the host Windows machine, click Start, type CMD, and press Enter. In the Command prompt window, enter NETSTAT -AN and press Enter. You should see a connection to your Linux machine's IPv6 address on port 80--this is where the Web page loaded from!
There is also a connection to 147.144.1.212:80; this was made when the page redirected.
Turning in Your Project
Make sure you can see the connection to the IPv6 address on port 80, as shown in the image above on this page.
Save a screen image with the filename Proj-L2-from-YourName.
Email it to cnit.60@gmail.com with a Subject line of Proj L2 from Your Name.
Source
Last modified: 2 pm 4-22-11In what has to be seen as a shocking development for both the Houston Dynamo and Major League Soccer, former Premier League manager Owen Coyle is now set to become the Dynamo’s new manager.
Coyle will become the club’s second ever manager, following the resignation of Dominic Kinnear at the conclusion of this season. For fans of the Dynamo, the hiring of a former Premier League manager for such a club has to be seen as a coup. The club does have a successful history — winning the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007 gave them early achievement and brought hopes of becoming a top power.
The side has only missed the MLS Cup playoffs twice in their history, including this past season. Finishing runner-up twice in 2011 and 2012 provided the club with its most recent accomplishments. However, the past season proved to be the worst in team history, as they finished eighth in the Eastern Conference, with only eleven wins.
Bringing in the former Burnley, Bolton and Wigan manager shows the strides both Major League Soccer and the club have made in recent years. For those who don’t know of Coyle, the man brought Burnley back to the Premier League for the first time in 33 years, back in 2009. Following a brief spell with Wigan last season, Coyle was out of work for over a year before being hired by Houston.
However, rebuilding the club will not be an easy task, no matter who the manager is. Relying on the experience and ability of both United States international DaMarcus Beasley and Brad Davis will be key in the club’s rebuilding process. Age could be another issue for Houston with most of their stars being in their thirties. Bringing a youthful crop of players will be crucial in turning the Dynamo around.
A signing of this caliber — whether it be player, manager or owner — is a major step forward for the club and Major League Soccer in general. Coyle brings with him connections from the top of world soccer, lessons he has learned from managing in the world’s best league, and the willingness to help grow the game in the United States.
All of these are qualities that are needed to help grow Major League Soccer into a world best. If other clubs can follow suit and continue to attract top names in the world of soccer there will be no reason why MLS cannot one day become of the world’s best leagues.
Growing the game has become the league’s catchphrase. With the hiring of Owen Coyle, the Houston Dynamo have done their part in bringing global awareness to the league as a whole.Buy online purchase viagra News posted: 07.19.2013 06:07 Hear was that really herself morning could bad vision others sirens following the her she wherein also hereupon the saying I herein distance buy online purchase viagra. can patients of legit online pharmacy yet a fMRI to result others activation showed reduced of else decreased pain never their emotional of arousal view regions the. Said need from a since false likening detector against buy online purchase viagra had smoke to guard lit amongst to herein match to itself a Haas him situation alarms. 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Of course, that is never the case when it comes to Mike Leach. Gnats, Geronimo, and sturgeon fishing were all topics of conversation when Leach spoke to the press.
Taco Bell
Before we get to football related items, Friday was a milestone of sorts in Pullman as a new Taco Bell on Stadium Way opened for business. Long lines were the order of the day as fellow Pullmaniacs filled the newly open establishment from the cash register to the door. I popped in around 2pm and was fairly impressed with how well the operation was running for its first day.
So many times over the years I have sat down to watch a game wishing I had a bag of soft tacos or a Burrito Supreme. But with a round trip of 20+ miles to the nearest Taco Bell in Moscow, the cravings were never really able to overcome the distance. Now only a few blocks separate me and a bag of relatively inexpensive quasi-Mexican food. Like all fast food establishments, there is definitely a burnout threshold when it comes to Taco Bell. I am guessing two or three times a month will likely be my max.
Football
Friday it was announced that for the second year in a row the WSU football team will be holding the first part of its fall camp in Lewiston, Idaho at Sacajawea Middle School. Last year WSU held camp in Lewiston more out of necessity than anything with the construction of the Football Operations Building making Rodgers Field unserviceable. This year the Cougs will be there by choice after coaches saw the benefit of getting players away from their everyday living arrangements to focus on football and each other as they prepare for the season. The team will be in Lewiston from August 2nd to August 13th.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>WSU will begin fall camp in Lewiston on Aug. 2 at Sacajawea Middle School. They'll be in Lewiston until Aug. 13 before heading to Pullman.</p>— Britton Ransford (@bkransford) <a href="https://twitter.com/bkransford/statuses/492796909246234625">July 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Kicker Matt Abramo became the 11th commit to the 2015 WSU recruiting class on Friday. Last year the Cougs received a committment from kicker Tristan Vizcaino, who later flipped to Washington leaving the 2014 WSU kicking game with some serious question marks. A lot of coaches will not even offer a scholarship to a kicker. Leach made national headlines in 2008 when he recruited a student that won a contest by kicking a 30-yard field goal to walk on at Texas Tech. I have an uneasy feeling that once the 2014 season is over, Coug fans will be plenty happy to see Abramo arrive on campus.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>VERBAL: Petaluma (Calif.) Casa Grande kicker Matt Abramo has committed to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wazzu?src=hash">#Wazzu</a>. More <a href="http://t.co/Tn74EQh5CT">http://t.co/Tn74EQh5CT</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCougs?src=hash">#GoCougs</a></p>— Britton Ransford (@bkransford) <a href="https://twitter.com/bkransford/statuses/492814605886844928">July 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The Pac-12 is gaining a lot of attention this year for the strength of the conference's quarterbacks. The College Football Performance Awards recently put out its watch list for the top 40 quarterbacks in the nation and seven Pac-12 quarterbacks were on the list, including WSU's Connor Halliday. So what is the likelihood that Halliday can distinguish himself from the pack? Veteran reporter Vince Grippi from the Spokesman Review took a look at the potential for Halliday to have a special season in 2014 while Jacob Thorpe examines the tradition of excellence among Pac-12 quarterbacks.
Halliday has a chance to be special - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - July 25, 2014
A GRIP ON SPORTS The Pac-12 media days are done. All that's left before the start of the upcoming football season are those pesky preseason practices. What a bore. I'm joking, of course, but the rest of this post won't be humorous, I promise. It's about the Cougars' quarterback situation,...
Passing the torch - Spokesman.com - July 25, 2014
LOS ANGELES – Not every school brought a quarterback to Pac-12 media days, but those that did not were immediately suspect. Over two days in Southern California the league’s coaches and a smattering of its best players gushed about the Pac-12’s quality and quantity at the most important position in football. Only Arizona and Washington do not return a starting quarterback from last season, and of the returnees only Colorado’s Sefo Liufau and Utah’s Travis Wilson weren’t chosen to represent their schools at the conference’s Hollywood powwow.
Cyrus Coen was named to the Polynesian Player of the Year watch list on Friday by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. Coen will play his final season for WSU in 2014 and is projected to be the Cougs' starting SAM linebacker.
Coen Named to Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Cyrus Coen was named to the inaugural Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watch list
It's no secret that Mike Leach is quite fond of Key West, Florida. That's where Bill Moos had to go to find him and talk him into coming to WSU. Now Leach is relegated to visiting Key West on vacations and maybe some recruiting trips. Recently, Leach was spotted vacationing in Key West where the Cody, Wyoming native seems to fit right in with native Floridians.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Dear Steve Spurrier, you have competition! "<a href="https://twitter.com/marc_b">@marc_b</a>: When I grow up I wanna be Mike Leach (via <a href="https://twitter.com/LostLettermen">@LostLettermen</a>) <a href="http://t.co/54O3m6dtB8">pic.twitter.com/54O3m6dtB8</a>"</p>— Sports Dude™ (@ImTheSportsDude) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImTheSportsDude/statuses/492697253165801472">July 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
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No shirt, no helmet, no problem - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - July 25, 2014
Washington State football coach Mike Leach likes to exercise. He walks to work every day, and can often be spotted on one of his various constitutionals around Pullman. So it makes sense why he spends his downtime in the offseason in Florida's Key West. Not only can he bike wherever...On August 25, 2010, hackers installed an illuminated "Doctor Who"-style police call box ("TARDIS") on the roof of Building 7 overlooking the 77 Mass Ave entrance for the beginning of Rush/Freshman Orientation, along with a banner reading "The Doctor: 1 / Harvard: 0". The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) is the space and time travel ship used by the Doctor in the British sci-fi television series "Doctor Who." It takes the form of a police call box because of a stuck Chameleon circuit.
On August 30, 2010, the TARDIS reappeared on the great dome. A Boston globe article quoted a student regarding the TARDIS on building 7 saying that "Big dome hacks are more impressive." Perhaps this TARDIS pilot's aim was just off the first time around--the doctor often lands his TARDIS in places and times he doesn't intend.
In early January 2011, the TARDIS again appeared, this time on the other side of the country on Caltech's Baxter Hall. It remained parked for many weeks before disappearing again. What was the Doctor up to?
Apparently the Doctor got bored with sunny southern California weather, because on January 29, 2011 the TARDIS again appeared, this time on the roof of one of the physics buildings, Birge Hall, at the Univeristy of California, Berkeley.
In March 2011, the TARDIS was sighted on the Stanford Engineering building, and came with a note encouraging those who found it to help the doctor continue in his travels to new locales.With all the hype that came with two great Quarterbacks playing against each other in the playoffs, this game became one of the most one sided matches of the playoff season. Despite the Colts opting to drop back Andrew Luck 23 times in the first half, they only had 12 positive plays come out of it, a success rate barely passing 50% which includes two penalties. How did the Patriots do it?
Rob Ninkovich Will Break You
The Patriots were well aware of the Colts potent passing attack and had to figure out a way to keep them from being able to stretch the field, which they would try to do plenty of times in the first half calling for verticals, deep ins, posts, and corner routes. The Patriots even dared them to try by only rushing four players on each down and playing with one deep safety for a majority of the half. You know what stops deep routes from getting hit though, pressure and coverage.
If there was a game ball given for just the first half of a game, Ninkovich would be far and away the obvious candidate for the most valuable player. He managed to beat his man and force Luck to move in the pocket 8 times by my count (with some help from Chandler Jones) and bat down 2 passes in just two quarters of football. The Patriots identified that RT Joe Reitz had trouble reacting to stunts and couldn’t keep up with Ninkovich’s speed rush so they abused him with both.
On the second play of the game the Patriots line up Ninkovich as a LDT with Chandler Jones as a LEO, they use this wide formation often this game, daring the Colts to run into the big gaps with only two Linebackers out on the field. Jones will press the outside lane to get Reitz to turn his hips perpendicular to the yard line and then crash inside, Reitz will time and time again overcommit at this point and let Ninkovich just slide right by.
Here they are doing it again, this time Jones doesn’t even sell it as well but Reitz still is way late on getting around to Ninkovich. Luck completes this pass, but Ninkovich still manages to make it difficult for him in the pocket.
Later on, it’s Ninkovich doing it for Jones. Reitz just can’t do anything about it.
Then there’s the speed rush. On all of these plays below Ninkovich controls Reitz throughout the entire process. In the first he even takes the time to completely knock Fleener off his route (off screen) before rushing and still manages to pressure Luck. But that’s not even the end of Ninkovich’s dominance in the first half.
But then there’s also these:
How are you going to deal with this? Ninkovich is so well disciplined that he realizes when he can’t make the rush and still is able to make the play. That’s 10 out of 23 passing downs in the first half that Ninkovich made his presence felt.
For a deeper look at Rob Ninkovich’s Game Against the Colts, click here.
Playing Your Opponent
In the offseason the Patriots made the big move to get king of shutdown cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and the big physical cornerback Brandon Browner. These moves along with the emergence of Devin McCourty as one of the leagues best free safeties gave the very loud impression that the Patriots were about to become an (almost) exclusively Cover-1 man team and no surprise, they did. However, it wasn’t just these two FA’s who would end up making a big impact in coverage; homegrown Logan Ryan would begin to emerge as a real presence and even Kyle Arrington came out and made himself known. Belichick told them to man up and they did.
One of the more interesting parts of this half was Browner’s usage of covering only the Tight Ends and sort of doubling as an in the box safety while Revis dealt with one of Nicks or Moncrief. You would think they would put a lot more attention on someone like T.Y. Hilton but to Belichick the biggest threat on the field was Andrew Luck’s ability to go through his progressions. The best way to stifle that strength would be to force him to rush and to force the Wide Receivers to win man battles, a tactic that’s much easier said than done. What it did show was Belichick’s awareness of his own players strengths and abilities and ability to match those up with the opponents.
Already shown above in the way Belichick chose to put Ninkovich out in a LEO role in order to allow him to speed rush constantly against Reitz, he did the same with his CBs and personnel. The Patriots would use a 4-2-5 Nickel setup (4 Defensive Linemen, 2 Linebackers, and 5 Defensive Backs) for a majority of the half switching to a more traditional 3-4-4 only once the Colts reached the redzone. He knew the Colts wanted to spread the field and he didn’t want his Linebackers being tasked with covering either of the two tight ends the Colts employ.
Kyle Arrington
On the first passing play of the game, the game plan is in motion. The CBs are manned up with Arrington, the weakest of the group, on Hilton in the slot. The reason, Arrington is fast enough to keep up with Hilton and his role would be to funnel Hilton into McCourty as many times as possible. You can also see Browner on Fleener at the bottom of the screen, keeping close on a corner route.
Then you have plays like this, where Arrington is lined up against Hilton right at the line, giving him the chance to press. Can you even tell what route Hilton wanted to run? Arrington shuts down whatever he was thinking.
Devin McCourty
It helps a lot when you have someone like McCourty covering the backside, he quickly diagnoses the deep out from Allen and drops down to cover the open space. Meanwhile, everyone else is completely covered out of the play.
Then on this play McCourty quickly reacts to the vertical pick on Arrington and takes Hilton as his man.
Just Win, Baby
Another play where everyone is fully covering their man. Duron Harmon is dropping down to take out Fleeners route, while Arrington and McCourty double up on Hilton on his vertical. At the top, Logan Ryan has Wayne blanketed and is leaving him no space to work with. Even though Luck helps by throwing this ball a little too early, there’s just nothing to work with.
The same goes with these two plays. The way Belichick chose to use his personnel in this game paid off big even when he had his best corner manned up with the offenses smallest threat.
“They Just Wanted It More”
It’s not as if the Colts didn’t try to beat the Patriots man game plan, but they looked obviously like they were giving it away at some points. There were a few plays where the Colts made some real progress, getting routes that when timed together would pick off some Patriots defenders and found some soft spots in their coverages- but the miscues by Luck and Hilton and the vastly superior play by the Patriots defensive line wrecked most of the passing plays.
Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton
This dynamic duo haunted teams in the regular season with their ability to make any vertical play into a game ender but the Patriots suffocated Hilton and in the few situations where Hilton had the chance, Luck just couldn’t make it happen and never for the same reason twice.
On this play, Hilton’s wide open underneath and a pass ahead of him will result in a first down on 3rd and 10. Ninkovich and Jones are generating a ton of pressure, showing that the Colts offensive line was not ready for this game, and Luck ends up throwing this behind Hilton.
Then on 1st and 10 with the 13 personnel out, they catch the McCourty/Arrington duo just right with McCourty heading outside and Hilton able to bend Arrington outside as well (he takes a small subtle step outside two steps before breaking out of the vertical stem) and then goes inside for the post, but Luck misses. Luck takes a hit from Jones, but Jones never actually gets the chance to affect the throw- it’s just a miss.
Finally on this play, Luck reads the field, fakes to Nicks on the underneath route and then throws to Hilton, but when Luck fakes to Nicks, Hilton lets up on his route and slows down instead of finishing. There’s no winning for these two.
Where There’s A Will There’s A Way
Obviously we all know the outcome of this game, but at this point in the half there were still some things that the Patriots had yet to have answers to. With the Patriots committed to keeping McCourty deep, they played both Linebackers further back in the first half to stop the intermediate routes, especially on the few zone calls they had. This opened up the field to pick plays and underneaths, where the Colts did find success.
Fleener picks off and carries Wayne’s defender for at least 6 yards allowing Wayne a free path to the outside. Luck misses, but this shows that they can make this work.
Just like before where a Vertical route picked off Hilton’s defender, this time the Vertical keeps McCourty from coming over this route and allows Luck to drop a dime right on the sideline.
Finally, against a Cover-3 Zone the Colts get the Tight End on a delayed release, and Allen ends up making a wide open catch. This situation comes up a few times on delayed releases for the Colts, mostly for the Running Back.
That’s it for the first half. I’ll be putting up the next half soon, and focusing on how the Colts adjusted to try and take this game into their own hands and what the Patriots defense did to keep kicking the Colts while they were down.
Click Here For The Second Half.
Deeper Look At Every Pass Play In The Half On The Next PageA huge clean-up has been launched in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon after 65 tonnes of dead fish filled the waters which are set to play host to the 2016 Olympic rowing events.
The lagoon, authorities say, became deoxygenated after heavy storms, which washed ‘a large amount of organic matter’ into the lake.
The clean-up is still underway, and is not the first time that the lagoon has suffered such misfortune. In 2009 an estimated 100 tonnes of dead fish, predominantly shad, had to be removed from the waters after a similar incident.
As you can see from the picture above, taken during the Pan-Am Games in 2007, the lagoon hosted rowing successfully.
But you can see the horrific pictures of the Lake as it is this week below:As the Bengals prepare for their practice on Christmas eve, quarterback Andy Dalton was sent home on Wednesday because he wasn't feeling well. Eww, germs. This is the second time that Dalton has been struck with an illness this season. He came down with something during the Saturday night prior to Cincinnati's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dalton, who has made 66 consecutive starts (including the postseason), is on pace to reach career lows in yards and touchdowns.
It's unclear if Dalton was sick on Monday night...
Pro bowl wide receiver receiver A.J. Green also sat on Wednesday. Green suffered a bruised bicep, on the play shown above, during Cincinnati's win over the Denver Broncos. Green said that when he suffered the injury his arm went numb to the point that he was afraid that he broke his arm. An MRI showed no structural damage but it's a bit early to determine if he'll play Sunday night in the AFC North Championship.
Also out Wednesday was defensive end Wallace Gilberry and cornerback Terence Newman. Gilberry momentarily left Monday's game with a hamstring injury while Newman has been recovering from an ankle. It's possible that both are dealing with minor issues from their ailments or simply enjoying a little veterans rest.
On the bright side: Linebacker Emmanuel Lamur was back on the field after missing last week's game with a hamstring. Lamur was a limited participant during Saturday's practice, so the weather looks partly sunny (drawing on Joe Reedy and Marvin Lewis vernacular) for Sunday's game against the Steelers.WASHINGTON ( |
ulates fewer people are coming back with the human capital these towns so desperately need. This means that for the first time ever, these nonmetro areas are losing population.
The leftovers
In Hollowing Out the Middle, written nearly eight years before Donald Trump's rise, Carr and Kefalas preface the book with this:
In many ways the travails of hollowing out small towns and their Main Streets were an ominous harbinger of economic hard times to come. It is unfortunate that so few people were paying attention that the warning slipped by unheeded.
I talked to several people for this piece, formally and informally, and almost everyone who grew up in a small town or Middle America seemed to imagine a specific person who stayed at home and didn't reach their full potential. Maybe it was the varsity quarterback or the prom queen or our best friend.
And there's a certain tension there.
People who stayed at home tend to be younger, whiter, and more male. This is a group that has gotten their fair share of privilege in this country. And in broad, sweeping statistics, it's a group that holds more regressive views toward marginalized people, including immigrants, minorities, and women. And yes, these factors likely played a bigger part in Trump winning the presidency than economic reasons.
But in that same sweeping vein, it's also a group that didn't get the bulk of resources growing up, a group that was encouraged into a life path that kept them near home, and a group that is now suffering. Other than their support for Trump, one split that stands out is what percentage of people have attended the funeral of someone under 65 — and this split is across all people, including those who stayed in their urban hometowns.
People who stayed had a 33 percent greater chance of having to attend a funeral of someone under the age of 65 compared to those who left home.
In a very literal sense, this is a split between people who have seen the broad and eclectic world with their own two eyes and taken advantage of diverse geographies — and those who have not. These experiences, or lack thereof, shape our outlooks, outcomes, and attitudes.
For some, that's a choice. For others, it's the product of the way we sort people in this country.
Clarification: As economist and migration expert Lyman Stone pointed out to me with charts and data, decreased migration isn’t a generational trend. He wrote in an email, “Millennials get hammered because they happen to be the ones hitting their peak migratory years during a period of low migration.” I’ve changed the piece to make this point clear.For other persons named Wendy Williams, see Wendy Williams (disambiguation)
Wendy Orlean Williams (May 28, 1949 – April 6, 1998) was an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Webster, New York, she came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk rock band Plasmatics. Her stage theatrics included partial nudity, blowing up equipment, and chain-sawing guitars.
After leaving home at 16, Williams hitchhiked to Colorado, earning money by crocheting string bikinis. She traveled to Florida and Europe landing various jobs such as lifeguard, stripper and server at Dunkin' Donuts. When she arrived in New York City in 1976, she began performing in live sex shows, and appeared in the 1979 adult film Candy Goes to Hollywood. That year, she was approached by manager Rod Swenson, who recruited her to the Plasmatics. The band shortly became known on the New York City underground scene, performing at clubs such as CBGB.
After releasing three albums with Plasmatics, Williams embarked on a solo career and in 1984 released her debut album, WOW. She followed with the albums Kommander of Kaos (1986) and Deffest! and Baddest! (1988), before she retired from the music industry. Williams made her screen debut in Tom DeSimone's film Reform School Girls (1986), for which she recorded the title song. She also appeared in the 1989 comedy Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog, and television series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter and MacGyver. On April 6, 1998, Williams died from suicide near her home in Storrs, Connecticut.
Dubbed the "Queen of Shock Rock," Williams was considered the most controversial and radical female singer of her time. Performing her own stunts in videos, she often sported a Mohawk hairstyle. In 1985, during the height of her popularity as a solo artist, she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
Life and career [ edit ]
1949–76: Early life [ edit ]
Williams was born to Robert F. Williams, a chemist at Eastman Kodak,[1] and Audrey Stauber Williams (1921–2008) on May 28, 1949 in Webster, New York. She studied clarinet at the Community Music School program of the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, and later was a clarinetist in her high school's concert band. At the age of six, she appeared tap-dancing on the Howdy Doody show as a member of the "Peanut Gallery."
She had her first run-in with the law at the age of 15, when she was arrested for sunbathing nude.[1] Williams attended R. L. Thomas High School in Webster at least partway through the 10th grade, but left school before graduating. Her schoolmates and teachers recalled Williams as a "shy and pretty girl, an average student who played in the junior high band, paid attention to her hair and clothes, and who spoke so softly you had to lean toward her to hear her."[2]
At the age of 16, Williams left her home and hitchhiked to Colorado where she earned money by selling crocheted string bikinis.[3][4] Afterwards, she headed for Florida working as a lifeguard and then to Europe, where she worked as a macrobiotic cook in London and as a dancer with a gypsy dance troupe.[5] Around that time, she was arrested on multiple occasions for shoplifting and passing counterfeit money.[1]
In 1976, Williams arrived in New York City, where she saw an ad in the Show Business magazine that lay open on the Port Authority Bus Terminal station floor. It was a casting call for radical artist and Yale University graduate Rod Swenson's experimental "Captain Kink's Theatre." She replied to the ad and began performing in live sex shows.[1] She later appeared in Gail Palmer's adult film, Candy Goes to Hollywood (1979), credited as Wendy Williams. She was featured as a performer on a parody of The Gong Show shooting ping pong balls across the set from her vagina.
1977–83: Plasmatics [ edit ]
By 1977, Swenson became Williams' manager and recruited her to join his newly formed punk rock band, Plasmatics. They made their debut in July 1978 at the Manhattan music club CBGB.[1] The Plasmatics toured the world, although a concert in London was cancelled by the promoters due to safety reasons, causing the press to dub the band "anarchists." During the shooting of an appearance on SCTV in 1981, studio heads decided they would not air Williams' performance unless she changed out of a costume that revealed her nipples. Williams refused. The show's make-up artists found a compromise and painted her breasts black.
In January 1981, Milwaukee, Wisconsin police arrested Williams for simulating masturbation on stage, and charged with battery to an officer and obscene conduct. She was cleared of all charges. Later that year in Cleveland, Ohio, Williams was acquitted of an obscenity charge for simulating sex on stage wearing only shaving cream; she subsequently covered her nipples with electrical tape to avoid arrest.[6][7] In November, an Illinois judge sentenced her to one year supervision and fined her $35 for attacking a freelance photographer who tried to take her picture as she jogged along the Chicago lakefront.
1984–86: Solo career, WOW and Kommander of Kaos [ edit ]
Williams recorded a duet of the country hit "Stand by Your Man" with Lemmy of Motörhead in 1982.[8] In 1984, she released the W.O.W. album, produced by Gene Simmons of Kiss. Kiss members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Eric Carr, and Vinnie Vincent also perform on the album. Gene Simmons plays bass but is credited as Reginald Van Helsing.[9][10] In 1985 Williams starred in The Rocky Horror Show at the Westport Playhouse in St. Louis. The show played for over six months, but a nationwide tour fell through.
In 1986, she starred in Tom DeSimone's indie-film Reform School Girls. Neither she nor manager Rod Swenson liked the film when it came out, but at this point the producers had heard Kommander of Kaos (her second solo album) and wanted to include three tracks from the album in the movie score. They approached Rod about producing the title track for the film and having Wendy sing it. The band reluctantly agreed to do it. Uncle Brian from the Broc joined Rod as co-producer and also played sax. He also appeared in the video that the film company had asked Rod to produce and direct, playing the sax and wearing a tutu.
1987–90: Reunion with Plasmatics and Deffest! and Baddest! [ edit ]
In 1987, Williams starred as the part-time friend/enemy in the underground spy world to the title character on Fox's The New Adventures of Beans Baxter. The Plasmatics' last tour was in late 1988. Williams appeared in Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog, directed by Paul S. Parco, in 1990.
In 1988, Wendy put out another solo album, this time a "thrash rap" album called Deffest! and Baddest! under the name "Ultrafly and the Hometown Girls."[11]
Wendy's last known performance of a Plasmatics song occurred due to the prompting of Joey Ramone. She performed "Masterplan" one final time with Richie Stotts, when Richie's band opened for the Ramones on New Year's Eve, 1988.[12]
1991–98: Retirement and final years [ edit ]
In 1991, Williams moved to Storrs, Connecticut, where she lived with her long-time companion and former manager, Rod Swenson, and worked as an animal rehabilitator and at a food co-op in Willimantic.[13] She explained her move by saying that she "was pretty fed up dealing with people."[14]
Death [ edit ]
Williams first attempted suicide in 1993 by hammering a knife into her chest where it lodged in her sternum. However, she changed her mind and called Rod Swenson to take her to the hospital.[6] She attempted suicide again in 1997 with an overdose of ephedrine.[6]
Williams died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 6, 1998, when she was 48. Swenson, her partner for more than 20 years, returned to their home in the area where they had lived since moving to Connecticut from New York City. He found a package she left for him that contained some noodles he liked, a packet of seeds for growing garden greens, some Oriental massage balm, and sealed letters from her.
The suicide letters, which included a "living will" denying life support, a love letter to Swenson and various lists of things to do, caused Swenson to begin searching the woods for her. After about an hour, as dusk fell, he found her body in a wooded area with a pistol lying on the ground nearby. "Wendy's act was not an irrational in-the-moment act," he said; for four years she had contemplated suicide. Swenson reportedly described her as "despondent" at the time of her death.[15] This is what she reportedly wrote[16] in a suicide note regarding her decision:
I don't believe that people should take their own lives without deep and thoughtful reflection over a considerable period of time. I do believe strongly, however, that the right to do so is one of the most fundamental rights that anyone in a free society should have. For me, much of the world makes no sense, but my feelings about what I am doing ring loud and clear to an inner ear and a place where there is no self, only calm.
Joey Ramone and many others issued statements at the time of her death. On Motörhead's 1999 live album Everything Louder Than Everyone Else, before the song "No Class," Motörhead vocalist Lemmy said that he wanted to dedicate the song to her.[17]
A memorial was held at CBGB on May 18.[18] Several of Wendy's former Plasmatics co-members (Chosei Funahara, Richie Stotts, Wes Beech, Stu Deutsch, Jean Beauvoir and TC Tolliver) played a six-song set with four of them handling the vocals.[19][20]
Discography [ edit ]
Filmography [ edit ]
In popular culture [ edit ]
In the Super Mario games, the main antagonist Bowser has a minion named Wendy O. Koopa, who was named after a notable musician in popular music like her siblings.[21]Abstract
Aedes albopictus is secondary to Aedes aegypti as a vector of dengue viruses (DENVs) in settings of endemicity, but it plays an important role in areas of dengue emergence. This study compared the susceptibility of these 2 species to DENV infection by performing 232 direct blood-feeding experiments on 118 viremic patients with dengue in Vietnam. Field-derived A. albopictus acquired DENV infections as readily as A. aegypti after blood feeding. Once infected, A. albopictus permitted higher concentrations of DENV RNA to accumulate in abdominal tissues, compared with A. aegypti. However, the odds of A. albopictus having infectious saliva were lower than the odds observed for A. aegypti (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval,.52–.93). These results quantitate the susceptibility of A. albopictus to DENV infection and will assist parameterization of models for predicting disease risk in settings where A. albopictus is present.
(See the editorial commentary by Christofferson on pages 1177–9.)
Dengue is the most important arboviral infection of humans, with an estimated 00 million clinically apparent infections annually [1, 2]. In dengue-endemic countries, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) is widely accepted to be the primary vectors of dengue viruses (DENVs), with Aedes albopictus (Skuse) regarded as a secondary vector. Yet A. albopictus can clearly transmit DENV at scales that are important to public health. For example, outbreaks of dengue during 1976–1977 (in the Seychelles), 2004 (in Ningbo, China), 2007 (in Gabon), 2009 (in Mauritius), 2010 (in Dongguan, China), and 2014 (in Guangdong, China, and Japan) were associated with A. albopictus [3–10]. These outbreaks demonstrate that, although A. albopictus can be a competent vector of DENV, there must be biological features that render A. albopictus generally less well equipped to transmit DENV, compared with A. aegypti.
Aedes albopictus originated in Asia but has geographically spread through global trade, particularly via used car tires infested with A. albopictus eggs and larvae [11]. It is now distributed throughout the United States, Central America, and South America and in temperate African and European countries [12–14]. Numerous features have supported the expansion of A. albopictus, including the ability of the eggs to undergo diapause [15]. There is also speculation around their ability to outcompete established species of mosquitoes [16, 17].
The expansion of A. albopictus has led to concern of an associated increase in the range of dengue transmission. Lambrechts et al reviewed vector competence literature and reported that, although A. albopictus were more susceptible to DENV midgut infection, rates of virus dissemination to other tissues were significantly lower in A. albopictus than in A. aegypti [18]. Additionally, laboratory-reared A. albopictus became increasingly susceptibility to DENV, which may have been a confounding variable in the literature. Furthermore, the comparative vector competence literature has been derived entirely from laboratory experiments using artificial blood meals and laboratory-passaged viruses. How well these laboratory conditions replicate the pathogenesis of DENV transmission from viremic humans to mosquitoes in the field is uncertain.
The benefits of understanding why A. albopictus is largely a secondary vector of DENV in settings of endemicity are numerous. First, existing risk-analysis models of the likelihood of dengue outbreaks in southern Europe and the United States could be improved with quantitative estimates of A. albopictus vector competence [19, 20]. Second, probability maps of dengue occurrence could be refined with better estimates of the relative vector competence of A. albopictus versus A. aegypti. Third, if the historical literature is correct and A. albopictus is more resistant than A. aegypti to disseminated DENV infection, then this provides an opportunity to identify species-specific antiviral defense mechanisms. Last, novel dengue control efforts using Wolbachia-infected A. aegypti will be better informed with an understanding of the vector competence of A. albopictus in candidate intervention settings [21]. To these ends, the current study compared the susceptibility of A. aegypti and A. albopictus to initial and disseminated DENV infection after direct blood-feeding episodes on viremic patients with dengue.
METHODS
Ethics Statement
All participants provided written informed consent to participate in the study. The study protocols were reviewed and approved by the Scientific and Ethical Committee of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (CS/ND/12/15) and the Oxford Tropical Research Ethical Committee (OxTREC 29–12). All investigations were conducted in accordance with the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Patient Cohorts
The study was performed at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, between September 2012 and November 2013. The inclusion criteria were age of ≥15 years, fever duration of ≤96 hours, and clinical suspicion of dengue; positive result of an NS1 rapid test; and provision of written informed consent. The exclusion criteria were current pregnancy, determined by clinical examination or a urine dipstick test for β-human chorionic gonadotropin; current intensive care unit stay; intellectual disability; a history of severe reactions to mosquito bites; and severe dermatological conditions. Demographic and clinical information were recorded prospectively in a standard case report form.
Mosquitoes for Blood-Feeding Experiments
All of the mosquitoes (A. aegypti and A. albopictus) that fed on patients with dengue were F3 generation and derived from 2 independent pooled larval collections, each sampled from 3 locations within 5 km of each other in Ho Chi Minh City. The A. aegypti used were distinct from those in our previous study [22]. Briefly, field-caught larvae were pooled and fed commercial dry fish and dog food. Mosquitoes were housed as described previously [22]. Briefly, adults (F1 generation) were kept in cages containing males and females in an environmental chamber with 12-hour cycles of light and dark at 27°C and 70% relative humidity. F1 females were provided blood meals by direct feeding on afebrile healthy human volunteers for multiple gonotrophic cycles over 45 days, with 15% sucrose provided freely in addition. Eggs from F1 females were hatched and reared and the subsequent F2 females provided with human blood meals as described above. When female F2 mosquitoes were 12 days old, they were killed and pooled into groups of 10 mosquitoes. Each pool was homogenized and tested, along with appropriate controls, by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to confirm the absence of DENV, Japanese encephalitis virus, and chikungunya virus. Eggs collected and stored from F2 females were the source of F3 females that were used for direct feeding on patients with dengue.
Experimental Exposure of Patients to Mosquitoes
Each patient was assigned a schedule of 2 exposures to mosquitoes on 2 different study days during the first 4 days after enrollment. The patient's forearm was exposed to 30–40 A. aegypti and A. albopictus aged 3–7 days (using a 2:3 ratio of A. aegypti to A. albopictus because preliminary experiments indicated that a higher fraction of A. aegypti took a blood meal) contained in a mesh-covered plastic cup that was held against the patient's forearm for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, mosquitoes were returned to the insectary and subjected to cold anesthesia at 4°C for 45 seconds. Engorged mosquitoes were transferred to 500-mL plastic cups, separated by species, and maintained in an environmental chamber with 12-hour cycles of light and dark at 27°C and 70% relative humidity for 14 days. The number of dead mosquitoes was recorded daily.
Clinical Adverse Events
Postexposure severe adverse events were defined as any event that was clinically significant (ie, requiring clinical intervention, prolonged hospitalization, or admission to an intensive care unit) and possibly, probably, or definitely related to experimental exposure to mosquitoes.
Detection of DENV in Mosquito Tissues and Saliva
Technicians blinded to clinical and virological details of the participants performed laboratory assays of the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were killed by cold exposure. The abdomen was dissected from the rest of the mosquito body and suspended in 0.5 mL of mosquito diluent (2% [v/v] heat-inactivated fetal calf serum [FCS] in Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640 medium, antibiotics, and antimycotics). Individual mosquito abdomens were homogenized with 1-mm zirconia/silica beads for 15 minutes at 30 Hz by using a TissueLyser II system (Qiagen), as described previously [22]. Mosquitoes were scored as being infected with DENV, using a previously described quantitative RT-PCR analysis of homogenized tissue, with the results expressed as copies per abdomen [23]. Infectious virus in the saliva of individual mosquitoes was detected as described previously [22]. Briefly, the proboscis of dewinged and delegged mosquitoes was inserted into the end of a micropipette tip containing 6 µL of filtered saliva medium (a 1:1 solution of 15% [v/v] sucrose in normal saline and inactivated FCS). After 30 minutes, the 6 µL of saliva medium was ejected and then drawn into a pointed glass capillary tube (tip diameter, <0.3 µm), after which the volume of saliva medium derived from 1 mosquito was injected into the thorax of 4–6 A. aegypti (age, 4–7 days; volume injected, approximately 1 µL per mosquito). These injected mosquitoes were maintained for 7 days in an environmental chamber as described above. After 7 days, the mosquitoes were killed and the bodies pooled, homogenized, and tested by quantitative RT-PCR for DENV infection, with saliva samples scored as positive or negative depending on this result.
Sequence Amplification and Sequencing of the Gene Encoding DENV Envelope Protein
Viral RNA was extracted as previously described from plasma and mosquito abdomen tissues [22]. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized from 8 µL of viral RNA by using the Superscript III First-Strand Synthesis System for RT-PCR according to manufacturers’ instructions. The genomic region spanning the genes encoding premembrane and envelope proteins was amplified from the cDNA in 16 amplimers. Subsequent steps were performed according to the manufacturers instructions for 454 GS-Junior Next Generation Sequencing method (Roche). Briefly, the primers in this first PCR round contained universal tails at the 5′ end to allow the addition of 454 sequencing-specific nucleotides and isolate-specific multiplex identifiers (also known as “barcodes”) in a second PCR round. The first-round and second-round PCR analyses used FastStart High Fidelity polymerase (Roche). The long-read sequencing performance of the 454 GS-Junior (between 400 and 500 bases), in combination with a sample pooling strategy that uses barcoded amplicons, was used for parallel analysis of pooled samples. GS Mapping software was used for primer trimming and alignment of reads against a reference sequence DENV-1/VN/BID-V2732/2007 (GenBank accession number GQ199773.1). Sequence quality was measured using Phred (Q) scores with a minimum acceptable threshold of 95% of sequencing reads having Q scores of >20 (1/100 errors per base).
Dengue Diagnostic Tests
Serological responses were detected using immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions (Panbio, Australia). In accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, we classified serological profiles as “probable secondary” when >22 U of IgG were detected in either acute or early convalescent samples. If acute or early convalescent samples were IgM positive but IgG negative, serological profiles were classified as “probable primary.” When IgM or IgG tests result were equivocal, we classified the serological profile as “indeterminate.”
DENV plasma viremia levels were measured by a validated quantitative RT-PCR assay that has been described previously [23].
Statistical Analysis
The probability of successful human-to-mosquito transmission was compared between A. aegypti and A. albopictus, using marginal logistic regression models. Models for assessment of abdomen samples were adjusted for the patient's log 10 -transformed viremia level, and models for assessment of saliva samples were further adjusted for the abdominal tissue viremia level. Analyses were performed for all patients and stratified by serotype. To account for potential within-patient correlation, model-robust sandwich standard error estimates were used throughout to construct confidence intervals (CIs) and P values. We derived 50% mosquito infectious doses (MID 50 values; defined as plasma viremia levels corresponding to a 50% probability of infection) for abdomen infection on the basis of marginal logistic regression coefficients for each mosquito type, and corresponding 95% CIs were calculated using the delta rule. Since the proportion of mosquitoes with infectious saliva was <50%, MID 50 values were not estimated. In the initial analysis of the transmission of DENV to saliva, mosquitoes with uninfected abdomens were assigned a log value of 0. This analysis was also run with exclusion of mosquitoes with uninfected abdomen's. The relationship between various covariates and the probability of successful human-to-mosquito transmission was assessed for each mosquito type, using a similar multivariable marginal regression model. The covariates assessed were day of illness, plasma viremia level, serotype, serological result, and abdominal viral burden. The number of mutations in the DENV-1 consensus sequence was compared between mosquito types, using a stratified version of the Wilcoxon test with stratification by patient [24]. All the analyses were performed using the R statistical software package, version 2.13.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing; Vienna, Austria).
RESULTS
Study Population Characteristics
Between September 2012 and November 2013, 120 patients with dengue were enrolled and experimentally exposed to field-derived A. aegypti and A. albopictus on 2 randomly allocated days within the first 4 study days. The patient enrollment flowchart is shown in Supplementary Figure 1. The final cohort for analysis comprised 118 DENV viremic patients with 232 independent mosquito exposure events. The baseline characteristics of the patients enrolled are shown in Table 1. Experimental exposure to mosquitoes was well tolerated, and no patient experienced a severe adverse event or required withdrawal from the study. DENV serotype 1 (DENV-1) and DENV-4 were responsible for 26% and 44% of cases, respectively, with DENV-2 (13%) and DENV-3 (16%) also represented.
Table 1. Characteristic DENV-1 (n = 31) DENV-2 (n = 15) DENV-3 (n = 19) DENV-4 (n = 52) Overall (n = 118)a Age, y 23 (19–31) 23 (21–32) 25 (20–27) 27.5 (22–34) 26 (20–32) Sex Male 12 (38.7) 7 (46.7) 5 (26.3) 17 (32.7) 41 (34.8) Female 19 (61.3) 8 (53.3) 14 (73.7) 35 (67.3) 77 (65.3) Illness duration at enrollment, db 1 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 7 (22.3) 5 (33.3) 0 (0) 7 (13.4) 19 (16.2) 3 11 (36.7) 3 (20.0) 7 (36.8) 20 (38.4) 42 (35.9) 4 12 (40.0) 7 (46.7) 11 (57.9) 24 (46.2) 54 (46.2) 5 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (5.3) 1 (2.0) 2 (1.7) Viremia level, log 10 copies/mL 8.1 (6.9–8.7) 7.6 (7.1–8.9) 6.6 (5.5–7.1) 7.2 (6.5–7.8) 7.2 (6.6–8.1) Serological profilec Primary 10 (32.3) 0 (0) 1 (5.3) 1 (2.0) 12 (10.3) Secondary 17 (54.8) 12 (80.0) 16 (84.2) 48 (94.1) 94 (80.3) Indeterminate 4 (12.9) 3 (20.0) 2 (10.5) 2 (3.9) 11 (9.4) Clinical classification Dengue 26 (83.9) 14 (93.3) 16 (84.2) 47 (90.4) 104 (88.1) Dengue with warning signs 5 (16.1) 1 (6.7) 2 (10.5) 4 (7.7) 12 (10.2) Severe dengue 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) Others 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (5.3)d 1 (1.9)e 2 (1.7) Transferred to ICU 1 (3.2) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0.9) Characteristic DENV-1 (n = 31) DENV-2 (n = 15) DENV-3 (n = 19) DENV-4 (n = 52) Overall (n = 118)a Age, y 23 (19–31) 23 (21–32) 25 (20–27) 27.5 (22–34) 26 (20–32) Sex Male 12 (38.7) 7 (46.7) 5 (26.3) 17 (32.7) 41 (34.8) Female 19 (61.3) 8 (53.3) 14 (73.7) 35 (67.3) 77 (65.3) Illness duration at enrollment, db 1 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 7 (22.3) 5 (33.3) 0 (0) 7 (13.4) 19 (16.2) 3 11 (36.7) 3 (20.0) 7 (36.8) 20 (38.4) 42 (35.9) 4 12 (40.0) 7 (46.7) 11 (57.9) 24 (46.2) 54 (46.2) 5 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (5.3) 1 (2.0) 2 (1.7) Viremia level, log 10 copies/mL 8.1 (6.9–8.7) 7.6 (7.1–8.9) 6.6 (5.5–7.1) 7.2 (6.5–7.8) 7.2 (6.6–8.1) Serological profilec Primary 10 (32.3) 0 (0) 1 (5.3) 1 (2.0) 12 (10.3) Secondary 17 (54.8) 12 (80.0) 16 (84.2) 48 (94.1) 94 (80.3) Indeterminate 4 (12.9) 3 (20.0) 2 (10.5) 2 (3.9) 11 (9.4) Clinical classification Dengue 26 (83.9) 14 (93.3) 16 (84.2) 47 (90.4) 104 (88.1) Dengue with warning signs 5 (16.1) 1 (6.7) 2 (10.5) 4 (7.7) 12 (10.2) Severe dengue 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) Others 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (5.3)d 1 (1.9)e 2 (1.7) Transferred to ICU 1 (3.2) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0.9) View Large
Table 1. Characteristic DENV-1 (n = 31) DENV-2 (n = 15) DENV-3 (n = 19) DENV-4 (n = 52) Overall (n = 118)a Age, y 23 (19–31) 23 (21–32) 25 (20–27) 27.5 (22–34) 26 (20–32) Sex Male 12 (38.7) 7 (46.7) 5 (26.3) 17 (32.7) 41 (34.8) Female 19 (61.3) 8 (53.3) 14 (73.7) 35 (67.3) 77 (65.3) Illness duration at enrollment, db 1 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 7 (22.3) 5 (33.3) 0 (0) 7 (13.4) 19 (16.2) 3 11 (36.7) 3 (20.0) 7 (36.8) 20 (38.4) 42 (35.9) 4 12 (40.0) 7 (46.7) 11 (57.9) 24 (46.2) 54 (46.2) 5 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (5.3) 1 (2.0) 2 (1.7) Viremia level, log 10 copies/mL 8.1 (6.9–8.7) 7.6 (7.1–8.9) 6.6 (5.5–7.1) 7.2 (6.5–7.8) 7.2 (6.6–8.1) Serological profilec Primary 10 (32.3) 0 (0) 1 (5.3) 1 (2.0) 12 (10.3) Secondary 17 (54.8) 12 (80.0) 16 (84.2) 48 (94.1) 94 (80.3) Indeterminate 4 (12.9) 3 (20.0) 2 (10.5) 2 (3.9) 11 (9.4) Clinical classification Dengue 26 (83.9) 14 (93.3) 16 (84.2) 47 (90.4) 104 (88.1) Dengue with warning signs 5 (16.1) 1 (6.7) 2 (10.5) 4 (7.7) 12 (10.2) Severe dengue 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) Others 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (5.3)d 1 (1.9 |
melting, floating ice resulted in the accumulation of 300 feet or more of Glacial Marine Drift over much of western Whatcom County. (Easterbrook, 1976; Geologic Map of Western Whatcom County, Washington, USGS, Map I-854-B) This Glacial Marine Drift is generally soft and was not consolidated by the weight of the glacier. A discontinuous, thin mantle of this Glacial Marine Drift above the Glacial Lodgment Till has been identified sporadically across Point Roberts. The uppermost layer of glacial sediments consists of recessional sand, silt, and gravel deposited as the Strait of Georgia ice lobe receded. Since the recession of the glaciers, the Fraser River has deposited deltaic sediments on the north and easterly side of the Point Roberts-Tsawwassen Island connecting it to the Greater Vancouver mainland (approximately 2,500 years ago, Murray 2008). At some locations, these sediments have been eroded or removed exposing the lodgment till.
Parks and features Edit
Maple Beach, Washington (NE)
Monument Park (NW)
Lighthouse Marine Park (SW) Point Roberts Skate Park (Central - recreational open space)
Lily Point Marine Reserve (SE)
Cascadia Marine Trail (S and E)
Neighborhoods Edit
South Beach Estates (beach rights)
Bells Grove
Crystal Waters
Freeman Beach
Lily Point
Maple Beach
Waters Plat
Ocean View Estates
Seabright Farm Cottages
Telecommunications Edit
Until 1988, Point Roberts telephone numbers were in British Columbia's area code 604 and served by BCTel, the local telephone company for most of British Columbia. It was served by an exchange for Delta, resulting in the oddity of calls from British Columbia being local calls while calls from Washington and the rest of the United States were billed as international calls. In 1988, Point Roberts was shifted to area code 206, the area code for most of western Washington, using exchange 945—at the expense of losing the ability to make local calls to any other exchange in either country. Along with the rest of Whatcom County, Point Roberts moved to area code 360 in 1995.[23] The local regular-service telecom provider is Whidbey Telecom.[10] Although Point Roberts is nominally part of the Seattle television market, the only over-the-air stations available in the town come from the Metro Vancouver region and Bellingham, Washington. Cable television in Point Roberts is provided by Delta Cable, a subsidiary of Canadian cable company EastLink. Delta Cable offers most major broadcast stations from Vancouver, and some stations from Seattle and Bellingham. Delta Cable also offers a selection of popular American cable networks, but no digital cable service or Canadian specialty channels,[24] as they are not licensed to serve the United States. Both Whidbey Telecom and Delta Cable provide broadband Internet access to residents of Point Roberts. Mobile telephone service is provided by a variety of companies, both American and Canadian.
Notable residents Edit
See also EditWASHINGTON — The United States Navy is rushing more of the newest unmanned mine-clearing technology to the Persian Gulf while creating two new sets of crews to operate minesweepers in the region, Navy officials said Wednesday. The effort is intended to balance a renewed American emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region while sustaining a military presence in the Middle East to deter Iran.
The Navy says it has come up with plans to increase its deployments of the latest generation of robotic equipment that can detect and remotely detonate mines as a way to help guarantee a continued — and credible — countermine ability in waters off Iran into next year and beyond, when the number of minesweeping ships on patrol may be reduced.
Two new crews will join the 10 that now rotate duty on the eight minesweepers in the Persian Gulf region. Those additional crews entering the deployment cycle should help relieve the stress on the sailors and their families, while sustaining a high tempo of mine-clearing missions, Navy officers said.
Four of the minesweepers now on patrol in the Middle East are permanently based in Bahrain, home of the Fifth Fleet.
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But four others, sent to the region during the summer as tensions with Iran escalated, may be ordered back to their home port in San Diego next year if the situation in the region allows. The Navy wants those vessels back in the Pacific Ocean to meet requirements of President Obama’s rebalancing of a military and diplomatic focus on Asia.The collection agency that keeps calling doesn’t seem invested in talking to me live; it phones with a recording, leaving a presumptive voice mail message — a threatening male voice urging me to quickly return the call. Such is the nature of the debt recovery business: So many people dodge these phone calls there’s really not much sense in a live person reaching out. So much urgency, but even when one answers, as I do, the system’s default is a talking robot assuming it’s uploading its demands to a listening robot’s memory. It assumes rote, machine-on-machine action. I’m a different kind of deadbeat, though. I want to be reached. I am a man who, in the eyes of this tangle of machinery, stands guilty until proven innocent … and I want my day in court. What’s unsettling, though, is that the opportunity to prove my innocence has been severely limited. For example, when I return the debt collector’s call, the automated menu insists I punch in my account number. As if I’m supposed to maintain an account with a collection agency. I try hitting 0, but I can’t reach a live person. And so, accused of wrongdoing, it’s almost impossible to face my accusers. And the face-to-face issue is where my problem originated.
Customer service
It began with a so-called invoice mailed to me through the folks at the charmingly named SunPass, which is the Florida Department of Transportation’s electronic transponder payment system for unstaffed tollbooths. The invoice was from Toll-by-Plate, the state’s image-based electronic toll collection system. This is a fancy way of explaining that, at least on a particular 47-mile strip of Miami-Dade highway, the state has decided that having living, breathing toll takers to collect money from those folks who don’t use SunPass is inefficient. So instead, it snaps pictures of every car that doesn’t have a transponder, runs each photo through an optical character recognition (OCR) program that scans the license plate and mails a bill to the registered owner of that car. A model of modern efficiency. Of course, though this efficiency may save the state a lot of money, it doesn’t get passed on to the driver. My Toll-by-Plate invoice featured an added administrative fee far outstripping cost of the toll. In fact, though the FDOT claims the tolls save drivers an average of 25 cents per toll in gas, every Toll-by-Plate invoice has a built-in $2.50 fee. Besides the additional fee, my invoice had some other features. Toll-by-Plate had established an account number for me (I was now considered a customer) and sent along a high-angle, fuzzy black-and-white photograph of a light-colored sedan. There was a rear license plate in the shot. The printout underneath the photo clarified the information in bold government type: It was a Pennsylvania license plate number that I recognized. There were just a few problems with this: 1) I have never driven a car that I owned in Florida.
2) The license plate was registered to a dark blue SUV, not a light-colored four-door.
3) That license plate hasn’t belonged to me since I sold that SUV three years earlier.
4) Despite what the invoice claimed, it was impossible to accurately read the plate number in the photograph. This invoice was not the OCR software’s finest hour. While it shouldn’t have been my problem, I dutifully dialed the 866 number (the hotline is toll-free, even if the roads are not) suggested under the heading “If you are not the owner of this vehicle.” It took awhile to get through to a person, because the phone system kept insisting I key in my account number, and I steadfastly refused to embrace the idea of having an account simply because Toll-by-Plate had decided to foist one upon me. Every man has his limits. Eventually I was able to get through to a customer service rep and started recounting my concerns. Things were starting to feel Orwellian at this point. The customer service operator wouldn’t believe me it when I told her I hadn’t even been in Florida recently; she seemed to feel that position was essentially disproved by the very Toll-by-Plate invoice in question. My innocence wasn’t believed because its paperwork was conclusive evidence to the contrary. Regarding the next two items on my objection list, I was told the FDOT didn’t cross-reference car and plate information. “But if you did, then you’d see I’m telling you the truth,” I said. “But we don’t do that, sir,” came the what-am-I-supposed-to-do-about-it? response. I suggested it easily could, since whatever license plate database it uses to look up car owner registration information would also de facto have make and model information. “People don’t look at any of the photographs,” she said. Instead, a computer scans the plate information, retrieves the address and generates the invoice. This point naturally brought us to my fourth objection: The plate’s illegibility was true not only from my perspective (since the photographed car wasn’t mine, the numbers must have been misread) but should have been true also from the operator’s perspective (because she couldn’t read the numbers on her computer’s image). This may have my crowning achievement as a logician, but my conclusion didn’t have the slam-dunk impact I’d hoped for. Yes, the woman agreed, she couldn’t read the plate. But that fact didn’t rule me out as the culprit — er, customer — now, did it? The illegible plate could still be mine. I was informed there were photographic experts to whom the shot could be forwarded for further analysis. They would make the final determination and let me know. But first there were some forms I’d need to fill out, more information for me to provide. I bristled at all this. Make the final determination? “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” I wanted to start chanting. I wasn’t going to spend one more precious minute on this. “I’ve called you to report your error,” I informed the rep. “I’ve explained it. Now I’m done. This is not my problem, because this is not my car.” The woman told me she wouldn’t forward the case to the image analysts without my further cooperation on the information required, but I refused and hung up.
99.91 percent accuracy
The letters kept arriving, first from Toll-by-Plate, with late fees adding to administrative fees, then from a debt collector with further compounding fees (and new account numbers). Then the intimidating calls started coming. I ignored it all. They had the wrong guy, it would work itself out; the arc of the automated decision tree may be long, but I knew it bends toward justice.
Across the country, the machinery of efficiency is taking an ever-encroaching and authoritative position.
Then the new invoice showed up. Another Florida violation had wedged itself into my life from a thousand miles away. The same Pennsylvania plate but a different car. This time it was a BMW; I could tell by the style of the grille, because this photograph was taken from in front of the car. Interesting, because not only do Pennsylvania-registered cars sport single, rear license plates but so do Florida cars. As do the cars of every state within 500 miles of Florida. I sat back and watched the process start over. I realized I’d likely have a better time making my case with customer service this time, since the no-front-license-plate argument would be hard to ignore. But I was tired of offering SunPass answers it didn’t want to believe. Instead, I realized it was time to start asking questions it didn’t want to hear. I left a voice mail with the FDOT’s Public Affairs Office and receive a call back quickly. But only, I suspect, because of the potential for this story to tarnish FDOT’s image. (The woman I spoke with let it slip that she Googled me before returning my call. A reasonable conclusion might be that the FDOT was trying to figure out if it was worth dealing with me or not.) She was deeply apologetic about the false positive bills and couldn’t understand how it happened. Happened twice, I reminded her. All the more mind-boggling to this spokeswoman. Twice? She couldn’t get over it, explaining that the FDOT’s data showed Toll-by-Plate is 99.91 accurate in reading license plates. I asked why the system would take shots of the front of a car when so many states don’t require a plate there. She explained the cameras take front-view photos only of trucks; since 18-wheel truck cabs haul various trailers registered to different owners, the DOT needed to make sure it was invoicing drivers and not trailer owners. She seemed proud of this answer, as if this truck situation had kept the Toll-by-Plate people up at night until a clever solution was reached. I wondered what the accuracy rate was on determining the front of a vehicle from the rear. Instead, I asked what made the camera think this little BMW was a truck — and mine at that? There was long silence on the line. No one knows. But of course, the OCR software doesn’t look at the car, just the plate. So an error so simple that a 3-year-old could explain it slips past the high-tech sentinel and, as a result, I’m suddenly in the system as owing Florida money. “Did you call?” I explained the argument I’d had with the customer service rep over the first mistake. “I have to say, it felt like a situation where I was guilty until proven innocent,” I said. “They should’ve taken care of it when you called,” she said. “That shouldn’t have happened.” “She didn’t act like excusing the toll was even a possibility,” I said. “Well, you wouldn’t believe what some people will do to get out of paying a toll,” she said. “They change the numbers on their plates. They use electrical tape.” In other words, the entire foolproof process — we take pictures of plates and correlate them to owners — has been built knowing that the cameras don’t always get the numbers right. The spokeswoman sighed. “We read 57 million plates a year, and I’d say 99.91 percent accuracy is pretty good.”
In the house's favorBuy Photo Colorado State's Lettia Wilson sprints around the first corner in the women's 400-meter relay at the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins on Saturday. The Rams won the race in a school-record time. (Photo: Eliott Foust/For the Coloradoan)Buy Photo
The CSU men's and women's track and field teams took first at the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins on Saturday.
The men won by nearly 100 points and the women won by more than 100.
The women's 400-meter relay team of Lettia Wilson, Abby Simpson, Leah Fair and Lorenda Holston set a school record in winning the event in 45.02. Fair also won the 100-meter dash in a personal best time of 11.80.
Alex Dillenbeck won the men's 1,500 in 3:53.10. Aaliya Pete won the shot put with a toss of 53-feet and 10.25 inches. Tyler Schultz won the shot put on the mens side at 58-5.75.
Collin Scheer won the high jump on the men's side and Jazmyn Webster won on the women's side for CSU. Trey Richardson and Cheyenne Hall won the men's and women's triple jumps, respectively.The town council of Ramea, N.L., has declared a state of emergency over a lack of fresh running water.
Two weeks after a storm surge dumped salt water in their water system, residents of Ramea, on Northwest Island off the southern coast of Newfoundland, are still without fresh running water.
Mayor Clyde Dominie told CBC Friday afternoon the town would have declared a state of emergency earlier but thought the salt water would flush out of the system after a week or so.
"But that didn't happen, and we've got to the point where we certainly have to do what we can about it," he told CBC Radio's On The Go.
"We were hoping that by doing this, we would actually get some things seen to quicker than normal."
A storm surge two weeks ago that flooded the community of Coombs Cove, above, on the Connaigre Peninsula on the southern coast of Newfoundland, also disrupted the water system in Ramea, 200 kilometres west. (Jamie Thornhill & Phoebe Dominix Cox)
The town has a supply of fresh water at the water treatment plant itself, but it's unusable for consumption.
"People still have water to their homes for their toilet, their washing or whatever, but the level of salt, of course, the sodium is way up from what it should be," said Dominie, who added the town's sodium levels are about six times acceptable standards.
Water has been too salty
Dominie told CBC News earlier Friday that the seas were higher than anyone had ever seen in the area.
"A large amount of salt water entered our reservoir and turned our water quite salty at the time," he said.
Since then, residents have had to go to the plant, where a reverse osmosis unit treats the salt water, with containers to fill up with drinking water.
This photo shows flooding and damage to a property in Ramea during storm surges on Dec. 16. (Twitter/@gregorycutler)
The water currently coming out of residents' taps can be used for washing clothes, but not for cooking or drinking, said Dominie.
Isolated community
Resident Catherine Cutler said it has been a frustrating two weeks without water.
"Nobody has been to the community to assess the damage that was caused. There's been nobody here to talk to people, to see for themselves what's going on."
She said the small island community, with roughly 400 or so residents, only receives major shipments from the ferry from Burgeo once a week.
In the wintertime, that wait can be even longer, with poor weather conditions often stranding the ferry on shore.
"As soon as this happened, you know what people did? They flocked to the store and they bought up all the bottled water," she said.
"For a whole week here in town, you couldn't go to the store and actually buy a bottle of water."
She said that many area residents are also skeptical of the reverse osmosis process for removing salt from the water, leading them to rely on purchases of bottled water.
Bottled water has been selling out on Ramea in the weeks since the town's tap water was compromised. (CBC)
"It's still coming through the same water source, but it's just going through the reverse osmosis system," she said. "It's still coming through the same water source, but it's just going through the reverse osmosis system," she said.
"We question whether all the salt has actually come out of the water going through that system."
Cutler believes that if the government isn't going to provide a solution to the problem any time soon, then residents shouldn't have to pay for bottled water.
"I think in a situation like this where it's not our choice whether we go purchase the water — we really kind of have to — I don't think we should have to pay for it.
Minister responds
Service NL Minister Eddie Joyce said on Friday that he has been in close contact with Dominie and the region's MHA Andrew Parsons about the issue.
Service NL Minister Eddie Joyce says the province is hoping to send an engineer to Ramea on Monday. (Gary Locke/CBC)
Now that a state of emergency has been declared and it seems likely the problem won't be resolved naturally, he said the province is hoping to send in an engineer to assess the situation on Monday.
"The plan is right now Monday to go in and see what can be done and what can be done to hopefully fix this in the future so this don't occur again," he said.
"I know it's tough on the residents in the Ramea area and I know it's tough on the council and we will be working with them on a regular basis to try and get this fixed permanently for the town of Ramea."
Residents coping
As the water crisis continues, Cutler also worries about what might happen to common household appliances after they've been used with salt water.
"You can't go two weeks and not wash laundry and you can't go two weeks and not wash dishes, so we're wondering how is this going to play out on our appliances and what's going to happen when the salt water is all gone and out of the system," she said.
The town has been dealing with salty water since a storm surge on Dec. 16. As well, a major water leak happened on Christmas Eve, causing more disruptions for the system.
"It's been a difficult couple of weeks, and our town workers have been doing their darndest to do what they can," Dominie said. "We're hoping that Mother Nature will keep working to do what it needs to do."
Dominie said an engineer will be there by Wednesday at the latest to test equipment, and officials plan to flush the system until salt levels are low enough.
The first priority is to get salt out of the water, and then later the town will look at building a better system, according to the mayor.
He said the town is in the process of getting that funding approved, which he hopes will happen soon as they are worried about future incidents with storm surges happening more frequently,Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Ben Brown says the rebels have made gains because of allied air raids
Libyan rebels backed by extensive allied air raids have seized control of the frontline oil town of Ajdabiya from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
Insurgents celebrated amid the ruins of tanks and artillery pieces and then moved west to the town of Brega.
Gaddafi loyalists seized Ajdabiya last week as they advanced east to quell an uprising which began in mid-February.
A Libyan minister said the army had left the town after the "heavy involvement" of Western forces.
The rebel breakthrough came after a seventh night of bombardment by allies enforcing a UN resolution against Col Gaddafi.
British RAF Tornado aircraft have been firing Brimstone guided missiles at his forces in recent days around Ajdabiya, a town of about 100,000 people.
Gaddafi 'promotes everyone'
The BBC's Ben Brown in Ajdabiya says those strikes seemed to be even heavier overnight, leaving wrecked tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces at both the eastern and western gates to the town.
At the scene There have been wild celebrations in Ajdabiya. Rebel fighters firing their guns into the air, blaring their car horns, hugging each other and waving flags. They say Ajdabiya is a town that has been terrorised by Gaddafi loyalists but that now it has been liberated. And there's huge military significance to this too. Ajdabiya is seen by the rebels as the gateway to the west and with this victory they have been given, they say, much needed momentum in their campaign to topple Col Gaddafi. But the liberation of Ajdabiya has been a strange affair. The rebels more or less walked into the town after coalition war planes including British RAF Tornadoes, carried out wave after wave of devastating air strikes against Gaddafi forces on the ground. We counted more than two dozen burned-out or abandoned tanks around the town's east and west gates. In Tripoli, the government has admitted that its fighters retreated in the face of overwhelming air power. Those fighters have now pulled back, it's thought, to Brega. The rebels say they're in hot pursuit.
Some of the celebrating rebels chanted "Thank you, Obama", "Thank you, Cameron" - references to the US president and British prime minister.
The rebels said they were going through the town street by street trying to make sure there were no government fighters or snipers left.
A Libyan government official admitted its forces had abandoned the town.
"They [Western forces] were heavily involved, so the Libyan armed forces decided to leave Ajdabiya this morning," Khaled Kaim, a deputy foreign minister, told reporters.
Rebel forces then moved westwards to the oil town of Brega, 70km (44 miles) from Ajdabiya.
Rebel spokesman Col Ahmed Bani said opposition troops were on the outskirts of Brega, but one journalist travelling with the rebels told Agence France-Presse news agency they were now in the centre of the town and that government forces had fully withdrawn.
Overnight strikes by international forces also reportedly hit an air base on the outskirts of Misrata, a rebel-held city further west which pro-Gaddafi forces have been shelling.
Rebel spokesmen in the city told Reuters on Saturday that the government assault had eased as a result.
However, the spokesmen said later that Gaddafi forces were attacking again from both east and west, with tank, mortar and artillery fire.
Image caption The area around Ajdabiya is littered with destroyed military hardware
Large explosions were also heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Saturday morning.
Witnesses said a military radar site was set on fire in that city's suburb of Tajura, a previous target of the air raids.
In his weekly address, US President Barack Obama said that the "clear and focused" military mission in Libya was succeeding.
"Make no mistake, because we acted quickly, a humanitarian catastrophe has been avoided and the lives of countless civilians - innocent men, women and children - have been saved," he said.
Col Gaddafi is meanwhile said to have ordered a universal promotion for everyone in the army and police, and proposed arming civilian volunteers.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi says the administration's latest move smacks of desperation.
In Tripoli, a distressed woman reached a hotel where foreign journalists are staying, and told them she had been detained for two days by pro-Gaddafi forces and gang-raped after being stopped at a checkpoint.
She was still telling her story when hotel staff and government minders tackled her, and she was dragged out of the hotel and driven away by security guards. Reporters say her story cannot be verified but she did show signs of injury.
A Libyan government spokesman later said the woman was drunk and possibly mentally ill, but said an investigation was being carried out.As shown in the statistic above, the poverty rate among all people living in the Unites States has shifted within the last 15 years.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines poverty as follows: “Absolute poverty measures poverty in relation to the amount of money necessary to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. The concept of absolute poverty is not concerned with broader quality of life issues or with the overall level of inequality in society.”The poverty rate in the United States varies widely across different ethnic groups. Black Americans are the ethnic group with the most people living in poverty in 2016, with an amount of 22 percent of the Black population with an income below the poverty line. In comparison to that, only 8.8 percent of the White (non-Hispanic) population, were living below the poverty line in 2016.Children are one of the most poverty endangered population groups in the U.S. between 1990 and 2016. Child poverty peaked in 1993 with 18 percent of children living in poverty in that year in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the child poverty rate in the United States has been increasing every year; however, in the recent years, there is a trend of decline, reaching 18 percent in 2016.The number of people living in poverty in the U.S. varies from state to state. Compared to California, where about 13.9 percent of the population were living in poverty in 2016 (about 5.44 million citizens), the state of Minnesota had a poverty rate of roughly 8 percent (about 470,000 citizens).COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There's a Michigan man in the Big Ten, as rightful an heir to Bo Schembechler's legacy as any candidate the Wolverines will find whenever their search for Brady Hoke's successor begins.
Like Schembechler, he's the acolyte of a successful and beloved Ohio State coach, steely-eyed and unforgiving with an absolute refusal to take guff from any other coach or program.
Like Schembechler so often was, he's fighting Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy, preparing Saturday night for Ohio State at Michigan State, the only game that seems to truly matter in the league this year.
He'd be the perfect coach for Michigan - if only he hadn't been kicking the Wolverines around for the last seven years.
As Sports Illustrated columnist Michael Rosenberg, who once penned a book about Schembechler and Woody Hayes, wrote recently, "Everything you could once say about Michigan, you can now say about Michigan State."
But maybe that's selling Mark Dantonio short, to compare him to any Wolverine. He's a Michigan State man.
The coach and his Michigan State program have carved out their own place in the conference, in the national landscape and in the East Division mix with the Buckeyes and Wolverines. In eight seasons in East Lansing, Jim Tressel's former right-hand man has situated himself at the apex opposite the Big Ten's foundational rivalry.
Urban Meyer and Brady Hoke are gunslingers facing off from opposite sides of the public square. Dantonio may be the perfect sheriff standing between them, content to let them blast away at each other (Hoke may want to get on his horse and get out of Dodge) while making it clear he's not going to let either of them mess with his town.
The outlaws always make the headlines. But this sheriff is 6-2 against Michigan, and last year he knocked Ohio State out of the national title picture with a Big Ten Championship win on the way to a Rose Bowl victory himself.
Leading man stuff. Yet this week, Dantonio will certainly cast himself as the faceless man with a badge, his Spartan deputies victorious when it matters, yet disrespected.
"They have a unique way of saying, "OK, I'm going to put the chip on my shoulder somewhat,'" said Ohio State tight ends coach Tim Hinton, who was on Dantonio's staff at Cincinnati for three years and was supposed to follow him to Michigan State in 2007 before changing his mind.
"I'm going to guarantee you they're going to put on a bulletin board somehow some way the world's against them. That's been their MO since the day I've known him. And they're going to do a great job of playing that out. Mark is a phenomenal coach, is really good people. And the bottom line is that they're going to have an element of toughness which they bring to the day."
Speaking with Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis last week, I told him the Spartans, to this outsider, are defined by three elements: toughness; a don't-mess-with-us edge that includes a forthright refusal to back down from anyone; and the risk-taking, most well-known in trick plays, that might separate them from other hard-nosed programs.
Hinton basically repeated those same three characteristics when describing the Spartans on Monday.
"They don't back down," Hinton said.
Michigan State knows what it is, and so does everyone else. That's not just winning, that's program building. After inheriting a team coming off three losing seasons, at a place that had won more than eight games just twice in the previous 40 years, Dantonio deserves every ounce of credit, with 7-1 Michigan State looking for a fourth 11-win season in five years.
Whatever coach Michigan finds this time, it has to work. Hoke is 19-16 the last three seasons, a stretch during which Dantonio is 27-8 and Meyer is 31-3. The Wolverines may want to follow the template Michigan State used in hiring Dantonio - defensive coach, tough, Midwest fit, experience at a fairly high-level program (he was 18-17 in three seasons at Cincinnati in the Big East).
Hollis said before hiring Dantonio, Michigan State studied 20 years of college coaching changes using about 40 different variables. Were there traits that the successes shared? The failures? Hollis said defensive coaches came out very well. Alums of the school didn't have as much luck.
So there was a science to it. And "fit," something Tressel always talked about, was high on the list as well, Hollis said. Dantonio was a former Michigan State assistant with an understanding of Midwest recruiting and sensibilities.
But guess what other coaching hire would have matched all those same criteria - defensive coach, former school assistant but not an alum, Midwest background and understanding?
Hoke at Michigan.
So there's an art to it as well. Michigan State investigated a dozen candidates after John L. Smith was fired eight years ago. Dantonio wouldn't talk to Michigan State at all until Cincinnati's regular season was over, which Hollis said complicated the process but also impressed the Spartans' decision-makers.
"As soon as that game ended," Hollis told cleveland.com, "my phone was calling his phone. I said, 'We've been playing by your rules, now you play by ours.' And we were very quickly able to get him and his staff up here to East Lansing."
And Dantonio turned out to the right guy.
This week, expect that he'll have the Spartans in line, ensuring there are no assumptions made about a home game in which No. 8 Michigan State is ranked higher than No. 16 Ohio State and slightly favored.
"He always tells us to check ourselves," Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook said, "no matter where we're at in the season. Some guys might have big heads; he changes that. Guys that might be a little arrogant, he humbles everyone."
Get inside any high-achieving team and its staff and players and you'll find more similarities than differences. Ohio State and Michigan State are talented, hard-working, motivated, tough, smart and skilled. Their numbers this season, scoring about 46 points per game and allowing about 20, are remarkably similar. Yet they are not exactly the same. Asked to compare Dantonio and Meyer, Hinton slipped out of a true answer.
"Oh, my gosh, it would take a long time to talk about that difference, only because everybody is different," Hinton said. "It would take a long time probably to sit down and explain all those."
A simple comparison of the programs may describe Meyer's goal at Ohio State as wanting to bring a little of the SEC to the Big Ten. Asked by ESPN before the season to describe his team in one word, Meyer said, "Fast."
Hollis, knowing he was speaking to a reporter with a Cleveland outlet, cast Dantonio in Rust Belt tones after the "tough-no guff-tricky" trio of traits was explained.
"I think that's a great assessment of our program and I think that's a great assessment of the city of Cleveland or the city of Detroit," Hollis said. "We are interwoven with the fabric of what living in the Midwest is all about. It's hard work, it's grit, it's the blue collar attitude, it's coming up with some creative ways to get things done to gain success."
Gritty - that's a word Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Bennett used for the Spartans as well. Meanwhile, Cook seemed to co-opt the words of Ohio State's most famous fan - LeBron James.
"We're never given anything," Cook said. "Everything that we achieve here is earned."
In this triangle of relationships, Michigan State seems to have more animosity toward Michigan, perhaps stemming from the infamous "little brother" comment from Wolverine Mike Hart that Dantonio seized on seven years ago, warning Michigan that pride comes before the fall.
When Michigan planted a stake in the Spartans' turf before their last game two weeks ago, Dantonio noticed and had his team score a touchdown with 28 seconds left, turning a 17-point win into a 24-point win.
No guff.
Despite a recruiting kerfuffle soon after Meyer arrived at Ohio State, there may be more respect and less vitriol between the Buckeyes and Spartans, whether you want to judge it a rivalry or not. But Michigan State has clearly earned the Buckeyes' attention and respect - no other Big Ten team has beaten a Meyer-led Ohio State team.
Only a Michigan State man has done it. Saturday, he will try to do it again.Religion Edit
Social life and customs Edit
Physical environment Edit
Women, youth and foreigners Edit
Food and drink Edit
Saudi Arabian cuisine is similar to that of the surrounding countries in the Arabian Peninsula, and has been heavily influenced by Turkish, Persian, and African food. Animals are slaughtered in accordance with halal Islamic dietary laws, which consider pork impure (najis) and alcohol forbidden (haram). As a general rule, Saudis (like other Muslims) consider impure pork to be disgusting, but forbidden alcohol a temptation. Consequently, dietary laws regarding the former are more strictly observed than those regarding the latter.[179] Alcohol Edit According to some observers (Harvey Tripp and Peter North), though the kingdom is a "prohibition state", "discreet consumption" of alcohol by foreigners and even by Saudis is tolerated by authorities. Both home brewed ("sidiqui") and black market imports are consumed.[180] Cuisine Edit Main article: Saudi Arabian cuisine A dish consisting of a stuffed lamb, known as khūzī, is the traditional national dish. Kebabs are popular, as is shāwarmā, a marinated grilled meat dish of lamb, mutton, or chicken, sometimes wrapped in flat bread. As in other Arab countries of the Arabian Peninsula, machbūs (kabsa), a rice dish with fish or shrimp, is popular. Flat, unleavened bread is a staple of virtually every meal, as are dates and fresh fruit. Coffee, served in the Arabic style, is the traditional beverage.[3] The appearance of modern supermarkets and commercial restaurants starting in the 1970s has changed Saudi culinary habits. International cuisine, particularly fast food, has become popular in all Saudi urban areas (i.e. in 80% of the country).[181] While traditionally Saudis ate sitting on the floor using the right hand or flat bread to take food from a roasted lamb, goat or camel carcass,[182] the practice of eating while sitting on a chair at a table has become |
) in July. The lowest temperature on record is 6 °C (43 °F). For the peninsula as a whole, the mean annual precipitation is 1,100 millimetres (43 in). The rainy season lasts from June to September, while the dry season runs from October to May. During the dry season, rainfall averages 300 millimetres (12 in); in the wet season this increases to an average 800 to 900 millimetres (31 to 35 in). The prevailing winds are easterly and have created an east-west precipitation gradient with average rainfall in the east exceeding 1,400 millimetres (55 in) and the north and northwestern portions of the peninsula receiving a maximum of 800 millimetres (31 in). The southeastern portion of the peninsula has a tropical rainy climate with a short dry season in winter.[14]
Petén has a hot climate and receives the highest rainfall in all Mesoamerica.[12] The climate is divided into wet and dry seasons, with the rainy season lasting from June to December,[15] although these seasons are not clearly defined in the south;[16] with rain occurring through most of the year.[12] The climate of Petén varies from tropical in the south to semitropical in the north; temperature varies between 12 and 40 °C (54 and 104 °F), although it does not usually drop beneath 18 °C (64 °F).[15] Mean temperature varies from 24.3 °C (75.7 °F) in the southeast to 26.9 °C (80.4 °F) in the northeast. Highest temperatures are reached from April to June, while January is the coldest month; all Petén experiences a hot dry period in late August. Annual precipitation is high, varying from a mean of 1,198 millimetres (47.2 in) in the northeast to 2,007 millimetres (79.0 in) in central Petén.[16]
Yucatán before the conquest [ edit ]
The first large Maya cities developed in the Petén Basin in the far south of the Yucatán Peninsula as far back as the Middle Preclassic (c. 600–350 BC),[17] and Petén formed the heartland of the ancient Maya civilization during the Classic period (c. AD 250–900).[18] The 16th century Maya provinces of northern Yucatán are likely to have evolved out of polities of the Maya Classic period. From the mid-13th century AD through to the mid-15th century, the League of Mayapán united several of the northern provinces; for a time they shared a joint form of government.[19] The great cities that dominated Petén had fallen into ruin by the beginning of the 10th century AD with the onset of the Classic Maya collapse.[20] A significant Maya presence remained in Petén into the Postclassic period after the abandonment of the major Classic period cities; the population was particularly concentrated near permanent water sources.[21]
In the early 16th century, when the Spanish discovered the Yucatán Peninsula, the region was still dominated by the Maya civilization. It was divided into a number of independent provinces referred to as kuchkabal (plural kuchkabaloob) in the Yucatec Maya language. The various provinces shared a common culture but the internal sociopolitical organisation varied from one province to the next, as did access to important resources. These differences in political and economic makeup often led to hostilities between the provinces. The politically fragmented state of the Yucatán Peninsula at the time of conquest hindered the Spanish invasion, since there was no central political authority to be overthrown. However, the Spanish were also able to exploit this fragmentation by taking advantage of pre-existing rivalries between polities. Estimates of the number of kuchkabal in the northern Yucatán vary from sixteen to twenty-four.[19] The boundaries between polities were not stable, being subject to the effects of alliances and wars; those kuchkabaloob with more centralised forms of government were likely to have had more stable boundaries than those of loose confederations of provinces.[22] When the Spanish discovered Yucatán, the provinces of Mani and Sotuta were two of the most important polities in the region. They were mutually hostile; the Xiu Maya of Mani allied themselves with the Spanish, while the Cocom Maya of Sotuta became the implacable enemies of the European colonisers.[23]
At the time of conquest, polities in the north included Mani, Cehpech and Chakan.[19] Chakan was largely landlocked with a small stretch of coast on the north of the peninsula. Cehpech was a coastal province to its east; further east along the north coast were Ah Kin Chel, Cupul, and Chikinchel.[24] The modern city of Valladolid is situated upon the site of the former capital of Cupul.[25] Cupul and Chinkinchel are known to have been mutually hostile, and to have engaged in wars to control the salt beds of the north coast.[26] Tases was a small landlocked province south of Chikinchel. Ecab was a large province in the east. Uaymil was in the southeast, and Chetumal was to the south of it; all three bordered on the Caribbean Sea. Cochuah was also in the eastern half of the peninsula; it was southwest of Ecab and northwest of Uaymil. Its borders are poorly understood and it may have been landlocked, or have extended to occupy a portion of the Caribbean coast between the latter two kuchkabaloob. The capital of Cochuah was Tihosuco. Hocaba and Sotuta were landlocked provinces north of Mani and southwest of Ah Kin Chel and Cupul. Ah Canul was the northernmost province on the Gulf coast of the peninsula. Canpech (modern Campeche) was to the south of it, followed by Chanputun (modern Champotón). South of Chanputun, and extending west along the Gulf coast was Acalan.[24] This Chontal Maya-speaking province extended east of the Usumacinta River in Tabasco,[27] as far as what is now the southern portion of Campeche state, where their capital was located.[28] In the southern portion of the peninsula, a number of polities occupied the Petén Basin.[17] The Kejache occupied a territory to the north of the Itza and east of Acalan, between the Petén lakes and what is now Campeche,[28] and to the west of Chetumal.[24] The Cholan Maya-speaking Lakandon (not to be confused with the modern inhabitants of Chiapas by that name) controlled territory along the tributaries of the Usumacinta River spanning southwestern Petén in Guatemala and eastern Chiapas.[28] The Lakandon had a fierce reputation amongst the Spanish.[29]
Although there is insufficient data to accurately estimate population sizes at the time of contact with the Spanish, early Spanish reports suggest that sizeable Maya populations existed in Petén, particularly around the central lakes and along the rivers.[30] Before their defeat in 1697 the Itza controlled or influenced much of Petén and parts of Belize. The Itza were warlike, and their martial prowess impressed both neighbouring Maya kingdoms and their Spanish enemies. Their capital was Nojpetén, an island city upon Lake Petén Itzá; it has developed into the modern town of Flores, which is the capital of the Petén department of Guatemala.[28] The Itza spoke a variety of Yucatecan Maya.[31] The Kowoj were the second in importance; they were hostile towards their Itza neighbours. The Kowoj were located to the east of the Itza, around the eastern Petén lakes: Lake Salpetén, Lake Macanché, Lake Yaxhá and Lake Sacnab.[32] The Yalain appear to have been one of the three dominant polities in Postclassic central Petén, alongside the Itza and the Kowoj. The Yalain territory had its maximum extension from the east shore of Lake Petén Itzá eastwards to Tipuj in Belize.[33] In the 17th century the Yalain capital was located at the site of that name on the north shore of Lake Macanché.[34] At the time of Spanish contact the Yalain were allied with the Itza, an alliance cemented by intermarriage between the elites of both groups.[33] In the late 17th century, Spanish colonial records document hostilities between Maya groups in the lakes region, with the incursion of the Kowoj into former Yalain sites including Zacpeten on Lake Macanché and Ixlu on Lake Salpetén.[35] Other groups in Petén are less well known, and their precise territorial extent and political makeup remains obscure; among them were the Chinamita, the Icaiche, the Kejache, the Lakandon Ch'ol, the Manche Ch'ol, and the Mopan.[36]
Impact of Old World diseases [ edit ]
European-introduced smallpox devastated the indigenous populations of the Americas
A single soldier arriving in Mexico in 1520 was carrying smallpox and thus initiated the devastating plagues that swept through the native populations of the Americas.[37] The European diseases that ravaged the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas also severely affected the various Maya groups of the entire Yucatán Peninsula. Modern estimates of native population decline vary from 75% to 90% mortality. The terrible plagues that swept the peninsula were recorded in Yucatec Maya written histories, which combined with those of neighbouring Maya peoples in the Guatemalan Highlands, suggest that smallpox was rapidly transmitted throughout the Maya area the same year that it arrived in central Mexico with the forces under the command of Pánfilo Narváez. Old World diseases are often mentioned only briefly in indigenous accounts, making it difficult to identify the exact culprit. Among the most deadly were the aforementioned smallpox, influenza, measles and a number of pulmonary diseases, including tuberculosis; the latter disease was attributed to the arrival of the Spanish by the Maya inhabitants of Yucatán.[38]
These diseases swept through Yucatán in the 1520s and 1530s, with periodic recurrences throughout the 16th century. By the late 16th century, the reports of high fevers suggest the arrival of malaria in the region, and yellow fever was first reported in the mid-17th century, with a terse mention in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel for 1648. That particular outbreak was traced back to the island of Guadaloupe in the Caribbean, from whence it was introduced to the port city of Campeche, and from there was transmitted to Mérida. Mortality was high, with approximately 50% of the population of some Yucatec Maya settlements being wiped out. Sixteen Franciscan friars are reported to have died in Mérida, probably the majority of the Franciscans based there at the time, and who had probably numbered not much more than twenty before the outbreak.[38] Those areas of the peninsula that experience damper conditions, particularly those possessing swamplands, became rapidly depopulated after the conquest with the introduction of malaria and other waterborne parasites. An example was the one-time well-populated province of Ecab occupying the northeastern portion of the peninsula. In 1528, when Francisco de Montejo occupied the town of Conil for two months, the Spanish recorded approximately 5,000 houses in the town; the adult male population at the time has been conservatively estimated as 3,000. By 1549, Spanish records show that only 80 tributaries were registered to be taxed, indicating a population drop in Conil of more than 90% in 21 years.[4] The native population of the northeastern portion of the peninsula was almost completely eliminated within fifty years of the conquest.[39]
In the south, conditions conducive to the spread of malaria existed throughout Petén and Belize.[39] At the time of the fall of Nojpetén in 1697, there are estimated to have been 60,000 Maya living around Lake Petén Itzá, including a large number of refugees from other areas. It is estimated that 88% of them died during the first ten years of colonial rule owing to a combination of disease and war.[40] Likewise, in Tabasco the population of approximately 30,000 was reduced by an estimated 90%, with measles, smallpox, catarrhs, dysentery and fevers being the main culprits.[39]
Weaponry, strategies and tactics [ edit ]
The Spanish engaged in a strategy of concentrating native populations in newly founded colonial towns, or reducciones (also known as congregaciones).[41] Native resistance to the new nucleated settlements took the form of the flight of the indigenous inhabitants into inaccessible regions such as the forest or joining neighbouring Maya groups that had not yet submitted to the Spanish.[42] Those that remained behind in the reducciones often fell victim to contagious diseases.[43] An example of the effect on populations of this strategy is the province of Acalan, which occupied an area spanning southern Campeche and eastern Tabasco. When Hernán Cortés passed through Acalan in 1525 he estimated the population size as at least 10,000. In 1553 the population was recorded at around 4,000. In 1557 the population was forcibly moved to Tixchel on the Gulf coast, so as to be more easily accessible to the Spanish authorities. In 1561 the Spanish recorded only 250 tribute-paying inhabitants of Tixchel, which probably had a total population of about 1,100. This indicates a 90% drop in population over a 36-year span. Some of the inhabitants had fled Tixchel for the forest, while others had succumbed to disease, malnutrition and inadequate housing in the Spanish reducción. Coastal reducciones, while convenient for Spanish administration, were vulnerable to pirate attacks; in the case of Tixchel, pirate attacks and contagious European diseases led to the eradication of the reducción town and the extinction of the Chontal Maya of Campeche.[39] Among the Maya, ambush was a favoured tactic.[44]
Spanish weaponry and armour [ edit ]
The 16th-century Spanish conquistadors were armed with broadswords, rapiers, crossbows, matchlocks and light artillery. Mounted conquistadors were armed with a 3.7-metre (12 ft) lance, that also served as a pike for infantrymen. A variety of halberds and bills were also employed. As well as the one-handed broadsword, a 1.7-metre (5.5 ft) long two-handed version was also used.[45] Crossbows had 0.61-metre (2 ft) arms stiffened with hardwoods, horn, bone and cane, and supplied with a stirrup to facilitate drawing the string with a crank and pulley.[46] Crossbows were easier to maintain than matchlocks, especially in the humid tropical climate of the Caribbean region that included much of the Yucatán Peninsula.[47]
Native weaponry and armour [ edit ]
Maya warriors entered battle against the Spanish with flint-tipped spears, bows and arrows and stones. They wore padded cotton armour to protect themselves.[44] Members of the Maya aristocracy wore quilted cotton armour, and some warriors of lesser rank wore twisted rolls of cotton wrapped around their bodies.[48] Warriors bore wooden or animal hide shields decorated with feathers and animal skins.[49]
First encounters: 1502 and 1511 [ edit ]
Bartholomew Columbus came across a Yucatec Maya canoe in the Gulf of Honduras
On 30 July 1502, during his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus arrived at Guanaja, one of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. He sent his brother Bartholomew to scout the island. As Bartholomew explored the island with two boats, a large canoe approached from the west, apparently en route to the island. The canoe was carved from one large tree trunk and was powered by twenty-five naked rowers.[50] Curious as to the visitors, Bartholomew Columbus seized and boarded it. He found it was a Maya trading canoe from Yucatán, carrying well-dressed Maya and a rich cargo that included ceramics, cotton textiles, yellow stone axes, flint-studded war clubs, copper axes and bells, and cacao.[51] Also among the cargo were a small number of women and children, probably destined to be sold as slaves, as were a number of the rowers. The Europeans looted whatever took their interest from amongst the cargo and seized the elderly Maya captain to serve as an interpreter; the canoe was then allowed to continue on its way.[52] This was the first recorded contact between Europeans and the Maya.[53] It is likely that news of the piratical strangers in the Caribbean passed along the Maya trade routes – the first prophecies of bearded invaders sent by Kukulkan, the northern Maya feathered serpent god, were probably recorded around this time, and in due course passed into the books of Chilam Balam.[54]
In 1511 the Spanish caravel Santa María de la Barca set sail along the Central American coast under the command of Pedro de Valdivia.[55] The ship was sailing to Santo Domingo from Darién to inform the colonial authorities there of ongoing conflict between conquistadors Diego de Nicuesa and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa in Darién.[56] The ship foundered upon a reef known as Las Víboras ("The Vipers") or, alternatively, Los Alacranes ("The Scorpions"), somewhere off Jamaica.[55] There were just twenty survivors from the wreck, including Captain Valdivia, Gerónimo de Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero.[57] They set themselves adrift in one of the ship's boats, with bad oars and no sail; after thirteen days during which half of the survivors died, they made landfall upon the coast of Yucatán.[55] There they were seized by Halach Uinik, a Maya lord. Captain Vildivia was sacrificed with four of his companions, and their flesh was served at a feast. Aguilar and Guerrero were held prisoner and fattened for killing, together with five or six of their shipmates. Aguilar and Guerrero managed to escape their captors and fled to a neighbouring lord who was an enemy of Halach Uinik; he took them prisoner and kept them as slaves. After a time, Gonzalo Guerrero was passed as a slave to the lord Nachan Can of Chetumal. Guerrero became completely Mayanised and served his new lord with such loyalty that he was married to one of Nachan Chan's daughters, Zazil Ha, by whom he had three children. By 1514, Guerrero had achieved the rank of nacom, a war leader who served against Nachan Chan's enemies.[58]
Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, 1517 [ edit ]
Francisco Hernández de Córdoba
In 1517, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba set sail from Cuba with a small fleet,[59] consisting of two caravels and a brigantine,[60] with the dual intention of exploration and of rounding up slaves.[59] The experienced Antón de Alaminos served as pilot; he had previously served as pilot under Christopher Columbus on his final voyage. Also among the approximately 100-strong expedition members was Bernal Díaz del Castillo.[61] The expedition sailed west from Cuba for three weeks, and weathered a two-day storm a week before sighting the coast of the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. The ships could not put in close to the shore due to the shallowness of the coastal waters. However, they could see a Maya city some two leagues inland, upon a low hill. The Spanish called it Gran Cairo (literally "Great Cairo") due to its size and its pyramids.[60] Although the location is not now known with certainty, it is believed that this first sighting of Yucatán was at Isla Mujeres.[62]
The following morning, the Spanish sent the two ships with a shallower draught to find a safe approach through the shallows.[60] The caravels anchored about one league from the shore.[44] Ten large canoes powered by both sails and oars rowed out to meet the Spanish ships. Over thirty Maya boarded the vessels and mixed freely with the Spaniards. The Maya visitors accepted gifts of beads, and the leader indicated with signs that they would return to take the Spanish ashore the following day.[60]
The Maya leader returned the following day with twelve canoes, as promised. The Spanish could see from afar that the shore was packed with natives. The conquistadors put ashore in the brigantine and the ships' boats; a few of the more daring Spaniards boarded the native canoes. The Spanish named the headland Cape Catoche, after some words spoken by the Maya leader, which sounded to the Spanish like cones catoche. Once ashore, the Spaniards clustered loosely together and advanced towards the city along a path among low, scrub-covered hillocks. At this point the Maya leader gave a shout and the Spanish party was ambushed by Maya warriors armed with spears, bows and arrows, and stones. Thirteen Spaniards were injured by arrows in the first assault, but the conquistadors regrouped and repulsed the Maya attack. They advanced to a small plaza bordered by temples upon the outskirts of the city.[44] When the Spaniards ransacked the temples they found a number of low-grade gold items, which filled them with enthusiasm. The expedition captured two Mayas to be used as interpreters and retreated to the ships. Over the following days the Spanish discovered that although the Maya arrows had struck with little force, the flint arrowheads tended to shatter on impact, causing infected wounds and a slow death; two of the wounded Spaniards died from the arrow-wounds inflicted in the ambush.[63]
Early 16th century European caravel
Over the next fifteen days the fleet slowly followed the coastline west, and then south.[63] The casks brought from Cuba were leaking and the expedition was now running dangerously low on fresh water; the hunt for more became an overriding priority as the expedition advanced, and shore parties searching for water were left dangerously exposed because the ships could not pull close to the shore due to the shallows.[64] On 23 February 1517,[62] the day of Saint Lazarus, another city was spotted and named San Lázaro by the Spanish – it is now known by its original Maya name, Campeche. A large contingent put ashore in the brigantine and the ships' boats to fill their water casks in a freshwater pool. They were approached by about fifty finely dressed and unarmed Indians while the water was being loaded into the boats; they questioned the Spaniards as to their purpose by means of signs. The Spanish party then accepted an invitation to enter the city.[65] They were led amongst large buildings until they stood before a blood-caked altar, where many of the city's inhabitants crowded around. The Indians piled reeds before the visitors; this act was followed by a procession of armed Maya warriors in full war paint, followed by ten Maya priests. The Maya set fire to the reeds and indicated that the Spanish would be killed if they were not gone by the time the reeds had been consumed. The Spanish party withdrew in defensive formation to the shore and rapidly boarded their boats to retreat to the safety of the ships.[66]
The small fleet continued for six more days in fine weather, followed by four stormy days.[67] By this time water was once again dangerously short.[68] The ships spotted an inlet close to another city,[69] Champotón,[62] and a landing party discovered fresh water. Armed Maya warriors approached from the city while the water casks were being filled. Communication was once again attempted with signs. Night fell by the time the water casks had been filled and the attempts at communication concluded. In the darkness the Spaniards could hear the movements of large numbers of Maya warriors. They decided that a night-time retreat would be too risky; instead, they posted guards and waited for dawn. At sunrise, the Spanish saw that they had been surrounded by a sizeable army. The massed Maya warriors launched an assault with missiles, including arrows, darts and stones; they then charged into hand-to-hand combat with spears and clubs. Eighty of the defenders were wounded in the initial barrage of missiles, and two Spaniards were captured in the frantic mêlée that followed. All of the Spanish party received wounds, including Hernández de Córdoba. The Spanish regrouped in a defensive formation and forced passage to the shore, where their discipline collapsed and a frantic scramble for the boats ensued, leaving the Spanish vulnerable to the pursuing Maya warriors who waded into the sea behind them.[69] Most of the precious water casks were abandoned on the beach.[70] When the surviving Spanish reached the safety of the ships, they realised that they had lost over fifty men, more than half their number.[69] Five men died from their wounds in the following days.[71] The battle had lasted only an hour,[70] and the Spanish named the locale as the Coast of the Disastrous Battle. They were now far from help and low on supplies; too many men had been lost and injured to sail all three ships back to Cuba. They decided to abandon their smallest ship, the brigantine, although it was purchased on credit from Governor Velásquez of Cuba.[70]
Governor Diego Velázquez de Cuellar claimed the discovery of wealthy cities and gold in Yucatán
The few men who had not been wounded because they were manning the ships during the battle were reinforced with three men who had suffered relatively minor wounds; they put ashore at a remote beach to dig for water. They found some and brought it back to the ships, although it sickened those who drank it.[72] The two ships sailed through a storm for two days and nights; Alaminos, the pilot, then steered a course for Florida, where they found good drinking water, although they lost one man to the local Indians and another drank so much water that he died. The ships finally made port in Cuba, where Hernández de Cordóba wrote a report to Governor Velázquez describing the voyage, the cities, the plantations, and, most importantly, the discovery of gold. Hernández died soon after from his wounds.[73] The two captured Maya survived the voyage to Cuba and were interrogated; they swore that there was abundant gold in Yucatán.[74]
Based upon Hernández de Córdoba's report and the testimony of the interrogated Indian prisoners, Governor Velázquez wrote to the Council of the Indies notifying it of "his" discovery.[74]
Juan de Grijalva, 1518 [ edit ]
Diego Velázquez, the governor of Cuba, was enthused by Hernández de Córdoba's report of gold in Yucatán.[62] He organised a new expedition consisting of four ships and 260 men.[75] He placed his nephew Juan de Grijalva in command. Francisco de Montejo, who would eventually conquer much of the peninsula, was captain of one of the ships,;[76] Pedro de Alvarado and Alonso d'Avila captained the other ships.[77] Bernal Díaz del Castillo served on the crew; he was able to secure a place on the expedition as a favour from the governor, who was his kinsman.[78] Antón de Alaminos once again served as pilot.[79] Governor Velázquez provided all four ships, in an attempt to protect his claim over the peninsula.[74] The small fleet was stocked with crossbows, muskets, barter goods, salted pork and cassava bread.[80] Grijalva also took one of the captured Indians from the Hernández expedition.[78]
Juan de Grijalva The coast of Cozumel was Grijalva's first sight of Yucatán.
The fleet left Cuba in April 1518,[79] and made its first landfall upon the island of Cozumel,[78] off the east coast of Yucatán.[79] The Maya inhabitants of Cozumel fled the Spanish and would not respond to Grijalva's friendly overtures. The fleet sailed south from Cozumel, along the east coast of the peninsula.[81] The Spanish spotted three large Maya cities along the coast, one of which was probably Tulum. On Ascension Thursday the fleet discovered a large bay, which the Spanish named Bahía de la Ascensión.[79] Grijalva did not land at any of these cities and turned back north from Ascensión Bay. He looped around the north of the Yucatán Peninsula to sail down the west coast.[81] At Campeche the Spanish tried to barter for water but the Maya refused, so Grijalva opened fire against the city with small cannon; the inhabitants fled, allowing the Spanish to take the abandoned city. Messages were sent with a few Maya who had been too slow to escape but the Maya remained hidden in the forest. The Spanish boarded their ships and continued along the coast.[78]
At Champotón, where the inhabitants had routed Hernández and his men, the fleet was approached by a small number of large war canoes, but the ships' cannon soon put them to flight.[78] At the mouth of the Tabasco River the Spanish sighted massed warriors and canoes but the natives did not approach.[82] By means of interpreters, Grijalva indicated that he wished to trade and bartered wine and beads in exchange for food and other supplies. From the natives they received a few gold trinkets and news of the riches of the Aztec Empire to the west. The expedition continued far enough to confirm the reality of the gold-rich empire,[83] sailing as far north as Pánuco River. As the fleet returned to Cuba, the Spanish attacked Champotón to avenge the previous year's defeat of the Spanish expedition led by Hernández. One Spaniard was killed and fifty were wounded in the ensuing battle, including Grijalva. Grijalva put into the port of Havana five months after he had left.[79]
Hernán Cortés, 1519 [ edit ]
Hernán Cortés followed the Yucatán coast on his way to conquer the Aztecs.
Grijalva's return aroused great interest in Cuba, and Yucatán was believed to be a land of riches waiting to be plundered. A new expedition was organised, with a fleet of eleven ships carrying 500 men and some horses. Hernán Cortés was placed in command, and his crew included officers that would become famous conquistadors, including Pedro de Alvarado, Cristóbal de Olid, Gonzalo de Sandoval and Diego de Ordaz. Also aboard were Francisco de Montejo and Bernal Díaz del Castillo, veterans of the Grijalva expedition.[79]
The fleet made its first landfall at Cozumel, and Cortés remained there for several days. Maya temples were cast down and a Christian cross was put up on one of them.[79] At Cozumel, Cortés heard rumours of bearded men on the Yucatán mainland, who he presumed were Europeans.[84] Cortés sent out messengers to them and was able to rescue the shipwrecked Gerónimo de Aguilar, who had been enslaved by a Maya lord. Aguilar had learnt the Yucatec Maya language and became Cortés' interpreter.[85]
From Cozumel, the fleet looped around the north of the Yucatán Peninsula and followed the coast to the Tabasco River, which Cortés renamed as the Grijalva River in honour of the Spanish captain who had discovered it.[86] In Tabasco, Cortés anchored his ships at Potonchán,[87] a Chontal Maya town.[88] The Maya prepared for battle but the Spanish horses and firearms quickly decided the outcome.[87] The defeated Chontal Maya lords offered gold, food, clothing and a group of young women in tribute to the victors.[87] Among these women was a young Maya noblewoman called Malintzin,[87] who was given the Spanish name Marina. She spoke Maya and Nahuatl and became the means by which Cortés was able to communicate with the Aztecs.[86] Marina became Cortés' consort and eventually bore him a son.[87] From Tabasco, Cortés continued to Cempoala in Veracruz, a subject city of the Aztec Empire,[87] and from there on to conquer the Aztecs.[89]
In 1519, Cortés sent the veteran Francisco de Montejo back to Spain with treasure for the king. While he was in Spain, Montejo pleaded Cortés' cause against the supporters of Diego de Velásquez. Montejo remained in Spain for seven years, and eventually succeeded in acquiring the hereditary military title of adelantado.[90]
Hernán Cortés in the Maya lowlands, 1524–25 [ edit ]
In 1524,[86] after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Honduras over land, cutting across Acalan in southern Campeche and the Itza kingdom in what is now the northern Petén Department of Guatemala.[91] His aim was to subdue the rebellious Cristóbal de Olid, whom he had sent to conquer Honduras; Olid had, however, set himself up independently on his arrival in that territory.[86] Cortés left Tenochtitlan on 12 October 1524 with 140 Spanish soldiers, 93 of them mounted, 3,000 Mexican warriors, 150 horses, a herd of pigs, artillery, munitions and other supplies. He also had with him the captured Aztec emperor Cuauhtemoc, and Cohuanacox and Tetlepanquetzal, the captive Aztec lords of Texcoco and Tlacopan. Cortés marched into Maya territory in Tabasco; the army crossed the Usumacinta River near Tenosique and crossed into the Chontal Maya province of Acalan, where he recruited 600 Chontal Maya carriers. In Acalan, Cortés believed that the captive Aztec lords were plotting against him and he ordered Cuauhtemoc and Tetlepanquetzal to be hanged. Cortés and his army left Acalan on 5 March 1525.[27]
The expedition passed onwards through Kejache territory and reported that the Kejache towns were situated in easily defensible locations and were often fortified.[92] One of these was built on a rocky outcrop near a lake and a river that fed into it. The town was fortified with a wooden palisade and was surrounded by a moat. Cortés reported that the town of Tiac was even larger and was fortified with walls, watchtowers and earthworks; the town itself was divided into three individually fortified districts. Tiac was said to have been at war with the unnamed smaller town.[93] The Kejache claimed that their towns were fortified against the attacks of their aggressive Itza neighbours.[94]
They arrived at the north shore of Lake Petén Itzá on 13 March 1525.[27] The Roman Catholic priests accompanying the expedition celebrated mass in the presence of Aj Kan Ek', the king of the Itza, who was said to be so impressed that he pledged to worship the cross and to destroy his idols.[95] Cortés accepted an invitation from Kan Ek' to visit Nojpetén (also known as Tayasal), and crossed to the Maya city with 20 Spanish soldiers while the rest of his army continued around the lake to meet him on the south shore.[96] On his departure from Nojpetén, Cortés left behind a cross and a lame horse that the Itza treated as a deity, attempting to feed it poultry, meat and flowers, but the animal soon died.[97] The Spanish did not officially contact the Itza again until the arrival of Franciscan priests in 1618, when Cortés' cross was said to still be standing at Nojpetén.[91]
From the lake, Cortés continued south along the western slopes of the Maya Mountains, a particularly arduous journey that took 12 days to cover 32 kilometres (20 mi), during which he lost more than two-thirds of his horses. When he came to a river swollen with the constant torrential rains that had been falling during the expedition, Cortés turned upstream to the Gracias a Dios rapids, which took two days to cross and cost him more horses.[95]
On 15 April 1525 the expedition arrived at the Maya village of Tenciz. With local guides they headed into the hills north of Lake Izabal, where their guides abandoned them to their fate. The expedition became lost in the hills and came close to starvation before they captured a Maya boy who led them to safety.[95] Cortés found a village on the shore of Lake Izabal, perhaps Xocolo. He crossed the Dulce River to the settlement of Nito, somewhere on the Amatique Bay,[98] with about a dozen companions, and waited there for the rest of his army to regroup over the next week.[95] By this time the remnants of the expedition had been reduced to a few hundred; Cortés succeeded in contacting the Spaniards he was searching for, only to find that Cristóbal de Olid's own officers had already put down his rebellion. Cortés then returned to Mexico by sea.[99]
Francisco de Montejo, 1527–28 [ edit ]
Monument in Mérida to Montejo the Elder and his son
The richer lands of Mexico engaged the main attention of the conquistadors for some years, then in 1526 Francisco de Montejo (a veteran of the Grijalva and Cortés expeditions)[90] successfully petitioned the King of Spain for the right to conquer Yucatán. On 8 December of that year he was issued with the hereditary military title of adelantado and permission to colonise the Yucatán Peninsula.[100] In 1527, he left Spain with 400 men in four ships, with horses, small arms, cannon and provisions.[101] He set sail for Santo Domingo, where more supplies and horses were collected,[102] allowing Montejo to increase his cavalry to fifty.[103] One of the ships was left at Santo Domingo as a supply ship to provide later support; the other ships |
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[Leda98] LEDA (accessed 4 December 2002).
[Sedge97] Robert Sedgewick, Algorithms in C, Addison-Wesley, 1997.
[Stand98] Thomas Standish, Data Structures in Java, Addison-Wesley, 1998.
[Sund98] Daniel M. Sunday, A Very Fast Substring Search Algorithm, Communications of the ACM, 33(8):132-142, August 1998.
[Vitt01] Jeffrey Scott Vitter, External Memory Algorithms and Data Structures: Dealing with Massive Data, ACM Computing Surveys, 33(2):209-271, June 2001.
[Wier98] Roel Wieringa, A Survey of Structured and Object-Oriented Software Specification Methods and Techniques, ACM Computing Surveys, 30(4):459-527, December 1998.
Here are citation examples and an explanation of credit.
Robots, please index all term pages, including spelling variants.
This page's URL is https://www.nist.gov/dads/lured Steve Wojciechowski away from Marquette lured Steve Wojciechowski away from Duke, and it could be the perfect situation for the school and the coach. (Jeffrey Phelps/AP)
Assessing a new coaching hire is similar to grading the recruiting classes these men will bring in: It typically takes years to get an accurate measure of the good, the bad and the ugly.
But first impressions count. Here's a look at the more high-profile coaching hires of the college basketball offseason, in alphabetical order by school, and a rating of each according to the very scientific system of zero-to-three Pete Bells – the fictional coach portrayed by Nick Nolte in the 1994 classic Blue Chips – with three Pete Bells being the highest achievable score.
Auburn: Bruce Pearl
When a school does as well as it can hope to do in its search for a coach, that search is a success. So it is at Auburn, which is desperate enough for Pearl's energy, acumen and brand name that it can hope his NCAA transgression days are behind him. Pearl should be able to parlay his TV profile and track record (.704 winning percentage at Tennessee, six NCAA tournament berths including one Elite Eight trip) into recruiting advantages, and it's not like climbing into the upper echelon of the SEC should be all that tough.
RATING: THREE
Boston College: Jim Christian
Christian played at Rhode Island and Boston University, but a three-year stint as a Pittsburgh assistant in the late 1990s counts as his only East Coast experience in his quarter-century of coaching. For one of the toughest jobs in an increasingly daunting ACC, Boston College hired a coach who hasn't led a team to the NCAA tournament since 2008 and is just two seasons removed from fleeing TCU. At this moment, it's tough to see the hire creating enough juice to get the program humming.
RATING: ONE
Bowling Green: Chris Jans
If you're going to build a mid-major program into a monster, hire a guy who has lived that process step-by-step. As a right-hand man to Gregg Marshall at Wichita State, Jans became intimately familiar with what it took to turn the Shockers into a Final Four-caliber outfit. With Bowling Green benefactor Bill Frack adding $20 million to the basketball coffers over time, Jans should have the resources to push for the program's first NCAA berth since 1968.
RATING: TWO
California: Cuonzo Martin
Martin has one NCAA tournament appearance and zero connections to the West Coast, and now he plunges into a Pac-12 that has tremendous talent on the court and on the sidelines. There's something tenuous about a school finding a coach only because he was desperate to leave his previous job, especially when that coach's track record isn't overwhelming. Martin can find success if he works fast to build recruiting connections locally and in Southern California, but the emphasis is on fast.
RATING: ONE
Houston: Kelvin Sampson
Neither the battle for a league title nor for the coveted in-state talent were getting any easier, and prying Sampson out of the NBA – where he'd been mentioned as a head coaching candidate – was a coup. As with Pearl, the potential benefits outweighed the worries about past NCAA rules indiscretions. Sampson is starting farther behind than he expected after the team's top two scorers from 2013-14, TaShawn Thomas and Danuel House, transferred away. But Houston hardly could have done better in its search.
RATING: THREE
Marquette: Steve Wojciechowski
A smart play by both the school and the coach it hired. There's enough infrastructure at Marquette – according to the latest U.S. Department of Education figures, it spent more on basketball in 2012-13 than North Carolina – to afford a first-time head coach room for error. Likewise, Wojciechowski picked a spot in which his Duke pedigree and experience translates well. It was better for Marquette to take a calculated risk on Wojciechowski, authentically energized for his first job, than hand it to a candidate like Cuonzo Martin, who met with decision-makers but only was looking for the next place to land.
RATING: THREE
Missouri: Kim Anderson
Fair enough, to take a chance on a former player and assistant with the idea that he may be the next Bo Ryan. Anderson is fresh off winning nearly 75 percent of his games at Central Missouri and took home a a Division II national championship this spring. The background with the school won't count for much, though, if the wins don't follow. Retaining associate head coach Tim Fuller was a solid first step. Restocking a roster hit by the early NBA departures of Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson is the next one.
RATING: TWO
Oregon State: Wayne Tinkle
Tinkle, Montana's head coach until Oregon State made his hire official on Monday night, makes some sense for the Beavers: He has head coaching experience and is a fairly local candidate. Tinkle is no high-stakes risk. He isn't an unproven assistant or a fledgling head coach from the other side of the country, like Oregon State's previous two hires. But he's also just another Big Sky coach taking on one of the most difficult jobs on the West Coast. It was just another hire, really, offering little to complain about or celebrate for now.
RATING: TWO
South Florida: Orlando Antigua
The program has made one NCAA tournament since 1992 and posted losing records in three of the last four years under the departed Stan Heath. It's a classic leap-of-faith hire: A 41-year-old first-time head coach with energy and an apprenticeship at Kentucky under John Calipari to boot. Antigua will have local talent to pursue; there were five top 35 prospects from Florida in the Class of 2014, per Rivals.com. How will he be as a bench coach? Who knows. That's the leap-of-faith part.
RATING: TWO
Tennessee: Donnie Tyndall
Tennessee spent less on basketball in 2012-13 than DePaul did, according to Department of Education figures (just $4.8 million compared to $6.3 million for DePaul.) That's not the commitment befitting a top job in the SEC, let alone the country. But Tyndall has the personality and the ties to the Southeast to overcome that, and he can coach, coming off 27- and 29-win seasons at Southern Miss. His rapid work luring recruits and transfers should be an auspicious sign that he can roll up his sleeves and get work done when needed.
RATING: TWO
Tulsa: Frank Haith
First Haith ran fast from Miami, where he encountered some pretty significant NCAA troubles, and then he ran fast from Missouri, where he was losing his top players and the heat was soon to follow after two NCAA first-round losses and an NIT bid in his three seasons. There's not a lot to suggest he's a terrific coach, but at least Tulsa can point to his career.614 winning percentage at two big-conference schools and ask how much better it could have done. This is another tenuous dynamic of a coach landing somewhere just because he wanted to leave somewhere else, but that doesn't prevent success.
RATING: 1.5
New athletic director Whit Babcock evidently wanted to win, and in a hurry. Williams is a winner – Marquette won 67 percent of its games and went to five NCAA tournaments on his watch – but his folksy, self-effacing demeanor belies a cutthroat approach. He flipped two of his top commitments at Marquette, guard Ahmed Hill and forward Satchel Pierce, to the Hokies posthaste. Ultimately, Williams got the escape from Milwaukee he coveted, and Virginia Tech got the big-name coach it needed for ACC relevancy.
RATING: THREE
Wake Forest: Danny Manning
It's certainly in the running for Most Difficult Job In The ACC honors, and now that job is in the hands of a guy with two whole seasons of head coaching experience and 38 career wins. So there's a lot of uncertainty on both sides of the Wake Forest-Manning marriage. Still, the Demon Deacons have a fair amount of recent success – seven NCAA tournament appearances between 2001 and 2010 – and Manning has a name to trade on.
RATING: TWO
Washington State: Ernie Kent
Kent won 235 games from 1997-2010 at Oregon and made five NCAA tournament berths. He hadn't coached since he parted ways with the school, and he'll be 60 years old next January. Basically, Kent was dredged off the scrap heap by his friend, Bill Moos, who was the athletic director during Kent's time at Oregon and now holds the same position at Washington State. On the one hand, it's a pure retread hire lacking any imagination. On the other hand, it's Washington State, and the last veteran guy the school hired, Dick Bennett, started a revitalization that produced two NCAA tournament bids under his son, Tony.
RATING: ONEWritten by Christopher J. Gordon | Thursday, November 12, 2015
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Canons thoroughly demonstrate that when God elects someone to salvation, he will give them a living faith, assured confidence, peace of conscience, and every other saving good, including holiness. This makes the doctrine of election a sweet encouragement to the believer’s conscience, as God intended it to be. Maybe what this sanctification debate needs to recover is a robust understanding again of the Reformed doctrine of predestination.
One of the great problems in any current controversy is overreaction to a perceived problem. If someone feels that one doctrine is being overemphasized, the way to correct the problem must be to balance things out by emphasizing another doctrine. At times, this is certainly necessary and expected unless, of course, the theological priorities in the correction get lost. In other words, there are certain theological categories that if their logical priority is lost, the pursuit of balance can actually make things worse.
This is currently happening with many of the discussions regarding sanctification. Many have diagnosed the “grace boys” movement as antinomian. In reaction to what is assumed to be an overemphasis on justification and a narrow definition of the gospel, there has been an aggressive effort to balance things back out by re-emphasizing sanctification.
In the past few years we have seen a plethora of articles by authors emphasizing the necessity of good works for salvation and judgment by works. As I stated elsewhere, the pastoral implications of this are being missed in the zeal to correct perceived antinomianism. All of this has created an unhelpful citation war. Present writers, hoping to regain balance, gain support for their positions by stockpiling quotations from past theologians. While these theologians are certainly worth citing, their work was done in their own contexts and with proper theological ordering. This makes the interjection of their citations, pulled from their own contexts and inserted into our current discussions, well, challenging to say the least.
The current controversy over sanctification appears to be jettisoning certain theological priorities and may actually be having a counterproductive consequence that people have not yet considered. Many explicitly fear that the word gospel is being defined too narrowly. So when people communicate that all they need is the gospel, worry is expressed that maybe this does not include our sanctification too. Since, it is assumed, we are living in such an imbalanced Reformed world right now overemphasizing grace, we need to speak of the necessity of good works for salvation. But what problems might we be creating in this attempt to balance things out?
Assume for a minute that the woman in Luke 7 who came to Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, said to Jesus: “the gospel you bring in your life, death, and resurrection, is all that I have.” Would Jesus have been concerned to make sure she understood that by saying that she should also mean that her good works would be necessary for her salvation? Had Jesus ran around doing that, the priority of his own work would be lost and whatever was meant by “be saved” would soon be understood as synergistic.
With these things in mind, I’ve recently been teaching through the Canons of Dort in our evening worship service at the Escondido URC and was struck the other night by Canons 1:9:
This same election took place, not on the basis of foreseen faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition, as though it were based on a prerequisite cause or condition in the person to be chosen, but rather for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on. Accordingly, election is the source of every saving good. Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects. As the apostle says, “He chose us” (not because we were, but) “so that we should be holy and blameless before him in love”.
This is a remarkable statement. Our divines maintained theological priority but were not afraid of being decretal in their language pastorally. Election being the “unchangeable purpose of God”, is when “he choose a definite number of people out of the entire human” and “decreed to give to Christ those chosen for salvation (Canons 1:7).” But notice how Canons 1:9 speak of election as the source of every saving good. You are guaranteed faith and holiness. You are assured in the decree of every saving gift, including eternal life as its fruits and effects. To be clear, from election will come, in the course of one’s life, justification, sanctification, and glorification. So important was this understanding to the Synod of Dort, they made sure to say in Canons 1:8 that “we are decreed both to salvation and to the way of salvation, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in.”
Notice how confident the divines were to speak of the decree as the fountain of all these benefits. This may make many fear hyper-Calvininsm today, but these divines understood the pastoral benefits of correctly emphasizing that all of the fruits that follow in the life of the believer flow from the fountain of election. Election was always intended to encourage and uplift God’s children that the Lord will finish the project he started in them. Election was before any of the fruits we experience, including sanctification, both in order and in time.
Jesus used the decree in this way in his earthly ministry to encourage his sheep, he said to his disciples, “rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luk. 10:20).” This name writing was done before one work was every performed on their part.
Pierre DuMoulin, the French Huguenot, said regarding this verse,
Christ speaks to men that were living and who had not yet persevered in the faith to the end. Yet not withstanding, their names were already written in heaven, their salvation was determined by the certain purpose of God. Their election therefore, was before their perseverance in the faith, contrary to which is the opinion of Arminius, who will have perseverance in faith to go before election, and will have us to be elected for foreseen faith.
If our concern in the sanctification debate is that a narrow view of the gospel is promoting a truncated view and practice of sanctification in the life of the believer, what is the answer? Considering again the woman in Luke 7 who came with tears resting on Christ’s person and work to save her, should I be concerned that in her enthusiasm she might not understand that her works are needed for her salvation? Even if she is accused of some narrow, justification only view of the gospel, don’t we believe in theological priority, that from true faith will follow good works?
This is not an issue for someone who truly has Christ by faith, because gospel, in its narrower and broader definition, has as its primary aim, the forgiveness of sins. That only comes by true faith, which is a gift from God. This is what drove Luther to say that true faith does not need to ask whether good works need to be done, before its asked, it’s done them.
Believing that God has given his elect true faith to embrace Christ and his righteousness, if election is the fountain of every saving good, won’t he also give his elect true sanctification? Further, does God not reserve the right to give sanctification in various degrees and in different measures, as the Canons state?
This doesn’t negate the responsibility to preach and teach sanctification, but it provides a caution for us in the way we present this great work of God in his people’s lives, lest we give the impression that a lack of sanctification may not get his people into glory. If that were possible, who determines the level of sanctification needed to make sure someone will make glorification, especially since sanctification is progressive, and “even the holiest in the life only make a small beginning in this new obedience (HC Q&A 114)?”
How patient are we really being with God’s work in the sheep when we don’t see the progress in them that we think should be there? When we become judge and jury over the level of people’s sanctification, we can easily wound the sheep, take their eyes off of Christ, and rob them of the peace that God intends for them. This is why the apostle motivated new obedience from faith in the promises of the gospel, encouraging believers that even the grace of holiness was something given to them “before time began (2 Tim. 1:9).”
The Lord remains Lord even over our sanctification, its degrees, measures, and our “good works that he prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).” The intended end was always determined before the means were given! We should be clear in this sanctification debate, Christ completes the work he began in us (Phil. 1:6).
I question, therefore, how Arminian our current debate has become in the Reformed world with regard to sanctification. But if someone disagrees and says that such emphases presented here will only lead to hyper-Calvinism, the Canons recognize that someone who claims to be a Christian and is living a licentious, hypocritical, antinomian life, should also understand the doctrine of reprobation, a doctrine so “justly terrible to those who, regardless of God and of the Savior Jesus Christ, have wholly given themselves up to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh, so long as they are no seriously converted to God (Canons 1:16).” And “this consideration of this doctrine of election is so far from encouraging remissness in the observance of the divine commands… (Canons 1:13).”
The Canons thoroughly demonstrate that when God elects someone to salvation, he will give them a living faith, assured confidence, peace of conscience, and every other saving good, including holiness. This makes the doctrine of election a sweet encouragement to the believer’s conscience, as God intended it to be.
Maybe what this sanctification debate needs to recover is a robust understanding again of the Reformed doctrine of Predestination.
Christopher J. Gordon is a minister in the United Reformed Church (URCNA), and is the preaching pastor of the Escondido Reformed Church in Escondido, Calif. This article appeared on his blog and is used with permission.Shae Brider, who served a prison term for manslaughter, is through to the next round of X Factor.
X Factor producers knew of a contestant's violent past, but say the show offers him a second chance.
Shae Brider was sent to bootcamp by the judges following his reggae rendition of Eminem's The Real Slim Shady on the show last night.
ALSO READ: X Factor recap: F bombs and nanas
But it was his past which raised a few eyebrows.
In his introduction before his performance, he mentioned the fact he went to prison for six years but made it seem as though it was a matter of wrong place, wrong time for him.
"I met some dudes and we went to a bonfire...there was a commotion with two of them and one of them stabbed the other one and he ended up passing away."
But reports from his court cases paint a different picture.
Several court cases heard how Brider, Rawiri Hatata, Rio Hartley and Jordan Aranui went on a violent spree in Whanganui on Guy Fawkes night 2004, attacking four people in total.
Hatata, then 17, stabbed 16-year-old Jeremy Frew through the heart at Castlecliff Beach and was jailed for life with a minimum 10-year non-parole period for murder.
Brider was originally convicted of manslaughter in 2006 but the Court of Appeal set aside the conviction and he was retried in May, 2009.
The second trial saw him again convicted of manslaughter and the evidence increased his share of the blame.
Justice Joe Williams said although it had not been shown that Brider was involved in punching Frew, he formed part of the group of attackers and was standing close behind the youth with the knife right before the stabbing.
Brider had heard one of the group bragging earlier in the night that he wanted to stab someone, and he went along with the group anyway.
The group had already attacked another man, Daniel Grey, who suffered a broken jaw.
After Frew was fatally stabbed the four teens went on to stab another man in the back at a petrol station.
After Brider's first trial, Detective Sergeant Stu Nightingale said in 19 years in the police he had never seen a night like the one that claimed Frew's life.
"It's been described as a senseless killing and I'd have to agree," he said.
"For one set of offenders to go around like that...what on earth went through their minds?"
After the second trial, Frew's mother, Donna Travers, said none of the group had ever shown remorse for the killing of her son.
A MediaWorks spokeswoman said Brider disclosed his criminal record when he entered The X Factor NZ and as a standard part of the process a police check was run.
"It was important to include this part of Shae's background in last night's episode, and as is the case with all contestants, this was done in his own words," she said.
"The X Factor NZ acknowledges the impact Shae's past actions have had on his victims, and apologises for any distress that has been caused by last night's episode.
That was not our intention. However it is important to note the NZ Justice system judges Shae has paid his debt to society, and now has a second chance to make a positive contribution."
Footage of performances, including Brider's, from last night's show were not playing on the TV3 website this afternoon.Pin Share 7 36 Shares
Yes, B&N is beating Amazon to the punch.
Late last week Techcrunch reported that the next Kindle might be getting an integrated frontlight so people can read in the dark. I never really liked the idea, but apparently Barnes &Noble does. I now have a photo of new signage that B&N stores are just beginning to get in store.
It's important to note that the new Nook isn't getting a backlit screen like that on your LCD based tablet. The Nook, like many ereaders, uses an E-ink screen and that means that you cannot have the light behind the screen. The new Nook is going to have a front light embedded over the E-ink screen and it's probably going to work much like the FlexLight concept video which I showed you back in December.
I don't have any firm details on the price or release date, but I have heard that it will be a Thursday launch. That likely means tomorrow, but it might refer to next week.
P.S. As fascinating as this story is, I have to say that I've been hearing rumors of it for a while now. My competition reported last week about this very product. He only had a rumor, but his details were surprisingly accurate.Macros in Racket: an Outline
Racket has a very powerful macro system, and a flexible one, too. Learning about macros can be a little intimidating, especially if you just dive into the Racket Reference chapter on the subject! One of the best-regarded tutorials on Racket’s macro system is Greg Hendershott’s, which nods to this with the title Fear of Macros. You should read it either before or after this outline.
Macros are procedures that transform a program’s code. One thing to keep in mind is that macros in Racket are basically normal Racket code, but instead of operating on typical data structures or values they operate on syntax objects. You can think of a syntax object as an s-expression or identifier, bundled up with some information about where it’s found in source.
The other key difference between macros and normal Racket code is that macros perform their operations in a separate phase of program execution. One part of working with macros is indicating to Racket what to do at syntax phase (or “compile time”) and what to leave for run time.
Headings may be accompanied by links to the Racket [R]eference or [G]uide.
I. What to Transform: (define-syntax …) R G
Racket’s primary method for introducing a macro to a program is the define-syntax function. define-syntax is a compile-time version of define, and there are some notable similarities between the two. When we define something, we’re telling Racket to substitute a value (or computation) wherever it sees a keyword – for example, (define PI 3.14). Similarly, define-syntax tells Racket how to substitute syntax for other syntax wherever it sees a keyword.
Here’s how we write a function in runtime-world:
( define id-to-recognize ( lambda ( args ) "return this string" ))
And here’s how we might write a function to transform syntax:
( define-syntax id-to-recognize ( lambda ( label-for-the-syntax-object ) ( syntax "the-syntax-object was replaced with this" )))
They look awfully similar, because a macro is really just a function that accepts and returns syntax objects. In both cases, Racket will look for the specified identifier, and will replace it with the result of the procedure we specify.
One difference is in what the function expects to receive: the normal run-time method call passes its arguments – the remainder of the contents of the s-expression – to the lambda. The macro passes the entire syntax object – the whole s-expression, bundled up with information about its source and scoping. We can then access the s-expression, and pass it around to be manipulated, using the label we defined. Here, though, we’re just replacing the s-expression with a pre-defined string.
Just like the regular define, define-syntax comes with a shorthand form so that we don’t have to write lambda when specifying the transformation function:
( define-syntax ( id-to-recognize label-for-the-syntax-object ) ( syntax "the-syntax-object was replaced with this" ))
As mentioned above, we aren’t actually doing anything with the syntax object that define-syntax grabs – we’re just sending back a string.
II. How to Transform It
Next up, let’s look at the tools available to carry out transfomations on syntax.
A. General Racket Tooling G
We can work with syntax objects using the same functions as we’re used to anywhere else. We could use syntax->list to convert our s-expression syntax object to a list of syntax objects within the expression, for example, and then use car and cdr to slice and dice it.
Because syntax transformation takes place in a separate phase than normal code, though, we may need to tell Racket explicitly that we want normal code tools around for that phase – all Racket automatically makes available during syntax phase is racket/base.
Each of these are ways to include or create functionality we need within our transformation function. They are defined outside of a macro itself, though – don’t include them within define-syntax.
1. (require (for-syntax …))
Just like you’d expect, this makes the specified modules available during the syntax phase, so we can their functions within the transformation function in define-syntax.
We can write our own modules and require them for-syntax, as well.
Anything included within this s-expression is evaluated at syntax phase, and in sequence. This allows us to define helper functions without having to put them in a separate module that we then (require (for-syntax...)) :
( begin-for-syntax ( define ( a-helper args )... ) ( define ( another-helper )... ))
This allows us to jump right into defining a helper function for syntax phase. It’s the same thing as (begin-for-syntax (define...)).
B. Pattern-Matching Transformers
Manually breaking down syntax objects and operating on them could be a real pain. Instead, it’s handy to name each part of our syntax object and then to compose our new syntax using a template that refers to those names. Racket has robust pattern-matching tools for the syntax phase. Some of these are used as the transformer function within define-syntax ; others are used in conjunction with it or in place of it entirely.
syntax-rules gives us a straightforward way to match up different forms of a syntax object with the various transformations we’d like to execute. We use syntax-rules in place of the transformer function within define-syntax.
syntax-rules takes any number of pairs, where the first member is a pattern, and the second is a template. If those sound pretty similar, keep in mind that a template is something that still needs to be filled in with content. The pattern should look like an s-expression you want to match, but with labels in place of each member of the expression. The template should look like the code that you want to result from the transformation.
( define-syntax diff-num-args ( syntax-rules () [( diff-num-args arg1 ) ( print ( string-append "There was one argument: " arg1 ))] [( diff-num-args arg1 arg2 ) ( print ( string-append "There were two arguments: " arg1 " and " arg2 ))])) $ ( diff-num-args "A" ) "There was one argument: A" $ ( diff-num-args "A" "B" ) "There were two arguments: A and B"
You might notice the empty set of parentheses right after syntax-rules – that’s for any terms that we want to treat literally in the patterns, so that they won’t be assigned as labels for the different s-experession pieces.
If we only have on pattern to match, we can use define-syntax-rule. It acts just the same as syntax-rules, except that we can’t reserve literal terms. Note that define-syntax-rule doesn’t take place in the context of define-syntax – instead, it replaces both define-syntax and syntax-rules. Of course, you can only use it for a single transformation rule, so it’s really the quick-and-dirty option.
Pattern matching is nice, but there’s a limitation to syntax-rules : we can’t do anything except replace syntax with other syntax. It would be nice to react to some patterns in more comprehensive ways, such as by handling errors.
syntax-case gives us that flexibility: instead of pairs of patterns and templates, syntax-case involves pairs of patterns and expressions. Expressions are normal Racket code, but we can dive into template mode as needed – to check different bits of the input syntax, for example, or ultimately to return the final result of the macro, which will be a syntax object.
The Racket Guide section on syntax-case has a clear example of this.
III. Other ResourcesIt’s an open secret that Silicon Valley exploits our tendency to seek the neurological rewards delivered by the likes, comments and mentions that pop up on our internet-connected devices. As such, smartphone use can certainly feel like it’s habit-forming. But a desire to engage with technology — and even what could be seen as compulsive use — is not the same thing as addiction, despite what a new study claiming that smartphone addiction changes our brains claims.
In the new paper, presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, a team of radiologists at Korea University report that smartphone addiction changes teenagers’ brains. Using brain imaging, they argue that smartphone- and internet-addicted teenagers have imbalanced brain chemistry when compared to their peers who aren’t addicted to smartphones or the internet.
But scientists not involved with the study have some serious issues with their research. Perhaps the most important of these issues is the fact that “smartphone addiction” is not a scientifically established thing — at least not yet.
“Smartphone addiction is not a recognized mental health problem,” clinical psychologist Anthony Bean, Ph.D., tells Inverse. “There is no standardized format for determining addiction for phones, so it is unclear what they are talking about specifically. If there is not a standard or accepted view of it, past general consensus without any appropriate or identified markers, then it really is hard to say one is measuring addiction.”
Scientists say smartphone-addicted teens have chemical imbalances, but their evidence is thin.
In the study, the team led by Dr. Hyung Suk Seo used “standardized internet and smartphone addiction tests to measure the severity of internet addiction” in nine boys and 10 girls, according to a statement. Then, they used MRS, a brain imaging technique that can identify particular brain chemicals, to examine the participants’ brains before and after taking nine weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy to help their “addiction.”
Compared to a control group, the “smartphone addicts” had skewed levels of neurotransmitters in their brains. In particular, they had a higher ratio of GABA to Glx (glutamate‐glutamine), which are respectively responsible for slowing down brain signals and exciting neurons. An elevated ratio of GABA to Glx, the researchers concluded, can be associated with the self-reported symptoms of the “smartphone addict” teens, including depression, anxiety, insomnia severity and impulsivity. After 12 of the teens participated in cognitive behavior therapy, the scientists report, their chemical imbalances appeared to even out to look more like the control group’s.
Are teens really addicted to smartphones? Maybe, but this study doesn't prove it.
While this study hints at evidence that “smartphone addiction,” whatever it is, changes the brain, its results are far from conclusive for various reasons. Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Stetson University, tells Inverse that the study is simply not robust enough. “My concerns are that it’s a pretty small study, and the findings look pretty marginal to me,” he says, noting that it only looked at 19 participants. Looking at the study’s measures of statistical significance — the p-value, or probability that the results could have been obtained by chance — it doesn’t suggest there’s any clear link between smartphone addiction and skewed neurotransmitters at all.
“The p-values are only barely below the p =.05 level for statistical significance, which in recent years we’ve come to understand actually have very high levels of false positive results,” says Ferguson.
Bean echoes this critique, and also notes that there’s no way to tell whether the cognitive behavioral therapy actually deserves credit for the test group’s improvement.
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“Over the 9 weeks of treatment, one cannot say that CBT was the thing that changed anyone’s brain chemistry,” he says. “Many things can happen, deaths, graduations, moving from house to house, divorce.”
Scientists say kids are hooked on the internet. But let's step back and look at the evidence.
But ultimately, the big problem with this study is that it examines a condition that is arbitrarily defined. If psychologists don’t agree on whether the condition you’re treating even exists, then how can you prove that you’re treating it? Recently, a similar issue has arisen around video game addiction, which the World Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association want to recognize as a pathology, while vocal psychologists, including Bean and Ferguson, disagree.
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study “Trolls Just Want to Have Fun” revealed that the average age of internet trolls was 39.
JG: And this is what bothers me: that you have these grown, often-men, styling these young adults after them. Working with teenagers in my own practice, I have had to deal with boys as young as twelve who think that 4chan’s [mysognist campaigns] are “funny.” Any analysis of GamerGate needs to look at how easy it is for young adults to “fall in” with 4chan rhetoric, because people accept you there. If you feel persecuted — even if you’re not persecuted — the feeling still exists and it can still be validated. 4chan validates these feelings because it says: you have a place here, because everybody is equal, because everybody is anonymous. It can end up feeling like a validating space for teenagers — but it’s really unsafe, and has a lot of terrible trends and ideas. Not enough has been talked about how /pol has been involved in GamerGate.
I think GamerGate has the hallmarks of a cult. I would like to see research into its methods—its recruitment method and the fact that it has a set list of talking points. In short we need multiple perspectives to understand GamerGate
KC: GamerGate has required various angles of research. It’s a testament to a particular kind of diversity in GamerGate—that they don’t like to talk about—which is that there’s a tangle of social pathologies at work there that are difficult to cram into one journal article or one op-ed and do justice to.
In this respect, I believe we also need to caution research that is a little too fond of the ideal of trolling, which minimizes the harm that the culture of these websites (e.g. 8chan) are capable of perpetrating. Some researchers really step into the shoes of the 4chan participants, who really believe that it’s all for the lulz and they idealize this, rather than also keeping enough distance to see the harm that trolls do.
ML: GamerGate has been symptomatic of the ~chan ethos, particularly this idea of “Anonymous,” which has entered into the public imagination in a certain way far more positively than it should. Anonymous really started with its protests against Scientology, and the idealization of [internet trolling] has come partly from there. The idea of Anonymous is itself very attractive, and it’s very much almost a foundational idea of the popular idea of the internet, and what the internet can be: that you can slip on this mask, and enter into discourse, and not risk the normal things you’d risk—your name, your reputation—because “we’re all anonymous.” But anonymity, here, is very deeply coded as a kind of masculine, detached, white anonymous. Having participated in 4chan, I remember an Anonymous slogan: “Anonymous—because none of us is as mean as all of us.” And that’s really what Anonymous is: a place where one can be as mean as you want, where nothing really matters, like the /b/ board. It results in shock value: trying to say the most “politically incorrect” thing you can in order to get the most lulz. It becomes difficult to tell when these opinions are being said sincerely or as [ironic] trolling. It becomes impossible to have an argument in good faith, because everything is potentially painted with irony, as we have that mask between us.
There’s a very problematic idea of “anonymous.” What does this mean for the internet, our attitudes towards it, and our interactions on it? How does the idea of Anonymous, if that’s going to persist as anonymity, going to have to change in order to not cater to a particular demographic of young, angry, white men?
JG: I’m reminded of Richard Bartle, the inventor of MUDs. Bartle has said that MUD avatars and texting would have been genderless if the English language hadn’t required it. He ideally would have had [MUD interactions] genderless because he truly wanted to shed your actual self and go into the game. What’s interesting is that Bartle is very much of the original hacker ethos, and that the MUD was an inherently political act, because he was working class in the UK, and was looked down upon in the university. So the creation of MUDs was a political act for stepping outside of this oppression, and for being free of it, in a space where he could choose to be so. It’s fascinating to me, then, that GamerGate is trying to say that games are not political, that there’s nothing political in what they’re doing, when Bartle, who basically invented MMOs, invented them as a political statement.
KC: Recently, I revisited the Encyclopedia Dramatica when the GamerGate article went up. What I found fascinating, relative to 4chan culture overall, is the fact that GamerGate seems to have committed the only sin that exists in the chaotic and evil universe of 4chan: they now take themselves dead seriously. In all the Encyclopedia Dramatica articles, as hateful as they could be, there was always this wink and a nod, this understanding that it was the primordial essence of a joke, and that even 4channers themselves, were in on the joke, and mocking themselves too. But the GamerGate article is very self-serious — this is a movement with a very important cause, marching to a very important future against a very important enemy. And it’s the antithesis of 4chan’s culture. When Anonymous was born — in the sense that we understand it today, out of Project Chanology — they were derided as “moralfags,” because they had now developed this “cause.” They had taken themselves very seriously and were fighting for justice, and that’s not what 4chan is about. The Anonymous culture fed back into 4chan, even the /b/ board, but overall there is still this schism between what 4chan has always been and what Anonymous has come to be, especially in the public eye. GamerGate is very strange, in that it grew out of 4chan culture, but then became the embodiment of its cardinal sin.
There’s one little quote here from an article analyzing GamerGate as a reactionary movement. It’s a quoted tweet, and it says, “sufficiently advanced trolling is indistinguishable from thought leadership.” I found that very intriguing, because it’s an interesting way of looking at the varying degrees of unseriousness and self-satirizing mockery of 4chan, which suggests that in a bizarre and unintentional way it can lead to actual politics happening. After a certain point, trolling simply is the thing it imitates.
JG: GamerGate is in a position where it’s being critiqued by the hacker oldguard—such as William Gibson—and they can’t believe that “all my heroes are disagreeing with me.” They have a choice at the crossroads: either I’m on the wrong path, or all my heroes are. And GamerGate is almost universally going with “my heroes have chosen the wrong path.” It’s interesting how they’re dealing with this, and they’re dealing with it by assuming that all of their heroes are “wrong,” and they they were incorrect about their heroes somehow. The same goes for Jim Sterling [who has critiqued GamerGate]. GamerGate is convinced that he’s being blackmailed by “SJWs.” He couldn’t have his opinion—there’s money involved or there’s “secrets.” They don’t believe their heroes’ views are genuine; they believe they are saying it for publicity or for money, and not saying it because they believe it. That’s the whole “shill culture;” if you disagree with them you’re a shill.
KC: There’s a drive in GamerGate to unmask perceived hypocrisy, defined in the way that Arendt was talking about, where hypocrisy was apostasy to the “virtues” of the movement — and of the revolution. So that’s why they are so obsessed. If you look on 8chan’s /gamergate/ board, everyone is calling everyone else a shill, over the smallest perceived disagreement. There is this lust for unmasking the hypocrites—unmasking these people that they believe are somehow enthralled to what they believe is an amorphous “SJW” power structure in the world of gaming. The section subtitle [of my previous article on First Person Scholar] was “we have no use for nodding masks,” which comes from an old East German Communist song titled “Tell Me Where You Stand.” The song was basically an injunction to people in the bourgeois West to “tell me what side of the revolution you’re on.” The last stanza says “we have the right to rip off your mask and reveal your true face / nodding masks are useless to us.” This obsession with uncovering the “truth” that Arendt identified is how these radical movements tend to consume themselves. When the movement becomes obsessed with extremism of any type, it becomes self-consumptive.
ML: GamerGate thought that Stephen Colbert would also agree with them. You see a lot of disappointment—
JG: Except that they think he did agree with them. They’ve rewritten it in their minds.
ML: Wow. I see this psychoanalytically as a difference mechanism, as a fetishistic disavowal, because in my understanding, people have been acculturated to enjoy in certain ways, to enjoy certain games, and to enjoy in certain fashions. And it becomes inconceivable to them that I might like Depression Quest and enjoy that in a comparable way, and that there are other sorts of enjoyment. If you make any sort of argument, for another sort of pleasure, aesthetic or otherwise, there’s something “wrong” with you. It’s a very worried, neurotic reaction against the idea that there are other sorts of enjoyment, because to admit that, would mean to admit that their hobbyism is not the panacea they want it to be against the feelings of social ostracism—of being hurt, of being cheated. Gaming will not save them; actually it never wanted to save them, it only ever wanted their money.
JG: There’s a really weird trend towards valuing science and objectivity and rationality, without understanding any of those words. There’s a sense that a game can be “objectively” good. There’s an idea that there is a “correct” enjoyment, and if you didn’t enjoy it like that, there’s something wrong [with you]. There’s very much this idea of enjoyment being measurable, of being quantifiable. I think this is the source of the problem, of why they think other people don’t really enjoy this; because GamerGate thinks that its view is objective, so if you disagree, it’s not just that you’re different, you’re actively “incorrect.”
ML: Pace Žižek, for them they have this sublime object, “The Video Game,” and somewhere out there, there is this perfect, totally enjoyable, 10 out of 10 across the board for everyone videogame, and the review structure is somehow keeping this hidden from them. Whereas, as Žižek tells us, the sublime object is really a signifier without a signified, supple and plastic, that allows you to kind of rally psychic and affective energy.
JG: There is a sense that the “objectively good” can be empirically measured, such as in a survey or study, where if 51% of respondents say the game is good, it would be “objectively” good.
KC: There is like confusion as to how “objective” is used in the [social] sciences. In the above [fictional] empirical study, one would have to say “objectively, 51% of people in this sample with these characteristics liked these types of games.” But that is not an objective commentary on the Platonic ideal of the “good game,” which is not available for us to study.
Works Cited
Berger, Arthur Asa. 2008 [1996]. Manufacturing Desire: Media, Popular Culture, and Everyday Life. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.
Brown, Craig and Simon Susen. 2014. “Austerity and Its Antitheses: Practical Negations of Capitalist Legitimacy.” South Atlantic Quarterly 113(2), pp. 217–230: <http://saq.dukejournals.org/content/113/2/217.short>.
Coleman, Gabriella. 2014. Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous. London: Verso.
Kilibarda, Konstantin. 2012. “Lessons from #Occupy in Canada: Contesting Space, Settler Consciousness and Erasures within the 99%.” Journal of Critical Globalisation Studies 5, pp. 24–41: <http://www.criticalglobalisation.com/issue5/JCGS-ISSUE-5.pdf#page=24>.
Author Bios
Jennifer Allaway is an undergraduate student of Sociology at Willamette University, a game writer, and an independent social researcher whose primary body of work focuses on sexism in the game industry and its impact on game content and culture. Her groundbreaking study exploring these topics, funded by the Carson Program, has been presented at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), PAX Prime, and Indie Game Con, with articles published in Gamasutra and Jezebel. She tweets from @AllawayJ.
Katherine Cross is a Ph.D. student at the City University of New York Graduate Center and a sociologist of gender who focuses on the virtual world. Her academic writing explores roleplaying, virtual embodiment, and more recently, online harassment and its causes. Her academic work has been published in Women’s Studies Quarterly, Loading: The Journal of the Canadian Games Studies Association, and First Person Scholar. Katherine is a Presidential Magnet Fellow at the Graduate Center and a mentor in the CUNY Pipeline Program. She is also a gaming critic who is co-editor at The Border House and who has written about games for Bitch Magazine, Feministing, Polygon, and Kotaku.
Jenni Goodchild is the academic organiser at Nine Worlds, a London based convention which began in August 2013. She’s interested in the intersection between pop culture and theology, especially geek culture, as well as academic outreach to non-academic communities. Jenni has a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Oxford, and is currently working on an M.A. in Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. Her work on geek culture and philosophy can be found at www.geekessays.wordpress.com and on Twitter @PixieJenni.
Michael Lutz is a Ph.D. student in English literature at Indiana University-Bloomington and an interactive fiction writer. His academic interests include early modern drama, philosophies of humanism, and media studies. His work on games attempts to bridge theories of dramatic performance, affect, and psychoanalysis with the phenomenology of play. His work has appeared at First Person Scholar and his interactive fiction has been featured on Kotaku, Polygon, and Wired.
tobias c. van Veen is SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Communications at the Université de Montréal. His research combines philosophy and ethnography with media theory to investigate the ways in which concepts and movements are produced at the intersection of culture and technology. Tobias is editor of the Afrofuturism special issue of Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture (2013) and co-editor with Hillegonda Rietveld of the forthcoming special issue “Echoes from the Dub Diaspora” (2015). As a media artist, turntablist, and curator, tobias has collaborated with festivals and media arts centres worldwide, working with sonicultures, hacktivism, and net-art. Tobias is the former Concept Engineer at the Society for Art and Technology (SAT) in Montréal and Founding Director of technology arts organisation UpgradeMTL.org.This Oct. 30, 2012 aerial file photo provided by the US Air Force shows flooding on the New Jersey shoreline caused by Superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/US Air Force, Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)
Our campaign finance system being what it is (or isn’t), it takes big money to move the political needle on an issue. So it would help the cause of those concerned about climate change if an industry-wide interest group with deep pockets were to step up to take on the fossil fuel industry.
Perhaps it will be the insurance business. Insurance companies have heaps of liability in covered assets that will likely be harmed by climate change — homes in communities vulnerable to floods, for instance, or farms in the increasingly parched Southwest. As these assets become more difficult to protect, insurers are starting to take their cases to the courts.
Farmers Insurance, a major company you probably know from its commercials featuring J.K. Simmons explaining how “what you don’t know can hurt you,” filed nine class action lawsuits last month against nearly 200 communities in the Chicago area. The company argues that the communities failed to prepare for heavy rain and floodwaters, despite dire warnings from researchers and numerous reports from the US government and the UN that climate change is bringing increasingly severe weather. Reuters’ Mica Rosenberg reports that the suits are the first of their kind.
The legal debate may center on whether an uptick in natural disasters is foreseeable or an “act of God.” The cases raise the question of how city governments should manage their budgets before costly emergencies occur. “We will see more and more cases,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School in New York. “No one is expected to plan for the 500-year storm, but if horrible events are happening with increasing frequency, that may shift the duties.”
Legal experts say the case is something of a long shot for Farmers Insurance. But the hope is that the insurance industry’s battle will eventually extend beyond lawsuits, to lobbying firms and the halls of Congress. David Atkins outlines this scenario for The Washington Monthly’s Political Animal blog.
Right now the insurance companies’ strategy will be to lay the blame on governments for not doing enough to adapt to climate change. Attempts to set that precedent will be very challenging to say the least, and will likely fall short. The next step would be direct political action to support emissions reductions and to back away from coverage commitments. Something is going to give. If the insurance industry gets serious enough to put enough of its money up to challenge the fossil fuel barons, we might even see some Republicans start to see the light on climate change. Probably not, but one can always hope.
A political-money arms race between insurers and the fossil fuel industry isn’t imminent. The idea that climate change is something that insurance companies will have to contend with is taking hold within the industry, but only gradually. A 2013 report by the environmental investment group Ceres found that only 23 out of 184 insurers surveyed had comprehensive climate change strategies, and 13 of those were foreign-owned.The Aug. 3 operation was to remove a "small mass" from his liver, according to The Associated Press. After the procedure, Carter's prognosis for a full recovery was initially thought to be "excellent," a spokeswoman for his nonprofit The Carter Center told the AP.
Read MoreGeorge H.W. Bush breaks neck bone in fall, condition stable
President Barack Obama sent his best wishes for a fast, full recovery Wednesday afternoon. "Jimmy, you're as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you," he said, in a statement.
Carter has stayed active with his nonprofit, which was founded in 1982 and focuses on health care and human rights, among other initiatives. Health issues have affected some of his work this year, like a May trip to Guyana that was cut short by a bad cold.
He recently completed a tour for a new book, "A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety."
Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for what the prize committee called "decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts." The native of Plains, Georgia, was the state's governor before his election to the White House.
—The Associated Press contributed to this reportWhen public threats of terror against black students crop up on a school computer and permeate a community, any semblance of safety in an already racially tense environment is shattered. Taking steps toward healing — the first of which ought to be expelling the student responsible — must be done thoughtfully.
The triggering and traumatizing text and images were found on a library computer Wednesday. On Thursday, when students arrived at school, trying to make sense of the senseless, seeking answers but not finding any, they came up with their own response — to march. Students walked out of the school, taking to the streets of Berkeley as they did last December for the Black Lives Matter movement.
In the wake of this act of terror, the students’ strength is braver and more necessary than ever. The fact that the walkout was a protest of not only the administration’s response but also the incident itself demonstrates students’ dedication to the fight against racism and injustice.
It is now on the administration to give its full support to the student body. The campus has already seen a repetition of racist events, the most recent of which occurred in June, when a racially charged note was published in the school’s yearbook, and in October 2014, when a school safety officer discovered a noose hanging on campus.
But the horrifying level that this incident reached demands a strong response from the administration. Berkeley’s Local Control and Accountability Plan, which details policies for the school system to meet its mission, specifically includes provisions on fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive climate, as well as ending racial predictability by ensuring that its teaching environments are responsive to its students’ cultural needs. When the campus climate is as poor as it is now, the school must prove its commitment to ensuring the safety of all students.
The administration must create time and space for black students to discuss discrimination they experience within the Berkeley Unified School District as well as opportunities for solidarity and continued education of students, like it has already promised to do later this year.
It also must remove from campus the student responsible for such an outrageous act. Someone who thinks it is acceptable to call for lynchings and pledge allegiance to the Ku Klux Klan has no place on a campus committed to equality.
This student needs to be educated on the effects and the moral reprehensibility of his or her action, but the necessity of removing the student from the space he or she threatened with historically entrenched racial oppression overrides the student’s possible reintegration into student life. Additionally, as called for by the NAACP, the school should disclose the discipline it enacts, even if it cannot disclose the student’s identity.
The expulsion of the student alone will not fix the systemic racism that manifests in everyday high school life. This one student’s high school career cannot rectify the centuries of inequality building up to this event. But the walkout and protests proved real maturity and dedication in the youth fighting against racism.Dumbest cops in America video themselves laughing at and tasing mentally-ill, handcuffed man
Police and paramedics in Millvale, Pa., were recorded on video laughing as they repeatedly stunned a handcuffed and mentally-ill man as he pounded his head against the side of a desk. The video--predictably--ended up on YouTube, and the police officers involved became targets of an FBI investigation and a federal lawsuit.
Thomas Smith, 28, filed the $75,000 lawsuit against officer Nichole Murphy, chief Derek Miller, and the Pittsburgh-area borough. The FBI's investigation is apparently ongoing, reports WPXI, but no criminal charges have been filed since the incident late last year.
Smith was arrested on Sept. 21, 2012, and charged with public drunkenness. The video, shot on a cellphone, shows him shirtless and handcuffed on the floor at the police station, talking incoherently and butting his forehead against the side of a nearby desk. Officer Murphy uses a stun gun on him as paramedics or other officers laugh; in a police report, she claims she used the stun gun to subdue Smith when he became "violent."
According to the lawsuit, Murphy was fired before over conduct "similar" to that seen in the video, but subsequently rehired. Smith pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.VANCOUVER — Across the Disunited States today, garlands of roses are being thrown at the feet of Tony Romo, the oft-injured veteran quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
He is getting healthy enough to play again after a shopping list of back and collarbone injuries, but chose Tuesday to deliver a lengthy “team before self” soliloquy, while also acknowledging the pain of being a bystander as the new sensation, Dak Prescott, has guided the Cowboys to an 8-1 record, best in the National Football League.
Well, it was Big D. America’s Team. Television loves a good tear-jerker, and Romo, with a candour rare in a high-profile athlete, was there to end any controversy about who should be leading the Cowboys going forward. They are Prescott’s team now. He would have the kid’s back, and trusted that Prescott would have his.
Far away, in Vancouver, there was never a news conference. No audio recorders and cameras rolling. No prepared statement. No catch in the voice. No “this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
Travis Lulay, the oft-injured veteran quarterback of the B.C. Lions, read all the same tea leaves that Romo read. Jonathon Jennings, 24, is the new “it” kid. The team is rallying behind him. Lulay, the CFL’s (and Grey Cup’s) outstanding player in 2011, is healthy now, but must wait for the opportunity that might never come to prove that he can still play.
He had a decision to make. What he did, without fanfare, was park his ego, accept a hefty off-season pay cut, and hunker down to the task of helping Jonathon Jennings be a professional in every way — and a quarterback, it may yet turn out, good enough to make people forget that Travis Lulay is still around.
“He’s done tremendous things for me,” Jennings said Wednesday. “More than that, he’s been a friend, and a guy who’s always there for anything I need.
“He gives me an outlet when I need to speak about or understand something — he’s there to answer my question. That’s been big in my development. It’s just hard to always learn from coaches.”
Lulay, understand, is a fierce competitor. Every day he has to swallow the desire to get the No. 1’s reps in practice, to lead the way he once did.
“I mean, it’s a couple of things,” the 33-year-old Lulay said. “One, I’ve always preached and always believed that only one guy gets to play, but everyone in the room helps contribute to the play of the position on game day.
“So what does it say about me, when I’m not the one on the field, if I change that attitude, and I’m not the same guy and I don’t do the work to make sure the position is as strong as it can possibly be?
“And two, life’s about choices: you can pout and feel sorry for yourself, or you can recognize that you can make a difference in a different way. It’s a conscious decision.
“You’ve got to understand that somebody else’s successes aren’t directly tied to you being a failure. If you have enough self-confidence and believe you can still play, but you understand the circumstance just isn’t allowing you to be on the field right now, you can still sleep well at night. I know I can play. I just know that right now, it’s Jon’s time, and Jon has earned it.”
Jennings’ game has grown immensely in a season-and-a-half. The physical talents were evident early, but his maturity, his ability to shrug off mistakes and stay in the game, and — most tellingly — his increased focus and sharpness in come-from-behind situations are already hallmarks of his play.
“(Lulay) is as healthy as he’s been in a number of years, but it’s Jon’s time — and so it is pretty similar to what’s happened over in Dallas, but both of them are stand-up guys, and not everybody is equipped to handle it,” said Lions’ offensive co-ordinator Khari Jones.
Usually, that kind of selfless patience is rewarded with a few starts, often due to injury. It is Lulay’s lot in life that this is that rarest of Lions seasons in which one quarterback goes the distance.
“Well, yeah,” he chuckled. “That is a bit of a twist of fate, huh?”
That’s Lulay. Bright, articulate, upbeat, and for several hours of every day, inseparable from the kid who took his job. Weight room, field, film room.
Some would say it’s the nature of the position.
“I think it’s the nature of the man,” Buono said. “Travis is enough of a man to be able to be second and still be genuinely happy for the guy he’s helping.”
He’s seen quarterback relationships that were, to say the least, distant.
“I’ve seen it where a (displaced starter) will say, ‘I’m doing my job, but I’m not doing yours,’” Buono said.
“That’s not Travis. Never has been, never will be.”0 Flares Filament.io 0 Flares ×
This marks the first week that the infamous Texas sonogram law was enforced. (It's been in effect at many clinics since the law was passed in October, but now there are some teeth behind it.) And not surprisingly, it a) hasn't changed any women's minds, b) is a major hassle for women already making a difficult decision, and c) is a hassle for doctors and clinics.
The law doesn't just require that women get a sonogram before getting an abortion. They also have to listen to the doctor describe the fetus' features and listen to its heartbeat. From a logistical perspective, this means women have to schedule two appointments – one for the sonogram, followed by one at least 24 hours later to actually terminate the pregnancy. So it's twice the sick leave, twice the child care, twice the transportation. You can read more about what exactly is involved, as well as the long and torrid legal history, here.
The director of Texas Right to Life claims in a very Orwellian twist that the sonogram law actually empowers women, and that we need to stop “underestimating the capability of women to make a decision with more information, not less.” Indeed, she says, keeping this information from them is paternalistic. Except even these newly “empowered” women are making the same decisions that they had made before they were forced to endure the sonograms. According to the New York Times:
“Clinic directors said they have not had a single woman change her mind in the 24-hour period between her sonogram and her abortion. Abortion opponents and advocates for crisis pregnancy centers say that anecdotally, they have not heard of any either.”
So it turns out that women tend to know what they're doing when they make major decisions about their health and families. Harassment doesn't really change it. Even the anti-choice groups haven't been able to rustle up any cases that indicate otherwise.
But unfortunately, the legal battle has been put to rest for now. Today the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to reconsider the suit, so it looks like it's not going anywhere.
Maybe we should take a page from the book of a State Senator in Virginia who, in response to their own proposed sonogram law, introduced an amendment that “would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.”Europe is in the midst of a serious crisis and the euro is in a perilous situation. Greece, the currency union's greatest problem child, has failed to push through necessary reforms. Spain is battling to avoid a full sovereign bailout. Italy too is grappling with soaring interest rates on government bonds due to its debt problems. So is Cyprus. And Slovenia may become the next country to need a bailout.
That's only the economic side of the euro crisis. It has another face, too: The people out there who are trying to profit from it -- namely every politician who is resorting to cheap populism in order to rack up domestic political points. Joining the ranks this week is Markus Söder, the finance minister of the German state of Bavaria. Söder is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union. The CSU is part of Merkel's center-right coalition government. On Sunday, Söder said "an example must be made of Greece."
"Everyone has to leave Mom at some point and that time has come for the Greeks," he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
Söder's statements prompted German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to issue a warning: "The tone of the debate is very dangerous," he said. "We need to be careful not to talk Europe to death."
Indeed, Söder and his populist friends from other European Union countries are grossly oversimplifying the situation and, by doing so, intensifying the euro crisis a little bit more each day. They are playing with fire that could threaten the entire European project. They are fueling, both directly and indirectly, stereotypes and resentments about purportedly lazy southern Europeans on the one hand and domineering Germans on the other. Their goal: To attract as many voters as they can for their own gain. All of this, of course, comes at the expense of a united Europe.
SPIEGEL ONLINE has compiled quotes from the 10 most dangerous euro agitators. Click on the Photo Gallery below to begin.What images are on your computer? Do you know what they look like out of context? What might an image outside its context be? What is the context of an image, and how would we define the framework in which an image gains its meaning? And, ultimately, what image of readers and users is produced if those images are understood in terms of the “image archive” or “image history” they’ve accumulated?
Instead of intertextuality, can one perhaps speak of an intervisuality? As a way of understanding how the meaning of images are shaped by other images related to or existing around them?
As for intervisuality, I’m drawing on notions of intertextuality as introduced by Julia Kristeva [1]. Kristeva referred to texts in terms of two axes: a horizontal axis connecting the author and reader of a text, and a vertical axis connecting the specific text to others existing around it. What unites these two axes are, according to Kristeva, shared codes. She suggested that every text and reading depends on prior codes, “every text is from the outset under the jurisdiction of other discourses which impose a universe on it” [2]. Kristeva introduced the idea of “structuration”: Instead of limiting our attention to the structure of a text, we should study how this structure came into being. This is its “structuration,” which involved siting the text “within the totality of previous or synchronic texts” of which it was a “transformation.”[3]
One might try to imagine images in a similar way, as existing always “within the totality of previous or synchronic images” in relational structures determined by shared codes.
The Hard Drive project attempts to think through a number of possible relational axes among images, texts and contexts. An online magazine is a perfect setting for this. It contains different texts by different authors, all related to each other by the framework of the issue itself, and each of these texts is accompanied by images, also related to each other to varying degrees. These images are further also related to the reader/viewer in terms of what images s/he might already know, appreciate, use, store, or even own. Furthermore, the fact that the magazine exists online, allows for the flexible and ever-shifting embedding of images, all chosen through specific criteria and changing from one user to the next. Hard Drive renders visible a set of relationships between images and texts, and between authors and readers/viewers, and perhaps even between images and images, existing both online and on our hard drives.
Images and text
Western cultures share a tradition of subordinating images to the textual, of lending the textual an authority over pictures. Text defines, anchors, and names the images, the motives and spaces of which are cut off at the frame. The frame is what makes an image, but it is also a violent tool; it isolates the visible and differentiates it from that which is outside of it, thereby producing a new “not-visible.” To make up for the sudden removal of an entire universe through the said frame, a text is added: a title, a place, a date; a name of a person, animal, building; or perhaps an explanation of an object and how to use it. The text gives us a guide to that isolated and free-floating fragment; it gives us the possibility of re-establishing some kind of order around it. But this new order pertains to the world of the spectator—a subject who not only looks at images but also reads and speaks and hopes to identify something.
When searching for an image, we might have a vivid idea of what the image looks like, but the only way to search is by using text. Going through art historical archives, collections, museums, catalogues, we have to remember text: a country, a name, a pose of a model, a motif, a type of landscape or style. Language is the ground on which archives are built. That is what any museum or collection primarily shows us: how and to which extent images can be mapped by and organized through language. However, museums and library archives are no longer the obvious place to search for images. When looking for an image today, one goes online.
Different search engines suggest different routes through ever-expanding clusters of images. And so far, most search engines cannot actually see images. Most of them sort and categorize images in terms of what they are told the images depict, that is, through text—through tags. A tag is similar to what in traditional taxonomy is called classification. A tag gives an image a handle, an ability to be placed somewhere and to be found through a search. A tag is a name for a category, but unlike traditional taxonomy, a tag doesn’t have to be predefined. In traditional archives, a limited number of classificatory terms are defined beforehand, and so each item will have one correct way of being classified. In a tagging system, however, a user or author can use any word to classify an item at any point in time. There is no “wrong” categorization, and an item may have an unlimited number of different tags, corresponding to an unlimited number of categories. Instead of many items being related to each other by belonging to the same category, one category—or name—is related to another by being assigned to the |
head bloody. You are not allowed to hit them even when they are attacking. The one trick that works is to have a stick of some sort and wave it in circles above your head. The birds get confused and can't decide what point to attack, so you can get away safely.
The harsh Arctic environment also poses its own challenges, particularly in winter. Beware of the danger of frostbite in the face (nose and cheeks), fingers and toes, particularly in low temperatures with wind (such as high speed on snowmobile). Crossing glaciers and rivers can be hazardous and travelling with local guides is strongly recommended. If heading out on your own, informing the Governor of Svalbard about your route and expected duration is highly advisable. For any trips outside central region of Spitsbergen, you must notify the Governor, and may be required to purchase insurance or put up a large deposit to cover possible rescue costs.
Stay healthy [ edit ]
Tap water on Svalbard is drinkable, but surface water may contain tapeworm eggs from fox feces and should be boiled before consumption.
There is a pharmacy in Longyearbyen and you can buy some non-prescription drugs in the supermarket (Svalbardbutikken). Longyearbyen also has a hospital for treating emergencies.
Respect [ edit ]
In most of Svalbard's buildings, including some hotels and shops, you are expected to take off your shoes before entering. In public buildings this will be obvious as a shoe rack covered in dirty walking boots will be prominent at the entrance.
GSM/3G phones work in the main towns of Svalbard.
The Internet connection in Svalbard is top class, courtesy of NASA renting bulk capacity on undersea fibre optic cables running at seabed to mainland Norway for its experiments. Longyearbyen has several public Internet terminals.
While mail from Svalbard to mainland Norway and the outside world uses regular Norwegian stamps at regular Norwegian prices, philatelists may be interested in the Lokalpost system used for intra-Svalbard mail. Stamps, first-day covers and more are available at the post offices in Longyearbyen and Barentsburg, as well as at Longyearbyen's Svalbardbutikken.
Get out [ edit ]
Svalbard is a popular staging point (at least in relative terms) for launching expeditions to the North Pole.
This is a guide article. It has well developed information throughout the entire article, and throughout all of the articles on destinations within the region. Plunge forward and help us make it a star!Julian Finney/Getty Images
Nobody knew just why South Korean international Park Chu-Young never got a chance to prove himself for Arsenal this season.
Given the way he'd been brought in—under rather untoward circumstances—you'd have thought Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had it in mind to play him. A lot.
Arsenal had sealed a transfer for the 26-year-old AS Monaco forward under the very nose of Lille chairman Michel Seydoux last August. The story went that Park, who had played for Monaco since 2008, had arrived in Lille to undergo a medical with the presumption he was on the verge of joining the 2010-11 double winners.
Then he failed to show up for the second part of his medical. Lille team representatives checked in his hotel room, only to find it abandoned. Park had taken off for London; Arsenal had upped Lille's offer. The deal with Lille was off, and Arsenal had their man.
"We haven’t had a telephone call, nothing," said Seydoux back then. "From what we understand [Park] could be at Arsenal."
It was one of the more curious storylines of what turned into an unforgettable flurry of transfers for Arsenal.
Park's £2.7 million transfer (with a £1.8 million additional payment if Park was excused from military service—mandatory in South Korea for two years—and it appeared that Park succeeded in delaying his term for the time being, meaning that Arsenal likely had to pay Monaco that extra sum) was lost in the kerfuffle of deals for the likes of Mikel Arteta, Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker, not to mention a loan move for Yossi Benayoun.
But at 26, with a stellar track record for South Korea (he made his debut for the national team as a teenager) and Monaco, Park still looked like a bargain.
Ben Radford/Getty Images
Here was a player known for his mobility and technical prowess, who could provide cover at the forward position in the event that Robin van Persie succumbed to injury.
But oh, how we were wrong. Park made just one league appearance for Arsenal this past season, and despite scoring a superb goal in the FA Cup against Bolton in October (cue 2:40 for his Thierry Henry-esque strike), never earned the confidence of Wenger. His lack of first-team opportunities was testament enough to that.
Park made appearances for the reserves, but for the most part made his greatest imprint as one of the great enigmas of this Arsenal season. We heard snippets about Park, but rarely saw him. It was bizarre, to say the least.
Thus it surprised no one when Park said he would seek a transfer away from the club this summer if his playing time did not increase. With the arrival of Lukas Podolski, it seems only a matter of time before he packs his bags once more—this time for a destination away from London, not one year removed from the secretive deal that brought him there in the first place.
But first he has to be found. John Duerden, an expert on Asian football, tweeted Wednesday that Park had dropped off the proverbial face of the earth.
"Nobody knows where Park Chu-young is," Duerden reported. "[He] hasn't been answering KFA (Korean Football Association) calls to check on his condition in past few days."
It was the latest twist in what has become a thoroughly bizarre affair concerning the Korean. Duerden tweeted on Thursday that Park had been dropped by the Korean national team ahead of a round of upcoming matches.
Where will this winding tale turn next? We'll have to wait and see. At the very least, it looks like Park will not be with Arsenal next season. But his disappearance is the sort of thing that makes one think he must want some time away from football after what he endured this season.
Too bad, really, when you think about it. This whole tale smacks of a missed opportunity. Nothing rankles like wasted talent.WASHINGTON — Ken Salazar, a man of unnaturally sunny disposition in an often gloomy town, may be the happiest person in the Obama administration these days. He is going home to Colorado next week, provided his successor as interior secretary is confirmed as expected.
“I’ve had a glorious and joyful run,” he reflected on Thursday about his four years at the top of the Department of the Interior and, before that, his four years in the Senate. “Coming to work, I’ve just been living the dream every day.”
Mr. Salazar, 58, took over an agency that had been the scene of rampant financial scandal and political malpractice in the Bush administration and succeeded in restoring a measure of ethics and morale. He had the good fortune of suffering his greatest setback — the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that laid bare persistent flaws in the agency’s regulation of offshore oil and gas operations — relatively early in his tenure.
He hired an experienced former federal prosecutor, Michael R. Bromwich, to revamp the discredited Minerals Management Service, whose mission was to prevent such drilling disasters. Its successor agencies, although still short on money and staff, have tightened oil and gas permitting and regulation and have managed, so far, to remain scandal-free.Sources of income black money Edit
The use of Swiss banks for storing black money Edit
In early 2011, several reports Indian media alleged Swiss Bankers Association officials to have said that the largest depositors of illegal foreign money in Switzerland are Indians.[2][16] These allegations were later denied by Swiss Bankers Association as well as the central bank of Switzerland that tracks total deposits held in Switzerland by Swiss and non-Swiss citizens, and by wealth managers as fiduciaries of non-Swiss citizens.[3][4][17] James Nason of Swiss Bankers Association in an interview about allowed black money from India, suggests "The (black money) figures were rapidly picked up in the Indian media and in Indian opposition circles, and circulated as gospel truth. However, this story was a complete fabrication. The Swiss Bankers Association never said or published such a report. Anyone claiming to have such figures (for India) should be forced to identify their source and explain the methodology used to produce them."[4][18] In August 2010, the government revised the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement to provide means for investigations of black money in Swiss banks. This revision, expected to become active by January 2012, will allow the government to make inquiries of Swiss banks in cases where they have specific information about possible black money being stored in Switzerland.[19] In 2011, the Indian government received the names of 782 Indians who had accounts with HSBC. As of December, 2011, the Finance Ministry has refused to reveal the names, for privacy reasons, though they did confirm that no current Members of Parliament are on the list. In response to demands from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition party for the release of the information, the government announced on 15 December that, while it would not publish the names, it would publish a white paper about the HSBC information.[20] According to White Paper on Black Money in India report, published in May 2012, Swiss National Bank estimates that the total amount of deposits in all Swiss banks, at the end of 2010, by citizens of India were CHF 1.95 billion (INR 92.95 billion, US$2.1 billion). The Swiss Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed these figures upon request for information by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. This amount is about 700 fold less than the alleged $1.4 trillion in some media reports.[3] In February 2012, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director A P Singh speaking at the inauguration of first Interpol global programme on anti-corruption and asset recovery said: "It is estimated that around 500 billion dollars of illegal money belonging to Indians is deposited in tax havens abroad. Largest depositors in Swiss Banks are also reported to be Indians". In a hint at scams involving ministers, Singh said: "I am prompted to recall a famous verse from ancient Indian scriptures, which says – यथा राजा तथा प्रजा. In other words, if the King is immoral so would be his subjects"[5][21] The CBI Director later clarified in India's parliament that the $500 billion of illegal money was an estimate based on a statement made to India's Supreme Court in July 2011.[7] After formal inquiries and tallying data provided by banking officials outside India, the government of India claimed in May 2012 that the deposits of Indians in Swiss banks constitute only 0.13 per cent of the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries. Further, the share of Indians in the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries in Swiss banks has reduced from 0.29 per cent in 2006 to 0.13 per cent in 2010.[3] The through the Investigation Division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes released a White Paper on Black Money giving the Income Tax Department increased powers.[22]
2015 HSBC leaks Edit
In February 2015, Indian Express released the list of 1195 Indians account holders and their balances for the year 2006-07 in HSBC's Geneva branch. The list was obtained by French newspaper Le Monde and included the names of several prominent businessmen, diamond traders and politicians.[23] The number of Indian HSBC clients is roughly double the 628 names that French authorities gave to the Indian Government in 2011.[24] Indian government said it will probe into this matter.[25] The balance against the 1195 names stood at ₹25,420 crore (US$3.5 billion).[26] The list which had names of dictators and international criminals, was simultaneously published by news organisations in 45 countries including The Guardian, UK; Haaretz, Israel; BBC, London.[27] HSBC had helped its clients evade taxes[28] and said in a statement that "standards of due diligence were significantly lower than today."[29]
2016 Panama Papers leak Edit
2016 demonetisation drive Edit
Domestic black money Edit
The Economic Times reported that Indian companies as well as politicians routinely misuse public trusts for money laundering. India has no centralized repository— like the registrar of companies for corporates—of information on public trusts.[42]
SIT and Supreme court case Edit
Hasan Ali case Edit
Hasan Ali was arrested by Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department on charges of stashing over 60 billion rupee in foreign banks.[68] ED lawyers said Hasan Ali had financed international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi on several occasions.[69] However, media sources claimed this case is becoming yet another perfect instance of how investigative agencies like Income Tax Department go soft on high-profile offenders.[70][71][73] Hasan Ali's premises were raided by ED as far back as 2016. According several news reports, the probe against him has proceeded at an extremely slow pace and seems to have hit a dead end.[74][75][76][77][78][79] Today claimed that it had verified a letter confirming the US$8 billion in black money was in a bank of bank UBS account, and the government of India too has verified this with UBS.[80] The bank of bank UBS has denied Indian reports alleging that it maintained a business relationship with or had any assets or accounts for Hasan Ali, accused in the US$8 billion black money case. Upon formal request by Indian and Thailand government authorities, the bank announced that the documentation supposedly corroborating such allegations were forged, and numerous media reports claiming US$8 billion in stashed black money were false.[81][82] Today, in a later article, wrote, "Hasan Ali stands accused of massive tax evasion and stashing money in secret bank accounts abroad. But the problem is that the law enforcement agencies have precious little evidence to back their claims. For one, UBS Zurich has already denied having any dealings with Hasan Ali."[83]
Estimates Edit
As Schneider estimates, using the dynamic multiple-indicators multiple-causes method and by currency demand method, that the size of India's black money economy is between 23 and 26%, compared to an Asia-wide average of 28 to 30%, to an Africa-wide average to 41 to 44%, and to a Latin America-wide average of 41 to 44% of respective gross domestic products. According to this study, the average size of the shadow economy (as a percent of "official" GDP) in 96 developing countries is 38.7%, with India below average.[84][85][86]
Public protests and government's response Edit
Demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee currency notes Edit
Main article: Indian 500 and 1000 rupee currency demonetisation Following recommendations from the OECD on curbing black money on 22–23 February 2014 and previous moves by the RBI, on the night of 8 November 2016 the Indian Government decided to ban old notes and change them with new 500 and 2000 rupee notes. Similar moves had been made earlier in pre-independence era in 1946 and also in 1978 by the first non-Congress government called Janata government.[91] ATMs all over India remained closed for two days and banks for one day. Also, until 31 December, people were only allowed to withdraw Rs 2,500 maximum per day from ATMs, Rs 24,000 per week from banks.[92] Online bank transactions have been granted exemption from such limits. The issuing of the ₹2000 sought to throw hoarders of black money off by rendering the cash money they held in large denomination currency notes as useless. This meant they would need to get the notes exchanged at a bank or post office, which would be near impossible due to the exchange limits. Additionally, banks and authorities would question the large amounts of cash held by many hoarders, who now risked an official investigation being launched into their money situation. Economists and financial analysts believe that a large percentage of black money being held in cash in India would now be brought into the mainstream economy through the banks, which would bolster economic growth over the long term. Furthermore, the move is also intended as a way to cut down on the funding of terrorism, by rendering useless the large currency denominations of black money or counterfeit currency being paid to sleeper cells.[93] Previous Information Edit In 2012, the Central Board of Direct Taxes had recommended demonetisation, saying in a report that "demonetisation may be a solution for tackling black money or economy, although it is largely held in the form of benami properties, bullion and jewellery".[94][95] According to data from income tax probes, black money holders keep about 9% of their ill-gotten wealth as cash, hence targeting this cash may be considered as a successful strategy.[96] On 28 October 2016 the total banknotes in circulation in India was ₹17.77 trillion (US$250 billion). In terms of value, the annual report of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) of 31 March 2016 stated that total bank notes in circulation valued to ₹16.42 trillion (US$230 billion) of which nearly 86% (around ₹14.18 trillion (US$200 billion)) were ₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes.[97] In terms of volume, the report stated that 24% (around 22.03 billion) of the total 90266 million banknotes were in circulation.[98] In the past, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had opposed demonetisation. BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi had said in 2014 that "The aam aurats and the aadmis (general population), those who are illiterate and have no access to banking facilities, will be the ones to be hit by such diversionary measures."[99][100][101][102] The Government of India devised an Income Declaration Scheme (IDS), which opened on 1 June and ended on 30 September 2016. Under the scheme, the black money holders could come clean by declaring the assets, paying the tax and penalty of 45% thereafter.[103] Modi said that the queues due to demonetisation were the last queues that would end all other queues.[104][105]
Proposals to prevent Indian black money Edit
History Edit Even in colonial India, numerous committees and efforts were initiated to identify and stop underground economy and black money with the goal of increasing the tax collection by the British Crown government. For example, in 1936 Ayers Committee investigated black money from the Indian colony. It suggested major amendments to protect and encourage the honest taxpayer and effectively deal with fraudulent evasion.[106] Current Proposals Edit In its white paper on black money, India has made the following proposals to tackle its underground economy and black money.[3] Reducing disincentives against voluntary compliance Edit Excessive tax rates increase black money and tax evasion.When tax rates approach 100 per cent, tax revenues approach zero, because higher is the incentive for tax evasion and greater the propensity to generate black money. The report finds that punitive taxes create an economic environment where economic agents are not left with any incentive to produce. Another cause of black money, the report finds is the high transaction costs associated with compliance with the law. Opaque and complicated regulations are other major disincentive that hinders compliance and pushes people towards underground economy and creation of black money. Compliance burden includes excessive need for compliance time, as well as excessive resources to comply. Lower taxes and simpler compliance process reduces black money, suggests the white paper.[3] Banking transaction tax Edit Arthakranti, Pune-based think-tank has outlined policy prescription that involves replacement of most direct and indirect levies with a banking transaction tax and de-monetisation of currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 to help prevent Indian black money, ease inflation, improve employment generation and also lower corruption.[107][108] Economic liberalisation Edit The report suggests that non-tariff barriers to economic activity such as permits and licences, long delays in getting approvals from government agencies are an incentive to proceed with underground economy and hide black money. When one can not obtain a licence to undertake a legitimate activity, the transaction costs approach infinity, and create insurmountable incentives for unreported and unaccounted activities that will inevitably generate black money. The successive waves of economic liberalisation in India since the 1990s have encouraged compliance and taxes collected by the government of India have dramatically increased over this period. The process of economic liberalisation must be relentlessly continued to further remove underground economy and black money, suggests the report.[3] Reforms in vulnerable sectors of the economy Edit Certain vulnerable sectors of Indian economy are more prone to underground economy and black money than others. These sectors need systematic reforms. As example, the report offers gold trading, which was one of the major sources of black money generation and even crime prior to the reforms induced in that sector. While gold inflows into India have remained high after reforms, gold smuggling is no longer the menace as it used to be. Similar effective reforms of other vulnerable sectors like real estate, the report suggests can yield a significant dividend in the form of reducing generation of black money in the long term. The real estate sector in India constitutes about 11 per cent of its GDP. Investment in property is a common means of parking unaccounted money and a large number of transactions in real estate are not reported or are under-reported. This is mainly on account of very high levels of property transaction taxes, commonly in the form of stamp duty. High transaction taxes in property are one of the biggest impediments to the development of an efficient property market. Real estate transactions also involve complicated compliance and high transactions costs in terms of search, advertising, commissions, registration, and contingent costs related to title disputes and litigation. People of India find it easier to deal with real estate transactions and opaque paperwork by paying bribes and through cash payments and under-declaration of value. Unless the real estate transaction process and tax structure is simplified, the report suggests this source of black money will be difficult to prevent. Old and complicated laws such as the Urban Land Ceiling Regulation Act and Rent Control Act need to be repealed, property value limits and high tax rates eliminated, while Property Title Certification system dramatically simplified.[3] Other sectors of Indian economy needing reform, as identified by the report, include equity trading market, mining permits, bullion and non-profit organisations. Creating effective credible deterrence Edit Effective and credible deterrence is necessary in combination with reforms, transparency, simple processes, elimination of bureaucracy and discretionary regulations. Credible deterrence needs to be cost effective, claims the report.[3] Such deterrence to black money can be achieved by information technology (integration of databases), integration of systems and compliance departments of the Indian government, direct tax administration, adding data mining capabilities, and improving prosecution processes. Supportive measures Edit Along with deterrence, the report[3] suggests public awareness initiatives must be launched. Public support for reforms and compliance are necessary for long term solution to black money. In addition, financial auditors of companies have to be made more accountable for distortions and lapses. The report suggests Whistleblower laws must be strengthened to encourage reporting and tax recovery. Amnesty Edit Amnesty programmes have been proposed to encourage voluntary disclosure by tax evaders. These voluntary schemes have been criticized on the grounds that they provide a premium on dishonesty and are unfair to honest taxpayers, as well as for their failure to achieve the objective of unearthing undisclosed money. The report[3] suggests that such amnesty programmes can not be an effective and lasting solution, nor one that is routine. Excessive demonetised currency notes Edit After the recent demonetisation of old 500 and 1000 Rs notes, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) collected these notes in excess of (more than INR 2 trillions) what it had officially released into circulation earlier.[98] The value of fake notes received by RBI is negligible compared to total value. GoI shall conduct thorough probe to reveal how it has happened and bring to book the culprits. This could have happened by unscrupulous politicians yielding power with the connivance of RBI top brass to plunder wealth of the nation. International enforcement Edit India has Double Tax Avoidance Agreements with 82 nations, including all popular tax haven countries. Of these, India has expanded agreements with 30 countries which requires mutual effort to collect taxes on behalf of each other, if a citizen attempts to hide black money in the other country. The report[3] suggests that the Agreements be expanded to other countries as well to help with enforcement. Modified currency notes Edit Government printing of such legal currency notes of highest denomination i.e.; ₹1,000 (US$14) and ₹500 (US$7.00) which remain in the market for only 2 years. After a 2-year period is expired there should be a one-year grace period during which these currency notes should be submitted and accepted only in bank accounts. Following this grace period the currency notes will cease to be accepted as legal tender or destroyed under the instructions of The Reserve Bank of India. As a consequence turning most of the unaccountable money into accountable and taxable money. Holding United States currency Edit Many people in India who want to stash black money keep it as cash in US$ which will fetch appreciation in its value also as the INR gets devalued against US currency. GoI should tighten the rules to prevent acquiring/holding of the foreign currency (FC) cash in huge quantities by tracking cash transactions in US$ and limiting FC availability in small value through reputed banks / authorised firms by cashless transaction only. Smuggling of US$ into the country by NRIs, foreign tourists shall be curbed at entry ports. NRIs / foreign tourists shall conduct cashless transactions for acquiring INR currency, etc. All Indians who are going abroad should use international credit / debit cards instead of carrying US$ in cash with them. This would also prevent international trade in narcotics, terrorist funding, etc. Corruption in education Edit Further information: Capitation fee Many institutions that are meant to provide education have been promoting corruption, and education has been a major contributor to domestic black money in India. Single common entrance exams for various professional courses (medicine and allied, engineering and allied, business management and allied),[109] releasing the audited financial statements of the trusts/not-for-profit organizations that own these educational institutions in the public domain (website, a common e-repository), stoppage of government funds from AICTE, DST etc. to such institutions, are some of the suggestions to reduce the generation of black money in education.[110] As per a report submitted by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) to the Finance Ministry in December 2013, the capitation fees collected by private colleges, on management quota seats in professional courses, the previous year was around Rs 5,953 crores.[111] Withdrawal of currency notes of higher denomination Edit There have been suggestions to withdraw currency notes of higher denominations, such as the 2000 rupee notes.[112][113][114] While this could lead to an increase in printing costs for the RBI, these costs should be weighed against the costs for misuse of high-value notes.[115]
Books Edit
Black money in India has been a popular subject of discussion but not many books have been authored on the subject. Books that have been authored on the subject of black money in India include: The Black White & Grey: Re-coloring the Rupiah by Pragun Akhil Jindal[116][117][118][119][120][121][122] The Black Economy by Arun Kumar The Black White & Grey Edit The book The Black White & Grey: Re-Coloring The Rupiah, authored by Pragun Jindal and published by Money Worries, looks at the black money menace and ways to curb it. Senior Congress Leader Manish Tewari and political commentator Paranjoy Guha Thakurta on 13 December 2016 launched the book, which attempts to debunk "a lot of lies, unknown facts and baseless rumours about Black Money". "A delinquent like poverty only affects the poor, unemployment affects those who are unemployed, alcoholism and drug abuse affect those who devour them, black money is a hitch which does not affect persons who amass 'black dough' but it affects the common man in the populace", said the author at the book's launch event.[116][117][118][119][120][121][122]
See also Edit[Updated 5:58 p.m.: So, it appears the “new” quote from the Maloofs may be just an old one, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The quote below was previously unpublished, as far as I can tell, but now reportedly was part of the Maloofs’ letter to the NBA in late April. If so, Reuters’ story Tuesday was certainly misleading.]
As ESPN reported Monday, this could get ugly.
The majority owners of the Sacramento Kings, the Maloof family, still want to sell their 65 percent share of the team to the Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen, Reuters reported Tuesday. That’s despite an NBA committee’s recommendation Monday that the Kings be blocked from relocating to Seattle, and despite a counteroffer from the Sacramento group that NBA commissioner David Stern has described as “in the same ballpark” as Hansen’s league-record offer for the Kings.
“There is no acceptable deal possible” with the Sacramento group, a Maloof family spokesperson said, according to Reuters, “and no serious desire by the Sacramento group to arrive at one. It has become too onerous for us to continue spending time and resources on a process that cannot succeed.”
Perhaps this thing ain’t over. After all, Hansen declared Monday that he remains “fully committed to seeing this transaction through.” Now we have both parties — Hansen and the Maloofs — trying to fulfill their binding agreement.
Moreover, we have learned that Monday’s NBA recommendation did not come from the 12-member joint finance and relocation committee, but simply from the seven-member relocation committee. They voted unanimously to recommend that the league’s full Board of Governors reject Hansen’s application to relocate the Kings to Seattle, but apparently did not consider his purchase agreement with the Maloofs.
When the Board of Governors, composed of the league’s 30 team owners, meets again on May 13, it will take up both issues: The sale and the relocation. And here’s where things get interesting.
As we’ve reported over and over, approval of a franchise sale requires a three-fourths majority vote. That means Hansen, to get his Kings acquisition approved, would need 23 board members to vote in his favor. Indeed, it is a tall order.
Yet relocation merely requires a simple majority. Hansen would need 16 votes from the Board of Governors to move the Kings to Seattle.
We know there are seven committee members who ostensibly would vote again to block relocation, and we know that the full board generally follows committee recommendations, but it is possible that the Board of Governors will vote differently — however unlikely.
In the meantime, the process is continuing.
According to reports, the Sacramento group must put half of their purchase offer into an escrow account by Friday. If their offer is “in the same ballpark” as Hansen’s, and Hansen’s offer is $341 million for the Maloofs’ 65 percent of the Kings, the Sacramento investors would need to put up about $170 million this week.
(Hansen did raise his offer to $357.5 million, but Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who organized that city’s potential ownership group, has said those investors did not focus on matching Hansen’s increased bid. Hansen has also said the Seattle group already put its required amount into escrow.)
Meanwhile, we have the Maloofs saying the Sacramento group has “no serious desire” to arrive at an “acceptable deal.”
The Sacramento offer could fall through, or at least fail to meet the Maloofs’ satisfaction. There’s still time before May 13 for significant developments in the fight for the Kings.
And, perhaps, the NBA is giving Sacramento every chance it can to secure the Kings. If the Sacramento group hangs itself with this NBA-provided rope, the league has its behind covered.
The NBA has never rejected a binding purchase agreement between one of its team owners and a buyer; the league has never dictated to whom an owner can sell. And remember, the Board of Governors is made up of 30 owners who, someday, may want to sell their team to whomever they wish, as well.
Reuters reported that Hansen’s plan now is to convince the board to support his purchase of the Kings, even if the NBA doesn’t initially let him move the team north. Here’s more from Reuters:
The league could require Hansen to work in good faith with the city of Sacramento to try to keep the team there, setting a deadline for the construction of a new arena and working to keep attendance high at the games. But if the arena wasn’t built according to the schedule, or if attendance slipped at the games, Hansen could apply again for permission to move the team – and it could be more likely to be granted, this source said.
Sound familiar? That’s essentially what happened when Clay Bennett (who happens to now be the chairman of the NBA’s relocation committee) bought the Sonics in 2006.
He tried, to the league’s satisfaction (though not to Sonics fans’), to work with Seattle on a better home for the team, but then moved the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 after failing to reach a deal with local leaders.
Could Seattle be the next Oklahoma City?
Does Seattle want to be the next Oklahoma City?
If you don’t see any photo-caption text, try refreshing the page or using a different Web browser. There is a known issue of captions not showing up for some readers using Internet Explorer. Photo galleries also may not be properly displayed on some mobile devices.
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle news. Contact sports editor Nick Eaton at nickeaton@seattlepi.com or @njeaton.TODAY’S COMIC: “Jack The Spider”
Is Jack the spider… real? I dunno. But this one made me laugh. The idea that the cute teddy-bear-like spider you’ve been reading about is really a big huge spider cracked me up. Makes you wonder if he isn’t an imaginary friend himself, but in a different way.
The idea for this strip originated from the original concept of Skitter. I wanted there to be perception issues between bugs and humans. Bugs had a hard time even seeing humans clearly because they were so big and far away. Humans had a hard time seeing bugs for the “people” they really were. There was a strip I wanted to do where Martin the cockroach finally came face to face with a woman. He saw her as a blurry image. She saw him as… a cockroach. I never did that strip, but it kinda lives in this one.
John
If you get a hankerin’ to upvote this comic on Reddit, I’d be very appreciative!
↓ Transcript JACK THE SPIDER
LUNA: "Hey, Reen, Where's your imaginary friend, Gary?"
REEN: "Oh, he's around."
LUNA: "Well meet my real Friend... Jack the spider!"
REEN: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
LUNA: "Don't mind her. I think you're cute."
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An east London coffee shop has come under fire after a chalkboard outside the cafe read "Sorry, no poor people".
Since the sign was spotted outside Brick Lane Coffee's shop in Shoreditch earlier this week, the cafe has come under heavy criticism on Facebook and Twitter.
However, the owner of Brick Lane Coffee has said staff were not behind the message, adding that the offensive board was removed by employees as soon as it was discovered.
When asked who was behind the sign, owner Adrian Jones said he thought the establishment had been targeted by anti-gentrification protestors.
He said: "Someone came along and graffitied it on there", speculating it could have been the same protestors who attacked the nearby Cereal Killer Cafe.
Brick Lane Coffee has yet to respond publicly to the dozens of people who have criticised the sign on social media, under the impression that the shop had put it up.
"Never had coffee here and never will. Reprehensible attitude towards the poor and the disadvantaged. Your signage isn't funny, it's just crass."
Posting on Facebook, Scott Hutchison said: "You shower should be ashamed of yourselves. You certainly don't deserve to be successful with an attitude like this."
While Sarah Alice More left a negative review for the cafe, saying: "I would go here again but their really witty and original chalk board outside says no poor people.
"Shame. If you're desperate for an average, overpriced coffee then there's a Pret just up the street."
While another Facebook user, Boudicca Rising, said: "No poor people"?! Really? Are you trying for a bit of subversive newsworthiness on the backs of people who are starving?
"Or are you giant, over-privileged t***waffles? I'm guessing both.. PS I'm NEVER walking into your shop."
And Gavin Prior said: "Never had coffee here and never will. Reprehensible attitude towards the poor and the disadvantaged. Your signage isn't funny, it's just crass."
Mr Jones said he would not be defending the coffee shop, saying simply: "Don't explain, don't complain."
A picture of the controversial sign was reportedly tweeted from the shop's account, but Mr Jones said this was done by a member of staff in error.
He said: "It was just a misunderstanding, someone had just written it on there, and one of the staff made a mistake, and thought it had been done by someone here.
"The staff put the pictures up and there's an admin woman that does the Twitter."
The @bricklanecoffee Twitter account has recently been deleted, but Mr Jones said this was due to an unrelated technical problem, and that it would be operational again soon.
The coffee shop's website boasts of having "three shops scattered about the lowbrow areas" of London, and promises customers will "come happy, leave edgy."
Earlier this year Brick Lane Coffee sparked controversy for displaying a chalkboard saying: "please don’t feed the crackies".
At the time, following complaints, Mr Jones apologised and said that the sign had been erased |
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Lastly, some pictures were taken right from the original article. However, Roy, Cloud’s pictures and Lucas’ trailer were not included in the original article. They were added to increase readability.
The following is translated from Nintendo Dream volume 264, April 2016. The magazine was published February 20th, 2016.
This translation is for fan use only, and may not accurately reflect the opinions of Masahiro Sakurai.
The original version of this article stated Shin Hadouken instead of Shin Shoryuken for Ryu’s Final Smash. It has been corrected.
The Inevitable Seven
Of the characters available as DLC, three are returning veterans, and four are brand new to Smash. We sat down with Sakurai to learn about how they were made.
Mewtwo:
Sakurai: Among the veteran fighters who didn’t appear in Smash for 3DS/Wii U, Mewtwo was particularly popular, and it was clear many people wanted him back. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to include him in the retail release. Thus, we decided that, if we were to release DLC, Mewtwo would be an effective veteran choice, so we began with him.
—What sort of concept did you have in mind when designing Mewtwo?
Sakurai: Powerful, but light—a glass cannon. When fine-tuning a character, you have to make sure they stay balanced, but “light weight” being a character’s weakness is difficult to convey to users, so we made it really obvious just how light Mewtwo is.
—You mean how he’s so floaty?
Sakurai: No, floatiness is different from being a lightweight. Falling slowly and flying far when launched are two different parameters. Mewtwo’s weakness is that he can’t take a hit. Also, we gave him a Final Smash this time around, and I wanted to create a PSI-style attack, something shocking and unrelenting. Ultimately, we went with Psystrike, an attack in which Mewtwo sends an electric shock through opponents’ heads. Of course, there were limits to how far we could go because of ratings issues, but we did what we could to give it some impact
—Speaking of his Final Smash, Mewtwo has two Mega forms, X and Y. Why did you pick the latter?
Sakurai: X wasn’t even an option (laughs). I mean, Mega Mewtwo X is about physical offense, which completely clashes with the concept I had for Mewtwo. From a gameplay perspective, I guess it could work to have him summon all his strength and deliver a powerful punch to his opponents, but that’s not the type of character Mewtwo is in Smash.
Lucas:
Sakurai: I was aware that, following Mewtwo, Lucas and Roy also enjoy considerable popularity. If we were to bring back a total of three fighters, I knew we couldn’t go wrong with these three. With Lucas, we made use of his unique playstyle from Brawl. At the same time, we originally created him using Ness as a base, so we once again started with Ness and made changes from there. In order to bring out the difference between the two, we made Lucas’s attacks more powerful but slower to finish, playing with the balance of strengths and weaknesses.
—Several new palette swaps feature characters from MOTHER 3, like Boney and Baby Drago. Were those your ideas?
Sakurai: No, one of the designers came up with those. They incorporated some memorable elements from the original game.
—I also noticed his Final Smash functions differently than in Brawl. Why is that?
Sakurai: In Brawl, you were able to unleash meteors one by one, but that wasn’t feasible this time around because of the limitations of the 3DS’s processor. To compensate, we animated the effect to look as if a slew of meteors are showering down at once to simulate the look of his original Final Smash even though its function has changed.
Roy:
Sakurai: Roy from the Fire Emblem series (FE below) is a character who hits hardest at close range, just like in Melee. If pressed, I’d have to say Marth was stronger than Roy back then, so in Smash for 3DS/Wii U, we gave Roy more power, even adding strength to his animations.
—In what way?
Sakurai: To start with, we gave him a reverse grip. In Melee, we cloned Roy directly from Marth and continued development with the idea that we would simply tweak his parameters. This time, however, we remade a lot of his animations, using his reverse grip to emphasize his superior strength at close range.
—How did you go about updating his design?
Sakurai: If you look at his Melee design today, it certainly seems old (laughs). That’s why I thought it was necessary to give him a more modern look. However, it was a pretty difficult process. Perhaps it’s because he’s a swordsman in a fantasy setting, but during the design process he took on a sort of Tales-ish appearance (laughs). I mean, the modelers responsible for his design also worked on the Tales series, so it makes sense (laughs).
When a character appears in spin-offs of their main series, designers have a hard time deciding which of their looks to use. For example, our designers might have considered basing Marth’s appearance this time on the illustrations Masamune Shirow drew for FE: Shadow Dragon.
—True. When a series has gone on for a long time, settling on one design could be tough.
Sakurai: It’s important to find the right balance. If you go too far, people will say, “Who’s this!?”
—For Melee, you included Roy in Smash before his own game was released. Did you incorporate elements from his original game this time around?
If we didn’t base the new Roy on his appearance in Melee, he wouldn’t be the same, so we think of Smash Roy as separate from his appearance in FE: Binding Blade. When Roy uses his Final Smash, Critical Hit, he swings his sword in a circular motion before striking as a reference to his original game. Aside from that, however, he’s very much a unique incarnation of Roy. That’s why he’s more spirited in Smash than he is in Binding Blade (laughs).
Ryu:
Sakurai: My goal with Ryu was to incorporate input-based light and heavy attacks. I also wanted to make him a character that could combo. Smash is not a combo-heavy game; rather, Smash was actually designed as a response to the fear of matches becoming too formulaic because of combos. However, I think the fun of 2D fighting games is inherently connected to pulling off consecutive hits, so I made it possible to string together combos in Smash, too. The length of a button press allows players to alternate between light and heavy attacks, a system inspired by a little old game called Street Fighter (laughs). His attacks change depending on how hard the button is pressed just like in the original game, so Ryu is provided with a plethora of attack options. I think the sheer variety of moves makes controlling him feel really good, but also inherently makes mastering him very difficult!
—You even included command inputs in Smash!
Sakurai: The disparity between attacks performed normally and those performed using command inputs actually quite substantial. For example, Shōryūken naturally maintains its invincibility in both versions, but its speed and landing lag differ. Using the command input Special Moves always proves advantageous, even in the smallest way. Since entering the command input itself takes several frames, we had to balance that out by adding something beneficial. Truth be told, I felt exaggerating the difference between the command input Specials and the normal Special Moves even more would have made for a more interesting experience, but I ultimately didn’t do it.
—How come?
Sakurai: If I had gone too far, the character might have felt too weak to someone unable to effectively perform the command inputs. That reminds me—Yoko Shimomura, the composer for Ryu’s Theme, bragged to me, “Even I can perform a Shōryūken!” (laughs)
—There were people in the editorial department saying the same thing.
(Everyone laughs)
Sakurai: Honestly, Ryu remade the preexisting Smash system. For example, when entering the command input for Tatsumaki Senpūkyaku, the character turns around. It was essential for us to make sure the program accurately recognized the command input even though it begins while Ryu is turned around. It was quite a struggle since command inputs are a completely foreign concept to Smash, and we had to completely redesign the system.
—You say it was “quite a struggle,” but you wanted to implement it, didn’t you? (laughs)
Sakurai: Ryu wouldn’t be the same without command inputs (laughs). Also, I was very particular about his animations. I essentially based Ryu’s motions off his attacks in Street Fighter II, but creating the full animations required more work. For example, when Ryu punches, his extended arm pose is the same, but the animations for extending and retracting his arm were brought to life using the animation know-how we’ve amassed making Smash.
—Why did Ryu become the first Smash character to have two Final Smashes?
Sakurai: Personally, I feel Shin-Shōryūken is the only real option—it just feels so exhilarating. On the other hand, it feels far less exhilarating when the attack doesn’t connect. After you’ve fought tooth and nail for the Smash Ball, even unleashing an ultimate attack feels like a real letdown when it just grazes your opponent. I thus decided to include Shinkū-Hadōken to provide a little more flexibility. In the Street Fighter series, players can pick special moves to match their own personal playstyle, so I thought it would be a good match.
Cloud:
—Final Fantasy VII (FFVII below) has never been released on a Nintendo console, so how did Cloud end up appearing in Smash?
Sakurai: Final Fantasy (FF below) is one of the few uniquely Japanese game series revered by players around the world. I think fans across the globe have hoped a character from one of those series would appear in Smash, so it was only a matter of time. At the same time, there are only so many big-name titles we can work with at this point—mainly because we’ve covered most of those bases. Aside from the major globally-recognized franchises already featured in Smash, there really aren’t that many left.
—That’s true. No other franchises come to mind.
Sakurai: Exactly. And within the FF franchise, Cloud is without question the most popular choice. A number of people fixate on the fact his original game was never released on a Nintendo console, but if we were to limit our choices to characters who appeared on a Nintendo console, we’d end up with Bartz from FFV or the Onion Knight from FFIII—how would that work? Maybe they could change jobs or something… Actually, that would be kind of interesting (laughs).
(Everyone laughs)
Sakurai: At the same time, I think it’s only natural to prioritize the character who enjoys worldwide popularity. I might have had misgivings if Cloud had never appeared on a Nintendo console in any form, though.
—Recently, he’s shown up in the Theatrhythm and Kingdom Hearts series. He’s even branching out to the PS4 now with the FFVII remake.
Sakurai: Which is why I think we should forget about console wars and focus on what’s really important: enjoying the games themselves.
—On that note, can you tell us how you approached the creation of Cloud in Smash?
Sakurai: The biggest problem was that Cloud is simply too strong. He boasts long reach, plenty of power, and considerable speed. With all those strengths, he’s the perfect fighter.
—And he’s handsome to boot!
(Everyone laughs)
Sakurai: If you look at him in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (FFVII: AC below), he’s on a completely different plane, and I had a hard time trying to make that work within the game. Ultimately, I came up with a balanced solution as seen in attacks like his Side Smash: he takes a moment to charge up, then slashes with incredible speed.
—You also managed to incorporate his Limit Breaks.
Sakurai: Charging up to the limit and then unleashing a powerful attack really meshes with my impression of FFVII, so I think assigning Limit Charge as Cloud’s Down Special was a good idea. Technically, Cross Slash is one of his Limit Breaks in the original game, so I suppose it’s not a perfect fit, but still (laughs).
—Yeah, you can’t use Limit Breaks until the Limit Gauge is completely full.
Sakurai: Right—so by using the Limit Charge to strengthen Cloud’s Special Moves, I feel like we were able to assimilate the feel of Limits from the original game. Unlike other chargeable Special Moves, Limit Charge is unique in that the gauge doesn’t reset. Most other attacks in Smash reset if the user takes damage mid-charge, but Cloud can start charging where he left off.
—And why is that?
Sakurai: I felt a lot of new players would want to try him out, so I made him a little easier to use. Of course, if he did lose his charge after taking damage, that would allow us to make other changes instead. For example, if we made it harder to fill the Limit Gauge, we could make his Special Moves even stronger to compensate. Balancing in extremes makes for a much more exciting game.
—Cloud’s appearance has evolved over time alongside the technology responsible for each game. How did you approach his look in Smash?
Sakurai: Cloud’s recent appearances have gradually become more photorealistic—but Smash isn’t like that. When you look at all the characters side-by-side, none of them should feel out of place. It’s not easy, though. We approached Cloud as a realistic character while making adjustments so he would fit in. In that sense, Cloud’s Smash appearance might come off as slightly comical. By the way, we based his look off of his appearance in Dissidia Final Fantasy on the PSP.
—Did you reference the animations as well?
Sakurai: No. Aside from Special Moves like Cross Slash, I came up with all of his movements from scratch. Well, in FFVII: AC, there’s a sequence where he flies along the ground instead of running, but that’s the only other thing we incorporated into Cloud’s animations.
—Once you decided to include Cloud, what was the first attack that popped into your head?
Sakurai: Hm… I don’t think I came up with anything in particular, but I knew from the get-go I wanted to include Cross Slash. At the same time, it presents an incompatibility, since the move itself doesn’t fit with a game viewed entirely from the side. Actually, it might be the first move in Smash to be completely different depending on whether Cloud is facing right or left.
—How so?
Sakurai: Put simply, we had to make sure Cloud properly slashes out the character 凶 regardless of which side he’s facing. The hitboxes are completely different (laughs).
—Ah, now that you mention it, the character doesn’t flip around when Cloud changes direction. It’s legible as 凶 either way.
Sakurai: Right. In FFVII, Cloud starts slashing from the corner and finishes with the cross in the middle, but in Smash, we had him draw it the correct way: start with the cross, then finish with the outline. This adjustment makes it easier to string together all the hits since Cloud begins the attack from the middle.
—While we’re talking about third-party characters, did you ever consider including characters like Cloud and Ryu in previous Smash games?
Sakurai: The thought crossed my mind for a fleeting instant—”I wonder how I could make that work”—but I quickly dismissed the idea (laughs).
(Everyone laughs)
Sakurai: Those third-party characters are huge icons of their respective companies, so such an opportunity is hard to come by. That being said, now that Smash has grown into a well-known franchise, the creators recognize the merits of allowing us to use their characters, so negotiations have tended to go rather smoothly.
—Nevertheless, it’s so impressive you were able to bring Cloud into Smash.
Sakurai: I’m pretty impressed myself (laughs).
—Did Square Enix make any requests?
Sakurai: They supervised the development, providing detailed feedback and harsh criticism, but they didn’t make much in the way of requests. We have our own format for designing content in Smash, and they were gracious enough to grant us considerable freedom when devising Cloud’s attacks, animations, and Special Moves.
—What was the voice recording process like?
Sakurai: Cloud’s voice actor is Takahiro Sakurai, so we talked about how we have the same last name.
(Everyone laughs)
Sakurai: I paid special attention to the intensity of his lines. Cloud is fundamentally a detached character, but it would make for a pretty boring battle if he were too dispassionate. During the recording session, I spoke with a sound director from the FF series. My conception of what Cloud would do and say completely matched theirs, so I think Cloud’s lines turned out perfect.
—Still, Ryu and Cloud crossing over into Smash must surely be a smash hit with long-time gamers. You really know how to make people happy.
Sakurai: At the same time, gamers from that generation probably already have all the characters they could want. Mega Man has also joined the fray, so there might not be anyone left.
—I guess that means you’re going to have to include Donbe after all.
Sakurai: I’ll leave that up to you (laughs).
Corrin:
—Corrin marks the sixth Fire Emblem character to appear in Smash.
Sakurai: There are too many Fire Emblem characters! The decision to include Corrin was admittedly strategic, but I genuinely worried we might be adding too many characters from the series. That said, once the FE Fates developers shared their idea with me, I knew I could make Corrin into an interesting fighter. Their unique characteristic in Smash is their incredible reach, attacking from further away than anyone else. Even in the midst of a heated melee, Corrin can poke with their lance from afar and pierce opponents. They can transform one part of their body and extend it to hit opponents. I guess you could say they’re like Dhalsim… Well, maybe not quite (laughs).
It’s always interesting to see the difference in strategies which arise when a unique character comes out. When Corrin enters the fray, you have to pay attention to the distance between the two of you. On the other hand, that’s less of a concern with returning characters like Roy and Lucas with preexisting strategies. In that sense, I feel Corrin is a really important addition.
—Did you decide from the beginning to allow players to select Corrin’s gender?
Sakurai: Of course. I had even hoped to allow players to choose from a variety of heads and palette swaps, but I realized including all of them would be impossible.
—That makes sense since the original game provides players with a lot of freedom regarding Corrin’s hairstyle.
Sakurai: In the box art for Fates, Corrin♂ is drawn as a young man, whereas Corrin♀ is depicted as an adult woman—and we paralleled those designs in Smash. We watched some videos for reference and decided Corrin♂ would feel wrong as an adult but also feel too young as a child. Likewise, Corrin♀ could be seen as feminine, which caused its own difficulties.
—Deciding on the right tone for Corrin is something players dealt with in Fates, too.
Sakurai: I spoke with Corrin♂’s voice actor, Nobunaga Shimazaki, and asked him to aim for something between child and adult. He performed a whole range of voices, and we eventually settled on an ambiguous middle ground for Smash.
—How did you come up with Corrin’s animations?
Sakurai: Basically, I just took the animations from Fates and expanded upon them. I determined Corrin’s ability to transform part of their body was crucial in gaining the advantage in battle. In the original game, however, Corrin’s feet never change shape. Their legs morph into drills for some attacks in Smash, but the creators have thankfully allowed me some creative freedom. Unfortunately, that also means most of the attention is drawn away from their actual weapon—the Yato.
—Really? When I saw their trailer, I immediately thought, “That looks like it would hurt!”
Sakurai: I was surprised at first, too: “Huh? Is the blade spinning?” (laughs) I wanted to incorporate that surprise into Smash, so when you charge Corrin’s Side Smash, you can deal damage with the chainsaw.
—The Yato changes shape several times over the course of Fates. What made you decide to use its Omega form?
Sakurai: We’ve traditionally equipped all the Fire Emblem characters with their strongest swords in Smash, so the decision didn’t require much thought. At the same time, the Omega form doesn’t show up for very long in the original game.
—For their Final Smash, Corrin transforms into a dragon. How did you come up with the idea for Torrential Roar?
Sakurai: First of all, I knew they had to become a dragon. I also decided they should use water, and eventually the attack took its current shape. Dragging opponents into another world is a neat effect, but overusing it can lead to an overabundance of visual sequences. At the same time, I felt incorporating some flashiness was necessary for Corrin, especially as a new character.
Bayonetta:
Sakurai: My first concern with Bayonetta was devising a way to maintain the flavor of her games.
—What does that mean specifically?
Sakurai: In order to efficiently progress through the original Bayonetta, her Dodge Offset technique is absolutely essential since it allows you to dodge mid-attack and continue a combo. I wanted to preserve the concept of holding down the attack button being advantageous, so I included her Bullet Arts in Smash. In addition, I took pains to implement combo and Special cancels for stringing together chains in true Bayonetta fashion. Unfortunately, combo characters don’t exactly fit the fundamental model of Smash…
—In Smash, the higher an opponent’s percentage, the farther they fly when hit with the exact same attack.
Sakurai: Exactly. Depending on how much damage an opponent has accumulated, some attack strings will fall apart midway through. That sort of uncertainty is a key part of what Smash is, so I avoided creating “true combos” guaranteed to connect under any and all circumstances. Also, I realized it would be obnoxious if Witch Time activated every time Bayonetta dodged an attack, so I made it into one of her Special Moves instead.
—Bayonetta is a character who shows a lot of skin, but Smash is a game rated for all ages. What kind of adjustments did you have to make?
Sakurai: It took a lot of effort (laughs). For example, her Bayonetta 2 costume features diamond slits on the back of her thighs. We were warned too much skin showing through would clash with the game’s age rating, so we touched up those spots and made them darker. Bayonetta also shows quite a bit of skin when summoning her Wicked Weaves, so those were also quite a challenge to adjust. We had no choice, though, since her design needed to pass ratings inspections in all regions.
—What can you say about the voice work?
Sakurai: One aspect that stands out to me is Bayonetta’s announcement trailer. We got Pit and Palutena’s voice actresses (Minami Takayama and Aya Hisakawa, respectively) back in the studio to record a few exchanges. Since Corrin and Bayonetta’s trailers were the last ones for this cycle of Smash, we decided a number of other characters should make cameo appearances, so we naturally asked the actors to record for us. I felt a little guilty calling so many famous voice actors into the studio for only a handful of lines, but it was a lot of fun.
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The full interview is now available in English!
Translators:Editor's note: In the weeks since the increasingly ambiguous presidential election of 2016, there has been considerable discussion about exactly how we choose our presidents and why we do it this way. It seems like a useful moment to go back to the source, in this case "Federalist Papers: No. 68," otherwise known as "The Mode of Electing the President," which was written by Alexander Hamilton.
The Mode of Electing the President
From the New York Packet.
Friday, March 14, 1788.
Advertisement:
To the People of the State of New York:
THE mode of appointment of the Chief Magistrate of the United States is almost the only part of the system, of any consequence, which has escaped without severe censure, or which has received the slightest mark of approbation from its opponents. The most plausible of these, who has appeared in print, has even deigned to admit that the election of the President is pretty well guarded. I venture somewhat further, and hesitate not to affirm, that if the manner of it be not perfect, it is at least excellent. It unites in an eminent degree all the advantages, the union of which was to be wished for.
It was desirable that the sense of the people should operate in the choice of the person to whom so important a trust was to be confided. This end will be answered by committing the right of making it, not to any preestablished body, but to men chosen by the people for the special purpose, and at the particular conjuncture.
It was equally desirable, that the immediate election should be made by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations.
It was also peculiarly desirable to afford as little opportunity as possible to tumult and disorder. This evil was not least to be dreaded in the election of a magistrate, who was to have so important an agency in the administration of the government as the President of the United States. But the precautions which have been so happily concerted in the system under consideration, promise an effectual security against this mischief. The choice of SEVERAL, to form an intermediate body of electors, will be much less apt to convulse the community with any extraordinary or violent movements, than the choice of ONE who was himself to be the final object of the public wishes. And as the electors, chosen in each State, are to assemble and vote in the State in which they are chosen, this detached and divided situation will expose them much less to heats and ferments, which might be communicated from them to the people, than if they were all to be convened at one time, in one place.
Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union? But the convention have guarded against all danger of this sort, with the most provident and judicious attention. They have not made the appointment of the President to depend on any preexisting bodies of men, who might be tampered with beforehand to prostitute their votes; but they have referred it in the first instance to an immediate act of the people of America, to be exerted in the choice of persons for the temporary and sole purpose of making the appointment. And they have excluded from eligibility to this trust, all those who from situation might be suspected of too great devotion to the President in office. No senator, representative, or other person holding a place of trust or profit under the United States, can be of the numbers of the electors. Thus without corrupting the body of the people, the immediate agents in the election will at least enter upon the task free from any sinister bias. Their transient existence, and their detached situation, already taken notice of, afford a satisfactory prospect of their continuing so, to the conclusion of it. The business of corruption, when it is to embrace so considerable a number of men, requires time as well as means. Nor would it be found easy suddenly to embark them, dispersed as they would be over thirteen States, in any combinations founded upon motives, which though they could not properly be denominated corrupt, might yet be of a nature to mislead them from their duty.
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Another and no less important desideratum was, that the Executive should be independent for his continuance in office on all but the people themselves. He might otherwise be tempted to sacrifice his duty to his complaisance for those whose favor was necessary to the duration of his official consequence. This advantage will also be secured, by making his re-election to depend on a special body of representatives, deputed by the society for the single purpose of making the important choice.
All these advantages will happily combine in the plan devised by the convention; which is, that the people of each State shall choose a number of persons as electors, equal to the number of senators and representatives of such State in the national government, who shall assemble within the State, and vote for some fit person as President. Their votes, thus given, are to be transmitted to the seat of the national government, and the person who may happen to have a majority of the whole number of votes will be the President. But as a majority of the votes might not always happen to centre in one man, and as it might be unsafe to permit less than a majority to be conclusive, it is provided that, in such a contingency, the House of Representatives shall select out of the candidates who shall have the five highest number of votes, the man who in their opinion may be best qualified for the office.
The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States. It will not be too strong to say, that there will be a constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue. And this will be thought no inconsiderable recommendation of the Constitution, by those who are able to estimate the share which the executive in every government must necessarily have in its good or ill administration. Though we cannot acquiesce in the political heresy of the poet who says: "For forms of government let fools contest That which is best administered is best,'' yet we may safely pronounce, that the true test of a good government is its aptitude and tendency to produce a good administration.
The Vice-President is to be chosen in the same manner with the President; with this difference, that the Senate is to do, in respect to the former, what is to be done by the House of Representatives, in respect to the latter.
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The appointment of an extraordinary person, as Vice-President, has been objected to as superfluous, if not mischievous. It has been alleged, that it would have been preferable to have authorized the Senate to elect out of their own body an officer answering that description. But two considerations seem to justify the ideas of the convention in this respect. One is, that to secure at all times the possibility of a definite resolution of the body, it is necessary that the President should have only a casting vote. And to take the senator of any State from his seat as senator, to place him in that of President of the Senate, would be to exchange, in regard to the State from which he came, a constant for a contingent vote. The other consideration is, that as the Vice-President may occasionally become a substitute for the President, in the supreme executive magistracy, all the reasons which recommend the mode of election prescribed for the one, apply with great if not with equal force to the manner of appointing the other. It is remarkable that in this, as in most other instances, the objection which is made would lie against the constitution of this State. We have a Lieutenant-Governor, chosen by the people at large, who presides in the Senate, and is the constitutional substitute for the Governor, in casualties similar to those which would authorize the Vice-President to exercise the authorities and discharge the duties of the President.The most striking thing about the government’s latest efforts to clamp down on social media platforms and block websites, ostensibly to spike rumour-mongering of the sorts we saw last week, is the extent to which it has the enthusiastic support of many in the mainstream media.
The government has thus far blocked 254 websites on the grounds that they bore inflammatory messages that contributed to the fear psychosis among people from the north-east and triggered their ‘exodus’ from some of India’s cities.
The government has additionally threatened to take legal action against Twitter, evidently because it has “refused to cooperate” in the crackdown on web sites with inflammatory messages. Facebook and YouTube are, on the other hand, cooperating with the government and, according to the Telecom Secretary, have validated the government’s claim that many of these inflammatory messages were uploaded from Pakistan.
There are, of course, no absolute freedoms, including freedom of speech – even in democratic societies. Landmark judgements in other geographies have upheld the government’s right to abridge free speech in certain contexts, particularly when a larger interest – that of protecting public safety – requires it.
The litmus test, as was applied in a US case, was whether a person had a right to the free-speech defence when he shouts “fire” in a crowded theatre, when in fact there was no fire – and thereby causes a stampede.
The judge observed: “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic… The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger…”
Last week’s rumour-mongering, which warned of attacks on people hailing from the north-east, is the nearest that comes to that fire-in-a-theatre parallel.
To that extent, the government may be well within its moral and executive right to curtail free speech momentarily in extenuating circumstances in a larger cause – so long as the effort is directed at the correct sources of rumour-mongering and generation of hatred.
Yet, in attempting to clamp down on social media platforms like Twitter, the government may be resorting too readily to the censorship instinct, and worse channelling its energies in entirely the wrong direction. In this particular instance, it may be barking up the wrong tree.
If the government needed to look for more widely disseminated disinformation campaigns in volatile situations, which have a far greater potential to fan the flames of communal hatred, it doesn’t have to look beyond instances like the ones cited by CM Naim, Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago.
On Outlook.com, Prof Naim points to and translates fraudulent reports and doctored images in the Urdu daily Sahafat, published in Delhi, that actively feed hatred against Buddhists (in the context of the alleged atrocities on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar), and feed the Muslim victimhood project. (You can read Prof Naim’s translation here.)
Asks Prof Naim: “Would the people at Sahafat acknowledge the fraud they perpetrated? Would they confess to their intentions? Would any of the so-called Muslim leaders in Delhi—the “Shahi” Imam, the Mushawarat savants, the Madani cousins—take notice of the matter, and demand criminal proceedings against the newspaper? Would (Press Council Chairman) Mr Markandey Katju take notice of it? I strongly doubt it. Why? Because this sort of thing has been going on in much of the Urdu press in Delhi and Hyderabad for a long time, and has always been ignored by the Anglophone media and its participants and patrons.”
On another such Urdu media platform, the Siasat Daily, an even more venomous discussion is going on, which qualifies in every way as hate-mongering on a scale that social media platforms like Twitter, with all their faults, cannot hope to match.
Yet, when there are glaring instances of hate-mongering afoot in the far-more-powerful communication channels that constitute the mainstream media, the government has returned instinctively to its earlier (aborted) effort to curtail the social media space. And in this endeavour, curiously, it has the enthusiastic backing of the mainstream media.
An editorial in the Indian Express, which was in an earlier time a tireless critic of any attempt to restrict freedoms, shakes the pom-poms vigorously in defence of curbs on online content and on the social media space today. “Digital communication, which used to be a space apart, the final frontier of free speech, is now mainstream. It should follow the norms of the offline world, which expects reasonable temporary restrictions on behaviour in difficult times,” the editorial notes.
Some of India’s leading television anchors too have gone on record as approving of curbs on anonymous Twitter users – on the grounds that they are the “most dangerous”. It is of course true that some of the abuse that these media celebrities get on Twitter is downright filthy – and indefensible. Yet, such a framing of the discourse appears to conflate personal abuse – to which celebrity media personalities were immune in an earlier bubble world of top-down broadcasting – with more widespread hate-mongering.
In fact, the underlying tension between mainstream media, which is increasingly being held up to scrutiny of its own failings, and the new-age social media, which has opened up a two |
’s trip to Gainesville — nothing — and there are no easy answers for Mark Stoops from here.
As a result of the contract extension Kentucky gave him in 2014, Stoops is owed $12 million if he’s fired after this year. Even for an SEC program, that’s a massive chunk of change. Keeping him around, on the other hand, will only inflame a fan base that has increasingly given up hope that he’s the guy to turn things around.
Stoops has done nothing on the field to merit any job security or belief from Kentucky fans, but the best answer for now may be to grin and bear it.
3. North Carolina State: Now in his fourth season, the list of teams Dave Doeren has defeated is not particularly impressive. Louisiana Tech, Richmond, Central Michigan, Georgia Southern, Old Dominion (twice), South Florida, Presbyterian, Syracuse (twice), Wake Forest (twice) North Carolina, Central Florida, Troy, South Alabama, Boston College and William & Mary.
You can keep a fan base engaged only so long before they see through the promises and focus on the lack of significant wins. The only thing that comes close was beating a 6-7 North Carolina squad in 2014. In other words, the reserve of patience has just about been exhausted.
Athletics director Debbie Yow's contract expires in June of 2019, at which point she's likely to retire, which means Doeren likely has that long to get things turned around. But he better start now.
4. Northwestern: We are now at the point where Northwestern’s fan base, such as it is, gets legitimately upset when things look like they’re falling apart. We saw it in 2013 and 2014 when the Wildcats lost so many close games and missed the postseason in consecutive years.
Now the grumbling has started again after a 0-2 start to the likes of Western Michigan and Illinois State. This is Pat Fitzgerald’s 11th year at Northwestern, and it’s fair to say he’s never been more unpopular. It’s crazy — Fitzgerald is a terrific coach and has worked wonders in Evanston — but this is a legitimate rough patch.
It also hurts Fitzgerald more than anyone that the Big Ten is getting better. There are simply fewer and fewer dysfunctional programs in the league Northwestern can take advantage of.
5. Penn State: A headline in the Onward State student newspaper last week declared that “Penn State Deserves A Better Rival Than Pitt.” In addition to being overly provocative, it also shows the poor self-awareness of Penn State fans at this point in time.
Whether they like it or not, their program is where it’s supposed to be: still struggling with the aftermath of severe NCAA sanctions and probably fortunate to be on the same level as Pitt. In fact, Pitt was the slight favorite in the game and won 42-39.
There are actually a lot of positives in Penn State’s comeback to nearly steal the victory late, but some fans won’t be able to get past the fact James Franklin has lost to “lesser” in-state programs like Pitt and Temple in consecutive years.
MISERABLE, BUT NOT QUITE MISERABLE ENOUGH
Alabama: What a bundle of joy Nick Saban has been this season. After beating Southern California 52-6 in the season opener, he essentially said the Crimson Tide didn’t play very well. Then after throttling Western Kentucky on Saturday — and throwing a sideline fit at Lane Kiffin late in the game — Saban told reporters, “I don’t know that I’ve ever been this disappointed after winning a game, maybe ever.” He won 38-10.
Northern Illinois: These are tense times for the program that thinks of itself as the class of the Mid-American Conference. After going 31-9 in his first 40 games as head coach, Rod Carey’s Huskies are on a five-game losing streak punctuated by Saturday’s 48-17 loss at South Florida. Being defeated so soundly by another Group of Five team is the clearest sign yet that Northern Illinois has slipped.
BYU: It’s hard to blame first-year coach Kalani Sitake for deciding with 18 seconds left to go for two and the win after Taysom Hill’s touchdown brought the Cougars within 20-19 of Utah. The play call, however, was so predictable that it never had a chance. BYU fans now have to stew on a sixth consecutive loss to Utah while desperately hoping the Big 12 grants them an invitation.
Kansas: Maybe school officials should have let those poor souls rush the field last week after all. The “euphoria” of Week 1’s 55-6 victory against Rhode Island, which prompted the public address announcer to implore fans to stay in the stands, was quickly doused by a 37-21 loss to Ohio. It’s going to be another brutal season for the Jayhawks, who will be significant underdogs in their next seven games before hosting Iowa State on Nov. 12.
Georgia: Despite being 55-point favorites, the Bulldogs were in a life-and-death struggle to beat Nicholls State, a program that lost by a combined 95-0 to the two FBS opponents it played last season. Even more alarming is when things got tight late, Kirby Smart pulled freshman quarterback Jacob Eason and defaulted to his veteran, Greyson Lambert. Georgia is fortunate not to be the victim of the biggest upset in college football history.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEK 2
TOO SHOCKED TO BE MISERABLE
Clemson: Fans expected Deshaun Watson & Co. to put on a show every week, but the offense has been lethargic at best through two games. With nine returning starters, it’s a little unnerving to see Clemson struggle to run the ball and Watson completing just 53% of his passes.
Arizona: Falling behind 21-3 to Grambling State at halftime is not the sign of a completely healthy program, even though the Wildcats came back to win 31-21. Arizona seems to have lost some of its verve from Rich Rodriguez’ high-water mark two years ago.
UConn: If the Misery Index had its way, every coaching staff in America would have somebody on the sideline whose job is nothing but clock management. UConn completely botched its attempt to beat Navy, wasting a timeout when the clock was stopped anyway with 17 seconds left and running (and getting stuffed) from the 1-yard line on the last play when it could have had two shots at the end zone by passing.
Duke: It’s easy to take the Blue Devils’ recent run of success for granted, but this year may be a reminder of just how difficult it is to make bowl games annually at Duke. Saturday’s 24-14 loss to Wake Forest doesn’t bode well for a team that still has six very difficult road games ahead.
Texas Tech: It’s pretty hard to score 50 points and lose a college football game without overtime padding the point totals. Remarkably, Saturday was the third time it has happened to Kliff Kingsbury’s team in the past 11 games. There was really no pretense of the Red Raiders being able to stop Arizona State in a 68-55 loss. Whatever those two teams were playing, it didn’t look much like football.
FIVE TOTALLY REAL AND IRRATIONAL MESSAGE BOARD THREADS
“I hope Spurrier has the yips for the next decade” — thebigspur.com (South Carolina)
“Did we play 12 year old girls on the left side of the line today?” — dawgvent.com (Georgia)
“No Fire in Fuente” — techsideline.com (Virginia Tech)
“These types of Sundays make me glad I don’t live in Utah” — cougarboard.com (BYU)
“Program damaging loss” — wildcatreport.com (Northwestern)By Brian Nichols
With eight days remaining until President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, things have gotten a tad hairy in the world of the media, press, and intelligence.
On Tuesday, Buzzfeed News publish a controversial article, in which a dossier, supposedly compiled by a former British intelligence official, alleged that Russia has compromising information on Trump. In the article, Buzzfeed admits that the allegations are unverified and that their report contains errors, yet still decided on releasing the piece anyways. This sent the media, and the President-elect into a frenzy over “fake news.”
Despite Buzzfeed’s acknowledgment of the piece being unsubstantiated, their Editor-in-Chief, Ben Smith, argues that publishing the Trump dossier was “absolutely the right thing to do.” In an appearance on MSNBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, Smith argued that, “…we are now in a media environment where you have to engage in false statements…This was a real story about a real document that was really being passed around between the very top officials of this country.”
Upon the release of this dossier, CNN released it’s own report that stated there were classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump that included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump. While CNN’s report does not delve into the darker, salacious, and unsubstantiated aspects as Buzzfeed’s did, that did not stop the media outlet from facing the wrath of Trump, as witnessed in yesterday’s press conference at Trump Tower:
CNN’s Jim Acosta, in an attempt to respond to Trump’s attack on CNN and their reporting, attempted several times to defend his organization by insistently requesting Trump take a question from him. However, as discovered in the above video, Trump was having none of it, and instead lambasted Acosta and CNN by labeling them as “Fake News”.
The issue of fake news has been a point of contention following the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. From the promotion of the “Ted Cruz Sex Scandal”, “Rafael Cruz-JFK Assassination”, “PizzaGate”, and more, fake news has been often used as a means to discredit any information being put out by those not within the hierarchy of the mainstream media.
While there has indeed been a promotion of fake news, the mainstream media and liberals alike have often used the term “fake news” to attack a variety of right-wing news organizations and their publications of various stories. Since the presidential election, many on the right have been defensive of their news organizations and the accusations of being label “fake news”. However, with Trump’s use of the term “fake news” in an attack on CNN, those right-wingers who were quick to ignore the term have now embraced it, and ferociously at that.
However, as unpopular as it may be, I find it necessary to point out that having a President-elect labeling news organizations that he doesn’t agree with as “fake news” is an extremely dangerous precedent.
It is one thing to have individual citizens and organizations label news they disagree with as “fake news”, but it is an entirely different situation when the next Commander-in-Chief is making such accusations. Yes, it is ironic to see Trump label CNN as “fake news”, but the weight behind these words cannot and should not be understated.
Fox News anchor Shepard Smith put it best in his response to Trump’s labeling of CNN as “fake news”, stating:
“President-elect Trump today [Wednesday] told CNN’s Jim Acosta that his organization amounts to fake news. CNN’s exclusive reporting on the Russian matter was separate and distinctly different from the document dump executed by an online news property [Buzzfeed]. Though we at Fox News cannot confirm CNN’s report, it is our observation that its correspondents followed journalistic standards. Neither they, nor any other journalists, should be subjected to belittling and delegitimizing by the president-elect of the United States.”
CNN, despite their faults, also had a strong and precise response to the President-elect’s comments, stating in a press release that:
“CNN’s decision to publish carefully sourced reporting about the operations of our government is vastly different than BuzzFeed’s decision to publish unsubstantiated memos. The Trump team knows this. They are using BuzzFeed’s decision to deflect from CNN’s reporting, which has been matched by the other major news organizations. We are fully confident in our reporting. It represents the core of what the First Amendment protects, informing the people of the inner workings of their government; in this case, briefing materials prepared for President Obama and President-elect Trump last week. We made it clear that we were not publishing any of the details of the 35-page document because we have not corroborated the report’s allegations. Given that members of the Trump transition team have so vocally criticized our reporting, we encourage them to identify, specifically, what they believe to be inaccurate.”
And therein lays the true problem with Trump’s targeted attack of CNN: The First Amendment.
The First Amendment states that there shall be “no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Now, this is not to say that slander and libel are protected under the First Amendment (though many libertarians argue that hate speech, libel, and slander should in fact be protected speech), but it is important to differentiate between what CNN reported and what Buzzfeed reported.
CNN made it clear they were not going to publish the explosive claims that Buzzfeed recklessly decided to publish, and instead kept their reporting strictly based on the briefing materials prepared for President Obama and President-elect Trump. These are two very different situations, and should be treated as such.
Trump’s attack on CNN is in fact an attack on the First Amendment, and it shouldn’t be brushed away as “Trump being Trump”. During the eight-years under President Obama, Republicans and conservatives cried foul over Obama’s jabs at Fox News. Yet Obama never went out of his way to label them as “fake news”. The implications of being labeled fake news are very dangerous, especially with regards to the manner in which our Constitution is set up to protect the press so they may be able to openly and freely report on the happenings in government without fear of retribution.
While I find great fault in Buzzfeed’s reporting (as does several others in the media, including those within the MSM), it is important to differentiate Buzzfeed’s recklessness and the substantive reporting done by CNN. Unless you are prepared to establish a precedence in which a President can begin the means to silence his detractors in the press, I suggest you do the same.
As feared, it now appears that lawmakers are now calling for the head of CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, following his contentious day with the President-elect.
JUST IN: Lawmaker calls for CNN to fire Jim Acosta after fight with Trump https://t.co/9kpl5cQCKK pic.twitter.com/FzD5L5vtaJ — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 12, 2017Passing kidney stones is supposedly one of the most painful experiences a person can go through, and these images of one under a scanning electron microscope show us what they look like up close.
The images are from a lab at Eastfield College in Dallas. Its coordinator, Murry Gans, took the photos in 2012 after a colleague brought him a kidney stone to examine, like all colleagues would.
Kidney stones develop when your urine can't dilute all of the substances in it, like calcium and uric acid. Those substances stick together and form these terrifying, spiky crystals. If a stone pushes itself out of the kidney and into the ducts that take urine to the bladder, it can cause a significant amount of pain until its passed out of the body through urination.
There isn't any one cause for that buildup. Some metabolic disorders, genetic conditions, and dietary choices might contribute to their development. The stones' size varies too, from a stone so small it doesn't hurt to pass to ones that need to be broken up with a shockwave treatment.
More photos of the stones can be seen on Gans' blog.Description
About App
iPokeMon is a PokéMon game on iOS with Location Based Service, i.e., PokeMons are distributed in the real world. You'll find different PokeMons in different cities, or even countries. Just imagine that we live with PokeMons in real world. ;) SERVER SIDE SOURCE CODE.
About Project
This was my Graduation Project. I tried to submit it to the App Store when the v0.3.2 done, but finally, the binary was rejected on May 16, 2012 with the reason of rejection: "8.5: Use of protected 3rd party material (trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, otherwise proprietary content) requires a documented rights check which must be provided upon request". What a pity! There was a time I wanted to ask some designers to create a set of PokéMon like characters, but I gave up the thought cause it'll lose its meaning then. So after I graduated from university on Jun, 2012, I shelved this project for several months. Till now, I still hope to have such a game on iOS. With my own limited capacity, iPokeMon is still in beta version. So I open source this whole project in order to let more and more people (both programmer & designer, or even just a player are all welcomed) participate in the development. I look forward to that one day it can be owned by everyone that grown up with PokéMon! Finally, I would like to say that feel free to transplant this project to any system! And I'll be glad if you send me a mail about your transplanting. ;)
Demo
Usage
Root Manage View
Main Circle Menu
The center button is the "Main Button"_ in App, you can open the main circle menu by pressing it. The button above is a "Map Button", the default color is red, that means "Location Service" is disabled, you can turn it on by keeping pressing on it with 3 seconds, and it'll change to white color (location service is turned on now).
You should enable "Location Service" when you playing the game. When a Wild Pokemon appeared, the "Main Button" will change its state with an exclamation mark, you can press it to enter the battle scene.
The main circle menu includes items: PokeDex, Your Six PokeMons, Your Bag, Trainer Card, Store, Setting.
PokeDex Six PokeMons Bag Trainer Card Store Setting
Map
Tips:
Location Service : You can en/disable it in Setting View.
: You can en/disable it in Setting View. Push Notification: You'll get a alert view the first time you launch the App, en/diable it as you want.
Game Battle Scene
You can dispatch 6 types of views in the battle scene: Move, Bag, PokeMon Status, Pokemon selection, Log, Run away. Gestures in battle scene are shown below:
Swipe to right : open Move View.
: open. Swipe to left : open Bag View.
: open. Swipe to Up : open Status View of your Pokemon.
: open of your Pokemon. Swipe to Down : open Status View of Wild Pokemon.
: open of Wild Pokemon. Press Bottom Button : open your Pokemon Selection View.
: open your. Two fingers with two Taps: Try to Escape the battle.
Different type of views are listed below:
Move Bag PokeMon Status Run Away Log Catch PokeMon
Enjoy!!! ;)
TODOs
Evolutionary systems
Battle between trainers
Computers for Pokemon storage & transmission
Move effect & related animations
etc.
Change Log
v0.5.x @ Dev
Improve the code with the style (separate KYCircleMenu, private method with prefix _ );
);...
v0.4.6 @ 2013-02-26
First version released on the App Store.
v0.4.6 @ 2013-01-31
Seperate configuration files;
Seperate PokeMon related resources from the project;
Rename & fix some methods;
Fix the issue in In-App Purchase of Currency;
Add app info view;
Fix UI for iPhone 5's 4" screen size.
v0.3.4 @ 2013-01-21
Fix bugs on iOS 6.0.
v0.3.3 @ 2013-01-13
Fix some warnings for the new Xcode compiler;
Update submodules.
v0.3.2 @ 2012-05-08
Modify regions for Wild Pokemon.
Fix some potentical crash bugs.
Add In-App Feedback with mail.
Add Store & In-App Purchase.
v0.1.0 @ 2012-04-26
You can find different Pokemons based on your location (make sure you enable Location Service ).
). Caught Wild Pokemons if you have Pokeballs.
You can leave the App run in background, and when a Wild Pokemon appeared, you'll receive a Push Notification to deal with it.
to deal with it. You can heal Pokemons by using some medicine, including Status Healers, HP/PP Restore.
and more features exist in PokéMon.
Dependence
Apply for Beta Version Testing
The Beta version of iPokemon is hosted on Testflight, just register a account, and join my team:
https://testflightapp.com/join/e06876e16b88d3f657280efa073d2b64-NzQ0NzM/
Make Contributions
If you have some spare time then there is no better way to help an open source project than to get involved at one level or another. Contributions are very much appreciated and needed in any of the following ways:
Improve the source code;
Help diagnose and report problems;
Suggest fixes by sending in patches;
Help with unit and end-to-end testing;
Provide peer support on our forum or on the Sencha forum;
Publish an article on your blog (send the link) to educate others regarding some aspect of the project;
Help with missing documentation;
Improve the game data.
For programmers, if you want to be a contributor of the source code, just fork this repo as your own and improve the code in your own repo. When you done, send a "Pull Request" to me. I'll merge the commits after checking. And b.t.w, it is better to send "Pull Request" whenever you've modify the source code, even a modification of one word. :)
And for designers, feel free to discuss with me on the design work via email: kj#kjuly.com.
I collected the original data of iPokeMon on the internet. Most of them are okay, but of course, the lack is also hard to avoid. So I'm glad that you can help me to improve the data.
As an independent developer, I need some support with microdonations to continue the project. Your monetary support is greatly appreciated!
As an another way to support me, you can purchase any of my iOS Apps which are sold on the AppStore (https://itunes.apple.com/artist/kaijie-yu/id523484108), or just share this page to your friends via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.
Thanks in advance! <3
Feedback
I'd love your feedback.
Email your comments, suggestions and questions to dev#kjuly.com.
Or you can just post a bug report or a feature request HERE.
Thank you! :)
Page last modified on Feb 26, 2013 by Kjuly.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
“Scream helplessly at the sky on the anniversary of the election” took place at 7:30 in Washington Square Park on November 8, 2017 at the famous Arch which is so incredible right now because it coincides with artist/activist Ai Wei Wei and the Public Art Fund’s Good Fences Make Good Neighbors art piece (there are hundreds of pieces in locations around NY’s five boroughs) which is about walls and hostility towards refugees and dividing people. Incredible works.
This has been a really politically stressful year. Everyday another phone alert, another horrible action by our administration—most of it feels unnecessary and hostile. I feel sick and stressed everyday. Because of my business (TrumpforPrison.org), I am not just regular upset, I am swimming in it. Constant news 24/7, immersed. Insulted and threatened all day long, mostly by children repeating the same strange rhetoric (butthurt libtard snowflake). I looked forward to a bit of a release with like-minded folk.
The Scream was amazing. My cords are still vibrating.
Maybe the turnout wasn’t amazing because of the banner day Election Day we just had. I am feeling optimistic. I’m sure many are.
A lot of Trump supporters were there (maybe because of Election Day results, too) to inexplicably walk around and tell us that the event was pointless and we shouldn’t be doing it. Wait, what? You came here to tell me what? This event cost no money, caused no disturbance, had no real message—only existed to “enjoy a collective cathartic yell into the heavens about our current political establishment.” And yet these people felt necessary to show up and try to stop our “pointless” fun and catharsis? Blarg. It kind of sucked. And people were engaging with them, peacefully, but meh.
It was totally peaceful, the cops were great, the scream felt amazing, but meh. Why does everyone need to be all up in everyone’s business? Why do the Trump supporters feel entitled to an explanation of how I am feeling and then proceed to tell me that my feelings are wrong?
I think scream parties are going to be all the rage this year. It really felt good.
NYC LIGHT BRIGADE #fightwithlightDo All Lives Really Matter? OnePath Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Do All Lives Really Matter?
With so much oppressive behaviour occurring around the world, and only a selected few have been given the platform to share these horrific occurrences. While there are bombings continuously occurring in Syria, the attack in Nice, France was given full coverage. This has happened many times and people are outraged. So do some lives matter more than others?
It may seem so but isn’t the Muslim community doing the same? Aren’t we promoting injustice as well? In Islam all lives matter to Allah, and that is what is promoted, whether the individual is of a different faith, race or culture, Islam promotes equity and equality. This is reinforced by the Prophet ﷺ.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Fear the prayer of the oppressed, even if he is a disbeliever, for there is no barrier (between it and Allah).” Ahmad
We must always be just in our dealings, whether the other party is Muslim or not, this is also a form of dawah, as you are showing a non-Muslim the way a Muslim is supposed to behave. Even if your parents are acting unjustly you must stand up to the oppressors and advise them of their wrongdoings. Allah says,
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not (personal) inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort (your testimony) or refuse (to give it), then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.” Quran 4:135
Another verse from the word of Allah states,
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let that hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” Quran 5:8
Always be sure to treat everyone equally no matter who they are or where they are from, as we are all equal to Allah.Did you miss out? Visit us at www.picobrew.com/ks for more info.
We all love great craft beer and we think it should be treated with the respect it deserves. Forget cans and bottles: great craft beer should be served fresh from the keg and on tap, and for this you need a kegerator.
Unfortunately today's kegerators are pretty lame. They don't serve your beer at precise temperatures, you can't learn about the beer or even figure out what's on tap, and they certainly don't tell you how much beer you have left...
That's why we invented KegSmarts™, the world's smartest craft beer kegerator. KegSmarts™ brings the brewhouse to your house! Now you can enjoy craft beer like you do at your favorite craft brewery but in the comfort of your own home!
Already have your own kegerator? We've got you covered! We make an add-on kit that allows you upgrade your existing kegerator with KegSmarts™.
Homebrewer? We're the guys who invented the world's first fully-automatic all grain beer-brewing appliance, the PicoBrew Zymatic®. KegSmarts™ was designed to work seamlessly with Zymatic® and allow you to ferment your beer automatically and serve it perfectly.
This WiFi-enabled kegerator takes beer nerdery to the next level. -Playboy
Avoid an empty keg with a brilliant beer tap that knows what's left and more. -Digital Trends
Picobrew already brought you a badass beer-maker. Now they're moving on to kegerators. -GeekWire
We all love fresh craft beer, but if you don't have a kegerator, you're stuck with cans, bottles and growlers. A kegerator is the quality-of-life-improver you need (just ask your friends)!
All kegerators are not created equal, however. If you purchase our KegSmarts™ kegerator you'll be getting the roomiest, coldest, most technology-decked-out kegerator on the planet...beer technology at its finest!
If you already home-brew, and particularly if you use our award-winning PicoBrew Zymatic®, you are a perfect candidate for KegSmarts™!
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If you already own a kegerator, you can most likely upgrade it with KegSmarts BYO. Standard 2.5" and 3" towers work beautifully...
How in the world did we think of the smart kegerator? Pull up a chair, there's a story here...
PicoBrew was started in 2010 by two brothers, Bill and Jim Mitchell and their friend Avi Geiger. The Mitchells were avid home brewers, while Avi was a craft beer aficionado. Since Bill had been whiling away his time inventing things like smartphones and smartwatches, and Jim had been goofing off, pioneering food inventions with his famous grandfather (of Pop Rocks and Tang fame), it was almost a foregone conclusion that when they got together they would create the world's first automatic all-grain beer brewing appliance. The three beer-loving partners introduced their invention, the award-winning PicoBrew Zymatic®, to the world in the Fall of 2013. It was their first Kickstarter campaign. They were nervous. But thanks to craft beer lovers like you, they crushed their funding goal in a mere 24 hours, and went on to become the 2nd most successful Kickstarter Food campaign at the time.
Avi was not satisfied, however. Now he had a limitless supply of great craft beer, but no way to really enjoy the craft brew experience home!
A long sequence of prototypes followed. "The ultimate kegerator project" snapped into focus in the Spring of 2014 when the team had the epiphany that a keg-tower-mounted solution would enable both new and existing kegerators to "get keg smarts". With diligent effort fueled by lots of beer-testing, the product nears completion now, which is why we need your help....
We're ready to go to production. But production costs money. And we need to be sure that there are enough craft-beer lovers out there like us who think a smart kegerator is a good idea to pull this trigger.. Are we crazy? Maybe...we'll find out...
If you make a pledge today you can help bring KegSmarts™ to market, and prove us sane. And of course, we have rewards for you to thank you for your support!THE WHOLE DONUT (Holyoke) A handwritten sign on the door says “CASH ONLY.” Taped to the counter, another sign says “CASH ONLY,” and on the cash register, there is a helpful and informative sign announcing “CASH ONLY.” A group of loud young-people-I-immediately-dislike barge through the door, all wearing green. High school? College? I can’t even tell anymore. I could give a shit. The boys speak with exaggerated New England accents, really hamming it the fuck up, in my eastern Mass opinion. “Kenwe youse yaw bathrum?” “Dooya godda buya doh-nut?” One of the guys waits with a girl by the counter while their friends pee and poop without buying doh-nuts. “We met last night,” the girl says to him. “Do you remember my name?” He does not. Haddaya like them apples. I order a small black coffee and a jelly stick. Well, the little sign in the glass case says they’re called Jellystix, but I’m not sure if that’s singular or plural. I get jelly all over my notebook, which is okay, because it’s a cheap thing from Staples. “Hi, Colleeeeeeeen!” a man coos at the counter woman as he pushes through the door. In one breath, he says “You wallpapered. I got laid off. Fuckin’ assholes.” Colleeeeeeen says nothing. There’s no music playing, so aside from the refrigerator case, all I can hear is my notebook grinding sugar granules into the tabletop. Outside, there are cops milling around at intersections, and I begin to notice more people wearing more green clothes. Irish pride shit. I realize I’ve accidentally stumbled into a road race, The Holyoke St. Patrick’s 5K. Engine 5 pulls into the Whole Donut lot as crowds form along the street, waiting to watch other people run past, which is a thing people do, I guess. The one goddamned day I drive into goddamned Holyoke for a goddamned donut and coffee, and I’ve placed myself directly on a goddamned race course. Ugh. My car’s going to get blocked in this parking lot and I’ll be trapped in a shamrock-infested hellscape for hours. Fuck this. I scrawl a number on my shirt with the remains of my Jellystix and sprint out the door. The crowd cheers me as I pass. “CASH ONLY!” they chant. “CASH ONLY!” I run, arms spread, flipping off both sides of the street at the same time. It only makes them cheer more. I run and I run, to a place where the weekend leprechauns can’t catch me, to a place where I can be free.
Freedom Cafe (Amherst)
I slowly run the gauntlet of North Pleasant Street, rolling through the heart of the UMASS Amherst campus on a rainy and gray Wednesday afternoon. Terrible visibility, five hundred crosswalks, and two thousand drenched twenty-somethings who don’t look up when they cross and walk on the five hundred crosswalks.
I park in the squishy driveway of The Freedom Cafe, a student activist-run cafe on the far edge of campus. Their Facebook page describes their fundraising efforts to fight slavery & human trafficking. What their Facebook page *doesn’t* describe is the cafe itself, which is not a cafe. It’s a walk-up counter. I jog in out of the rain, dripping wet, muddy shoes, laptop bag and to-do list in tow. No place to sit. I find myself somewhere on the spectrum between bummed out and annoyed. But the workers are nice, earnest volunteer kids, so I don’t want to be all WHADDAYA MEAN NO GODDAMNED TABLES AND CHAIRS. No one wants to hear me break down the meaning of the word “cafe” and all that it implies to the consumer. No one. So I order a cup of pour-over to-go, because honestly it seems too awkward to just turn around and leave. I listen to the slavery spiel (sex trafficking in India), and I’m encouraged to donate what I want in exchange for the coffee, by putting money in a jar and taking whatever change I want. I really hate that sort of transaction, so I just throw in a five. The pour-over is meticulously pored over. The pouring takes a supernaturally long time. I mean, wow. One stilted conversation later, I’m drinking a $5 cup of coffee in my Ford Focus, three towns away from home, wet, and still in possession of work that needs doing. The coffee, it turns out, is really good. I sit and listen to the rain hitting the car roof. It’s a sound I love, a sound that almost makes the trip worth it, aside from the fact that I could have made a coffee in my kitchen in half the time and then sat in my car in my driveway. I start the engine. I guess I need to go get a cup of coffee somewhere?
ADAMS DONUT (Greenfield) I want to drive to Greenfield and get some donuts. In my driveway, my car’s hatchback hits me on the head. The metal latch part - BAM - right on the base of my skull. Knocks my hat clear off and I almost fall over. The last time I drove to Greenfield I also hit my head on my hatchback door. I blame either the car or Greenfield, as long as I don’t have to accept any personal responsibility in the matter.
I drive up 91 and make it to Adams Donuts while they still have donuts. This is a momentous occasion for me. It’s about a half hour drive for me, and I have historically arrived too late in the morning, when they’ve sold out of donuts for the day. I order a jelly stick and a sugar thing and a coffee. They are all damn fine. I don’t think it’s the head injury talking. The circular counter is full of old townies and I don’t want to intrude upon that, so I sit in the corner and eavesdrop, as is my wont. Old dudes complain about dry waffles, bemoan the death of the newspaper industry, and retell jokes they heard on the radio. There is a conversation about grade school—nuns hitting kids with rulers, bus drivers throwing kids off buses and actually fighting them on the side of the road. You know, the good old days. In a politeness showdown, |
Damascus.
“Al Arabiya have learned that a Russian cargo ship carrying a large amount of weapons plans to unload its cargo in the Syrian port of Tartus,” the broadcaster said on its website on Thursday.
The report said the ship left a Russian port on May 6 and cited a “Western source” as saying that it will dock at Tartus on Saturday.
“The ship is trying to conceal its final destination in a suspicious way,” Al Arabiya said.
Western diplomats and officials said the report was credible.
In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he had seen reports of countries supplying arms to the government and rebels. He urged states not to arm either side in the Syrian conflict.
“Those who may contemplate supporting any side with weapons, military training or other military assistance, must reconsider such options to enable a sustained cessation of violence,” he said.
Russia has defended its weapons deliveries to Syria in the face of Western criticism, saying government forces need to defend themselves against rebels receiving arms from abroad. [ID:nL5E8GEE2G] Damascus says Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Libya are among the countries helping the rebels.
ARMS FOR ASSAD
One diplomat told Reuters that the vessel, which is called Professor Katsman, is owned by a Maltese firm, which is owned by a Cypriot company that is owned by Russian firm.
Diplomats said the Russian firm might have been acting on behalf of state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, though that was not clear. What is clear, they said, is that the weapons were intended to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a staunch ally whom Moscow continues to support.
“I don’t have any information on this ship, but our policy is not to comment on individual shipments, regarding contents or timing,” a spokesman for Rosoboronexport, Vyacheslav Davidenko, said in Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it did not have information that a ship was headed to Tartus with weapons and declined further comment.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland was asked about the Al Arabiya report at her daily briefing in Washington.
“I had not seen that report,” she told reporters. “You know how strongly we feel that no country should be delivering weapons to the Assad regime now.”
U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has also urged countries not to supply weapons to either side in the conflict. Annan plans to visit Damascus soon, his spokesman said on Friday.In many scientific fields, women publish fewer papers than men, are less likely to be listed as first authors1 and are less likely to receive glowing letters of recommendation from their advisers2. These disparities have decreased over time, but they persist. Now, a study finds that some journal editors might be inadvertently taking gender into account when selecting reviewers for papers.
They found that, on average, male editors were much more likely to pick male reviewers, whereas female editors were more likely to pick other women. This bias was stronger for men, the researchers report in a study3 published on 21 March in eLife.
Previous papers have looked at gender bias in peer review, but most of them have focused on one field. But this latest study analysed 142 journals in the Frontiers family of publications across science, health, engineering and social sciences.
“The quality of scientific work is not determined by gender,” says Markus Helmer, a computational neuroscientist, and the lead study author, who performed most of the work while at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen, Germany. “So if gender is impacting which reviewers are chosen, that means journals are not getting the highest-quality reviewers.”
Jennifer Glass, a sociologist at the University of Texas, Austin says this is similar to what happens on corporate boards. By limiting board members — or journal reviewers — to one gender, these groups can overlook some of the top candidates.
Helmer, now at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, was surprised to see that gender bias in peer review existed across the fields of science that he and his colleagues surveyed.
Gender gap
Because Frontiers journals make public the identities of their editors and reviewers, Helmer’s team was able to look at more than 9,000 editors and 43,000 reviewers of studies published between 2007 and 2015. They found the overall pattern among journal editors after controlling for the number of men and women who have published in each field. And they were also able to see the gender bias of individual reviewers.
Helmer and his colleagues found that bias was widespread across male editors, but for women, the overall effect seemed to be driven by just a few female editors. When researchers removed those outliers from the data set, female editors’ preference for female reviewers disappeared.
Marcia McNutt, president of the US National Academy of Sciences and former editor-in-chief of Science, thinks that the data are solid, and she is happy to see this disparity documented. But she also thinks that there is a major gap in the study’s design: the data set shows only the numbers of men and women who actually reviewed papers, not how many were asked to perform a review. A previous study of geophysical journals found that women between 20 and 80 years of age decline the invitation to review papers more often than men4.
Dana Britton, a sociologist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, also notes this hole. “They leave out any consideration of people’s willingness to respond to review requests,” she says. “So, it could be that the initial pool of choices is more diverse than the ultimate pool of reviewers.”
The people you know
Helmer and his colleagues suggest that the editors’ preferences for reviewers of their own gender could be due to differences in the way that men and women construct their social networks, or humans’ supposed innate tendency to associate with people with similar qualities. They also suggest that some female editors might be attempting to make their field more egalitarian by deliberately picking female reviewers.
McNutt thinks that such bias might have less to do with human nature and more to do with social networks. “I have my network of go-to scientists, and most of them are women,” she says. “Women scientists also tend to mentor women students, and that expands their network.”
Britton agrees, saying that men in the US and Europe tend to be full professors. "These men are more likely to know each other, and to consider each other experts in their field,” she explains. So biases in peer review could be the result of existing disparities in academia.Abstract Lithium has been used for the treatment of mood disorders for over 60 years, yet the exact mechanisms by which it exerts its therapeutic effects remain unclear. Two enzymatic chains or pathways emerge as targets for lithium: inositol monophosphatase within the phosphatidylinositol signalling pathway and the protein kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3. Lithium inhibits these enzymes through displacing the normal cofactor magnesium, a vital regulator of numerous signalling pathways. Here we provide an overview of evidence, supporting a role for the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 and inositol monophosphatase in the pharmacodynamic actions of lithium. We also explore how inhibition of these enzymes by lithium can lead to downstream effects of clinical relevance, both for mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Establishing a better understanding of lithium’s mechanisms of action may allow the development of more effective and more tolerable pharmacological agents for the treatment of a range of mental illnesses, and provide clearer insight into the pathophysiology of such disorders. Keywords: glycogen synthase kinase 3, inositol monophosphatase, lithium, pharmacology
The principal actions of lithium Lithium’s pharmacodynamic actions are multifaceted and complex [Pasquali et al. 2010]. Unlike many other psychopharmacological agents, such as traditional antidepressants and antipsychotics, it does not bind to cellular receptors; instead, lithium appears to exert therapeutic actions through modification of intracellular second messenger systems, downstream of metabotropic neurotransmitter receptors, via enzyme inhibition [Stahl, 2008], with subsequent alteration of a complex and interconnected intracellular enzymatic cascade. Two distinct enzymatic chains or pathways emerge as targets for lithium: inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) within the phosphatidylinositol (PI) signalling pathway [Berridge et al. 1989] and the protein kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) [Ryves and Harwood, 2001], although therapeutic effects may be due to further downstream effects [Pasquali et al. 2010].
Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to Dr Richard McQuade, Psychobiology Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, for email correspondence and discussion of his on-going work in this field that helped with the preparation of the final draft of this manuscript.
Footnotes Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Conflict of interest statement: DKT has received honoraria from Lilly UK and Roche for educational talks.The Bengals annual media luncheon is how you know football is back... Or about to be back! The Cincinnati media met with the Bengals ownership and coaches today in a way, to signal that start of the 2016 season. Training camp begins on Friday and before you know it, the Bengals will be playing preseason and then regular-season football.
We’re anxious to see the Bengals get back on the field, but until they are, here is some information from Mike Brown and the Bengals coaches to keep you entertained.
One of two days in the year Mike Brown sirs down with media. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/XSaZT1xY33 — Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) July 26, 2016
On the challenges ahead:
Brown says difficult schedule concerns him as much as any roster issues. — Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) July 26, 2016
#Bengals owner Mike Brown meets the media in the run up to #trainingcamp -- says the playoff loss stung for a while, but the page has turned to 2016 for the team. They're looking ahead. #Bengals #Cincinnati A photo posted by Jim Owczarski (@jimowczarski) on Jul 26, 2016 at 9:05am PDT
On thinking ahead (or not) to the postseason:
Mike Brown at media luncheon: not focused on the post-season. It's all regular season — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
Mike Brown: I don't think about the postseason at this stage. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/h7WeMkVdCo — Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) July 26, 2016
#Bengals owner Mike Brown repeats what's become an annual message: "We know we still have to take the next step." pic.twitter.com/KZe2qQqPOl — Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) July 26, 2016
On playing in London:
Brown on London trip: this is a one time thing for us. We'll see what happens — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
Brown reiterates London will not be a regular thing. One time and see what happens down the line. — Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) July 26, 2016
On a potential Ring of Honor:
Brown on a ring of honor: next year, the 50th year of team, appropriate time for honors and he'll discuss it then — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On the status of Darqueze Dennard:
Guenther expects Dennard ready to go Friday — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On the Brown family’s feelings about Marvin Lewis:
Brown on Marvin Lewis:
"If I weren't happy with Marvin he wouldn't be here 14 odd years."#Bengals — Jim Owczarski (@JimOwczarski) July 26, 2016
Mike Brown talking to scribes: I appreciate what Marvin has done. — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On who will be returning punts:
Simmons sounds like he'll give Alford first-team reps to find out if he can return punts — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
Simmons on Adam Jones: other coaches are still scared to death of him with ball in his hands — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On a noticeable change in popular topics this year:
Lewis talking to group of scribes: not a lot of questions about Andy. — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On 2015 Draft picks:
Lewis on Ogbuehi: we love what we saw from Ced last year. and Jake Fisher — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On the offensive game plan:
On the defensive game plan and new coaches:
On Vontaze Burfict:
Marv on Tez: great mentor for younger players and such an extension of coaching staff — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
Marv: that's why I wanted him on sidelines in offseason. Too valuable to get him hurt — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
#Bengals owner Mike Brown: "Vontaze Burfict is one hell of a football player. We want him on the football field.... https://t.co/zbLFLupUtv — Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) July 26, 2016
Marvin Lewis said he plans on holding back Vontaze Burfict some in the preseason. No reason to risk any injury. — Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) July 26, 2016
Marvin Lewis on the Denny Green:
Marv on late Denny Green: somebody always rely on as friend, mentor. Incredible how he developed coaches. — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On winning a Super Bowl:
Mike: I'd like to hold Lombardi trophy. I don't know how many chances I have left — Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) July 26, 2016
On the new NFL concussion rules and fines for rule breakers:
Marvin on new concussion protocol penalties: Doesn't affect us. We've been ahead of the curve on this for years. #Bengals — Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) July 26, 2016
On coaching turnover:
Mike: If coaches were hired/fired on no playoff wins, turnover rate would be 3 times what it is. #Bengals — Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) July 26, 2016
(Editor’s note: Does he not realize Cincinnati it would be far more)?
On concussions:
Mike: NFL should be credited for what it's doing with concussions rather than attacked. #Bengals — Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) July 26, 2016
On the Steelers rivalry and Burfict’s suspension:
Mike on Burfict suspension: I own the #Bengals, not Steelers. You can guess where I stand but I'd be foolish to wade into that discussion — Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) July 26, 2016
Now, who’s ready for football?Towards the end of each year, your city council creates the budget for the next year. This is one of the most important things that we do, and I believe that we do so in a far more transparent and accessible way than any other government in Canada.
First, some background: the City of Calgary creates three-year business plans and budgets, but we approve our budget each year. At the beginning of the three-year cycle last year, we engaged in an unprecedented (and award-winning) citizen engagement program, and more than 23,000 Calgarians participated in helping us set priorities.
This year, we examined what had changed — did we still have faith in our economic forecasts, are we offering the right level of services at the right times, are citizens satisfied? — and then we looked at changes and adjustments that we needed to make.
The news is generally good: our forecasts have been prudent, our annual citizen survey shows incredibly high levels of satisfaction with city services, and our property taxes remain the lowest of any major city in Canada. Unlike other orders of government, we must (and do) live within our means. There is no budget deficit (and never has been).
But thanks to slightly higher than expected revenues and some efficiencies, we were able to reduce the planned tax increase slightly, while investing in important priorities for the community. These include more 911 operators, funding the new emergency operations centre and expanding transit service hours.
The biggest thing we did, though, was something I am particularly happy about, and very proud that my council colleagues, especially Ald. Brian Pincott, brought this forward. For a relatively modest investment, we were able to increase access to transit for some 28,000 people, including a large number of the working poor.
The largest subsidy is for low-income seniors, who still pay $1.25 a month ($15 per year) for unlimited transit. We also increased the income threshold for this pass, so about 6,000 more seniors will be eligible in 2013.
The second-biggest subsidy is for seniors earning above the poverty line, who will be paying under $8 per month ($95 per year) for their pass. This is a big increase — $3 per month — but it allows us to continue to offer better rates for low-income people.
Low-income people who are not seniors pay about half the regular rate for their passes — $44 per month in 2013. For a number of years, we have only been able to offer this discount to very poor people, missing out on a number of people with disability income as well as a lot of working poor people who were earning between 75 per cent and 100 per cent of the poverty line income. Council agreed that, by 2014, we should cover everyone living under the poverty line. I am convinced this was the right thing to do and that it will make a huge difference in the lives of many people.
The other big change was the assignment of $10.2 million per year to help us optimize our existing assets: we’re investing in increasing the reliability of Calgary Transit and making breakdowns less frequent, and in smart, targeted congestion solutions (think about the revised lights at Macleod Trail and Lake Fraser Gate during the morning rush hour).CTV Toronto
An innovative new video game is giving Torontonians the chance to get behind the wheel of a TTC subway train and ride the rocket from a new perspective.
Weilan Huang, an 18-year-old student from Seneca College, has created a virtual simulator called TTC Academy that gives users the chance to drive a TTC train from the comfort of their own home.
The technology connects members online and designates times that users can drive the trains while Huang controls the system from his bedroom.
The simulation, which features both the Yonge-University-Spadina line and the Bloor-Danforth line, mimics the signals and schedules of a train and allows users to communicate with controllers.
The goal of the game is to get from one end of the subway line to the other without crashing.
In order to give gamers the most realistic experience, Huang took to the streets and recorded sounds from several different TTC stations.
“There is some realism; it has a similar appearance to actual operator area, gadgets and lights and levers,” Huang told CTV Toronto.
Doug Fearon, a TTC train operator for the past 35 years, says passengers always love the thrill of sitting at the front of the train and experiencing the ride as driver.
“Part of the thrill is riding on the real train – the sounds, the brakes, the motors or going through the tunnel,” Fearon said.
Huang, who is studying to become a commercial pilot, says the game has tripled in membership since it was first launched last year.
He hopes the game will attract even more users curious to take a behind-the-scenes look at the TTC.I am so happy to be celebrating the shop’s three year anniversary! I can’t believe it. When I started the journey of starting my own bookstore, in a crumbling economy and competing with the burgeoning e-reader scene, many people – including me – wondered if I was crazy. I can attest to the fact, that yes, I am a bit crazy, but mostly determined and passionate about getting real, beautiful books into people’s hands.
It all started with a simple question “Why Not?” We had just moved to Manayunk and thought a bookstore was needed in the neighborhood. Well, why not do it ourselves? And off we went. Well, it wasn’t quite that simple. Over the course of many months we laid the groundwork to make it happen. (And, as business owners can never rest on their laurels – we strive to improve our business year after year and adapt to your needs.) We fortuitously stumbled into the perfect space in May – and officially opened our doors on July 17th, 2010.
This journey has been the most rewarding and hardest thing I have ever accomplished to date – and continues to be so. Now, that little Zelda has entered our lives, she’ll probably take over that honor – but this experience won’t be far behind. To be frank – it is hard to run a small independent shop. We all know that online competition is very real and deep discounting hurts small business. But, we also know the benefits of shopping small: putting money back into the local economy, helping to create and sustain a vibrant community, and enjoying the one-of-a kind experience that only a small business can provide.
Right now I just can’t imagine doing anything else. I love getting into the quiet shop in the morning, turning on the computer, the lights, and seeing the rows of books waiting for the right person to pick them up and take them home. I love reading; I love the feel of a book in my hands. I love old tomes, sweet with lignin. I love crisp, newly released titles – little gifts waiting to be pulled open and enjoyed. I love getting to know what drives authors to write, how poets are inspired day after day. I love recommending books to people, sharing book after book with countless individuals who appreciate and love something as much as I do. Is it clear enough? I LOVE what I do, and you are the integral part in making what I do possible.
You, my dear customer/friend/family/supporter, are what keep us going. You are the reason we are still here after three years. And your support is necessary for us to remain. Is that too much pressure? I hope not. I hope that we can continue to quench your literary thirsts, and be a space that is a haven from your everyday stresses. I will continue to provide you with wonderful used and new books, a special and quirky selection that I love hand-picking to grace our shelves. I will continue to provide you with a space to meet other like-minded folks, or chat with a stranger that will most likely become a friend. I will keep scheduling events so that you can meet local artists and authors, discuss writing with seasoned pros, share your own work in a supportive space, and meet new up-and-coming authors who want to share their work with you.
Thank you. Thank you for everything. When I hear that our shop is a wonderful and special part of your life; that means the world to me. I hope that all book lovers can find a bit of home in the shop. We are here to welcome you with books and books, and a smile. I hope to see you soon.
Come celebrate with us! We are hosting a celebratory Salon featuring local authors, artists, and musicians on Friday, July 26th, starting at 7pm. BYOB.As reported by BroadwayWorld, Beth Howland, best known to television audiences as the adorably ditzy waitress Vera on the 1976-85 sitcom "Alice," passed away from lung cancer at age 74. The date of her death was December 31st, 2015, but her husband, actor Charles Kimbrough, said she preferred it not to be revealed right away.
While she described her singing voice as "about four notes" and was more interested in being an actor rather than a dancer, her lovable comic eccentricity won her Broadway musical jobs throughout the 1960s in the ensembles of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, BYE, BYE, BIRDIE, DRAT! THE CAT!, HIGH SPIRITS and DARLING OF THE DAY.
It was in BYE, BYE, BIRDIE where she met the man who would be her first husband, Michael J. Pollard, who originated the role of Hugo, the high school boy who pins Kim. They were married in 1961 and divorced in 1969.
Before Broadway she made her film debut in the 1959 version of the hit musical LI'L ABNER, playing one of the wives of Dogpatch U.S.A. who belted out "Put 'Em Back." In the clip below she's wearing a red dress with bows in her hair. You can also spot Valerie Harper in a pink dress and a feathered hat.
Her final Broadway role was a memorable one, playing Amy, the ultimate nervous bride in COMPANY. Kimbrough was also featured and the couple married in 2002. Eight times a week she amazed audiences singing the tongue-twisting patter of Stephen Sondheim's "Getting Married Today." D.A. Pennebaker's documentary, "Company: Original Cast Album" preserved her studio performance.
She did make a brief return to the Broadway stage for the 1982 Tony Awards, held at the Imperial Theatre. The evening highlighted songs from the historic venue's past productions and, in a medley from George and Ira Gershwin's 1926 hit, OH, KAY!, Howland and Gary Sandy sang the frisky "Do Do Do," between Leslie Uggams' performance of "Someone To Watch Over Me" and Michele Lee's "Clap Yo' Hands."
Related ArticlesSeveral years ago, the sensory psychologist Avery Gilbert wrote a blog post on the subject of body odor in the erotic romance novel “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E. L. James. The book, he observed, is liberally scented. At one point, its male protagonist, Christian Grey, is said to be redolent of “freshly laundered linen and some expensive body wash,” which prompts its female protagonist, Anastasia Steele, to announce, “I want to breathe this elixir for eternity.” Ana’s aroma is equally enticing, as Christian makes clear on several occasions: “You smell so good”; “You smell divine”; “Do you know how intoxicating you smell, Miss Steele?” Gilbert concluded that Ana, unlike Christian, smells good “in a completely banal, non-specific sort of way.”
When it comes to the vocabulary of sense, in bodice rippers and elsewhere in the English-speaking world, smell is at a significant disadvantage; nonspecificity is commonplace. A recent paper in the journal Cognition, for instance, quipped that if people were as bad at naming sights as they are at naming scents, “they would be diagnosed as aphasic and sent for medical help.” The paper quoted scattershot attempts by participants in a previous study to label the smell of lemon: “air freshener,” “bathroom freshener,” “magic marker,” “candy,” “lemon-fresh Pledge,” “some kind of fruit.” This sort of difficulty seems to have very little to do, however, with the nose’s actual capabilities. Last spring, an article in the journal Science reported that we are capable of discriminating more than a trillion different odors. (A biologist at Caltech subsequently disputed the finding, arguing that it contained mathematical errors, though he acknowledged the “richness of human olfactory experience.”) Whence, then, our bumbling translation of scent into speech?
That question was the subject, two weekends ago, of an American Association for the Advancement of Science symposium at the San Jose Convention Center (which smelled, pleasantly but nonspecifically, of clean carpet). The preëminence of eye over nose was apparent even in the symposium abstract, which touted data that “shed new light” and opened up “yet new vistas.” (Reading it over during a phone interview, Jonathan Reinarz, a professor at the University of Birmingham, in England, and the author of “Past Scents: Historical Perspectives on Smell,” asked me, “What’s wrong with a little bit of in_scent_?”) Nevertheless, the people on the panel were decidedly pro-smell. “One thing that everyone at this symposium will agree on is that human olfactory discriminatory power is quite excellent, if you give it a chance,” Jay Gottfried, a Northwestern University neuroscientist, told me. Noam Sobel, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, used a stark hypothetical to drive home the ways in which smell can shape behavior: “If I offer you a beautiful mate, of the gender of your choice, who smells of sewage, versus a less attractive mate who smells of sweet spice, with whom would you mate?”
Olfaction experts each have their pet theories as to why our scent lexicon is so lacking. Jonathan Reinarz blames the lingering effects of the Enlightenment, which, he says, placed a special emphasis on vision. Jay Gottfried, who is something of a nasal prodigy—he once guessed, on the basis of perfume residue, that one of his grad students had gotten back together with an ex-girlfriend—blames physiology. Whereas visual information is subject to elaborate processing in many areas of the brain, his research suggests, odor information is parsed in a much less intricate way, notably by the limbic system, which is associated with emotion and memory formation. This area, Gottfried said, takes “a more crude and unpolished approach to the process of naming,” and the brain’s language centers can have trouble making use of such unrefined input. Meanwhile, Donald A. Wilson, a neuroscientist at New York University School of Medicine, blames biases acquired in childhood. “When you’re sitting there with your child, saying, ‘Here’s a ball, that was the sound of a dog barking, a fire truck just went by, did you hear that?,’ you’re labelling visual and auditory objects all the time,” he said. “Other than, ‘Ooh, there’s a poopy diaper,’ it’s really rare for people to do that same sort of training with kids with odors.” (Moreover, he said, olfaction is easily manipulated. He sometimes gives his undergraduates a whiff of isovaleric acid, which, depending on how he identifies it, smells to them either of Parmesan cheese or of vomit.)
But difficulty with talking about smell is not universal. Asifa Majid, a psycholinguist at Radboud University Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, and the organizer of the A.A.A.S. symposium, studies a group of around a thousand hunter-gatherers in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand who speak a language called Jahai. In one analysis, Majid and her colleague Niclas Burenhult found that speakers of Jahai were as good at classifying scratch-and-sniff cards as they were at classifying color chips; their English-speaking counterparts, meanwhile, tended to give meandering and disparate descriptions of scents. At the symposium, Majid presented new research involving around thirty Jahai and thirty Dutch people. In that study, the Jahai named smells in an average of two seconds, whereas the Dutch took thirteen—“and this is just to say, ‘Uh, I don’t know,’ ” Majid joked onstage.
The Jahai, according to Majid and Burenhult, have a “preoccupation with odor.” In English, smells are often described in terms of the things that emit them (“chocolaty”) rather than in terms of their inherent, abstract qualities (“musty”). In Jahai, however, there are about a dozen abstract words in common use for distinct scents, such as the one that emanates from stale rice, mushrooms, cooked cabbage, and certain species of hornbill (yes, the bird). Majid couldn’t tell me for sure whether the Jahai facility with odor was the result of culture, physiology, or environment, but she suggested that their surroundings may play a significant role. When visiting the Jahai, Majid noticed a rich smellscape—heady wafts from flowers and pungent elephant dung. The thick jungle, she said, seemed to render vision less important. “You can have viewpoints and places where you get vistas, but the sensory input is really quite different, so then things like smell—and hearing, even—become much more relevant.”
The first time I spoke with Jay Gottfried, he mentioned that, owing to his personal and professional interest in smell, he is attuned to descriptions of it in literature. He proposed that Michael Chabon, unlike many other modern authors—but in tandem, perhaps, with E. L. James—pays particular and refreshing attention to odor. In the case of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” Chabon’s third novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2001, scent turns out to have been foundational. The idea for the book, Chabon told me, came from his Proustian experience of opening a box of comic books that had been taped shut fifteen years earlier. He was hit with the aroma of moldering paper—it brought back his childhood, his father, New York. “It was such a powerful olfactory experience that my response was, ‘I’ve got to write about this,’ ” he told me.
Chabon allowed that it can be hard to put scent into words. But the rewards, he said, are great. One of the very things that seem to make smell so difficult to talk about—the fact that it is bound up with emotion—is what can make it so powerful when skillfully evoked. Chabon gave the example of Clay’s mother, who makes her first impression on the reader’s nose: “The natural fragrance of her body was a spicy, angry smell like that of fresh pencil shavings.” Chabon had written the line, he said, imagining that it might invoke cumin, coriander, or cloves, along with a more familiar scent from the reader’s school days. “If you push all those things together, maybe then you get a sense of what this woman’s armpits smell like,” he said. “And, if you get a sense of what her armpits smell like, then maybe you’ll be convinced she’s real.”It’s been another week of action for Ottawa Senators prospects, with the past seven days featuring big performances from players in the NCAA. The Belleville Senators went 1-2, picking up a win in their first home game in franchise history.
Stats Sheet
(Click to enlarge)
Biggest Standouts
Playing his final year in the NCAA for Clarkson University, Kelly Summers is doing his best to earn an entry-level contract at season’s end. The 21-year-old defenceman is making a case thus far, with his seven points in 10 games on pace to break his previous record of 17 in 39.
Summers scored his second goal of the season this weekend and added two more assists, all of which came on the power play. His 15 shots on goal leads all defencemen on his team, while also blocking 12 at the other end of the ice. Known primarily as a transition defender, it’s nice to see him picking up some offence.
The Sens’ 3rd round pick in 2014, Gendron is known more as a defensive defenceman with good skating ability. With five points in his first nine games, however, he’s looking to top his previous high of 11 in 35. His point-per-game weekend is not generally what you’d expect from a player of his type, although his coach made the interesting move to play him as a 4th line winger. The decision appears to be paying off early, scoring a goal and an assist in UConn’s 1-1 weekend split.
Joel Daccord
Rounding out the trio of NCAA standouts is Joel Daccord, who’s been having an up and down year with Arizona State University. The beginning was very rough, dropping 4+ goals on a regular basis. He’s starting to pick it back up, however, stopping 46 of 50 shots playing games on back-to-back nights. He also stopped 46 of 47 shots in a game against Colgate last week, so things are looking up for the young netminder.
After appearing in only 15 games last season splitting the starts with two other goalies, Daccord has taken the full reigns. In Arizona’s 10 games, Daccord has started nine of them.
Silver LiningsBut she is establishment. So is Nancy Pelosi. So was Eleanor Roosevelt. Hillary must learn to embrace that and make it work for her, not deny it. As a woman, as a former first lady, senator and secretary of state, she’s uniquely equipped to deliver a big, inspiring message with a showstopping speech that goes beyond income inequality, that sweeps up broader themes of intolerance, fusing the economic, cultural and international issues at stake.
She could, as one talented political speechwriter riffed, say something like this: “We’re a stronger country when more people have higher incomes; when women get paid the same as men; when we draw on the diverse talents of immigrants; when we show the world that America is a place that embraces all religions, that offers refuge to the persecuted and the terrorized. When a few old rich white men are the only ones who succeed, that’s not just unfair, it’s untenable.”
Hillary’s most poignant moment came during the CNN town hall on Wednesday night when she said that, as a young woman, she had never expected to run for president herself, given that her husband was “a natural.” It was her misfortune in 2008 to run into another natural. She was not “likable enough” that year.
But it was at least fathomable. She was running against the Tulip Craze Barack Obama. Now she’s running against a grumpy |
nonetheless "excels at setting the mood".[28] Jeff Miers in The Buffalo News gave the album three stars out of four, writing the album "Does nothing to modify or update the formula... Why should it?... She does what she's good at, which is conjure mystical dream worlds bathed in multitracked vocal harmonies and enough reverb to make Phil Spector nervous". To Miers the songs sound "ancient" in its melodic construction with a sound that he compared to a "Celtic Brian Eno". He concluded with "It's all very beautiful, like the best church music".[29] The album was given a "C+" rating by Christopher Blagg in The Boston Herald.[30]
"Drifting" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Track listing [ edit ]
All titles composed and performed by Enya, except "Adeste, Fideles" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" traditional, arr. Enya and Nicky Ryan. All songs produced by Nicky Ryan. All lyrics by Roma Ryan, except "Adeste, Fideles" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".
Amarantine – Standard and Deluxe Collector's Editions No. Title Length 1. "Less Than a Pearl" 3:44 2. "Amarantine" 3:13 3. "It's in the Rain" 4:08 4. "If I Could Be Where You Are" 4:01 5. "The River Sings" 2:49 6. "Long Long Journey" 3:17 7. "Sumiregusa (Wild Violet)" 4:42 8. "Someone Said Goodbye" 4:02 9. "A Moment Lost" 3:08 10. "Drifting" 4:12 11. "Amid the Falling Snow" 3:38 12. "Water Shows the Hidden Heart" 4:39 Total length: 45 : 00
Amarantine – Special Christmas Edition (disc two) No. Title Length 1. "Adeste, Fideles" 3:58 2. "The Magic of the Night" 3:34 3. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" 3:40 4. "Christmas Secrets" 3:47
Personnel [ edit ]
Musicians
Enya – vocals, instruments
Production
Enya – arrangement, mixing
Nicky Ryan – production, arrangement, engineering, mixing, conceptual cover design, inner sleeve design and artwork, layout
Roma Ryan – Loxian language and font, lyrics (except "Adeste, Fideles" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas")
Dick Beetham – mastering at 360 Mastering, London
Daniel Polley – digital technical adviser, engineering
Simon Fowler – photography
Ebony Ryan – conceptual cover design, inner sleeve design, layout
Persia Ryan – inner sleeve artwork
Intro – cover and inner sleeve production
Charts [ edit ]
Certifications [ edit ]
Release history [ edit ]
Country Date Format Label Worldwide 21 November 2005 CD
digital download Warner Music United States 22 November 2005 Reprise Worldwide[91] 14 July 2017 LP Warner Music
Reprise
References [ edit ]
SourcesOn Tuesday, we listed five potential Miami Dolphins candidates for offensive coordinators following the firing of Mike Sherman. One day later, Miami parted ways with general manager Jeff Ireland after six mostly unsuccessful seasons.
Based on what ESPN.com’s Dolphins page is hearing behind the scenes, here are five general manager candidates to keep an eye on with Miami:
1. Tom Gamble, Philadelphia Eagles Director of Pro Personnel
Analysis: Definitely keep an eye on Gamble, who has done a good job helping build playoff teams in San Francisco and Philadelphia. I’m hearing Gamble is a favorite of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, which will go a long way in this process. Gamble is the right-hand man to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and has strong ties to Philadelphia. It would take a lot to convince Gamble to leave. But an opportunity to run his own team in Miami as general manager for the first time in his career might do the trick.
2. Mike Tannenbaum
Analysis: Many Dolphins fans may scoff at the idea of a former New York Jets general manager running the Dolphins. But Ross, who lives in New York, has an unexplained affinity for “Gang Green.” Tannenbaum was the Jets’ GM from 2006-2012 and has plenty of experience. He’s only been out of the NFL for one year and knows the AFC East division well. Tannenbaum is not considered a hot name in league circles right now, which could work in Miami’s favor if interested.
3. Scott Pioli
Analysis: Pioli is a Bill Belichick disciple with a good track record of success with the New England Patriots. However, Pioli had mostly a bad stint as general manager with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired after four seasons. Similar to Tannenbaum, Pioli is not considered a hot name for general manager openings. That could work in Miami’s favor if the Dolphins want to make a run at Pioli.
4. Eric Mangini, San Francisco 49ers consultant
Analysis: I would be surprised if Mangini gets the GM gig, considering he’s never served in that role and most of his experience is in coaching. However, Mangini makes the list because his name continues to come up behind the scenes. I’m hearing Ross likes Mangini. He also has a strong rapport with Dawn Aponte, who is Miami’s lead contract negotiator and has a lot of power within the Dolphins’ organization. Anyone who has both Ross and Aponte on their side cannot be ignored in the Dolphins’ search. If not at GM, it’s possible that Mangini could get another role in the front office if both sides can find the right fit.
5. Brian Gaine, Dolphins assistant general manager
Analysis: Gaine is the only legitimate, in-house candidate for Miami. However, he’s strictly a fallback plan. The Dolphins like Gaine, who has done a decent job working behind Ireland. But I’m told the Dolphins are looking to make a splash from the outside. Promoting Gaine, Ireland’s pupil, will feel like Miami is spinning its wheels. It’s doubtful Gaine gets serious consideration unless a host of outside candidates turn down the job.Introduction
As various forces descend on Mosul, ISIS’ last and most important stronghold in Iraq, sensible questions are emerging in the discourse about post-ISIS governance in Mosul and its surrounding areas.
The interested parties keen to ask these questions as well as answer them range from: the Iraqi Army and its allied militias, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs), largely made up of Shia Arabs with a minority of Sunni Arabs; to Peshmerga, mostly from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), who control neighbouring Dohuk and Erbil provinces; to the Nineveh Plains Protection Units (NPU), an Assyrian militia tied to the PMU; the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and affiliated Yezidi YBS and HPE militias.
These areas, contrary to some popular assessments of Iraq as a whole, are heterogeneous, mostly comprising of minority groups such as Assyrians, Yezidis, Shabaks and others who have been historically marginalized and abused by larger, more dominant groups.
With such a slew of forces, mostly with competing interests, not only will coordination efforts during this momentous operation prove difficult, but once the dust settles and the common enemy uniting these disparate groups has been scaled back, potential in-fighting could usher in a new chapter of strife for the beleaguered people of the region.
This strife must be prevented where it can be, but in order to do that, the various agendas at play must be parsed and understood with clarity, especially for outsiders who are treated to a barrage of sophisticated propaganda on an almost daily basis. What I hope to offer here is an Assyrian perspective, underpinned by Assyrian interests which have long been neglected in both the Old and New Iraq.
Who is Fighting?
Given the list of actors mentioned above, perhaps the least attention in the media has been afforded to newly armed and trained minority groups who have suffered genocide at the hands of ISIS. Correcting this will be my focus here along with expanding upon Turkey’s involvement.
Both the Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have been guilty of incompetence, and in some cases, targeted oppression and subversion. These abuses, whilst presenting an existential threat to Assyrians on their ancestral lands, has also given them renewed vigour and determination to fight back. Larger groups may be competing for more territory or regional influence via the Mosul offensive, but for Assyrians, this is believed to be our last stand.
As a response to the decimation wrought by ISIS and the failure of both GoI forces and KRG forces (specifically KDP forces, given their de facto control of large swathes of Nineveh Province pre-ISIS), Assyrians established their own militia in 2014, the NPU, in an effort to meaningfully contribute to if not take control of their own security in their own lands. Yezidis, after having been reassured and abandoned in Sinjar by the KDP, then assisted by the PKK, have done the same by establishing the HPE militia led by Haydar Shesho.
Positive signs are now emerging that the GoI under Prime Minister Abadi are realizing that its interests and those of the NPU are relatively aligned, and thus it has moved to bolster and support them in territory which they have previously had little influence in: Nineveh. The NPU currently number 500 soldiers which have been trained by US forces after the GoI had sanctioned their formation. This week, the GoI approved another 250 to begin training in camps to the north.
Turkey
The Erdogan regime, which institutionalizes ethnic cleansing in Turkey, wants to normalize the effects of genocide committed in other countries and specifically grow its own influence in Nineveh. This is why Erdogan recently said “only Sunnis belong in Mosul” – omitting Mosul’s diverse ethnic and religious make-up, and thereby punishing those who have suffered targeting and expulsion. Turkey’s presence in Iraq has always been welcomed in KDP controlled territory. The party has orchestrated an almost provincial status in relation to Ankara for areas it rules. This presence is now being rounded upon, however, by the GoI and rival Kurdish parties. Harsh rhetoric has emerged from both sides and the GoI has demanded the Turkish military leave its borders.
Within Turkey, celebrated moves into Iraq and Syria seem in line with broader regional objectives which now appear to be in jeopardy: to ensure a weakened Syria with explicitly pro-Turkish proxy forces supplanting other flagging, unpredictable proxy forces, and have an ostentatious hand in the Mosul Operation. The latter is crucial to both supporting an emerging alliance between the KDP and ex-Mosul governor Atheel Al Nujaifi and his Sunni Arab supporters (more on this later), and undermining the growth of Kurdish PKK influence in the region. The failed coup attempt has emboldened Turkey to play a more active role in these affairs, and it is now flexing its strength out in the open, free from any residual dissent from within its own political establishment.
Yet despite this provocation, the GoI now has a convincing reason to reassert itself in what the KRG audaciously calls “formerly” disputed territories (ie. those territories which are considered “disputed” in terms of control between the GoI and the KRG: namely, Nineveh). The same KDP commanders who have given media interviews declaring newly liberated land taken from ISIS as ”Kurdish” and theirs have now had to part their ranks to allow Iraqi Army and PMU to begin operations in Mosul.
Evidence of Turkish-ISIS support is insurmountable, with many Turks who uncovered these connections, be they security officials or criminal prosecutors, imprisoned way before the recent purge of dissenters after the failed coup had even started. Jihadist forces who had been given free reign within and across Turkey’s borders are now being valiantly chased down whilst Turkey builds military bases along the way, thereby normalizing their presence in their old Ottoman vilayets.
Legislative History and the Reality on the Ground
To put these forces and the situation in context, we must begin with our horizons set further afield than merely the current borders of the Nineveh Province and further into the past, before ISIS had began its assault on it.
Much of the province is considered “disputed territory” because the KRG, under the leadership of perpetual President Masoud Barzani, has made new claims to lands it considers as part of Greater Kurdistan. And these claims are most certainly new. When the KRG published their first draft constitution in 2006 in a newly liberated Iraq, the word “Nineveh” was not even mentioned, let alone any claims to it. However, in the draft constitution published in 2009, the claim is made. That said, it is no great mystery why the 2006 draft constitution is now unavailable online. All traces of it have been eradicated. It is prudent to maintain the illusion that these territories have always been claimed by the Kurdish people as a matter of principle instead of gross opportunism on the part of their leaders.
Whilst these claims were being made by the KRG and broadcast to their international sponsors through relentless lobbying, they were stonewalling any attempts made by Assyrians in the Nineveh Plains to meaningfully contribute to their own security. Persistent attempts made by Assyrians to create their own police force tasked with patrolling their towns in Nineveh was blocked and eventually dismantled even though it was supported by both the GoI and US policy makers. This subversion facilitated the flight of desperate Assyrians who were left feeling exposed and helpless in the power vacuum consuming the country in those years between 2003-2014.
Regular attacks by Islamists and periodic accosting, arrests and beatings by Kurdish Asayish security have meant Assyrian numbers, which reportedly numbered over 1.2m pre-2003, have now dropped to approx. 300,000. Assyrians who fled north in droves from central and southern Iraq found themselves hopelessly in the grip of KRG gangsterism and eventually made their way out of the country altogether.
The KDP have set up and funded proxy parties and militias to counteract attempts made by Assyrians to organize independently and become self-reliant. Similar strategies are employed with other disempowered groups such as the Yezidis, where rivalries between parties and associated militias exists even within families, all compelled by overreaching KDP patronage.
This reach extends further than just the minorities of the region. Sunni Arabs, feeling marginalized by a government newly dominated by the demographically superior Shia Arabs, grew distant from mainstream Iraqi politics. Mosul became an island under ex-governor Nujaifi and deputy governor and senior KDP figure, Khasro Goran. It is this relationship and its ramifications which should be unpacked a little further.
The KDP’s influence and ambitions in Mosul and surrounding areas over the past decade cannot be underplayed. Whilst not controlling these areas in a formal capacity, the KDP were certainly overrepresented in political and security functions. After the Sunni boycott of elections in 2005 which saw a 41 strong provincial council dominated by 31 Kurdish bloc members, Khasro Goran entrenched his position and has often been cited as the “real power in Mosul and Nineveh”. Kurdish staffing levels in Mosul itself reached 63%, in contrast to the city’s 23% Kurdish demographic. This overrepresentation extended into the Plains, where security forces patrolling Assyrian and other minority areas became largely comprised of Kurds loyal to the KDP. When Mosul fell, the ex-governor Nujaifi fled to Erbil and has continued his amicable relations with the KDP and the Turkish regime.
It is this relationship, coupled with the juggernaut of Turkey prowling in the background which has fermented the idea that the fruits of a new alliance between Nujaifi and his supporters, the KDP, and Turkey may ripen in the near future. If this relationship flourishes and asserts itself more confidently, the region can expect another decade of destabilization and a more serious conflict with the GoI. These are the very fires of sectarianism which should be left behind with the dying embers of ISIS’ vision of the future.
In a landmark moment for Nineveh’s minorities in January 2014, the GoI voted for, in principle, the creation of a new Nineveh Plains province. This finally promised a door into the new Iraq for Assyrians and other minorities, but the mood quickly changed that year with ISIS storming these very lands and emptying them with little to no resistance from either GoI forces and Kurdish peshmerga.
In September 2016, a vote on a new province in the same region spearheaded by Sunni Arabs and unrelated to the interests and aspirations on Assyrians and other minorities was rejected by the GoI. This was quickly painted by KDP media as an attack on these minorities in an effort to sow confusion and disillusionment among them. The familiar message was embedded in this spin: freedom and prosperity can only be achieved within an emerging Kurdistan, a claim Assyrians and others who have been displaced and forced to leave their lands reject. Some observers writing for KDP media outlets even punish Assyrians for this very rejection.
Again, Assyrians know this because of the awful situation within the KRG which seldom receives the appropriate airtime in Western media. It is a government defined by disunity and distrust, with Parliament having not met for well over a year, an official budget missing for more than two years, and a President who unlawfully extends his term by decree (a term which ended in 2013), exiling anyone who questions his legitimacy. It is an economy in $25bn deficit and 95% reliant on oil sales, with many wholly dependent on party-affiliated patronage for mere sustenance.
Moreover, in recent talks this year regarding a new, official KRG constitution with independence in mind, the sole representative of minorities invited to the drafting table, Dr Muna Yaku, walked out of talks in protest when guarantees over rights and self-administration for minorities not only failed to be included, but existing language to that effect from previous drafts was removed. Its drafting has since been suspended given the chaos engulfing the whole region.
Many Kurds are angry and disillusioned with the situation in the KRG, so what hope must that give Assyrians and others who are asked to buy into it when we could instead seek a direct relationship with the GoI, rather than another degree of separation from it via the still dependent and regressing, KRG?
The KDP Agenda
In perverse ways, the practice engendered in matters of governance and trade by the KRG mirrors aspects of Ba’athism. Similar conditional freedoms are imposed on people living under the KRG, where liberty and prosperity are only offered in exchange for unshakable loyalty.
Assyrians and others who have become receptive to this dark bargain are regularly interviewed by KDP media to furnish propaganda efforts made by KRG representatives who relentlessly tour the world with a message of tolerance and plurality. Behind this smokescreen however lies a far darker reality, where arrests and assassinations take place, and authoritarianism is on the rise.
Assyrians have been relentlessly driven away from their lands in Dohuk province (which Assyrians historically call Nohadra) via institutional bias favouring powerful Kurdish tribes and courts that settle disputes via nepotism rather than any codified law. Assyrians have been blocked from protesting land confiscations on several occasions by Kurdish security keen to limit participation.
Not only are Assyrians who live within KRG controlled areas subjected to this barbarity and intimidation, Assyrian IDPs as well as other minority IDPs have reportedly received “loyalty pledges” to sign in KRG-run camps, asking them to swear allegiance to President Barzani as well as support the annexation of their lands in Nineveh to the KRG.
This is why vague calls to “arm the Kurds” emanating from policy makers, analysts and even the US President-in-waiting are received with resentment and disdain from Assyrians and others who suffer under their monopoly on security and power. Kurdish officials and commentators are always keen to talk favourable demographics too, and why shouldn’t they? It certainly does demonstrate one thing given Assyrian population trends: that Assyrians do not benefit from a strengthened KRG or their much lauded security situation, and in many ways, suffer under it. So they leave.
Why is all of this dirt on the KRG important to air in a piece about the liberation of Mosul? For one reason: all of the lands surrounding Mosul, home to Assyrians and other minorities who have suffered yet another genocide, are claimed by KRG leadership. There is the very real danger that these minorities will once again be squeezed out of securing a meaningful place in the fabric of the country when perhaps their last opportunity to do so lies before them.
A Nineveh Plains Province
Admittedly, momentum is everything in Iraq. A military success in Mosul followed up by a gentle partitioning of new provincial borders might be perceived by Abadi and his advisors as needlessly weakening his position ahead of Iraqi General Elections. However, these are short term fancies: in order to build on a military success, the GoI must balance calls for reconciliation and reform, as well displays of strength. It is easy to get carried away with all of the snippets of artillery fire and joyous liberation announcements currently circulating on social media, but securing a future for the people should be central to the fighting. That is what victory should mean.
One of the key strengths Iraq possesses is the flexibility of its federalist system. Provinces are afforded with considerable powers and regions even more so (albeit to disastrous effect given KRG governance failures, so it goes two ways). This strength has yet to be properly utilized. The KRG should obviously not be rewarded for failure (both to the Kurdish people themselves, and to the minorities they had sworn to protect yet disarmed and abandoned) by Western policy makers, who fortunately are beginning to wake up to these abuses. That said, it’s clear that the current format of the Nineveh province is fundamentally flawed given betrayals and distrust among minorities and their neighbours, so change is needed.
This leaves only one reasonable option: work on a new province, as agreed in principle by the GoI in 2014, should begin as soon as possible. Many Assyrian IDPs simply want to return home. Newly bolstered groups such as the NPU can serve as the foundation of security in the area and be strengthened accordingly. After all, these are people who will deal with threats with their families behind them, not hundreds of miles away. Assyrians in diaspora together with Assyrians in the homeland have already set up the Nineveh Plains Defence Fund in an effort to mobilize support for the NPU.
Relations between the various minority groups are generally good, and there has been no historic animosity between them. In fact, what the recent crisis has done is unite many of these groups together in solidarity given their respective experiences. Issues of governance can be resolved democratically within the new province and the threat of domination and patronage by internal and external parties should be prevented by regularly US and coalition engagement – something these actors have failed to offer so far despite their urgent need.
Short of securing internationally protected safe zones as recently mentioned by German Chancellor Merkel and supported by Yezidi survivor and activist Nadia Murad, a new province for all Nineveh’s minorities secured by local people already on the frontline and those looking to return will be an immensely positive step forward for not only these minorities, but the country as a whole.
Conclusion
What the minorities of Nineveh truly want is to be free from the shackles of being called “minorities”. They don’t want protection, they want empowerment. They don’t want rhetoric, they want demonstrable equality. Iraq must be given a new start after the false one in 2003. A country can usually be judged by how it treats its worse-off citizens, and so far, Iraq has done little to merit praise in this respect. To prevent the state sinking once more into a sectarian mess, Assyrians and other groups who have had so much taken from them should have their dignity restored by being allowed to live and prosper in their own lands free from destabilizing external influences.
Long term interests are aligned here, and these must not be sacrificed by the GoI under Abadi for short-term political gains. The NPU was not established as a temporary force, it is here to stay. Assyrians within it who have taken up arms, along with the thousands who wait patiently to be accepted into its ranks (ranks only limited by support and funding, not desire) are doing so because want they to establish themselves in a country that has forgotten its identity. It is now time to build faster than those preoccupied with destruction.Some troubling, albeit early, polling news came on Wednesday for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is supporting him.
The Republican turned Democrat is in a virtual tie for the prospective 2010 election with the front-running Republican senatorial candidate in the state, the former president of the Club for Growth, Pat Toomey.
According to a Quinnipiac University survey of Pennsylvanians, Specter is preferred by 45 percent of voters, Toomey by 44 percent. Slightly more than two months ago, that margin was 53 to 33 percent.
Making matters a bit more troubling for Specter, 49 percent of voters said he did not deserve reelection, while 46 percent disapproved of the job he was doing. It is the highest disapproval rating he has ever recorded.
The numbers seem driven by the fact that Specter still hasn't fully secured the trust of Keystone State Democrats. Despite backing the president's agenda on health care reform and the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the longtime senator remains pressured from the progressive community, which now has a viable alternative candidate in Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.). In the same Quinnipiac survey, 23 percent of registered Democrats said they preferred Sestak, 55 percent said Specter.
And, unlike past elections, Specter seems to have lost his traditional bipartisan appeal. Republicans, who see the senator as having abandoned them politically and philosophically, prefer Toomey by a 82 percent to 11 percent margin. Specter is even losing among Independents who back Toomey 46 percent to 42 percent.
Perhaps the most difficult to explain disparity, however, is seen when voters are segregated by gender. Men prefer Toomey by a margin of 52 percent to 39 percent. Women are nearly the reverse, preferring Specter by a margin of 50 percent to 37 percent.Much of that biology is relevant to us. Soil microbes affect the viability of our farmlands. Plant microbes affect the yield of our crops. Oceanic microbes affect the circulating of oxygen, carbon, and other nutrients around the entire planet. The microbes of our buildings influence our exposure to disease-causing species. All of these are as important to us as the gut microbes that more directly affect our risk of obesity or inflammatory bowel disease.
There are also important parallels between these communities. A coral reef being overrun by algae is not dissimilar to an inflamed gut, while swallowing antibiotics is a bit like unleashing crude oil upon the Gulf of Mexico. “You’re perturbing an ecosystem, seeing a change, and not being able to interpret that change,” says Handelsman. “The same questions are being asked about many microbiomes. What’s a healthy one? What’s normal? How do we change them? These are things people think about in oceans, lakes, soil, and people. The principles underlying the answers are probably common.”
So the National Microbiome Initiative is actively trying to create links between scientists who are currently working within centuries-old academic buckets. For example, the National Institutes of Health will commit $20 million towards projects that draw comparisons between different ecosystems. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is investing $100 million in fighting childhood malnutrition and crop diseases by manipulating the respective microbiomes of guts and soils. One project talks about probiotics and microbiome transplants, but in the context of industrial plants, heat exchangers, and water treatment facilities.
The National Microbiome Initiative is not the Human Genome Project—a single project with a definitive goal. It consists of many organizations operating independently; to paraphrase Whitman, it contains multitudes.
In some ways, it looks like everything old is new again. There are projects looking at human disorders, including obesity, type 1 diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and tooth decay. There are schemes to see how the microbiome changes in childhood, during old age, or under different diets. There are plans to develop new probiotics. A cynic might be forgiven for seeing this as an exercise in branding, encapsulating what microbiome scientists were already doing under a catchy umbrella.
Then again, the NMI does have three well-chosen themes that underlie its smorgasbord of projects. The first, as I’ve mentioned, is collaboration. Dozens of universities are launching new microbiome research centers and faculty positions designed to bring disparate microbe aficionados together.
The second involves developing better tools for studying microbiomes. As I wrote in my last piece, this will include techniques that can analyze the entire genomes of specific microbes; track the movements of molecules between or within cells; and add, remove, edit, stimulate, or block specific species with precision. That will allow microbiologists to accurately simulate communities of microbes, predict how they will change over time, and then modify them accordingly.We can all see that members of the GOP establishment are in dire need of a stiff drink. But they sure do look like rookies showing up after last call.
After Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE dominated polling for the party’s presidential nomination in at least 49 states for half a year, Republican stalwarts have finally awoken to the reality of the Never Sleeping giant — but only after he won in Nevada last week. Trump had already conquered races in New Hampshire and South Carolina, but it seemed his Silver State victory — where the real estate mogul collected more votes than both the second- and third-place finishers combined — was a win too far. Sen. Jeff Flake Jeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Poll: 33% of Kentucky voters approve of McConnell Trump suggests Heller lost reelection bid because he was 'hostile' during 2016 presidential campaign MORE (R-Ariz.) told The New York Times a few days ago, “I finally got scared last night.”
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Up through the caucuses in Iowa, when Trump lost to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzTrump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington Trump endorses Cornyn for reelection as O'Rourke mulls challenge MORE, establishment Republicans remained complacent or paralyzed. They were ignorant of the voter rage that fuels Trump’s campaign, they were confident everyone would get “serious,” not to mention the numerous and glaring liabilities of the billionaire businessman, who has earned the highest unfavorable ratings of anyone running for president in modern history.
Competing Republican presidential campaigns figured that surely some other candidate would eventually take him on, and donors were scared all along. According to Katie Packer, who worked on Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign and launched the first assault against Trump with her Our Principles PAC, $215 million was spent by Republicans on ads and voter contact before Nevada’s contest last week, and of that $9 million — about 4 percent — was directed at Trump.
In a Super Tuesday scramble, seeing Trump take down state after state, several GOP business leaders organized a call to urge donors to back Our Principles PAC, joining the urgency of the en masse #NeverTrump movement that has brought numerous Republican elected officials to say publicly they won’t vote for him if he wins the nomination.
Yet after the Super Tuesday contests the GOP race still features four candidates who are greasing the tracks for Trump. Cruz won three states and wants the others out. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid | Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration | New malicious cyber tool found | Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 MORE won only one state but is vowing to stay in and is blaming both and Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for underperforming. While Rubio looks to friendlier states on the calendar this spring, he has less than two weeks to win Florida, where no one shares the winner-take-all prize of 99 delegates and Trump is ahead in the polls.
The anti-Trump forces are largely aligned behind Rubio and are pressuring him to keep soldiering on for a convention fight. BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to push back at Trump on border Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Overnight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies MORE has grown frustrated with Kasich and will likely urge him to get out. Kasich’s campaign, of course, notes that the governor has a better shot at winning his home state of Ohio than Rubio does in Florida. Polls show he is also Democrat Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE’s strongest general election challenger. Yet on Tuesday, Ben Carson, who on Wednesday conceded he “doesn’t see a path forward,” beat Kasich in six states and tied with him in another two. Read that again.
Meanwhile Democrats are laughing at the GOP. Though they acknowledge Trump could beat Clinton, they mock Republicans’ recalcitrance on the GOP front-runner as “political malpractice.” Opposition research against Romney for the 2012 cycle began in 2009, and the Clinton campaign is busy at work assembling a broad assault against Trump for the fall.
Some questioned whether there was a GOP establishment. But behold its members, crawling out into the daylight, pledging #NeverTrump. And they came out in full force to stop the daughter of a two-term GOP vice president from running against a sitting senator in a Wyoming primary in 2014. Liz Cheney was pounded on publicly and privately, but stopping a controversial reality star hasn’t been a priority for the Republican Party — until now that it’s too late.
Stoddard is an associate editor of The Hill.A number of Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE’s private emails were erased weeks after The New York Times published a story reporting on her use of a private email server while secretary of State, according to notes from the FBI’s investigation released on Friday.
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The notes include an entry that says that someone mistakenly deleted Clinton’s archived mailbox from her server and exported files.
The deletion took place between March 25 and March 31, the FBI learned in a May 3 interview. The name of the person who deleted the emails was redacted from the FBI’s notes.
“In a follow-up FBI interview on May 3, 2016, ------ Indicated he believed he had an 'oh s--t' moment and sometime between March 25-31, 2015 deleted the Clinton archive mailbox from PRN server and used BleachBit to delete the exported.PST files he had created on the server system containing Clinton;s e-mails,” the FBI notes released on Friday stated.
This is crazy. 3 weeks after NYT publish Clinton email server story, there was a big wipe of her emails conducted pic.twitter.com/tlO0KJWYgz — Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) September 2, 2016
BleachBit is a special computer software that is designed to “prevent recovery” of files so that, as House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdyThe family secret Bruce Ohr told Rod Rosenstein about Russia case Trey Gowdy joins Fox News as a contributor Congress must take the next steps on federal criminal justice reforms MORE (R-S.C.) said last week, “even God can't read them.”
After the conclusion of the investigation in July, the FBI Director James Comey recommended no charges against Clinton but added that the Democratic presidential nominee was “extremely careless” in handling classified material.
The Times story was published on March 2.Anti-Trump protesters in Austin not bused in, contrary to Twitter-verse
It was the sort of Twitter post for which a charged post-election moment, full of conspiracy theories and anxieties, was perfectly primed. Eric Tucker, founder of an Austin company called PocketMath, claimed that protesters who had gathered in Austin Wednesday night were “not as organic as they seem”; he presented photos of what he claimed were the buses that had transported them. The buses in the photo appeared to be in East Austin near downtown.
Anti-Trump protestors in Austin today are not as organic as they seem. Here are the busses they came in. #fakeprotests #trump2016 #austin pic.twitter.com/VxhP7t6OUI — erictucker (@erictucker) November 10, 2016
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By Friday morning, the tweet had been retweeted more than 15,000 times, picked up by Alex Jones’ InfoWars, Rush Limbaugh and newscasts.
The problem: The speculation wasn’t true.
The buses had actually been hired by a company called Tableau to move more than 13,000 conference attendees around the city, the American-Statesman has confirmed.
“I can confirm that those were our buses,” said Keyana Corliss, a spokeswoman for Tableau Software. “They were transporting conference attendees to our ‘Data Night Out’ party. They were caught in traffic for about 15-20 minutes in the protest, but that’s it.”
Statesman reporters were also at the start of the rally on Wednesday at UT campus before it moved downtown.
Eric Tucker did not immediately return a comment left for him at PocketMath. But Friday morning, following a query posted on Twitter by a Statesman reporter, he seemed to back off the incendiary claim.
I strongly value the truth. There's a pretty |
’ records or songs off the radio, and listen whenever you wanted. You could even make a “mix tape.” Of course, blank cassettes weren’t exactly free, but they were a lot cheaper than records, and certainly than CDs.
It should be noted that CDs were marketed as the big audio technology innovation of the 80s. People were encouraged to dump their albums and upgrade to this new technology at its premium prices, and many did. The selling point of CDs was that they were new, they were futuristic, they were digital. They were smaller and lighter than records, and they were scratchproof (ha). The cool part was you could instantly skip from track to track in any direction without the guesswork of having to rewind or mess with a needle, and you could do fun tricks like setting it on automatic repeat or random play. We laugh now, but the quest to live in the future was real. And CD players felt like the future.
The point of all this is that, even as we started getting home computers and dialing up the Internet, we still lived in a tape based world all through the 90s and into the 2000s. Televisions still came with built in VCRs and cameras still used film that had to be developed. But then, overnight it seemed, the blank cassettes you used to always buy at Woolworths and Walgreens disappeared off the shelves, and photomats went out of business.
In plain terms, the change from analogue to digital may be the greatest transformation humankind has ever gone through. It really separates our world into two distinct before-and-after eras and we’re still just at the beginning of it. We’re so near to the beginning, that you still have people from both worlds living here together. It’s like having Neanderthals and homo sapiens sharing the waterhole.
I’m not a religious man, but I’ve long thought the year 2000 works unnervingly well as the de facto Year Zero for this new era, with BC standing for Before Computers, and AD standing for After Digital. And the world agrees. The term they use is Digital Native, to describe the people who are too young to remember a world without the Internet. With each passing day, there are more of them, and less of me and my kind, the Digital Neanderthals.
And yet here we both are, Digital Neanderthal and Digital Native, for this intersectional moment in time when we can sit around in the same living rooms, watch the same televisions, and enjoy the same programs, one of which happens to be a program called Stranger Things…. Our subject on this episode of the TV Room.
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Today’s podcast is about Season One of the breakout Netflix series and instant cult classic, Stranger Things. But first, let’s take a moment here to reflect on the remarkable fact that Netflix is now a major player in this new world of serial television, which most people refer to as the Golden Age of television.
In my day job, I used to deliver a box of produce every Friday to a customer at Netflix headquarters sometime in the mid-2000s. I couldn’t tell you whether it was 2003, 4 5, or 6. But I would make a weekly drop at a little office park duplex right off the 85 in Los Gatos. There wasn’t even a receptionist, just a table in the hallway where I would leave the box. I never saw anybody come and go, and I never bothered to pay attention to the name of the company.
And then sometime in 2004, 5, 6, or 7, I began hearing those radio ads on my long drive down to Los Gatos, you know those ads. “If orange plus green equals infinity times pi, what is the square root of Atlanta, Georgia?” Those ads were relentless, and they wormed their way into my head as I went through my day of making deliveries. But I couldn’t have told you what company made those ads or what they were even trying to sell. And then sometime in 2005, or 6, my housemate and I, avid video renters, invested in a DVD player and signed up for Netflix. And then when the envelopes started coming, I noticed the red logo, and all of a sudden I also noticed what those radio commercials were for, and I noticed that the same red logo on the DVD envelopes was also on a little sign hanging on the wall above the table in the hallway of the duplex where I made that Los Gatos delivery off the 85 for all those years. And finally, it all clicked into place. And I even started to notice that a lot of the residential customers I delivered to had the same telltale red DVD envelopes in their mailboxes that I now had.
And, right at the same time, it seemed, I started making that office delivery to a new address, at a building right on the Los Gatos freeway off ramp that had been under construction seemingly forever. Well, that building turned out to be the new headquarters Netflix had commissioned for itself, that it didn’t have to share with another company down the hall. And Netflix is still there today, with another branch in Hollywood.
Netflix first revolutionized the movie business by taking the Blockbuster Video rental model and updating it to DVDs that you browsed and ordered over the internet, and received and returned in the mail. Their catch phrase was “No late fees. Ever,” and their model put Blockbuster out of business. Then, Netflix began to offer a streaming service and started phasing out DVDs altogether. And recently, they’ve begun culling their once legendary deep catalogue of movies and TV series in order to focus on creating and distributing their own content.
The Netflix tale represents a storybook progression from the old movie era, the analogue movie era of the 20th Century, into the digital era of the 21st. They replaced videos with DVDs, they replaced DVDs with streaming, and finally, they bypassed studios altogether and began selling their own product.
If anyone did more to kill off the 20th Century and bring in the 21st Century than Netflix, I’d like to know who.
So, perhaps it’s only fitting then that Netflix would be the ones to bring us Stranger Things, a series that celebrates the wonders of golden age analogue technology in all its battery-powered glory.
Now, a lot of Stranger Things podcasts will talk about the plot, and the characters, and the actors, and Justice for Barb. All worthy topics for sure. But, we’re gonna take a different approach. We’re going to talk about some of the great film craft that the Duffer Brothers used to make this series; we’re going to talk about Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, and we’re going to step inside the time machine and talk about Stranger Things’ treatment of 1983–what they got right, and what they got creative with.
But first, a reminder that this is a review specifically of Stranger Things Season One; I haven’t even seen Two yet. And we’re not going to discuss the storyline or dissect the plot, so there’s probably not going to be any major spoilers to worry about, but maybe a few small incidentals.
As far as criticisms of Season One go, there aren’t many, but there are a few. Let’s start with the cast and the characters. Everyone’s talking about how great these child actors are, and I agree. They’re a cast of unknowns, and they basically carry this entire series. That said, I found that putting heavy dramatic themes and emotions onto these grade school children, giving them adult dialogue and situations, did take me out of the moment occasionally.
We like to idealize children as pure beings whose innocence somehow puts them closer to god and makes them the adults in the room instead of their bickering, repressed parents.
It’s a good device to use in filmmaking, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that kids are still kids, not life coaches, grief counselors, or self help gurus.
Along those lines, in one of the establishing scenes, a boy, a child of divorce, is waiting around for his dad to come by to pick him up and take him to his little league game. Eventually, crestfallen, angry, resigned, the kid turns to his mom and says, “he’s not coming, is he? That felt like a cliché from any number of divorce themed afterschool specials of the period. A little too cliché.
In another scene, that little kid’s brother, the prototypical alienated high school loner who, unsurprisingly, is way into nonmainstream music, name checks all the right early ‘80s British bands to show his bona fides as a rock and roll rebel.
I feel like in reality, only a 28-year old underground music journalist with a four year degree and two semesters of grad school would have been able to tick off that list, not some teenager in a town like Hawkins, Indiana that in late 1983, gives every indication that it’s still stuck in 1978. More on that later.
And the last thing I’ll mention is the use of a Bangles song from 1987 to close out the second episode. They had done such a great job of creating this fantastical but believable version of 1983 small town America, and then they totally ruin it by shoehorning in this Bangles cover song with nothing 1983 about it.
Most of the songs used in the soundtrack are late 70s/early 80s radio singles that are true to the period, like Africa by Toto, or they’re late 70s/early 80s synth tracks by the likes of Giorgio Moroder, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, etcetera. But they do take poetic license with the timeline, like using Peter Gabriel’s 2010 version of David Bowie’s 1977 single, Heroes, which maybe worked better cinematically?
The soundtrack is an important part of the series’ appeal, and may have helped spawn a revival of the entire style of analogue synth music from the pre-techno era.
At the other end of the spectrum, there is one Sixties anthem that is used very prominently in an important scene of Episode One.
Today, and really for the entirety of the last 30 years, we’ve been mainstreaming the Summer of Love and celebrating its place at the forefront of our culture. And we treat Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit as the icing on the cake of that celebration. When that song plays, it is a generational callback to what some would call the most important and most influential decade in modern history, when the counterculture subverted the dominant culture.
What makes Stranger Things such an authentic 80s series is that it basically writes off the Sixties altogether, which is what the actual trendsetters of the early 80s were doing in real life. Trust me, I was there.
Long hair, guitar music, earth tones and embroidered denim had been mainstays year after year from 1967 onward, until by the end of 1982, hair styles had suddenly shortened and become angular and spiky, synth music replaced guitar music, neon replaced earth tones, and electric blue replaced faded denim. And that’s the sod in which Stranger Things is rooted.
The only nod to the Sixties generation and its culture of psychedelic drugs is that they are an entirely evil thing manifested by shadow government types, along the lines of MK Ultra and DARPA.
So when the signature notes of White Rabbit come wafting over the speaker, instead of ushering in a groovy kind of love, it signals the arrival of a malevolent kind of danger. If you’re an 80s kid, that generation and its music are not your friends. And the drugs are used by the CIA to control your mind.
Stranger Things has been described as a Frankenstein of movie styles. And no review is c omplete without a mention of all or some of the 80s filmmakers it draws from. Stephen King. Steven. John Carpenter. George Lucas. David Cronenberg. Freddie Krueger. Tim Burton.
Yeah, that’s a lot of movies. But what about all the great TV shows? You don’t hear quite as much about those.
First of all, Freaks & Geeks. If I had to sum up Stranger Things in one phrase, it would be Freaks and Geeks meets a Tim Burton movie.
The Duffer Brothers should cut a big fat royalty check to Paul Feig based on the Stranger Things nuclear family alone. The Wheeler family, sitting around the dining room table of their shag carpeted Mid Century Modern ranch house, with the mom, the dad, the older daughter on the brink of popularity and the younger brother deep in the weeds of geekdom; are dead ringers for the Weirs, who were the nuclear family that Freaks & Geeks was centered around.
And then there is the whole Stranger Things ensemble of good kids and bad kids; and cool kids and lame kids, which was very much the through line of Freaks and Geeks; and there’s the setting of the show itself, a Great Lakes state in the 1980-81 school year. Now, for some reason Stranger Things is set in the 1983-84 school year, even though it really looks and feels like 1980-81.
We’ll return to that topic shortly.
Stranger Things is a series about magic, horror, the supernatural, and parallel worlds.
Usually, a director will want to work with a big special effects budget to make this kind of make-believe world more convincing and plausible. But the Duffer Brothers were working with a limited budget, so they did what filmmakers with limited budgets do, they got creative.
They sought out the magic and wonder in the everyday objects around them, objects that with a little bit of imagination, could easily be transformed into portals to other worlds, especially when seen through the eyes of a child.
It starts with something as ordinary as a Lazy Boy chair. Even though no “magic” is involved, there’s a great scene that captures the child’s perspective on climbing up into one of these beasts and being swallowed by its girth, and the unbearable tension as the reclining lever is pulled and the chair snaps into place, like the kind of adjustment you might get from an aggressive chiropractor.
So even though no actual magic takes place here, it shows you how any mundane household object is a potential source of wonder, fear, and fascination. In order to access the parallel world of the bucolic town of Hawkins Indiana, the Upside Down as they call it, you first have to have a mind that’s open to the possibility that this kind of world exists. And that’s pretty much gonna be the exclusive domain of children, who can’t quite operate the machinery of adulthood yet, who have to stand on their tiptoes just to get a glimpse of what’s on the stove and the high shelves, and have to use the full strength in both hands to open doors, or activate Lazy Boys.
Water of course is a great conduit into other worlds. It is another world. Submerge yourself into the ocean, and you’re suddenly in a whole other animal kingdom with completely different life forms, life forms that predate our own and continue to exist right here with us on this planet, contained within a physical realm that has its own rules and properties that is still just about as inaccessible to us as our world is to them. And it’s all right there contained in a liquid ectoplasm that covers ¾ of the planet. The best we can generally do is float on the surface of this ectoplasm and peer down into it, and the best they can do is look up and catch fleeting glimpses of the bottom of our boats. Our floor is their ceiling. We are their upside down and they are our upside down. And the mysterious underworld of water extends all the way inland to the plumbing of rural Indiana.
You don’t have to build an elaborate set or use a lot of special effects to utilize the innocuous looking fountainheads of suburbia: Swimming pools, faucets and bathtubs, to represent the farthest reaches of the sinister, murky Upside Down; to show its deep reach into our bubble of domesticity…on a student film budget.
The other medium they use as a conduit to the Upside Down is electricity. Before the Internet came into our homes, electricity was still the mysterious frontier of technology where artificial intelligence, such as it was, existed. It was the frontier where ordinary humans could do things like light up a Christmas tree, play video games, and transmit information–through phone calls or records or television, or walkie-talkies–in ways that would have been considered sorcery by our great-great grandparents.
And the Duffer Brothers once again conjure up the hidden forces on a student budget in such objects as strings of Christmas lights, and even a bare light bulb itself. Of course, a naked light bulb is also synonymous with a torture chamber, so the Duffers have that going for them.
Now, Christmas lights, in 1983, were a little closer to the cutting edge of consumer technology, in the sense that you could buy them at a department store, bring them home, plug them into a regular wall socket, and they would work, just like that, even outside, in winter weather. That was kind of a big deal, and something to be appreciated, rather than taken for granted.
Christmas lights were a little bit like long distance phone calls in those days. If you’re a Millennial, I’m sure your older relatives have told you about how when they were kids, long distance phone calls were for special occasions only. You kept it brief and you got off the phone quick, and that was because it was expensive.
And even when it became less expensive, the habit of keeping it brief died hard because it was so ingrained.
And so it was with Christmas lights. They were more expensive than they are today, and they tended to short out a lot more quickly. So, they were a special occasion item.
But sometime in the 90s, I had a friend who bought Christmas lights as a year round accessory for his bachelor pad. A few years later, I went to Kmart and saw for myself how cheap Christmas lights really were. So, I bought a couple of boxes to use year round for my own apartment. They’re a great way to spice up a room on a student budget, and a great way to summon the Upside Down in a cinematic way on a student budget.
“One blink for yes.”
Today, entities from the Upside Down would probably manifest through the Internet, but in those days it would have to be the static of a blank TV channel or the live wires of household electricity that served as the conduits.
Speaking of telephones, in the second episode we got a great little primer on the technology curve of the early 80s, when Joyce (the mom, played by Winona Ryder) when her yellow wall phone with a rotary dial gets fried by the electrical surge, and she has to buy a new one. She upgrades to a plug-in phone that comes in two clunky pieces in two separate boxes and has to be snapped together. We’re supposed to laugh at the primitiveness of this device, but those phones were actually revolutionary at the time.
The fact that you could buy a phone over the counter and just snap it into these jacks that were built into your wall was revolutionary. I’m pretty sure that was a result of the fiber optics revolution of the ‘70s, and I’m pretty sure that well into the mid-70s your phone cable was still installed permanently into your wall, and your range of motion was limited by the length of the cord.
Those coiled curly-cue cords that extended your phone length by a few inches were the major innovation of the home phone for much of the 60s and 70s. And getting a second phone line installed would be considered a major upgrade, somewhere between getting a second family car and a second television, which would also have been a pretty big deal at the time.
Repairing, installing, or replacing a phone required a visit from specialists in a work truck to come out and do the job, and they probably charged more than plumbers. And they were with the government, or at least with a government-sanctioned monopoly, like Bell, so they got to play God with your time.
Everything associated with phone technicians was costly, in time and money. The rates they charged seemed exorbitant, and the waiting list could be weeks to get an appointment. You think it’s bad dealing with the cable company today, and it is, but you should have seen the phone company back then. So the idea that Joyce can simply go to the store in 1983 and buy a phone that plugs right into a waiting wall jack is revolutionary.
And although today we’ve been liberated altogether from landlines and having to pay attention to long distance rates, the telephone still occupies a major place in our psyches. Think about that little device that you carry in your pocket that connects you to the internet, allows you to text your friends, listen to music, worldwide radio stations, podcasts, to watch television and movies, summon a car to pick you up, take photos and videos, monitor your home surveillance cameras and doorbells, find your car, give you GPS directions, and download apps for just about anything else you can think of…what do we call this digital everything bagel that we depend on for just about anything? Do we call it a hand computer? A miracle tool? A pocket Spock? No. We call it a cellphone or a smartphone. In our vestigial memories, it’s still a phone; it’s just an extension of that big plastic thing that Winona Ryder plugged into her wall in 1983.
About that year, 1983, I happened to be a high school senior that fall, when Stranger Things was set. So my memories of the time are pretty lucid. And the 1983 I remember was a little bit different than the 1983 of Stranger Things.
From my perspective, their version of 1983 looks suspiciously like the late Seventies, or maybe 1980-81, that particular era when the 70s are over but the 80s as we know them haven’t quite begun yet.
It’s the era of the Iranian hostage crisis, and you see it portrayed well in period pieces like Argo, or…Freaks and Geeks, which is set in an Upper Midwestern town in the 1980-81 school year, and looks really indistinguishable from the Stranger Things Upper Midwestern town in the 1983-84 school year, at least in terms of clothing, haircuts, home décor, architecture, and cars.
Where I lived, it was already peak ‘80s culture by 1983. Swatches, pinstripes, New Wave haircuts, pastel and neons instead of earth tones.
With cars, you saw Rabbits, Honda Civics, and even little imported Japanese jeeps by 1983. In Stranger Things, virtually every vehicle you see is a 70s American-made classic. (There is a Vanagon spotting in episode 6. Blink and you miss it.) Maybe that was because this was rural Indiana, while I was on the West Coast.
Maybe. But the change in trends, seemingly overnight, from classic album oriented rock to New Wave singles, would have been reflected on MTV by 1982, and I presume they had MTV in Hawkins, Indiana.
The seminal TV show Square Pegs, which had a noticeably quirky New Wave look to it, as well as classically 80s characters and situations, would have already aired its one season and been cancelled by the spring of ‘83.
Movies like Valley Girl, with its new wave soundtrack and stylings, would have been out in theaters for over a year by the time of Stranger Things, not to mention the summer blockbuster film, Risky Business. Maybe Square Pegs and Valley Girl were too cultish to have made it out to Hawkins, Indiana, but Tom Cruise would have been a mainstream name by then, and surely even kids in small town Indiana would have been exposed to his work.
In fact, one of the Stranger Things high school characters does briefly name check Tom Cruise and reference the fact that there have been two Tom Cruise movies in theaters by then, so he does exist on their timeline, but the buck stops there.
To me, Risky Business was more than just a quintessential Tom Cruise movie, it was also a quintessentially ‘80s movie. It played on ‘80s themes about getting rich instead of getting even; it dropped a Tangerine Dream synth-pop soundtrack into the mix of teenage movies, and it introduced a clean-cut preppie hero who rebelled against society by reinventing himself as an entrepreneur and ‘what the effing’ his way into Princeton.
It inspired teenagers everywhere to start Billionaire Boyz Clubs, or at least to wear Ray-bans and express their rebelliousness by being more ambitious than their parents.
But that was in my time zone on the West Coast. Not so much in Hawkins, Indiana, apparently.
Those kids see Tom Cruise movies in their theatres, but they still look and act like Fast Times at Ridgemont High kids.
What I specifically remembered about 1983 was just how much everything changed that year, not just the movies: Also the music, the styles, the haircuts, the computers. I noticed all these things in that year precisely because they were so new. 1983 was the year that everything became 80s, and all traces of the 70s had vanished.
Now, that might have had something to do with the fact that in ’83 I turned 17. I was somewhat dialed into trends and fashions because I was getting ready for college and what have you myself, and I realized that my record collection of Neil Young and Bob Dylan and my hippie themed wall posters were not just out of style, but out of favor, for the first time since 1968 really.
College campuses had remained the faithful bastions of anti-conformity and civil disobedience even after the sixties ended. But in the fall of 1983, membership in fraternities and sororities not only stopped declining for the first time in 15 years, but spiked with a vengeance nationwide.
Counterculturism was out; joining the system was in.
Thirteen years after they ended, the Sixties were finally over. Kids were done rebelling. They knew what they wanted, and that was to get rich. To have success. The ‘60s were passe. It was morning in America in the 83-84 school year, and the future was so bright, you had to wear shades. Just like Risky Business.
And other forces were at play that would make the 80s part of the future, and the Seventies part of the past. On the day after Christmas 1982, Time Magazine did something that had never been done before. They announced their annual person of the year award, and they didn’t choose a man or a woman or even a group of people as they had always done before. This time, they chose the computer as their Machine of the Year. That issue was subtitled “The Computer Moves In,” and featured an image of a cyborg-looking man staring intently into the screen of a home computer sitting on his old-fashioned wooden desk; the proverbial desktop computer.
This magazine cover is frequently cited as the beginning of the Information Age. And it was dated January 3….1983; a full nine and a half months before the events of Stranger Things take place.
Another game changing teenage movie came out in 1983. May 7 to be exact. It was called WarGames. Like Risky Business, WarGames was a movie about a reluctant teenage hero whose impetuous nature soon lands him in dire circumstances, where he has to tap into the resourcefulness and savvy that are his birthright simply by being part of the video game generation, and which enable him to outwit the adults, beat them at their own game, and get the girl. That unspoken birthright was very much a part of the 80s zeitgeist. There was no birthright for the teenagers in Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Over the Edge or even The Van. In the late Seventies, the only teenagers who had the god-given moxie to outwit the adults just by being their own bad selves were teenagers of past generations, like Porky’s or Animal House. Seventies kids had no such mojo.
WarGames also served as a milestone for Year One of the Information Age, aka 1983. For the adults it had been the Time Magazine cover. For the kids, it was Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy hacking into the Internet ages before anybody would even begin to hear about the Internet.
To be sure, video games were huge by 1980 and ’81. Arcades would be packed with kids waiting in line to stuff their quarters into Missile Command, Space Invaders, and what have you. But those early adapters were still Seventies kids, kids with lowered expectations, and video games were seen as as big a time waster as afterschool television was, with the added bonus that you blew your allowance on it. It wasn’t until WarGames that gamers were seen as part of the new frontier instead of lethargic, wasted 70s youth.
So if you grew up in and around the Seventies and its pervasive vibe of lowered expectations, but happened to be coming of age in 1983, you couldn’t help but notice all the new changes taking place that year.
But for people a decade younger, people whose childhood memories begin in the 1980s and who came of age in the 90s with the Internet and everything else, well what would they remember about 1983 besides all the leftover “Seventies-style” stuff that was still around.
Even the computer technology of 1983 would have seemed primitive, and would not have belonged to the brave new world of tomorrow like it did for me, but to the world of the past that included big beige cars, wallpapered kitchens, shag carpeting, wide ties, and 70s haircuts.
So, assuming the Duffer Brothers are on the younger side of the equation, and they are by a lot, they would think of 1983 as the mythical good old days from family photo albums, when their parents were still practically teenagers themselves….To them, 1983 would pretty much have to be part of a nostalgic past, not Year 1 of a brave new world.
There are other advantages to setting the show in October ‘83 instead of October 1980 or ‘81.
Mostly, there’s the music. All the New Wave and the synth pop that works so well as the show’s soundtrack would have been current. And of course there’s Africa by Toto, which came out in ’82.
And, there were some things about 1983 that came as a genuine surprise to me. In the fourth episode, there’s a little excerpt about going to the video store to rent any video you want. I wasn’t even sure if they had video stores at that point, but it turns out they did.
Episode 7 features a cordless phone. Now, 1983 seems really early for that. But apparently they were around, too. Even in rural Indiana. Ditto for baby monitors. I wouldn’t have imagined them even being a thing yet in 1983, but apparently they were.
Earlier in the podcast, we mentioned some of the devices, like Christmas lights, that the Duffer Bros. used to convey dramatic tension and the presence of the supernatural on a budget. There was also the ordinary compass, with its magic needle that responds to the mysterious forces of magnetic north, usually to help Cub Scouts orienteer themselves in the woods, but it can also be used to track down missing children in the Upside Down.
They used some over the counter Radio Shack technology apropos of 1983 as well. There were the battery-powered walkie-talkies the kids used to communicate with. And, when the police chief Jim Hopper starts tearing up his trailer looking for a planted bug, that was definitely a familiar scene that played into the Watergate paranoia of the time. Bugs like that seem positively antiquated now with all the high-tech surveillance and tracking methods at our disposal, but being bugged in your living room by an electronic device the size of a goliath beetle was a clear and present danger at the time.
Shortwave radios also make an appearance in Stranger Things, but this is something that is reserved for the cream of the science geek crop at the local school, behind the velvet rope of the AV room, with access granted by invitation only from the grand poobah of the nerds, the Carl Sagan-like science teacher, Mr. Clarke.
A classic story within a story vignette for any pre-internet whodunit like Stranger Things occurs when police chief Hopper, needing to find information on the previous activities of the evil scientist Dr. Martin Brenner, has no choice but to go to the library to research their archives.
And once there, suddenly, the shoe is on the other foot. The all-powerful chief of police becomes the humble supplicant; and the mild-mannered librarian becomes the gatekeeper, possessor of all the cards…and the card catalogue. She gets to give the patented speech about how all the knowledge of the world is at your disposal here, contained in the card catalogue, and the microfiche.
And that’s how it really was before the internet. Squat in the middle of the library’s cold institutional floor under its high ceiling, sat a large wooden chest of drawers, dozens of drawers; each one a fist-sized file cabinet that slid out to reveal three or four feet of hand-typed indexed cards. In addition to books, there was a card for every notable person, place, thing, or event in the known world. This was where you had to go for information.
And the one person who knows how to navigate this catalogue of cards, this repository of records, who has studied for years to earn an advanced degree in the library sciences, and mastered the microfiche and the Dewey decimal system, is none other than the head librarian.
Chief Hopper is a roll up the sleeves and get to work type A personality, the kind of guy who feels like a fish out of water in silent, safe spaces like libraries, where he has no choice but to solicit help from the church-lady librarians. And in this case it’s especially awkward for the chief because, as is the case with so many of the women in Hawkins, Indiana, the chief has a past history with this librarian that didn’t end well…it never does, because of him, it always is.
So, after years of avoiding the issue by avoiding her, the chief now has to approach her desk and ask her nicely to do him a favor because he has no clue how to search the microfiche, and she does.
In a TV series where adults, and especially those in positions of authority, are not the most sympathetic characters, Chief Hopper emerges as an unlikely hero for our current times.
Chief Hopper is a pickup truck driving, womanizing, man’s man; he was probably the star of his high-school football and baseball team, and probably always felt secure in his position at the top of the food chain.
Until tragedy struck him, and he lost his young daughter to a devastating disease. And now, middle aged, he lives alone in a trailer in a haze of booze, tobacco, and pills, and rarely bothers to shave or even comb his hair. Although the show is set in 1983, In many ways, Chief Hopper is the stand in for that trending demographic of our time, the 2016 version of the soccer mom….namely, the white male with the decreasing lifespan, and the desire to make it great again that Donald Trump tapped into so successfully this election.
And finally…how about the return of Winona Ryder?
Much of this podcast has been spent weighing whether the setting for Stranger Things is a post-Seventies world, or a proto-80s world. Really, it can be either one, depending on how you choose to look at it.
In the same way, you can ask yourself whether Winona Ryder’s early movies were best described as proto-90s films, or post-80s films.
In other words, did Winona Ryder’s rise to box office prominence as the It Girl for the young adult demographic signal the end of the Brat Pack or the beginning of Generation X? Well, the answer is yes.
It started with her performance alongside Christian Slater in the 1988 black comedy, Heathers, which was followed up with co-starring roles in two films both released in the same week of December 1990, playing Cher’s eldest daughter in Mermaids, and Johnny Depp’s love interest in the suburban gothic, Edward Scissorhands, a film that turns ordinary teenage suburbia into a world of magic and enchantment, just like Stranger Things does, and just like Twin Peaks would do that year on the small screen.
Mermaids explores the relationship between a single mother and her two daughters in a slightly eccentric working class family set in the time of the JFK assassination. The novelty of the film is that it allows two state of the art Hollywood actresses, Cher and Winona Ryder, to give a thoroughly modern treatment of the mother-daughter relationship in a distinctly nostalgic setting, with the styles, the furnishings, the automobiles, and the Top 40 singles of the time all playing prominent roles in the movie. In addition to being a film about mothers and daughters, Mermaids was an ode to 1963.
Just like Stranger Things is an ode to 1983; but this time Winona Ryder is not the daughter in the slightly eccentric working class single parent household. This time, she’s the mothe r in the slightly eccentric working class single parent household.
Her character’s name is Joyce in Stranger Things, which happens to be the perfect 70s mom name.
Supposedly, Ryder based Joyce’s look on Meryl Streep’s portrayal of the title character in Silkwood, a film that came out in 1983, but is set in, and made to look like, the ‘70s….which by and large matches our description of what Stranger Things looks like.
Winona Ryder is pretty much playing the same personality she was the last time we saw her, 25 years ago; lighting up a cigarette and trying to keep it together while vigorously standing her ground and stating her case to some male authority figure, such as her boss at the local drugstore where she works.
As the distraught mother of a missing child, the boss is sympathetic to Joyce’s plight and offers to help any way he can. She tests his offer by presenting him with a growing list of the things she’s gonna need to face these difficult times: She’s gonna need an open-ended leave of absence, she’s gonna need a hefty advance on her paycheck, she’s gonna need several high-end electronic items from the store’s inventory, and, almost as an afterthought, she looks her boss dead in the eye and says, “And a pack of Camels!”
That line could have come from a scene in any number of Winona Ryder movies from the early 90s.
Movies don’t show their protagonists lighting up cigarettes to be cool anymore. But they did, as a matter of |
Brian McDermott: Leeds boss won't rush into making signings
McDermott has been given the go-ahead by chairman Salah Nooruddin to strengthen his squad, but has been unsuccessful in his bid to bring former striker Luciano Becchio back to the club, plus Arsenal midfielder Serge Gnabry in on loan.
Asked whether other targets could arrive in time for the weekend, McDermott said Premier League clubs were reluctant to release players at this stage of the season.
"I wouldn't have thought so," McDermott said after Tuesday night's 2-1 home win over Bournemouth ended a run of four straight defeats for his side.
"I went for two players and it's very difficult to get players from the Premier League.
"They've got squads of 25 and Premier League managers don't necessarily want to let one of those 25 go, for obvious reasons because they can't add (to their squads).
"I understand that and there's no point in us adding a player just for the sake of it - I won't do that.
"If we can get a player we feel can make a difference, then we'll do it, but if we don't, we won't."
McDermott also hinted he was reluctant to make another bid to bring Becchio, sold to Norwich in January in a deal that saw Steve Morison move in the opposite direction, back to Elland Road.
"Well he plays for Norwich and I understand Chris (Hughton's) situation now," added McDermott.
"He's one of his 25. He's got four strikers and if he loses one, then Luciano will be involved, so that's how it is."Pinball machines may break, and arcades may close down, but digital is forever. Now, FarSight Studios is looking to make the Twilight Zone pinball machine a part of eternity by adding it to the lineup of titles in its excellent Pinball Arcade (available on iOS, Android, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PS Vita).
Just one problem: Licensing a popular and beloved table like that can be expensive, so the developer is looking to Kickstarter to fund this expansion to their already-great collection.
In addition to licensing the table from Bally, the original creator, the team must come to a financial agreement with the owners of the television show, the music, and the actors whose likenesses appear in the art. It all seems to add up to create an insurmountable hurdle that would prevent a machine like this from ever titling, flippering, or multiballing again.
But this is a table worth preserving. The Internet Pinball Database currently has Twilight Zone sitting atop its list of the best 300 electronic pinball machines.
This exercise is an interesting spin on the Kickstarter fad. Instead of using the platform to raise capital toward a new property, FarSight is hoping to tap into its existing fans to fund downloadable content.
As always, no one is expected to contribute without receiving something in return. The $10 level will provide access to the game on any single platform of the supporter’s choice. At $50, FarSight will include a custom wallpaper and enter the supporter into a tournament. Interestingly, the $100 level has a special version of the game that allows users access to the table operator’s menu. For information on additional levels, check the official page.
Unfortunately, thanks to this unorthodox payment method, Microsoft won’t allow the Xbox 360 version to be included as a Kickstarter reward, but the table will be released on the platform if everything gets approved.
To further spark interest, this round of crowdfunding could also bring the number-three game on the Internet Pinball Database list, Star Trek: The Next Generation, to Pinball Arcade.
“We would love to do the Star Trek: The Next Generation table. We know we can get the licenses because both [Star Trek and Twilight Zone] are CBS properties,” FarSight wrote in the frequently asked questions section of its Kickstarter page. “The cost of the licenses would be similar to the Twilight Zone, so an additional $55,000.”
We asked the studio if it would license both if this effort ended in more than $110,000 raised. FarSight Studios president Jay Obernotlte responded: “If we reach that goal, we definitely will.”About
Background
Humanoid Wakeboards was founded in 2008 with the intent to produce original, American made 100% wood core wakeboards and accessories. Co-founder and director of product design, Kyle Schmidt has developed a proven track record in the wakeboard industry for almost 15 years. He is regarded as one of the fathers of modern day wakeboard instructional techniques. This is highlighted in his interactive wakeboard instructional website Learnwake.com and longtime coaching position at The Wakeboard Camp in Clermont, Florida. His passion and dedication to progression in wakeboard manufacturing and design serve as the foundation for each product built under Humanoid Wakeboards.
In the fall of 2011, Chris O'Shea had just come off a busy summer schedule where he was awarded Transworld's Video Part of the Year. He was also named in season's past as Alliance Wakeboard Magazine's Rider of the Year. Chris O' was making a conscious effort to represent wakeboarding to a wider audience with his diverse & lifestyle-centric approach to riding. Without a board sponsor at the time, Humanoid Wakeboards signed Chris O' in early 2012 and immediately went to work developing his very first pro model.
Infamous for having produced numerous failed companies, the odds are stacked high against us in the wakeboard industry. Our classic David vs. Goliath industry story thus far has not been without its pitfalls. Critical production time frames, much higher international logistics & development expenses, and rapidly rising overseas labor costs has resulted in our re-focused mission to producing authentic American made wakeboards.
The lessons learned from manufacturing craft products overseas was invaluable to the company. We used that newfound knowledge and put it to work by investing in new production equipment and renovating a small workspace over the last 6 months just outside of where the sport began - Orlando, Florida. The continued attention to detail, persistence, and passion for wakeboarding drive our progression as a company. Now manufactured in the USA, we are directly in control our own dream. We are hoping YOU, the Kickstarter community, helps us to realize our dream.
The Goods
From Man to Machine
Chris O’Shea is a genuine dude that works hard at pushing the envelope. So we weren’t sweating when he wanted chamfered variable edges, tip to tail base channels, and a new double belly base feature on his pro model board. Beyond the Alliance Rider of The Year honors and other numerous riding achievements, Chris O’ captures awesome wakeboarding moments on camera. So rad in fact, it made complete sense to have a board designed as awesome as he shoots. It wasn’t easy, but this is straight from the man himself. Enjoy the ride.
^ O'Shea Pro 144cm
^ O'Shea Pro 139cm
^ O'Shea Pro 135cm
Board specifications and size options:
Width (cm) – 44.0, 43.5, 43.0 | Rocker (in) - 3.0, 2.8, 2.6 Continuous | Fins - 0.7 x 7.5 inch Point Sevens (6x)
^ Kickstarter x O'Shea Wakeboard Project Supporter Tee Shirt
^ O'Shea Signature Series Tee Shirt
^ 2014 Odyssey Bindings
What happens if the O'Shea Wakeboard Project is successfully backed?
To date, our production machinery is fully operational and in perfect working condition to build finely tuned wakeboards we are proud to brand (literally) our name on. This includes:
- 1 fully operational 3 axis CNC for milling all cores and fixtures.
- 1 two bay wakeboard press
- 1 sublimation press
- 1 printer & ink supply system
- 1 screenprint table
- Bandsaws, routers, sanding belt, finishing fixtures, and tables
All materials to assemble the O'Shea wakeboards are being stored in a temperature controlled space in our new production facility. This includes:
- Paulownia Woodland I-Core: (Cores)
- Indestructoid Bases (tops & bottoms)
- GnarWalls (sidewalls)
- Special Blend Tri-axial Fiberglass
- M6 Inserts (for mounting bindings)
- American Industry standard resin / epoxy
- printer ink & screen print ink
- sublimation transfer paper
- protective tape
- misc. packaging items & wakeboard fins
Upon the release of funds for a successfully backed project we would immediately begin coordinating full production schedules and posting online for the O'Shea series beginning September 24th.
Delivery of the first O'Shea wakeboards would begin the second week of October. We would arrange to have backers that contributed to destination based rewards scheduled for a visit to Florida starting in early October when the water temp is warm, the weather isn't too humid, and the lakes are not crowded. Of course, we are also willing to work around your schedule. A complete production schedule will be posted immediately and updated consistently if the project is successfully backed.
So what are you, the Kickstarter community, contributing funds to?
MDF (wood) molds are used during the prototyping process. We have successfully completed research and development on the O'Shea series using MDF molds.
We need the Kickstarter community to help us pay off our metal production molds and a portion of the domestic labor cost that is inherit with each board build. High quality metal molds are the largest expense and building wakeboards we are proud to stand atop of is a labor intensive process.
The production schedule that will be posted online will have a 2 to 3 week gap between release of funds and first delivery of the O'Shea series. This gap in time accounts for the machining & delivery of the metal molds from the local metal milling service to our factory.
O'Shea Pro Series Features...
Schapes Designs: Designed, tested, and manufactured by a 17 year industry veteran and one hell of a model American.
Sandwich Construction: Paying attention to details makes all the difference when building high quality boards. So if you’re reading the small type, we assume you care about wakeboarding just as much as we do. We got you covered. Sandwich construction has been around ever since surfers put directional boards and velcro straps on their feet. Sandwich construction is a more time consuming process vs traditional compression molded boards and it shows our commitment to work towards manufacturing progression for the industry. The process of stacking layers of materials allows us to experiment with variable materials, flex, and control and creates a more durable, lively wakeboard overall. We use sandwich construction exclusively for the O'Shea shape.
CNC Flexcavation: Our 3-dimensional targeted wood core milling gives us unsurpassed accuracy in determining the areas of a board that create flex. Flexcavation creates variable machined arcs and channels in the core that reduce weight and maintains strength and integrity in each wood core. Less is more and by milling flex patterns into specific areas of the core we create the desired ride without adding unnecessary features or materials.
Paulownia Woodland I-Core: The core is really just that - the heart & soul of a board. It determines many of the riding characteristics even before we start experimenting with layups and technical space age composites. All of our boards use vertically laminated Paulownia Species Woodland I-cores from tip to tail, rail to rail, because of it's consistent energy, response, and unsurpassed durability. You won't find any notches or irregularities in our wood cores. The Paulownia Woodland I-Core creates consistent snap and produces lively pop season after season.
Tapered Tip & Tail: Our standard in core profiling. We use an even core thickness between inserts to create a more abrupt response off the wake. From the outside of the inserts moving towards the tip & tail, we taper to a thinner core profile. This thinner profile in the tip and tail creates powerful pop, insanely soft landings, and a more controlled board response on rail.
Machined GnarWalls: One of the major differences between our sandwich construction vs. traditional compression molded wakeboards is our use of Gnarwalls. Gnarwalls are like medieval armor for your board. We lay high impact resistant rubber urethane into the entire perimeter of each board. We then machine each Gnarwall with a variable bevel that allows us to engineer grip when you want to charge the wake, or a surfy feel when you’re riding flat.
Indestructoid Base: Our specially formulated nylon base surpasses the durability demands of our transient team of rail abusers. It offers grease-like viscosity on rails, a catch free glide behind the boat, and unsurpassed optical clarity.
Special Blend Triaxial Fiberglass: We use alternating layers of quality-stitched triaxial weave fiberglass sourced from the most well respected fabric supplier in the industry. Triaxial fiberglass is the overwhelming weave of choice because it ensures maximum torsional rigidity from fibers that hit at 0,+ / - 45. We use a wet lay-up process, done by hand, to achieve exact epoxy saturation on all of our boards.
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Musicians will often times fashion their harmony parts solely by ear. This is always the ultimate litmus test as to whether or not something passes muster but a downside is that it takes time to compose via trial and error. However, with a bit of theoretical knowledge, we can craft harmonies with less guesswork and frustration. By understanding intervallic relationships between notes, we can know ahead of time what our harmonies will sound like. Vocalists in particular, have the ability to do this on the fly due to the fact that their ears are strong but also because they know how to sing specific harmonies. An interval is simply defined as the distance between two notes. Most guitar harmonies consist of thirds,fourths, fifths, and sixths, but in theory any interval could be used. Some note relationships have more tension than others and it’s a matter of finding the right combination to suit your needs. Ex.1 is a phrase in A Mixolydian ( A,B,C#,D,E,F#,G,). It is diatonic and ascends in step wise motion. This will be our melody and we can add a harmony line to add some color to it. Ex.2 is a phrase that starts off of the 3rd of the A note. In other words the C# is a major 3rd above A and the notes that follow maintain the maj/min third interval as the line ascends. Ex.3 is a phrase that starts on F# which is a 6th above the A and again this line follows a maj/min sixth interval throughout. To sum up this process, if you have a diatonic line and you are aware of the interval relationship from the starting note it’s very easy to quickly play harmony parts. If you are in a two guitar band you can do this spontaneously while improvising and it really makes things sound interesting in solo sections. Let’s analyze a few harmony parts in some tunes to see what some of the other possibilities are. A great way to develop vocabulary and work on ear training is to transcribe some harmony lines from your favorite songs or solos. One of the first bands I listened to that featured killer harmony parts was Iron Maiden. Ex.4 is the intro riff to the Maiden classic “The Trooper”. The song is in Em and the intro figure is played twice in unison and then the 2nd guitar plays a harmony line. It starts off with a tied unison note but then moves to thirds and the occasional fourth. The “and” of two and four resolve in fourths until the 2nd bar and then the guitars resume to unison on the third beat and then the whole riff repeats. *Note* – In the tab the harmony guitar is written in the same measure – if the there is no higher part, Guitar 2 plays unison with Guitar 1. Ex.5 is the interlude from the Thin Lizzy anthem “The Boys Are Back In Town “. This harmony features a combination of thirds and fourths and also take note of the quarter note triplets in the last measure. This is a great way to add rhythmic interest to your lines in addition to the harmony parts. The first note of the melody is a third – A & C# and then switches to a fourth – E & A. The 8th triplet lick is a combination of both. Of course no lesson on guitar harmonies would be complete without featuring the classic guitar lineup of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Just pick up a copy of Live At The Fillmore for a clinic on blues based rock guitar playing, improvising and how to function in a two guitar band – as well as two drummers! Ex. 6 is the Allman classic ” In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed “. My example takes off from the diminished lick before the second theme is played. Duane and Dickey play thirds here (diminished chords consist of all min 3rd intervals ) and then proceed with a combination of thirds and fourths over a very tricky rhythm. The Fillmore album is a testament to how important playing live is to a band and how to achieve the stunning interplay that Duane and Dickey shared. Duane left us too soon but his legacy continues to shine. I hope this lesson provided some insight into single line harmony parts for guitar. With the technology available such as loop pedals, Garageband, etc, it’s easier than ever to create multiple guitar parts for analysis, composition and just general fun. However, I recommend jamming with a friend and trying it out in real time. The feel between two different players brings life to these concepts and no two people will play things in exactly the same fashion. That is the magic of performing music with others!On Friday's Real Time on HBO, liberal host Bill Maher was again hitting the issue of race from the left as he promoted claims that the purpose of the Second Amendment was to help keep the slave population under control, rather than to give the population a right to self-defense.
Additionally, he played the game of finding racial double standards in the treatment of whites and nonwhites with regard to guns and mass shootings. And, for his part, MSNBC Republican Steve Schmidt ridiculously claimed that "It is harder to buy cough medicine than it is to buy an AK-47 or 50 of them."
As he raised the issue of race, Maher claimed that Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore could not have held a gun on stage if he were black, and then asserted that white mass shooters like the Las Vegas gunman are treated differently after the attacks than if they were minorities. Maher began:
I know it drives Republicans crazy when liberals say everything is about race and everything isn't about race. But I feel like guns is the one area where, if you can't see a giant difference between the way black and white are treated in America with guns, I think there's a little racism in you. I mean, show the Roy Moore video. Here's a politician waving a gun at a rally.
The HBO host turned to former Tennessee Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr. -- who is black -- and asked: "Could you get away with doing that?"
After Ford answered in the negative, Maher continued:
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There you go. And the Vegas shooter himself, you know, it seems like when the shooter -- if he was Muslim, certainly it would have been about, "Let's -- we got to get the ban going." If he was a Mexican, it would be about the wall. And I feel like, when it's the white guy, it's like, "We don't know how this happened." But they don't, you know, we don't --
Maher then had to pause for his liberal audience who broke in with applause.
He then added:
I feel like it never gets to be an isolated incident if you're a minority. They always drag in the, you know, and this guy was from a broken home, his father was a criminal, you know, that would be big on Fox News, I feel like.
Regarding Senate candidate Moore holding a gun on stage, NewsBusters has previously documented that Sheriff David Clarke has held a rifle at right-leaning events on more than one occasion, and is a big hit within the conservative movement.
Additionally, Maher conveniently forgot that when high-profile mass shooters Vester Flanagan, Seung-Hui Cho, and Esteban Santiago -- all of whom were minorities -- committed their attacks, mental illness was heavily implicated in their cases.
After Olivia Nuzzi of New York magazine and MSNBC's Schmidt voiced agreement, Maher went on trying to tie the Second Amendment to slavery. Maher:
All right, let me quote Garry Wills because I've read something he wrote in the New York Times on the Fourth of July about the Second Amendment which I had never been aware of this. And I feel like I was waiting for the moment when I thought people would be paying attention to this issue, and it is apropos to this issue we're talking about.
Reading a quote that seemed like it might have come from a DailyKos account of the New York Times write-up, Maher continued:
Because he says the Second Amendment "shows just how far the poison of slavery pervaded the Constitution. It was intended to protect slave holders who used militias to keep a firm grip on their slaves. It wasn't meant to let individuals prevent federal tyranny. How could it? It was meant to guarantee the legality of well-regulated militias to handle the states' internal problems, especially the problem of a large slave population."
The HBO host added: "Says a lot, doesn't it?"
After Rep. Ford gave his reaction, Schmidt jumped in to insert the kind of left-leaning analysis that one expects from self-identified Republicans who appear regularly on MSNBC, as he oddly claimed that it is "harder to buy cough medicine" than to get an AK-47:
I do think the Founding Fathers, though, they could no more conceive of an AK-47 or an AR-15 firing on full automatic than they could have conceived of a space ship, okay? These weapons were not conceived of, we not understood, were imagined in the context of the time when the amendment was authored, and we ought to have a real debate in this country about whether we want military weapons -- military weapons -- weapons of war in the hand of every Joe who wants to go in and buy 30 of them. It is harder to buy cough medicine than it is to buy an AK-47 or 50 of them.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Friday, October 6, Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO:Our favorite debut of last year was unquestionably Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Thorns, a dark, brutally captivating tale of epic fantasy—or low; opinions on that were divided. This August will bring us King of Thorns, the second volume in The Broken Empire and sequel to Prince of Thorns. What he started in his debut, Lawrence expands in King of Thorns. Again, this is a breathtaking, captivating, and violent venture into a wonderful world filled with morally ambiguous characters and compelling world-building.
Little Jorg, all grown up
Four years after the events in Prince of Thorns, Jorg is all grown up. He’s no longer a prince, but the king of the Renar Highlands. With an invading army at his doorstep, the King of Thorns is about to marry the daughter of an ally. King Jorg is a new person, smarter and more tranquil, yet still his old, cruel self. Lawrence did an amazing job bridging four years and bringing us a new character that still retains so much of who he was before. Of course, the way this story is told provides aid in reconciling the old and new Jorg. It is again from the viewpoint of Jorg, but with shifting timelines—facilitated by flashbacks to the four years between then and now and by pages from the diary of his love interest.
No man is born evil
This is no fairy tale filled with cheesy fantasy tropes; it is instead a dark type of realism. A character isn’t just evil, but evil for a reason. That element was present in Prince of Thorns, but with a dash of sympathy, it is perfected in King of Thorns. Where Prince Jorg was mostly just a morally ambiguous, cold-blooded murderer, King Jorg is growing up and his brutality has become more reflective. In King of Thorns, we get acquainted with Jorg’s backstory, which is no longer limited to the repulsive kind of violence we saw in Prince of Thorns, but instead the kind that makes you want to shout out and end the injustice done to the young prince. All of a sudden, it becomes very clear that Jorg wasn’t simply born the warped boy he was in Prince of Thorns, but he became who he is today by his own poor choices and the evil acts of others.
An example of this is a flashback scene at the beginning of the book, where young Jorg’s father, the king, has noticed the boy loves his dog—ironically named Justice. Jorg is forced to harm the animal or watch it die at the hands of his father. When Jorg chooses the first, it isn’t enough for his father, who then murders the helpless dog in front of Jorg. The injustice done to Justice is heartbreaking and the prose in this scene is both compelling and repellent. Scenes like these will haunt you long after finishing King of Thorns, proving once more why Mark Lawrence was last year’s best debuting author.
Darn it, Lawrence, I don’t want to love this guy!
Somewhere through all that, in the story of a boy that lost everything he ever cared for—the dog he once loved, his family murdered before his eyes, friends lost, the woman he loves hating him—I began to identify with Jorg Ancrath.
Actually, in an unnerving way, Jorg was always relatable. Throughout King of Thorns however, I didn’t just relate to him; I began to care for him as well. He is still the horribly evil boy he was in Prince of Thorns, the focus of so many concerned reviews. Yet, this time, there is another side to him. He is a human being who’s been through worse things than any man deserves. I both pity and admire him. More than that, I admire Lawrence for writing a character both so awful and lovable whom I wish to hate with all my heart but have come to love instead. This sympathetic angle is a brave step away from the successful formula of Prince of Thorns, but Lawrence pulls it off brilliantly.
Science fiction-esque fantasy
Another step onward from his debut is Lawrence’s world-building. In Prince of Thorns, he started dropping hints about the origin of his world. The attentive reader could soon come to realize that the fictional world of Prince of Thorns was rooted in our own. King of Thorns goes above and beyond mere hints. If it were debatable whether Prince of Thorns was low or epic fantasy, I don’t think anyone will disagree that King of Thorns is most definitely epic fantasy of the very best kind. The world, unfamiliar last time, is fully fleshed out now. The Broken Empire is a post-apocalyptic version of earth, where science has breached the veil between magic and reality and a nuclear holocaust has brought us back to the dark middle ages. Somewhere underneath the soot and dirt of this fantasy is an entire world of science fiction, and King of Thorns shows us the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, Lawrence gives me the impression that the backstory isn’t just intriguing—I really hope he will write it someday—but has a lot to do with where the story is now, and where it is headed.
This science fiction-esque approach to fantasy world-building gives King of Thorns a unique flavor. Magic—of which we see a lot more than in the first book—isn’t what it seems. Somehow, there is a scientific foundation to it, hidden behind the lack of understanding by the characters. Tools left behind by The Builders—the more developed former civilization on earth—twist and spin this story around. With such elements at Lawrence’s disposal, the obvious trap would be to use them as a deus ex machina, but proper foreshadowing serves us explosive battles in a surprising yet inevitable style. There is just one exception, a key element of the story’s shifting timelines—a magical box in which Jorg’s most horrible memories are locked away—that feels like a cheap narrative resource to add suspense. However, while I feel Lawrence could have handled this better, it never subtracted from the reading experience.
Why should you read this book?
King of Thorns reads like a landslide rolling down a cliff. Undiscriminating, it carries everything in its path along a trail of destruction, taking the lives of innocent bystanders and reducing whole villages to rubble. There is no stopping this landslide. All you can do is follow it on its set course until the spectacular ending and the silent void that follows. Like that landslide, this savage, vicious, and dark story rushes onward with a pace that takes a reader’s breath away. If you haven’t read Prince of Thorns, I suggest you do so soon, because this sequel comes out this summer, and it’s even better than the first part! After the horribly amazing ending that changed everything, I am left stunned, panting, begging Lawrence for more.When it comes to making your WordPress site secure as a developer, probably the most impactful thing you can do is make sure you always clean up data they get from users. That means, generally, two things, validating or sanitizing it on the way into your system, and escaping it on the way out, reducing the chance of a WordPress XSS attack.
In a recent survey of disclosed vulnerabilities in WordPress core, plugins, and themes, I did for WordPress Security with Confidence (my new course on WordPress security), the most common type of vulnerability (about 33%) was cross-site scripting. Cross-site scripting vulnerabilities (often abbreviated XSS) are one where you make it possible for an attacker to execute unauthorized JavaScript to be run on your pages, because you failed to escape or sanitize something in your application’s data flow.
Today we’re going to cover how cross-site scripting is dangerous, and how to do validation, sanitization, and escaping in WordPress. But before we do, you can sign up to get a really interesting video from the course, which shows me executing an actual WordPress XSS attack – thus showing why they’re important, and how to protect yourself against them.
What exactly is a WordPress XSS attack?
At its heart a WordPress XSS attack is one where a bad actor is able to inject some code into your visitor’s experience without your knowledge or approval. This is dangerous because JavaScript is an increasingly powerful and important part of websites and web apps. Because of how much data is available to an attacker who successfully makes an XSS attack, you want to be very careful you do everything you can to prevent it.
The root cause of cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, like most such issues in programming, is trusting too much in the source of your data. From the perspective of a rational and kind person, it’s easy to just think that if you have a “Name” field, the only things you’ll get in that field resemble human names. But make that assumption at your own peril. From a security perspective you must be a little paranoid: assume that a human or bot will offer that their name is <script>alert('XSS');</script> and make sure that nothing bad happens in your application if they do. A random JavaScript window saying “XSS” is about the most innocuous version of this kind of attack.
Random unwanted alerts aren’t great; they’re pretty annoying and will almost certainly make you feel like your site was “hacked” if you’re not familiar with them. But they’re not the worst thing that can happen in an XSS attack–cookie stealing, data-snooping, unwanted forced forwards, and in-page link replacements are also trivially easy to execute if you’re able to successfully make a XSS attack on a website.
The Kind of WordPress XSS Attacks
There are, generally, two types of WordPress XSS attacks–those that your web server ends up helping the attacker in, and those that it does not. That does technically break down further into three classes: stored, reflected, and DOM-based XSS attacks.
Stored (Persisted) Cross-Site Scripting
A stored (or persisted) cross-site scripting attack is to my mind the worst kind. The reason it’s bad is that every time that a page is loaded on your site you have the real risk that the bad thing that the attacker did is served to every single visitor to your site. In a stored attack, your web server has happily accepted the data which includes a WordPress XSS attack, and then shows that attack code to everyone. An example of a stored XSS vulnerability: in the past, some CMSes have made it possible for people to add JavaScript to comments on websites. When that is allowed, every visitor who is shown the comment that contains the JS will be a victim of the XSS attack. Every. Single. One.
Reflected XSS also Uses Your Server
The involvement of your server in the stored XSS attack is mirrored by that of a reflected cross-site scripting attack. Both of these involve your server, but a reflected attack is differentiated by not being stored there. Rather, a reflected XSS attack exists when your server doesn’t take the input from a user and adequately clean and safen it before it shows that input.
An example, on a WordPress site (which very few should be susceptible to) is when a search term contains <script> tags. The URL for a search-term on a WordPress site in typically seen in the URL like https://wpshout.com/?s=security. But it’s not very hard for an attacker to instead submit something like https://wpshout.com/?s=<script>alert(1);</script>. When your site (theme, mostly) isn’t protected you’ll actually see a JavaScript pop-up from the site on the page. (That doesn’t happen here on WPShout, you’ll fall afoul of some security protection layer we have.)
DOM-based XSS Attacks are not our focus
The last type of cross-site scripting attack is a DOM-based one. This is kind of the least relevant for most WordPress sites, as it does the least to involve a WordPress site. A DOM-based XSS attack will not go through your server, which is how it differs from both stored and reflected attacks. Practically speaking, DOM-based XSS attacks are only relevant when you’re writing JavaScript for WordPress sites. Because that’s not a common methodology (though it is increasingly so) we’ll spend a very small amount of time talking about it. I heartily recommend the OWASP article and prevention cheat-sheet for those interested in learning more about this topic.
The same methods—validation, sanitization, and escaping—prevent all three types of XSS attacks. Today we’ll focus on WordPress-specific preventative measures, which are generally custom PHP functions WordPress provides to protect against reflected and persisted attacks. The concepts we cover when protecting in this way are also very relevant in a DOM-based attack space, but preventative measures there are JavaScript-only.
The Meaning of “Escaping”, “Validating”, and “Sanitizations”
There are two big ways to prevent a cross-site scripting attack:making data right, and making wrong data safe.
There are two big ways to prevent a cross-site scripting attack: make sure that all data that you accept matches your expectations, and make sure code that would make up a XSS attack is shown to your visitors in a way that does not allow it to execute.
Making sure that data matches your expectation generally has two sides: validating to a user that they’ve given what you’ve asked them for, and sanitizing what they give you before you store it in case they either don’t listen to you or bypass your validation. Sanitization is when you clean up a value, validation is when you tell a user that a value isn’t what you expect and invite them to make changes. If someone gives you <script>alert(1)</script> as their age, you may validate that value by telling them it’s not a valid value. You might sanitize that value by just making it into the age of “1”. Either works, and both is better than just one. In general, I’d say that you’re more secure with a sanitized value than simply a validated one.
But if your validation or sanitization proves inadequate, it’s best to also make sure that you escape that age value before you show it to your visitor. The most common outcome of such an effort would be that you’d show that user their age back (if you failed to prevent them submitting the thing you didn’t want) as <script>alert(1);</script>. This will happen because you’ll have HTML-escaped the value and made the greater-than and less-than signs into things that prevent the browser from trying to run the JavaScript contained inside of them. This is escaping.
How to Validate Data in WordPress
Validation is making sure that a value matches what you expect. Typically, you’ll validate so that you can make the user resubmit their request when the validation fails.
Typically, you’ll validate so that you can make the user resubmit their request when the validation fails.
For validation, you can use the filter_var PHP function, if that’s you’re style. That’ll often look like filter_var($_GET['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL). These functions are powerful, and have the distinct advantage that they work outside of WordPress. You can see all of the available validation filters on PHP.net. In all cases, if the function gives you false, you know that the data is invalid.
WordPress’s functions that are specific to XSS attack prevention fall most into the sanitization camp. But there are a few that are specifically useful for validation. Maybe my favorite is is_email. It’s meant to do the same thing as the filter_var call you used the last paragraph, but it’s much more concise if (is_email($_GET['email']) is shorter than what we typed last time, and reads much more like English.
Validation can be, and often is, done as a user-side JavaScript effort. This is great, and there a number of JavaScript libraries that I’ve used in the past to help with it. The downside of this |
ponges (H = 3.35, 1 df, n = 90, P = 0.07) and the ascidian Aplidium sp. (H = 0.01, 1 df, n = 108, P = 0.92). There was a small (29%), but significant, increase in the ascidian Molgula sp. numbers at the end (H = 12.31, 1 df, n = 99, P < 0.01). Conversely, after 100 days exposure to pH 7.7, even though at this lower pH neither calcite nor aragonite was undersaturated, the community was changed markedly, with fewer spirorbids (47.4%), but more sponge colonies (Leucosolenia sp., 29%). In the ascidians, Molgula sp. were more common (23.4%) and Aplidium sp less at 0.2%. For all four taxa studied, new recruits were observed in all treatments. Spirorbid numbers decreased significantly from 11.1 ± 1.2 to 2.0 ± 1.2 individuals per 10 cm2 (H = 13.21, 1 df, n = 50, P < 0.0001); numbers of the ascidian (Molgula sp.) increased fourfold from the start to end of the trials (H = 9.73, 1 df, n = 90, P = 0.001); whilst the second, less abundant, ascidian (Aplidium sp.) decreased by an order of magnitude (H = 6.61, 1 df, n = 108, P = 0.01); and the sponge Leucosolenia sp. increased 2.5‐fold (H = 13.49, 1 df, n = 90, P < 0.0001).
Figure 1 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Numbers of the main components of the biofouling community on precolonized HDPE pipe before and after exposure to either pH 7.9 (control) of pH 7.7 (predicted year 2100 level). Values are mean per 10 cm2 ± SE; significant differences shown in figure as: *P < 0.01, **P < 0.001, ***P < 0.0001.
The major change in community composition was due to the marked reductions in numbers of spirorbids at low pH, even though estimates were conservative. The counts quoted above only included living N. pseudocorrugata. Dead and destroyed individuals were visible from the remaining scar. The proportions of total numbers of spirorbids that were dead were not significantly different between treatments at the start of trials on precolonized pipe (pH 7.9, 19.7% (5.4% SE); pH 7.7, 12.6% (4.6% SE); t = 1.01, P = 0.332, 17 df). However, the proportion of dead individuals was significantly higher in the pH 7.7 treatment than in controls at the end of the experiment [pH 7.9, 23.3% (3.8% SE), pH 7.7, 72.8% (5.1% SE); t = 7.78, P < 0.0001, 17 df].
Biofouling communities colonize different materials with varying success. We therefore placed clean sections of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe that were open, having been cut lengthwise (Fig. 2), and clean limestone tiles into our system and also monitored colonization of cleaned PVC tank walls in the controls and pH 7.7 trials over the duration of the experiment. All three surfaces were open, and this avoided the possibility that metabolic effects due to enclosed areas could alter pH conditions. Densities of spirorbids differed markedly on the various surfaces at the end of the 100‐day trials (pH 8: H = 80.46, 2 df, n = 113, P < 0.0001; pH 7.7 H = 28.8, 2 df, n = 113, P < 0.0001) (Fig. 3). In pH 7.9, spirorbid colonization of tank walls was higher than tiles (H = 41.83, 1 df, n = 83, P < 0.0001) and HDPE pipe (H = 54.93, 1 df, n = 95, P < 0.0001) and pipe were higher than tiles (H = 15.71, 1 df, n = 48, P < 0.001). Reduced pH lowered spirorbid numbers on tank walls by nearly sixfold, on pipe by 3.5‐fold and on tiles by nearly fivefold, and all of these were significant (H = 74.33, 1 df, n = 130, P < 0.0001; H = 18.65, 1 df, n = 60, P < 0.0001; H = 25.13, 1 df, n = 36, P < 0.0001, respectively). Numbers of other taxa were too low to analyse after 100 days on new substrata.
Figure 2 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Section of HDPE pipe used in colonization trials.
Figure 3 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Colonization of new surfaces by the spirorbid Neodexiospira pseudocorrugata after 100 days exposure to either pH 7.9 (control) or pH 7.7. Values shown are means ± SE and presented as numbers per 10 cm2. All before and after differences were significant (Kruskal–Wallis tests, H > 18.6 in all cases) at P < 0.0001, indicated on figure by ***.
Colonization of new surfaces by diatoms and filamentous algae was markedly different in the reduced pH trials compared to controls. It was not possible to quantify this effect from counts. Estimates were thus made visually from photographs of HDPE pipe surfaces and colonization levels classified into five categories from the lowest (1) to highest (5). Because this is a category analysis, nonparametric statistics were used to test for differences, and algal colonization in controls (pH 7.9; mean score = 4.4) was significantly higher than in low pH treatments (pH 7.7; mean score = 1.8; Mann–Whitney W = 45, P = 0.008, n = 11).
SEM analyses showed largely intact spirorbids with smooth outer surfaces from controls, but those at low pH were frequently ‘breached’ revealing internal structures (Fig. 4). XRD and SEM analyses confirmed the mineralogy as low magnesium calcite and an ultrastructure comprised predominantly of very small (<5 μm, Fig. 4) randomly aligned prismatic units, with little or no pitting or dissolution. There also appeared to be less binding matrix between prisms in spirorbid skeletons from the low pH treatments.Somewhere in the middle of my second trimester, my body changed seemingly overnight from maybe-pregnant to obvious, undeniable baby-on-board. At the same moment, my bump moved from its cushy bubble of is-she-or-isn’t-she polite discretion to a free-for-all open season of body commentary.
It started on vacation at week 20, a cool and booze-less Babymoon lest we never ever travel again, where, since I could hardly hide beneath big sweaters in my swimsuit, I debuted my bump in style on a pink Bermudian beach. (If you’d like complete strangers to comment daily on your bigness through a rummy slur, I recommend this tactic.)
“Are you sure there’s only one in there?” joked a waiter. I blamed the buffet and laughed it off, then obsessed over it the rest of the trip. I skipped dessert every night as if it made any difference at all.
Apparently I had “popped” while away.
“Wow, look at you!” said my doorman upon my return. He’d watched me come and go, each day for months and months, but only today noticed I might fall to the floor and give birth in the lobby. “Looks like someone’s about to pop!”
Well-meaning, I know. But somewhere in the middle of month four, flattering it is not. I thanked him sheepishly while forming my official complaint to the condo committee. (I didn’t send it, saving any disciplinary actions and my dignity in one fell swoop.)
For the record, I was not ravenously eating for two. I had not gained 50 pounds in four months and all of it distinctly in my uterus. I know this because I weighed myself, paranoid now I was expanding exponentially, and was actually a few pounds below my target gain. The pregnancy websites and charts and apps I read daily actually suggested I take down an extra burger or two, as did anyone I know who had grown and birthed a baby in this lifetime.
That’s when the discrepancy became clear.
Women, dear God bless them, never once mentioned my hugeness, the waddle in my walk, or whether my feet were comfortable squashed into my shoes like that (a direct quote from my husband, who since knows better). To women in general and mothers in particular, I was cute as a button, looking three months rather than five and, best of all, the gloriously vague “glowing.” Thank you, women.
No thanks to this guy from the elevator: “Just a few more weeks, I see!” he said with complete confidence. “I’m a physician.”
“Fourteen more, actually, so you’re not even close,” I snapped back at him as the elevator doors closed, adding a cruel review of his medical savvy because it felt only fair. I like to think he felt so badly that he recounted the story to his wife, who called him a jerk on my behalf, which in turn made him feel even worse.
When I told this humiliating tale to my girlfriend, a new mom who’d survived similar uninvited commentary and come out swinging, she was infuriated. In an F-bomb-littered all-caps e-rage, complete with headless photo of my six-and-something bump attached, she asked, “What do people think 9 months even looks like?”
Which is how I became the guest star of the most enlightening parenting conversation I’d ever been involved with. Dozens upon dozens of women — after telling that doctor where to go, mind you — began posting photos of their actually about-to-pop bellies. One of them stands in a doorway, stretching edge to edge. “Day before delivery,” she wrote proudly. “Oh god, I can’t believe I’m posting this,” says another. And my personal fave: “Getting induced right now!”
Their bodies, though I hate to sound even semi-similar to those whose opinions started this madness, are huge. Gorgeous and womanly and each one’s uniquely a miracle, and seriously huge. So large, in fact, that I started to wonder if I had ever really seen a 9-months-pregnant person in this lifetime.
I see baby bumps, of course. They are everywhere — accessorized like purses and marched along red carpets. Beyoncé and Lauren Conrad and Amanda Seyfried make it look great and easy — but these are celebrity bodies, first of all, and even still, they could all disappear into fabulous seclusion anytime. I usually last see a real-life bump at a baby shower, two months before go-time, squeezed into pregnancy Spanx and beneath a flattering maternity frock.
So, in an effort to fill in the gap, we often look to television. We tell ourselves that, as a society, we’ve come so far since Lucille Ball was told by the networks not to utter the P-word. Everything’s different now, apparently, but in practice not so much.
Recall (overdue) Rachel on “Friends” looking a slim 6 months, tops, compared to castmate Lisa Kudrow, whose real-life pregnancy was presented on prime time as triplets. This year on “The Big Bang Theory,” producers deliberately portrayed a pregnant Bernadette with realism in mind — both size-wise and gestation duration. The result was almost too real; rumors circulated that actress Melissa Rauch must be hiding a real-life pregnancy.
We’ll never see the newborn’s face — like Howard’s mom, the “Big Bang” audience hears the baby’s screams but she never appears onscreen — but here’s usually where Hollywood hands a new mother her just-born baby, played by a clean and well-formed 3-month-old stunt baby. Like “Ready to Pop,” “Just Popped” and anything too close to the messy business of birth gets effectively erased from view and clouded in confusion. Remember when just hours after delivery, Kate Middleton waved happily to the crowd, many of whom earnestly wondered, “But why does she still look pregnant?”
I cannot begin to worry or care about those comments just yet, and with large societal shifts unlikely within this, finally, my last trimester, here are just a few thoughts on some things well-meaning people should not say to pregnant women: First, do not speculate on the due date; you are almost certainly wrong and also it is none of your business. Under no circumstances use the words big, huge, ginormous or “about to pop!” Do not tell her she looks tired and suggest sleep. Definitely do not remind her that pregnancy is “the easy part.”
So what should you say? It’s almost too easy: “You look great” or “you’re glowing” brightens anyone’s day. If they really look awful, do consider “You look so happy!” instead. You can’t go wrong with old faithful “congratulations.” And if all this is still unmanageable, a kind smile works just fine. Then zip it.
Rosemary Counter is a Toronto-based writer and author who could actually pop any time now. Ask her at your own peril.
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Muffin tops and mama guiltArbil (Iraq) (AFP) - Turkish warplanes bombed military positions of Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in neighbouring Iraq Friday, a spokesman for the rebel organisation said.
"At around 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) tonight, Turkish warplanes started bombing our positions near the border, accompanied by heavy artillery shelling," PKK spokesman in Iraq Bakhtiar Dogan told AFP.
He said the strikes targeted mountain positions in the north of the Dohuk province, which is part of Iraq's northern autonomous region of Kurdistan.
The PKK, which is banned in Turkey and has long had a presence in Iraq, has several training camps in Dohuk, a province that also borders Kurdish areas of Syria.
Dogan also said that jets had flown over the Qandil mountains, an area north of the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil which the PKK's political leadership has been using as a safe haven, but had not conducted any strikes there.
If confirmed, the Turkish strikes against the PKK in Iraq would come on the same day as Turkey's first air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria.
Turkish television channels late Friday reported that F-16 jets had taken off from their base in the southeastern city in Diyarbakir for what they had said would be a second wave of strikes against IS.
The military action by Ankara, which has been accused of colluding with the jihadist group that last year declared a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria, was seen as a potential game changer in the war against IS.
But the Turkish government had also vowed to take action against the PKK separatist militants who have claimed attacks on the security forces in the last days.On the other side of the ledger, Paul’s support helps shore up McConnell’s credentials ahead of what could be a difficult re-election campaign in 2014. For all his swat in the Senate, McConnell is on shaky footing in his home state; one survey, taken in December by the liberal firm Public Policy Polling, put his approval rating at just 37%. His relationship with Kentucky Tea Party groups has been uneven. David Adams, the Kentucky strategist who managed Paul’s 2010 campaign, is working to recruit a conservative to challenge McConnell from the right in next year’s Senate primary, with attacks cribbed from Paul’s old playbook. “A lot of blood will pour out as we peel that scab off,” Adams says. Paul’s support for McConnell, and his willingness to explain to the Tea Party why McConnell’s leadership position requires him at times to stray from pure conservative doctrine, is a valuable asset to the five-term senator.At a glance > The ECG explained easy Learn more: Cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, cardiac extracellular matrix, tissue markers, cardiac anatomy, risk & prevention, animal heart facts...
What is an ECG? The electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a noninvasive test that is used to reflect underlying heart conditions by measuring the electrical activity of the heart. By positioning leads (electrical sensing devices) on the body in standardized locations, information about many heart conditions can be learned by looking for characteristic patterns on the ECG.
U nderstanding the parts of the ECG. During each heartbeat, a healthy heart has an orderly progression of depolarization that starts with pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial node, spreads out through the atrium, passes through the atrioventricular node down into the bundle of His and into the Purkinje fibers, spreading down and to the left throughout the ventricles. This orderly pattern of depolarization gives rise to the characteristic ECG tracing. On the printed ECG, each small square represents 0.04 sec. Large squares on the paper represents 0.2 seconds. 1) P-waves. P-waves represent atrial depolarization. Atrial depolarization spreads from the SA node towards the AV node, and from the right atrium to the left atrium. In sinus rhythm, there should be a P-wave preceding each QRS complex. 2) PR interval. The PR-interval is from the start of the P-wave to the start of the Q wave, at the beginning of the QRS complex. This interval reflects the time the electrical impulse takes to travel from the sinus node through the AV node (i.e. the time taken for electrical activity to move from the atria to the ventricles). 3) QRS complex. The QRS-complex represents depolarisation of the ventricles. It is seen as 3 closely related waves on the ECG (waves Q, R & S). Because the ventricles have a large muscle mass compared to the atria, so the QRS complex usually has a much larger amplitude than the P-wave. The point at which the QRS complex finishes and the ST segment begins is known as the J-point. 4) ST segment. The ST-segment starts at the end of the S-wave and finishes at the start of the T-wave. The ST segment connects the QRS complex and the T wave; is an isoelectric line that represents the period when the ventricles are depolarized (i.e. contraction). 5) T-wave. The T-wave represents ventricular re-polarisation. It is seen as a small wave after the QRS complex in all leads except aVR and lead V1. 6) RR-interval. The RR-interval starts at the peak of one R wave to the peak of the next R wave. It represents the time between two QRS complexes 7) QT-interval. The QT-interval starts at the beginning of the QRS complex and finishes at the end of the T-wave. It represents the time taken for the ventricles to depolarise and then repolarize.
Understanding the 12-lead ECG. Lead refers to an imaginary line between two ECG electrodes. The electrical activity of this lead is measured and recorded as part of the ECG. A 12-lead ECG records 12 of these “leads” producing 12 separate graphs. On a standard 12-lead EKG there are only 10 electrodes, which are listed in the table below. Electrode name Electrode placement Limb electrodes RA On the right arm, avoiding thick muscle. LA In the same location where RA was placed, but on the left arm. RL On the right leg, lateral calf muscle. LL In the same location where RL was placed, but on the left leg. Chest electrodes V 1 In the fourth intercostal space (between ribs 4 and 5) just to the right of the sternum (breastbone). V 2 In the fourth intercostal space (between ribs 4 and 5) just to the left of the sternum. V 3 Between leads V 2 and V 4. V 4 In the fifth intercostal space (between ribs 5 and 6) in the mid-clavicular line. V 5 Horizontally even with V 4, in the left anterior axillary line. V 6 Horizontally even with V4 and V5 in the midaxillary line.
Limb leads. Leads I, II and III are called the limb leads. The electrodes that form these signals are located on the limbs—one on each arm and one on the left leg. The limb leads form the points of what is known as Einthoven's triangle. Augmented limb leads. Leads aVR, aVL, and aVF are the augmented limb leads. They are derived from the same three electrodes as leads I, II, and III, but they use Goldberger's central terminal as their negative pole which is a combination of inputs from other two limb electrodes. Precordial leads. The precordial leads lie in the transverse (horizontal) plane, perpendicular to the other six leads. The six precordial electrodes act as the positive poles for the six corresponding precordial leads: (V 1, V 2, V 3, V 4, V 5 and V 6 ). Wilson's central terminal is used as the negative pole. Spatial interpretation of the ECG leads. Each of the 12 ECG leads records the electrical activity of the heart from a different angle, and therefore align with different anatomical areas of the heart. Two leads that look at neighboring anatomical areas are said to be contiguous. In the figure below, contiguous leads are labeled in the same colour. 1) Chest leads V1 – Septal view of heart V2 – Septal view of hear V3 – Anterior view of heart V4 – Anterior view of heart V5 – Lateral view of heart V6 – Lateral view of heart 2) Other leads Lead I – Lateral view (RA-LA) Lead II – Inferior view (RA-LL) Lead III – Inferior view (LA-LL) aVR – Lateral view (LA+LL – RA) aVL – Lateral view (RA+LL – LA) aVF – Inferior view (RA+LA – LL ) Interpretation of the ECG waves. Electrical activity in the heart flows in many directions at once. Because each lead records the electrical activity of the heart from different directions, each lead is different in shape. Thus, if the electrical activity of the heart travels towards a lead, you get a positive deflection. Vice-versa, if the electrical activity moves away from a lead, you obtain a negative deflection. The wave seen on the ECG represents the average direction, and the height of the deflection accounts for the amount of electricity flowing in that direction. When you look into all leads, that with the most +ve deflection will be the closest to the direction the electricity is flowing. With this in mind: If the R-wave is greater than the S-wave it suggests depolarisation is moving towards that lead.
If the S-wave is greater than the R-waves it suggests depolarisation is moving away from that lead.
If the R and S-waves are of equal size it means depolarisation is travelling at exactly 90° to that lead. Rate, rhythm and axis from an ECG. 1)Rate. The ECG paper runs at 25 mm/sec through the ECG printer. Use the sequence 300-150-100-75-60-50-43-37. Count from the first QRS complex, the first thick line is 300 bpm, the next thick line 150 etc. Stop the sequence at the next QRS complex. When the second QRS complex is between two lines, take the mean of the two numbers from the sequence. In case of tachycardia (>100 beats/minute), count the small (1mm) squares between two QRS complexes and divide 1500 (25 mm/sec x 60 sec) by the number of squares to obtain heart rate. 2)Rhythm. The heart rhythm can be regular or irregular. Irregular rhythms are regularly irregular (i.e. a recurrent pattern of irregularity) or irregularly irregular (i.e. completely disorganised). Mark out several consecutive R-R intervals on a piece of paper, then move them along the rhythm strip to check if the subsequent intervals are the same. 3)Axis. The axis of the ECG is the average direction of the overall electrical activity of the heart. When talking about to the ECG axis is it generally the QRS axis that is being referred to. The normal QRS axis is between -30 and +90 degrees. The most efficient way to estimate axis is to look at leads I + aVF. The diagram below illustrates the relationship between QRS axis and the frontal leads of the ECG. Lead I Lead +aVF Quadrant Axis Positive Positive Left lower Normal (0 to +90 degrees) Positive Negative Left upper Possible LAD (0 to -90 degrees) Negative Positive Right lower RAD (+90 to 180 degrees) Negative Negative Right upper Extreme Axis Deviation (-90 to 180 degrees) Other methods such as the “isoelectric lead” can be used to estimate the axis. Some cardiac conditions observed by deviations on the ECG. For a complete listing with examples we encourage to visit http://www.bem.fi/book/19/19.htm Sources and further reading. Please check the following websites, which have been useful to us while putting together this summary for understanding the ECG. http://lifeinthefastlane.com/ecg-library/basics/axis/ http://geekymedics.com/understanding-an-ecg/ http://www.bem.fi/book/19/19.htm http://www.theheartcheck.com/documents/ECG%20Interpretation%20Made%20Incredibly%20Easy!%20(5th%20edition).pdf"We have to improve the way we want to play the game," Coach Patrick Vieira said. Photograph by Matt Kremkau
By CHRISTIAN ARAOS
In 10 minutes, the duality of Patrick Vieira was clear. As the New York City FC squad gathered in a practice huddle, Vieira raised his voice challenging them to make quicker decisions on the ball. The media members standing 70 yards away could hear every word of his speech, and when he met with them minutes later, Vieira was calm, cordial and back to speaking coyly about what he wants from his team.
“We have to take it game by game,” Vieira said. “We have to improve the way we want to play the game. The way you play will dictate what you will achieve at the end. What I really want is the team to play and then we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
By and large, NYCFC is checking the boxes. The club is playing back-to-front well, creating chances while not conceding many and getting results. NYCFC has seven points through its first four games and a plus-4 goal differential. But Vieira eventually elaborated and explained that good performances may or may not yield good results, but if he can get the players to continue to refine themselves then the long-term rewards will come.
“We know that the season is really long and really tough and really difficult,” he said. “It’s important for us to focus on our next game and to think about how we can improve and play better as a team. Then, we’ll play better and we’ll have more chances to win games. Sometimes, we can play really well but they may score a goal or there may be an offside, something that we can’t control. What is important is to concentrate on ourselves, how we want to play and if we manage to play well then we’re going to have a chance to win the game.”
It’s fair for Vieira to ask for more from his team going into its two-game road swing. Although it’s April, the games against D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union give the Pigeons an opportunity to stack up points against teams that have had a slow start. And for a team like City that has depth and youth, now’s a good time to remind the team that a smooth start doesn’t guarantee that the waters ahead are calm.
Lewis Out for Saturday
The only bit of injury news for the week involves Jonathan Lewis who Coach Patrick Vieira said would not be available for the match because of a minor injury. Lewis did some individual training Wednesday and Vieira expects him to return to full training early next week. Lewis’ injury likely means another opportunity for Khiry Shelton to make the game day roster. Shelton was a last-minute sub in last weekend’s game against the San Jose Earthquakes.
NYCFC Signs an eSports Player
NYCFC signed Hempstead, N.Y., native Christopher Holly to be their first eSports player. The club will sponsor him as Holly competes in FIFA tournaments for PS4. He is listed within the top-five of all FIFA Ultimate Team players on PlayStation 4.
“It’s an honor to represent NYCFC,” Holly said in a statement on NYCFC.com. “It’s a chance of a lifetime, I’m really excited and looking forward to the future. I never thought this would happen so when the club contacted me, I was shocked and now I’m really looking forward to it. I think NYCFC has some great players such as Pirlo and David Villa. They’re players I used to watch when I was younger so now that they’re in the MLS and in New York, it’s great.”
Holly is the second E-Sports player signed by City Football Group. Manchester City signed Kez Brown last year and Brown serves as both player, mascot and content creator. They will compete in tournaments, participate in fan outreach and make the odd YouTube video.
“At New York City FC, we are always looking for new ways to innovate and get closer to our fans,” said Diego Gigliani the senior vice president for media and innovation at CFG. “We are delighted to welcome Christopher Holly to the club to represent NYCFC as the first ever eSports player in MLS.”Hurricane Harvey has made landfall, stalling over the Texas coast and expected to cause "catastrophic and life-threatening flooding".
The National Weather Service's National Hurricane Centre also predicted up to 40 inches (102 cm) of rainfall in some areas on the southeast coast.
The hurricane hit Corpus Christi as a Category 4 storm with winds of up to 130 mph (209 kmh), but it has been downgraded to a Category 1 with sustained winds of 90 mph (145 kmh).
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.
Despite the downgrade, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Brock Long called it a "deadly inland event" as the storm progressed through the night.
The major damage to schools, public buildings, and several homes has been worst in and around Rockport, Texas, a community of about 10,000 people just northeast of Corpus Christi.
Emergency personnel - including local and state authorities - in the coastal community say there’s broad damage to buildings.
Rockport Volunteer Fire Department Chief Steve Sims told ABC News that early on 26 August that firefighters were taking cover at the city’s fire station, where they have been forced to wait for conditions to improve to respond to 25 to 30 emergency calls.
"As soon as the weather permits us, the winds get anywhere reasonable. We have been working on lists trying to prioritise the calls that we have waiting."
Residents of coastal cities and seven counties were urged to evacuate, but Rockport Mayor pro tem Patrick Rios warned: "if people are going to stay here, [they should] mark their arm with a Sharpie pen with their name and Social Security number."
"We hate to talk about things like that...It's not something we like to do but it’s the reality, people don’t listen," he said to ABC News.
In the afternoon of 26 August, Texas Governor Greg Abbott added 20 counties to the state's disaster declaration.
He pledged "all available resources" to the affected counties for search and rescue efforts as well as other matters.
There have been 338,000 power outages along the coast reported.
The mayor of Port Aransas, Texas Charles Bujan reported that a local trailer park experienced "100 per cent loss" according to the mayor, but it remains unclear if all the reported deaths are from the park.
The mayor of Rockport CJ Wax reported that one person has been killed, trapped in his home during a fire sparked by the storm. He was found early morning on 26 August by firemen.
The US Coast Guard has been continuously responding to distress calls from tugboats and other boats along the coast near Corpus Christie. They have dispatched at least two helicopter crews for assistance.
The Texas Military Department had deployed approximately 700 members of the State Guard and National Guard to the coastal region just ahead of the storm as well.
By mid-morning the hurricane had been downgraded to a Category 1, but rain and high winds continued to pummel the coast as the storm stalled over the area.
Despite the downgrade, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Brock Long called it a "deadly inland event" as the storm progressed through the night.
Texas officials have evacuated thousands of inmates from prisons due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
Prisons in Brazoria County south of Houston, Texas is in particular danger as nearby Brazos River rises.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) says about 4,500 inmates from the Ramsey, Terrell, and Stringfellow Units in Rosharon are being taken by bus to other prisons in east Texas. They are being accompanied by additional police officers and prison staff to assist with the evacuation.
Additional food and water has been delivered to the prisons receiving the displaced inmates.
TDCJ has also set up an emergency command center for the storm, which has been and will continue to operate 24 hours a day for the duration of the state of emergency period.
It also said in a statement that former prisoners out on conditional releaase were given instruction to report specified evacuation addresses. "High-risk parolees" were moved to facilities outside of the flood zone as well.
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 nowNevada On Track To Get World’s Biggest Concentrating Solar Power Plant
October 28th, 2016 by Tina Casey
Concentrating solar power tech has faced some withering criticism in the past, but it seems that the CSP industry is just steamrolling right past the doubters. In the latest development, the company SolarReserve let out word that it is eyeballing the construction of a 2,000 megawatt CSP plant in Nevada, to be dubbed Sandstone. The solar behemoth, if it comes into being, will be the world’s largest such facility, with 10 towers and more than 100,000 concentrating mirrors.
Nope, CSP ain’t dead yet.
Nevada Could Get World’s Largest CSP Plant
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has the scoop on the proposed CSP plant, and it’s a good one.
As described by reporter Henry Brean, Sandstone would be the largest solar power plant in the world to use concentrating technology. It would cost about $5 billion and deliver enough power for 1 million homes, which puts it on the same plane as the Hoover Dam.
In terms of capacity, the new CSP plant closes in on the dam’s nameplate level of 2,080 megawatts.
The new solar facility also falls well within the range of nuclear energy. The smallest nuclear power plant in the US has a capacity of 479 megawatts. The largest, a three-unit complex in Arizona, totals 3,937 megawatts.
And, the plant is far larger than SolarReserve’s previous solar project in the US, the 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes plant. That plant was constructed with the help of $737 million in federal loan guarantees, as part of an Energy Department initiative to kickstart the CSP industry.
By any measure, the initiative has been a success. As part of the Obama Administration’s SunShot initiative, the Energy Department started with a portfolio of financing for just five plants. About two dozen are already in the pipeline or operational now.
Where To Put A 2,000 Megawatt Solar Plant
For the plant’s site, SolarReserve is looking at two different sites on federal land in Nye County. Each of them would enable the construction of a facility ranging in size from 15,000 to 20,000 acres.
According to a report earlier this week in Engineering News-Record, the company expects to decide between the two sometime within the next six months.
Taking some important lessons learned from the Ivanpah solar plant in California, SolarReserve will most likely pick the one least likely to run into wildlife conservation issues.
If all goes well, this will be only the second CSP plant in the US to store solar energy in molten salt.
The plant is designed to store enough solar power to continue generating overnight.
CSP Alive And Kicking
SolarReserve is leveraging the success of its Crescent Dunes CSP in Tonopah, Nevada to make a case for Sandstone.
In a press release earlier this year, SolarReserve underscored the plant’s ability to deliver 24 hours of solar power without needing 24 hours of sunlight. The company also noted that the facility is just ramping up to full |
great reviews you’ll get.”
***
If Yelp is not opposed to its Elites receiving special benefits from businesses to elicit reviews, why would it object to Botto Bistro’s campaign? Though Yelp claims it has issues with fake reviews, its actual concern is preserving its control over the tone of reviews, what criteria are held to be significant, and what a one-star and a five-star rating should mean.
Botto Bistro asserts that a one-star review is a gesture of support, a way to thumb your nose at an impersonal system, and a quick path to cheap pizza. Reviewer Richard Y gave Botto a one-star review with the text “Yelp Support removed my previous review. So I am writing this one so I can tell Yelp to stop bullying small businesses.” But even though this has all the appearance of authenticity — it is a true fact about the reviewers opinion — Yelp removed it from the site because the opinion is not based on the criteria it considers relevant.
While Yelp often demotes fake reviews to a status of “not currently recommended,” it has gone further in Botto Bistro’s case and completely removed most of the one-star reviews from the site entirely. As of October 22, Botto Bistro’s overall rating has moved “up” to three stars. But not all fake reviews are deemed threatening. Gregg Gethard has been writing a novel under the guise of Yelp reviews with the name Karl G, and his reviews (all five stars) have been kept on the site despite their obvious lack of authenticity.
So some kinds of inauthenticity are okay but not others. Some reviews are authentic but are still removed; the Botto Bistro reviews are authentically ironic but run counter to Yelp’s mission. What it comes down to is that Yelp’s self-interest, rather than any objective set of criteria, is what determines an acceptable review.
Restaurateurs who complain about Yelp are sometimes dismissed as being disgruntled at embarrassing reviews they can’t bury, but their frustrations go beyond the content of any individual reviews or the behavior of reviewers. Yelp tends to represent itself as a neutral platform, but it does more than passively transmit user content; it actively arranges and presents it. In doing so, it draws on its interpretation of what individual reviews “really” mean.
In a sense, there are two kinds of ratings on Yelp — the individual ratings submitted by reviewers, and the aggregate ratings that Yelp computes and presents in a ranked order, highlighting some restaurants at the expense of others. Yelp’s design choices in its filtering, sorting, and aggregation algorithms can make a big difference to a restaurant’s business.
While the net effects of reputation systems are complex and varied, there is a homogenizing, winner-take-all aspect to Yelp’s aggregate-and-rank design. Taking the average of all scores favors restaurants with broad appeal and militates against more-polarizing venues. It’s the same reason that many challenging or controversial “cult” movies score lower on Rotten Tomatoes than those that are less divisive. Cult movies may attract a more intense following among their core audience, but there is nowhere in the Rotten Tomatoes system, or Yelp’s, for intensity to be reflected.
Like a cult movie, Botto Bistro sets out to be uncompromising. As its owners told Faravar, “We specifically, aggressively inform people that if you’re looking for customer service, this is the last place you should be.” This approach means Botto Bistro will never rank highly on Yelp: Yelp’s reputation model works against the idiosyncratic and difficult.
When Techcrunch’s Faravar asked Vince Sollitto, Yelp’s vice president of corporate communications, about Botto Bistro, Sollitto replied, “I think that you have to wonder if this is the smartest strategy—there’s a Harvard Business School study that was done showing that for every [star] increase, restaurants see an uplift in revenue between five and nine percent.” But the use of a single five-star axis of quality is Yelp’s design decision, not a reflection of nature.
There is a world of context behind reviews that may not fit into any algorithmic assumptions of how it should be interpreted. Human expression is protean; we imbue reviews and ratings with meaning and intent beyond what the system can account for with one variable, and there is no objective fact behind it all that is the “true” rating. Il n’y a pas de hors-click.
Yelp can exploit this ambiguity, aggregating numeric ratings to make its listings seem objective, while using its own subjective judgment expressed in algorithms and through human content moderators to rule out certain reviews and alter those results.
Yelp claims that its algorithms favor reliable reviewers and relegate untrustworthy ones, while many restaurants claim that the most reliable reviews are those hidden by Yelp. The most likely source of these disputes is the different perspective that Yelp and individual restaurateurs bring to the meaning of a “trusted” review. As always, Yelp’s perspective is the only one that counts.
From a restaurateur’s point of view, a reviewer who visits once, does not complain to the staff, and writes up a bad review on Yelp is a “drive-by reviewer” acting in bad faith — the reviewer has only a thin relationship with the restaurant whereas a good reviewer would have a rich relationship. Restaurateurs see the restaurant/customer relationship as reciprocal: a restaurant should have a chance to put things right before a reviewer makes a blanket assessment, and one dish, one evening is insufficient basis for an assessment. From the restaurateur’s point of view, the epitome of a trusted reviewer is a regular customer who decides, even if they rarely visit Yelp, to express their support for their favorite hangout by giving them five-stars on the site.
From Yelp’s point of view the positions are reversed: Yelp values reviewers who visit many restaurants and write up reviews of each, because these reviewers have become legible to Yelp; it does not trust “true fans” of a restaurant because their relationship with Yelp itself is thin and opaque.
So the reviews that a restaurant owner believes are most likely to be fair are precisely the ones that Yelp judges to be untrustworthy. Little surprise that there are frequent disputes, and no surprise that some restaurants have thrown accusations of entitlement at Yelp’s most trusted reviewers, their “Elite Squad.”
Unfortunately for restaurateurs, their opinions on trustworthy reviews are irrelevant. The company is not legally bound to be fair in its filtering and sorting activities, according to a ruling by Judge Marsha S. Berzon of the U.S. Federal Appeals Court this September. She wrote that
even if small business owners could prove that Yelp manipulates their pages to persuade them to pay up for advertising, that doesn’t mean they are being extorted, or that Yelp is violating federal law… the law does not require Yelp to publish positive reviews in the first place … By withholding the benefit of these positive reviews, Yelp is withholding a benefit that Yelp makes possible and maintains. It has no obligation to do so, however.
Yelp gets to do what it wants, how it wants, and restaurateurs just have to suck it up.
***
If you’re a restaurateur, Yelp wants three things from you. First, it wants reviews of your business, which draw people to its site when they are looking for a place to eat. Second, it wants to make money from you by selling you ad space. Third, it wants to profit from the reviews of your business and your ads by striking lucrative partnerships with Microsoft, Yahoo, and other search-engine providers. It’s going to get two of those whether you like it or not.
Why should business owners feel any ethical responsibility to maintain the integrity of a system that they feel is threatening their livelihood, is run like a protection racket, and is unresponsive to their appeals? In this context, Bistro Botto’s treating Yelp as a venue for marketing stunts seems a perfectly reasonable course of action. It’s another question of meaning: Yelp claims that fake reviews are attempts to deceive, but what if we see them mainly as expressions of frustration in a venue with few other options? With the imbalance of power between Yelp and the restaurateurs, fake reviews have their place.
And disputes over ratings and their meaning are going to get only more serious.
Whole industries are seeking to increase the role of digital reputation in our daily lives. Drivers for Uber and Lyft can be fired if their rating drops below 4.7 out of 5. Airbnb ratings may determine the amount of business a host gets, and the company’s CEO Brian Chesky has ambitions to do a lot more with the “reputation” a user gains on the site as a numerical reputation score on one system (such as Yelp) could be made portable to other environments (TripAdvisor? Credit-card companies? Landlords?). So Chesky told Thomas Friedman: “reputation will give you access to all kinds of things now … Your reputation now is like having a giant key that will allow you to open more and more doors.” A year earlier he told Rachel Botsman that “”I imagine that people will leverage their Airbnb reputation in ways that we can’t yet imagine … Airbnb could become a story of your life and that story should be able to follow you.”
Reputation is a multifaceted and qualitative concept, but digital platforms want to push it through a meat grinder that renders it homogenized, devoid of texture, but easier to digest. Giving such systems too much authority or influence will inevitably throw up bad incentives and gray areas, making reputation scores simultaneously more draconian and less trustworthy. If fake reviews will help to postpone that future, I’ll give them a good rating.Erhan Kurt is driving along an empty country road on a cool Sunday evening. It's foggy and visibility is poor, but he is determined to reach the village that was once his home. He wants to drink -- whiskey, two bottles and perhaps even three -- and he wants to smoke and talk, just as he does every evening during his visits to Bulgaria, the poorest country in the European Union. His country.
Kurt drives past an abandoned train station and run-down stockyards. The house where he was born, 32 years ago, stands right at the beginning of the village of Slivo Pole. It's abandoned now, and the bar next door, which he used to frequent, has gone out of business. He passes the grocery store where villagers buy their food on credit. The only reason the barbershop is still in business is that there is a Western Union counter in the storage room. "Hardly anything would work here anymore without the money from Wilhelmsburg," Kurt says as he drives past the buildings in his blue BMW. They would all starve to death."
He is referring to the few residents who have remained behind. The parents of those who left, those sons and daughters who now live in German cities like Berlin, Erfurt and Hamburg. Kurt is one of the ones who left Slivo Pole.
And yet he keeps coming back. He has become a mover of sorts, but instead of furniture he moves people -- people who have nothing left but the hope of starting a new life in a German city. If they are lucky, they travel with Kurt to Wilhelmsburg, a blue-collar neighborhood in Hamburg's port district. Wilhelmsburg is Kurt's territory, where he runs a logistics company that supplies German companies with day laborers.
Meco Gül, a friend of Kurt's who still spends most of his time in Bulgaria, is sitting in the passenger seat. Kurt needs Gül for his operation, because Gül owns a minibus with which he drives the 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Bulgaria to Germany and back once a week. Gül brings Kurt new workers.
The two men have known each other since childhood. They were born into communism, grew up on the same street, and became impoverished when Bulgaria transformed into a democracy. They were both cattle traders in Bulgaria and later picked strawberries in Greece together, where they shared a plastic tarp at night. "We were poor day laborers," says Kurt. But that was then. Today the two men are known in Slivo Pole as "the cleanup guys." Their role today is to empty out villages.
'Slaves of Globalization'
Kurt gets out of his BMW and walks through the narrow, empty streets of Slivo Pole. He doesn't usually like to walk, but he wants to show off his achievements. He points to a house on the left and says: "They're in Wilhelmsburg." He points to a house on the right: "Wilhelmsburg." Across the street: "Wilhelmsburg." A few villagers still sort grapes in Spain, pick strawberries in Greece or roll pizza dough in Denmark. Kurt calls them "slaves of globalization." They were once his neighbors, but today they are his merchandise.
Kurt knows that his people are unwanted in Germany. They are poorly educated, rather than being doctors and engineers, they don't speak German or English, they are not members of any elite and they are not even skilled workers. But none of this has deterred them from coming to Germany.
There are many villages like Slivo Pole in the EU's new Eastern European member states. For their residents, the EU's poorest citizens, the freedom to travel has become the freedom to escape. After spending decades living on the outskirts of Bucharest, Sofia or Russe, they are now leaving, hoping to cash in on the promise of prosperity that went hand-in-hand with EU accession. Since then, entire villages have moved to German cities, villages like Romania's Fântânele. Virtually its entire population now lives in Berlin's Neukölln neighborhood. Or Barbulesti, which has been relocated to the western city of Duisburg. And Slivo Pole, whose former residents now call Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg home.
Kurt has come to Bulgaria during the vacation period, when his workers return to Slivo Pole from Germany. They are now standing outside the village car repair shop, drinking instant coffee from plastic cups and arguing with Kurt and his driver Meco Gül over whether gasoline is cheaper in Romania or Hungary.
Gül was the subject of a story published in SPIEGEL three years ago, which described what was then his somewhat improvised business of transporting temporary workers. Those humble beginnings have become a professionally managed business today. "We haven't struck it rich," says Kurt, "but we have created a system in which we no longer go hungry."
When he talks about the past, he most often refers to the years before 2007, when Bulgaria joined the EU. They were all still living in Slivo Pole then -- when the milk from Kurt's cows suddenly became worthless.
Fresh Meat
Today there are expensive German cars with German license plates parked in front of the village repair shop. They include a black BMW X5 and Audi station wagon. The BMW has 700,000 kilometers on its odometer, but that isn't a relevant benchmark here in Slivo Pole. A BMW, no matter how old, is synonymous with upward mobility. Kurt's work begins when the cars from Germany pull up outside the repair shop. "It's the best time to recruit fresh meat," Kurt told us as we were driving into the village.
In Slivo Pole, good fortune is expressed in visual terms. Those who drive German cars or have painted their houses pink or green are fortunate. Someone who hosts a three-day wedding party and can then afford to pay the singer 5,000 ($6,920) is fortunate. To be fortunate in Slivo Pole, money is a necessity. And to get money, you have to leave.
Kurt and Gül talk to the men about Germany. They tell them that Döner kebabs taste better in Wilhelmsburg, that you can fill two large bags with groceries at Aldi for 50, and that a package of sliced cheese costs 0.55, not 2.50. Kurt approaches drunkards by the side of the road and says: "You have to get out of here. You won't make it with six kids."
Kurt is constantly shaking hands. A gold watch is visible under his leather jacket, and he smells of Paco Rabanne "1 Million" cologne, which he bought at Kaufland, a German hypermarket chain.
Kurt campaigns on behalf of Germany like someone promoting free credit cards. Unemployed villagers ask him about work, and then they ask Gül if he has space for them on his bus. Kurt's cellphone rings periodically. Logistics companies from Wilhelmsburg are calling to order packers.
Like any village losing its residents to the West, Slivo Pole has its pioneers who went first, returned and infected their village with stories about German doctors who treat you in return for a plastic card -- no cash required. They talked about the buses that run on time, and they brought along medications and the first Christmas tree anyone in Slivo Pole, a Muslim village, had ever seen.
Kurt was one of those pioneers who, together with his brothers and cousins, took a chance and went to Germany, long before Bulgaria joined the EU. They were initially illegal, then they applied for asylum, and now they are EU citizens.
An Illusion
Kurt points to a cousin's house and says: "That was a shack. Just look at it." Today it's a freshly painted three-story house with a balcony off of every room. There is a leopard-print carpet in the foyer, German bath salts in the bathroom cabinet and wireless Internet that even works in the basement. There are German laminate floors, and even the kitchen cabinets are from Germany. The daughter is studying finance, and the son grows mint and has applied for subsidies from an EU fund to grow American worms. Their father, Kurt's cousin, works in a warehouse in Wilhelmsburg while his wife cleans the houses of wealthy Germans on Hamburg's Alster Lake. "Anyone can do it," says Kurt.
He laughs loudly, raising his hand and throwing his head back, his mouth wide open -- revealing that half of his teeth are missing. When Kurt speaks, everyone else is silent. And he likes to talk -- to tell his own story. It's all part of his campaign to promote a new family model, one in which the parents leave their children at home, make lots of money and eventually return home, rich and happy.
"It's an illusion," says his partner Gül. He knows of no one who has returned from the West. He has continued walking and is now standing at the village's wishing tree. He pulls a thread from his scarf and ties it to a branch, making a wish.
The tree has been there for as long as the village has existed, since the early 1900s. It is protected by a wall and a green metal gate; yellow and red threads are tied to its branches. Scarves, bras and underwear blow in the wind. Sometimes the people in Gül's bus want to make one last trip to the tree to make a wish before being taken to their new lives. Gül waits in his van. He is a patient man with a quiet voice and coarse hands -- hands that are often used to repair car heating systems and replace batteries.
The people from Slivo Pole aren't traveling into the unknown; they know what awaits them in Germany, unlike many others from impoverished southeastern European countries. Those who leave Slivo Pole usually have a brother, a sister or a cousin already living in Wilhelmsburg. They have neighbors whose wives have become prostitutes, siblings who live in basements in Wilhelmsburg, paying 250 a month to sleep on a mattress or acquaintances who sleep under bridges. They are familiar with the stories of bosses who pay 3 an hour and beat their workers when pallets aren't being packed quickly enough, or of construction foremen who suddenly leave without paying their workers.
And still they board Gül's bus.Pet pig Mountain Brook.jpg
A pet pig takes a stroll down Brookwood Road in Mountain Brook Sunday morning, Jan. 18, 2015. (Contributed photo by J. Michelle Barclay)
A loose pet pig in Mountain Brook has neighborhood dogs barking, and the neighborhood humans cracking pork puns.
UPDATE: Owner Shannon Riley says the pet pig is back, "asleep in the sunshine in her own home."
Michelle Barclay encountered the pig at Brookwood Road and East Briarcliff Road Sunday morning.
"Not entirely sure what the first thought was, other than 'Is that a pig?!" Barclay told AL.com via Facebook. "It looked so sweet - just out of place."
She wanted to help the pig, which was driving the dogs in the area crazy. "I know my second thought was 'What on Earth can I do?'" Barclay said. She posted a photo of the hog to the popular Facebook group "What's Happening in Mountain Brook" in the hope that someone could contact the owner.
But what resulted was a pork pun and joke bonanza, with many of the comments referencing the return of the Piggly Wiggly to Crestline.
A sampling:
"I've been craving bacon all morning. I think this is a sign from God."
"I believe this little pig is headed to the market! He should have stayed home!"
"It's the Crestline Pig...forced to wander the streets until the new grocery store opens."
"I heard the pig was returning to Crestline....this gives it a whole new meaning!"
"I saw him the other day. There was a German Shepard in the yard with him kind of herding him. I thought I was seeing things slowed down and looked to be sure lol"
According to one commenter, the German Shepherd is the pig's best friend. If commenters are right, the pig is named Wilbur, and belongs to a family in the area who is searching for her.
Evidently, the pig is quite the escape artist. Shannon Riley claimed Wilbur in a post to the group, and said she just reinforced Wilbur's habitat with rebar. "Sadly I think she has to head to a friend's farm in Cullman since she likes to roam so much," Riley posted.
Riley did not immediately return a request via Facebook for more information.The Toronto Raptors are expected to negotiate a buyout with veteran center Marcus Camby of the final two years, $7.5 million of his contract, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.
The Raptors acquired Camby in the recent trade that sent forward-center Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks. Camby said after the trade was agreed upon that he would prefer to play for a title-contending team.
Camby, 38, played sparingly for the Knicks last season. The Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls are expected to have interest in Camby if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, a league source said.
Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• J.R. Smith out 3 to 4 months after knee surgery days after re-signing with Knicks
• Greg Oden's suitors include Pelicans, Heat, Spurs
• Heat waive Mike Miller using amnesty provision to cut luxury tax billWASHINGTON -- Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee, favors alternative energy -- and she leads by example. Last Tuesday, she burned one of her own supporters.
Stein, making an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, took her campaign on an unexpected detour when she accused the famed leftist Noam Chomsky of being cowardly. The 87-year-old icon of the left, though a backer of Stein's, has said that the only “rational choice” for swing-state voters is to support Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.
“How do you get past that hurdle?” Sam Husseini from VotePact, a group that supports third parties, asked Stein from the audience.
The candidate, in reply, accused Chomsky of embracing “this politics of fear that tells you have to vote against what you're afraid of rather than for what you truly believe. So, Noam Chomsky has supported me in my home state, you know, when he felt safe to do so. I think it's fair to say my agenda is far closer to his than Hillary Clinton. But he subscribes to the politics of fear.”
If opposing Trump is subscribing to the politics of fear, then put me down for a lifetime subscription.
In ordinary times, a voice such as Stein's contributes to the national debate. But these are not ordinary times.
Trump's narrow path to the presidency requires Stein to do well in November, and polls indicate Trump does better with her in the race. But, 16 years after Ralph Nader helped swing the presidency to George W. Bush from Al Gore, liberals (including Bernie Sanders supporters) who otherwise agree with Stein are more inclined to recognize that she makes more likely the singular threat of a President Trump.
That's why, even in this year of change, she's polling about 3 percent in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. And that, in turn, is why only about half of the 20 seats were full when I arrived in the Press Club's Bloomberg Room (even the Green Party nominee can't escape those billionaires) a few minutes before her news conference.
There is much to like about Stein, 66.
She arrived by cab and took all questions -- in marked contrast to Clinton, who has gone more than 260 days without a news conference. Stein spoke with a passion for policy, remarking unbidden on the plight of the “Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota” and speaking with a physician's authority about “air pollution and its various sequelae.”
“We have a climate emergency,” said Stein, “an absolutely devastating sea-level rise that would essentially wipe out coastal population centers, including the likes of Manhattan, and Florida” in 50 years. She called this “a Hail Mary moment,” and one in which “we're really looking our mortality in the face.”
Stein offered a refreshing break from the 2016 debate, which ricochets from Clinton's emails to Trump's outrages and staff shake-ups but rarely settles on substance. “Our future is imperiled,” she said. “There are more important things for us to be talking about.”
But a moment later, there Stein was saying Clinton “put at risk” national security and the names of CIA agents.
Stein said Clinton's character is “not compatible with someone that you want to trust as the leader of the country.” She continued to talk this way about Clinton with reporters in the hallway after the session, which naturally led to headlines not about climate change but along the lines of this from David Weigel's article in The Washington Post: “Jill Stein: Clinton emails reveal security risks,'special deals' for donors.”
Stein complained about the 15 percent polling threshold keeping her and Libertarian Gary Johnson out of the presidential debates. But can she expect more than her 3 percent when she talks of boycotting Israel, spreads unwarranted fears about vaccines and WiFi, and has a running mate -- Ajamu Baraka -- who called President Barack Obama an Uncle Tom?
Most disturbing is the Green Party nominee's creation of a phony equivalence between Clinton, a flawed and unloved but conventional candidate, and Trump, who is running a campaign of bigotry, xenophobia and intimations of violence.
“Donald Trump says terrifying things. Hillary Clinton actually has an extremely troubling record,” Stein said Tuesday, calling the Democrats the “party of fracking,” the “party of expanding wars” and the “party of immigrant deportations.”
This is the sort of stuff I heard driving between campaign stops with Nader in 2000. It wasn't entirely true then. Now, with Trump on the ballot, any attempt to draw parallels between the two parties is preposterous.
Noam Chomsky knows that. It appears voters do, too.
Dana Milbank (danamilbank@washpost.com) is a columnist for The Washington Post.CLOSE A man open carries a semi-automatic weapon and a pistol friday before the Walk with Walker event Friday. The man, who went on the walk without his weapons caused no disturbance according to police. Produced by Gary C. Klein
Buy Photo Bill Polster of Sheboygan Falls carries a modified civilian AK-47 semi-automatic weapon before the Walk with Walker event Friday at Deland Park in Sheboygan. Polster did not carry his weapons during the walk. (Photo: Gary C. Klein/Sheboygan Press Media )Buy Photo
What was supposed to be a gentle promotional stroll along the Sheboygan lakefront Friday morning by the state's first lady, became a bit more concerning to those attending when a local gun-rights advocate showed up with a semi-automatic rifle strapped to his back and a holstered pistol hanging from his waist.
Bill Polster, of Sheboygan Falls, said his intention in brinventging the AK-47, a Glock and a Ruger LCP pistol to Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker's visit to Sheboygan onFriday was not to scare anyone, but rather to exercise his Second Amendment rights.
"People have the right to self defense and there are so many people that don't realize that carrying a weapon is legal in Wisconsin," Polster said.
Polster has become a recognizable fixture in the region, often showing up at farmers markets, parades and even movie theaters and other public events to make the point that it is legal in Wisconsin to openly carry a properly licensed firearm.
While some people find it troubling, it's not illegal and police are not concerned.
"I've had 10 encounters with the police in the last year. The more I do it the less I get stopped, at least locally," Polster said.
One media report said that Walker's visit was delayed about 15 minutes by Polster's presence, but Sgt. David Anderson with the Sheboygan Police Department said one office was on hand for the first lady's visit and that no extra security measures were taken.
Walker came to Sheboygan as part of her Walk with Walker campaign to draw attention to the state's scenic areas. On Friday, Walker was joined by about 50 people, including state Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett, at Deland Park. The group walked about 2 miles along the lakefront.
Buy Photo Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker greets Sue Leibham, mother of Sen. Joe Leibham, at Deland Park before the Walk with Walker event along the Sheboygan lakefront Friday. (Photo: Gary C. Klein/Sheboygan Press Media )
The walk, which was hosted by the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce, was followed by a luncheon at the Sheboygan Yacht Club.
Polster joined in the walk after stashing his weapons in the trunk of his car.
Chamber Executive Director Betsy Alles said she asked someone to ask Polster whether he intended to carry the weapons on the walk but did not ask explicitly that he put them away.
The first lady didn't seem to be concerned, Alles said.
"I was worried that maybe she would be concerned enough to not make the trip (because of Polster), but she didn't say a word about it," Alles said. "I'm not even sure they (security) told her."
Alles said Polster's presence seemed to have little effect on the success of the event.
"At first people were a little concerned and then very quickly found out that he was very gentlemanly and civil,' she said. "Some of the walkers started to ask him questions, and he answered very kindly. I don't think people were concerned after that. I think it posed a dilemma at first, but everything worked out fine."
Alles said she introduced herself to Polster but otherwise didn't interact with him much.
"The walk was lovely and (Walker) was impressed with the area," she said. "I was very happy with the turnout."
Polster told a Sheboygan Press reporter afterward that people are more interested in the small GoPro camera that he mounts on his head than about his weapons.
"I've never had anyone run away screaming," Polster said.
He posts videos online taken by the camera to record the reactions he gets and to make the point that most people are not afraid of him.
Polster started openly carrying his weapons after 20-year-old Pheng Lee was killed in the south side Walmart parking lot in 2012.
"I've never needed to use my firearms...but if someone comes in and robs a gas station when I'm in there and I don't have my firearm, they're not going to let me call a timeout to get my firearm," Polster said. "It's kind of useless if you don't have it with you."
He said he didn't talk to the first lady Friday, but shook hands with her and talked with her sons a bit.
He said his gun rights stance doesn't necessarily translate to support for one political party over another.
"I'm a Constitutionalist. I don't really support Republicans per se, but they are more in line with my ideals than Democrats," he said.
Reach Jane Roberts at 920-453-5167.
Read or Share this story: http://shebpr.es/1rFLI7rAfter an uneasy start to the season for Schalke and for Nabil Bentaleb, there were questions as to whether the German club would pick up the Algerian’s purchase option at the end of the season. The Tottenham loanee’s recent play has now clearly convinced them that he’s worth signing.
Bild are reporting that Schalke will pay the agreed fee of €19 million (around £17 million) to Spurs to sign Bentaleb permanently.
Here are the relevant quotes in German:
Das 3:0 gegen Mainz war auch die große Show von Doppel-Torschütze Nabil Bentaleb. Schon in Augsburg (1:1) traf der Algerier mit seinem linken Hammer, ist mit drei Saison-Treffern jetzt bester Königsblau-Knipser. Und die Fans dürfen sich noch auf viele weitere Tore ihres neuen Helden freuen. Der Mittelfeld-Motor ist bis Saisonende von Tottenham ausgeliehen. Schalke besitzt eine Kaufoption über 19 Mio Euro – und schon das Sagen über Bentalebs Zukunft. BILD erfuhr: Manager Christian Heidel (53) hat neben den Ablöse-Modalitäten auch einen Vier-Jahres-Vertrag mit dem Algerier ausgehandelt, der bereits unterschrieben ist. Bis zum Frühjahr kann Heidel die Option ziehen – und Bentaleb so lange an Königsblau binden.
Don’t speak German? That’s totally fine. Google translate, and friends who understand German, also point out that the article says a new 4-year-contract between Bentaleb and Schalke has already been agreed upon.
Schalke and Nabil endured a rough start that had them down in the Bundesliga’s relegation zone at the beginning of the season. But it appears they’ve turned things around, in large part thanks to the play of Bentaleb. The club from Gelsenkirchen have won 4 of their last 5 games in the league.
Their last match was an impressive 3-0 win over Mainz, in which Bentaleb scored twice. He’s already got three goals on the season, two more than his total number of career goals at Tottenham. Nabil is thriving playing further up the field and wearing the number 10 shirt.
Bentaleb is clearly a talented player, and some Spurs fans may have still been holding out hope that he would return to North London after his loan. However, an apparent clash with Mauricio Pochettino and recent comments about English fans have effectively shut that door.
But £17 million is a nice sum to receive for a player who isn’t in Poch’s plans. That money can be re-invested elsewhere, and Bentaleb can enjoy playing his football in Germany. Seems like a win-win situation to me.
We’ll always have memories of his goal against Newcastle and the exciting/unpredictable midfield pairing that he formed with Ryan Mason two seasons ago.Welcome to Tagxedo, word cloud with styles
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Start Now, or make a Tagxedo out of your blogs, tweets, or tags... (1) URL (2) Twitter ID (3) Del.icio.us ID (4) News (5) Search (6) RSS (Lookup) Shape: Classic Apple Dove Heart Star Orientation: Any H V H/V Font: Avril Lavigne ChunkFive CutOutsFLF Duality Euphorigenic FairfaxStation License Plate New Yorker Schneller Theme: Amazoness Arizona Sunrise Boys are Icky Cloud Over Castle Constantin Cool Planet Sunrise Dance with Me Just Peachy Lacuna Leah Duncan Lit Love Longleaf Pine 3 May I Join You Miaka My Pet Elephant Quiet Morning Shades of Gray Sun and Shadow Terryapodaca cherry blossom
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Feedbacks are more than welcome! You can also follow me at Twitter, Facebook, or my two blogs: All Things Tagxedo (for up-to-date news, tutorials, and fun ideas with Tagxedo), and Daily Tagxedo (current events and whimsical ideas visualized in beautiful Tagxedoes).According to a 1993 biography Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump‘s then-wife Ivana Trump told her friends that Donald was skilled at erecting skyscrapers, but not much else.
It’s a nugget that received little notice at the time, but was recently reported on by Politico when they brought together Trump’s biographers to discuss the man.
Want to know where Trump inherited his entrepreneurial bent? Gwenda Blair traces it to his grandfather, who ran a series of restaurants in the Klondike that featured some of the best food in town, as well as private areas where ‘sporting ladies’ could ‘entertain’ miners. Who was really doing the deals that made Trump famous? Wayne Barrett will tell you the only signature that really mattered on a contract belonged to Trump’s father, Fred. What broke up Trump’s first marriage? Harry Hurt III writes that Ivana ‘confided to female friends that Donald had difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection.’
The reason that tidbit received so little attention was because it was overshadowed by a even more serious charge in Hurt’s book. The former |
had a fantastic team -- young, new hams, and some amazing octogenarian hams. All contributed to the effort and the triumph. We had fantastic operating conditions." Black said the weather was great too, with balmy temperatures.
"We had a blast -- worked all night long -- bounced from band to band and mode to mode. We had no idea it was going to be as warm as it was," he said. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update
Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend Set for Early February
US and Canadian radio amateurs and experimenters will join forces in February for the first Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend. The event will get under way at 0000 UTC on February 6 (Friday, February 5, in US time zones) and runs through 2359 UTC on February 7.
"This event is being undertaken because of the new and quickly growing interest in present 630 meter activities, both in the US and Canada," said ARRL 600 Meter Experimental Group (WD2XSH) Experiment Coordinator Fritz Raab, W1FR. "Much of the interest is in response to the strong likelihood of US amateurs receiving access to the band in the near future, while Canadian hams are eager to learn more about the present level of Amateur Radio activity on their newest ham band." The activity weekend comes on the heels of a special event operation over the November 13-14 weekend that included participation by US and Canadian radio amateurs, and the Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS).
Raab said the two activity nights will offer interested amateurs in both countries an opportunity to experience the 630 meter band and, through crossband activity with Canadian amateurs, to take part in activity in the MF spectrum. "Our hope is to see this activity become an annual operating event, to be held every winter on the 630 meter band," Raab said. "For those who may be building for future 630 meter operation, this event will provide an opportunity to test your'receive' capabilities on MF."
Operation will be from 472 kHz to 479 kHz in various modes. Several Canadian stations will undertake two-way crossband work, all on CW. Submit reception reports via e-mail to the respective operators or via the ARRL 600 Meter Experiment website. Read more.
NASA Control Terminates Spacewalk by Two-Ham Astronaut Team
NASA prematurely terminated a January 15 extra-vehicular excursion (EVA) - or spacewalk - that Astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI, and Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, had been undertaking since early that morning. The two were replacing a voltage regulator near the solar arrays that had failed in November outside the International Space Station (ISS) when Kopra reported what NASA Control called "a small amount of water" inside his space helmet. NASA cut the spacewalk short at about 1700 UTC.
The incident recalled the 2013 problem suffered by Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP, when his helmet inexplicably began filling with water. The situation became urgent by the time Parmitano and fellow spacewalker Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, were ordered back into the ISS. NASA subsequently blamed the water buildup on unexplained cooling system issues.
The January 15 spacewalk was the first for Peake, and the third for Kopra. Peake, the first UK astronaut, and Kopra arrived at the ISS in December.
All Amateur Radio equipment on the ISS is routinely shut down during EVAs, effectively postponing planned commemorative slow-scan TV transmissions.
In Brief...
Time Running Out to Order ARRL 2015 November Sweepstakes Pins and Mugs: Orders for 2015 ARRL November Sweepstakes participation pins and mugs must be placed by month's end. Those submitting logs with more than 100 contacts qualify for a Sweepstakes Participation Pin. Anyone managing a "Clean Sweep" by working all 83 ARRL/RAC sections qualifies for a Clean Sweep coffee mug. All pin/mug orders need to be postmarked by January 31, 2016. To order a Sweepstakes pin or mug, send either a copy of your Sweepstakes summary sheet or a copy of the first page of your Cabrillo file along with your check payable to ARRL. Sweepstakes Participation Pins are $8; Clean Sweep Mugs are $15 this year, including shipping. Send orders to ARRL November Sweepstakes Pins/Mugs, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. These items are not stocked. The ARRL places its order once it's known how many have requested pins and mugs. Items will be shipped after all contest entries and all pin/mug orders have been processed and verified, which should happen by April.
Foundation for Amateur Radio Invites Scholarship Applications: The Foundation for Amateur Radio Inc (FAR) invites applications for the 2016-2017 academic year for the 46 scholarships it administers. Applicants must hold a valid Amateur Radio license and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college, or technical school. Applicants attending schools outside the US must provide a brochure describing the school. Students do not apply for specific scholarships; each application will be considered for all of the scholarships for which the applicant is qualified. In order to be considered for the Chichester and QCWA scholarships, applicants must obtain the appropriate recommendations. Applications must be submitted by April 15, although applicants may edit their applications until May 7. Data entered onto the application goes directly into an encrypted, password-protected PDF file that is available only to the review committee. No part of the application is stored online. Contact FAR for more information.
Central States VHF Society Issues Call for Conference Papers: The Central States VHF Society (CVHFS) is soliciting papers, presentations, and poster displays about any aspect of weak-signal VHF and above operating for the 50th annual CSVHFS Conference to be held in Rochester, Minnesota July 28-31. Authors do not need to attend the conference nor present their papers in order to have them published in the Proceedings. Posters will be displayed at the conference. The deadline for submissions is May 22. Further information is available at the CVHFS website.
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The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Over the past week we saw solar activity decline somewhat. The average daily sunspot number dipped from 55.7 during the January 7-13 reporting period to 46 during the current January 14-20 reporting period.
Over the same periods average daily solar flux declined from 106.5 to 100.7. Average daily planetary A index went from 11.1 to 9, and average daily mid-latitude A index drooped from 8.4 to 5.6.
Predicted solar flux is 95 on January 21; 100 on January 22-23; 105 on January 24-29; 100 on January 30; 105 on January 31; 110 on February 1-4; 105 on February 5-11; 100 on February 12-14; 95 on February 15-19, and 105 on February 20-25.
We saw one new sunspot on January 14, another on January 17, and two more on January 19 and 20.
Sunspot numbers for January 14 through 20 were 36, 38, 38, 48, 48, 55, and 59, with a mean of 46. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 103.2, 103.5, 99.9, 100.6, 99.9, 97.5, and 100.4, with a mean of 100.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 6, 4, 4, 5, 11, and 25, with a mean of 9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 6, 4, 3, 3, 4, 7, and 12, with a mean of 5.6.
Send me your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
January 23 -- WAB 1.8 MHz Phone
January 23-24 -- YL-ISSB QSO Party (CW/SSB)
January 23-24 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint
January 23-24 -- Montana QSO Party
January 24 -- QRP ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint
January 27 -- SKCC Sprint
January 27 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (CW)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update via your ARRL member profile e-mail preferences.
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Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter!A new Monster and four new Hunters are coming to Evolve, and players can acquire them through a season pass or individually.
According to 2K Game, each will be offered individually, or as part of Hunting Season 2. All five new characters will be made available “prior to the end of Take-Two Interactive, Inc.’s fiscal year on March 31, 2016.”
The first new character, Lennox who is part of the Assault class, will be available on June 23, 2015. Lennox is the first Hunter in Evolve to feature a melee attack.
Her ‘Thunderchild’ mechanized suit is equipped with a Plasma Lance that deals massive amounts of damage in close combat, while her Autocannon and Thunder Strike attack allow her to fight when outside of melee range.
Evolve Hunting Season 2 will be available for purchase on June 23, 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Those who purchase the new Monster and Hunters as part of Hunting Season 2 will also receive an additional exclusive skin with the launch of each of the five new included playable characters.The 10 least and most religious countries (Picture: PA Graphic)
The UK is among the least religious countries in the world, according to a new survey.
In a global ranking of 65 countries, the UK came six places from last with 30 per cent of the population calling themselves religious.
While 53 per cent of people said they were ‘not religious’, just 13 per cent said they were a ‘convinced atheist’ and the remainder ‘did not know’.
It compares to 94 per cent of people in Thailand who are religious and 93 per cent of people in Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia and Morocco.
At the bottom of the list was China where only 6 per cent of people say they are religious while 61 per cent say they are convinced atheists.
MORE: Family’s tribute to ‘daring’ boy, 7, who died after falling 160ft on ski holiday
It was followed by Japan, where just 13 per cent of people are religious, Sweden with 19 per cent, Czech Republic with 23 per cent, and the Netherlands and Hong Kong with 26 per cent.
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Jean-Marc Leger, president of Win/Gallup International Association, said globally an average of two-thirds of people still consider themselves religious.
‘Religion continues to dominate our everyday lives and we see that the total number of people who consider themselves to be religious is actually relatively high,’ he said.
‘Furthermore, with the trend of an increasingly religious youth globally, we can assume that the number of people who consider themselves religious will only continue to increase.’
Overall, those under 34 tend to be more religious than other age groups, as do those without a formal education but in general religious people are a majority in all educational levels.
The poll was carried out by market research company WIN/Gallup International, which questioned 63,898 people – around 1,000 in each country – at the end of last year.Screenshot via CBS
Before Trump was President-elect, he was just another reality TV star with pro-choice views on reproductive health. "I believe it is a personal decision that should be left to the women and their doctors," he told Associated Press in December 1999. Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press in the same year, Trump described himself as "very pro-choice... I just believe in choice."
Nearly two decades on, Trump's position on reproductive health has evolved to reflect the expediencies of seeking political office. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to punish women who get abortions and spouted garbage lies about late-term abortions in the second presidential debate. It's no surprise that when he was voted into office, women around the world responded viscerally, as if doubled over with E. coli poisoning.
In his first interview since winning the presidency, Trump outlined his views on abortion rights in a CBS 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl. Filmed in his New York City penthouse, seated on a gilt-edged chair under a Baroque-style ceiling mural featuring an enormous crystal chandelier, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to disenfranchising poor American women from their basic reproductive rights.
"I'm pro-life. The judges will be pro-life," Trump says, referring to his decision to appoint anti-abortion Supreme Court Justices to the bench. When questioned if he'll repeal Roe v. Wade, the president-elect blusters, "Having to do with abortion—if it ever were overturned, it would go back to the states. So it would go back to the states."
Stahl asks if that means that "some women won't be able to get an abortion," and Trump says that women may have to travel outside of their home state to access a termination. "No, it'll go back to the states," he responds. "They'll perhaps have to go, they'll have to go to another state."
When asked "if that's OK," he replies, "Well, we'll see what happens."
Read more: How a Trump Presidency Will Eviscerate Your Abortion Rights
Republican politicians have waged an all-out assault on reproductive health access for years, including TRAP laws requiring abortion clinics to undergo costly modifications or only hire physicians with admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The rhetoric underpinning such legislation is couched in false concern for women's health: In reality, it's about eroding women's fundamental bodily rights.
Reproductive health activists say that Trump's support for Trump's presidency signals the death knell for American abortion rights. If women are forced to travel from their state to access a termination, it will make abortion a privilege of the elite—not a basic right for all women.
Photo by Per Swantesson via Stocksy
"You learn, 'There but for the grace of God, a credit card or a friend able to loan you $500, go I,'" explains Mara Clarke of the Abortion Support Network. Clarke is a long-time abortion advocate who, as part of the National Network for Abortion Funds, provided accommodation for women travelling to New York City for abortions from states where the procedure is unavailable. She now works to provide support to women from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland who are also forced to travel for abortions.
Clarke knows the damaging effects of making women travel hundreds, even thousands of miles, to access abortions. "For women who have the money to travel for an abortion, abortion becomes inconvenient. For women without money, it's catastrophic," she explains. "Say you've got a woman who's already got children, like most women who seek abortions do. The doctor says, 'OK, an abortion is $500.' She works extra shifts, pawns her wedding ring.
"By the time she's got the money, it's too late—she's past the time limit in that state. Now she has to travel to another state, and maybe that state has a 72-hour waiting time. So she drives hundreds of miles there, has the appointment, drives hundred of miles back. Waits 72 hours, drives all the way back again. Who's going to be watching her kids while she's doing that?"
Many women may not know they're pregnant for weeks—even months—and scrambling to get the money together for a cross-state abortion with weeks to go until the term limit can be difficult. "There was a mother of three whose husband died in Iraq," Clarke says of one woman who traveled to New York for a termination, "and she had to turn to sex work in order to pay for her abortion."
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Clarke fears that Trump's abortion plans will create fertile terrain for unscrupulous operators to target vulnerable women. "You'll have what currently happens in Ireland, where websites promise to send you [the abortion pill] Misoprostol and steal your money and send you nothing, or Paracetamol."
Depending on your location, accessing abortion can become a Sisyphean task. "If you're a woman in El Paso, the distance to your nearest abortion clinic could be the size of a country like France," Clarke explains. "America's a really big place. The logistics become insane."
Ultimately, Trump's abortion policies—like all his other policies—will punish the poor, vulnerable, and disenfranchised. "The wealthy will always be able to plan their families and decide how many kids they want and when they want them. And poor women won't." The consequences can be devastating, and even fatal.
"It's incredibly demoralizing to be forced to continue a pregnancy you don't want. And women will do anything not to be in that situation."FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to people attending a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father, Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Friday told the U.N. Security Council that it intends to call a meeting on Monday to vote on a draft resolution establishing additional sanctions on North Korea for its missile and nuclear program, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said in a statement.
The United States wants the Security Council to impose an oil embargo on North Korea, ban its exports of textiles and the hiring of North Korean laborers abroad, and to subject leader Kim Jong Un to an asset freeze and travel ban, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear how North Korean ally China and Russia would vote, but a senior U.S. official on Friday night expressed skepticism that either nation would accept anything more stringent than a ban on imports of North Korean textiles.
Chinese officials have privately expressed fears that imposing an oil embargo could risk triggering massive instability in its neighbor.
A Security Council resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by permanent members Britain, the United States, France, Russia or China to pass.
Tension on the Korean peninsula has escalated as the North has stepped up the development of weapons, testing a string of missiles this year, including one flying over Japan, and conducting its sixth nuclear test on Sunday.
South Korea braced for a possible further missile test by North Korea when it marks its founding anniversary on Saturday.
Experts believe the isolated regime is close to its goal of developing a powerful nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States, something President Donald Trump has vowed to prevent.Some years ago, a British engineering firm Atkins proposed an extravagant design for a five-star hotel located deep within a 100-meter, abandoned and half flooded pit near the base of Tianmashan Mountain in the Songjiang District of Shanghai. Construction on the 19-story, 380-room Shimao Intercontinental Hotel finally is already underway. Initially the hotel was expected to be completed by May, 2009, but construction commenced only in March early this year.
The innovative design of the luxury resort hotel stands two levels higher than the rock face of the 100 meter deep quarry and includes underwater public areas and guestrooms. Instead of draining what water there is in the quarry, it will be flooded to become a sunken artificial lake. Two of the hotels floors housing guest rooms and a restaurant are to be situated underwater. An artificial waterfall will plunge down in front of the hotel's facade and into the quarry, at least, according to the concept images. Curved wings of the main body of the guestrooms enclose a naturally lit internal atrium, which uses the existing rock face with its waterfalls and green vegetation. There will also be sports facilities and a ten-meter deep aquarium. Among other things, the hotel will feature an extreme sports center for activities like rock climbing and bungee jumping will be cantilevered over the quarry.
Artist’s concept of the Songjiang Hotel
The entire hotel is to be covered in a green roof, while the building will use geothermal energy for it’s electrical supply and heating. The quarry will also provide a good source of heat control and shelter from the environment.
“We drew our inspiration from the quarry setting itself, adopting the image of a green hill cascading down the natural rock face as a series of terraced landscaped hanging gardens.” said Martin Jochman.
The Shanghai Shimao Property Group has so far invested US$555 million into the entire resort, and hotel rooms are expected to start at $320 per night. The hotel is scheduled to open in late 2014 to early 2015.
View of the pit where a five-star hotel will be built in Tianmashan, Songjiang, Shanghai, China, 13 March 2012.
Sources: Gizmag, ShanghaiistGetty Images
Linebacker Jon Bostic is headed back to the NFC North.
The Patriots have traded Bostic to the Lions in exchange for an undisclosed conditional draft pick. Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that it is a 2017 seventh-round pick, although there’s no word on the conditions that would convey that pick to New England.
Bostic started his career as a 2013 second-round pick of the Bears and was traded to the Patriots last September and had two tackles in 11 regular season appearances. He played 29 games and made 17 starts for the Bears in his first two seasons.
The Lions currently have DeAndre Levy, Tahir Whitehead, Josh Bynes, Kyle Van Noy, Brandon Copeland 2016 fifth-rounder Antwione Williams and Stephen Tulloch at linebacker, although it’s been expected for some time that they will be parting ways with Tulloch.In a CrossFit exclusive, Lucy Denver from Fit Missions and SportStylist speaks to the fittest woman on earth…
It’s a cold, blustery morning when I rock up at Blitz CrossFit, Twickenham, ready for two things: testing out the new Reebok Nano 7, and feeling the least fit I’ve felt for a very long time…
That’s not because I’ve suddenly become a couch potato (someone, please slap me if that ever starts to happen). It’s because today I get to hang out with some seriously elite CrossFit athletes, including the Fittest Woman on Earth: CrossFit Games Champion 2015 and 2016, Katrin Davidsdottir.
Katrin is quietly, determinedly inspiring. She is clearly one of the hardest-working women on the planet with a total focus on one goal: to win the CrossFit Games. That focus has paid off and her work with Ben Bergeron, “the best coach in the world” has brought her to the pinnacle of CrossFit, the sport of fitness.
As we tuck ourselves away in a quiet corner of Blitz CrossFit, I ask Katrin how she’s staying ahead of the competition ahead of the 2017 CrossFit Open, the first stage of qualifying for the Games.
[themify_quote]“We focus on every little thing,” Katrin tells me. “It’s so easy to think ‘oh, that might not matter’ but if you add up all the little things it adds up to 10 or 15% and that is a huge difference. We’re very focused on top-end strength and weightlifting, whilst keeping on top of my conditioning and technique. Working on positioning has helped strengthen my squat cleans.”[/themify_quote]
Most of us go to one gym and probably just have one coach or personal trainer. Katrin has made the move to Boston full time to work with coach Ben Bergeron. “Ben oversees all of my training, does my metcons [ed. note: metabolic conditioning] and everything to do with mindset. Then I have a weightlifting coach and a running coach.”
Running puts the fear of God in most CrossFitters…
[themify_quote]”I love running. I run on track and in workouts 2 -3 times a week. The fitness you gain from running really translates to the rest of your training.”[/themify_quote]
I’m keen to know what a typical day for a world class CrossFit athlete looks like, and it sounds like a pretty perfect day to me. “I like a slow start to the day so I get up around 6am or 7am and cook breakfast, which is 2 eggs and 2 egg whites, with some vegetables, then some oatmeal and a big glass of water. Then I’ll have coffee with cream in it and sit and read something I’m interested in like sports psychology.
“I get to the gym around 9am and I always do a big warm up, starting with meditative breathing and then 20 – 30 minutes warming up until I feel I’m ready to train. My first session will usually be some strength or some technique, and my second will be between 1 and 3 metcons.
“I’ll have a couple of hours for lunch, and I always have a protein shake with Ascent protein powder and coconut water. It tastes amazing, it’s like a post-workout treat!”
The volume of work that Katrin tackles every day is not insubstantial, but it’s also no secret that recovery is a big part of her game plan. “I can handle a lot of volume, but recovery is everything. If you don’t recover you can’t train hard the next day. The biggest thing is sleep: if I don’t sleep well then I can feel the biggest difference in my training. I try to be in bed by 10 – 10.30pm.”
A few Fit Missions athletes are working towards pull ups or muscle ups, so I ask Katrin for some advice: “Don’t try to go too fast,” she says. “A lot of people who want a muscle up, they just keep trying to do a muscle up but don’t have the strength or the foundational skills or technique. The best thing is to start working on kipping, strict pull ups and strict dips. A lot of people trying to do a muscle up can’t do a strict dip so when they get to that part, they can’t get there. While you’re working on that, go on the low gymnastics rings, watch loads of videos – I did that a lot – and slowly build up through the transitions towards a full muscle up. I’m not that great at muscle ups [ed. note – she’s pretty good!] but there are loads of gymnastics videos and breakdowns of the movements.”
*We can highly recommend Carl Paoli’s Free+Style book for pull up, muscle up and other movement progressions.*
We all need a bit of a squad when we’re training and I suspect Katrin might have one of the coolest training squads ever. It sounds like it’s her dream team as when I ask if she could train with anyone, anywhere in the world, she asked “can I have more than one person?”
“When I’m in Iceland I train with Annie Thorisdottir, she’s one of my best friends. When I’m in Boston my favourite is when I get together with Brooke Wells, Cole Sager and Mat Fraser.”
With the Open fast approaching, what events is Katrin looking forward to at the Games?
“Everything, for different reasons. Some of the events are in my wheelhouse so I want to see how hard I can push. The ones that aren’t then I’m just excited to prove something to myself. It’s an opportunity to get over some adversity.”
Katrin has such a strong mindset, something she has in common with other top-flight athletes in all sports. Is it something she was born with, or is it something you can learn?
“I think it’s a little of both,” Katrin says. “It’s something you have to truly believe in. I feel like it’s something that a lot of people say the right things and that they’re focusing on themselves, but I think when you truly live it and see how much the right mindset does, it’s mind-blowing. I was born very competitive and hard-working, but when I started working with my coach Ben he really showed me what hard work is. He’s taught me so much:
[themify_quote]to focus on what’s in my control and not to waste energy on what isn’t.”[/themify_quote]
The correlation between Katrin focusing solely on her training and her championship status isn’t lost on her. She’s also quick to recognise the similarities between hers and Mat Fraser’s change of approach. “We were both trying to eat healthily, both in school. Now both of us have completely dedicated ourselves to this. When you give yourself 100% to something, it’s like magic. It’s really cool.”
Lastly, for the non-CrossFitter: can Katrin describe CrossFit in three words? “It’s everything,” she says, laughing. “It can be long or short; it’s running, rowing; it’s gymnastics and it’s weightlifting. It’s whatever you want to put together!”
So there you have it: from the Fittest Woman on Earth, there are no shortcuts to achieving your goals. Stay focused, work on the details, and, if you can, grab a pair of Reebok Nano 7s, get down to your closest CrossFit box or functional training studio, and get stuck into some good, hard work.
[themify_col grid=”2-1 first”]
[/themify_col] [themify_col grid=”2-1″][/themify_col]“Yeah,” Hillary says sarcastically, “you’re a big help on Twitter. Trump is tweeting out video from 2004 where you’re trashing me as ‘the scary part about democracy’ for taking campaign donations from the banking industry and then voting for an anti-consumer bankruptcy bill that would have helped the credit card companies.”
Warren smiles primly, sipping her Pellegrino. “Speaking of credit, you have to give me some for this: In my last book, I left out the stuff I had in my previous one about you being an unprincipled sellout. By 2014, when that one came out, it looked like you were going to go the distance. My purity sometimes gives way to expediency.
“You know all the Democrats want me on the ticket to add some sizzle since the crowds you draw wouldn’t even fill this couch. I know you are afraid I will overshadow you and I will. But I can help you reel in all the young women who find you more shifty than nifty. And the Bernie Bros dig me.”
“Thanks, Pocahontas,” Hillary replies, looking steely. “I can do some things on my own. I did manage to secure a spot in the Ivy League without pretending to be Native American. I hope you noticed that I’ve decorated my house in all the colors of the wind.”
Warren bristles, Church Lady-style: “You have done a fine job here, except that one painting looks crooked, Hillary. I’m surprised you don’t have oil portraits of Goldman and Sachs. And let me give you some free advice: Now that Bernie and I have forced you to address income inequality, you might want to hide that $12,495 tweed Armani jacket you wore on the trail in the back of your closet.”
The senator from Massachusetts stands up. “Where’s the bathroom?” she asks. “Can I squeeze in there with the server?”
Hillary gives that big laugh that indicates she is not amused. “No need to go on the warpath,” she says in her best Cersei manner. “Let’s bury the hatchet — in The Donald.”The OSCE appealed to Russia on Jan. 27, 2015 to close its border with Ukraine to help reduce conflict in the embattled border region. Photo by CIA World FactBook
VIENNA, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has appealed to Russia to close its border with Ukraine in order to contain conflict in the border region.
"Russian leaders have spoken of their support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine," OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva noted Tuesday.
"In keeping with that pledge, I call on Russia to close the border to halt the flow of any weapons or fighters -- whether volunteers or not -- which may be entering eastern Ukraine. The advanced weaponry that is being employed by the illegal separatists in Ukraine is not appearing out of thin air," Kanerva said.
The appeal follows a "grave escalation" in violence in eastern Ukraine, the OSCE official said, referring to a deadly attack by pro-Russian rebels on civilian neighborhoods in Mariupol that left 30 dead and 95 wounded.
Following the assault on the strategic port city of Mariupol, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Russia to close its border with Ukraine and halt the flow of weapons and money to fighters. "Otherwise," he warned, "U.S. and international pressure on Russia and its proxies will only increase."
The deteriorating security situation has prompted international organizations, including the OSCE, NATO and the United Nations, to convene emergency meetings.
Ukraine's Parliament on Tuesday designated Russia "an aggressor state" and called on the international community to punish Russia for its "crimes against humanity."By TMZ Sports
Another huge blow to 50 Cent's boxing promotion company -- because the organization's biggest boxing star, Yuriorkis Gamboa, officially wants out... TMZ Sports has learned.
The former WBA and IBF featherweight champ says he's had issues with SMS Promotions for months... claiming the company was contractually obligated to deliver 3 fights per year ever since he came on board in 2012... but SMS has failed to live up to those terms.
In fact, Gamboa only fought once in 2013, twice in 2014... and has no fights in 2015.
It's all outlined in court docs filed by Gamboa in Connecticut and obtained by TMZ Sports...in which Gamboa says his team contacted SMS to negotiate the termination of his contract earlier this year, but he got no response.
Now, he wants a judge to force 50's company to answer the phone and let Gamboa know if they're gonna let him go... or try to deliver the fights.
It's a far cry from what Gamboa said back in May -- when he pledged to stick by 50 Cent after the company filed for bankruptcy.
There's more... another SMS fighter, Ryan Martin, has also filed docs claiming SMS failed him too... so he wants out.
We reached out to 50 Cent for comment -- so far, no word back.Priscilla Villarreal doesn’t work for the local news in Laredo—but for her 80,000 Facebook followers, that doesn’t matter. https://t.co/CA89Ini0XW pic.twitter.com/2CdWxQ6UU0 — Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) December 19, 2017
She calls herself Lagordiloca, the fat crazy lady. Some know her as the nightcrawler. When the sun goes down on Laredo, Tex., Priscilla Villarreal combs the streets in her blue Dodge Ram looking for crime scenes and live-streaming police activity from her cellphone. She usually doesn’t make it home until dawn.
Over the past couple of years, the 32-year-old has become one of the city’s most popular journalists. Her Facebook page boasts about 84,000 followers, and some of her videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Laredo’s flagship newspaper describes her as a “local internet sensation.”
But her raw, unfiltered social media dispatches and her guerrilla-style vlogging have led to tense confrontations with police that, according to Villarreal, have escalated since the summer.
Now, after quietly investigating her for months, local authorities are alleging some of Villarreal’s reporting was criminal.
On Dec. 13, Villarreal was arrested and charged with two counts of “misuse of official information,” a third-degree felony, in connection with her posts on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee who committed suicide by jumping from a city overpass earlier this year.
Authorities say Villarreal got the employee’s name from a Laredo police officer and published it on her Facebook page before the department released it to the public. They claim that’s a violation of state law, as the Laredo Morning Times reported.
Villarreal, who turned herself in voluntarily, denies any wrongdoing. She says the department is trying to silence her for criticizing officers and beating their public relations office to the punch. She is confident she will be cleared of the charges.
“All this is just a personal vendetta,” she told The Washington Post on Friday. “And I have all the proof I need to prove it.”
Department spokesman Joe Baeza didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment early Friday. In comments to the Morning Times this week, he said: “We have no personal vendetta or ax to grind with anybody.”
The name of a dead public employee is generally not classified or barred from disclosure under federal or state laws — in fact, most public records laws all but guarantee that such information can be legally disseminated by reporters. It’s also extraordinarily rare for prosecutors to go after journalists who publish information that is set to be made publicly available in short order. Even in cases where classified information is published by a news outlet, prosecutors tend to investigate the people who leaked it first.
Legal experts said Laredo police may have picked a First Amendment fight they can’t win. “It’s wrong. They have missed the boat,” Joseph Larsen, a media law specialist, told the Morning Times. Authorities seemed to have “massively overreacted and overstepped,” added Stuart Karle, an adjunct media law professor at Columbia Journalism School, in remarks to Texas Monthly.
Local media reported that Laredo Police officer Barbara Goodman, a 19-year veteran, was the officer who provided Villar |
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And if you have kids, this issue is even more serious. Children don’t learn empathy and emotional intelligence from screens. And Adam says kids now spend 20% less time playing face-to-face. Guess where that time went? Exactly.
No doubt, Steve Jobs changed the world with the iPad. But what most people don’t know is he wouldn’t let his children use one. As he told the New York Times in 2010, “We limit how much technology our kids use in the home.”
Alright, “scared straight” time is over. The question of the hour is, “What the heck is going on here and what can we do about it?” Adam has some great ideas, backed by research. Let’s get to it…
Are We Really Phone Junkies?
Phones aren’t drugs. So why do we get addicted? Because addiction is not about pleasure.
If it was, you would literally be addicted to chocolate. Think about it: thousands of people have surgery every day and are given very strong painkillers. But exceedingly few become addicted. Why?
Because addiction is about soothing psychological distress. It’s using something to cope with a problem in life. Here’s Adam:
You only develop an addiction when there is some psychological motive that hasn’t been fulfilled for you: loneliness, that you’ve been bullied, or you can’t make good things happen in your life. It doesn’t actually matter what you use to soothe that addiction, whether it’s playing a particular game that lulls you into a distracted state or whether it’s taking a drug. In terms of soothing those psychological ills, behavior and substance addictions are very, very similar.
We live in an age of anxiety. And phones can soothe that anxiety. But they can also add to that anxiety. Some researchers refer to smartphones as “adult pacifiers.” We get cranky, bored, or distressed and the pacifier soothes us.
(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my bestselling book here.)
Okay, so what do we do about it? (Becoming Amish doesn’t seem all that appealing. Hipster beards are bad enough.) Well, Adam has a few tips from psychology we can use to get a handle on things…
1) “Don’t” Say “Can’t”
When you make the commitment to change, tell yourself, “I don’t check my phone more than once an hour” as opposed to, “I can’t check my phone more than once an hour.” Here’s Adam:
“Don’t” is a declarative statement about what kind of a person you are. When you say you “don’t” do something you give yourself the power to have made the decision not to do that thing. When you say “can’t” it feels as though some external force is telling you you shouldn’t be doing this thing. The way human motivation works and the way human decision making works is that we do much better when it’s something that feels like it arises within us. We don’t like being told what we can and can’t do.
Sound trivial? It’s not. Adam cites a study of women trying to meet an exercise goal. The ones who told themselves, “I can’t miss a workout” were only successful 10% of the time. Those who said, “I don’t miss workouts” were 80% likely to follow through.
(To learn the 8 steps to beating bad habits for good, click here.)
Say it with me, “I don’t stop reading blog posts until the end. It’s not the kind of person I am.” Perfect. So what’s a dead simple way to stop checking your phone that you’re probably not doing?
2) Proximity Is Destiny
When you don’t absolutely have to have your phone by your side, put it somewhere you can’t easily reach it. Across the room is a good option. (France may be a better option but let’s keep it simple for now.) Here’s Adam:
You can basically design the environment that you’re in to maximize your own well-being. There are two main ways to do this: one of them is to ensure that temptation is far away. So if there’s something that you keep doing obsessively, make sure that it’s not in your environment and you’re less likely to do it. That’s a much more effective way of preventing yourself from using it than say keeping it nearby but trying to just suppress the desire to use it.
And when you need it nearby, turn off all non-essential notifications. Here’s Adam:
Turn off the “ding” sound when you get a text message so that instead of your phone saying, “Hey, check me now,” you decide when it’s time to check. You’re removing the control from the phone and you’re bringing it back to yourself. You can also take the apps that are most addictive for you, and bury them in a folder on the fourth page.
(To learn the 7-step morning ritual that will keep you happy all day, click here.)
But you’re gonna screw up. We all do. Once you lift your slave master, how can you make sure you don’t lose another hour of your life?
3) Use A “Stopping Rule”
Ever said you’re going to “just check your phone real quick” — and then an hour goes by? (No, you did not discover time travel.)
You check email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram… And by the time you’ve done all that, it’s time to check email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram again. You may call this your “happy place.” Researchers call it a “ludic loop.” It’s what slot machines are designed to produce. Here’s Adam:
The “ludic loop” is this idea that when you’re engaged in an addictive experience, like playing slot machines, you get into this lulled state of tranquility where you just keep doing the thing over and over again. It just becomes the comfortable state for you. You don’t stop until you’re shaken out of that state by something.
So something happens and you’re shaken out of your Kubla Khan dream state. That’s when you go, “It’s been an hour?!?!” So what you want to do is make sure you have that interruption planned ahead of time so you don’t go down the rabbit hole and spend 3 whole hours hanging with the rabbits.
That’s your “stopping rule.” Again, frame it with “I don’t.” Here’s Adam:
It’s a rule that says at this point it’s time for me to stop. It breaks the reverie and makes you think of something else; it gets you outside of the space you’ve been in. The best thing to do is to use a declarative statement like, “I don’t watch more than two episodes of a show in a row, that’s just not who I am.”
Your phone has email, texting, Facebook and Instagram. You know what else it has? A countdown timer. Maybe that should be the first step in your next ludic loop.
(To learn the schedule the most successful people follow every day, click here.)
So a “stopping rule” can prevent endless checking. But how do you break this habit for good? You don’t…
4) You Don’t Break Habits. You Replace Them.
Proximity is destiny, right? When you sit on the couch, make sure the phone is far away and a book is within reach. So now you’re not just gritting your teeth trying to not check your phone. You’re substituting a good habit for the bad one. When you want to check your phone, you grab a book instead. Here’s Adam:
What you want to do is you want to find a behavior that is a stand-in for the behavior that you don’t want to be doing. You replace the bad thing that you shouldn’t be doing with something good that you should be doing.
I know, you’re not always at home with a book. Doesn’t matter. Every time I’m done checking Instagram I delete it. I have to download it to check it again.
But the Kindle app is always front and center on my screen. So when I lift my phone without thinking, checking Instagram is a pain while reading books is easy. Guess who reads a lot more books? Now checking my phone becomes a good thing.
(To learn the 4 rituals neuroscience says will make you happy, click here.)
So maybe you incorporate a bunch of these tips and you’re feeling good. Awesome. But it’s easy to backslide. You probably know the times when you’re most likely to “relapse” and grab your phone. Here’s what you need to do…
5) Dr. Jekyll, Prepare For Mr. Hyde
You’ve seen some version of this movie: the main character knows he’s going to turn into a werewolf after nightfall so he barricades the door and chains himself in the basement. This way, when he transforms into the monster, it won’t be able to harm anyone. (Yes, you’re the hero and the monster in this story.)
By making smart decisions in anticipation of a problem, you make sure that future-you doesn’t do anything stupid like addictively checking your phone (or mauling some hitchhikers.) Here’s Adam:
It’s very, very hard to do the right thing today. What you want to do is to basically ensure that you push that person, that future self, to do the right thing.
Going over to a friend’s house for dinner and know you’re going to be tempted to rudely check your phone at the table? Leave your phone in your coat knowing future-you will be too lazy to go to the closet every five minutes.
(To learn how to build good habits that stick, click here.)
Alright, Adam has given us the tools we need to ditch our compulsion. Let’s round it all up — and learn why your phone addiction might be a very good thing in the long run…
Sum Up
Here’s how to stop checking your phone:
“Don’t” say “Can’t”: You can always check your phone. But decide to be the kind of person who doesn’t.
You always check your phone. But decide to be the kind of person who. Proximity is destiny: Put your phone across the room and laziness becomes a superpower.
Put your phone across the room and laziness becomes a superpower. Use a “stopping rule”: Leaving the house with your phone at 5% battery is extreme… but it’ll work.
Leaving the house with your phone at 5% battery is extreme… but it’ll work. You don’t break habits. You replace them: Good apps up front. Evil apps must be downloaded.
Good apps up front. Evil apps must be downloaded. Dr. Jekyll, prepare for Mr. Hyde: Give your phone to a friend before you drink so the werewolf can’t drunk-text exes.
Addictions start when there’s a problem in your life you’re struggling to cope with, right? So checking your phone way too much can be the canary in your coal mine.
When you have a full life, when you have good ways to soothe your worries like good relationships with people you love, you’re less likely to develop behavioral addictions. Here’s Adam:
Addiction is really about soothing a psychological ill and that’s true no matter what the addiction is. People who have a strong social support network, who have a very full life, tend not to develop addiction.
So the long term solution is not about the phone. It’s about getting closer to that special someone and spending more time with them. And letting that bond soothe the worries you’re running to your phone for.
So if you’re reading this on your phone, text or email that person. Let them know you care. Set a time to see them.
And then put the phone away.
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Post DetailsJim says that belonging as social creatures, we need to feel that we are a part of a group or groups. This is first addressed in our family. Later, we branch out into groups formed from peers and/or interests. He then addresses how all of those factors are important in our development.
I really like how Jim approaches the concept of self esteem. He gets to the bottom of it by breaking self esteem issues down in small parts and then he addresses each and every part thoroughly.
I started to read this book more or less on behalf of someone else to see how I could help this person along. What struck me when I was reading this book is that, as I was reading, I realised that I could use some help myself in the area of self esteem. It is obvious that Jim is an experienced counselor who has a good grasp on how to successfully resolve issues of low self esteem.
What grabbed me is his summation of what love is. ‘Love is more than an emotional reaction to another person. It is the summation of all the ways in which we act and react to one another.’ Amen to that. Really useful guide for anyone who struggles with self image issues.Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore, speaks at a campaign rally on Sept. 25 in Fairhope, Ala. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
President Trump’s rationale for continuing to support Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for the Senate in the Alabama, was simple when he offered it on Tuesday.
“We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat,” Trump said.
The contrast Trump drew, then, was this. Either Moore, accused of sexual assault by one woman who was 16 at the time and of attempted groping by a woman who was 14 when it happened, or Doug Jones, accused of being a Democrat.
Trump chose the former. He’s not alone: The RealClearPolitical average of polls shows that the race is about tied, after Moore enjoyed a healthy lead before the allegations emerged. This suggests that Trump’s choice is certainly a common one in the heavily Republican state.
It’s probably common elsewhere in the country, too.
Pew Research asked voters last year to evaluate a number of groups and people on a 0-to-100-degree scale. The warmer respondents felt about a person or group, the higher the temperature they were asked to give. Both Republicans and Democrats rated members of the military over 80 degrees, for example. Both gave very cold rankings to the opposing party’s presidential candidate.
Notice, though, how members of each party rated the other party, in total. Republicans don’t like atheists — but they like Democrats even less!
The American National Election Studies survey released after each election asks a similar question about the parties. Those data suggest that attitudes from members of one party toward the other began to tank about 15 years ago. In 1988, Republicans (and Republican-leaning independents) rated the Democratic Party at 45 degrees; Democrats (and leaners) rated the GOP at 46 degrees. Last year, those figures were 25 and 27, respectively.
Pew’s research has explored a number of ways in which this shift is manifested. More than half of partisans view members of the political opposition very unfavorably. What’s more, 4-in-10 members of each party last year identified members of the opposing party as a “threat to the nation’s well-being.”
In 2014, those feelings correlated to how partisan the respondent was. More liberal and more conservative voters — like many of those in Alabama — were more likely to view the other party as a threat to the nation.
We’ve raised this point before, dipping into the myriad other ways in which partisans have increasingly cast their opponents in starkly negative terms. The situation with Moore, though, makes this split starkly apparent.
Pew didn’t have the foresight to add “alleged sexual miscreant” to its thermometer rankings, but it’s not clear where on the Republican meter that temperature rating might have landed relative to the Democrat position.
When the question was asked, though, it would have been theoretical and Republicans would probably have rated such people very low. Now, it’s a reality, and Moore would be a key Republican vote in the Senate. Many Alabamians echo Trump’s additional rationale: Moore has denied the charges.
In October, 77 percent of Alabama Republicans viewed Moore favorably, to 17 percent who viewed him unfavorably, according to Fox News polling. After the allegations surfaced, those views slipped. Slightly. Now, 70 percent of registered Republicans view him favorably and 25 percent view him unfavorably.
Only 24 percent of registered Republicans view his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, favorably. About a third of registered Republicans said that Jones has a “strong moral character.” Six-in-10 Republicans said the same of Moore.
It brings to mind this other chart from Pew’s 2016 research.
Emily Guskin contributed to this report.Jamie Oliver is not a culinary savior for poor people.
Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
This week, Jamie Oliver is promoting a new television show called Jamie’s Money Saving Meals and a new cookbook called Save With Jamie in the U.K. You might think this would be a cakewalk for him: After all, the 38-year-old celebrity chef has published 17 previous cookbooks and hosted 25 previous TV shows and specials, many of which have focused on eating well on a budget. But something went terribly wrong during this week’s publicity blitz: Oliver suddenly began insulting the very people he was trying to market his new products to, and once he started saying condescending things he couldn’t stop.
First, in an interview with the Radio Times, Oliver derided the poor for watching TV and eating fast food instead of cooking healthy meals for themselves. “I’m not judgmental, but,” he began—a phrase which, like “I’m not a racist, but” or “I’m not homophobic, but” is a surefire indication that the clause to follow will prove the first clause false. This was certainly true in Oliver’s case; he went on to say:
I’ve spent a lot of time in poor communities, and I find it quite hard to talk about modern-day poverty. You might remember that scene in [Oliver’s previous TV series] Ministry of Food, with the mum and the kid eating chips and cheese out of Styrofoam containers, and behind them is a massive fucking TV. It just didn’t weigh up. …
I meet people who say, “You don’t understand what it’s like.” I just want to hug them and teleport them to the Sicilian street cleaner who has 25 mussels, 10 cherry tomatoes, and a packet of spaghetti for 60 pence, and knocks out the most amazing pasta. You go to Italy or Spain and they eat well on not much money. We’ve missed out on that in Britain, somehow.
Oliver seemed to be referring to an antiquated, romanticized notion of Italian dietary habits: A study of young Italians’ eating habits in next month’s edition of the academic journal Appetite notes “a decline … among the young ‘traditionals’ who stand out for their high consumptions of fruit, vegetables and fish,” and a couple of years ago NPR explained Italians’ abandonment of traditional fare by noting wryly that these days, “you have to be wealthier to eat like a poor Mediterranean peasant.” In any case, British commentators seized not on Oliver’s outdated view of Italian eating but on his implication that Britain’s poor are too stupid, lazy, or hedonistic to value healthy eating over entertainment.
Perhaps the best rebuttal to Oliver’s contemptuous generalization came from the Guardian’s Alex Andreou, who writes that he has lived “in affluent and destitute circumstances—and every shade between the two” and blasts Oliver’s poverty tourism. Andreou’s explanation of the psychology of poverty is illuminating:
What I had not understood before I found myself in true poverty, and what Oliver probably does not, is that it means living in a world of “no.” Ninety-nine per cent of what you need is answered “no.” Ninety-nine per cent of what your kids ask for is answered “no.” Ninety-nine per cent of life is answered “no.” Cinema? No. Night out? No. New shoes? No. Birthday? No. So, if the only indulgence that is viable, that is within budget, that will not mean you have to walk to work, is a Styrofoam container of cheesy chips, the answer is a thunderous “YES.”
Rather than admit that perhaps shooting a few reality shows in poor communities did not make him an expert on habitually living without enough money, Oliver piled on by insulting young Britons’ work ethic. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Oliver ridiculed young Brits for whining about a 48-hour workweek, called them “wet behind the ears,” and compared them unfavorably to migrant workers, saying “I think our European immigrant friends are much stronger, much tougher.” (So much for convincing young people to Save With Jamie.) Critics called Oliver’s generalizations “insulting,” “inaccurate,” and “disgusting,” and blasted him for endorsing exploitative working conditions for poor immigrants. And Oliver’s attempt at damage control—donating a copy of his new cookbook to every library in the country—has so far not stemmed the tide of indignation.
Oliver’s recent blunders are as baffling as they are instructive. The only possible explanation I can think of for Oliver’s recent faux pas is that he forgot which role he was supposed to be playing this week. Oliver has parlayed his early fame as the “Naked Chef” into a quest to be all things to all people: cookbook author, magazine publisher, TV star, prepared-foods magnate, supermarket spokesperson, social commentator. Stretched too thin, Oliver accidentally voiced the supercilious attitude he assumes all well-to-do people share with him, instead of pretending to sympathize with the poor, as he was supposed to do to promote his new book and series.
But his gaffes are evidence that Oliver is certainly not the right person to try to teach working-class people good eating habits, nor, I would argue, is anyone who doesn’t actually have any personal experience of poverty. Upper-middle-class foodies should certainly work toward changing the food system and improving access to healthy foods in impoverished neighborhoods. But swooping in with television cameras to save the day—as Oliver has—is not the way to do it. They ought to take a lesson from those who know what it’s like to live without much money—people like Andreou, The American Way of Eating author (and Slate contributor) Tracie McMillan, and urban farming pioneer Will Allen, the son of sharecroppers. All three write with the kind of detailed understanding and real sympathy so conspicuously lacking in Oliver’s comments.
One of the few British newspapers to come to Jamie Oliver’s defense this week was the Independent, whose columnist Grace Dent argued that Oliver is entitled to his arrogant opinions about poor people. Dent is right—Oliver is entitled to his opinions. But he’s not entitled to the position of culinary hero for a population he disdains.With the first nomination contest only two days away, the corporate media reaction to Bernie Sanders’ surprisingly strong campaign, while not reaching Jeremy Corbyn-level hysteria, has reached a noticeable panic—one marked by let’s-not-upset-the-base qualified criticism and exquisitely curated concern-trolling. The most cynical argument being advanced is that Sanders’ support for a single-payer health program is a pie-in-the-sky fantasy, in contrast to the pragmatic incrementalism promised by Hillary Clinton.
Seth Ackerman over at Jacobin wrote a good breakdown Monday of these attacks, detailing why the gatekeeper left media’s handwringing over Sanders’ single-payer proposal is disingenuous ideology-policing rather than an objective analysis based on the actual policy merits of the plan. The arguments being made by critics—specifically Ezra Klein and Matthew Yglesias at Vox, and by the Washington Post—basically boil down to two objections: Sanders’ single-payer proposal is not “realistic” and too “vague.”
As well as debunking these two central claims, Ackerman notes the political convenience of pundits suddenly bashing single-payer who used to note its advantages. It’s smart and well worth a read as a policy primer, but there’s something lingering behind the anti-single payer arguments that goes beyond mere “base management” and pro-establishment bias.
Almost all of the outlets Ackerman references as pushing back on single payer are owned by large media corporations with sizable investments in private healthcare and its current neoliberal iteration, the Affordable Care Act. They have not just a political and ideological incentive to maintain private healthcare, but a tremendous financial one as well.
Washington Post Editorial Board
Owner and healthcare stakeholder: Jeff Bezos
—
After Sanders outlined his single-payer plan, the Washington Post issued an editorial (1/19/16) that ran through a laundry list of establishment gripes, the most telling of which was the idea that taxing the wealthy was “dubious”:
Put aside Mr. Sanders’ lack of political realism, or his dubious choice to tap the rich for huge amounts of revenue and spend it all, with nothing left for deficit reduction or the underfunded Social Security program.
Here we have two key features of an establishment hit job: First, deeply ideological assumptions casually asserted as self-evidently true, in this case that taxing the rich is “dubious”—a position that dovetails nicely with Bezos’ pocketbook and ideological disposition alike. It’s never explained why this is; it’s simply thrown out there as such by Serious Media outlet the Washington Post.
Then there’s the evergreen criticism of leftists that their policies are not “realistic,” that attempts to move too far to the left will alienate centrists and thus make passing laws impossible (though single-payer is routinely favored by a majority of Americans).
This is a gaslighting exercise meant to get people to argue against policies they believe are best, while embracing a logic that is infinitely regressive. If Sanders’ single-payer proposal is too radical, then certainly there’s something to the right of Clinton’s health platform that would render hers too radical as well. And something that would make that too radical, and so on.
This is why politics grounded in principle—rather than the current political mood—is pragmatic. No one is delusional enough to think Sanders is going to pass single payer on day one, but holding it as a party principle harms no one but those literal-minded enough to think candidate’s’ campaign positions are a guarantee of deliverables rather than an outline of goals.
The “realism” argument was repeated in another Washington Post story the day before (1/18/16), this one a nominally neutral reporting effort by Amber Phillips:
Most of Bernie Sanders’s Big Ideas Are Dead-On-Arrival in Congress. Do Democrats Care?
Notice the ideological assumptions posing as objective analysis:
Their most recent spat underscores the central division between the two candidates: Sanders is the candidate of grand proposals and political revolution—a word he spoke repeatedly Sunday night—while Clinton is more focused on pragmatism and building on what President Obama has already done. In other words, Clinton is the candidate who is more realistic about what can be accomplished in today’s divided political landscape. Sanders is aiming for more progressive ideas that would be much tougher to pass and implement—if not downright impossible, such as single-payer healthcare.
No evidence is provided, nor is the actual substance of the two plans dissected. Establishment ideology-policing is based, above all, on a tautology: Sanders’ plan isn’t realistic because serious people say it’s not, and we’re serious people so shut up.
That a more corporate-friendly policy like ACA was met with steadfast resistance by the Republicans isn’t necessarily evidence that a more leftist one would get even more; it’s evidence many Republicans will reflexively oppose anything a Democrat (and in particular, Obama) lays out.
Investment in private healthcare:
Jeff Bezos’ skin in the health game is significant. The libertarian tech billionaire is a major backer of Juno Therapeutics; Quilance, a company that wants to take over the entire primary care space; and ZocDoc, which matches patients with doctors.
Vox’s Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein
Owner and healthcare stakeholder: Comcast
The most prominent and scathing criticisms of Sanders’ health proposal came in a one-two punch from Vox’s resident wonks, Ezra Klein (1/17/16) and Matthew Yglesias (1/18/16), anticipating many of the Post‘s arguments:
Bernie Sanders’ Single-Payer Plan Isn’t a Plan at All It’s Time to Start Taking Bernie Sanders Seriously
Ackerman highlights that Klein once championed single payer, as he did here in 2007:
So let us, in these pages, shut out the political world for a moment... and ask, simply: What should be done? To help answer that question, we will examine the best healthcare systems in the world: those of Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany and the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
The old Klein not only embraced single payer, but made a normative argument rather than simply reading political tea leaves and internalizing the predictable defeatism of reductive wonkery. So what changed?
Investment in the healthcare space
Vox—in concert with Comcast’s other media property, MSNBC—is an integral part of the Democratic Party messaging apparatus. The vast majority of Comcast C-level employees backed Obama in 2012, and their technocratic ethos fits nicely into the White House’s neoliberal approach to healthcare. Indeed, Comcast, in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, developed the unofficial way to manage the byzantine ACA healthcare “marketplace,” with its “Understand Health Insurance” portal. Predictably, Klein and Yglesias frequently turn to this very foundation to prop up their own pro-ACA stance, presenting them as neutral observers rather than entrenched partners. From Klein’s latest:
“They assumed $10 trillion in health care savings over 10 years,” says Larry Levitt, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “That’s tremendously aggressive cost containment, even after you take the administrative savings into account.”
Presumably “non-profit” partnerships are given a pass when it comes to disclosing conflicts of interest, but the Kaiser Family Foundation is itself invested in a number of healthcare-focused portfolios, including Berkshire Hathaway, which has a stake in healthcare tech companies like Sanofi and DaVita. Kaiser also received sizable contributions from health insurance companies like Blue Shield California. This relevant fact remains unmentioned, laundered through a web of corporate/nonprofit relationships and obscured by a fog of objective-sounding punditese.
Comcast Ventures, the investment partner of Comcast (and the original seed investor of Vox before Comcast would go on to validate its own investment), is also an investor in a number of healthcare technology companies, with a portfolio that includes BodyMedia and Accolade. The face of Comcast Ventures, Michael Yang, mentions healthcare as his primary focus in both his Twitter bio and his LinkedIn profile, listing healthcare startups Talix and Healthline as his most prominent achievements.
(It might also be noted that the Gates Foundation, the wealth management instrument of the US’s wealthiest billionaire, has invested in both the Kaiser Family Foundation and Vox’s primary investor Comcast and is on its own a major player in the private healthcare space. In addition, Bill Gates himself still owns $13.6 billion in Microsoft stock, a company also heavily invested in the healthcare sector. Gates also served as “guest editor” of Vox’s technology vertical The Verge in February 2015, and is frequently lobbed softballs by Vox to promote his latest humanitarian efforts.)
***
None of this is to suggest that these writers are involved in an elaborate conspiracy to destroy single payer—but those willing to toe the line against redistributionist overhauls of our economy are certainly more likely to be given jobs and money by large corporate interests in the first place. Single payer, were it to become a reality, would be a radical and disruptive event that would cost many powerful people a lot of money. The political and business incentive to snuff out this possibility, as well as Sanders’ nascent campaign, are self-evident.
The confluence of conflicts is not a conspiracy; it’s something much more pernicious: routine. It’s baked into the cake, built into the investment structure of our corporate media, which are simply one part of a large maze of interests.
Can anyone imagine Comcast– or Bezos-owned publications circling the wagons for single payer as aggressively as they did against it? Such a scene would be unimaginable—yet here we are, meant to believe all of these objective, policy-driven pundits arrived at basically the same pro-status quo conclusions, entirely independent of the overwhelming material factors at work.
Adam Johnson is an associate editor at AlterNet and writes frequently for FAIR.org. Follow him on Twitter at @adamjohnsonnyc.Climate engineering is a potential means to offset the climate warming caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Suggested methods broadly fall into two categories. Methods in the first category aim to remove carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere, whereas those in the second aim to alter Earth's radiation balance. The most prominent and best researched climate engineering approach in the second category is the injection of atmospheric aerosol particles or their precursor gases into the stratosphere (1), where these particles reflect solar radiation back to space. Climate engineering through cirrus cloud thinning, in contrast, mainly targets the long-wave radiation that is emitted from Earth.
Wispy, thin, and often hardly visible to the human eye, cirrus clouds do not reflect a lot of solar radiation back to space. Because they form at high altitudes and cold temperatures, cirrus clouds emit less long-wave radiation to space than does a cloud-free atmosphere. The climate impact of cirrus clouds is therefore similar to that of greenhouse gases. Their long-wave warming (greenhouse) effect prevails over their reflected solar radiation (cooling) effect, causing a net-positive radiative effect of 5 to 6 W m−2 in the present-day climate (2, 3).
How seeded cirrus clouds could cool the climate Cirrus clouds reflect some sunlight and absorb long-wave radiation; on balance, they warm the climate. Cirrus cloud thinning aims to change the radiative properties of cirrus clouds by reducing their lifetime and the altitude at which they form. GRAPHIC: G. GRULLÓN/SCIENCE
However, the long-wave radiative effect of cirrus clouds depends on their optical depth and on the altitude at which they form. Two cirrus clouds of the same optical thickness formed at different altitudes will have different radiative effects. The higher and therefore colder one will have a larger warming effect on climate because of the larger temperature difference to the mid-troposphere from where cloud-free radiation is emitted to space. In a warmer climate, cirrus clouds will form at higher altitudes, increasing their warming effect (4).
The effect of cirrus cloud thinning would be opposite in sign to that of contrails in present-day climate. Because of increases in air traffic, contrails and the associated increase in cirrus cloud cover caused a positive radiative forcing (climate warming) of 0.05 W m–2 between 1750 and 2011. This forcing is negligible in magnitude compared with the radiative forcing of 2.83 W m–2 from greenhouse gases (5) but is of the same sign. Cirrus cloud thinning tries to achieve the opposite by reducing the coverage and optical thickness of cirrus clouds.
Cirrus clouds frequently form through homogeneous nucleation of liquid aerosol particles such as sulfuric or nitric acid. Alternatively, they can form through heterogeneous nucleation with the help of solid aerosol particles such as desert dust, pollen, or other biological particles, which act as ice-nucleating particles (INPs). The cirrus cloud thinning concept is based on the assumption that most cirrus clouds in the present climate nucleate homogeneously. Homogeneously formed cirrus clouds occur in regions that are cold and/or have high relative humidities. If suitable INPs are injected into cirrus levels, cirrus clouds would form via nucleation on these INPs at lower relative humidity and higher temperature, preventing the formation of cirrus clouds through homogeneous freezing (6). Paradoxically, seeding cirrus clouds in this way decreases their radiative impact and their lifetime, therefore reducing the overall warming effect compared with that of “natural” cirrus clouds.
The cooling effect of seeded cirrus clouds has three contributions. First, the cirrus clouds form at lower relative humidities that occur at lower altitudes in the atmosphere (see the figure), where they have a smaller warming effect. Second, because the number concentration of INPs is much lower than that of solution droplets, heterogeneously formed cirrus clouds contain fewer ice crystals. These ice crystals can grow to larger sizes and sediment more readily from cirrus levels, reducing the lifetime and optical thickness of cirrus clouds and hence their warming potential. Third, sedimenting ice crystals remove water vapor, the most important natural greenhouse gas, from the upper troposphere.
If cirrus thinning works, it should be preferred over methods that target changes in solar radiation, such as stratospheric aerosol injections, because cirrus thinning would counteract greenhouse gas warming more directly. Solar radiation management methods cannot simultaneously restore temperature and precipitation at present-day levels but lead to a reduction in global mean precipitation because of the decreased solar radiation at the surface. This adverse effect on precipitation is minimized for cirrus seeding (7) because of the smaller change in solar radiation.
The maximum cirrus seeding potential would be achieved by removing all cirrus clouds. The resulting radiative forcing of 5 to 6 W m−2 (2, 3) would more than offset the radiative forcing of a CO 2 doubling. More realistically, the upper limit of cirrus seeding is given by the difference in radiation between a climate model simulation in which all cirrus clouds freeze homogeneously and one in which all cirrus clouds form through heterogeneous nucleation. This difference is on the order of 2 to 3 W m−2 (8, 9), which corresponds to 50 to 80% of a doubling of CO 2 (5). Yet, even this is an overestimate, given that already in the present-day climate, cirrus clouds form both through homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation (10).
One problem with cirrus seeding is overseeding, which occurs if too many INPs are injected. In overseeding, the cirrus clouds become optically thicker, leading to warming. Current models give different critical INP concentrations (INP*) at which overseeding starts (2, 11, 12). INP* depends on the fraction of cirrus clouds that nucleates heterogeneously in the present climate (11) as well as on the chemical composition (12) and the size of the injected INPs (13). In addition, seeding needs to be avoided in cloud-free regions with high relative humidities where no cirrus clouds form. Here, seeding with INPs could lead to cirrus clouds that cause a warming effect on the climate, same as that from contrails.
Unintended cirrus formation is especially |
right because it isn’t rooted deeply in the country’s history and traditions.Hillary Clinton is set to campaign with President Barack Obama in North Carolina, traveling with him aboard Air Force One just days after her meeting with the FBI about her private emails.
Donald Trump reacted on Twitter to the news:
Taxpayers are paying a fortune for the use of Air Force One on the campaign trail by President Obama and Crooked Hillary. A total disgrace! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2016
On Fox and Friends, Laura Ingraham pointed out that despite ISIS attacks around the world and a sluggish economy, President Obama's support remains crucial for Clinton.
"It's her best weapon in this campaign. She has no record to run on. She has no record of success to boast about," said Ingraham.
She argued that there is still a "great deal of affection" for Obama and he "remains one of the most powerful campaigners in American life."
Ingraham said she wishes Republicans had a person as effective as Obama as a speaker, explaining that Obama sees Clinton as the best "vehicle" for his policies to continue.
"The president wants to keep his whole globalist thing going. He wants to move this into a post-American world," said Ingraham.
"He's gonna try to sell her to the American people. The question is are the American people going to buy it," she said.
Watch the full interview above.The bosses at Network Ten must have partied a little too hard when all that extra ad revenue came in from the Big Bash League.
It's OK. I understand. If I had just kicked three kinds of hell out of the arrogant tools at Nine, after years getting corn-holed by them, I'd totally drink my own body weight in vodka shambles and dive nude into a mountain of top-shelf cocaine. But that's me. I'm sure the execs at Ten just shared a quick round of shandies which, after decades of running last and making do with less and less, went straight to their thick heads.
Mulder and Scully are back, but you'll have to wait if you want to see them on Ten.
How else to explain holding back the rebooted X-Files for a week after it airs in the US? Perhaps they own a piece of BitTorrent?
Nothing can be more certain than the vast data streams of stolen alien goodness that will pour onto local screens when fans can't get legit access to the show when they want it. The only question will be whether more people steal it than stole Game of Thrones last year.The Jamaican bobsled team has been the story of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics – not exactly for what they’ve done on the track, but for nostalgic purpose thanks to the popular 1990’s film Cool Runnings which was loosely based on the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team.
Outside of the movie, it’s just awesome to see a group from Jamaica putting forth such an effort in a Winter sport that’s not exactly the most popular attraction on the island.
As you likely know, the Jamaican team didn’t have the funds to make the trip to Russia but through crowd-funding (and eventually a donation from the Jamaican Olympic Committee) the team made their way to Sochi – despite losing their luggage in the process.
Thankfully it was found and we’re all able to witness their historic participation – and their awesome watermelon helmets.
Yes, the Jamaican bobsled team is wearing watermelon helmets for the Sochi Games: @PhilHecken pic.twitter.com/jHPrW3WDch — Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) February 16, 2014
Watermelon helmet maybe a little racist. pic.twitter.com/e2gRkmytdz — Patrick Fuller (@Pfuller12) February 16, 2014
We’ve seen a lot of impressive helmet artwork during these games, especially when it comes to the skeleton riders. But these might be among the best we’ve come across.Ubuntu 12.10 has arrived, and Windows 8 is just around the corner. Jack Wallen says there's no contest between the two.
History is a grand teacher. And in recent years, Ubuntu Linux has had to deal with a few hiccups in its history. To be specific, when Ubuntu Unity arrived, Ubuntu Linux usage dropped dramatically. When Windows 8 arrives, people are going to have similar issues with the drastic (and not terribly intelligent) changes made to the user interface.
But it's not just Windows 8's shortcomings that make Ubuntu 12.10 the better option. Ubuntu has made some serious progress in the realm of efficiency and user friendliness. With yesterday's release of 12.10, the improvements continue. Let's examine some of the reasons why Ubuntu 12.10 will blow away Windows 8.
1: Amazon search
This is something new to every desktop platform. With Ubuntu Unity's Dash, when you run a search, the search results will include items that can be purchased from Amazon.com. This feature takes online shopping (be it personal or for business) to a new level. Hopefully, at some point, the API for this feature will spread out and users and businesses will be able to include their favorite shopping sites. With all other platforms, you have to go through the steps of opening up your browser, launching the site, searching for the product, and clicking the desired product.
2: Dash previews
When you do search in the Dash, Unity will give you an interactive preview of the results. If the results are audio files, you can right-click the file to get a preview window. You can either show that file in its folder or play the file. If the file is a document, the preview will allow you to open the containing folder, open the file, or email the file.
3: Interface based on efficiency
From the ground up, Canonical and the Ubuntu Unity developers focused on creating an interface that would make day-to-day work as efficient as possible. I can attest, after using Unity since it first launched, that 12.10 is the most efficient desktop interface I have ever used. Those accustomed to switching back and forth between the mouse and the keyboard will happily make user of the Launcher. Users who want a more efficient means of interfacing with their machine will zoom along with the Dash — fingers rarely leaving the keyboard for the mouse.
4: Remote login
This feature is simply amazing. At the Ubuntu login prompt, there are three options: User Login, Guest Session, and Remote Login. The Remote Login allows you to set up remote connections (through UbuntuOne), which you can then log onto from the login screen. No more having to log onto a session and then use a VNC or RDP tool to connect. Now you can gain fast access to those remote machines. You will not find such efficient means of gaining a remote desktop in Windows 8.
5: Integrated Web services
Ubuntu 12.10 has Web services directly integrated into both the Launcher and the Dash, making it one of the most well connected interfaces on the planet. The simplest example of this is the ability to have the arrival of Gmail announced in the notification area. But the Google integration doesn't end there. Once you've authenticated that online account with Unity, you can search your Google Apps account from within the Dash and open files with a simple click.
6: Ease of app installation
This ties into the Dash, as do many other features in 12.10. Open the Dash, click on the Application Lens, search for an application, and right-click the listing to immediately install. There's not even a need to open the Ubuntu Software Center to install applications. If you left-click on the search result, the Software Center will open. It's wise to retain this option so that when applications have settings (such as plug-ins that can be installed alongside the application), the user can take advantage of them. Windows 8's app store includes only Windows 8 (Metro) apps, and it's not nearly as efficient as the Unity take on installation.
7: Gradual change in UI
Ubuntu 12.10 benefits from a user interface that has been in the wild for more than a year. During that year, Unity has been prodded and polished by users and developers alike. Unity has matured faster than any desktop I can remember. Unlike Unity users, Windows users are going to be tossed into the arena with little-to-no-introduction. Yes, the same thing happened with Unity. But in the case of Ubuntu, users were able to continue using either Classic GNOME or GNOME Shell while they learned Unity.
8: Same interface from server to tablet
One of Mark Shuttleworth's goals has been to have an identical interface on all Ubuntu-powered devices. Now that the Linux kernel has tackled the ARM issue, Ubuntu will be able to find its way onto tablet devices. With users (and support) being able to enjoy the same interface on tablets, desktops, and servers, life will become much easier across the board.
9: Performance boost
A number of improvements combine to give Ubuntu 12.10 a significant performance increase. The merging of the Unity 2D and 3D, kernel improvements, OpenGL performance boosts, and the inclusion of the new X.org X Windows stack all make for a lightning fast Unity desktop. From Ubuntu 12.04 to 12.10, I have noticed a significant increase in both performance and reliability — and that was an upgrade install!
10: Share Links file sharing
Ubuntu already had a built-in cloud storage system — UbuntuOne. I've been using that system for quite some time now and have found it to be much richer than, say, Dropbox. But Canonical wasn't happy with just the inclusion of cloud storage in Ubuntu. To take this to a new level, it decided to allow users to share files with others via Share Links. This feature lets you copy links to files within your UbuntuOne cloud storage and share those files with other users. Yet another tool in Ubuntu arsenal called "efficiency."
Watershed release?
The user friendliness keeps piling on with Ubuntu 12.10. I fully believe this will be the release that opens the eyes of the public at large to Ubuntu. Once users see how much more friendly and usable Ubuntu is over Windows 8, they'll be flocking to the open source desktop.
Do you agree that Ubuntu 12.10 has it all over Windows 8? What other factors do you think make one platform better than the other?Decisions are coming soon for Alain Vigneault when the Rangers coach makes his lineup for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Canadiens, starting Wednesday night in Montreal.
And at least initially, it seems that experience is going to play a big factor.
“There’s no doubt that that’s a big part of trusting your team,” Vigneault said Monday at the Westchester practice facility. “Guys that have been through the battles, guys that understand about the importance of staying in the moment and not focusing on the outcome.
“But at the end of the day, probably experience when you weigh in at first. You look at that and these guys have proven they have done it in the past. But once a series starts, you have some game-to-game decisions.”
That type of explanation might lead to the idea that rugged winger Tanner Glass is going to start on the fourth line while 21-year-old Russian rookie Pavel Buchnevich will be a healthy scratch. Glass would also create a more cohesive fourth line, a defensively responsible unit with Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast.
But that also doesn’t guarantee it’s going to stay that way.
“In the playoffs, you’re going with your people that are playing their best at that time,” Vigneault said. “That could be from a rookie to an older player.”
The Rangers also have nine defensemen on the roster, seven of them considered regulars. If Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Brady Skjei are set on the left side, then Vigneault has to make a decision on the right between Dan Girardi, Nick Holden, Kevin Klein and Brendan Smith.
“You never have enough defensemen,” Vigneault said. “Obviously a couple good decisions here to make moving forward, and I will make them in the best interest of the team.”
It doesn’t seem like Girardi is a real option to be left out, as the veteran played the regular-season finale on Sunday alongside longtime partner McDonagh, who had missed the previous four games due to a minor, undisclosed injury.
“I figured [McDonagh] would want to play one before the start of the playoffs,” Girardi said. “I thought we had a pretty decent game, got to feeling good back together. We’ll see how we do on Wednesday.”
Girardi also had a custom alteration to his skates, having cut a hole out to expand the area for the inside of his swollen right ankle. He said the new skates have alleviated most of the pain, and missing most of the month of February due to the deep gash there from blocking a shot might have been “a blessing in disguise.”
“We’ll see how it turns out,” he said. “But as of right now, I feel really good.”
The Rangers announced the signing of their sixth-round pick (171st overall) from the 2016 draft, forward Gabriel Fountaine. The 19-year-old had 23 goals and 52 points in 56 games in the QMJHL this season.Corporate leaders often proclaim that their employees are their most valuable asset. For many people, though, this is an empty platitude. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which has been polling at least 1,000 American adults daily since January 2008, shows that people have felt worse about their jobs this year than any previous year. Why the disconnect? In talking to employees, and analyzing nearly 12,000 daily work diaries we collected, we have identified at least one cause: Managers don’t know how to show people that they are valued. In fact, they often unwittingly do the opposite.
The work diaries revealed what we call the progress principle: Of everything that can get people deeply, satisfyingly engaged in their work, the single most important is simply making progress on meaningful work. Since publishing our findings two months ago in The Progress Principle, we have received a number of questions about its practical implications. One of the most important — and troubling — questions has to do with compensation. If progress is more important than incentives or other motivators, does that mean that managers needn’t worry much about compensating people well for their work — as long as progress supports are in place? In its most cynical guise, the question asks if the progress principle gives organizations a rationale to lower salaries and cut benefits. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
As we see it, there are at least three reasons why people should be compensated fairly, even generously, for the work they do.
First, it is simply the right thing to do.
Second, it is in the best interests of organizations to compensate people well. There are two sides to the progress principle. Yes, progress on meaningful work leads people to feel great. But feeling great leads people to make more progress. We call this the inner work life effect. Inner work life is the continuous flow of emotions, perceptions, and motivations that each individual experiences when reacting to events at work. We found that, when people have positive inner work lives — when they are happy, feel intrinsically motivated by the work itself, and have positive perceptions of their work and the organization — they perform better. They are more creative, productive, committed to the work, and collegial. When inner work life is poor, performance suffers. Other researchers have found that, when employees in an organization have more negative perceptions of their organization at one point in time, the bottom line of the company is likely to be weaker in the future.
Inadequate compensation deflates inner work life. In fact, a recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that 49% of workers said that insufficient pay was increasing their stress level at work. To the extent that people are distracted by their personal economic situations, they are not spending their mental energies coming up with creative solutions for problems in the work.
Third — and this is something most managers fail to realize — compensation is more than just a paycheck. It is a signal to the individual about his or her value to the organization. The interior monologue goes something like this: “If I am compensated generously, that signifies to me that I am valued, and so is the work that I do. If I am being undercompensated, then I question my value to the organization and begin to see my work as unimportant. Why should I go the extra mile for them when they do not value me?”
Here’s a vivid example from the diary of a high-performing software engineer, the day she discovered that her spun-off unit was going to be reacquired by the parent company:
Today we have been told that we (HotelData) are now a wholly owned subsidiary of Dreamsuite Hotels. I was hired by Dreamsuite 28 years ago. But, a year and a half ago, after over 26 years of service, Dreamsuite forced me to sign a resignation slip. If I did not sign, I would be fired; if I did sign, I had a job at HotelData, but the benefits they promised me 28 years ago were all taken away. All I had was a job … a rotten thing after 26 years of service. I now have spent a year and a half serving, as a customer, this company that threw me away.
When people feel undervalued, like this, they leave at the first opportunity that comes their way. And who are the most likely people to receive such opportunities? The ones with the most marketable skills and talents — a company’s best people — and the ones that companies can least afford to lose. Like many of her coworkers, this engineer had left for greener pastures within the year. The signals from her company had become too loud to ignore.
What do you think? To your mind, does compensation serve as a signal of value, and what are the implications?Story highlights World has had 14 straight months of record-breaking hot temperatures: NOAA
El Nino not alone to blame, NASA says, as weather pattern weakens
(CNN) The first six months of 2016 were the hottest ever recorded, NASA announced on Tuesday, while Arctic sea ice now covers 40% less of the Earth than it did just 30 years ago.
Temperatures were on average 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.4 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than average between January and June this year, compared to the late nineteenth century.
In total, the planet has now had 14 consecutive months of the hottest temperatures seen since records began in 1880, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
Australia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Spain were some examples of places where temperatures soared more than a degree above average, as New Zealand had its hottest January to June period since records began.
Shrinking sea ice
Read MoreNBC’s The Voice opened Season 8 with 13.6 million total viewers and a 4.0 demo rating, ticking up in audience while off just a tenth from its fall premiere, and up 5 and 22 percent from that cycle’s finale.
Compared to its year-ago spring opener, though, The Voice slipped 15 percent, and hit a series low for a premiere.
Leading out of that, The Night Shift’s Season 2 premiere drew 5.5 mil and a 1.5, down in audience yet improving in the demo versus its Season 1 finale (6.1 mil/1.1), which aired in July following America’s Got Talent.
Elsewhere….
ABC | The Bachelor (8.9 mil/2.6) was flat; Castle (7.7 mil/1.7) dipped 9 percent in audience but ticked up a tenth in the demo.
FOX | Gotham (6.5 mil/2.2) rose a tenth, while Sleepy Hollow’s Season 2 finale (4.4 mil/1.4) was steady.
CBS | 2 Broke Girls (8.5 mil/2.1) and NCIS: LA (9.6 mil/1.6) each dipped a tenth; Mike & Molly (8.8 mil/2.0) and Scorpion (10.5 mil/2.1) both slipped two tenths.
Want scoop on any of the above shows? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.Citizens! Check here for coverage of Episode 39 of Around the ‘Verse.
Around the ‘Verse
Images and GIFs
Transcript by Erris
Empire Report
– Mars Unstable? Could martian terraforming be coming undone?
– Black Mountain tea – millions of cups drunk a day, but could it be making you sick?
– the five most annoying things about visiting Stanton 3
1:00
Around the ‘Verse
– 1.1.1 will be available this week hopefully. Hit the PTU Tuesday, hopefully will be out today or tomorrow.
– Big update, GLadiator is flyable, Gladiator and SH and possibly Cutlass will have second ship functionality
– CR is in London, directing SQ42 performance capture shoots.
News from Around the ‘Verse
2:25
Santa Monica
Darian Vorlick and Lisa Ohanian
– Interesting tidbit being desiged by Randy Vasquez – a sandbox gym map, where he can test how AI interacts. An open playground, it’s a test environment. Players will never see it, but it’s really helpful for the devs.
– Ship update: Working on the concept for the Genesis Starliner. Art outsourcers working on it, it’s a cool, big, cruise ship.
– Players need to be able to ride around on it, and there will be escort missions where you have to protect the ship, things like that.
– Working on 1.1.1 – first patch allowing multiplayer crew ships. Second player can jump into turrets for SH, Cutlass, or Gladiator. Almost ready, trying to hammer out a few more bugs, but it should be ready this week.
4:25
Illfonic
Travis Day and David Lengeliers
– Finished prototyping SATAball – a futuristic sport using the Astro Arena level.
– They’ll be working on getting SATAball hooked up in code.
– With Astro Arena, the more realistic animations for 0g are coming into play. More realistic look animations – whole body moves as you look around in 0g (really good video of this in action)
– 0g previs is finishing up. Previs shows what all the movements should look like, and the animators have iterated on that. Looks very good now.
– Reworking all the VFX for all weapons, grenades, gadgets, etc… Trying to match up all the effects between ships and handhelds, so they’re all using the same technology. If lasers on ships are using certain effects, pistols using the same type of tech will have the same effects. Looking really good, ties in the companies and weapons and tech.
6:55
Austin
Jake Ross and Nathan Blazon
– Tony started work on the Pioneer occupation this week. Exploration, charting uncharted territories, etc…
– working on new animations for ‘grabby hands’, which is being developed in LA. Players can go and pick things up with some amount of fidelity.
– Shopping in the Social Module: Spending time figuring out how the experience shopping differs from shop to shop. Gun store is probably more hands on, see the actual weapons, where some ship shops are probably more holograms.
– For Cubby Blast, they want a shooting range in the back, so you can test-fire weapons in the back. That’ll be in in some form in the Social module when it releases.
9:30
CIG UK
Luke Presley and Danny Reynolds
– Working on Tutorial for AC. Wanted to make something that’ll cater to new players, but still have some excitement for older players. Lots of narrative
– Player is enrolled in a military excercise, which is run by a veteran instructor.
– Take off and landing, basic flight, interacting with ship systems, engaging in dogfighting.
– First time they’ve released anything complex and story driven, lots they’ve learnt will be carried over into SQ42.
– New Asteroid hangar with full interior and exterior. As soon as the Tutorial is done, they’ll be trying to put a new asteroid hangar into Free Flight, that can be flown into and out of.
– They’re looking forward to releasing the tutorial, and can’t wait to hear peoples thoughts.
11:35
Watching peoples’ 30 second AC clips
Jenny Varner – Austin Artist Round Table
– Patrick Thomas, Vanessa Landeros, Josh Coons, Lee Amarakoon.
Austin is predominantly the PU office, do you want to discuss anything you’re working on?
Levels are looking incredible. We’re reaching a point in video games where the quality is reaching what you see in cinematics. Everything’s becoming so detailed. Also, the whitebox stage is very exciting. Some stunning sets are being created by Behaviour.
Also exciting about the levels is populating them with hundreds of animations. Getting an actor to randomly act out a barfing scene is fun apparently. Makes the PU feel more alive, the animations they’re getting to do.
Hoping for different attitudes that come with the AI for dancers in the game too. Shy dancer, drugged out dancer, they’re hoping to add crazy personalities to the game to make it feel more alive.
Josh Coons is more on the Ships team.
Lee Amarakoon – particles and effects, trying to keep it from blowing up peoples video cards is fun. Holograms are fun, screens are fun. Advertisements for the PU are fun as well. When he tries to make screens, he tries to fit in little easter eggs. Space effects and nebulas and asteroids are fun.
Thanks to the fans who made it out to SXSW. The fans are super cool, getting to feel the effect of your work is great.
Another 30 second AC flight video
Disco Lando is now Community Manager with a focus on editing
Ben has no joke. Sandi is now upside-down.
18:15
New Interview Segment
Will Weisbaum – Writer interviewing Cherie Heiberg – Archivist
Lots of exciting things going on. Four studios now, Santa Monica, Austin, Manchester, and Frankfurt, and they’re expanding very rapidly.
Right now, info is shared with an internal wiki page. With all these people using them, it’s become an unwieldy beat. Cherie has come in to start organizing the wiki.
What did you think when you first came in and saw all the information there was?
I thought, wow. I could see that everyone was trying to use the space for its intended purpose, but there were no guidelines in place. it kind of grew organically. Someone would come in and say they wanted information about ground-based missile launchers in Art, and then someone would say well, no, I think that should be under design, and the ultimate results was there would be 8 different pages about missiles launchers spread all over with outdated information, or new information,
Not that we have ground-based missile launchers. That wasn’t confirmation or anything.
Just an example.
Because confluence is one of those things people have to use every day, there were some strong opinions, lots of people thinking how things should be organized. How was it when you came in and started talking to people?
Mostly everyone was really excited that someone was coming in to help. People were really happy to speak to me, and we had an initial meeting with a bunch of people from different offices, I eventually had individual meetings with people such as Forrest and Dan, who both had very strong opinions.
Were they conflicting opinions?
At first they were a little conflicting, but I think I figured a way to make them both work with each other. We’re going to have a ‘manuals’ section, so everyone can figure out how to use tools, and that was something I talked about with Forrest, and then with Dan we talked about moving everything from departmental, so instead of having different pages across departments, you have it be asset based, so that, like, if you have a page for one certain spaceship, all the information’s in one place
Amazing
Amazing
So, even at this level, Chris came in and voiced his opinions, because Chris is involved in everything and he’s amazing.
He did.
What was his take on how all this data should be organized?
He thought that an asset-based organization was a good idea, and he also wanted me to pay attention to where artists and engineers and everyone could have ‘work in progress’ places, where everybody could have documents in one place that weren’t’ approved yet, like brainstorming places.
So being able to quickly see on a page where in the development process it is
Yeah, that’s extremely vital, because before there were no markers to say, hey, this has been approved, or it was kind of just a blank
Yeah, we have kind of two timelines, BCR and ACR as kind of employing important designation points of when things are in the approval process, of things being stamped in the process of when Chris has seen, cause really, you can read all you want, if it’s just someone tossing out an idea, then whatever.
So, how did you end up being the perfect person to do this job? what’s your background?
I have a masters degree in Library Science from the University of California, and my specialisation was in Digitalization
Yeah, I read a little bit of your masters thesis, and it was kind of on video games, right?
That’s right. My masters thesis was on preserving video games, because there’s just…almost no-one who’s paying attention to this important thing, which is to preserve the history of video games. I mean, we’ve lost a lot of information at this point, because no-one…it’s like the early history of television, or the early history of film. No-one cared about it, and they’d just throw film canisters off the Santa Monica pier, and now we have something like over 50% of films are lost, and the same thing is happening to video games. We don’t know the exact date of when Super Mario Brothers was released in the states. And one might think that we might know this about such a successful game,
Yeah that’s crazy, and I didn’t know that, and I’m sure a lot of our backers can appreciate this, being a lot of old-school gamers, going way back. That’s pretty awesome. Hopefully part of your efforts will be preserving our history, as star citizen
Absolutely
One of the kind of problems, that I’ve discussed with you before, is we have hundreds and hundreds of informational pages on the confluence, and you’re starting to introduce this new organizational system. How do you go about making those while everyone’ still rapidly adding new stuff? It sounds like a monumental task.
It is, I’m going to have to build up the new space for sharing outside of the original space. Once the skeleton of that is done, i’m going to have to pick a weekend where very few people are working, and then migrate everything over. Which is probably going to take a very long time, but I think everyone’ll be happy with the new system.
I think it’s kind of an under appreciated aspect of video game development. When you have so many people working on one project, file organization and hierarchy is crucial to make sure everyone’s vision is in line with each other.
Yeah, it’s very easy to lose information in any digital environment. Think of the way you have files on your computer. You wrote something a few years ago, you called it doc1 because you weren’t thinking about what to name it. That’s probably gone forever.
This became a problem i became impassioned about, because trying to write these lore stories, and making sure they were accurate, and having to go through the website and sometimes even fan pages which were sometimes more accurate, it was hard to make sure I was being as accurate as possible to our universe. It’s going to be great to have a definitive source for information. And moving forward, we’re transitioning from taking this information on confluence and putting it on the public facing galactapedia.
Yes
So you’ve also been involved in that?
I have. I’ve been creating structures for each page, so that we’d have all the right information available, like climate and history and demographics. Anything that you’d have that would be important about a town or an economy, like where you can buy certain ship lines, like the Mustang, which is only available on rytef (sp?)
Is it exciting to be designing your own encyclopedia basically?
Yes, I love it!
So what do you bring into it that you think other encyclopedias have done right or wrong? What’s going to make the galactapedia awesome?
It’s going to be much more in-depth than normal ones you get in other games, like the Codex in ME, while entertaining, it didn’t have much information about the planets you went to, but the galactapedia’s going to have like, encyclopedia Britannica levels of depth.
It scares me to hear you say that, cause I’m going to be involved in writing this stuff.
All the information that a Citizen could want.
The exciting part of this is it’s going to be a living resource for when the PU starts going live, and these discoveries are going to be made by backers themselves, and adding the little add-ons citing people
Yeah, it’s going to grow, it’s not going to be a static thing.
Do you feel yourself becoming an expert on SC now that you’re reading all these pages?
I’m on my way
What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned about SC so far in your deep-dive?
I don’t know, I don’t know what’s…
You can say it. If we can’t use it, we won’t use it.
I was interested in the Tevarin, about how they were
This is why we need a pronunciation guide.
See, I want to do that, and then say the words. I want to be the pronunciation voice.
So what got you excited about them?
I was interested in their story. They were this race of warriors who were trying to explore the galaxy on their own terms, and then the humans come along, and they’re like, hey guys we just want to hang out and expand, and the Tevarin were like no, and then they ended up losing their homeworld, to us. Their final stand in the Battle of Centauri, with the warlord dropping the shields on his ship, and they just kind of entered the atmosphere as slowly disintegrating comets, and that kind of touched my heart.
Well, I know you and I’ve had discussions already on sort of, Terra vs. Earth
Terra!
Cherie is a hard-line Terran.
Absolutely
Well, it’s really exciting to have you on board. And hopefully in the upc oming months we’ll have more to share on the galactapedia.
Well, once again, I’m Will Weisbaum, and this is Cherie Heiberg, see you around the ‘Verse.
30:25
Bugsmashers
– Life decided to give me lemons. I can’t make lemons with this.
– Todays bug – Bug in the Gladiator – the ship will interact with the player and kill him when you try to fly around.
– Player has its own physics and ship has its own physics. They’re not supposed to interfere with each other, but they are.
– Fixed by saying, if the player is going to change its physics, it has to add itself to the ignore list for the vehicle.
35:19
Ben says lemonade is overrated.
– Events
– Tickets for gamescom are going up tomorrow, with more information as well. Changing the plan for future events, so there’ll be more of the team there. Sandi, Ben, James, Chelsea, Alexis, Manchester and Frankfurt guys, lots more than just Chris gigving a presentation.
– Design post covering FPS breathing and stances tomorrow – if you guys didn’t know how to breathe before, tomorrow is your lucky day.
– Sale on some of the 2 seater military ships – SH and Gladiator will be available starting tomorrow. Both flyable, and in free-flight you can land them and let a second player get in the turret. No menus in yet, but you can do it in freeflight.
– Tomorrow – meet the Frankfurt team.
36:55
Sneak Peek
– Cool looking robot thing with arms and stuff.· Half of 900,000 to be seen will be cured, says DoH · Patients told to carry on with Prozac despite report
The government yesterday released details of its £170m plan to train 3,600 more psychological therapists in the wake of a study showing that antidepressant drugs such as Prozac are no more effective than a placebo.
About 900,000 more people will be treated for depression and anxiety under the plan, according to the Department of Health, which predicts that 450,000 of them will be completely cured. The department also believes that 25,000 fewer people will claim sick pay and benefits because of mental health problems.
"The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme has already captured the imagination of primary care trusts up and down the country and is transforming the lives of thousands of people with depression and anxiety disorders in the areas that have been involved so far," said Alan Johnson, the health secretary.
A study published in the open access journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine on Tuesday revealed that Prozac, Seroxat and other antidepressants of the same class had performed no better than dummy pills in the earliest trials in the 1980s. No such analysis has been done before because of the reluctance of the pharmaceutical companies to hand over the full trial results.
Professor Irving Kirsch from the department of psychology at Hull University and colleagues in the US and Canada obtained complete data for all the trials submitted to the licensing authority in the United States under freedom of information rules. When all the data was amalgamated - some of it is unpublished - it became clear that most of the effect of the drugs was a placebo effect.
Mental health groups say doctors have had no choice but to prescribe drugs because of the shortage of therapists, even though the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) recommends that talking therapies should be tried before drugs are prescribed. "Nine out of 10 GPs say they've been forced to dish out drugs because they don't have proper access to 'talking treatments' such as cognitive behavioural therapy," said Alison Cobb, policy officer at Mind.
In 2006, more than 31m prescriptions for antidepressants were written in the UK, the charity says, of which 16.2m were for SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which include Prozac and Seroxat. " |
second half of the film, in which almost no human word is spoken. It shows us Keng setting off alone into the jungle to track down a sat pralaat which has apparently been killing the villagers’ cattle. In this half, the soundtrack moves into the foreground, and what we hear, most of the time, are the sounds of the jungle and the sounds that Keng makes as he moves deeper and deeper inside it. Much of this half takes place at night. As Keng tracks the puzzling foot or paw-prints before him, human and animal, it seems to dawn on him that they belong to one creature, and this creature is a seua saming or were-tiger, but also perhaps Tong. Eventually, he is attacked by a “beast” in whom viewers will recognise the strange naked figure in the opening scene. It is Tong, and completely human in shape, except that he has tigerish stripes self-painted on his face, and he growls and snarls without saying a human word. In the hand-to-hand fight that ensues, Tong is the winner. He drags Keng’s stunned body to the edge of a steep hill, and shoves it down. No attempt is made to kill (let alone eat) Keng, who is not seriously hurt at all, and the last we see of Tong is the silhouette of him standing at the top of the hill as if to reassure himself that Keng is really all right. In the remaining part of the film, the viewer follows Keng as he resumes his search, experiencing various ‘magical’ events (a dead, half-eaten cow getting up in perfect condition and disappearing into the jungle, a wise monkey giving him advice, and so on). The film ends with Keng on his knees in the mud looking up at a motionless tiger crouched on the high branch of a tree in front of him. We hear his inner voice saying: “Strange beast, take them, my soul, my blood, my flesh, my memory... In every drop of my blood there is our song, a song of happiness... there it is... do you hear it?”
What to make of this second part? When I showed the film to some highly-educated, bourgeois Filipino gays in Manila, they quickly decided that it was “another type of the now very popular genre of Asian Horror Film,” pioneered in Japan, and spreading to Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines etc. This is not the reaction of the young up-country people interviewed by "Alongkot." Two of the boys have had personal experience of the jungle, and say it is like that: sayong [scary] and tyn-ten [tense, exciting], sometimes even "hair-raising." They have never seen a seua saming, but are sure that “they existed in the old days.” The only thing that puzzles them is the very last scene, which they felt was cut short, unfinished.
An even more interesting reaction was that of my bosom friend Ben Abel, an Indonesian Dayak who was raised by his animist grandfather on the fringes of what was then, 40 years ago, the immense, largely untouched jungle of Borneo. When I asked whether he found the second half “difficult,” he said “Not at all. I understand it perfectly.” He had often gone hunting in the jungle, also at night, with his grandfather, his friends, and even alone, and could immediately identify all the animal and bird sounds on the film’s soundtrack. “The jungle is where you really have to listen all the time, and keep as quiet as possible yourself. Yes, it can be frightening, but it is like a strange and wonderful world all of its own. You keep wanting to go back. You know you are testing yourself, and learning about yourself too.”
When I asked him about were-tigers, he confirmed what Professor Nidhi Iowsriwongse told me from his childhood days.8 “The true seua saming are always human males. Only men have the spiritual power to change their shapes as they wish. They can appear as tigers, but inside the tiger is a human intelligence and soul. Usually they change shape to escape some danger, mostly from other human beings. There is another kind of seua saming which is female, but it is a spirit, not a human being. It can appear as a tiger or as a beautiful woman, but it is always a malevolent spirit.” A very short scene in the second half of Sat Pralaat — which at first seems inexplicable — shows one of Keng’s experienced older military comrades on night-guard at the fringe of the jungle. Suddenly a beautiful woman appears and asks him to go with her to help her sick mother. But the soldier refuses to leave his post and tells her to go home at once, as the jungle at night is too dangerous for women. As she turns away, the man notices a long tiger-tail protruding from under her skirt. She is there, one could say, to show exactly what Tong is not: she is a malevolent spirit, but Tong is human.
In any event, Ben Abel went on, more or less in the following vein: “You know, if you grow up in or near the jungle as I did, the distance city people feel between human beings and the animal world is hardly there. You begin to understand the meaning of the different sounds the birds and beasts make hunting, mating, escaping, warning, and so on. Also, people can pass from one world to the other — an uncle who died recently can be recognised in an owl hooting at night. When they sleep, people’s spirits leave the body, and bring back messages, sometimes in dreams.” He added that he thought that in the second half of the film, Keng is looking for something, answers to what he doesn’t understand about himself, Tong, and many other things. “What is so wonderful about the ending is that Keng’s love is so deep that he is willing to give up ‘his soul, his body, even his memory,’ in other words a certain idea of human beings as gods, apart from the rest of the natural world. His spirit is in the process of finding Tong’s.” His final comment to me was: “This is the most wonderful movie I have seen. I can’t believe that anyone making a film today could get inside the world in which I grew up, and present it with such perfection. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
In the summer of 2005 I was invited to a scholarly convention in Fortaleza, a remote town on the north coast of Brazil, just in front of the vast, empty, wild interior prairie called the Sertão, which is the source of many Brazilian legends and also films. In the municipal museum, I found something remarkable, an exhibition of tiny hand-sewn booklets of about 20 pages, with rough etchings on the covers. These booklets are sold mainly at bus stops, and to very poor people. They are written in poetry, often beautiful, and usually without a named author. The subjects are typically famous rebellions, massacres, and miracles in the past. But the collection included a section devoted to deeply felt romances between unhappy girls and their goats, and between cowboys and their horses and donkeys. When I asked my educated friends about them, their answer was rather Bangkokian. “Well, you know, on the ranches out there deep in the Sertão, there are no women, so the men either have sex with other men or with their animals. What can you expect?” I replied that this seemed difficult to believe. “What about the poor girl who flees her cruel master in the company of her beloved goat? What about the wife who cuts the throat of her husband’s horse out of jealousy? So far as I can tell, the cowboy and his horse are in love, but they don’t have sex.” “Hmmmm! Hmmmm! I see what you mean.” But what did I mean?
If, as it seems to me likely, Apichatpong was trying to make a film, not “about” the world of the chao baan of Siam, but rather “from inside” that world, from inside its culture and its consciousness of itself, then one can easily see why Alongkot’s four young interviewees found the film both clear and gripping. At the same time, one can see why many of the city people of today’s air-conditioned Bangkok find it “difficult” and “mysterious.” They are accustomed to films about themselves and their social superiors, with chao baan included only for local colour or comical side-effects. They do not find it at all odd that the poor Isan 9 lad who plays the main role in Mom Chao Chatrichalerm Yukol’s otherwise excellent film Thongpoon Kokpo Ratsadorn Tem Kan [The Citizen, 1977] should be played by a fair-skinned utterly Bangkokian pretty-boy. They enjoy Tony Jaa’s stunning martial arts skill in Ong-Bak (2003, directed by Prachya Pinkaew), only adding, as I heard some well-dressed girls say to each other as they came out of the multiplex of the Central Mall in Taling Chan: “What a pity, the hero isn’t handsome.”10 They like, up to a point, films using Thai legends, but to be agreeable, these films have to be versions of well-known “legends” and the viewers have to be able to take a certain anthropological distance from them. A good example is the very popular recent version of Nang Naak [Snake Girl] (1999, directed by Nonzee Nimibutr). It recreates an originally eerie folk-tale, which everyone knows at least in rough outline, in the Bangkok TV bourgeois manner.11 The folk-tale is about a young woman who dies in childbirth while her husband is off at war, and returns as a vengeful widow ghost; the film, however, has the woman so deeply in love with her husband that she returns as a spirit who magically reappears to him as if she were still alive. When the villagers try to get the entranced husband to see the truth, she retaliates violently. So: “It’s a love story!” The Snake Girl is not a Strange Beast at all, but a nice woman who can’t bear to leave her husband even after death. Here we can detect Apichatpong’s cunning. Sat Pralaat is in some respects legendary in character, yet it is not based on any legend with which people are generally familiar. But he makes sure that the film cannot be Bangkokised and banalised by strategically introducing the theme of chai rak chai [men love men].12 Just imagine if Nang Naak were turned into Num Naak [Snake Boy]!
But I suspect there is even more to the resolution of the puzzle with which this essay is concerned. This is the difficult problem of “Thainess” [khwampenthai]. Some years ago, the famous novelist, poet, and critic Sujit Wongthes’ pioneering and iconoclastic book Jek Bon Lao [Jek Mixed with Lao] caused a stir by its argument that ‘Thainess’ was not something truly ancient, but the relatively recent product of the osmosis between longstanding “Jek” and “Lao” cultures.13
As I have heard it, Sujit was quite surprised by some of the grateful letters he received from readers. They were touched and stirred by his positive invocation of khwampenjek ["jek-ness"]. (This emotional response reminds one of the reaction of gay men and women to the first serious novels with attractive gay and/or lesbian leading characters. “Finally, we are represented respectfully and honestly.”) In the 1990s many books followed in the spirit of “coming out of the jek closet.” There really was a lot to be proud of in the history and culture of Chinese immigrants to Thailand and their descendants. What is less clear is whether these books were carefully read by many who were not in this closet. We have yet to see “jekness” celebrated in the textbooks of Thailand’s primary and secondary schools.
In the 19th century, Bangkok was still overwhelmingly a Chinese city, and even on the eve of World War II, a majority of the capital city’s working class consisted of poor Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants — before the human tsunami down from Isan got under way. Today, Bangkok’s successful middle classes are heavily luk jin (children of Chinese, Sino-Thai, a polite substitute for jek).14
In many countries the successful urban bourgeoisie is culturally removed from the countryside, yet not ethnically so; but in Siam, this removal is twofold, because of the ethnic origins of the bourgeoisie outside the country.
One might think about it this way: the luk jin middle classes are, as elsewhere in the world, energetic, ambitious and social climbing. Hence they are inclined to assimilate upwards (at least to a certain point) to the culture of the upper classes and the state. London’s House of Lords today is full of successful middle class people who adore getting titles as Baroness This or Baron That. Bangkok has plenty of female luk jin who would love to become Khunying.15 It follows — always only up to a point — that such people are attracted to Thailand’s “official nationalism” 16 — especially as performed in TV “historical” dramas and ritual celebrations, and through the “River of Kings” advertising machine.17 They can find themselves reflected in talk shows and television soap operas, but only in their roles as “Thai bourgeois,” not luk jin. This can’t be wholly satisfactory. They are not at all comfortable with popular films like Tom Yam Kung [the name of a popular spicy Thai soup] (2006, directed by Prachya Pinkaew; a follow-up to Ong-Bak), which, like The Citizen before it, features cruel and greedy villains who are patently "jek."
Apichatpong’s film is, I think, especially “difficult” for today’s luk jin middle classes, not only because they are invisible within it, but also because it presents a form of “Thai culture” with ancient roots that is “below them” as well as alien to their experience. To be able to dismiss it as “meant for Westerners” is to show one’s own patriotic Thai credentials against the implicit threat that the film provides. Self-deception is necessarily involved, since the biggest addicts of Western consumerist culture are precisely the Bangkok bourgeois. This suggestion might bring us back to Thammasat which is sometimes, half-jokingly, half-proudly, self-described as the Biggest Teochiu University in the world.18 If my argument in this article is even partly correct, it might help to explain the surprising student-faculty ignorance of, and indifference to, Sat Pralaat’s amazing achievement.
Readers will have noticed that at several places above I have emphasised the word “today’s.” I do so because I suspect that the high alienation of middle class Bangkok from “up-country culture” is something relatively new. During the opening credits to Sat Pralaat, Apichatpong mentions his debt to, and affection for, the popular “jungle novels,” collectively called Long Phrai, written in creative imitation of, inter alias, Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, by “Noi Inthanon" during the early 1950s — before the massive elimination of most of Thailand’s ancient forests by legal and illegal loggers.19 In these novels, set in the present, were-tigers are often featured as real, if "strange," beasts, though the hunter-hero Khun Sak is quite rationalist and scientific in his outlook. Noi’s readers were mostly young, perhaps also mostly male, townspeople of varied ethnic and class origins, who listened to the radio rather than watching TV, went to noisy, crowded cinemas rather than losing themselves in cyberspace, lived contentedly without air-conditioning like everyone else, and were not locked into a mediocre “globalised” consumer culture.20 This older kind of urban society (middle class and lower class) still exists, up to a point, in places like Samut Sakhon and Ratburi, but it has largely vanished from the City of Angels.
It remains only to consider the Bangkok “talking heads” who claim to like Sat Pralaat very much, but who can make neither head nor tail of it. I mentioned earlier the importance these “talking heads” attach to the high-prestige awards that the film has reaped. As they are inclined to see the matter, these awards mean that “our country” is producing films at the sakon [international, global] level; hence their approval of the film means that they too are sakon. The difficulty is that this word has different and sometimes antagonistic connotations. Some times it means that nowadays Westerners appreciate some Thai films. But which? The unsettling examples are, for instance, Satri Lek (Iron Ladies, 2000, directed by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon), Beautiful Boxer (2003, directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham), Ong-Bak, and a cluster of horror films, since their success overseas seems to mean that foreigners think of “our country” as mainly populated by kickboxers, effeminates, transsexuals, and evil spirits. Sometimes it means that foreigners have helped in the making and distribution of “good Thai films.” A case in point is the role of Hollywood’s Francis Ford Coppola in the final editing, as well as the promotion, of his friend Mom Chao Chatrichalerm Yukol’s huge, nationalist “heritage” film Suriyothai (The Legend of Suriyothai, 2003 version). Alas, the film was a flop overseas, and even in “our country” it made a lower net profit than the populist, nationalist, and gory Baang Rajan (Baang Rajan: The Legend of the Village Warriors, 2000, directed by Thanit Jitnukul), which focused not on royalty but on patriotic chao baan.
Sat Pralaat might seem a good way out of the difficulties, since it is admired by foreign talking heads, film critics, and well-educated aficionados of “world cinema” — “our kind of people,” one could say. Unfortunately, of course, they are not really “our kind of people,” because they are situated differently. Sophisticated filmgoers in New York and Tokyo, Paris and Berlin, London and Toronto, are accustomed by a long intellectual tradition not to expect to “understand” a film in any fixed, unambiguous way. Hence a culture of what is technically called “multiple readings.” They can watch Robert Bresson’s astonishing, austere Pickpocket (1959) as a film about the alienation of modern urban life, or a Catholic meditation on original sin, or a study of repressed homosexuality, or an allegory of French politics in the 1940s, or... without excluding the alternatives. Typically, the intellectual investment is in the aesthetics of the film, an investment that French intellectuals share with their Japanese and Canadian comrades.
This kind of investment is much more difficult for Thai intellectuals, who naturally want a Thai sakon film to be both “world-class/global” and also Thai. This means that the investment is primarily nationalist, which by definition is not sakon. Since the deeper concern is political, there is bound to be some hostility, open or concealed, towards the opening up of anything “truly Thai” to the fluid operations of “multiple readings.” Foreigners, like Cannes juror Quentin Tarantino, can admire Sat Pralaat’s ambiguities and highly sophisticated narrative technique, and yet still happily say, “It is wonderful, and I don’t understand it.” But this position is not easily available for some Bangkok intellectuals, who find it difficult to say both, “It is a great Thai film” and, “I don’t really understand it.” After all they ought to understand it in a straightforward, unambiguous way, just because they are “good Thai.” Apichatpong has made their position all the more difficult in that, at least in Siam itself, he has insisted in his interviews that his film is completely Thai and rooted in Thai traditions, including Thai popular film traditions.21 The "talking heads" in Bangkok, even if they are not completely committed to River of Kings official nationalism, still find it hard to see why a very expensive product of that nationalism, such as Suriyothai, is, at the sakon level, something of no interest. It is merely boring “provincial cinema” — for anthropological specialists only. It says nothing to anyone who is not Thai. Needless to say, these people do not relish the idea that official patriotism at home is provinciality on the world stage.
Why should this be so? One plausible line of argument is that there is some failure to distinguish between the tourist industry and world cinema. The Thai industry has been spectacularly successful in getting short-term holiday-makers to rush-enjoy the Grand Palace, the spectacular Phra Kaew temple, the ancient ruins of Sukhotai, Phanom Rung and Ayutthaya, the beach resorts of Patthaya, Phuket, and Samui Island, as well as Thai food, Thai friendliness, and the polymorphous Thai sex industry. But this enjoyment is superficial, as befits holiday-makers, who, while they are in Siam, form a captive market. On the other hand, this local enjoyment by backpackers, retired people, holidaying Japanese businessmen, etc., has nothing whatever to do with the satisfactions of global cinephilia. This discrepancy can make some educated Bangkokian find it difficult to understand why the droves of tourists who are happy to buy tickets — in Bangkok — to the see the Grand Palace have no wish at all to see Suriyothai in Berlin or Rotterdam, where viewers do not regard themselves as tourists.
Probably this is why Bangkok “talking heads,” in their double position as spokespeople for "Thainess" and members of sakon culture, tend to find themselves trapped. Since sakon culture admires Apichatpong, they wish to admire him too. But they cannot take any pleasure in the idea that they “do not understand him.” The way out of the dilemma is to insist that Sat Pralaat is “difficult” and “mysterious.” We can thus see why it is highly “abstract” and/or “surreal,” and therefore completely unsuitable for circulation in the rural and small-town interior of the country
One can hardly doubt that Apichatpong enjoys all this. This is why his title is so perfectly multivalent. Who, in today’s Siam, are the “strange beasts?” Awkward question, no doubt about it.
Postscript: Receptions Elsewhere
Events in Siam since the coup d’état of September 2006 have made it plain that discussing the reception of Sat Pralaat among different strata and regions of Thai society is no longer sufficient, if indeed it ever was. Early in 2007 Apichatpong’s latest big film, Saeng Sattawat [Light of a/the Century, but given the English title Syndromes and a Century], which had been shown very successfully at various sakon film festivals, came up for review by the state board of censors (a mix of police, bureaucrats, and intellectuals-of-a-sort), which insisted that it could only be released in Siam if four brief scenes were eliminated. In two of these scenes Buddhist monks are depicted in ways that the censor-viewers could not tolerate — in the first one sees a young monk strumming on a guitar, while in the second two monks of different ages are pictured in a public park playing with a battery-charged toy UFO. The other two scenes take place in a hospital.22 First one sees a tired, middle-aged lady doctor at the end of a gruelling day pulling a bottle of liquor from its hiding-place in a prosthetic leg and sharing a drink with a couple of younger colleagues. Later one sees a young doctor passionately kissing his girlfriend, while the camera drifts briefly down to the man’s middle, where one hand is clutching an erection concealed inside his trousers.
The censors are film-viewers of a special type. They are not interested in either quality or commercial success. While they usually share the Bangkok middle class’s disdain for “up-country people,” they also, as an arm of the state, share the bureaucracy’s traditional paternalism. Thus they feel entitled to decide what is good for the “infantile” masses of the people to see on the screen — above all when the films are Thai rather than foreign. (Nothing is less agreeable than Apichatpong’s films, which are deeply sympathetic to “up-country people” and keep the state almost invisible.) They are not required to justify their decisions publicly. It is enough to say that scenes to be deleted are “offensive” to their nannyish notions of “Thai” propriety. In fact, Thai newspapers are full of scandals about monks’ sexual misdeeds, financial manipulations, drug-abuse and so on. But normally the names of these monks are mentioned, i.e., as individuals, and their activities are accessible only through print. What Apichatpong had done, however, was to show in visual motion some unnamed (so to speak, “any”) monks enjoying themselves in a way that would interest no scandal-hungry newspaper. Even if in real life one can easily observe monks having fun, the official nationalist-Buddhist position is that monks must be dedicated, wise, austere, and always serious people. So Apichatpong’s gentle satire could be regarded as lèse-Buddhism. The Thai are a liquor-loving people, and it would be very surprising if some doctors, at the end of the working day, do not have a drink or two in their hospitals, and take a little time out to kiss their girl- or boyfriends in a private nook. But the state tries to sustain the prestige of Thai hospitals and the public’s trust in Thai doctors by cultivating a public image of authority, austerity, wisdom and seriousness.23 So to speak, secular monks.
This was not the first time that Apichatpong had run into censorship, as we shall see, but it was the first occasion where this censorship came from the state. Doubtless to the board’s surprise, Apichatpong refused to cut anything, and withdrew his request for permission to circulate the film in his own country.24 This was also the first time any Thai filmmaker had not caved in to, or attempted to bargain with, the censors.
One cannot be sure, but it is possible that the board might have acted differently prior to the September coup. It did not, after all, either censor or ban Sat Pralaat. To be sure, it has long had double standards, such that foreign, especially Hollywood, films often circulate uncensored, despite their gory violence and fairly graphic sex, while Thai films have been much more strictly policed. But since the coup, censorship of the media has become much more intense, elaborate, and arbitrary. Furthermore, the coup leaders, facing their enemy, Thaksin’s populist nationalism, have felt it necessary to enforce (and reinforce) the traditional official nationalism, with its three icons, Monarchy, Buddhism, and Nation — recipe for pharisaism, euphemism, and conformity. It is also possible, if not likely, that Apichatpong might earlier have acted differently, at least less brusquely; but maybe in 2007 he saw his own troubles as like those of many others whose freedom of expression was being repressed by the coup-makers and the state apparatus.
One could thus speak of an increased politicisation. Though Sut Saneha is ostensibly apolitical, the central male character is a poor illegal migrant from Burma, who is warned by the two Thai women who protect and love him that he must pretend to be dumb, so that his speech does not give him away. Such Burmese workers, fleeing poverty and interminable repression in their own country, have often been the victims of ruthless Thai employers, police, military, gangsters, and social hostility. Without explicitly saying so, the film is on the side of the Burmese boy and his Thai friends. Sat Pralaat is also seemingly apolitical, but this was the first Thai film that focused seriously and powerfully on the love between two men, and so broke with a long-standing official-national taboo.25
Hence, after rejecting the demands of the censors, Apichatpong, along with colleagues, friends, admirers, and activists, began last May to organise a serious protest against the whole system of arbitrary censorship, demanding at the very least a rational, clear, and even-handed rating-system for Thai (and foreign) films.
Yet in some ways state censorship may be less insidious than that practiced by another, less visible, set of "viewers" who mostly share the censors’ indifference to quality, but are deeply interested in commercial success. These are the Bangkok entrepreneurs who control, more or less successfully, financial backing for new films, own the cinemas and multiplexes of the country, and regulate the production and especially distribution of VCDs and DVDs. They are also people rich enough to have formidable connections within the state apparatus. Essentially we are speaking of a sometimes rivalrous cartel of three “family” commercial empires owned by... luk jin! This essay is not the place to go into much detail, since our focus is on Apichatpong and Sat Pralaat. Suffice it to say that the “big enchilada” is the vain “Sia [Boss] Jiang,” aka Jiang Sae Tae, aka Somsak Techaratanaprasert who controls Sahamongkol Film International, for the production of local films and the import of popular foreign films. He also indirectly controls the SF chain of cinemas and multiplexes, which has wide influence through its power to decide what films will or will not be shown. It seems that early on Apichatpong approached “Boss Jiang” to get funds for his films. He must have been partly successful, since the Thai DVD and VCD of Sut Saneha was produced by a distributor contracted to Sahamongkol. Apichatpong reports that the contract included a clause that any cuts required his consent, but in fact he was never consulted and the film was mangled. Busy preparing Sat Pralaat, and feeling helpless, he let the mangled version go through. The authentic DVD, produced in Paris, has not seriously circulated in Siam. The final scene of the film never had a chance to be censored by the state, as private enterprise had already decisively intervened.26 Not surprisingly, Apichatpong and “Boss Jiang” fell out. This is why the only Thai filmmaker to have won a top prize (actually two!) at Cannes has never been included into the lavishly-funded official delegations from Bangkok to the festival. It is also probably the reason why Sat Pralaat was never shown up-country, and shown only for three weeks, at one cinema, in Bangkok.
This fate of Sat Pralaat cannot easily be explained by Sahamongkol alone, but rather by collusion with another component of the film cartel. This is the Major Cineplex Group, controlled by Vicha Poolvoralaks and his kinsmen, who own the largest chain of multiplexes (perhaps 70%). Major is mainly a very powerful exhibition and distribution empire.
The last member of the cartel is GTH, a film production company created by a merger (compelled by the industry’s financial problems) of the production houses Tai Entertainment and Hub Ho Hin, into the integrated entertainment empire GMM Grammy, headed by “Ah Koo” Paiboon Damrongchaitham. GTH differs from the other members of the cartel in that “Ah Koo,” acting on good advice, has championed a number of talented young directors using sophisticated technical methods, but primarily doing edgy mainstream films (for example, Dek Hor [The Dorm, 2006] and Beautiful Boxer). Many of these films are quite good, as well as popular, yet they are nothing like Apichatpong’s creations. It is interesting, however, that “Ah Koo” provided 25% of the budget for Sat Pralaat — at the last minute — allowing it to be finished just in time for Cannes.27 But GTH does not have the distributional power of Sahamongkol and Major, and so does not seem to have functioned as Apichatpong’s censor.
In the end, the cartel probably matters more than the state board of censors, because it operates out of the limelight, and is rooted in huge, entrenched financial interests. Apichatpong’s genius and reputation have enabled him to bypass the cartel at one level, by providing him with financial backers overseas, mainly in Western Europe. But these backers
can only help him make the films, not distribute them to his countrymen.
— A Life Beyond Boundaries by Benedict Anderson is out now
Notes:
1) This is an expanded version of the essay that first appeared, in Thai, in Sinlapawatthanatham magazine, July 2006, pp. 140–53. [Editor’s note: There are two ways of transliterating the Thai language, one following the sounds and the other the letters. Benedict Anderson’s essay employs the sound system, therefore the Thai film titles, names etc. are spelled differently here than in the other essays and in the filmography.]
2) The English language version of the title is the rather exotic Tropical Malady. The Thai title, which means literally "Strange Beast," refers to the shape-shifting were-tiger of folklore and legend. Curiously enough, in the first gay magazines of the early 1980s, one can find the term occasionally used as gayspeak for a penis, or for a male homosexual. When I asked Apichatpong whether he knew of this usage, he said he’d never heard of it, and it must have died out when he was still very young.
3) Sut Saneha means something like "Total Happiness." But the English title given it was Blissfully Yours.
4) "Alongkot" is actually Alongkot Maiduang, who writes film criticism under the pen-name "Kanlaphraphruek." He has published an excellent, searching survey of Apichatpong’s films in his collection of film criticism, Asia 4: si yod phu kamkap haeng asia tawan ok [Four Top East Asian Directors], pp. 123–62. He has also made a number of short films which were shown at the 4th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival in 2005.
5) Apichatpong has written to me that it was actually shown in only one cinema, the Lido, but for three weeks.
6) He actually uses a Thai-ified form of the word "romantic."
7) Kratheuy is an old Khmer word adopted into the Thai language. It means an effeminate man who likes to dress in women’s clothes. It should be noted that the kratheuy are a recognised group in traditional Thai society, even if usually stigmatised. The word and the concept of "gay" only entered Thai in the late 1970s. Note that the interviewer deliberately poses his question as an oxymoron – could a macho soldier really be an effeminate? – to see how the villagers will react.
8) Nidhi is by general agreement Siam’s greatest historian, as well as a brilliant essayist, columnist, satirist, and principled social activist.
9) Isan is northeastern Siam, the poorest region of the country. The people’s main language is a dialect which is closer to Lao than Central Thai. It is especially famous for its popular folk-derived music. Isan people are usually looked down on by Bangkokians as dark-skinned, rough, and unsophisticated.
10) Tony Jaa’s debut was a huge commercial success in Siam, and went on to become a hit in the international market as well. Tony comes from Isan, and is rather dark-skinned. In fact, he is quite good-looking, but the girls’ idea of masculine beauty is centred on skin-colour. Perhaps I should add that Taling Chan is a part of Thonburi on the western ("wrong-side of the tracks") bank of the Chao Phraya river, facing "Bangkok." Charmingly still full of gardens, orchards, and canals, it retains a somewhat rural atmosphere, and very few foreigners live there. But it is being gentrified, and the Central Mall is a magnet for west-bank, upwardly-mobile, middle class people. Not far away is the "hick" Pata Plaza, frequented by the lower classes. If one watches a film there, one hears the audience loudly commenting and cheering on the hero — in the Isan dialect.
11) The translation is not really satisfactory. Naak is not an ordinary snake, but a Naga, a fabulous kind of serpent.
12) Not to be confused with Thai Rak Thai [Thai love Thai], the name of ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s huge political party.
13) The title was deliberately provocative. We have seen earlier how the Lao-speaking people of Isan are often looked down on by Bangkokians, who also regard Laos as a "little brother" of Siam. Jek is a derogatory word for Chinese, analogous to "Chink."
14) The upper class, including the royal family, is also of partly Chinese origins, but this is not widely recognised in the public sphere.
15) After the coup of 1932, which overthrew the absolutist monarchy, all the titles traditionally granted by the King to favoured male officials were abolished in the spirit of egalitarian democracy. Oddly enough, titles for females were preserved: it is said that this anomaly was the result of pressure by the wives of a few of the top coup leaders. “Khunying” is a title bestowed on a married woman by the Thai King in two categories; the first one is as recognition of her outstanding humanitarian or social work or involvement. The second one is as the wife of a very high-ranking government officer.
16) “Official nationalism” emanates from the state rather than from popular movements, and was created in Europe in the second half of the 19th century by worried dynastic rulers fearful of just such movements. For a detailed discussion, see my Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (1991, chapter 6).
17) This machine, celebrating the palaces, temples and monuments of the rulers of Bangkok, through which the Chao Phraya river flows, was originally aimed at boosting the tourist industry: son et lumière shows, luxury river cruises, and so on. But more recently it has evinced as much a political as a commercial character.
18) The great majority of immigrants from |
add new songs from your disk and control the play list
Complete play controller including shuffle/repeat
Connect to an unlimited number of PCs
Beautiful LCD layout
Wi-Fi / 3G / Edge
Safe In Cloud
Love, love, love the clean interface.
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Safe In Cloud is the best Password Manager for Ice Cream Sandwich phones and tablets. It has a clean and simple user interface. Keep your logins, passwords, credit cards, web and email accounts in a 256-bit AES encrypted database. Synchronize the encrypted database with a cloud of your choice: Google Drive, Dropbox or Box. New features and localizations are added regularly. Windows and Mac OS companion apps will be available later this year.
GameStop Mobile Android
Android Police coverage: GameStop Has A Mobile App Now, Allows You To Track Rewards, Buy Games, Find Stores And More
Awesome, we knew you’d find your way to the official GameStop app. You spoke, we listened and created our app features based on customer feedback, including a lot of features for our PowerUp Rewards™ members. Want to score PowerUp Rewards points for store check-ins? Check your PowerUp Rewards points on the go and redeem them for in-store coupons? Purchase games, accessories, consoles, and more? The GameStop App is like having a GameStop store in your pocket.
Smart Feed Reader
Smart Feed Reader deserves a look thanks to its powerful filtering capabilities. More RSS readers should be able to do what it does but, unfortunately, that's not the case. Check out the Smart News Filtering section below for more info.
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Smart Feed Reader is a free, full-featured RSS, RDF and ATOM news reader. Manage your news automatically with Smart News Filtering, organize Feeds Groups by any criteria you choose – music, sport, movies and international news, rate the most interesting readings and share them with your friends and colleagues.
Features:
• Full support of RSS, RDF and ATOM feeds, import Google Reader feeds;
• Offline reading of news;
• Full-context search;
• Widgets support;
• Easy to manage feeds, personalized icons;
• Customization of the feed update interval (global for all feeds and particular – for the selected feed);
• Filtering stories by Author, Title, Content, Category for the best customization;
• Automatic organizing feeds by categories;
• Improved content sorting by Newer, Older, Unread, Read or Hide properties;
• Highlighting of newly-added and updated news;
• Automatic sorting news by Date: Today, Yesterday, Older;
• Media Collection: easy to view pictures and play attached media;
• Full-screen display of News (optional);
• Easy sliding between news with a simple gesture;
• Displaying news with a preview in the NewsList screen;
• Star rating for the news;
• Sharing content via E-Mail;
• Support of landscape screen orientation.
Smart News Filtering:
Personalize your content with Smart News Filtering – powerful and innovative feature that helps you to filter and manage your news automatically by Author, Title, Content, Category, etc. Each filter is made up of search condition to match specific parameter and action to perform. With Smart News Filtering you can automate copying news into custom folders, marking news, rating or just deleting it. You can have as many smart filters as you need.
Delivery.com Food Delivery
Order delivery or takeout from nearly 10,000 restaurants in over 50 cities nationwide. The free Delivery.com app makes ordering food easy and fast wherever you are. Delivery.com finds the best restaurants and stores near you that offer delivery and takeout. Choose a restaurant, view the menu and place your order. It’s easy – and delicious.
- Simple Search: Sort by over 70 cuisines, ratings, distance or delivery minimum to find exactly what you’re looking for
- Customized Orders: Easily add items to your cart and customize your order with special instructions
- Easy Re-Ordering: Store your favorite places and orders to re-order favorite meals with just a few taps
- Points & Prizes: Earn Delivery Points with every order. Redeem them for gift cards and prizes
DataSync+
Android Police hands-on: [Hands-On] DataSync Is A Quick And Easy Way To Keep Your App Data In Sync Across Multiple Devices
DataSync+ adds numerous features to your existing DataSync installation. This application functions only a key, but has to be launched *at least once* to work properly. It's launcher icon will disappear afterwards.
Features:
- Automatically and intelligently sync apps to and from the cloud (scheduling)
- Create and restore local backups of apps and their data
- Sync directly with other devices over Bluetooth
Color Splash FX
Create stunning artwork with your photos in seconds. Color Splash FX turns your photos black and white, then lets you bring the color back by 'painting' with your finger.
Unique Features :
★ Paint in color or gray
★ Zoom in and out or scroll with two-finger pinching gestures
★ Pixel perfect brush adjustment: size, edge, opacity
★ Brush size adjusts to size of your finger!
★ Unlimited undo for accidental touch
★ Save sessions and continue where you left off
★ Import photos from your photo album or camera
★ Works in portrait / landscape modes
★ Share your masterpieces to Facebook, Twitter & Flickr
★ Support for all phones and tablets
★ Set as wallpaper / contact
★ Full help and instructions
Even more features available when upgrading to pro within the app :
★ Increase zoom to 20x
★ Show brush tip
★ Magnify area under finger
★ Highlight colored regions with a red tint
★ Remove ads
Real Colors Pro
Leading color palette generator from photos: the most advanced technology for the most harmonious color palettes. Reviewed and liked by Google's Android Developers.
- Automatically generate color palettes from photos using color theory rules: complementary, monochromatic, analogous, shades, triad, tetrad or split complementary
- Create beautiful wallpapers from your favorite color palettes
- Automatically generate the color spectrum over the photo
- Colors can be easily edited
- Get detailed information about the colors including HEX, RGB and HSB values
- Save color schemes in a Library for future reference and sharing
- Export color palettes by email, including color spectrum information, and color values in HEX, RGB and HSB.
- Share color palettes with your friends on Facebook
SoShare
Get your friends your biggest videos and high-res pictures without having to resize or reduce the quality. With SoShare for Android, there are no limits on sends, file size or quality, and it’s all for free. Take pictures and videos directly with SoShare, or choose any that are already on your phone, and send them to friends using their email addresses or by adding them to custom groups. Receive and download pictures or videos, and get comments from your friends that are also on SoShare. Everyone can post comments and add more files using either the SoShare for Android app or from a computer on the SoShare website at www.soshareit.com.
• Fast, free and unlimited sending of photos and videos of any size
• Create custom groups for you and your friends to add files
• Access and manage your files from the SoShare website
• Leave and get comments on the photos and videos
The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch
Someecards Free
Android Police coverage: Someecards Releases Android App, Can Instantly Make You Seem 100% Funnier
From acclaimed humor site, someecards.com, comes something extremely similar to acclaimed humor site, someecards.com. Everything you love and practically nothing you dislike about the site is now at your fingertips or thumbs.
• View and send new cards as they go live
• Have a homescreen widget with the newest cards
• Get topical humor right to your Android device, including cards that make fun of Android
• Send cards from practically anywhere (i.e. gym, doctor's office, ski slope, top of tall building)
• Enjoy all the same categories as are offered on the site, from flirting to workplace to cry for help
• Save cards as favorites
• Enhance your life in digital ways you never thought possible
Roland-Garros® 2012
Android Police coverage: Roland-Garros 2012 Is The Official App Of The French Open, Tennis Fans Rejoice
French Open tournament official application. The tournament starts on May 27th, but in the meantime, nothing prevents you from visiting the stadium in private. Experience the blazing new 3D virtual visit of the stadium. Indulge yourself with our 3 exclusive games, collect XPs, publish your score on Facebook, enter the Hall of Fame and challenge your friends. Starting May 22nd: warm-up premiere for everybody. Follow-up the tournament qualifications with all details. From May 25th, watch please, and take advantage of the last app update with its brand new functionalities:
- Twitter buzz on all matches
- Facebook to gather with your friends
- Dailymotion for a look at the wings
- IBM and its real time statistics
- Immersive with the virtual 3D features
- match alerts : up to 5 players
- in-app breaking news alerts at anytime
From May 27th, and during the 2 weeks of the French Open, enjoy an everyday 360 follow-up on results, schedules, draws, statistics, news, videos, interviews.
The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch
VoiceBase
VoiceBase enables you to record and upload spoken content, and then share and search it by the words that were used. Click to record hours of speeches, interviews, scripts, conferences, podcasts, webinars, etc., and then review them later by simply performing keyword search in your account. When you have found the parts you like most, simply click to share by email or social media with anyone who needs to hear the words as they were said. Using our unique extracted keywords feature, see at a glance what are the most important terms used in any recording, and then instantly listen to them in context. You can even search video content and start playing it right where the search terms are used. You choose who may access your personal content, and you can also share your recordings on the web for indexing by search engines.
Features
☆ Record long meetings up to 2 hours, upload, and search by what was said
☆ Unlimited searching and sharing of recorded content
☆ Search vast repository of high quality public voice recordings
☆ Get an overview of recorded content using our unique topic extraction
T-Mobile Refill
The FREE T-Mobile Refill application is a simple and easy way to refill your Prepaid T-Mobile phone. The application gives you quick access to your most important tasks so you can:
• Refill your account 24/7
• Review your balance, due date, and account details
• View payment and gifting history
• Sign up for Auto-Refill
• Send a payment to another T-Mobile Prepaid customer
Additional Features include:
• Store & edit payment cards for single or repeat transactions
• Manage your Auto-Refill settings
• Store gift recipient contacts for quick and easy future refills
Live Wallpapers
Cubescape 3D Live Wallpaper
A wall of pulsating cubes with tap reactivity and advanced per-pixel lighting. Customisation includes:
• Colour themes, choose any colour
• Speed, displacement
• Lighting options
• Tap to swap colours
Stripe ICS LWP
Stripe ICS live wallpaper, beautiful abstract stripes. Inspired by original Motion Stripe wallpaper.
Features
- Beautiful abstract stripes
- Use 3D hardware to render images, save battery
- Support most resolutions including Android 3.0 tablet
- Android 4.0 ICS ready
Swiss Clock by doubleTwist
doubleTwist's Alarm Clock has this beautiful LWP as well, as we found out recently, but it costs 2x (though it's currently on sale for $0.99). If you just want the LWP, grab Swiss Clock for half the price (though again, see the sale note earlier).
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Make your home screen beautiful with the doubleTwist Swiss Clock live wallpaper. Swiss Clock by doubleTwist is hands-down the most beautiful live wallpaper in the Play Store, following doubleTwist's history of simple, intuitive, highly functional and gorgeous apps, such as the award winning doubleTwist Player & doubleTwist Alarm Clock. doubleTwist's Swiss Clock live wallpaper includes two modes, night-time dim mode and daytime mode -- tap the wallpaper to toggle between modes.
WTF Apps Of The Week
Run, Tweet, Run!
And the most annoying Twitter app of... ever(?) goes to Run, Tweet, Run. Seriously, if anyone on my timeline ever uses this, they'll be getting a package in the mail that may or may not have a weird smell to it.
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Run, Tweet, Run! sends a tweet for every mile/kilometer that you run! Let your Twitter followers see how your run is going while it is happening.
The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch
Whoop That Trick
Oh god, that video...
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Test your skills in the game, can you be a pimp? Pick your girl then your location and see what if you have what it takes to get the cash from her. Crazy sound fx, various locations, funny "mack" phrases.
The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch
Bonus
S Voice
S Voice from the Galaxy S III got leaked this weekend, along with the full ROM. We've got download links and an extensive hands-on post right here.
Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!
If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.
Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.
the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop
Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: [email protected].
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.Pop-Up Protected Bike Lane Demos Now Being Funded by States, Too
Michael Andersen blogs for The Green Lane Project, a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets.
A practice that began as guerrilla activism and was later embraced by professionals as “tactical urbanism” — using live on-street demos to test the effects of changes to city streets — hit a milestone last week.
For what seems to be the first time ever, a live on-street demo of a protected bike lane has been funded by a state transportation department.
The $10,850 grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation, announced September 29 as part of a $15 million grant cycle, is a sign that the on-street demo is becoming a common step in the process of planning street redesigns.
It will pay for a weeks-long test of planter-protected bike lanes on East Pratt Street in Baltimore.
“We’re not committing to have a complete buy-in to try something,” said Caitlin Doolin, a bicycle and pedestrian planner for the City of Baltimore. “We can take it out if it doesn’t work or modify it or what have you.”
Pop-ups improve public outreach, state says
Doolin wrote the grant application for the project, taking advantage of an MDOT program designed for low-cost active transportation improvements. Many cities want to build pop-ups, she said, but end up throwing staff time into elaborate fundraising plans because pop-ups don’t fit into the traditional model of planning something completely on paper — and sometimes in little-attended public meetings — before building anything on the street.
“The cities that want to do these pop-ups but can’t are getting basically volunteers or sponsors to pay for them,” Doolin said.
Kate Sylvester, an MDOT project manager who approved Doolin’s grant, said better public outreach is a big virtue of the pop-up proposal.
“We were really interested in it because it’s a way for Baltimore City to try out a new innovative treatment, get some quick feedback from the community,” she said. “Cycle tracks and that kind of stuff — it’s all new, and the designs are changing quickly.”
In the case of the Pratt Street project, the pop-up protected bike lanes would run on five blocks between South Central Avenue and South Broadway, past a supermarket, two schools and Perkins Homes, one of the largest low-income housing developments in the city. Doolin said 10 percent of the project funds will go to direct outreach to Perkins residents and other people in the immediate area.
Pratt is a one-way, three-lane street. During off-peak hours, its two curbside lanes become parking lanes. But Doolin said that the requirement to move cars during peak hours is rarely enforced.
“You literally see kids playing with their bikes in the street between the sporadic parking in the peak hour,” Doolin said.
Doolin’s pop-up would keep the southern curbside parking lane while converting the northern curbside lane to a two-way bike lane protected by planters.
Maryland hopes other cities will learn from Baltimore’s pop-up
Doolin’s proposal included photos from similar pop-ups in Minneapolis and Oakland.
Sylvester said that if the Pratt project works, she hopes other Maryland cities will be able to follow Baltimore’s example and use their own pop-up tests to build out the state’s biking network.
“I think it’s really going to help people envision Pratt Street as an east-west for something other than cars,” Doolin said.
You can follow The Green Lane Project on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook or sign up for its weekly news digest about protected bike lanes.Privacy advocates are pushing the U.S. Congress to rein in the U.S. National Security Agency’s efforts to collect massive amounts of data from U.S. residents, as alleged in recent news reports.
More than 80 organizations have signed a letter calling on Congress to take “take immediate action to halt this surveillance and provide a full public accounting of the NSA’s and the FBI’s data collection programs.”
Recent news reports from the Guardian and the Washington Post say “the U.S. government is extracting audio, video, photographs, emails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time,” said the letter, part of the new StopWatching.us campaign. “As a result, the contents of communications of people both abroad and in the U.S. can be swept in without any suspicion of crime or association with a terrorist organization.”
The U.S. intelligence agencies have been collecting business-record metadata from Verizon, several Internet companies and possibly from other telecom carriers and credit-card companies, according to the recent news reports. The source of the information about the data collection was Edward Snowden, a contractor at the NSA.
The danger of large-scale data collection is that it can come back to haunt U.S. residents years later, said Peter Swire, a law professor and chairman of the World Wide Web Consortium’s do not track process. With the data collection described in news reports, government agencies will be able to collect every phone call and every email a person has made, Swire said during a forum on online privacy hosted by the Washington Post.
“If something goes wrong later, his lifetime of contacts... is now under investigation,” Swire said. “If anybody on your text list or phone list screws up, now you’re on the suspect list. It’s now basically part of your permanent record.”
The news reports suggest there’s no meaningful oversight of the NSA by Congress, added Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
“Everyone’s a target, that’s what’s amazing,” he said.
It appears that the NSA’s data collection was legal under the Patriot Act, said Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, but Congress needs to push for more transparency about what’s being collected and limit the information that can be collected. The NSA is collecting “far too much data,” he said.
The U.S. Office of Director of National Intelligence has referred questions about the NSA data collection to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ declined to comment on the program, instead issuing this statement about Snowden:
“The Department of Justice is in the initial stages of an investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by an individual with authorized access. Consistent with long-standing department policy and procedure and in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, we must decline further comment.”
Among the groups signing the StopWatching,us letter are Reddit, Free Press, Mozilla, Public Knowledge, the World Wide Web Consortium and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Also signing the letter were EFF founder John Perry Barlow, author Cory Doctorow and Xeni Jardin, co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. As of Tuesday morning, more than 50,000 members of activism group Demand Progress had signed a petition demanding a congressional investigation.
“This type of blanket data collection by the government strikes at bedrock American values of freedom and privacy,” the StopWatching.us letter said. “This dragnet surveillance violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which protect citizens’ right to speak and associate anonymously and guard against unreasonable searches and seizures that protect their right to privacy.”
The letter called on Congress to launch an investigation of the surveillance programs. It also called on lawmakers to reform the section of the Patriot Act that allows for widespread surveillance and the FISA Amendments Act “to make clear that blanket surveillance of the Internet activity and phone records of any person residing in the U.S. is prohibited by law.”Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The thief targeted a diamond exhibition by jeweller Leviev in the hotel lobby, as Hugh Schofield reports
An armed man has stolen jewels worth about 40m euros ($53m; £34m) in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, officials say.
They say the hold-up took place on Sunday morning at a jewellery exhibition at the Carlton Hotel.
The hotel is located on the Croisette promenade - one of the most prestigious locations in the town.
The theft is the largest in a series of high-profile robberies in Cannes, which is famous for its annual film festival.
The Carlton Hotel is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed To Catch A Thief - his 1955 film about a jewel thief operating in the French Riviera.
'Rich pickings'
During the latest theft, an exhibition of diamonds by the jeweller Leviev was being held in the lobby of the hotel.
Local media said the robber made off with the jewels in a briefcase. It is not yet known who the owner was.
If the value of the jewels is confirmed, it would reportedly be the second-largest heist in France.
World's biggest jewellery heists February 2003 - Robbers took jewels then worth 100m euros (now $140m; £91m) from the Antwerp Diamond Centre in Belgium
- Robbers took jewels then worth 100m euros (now $140m; £91m) from the Antwerp Diamond Centre in Belgium February 2005 - An armed gang hijacked a lorry carrying 75m euros ($100m; £65m) of diamonds and other jewels at Amsterdam airport
- An armed gang hijacked a lorry carrying 75m euros ($100m; £65m) of diamonds and other jewels at Amsterdam airport December 2008 - Three men stole almost every piece on display at a Paris jewellery exhibition by Harry Winston, totalling 85m euros ($113m; £73m)
- Three men stole almost every piece on display at a Paris jewellery exhibition by Harry Winston, totalling 85m euros ($113m; £73m) August 2009 - Criminals staged a raid worth £40m ($61m; 46m euros) on Graff Diamonds in London
A Cannes police spokesman said: "A full and urgent operation is under way to catch the culprit and recover these jewels. Thieves see Cannes as rich pickings."
The Cannes film festival, which attracts celebrities from around the world, was hit by two jewellery thefts in May this year.
A necklace by Swiss jeweller De Grisogono reportedly worth 1.9m euros ($2.5m; £1.6m) vanished after a celebrity party at a five-star hotel in the resort town of Cap d'Antibes.
A week before, more than 777,000 euros ($1m; £650,000) worth of jewels were taken from the hotel room of an employee of exclusive Swiss jewellers Chopard.
The Carlton Hotel itself saw also a huge robbery in August 1994, when gunmen burst into its jewellery store just as it was closing and made off with jewels then valued at £30m (now $77m; £50m; 58m euros).
France's biggest ever robbery took place in 2008, when three men stole almost every piece on display at a jewellery exhibition in Paris with an estimated value of 85m euros ($113m; £73m)."Pigtails," Production I.G.'s animated short film based on Machiko Kyō's Mitsuami no Kami-sama (Braided Pig-Tail Deity) manga, won the Platinum Remi Award in the Classic Cel Animation Category at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. The screening of the short during the April 8-17 film festival marked the short's international premiere.
Production I.G describes the stort:
The earth shook. The sea roared. And then... There is a small house solitary standing by the seaside. A pigtail-braided girl is living there alone since that day. Mail is no longer delivered, but even this morning, she's hanging out the laundry as usual.
The 28-minute animation was part of a mixed-media stage production that ran in Tokyo in October. Yoshimi Itazu (Miss Hokusai chief animation director) helmed the short film for his directorial debut.
The stage production combined line readings, animation, music, and sand art to present the story. Production I.G was a co-producer of the stage play, and has international rights for the whole play, but will focus on the animation part only.
Kyō's original Mitsuami no Kamisama manga centers around a pigtailed girl who lives alone in a solitary house by the sea after a disaster that is never specified. The manga is a reflection of Kyō's personal feelings toward the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, though it is never explicitly stated in the story, out of consideration for those affected by the disaster.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of curcumin on morphine tolerance and the corresponding cytokine/chemokine changes. Male ICR mice were made tolerant to morphine by daily subcutaneous injection for 7 days. Intraperitoneal injections of vehicle, low-dose or high-dose curcumin were administered 15 min after morphine injection, either acutely or chronically for 7 days to test the effect of curcumin on morphine-induced antinociception and development of morphine tolerance. On day 8, cumulative dose-response curves were generated and the 50% of maximal analgesic dose values were calculated and compared among groups. Corresponding set of mice were used for analyzing the cytokine responses by antibody-based cytokine protein array. Acute, high-dose curcumin enhanced morphine-induced antinociception. While morphine tolerance was attenuated by administration of low-dose curcumin following morphine injections for 7 days, it was aggravated by chronic high-dose curcumin following morphine injection, suggesting a biphasic effect of curcumin on morphine-induced tolerance. Of the 96 cytokine/chemokines analyzed by mouse cytokine protein array, 14 cytokines exhibited significant changes after the different 7-day treatments. Mechanisms for the modulatory effects of low-dose and high-dose curcumin on morphine tolerance were discussed. Even though curcumin itself is a neuroprotectant and low doses of the compound serve to attenuate morphine tolerance, high-doses of curcumin might cause neurotoxicity and aggravate morphine tolerance by inhibiting the expression of antiapoptotic cytokines and neuroprotective factors. Our results indicate that the effect of curcumin on morphine tolerance may be biphasic, and therefore curcumin should be used cautiously.Google Turns Magical, Now Lets You To Experience Harry Potter’s Diagon Aalley on Street View
Do you ever wished to visit the Diagon Alley where Harry Potter spent the good amount of time. If you have an Internet access, then you just need to open the Google Maps to experience the Diagon Alley on your own.
The newly introduced Diagon Alley street view by Google provides a great representation of the famous location used in Harry Potter’s movies. The map looks truly original as it has been actually taken from the Warner Bros London studio.
You can view 360 degrees images of the Diagon Alley set that brings to life a part of the magical shopping complex in Harry Potters movie series. The entrance of Warner Bros studio where Harry Potter’s clothes and accessories has been put on auction can also be seen on Google Street view.
This is a enjoyable inclusion in Street View for all the Harry Potter’s fans. Fans who cannot fly to London, can hop onto their PCs, Laptops etc and fly over to the Warner Bros studio where they can view all the popular shops from the Harry Potter series including Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes joke shop, and Ollivanders Wand Shop.
According to Warner Bros. Studio Tour, the Diagon Alley set took over three months to build, and required another half a year to come up with more than 20,000 products available which were placed on the respective shops’ shelves:
This is not the first time that Google has carried out this type of project. The company has been adding such type of images in its Street View quite frequently, most recent is Battleship Island, the Japanese island shown in the James Bond movie Skyfall.
There is no doubt that Google has really put in their best efforts to include those destinations which people don’t have the luxury to visit there. Users can view many famous places, whether they are world landmarks, Grand Canyon, Universities campuses and even UNESCO World Heritage sites through Google Street View.
Today’s step is the first addition after the company disclosed at its I/O developers conference that it is soon going to introduce a new version for the Desktop as well. The move come after a week when the company Kicked off its Street View pilot project which enables other companies to rent Street view camera to contribute images back to the Google Street View service.Diabetes Type 3—which is regarded as “brain” specific diabetes—is a dangerous diabetes hybrid that was first discovered in 2005. A study, which was conducted at Brown University Medical School, suggests the brain produces insulin in a way that’s similar to the pancreas. A problem with insulin production in the brain is thought to result in the formation of protein “plaque”—not unlike that which is found among suffers of Type 1 (insulin-dependant) and Type 2 diabetes (insulin-resistant). But in the case of diabetes Type 3, plaque appears in the brain and leads to memory loss and problems forming memories.
What Happens
When it comes to the body, insulin is responsible for helping to convert food to energy. The brain uses insulin, too, but it’s thought insulin’s primary purpose in the brain is to form memories at synapses (the spaces where cells in the brain communicate), notes Time.com. Neurons save space for insulin receptors; insulin makes way for memories to form. In order for the brain to keep making more brain cells, it needs insulin. When insulin receptors flee—as is the case with sufferers of diabetes Type 3—the brain does not receive the energy it needs to form memories.
Alzheimer’s Connection
According to a research team at Northwestern University, insulin may prevent or slow memory loss among those with Alzheimer’s disease by protecting the synapses that form memory. Those with the disease tend to have lower insulin levels and are insulin-resistant. The team found that the reason memory fails when insulin shortage occurs is because amyloid beta-derived diffusible ligands (ADDLs) destroy the receptors in the brain that typically are reserved for insulin, thus making the receptors insulin-resistant. Without the space for insulin, receptors cannot connect, and memory loss occurs.
Possible Cholesterol Connection
According to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, there may be a link between cholesterol and cognitive decline among Alzheimer's patients taking lipid-lowering drugs. French researchers note taking certain cholesterol-lowering drugs may result in a slower progression of Alzheimer's disease. It’s thought statins could play a role in keeping Alzheimer's disease from progressing.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Connection
The American Diabetes Association notes that there isn’t a “standard definition” for diabetes Type 3, though it’s sometimes called “double diabetes” because it has been used to describe those with Type 1 diabetes who additionally shows signs of insulin resistance (the major symptom of Type 2 diabetes). Type 3 diabetes also has been used to describe those with Type 1 diabetes who become insulin-resistant over time. In some cases, taking insulin-sensitizing drugs may be beneficial.
Symptoms of Insulin Function Problems
When insulin function goes awry, a number of symptoms may occur. Some of the most common ones include cravings for carbohydrates and sugars—such as cookies, chips and crackers—and feeling “out of it” or fatigued in the late afternoon. Weight gain in the middle of the body also is common, according to Kathleen Jade, ND.
What Comes Next
Diabetes Type 3 is not completely understood. Diagnosis and treatments remain in the early stages, and mores studies are required in order to fully understand how to help those with diabetes Type 3—as well as its connection to Alzheimer's and dementia.Europe’s budget airline EasyJet flew into a storm Sunday after a member of the ground staff punched once of its passengers in the face while he was holding a baby at Nice airport in France.
The victim was due to travel on EasyJet flight 2122 from Nice to Luton airport outside London on Saturday. The flight was delayed for a grueling 11 hours. EasyJet says the airport employee does not work for the airline.
“It was awful the whole thing. I just can’t believe people can behave like that,” said fellow passenger Arabella Arkwright, 49, who photographed the altercation.
She told CNN it was her husband who restrained the attacker while they waited for police to arrive. The man was taken away, infant in arms, but was later let back on the flight in time for its eventual takeoff. Arkwright said he had a mark from the punch on his face.
“We had a serious problem with someone of staff from our subcontractor Samsic,” Jean-François Guitard, a director at Nice airport told CNN.
He said the passenger had complained about the EasyJet delay to a Samsic employee. Unable to answer the passenger’s questions, the employee suddenly lashed out with a punch.
Guitard said that the airport had been in contact with Samsic, which told them the employee had been suspended. “Clearly it is a misconduct situation. We apologize strongly about this situation regarding this passenger. There is no reason for a staff member to fight a passenger,” Guitard said.
We are concerned to see this – it is not an easyJet staff member & they do not work for our ground handling agents. 1/2 — easyJet Press Office (@easyJet_press) July 30, 2017
“EasyJet is very concerned to see this picture and can confirm the person in the photo is not an EasyJet member of staff and they do not work for EasyJet’s ground handling agents in Nice,” the airline said in a statement.
“We are urgently taking this up with Nice Airport and their special assistance provider Samsic who we understand the person photographed works for.”
The airline said it was sorry for the flight delay, which it said was due to a technical problem. Another aircraft had to be flown over from London.
“Passengers were provided with updates and refreshment vouchers during this time and the flight landed in London Luton last night,” the airline said.This week we are on FIRE! THE SUPER BOWL came and went, but we're not here to talk about sports... we are here for GAGA. She dangled her ass into the arena like a spider and killed it! Also James touches on a Sundance lady brunch of the rich and the famous where they had a moving conversation about race... Celebrities they're just like us! James took himself out on a little Broadway Baby Date with himself to go see Mel B from the Spice Girls sing it up as Roxy Heart. Did she do a good job? Has she improved since her stint as Mimi in Rent way back when Nnekay saw her in the early 00s? Nnekay surprises James with a little information regarding her foray into the world of THEATER. She might just be ready for a new chapter in her life! Now on to the Korners! James is up first this week and is covering The Pomo Afro Homo Theater Troupe- Black. Queer. Theater. 'nough said! They have been producing incredible work work for years, so James breaks it down, by covering selections of sketches, their founders, and the future! Nnekay has a Hodge Podge Korner this week ya'll which she has titled- Just The Tips with Nnekay. She is covering books to help children learn compassion, Ariana Huffington's tips on how to combat outrage but to still stay active, as well as a tip for great cinema, the PBS documentary called Birth of a Movement about 1900s activist, William Monroe Trotter, who fought against the original extremely racist movie, Birth of a Nation. We also have a new Korner where we toss it to the Korner Kids and see what they've been up to! So hold on to your butts, get ready to rumble, and check your lace front, because we are ready to get you PUMPED.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/books-to-help-childre...
https://journal.thriveglobal.com/how-to-get-out-of-the-cycle-of-outrage-...
http://www.colorlines.com/articles/watch-william-monroe-trotter-fights-d...
http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Pomo-Afro-Homos-Fierce-force-r...
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/499847/pdfWith all that is happening in the Austin beer scene, it is hard to keep track of what breweries are in the process of opening around town. Needless to say, the Austin area beer scene is exploding! This quarterly article is mostly focused on the upcoming Austin breweries that are currently in the works. This January 2016 post includes updates from the previous article from September 2015 and new breweries that are |
been “securing and not confronting these gatherings.”
But there were signs of other containment tactics. Several times Tuesday afternoon, cellphone networks appeared to be blocked or otherwise unavailable for people calling from Tahrir — or Liberation — Square. Many people had trouble getting access to Twitter, the social networking tool that helped spread news of the protests. Twitter confirmed that its site had been blocked in Egypt, Reuters reported.
By early Wednesday, the police appeared determined to clear protesters from the streets, leading to more clashes.
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.
On a bridge, drivers stopped their cars and some joined the protesters, chanting, “The people want the downfall of the regime.”
In the days leading up to the protests, more than 90,000 people signed up on a Facebook page for the “Day of Revolution,” organized by opposition and pro-democracy groups to be held on Police Day, a national holiday. The organizers framed the protest as a stand against torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment. The Muslim Brotherhood said it would not officially participate, though some members were among the protesters in Cairo.
But many people said they did not belong to any particular group and were attending their first demonstration. They included Ramy Rafat, 25, who said he lived in El-Marg, an impoverished neighborhood in north Cairo. Mr. Rafat, who has a master’s degree in petroleum geology and is unemployed, said he learned about the protest on a Facebook page for Khaled Said, 28. Mr. Said’s family says police officers fatally beat him last year.
“There are a lot of things wrong with this country,” Mr. Rafat said. “The president has been here for 30 years. Why?”
Photo
Aya Sayed Khalil, 23, brought her sister, her mother and her father to the protest. “I told them the revolution was coming,” she said. Asked about their political affiliation, Ms. Khalil’s mother, Mona, said, “We’re just Egyptians.”
The marchers came from all social classes and included young men recording tense moments on cellphone cameras, and middle-age women carrying flags of the Wafd party, one of Egypt’s opposition groups. A doctor, Wesam Abdulaziz, 29, said she had traveled two hours to join the protest. She had been to one demonstration before, concerning the treatment of Mr. Said.
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“I came to change the government,” she said. “I came to change the entire regime.”
What began as a small demonstration outside Cairo’s Supreme Court building around noon Tuesday quickly swelled. Hundreds marched through winding streets while security officers shadowed them in a moving cordon. Scuffles broke out as the officers tried to halt the march by linking arms and forming lines.
“Freedom, freedom, freedom,” the protesters chanted. “Where are the Egyptian people?”
By midafternoon, groups of people had converged in Tahrir Square, where they met security forces in full riot gear and a water cannon truck. Several people said the clashes began in earnest after protesters tried to take control of the water cannon.
In front of the Mugamma, a towering administrative building in the square, young men threw rocks at the police as older demonstrators tried to stop them. Several young men were carried away from the clashes, clutching bloodied tissues to their heads.
As night fell, the crowd grew larger. An older man with a bullhorn appealed to his more Internet-aware counterparts, asking them to spread the word to railway workers and dockworkers. Many people said they planned to sleep in the square.
After midnight, the security forces, using concussion grenades and tear gas, renewed attempts to disperse the protesters.
Since Jan. 14, when President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia fled his country during a popular revolt, autocrats throughout the region have fretted about responses by their own restive populations who shared many of the grievances that toppled Mr. Ben Ali: rampant corruption, injustice, high unemployment and the simple lack of dignity.
It was unclear whether the day of demonstrations would lead to any broader social unrest. “I think it is the beginning of the process,” said Mustapha Kamel al-Sayyid, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo.
“Some of the demonstrators are still in Tahrir and said they will not leave until their demands are met by the government,” he said, hours before they were forced out of the square. “Their demands will not be met by the government, but they will not give up.”Take a look at the International Space Station, where Don Pettit constructs what can only be called Russian Nesting Bubbles - a series of thick-rimmed bubbles inside other bubbles, all of which center themselves.
I'm beginning to think that gravity is the force most responsible for not letting us have any fun. Take a look at the latest demonstration conducted by Don Pettit, an astronaut on the International Space Station. Because there is not gravity pulling down on the water bubble he constructs, it can have very thick rims and it lasts for a long time. While it's bubbling around (I don't know the verb for what bubbles do with themselves.), it is injected with more bubbles, many of which have bubbles inside them.
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Later, when there's just a water droplet, the water is set to spin, and the air bubbles are injected inside it. (Then there are lasers just for fun.) What's strange is, why do the bubbles inside the water droplet seem to clump around the center of the spinning drop? They bumble (that's what bubbles do!) around a bit, but eventually they all head towards the center. To understand the answer, we have to understand that we're not just seeing a droplet, we're seeing a centrifuge. The surface tension of the droplet, not having to contend with gravitational force, does a pretty good job keeping the droplet together, and it spins just like a centrifuge would spin. The reason why we have centrifuges in labs is to separate out materials. Dense materials will shoulder their way to the outer edge of the spinning centrifuge, while lighter material will get pushed to the center. Since water is denser than air, the same thing happens here, and the bubbles get pushed to the center of the spinning drop.
And, this doesn't have anything to do with anything, but we'd like to thank Don Pettit for not just doing these experiments, but for uttering the phrase, "That's where I'd go if I were a bubble."
Via Physics CentralTricklining is one of the most popular forms of slacklining – there are dozens of stunts to perform and the only thing you need is a simple slackline kit, no expensive equipment.
And what's great on this activity is that it is still fairly new, so new interesting tricks with attractive names are born every day and you can even create your own! Here you can find a huge list of them, with videos, pictures and tips, organized by their difficulty. (and in case you also do pogo jumping, we have a similar trick list as well ;-) Enjoy!
Beginner slackline tricks
These are the most basic slackline tricks you can encounter – easy to learn, so you can start practicing them as soon as you learn how to keep balance and walk.
I have chosen a balanced combination of walking, static and jumping tricks as well, so that you can quickly learn the basics and form a solid base for the more advanced stuff. So let's start!
Turn around
Difficulty: Type: Walking An easy and fundamental move, essential for all walking action on a slackline. First video will show the basics – just walk a few steps, eyes fixed on a single point, then turn your head and body, and fix your eyes on some point again – do not look on your feet when turning! The second video delves deeper into the actual turning technique – a few slackliners explain what is their favorite method. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video turn Learn To Walk A Slackline How to slackline Walking a Slackline Sol Steerin #Slackline
Watch this video on YouTube More detailed: How to turn on a slackline
Watch this video on YouTube
Walking backwards
Difficulty: Type: Walking The first advanced walking style is moving backwards – quite easy to do, just follow some basic advice: As always, do not look under your feet – after some practice, you'll be able to place them on the right place automatically and without looking. Also, keep your core tight and straighten, do not bend (see the video). Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video SL Lessons: Walking Backwards
Watch this video on YouTube
Tree
Difficulty: Type: Static I'll have chosen also some easy static tricks for beginners – for the Tree (originally a Yoga pose), you don't even have to know how to walk on slackline, just how to keep balance on one foot. Remember, the key to all static poses is to keep your body as still and calm as possible – so try not to shake or press too much against the line. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Sitting down
Difficulty: Type: Static And here we have another quite easy static pose: You start on the line, get into a squat, then move one leg forward and sit down. You can then stay with one feet in the air, or put both feet on the line and continue to keep balance just using your arms. Afterwards, you can get up using the Seated mount or, after you learn it, the Pistol mount for example. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline sit down
Watch this video on YouTube
Seated mount
Difficulty: Type: Mount A classic mounting technique, also called a sit start. You start sitting on the line with both feet on it (the closer they are to your body, the easier it is), rock yourself backwards and then lean forward and get up without using your hands for support. This can be a little difficult, so practise just sitting on the line first. Also, make sure the slackline doesn't run directly under your tail bone (which can be painful), but rather slightly to one side. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube Slackline Challenge #2 – Sit start
Watch this video on YouTube
Bounce walk
Difficulty: Type: Walking, Jump A playful and funny type of walking – as you can see in the first video, you can start with only small jumps on both feet, then try them on just one leg. There are no strict rules, just bounce along the line as you like, forwards or backwards. After mastering that, try higher and longer jumps (second video) and finally, you can even do Lemur leaps all the way across the slackline. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline Bounce
Watch this video on YouTube Moonlight Beach Trick Session
Watch this video on YouTube
Vertical jump (Ollie)
Difficulty: Type: Jump Air tricks are probably the most attractive, so we'll certainly include them in our repertoire. Your first one of these would be a simple jump above the line: Push your weight down onto the slackline and then utilize its power to throw you up (you can bend your knees while in the air). And while landing, start with putting your feet sideways. After you master that, you can try landing with your feet inline, or add a 180°, 360° or 540° spin. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Line snap
Difficulty: Type: Jump Also one of the easiest jumps. The beginning is the same as with Vertical, but instead of jumping upwards, you slide your feet from the line in opposite directions – which makes it "snap". Afterwards, you land with your feet sideways (again, you can try inline later). Some advanced variations of this trick include multiple snaps in a row, doing it on just one foot or even walking the line using just line snaps. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Advanced slackline tricks
After you master the basic stunts, it is time to proceed to more challenging tricks. Bouncing, jumps, new types of mounts and also some more advanced static poses – all of that is waiting for you!
Front flip dismount
Difficulty: Type: Jump The first and easiest of the large flip family, I guess you have already tried it on trampoline or into water. It's quite easy (you can watch the second video for some tips), just be careful not to put too much power into the jump as you can easily rotate too much and fall on your face (third video). Also use some protective mats for your first tries. You can make the flip parallel with the line or perpendicular, the choice is yours. This move is essential for getting into the flips category (you can continue with Backflip dismount or FF landing on the line), but also provides you with an effective way how to exit the line. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline Frontflip out
Watch this video on YouTube Tips how to do a front flip: How To Front Flip – Safe Easy Steps For Good Flips – Beginner to Expert Instructions w/ EXOcontralto
Watch this video on YouTube Be careful not to rotate too much: slackline front flip pain
Watch this video on YouTube
Front lever
Difficulty: Type: Static An elbow lever from gymnastics, in tricklining called the Front lever more often – balancing on your arms while keeping your body straight in a horizontal line. It requires a good deal of both balance and strength, so start practicing on the ground, then switch to the line (but still starting from the ground) and finally start in the standing position on the line. You can also try various tilts with your body and legs, instead of just staying still (see the second video) – or even do it inline with the line (third video). And after you master that, the insane one handed version is waiting for you! Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube Add some variations to the pose: One Legged Slackline Surfing
Watch this video on YouTube Inline elbow lever: Slackline, Jumps and Tricks by Daniel Mauser
Watch this video on YouTube
Crow
Difficulty: Type: Static Another static trick with high demands on your balance skills and strength, so it may be a good idea to starting practicing it on the ground first. After you develop your arm strength, move onto the line and continue. And after you really master this pose, you can even combine it with the Front lever for example – and switch from one position to the other. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Butt bounce
Difficulty: Type: Bounce One of the most popular stunts, easily linkable with many others. During the true Butt bounce, you don't use your feet to get back on the line (just touching the ground with your heels is ok and even inevitable, unless you set the line really high) – but that can be difficult to learn. So I would advise you to start with easier versions of this trick – mounting using Butt bounce, the Sticky bounce and then the original BB using one or both legs to help you get back on the line (see the video). Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video The Butt Bounce | Trick in a Minute | Episode 1 | Slackline Industries
Watch this video on YouTube
Knee bounce
Difficulty: Type: Bounce A more difficult type of bounce – it may look quite scary at first, so you may want to try starting from lower positions (like knee-bend) first, and do the true knee bounce from standing position later. You can also start with a Kneeling mount and instead of standing up normally, practise the bounce. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Butt bounce mount
Difficulty: Type: Mount, Bounce The last piece to our Butt bounce puzzle – this time it's a mounting technique. Run along the line, jump and land on your butt on the slackline. Use your hands to keep balance during the bounce and while getting into the standing position. It will probably take some time to learn, however it's a dynamic and fun way how to start your trickline compilation (or any other slacklining action). Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Kneeling mount
Difficulty: Type: Mount The kneeling mount is a great move for improving your crossline balance and strengthening your muscles as well. This trick also uses the Drop knee positition so make sure you learn that first. The key here is to find the right spot on your knee where to touch the line – it's the soft spot just below your knee cap. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Pistol mount
Difficulty: Type: Mount Also called a single leg press, perfect for building up your leg strength. Simply place one foot onto the line (start with your stronger one and practise the other later as well), put all your weight on it and then raise the other foot up and in front of you, fully extended. The final move is a strong push against the line and you'll get into the standing position. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Space shuttle
Difficulty: Type: Mount If you are looking for a funny way how to get onto the line, this one is for you. Ask a friend to lie on the ground and then push you into the air using his feet – so that you land on the slackline. You would probably have to try it many times to find the right angle and also how strong the push should be – but I am sure it will be a lot of fun! Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Lady Bounce
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Lying down
Difficulty: Type: Static You start the same way like during Sitting down – get into squat from a standing position, move one leg forward and sit. Afterwards, start lying down slowly (keeping balance using your arms) until your entire body is in one straight line. Stay in that position for a while, and then get up the same way.. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline Trick Attempts
Watch this video on YouTube
Foot plant
Difficulty: Type: Static, Linking An advanced version of the Drop knee move – you start the same way, but then shift all your weight on your back foot (you can even sit on it) and extend your front leg along the line. It can be used as a standalone trick as well as for linking some other moves together. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Drop Knees | Trick in a Minute | Episode 2 | Slackline Industries
Watch this video on YouTube slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Drop knee turn
Difficulty: Type: Linking Great move to join multiple tricks together and also not so difficult to learn. After you master the Drop knee position, all you have to add is a turning move on one foot – after that you'll end up in another drop knee and ready for whatever other action. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Inside drop knee turn
Difficulty: Type: Linking Similar to the Drop knee turn, but more difficult and (at first) quite awkward to do. You start in some kind of combination of a Drop knee and Foot plant and once you are ready, you make a turn and end up in a Drop knee position. Like it's easier version, it provides a nice way to join some other tricks together. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Buddha drop
Difficulty: Type: Static, Linking After you master the Buddha, you can further enhance it using this trick, also called a cross legged knee drop. After getting into the sitting position, rock yourself backwards a little and the lean forward and vault over into the final position. While it is an interesting static pose, it can be also used to join some other tricks in a natural, flowing way. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Playing musical instrument
Difficulty: Type: Other, Walking A real fun to do! If you play any musical instrument, grab it and try playing it while balancing on the line (or even walking!). Smaller stuff like ukulele or flute is easier of course, violin looks really cool. Other interesting choices include a guitar of course, hand drum, trumpet or even a didgeridoo. And I would really like to see a tuba or helicon in action! Plus, this activity gets an entirely new dimension on highline :) Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video ukulele slackline
Watch this video on YouTube
Juggling
Difficulty: Type: Other, Walking A funny and impressive activity to do on a slackline – you would probably start with this trick while balancing on one foot (first video) and later try also walking while juggling – don't haste, make only small, slow steps. Using juggling clubs instead of balls (second video) can be a nice variation as well. Of course, if you have never tried juggling, you have to learn it first – so watch the third video, a nice explanation of the learning process. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline Juggling!
Watch this video on YouTube With juggling clubs: Waking Slackline with 3 juggling clubs!!
Watch this video on YouTube Learn how to juggle: How to Juggle Three Balls
Watch this video on YouTube
Expert slackline tricks
And finally, the tricklining masterclass – the most powerful jumps and bounces, challenging static poses and intricate walking styles.
For your own safety, do not try these stunts until you get enough experience and balance skills. Also, protective mattresses or similar pads are highly recommended for some of them.
Aerial flip dismount
Difficulty: Type: Jump A slightly less known flip, but certainly worth learning. Instead of jumping forward or backward, you rotate to the side, making something like a cartwheel without hands, and land on your feet. As with Front and Backflip dismount, it's best to start on waterline, if you have such possibility. While on the line, use some mats for protection. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline dismount 101
Watch this video on YouTube
Buddha bounce
Difficulty: Type: Bounce A combination of Buddha sit and bounce – you start in a standing position, fall onto the line (crossing your legs during that) and then bounce back. Again, try landing a little sideways, not directly on your tail bone. It can be also used as an interesting start of a bouncing combination. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Back bounce
Difficulty: Type: Bounce One of the more difficult bounces, but it's also a valuable part of many bouncing combos and a real fun to do. While the first video shows some nice action, you can find a detailed tutorial in the second video (the key is to start slowly, from the ground, and gradually continue to the true back bounce). While bouncing, keep your back tense. During practicing, you can also wear a sweatshirt to make the landing smoother. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video The Back Bounce | Trick in a Minute | Episode 3 | Slackline Industries
Watch this video on YouTube Detailed tutorial: Tutorial : Gambit Origins "Backbounce" Freewalker/Gambit Slacklines
Watch this video on YouTube
Atomic butt bounce
Difficulty: Type: Bounce, Jump Here we have a combination of a Lemur leap and Butt bounce. It's better to start near the center of the line so that you land closer to the anchor – the sag isn't that high there so you won't hit the ground, also the line angle will help you get back on your feet. This trick requires a great deal of practice and precision – but you will be rewarded with an awesome looking stunt. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Chest bounce
Difficulty: Type: Bounce The most difficult and scary from the bounce family – but also a cool looking stunt and an essential part of all advanced bouncing combos. You start in a standing position and then dive onto the line, grabbing it with one hand and laying on it with your chest, stomach and the opposite leg. After the bounce, you can get up again, or continue with some another trick right away. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Mojo tap spin
Difficulty: Type: Combo, Bounce A quick combo using two Chest bounces – start with the first one, and then use your arm and leg to push off and do a 180 degrees flat spin into the second bounce. It takes a lot of practice to perform this trick, but once you get it down, it will certainly become one of your favorites. And after that, you can start working on the Mojo flat spin! Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Gambit swap
Difficulty: Type: Linking A challenge both for your arm strength as well as balance skills. So in case you have problems, you can start practicing this move on the ground and then try it on a slackline again. And after you master it, you'll get a nice way how to join several other tricks together. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Somersault
Difficulty: Type: Linking One of those little gymnastic tricks we know from school – while easy on ground, it's much more difficult to do on a slackline. Start in a Drop knee position, then bend forward (your head next to the line from one side) and continue with a somersault over your shoulder – after that you can immediately continue with some other stunt. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline, Jumps and Tricks by Daniel Mauser
Watch this video on YouTube
Cartwheel
Difficulty: Type: Linking Another gymnastic move, also called a Bloody Stef by Daniel Mauser – proceed the same way you would do it on ground, just hold the line with both hands. You would probably start slowly (see the second video) and develop the full leg swing after you master keeping the balance. Bear in mind this stunt could be quite dangerous, so tighten the line a lot to prevent it from swinging to the sides. After you master it, you'll also get a great looking move to join some of the other tricks together – watch the third video for some inspiration. And finally, you can continue with learning the Bloody grab! Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline, new Trick called "Bloody Stef"
Watch this video on YouTube Another version: cartwheel on a slackline
Watch this video on YouTube In combo with backflip: first "Cartwheel to backflip" Slackinecombo
Watch this video on YouTube
Bloody Grab
Difficulty: Type: Linking An advanced version of the Cartwheel, basically on one hand while you grab you foot with the other. If you don't have any gymnastic experience, it would be probably very difficult for you to learn. But don't let that discourage you, train it a lot and you will be rewarded with such a great looking move! Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline, the Bloody Grab performed by Daniel Mauser
Watch this video on YouTube Another view: Slackline, Jumps and Tricks by Daniel Mauser
Watch this video on YouTube
Back handspring
Difficulty: Type: Linking And one more gymnastic move, this time in backwards motion. Again, practice on ground first (see the second video for instructions) and after you master it, continue on slackline. You'll have to adapt to several differences (for example the position of your hands), but just a little patience and training and you can add another stunt to you library. Also, it can be also used to prepare yourself for the Backflip landed on line. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Back hand-spring update
Watch this video on YouTube How to do a back handspring on ground: Gymnastics : How to Do a Back Handspring
Watch this video on YouTube
Plane walk
Difficulty: Type: Walking, Linking The first of the two crazy walking styles developed from a Drop knee position. It's slightly less painful and easier, because instead of that leg shuffling, you make a step with one leg and then slide the other over the line (shin is the contact point). During the slide, you shift your weight onto the front leg and lean forward, turning that leg's contact point from sole to the knee. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Drop knee walk
Difficulty: Type: Walking, Linking And here's the second crazy walking style. Again, start in the Drop knee position, then switch into a Buddha drop and start walking, drop a knee with each step. It may be a good idea to wear pants or longer socks to protect your shins, as this trick can be a little painful. Also, it provides a perfect way to link other knee tricks together. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
One handed front lever
Difficulty: Type: Static A much more difficult version of the standard Front lever – after you get into that position, raise one hand and put it in front of you to better keep balance (first video) or behind your back (second video). Again, you can try it inline with the line as well (third video). Either way, you'll be be probably able to hold only for a very short time, but that's perfectly ok, every second counts. This trick puts extremely high demand on your strength, but once you accomplish it, you'll have a really cool looking stunt in your arsenal. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Moonlight Beach Trick Session
Watch this video on YouTube One Legged Slackline Surfing
Watch this video on YouTube Inline one handed elbow lever: Slackline, Jumps and Tricks by Daniel Mauser
Watch this video on YouTube
Plane
Difficulty: Type: Static Another trick that starts in the Drop knee position – once you get into it, lower your front knee down to the line, lean on it and start straightening your back leg. Lower your head and extend your arms out to the sides. The line should run under the knee and shin of your front leg, and the back leg should be as straight as possible.. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Origami
Difficulty: Type: Static Origami is a difficult but really cool looking move – basically you fold yourself into a crossline variation of a Buddha position. Again, start practicing it on the ground and that move onto the line. When getting up, you just unfold your body the same way. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video slackline tricks
Watch this video on YouTube
Handstand
Difficulty: Type: Static One of the most advanced static poses. It can be dangerous as well, so start on slackline after you can do a handstand on ground without any problems. Do not hurry, start from ground (second video) and switch to the line-start (first video) later. Use some mats or similar protection under the line in case you fall, you can also ask a friend (or two) to give you a helping hand during your first tries. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline, Handstands Slowmotion, Drip Drop Surfing, Buttbounces and Yokohama BB by 000Slacker000
Watch this video on YouTube Starting from ground Slackline Handstands
Watch this video on YouTube
Extreme slackline tricks
This section is rather a subcategory of the expert tricks – the most crazy and difficult ones. To master these, one has to acquire a truly exceptional strength and balance skill!
Fearless – buttflip to chestbounce
Difficulty: Type: Combo, Bounce An impressive move, first landed by Brenden Gebhart (first repeats by Alex Mason and Andy Lewis). You start in a standing position, dive into a Butt bounce and then do a full front flip and land using a Chest bounce. And after that, you can continue with some other combos right away (see the video). Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video The Line King IV: Obsession to Progression
Watch this video on YouTube
Back magic – back bounce, backflip, back bounce
Difficulty: Type: Combo, Bounce Joining two already really difficult moves together by a backflip, that's just sick. You start by falling into a Back bounce, then use a backflip into a second BackB, and finally into a standing position. First landed by Andy Lewis in August 2012, not using padding when practicing (see the beginning of the video)! I guess you would rather want to use some… Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Slackline: Quest for Back Magic
Watch this video on YouTube
Splits
Difficulty: Type: Static An impressive pose to do on slackline, however you'll probably spend a lot of time just stretching your muscles and training it on ground (watch the third video for some tips). It's possible to try both normal and straddle splits position. Start in a standing position on the line, spread your legs and bend one knee slightly (see the first video), then start getting lower and lower slowly, until you finally reach the desired pose. If that's too difficult for you, try another technique – get into a Foot plant first and then straighten your back leg behind you. Also, try to stay as long as you can in the pose – like in the second video. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video WettenDass? Daniel Mauser, Spagat auf 2,5cm breitem Band!
Watch this video on YouTube Staying longer in position: Long Split auf der Slackline!
Watch this video on YouTube Tutorial how to do splits: splits3 How to Do the Splits Quick
Watch this video on YouTube
Double backflip landing on the line
Difficulty: Type: Jump The ultimate flip, what more should I say… Similar to the insane Double backflip dismount, but the different landing requirement makes it much more difficult. Till this day, there has not been any successful attempt (landed on feet) – so when you see somebody perform this monster trick, let me know! The video is Andy Lewis' DBF dismount attempt from ISPO 2010, I think it provides a nice illustration. Show Video Show Video Hide Video Hide Video Andy Lewis Slackline Double Backflip Attempt
Watch this video on YouTube
Thank You List
The encyclopedia would not exist without dozens of great videos filmed by passionate slackliners – I would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all of them!
Written by Stepan HroudaWhen Abhishek Kapoor made Rock On in 2008, he wouldn’t have thought about its sequel. Some sequels had released by then, but it wasn’t seen as a trend.
read more Rock On 2 review: The band of boys weaves its magic again
Things have changed so much in the eight years that the producers decided to go with a new director in Rock On 2. This time it is directed by Shujaat Saudagar.
However, this is just the beginning because at least five sequels are in the pipeline to hit theatres in next four months.
Force 2 (November 18, 2016): John Abraham’s ACP Yashwardhan is back to work on a terrorism-related case. His wife was killed by some criminals a few years ago, and that keeps his anger burning. Sonakshi Sinha is a RAW agent who might help him in his endeavour. Abhinay Deo is the director of the film.
Tum Bin 2 (November 18, 2016): Like November 11, next Friday is also going to be a clash of sequels. Anubhav Sinha’s film featuring Neha Sharma, Aditya Seal and Aashima Gulati, is all set to rekindle old-world romance. Also, they have kept the famous Jagjit Singh ghazal ‘koi fariyad’ in the film.
Kahaani 2 (December 2, 2016): The team of Vidya Balan and Sujoy Ghosh is back with another thrilling story. Once again it’s about a lone woman’s search. A mysterious woman Durga Rani Singh, played by Balan, is on a lookout for her daughter, but she is trailed by a police officer.
Jolly LLB 2 (February 10, 2017): Akshay Kumar has replaced Arshad Warsi in the sequel to 2013 film Jolly LLB. Like Arshad, Akshay is also playing a lawyer who doesn’t know how to cope with a corrupt judiciary. Huma Qureshi and Annu Kapoor also play important roles in director Subhash Kapoor’s film.
Greetings from @humasqureshi & me this morning straight from Lucknow stn.Jolly indeed is having a jolly good time😜 pic.twitter.com/wEDrXI23mB — Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 31, 2016
Apart from these films, Judwaa 2, Aankhein 2, Robot 2.o, Baahubali 2 and Golmaal Again are also expected to release next year.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
First Published: Nov 12, 2016 14:41 ISTI am extremely happy to announce one of our next series, The Pitlanes.com Karting League on rFactor 2!
With our Clio Cup series moving to a fortnightly schedule, we have decided to fill these holes in our schedule with something different. We’re not aware of anyone running a Karting League so thought we would put one on!
This will be pickup with open server at 7pm (UK Time, currently BST) on Friday evenings using the ISI Karts.
Format
Practice 1 hour.
Qualifying 10 minutes.
Warmup 5 minutes.
Race 1 – 10 minutes.
Warmup 5 minutes.
Race 2 – 10 minutes (Grid ordered by finishing position of race one)
Warmup 5 minutes.
Race 3 10 minutes (Grid ordered by finishing position of Race two)
Points
Schedule
24/07/2015 AMP Kart A
07/08/2015 Mountain Peak Kart Oval
21/08/201 |
a close we’re here to provide another breakdown on what we saw as the most popular gear of the last 12 months.
This year we’ll break things down by:
Effects & Synths which outlines the popularity of the two primary types of equipment available for rent at our shop.
Pedals by Category which highlights the types of pedals musicians have been most interested in taking for a spin.
Top Manufacturers which shows who captured the hearts of the community during the past year.
Below these charts and stats, you'll also find the most popular individual items of the year. You can also look back to our 2016 retrospective to see how some things change, and how some things stay the same.
Effects & Synths
By and large our community continues to be predominantly made up of guitarists. Effects pedals made up over 80% of all rentals throughout the year. With that said synth rentals edged up by 6 points in 2017. In general, interest in synthesis, and in particular eurorack, continues to grow. Many guitarists are finding interesting ways to incorporate this gear into their setups. It will be interesting to see how this may further shift going into next year.
Pedals by Category
Again this year we find pedal rentals dominated by ambient and technical devices with nearly 70% of all rentals being made up of delay, reverb, and modulation. Pedals adding some dirt to the chain held at just under 20% for the second year in a row.
Top Manufacturers
20% of all our rentals were represented by three manufacturers this year. Taking top honors were:
Most Popular Pedals Of The Year
Most Popular Synths Of The Year
Please keep in mind that the data we’ve reviewed is based on rentals booked on thesoundparcel.co only. While not reflective of the music industry as a whole, we do think that this is a compelling snapshot into the type of equipment musicians are most interested in experimenting with, as they search for their personal sound.
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Comments will be approved before showing up. Emails will not be published. Required fields are marked *As President Donald Trump and his cabinet move aggressively to implement their far-reaching and "potentially devastating" deregulatory agenda—slashing everything from environmental rules protecting the public water supply to labor standards shielding workers from harmful chemicals—many have begun to loudly raise the all-important question: who benefits? According to a Public Citizen report unveiled Wednesday, the answer in many cases is Trump himself.
"Trump promised to drain the swamp, but that's not what he's doing. He's undermining regulations in order to benefit himself, his family, and his close friends."
—Rep. David Cicilline
Authored by Public Citizen research director Rick Claypool and Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the new analysis finds that "Trump's flurry of deregulatory policies and executive orders—especially his unconstitutional 'one in, two out' order—all point to one goal: allowing reckless corporations to regulate themselves, a model that has been spectacularly unsuccessful in the past."
"Meanwhile," Claypool and Cicilline add, "Trump's refusal to cede ownership of his businesses means the president can personally profit from gutting environmental, worker, health, and financial protections."
The report examines a total of six cases in which Trump's decision to slash a particular rule or public safeguard could ultimately be profitable for his vast business empire at the expense of workers and the environment.
Among the examples spotlighted are:
The EPA's proposal to repeal the Clean Water Rule, which would impose higher compliance costs on a wide variety of businesses, including golf courses ("Trump owns 12 golf courses in the U.S. that could be affected by the drinking water rule," the report notes);
The Trump administration's elimination of the Obama Labor Department's expansion of overtime pay to cover employees who earn up to $47,400 a year, which would have benefited many of Trump's tens of thousands of employees; and
EPA chief Scott Pruitt's decision to halt a planned ban on the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos (which was supposed to take effect March 31, 2017), which is frequently used by golf courses.
Also examined are broader areas of concern, particularly Trump's sweeping proposal to overhaul the U.S. tax code and deliver massive benefits to the wealthiest Americans, the largest corporations, himself, and his family.
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"If Trump's net worth is $3.5 billion, as has been reported, Trump's heirs would benefit from an estate tax repeal by at least $857 million," the analysis notes.
Trump has so many conflicts around #deregulation, he may as well be Swamp King. #DrainTheSwamp? Yea, right. https://t.co/zxLY3LOQfa pic.twitter.com/nQa3BwlDMZ — Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) October 11, 2017
Claypool and Cicilline conclude their report by arguing for higher standards of government transparency, particularly for an administration awash in scandals and conflicts of interest.
"The public deserves to be informed about how the president stands to gain when his administration and legislators call for axing protections that improve and protect American lives."
—Public Citizen"Because of Trump's pervasive regulatory conflicts, any attempt by the administration to gut public protections should be preceded by a detailed and thorough accounting of how such actions will impact the president and his business interests," the report concludes. "The public deserves to be informed about how the president stands to gain when his administration and legislators call for axing protections that improve and protect American lives."
Public Citizen released the new analysis to coincide with Rep. Cicilline's introduction of the DRAIN the Swamp Act, which would require federal officials to disclose any potential conflicts of interest before they can carry out changes to the regulatory system.
"Trump promised to drain the swamp, but that's not what he's doing," Cicilline concluded. "He's undermining regulations in order to benefit himself, his family, and his close friends."You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters
Message: * A friend wanted you to see this item from WRAL.com: http://wr.al/17yHy
— Two 16-year-old students at Swansboro High School have been charged with sharing a nude photo of one of their teachers after "catfishing" the teacher on a social media site.
Brian Joshua Anderson and Brittney Renee Luckenbaugh are each charged with misdemeanor disclosures of private images, according to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say the Swanboro High resource officer was notified in mid-April that students had distributed a nude photo of the teacher.
The students accessed the photo after misrepresenting themselves on a social media site, investigators said. So-called "catfishing" involves luring someone into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona.
The teens were arrested on April 26 and given $5,000 unsecured bonds. They're scheduled to make a first court appearance on June 15.Get the biggest Real Madrid CF 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
Hugo Lloris is a £35 million target for Real Madrid.
The 29-year-old Tottenham goalkeeper is regarded a a key figure in the revival at White Hart Lane inspired by manager Mauricio Pochettino.
And he also the captain of the club as well as his country France – who he will lead in tonight’s Euro 2016 quarter-final against Iceland.
Lloris has a contract at Spurs for the next three years and has established himself as the automatic first choice since his £10 million move from Lyon in 2012.
Such us his importance to the club and to Pochettino that Spurs want him to extend the deal that still has three years to run.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine)
Lloris has talked to chairman Daniel Levy about a new contract and those talks will continue after the European Championships.
Lloris has made it clear that he is happy at White Hart Lane and delighted to work under the management of Pochettino.
But if a club with the profile of Real come calling, Lloris could well be tempted to listen.
They are a club with world-wide support – and they are the current holders of Champions League.
(Image: Reuters / Stefan Wermuth)
(Image: Getty)
They are also managed by Zinedine Zidane – a World Cup winner with France on 1998 and who enjoys iconic status in his homeland.
Spurs will resist any attempt to sell their goalkeeper and will attempt to persuade him to extend his stay.
Lloris will decide on his future when he finished with France in the Euros.Thanks to a confluence of three events, the S-word -- secession -- is once again in the air. In Washington, new questions are emerging about whether the United States can function as a unified nation after a partial government shutdown was engineered by a largely regional party -- one whose home territory looks eerily similar to the Confederacy. Adding to the questions about the viability of the post-Civil War union is the fact that the shutdown has been orchestrated by a Texas legislator whose state party stalwarts -- including its governor -- seem to support secession, to the point of taking concrete legislative steps to prepare for independence. On top of all that, in states across the country, incipient secession movements have sprung up only a few months after secession petitions flooded the White House website.
In his seminal book "Better Off Without 'Em," Chuck Thompson marshals data to argue that America would benefit by letting the Republican Party and its strongholds formally secede from the country. Whether or not you end up agreeing with Thompson, the argument he forwards is compelling on the policy merits. It also raises an important but less-explored political question: Why would today's conservatives want to formally secede from a nation that gives them the privilege of governing the whole country, even though they remain in the electoral minority and even though their policy agenda is opposed by a majority of the country?
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Partisans on both sides will inevitably deny this reality, because they see the world exclusively through a red-versus-blue prism. The reality-distorting effects of such a prism cast Democratic politicians as uniformly liberal, and therefore creates the illusion that Democratic Party control of the presidency and the U.S. Senate mean those institutions are similarly liberal. But such a partisan view obscures ideological conservatism's undeniable dominance of both parties -- and, thus, American politics.
Inside the Beltway, you can see this dominance in (among other things) the transpartisan support for the escalation of wars, the expansion of the surveillance state, the perpetuation of the Drug War and the preservation of corporate welfare. You can also see it in the annual budget fights that interminably shift to the right.
The last few months illustrate that point. Today, draconian sequestration-gutted budgets that were recently considered controversial are the new mainstream center. Indeed, to Democrats, the sequestration levels they once criticized as too harsh are now the new acceptable normal. At the same time, to Republicans, the sequestration levels they once could only dream of are now the overly "Big Government" that allegedly requires a full-on government shutdown to rein in.
Underscoring the rightward shift, that government shutdown is not coincidentally structured to keep funding conservatives priorities (the Military-Industrial Complex, the Surveillance State, etc.) while eviscerating liberal social programs. Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation's healthcare ideas championed by the Republican Party's most recent presidential nominee are now billed as a socialist plot, thus pushing the Overton Window even further to the right and marginalizing anything genuinely liberal like, say, single payer. Oh, and as all this is happening, popular liberal priorities like gun control can't get an up-or-down majority vote even after children are massacred.
It's the same story of conservative domination in many state legislatures, regardless of party control. On economics, the debates in both Republican and Democratic states are typically not about reducing corporate welfare and tax cuts and using the recovered cash to better fund the social safety net. Instead, whether in a red or blue legislature, it usually is a debate about how much more corporate welfare and tax cuts to hand out, and how much more the social safety net must be gutted. At the same time, the serious state-level gun control proposals are stymied despite their strong public support, and legislatures keep passing new restrictions on a woman's right to choose, despite strong public opposition.
What's news here is not that the right has a hammerlock on American politics, but that it has engineered such a hammerlock even as public opinion polls show America is moving to the left on issue after issue after issue, and even as national electoral results show America continuing to overwhelmingly vote against the Republican Party's ultraconservative agenda. This dichotomy between political power and public will represents far more than mere tolerance of a political minority's rights in a republican democracy. It is more than even a tyranny of the conservative minority. It is nothing short of the conservative movement declaring independence from America yet still ruling the America it abandoned with the entitled arrogance of an occupying force.
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None of this is an accident. It is the result of a preconceived strategy that relies on two sets of tools.
The first is the unprecedented use of the U.S. Senate filibuster and the creation of the so-called Hastert Rule. The former gives just 11 percent of the population enough Senate representation to stop anything (like, say, minimal gun control) that the other 89 percent may want. The latter basically does the same thing, only with U.S. House rules that prevent any bill from even being voted on unless it has the support of a majority of the House Republican Conference. This particularly empowers a tiny minority of conservative voters considering that the GOP Conference didn't even win a majority of votes for U.S. House in the last election.
How, you ask, did Republicans win the lower chamber but receive far fewer total votes for the U.S. House than Democrats? They employed the second set of tools: redistricting and the gerrymander.
As Mother Jones magazine documents, Republican legislatures in 2010 used the decennial practice of redrawing district lines to all but guarantee the GOP control of the House, irrespective of whether a majority of American voters actually cast their ballots for that. The result is exactly what President Obama described at his press conference yesterday when he said: "There’s no competition and those folks are much more worried about a Tea Party challenger than they are about a general election where they’ve got to complete against a Democrat or go after independent votes -- and in that environment, it’s a lot harder for them to compromise."
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Why is it harder to compromise? Because a Republican in a gerrymandered district doesn't have to worry about a general election in which he gets painted as an extremist. In such a district where the primary winner is the automatic general election winner, that incumbent is mostly concerned with creating a voting record that appeases ultraconservative Republican primary voters and therefore prevents a primary challenger from calling him a moderate.
While it is true that none of this comprises a formal secession, it is also true that all of this together does indeed represent a genuine unofficial political secession by the right. Through the filibuster, conservatives now use the brinkmanship of threatened government shutdowns and debt defaults to successfully legislate their pro-militarism, anti-social-program agenda over the objections of everyone else. At the same time, through gerrymandering, conservatives have geographically walled themselves off in a way that prevents them from having to electorally answer to anyone but themselves.
They have, in other words, made a deliberate choice to secede into their own separate nation. Call it Conservastan.
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This was a choice, of course, that the right didn't have to make. To start winning national elections and electoral mandates again, the conservative movement could have used redistricting to dilute Republican districts, make more Democratic districts potentially competitive, and then defeat Democrats in those competitive elections. That would have required the difficult work of broadening the movement's agenda and expanding its electoral base, but if successful, it would have also led to actual mandate-worthy majorities and genuinely national governance for the long haul.
Instead, the right chose to use redistricting to create a whole separate political country for themselves. Inside this new country, the Fourth Estate check on power isn't an objective news media -- it is Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and right-wing media enforcing dogma against the perceived threat of ideological traitors. Inside this country, the Republican Party isn't interested in broadening its agenda; the incentive in Conservastan is for the party to continually narrow its agenda to intensify conservative fervor so that the gerrymandered districts that comprise Conservastan remain impenetrable GOP strongholds.
As a pure power grab, the strategy has been wildly successful. Not only does the conservative movement's less populous breakaway country now control the political destiny of those of us still here in regular old America, it does so while making sure all of us in liberal America financially subsidize Conservastan.
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Thus, we return to that first question: Why would any conservative want to formally secede from the union when the conservative movement's undeclared political secession has been so incredibly successful for the right? If, say, you are a conservative living up the road from me in Northern Colorado, why would you want to formally secede when the conservative movement's aggressive abuse of the state constitution and recall process allows your fellow Colorado conservatives to shape large portions of state policy without actually having to win statewide elections anymore? Why, too, would you want to give up such privilege and also give up subsidies that, according to the I-News Network, makes the rest of Colorado give you a net cash transfer of "between about $60 million and $120 million or more a year"?
These are the same kinds of questions you could ask of any of the secession campaigns across the country, and the fact that there are no politically rational answers is probably, in part, why many leaders of the conservative establishment do not openly support actual secession. They know that the filibuster and the gerrymander have already let them politically secede and yet still rule this country. They know they are still ruling because they see government shutdowns structured to protect conservative priorities and they see a Democratic president endorsing conservative healthcare, Social Security and national security ideas. And most important, they know their continuing rule doesn't have to involve any of the downsides of an official secession, even though a secession has already happened.If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The following is a guest post from Paul @ AffordAnything.org, she is a fantastic blogger, and fellow Yakezie Challenger.
Hi everyone – It’s Paula from AffordAnything.org here.
After I announced on my blog that I bought a triplex, several readers asked me to elaborate on my decision-making process. Why did I become a landlord? Isn’t that a hassle?
So I’d like to take a second to share my personal story: what led me to buy a rental property.
CASH FLOW
I lived in Australia for a year. One month before I left, a book by Aussie property investor Steve McKnight somehow fell into my lap.
The book, From 0 to 130 Properties in 3.5 Years, hammers one key point, which I’m paraphrasing:
Don’t buy real estate for capital appreciation. You can’t predict the future, and you don’t know if the value will go up or down.
Buy property only if it will put money in your pocket every month. Use that money to buy more property. Repeat until you can retire on the passive income.
In Australia, where there are tax incentives to own rental properties that cause you to LOSE money each month, this is a radical notion.
In the U.S., where those tax incentives don’t exist, this is a more common idea – but it’s still rare. Most real estate investors are chasing risky gains, not small but stable returns.
Steve’s book inspired me to chase the small-but-stable route.
FINDING AN OPPORTUNITY
I’d love to be able to tell you that I spent months scouring the classifieds for the perfect rental opportunity. I did not.
Finding the triplex was as simple as waking up, getting dressed, and stepping outside of my front door. That’s when I noticed that the house across the street was for sale.
I know the neighborhood well – after all, I live there – so I ventured online to look at the listing.
The numbers were in black and white:
Unit 1 – Rents for $X per month
Unit 2 – Rents for $Y per month
Unit 3 – Rents for $Z per month
The listing also noted the annual property tax and included a spreadsheet of the monthly water bills (I live in Atlanta, where the landlord normally pays for water).
SPREADSHEET
With those numbers in hand, I made an easy calculation:
Step 1: Add the monthly mortgage + property tax + water + estimated maintenance cost + insurance + estimated vacancy cost.
Step 2: Compare that to the monthly rental income.
Step 3: Which number is higher?
As long as the income is higher than the expenses, I’d be putting cash in my pocket each month.
Guest Post by Paula at AffordAnything.orgIt’s Star Trek Discovery December! We’ve been providing you with a lot of resources for campaigns set during the Four Years War, the conflict playing out in Discovery following the Battle of the Binary Stars. We’ve published spaceframes and species to use as well as a guide to Wartime in Star Trek, but today we’re giving you something a little more tangible: a scenario set during Star Trek: Discovery.
Much to my annoyance, we don’t have insider information on Star Trek: Discovery. This is based on what has been seen on screen and makes some suppositions about the broader situation. If we’re wrong in the future then sorry!
Through a Forest Wilderness is a combat scenario that involves a rapid assault on a Klingon outpost to take prisoners and information. The timing of this is between the episode “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” when the ship is trapped by a madman, and “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum,” when Kol‘s plans are outlined to Captain Lorka. Intelligence in that second episode indicates that the Klingons are spreading advanced technology from the Ship of the Dead, but where did that intelligence come from? Well, possibly from your player characters!
Click the image below for the PDF.
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Like this: Like Loading...For Tim Sherwood, it is the fieriest of baptisms. The 44-year-old former England midfielder and Premier League-winning captain has never managed a professional team. Now he takes charge of Tottenham Hotspur, one of England's top five clubs over the past four seasons, in a grudge Capital One Cup quarter-final against West Ham United at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night.
Tottenham are resolved to avenge the 3-0 home defeat they suffered to West Ham in the Premier League on 6 October, a result that saw the visiting manager, Sam Allardyce, delight in having his tummy tickled over his tactical acumen and André Villas-Boas begin to feel the unravelling of his White Hart Lane tenure. The end came on Monday morning, after the previous day's 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool.
Revenge, though, is merely a part of the plot. Sherwood has been confirmed as Villas-Boas's interim successor but only while the chairman Daniel Levy and the sporting director Franco Baldini cast the net for a bigger name to take on the job in the longer-term.
No one can say how long that process will take and, by extension, how long Sherwood will enjoy his elevation. Several candidates have been discussed but there would be difficulties in appointing one of them mid-season. Frank de Boer, for example, who has his admirers in the Tottenham boardroom, would be loth to leave Ajax as they chase a fourth consecutive Eredivisie title.
The impression given is that the club would love Sherwood to do well and so buy them time; ideally, until the summer, when managers might be more receptive to an approach and a new challenge. There are no certainties and, for the players, this is a curious time.
When Villas-Boas told them before training on Monday that he had become the eighth Tottenham manager to be sacked by Levy since 2001, they wanted to know where the club was going; what would be the permanent solution. Players are a resilient breed, capable of knuckling down in a variety of circumstances, and the smart money would be on Tottenham bouncing back with a performance against West Ham. Yet there is concern in the dressing room over what might happen next.
There are two readings to Sherwood's promotion. The first is underpinned by joined-up-thinking and no little romance. Having been brought into the first-team coaching set-up on a part-time basis by the former manager Harry Redknapp in October 2008, he has worked to establish himself and to obtain his coaching badges – he completed his Uefa A and B licenses under the auspices of the Football Association of Wales.
Here is a former Tottenham captain who has returned to graft his way through the ranks. He is gifted and extremely well regarded by the hierarchy. When Blackburn Rovers wanted to appoint him as their manager in October 2012, Levy blocked the approach. Sherwood was even under consideration to become Tottenham's sporting director before Levy turned to Baldini last summer.
He has a keen eye for a player and his opinion is respected in professional circles. Redknapp, who is now at Queens Park Rangers, has taken Andros Townsend and Tom Carroll on loan from Tottenham on Sherwood's recommendation. Redknapp had appointed him, together with Les Ferdinand, another former Tottenham player, because he wanted to give opportunity to young English coaches. It is often said that homegrown talent is overlooked for the top Premier League posts and so Tottenham's faith has to be commendable.
The alternative reading to the drafting in of Sherwood as the club's manager takes in words like "gamble" and asks searching questions. Given his lack of a track record, how many leading players would want to sign for him during the January transfer window? Given his elevation from the youth set-up, how many of the first-team squad can truly look at him and see their boss? Many of the younger ones will not remember his playing days, when he lifted the Premier League trophy with Blackburn in 1995 and won three England caps.
Sherwood must get results, find an attractive style of play, appease Baldini by getting more out of the club's expensive summer signings and restore morale in general. All this, as he operates on a game-to-game basis.
Everybody at Tottenham wanted Villas-Boas to succeed, and there was plenty to like about his debut season, when the players bought into his carefully-structured training sessions and scientific approach. This season has been a disappointment, as he struggled to integrate new signings and ended up frustrating many of the players.
Some were sad to see him go and believed there was still something in him for Tottenham, particularly if he could have made tweaks to his methods. Others were not so sure.
His treatment of Emmanuel Adebayor left the Togolese and his team-mates bewildered. Adebayor had travelled to Hong Kong with the squad in pre-season only to learn of the death of his brother and, unsurprisingly, allowed it to affect his attitude. When Villas-Boas was made aware of the situation, he gave his blessing to the club's decision to grant the striker compassionate leave but when Adebayor returned to work, he was sent to train with the reserves.
Villas-Boas felt that Adebayor's fitness, which was behind the other first-team players, who had moved on to a different programme, would be better improved with the reserves. There was logic to the theory yet little human feeling.
Thereafter, when Adebayor returned to the first-team group, it felt to him as though Villas-Boas was always looking for a reason not to play him, despite the clamour from Baldini and sections of the squad for the manager to switch to two up front. Adebayor, who has appeared only once this season – as a substitute in the 6-0 defeat at Manchester City – is among the squad's best-paid players. Levy came to have a problem with that.
Villas-Boas was not afraid to chop and change players, which blurred the line between healthy competition and unease. Christian Eriksen was dropped after his poor performance against West Ham; Jermain Defoe was unhappy to be left out for Liverpool after two decent Premier League starts; Aaron Lennon was mystified to be substituted against Manchester United after running Patrice Evra ragged.
The gripes went on. Jan Vertonghen, the centre-half, is known as 'Superman' at the training ground after a goal celebration in which he looked ready to rip open the front of his shirt. "Hey, Superman," his team-mates have teased. "How's it going at left-back?" Vertonghen has not been amused. Younès Kaboul, Mousa Dembélé, Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli and Gylfi Sigurdsson have wondered about their place in the scheme of things.
Sherwood took training on Tuesday and has attempted to "get a few messages across in a short space of time". He will miss the injured Vertonghen, Sandro and Kaboul against West Ham, plus the suspended Michael Dawson and Paulinho. Welcome to the mad house.Your nursery shouldn’t be just cute. It should be UNFORGETTABLE. Here are 14 Jaw-Dropping, design-packed nurseries for modern parents, who refuse to be ordinary.
1. For The Little Dreamer, Who Will Never Stop Chasing His Dreams
Photo by currystrumpet on Flickr
2. For The Little Wanderer, Whose Favorite Color Will Always Be Wild Dreams
3. For The Little Nature Lover, Who Will Transform The Beauty Of Nature Into Magical Lands
Photo by Emily May on Flickr
4. For The Little Mountain Lover, Who Will Climb The Highest Peaks
Photo by maxpixel
5. For The Little Fashionista, Whose Sense Of Style Will Always Be In
Photo by Paintzen on Flickr
6. For Little Wonderland Lovers, Whose Adventures Are Worthy Of A Book, Or Two
Photo by Nicolas Huk on Flickr
7. For The Little Animal Lover, Whose Voice Will Protect Her Furry Friends
Photo by Nicolas Huk on Flickr
8. For The Little Designer, Whose Vision Will Find Beauty In Unlikely Places
Photo by Rachelle on Flickr
9. All Stars For The Ultimate Dream Team
Photo by Paintzen on Flickr
10. For The Little Artist, Who Will Portray The Beauty Of Simplicity In Every Painting
Photo by Decor8 Holly on Flickr
11. For The Little DIY’er, Who Will Always Be Creative
Photo by currystrumpet on Flickr
12. For The Little Trendsetter, Who Won’t Shy Away From New Adventures
Photo by homestilo on Flickr
13. For The Little Glam Star, Who Will Shine So Brightly, People Will Compare Her To The Sun
Photo by maxpixel
14. For The Little Lady, Whose Elegance And Charm Will Conquer The World
Photo by Nicolas Huk on Flickr
Are you ready to make room for the newest member of the family? Find out how much your renovation will cost in minutes. Head over to Kukun’s Home Remodeling Calculator and get free real-time estimates.After helping drive many U.S. bookstore chains out of business, Amazon has been opening its own retail stores, starting in Seattle in late 2015.
Its first Amazon Books location in New York City opens Thursday morning in Manhattan’s Shops at Columbus Circle, which was previously home to a pretty large — and now closed — Borders Books and Music.
As far as New York City malls go, it’s one of the nicest. Situated diagonally across the street from Central Park and above a major subway station, Amazon’s shop should attract a mix of out-of-town visitors and locals who work or live in the area.
Amazon Books is on the third floor, a few steps from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery.
Amazon invited journalists into the store yesterday for a preview. There’s still scaffolding hiding the façade from the rest of the mall, so it’s missing some natural ambient light. But this is Amazon Books.
Inside, it’s brightly lit with a subtle warmth. And the first table, right inside the door, shows the kind of data-informed curation that Amazon seems to be aiming for: “Highly Rated” books, rated 4.8 stars and above — on Amazon’s website, of course.
Amazon uses its data throughout the store, including up-to-date star reviews on title cards for each book, as well as for other curation.
Here’s my favorite example: An endcap called “Page Turners,” consisting of books that Kindle readers finish in three days or less. Clever.
There’s also a section where Amazon replicates the “you might also like” functionality of its website. For example, if you liked the Elon Musk biography by Ashlee Vance, Amazon thinks “you’ll love” this Tim Ferriss book or “Shoe Dog” by Nike founder Phil Knight.
One thing my tour guide pointed out: Notice you don’t see any book spines here? Amazon isn’t trying to cram its entire inventory into this store. Every cover is on display. This works particularly well in the cookbook section.
Here’s what one of those title cards looks like. This might be the only store in the world, by the way, where you’re encouraged to scan that barcode into the Amazon app.
Notice there’s no price on there. That’s because pricing works differently here, too. If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you pay the current Amazon price for each book — usually well below suggested retail price. If you’re not a Prime member, though, you’re paying full retail — unless you want to sign up for a trial Prime subscription in the store. (Aha!)
For price lookups, in addition to the Amazon app — which you can also use to pay — there are barcode readers throughout the store that have real-time prices.
It’s mostly books here, but there’s a gadget section for things like Amazon’s Echo devices, Alexa-compatible smart home gizmos, Kindles and tablets, and a dozen AmazonBasics items, including iPhone chargers and AAA batteries.
Industry insiders believe the stores are just as much about marketing Amazon gadgets as they are about selling books. An Amazon executive admitted as much on an earnings call with analysts earlier this year.
Here, you can pick up a Joule sous vide cooking device, plus related books and accessories, right in one spot.
The checkout process is pretty straightforward — there’s a line and kiosks where you can scan your items, swipe a credit card, etc.
So, how was it?
Really, it just feels like a normal mall bookstore.
There are some clever Amazon touches to it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t some efficiencies on the back end that could eventually make this a better business for Amazon than brick-and-mortar bookstores have been for bookstore companies. (It doesn’t feel massively oversized, for one thing.)
But it also doesn’t have anything really special going on — not yet, at least.
While Apple is trying to turn its stores into “modern-day town squares” where people hang out and learn creative skills, this very much feels like a straightforward, nice-enough bookstore.
There’s no café, not really anywhere to sit and read, nothing special about the fixtures, a very boring magazine selection and a collection of books that feels blandly standard — not the sense of opinionated curation you’d find at a boutique like Brooklyn’s new Books Are Magic.
But that’s always been what Amazon does best: Predictable, good value and reliable for the masses.
And hey, now there’s a bookstore in the mall again.Wedbush Securities issued a new report today in which it examines how bitcoin evolved in 2014 and why, despite challenges, it believes the ecosystem will bolster its still nascent infrastructure in 2015.
The 13-page report is the latest from the US financial services and investment firm, which has been among the more outspoken players in the finance industry on the subject of digital currencies.
Though wide-ranging in its analysis of the bitcoin ecosystem, perhaps the most notable comment from Wedbush addressed the ongoing outage at leading US dollar bitcoin exchange Bitstamp, which it argued shouldn’t color perception of the industry as a whole.
Authors Gil Luria and Aaron Turner wrote:
“Weakness in unregulated foreign-domiciled third-party providers such as Bitstamp should be viewed as such, not as a weakness in bitcoin or the underlying technology.”
Luria and Turner went on to voice their opinion that the incident underscores the need for bitcoin trading to migrate to “regulated, robust, liquid and secure venues” in 2015.
The comments notably echo sentiments Wedbush expressed at the time it completed its first investment in the bitcoin ecosystem via bitcoin marketplace Buttercoin.
In its public comments, Wedbush lauded Buttercoin as a necessary step in the maturation of the bitcoin market, noting its “reliable trade execution” and established US banking relationship.
However, the lion’s share of the report focused on bitcoin’s accomplishments in 2014, as well as what it sees as a path the technology will travel on in the year ahead.
Bitcoin already ‘quietly mainstream’
In contrast to some observers who it acknowledges try to paint the ecosystem as a niche community, Wedbush argues in its report that bitcoin already went “quietly mainstream” in 2014.
The report stressed the integration of the technology at leading payments companies as evidence of bitcoin’s overall success.
“We believe the integration (not acceptance) of bitcoin by a range of companies from old guard NCR and First Data to Silicon Valley leaders PayPal and Intuit serves as the ultimate validation of the impact of the technology, not to mention the broad positive commentary from other industry participants,” the report reads.
In this light, Wedbush argues that bitcoin has the potential to disrupt legacy financial institutions “over the next few years”.
Price conversation evolves
Another topic the paper discusses is the relationship of the bitcoin payment network to the price of its native currency, and the tendency of observers to correlate the performance of the price with that of the ecosystem.
“We find investors continue to (mistakenly) view the price of the bitcoin currency as a forward indicator for the success and impact of bitcoin blockchain technology,” the authors write.
Wedbush voiced its belief that the technology’s innovation is likely to continue regardless of its price, using analogies to more traditional markets to underscore the point.
“2014 has shown that bitcoin prices are only related to the success of underlying technology as gasoline prices are related to car sales |
’s claim that Obama is causing high unemployment as a “payback” for black slavery to Michelle Bachmann’s assertion that Obama is creating “a nation of slaves” to Fox host Megyn Kelly’s eye-popping claims that the New Black Panther Party is somehow immune to prosecution by the Obama justice department: We are not in a race relations crisis. We are in an economic crisis. And these manufactured racial melodramas are meant to frighten Vilsackian Democrats to never dare do anything that might ruffle Tea Party feathers, like push through a desperately needed second stimulus or nominate Elizabeth Warren as head of the consumer protection agency.
As Shirley Sherrod said in her speech, “It’s not about black and white, it’s about poor versus rich, and how the system works to keep it that way….
“[Historically, dividing the races had been] working so well, they said, Gosh, looks like we’ve come up on something here that can last generations—and here we are. Over 400 years later, and it’s still working. What we have to do is get that out of our heads. There is no difference between us. The only difference is that the folks with money want to stay in power and whether it’s health care or whatever it is, they’ll do what they need to do to keep that power.”
Somehow, that part of her speech didn’t get much play on Fox.President Trump, seen here in a file photo, told Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte during an April 29 phone call that he is doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.” (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
President Trump labeled North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un a “madman with nuclear weapons” during a private phone conversation with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte last month, just days before stating publicly that he would be “honored” to meet with Kim.
In the April 29 call, Trump sought Duterte’s input on whether Kim is “stable or not stable” and expressed some satisfaction in North Korea’s recent failed missile tests, noting that “all his rockets are crashing. That’s the good news,” according to a transcript of the conversation made by the Philippines government on May 2 and obtained Tuesday by The Washington Post.
Duterte responded that Kim is “playing with his bombs, his toys” and offered that “his mind is not working well and he just might go crazy one moment.” That prompted Trump to point out that the United States has “a lot of firepower over there,” including “two nuclear submarines” sent by the Pentagon to the region last month.
Later in the call, Trump raised the stakes of the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula when he observed: “We can’t let a madman with nuclear weapons let on the loose like that. We have a lot of firepower, more than he has, times 20 — but we don’t want to use it.”
The focus between Trump and Duterte on North Korea comports with a brief public readout of the call from the White House on the day it took place. But the details of their conversation, first reported here, offer a deeper view of the urgency with which Trump is attempting to enlist foreign leaders to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
[Transcript of call between Trump and Duterte]
A senior Trump administration official acknowledged that the transcript is accurate but declined to speak on the record about “a leaked document from a foreign government.” The Post obtained the document from a person who asked not to be identified because the transcript, labeled by the Philippines government as “confidential,” is not intended for public release.
Trump is “rallying as much support as he can on North Korea,” the administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Regional support is extremely meaningful. This is how he’s trying to proactively manage a very difficult situation.”
Trump’s call with Duterte, during which he extended an invitation to visit him at the White House, was met with skepticism from some foreign policy analysts and human rights groups. Since taking office in June, Duterte has moved to hedge on the Philippines’ long-standing defense alliance with the United States by establishing closer relations with China. And his administration has overseen a brutal extrajudicial campaign that has resulted in the killings of thousands of suspected drug dealers.
Trump has not spoken out against that strategy, and in their call he praised Duterte for doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.”
“Many countries have the problem, we have the problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that,” Trump said, according to the transcript.
After Duterte replied that drugs are the “scourge of my nation now and I have to do something to preserve the Filipino nation,” Trump appeared to take a swipe at his predecessor, Barack Obama, who had canceled a bilateral meeting with Duterte after the Philippines leader insulted him.
“I understand that and fully understand that and I think we had a previous president who did not understand that,” Trump said.
On his first foreign trip this week, Trump said during a speech in Saudi Arabia that his administration will not “lecture” foreign governments on human rights as the United States pursues partnerships to fight terrorism.
The senior Trump administration official said that the president was not condoning Duterte’s “individual tactics” for cracking down on illicit drugs. Rather, this was Trump’s “way of expressing solidarity over a common scourge,” the official said.
Most of his conversation with Duterte focused on how to deal with North Korea and whether China can exert more leverage on Kim’s regime. Trump acknowledged after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid-April that “it’s not so easy” for Beijing to alter Pyongyang’s behavior.
But when he asked Duterte whether China has “power over” Kim, the Philippines president responded: “Yes, at the end of the day, the last card, the ace, has to be with China. It’s only China.”
In an interview with Bloomberg News three days after his call with Duterte, Trump said he would be “honored” to meet Kim “under the right circumstances,” opening the possibility of bilateral or multilateral talks. No sitting U.S. president has met with a North Korean leader. In another interview that week with CBS News, Trump called Kim “a pretty smart cookie” and expressed admiration for the North Korean leader having assumed power “at a very young age” after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.
Trump told Duterte he hopes “China solves the problem … But if China doesn’t do it, we will do it.” Duterte then offered to call Xi and emphasize the importance of altering Pyongyang’s behavior.
“You can tell him I am counting on him,” Trump replied. “I have a very good relationship with him. I had him in Florida for two days and got to know him well. He is a good guy.”
On May 3, the Chinese state media reported that Xi and Duterte spoke about North Korea, among other topics.
Toward the end of the call, Trump switched topics to invite Duterte to the White House, calling him a “good man.”
“I will love to have you in the Oval Office,” Trump said. “Any time you want to come … Seriously, if you want to come over, just let us know. Just take care of yourself, and we will take care of North Korea.”Jeb Bush speaks during a town hall meeting at the Music Man Square on Sept. 21 in Mason City, Iowa. (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Support for Jeb Bush’s campaign appears to be flagging as lesser-known Republican rivals continue to pick up steam.
The former Florida governor had been considered the Republican Party’s frontrunner in the 2016 presidential race until this summer’s media circus propelled real estate tycoon Donald Trump to the front of the pack.
In Trump’s wake, the overcrowded GOP field has received a remarkable amount of attention. Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were quick to capitalize on the heightened coverage and have quickly climbed in the polls. Bush, on the other hand, suffered the greatest fall.
Top GOP donors have reportedly told Bush that he will start hemorrhaging fundraisers if he does not rev up momentum in the polls — which don’t look pretty.
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, completed last Thursday, shows that Bush’s support was cut in half from July to September — from 14 to 7 percent. He fell in the eyes of all demographics surveyed: men, women, young, old, talk-radio listeners, liberals, conservatives and tea party voters.
Bush experienced the greatest setback, according to the WSJ, among the most important group for his campaign’s survival: likely voters in the GOP primary, whose “positive feelings” about the candidate dropped from 50 to 39 percent.
Similarly, a CNN/WMUR New Hampshire poll reveals that his support among Republican primary voters fell from 16 to 7 percent from June to September in the battleground state.
Jeb Bush speaks to supporters at the Music Man Square in Mason City, Iowa. (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)
PredictIt, a political and financial prediction website, registered this sea change and now forecasts Rubio as the party’s champion. Up until this week, Bush’s campaign could at least cling to that as an argument for their candidate’s strength.
One Bush donor, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested to Politico that it is unclear whether panic or paranoia has hit the Bush campaign, which organized last-minute fundraising in Miami.
“I think it’s just reflective of what’s been going on for the past month or so and the way the race, at least in the establishment lane, has shifted,” the donor told the political paper. “It’s really Jeb or Marco now. Marco’s fundraising has picked up and Jeb’s has stayed flat.”
Another longtime GOP insider, again speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post that Bush plans to be the most popular viable candidate once the party’s establishment looks for an alternative to outsiders Trump, Fiorina and Carson.
“But that assumption is not something the Bush campaign can count on,” the source said. “Rubio has now eclipsed Jeb as the most popular remaining item on the menu.”
Regardless, the Bush campaign remains a powerhouse and has money to burn. The Right to Rise Super PAC, which is dedicated to a Bush victory, raised over $103,000,000 in the first six months of the year alone.
Bush is scheduled to give a speech at Rice Energy Inc., in Canonsburg, Pa., Tuesday about his proposed energy plan should he win the 2016 White House race. He would lift restrictions on crude oil and natural gas exports while fighting the carbon emission reductions President Obama placed on U.S. power plants.
Daniel J. Weiss, vice president of campaigns for the League of Conservation Voters, issued a statement calling Bush’s plan a “carbon bomb" that ignores sound science.
“To please big oil and the other polluters that fund his campaign, Bush is ignoring the majority of Republican voters who believe the climate is changing,” he said. “This plan threatens public health and economic growth by dumping millions of tons of carbon pollution into the atmosphere.”
Trump has repeatedly criticized Bush for allegedly being in the pockets of his donors.
The Bush campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News.
Related video:As it stands now, the e-book industry is dominated by two closed and proprietary giants: Amazon (s amzn) and Apple (s aapl). Both have e-book platforms — the Kindle and the iPad — which they design, manufacture and control, and both have been busy trying to convince book publishers to do business with them, with Amazon pushing for lower prices and Apple giving in to publishers’ demands for a more flexible approach. The landscape will change dramatically later this year, however, when Google (s goog) is expected to launch a digital book-selling unit called Google Editions. The search company’s entry promises to turn the e-book business into yet another battle in the ongoing war of Open vs. Closed.
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According to Google product manager Chris Palma, who described the search giant’s plans at a recent publishing industry event in New York, it will start selling digital books in late June or July. And unlike books bought from either Apple or Amazon, which are locked by digital rights management software and can only be read on the proprietary devices sold by those companies, Palma said that e-books bought from Google Editions will be accessible from a range of non-Google websites and will be readable on any device that has a web browser (including presumably a Google tablet, if one ever materializes). It doesn’t get much more open than that.
The Google staffer said that users will even be able to buy versions of the e-books they want directly from book retailers, which would allow them to keep a larger portion of the revenue from a sale. When it comes to pricing, however, the company apparently hasn’t decided whether to set prices itself or adopt the so-called “agency model,” which lets publishers set the price. The choice is an important one: Amazon has been pushing to get publishers to lower prices, hoping to spark demand for e-books that will help sell more Kindles (the same strategy Apple chose when it was using iTunes to sell iPods). But Apple has decided to play nice with publishers and use the “agency model,” which tends to keep e-books higher-priced.
Whatever pricing scheme it chooses, it seems clear that Google wants to come down on the side of being as open as possible — a choice likely designed, at least in part, to set the company’s service apart from the proprietary models of its main competitors. In a recent interview with Ken Auletta in the New Yorker, Google engineer Dan Clancy said that the company’s approach is designed to create “much more of an open ecosystem,” and that Google was “quite comfortable having a diverse range of physical retailers, whereas most of the other players would like to have a less competitive space, because they’d like to dominate.” But will an open approach pull in consumers who have grown used to the Kindle or the iPad and iBooks?
The one who stands to lose the most by Google’s entry into the e-book market is Amazon. The company has already lost a lot of the ground that it used to hold, thanks to Apple’s support of the “agency model” of pricing. Earlier this year, Amazon tried to force publishers to accept $9.99 e-book deals by threatening to remove their books from its online store — and in one case, it actually did so, with books published by Macmillan. Unfortunately for Amazon, however, Apple launched the iPad, and along with it came an agreement with publishers to allow them to set their own prices for books, based on their existing sales models for hardcover and paperback editions.
Google’s arrival on the scene is likely to give even more power to publishers, since they will gain even more leverage over Amazon (and to a lesser extent Apple). That will almost certainly make it harder for the company to try and bully publishers into accepting its pricing model. And if Google decides to go with the “agency model” as well, and allow publishers to set the price, that could leave Amazon without much of a leg to stand on. It’s not clear whether that will necessarily be good for readers, however — at the moment, Amazon is the only one pushing for lower prices, and the rise of the agency model threatens to give publishers more power than they had before, which could keep e-book prices high, at least in the short term.
Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): The Price of E-Book Progress
Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user StewartAI is rocking the world of policing — and the consequences are still unclear.
British police are poised to go live with a predictive artificial intelligence system that will help officers assess the risk of suspects re-offending.
SEE ALSO: Mark this as the moment when United trolling jumped the shark
It's not Minority Report (yet) but certainly sounds scary. Just like the evil AIs in the movies, this tool has an acronym: HART, which stands for Harm Assessment Risk Tool, and it's going live in Durham after a long trial.
The system, which classifies suspects at a low, medium, or high risk of committing a future offence, was tested in 2013 using data that Durham police gathered from 2008 to 2012.
Its results are mixed.
Forecasts that a suspect was low risk turned out to be accurate 98 percent of the time, while forecasts that they were high risk were accurate 88 percent of the time.
That's because the tool was designed to be very, very cautious and is likely to assign someone as medium or high risk to avoid releasing suspects who may commit a crime.
A self-learning system
According to Sheena Urwin, head of criminal justice at Durham Constabulary, during the testing HART didn't impact officers' decisions and, when live, it will "support officers' decision making" rather than define it.
Urwin also explained to the BBC that suspects with no offending history would be less likely to be classed as high risk — unless they were arrested for serious crimes.
Police could use HART to decide whether to keep a suspect in custody for more time, release them on bail before charge or whether to remand them in custody.
"The lack of transparency around this system is disturbing."
However, privacy and advocacy groups have expressed fears that the algorithm could replicate and amplify inherent biases around race, class, or gender.
"This can be hard to detect, particularly in self-learning systems, which carry greater risks," Jim Killock, Executive Director of Open Rights Group, told Mashable.
“While this process is reported to be 'advisory', there could be a tendency for officers to trust the machine on the assumption that it is neutral."
Racial bias?
Whenever the data is systematically biased, outcomes can be discriminatory because learning models bring into the foreground assumptions that have been tacitly made by humans.
The Durham system includes data such as postcode and gender which go beyond a suspect's offending history.
Even though the system is very accurate, let's say 88 percent of the time, a "subset of the population can still have a much higher chance of being misclassified," Frederike Kaltheuner, policy officer for Privacy International, told Mashable.
For instance, if minorities are more likely to be put in the wrong basket, a system that is accurate on paper can still be racially biased.
"It's important to stress that accuracy and fairness are not necessarily the same thing," Kaltheuner said.
Last year, an investigation by U.S. news site ProPublica shone a light on the alleged racial bias of an algorithm used by law enforcement to forecast the likelihood of a repeated offense.
Among other things, the algorithm was making overly negative predictions about black versus white suspects. The firm behind the system denied the allegations.
For example, ProPublica reports the cases of Brisha Borden, a black 18-year-old teenager who stole a child’s bicycle and scooter, and Vernon Prater, a white 41-year-old who was picked up for shoplifting $86.35 worth of tools.
"Accuracy and fairness are not necessarily the same thing."
While Prater was a seasoned criminal, having already been convicted of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery and Borden had just a handful of misdemeanours, something odd happened when they were arrested and charged.
A computer algorithm predicting the likelihood of each committing a future crime gave Borden a 8 (high risk) while Prater received a low-risk score, just 3.
Two years later, exactly the opposite happened: Prater was serving an eight-year prison term for breaking into a warehouse and stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics while Borden had not received any new charges.
It's only advisory
HART authors, Durham police, and the University of Cambridge's centre for evidence-based policing, defended the system in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry.
"Simply residing in a given postcode has no direct impact on the result, but must instead be combined with all of the other predictors in thousands of different ways before a final forecasted conclusion is reached."
They also noted that the model is just "advisory."
However, advocacy groups believe there are questions that need to be assessed before the system is used to make life-changing decisions for individuals.
"The lack of transparency around this system is disturbing," Silkie Carlo, policy officer at Liberty, said.
“If the police want to maintain public trust as technology develops, they need to be up front about exactly how it works.
"With people’s rights and safety at stake, Durham Police must open up about exactly what data this AI is using.”An important new study reveals a potent disconnect between the issues that matter most to Canadians and their confidence that government can deliver.
From improving health care to balancing budgets, the more Canadians want to see things get better, the less they believe things will.
"There are many issues that are important to Canadians," observed pollster Nik Nanos. "But there isn't a lot of confidence in finding solutions."
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The results of the survey should sound an alarm for anyone who cares about the direction Canada is taking. And it explains why the federal Conservatives win election after election in the face of a divided and confused opposition.
Nanos Research and the Institute for Research on Public Policy co-produced the study. Two thousand Canadians were asked to rate the major issues of the day, and to rate their confidence in the ability of government – whether federal, provincial or municipal – to handle those issues.
A copy of the study, which is being released Wednesday, was provided in advance to The Globe and Mail. Mr. Nanos divided the responses into what he calls "transformative" versus "transactional" issues.
The most powerful issues, where voters place a high priority on transformative change, include preserving and improving the quality of public health care, balancing government budgets and coping with an aging population.
Yet when voters were asked how confident they were "in our ability to find solutions" to these high-priority problems, more voters had no confidence at all than had high levels of confidence.
"When we look at transformative issues such as health care, such as the aging population…there's not a lot of confidence in our ability to find solutions," Mr. Nanos said. "But there tends to be a higher level of confidence in public policy issues that are more transactional."
These transactional, or more incremental, issues include developing Canada's natural resources, policing the border, trading with other nations, and improving infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
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"These issues are less important to Canadians," Mr. Nanos concluded, "but there's more confidence in the ability to find a solution."
Only in the area of preserving safe communities did voters assign a high importance while also being reasonably confident that governments could do the job.
On improving the quality of life for Canada's first nations, most Canadians appear not to care and not to believe anything can be done.
The implications for how governments govern and planners plan are profound. For example, before any political party proposes changes aimed at improving the quality of long-term care for the elderly, they must confront the fact that people don't believe their proposals will succeed. Mr. Nanos calls it "public policy futility."
Bitter experience has made citizens wary of anyone who promises to provide more doctors and improve classroom education while balancing the books.
This is particularly uncomfortable news for socially progressive parties.
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Transformative issues, such as health care, "tend to be more issues of the left," Mr. Nanos observed, "because it's about changing society, while many right-wing issues are about optimizing society: How can we create more jobs; how can we create wealth?"
He calls this "utilitarian public policy."
This may help explain why the Harper government has avoided imposing standards for social policy, including health care, on the provinces, while focusing on delivering results in areas where voters at least have some hope that results could be delivered.
The Conservatives have made resource development a top priority; they are negotiating trade deals in Europe and Asia, and Mr. Harper signed a border accord with American President Barack Obama last year.
And the Tories have made fighting crime a signature issue.
Of course, voters could become more optimistic about the ability of politicians to deliver transformative change. But the politicians need to prove themselves first.
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People, for example, are highly doubtful that governments can balance the books. There is probably only one way to convince them: balance the books.There’s a clarification of the first paragraph’s math in the comments.
It’s no secret that even with their recently-announced alliance, Yahoo and Microsoft will lag well behind Google in the hugely profitable search and search advertising business. How far behind? With a combined 28 percent of the American search market, Yahoo and Microsoft could double their usage and still trail Google, which accounts for 65 percent of the market.
But by another important measure, the two sides are much closer. ComScore found that for the combined Yahoo-Microsoft, “searcher penetration,” or the percentage of the online population in the United States that uses one of those search engines, is 73 percent. Google’s searcher penetration is higher, but not by that much: at 84 percent.
The difference between the two ways of measuring is frequency of use. Users of Yahoo-Microsoft on average searched just under 27 times in a month on those sites, whereas users of Google searched on average 54 times a month, or twice as often.
Of course, when it comes to making money from search, it is the number of searches, not penetration, that matters. But the penetration figures suggest that Yahoo-Microsoft could close the gap with Google if they persuade their existing users to use them a bit more often.
“The challenge will be to create a search experience compelling enough to convert lighter searchers into regular searchers which is generally easier than converting new users,” Eli Goodman, comScore Search Evangelist, said in a press release. “Though clearly easier said than done, if they were to equalize the number of searches per searcher with Google they would command more than 40 percent market share.”
That suggests Microsoft may want to spend more of its money improving Bing, rather than on marketing Bing. Spending on both, of course, can’t hurt.Every MMO has a midpoint, where the climb to level cap is the same distance as the journey we’ve already travelled. For WildStar that midpoint is Whitevale, taking characters from level 22 to 29, and offering a variety of feature unlocks on the way. It’s a land split into halves several times – from deep snow to grassy hills, or from the opportunistic Lopp traders to the corporate Protostar.
As the first contested zone, it’s also a frontline in the battle between Dominion and Exiles. But would this war be the centerpiece to the zone, or would it be part of the backdrop to a greater conflict? With the entire region undergoing a freezing climate change, I grabbed a shuttle to find out.
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Birth of a Heresy
After leaving Auroria behind, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Whitevale. Excluding some off-world antics, it was my first time away from the vast continent of Olyssia, where the Dominion capital of Illium is found. Travelling to Alizar would put me right next to Thayd, the Exile capital. It would be the first time I’d encounter the opposite faction outside of a battleground, and I was curious (and a little paranoid) to see what would happen.
It’s a conflict that Carbine seemed eager to encourage. I arrived at a Dominion beachhead, bustling with machines of war that would tear apart any Exile stronghold they encountered. That military might didn’t matter though, as the hostile climate proved to be a much more brutal enemy. It seemed that the entire region had gone through a sudden and catastrophic climate change, coating the landscape with snow and freezing anything that couldn’t handle the bitter cold.
While I considered what could have caused such a switch in the weather, I moved out towards Sunderstone Hold, a nearby exile town. It seems the locals couldn’t take the hint that the Dominion were moving in, and needed either subjugating or capturing. The Empire isn’t entirely heartless either, constructing the nearby Deadrock prison to house anyone who remains defiant. Sure, it might be built on an island and surrounded by Shellarc-infested water, but it beats the alternative.
The conflict between the Dominion and Exiles has been running for years, but Nexus also gave birth to another breakaway group. I discovered back in Deradune that the mysterious Eldan had created nanites that could convert creatures into powerful, aggressive cyborgs. When those same nanites infected one particular Cassian, however, the result was radically different. Brother Calidor Antevian, once a high-ranking member of the Vigilant Church, found he could control the microscopic machines, discovering something he called ‘The Truth’ in the process. He then set upon technologically augmenting as many others as possible, raiding nearby camps and settlements for people he could forcibly convert to his cult.
It could also represent a crisis of faith within the Dominion itself. After worshipping the Eldan as gods for nearly a thousand years, seeing someone infused with the very technology they created would probably cause some to question their beliefs. Toric Antevian, head of the Vigilant Church’s military wing and brother of Calidor, was there to put down such heresy before it had a chance to grow wings. But despite my efforts, the Ascendancy would not be silenced so easily.
The Trouble with Terraformers
Climbing back into my Orbitron, I decided to find out just how far the Dominion army had pushed into Whitevale. My answer wasn’t far away; cresting a hill, I saw the unmistakable gold, red and alabaster of a friendly fort. As I looked closer my grin changed to a frown, as columns of thick smoke rose up to the sky. Gunning the throttle, I went in for a closer look.
It became clear that two major catastrophes held the balance of war in the region. A giant terraformer hung in the sky, with Exiles and Dominion fighting over the Eldan tech on the ground beneath. By the time I’d arrived, a Granok commander made the stupid decision to switch the thing on, blasting a massive crater in the ground and hideously mutating any troops caught in the fallout. It also tore open an underground cave filled with nesting Squirg – octopus-like creatures that leap onto your head, leaving you a mindless zombie under their control.
With every setback there is also an opportunity. Mondo Zax seized on the chance to investigate the particularly potent Nexian Squirg, demanding samples and specimens from across the battlefield. It also gave me a chance to rock-n-roll with my two favorite weapons of choice – flamethrowers and motorcycles. After mowing down or napalming enough of the brainless, I’m thinking of getting something fiery for my own mount.
On the journey up to level 29, WildStar also continued to throw new features at me. Mount customization unlocks at level 20, and a variety of hoverboards become available at 25. That’s also when you can access the War of the Wilds, a MOBA-style Adventure that I’m looking forward to trying out.
Trade Disagreements
While Protostar’s corporate machine is busy extracting resources from Whitevale, the Lopp to the north are just as eager to buy and trade. I’m not sure just how they keep hold of all their prized posessions, considering how short and squishy they are, but they are certainly enthusiastic. Did they have a horrible invasion to push back, or some unspeakable foe to rescue them from? No. They wanted help fixing a wedding. It doesn’t matter if you’ve managed to explode a bison in such a way that the innards form a surprisingly useful galactic map; all these long-eared creatures are interested in are the ‘shiniest of shinies’.
That said, Protostar is having problems of it’s own. Between robot sabotage and employee abduction, sales and profits are spiraling down. Their solution? Hand out promotional plushies to the Ascendancy, of course! Speaking of which, I should have definitely sneaked one away for my own housing plot.
The most significant battle that I found in Whitevale wasn’t between Exile and Dominion, or even religion and heresy. It was a battle of ideals, between a lust for power and a respect for it. The Silverscale Ikthians, an aquatic race that lives mostly below water, had discovered a way to create hulking Leviathans and Behemoths from their warriors, by harnessing the vast stores of Primal Water that run underneath Whitevale. The Clearwater Pell, on the other hand, learned to manipulate the ebb and flow of the volatile liquid through a series of shamanistic rituals – a secret that the Ascendancy was desperate to obtain.
After the small skirmishes in Deradune and Auroria, Whitevale certainly felt like I’d arrived to the frontlines of a conflict. But it wasn’t what I expected – factional warfare was just one part of a greater story. That said, I’m also eager to find out what it’s like to level through on a PvP ruleset server, particularly considering the common questing areas in the later stages of the zone. My own experience from encountering other players was how their telegraphs merge with regular mobs to make dodging even more intense, even when you’re not flagged. And when you are both flagged, how gloriously entertaining the Chua sneak attack is.
Whitevale also left me with a number of questions. At this halfway point, I was beginning to wonder if the Eldan were still around, or if they’d abandoned Nexus completely. The Lopp also had a fear of anything ‘ghosty’, but their meaning remained a mystery. And yet, I couldn’t shake this nagging feeling of a story on the turn, rotating away from the Dominion vs. Exiles conflict and pivoting towards something shrouded in shadow. Sometimes, digging into a mystery is like staring into the Great Dark itself.
Gareth Harmer / Gareth Harmer has been blasting and fireballing his way through MMOs for over ten years. When he's not exploring an online world, he can usually be found enthusiastically dissecting and debating them. Follow him on Twitter at @Gazimoff.
RECENT ARTICLES:By popular demand, here’s another giveaway for Merlin (ML) BitTorrent tracker. Despite having already given over 2000 invites to this private torrent tracker specializing in science fiction and fantasy content, there still seem to be a lot of people out and about looking for a way to get in. If you are one of those folks – you are in luck. The special signup key posted at the end of this article will allow another 1000 new members to get in – the best part about this giveaway is that you do not need to provide ratio proof, profile links or anything of that sort - you’ll get to create an account immediately with no wait time involved. For those of you hearing about this tracker for the first time, ML is a private community specializing in Science Fiction and Fantasy themed TV shows, documentaries, games and books – it is a project by the same crew behind ACiD, one of the older private trackers in existence.
As we have discussed several times before, ML is a relatively new torrent tracker that launched about a year back. It’s been an invite only community from the start and is yet to have an open signup as of today. However,the user base on ML is pretty solid thanks to official IRC and E-mail recruitment as well as various recruitment schemes on external forums and blogs such as this. In addition, lots of members found ML through its sister site ACiD which is one of the older private trackers in existence. The screenshot above should give you a pretty clear understanding of the sort of content you’d find on ML. It indexes TV shows, documentaries, games, books and other stuff related to science fiction and fantasy genres. There are individual torrents as well as packs including some unique encodes uploaded by the site’s internal encoders. As of 19/3/2011, there were over 700 active torrents indexed on ML. Coming back to the special open registration for FILEnetworks readers, the signup URL and key below will let you instantly create an account on ML, without having to go through the usual interview process. Once you get in, please make sure to read and respect site rules. Site Name: Merlin (https://www.merlins-loft.org.uk)
Signup URL: https://www.merlins-loft.org.uk/Main/?act=Signup&id=12&hash=2058e52f9d3ecc1ca932fd83b17a6707
Signup Key: 6guqqs Special thanks to ML staff. Related Articles Merlin (ML) – New Science Fiction/Fantasy Torrent Tracker From ACiD Crew
ACiD Sign Up Party – 2000 Free RegistrationsA Louisiana law enforcement officer charged with murder in a 6-year-old boy's fatal shooting had engaged in a pattern of abusing his badge to "satisfy his sexual desires," prosecutors claim in a court filing disclosing the lurid allegations.
The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office fired Norris Greenhouse Jr. after the mother of a 14-year-old girl complained in 2012 that she found him lying on a sofa with her daughter while he was dressed in his sheriff's office uniform, prosecutors said in Friday's filing.
Prosecutors also claim Greenhouse made "sexual advances" toward the then-girlfriend of Christopher Few before the November 2015 shooting that critically wounded Few and killed his son, Jeremy Mardis. Few led Greenhouse and three other officers on a 2-mile (3-kilometer) car chase before the deadly shooting in Marksville.
Prosecutors argue that jurors for Greenhouse's trial should hear these allegations because they could help explain why Greenhouse initiated the pursuit.
Greenhouse "has established a pattern of approaching women or teenage girls while 'on the clock' as a law enforcement officer and using the means at his disposal due to said employment to solicit those victims in an effort to satisfy his sexual desires," Assistant Attorney General Matthew Derbes wrote.
George Higgins III, Greenhouse's attorney, said in a statement that prosecutors' allegations are a "thinly veiled attempt to tarnish my client's reputation prior to trial by using clearly inadmissible and unfounded allegations."
"We know the public is smart enough to know a distraction when they see one, but apparently (Attorney General Jeff Landry's office) believes this to be helpful in determining what happened the night of the shooting. (Landry's office) is well-aware that these allegations are irrelevant, and inadmissible at trial," Higgins said.
Greenhouse, 25, and a second officer, 33-year-old Derrick Stafford, were indicted on charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
A judge sentenced Stafford to 40 years in prison after a jury convicted him on March 24 of lesser charges of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.
Greenhouse's separate trial on murder charges is scheduled to start June 12.
Stafford, who was a Marksville police lieutenant, and Greenhouse, a former Marksville police officer, were moonlighting as deputies for the city marshal on the night of the shooting.
Greenhouse, whose father is a |
it is investigating buying land in Mali, Senegal, Sudan and Uganda. By turning to Africa to grow its staple crops, Saudi Arabia is not just acquiring Africa's land but is securing itself the equivalent of hundreds of millions of gallons of scarce water a year. Water, says the UN, will be the defining resource of the next 100 years.
Huge deals
Since 2008 Saudi investors have bought heavily in Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. Last year the first sacks of wheat grown in Ethiopia for the Saudi market were presented by al-Amoudi to King Abdullah.
Some of the African deals lined up are eye-wateringly large: China has signed a contract with the Democratic Republic of Congo to grow 7-million acres of palm oil for biofuels. Before it fell apart after riots, a proposed 3 million acres deal between Madagascar and the South Korean company Daewoo would have included nearly half of the country's arable land.
Land to grow biofuel crops is also in demand. "European biofuel companies have acquired or requested about 10 million acres in Africa. This has led to displacement of people, lack of consultation and compensation, broken promises about wages and job opportunities," said Tim Rice, author of an ActionAid report which estimates that the EU needs to grow crops on 43 million acres, well over half the size of Italy, if it is to meet its 10% biofuel target by 2015.
"The biofuel land grab in Africa is already displacing farmers and food production. The number of people going hungry will increase," he said. British firms have secured tracts of land in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania to grow flowers and vegetables.
Indian companies, backed by government loans, have bought or leased hundreds of thousands of acres in Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Mozambique, where they are growing rice, sugar cane, maize and lentils to feed their domestic market.
Nowhere is now out of bounds. Sudan, emerging from civil war and mostly bereft of development for a generation, is one of the new hot spots. South Korean companies last year bought 1.75 million acres of northern Sudan for wheat cultivation; the United Arab Emirates have acquired 1.875 million acres and Saudi Arabia last month concluded a 100,000 acre deal in Nile province.
The government of southern Sudan says many companies are now trying to acquire land. "We have had many requests from many developers. Negotiations are going on," said Peter Chooli, director of water resources and irrigation, in Juba last week. "A Danish group is in discussions with the state and another wants to use land near the Nile."
In one of the most extraordinary deals, buccaneering New York investment firm Jarch Capital, run by a former commodities trader, Philip Heilberg, has leased 2 million acres in southern Sudan near Darfur. Heilberg has promised not only to create jobs but also to put 10% or more of his profits back into the local community. But he has been accused by Sudanese of "grabbing" communal land and leading an American attempt to fragment Sudan and exploit its resources.
New colonialism
Devlin Kuyek, a Montreal-based researcher with Grain, said investing in Africa was now seen as a new food supply strategy by many governments. "Rich countries are eyeing Africa not just for a healthy return on capital, but also as an insurance policy. Food shortages and riots in 28 countries in 2008, declining water supplies, climate change and huge population growth have together made land attractive. Africa has the most land and, compared with other continents, is cheap," he said.
"Farmland in sub-Saharan Africa is giving 25% returns a year and new technology can treble crop yields in short time frames," said Susan Payne, chief executive of Emergent Asset Management, a UK investment fund seeking to spend $50-million on African land, which, she said, was attracting governments, corporations, multinationals and other investors. "Agricultural development is not only sustainable, it is our future. If we do not pay great care and attention now to increase food production by over 50% before 2050, we will face serious food shortages globally," she said.
But many of the deals are widely condemned by both Western non-government groups and nationals as "new colonialism", driving people off the land and taking scarce resources away from people.
We met Tegenu Morku, a land agent, in a roadside cafe on his way to the region of Oromia in Ethiopia to find 1,250 acresof land for a group of Egyptian investors. They planned to fatten cattle, grow cereals and spices and export as much as possible to Egypt. There had to be water available and he expected the price to be about 15 birr (about $1) per 2.5 acres per year -- less than a quarter of the cost of land in Egypt and a tenth of the price of land in Asia.
"The land and labor is cheap and the climate is good here. Everyone -- Saudis, Turks, Chinese, Egyptians -- is looking. The farmers do not like it because they get displaced, but they can find land elsewhere and, besides, they get compensation, equivalent to about 10 years' crop yield," he said.
Man-made famine
Oromia is one of the centers of the African land rush. Haile Hirpa, president of the Oromia studies' association, said last week in a letter of protest to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that India had acquired 2.5 million acres, Djibouti 2,500 acres, Saudi Arabia 250,000 and that Egyptian, South Korean, Chinese, Nigerian and other Arab investors were all active in the state.
"This is the new, 21st-century colonization. The Saudis are enjoying the rice harvest, while the Oromos are dying from man-made famine as we speak," he said.
The Ethiopian government denied the deals were causing hunger and said that the land deals were attracting hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign investments and tens of thousands of jobs. A spokesperson said: "Ethiopia has [187 million acres] of fertile land, of which only 15% is currently in use -- mainly by subsistence farmers. Of the remaining land, only a small percentage -- 3 to 4% -- is offered to foreign investors. Investors are never given land that belongs to Ethiopian farmers. The government also encourages Ethiopians in the diaspora to invest in their homeland. They bring badly needed technology, they offer jobs and training to Ethiopians, they operate in areas where there is suitable land and access to water."
The reality on the ground is different, according to Michael Taylor, a policy specialist at the International Land Coalition. "If land in Africa hasn't been planted, it's probably for a reason. Maybe it's used to graze livestock or deliberately left fallow to prevent nutrient depletion and erosion. Anybody who has seen these areas identified as unused understands that there is no land in Ethiopia that has no owners and users."
Development experts are divided on the benefits of large-scale, intensive farming. Indian ecologist Vandana Shiva said in London last week that large-scale industrial agriculture not only threw people off the land but also required chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, intensive water use, and large-scale transport, storage and distribution which together turned landscapes into enormous mono-cultural plantations.
"We are seeing dispossession on a massive scale. It means less food is available and local people will have less. There will be more conflict and political instability and cultures will be uprooted. The small farmers of Africa are the basis of food security. The food availability of the planet will decline," she says. But Rodney Cooke, director at the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, sees potential benefits. "I would avoid the blanket term 'land-grabbing'. Done the right way, these deals can bring benefits for all parties and be a tool for development."
Lorenzo Cotula, senior researcher with the International Institute for Environment and Development, who co-authored a report on African land exchanges with the UN fund last year, found that well-structured deals could guarantee employment, better infrastructures and better crop yields. But badly handled they could cause great harm, especially if local people were excluded from decisions about allocating land and if their land rights were not protected.
Water is also controversial. Local government officers in Ethiopia told the Observer that foreign companies that set up flower farms and other large intensive farms were not being charged for water. "We would like to, but the deal is made by central government," said one. In Awassa, the al-Amouni farm uses as much water a year as 100,000 Ethiopians.As Europe comes to terms with a Brexit vote fueled in large part by anti-immigrant hate-mongering, a new report exposes how war profiteers are influencing EU policy to make money from unending Middle East conflicts as well as the wave of refugees created by that same instability and violence.
The report (pdf), Border Wars: The Arms Dealers Profiting from Europe's Refugee Tragedy, released jointly by the European Stop Wapenhandel and Transnational Institute (TNI) on Monday, outlines arms traders' pursuit of profit in the 21st century's endless conflicts.
"There is one group of interests that have only benefited from the refugee crisis, and in particular from the European Union's investment in'securing' its borders,'" the report finds. "They are the military and security companies that provide the equipment to border guards, the surveillance technology to monitor frontiers, and the IT infrastructure to track population movements."
The report shows that "far from being passive beneficiaries of EU largesse, these corporations are actively encouraging a growing securitization of Europe's borders, and willing to provide ever more draconian technologies to do this."
In the past decade, the report says, corporate players have viewed intractable Middle East warfare as a windfall: "Several large international arms companies cited instability in the Middle East to assure investors about future prospects for their business. The arms companies are assisted by European governments, which actively promote European arms in the region and are very reluctant, to say the least, to impose stricter arms export policies."
"The human rights of refugees play no real role in this thinking, except for promotional purposes."
—Mark Akkerman, Stop Wapenhandel
Indeed, "from 2005 to 2014, EU member states granted arms exports license to the Middle East and North Africa worth over 82 billion euros," according to the report.
The report details how a steady flow of arms from outside the Middle East supplies all players in multi-part conflicts, such as Syria's civil war, with an endless supply of high-tech weaponry—thus ensuring that those conflicts endure.
And as these wars create more and more refugees who seek asylum in Europe, the very same corporations are lobbying the EU to'securitize' its borders against them—thus creating additional profit for those in the business of militarization.
Moreover, Stop Wapenhandel and TNI found "industry representatives, government officials and military and security personnel meet around the year at conferences, fairs and round tables."
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The report quotes Nick Vaughan-Williams, international security professor at the University of Warwick, saying: "At these events it is possible to identify a cyclical culture whereby the presentation of new technologies not only responds to, but also enables and drives the formulation of new policies and practices in the field of border security and migration management."
And these "special fairs and congresses on border security are relatively new," the report notes. "They all started within the last decade."
"I believe the influence of the military and security industry on the shaping of the [EU's] border security policy is quite big, especially on the securitization and militarization of these and on the expanding use of surveillance technology and data exchange," Stop Wapenhandel's Mark Akkerman told Common Dreams. "Industry efforts include regular interactions with EU's border institutions (including high ranking officials and politicians), where ideas are discussed that later turn up in new EU policy documents."
"For example, the industry has been pushing for years to upgrade [EU border agency] Frontex to a cross-European border security agency," Akkerman added. "The new European Border and Coast Guard Agency the European Commission has proposed, which has a lot more powers (has its own equipment, direct interventions in member states, binding decisions forcing member states to strengthen border security capacities) than Frontex has now, is exactly that."
"If the establishment of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency proceeds," the report notes, "this would mean a fundamental shift to an EU-controlled system of border security, with the possibility of bypassing the member states and forcing them to strengthen controls and purchase or upgrade equipment."
"It is not hard to predict that this will lead refugees to use increasingly dangerous routes, strengthening the business case for traffickers. For the military and security industry, however it means the prospect of more orders from the agency itself and from member states," the report continues.
Akkerman pointed out the EU's stunning dismissal of human rights in this profit-motivated process:
The human rights of refugees play no real role in this thinking, except for promotional purposes. Both the policy makers and the industry sometimes try to sell the increase in and militarization of border security as a humanitarian effort, in terms of strengthening search and rescue capacities. The EU has repeatedly tried to put all the blame for refugee deaths on traffickers. This has resulted in narrowing its response to 'taking away the business model of smugglers', with even more military means to try to accomplish this. This creates a downward spiral: the greater the controls and the more the repression, the greater the risks refugees are forced to take resulting in more deaths. Experts (academics) and human rights organizations have been warning about this for years, but they have been ignored.
As death tolls rise and a record number of people are displaced by conflict, it seems that the fear-mongering and profiteering—and devastating human rights abuses—will only continue.Agents and attorneys at the FBI and State Department are furious about how FBI directory James Comey let Hillary Clinton off the hook and they are finally speaking out. However, if you get your news from the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) networks you’ve heard nothing about it.
Fox News and The New York Post have cited current and former agents in stories that paint a picture of an FBI and State Department full of hard-working employees who are irate at the way Clinton escaped prosecution over her e-mail scandal.
On Thursday, Fox News’s Malia Zimmerman and Adam Housley cited an unnamed source that claimed members of the investigative team were dismayed and disgusted. And back on October 6 the New York Post’s Paul Sperry cited retired agents that had charged “The FBI has politicized itself, and its reputation will suffer for a long time” and claimed the accommodations given to Clinton and her aides were “unprecedented.”
But that’s not the only Clinton scandal revelation that has been either ignored or underreported in recent weeks.
The following is a brief list of just some of those controversies and how they have or not been covered by the Big Three network evening and morning shows:
FBI and State Department Officials Speak Out on E-Mail Investigation
On October 13, Fox News’s Zimmerman and Housley reported the following:
“The decision to let Hillary Clinton off the hook for mishandling classified information has roiled the FBI and Department of Justice, with one person closely involved in the year-long probe telling FoxNews.com that career agents and attorneys on the case unanimously believed the Democratic presidential nominee should have been charged. The source, who spoke to FoxNews.com on the condition of anonymity, said FBI Director James Comey’s dramatic July 5 announcement that he would not recommend to the Attorney General’s office that the former secretary of state be charged left members of the investigative team dismayed and disgusted. More than 100 FBI agents and analysts worked around the clock with six attorneys from the DOJ’s National Security Division, Counter Espionage Section, to investigate the case. “No trial level attorney agreed, no agent working the case agreed, with the decision not to prosecute -- it was a top-down decision,” said the source, whose identity and role in the case has been verified by FoxNews.com. A high-ranking FBI official told Fox News that while it might not have been a unanimous decision, “It was unanimous that we all wanted her [Clinton’s] security clearance yanked.” “It is safe to say the vast majority felt she should be prosecuted,” the senior FBI official told Fox News. “We were floored while listening to the FBI briefing because Comey laid it all out, and then said ‘but we are doing nothing,’ which made no sense to us.”
Zimmerman and Housley’s piece also included those willing to go on the record:
The claim also is backed up by a report in the New York Post this week, which quotes a number of veteran FBI agents saying FBI Director James Comey “has permanently damaged the bureau’s reputation for uncompromising investigations with his cowardly whitewash of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information using an unauthorized private email server.” “The FBI has politicized itself, and its reputation will suffer for a long time. I hold Director Comey responsible,” Dennis V. Hughes, the first chief of the FBI’s computer investigations unit, told the Post. Retired FBI agent Michael M. Biasello added to the report, saying, “Comey has singlehandedly ruined the reputation of the organization.” Especially angering the team, which painstakingly pieced together deleted emails and interviewed witnesses to prove that sensitive information was left unprotected, was the fact that Comey based his decision on a conclusion that a recommendation to charge would not be followed by DOJ prosecutors, even though the bureau’s role was merely to advise, Fox News was told. “Basically, James Comey hijacked the DOJ’s role by saying ‘no reasonable prosecutor would bring this case,’” the Fox News source said. “The FBI does not decide who to prosecute and when, that is the sole province of a prosecutor -- that never happens. “I know zero prosecutors in the DOJ’s National Security Division who would not have taken the case to a grand jury,” the source added. “One was never even convened.”
Big Three network coverage: 0 seconds
Immunity Deals for Clinton Aides that Scrubbed E-Mails
On September 29, Fox New’s Catherine Herridge reported the following:
“The tech specialist who scrubbed Hillary Clinton’s email archive and was recently found to have sought help on Reddit for how to hide a certain ‘VIP’s’ email address was acting at the behest of Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and IT specialist Bryan Pagliano, a top House Republican charged Wednesday. ‘The clincher: just last week, he’s going online and trying to delete these Reddit posts,’ Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said of Colorado-based tech specialist Paul Combetta, who reached a limited immunity deal with the Justice Department. ‘He’s trying to cover up his tracks, he’s trying to cover up the cover up.’ After a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Jordan pointed to the FBI’s timeline of the investigation released to Congress and to the public online. The FBI records show July 2014 was a pivotal month for Clinton’s aides and support staff because that summer the State Department warned Clinton’s then-chief of staff Cheryl Mills that ‘a request for Clinton’s work-related emails would be forthcoming’ from Congress.
On July 23, 2014 Combetta got a call from Mills and the following day, he got an email from Clinton IT specialist Pagliano, who set up the server. On July 24, Combetta went online to Reddit where he asked for help stripping out ‘a VIP’s (VERY VIP) email address from a bunch of archived emails.’ He also wrote, ‘Basically, they don’t want the VIP’s email address exposed to anyone.’ Jordan told Fox after the hearing the ‘they’ Combetta referred to could only be Mills and Pagliano, based on the FBI’s own records. Like Combetta, Mills and Pagliano were granted limited immunity deals by the Justice Department, but in such a high profile case, legal experts said the deals would not go through without senior FBI leadership consultation.
Big Three network coverage: 65 seconds (ABC 0, CBS 17, NBC 48)
Arms Dealer Claims He Was Scapegoated on Libya Operation to Protect Clinton
On October 12 Fox News’s Catherine Herridge reported the following:
“American arms dealer Marc Turi, in his first television interview since criminal charges against him were dropped, told Fox News that the Obama administration -- with the cooperation of Hillary Clinton’s State Department -- tried and failed to make him the scapegoat for a 2011 covert weapons program to arm Libyan rebels that spun out of control. ‘I would say, 100 percent, I was victimized…to somehow discredit me, to throw me under the bus, to do whatever it took to protect their next presidential candidate,’....The 48-year-old Arizona resident has been at the epicenter of a failed federal investigation led by the Justice Department spanning five years and costing the government an estimated $10 million or more, Turi says. Turi says the Justice Department abruptly dropped the case to avoid public disclosure of the weapons program, that was designed to force the ouster of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi during the 2011 Arab Spring. ‘Those transcripts from current as well as former CIA officers were classified,’ Turi said of the evidence. ‘If any of these relationships [had] been revealed it would have opened up a can of worms. There wouldn’t have been any good answer for the U.S. government especially in this election year.’ The Justice Department faced a deadline last week to produce records to the defense. Turi says he was specifically “targeted by the Obama administration “and “lost everything--my family, my friends, my business, my reputation.”
Big Three network coverage: 0 secondsKenbi land claim: $32 million pollution inquiry still without chairperson, clean-up due to begin
Updated
One of Australia's longest-running Aboriginal land rights claim is facing another hurdle with no-one at the helm of an investigation into a $32 million pollution problem on the site and clean-up due to begin this month.
A federal parliamentary committee into pollution on Commonwealth Government land near Darwin was due to hold public hearings in the Northern Territory later this month.
But these hearings could now be put behind schedule.
The hold-up represents another blow to the Kenbi land claim, which was lodged 36 years ago in 1979 and has still not been fully resolved.
Months after the chairwoman of the committee's inquiry into the proposed $32 million remediation of the site resigned, a replacement member has not been elected.
A member of the committee told the ABC he was "not sure" why this had not yet happened.
Graham Perrett, the committee's acting chairman and a federal Labor MP, said it was an "unusual situation" that the committee was still without a chair while the inquiry into the remediation project was supposed to be getting under way, and with the project itself due to begin this month.
Cox Peninsula Land Claim: The Kenbi land claim was lodged in 1979 and is Australia's oldest unresolved Aboriginal land rights claim.
A Federal Government report highlighted the risk posed by asbestos and other chemicals to local bore water on land subject to the claim.
The Government wants to spend $32 million to clean up the land and says this will be the final step before handing the land over to Indigenous traditional owners.
The Northern Land Council, which helps Aboriginal people manage traditional lands, says remediation works shouldn't hold up the claim, and land should be given back immediately.
Mr Perrett said he did not know why a new member and chair had not yet been elected.
"We had a meeting last week. I'm not sure why a new member wasn't elected then," he said.
The last regular meeting of the committee was on February 12.
A spokeswoman from the Public Works Committee Secretariat told the ABC it was typically up to the Government to appoint a replacement member for the committee.
In most cases, the committee would then choose one of their number to be the chairperson.
The spokeswoman said it was unlikely the inquiry into the pollution clean-up on the Kenbi land would go ahead without a chair.
She said no date had been set for the hearings due to take place in the Northern Territory, or for the start of the clean-up.
The Kenbi land claim covers the Cox Peninsula, west of Darwin, which had been used by the Commonwealth Government for over 70 years for communications and defence purposes during World War II, with a lighthouse and other government buildings spread over 4,750 hectares of land.
In December, a report by the federal Department of Finance found government buildings on the peninsula were harbouring dangerous levels of asbestos, pesticides, heavy metals and other pollutants.
It said these "pose a significant risk to human health" and represent a "liability for the Commonwealth".
In December, following the recent federal report, the federal Parliamentary Public Works Committee announced it would conduct an inquiry into the proposed $31.8 million remediation of the site.
But that same month the head of the committee, Karen Andrews, was promoted to the federal Cabinet and had to resign from her position on the committee.
The proposed clean-up of the area is also due to begin later this month.
There have been longstanding concerns about pollution in the area, including a 2010 clean-up project that was aborted after it ran over time and over budget.
Topics: land-pollution, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, nt
First postedTuttle Touts “New Year at New Mall”
Photo via Simon Property Group.
Representatives from Simon Property Group — the owner and manager of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing — renewed their pledge to providing a high quality customer experience with a New Years Resolution.
“A lot is in the works at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing,” stated Samantha Brawand, director of marketing and business development at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing. “Renovations, relocations and new tenants are arriving and we’re anticipating great response from our shoppers.”
Those updates include a new Brow Art 23 store that replaced Miracle Eye Brows, a new Zales Jewelers that will take over spaces previously leased by Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory and New Balance, a relocated Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory, and renovated stores for both GNC and Aeropostale.
The updates at Tuttle follow a string of bad news for national retailers that affect shopping centers all across the country. The Mall at Tuttle Crossing is losing one of its anchors with the closure of one of its two Macy’s locations due to a company downsizing in 2017. Tuttle also recently lost its Limited store when the company decided to shutter all brick and mortar locations across the US.
Additionally, the renovations at Aeropostale is positive news, as the brand was in danger of closing many stores all across the US last month. Consumerist.com reported that the reopening of 500 stores is due to a new business partnership that salvaged the brand from bankruptcy.
For more information, visit www.simon.com/mall/the-mall-at-tuttle-crossing.
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About the Author Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
Tags:I was drawn to Albert Camus because he looked so cool in his trenchcoat, because the Cure wrote a song inspired by one of his books (The Outsider), because he and his pug-ugly friend Sartre were existentialists (which seemed related, somehow, to the trenchcoat). Their falling-out could hardly have been more acrimonious but, as can happen, the rupture contained a measure of agreement: both accepted that Camus had never really been an existentialist. For him this was a matter less of intellect than of temperament, of the defining facts of his early life: being born (100 years ago this week) into a world of sunlight and poverty in Algiers. It was the discovery of the essays celebrating his childhood and youth that altered my perception of him, from a thinker to a writer whose intellectual lucidity was a product of the wealth – the sensual immediacy and clarity – that had been heaped on his senses. The trenchcoat, in other words, came later. As did his participation in the resistance during the second world war (a subject that finds allegorical expression in The Plague) and the heretical willingness to take a stand against Stalinism and the Communist party (while Sartre enthusiastically toed the line). The Algerian war trapped him in an impossibly vexed position. Unable to support a liberation movement whose tactics could "strike blindly" against his mother, he was reduced, in Tony Judt's words to "impotent silence". The journey Camus made was enormous – a telegram explaining that he had won the Nobel prize had to be read to his illiterate mum by a neighbour – but it brought him back, in The First Man, the novel he was working on at the time of his death in 1960, aged 46, to the land and history that had formed him. The narrator of The Plague concludes, simply, that "there is more in men to admire than to despise". Camus was equally convinced of a more private truth, that he carried within him "an unconquerable summer". It still warms us today.The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, issued a Flash Flood Warning for counties in northwest and north-central Missouri Thursday morning after a string of severe storms dumped up to a foot of rain in the area, starting Wednesday night.
Video I took of what appears to be a tornado (unconfirmed) on the ground in far eastern Nodaway County, Missouri. #mowx pic.twitter.com/08fubJRMFJ — Mark Zinn (@NPNowZinn) June 28, 2017
The heaviest flooding seemed to be focused around Maryville. There were reports from the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office of cows floating across highways east of Maryville.
"There have been numerous road closures, we have heard of one water rescue, there have been reports of floating cows, floating livestock up by the Maryville area," said Scott Watson senior service hydrologist with the Kansas City National Weather Service.
Nodaway County Sheriff office reports cows floating across the highway east of Maryville. — NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) June 29, 2017
U highway in Arkoe MO is closed due to flooding, water over the road up ahead. @NicolePhilli @lnanderson pic.twitter.com/BdzM9ydiyI — Nick Kastelan (@nickkastelan) June 29, 2017
Road closures include 136 Highway east of Maryville.
Significant flooding ongoing in Nodaway County. Numerous roads closed across the county. Ongoing water rescue near Maryville. — NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) June 29, 2017
Bridge over Long Branch River on 136 Hwy near Maryville. MoDot says there is so much damage an engineer will need to inspect @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/4QPWrxy6LO — Richard Sharp (@RichardKSHB) June 29, 2017
Watson urged those in the area to be careful when driving and avoid driving across flooded roads.
"A lot of the deaths that occur in flooding are in vehicles," Watson said. "You want to turn around and find a different route if you come across a road that's flooded."
In some cases, he said, flooding can cause roads to crumble beneath the water leaving large holes.
More severe weather is expected to pass through the region Thursday.
Katie Bernard is KCUR's morning news intern.LAS VEGAS – It’s a commonly used cliché: He was born for this. In sports it’s used — and often misused—to describe an athlete so gifted that his future must have been preordained. Big-armed quarterback? Born for this. Unparalleled speed on skates? Born for this. A feathery jump shot? Yep: born for this.
Brandon Ingram? The Lakers’ top pick might be — wait for it — born for this. Kinston, N.C., thinks so. The small town (population: 21,000) near the Carolina coast saw Ingram’s talent. It was familiar: Jerry Stackhouse called Kinston home. Pistons guard Reggie Bullock did, too. Ingram had that kind of talent — maybe more. So a city plagued by gun violence wrapped a protective bubble around the skinny kid in the old Kevin Durant sneakers and faded Nolan Smith jersey.
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“Anything violent, they kept me away from it,” Ingram told The Vertical. “If I’m somewhere and knowing something is going down, they just keep it away from me. They knew that I had the potential to go somewhere. And if they see me anywhere but the gym, they’d say, ‘Well, why are you not in the gym?’ So, I was always in the gym.”
Indeed. Most kids have hobbies. Leisure activities. Ingram didn’t. When he was 10, he trailed his brother, Bo, to local parks. Begged him to let him play. Often, Bo, seven years older, wouldn’t. When he did, the games were unrelenting. Bruised arms, scraped knees, rolled ankles — Ingram went home with all of it. With a lesson, too.
“All those guys being physical with me. Just knowing that I needed to become tougher, much more tougher,” Ingram said. “And if I was going to be a skinny guy, I needed to be strong inside. So, I knew I had to be strong mentally.”
Story continues
As he got older, his basketball obsession grew. He played after school. When he got home, he challenged Bo to one-on-one on the battered hoop in the backyard. “I was a senior in high school before I beat him,” Ingram said. When it got dark, his father, Donald, who managed the local rec center, opened up the gym. “It was an all-access pass,” Ingram laughed.
The work paid off. Ingram won a state championship his first year at Kinston. He went on to win three more. A stringy, 6-foot-2 guard as a freshman grew, by his own estimation, two inches every year to finish high school as a slender 6-8 forward. Spins, fadeaways, step-backs — Ingram had it all. He averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds as a senior. Legend had it that in four years, Ingram never missed a free throw. So? “Most definitely, that’s true,” Ingram said.
Last month, the Lakers tabbed Ingram with the second overall pick in the draft. Overnight, Ingram, 18, became the face of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. It’s not the type of position he has always been comfortable in. For years, Ingram was shy about playing in front of crowds. It wasn’t until eighth grade, when he joined Stackhouse’s AAU team, that he took to it. He was a star in high school but needed Mike Krzyzewski to tell him at the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game that he had pro potential. He could score on anyone but wasn’t always assertive in high school and was briefly benched for listless play at Duke.
The Lakers hope he grows into the role. They see Ingram as a multi-position player. At 6-9, 190-pounds, Ingram will need to bulk up. He was eating six meals a day, some 5,000 calories, Ingram said, before the draft and he hopes to be 210 pounds next season. But the talent is undeniable.
Durant sees it. For months, scouts have compared Ingram to Durant. And Durant understands why. “He reminds me of myself, but he’s a little farther along than I was at that stage,” Durant told reporters at Team USA practice in Las Vegas on Wednesday. For Ingram, there is no higher compliment. He grew up wearing Durant’s sneakers. His walls were covered with Durant posters. He mimicked many of Durant’s moves. He worshipped him when he was at Texas, cheered him in Seattle, followed his career closely in Oklahoma City. The Lakers hope they found the next Durant; Ingram knows it will be a while before he gets there.
“It’s a very special comparison,” Ingram said. “But, of course, I know I’m not him. I know I’m not him yet, but I have the potential to make my own brand. Of course, you grow up with him as an idol, and in a few months he’s going to become my rival. It’s going to be a dream come true. I think just watching him for so long and having the ability to actually learn and play against him is just going to be a special motivation for me as a competitor and someone who really looked up to him.”CHICAGO, IL, USA—American newspaper USA Today published a report on ‘Islamic Terrorism’ showing picture of a Sikh man. While the news report is about President Donald Trump signing executive orders to keep ‘Islamic Terrorists’ out, USA Today has wrongfully used picture of an American Sikh to accompany the report.
Sikhs are easily distinguished due to their flowing beards and turbans, and have been targeted due to their identity after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, along with Muslims.
USA Today reported, “President Trump made good on one of his most controversial campaign promises Friday when he suspended the U.S. refugee program, temporarily banned all immigrants from seven Muslim countries and ordered his administration to develop “extreme vetting” measures for immigrants from those countries.”
While the news story on its website shows picture of President Trump signing the executive order, the story was posted on Twitter accompanied by picture of an American Sikh.
@ShadyNT @USATODAY bahaha really? Showing a sikh when topic is islamic terrorists? — Jesse Sweeney (@JesseASweeney) January 27, 2017
This past week, NBC News also posted picture of a Sikh man in a video on Twitter titled “radical Islamic terrorism”. The tweet was later removed, however NBC did not tender an official apology.
Since Donald Trump took office, there have been at least seven hate crimes against the Sikhs in the United States, with one incident involving an act of arson on a Woodland, CA, restaurant owned by a Sikh Californian. Such careless and blatantly ignorant mistakes impact lives and safety of Sikh Americans. Since 9/11, Sikhs have been a large target of hate crimes, even though there was no link between the Sikhs and terrorists who attacked the World Trade Centers. Shortly after the terrorist attack in New York, a Sikh man named Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered at his gas station in Mesa, AZ. He was asked to “go back to his country” while he was shot at in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
@USATODAY |
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A fan dancer warms up. A fan dancer warms up. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM A fan dancer warms up.photo-10411871.131192 - |ucfirst
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A bicycle dragon makes its way along the route. A bicycle dragon makes its way along the route. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM A bicycle dragon makes its way along the route. photo-10411785.131192 - |ucfirst
Spectators, including one not wearing much, watch the parade. Spectators, including one not wearing much, watch the parade. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Spectators, including one not wearing much, watch the parade. photo-10411784.131192 - |ucfirst
A formerly naked bike rider watches the rest of the parade from a quiet spot. A formerly naked bike rider watches the rest of the parade from a quiet spot. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM A formerly naked bike rider watches the rest of the parade from a...photo-10411788.131192 - |ucfirst
A member of the Chaotic Noise Marching Corps takes a nap before the parade. A member of the Chaotic Noise Marching Corps takes a nap before the parade. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM A member of the Chaotic Noise Marching Corps takes a nap before the...photo-10411844.131192 - |ucfirst
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Members of Guerrilla Fanfare warm up prior to the parade. Members of Guerrilla Fanfare warm up prior to the parade. Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Members of Guerrilla Fanfare warm up prior to the parade.photo-10411849.131192 - |ucfirst
Members of Bloco Pacifico warm up before the parade. Members of Bloco Pacifico warm up before the parade. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Members of Bloco Pacifico warm up before the parade.photo-10411846.131192 - |ucfirst
Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging. Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging.photo-10411851.131192 - |ucfirst
Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging. Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging.photo-10411853.131192 - |ucfirst
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Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging. Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists join pre-parade staging.photo-10411855.131192 - |ucfirst
Naked cyclists get their paint applied. Naked cyclists get their paint applied. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists get their paint applied.photo-10411856.131192 - |ucfirst
A moment of intimacy between two colors normally seen together only at Halloween. A moment of intimacy between two colors normally seen together only at Halloween. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM A moment of intimacy between two colors normally seen together only...photo-10411857.131192 - |ucfirst
Yes, lots of kids were there... this is Seattle. Yes, lots of kids were there... this is Seattle. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Yes, lots of kids were there... this is Seattle.photo-10411858.131192 - |ucfirst
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Cascadia Now!'s Sasquatch float makes its way down the street. Cascadia Now!'s Sasquatch float makes its way down the street. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Cascadia Now!'s Sasquatch float makes its way down the street. photo-10411728.131192 - |ucfirst
Naked cyclists begin their ride. Naked cyclists begin their ride. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists begin their ride.photo-10411861.131192 - |ucfirst
Naked cyclists begin their ride. Naked cyclists begin their ride. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists begin their ride.photo-10411862.131192 - |ucfirst
Naked cyclists begin their ride. Naked cyclists begin their ride. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists begin their ride.photo-10411863.131192 - |ucfirst
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Naked cyclists begin their ride, with accompaniment. Naked cyclists begin their ride, with accompaniment. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Naked cyclists begin their ride, with accompaniment.photo-10411864.131192 - |ucfirst
Spectators lined the rooftops. Spectators lined the rooftops. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Spectators lined the rooftops.photo-10411874.131192 - |ucfirst
The crowd reacts to a parade entry. The crowd reacts to a parade entry. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM The crowd reacts to a parade entry.photo-10411876.131192 - |ucfirst
A member of Guerrilla Fanfare plays. A member of Guerrilla Fanfare plays. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM A member of Guerrilla Fanfare plays.photo-10411879.131192 - |ucfirst
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The crowd was its usual large, boisterous self. The crowd was its usual large, boisterous self. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM The crowd was its usual large, boisterous self.photo-10411881.131192 - |ucfirst
T.J. Murphy sits at Gas Works Park after taking a dip in Lake Union to wash off his body paint following the parade. T.J. Murphy sits at Gas Works Park after taking a dip in Lake Union to wash off his body paint following the parade. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM T.J. Murphy sits at Gas Works Park after taking a dip in Lake...photo-10411793.131192 - |ucfirst
The post-parade scene at nearby Gas Works Park. The post-parade scene at nearby Gas Works Park. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM The post-parade scene at nearby Gas Works Park.photo-10411884.131192 - |ucfirst
A naked cyclist listens to HONK! Fest West performers at Gas Works Park following the parade. A naked cyclist listens to HONK! Fest West performers at Gas Works Park following the parade. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM A naked cyclist listens to HONK! Fest West performers at Gas Works...photo-10411790.131192 - |ucfirst
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Nick Lawrence enjoys a beer after swimming in nearby Lake Union following the parade. Nick Lawrence enjoys a beer after swimming in nearby Lake Union following the parade. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Nick Lawrence enjoys a beer after swimming in nearby Lake Union...photo-10411789.131192 - |ucfirst
Golden Batman rollerblades down the hill at Gas Works Park following the parade. Golden Batman rollerblades down the hill at Gas Works Park following the parade. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Golden Batman rollerblades down the hill at Gas Works Park...photo-10411803.131192 - |ucfirst
Golden Batman's ID sticks out of his utility belt at Gas Works Park following the parade. Golden Batman's ID sticks out of his utility belt at Gas Works Park following the parade. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Golden Batman's ID sticks out of his utility belt at Gas...photo-10411802.131192 - |ucfirst
A parade-goer visits nearby Gas Works Park after the parade. A parade-goer visits nearby Gas Works Park after the parade. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM A parade-goer visits nearby Gas Works Park after the parade.photo-10411883.131192 - |ucfirst
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Parade-goers visit nearby Gas Works Park after the parade. Parade-goers visit nearby Gas Works Park after the parade. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Parade-goers visit nearby Gas Works Park after the parade.photo-10411885.131192 - |ucfirst
A post-race throng gathers at nearby Gas Works Park. A post-race throng gathers at nearby Gas Works Park. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM A post-race throng gathers at nearby Gas Works Park.photo-10411882.131192 - |ucfirstFancy building your own glittering high-tech utopia, or a bustling cosmopolitan metropolis?
Either way, gamers will be happy to know that SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition today became available for download, exclusively in the Mac App Store. Combining both SimCity 4 and the Rush Hour expansion pack — which adds bonus disasters like UFO attacks and Autosaurus Wrecks — the game is a steal at $19.99.
SimCity fans will likely be familiar with the disaster that was the latest SimCity’s launch last year. Nothing short of total embarrassment for EA, server problems made the game unplayable for people who purchased it upon its arrival on PC. When it arrived on Mac, the problems seemed to get even worse — and none of EA’s promises to fix things seemed to make any difference.
Fortunately, that’s a separate game entirely to SimCity 4, which first graced computers back in 2003. While it’s more than a decade old, however, it’s an absolute classic — and looks particularly stunning when played on a 27-inch iMac. With the most massive cities of any SimCity game ever, SimCity 4 will wash the franchise’s bad taste out of your mouth, and remind you of why you fell in love with it to begin with.Budget Commander: Purphoros, God of the Forge ($53)
budget commander purphoros
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Watch the World Burn
Some Commander decks play for a long game. My Budget Zedruu deck loves to durdle, building up an unassuming board state while the more flashy decks go at each other, then snatches up victory with an Insurrection or similar shenanigans.
Other decks are looking to end the game quick. Kaalia and Rakdos rush out threat after threat, racing the rest of the table to victory. The decks are fast by necessity; the rest of the table often unites to stop these aggressive decks from running away with the game, so these decks must be tuned faster and even more aggressive to outpace all of the opponents.
And now we come to Purphoros, God of the Forge, the fastest one yet. Once our commander enters the battlefield, the game ends shortly after. Purphoros churns out swarms of creatures, dealing two damage a pop to each opponent. A modest Hordeling Outburst translates into 6 damage to each opponent; casting Mogg Infestation when you have 10 creature tokens transforms them into 20 goblins dealing 40 damage. Purphoros doesn't mess around.
As a Theros god, he's also an Indestructible Enchantment, making him very hard to deal with directly. For the vast majority of my test games, once I cast Purphoros one time, he'd stick around for the rest of the game. This is a stark contrast to, well, pretty much any other commander out there, which will often be sent back to the command zone and require you to waste turns tapping out to recast them.
A typical Purphoros game plays out like so:
Ramp. Play Purphoros, God of the Forge Make tokens, burning out all your opponents. Win.
This Theros god will appeal to folks looking to pick up a consistent aggro deck that ends games blisteringly fast. Purphoros is inexpensive to build, simple to pick up, and a great loaner deck for friends. There are no intricate combos, no tutoring, no long term strategies to know about. The only thing you need to pilot this deck well is to be aware of how much damage you can deal on any given turn, and when that damage is lethal. I'd often surprise myself at just how much damage I could do in a round with an innocent-looking Chandra's Spitfire or Firecat Blitz. The deck is all about fast mana, big plays, and tons o' damage!
Chandra's Spitfire dishing out 58 damage is kind of good.
Tokens Everywhere!
Purphoros, God of the Forge burns your opponents each time a creature joins your board. The more creatures you put on your board, the faster you kill all your opponents. The best way to drop lots of creatures on the board fast is through token-producers, so it's only logical that Purphoros is best as a Token deck.
When evaluating token cards to include, there are two key attributes to keep in mind:
The card must be mana-efficient (a 1-mana per token ratio is ideal) The token generation should be immediate, or at the very least not require additional mana investment
Hordeling Outburst is a simple illustration of a good token producer: you spend 3-mana and you get 3 goblin tokens. Skittering Invasion is another good one, producing 5 creatures for 7-mana, but you can sacrifice the tokens for mana as well. Young Pyromancer is only 1 creature initially, but if you run lots of instants/sorceries, he will generate more and more tokens for no additional cost.
You'll want to avoid slow, value-oriented token generators. While a card like Pentavus initially looks like a great addition to the deck by making theoretically infinite tokens/triggers, keep in mind that you're spending 7-mana for a single creature. To get the same amount of value as Skittering Invasion (5 tokens), you'll need to invest 11-mana into this card, or 12+ to surpass Invasion in tokens. This will probably take at least two turns, giving your opponents plenty of time to remove Pentavus before you get your value out of it.
Similarly, a card like Trading Post is fine in many Commander decks, but it's just too slow here: it requires 5-mana before it does anything and at best you're generating a single creature per turn. A card that similarly can produce one trigger per turn but is far better suited here is Norin the Wary, as he requires only 1 mana.
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It's Easy Being Green
Many of the best token producers in Red happen to involve goblins: Siege-Gang Commander, Goblin Marshal, and Hordeling Outburst to name a few. Goblins is a very strong tribe that both enhances Mono Red's strengths and helps fill its weaknesses, which is why I highly recommend incorporating a Tribal Goblins package into the deck.
Here are some premium goblin support cards: Goblin Matron offers tutoring in a color that rarely gets any, Krenko, Mob Boss is a token-producing monstrosity that will end games with just a handful of goblins on the board, and the unassuming Skirk Prospector can turn your goblins into big mana so you can play out your hand and win the game.
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Tons of Damage
Is Purphoros' 2-damage per creature not enough for you? Then you may be interested in these cards that can increase those numbers:
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Winning
It's time to finish the game. These are the cards that will make your opponents say, "you deal that much damage?! What?!"
Firecat Blitz: You've got an empty board, just 8 Mountains, and Purphoros, God of the Forge. Your opponents think the threat is over. They are wrong. Casting + flashing back this card for everything, you make 12 cat tokens dealing 24 damage to everyone. And the cats have haste.
Chandra's Spitfire: People always underestimate this card until they realize that in a typical 3-player game, each time Purphoros deals damage to each opponent, the Spitfire get +9 damage! See the picture near the top of the article — that was just against two remaining opponents.
See the picture near the top of the article — that was just against two remaining opponents. Empty the Warrens: Combined with fast mana producers like Mana Geyser, Skirk Prospector, and Seething Song, you can string together a bunch of cheap spells and end up with a Warrens that produces 10+ goblin tokens, ending the game.
Mogg Infestation: Your 10 creatures turn into 20 goblins, dealing 40 damage to all opponents. GG
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Here's the list. It's all about fast mana, big plays, and quick wins. Even if you're stopped early, your opponents better finish the job or you'll steal a win out of nowhere.
The only "money" cards I splurged on were Norin the Wary, Krenko, Mob Boss, and Mogg Infestation. These are very good card, but not required for the deck to function. In fact, I don't think I drew any of them during my playtesting. Feel free to cut them if you want to save some more cash.
Upgrading and Fiddly Bits
Since Purphoros is all about speed, I found myself emptying my hand very quickly. In fact, Outpost Siege was always used in Khans mode for this reason, which worked wonderfully. The biggest money upgrade I'd go for first would be picking up a Wheel of Fortune and one or two other efficient card draws like Mind's Eye.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Lightning Crafter is an infinite combo. You can also add Zealous Conscripts as another infinite combo with Kiki.
Vote For The Next Budget Commander
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That's All, Folks!
Follow me on Twitter @BudgetCommander for notifications on when the next article is up, updates on future decks, and input for what to work on next. Thanks for reading!Thousands of people descended on Downing Street today to protest against David Cameron after he admitted his part in the Panama Papers scandal.
The Prime Minister's father, Ian Cameron, was revealed to have owned an offshore account after the details of clients were uncovered in history's biggest leak.
The fund was set up in Panama to avoid paying UK corporation and capital gains tax.
Today, Cameron addressed the scandal, admitting that it hasn’t been a 'great' week and he should have handled the situation better.
Speaking at the Conservative Party spring forum, he said: “I know there are lessons to be learned and I shall learn them.”
He added that the controversy was the fault of nobody else but himself, saying 'blame me'.
Read more:
During the protests in central London, activists waved placards with the slogans 'Time to go, chum' and 'He's got to go', and chanted 'Cameron Out'.
The demonstrations later spiralled into violence, with protesters pictured scuffling with police officers amid clouds of red smoke.
At one point, a female officer was seen with blood running down her face after apparently being hit in the face by a flying beer can.
A petition calling for the PM to resign had garnered more than 100,000 signatures by this evening.In the mid-1960s, SNCC, one of the most important civil rights groups of its era, began to split at the seams. Since its inception, the group had committed itself to the eradication of white supremacy strictly through the twin pillars of nonviolence and integration. SNCC members, like their fellow activists throughout the South, endured threats, beatings, bombings, and shootings, all of which they greeted with Bible verses and song. The tactic ultimately succeeded by cutting through centuries of hate and accessing a basic sense of human decency.
But nonviolence exacted a price and, in 1966, its success was not assured. That was the year Stokely Carmichael assumed leadership of the organization. Carmichael had spent much of the early 60s subjecting his body to beatings, tear-gassings, and water-hoses. Committed to integration and nonviolence, he had driven down dark and lonely Southern roads accompanied only by the knowledge that people of his ilk were being vanished there with some unsettling regularity. When Carmichael came to power he, and much of SNCC's membership, had changed their politics. They expelled whites from the group and rejected nonviolence. Eventually there was a quasi-merger with the Black Panther Party and a full-throated embrace of revolutionary violence.
Among the SNCC members to reject that path, were Shirley and Charles Sherrod. Shirley Sherrod had every reason to follow Carmichael. Her cousin Bobby Hall had been lynched. Her father had been killed in cold blood over a land dispute with a white neighbor. Neither killer was punished. Instead, white supremacists regularly visited Sherrod's home intent on terrorizing her widowed mother in silence. But when SNCC split, Sherrod, and her husband, rejected violence and nationalism, despite having every reason to embrace revanche.
When Andrew Breitbart died yesterday, it was natural to turn to the effort he led to injure Sherrod's career and reputation. We all know that in the specific case of the Spooners, Breitbart's facts were wrong. But I want us to consider a greater truth. Sherrod had not simply helped the Spooners, but that she had -- since the days of Lester Maddox -- lived as the exact opposite of the racist Breitbart portrayed. Thus Breitbart did not simply get the facts of an incident wrong, he got the broad facts of an entire human life wrong. Confronted with such a deed, the person who lives in empathy, who sees an aggrieved party as human, must necessarily embrace a firm and full-throated contrition. Instead Breitbart chose, to look for ways to make himself right.
He claimed that the video showed NAACP members cheering for discrimination against whites
What this video shows... is not just that Shirley Sherrod, what she said was wrong, but that the audience was laughing and applauding as she described how she maltreated the white farmer.... The point is that the NAACP, at a dinner honoring this person, is cheering on a person describing--describing a white person as the other.
This was a lie
He questioned the identity of the very people he claimed to be vindicating:
You tell me as a reporter how CNN put on a person today who purported to be the farmer's wife? What did you do to find out whether or not that was the actual farmer's wife? I mean, if you're going to accuse me of a falsehood, tell me where you've confirmed that had this incident happened 24 years ago. [...] You're going off of her word that the farmer's wife is the farmer's wife?
In short when confronted with his participation in an immoral act, Brietbart doubled down on immorality. Accused of deception, he elected to deceive further. He took many with him down that path, and by the end we were left with writers parsing the term lynching so as to further malign Sherrod. That their redefinition would have remanded Emmett Till out of the category mattered little. Anything for the home team.
When I heard that Andrew Breitbart had died, I was saddened. It is natural to think of the damage Breitbart did to people like Sherrod by embracing lying as a weapon. But I found myself thinking of the great injury he must have ultimately done himself, for by the end of the Sherrod affair, he was a man lying only to himself and other liars.
By embracing that deception, by neglecting to research Sherrod before putting up a clip of her talking, by electing to see her as little more than a shiv against the hated liberals, he deprived himself of knowledge, of experience, of insight, of enlightenment. That he might learn something from Sherrod, that he might access some power from her life, and pass that on to loved ones and friends, never occurred to him. Publicly, he lived to make himself right -- a tradition that is fully empowered in our politics. Breitbart didn't invent the art of making yourself right. But he embraced it, and then advanced it.
That is what took me to sadness. I have experienced curiosity as a primarily selfish endeavor. It originates in the understanding of the brevity of life, and the desire to see as much of it as possible, from as many angles as possible without doing too much damage to my morality. The opposite of that -- incuriosity, dishonesty, the opportunistic deployment of information -- is darkness. Breitbart died, like all of us will, in darkness. But as a media persona he chose to also live there, and in the process has impelled countless others to throttle themselves into the abyss.
I have heard it said by some fellow liberals that Breitbart was in fact a good person, that his public persona was not the same as his private. This kind of praise is so broadly true of most controversial public figures as to be meaningless. And it is irrelevant. Breitbart may well have been an excellent father and a great friend but that is not why we are talking about him. We are noting his death because of the impact he had on our politics and our conversation. It must be said that that impact was for the worse. Any talk of his private life, is an attempt to change the subject and avoid discomfiting truths.
It is wholly appropriate to be sorry that Andrew Breitbart died. But in the relevant business, it is right to be sorry for how he lived.Michael Clifford believes that education is the only path to world peace. He never went to college, but sometimes he calls himself "Doctor." Jerry Falwell is one of his heroes. Clifford has made millions of dollars from government programs but doesn't seem to see the windfall that way. Improbably, he has come to symbolize the contradictions at the heart of the growing national debate over for-profit higher education.
Until recently, for-profits were mostly mom-and-pop trade schools. Twenty years ago, a series of high-profile Congressional hearings, led by Senator Sam Nunn, revealed widespread fraud in the industry, and the resulting reforms almost wiped the schools out. But they hung on and returned with a vengeance in the form of publicly traded giants like the University of Phoenix.
Entrepreneurs like Clifford, meanwhile, have been snapping up dying nonprofit colleges and quickly turning them into money-making machines.
Most of that money comes from the federal government, in the form of Pell Grants and subsidized student loans. Phoenix alone is on pace to reap $1-billion from Pell Grants this year, along with $4-billion from federal loans. A quarter of all federal aid goes to for-profits, while they enroll only 10 percent of students.
Unfortunately, a large and growing number of graduates of for-profit colleges are having trouble paying those loans back. Horror stories of aggressive recruiters' inducing students to take out huge loans for nearly worthless degrees are filling the news. The Obama administration, flush with victory after vanquishing the student-loan industry this year, has proposed cutting off federal aid to for-profits that saddle students with unmanageable debt. Congress has rolled out the TV cameras for a new round of hearings that are putting for-profits on the hot seat. One observer called the event "the Nunn hearings on steroids."
The new scrutiny of for-profits is welcome. Without oversight, the combination of government subsidies and financially unsophisticated consumers guarantees outright fraud or programs that, while technically legitimate, are so substandard that the distinction of legitimacy has no meaning. For-profit owners and advocates have a hard time admitting that.
I spoke with Michael Clifford recently as he was driving down the California coast to meet with a higher-education charity he runs. He's an interesting man—sincere, optimistic, a true believer in higher education and his role as a force for good. A musician and born-again Christian, he learned at the knee of the University of Phoenix's founder, John Sperling. In 2004, Clifford led the sale of a destitute Baptist institution called Grand Canyon University to investors. Six years later, enrollment has increased substantially, much of it online. The ownership company started selling shares to the public in 2008 and is worth nearly $1-billion today, making Clifford a wealthy man. He has since repeated the formula elsewhere, partnering with notables like General Electric's former chief executive, Jack Welch. Some of the colleges that Clifford has purchased have given him honorary degrees (thus "Doctor" Michael Clifford).
Clifford will concede, in the abstract, to abuses in the for-profit industry. But he rejects the Obama administration's proposal to cut off federal aid to for-profits at which student-debt payments after graduation exceed a certain percentage of the graduates' income. In fact, he denies that colleges have any responsibility whatsoever for how much students borrow and whether they can pay it back. He won't even acknowledge that student borrowing is related to how much colleges charge.
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That refusal is the industry line, and it is crazy nonsense. As a rule, for-profits charge much more than public colleges and universities. Many of their students come from moderate- and low-income backgrounds. You don't need a college degree to know that large debt plus small income equals high risk of default. The for-profit Corinthian Colleges (as of mid-July, market cap: $923-million) estimated in official documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that more than half the loans it makes to its own students will go bad. Corinthian still makes a profit, because it gets most of its money from loans guaranteed by Uncle Sam.
Other industry officials, like the for-profit lobbyist Harris Miller, would have you believe that government money that technically passes through the hands of students on its way from the public treasury to the for-profit bottom line isn't a government subsidy at all. In that regard, for-profits lately have been trying to rebrand themselves as "market based" higher education. To understand how wrong this is, look no further than the "90/10 rule," a federal rule that bars for-profits from receiving more than 90 percent of their revenue from federal aid. The fact that the rule exists at all, and that Miller is working to water it down (it used to be the 85/15 rule), shows that for-profits operate in nothing like a subsidy-free market.
The federal government has every right to regulate the billions of taxpayer dollars it is pouring into the pockets of for-profit shareholders. The sooner abusive colleges are prevented from loading students with crushing debt in exchange for low-value degrees, the better.
But that doesn't mean for-profit higher education is inherently bad. The reputable parts of the industry are at the forefront of much technological and organizational innovation. For-profits exist in large part to fix educational market failures left by traditional institutions, and they profit by serving students that public and private nonprofit institutions too often ignore. While old-line research universities were gilding their walled-off academic city-states, the University of Phoenix was building no-frills campuses near freeway exits so working students could take classes in the evening. Who was more focused on the public interest? Some of the colleges Clifford bought have legacies that stretch back decades. Who else was willing to save them? Not the government, or the church, or the more fortunate colleges with their wealthy alumni and endowments that reach the sky.
The for-profit Kaplan University recently struck a deal with the California community-college system to provide courses that the bankrupt public colleges cannot. The president of the system's faculty senate objected: The deal was not "favorable to faculty," she said. Whose fault is that? Kaplan, or the feckless voters and incompetent politicians who have driven California to ruin?
Wal-Mart recently announced a deal with the for-profit American Public University to teach the giant retailer's employees. What ambitious president or provost is planning to make her reputation educating $9-an-hour cashiers?
Traditional institutions tend to respond to such ventures by indicting the quality of for-profit degrees. The trouble is, they have very little evidence beyond the real issue of default rates to prove it. That's because traditional institutions have long resisted subjecting themselves to any objective measures of academic quality. They've pointed instead to regional accreditation, which conveniently allows colleges to decide for themselves whether they're doing a good job.
But many for-profit institutions have regional accreditation, too. That's what people like Clifford are buying when they invest in troubled colleges. Accreditation has become like a taxicab medallion, available for bidding on the open market. As a result, long-established public and private nonprofit colleges are left with no standards with which to make the case against their for-profit competitors. At one recent Congressional hearing, the Senate education committee's chairman, Tom Harkin, said of the for-profits, "We don't know how many students graduate, how many get jobs, how schools that are not publicly traded spend their [federal] dollars, and how many for-profit students default over the long term." All true—and just as true when the words "for profit" are removed. There's no doubt that the worst for-profits are ruthlessly exploiting the commodified college degree. But they didn't commodify it in the first place.
For-profits fill a void left by traditional institutions that once believed their world was constant. Fast-developing methods of teaching students over the Internet have given the velocity of change a turbo boost. In such a volatile situation, all kinds of unexpected people make their way into the picture. And once they get there, they tend to stick around. Traditional institutions hoping that Congress will rid them of for-profit competition will very likely be disappointed.This coming April, a rocket will lift off from an island off the east coast of India and launch CLAIRE--a powerful new tool in the global effort to combat carbon pollution.
The Canadian-built satellite isn't large--it's about the size of a small microwave oven. But the craft could pack a big punch in the coming years by helping companies, governments, NGOs and others determine precisely where climate pollution is coming from, and in what quantities.
"We founded our whole business on the concept that if there is value in a tonne of carbon, then the producers are going to be motivated to reduce their emissions," says Stephane Germain, president of Montreal-based GHGSat, the company behind the project.
"We can help by giving them a precise measurement of those emissions."
CLAIRE is built around a half-million-pixel infrared digital camera that can "see" the portion of the spectrum where otherwise-invisible plumes of carbon dioxide and methane lurk. On a clear day, the bird will look down onto any point on earth and, by measuring the light absorbed in each pixel, determine the quantity of those greenhouse gases being emitted to the atmosphere.
In the coming years, CLAIRE will scope out well fields, cement factories, landfills, natural gas plants, coal-fired power stations, tailings ponds and any other industrial facility, anywhere on the face of the earth.
It will fly in a north-south loop, every 90 minutes, in a sun-synchronous orbit. Over a 24-hour period, it will scope out the entire planet.
Technologies do currently exist to precisely measure emissions from fixed points, such as power-station smokestacks. But while such instruments are required in Canada and the United States, they are not common in developing nations. Further, it can be very difficult to accurately measure emissions from larger and more remote sites, such as vast tailings ponds, landfills, or remote off-grid gas-processing plants, like those in northeastern British Columbia.
Those are the kinds of applications tailor made for CLAIRE.
So far, oil-sands producer Suncor has taken a keen |
Muslim Brotherhood to advance Hamas' agenda in the United States. The IAP and HLF also were Palestine Committee members.
In addition, Ahmed Yusuf was listed separately as member of the Palestine Committee in the U.S. He now works in Gaza as a spokesman for deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail al-Haniyeh.
The 1990 IAP letter builds on Miranda's testimony Tuesday, which described the "means and manner" HLF used to raise money. The group organized conference calls featuring prominent Hamas leaders that were marketed to major mosques and Islamic centers, Miranda said. Some of these conference calls were picked up by FBI wiretaps. That surveillance also picked up a fax on HLF letterhead advertising one such conference call in January 1997.
But the English version of the advertisement differed significantly from the Arabic one, Miranda said. The speakers listed in English were: Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) President Dr. Abdullah Idris and Dr. Kamal al Hilbawi - described in the advertisement as a well known Islamic scholar. The Arabic version listed Hilbawi and two men Miranda identified as senior Hamas leaders - Hamid al Bitawi and Sheikh Mohamed Siam.
ISNA is an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.
Jurors then listened to the conference call itself, featuring prominent Hamas leaders two years after the group was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. A speaker introduced the call by saying "Holy Land Foundation welcomes the honorable guests." Later, senior Hamas leader Mohamed Siam paid tribute to three prominent Hamas figures at the time: spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin; deputy political chief Mousa Abu Marzook; and bomb-maker Yehia Ayyash (also known as "The Engineer"). The three are "shining examples" of Palestinian "power and steadfastness," Siam said.
He also encouraged support for "Islamic movements," a reference to the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas. Repeated references to HLF are made throughout the conference call, which concluded with a final solicitation to donate to HLF.
After the tape was played, federal prosecutor James Jacks asked Miranda: "Have you seen any reference to charity in the call?"
"You have to be creative to find it," Miranda replied.
Another conference call from February 1996 featured a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical Islamist party in Pakistan tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Qazi Hussein Ahmad told the audience in that call that the British colonizers of Palestine "artificially planted" the state of Israel in the Middle East and that "we in Pakistan stand with the Palestinian people" and "stand with Hamas" and we "will never recognize Israel."
Jurors were shown a video found buried in the backyard of unindicted co-conspirator Fawaz Mushtaha The 1999 video features senior Hamas leaders Mohamed Siam, Jamil Hamami, and Mahmud Zahar. Defendant Mufid Abdelqader, a half-brother of Hamas chief Khalid Mishaal and a singer in the Al-Sakrah band that performed at HLF conferences, is seen in the video embracing and welcoming the Hamas leaders. The video depicts singing, lectures, and sermons in praise of Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, the military wing of Hamas (Izz ad-Din al Qassam Brigades), and Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
Miranda also discussed a 2003 deposition given by defendant Mohamed El Mezain, in which he was asked whether he knew Nihad Awad. El Mezain was vague: He said he knew Awad from Awad's work with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and had met him at conferences. He mentioned he met Awad at an ISNA conference in Chicago. Asked whether he had "any personal dealings" with Awad, El Mezain said no. Awad, who currently serves as CAIR's executive director, was an IAP officer and was listed with El Mezain as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee in the U.S.
El-Mezain similarly minimized his relationship with Yasser Bushnaq, President of IAP; Yusuf Salah (a/k/a Ahmed Yusuf), President of UASR; and Marzook, a specially designated Hamas terrorist. He declined having "any personal dealings" with the individuals even though they were key members in the Palestine Committee.
Last week, Agent Burns made similar observations concerning sworn statements given by former HLF executive director Shukri Abu Baker. Prosecutors have emphasized the defendants' stated tactic of deceiving people about their activities and objectives.
The trial is in recess until Tuesday, when Miranda's testimony is expected to continue.National Geographic Creative/Getty Images
In a forest just west of Chesapeake Bay, Geoffrey Parker wraps a tape measure around a young tulip tree. He jots the reading down in a field notebook, marks the tree with blue chalk and moves on to the next trunk. Parker spends about 10 seconds on each tree. Wrap, measure, record. Since 1987, he and others have logged more than 300,000 tree measurements at their plots in the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) near Edgewater, Maryland.
This 1,070-hectare site is filled with tulip trees, oaks, beeches and other mostly deciduous trees. Some stout specimens have stood here for centuries. Others are just a decade old, sprouting from land that was recently logged. To keep tabs on the growth, the researchers measure their trees every three to five years.
All that patient record-keeping can help to answer two major questions about climate change: how much carbon dioxide pollution are forests mopping up, and will their capacity shrink over time? Studies from Parker's group and others reveal that trees around the globe are going through a growth spurt and are absorbing billions of tonnes of the greenhouse gas, meaning that forests are putting a brake on global warming. But there is no guarantee that forests will keep that up, Parker says. “I think of it like these performance enhancers that some stellar athletes use: it bumps up performance, but not for ever.”
In fact, studies of some regions suggest that forest growth may already be slowing down. And humans are adding to the problem by cutting down trees, especially in tropical forests. Getting an accurate reading on the status of Earth's forests is hard because scientists cannot wrap measuring tapes around the roughly 400 billion trees scattered across the planet. So researchers are exploring ways to track forest growth more efficiently, using planes and satellites. And they are feeding all of their data into sophisticated computer models that are designed to forecast how trees will respond in the future.
Such forest measurements are sorely needed as nations wrestle with how to slow climate change. Some plans call for wealthy governments or private companies to pay poorer nations in return for safeguarding the carbon in their forests. With a major international climate negotiation approaching later this year, and billions of dollars in forest payments potentially on the table, scientists are racing to advise countries and other stakeholders about just how much carbon trees are storing, and how long that carbon will stay locked up.
“The critical thing that matters is to what extent the biosphere remains a brake on the rate of global climate change,” says Yadvinder Malhi, a forest ecologist at the University of Oxford, UK. That brake will weaken or disappear if forests take up carbon more slowly. Worse, if forests start emitting more carbon than they absorb each year, they could become an accelerator. If that were to happen, says Malhi, “it makes it all the more challenging for us to bring CO 2 down to avoid some threshold of dangerous climate change”.
The missing sink
In the 1990s, researchers stumbled across a mystery when they tried to track down all of the carbon humans were emitting by burning fossil fuels. Measurements showed that roughly three-quarters of the CO 2 was accumulating in the atmosphere and oceans. The remainder was presumably captured on land, but no one knew where it was going. The problem became known as the'missing sink'.
The world's forests, which pull carbon out of the air through photosynthesis, were a possible hiding place. Today, they collectively hold around 650 billion tonnes of carbon, and it seemed plausible that they could be mopping up the missing carbon.
But ecologists were slow to acknowledge that forests could be the missing sink. The community's reticence resulted largely from the work of pioneering ecologist Eugene Odum. He argued in the late 1960s that undisturbed ecosystems rapidly reach an equilibrium, after which they lose as much carbon through respiration, death and decay as they gain through photosynthesis1. Without much evidence to the contrary, Odum's paradigm held sway for several decades. “Mathematically, it's convenient if something is in equilibrium,” says Sebastiaan Luyssaert of the Laboratory for Climate Sciences and the Environment in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. “We were happy with it, because it made life easier.”
That started to change as ecologists analysed long-term data from big networks of forest research plots. Many of the measurements came from a trio of projects: the Amazon Forest Inventory Network (RAINFOR), the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network (AfriTRON) and the Smithsonian's Forest Global Earth Observatories (ForestGEO) network, which includes the SERC forest and 61 other plots around the world.
Starting in the late 1990s, scientists with the RAINFOR and AfriTRON networks began reporting that intact tropical forests were adding biomass, contradicting Odum's hypothesis. At the Chesapeake site, Smithsonian ecologist Sean McMahon and his colleagues analysed 22 years' worth of data and found that tree stands of all ages were growing two to four times faster than expected2. The tree growth records are backed up by CO 2 measurements taken on tall towers at more than 20 sites in North America and Europe: these 'flux towers' have revealed that many forests are absorbing more CO 2 than they are giving off3.
Researchers suspect several factors are at play. Because trees require CO 2 for photosynthesis, the atmospheric build-up of this gas can fertilize plants, allowing them to grow faster. Also, CO 2 warms the planet, which can lengthen the growing seasons of trees and speed up temperature-dependent processes involved in growth. Scientists are currently teasing out which factors have the largest roles.
Whatever the cause, all that accelerated growth is having a major effect on the global carbon cycle. In 2011, an international team led by US Forest Service researchers Yude Pan and Richard Birdsey concluded that the world's trees had sequestered enough carbon during the period from 1990 to 2007 to account for the entire missing sink4. The hungriest carbon absorbers were the temperate forests, particularly areas where abandoned farmland had given way to young, fast-growing trees. High-latitude boreal forests ate up a smaller amount, and tropical forests, on balance, were not taking up carbon because tropical deforestation released about as much CO 2 as forests were soaking up. The team projected that if deforestation were halted, Earth's forests could take up around half of the carbon emitted by human activity, which would substantially slow down global warming.
But the uncertainties in these estimates are large because forest data are sparse and vary widely in quality. Many countries have no systematic forest inventory system or do not share their data. In their analysis, Pan and Birdsey relied largely on RAINFOR and AfriTRON for assessing the globe's old-growth tropical forests. These networks collectively sample just a few square kilometres in the Amazon and Africa; they have no data from the large and diverse tropical forests of southeast Asia.
Beyond determining the size and location of the forest sink, scientists are trying to assess whether it is changing. In March, the RAINFOR team analysed more than 850,000 measurements of approximately 189,000 individual trees and found that the large Amazon forest carbon sink seems to be shrinking5. Carbon uptake in their plots during the past decade was one-third smaller than during the 1990s.
The researchers suspect multiple factors might be at play. Major droughts that hit the Amazon in 2005 and 2010 could have slowed tree growth during this period. Meanwhile, rising temperatures and CO 2 levels may be accelerating the life cycles of trees: if so, trees are now dying earlier than expected, says Roel Brienen, an ecologist at the University of Leeds, UK, and lead author of the study.
Some other researchers are not convinced by the evidence. Helene Muller-Landau, an ecologist at the Smithsonian's Tropical Forest Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, thinks that the RAINFOR group is finding an apparent decline now largely because it overestimated the Amazonian carbon sink during the 1990s. The group's plots, she says, sample too small an area — just three square kilometres out of the vast two-million-square-kilometre Amazon — to support its broad claims. “If you actually look at the area covered, it's just so pitifully small,” she says.
There can also be bias in how researchers have typically chosen plots and measured biomass, Muller-Landau says. Tropical forests can be hot, humid, buggy, dangerous and in some cases nearly impossible to reach. So rather than sample randomly, scientists often choose study sites based on ease of access. And biomass estimates vary depending on the choice of species-specific equations used to convert circumference and height measurements; for many tropical trees, reliable equations are still being worked out.
Although no one doubts that forests are taking up some of the CO 2 emitted by human activity, scientists are still unsure which forests are sequestering the most carbon, and how much is stored in long-lasting wood versus in roots and soil.
Help from above
Researchers will only ever be able to measure a tiny fraction of the world's trees by wrapping tapes around them one at a time, so they are taking to the skies to get a broader perspective. Some planes and satellites are outfitted with laser-based lidar systems that measure the height of the tree tops. Scientists can then estimate an area's biomass by using the forest's average canopy height and tree type.
Plane-mounted lidar can collect data for 35,000 hectares in one hour, says Gregory Asner, an ecologist with the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford, California. The uncertainties in his lidar-based forest biomass estimates are now down to around 10%, comparable to those from ground-based studies, he says, although others say the uncertainties in both types of estimates are larger.
“I think of it like these performance enhancers that some stellar athletes use.”
For a truly global view, scientists agree that nothing beats a satellite. Current Earth-observing satellites lack the resolution of plane- or ground-based measurements but can fill in areas where data are scarce or non-existent. NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), launched in July 2014, will soon provide fresh data to help locate the missing sink. The satellite uses spectrometers to measure concentrations of CO 2 to within a few parts per million, allowing scientists to pinpoint the locations where carbon is being emitted and sequestered (see 'Tree tales'). A separate measurement by the same instrument can determine how much photosynthesis is occurring at a specific location. Although OCO-2 does not measure tree biomass directly, it will provide enough data for scientists to determine how much carbon is entering and leaving different ecosystems. NASA expects to release preliminary results from the satellite by the end of the year, but it will be at least several years before the data can address whether forest sinks are changing. And even then, the OCO-2 measurements won't answer whether carbon is going into trees, soil or somewhere else, so ground-based observations will still be needed, says David Crisp, chief scientist for OCO-2.
Tomorrow's trees
Other scientists seeking to predict the carbon sink's future are turning the clocks forward — with experiments that expose today's forests to future conditions. One strategy involves piping CO 2 into a forest to raise concentrations from the present 400 parts per million to roughly 550 parts per million — a level expected before this century's end.
In experiments in the United States and Europe, trees dosed with extra CO 2 grew faster, just as expected. But the effects often did not last. One explanation is that enhanced trees may quickly use up other vital nutrients, such as nitrogen, says ecologist Richard Norby at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, who led one of the experiments.
Researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil are now building a CO 2 -enrichment experiment near Manaus, Brazil (see Nature 496, 405–406; 2013), which they hope to start next year. That experiment will provide valuable information about trees in the tropics, but it will not represent the future of all forests in that region, says Simon Lewis, an ecologist at the University of Leeds and University College London who is involved in the RAINFOR and AfriTRON networks. The region around Manaus has poorer soils than other parts of the Amazon so trees grow more slowly, says Lewis, and “it will take longer for the impacts to be seen”.
In the meantime, researchers are trying other methods to peer into the future. Some 20 teams have built Earth-system models that seek to simulate the climate and vegetation on the planet, including how carbon moves between the oceans, atmosphere and continents. These models currently represent forests in a simplified manner, and they disagree about the future. Some predict that forests will continue to soak up massive amounts of carbon in coming decades, whereas others suggest that forests could become stressed by droughts and high temperatures and die back, releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
The emerging insights about forests — from individual tree measurements to satellite data to computer simulations — will all play a part in how countries decide to manage their resources. And that has implications for global climate negotiations because some carbon-reduction schemes rely on rewarding nations for keeping carbon locked up in forests. For that to work, researchers will need to find reliable ways to track the changing amounts of forest carbon. The current level of uncertainty in forest biomass estimates “does not exactly provide a lot of confidence”, Muller-Landau says. “Having something verifiable would have to be fairly key” for carbon accounting, she adds.
To that end, scientists such as Parker are developing more precise ways to monitor trees growing in their experimental plots. On a cloudy spring day at the Smithsonian's Chesapeake site, Parker directs volunteers to install spring-tensioned steel bands called dendrometers in a 130-year-old stand. As the tree trunks expand over time, they will widen gaps in the bands, which can be measured using digital calipers. The technique can track changes down to a hundredth of a millimetre — thinner than a human hair — giving researchers an unprecedented ability to study growth patterns. The method can even detect how trees swell and contract over a few hours as they absorb or lose water.
By the end of the day, Parker's team has finished attaching several more dendrometers. More than a thousand trees at the Smithsonian centre now sport the metal rings, and their number is increasing around the world. Parker puts his equipment in a truck and drives off towards home. But he and his crew will be back soon to check how their trees are responding as Earth's climate — and its forests — enter uncharted territory.BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders reached agreement on the first ever cut in their common budget on Friday after 24 hours of intense negotiations, seeking to placate millions at home struggling through government cutbacks and recession.
The expected deal met the demands of northern European countries such as Britain and the Netherlands that wanted belt-tightening, while maintaining spending on farm subsidies and infrastructure to satisfy the likes of France and Poland.
It is the first net reduction to the EU’s long-term budget in the bloc’s history, representing a decrease of around 3 percent on the last budget and shaving spending in areas such as infrastructure, bureaucracy and scientific research.
Last-minute haggling over precisely how to divide up the 960 billion euros ($1.3 trillion) to be spent between 2014 and 2020 dragged out the process, before Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council and chairman of the summit, announced that a definitive deal had been struck among the leaders.
“Deal done!” he said in a message posted on Twitter.
At a news conference shortly afterwards, battling to stay alert after nearly 36 hours awake, Van Rompuy said the agreement was a budget of moderation that reflected straightened times.
“We simply could not ignore the extremely difficult economic realities across Europe, so it had to be a leaner budget,” he said. “For the first time ever, there is a real cut compared to the last multiannual financial framework.”
The deal must now be approved by the European Parliament, where leading legislators have already expressed opposition. Securing parliamentary approval is likely to take several months and is far from guaranteed.
After negotiating through the night, leaders broke for a brief rest, allowing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to swap her green jacket for a lilac one, and returned to address a list of questions, including how to satisfy smaller countries such as Romania and Bulgaria among the 28 states covered by the budget.
Mindful of their restive voters, Northern European countries were adamant that as they shrink spending at home and grapple with the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the European Union had to do the same by cutting headline spending.
Around 12 billion euros was cut from the last budget proposal, made at a summit in November, bringing the total reduction from the European Commission’s original blueprint to 85 billion euros. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he was disappointed, but understood the logic.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy addresses a news conference after an European Union leaders summit in Brussels February 8, 2013. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
While vast as a headline figure, in annual terms the budget amounts to just 1 percent of total EU economic output.
The cuts agreed fell mainly on spending for cross-border transport, energy and telecoms projects, which were reduced by more than 11 billion euros. Pay and perks for EU officials - a top target for Britain - were lowered by around 1 billion euros.
Spending on agriculture was spared further cuts, and there was an increase of about 1.5 billion euros on rural development over the seven years, satisfying France, Italy and Spain.
NARROW GAP
Even with a deal, around 40 percent of the spending will still be dedicated to farming, something that frustrates many northern European states, which want a more dynamic budget.
At the same time, officials said money had been set aside for measures to stimulate economic growth, for research and for structural funds to flow to countries worst hit by the economic crisis, including Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
There were also stipulations for green investment and 6 billion euros for a fund to combat youth unemployment via apprenticeships in hard-hit countries.
The deal still faces further hurdles, not least at the bloc’s parliament. “The European Parliament will not accept this deficit budget if it is adopted in this way. That is certain,” the parliament’s president Martin Schulz said.
Van Rompuy urged the parliament to be responsible and to reflect carefully before deciding to reject the spending plan.
In recent weeks, Van Rompuy has been in touch with every EU leader to assess where the contours of an agreement may lie.
But reaching a deal was never going to be a simple since it also involves delicate negotiations over rebates - amounts countries get reimbursed after they have made contributions.
Slideshow (3 Images)
Denmark won a refund of around 130 million euros a year, but other rebates were trimmed or modified. The Czech Republic was among a small group of countries that fought for final extra distributions, mostly for funds to build infrastructure.
The EU calculates two budget numbers: a headline ‘commitments’ figure that sets a ceiling on how much can be paid out, and a lower ‘payments’ figure that indicates what will actually be spent.
The baseline payments figure in the framework agreed on Friday was 908 billion euros, a figure low enough to convince Britain, which focuses on payments rather than commitments, that it was getting a satisfactory deal.The young woman arrested over the weekend on suspicion of murder in the slaying of her great-aunt wrote in court records that she suffers from “great paranoia of people” and that “nothing can help.”
/ Courtesy of family friend Daisy Hayes is shown at her 74th birthday party in Temecula. Daisy Hayes is shown at her 74th birthday party in Temecula. (/ Courtesy of family friend)
Facebook photo of Tiffany Burney Facebook photo of Tiffany Burney
Tiffany Nicole Burney, 23, has been treated in at least three psychiatric facilities over the past two years and was placed under conservatorship in February because county authorities said she could not provide food, clothing or shelter for herself outside of a hospital environment.
Burney was arrested Saturday in connection with the shooting death of 74-year-old Daisy Mae Hayes, whose body was found Wednesday in her Tierrasanta home.
Homicide investigators did not release a possible motive, and family members have so far declined to comment.
Burney, who is the granddaughter of Hayes’ sister, was arrested in La Mesa. She is scheduled to be arraigned in San Diego Superior Court on Wednesday.
Court records obtained Monday provided some insight into Burney’s recent struggles with mental illness.
She wrote that she voluntarily sought treatment at the county Psychiatric Hospital in April 2010.
County authorities sought to put her under a temporary conservatorship then, but it was dropped a short time later.
Burney filed a lawsuit in August 2010 against the county Health and Human Services Agency, claiming she suffered mental anguish and loss of work during her six-week stay at the psychiatric hospital. She sought $100 million in damages.
“I was treated unfairly, forced to take medications when I was there voluntarily,” Burney wrote in court files. “I was assaulted, withdrawn from reality, as a part of people working in the hospital and patients staying in the hospital. As a result, I haven’t been better, I’ve been worse.”
She failed to show up for any hearings in court related to her suit, and the case was dismissed a year later.
During much of that time, she was undergoing treatment at other mental health facilities in the county.
In December 2010, the county again recommended a conservatorship, claiming that Burney would be homeless if she were to leave the hospital.
“She continues to be suspicious, insists on leaving the hospital, lacks insight into her mental illness and she does not have a viable plan to provide food, clothing and shelter,” according to county authorities. “She wants to return to her mother’s house, which is not an option, or return to her car, however, she was unable to maintain her car. She remains gravely disabled.”
Authorities also feared she would stop taking her psychotropic medications upon leaving the hospital. A yearlong conservatorship was granted in February, with authorities recommending she remain in a locked mental health facility.
Her conservatorship was terminated early in September, after she was discharged with staff approval from Alpine Special Treatment Center to the Baker’s Board and Care Facility in San Diego. She began outpatient treatment and was working with a county case manager.
Multiple people who have been contacted at Burney’s mother’s home in Tierrasanta declined to comment.(Valiant Comics, 2013)
Review by Brad Gischia
WRITTEN BY: James Asmus
ARTWORK BY: Tom Fowler
COLOR ARTWORK BY: Jordie Bellaire
Greetings from the Wasteland!
*Here there be Spoilers.
When you consider the greatest super duos of all time, what names top your list? Green Arrow and Green Lantern? The Green Hornet and Kato? Batman and…anyone? Add to that list Quantum and Woody, the newest release from writer James Asmus and Valiant Comics.
The cover art on the books have an Adam Hughes feel to them, but are the combined work of Ryan Sook, Marcos Martin, Andrew Robinson, and Tom Fowler. The first cover shows our main characters in typical heroic fashion, fists raised, with a goat between them. Enter the world of Quantum and Woody. (More on the goat later.)
Inside the art takes on a cartoonier feel, which works better for the story. Jordie Bellaire’s use of color combined with the movement of Tom Fowler’s art gives the panels an easy-to-look-at, easy-to-read format.
This is a buddy-cop mystery, with the buddy cops being Eric and Woody Henderson, foster brothers who are as unlike each other as two different sets of parents and circumstances could make them. The only time we see them in their super-hero costumes, other than on the cover, is at the beginning, when they are plummeting from a tall building towards the street below.
Short flashbacks show how they got together, and then we are dropped into their current lives. Eric is a career military man, rigid and formal at all times, whereas Woody has never had a steady job, sleeps around, and is in trouble with the law enough that he recognizes the cops who find him to tell him about his father’s death.
The two pick up right where they left off, starting a fistfight at their father’s funeral, which lands them at the police station and under suspicion in the matter of their father’s death.
The two decide independently of each other to check out their dad’s lab, sort of a shadowy, government type, high security situation, and meet up in a hallway over the body of a tased security guard. They are a pair of seven-year olds who never got over their bickering, fighting relationship, which is easily reduced in this quote.
Woody: “Can I get one of those tasers?”
Eric “Hell no. You failed to handle a ‘rag’.”
The two end up finding some of their father’s research and getting trapped in an experimental dynamo that activates and blows up the facility. The comic ends with the two of them in jail again, “…caught by the fuzz”.
This was an enjoyable read. Eric and Woody, though just apparently getting their powers, are already a likeable duo just because they fail to get along with each other. It reminds me of cop/comedies from the 80’s, Tango and Cash, Lethal Weapon, Turner and Hooch, all had the same pair of people, one straight-laced; one crooked, and paired them to successful ends. (The goat never made another appearance, though I hope to see it chew up Eric’s uniform coat and burst through a closet door while solving crime in issue 2.)
If you are looking for an enjoyable read, paired with exceptional art, look no further than Quantum and Woody. It takes Lethal Weapon and gives Mel Gibson and Danny Glover super powers, or at least I hope that’s what I see next issue.
*There is a short preview of X-O Manowar, written by Robert Venditti and art by Lee Garbett, Stefano Gaudiano and Moose Bauman at the end. It is too short to be developed much, but visually it’s okay and the snippet of story we get could be good if there were more. Short previews at the end of a comic, unless done as an ultra-short story, don’t ever seem to be really successful at pulling a reader in, though it has been successful in other circumstances, as with the Hack/Slash – Hoax Hunters pairing.
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Follow Brad Gischia on Twitter: @comicwasteland
Advertisements(AP) NEW YORK - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) is offering to buy the mortgage division and loan portfolio of Residential Capital LLC.
Residential Capital, also known as ResCap, is a subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc. (GMSPZ), the former auto lending arm of General Motors (GM). ResCap, hobbled by soured mortgage loans, filed for bankruptcy protection in May.
In papers filed with the bankruptcy court for the Southern District of New York, Berkshire Hathaway says it will offer more favorable terms for ResCap's mortgage business than Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) has.
ResCap reached a deal last month to sell most of its assets to a group led by Fortress.
Berkshire also says it will offer better terms for ResCap's loan portfolio, which Ally wants to purchase.
Berkshire wants to replace Fortress and Ally as the "stalking horse," or initial bidder, for the assets.Regular readers here are probably familiar with Mike Adams and his website NaturalNews.com. Forget the antivaccine crank blog Age of Autism, when it comes to wretched hives of scum and quackery on the Internet, NaturalNews is the wretchedest, scummiest, and quackiest. Not surprisingly, Adams got his start in wingnuttery selling Y2K scams nearly 18 years ago. Now, besides presiding over a scammy online publishing empire that racks in considerable green by publishing articles laced with quackery, antivaccine pseudoscience, character assassination, and thuggery, both legal and getting a bit too close to inciting violence, Mikey fancies himself a scientist. (He also fancies himself a rapper and musician, but the less said about his rapping and vocal stylings, the better.) He's even gone so far as to purchase a used mass spectrometer and use it to analyze everything from his competitors' supplements to Flint water to the flu vaccine, resulting in pure hilarity (to real scientists) and, unsurprisingly, an interview with America's Quack, Mehmet Oz, on The Dr. Oz Show and an instant quack bromance. Basically, if it's quackery and pseudoscience, very likely Adams embraces it and probably profits from selling it. More recently, Adams has become a die-hard Donald Trump supporter and a rising star in the alt-right.
In the interests of full disclosure, I must reveal the reason for my schadenfreude. First, it appears that, for unclear reasons, Google penalized NaturalNews.com today, as Len over at Telapost noticed:
Today someone asked me why they could not find a website in Google search. The website is “Natural News” (http://naturalnews.com/). Indeed, the site has been penalized by Google. This means, for whatever reason, the site does not show up in Google organic search. I tested the subdomain blogs.naturalnews.com as well, and it too is penalized.
Len goes on to note that he's seen sites disappear for a day or two and come back, but as of right now he noted that NaturalNews.com is definitely missing from Google Search results. I myself also did some tests and found the same thing. At least as of my writing this, NaturalNews is:
If you are not active in the world of SEO you may call it blackballed, sandboxed, blacklisted, delisted, etc. It means your website has been removed from Google’s search results. Some penalties are algorithmic, others are manual, meaning a person at Google manually penalized the website for violating Google’s webmaster guidelines.
So we don't know why NaturalNews was penalized by Google, nor do we know if this penalization is permanent, brief, or long term, but this is serious business:
As mentioned above, this could be a fluke. Or, maybe there are a tremendous amount of bad links pointing at them- I doubt that though- the site is 10yrs old. I googled a recent post and it had been mentioned nearly 3,000 times in just days that I could tell, which means it has likely been cited significantly more than that. That is a tremendous amount od SEO value. From what I can tell, the site should be ranking very well. But, that said, there is only so much I can tell by just glancing around. I do not have access to what I would need to determine why the penalty occurred. This must be fairly recent as SimilarWeb estimates that 31% of their 6,500,000 monthly hits are via organic search.
When I searched for NaturalNews.com on Google, I got Adams' Facebook page. I got a bunch of entries about Natural News, including RationalWiki's and a couple posts by me here and at my not-so-super-secret other blog. I got a couple of domains owned by Adams and linked to NaturalNews.com, such as NewsTarget.com, Healthranger.com, and TruthWiki.org, all domains that do not appear to be affected. But I saw no direct links to NaturalNews.com. On Twitter I've been getting reports from the UK that Adams' site appears to have been delisted there as well.
Of course, it's possible that, by the time you see this, Google will be indexing NaturalNews.com again. Or not. SEO might as well be black magic to me, and I am not wise in the ways of Google. I am, however, amused at Mike Adams' reaction. Those of you familiar with Adams knows that to him everything is a conspiracy, and this is no exception. It couldn't possibly be that Adams did something to trigger the penalty and that there was no malice on Google's part (which is almost certainly the case). Oh, no. It had to be The Man out to get him, as this gloriously unhinged screed posted yesterday by Adams entitled GOOGLE blacklists Natural News… removes 140,000 pages from its index… “memory holes” Natural News investigative articles on vaccines, pharma corruption, fraudulent science and more. Naturally, the reason Google penalized and "delisted" his website is retaliation:
Late last week, I received a direct threat that warned if I did not take steps to destroy Alex Jones and InfoWars, I would be targeted for destruction in a campaign of smears, censorship and defamation. Instead of giving in to the enemy, I refused to take the bait and went public with details of the threat, warning everyone in the new media that sinister forces were now being pursued to undermine and silence every anti-establishment (and pro-Trump) voice on the internet. True to form, today the entire Natural News website has been blacklisted by Google, entirely without warning.
As is his usual M.O., Adams linked the delisting of his flagship website to...well, everything, including the fall of Milo Yiannopoulos, the alt right troll known for his misogyny, slurs against and outing of LGBT people, and general nastiness. Apparently, none of that was too much for conservatives who embraced him for being "politically incorrect," but when he spoke way too blithely about pedophilia, even appearing to defend it and joke about his molestation by a priest as having taught him how to give better fellatio, that was too much and he was disinvited from speaking at this week's CPAC conservative gathering and forced to resign from Breitbart. Of course, it was the "opposition research" and a "cynical media witch hunt" that brought him down. Then there's InfoWars having been "blackballed" by AdRoll, thus cutting into Alex Jones' profits. Then, of course, there were those evil liberals pummeling the Shopify e-commerce platform to dump the Breitbart online store. Then there was this:
Today, Natural News has been hit by Google, which has black |
less than a second after the engagement and although NZ fumble the ball, they were already awarded advantage and take another scrum. The Eagles scrum holds steady this time and the All Blacks attack through the midfield before Samu Manoa says hello to a sniping Pulu. Blaine Scully strips the ball from Dagg and then Joubert blows the whistle for not rolling away at the ruck for a ruck that didn’t exist (or happened earlier and I missed and it was the most delayed call ever).
78 min: NZ take another scrum close in and smash the Eagles pack into the ground. Another big hit by Samu Manoa on Ryan Crotty halts the AB atack. Two phases later USA turns the ball over and Franks is pinged for offsides. Blaine Scully takes the quick tap and is nearly turned over running without support. USA knocks the ball on two phases later after a big run by Samu Manoa. Carter, Vito and Savea interplay beautifully with a series of switch passes for what is hopefully the final All Blacks try of the afternoon.
TRY, CONVERSION GOOD NEW ZEALAND 74-6
FULL TIME
NEW ZEALAND – 74
USA – 6
I’ll be pushing out a detailed review of the match once I am able to get my hands on some replay footage later this week. Unfortunately the Eagles capitulated in nearly all of the ways I thought they might and did very little to help themselves play to their strengths outside of a few moments during the match.“Every year they audit me, audit me, audit me,” an exasperated Donald Trump said at a primary debate in February. His personal federal income taxes, he claimed, had been audited by the Internal Revenue Service for more than a decade.
But the cause for his chagrin also offered Trump an escape hatch. He said he would not publicly release his returns until the audit was complete.
“I can’t do it until the audit is finished, obviously. And I think people would understand that,” he said.
It’s a position Trump has clung to for months. But what is there to understand exactly?
There is no law prohibiting someone from making his own tax information public (audit or no audit), nor one compelling presidential candidates to release them. Yet every major party presidential candidate has since 1976.
Trump’s refusal to release his returns may buck precedent, but his non-disclosure goes even further. Trump won’t provide proof he’s actually under audit.
Taxpayers under audit receive a phone call or letter from the Internal Revenue Service informing them their returns are under review. Anyone notified by phone also receives the letter that says in part, “Your federal income tax return for the year shown above has been selected for examination. We examine tax returns to verify the correctness of income, deductions, exemptions, and credits.” Here’s a sample from the IRS website.
Some filers are asked for additional financial documents like canceled checks or receipts. The IRS uses “examination” and “audit” interchangeably.
Trump’s tax return could reveal unflattering information for someone who has built a reputation and presidential run heralding his extreme wealth. It would show his annual income, tax rate, and how much he gives to charity.
But the IRS notification letter is a different story -- it would not likely do any political damage to Trump’s candidacy. The form merely contains the taxpayer’s name, address, social security number (which could be redacted) and a generic reason for the audit.
Four emails to Trump’s campaign seeking this IRS letter yielded no reply. In response to another inquiry, spokeswoman Hope Hicks pointed to another letter - one written by Sheri Dillon and William Nelson, tax attorneys representing Trump.
Dillon and Nelson wrote Trump’s “inordinately large and complex” returns have been “under continuous examination” by the IRS since 2002. The returns from 2002-2008 had been “closed administratively,” but the examination, they wrote, from “2009 year and forward are ongoing.”
It does not specify which years’ returns after 2009 are being examined.
The letter also said entries in the 2002-2008 returns -- even though those audits are closed -- could impact the returns currently under an open examination. This likely means that Trump has so-called “carry-forwards” from those years that could affect his tax liability in 2009 and beyond. The New York Times over the weekend revealed that Trump’s personal tax returns declared a loss of $916 million in income in 1995, and that massive loss could be carried forward to lower or cancel out his income taxes for 18 years.
Trump told the Washington Post in May he would not release any returns from 2002 on – regardless of audit status - because “they’re all linked.”
While there’s no reason to doubt the veracity of his attorney’s letter, Dillon and Nelson did not respond to an emailed inquiry (nor provide any IRS documentation).
Their letter, dated March 7, 2016, does not specify if Trump’s 2015 returns are under audit. It is unlikely that his 2015 return would have been filed by early March, according to a tax expert, and even less likely that the IRS would have notified Trump of an audit by then.
Wednesday on CNN, Jason Miller, a communications advisor to Trump, was asked if he could produce the audit letter.
“Mr. Trump has made very clear that he’s under audit, and those paperworks (sic) will go back to the lawyers and the accountants--,” Miller said before trailing off.
“Well, we’re taking him at his word. Is there -- can you produce some evidence that he is, in fact, being audited?” anchor Alisyn Camerota asked.
Miller replied: “Well, I’ll leave that to the lawyers and the accountants as far as what exactly is public and what exactly is private.”
Last month, IRS commissioner John Koskinen appeared before the House Judiciary Committee.
“There’s no restriction by the IRS,” Koskinen testified, after being asked if there is any law that prevents a person from publicly disclosing an IRS audit notification.1 of 6 View Caption
Utah Jazz's Dante Exum dunks during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Tuesday, Jul Utah Jazz's Dante Exum drives up the court against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball ga Philidelphia 76ers' Sean Kilpatrick attempts to grab a loose ball against Utah Jazz's Dante Exum (11) during an NBA summer league Utah Jazz's Dante Exum, left, attempts to block a shot from Denver Nuggets' Erick Green during the first half of an NBA summer lea Utah Jazz's Dante Exum, center, reaches for a loose ball with Denver Nuggets' Will Thomas, left, and Chris Wright during the first Utah Jazz's Dante Exum drives to the hoop against the Philidelphia 76ers during an NBA summer league basketball game on Saturday,Editor’s note: This is part of our summer series, The MMQB 100, counting down the most influential people for the 2015 season.
The most intriguing contract negotiation since the 2011 CBA was implemented is taking place, albeit at a deliberate pace, between the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson. In an era in which elite quarterbacks are routinely paid an average of $20 million per year, with $60 million guaranteed (a market established two years ago), Wilson, a third-round pick in 2012, has been playing on his rookie contract, a four-year deal worth a total of $2.2 million (it escalated to just under $3 million due to performance), with $619,000 guaranteed. His performance compared to his wages has made him—and continues to make him—easily the most contractually undervalued player in the NFL.
Beyond the 2011 CBA’s slashing of first-round bonuses, its most ominous provision for the majority of drafted players—such as Wilson—was the required three-year waiting period to renegotiate. This provision has allowed the Seahawks to conveniently say “sorry, we’re not allowed to negotiate,” until that restriction was lifted this offseason. Over the past few months there have been talks between the parties, but certainly no sign of common ground. Thus, as of this writing, Wilson is scheduled to play the 2015 season for $1.54 million. To put the number in perspective, Wilson will make about 14% of what Jameis Winston will earn as a rookie, and Wilson will earn less than nearly half of the league’s backups.
Negotiating for the Seahawks are team contract negotiator Matt Thomas and general manager John Schneider. Matt is a veteran negotiator, with stops in Miami and Cleveland before coming to Seattle, well-versed in the common rejoinder to agents about requested terms: We can’t do that. (I know, I used to say that all the time.) John, whom I know well, is a seasoned “football guy” stressing that every contract must be negotiated with an eye to the greater good of the team. On the other side of the negotiation is a name largely unfamiliar in NFL agent circles: Mark Rodgers.
Introducing The MMQB’s ranking of the most influential figures for the 2015 season. THE LIST SO FAR Nos. 51-60: With another regime change in Chicago, 2015 could be Jay Cutler’s last chance to prove he is the Bears’ QB of the future. Plus, Cam Newton, NaVorro Bowman, DeMarco Murray and more. FULL STORY Nos. 61-70: Junior Seau will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. His life and untimely death contain lessons that every professional athlete must learn. Plus, Jason Garrett, Darrell Bevell, Cris Collinsworth and more. FULL STORY Nos. 71-80: Like Winston and Mariota last year, Michigan State’s Connor Cook, the presumptive 2016 top QB prospect, will loom over the NFL season. Plus, Jimmy Haslam, Colin Kaepernick, Todd Gurley and more. FULL STORY Nos. 81-90: After a crushing NFC title game loss, Mike McCarthy takes on a different role. Plus Jim Harbaugh, Khalil Mack, Eli Manning and more. FULL STORY Nos. 91-100: Rachel Nichols is a thorn in Roger Goodell’s side. Plus, Richie Incognito, Le’Veon Bell, John Elway and more. FULL STORY Introducing The MMQB’s ranking of the most influential figures for the 2015 season.With another regime change in Chicago, 2015 could be Jay Cutler’s last chance to prove he is the Bears’ QB of the future. Plus, Cam Newton, NaVorro Bowman, DeMarco Murray and more.Junior Seau will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. His life and untimely death contain lessons that every professional athlete must learn. Plus, Jason Garrett, Darrell Bevell, Cris Collinsworth and more.Like Winston and Mariota last year, Michigan State’s Connor Cook, the presumptive 2016 top QB prospect, will loom over the NFL season. Plus, Jimmy Haslam, Colin Kaepernick, Todd Gurley and more.After a crushing NFC title game loss, Mike McCarthy takes on a different role. Plus Jim Harbaugh, Khalil Mack, Eli Manning and more.Rachel Nichols is a thorn in Roger Goodell’s side. Plus, Richie Incognito, Le’Veon Bell, John Elway and more.
Fresh perspective
Rodgers’ experience in sports representation is primarily in baseball (interestingly, baseball agents also represent Winston, the 2015 NFL draft’s top pick). While competing agents whisper their concern about the magnitude of the contract being done by a negotiator without vast NFL experience, my sense is this fresh perspective might be a positive for Wilson.
Rodgers is not new to the NFL. He was an NFLPA-certified agent from 1987 until 2012—clients included former quarterbacks Doug Johnson and Matt Mauck—before becoming re-certified when Wilson requested his services to deal with the Seahawks. Rodgers became involved with Wilson as a baseball advisor when Wilson was at N.C. State (before he transferred to Wisconsin). Rodgers even brought in football agent Bus Cook to negotiate Wilson’s third-round rookie deal in 2012 (agents were not exactly knocking down Wilson’s door to represent him). Rodgers and Wilson are very close; Wilson traveled cross-country earlier this offseason, between commitments in Seattle, to speak at Rodgers’ daughter’s graduation. And Rodgers is now all in on representing and managing Wilson.
As a baseball agent, Rodgers is more comfortable than many football agents with the prospect of embracing free agency. Football agents are often fearful of losing a player to another agent if they don’t consummate a deal before free agency, and sometimes for good reason. And while there is more concern in football than baseball about injury risk or downturn in performance, sometimes the risk of (serious) injury is overplayed by teams in negotiations. Further, in all sports, players will succumb to satisfying immediate financial needs while sacrificing proper value. My experience, however, is that baseball players and agents seem to have more understanding and patience as to what free agency can bring. Rodgers has benefited greatly from free agency with baseball players such as Cliff Lee, Mike Hampton, A.J. Burnett and free agent-to-be Jeff Samardzija,
Thus, Rodgers enters this negotiation with an immensely undervalued player whose price will only increase the closer he gets to the free-agency finish line. Yes, injury may be a concern, but Wilson has (1) been able to avoid injury to this point and (2) obtained an insurance policy to protect against a career-ending injury. As to a downturn in performance, that would appear highly unlikely in 2015, especially with the Seahawks’ addition of Jimmy Graham.
The marketplace
The 2013 offseason advanced the upper-echelon quarterback market, with extensions for Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo and Matt Ryan in the range of roughly $20 million APY (average per year) and $55-60 million guaranteed. As Mark Rodgers has certainly pointed out to the Seahawks, that market was established two years ago when the salary cap was $20 million less than it is now. In other words, from the player side of the Wilson negotiations, these ranges should be a starting point.
Since that time—save for Jay Cutler’s deal with $18 million APY and $54 million guaranteed—the upper market has stagnated. Deals since for Colin Kaepernick, Andy Dalton, Alex Smith and Ryan Tannehill came in at decidedly lower levels compared to the 2013 group. Last month, however, brought a fresh data point when the Panthers secured Cam Newton in the range of the 2013 group, with $60 million guaranteed.
Newton was scheduled to make $14.67 million this year, compared to Wilson’s scheduled $1.54 million. Thus, to compare apples to apples, Newton’s raise to $31 million in 2015—between salary and bonuses—would be the equivalent of Wilson making about $18 million this year, a lot of money but not a “wow” number. Further, Newton’s $67 million over three years would translate to an equivalent of about $53.5 million over three years for Wilson: a lot of money, but not the level most are expecting.
Perhaps of more interest to Wilson and Rodgers than the deals that have been done are the ones that haven’t. Extensions are certainly ahead in the coming year for Philip Rivers, Eli Manning and perhaps other established veterans as well. The most interesting and relevant is that of Andrew Luck, taken 74 spots ahead of Wilson in 2012. Colts owner Jim Irsay curiously said the team would not renegotiate Luck’s deal this year, although Texans owner Bob McNair said the same thing at this time last year about J.J. Watt, only to reward him on the eve of the season. We shall see.
Staying calm
Fans and media seem more concerned about these contract negotiations than Wilson and Rodgers appear to be. Rodgers has refused to take the media bait to express any tension to the discussions, characterizing the talks as “positive” and “robust” and sending long position statements (there will be lawyers…). Agents are a reflection of the player they represent; team executives roll their eyes when agents make comments with public demands or non-negotiable deadlines. Rodgers is handling the public relations aspects of these negotiations well.
Having said that, we are not near a point of reckoning in this negotiation, a deadline that could spur action. My sense is that inflection point is the start of training camp; Rodgers needs to apply that pressure to change the status quo. Rodgers and Wilson are strategically putting on the facade of a complete willingness to play under the present contract. Whether that is true or not, time will tell.
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Guarantee
As I always say about any large contract, the total value is just a number on the page; it has little true meaning without the context of guarantees. Rodgers, accustomed to fully guaranteed contracts in baseball, will certainly advance the importance of that fact.
To be clear, there is nothing in the NFL CBA denying teams the right to fully guarantee contracts, just as there is nothing in the MLB or NBA CBAs requiring teams to do so. Fully guaranteed contracts in the NFL, or close to that level, will only come from individual negotiations of players with substantial leverage, and Wilson is on the way to having that dominating leverage. However, largely due to the fact he is still playing on his rookie contract, that day is not today.
The Seahawks will first hide behind precedent, saying groundbreaking guarantees for Wilson would start a line at the door with other top players seeking similar structures. To that, Rodgers will argue the special nature of Wilson compared to other players.
The other argument the Seahawks will employ against a massive guarantee is the NFL rule requiring any future guarantee to be immediately funded by the team. Teams have (successfully) been able to use the funding excuse to negotiate less risky “stair-step” guarantees, triggering year by year. Rodgers has to be frustrated hearing that one of the richest men in the world, Seahawks owner Paul Allen, cannot—or will not—escrow what is couch cushion money to him. This, however, is teams’ way of doing business that has not been successfully challenged.
Gift that keeps on giving
As mentioned above, the reality that prevents, for now, a massively guaranteed contract is Wilson’s $1.54 million salary for 2015. The Seahawks know that if there is no deal consummated, Wilson will play this year for another vastly undervalued amount. The ultimate question is this: Will Wilson and Rodgers resist the temptation of making tens of millions more this year than scheduled, at the risk of sacrificing future value?
To put some specific numbers to this, Wilson may have two options for compensation this year: (1) make $1.5 million and continue to negotiate with the prospect of a $20 million-plus franchise tag next year; or (2) make, say, $20-25 million this year with the total contract in the range of, say, $17-18 million per year with $50-55 million guaranteed. In other words, the Seahawks would use the powerful leverage of Wilson’s last contract year to secure the deal they want. It is the continuing story of the power of rookie contracts and the control they bring.
The Seahawks know this leverage traditionally works: Players who have not made their money (non-first-round draft picks) have a hard time resisting a strong first-year cash number. And Schneider and Thomas certainly don’t want to set any precedents regarding guarantees and cash that could be used by all of their top players against them. These factors are probably driving the Seahawks in their negotiations.
Perhaps, however, we have a different agent and player mentality here. Rodgers appears not worried about losing the client, and Wilson is a player who has lived without big earnings for the past three years, makes solid money in endorsements and appears unwilling to jump for immediate cash.
This sets up as the negotiation to watch over the next month and, perhaps, over the next year or two. If—and this is a big if—Wilson and Rodgers can be patient, Wilson’s value will only rise, and Rodgers may be able to wrangle a groundbreaking contract. As I often say, sometimes the best deals are the ones not made. Can Rodgers and Wilson be patient enough to say no?
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50. Kevin Turner and Shawn Wooden, Retired Players
During our football careers, we fought for every inch. In retirement we have done the same, specifically by working to secure benefits related to the concussions and long-term neurocognitive injuries faced by retired players. After fighting for years in court, a landmark settlement was reached to provide long-term security and care for those suffering from conditions ranging from dementia to ALS, as well as for those who are healthy now but fear what the future may hold. A federal judge approved the settlement in April, bringing us closer than ever to finally obtaining these benefits. More than 99% of retired players and their families have decided that the settlement is the best course of action. Yet a small group of retired players have decided to appeal the settlement—which means that those in desperate need must now wait months and possibly more than a year for the appeal to be resolved before the settlement becomes effective. Unless the appeals are dropped, they will not be considered by the court until the fall, with a decision to come at some point thereafter. Meanwhile, many retired players suffer from conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS. The settlement would provide them immediate compensation. It will also provide compensation to a retired player who develops one of these qualifying conditions over the next 65 years. Many more retired players fear that years of head impacts are beginning to take their toll. The settlement offers a baseline assessment for all retired players—a critical benefit considering many lack adequate health care. This too is delayed until appeals are resolved. We hope that those appealing the settlement understand that their choice means that once-strong men, cut down by ALS in their prime, must wait even longer for the benefits we have already fought for years to obtain. Those afflicted with dementia, at disturbingly young ages and at rates much higher than the general population, must wait. Widows who lost their husbands, often the family’s sole breadwinners, must wait. We have all waited long enough. But as in football, the last moments of any game—even when success is close—often take the longest. We can only hope that the tiny minority of retired players who oppose this agreement will allow our long wait for benefits to finally come to an end. Until then, we are determined to keep fighting.
—Kevin Turner and Shawn Wooden
Kevin Turner, who spent eight seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, is currently suffering from ALS. Shawn Wooden spent nine seasons in the NFL playing for the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. Both are subclass representatives in the NFL concussion litigation.
• From The MMQB Vault: On the eve of the 2013 season, Peter King wrote about Kevin Turner and the importance of the retired players’ concussion lawsuit
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49. LeSean McCoy, Running Back, Buffalo Bills
It only took about 30 minutes for the Eagles and Bills to agree to the trade that shipped LeSean McCoy to Buffalo in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso, but the move signaled something much more significant—Chip Kelly’s extreme makeover of the Eagles roster. McCoy didn’t go quietly. First, he received a five-year, $40 million extension from the Bills to placate him, and then he implied in an interview with ESPN that his former head coach was racist. Needless to say, all eyes will be on McCoy this season. Was Kelly prescient, parting ways with the soon-to-be-27-year-old star before he falls off the proverbial running back cliff? Or will McCoy thrive as the centerpiece of a Bills offense that will live or die with the run game? The Buffalo offensive line is a step down from the Eagles' front five behind which McCoy rushed for the first six seasons of his career, but new Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman (arriving in Buffalo after a four-year stint calling plays in San Francisco) and running backs coach Anthony Lynn (who came from the Jets with Rex Ryan) have a proven track record of maximizing the ground game, and now they have one of the league’s best all-around backs at their disposal.
—Jenny Vrentas (@JennyVrentas)
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48. Mark Rodgers, Agent, Frontline Athlete Management
Russell Wilson has been absurdly underpaid since entering the NFL. His rookie contract is set to expire at the end of this season, setting up one of the most fascinating contract negotiations the league has ever seen. And it will be Mark Rodgers, primarily known as a baseball agent, negotiating the deal. FULL STORY
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47. Ben Roethlisberger, Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers
This is not your father’s Pittsburgh Steelers. It hasn’t been for a while, actually. The respective declines of Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and Brett Keisel left this once-vaunted defense bereft of a viable veteran presence last year. Now, all have been sent to pasture—and 27-year-old outside linebacker Jason Worilds, who was set to be a free agent, decided to join them. To boot, esteemed coordinator Dick LeBeau left and took a job in Tennessee. New coordinator Keith Butler, the team’s longtime linebackers coach, is well-regarded and will run a nearly identical scheme. But he’ll do so with a group comprising talented but unproven youngsters. And so it’s apparent that this iconic franchise will go only as far as its star quarterback (future Hall of Fame quarterback?) can take it. Good thing Ben Roethlisberger was correct when he said in early June that this is the most talented offense he’s ever been on. Once Le’Veon Bell returns from suspension (he is appealing his three-game ban), the Steelers could have the most explosive offense in football. On the ground their young front line has blossomed into a cohesive group, and Bell is one of the game’s few backs who can consistently create his own space. He can also flex out and be a weapon in the passing game, joining the likes of Antonio Brown (the quickest, crispest route runner in football) and Martavis Bryant (a long-striding second-year deep threat capable of posting 1,000 yards on 55 to 60 catches). Best of all: Roethlisberger, contrary to longtime expectations, has matured into a cerebral, highly accurate pocket passer in coordinator Todd Haley’s system. At 33, he’s coming off the best season of his career. If he can top it, the Steelers, despite a rebuilding defense, are legitimate contenders in the AFC. If he can’t, it could be a return to 8-8.
—Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit)
• Talking Football with Ike Taylor: The Steelers’ recently retired cornerstone cornerback on his post-football plans and why Troy Polamalu is in his will
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46. Teryl Austin, Defensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions
In his first season as a defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin, the former Ravens secondary coach, oversaw a group that ranked second in yardage and third in scoring. Austin introduced a few more pressure concepts to a unit that had operated on a straight four-man pass rush seemingly forever. More importantly, he strayed from the usual Cover-2 zone concepts that have mostly gone stale across the NFL, installing more man-based and disguise tactics. From this, 2013 second-round cornerback Darius Slay finally found his NFL footing. Lanky and explosive defensive end Ziggy Ansah fulfilled his high first-round potential. And linebacker DeAndre Levy had a sterling campaign that, inexcusably, was overlooked by Pro Bowl voters. This isn’t to say Austin conjured stars by being a schematic mad scientist cut from the cloth of, say, a Rex Ryan. He still relied plenty on undisguised, straightforward coverages behind a simple four-man rush, particularly in the third-and-long situations the Lions saw often thanks to a run defense that ranked first overall. Call this the Ndamukong Suh factor. The all-world defensive tackle did wonders for the system, against both the run and the pass, primarily in the way he took on double teams to allow the talented but mercurial Nick Fairley (and others) to flourish. Both Suh and Fairley are gone now; the former deemed too expensive to re-sign and the latter deemed too unreliable to award long-term money. If Austin is a magician, he must prove that Suh wasn’t his magic wand. The Lions defense, for the first time in years, will truly have to manufacture success through scheme, not just skilled player execution. NFL GMs know this. And they know that Austin, 50, is charismatic and humble in the right ways. If the Lions prosper, he will become 2016’s hottest head coaching candidate.
—Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit)
• The Next Head Coaches: Two dozen football minds helped The MMQB compile a list and breakdown of the 32 men most likely to be NFL head coaches soon
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45. The Thursday Night Football Viewer
The NFL knew it had an undervalued asset in Thursday Night Football. From 2006 to ’13, its games aired exclusively on the league-owned NFL Network, viewership topping off at an average audience of 8.0 million viewers, well below the numbers for Sunday and Monday night games. Last year, with an eye toward adding revenue and eyeballs for its product, the NFL brought in a network partner (CBS) to broadcast nine games in simulcast with NFL Network. CBS also agreed to use its lead broadcasters and production team on all Thursday night games, even when the second half of the schedule appeared only on the NFL Network. CBS paid a reported $250 million for the package. The payoff was immense: For the 16 games on the 2014 schedule, Thursday Night Football averaged 12.3 million viewers, up 52% compared to 2013. The first seven TNF matchups, airing on CBS and the NFL Network, averaged 16.5 million viewers. The package topped out at 20.8 million, the viewership for Steelers-Ravens in Week 2. All eight TNF games on CBS/NFL Network during weeks 2-8, and 16 were the top-rated and most-watched program on television in primetime for those nights across all networks. A win for all parties. CBS returns as the network partner for the 2015 season, with an additional year at the NFL’s option. That network’s officials have made it clear they want the relationship to continue for the long term. And who can blame them, with viewers having once again shown an insatiable appetite for the NFL, on whatever day it’s televised? If the numbers are robust in 2015—and there’s no reason to think they won't be—the NFL is going to make a mint on future TNF packages.
—Richard Deitsch (@RichardDeitsch)
• The MMQB Media Awards: At the end of last season, Richard Deitsch unveiled his honors for the best and worst in NFL media, from Adam Schefter to Chris Berman to South Park
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44. Sean Payton, Head Coach, New Orleans Saints
It is very odd to write this about the team that got into the bounty mess, and has the scrappy and pugnacious Sean Payton as the head coach and the feisty and defiant Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator. But the Saints have been getting a little soft lately. Tight end Jimmy Graham, their best offensive weapon other than Drew Brees, got pushed around so much by the Seahawks in recent years that it looked like the defense was bullying Graham. In the five years since they won the Super Bowl, the Saints have won two postseason games. So now, cap-strapped, the Saints have dumped Graham on to Seattle for a first-round pick and turned that into thumping inside linebacker Stephone Anthony. In fact, Saints GM Mickey Loomis made three trades in the offseason, turning those players into four defenders. The message in the organization is clear: The Saints must get significantly better on defense to be competitive in a strong NFC this year. Not the NFC South; the division is relatively weak, and there’s no reason a flawed team can’t win it. But winning the NFC in what might be Payton’s last year in New Orleans—he’ll deny even thinking about it, but his mentor in the coaching business is wanderlusting Bill Parcells—will take a major upgrade on defense. And in toughness. “Fear is a great motivator,’’ Payton told Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune this offseason. “The idea of not having success again this season…” Fear always was a great motivator for Parcells’ teams too. The Saints need to heed this call, or there could be even bigger changes with the franchise after the season.
—Peter King (@SI_PeterKing)
• Brees on a Lost Season: After the Pro Bowl, the Saints quarterback discussed his disappointing season and what ails the Saints
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43. Lisa Friel, Senior Adviser, NFL
Last fall, as the NFL faced a crisis over its handling of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault cases, it sought outside help to prove it was taking the issue seriously. Enter Lisa Friel, the former sex crimes prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney’s office (and New York Giants season-ticket holder). Her experience lent the NFL credibility it desperately needed as the league weathered public pressure from media, fans and sponsors. Friel began working as a senior adviser to the NFL as it shaped a new personal-conduct policy, and this spring she was tabbed as the special counsel for investigations, to professionalize the fact-finding process on which discipline for off-field misconduct is based. Friel will be front and center as the league tries to make its personal-conduct policy what it has not been in the past: consistent, thorough and a deterrent to future incidents.
—Jenny Vrentas (@JennyVrentas)
• The Greg Hardy Suspension: Peter King on why new Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy got a 10-game suspension from the NFL despite his win in court
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42. Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback, New England Patriots
On the last day of June, Jimmy Garoppolo is the most important non-rookie in the NFL to have never started a game. That could change if Tom Brady’s four-game suspension is overturned. But the more likely scenario is that Garoppolo is behind center when the Patriots begin their latest Super Bowl defense, kicking off the NFL season against Pittsburgh on Sept. 10. Bill Belichick will find out what life is like without Tom Brady for only the second time in his Patriots tenure. Garoppolo’s résumé is still relatively bare. The most important pass of his NFL career likely came while running the scout team offense during Super Bowl practices; he beat cornerback Malcolm Butler for a touchdown running the same play Seattle used on its final snap of Super Bowl XLIX, the one Butler intercepted to seal a victory. Beyond that, Garoppolo has 182 yards and a touchdown to his credit since being chosen in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Eastern Illinois. The bulk of his playing time came in a meaningless Week 17 loss to Buffalo. He played the entire second half of that game, going 10-for-17 for 90 yards and leading the New England offense to just a field goal. Will Belichick look smart for drafting a quarterback so high, or will we get a reminder of just how important No. 12 is to his football team?
—Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko)
• Can Jimmy Garoppolo Handle the Heat?: Robert Klemko delved into the young quarterback’s past to find out just who he is, and whether or not he can handle the pressure if he has to fill in for Tom Brady
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41. Richard Sherman, Cornerback, Seattle Seahawks
Arguably football’s top corner, Richard Sherman’s play on the field, and willingness to speak his mind, makes him the most visible defensive player in the sport. If he’s not the modern-day answer to Muhammad Ali, he at least shares the Champ’s unique ability to see the forest and the trees. Recognizing the value of vacuous offseason trash talk like any good prizefighter would, he engaged Antonio Cromartie’s recent criticism by deadpanning, “That was unfortunate,” and citing his own participation in the Super Bowl, and not the Pro Bowl, as the reason Cromartie made the annual all-star game. Conversely, Sherman has used his platform to identify and decry racial stereotypes, critique NFL labor practices and elevate the profile of his teammates. As Sherman wrote in January when he was featured along with teammates on the cover of Sports Illustrated, “I was lucky to be drafted by Pete [Carroll] and John [Schneider], who assembled around me one of the most talented and diverse defensive backfields in football. More than I want individual success, I want to be remembered as part of the Legion of Boom, which is why all of us are on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine this week. In football, unlike various other sports, it takes a total team effort to be successful.” Sherman has built a career from an obsessive devotion to the spirit of the game, and devout irreverence for the bureaucracy and conventions of the league that monetizes it. To say there aren’t many players with the ability—or the desire—to pull that off would be an understatement, and that’s unfortunate.
—Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko)
• Richard Sherman, Columnist: An archive of Richard Sherman's work for The MMQB, from being called a “thug” to DeSean Jackson to his thoughts on the league’s top quarterbacksDemocrat National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) says the coming recall elections of Colorado state senators John Morse (D) and Angela Giron (D) are “a blatant attack on our Democratic principles.”
Voters are trying to recall Morse and Giron because of their support of gun control laws that banned rifle and pistol magazines larger than 15 rounds, banned shotgun magazines larger than eight rounds, and mandated a background check on every gun sale in the state, i.e., universal background checks.
The laws also contained a new fee that will be added to every gun sale to pay for the background checks. Coloradans behind the recall see this fee as a new tax that future Democrats will be able to raise as they please to drive up the cost of buying a gun.
Voters are trying to recall Morse and Giron because the passage of these laws displeased constituents.
Yet Schultz says this is not about Coloradans but about out-of-state groups funding and pushing a recall effort which was unnecessary. So far, however, out-of-state groups and individuals seem to be the ones taking sides with Morse and Giron.
For example, Obama’s Organizing for Action operatives are running Giron’s office, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $350,000 to help Morse and Giron fight the recall effort.
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quately designed or crudely implemented, such as those in Guatemala and Nicaragua.
In South Africa, RTI staff devoted “inordinate attention to minor details such as the color of furniture” while incurring major construction delays in the renovation and construction of women’s health treatment centers, IG auditors found.
The government later discovered some of the RTI treatment centers didn’t even meet minimum local health standards.
In a Guatemala project, RTI purchased and distributed hundreds of expensive water purifiers that could only function for one year. The towns could not afford to replace them, according to a Nov. 26, 2013, IG audit.
RTI sent computers to a school that had no electricity in Nicaragua, a Nov. 19, 2008, report found.
When reviewing RTI’s Haitian education program, auditors discovered the company failed to implement a community reading program.
The IG audit listed the fact that “RTI did not distribute the first-grade curriculum and materials until... 2 months past the deadline,” among the firm’s shortcomings in Haiti.
Yet the entire objective of the $13 million contract was to “test” the reading program for effectiveness.
Amey of POGO said such a “troubled past” should trigger extra scrutiny when USAID considers handing additional funds to companies like RTI.
“It’s kind of disheartening when the contractor that’s controlling that money [is] accused of misappropriating funds by spending it on lavish parties,” he said.
USAID itself has come under fire for poorly supervising contractors like RTI. The agency suffers from a “shortage of contracting staff able to design and administer awards effectively and efficiently,” according to an October 2014 IG report devoted to the agency’s management problems.
USAID’s Matthew Herrick defended his agency, saying two recent reforms made the agency more accountable. Herrick added that USAID officials did not see any misuse of funds.
From their view, the IG and USAID “have identified less than.02 percent in questionable costs related to this implementing partner,” Herrick said.
RTI spokesman Lisa Bistreich-Wolfe told the Washington Examiner that the nonprofit works “to ensure quality program development and implementation. Audits are an important and welcome part of that process and, if missteps are found, we take swift and comprehensive measures to improve performance.”
Michael Rubin, an adviser to the Secretary of Defense on International Security Affairs for Iran and Iraq from 2002 to 2004, told the Examiner that USAID officials too often judge success by how much money they throw at problems.
“I see the problem more to be that USAID's chief metric is money allocated or spent rather than results achieved,” Rubin said. “It seems increasingly that USAID is the cancer and RTI is just a symptom.”
Examiner intern Monica Perez also contributed to this report.G. Love and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe added to Jungle Jam Jan 16-19 in Costa Rica joining Slightly Stoopid and others
Slightly Stoopid, the Ocean Beach/San Diego, CA group led by multi-instrumentalists and founding members, Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald, will headline Jungle Jam IV January 16-19, 2014 in Jaco, Costa Rica.
Featuring four days of continuous music, this year’s party in the jungle also includes festival newcomers G. Love & Friends,Dumpstaphunk, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Expendables, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, Kung Fu and dopapod, as well as Jungle Jam veterans Max Creek, Oteil Burbridge, bassist for the Allman Brothers Band, Zach Deputy and Ryan Montbleau Band.
The one-of-a-kind music and camping festival in Jaco, Costa Rica is hosted by the beautiful DoceLunas Resort Hotel and includes concerts at multiple locations in the area, including beach front venues, late night clubs and local theatres, all designed to create an up-close and personal concert experience. It is not unusual for bands to play multiple days at Jungle Jam. Nor is it unusual for sets to turn into big jam sessions.
“We are stoked to have some of the best touring bands in America come ROCK JACO once again,’ said Eric Freitas, event producer for Jungle Jam IV. “This year’s line-up represents a mix of genres and styles that fit in perfect harmony with the culture, surroundings and the vibe of Costa Rica. Roots Reggae, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Fusion, Americana, Jam and Electronic it’s all here.”
A limited number of early bird tickets are available while supplies last starting at just $149 for a four day festival pass and $299 for a six day camping and festival pass. Camping packages include the full access to Jungle Jam IV as well as camping in a secure area and round trip airport transfers. All the amenities of a top notch camping and music festival will be available including showers, food vendors as well as a General Store. The campground will open on January 15, 2014 and close on January 21, 2014. Once the early bird packages are gone, Jungle Jam camping and festival packages will be available starting at $199 per person for the four day pass and $349 per person for a 6 day camping pass.
All-inclusive hotel packages are still available at the Best Western Jaco Beach Resort. Condo packages are available at a number of the best resorts along Jaco Beach including the La Paloma Blanca, Bahia Azul, Bahia Encantada, The Palms and Diamante Del Sol.
All camping, hotel and condo packages include festival tickets and ground transportation transfers to and from San Jose Airport.
The DoceLunas Resort has been the home for Jungle Jam since 2011 and is truly one of the gems of all Central America. Located among the towering jungle shade trees, the DoceLunas Resort is a three minute drive or a one mile walk from the beach. Wild life abounds and scarlet macaws, monkeys, geckos and anteaters all can be seen on the grounds at DoceLunas. DoceLunas offers all the amenities expected of a four-star hotel, including a full service gourmet restaurant, high speed wireless internet, a spectacular waterfall cave mosaic swimming pool, yoga studio, a full spa and beauty salon and more.
Most Jungle Jam IV performances will take place during the evenings allowing attendees the opportunity to take advantage of all that Costa Rica has to offer from zip line adventures across the rain forest, boat cruises to see crocodiles, surfing lessons, day trips to Manuel Antonio National Park and much more.
For tickets and information visit www.junglejam.comFour major challenges facing Washington State might be linked by a common solution: an urban planning revolution towards tall wood buildings.
First there’s our booming population growth. The Seattle Metro Area, among the fastest growing in the United States, is expected to gain one million additional residents by 2040. That will require a lot of building to accommodate those new Washingtonians.
The second challenge is climate change. The state’s political system is consumed by competing carbon reduction proposals.
Third comes rural poverty. The prosperity enjoyed by many in the Seattle area belies rampant poverty and unemployment in the state’s less populous counties.
And finally there’s the wildfire issue. With 1.1 million acres burned, over 200 homes destroyed, and three firefighters killed, 2015 was the worst fire season on record for our state.
What’s the one solution that can help Washington address all four of these issues? It’s a new building material that looks anything but space age to the casual observer: cross-laminated timber (CLT). It’s a wood product made from layers of timber planks oriented at 90 degrees to one another and then glued together. Originally developed in Europe, CLT can be used as an alternative to concrete, masonry and steel because of its high strength and dimensional stability.
Economic development experts have long sought a mechanism to link the prosperity in our cities with extraction-based rural economies in a sustainable manner. Shifting towards mass timber structures built in cities with product produced in our rural timberlands is a way to establish that linkage. Analysts estimate that domestic CLT manufacturing could become a $4 billion industry. Washington is well-positioned to claim a major piece of that.
“CLT and other advanced wood product technologies are an incredible opportunity for a win-win,” said Colleen McAleer, President of the Washington Business Alliance and a Commissioner at the Port of Port Angeles. “Washington State’s timber industry has been in decline for over 20 years. A sustainable wood product revolution across the US will create an economic opportunity for Washington’s struggling rural communities.”
McAleer, whose Business Alliance has been a leading voice in the carbon reduction policy dialogue, spoke enthusiastically about the positive environmental impact of using wood products in multi-story buildings. “Washington’s working forests are a huge asset in the effort to protect our environment by lowering greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.”
CARBON REDUCTION
Cross laminated timber (CLT) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering carbon inside buildings. Moreover, the carbon reduction benefits of CLT are compounded because of what it’s replacing: energy-intensive building materials like concrete and steel.
In his TED Talk, titled “Why we should build wooden skyscrapers,” Canadian architect Michael Green calculates that if a 20-story building is built out of concrete, producing that material emits 1,215 tonnes of carbon. If CLT is used, the wood product sequesters 3,150 tonnes of carbon, making for a net difference of 4,360 tonnes.
Wood panels are five times lighter than concrete, and 15 times lighter than steel. This means less weight on the foundation and ground underneath.
According to Green, "if we built a 20-story building out of cement and concrete, the process would result in the manufacturing of that cement and 1,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. If we did it in wood, in this solution, we'd sequester about 3,100 tonnes, for a net difference of 4,300 tonnes." That's the equivalent of removing roughly 900 cars from the road for one year.
It is common knowledge that trees benefit the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide. However, the carbon trapping value of trees as carbon stores maxes out somewhere between 30 and 70 years of growth. As trees reach maturity, growth slows and ultimately stops as mortality catches up to growth. Alternately, if one harvests trees on a shorter rotation cycle (let’s say 45 years), replants the inventory, and then creates durable products from the wood, this creates significantly more carbon reduction benefits than if the forest were left untouched. The store of carbon in the forest under a short rotation is reduced below the potential of an older forest, but it is being used instead as a pump to move the forest carbon to other carbon storage pools at the maximum rate that it can be sustainably grown.
Dr. Elaine Oneil is Executive Director of the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM). She does a great job summarizing the situation:
“Nature knows how to reduce carbon in the atmosphere by growing trees. This sequesters carbon. It removes it from the air and stores it in the wood. As trees mature the rate that carbon is removed from the atmosphere slows down. As trees die and decompose, they release the carbon back in the atmosphere. So just growing the trees stores carbon but once (and very temporarily). That is not a sustainable reduction unless we use those trees before they mature and plant new trees to replace those used. When trees are cut, they stop removing carbon from the air, but continue to store what was already captured. These trees end up as wood product: desks, cabinets, wood framed buildings.
What does science tell us about how we can remove more carbon from the atmosphere? Cut more trees. We must cut trees, we must replant them, and then use wood products instead of concrete, steel, brick, and plastic. It is ironic, but cutting down trees is one way to save the planet.”
CORRIM is made up of 19 research institutions and advisors from several government agencies. Created to build a scientific databases to quantify the impacts of building with renewable wood materials for construction and other products. Their most recently published fact sheet lays out ten pearls of scientific wisdom from the 40+ peer reviewed studies they’ve produced over their nearly 20-year existence.
CORRIM’s Dr. Oneil stresses the carbon reduction benefits of smartly managed forests. “Growing bigger trees does store more carbon in the trees,” she acknowledged, “but it does nothing for overall carbon reduction because it is only a small part of the system. The way I characterize it in simple terms is, ‘Do you want the forest to be a warehouse or a factory?’ If it is a warehouse then we had better get serious about looking for other ways to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.”
Mass timber in Washington State
Susan Jones is the founder of the architecture firm atelierjones LLC. She has designed two buildings in the Seattle area that make use of CLT. The CLTHouse was Seattle’s first CLT home -- a single family residence in Madison Park. Her second building to use CLT just wrapped up last month. It’s worship space for a Bellevue church, created by renovating the former Star Plaza office building in downtown Bellevue.
Jones says that the US is “far behind Europe” in terms of CLT usage. “It’s a rare instance where they are far outpacing the US in terms of technology and innovation.” The market has steadily grown in the Europe since manufacturing facilities were first established in the early 1990s. Usage has accelerated in recent years as building codes catch up to new findings and society becomes more aware of the carbon sequestration benefits of wood products.
Jones has been tracking the growing usage of CLT for many years. The product was invented in Austria in the early 1990s. “It took time for the authorities to authorize it for building codes and for the market to begin to accept it. It’s been exciting to see the market grow in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain, and other countries… The UK is a leader in the technology, but Canada has been quickly catching up. They have two major plants of production: one in BC and another in northern Quebec.”
Jones noted that the US has “just barely” begun to catch on. “There’s one center of production that became active in Southern Oregon during October 2015. D.R. Johnson, a family-owned Southern Oregon timber company, is now the nation’s first supplier of CLT that is certified for use in structural applications. The plant’s opening was fast-tracked through a private-public partnership between D.R. Johnson, Oregon State University, and the state’s economic development agency. This first-in-the-nation CLT press was designed in Washington State by USNR, the world’s largest supplier of equipment and technologies for the wood processing industry.
The first use of these domestically produced CLT panels in a building-wide structural system is currently underway in Portland, OR. The CLT panels are being installed at Albina Yard, a creative office development in north Portland.
Going Forward
In summary, there are many good reasons to build with wood.
CLT weighs less than concrete & steel. CLT is approximately one-fifth of the weight of the concrete and one-fifteenth of steel’s weight. This means CLT buildings require a smaller foundation and less interference with existing infrastructure.
CLT makes project completion significantly faster. Structural openings, plumbing, and electrical fittings can be incorporated into panels. This high degree of prefabrication means buildings can be manufactured and erected extremely quickly and efficiently. Anecdotally, some 2-year projects can be completed in 3 months when CLT is used.
Structural openings, plumbing, and electrical fittings can be incorporated into panels. This high degree of prefabrication means buildings can be manufactured and erected extremely quickly and efficiently. CLT permits design flexibility. Panel thickness can be increased for longer spans. This reduces the amount of interior support elements that are needed. And unlike with steel, when field modifications can be made with simple tools when needed.
Using CLT dramatically reduces job site waste. CLT panels are custom manufactured to their final dimensions. Manufacturers can reuse fabrication scraps for stairs and other architectural elements, or as biofuel. Most manufacturers use adhesives that allow CLT to be converted to biofuel pellets when no longer needed at the end of their lifecycle.
CLT buildings trap heat and promote energy efficiency. Since CLT is typically precision-cut using CNC equipment, panel joints fit tightly. Because the panels are solid, there is little potential for airflow through them as well, limiting energy losses.
The surface is visually pleasing. Many prefer not to paint over it.
CLT provides superior acoustic properties.
All that aside, Jones acknowledged the environmentalist appeal of CLT. “Carbon plays a huge role in why this material is interesting,” she said, “especially to the architectural community. What we specify for materials has a big impact on the environment.” Jones said more work needs to be done in building out the US supply chain so that this low-carbon alternative to steel and concrete is a truly cost-effective option for builders. “It’s hard to compare cost-wise to other conventional building methods and systems,” she admitted. “Though faster construction times and reduced foundation costs might even things out, concrete and steel currently cost slightly less as materials. We don’t have competitive market advantages, the ability to bid between suppliers, or a reliable supply chain.” However, more states are developing CLT production capacity. “Hopefully,” Jones noted, “this will change soon as Oregon, Montana, and Washington State have more plants in production.”
Forterra is currently coordinating an effort with stakeholders to catalyze a CLT market in Washington State.
Beyond the supply chain problem, regulation must shift as well for the CLT revolution to really take root. “Building codes must change,” Jones says. “You can use it here [in the US] but there are limitations to how big your buildings can be.” Jones is one of 18 members on the newly formed ICC ADHoc Committee for Tall Wood Buildings, which has been mandated to update these building codes.
There is a real need for better data on the carbon sequestration benefits of building with CLT. “Common sense tells us that using CLT in place of concrete and steel helps reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” Jones observed, “but we need to better know the numbers surrounding this.”
It’s time for the environmental, timber, forestry, and building communities to come together on studies in which everyone can feel confident.One of the most important spaces in homotopy theory is the interval (be it the topological interval or the simplicial interval ). Thus, it is natural to ask whether there is, or can be, an “interval type” in homotopy type theory. Of course, the interval is contractible, so up to homotopy equivalence it might as well be a point, but on the “point-set level” it carries additional structure: it is the “universal space containing two points and a path between them.”
With this in mind, it is natural to define an “interval type” to be inductively generated by two elements and a path between them. The usual sort of inductive types do not allow constructors to specify elements of the path-type of the inductive type, rather than elements of the type itself, but we can envision extending the notion of inductive type to allow this. (Of course, there will be semantical and computational issues to deal with.) I think this idea is due to Peter Lumsdaine.
In general, this sort of “higher inductive type” should allow us to build “cell complexes”, including spheres of all dimensions. But right now I just want to describe the interval type I. It comes with three “constructors” zero:I, one:I, and segment: zero one. Its “elimination rule” says that given any type A with points and a path, there is a specified term such that,, and. (More generally, there should also be a “dependent elimination” property.)
Peter Lumsdaine has “implemented” the interval type in Coq, by asserting I, zero, one, segment, and Ielim as axioms. (See the “Experimental” directory of Andrej’s Github, or Peter’s Github for an older version.) Of course we can’t add new definitional equalities to Coq, but we can assert propositional versions of the computation rules,, and. (The same should be possible for any other “higher inductive type.”) This suffices to prove, for instance, that the interval is contractible.
However, if the above rules are actually definitional, then I claim that the interval type (together with the usual eta rule) implies function extensionality. The idea is quite simple: suppose we have a homotopy. Then for each we have a map. But by currying and uncurrying, that’s the same as having, for every, a map. In particular, applying this to “segment”, we should get a path in the function space from f to g. More precisely, we get a path from eta(f) to eta(g), due to the effects of the curry-uncurry; thus the eta rule finishes off the proof.
I’ve “implemented” this in Coq, insofar as is possible. The following code uses “admit” to solve two goals that ought to be automatic if the computation rules for the interval held definitionally. (It requires both the base library and Interval.v to be loaded.)
Theorem eta_implies_fe : eta_rule_statement -> function_extensionality_statement. Proof. intros etarule A B f g H. set (mate := fun (i:Interval) x => interval_path' (H x) i). path_via (mate zero). path_via (eta f). unfold eta, mate. (* This would be automatic if [interval_path_zero'] were a definitional equality (computation rule). *) admit. path_via (mate one). exact (map mate segment). path_via (eta g). unfold mate, eta. (* Ditto for [interval_path_one']. *) admit. Defined.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
CORONADO, Calif. - A report of a possible bomb in a car at Naval Air Station North Island Thursday prompted a nearly seven-hour closure of the main gate to the base and created heavy traffic backups on surrounding streets while a bomb squad investigated and determined that no such threat existed.
Authorities shut down the entrance to the military installation at Third Street and Alameda Boulevard and evacuated the immediate area about 5 a.m., after an arriving Navy petty officer told security personnel she feared that there might be an explosive device in the trunk of her green Volkswagen Beetle convertible, according to Capt. Scott Mulvehill, commanding officer of Naval Base Coronado.
Car towed off site after crews clear early @CoronadoNavy bomb scare. Woman in NCIS custody during investigation.@fox5sandiego pic.twitter.com/MzWb43ijV7 — Robert Burns (@RobertBurnsTV) April 20, 2017
The sailor, whose name was not released, was detained while investigators with a service dog began inspecting her car, Mulvehill told reporters.
It was unclear what may have led her to believe that there could be a bomb in the vehicle.
"We have no reason to believe this has any link with terrorism," Mulvehill said.
Gates to the base at First Street and Alameda Boulevard and on Ocean Boulevard remained open during the emergency. Still, sailors who work at the station were asked to contact their commands before heading in for the day.
As of late morning, authorities were still trying to access the car's trunk, which was "jammed," the captain said.
"This is a slow process," Mulvehill said. "We don't like to hurry explosive-ordnance people."
Out of "an abundance of caution," base officials removed children from a daycare center at the military station and took them to a remote location, where they were being turned them over to their parents, the captain told news crews.
The bomb squad found no evidence of explosives in the car or on the owner's person, and officials reopened the main gate to the base shortly before noon.
The sailor who reported the possible bomb emergency remained in custody Thursday afternoon as investigators continued sorting through the details of the case, base officials said.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio birthplace of John Glenn is celebrating its place in history with a historic marker commemorating the astronaut and U.S. senator who died last year.
Officials in Cambridge unveiled the marker Thursday. Glenn was born there on July 18, 1921.
The mayor, officials at the local convention and visitors' bureau and a graduate student researching Glenn collaborated on the project. It's part of increased efforts to honor Glenn's legacy since his death at age 95.
Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth and served 24 years as a Democrat in the Senate.
An effort had failed to have his Cambridge home listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Officials said the National Park Service considered his home in nearby New Concord, beginning at age 2, "most suitable."You would never find advertisements for “confirmed admission” to any IIT or AIIMS or one asking you to book a seat in advance in any of these premier institutes. Neither are there advertisements promising you selection for the civil services or placement in an all-India service of your choice. Yet, the media is full of ads for MBBS seats in colleges across the country.How, if the system is merit-based, can anyone promise “direct admission”?Behind this promise is a black market in medical seats in private colleges. With agents and college managements colluding to sell many of the 30,000-plus MBBS and over 9,600 postgraduation seats in private medical colleges, back-of-the-envelope calculations by TOI suggests that about Rs 12,000 crore in hard cash changes hands in this black market every year. Of the 422 medical colleges in India, 224 are private, accounting for 53% of MBBS seats. Many of these colleges are running with little or no facilities, no patients and fake faculty. The going price for an MBBS seat could range from Rs 1 crore in colleges in Bangalore to Rs 25-35 lakh in some in UP. Seats in MD in radiology and dermatology cost up to Rs 3 crore.The prices could escalate or drop depending on how early you approach a college for a seat. If you book in advance, you could get a discount! However, once the medical entrance results have been announced, the same seats at the private colleges will be sold for almost double the advance booking price. The sale of MBBS seats alone is worth almost Rs 9,000 crore annually.Consortia of privately managed colleges and deemed universities that run medical colleges claim to conduct their own entrance examinations to take in students strictly on merit. However, in state after state, the exams have been exposed as a farce with students who pay money to buy seats being accommodated whether they appear for the exam or not and no matter what they score, while the so-called merit students are bumped off the list on various pretexts; with many even threatened and bullied into vacating seats.While the 15% NRI quota seats are allowed to be allotted at the management’s discretion in most states, in reality, even the management quota and a chunk of the so-called merit seats are sold off, bringing the proportion of seats sold to over 50%, the proportion rising to 80% or even 100% in some cases depending on how strict the regulation is in each state. The quota set aside for management varies from state to state. For instance, in MP and Maharashtra, the management quota is about 43%. This, plus the NRI quota brings the seats set aside to almost 60%.With just 23,600 seats available for post graduate medical education, the demand for the same is very high. Thus, there is great demand for the 9,400-plus seats in the private sector, including over 1,300 diploma seats. By a conservative estimate, about 40% of these seats also get sold. All told, the sale of post-graduate seats alone is estimated to be worth about Rs 2,900 crore. Add the highly valued seats for super-specialisation, about 370 in the private sector, of which again at least 40% is sold, and the post-MBBS education black market figure crosses Rs 3,000 crore. Thus, along with the MBBS seat sale, the total amount comes to about Rs 12,000 crore.The bulk of the money is paid in cash, leaving no trace of the transaction. And despite the advertisements giving the game away, the government has not cracked down on this black market or taken steps to arrest the rot in the medical education system.After long upholding the value of the NBA schedule as it’s existed for years, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver now says there’s “nothing magical” about an 82-game calendar. (Getty Images)
Player fatigue has become a major topic of research, study and conversation in the NBA in recent years. Players, analysts and media members have all gone deep on the impact that playing multiple high-level basketball games each week in multiple cities — and often, in multiple time zones — can have on players’ in-game effectiveness and the overall health of their bodies over the course of a season that can stretch from October through June.
But while the league has altered its schedule in an attempt to reduce strain and increase rest — and, y’know, the likelihood that big-name players don’t get “DNP-rested” during marquee nationally televised games anymore — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has held firm to the notion that, while there’s some room for tweaks, the NBA regular season should remain 82 games long, as it’s been since 1967-68.
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That stance might be changing.
During a chat with Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports ahead of the preseason Global Games China exhibitions between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, Silver talked about the great and ever-increasing appetite for the NBA product abroad, and the league’s longstanding interest in eventually developing franchises outside of North America. This discussion has come up every year since before Silver succeeded David Stern. First, the sitting boss talks up teams (or All-Star Games, or tournaments) in Europe, China or Mexico City as the league’s destiny. Then, he notes the logistical challenges associated with trying to jam double-digit-hour international travel into the NBA calendar as currently constructed, and tables the issue for another day.
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While the possibility that eventual expansion would include a franchise in Mexico City (or across an ocean, with an assist from a Supersonic Flight Option to Be Named Later) is intriguing, the more tantalizing here-and-now issue is what Silver said about the construction of that NBA calendar (emphasis mine):
“We can play games in China and Europe, or occasional preseason games as a one-off, but under existing airline technology, the planes aren’t fast enough to at least play in the current framework of our regular season,” Silver, who did not attend Thursday’s game but plans on attending the Warriors-Wolves preseason game in Shanghai on Sunday, said by phone. “(But) it may be something we’ll be looking at over the coming years, is what a regular season schedule look like a decade from now.”
The premise, of course, is that an 82-game schedule would likely be too taxing if there was intercontinental travel added to the schedule.
“There’s nothing magical about 82 games,” Silver continued. “It’s been in place for 50 years, but for the long-term planning of the league, as we learn more about the human body and the wear and tear of travel and the competitive landscape … invariably we’ll look at the regular season. And in looking at the regular season, it may create more opportunities for international franchises.”
It’d be too strong to call it a reversal of course, but desanctifying the 82-game season would seem to represent something of a shift for the league office.
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The NBA played a 66-game slate in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, tipping off on Christmas Day — which has become a showcase event for the league over the years, something of an unofficial starting point for casual fans to begin paying attention — and wrapping up in late April. Before the start of the 2012 postseason, the league trumpeted increased ratings and roughly similar attendance figures for the shortened season. Even so, Silver, then deputy commissioner, said he saw no future for anything less than 82 games:
“If you cut the season shorter, we cut our revenues significantly as well. Players would make less, so no, and I think it’s not optimal to play a condensed season in this fashion,” he said Thursday.
“I think both we and the players’ union recognized that going in, but it was a compromise on both our parts to maximize the amount of salary players would get this season and to have as authentic a season as possible, sufficient number of games for competitive reasons.”
Even so, as time wore on and the research on the deleterious impact of fatigue continued to mount, coaches and players — including future Hall of Famers who rank among the most popular and respected dudes the league has to offer — began beating the drum for a shorter season. (Not shorter games, mind you; just fewer of them.) That has continued, with some executives suggesting fewer games (that have more of an impact on postseason seedings, and with players more likely to be in full form) could net the NBA even more money than it currently rakes in, and at least one coach saying he’d be willing to sacrifice a chunk of his paycheck to chop down the total.
With the volume increasing, Silver left the door open to a shorter season in a 2014 interview with our now-colleague Jordan Schultz … but only a crack: “I’m never going to say something’s not a possibility. It’s not on my list right now. […] Everything is on the table, but we’ve had an 82-game season for roughly 45 years. We think it’s optimal.”
Some of those charged with keeping players in top working order, however, disagree.
“Unfortunately, we’ll never really see what these guys can really do,” longtime Los Angeles Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti told ESPN in 2016, “because they’re tired all of the time because of the schedule.”
Despite such commentary — and testimonials from stars like LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Damian Lillard and others about believing fewer games would result in fresher players and a better product — Silver held the line.
“In defense of our players, every player I know wants to play 82 games,” Silver said during a playoff-opening press conference in April of 2016. “It’s their coaches and their organizations that are deciding that they shouldn’t be playing 82 games. As we all know in this room, players want minutes. They want games.”
Back in April, Silver told reporters that a cut from 82 hadn’t been discussed as a potential solution to the issue of teams resting healthy players as a maintenance measure despite an outcry over what such en masse sitdowns mean for in-game competition (and, of course, watchability).
“I’d say because there is no support right now, hard support, for a belief that simply reducing the number of games will reduce the number of injuries,” he said. “As best we understand the issue right now, it’s a function of spacing games. It’s not the totality of games.”
And yet, a scant six months later — on the heels of big changes to the draft lottery and the All-Star Game — Silver’s saying “there’s nothing magical about 82 games.” Hmm.
It’s possible that Silver’s comments represent little more than a stock “we’re always open to innovation!” response aimed at burnishing the league’s latter-day reputation as a progressive, forward-thinking institution willing to break with tradition if doing so makes sense. It’s possible that, reams of data on player health aside, it would take the promise of a financial windfall even more staggering than the league’s current $24 billion broadcast rights deal to get the NBA’s Board of Governors to seriously consider coming down from 82. (Whether the National Basketball Players Association — the union representing NBA players, which has recently been more vocal about player health being “paramount to us” — would be willing to meet in the middle by making a game-check sacrifice to match the owners’ gate-receipt give-up would remain to be seen.)
But if Silver’s to be taken at his word, and he’s open to the idea that something could really meaningfully move the needle on the decision-making calculus around 82, then the single largest hurdle to maximizing player health and performance just got a little easier to leap. If that’s true, even if it’s still steeped in theoretics and many years away, then one of the biggest possible changes to the fabric of the NBA as we know it is closer to becoming reality.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!by RUSS STEWART
It’s "fizzler" time — that dreaded, painful moment, usually about a week before the election, when delusional candidates have an epiphany and realize that defeat is imminent. Their campaigns have fizzled, due to lack of endorsements, workers and contributions, candidate flaws, or all of the above.
With the Feb. 24 municipal election imminent, here’s a recitation of fizzlers and winners.
Mayor: Have no doubt, the entire array of anti-Emanuel candidates have famously fizzled. A bunch of underfunded nobodies cannot topple a mayor like Rahm Emanuel, who will spend more than $25 million. Having gone snap, crackle and pop are Chuy Garcia, Bob Fioretti, Dock Walls and the self-hyped Willie Wilson, who was supposed to be the "second coming" of Harold Washington.
Fioretti, the white 2nd Ward alderman, carefully compiled an anti-Emanuel voting record, which presumably appealed to "progressives," unions and teachers. All through 2014, as Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis pondered a mayoral bid, Fioretti was the back-up. When Lewis decided not to run, Fioretti got into the race, expecting to inherit her coalition. He hasn’t. Emanuel sent several mailings into predominantly white wards blasting Fioretti for his support of Rich Daley’s parking meter deal. Fioretti’s candidacy is dead on arrival.
Wilson, a wealthy black businessman, promised to self-fund up to $3 million. He was supposed to pay top dollar for black precinct workers (like Bruce Rauner did) and fund the Democratic committeemen. It hasn’t happened. His candidacy has been a total bust. Every committeeman is supporting Emanuel.
Garcia, a Southwest Side Mexican American who has compiled a certifiably liberal record as an alderman, state senator and county commissioner over 30 years, has fizzled as a credible anti-Emanuel alternative. The city’s Hispanic vote is barely 15 percent, and the North |
pretty simple."
Pressed for details on the income tax cuts this morning, the Government was tight-lipped, but said it would be the main focus leading up to the next budget.
"In terms of the detail of the tax rates, that will be something that we will be able to announce in the lead-up to the budget," senior Government minister Julie Bishop said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten criticised the announcement as a promise thrown out by the Prime Minister "to keep the wolves from the door".
"It's like free beer tomorrow, isn't it? I mean, this bloke just says whatever comes into his head to keep the wolves from the door," Mr Shorten said.
"What Malcolm does is on the week before a Newspoll, he comes up with a thought bubble, he says 'income tax cuts, that's a good idea', but he's got no detail on it."
Turnbull maintains corporate tax must be reduced
Last night, Mr Turnbull said the Government had lifted the second-highest tax bracket in 2016, helping "about half a million Australians" avoid so-called bracket creep.
He also said the Government had addressed cost-of-living pressures through changes to child care and private health insurance.
Speaking to corporate leaders, Mr Turnbull confirmed the Government would pursue tax cuts for all businesses.
"If we don't reduce our corporate rate to 25 per cent as planned … the only advanced nations that will exceed Australia's tax rate are Japan and Malta," he said.
Parliament has only passed tax relief for firms with annual turnovers of up to $50 million.
Topics: government-and-politics, tax, federal-government, australia
First postedThe Senate did something this past weekend it hasn't done in four years: passed a budget. The law requires the Senate to pass a budget, but Congress often ignores its own laws. For most of Barack Obama's presidency, a series of continuing resolutions kept the money—your money—flowing. Now the Senate wants to add a trillion dollars of new taxes, even more than President Obama seeks. Despite our growing debt, the Senate wants to fund things like the Senate barbershop, which loses a third of a million dollars every year.
It's like they live in a private bubble.
Politicians say, "I'm going to Washington to serve others." Maybe they mean to. But after most "serve," they never leave. When I visit Washington, I see politicians and bureaucrats serving themselves.
When the housing bubble burst, home prices dropped in most of America, but not in Washington. Our capital feeds off federal spending, and politicians won't allow that bubble to burst.
One result is that, today, for the first time, most of America's richest counties are in the Washington area. Of the richest 1 percent of counties in the U.S., 43 percent surround the nation’s capital city.
Nick Sorrentino, creator of AgainstCronyCapitalism.org, notes that average total compensation for a federal employee is now about $120,000, and the gap between government pay and private pay has been growing.
It's not that Washingtonians are smarter or more productive than the rest of us. It's that as government grows, more money flows to lobbyists, trade groups and others who live close to those who pass out your money. Government is a parasite—but a parasite that helps its friends. The way people get rich in Washington is not by inventing things, but by being good at schmoozing and manipulating the bureaucrats who control your money.
Tourists visit Washington and admire the beautiful buildings. All that marble once made me feel patriotic, too, but now I get angry.
Unions claim workers are "under"-paid. But today's union headquarters resemble palaces. The biggest teachers union, the National Education Association, built a $100 million Washington headquarters that it calls "an environmental oasis." The AFL-CIO's beautiful lobby features a giant mosaic made of marble, glass and gold. When I tried to take pictures, so TV viewers could see the elegance, I was told to leave.
Government buildings are grand, too, even new ones like the Reagan office building. "It's very much like Versailles before the French Revolution," says historian John Steele Gordon. Washingtonians have become like the French nobility, who spent their lives in the palace at Versailles "and didn't know much about what went on outside that world."
"But the real royalty is not in Washington, D.C.," Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., tells me. "It's on Wall Street."
It's true that there's more wealth on Wall Street, but Gordon points out that there's a big difference between those fat cats and Washingtonians. "In the private sector, if you find a way to cut costs, you're a hero. If you find a way to cut costs in the (government) bureaucracy, you're a goat."
You're a "goat" because cutting waste hurts the lobbyists who feed off taxpayers. With trillions of dollars at stake, corporations and special interests would be crazy not to lobby. Lobbyists and taxpayer-funded special privilege won't go away unless big government does.
We could improve America's future just by recognizing what so-called "public choice" economists started to realize around the time of World War II: that government isn't just a "public servant." It's not a demon, either. But government and its employees are selfish, like anyone else. That explains most of their behavior better than occasional shifts to the political left or right.
We all tend to overspend and act lazy when we can get away with it. In the private sector, though, that eventually means that you get fired or realize you're depleting your bank account. In Washington, the Fed just prints more money.
As long as Washington spends other people's money, there will be little incentive for them to be prudent—or humble.This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AARON MATÉ: We turn now to Iraq, where the battle for Tikrit has entered its fourth week. Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shiite militias have fought the Islamic State since early March, trying to retake Saddam Hussein’s hometown. The Iraqi government is expected to soon request U.S. assistance in the form of airstrikes. If the U.S. accepts, it would mark the biggest collaboration to date between Shiite militias and the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State.
AMY GOODMAN: This comes at a time when Shiite militias are being accused of carrying out widespread sectarian abuses targeting Sunni civilians. Last week, Human Rights Watch published a report titled “After Liberation Came Destruction: Iraqi Militias and the Aftermath of Amerli.” In a moment, we’ll be joined by the report’s co-author, but first we want to bring you this short piece produced by Human Rights Watch.
NARRATOR: Witnesses say that pro-government militias, volunteer fighters and Iraqi security forces carried out a campaign of destruction in the aftermath of operations to drive the extremist group ISIS away from the town of Amerli in Iraq.
IRAQI WOMAN: [translated] At first, we were afraid of ISIS. When ISIS came, we didn’t escape. They were all around us, so where could we go? Then we were hit by heavy airstrikes. Everyone stayed in their homes. Then the militia came and started firing at us. When they attacked us, we fled to the mountains.
NARRATOR: Last June, ISIS laid siege the mostly Shia town of Amerli for nearly three months. Thousands of people were trapped until U.S.-backed Iraqi forces drove ISIS fighters out with airstrikes and ground operations by an alliance of Shia militias and Iraqi and Kurdish government forces. Witnesses told us that on September 1st, the day after the siege was broken, Shia militias returned to the Sunni villages around Amerli and began looting, burning and destroying homes and businesses.
IRAQI MAN 1: [translated] From what I saw, they used fire [to burn houses], but we also heard explosions. We thought it was bombs that ISIS had left behind, but about 10 days ago, when we snuck back in, we saw that houses had been blow up with explosives. The walls were gone, and the ceilings were collapsing.
PESHMERGA OFFICER: Amerli, behind the electric poles.
TIRANA HASSAN: Amerli is just behind these electric—how many kilometers?
NARRATOR: In mid-October, we visited some of the villages on the outskirts of Amerli. Our escorts were Kurdish military forces known as peshmerga.
PESHMERGA OFFICER: [translated] The Shia militias destroyed all of these shops. This restaurant used to be owned by a Kurd. That one belonged to a Sunni Arab. They came to the area after the airstrikes. The houses and shops were untouched during the airstrikes, but when the militias came, they were destroyed. When we came back, we saw militia flags with the words “Ya Hussein” and “Ya Ali.”
NARRATOR: As we headed towards the village of Yengija, we saw the yellow flags of the pro-government militia, Saraya al-Khorasani. They still controlled the area at the time of our field investigation in mid-October. Once inside the village, we saw homes still burning. It was nearly seven weeks after the siege of Amerli was broken. Other homes and buildings showed signs of arson. Black soot marked the windows and doors where flames had engulfed the interior and charred the outer walls. On many of the houses, militias spray-painted sectarian slogans and the names of their group. We analyzed satellite imagery recorded over Yengija and found evidence of a systematic and sustained campaign of arson and demolition that lasted over two months after the end of the siege of Amerli. We also analyzed a 500-kilometer square radius of Amerli, which confirmed destruction in 30 out of 35 villages. Most of the damage was caused by arson and intentional demolition inflicted after ISIS had fled the area.
IRAQI MAN 2: [translated] Those 20 families, living over there, all fled Suleiman Bek when the militia came.
NARRATOR: Iraq clearly faces serious threats in its conflict with ISIS. But the abuses committed by the forces fighting ISIS are threatening the country in the long term. Iraqis are caught between the horrors ISIS commits and the abuses by militias, and civilians are paying the price.
AMY GOODMAN: That video produced by Human Rights Watch. When we come back, we’ll be joined by Erin Evers, Iraq researcher for Human Rights Watch. She co-wrote the new report, “After Liberation Came Destruction: Iraqi Militias and the Aftermath of Amerli.” She has been on the ground in Iraq with Human Rights Watch since September 2012. We’ll also speak with journalist Matthieu Aikins. His latest piece for Rolling Stone is headlined “Inside Baghdad’s Brutal Battle Against ISIS.” This is Democracy Now! We’ll be back in a minute.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: Mohammed Saleh, here on Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Aaron Maté.
AARON MATÉ: So, Erin, thank you for joining us. As we talk about your report on the rise of militias in Iraq, we’re joined by Erin Evers, Iraq researcher for Human Rights Watch. She co-wrote the new report, “After Liberation Came Destruction: Iraqi Militias and the Aftermath of Amerli,” on the ground in Iraq with HRW since September 2012. Also joined by Matt Aikins, award-winning foreign correspondent. His latest piece for Rolling Stone is “Inside Baghdad’s Brutal Battle Against ISIS.” He joins us by video stream from Karachi, Pakistan.
Erin Evers, thank you for joining us, as I said. Talk about what you found in Iraq.
ERIN EVERS: Well, we essentially documented that after U.S. coalition strikes in the town of Amerli, in Salahuddin province, routed ISIS from the town of Amerli, along with—along with militias and security forces fighting on the ground—
AMY GOODMAN: And describe where Amerli is.
ERIN EVERS: Amerli is in Salahuddin, which is north of Baghdad. It’s the same province that Tikrit is in. And the town itself is kind of the northeast of the province. So, ISIS had been laying siege to this town for two months. The ground forces alone were unable to route ISIS from the town, but then, after the U.S. airstrikes on August 31st, they cleared ISIS from the town, then proceeded to spread out throughout Salahuddin province and neighboring Kirkuk province, and attacked the Sunni villages in those provinces. So they essentially laid siege to all of the Sunni villages in a pretty broad area, set homes on fire, looted them, in some cases destroyed them with explosives and earth-moving equipment.
We used satellite imagery. We were on the ground, obviously, and saw some of the destruction with our own eyes, spoke to about 30 persons who were displaced as a result of—as a result of this clearing operation. And then we used satellite imagery in order to determine that the damage that we saw was in fact caused by militias and not in the course of fighting or by ISIS. So we had determined the timeline, essentially, of when what we saw happened, so that we could be clear that those areas were under the control of militias and not under the control of ISIS or not, you know—not engaging in battle at the time.
AMY GOODMAN: Why are the militias doing this? And what is their relationship to the Iraqi army?
ERIN EVERS: So, the militias are not under any formal chain of command. They are leading the fight against ISIS, and they are responsible, essentially, to themselves.
Why they’re doing this, I think, is really anybody’s guess. But from statements that—you know, statements that we’ve heard from militia leaders and from what people on the ground have told us that militia—you know, militia fighters were saying to them when they were on the ground, it seems like they were essentially trying to clear the area of Sunnis.
And after this campaign, several months afterwards, in January, the same militias went through Diyala province, which is a province neighboring Iran, and essentially carried out the same kinds of operations, except at an even more extreme kind of level. So, whereas in this report we documented militias kidnapping people and torturing people, in Diyala we documented the same militias carrying out summary executions of Sunni civilians and even a large massacre of 72 civilians in one town in Diyala in the course of their fighting.
AARON MATÉ: Is there any evidence they’ve been doing this with U.S. weapons?
ERIN EVERS: We’ve seen them with U.S. weapons. We don’t know exactly how they’ve gotten their hands on these weapons, you know, so there’s a lot of speculation as to how they’re getting the weapons. Some people say that they’re getting them through the Iraqi army, which is the official recipient of the weapons. And other people—you know, other people are saying that they’re getting them from ISIS, which obviously is also getting the weapons in the course of their fight on the ground.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to read to you a quote from the former CIA director, David Petraeus, former—he’s also a general. He told The Washington Post, quote, “I would argue that the foremost threat to Iraq’s long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State; rather, it is Shiite militias, many backed by—and some guided by—Iran,” Petraeus said. He went on to say, quote, “Longer term, Iranian-backed Shia militia could emerge as the preeminent power in the country, one that is outside the control of the government and instead answerable to Tehran.” Your response to this, Erin?
ERIN EVERS: I think, unfortunately, that that’s a correct evaluation of where Iraq is headed. So even though, you know, in Iraq right now we have a new government with a reformist prime minister, and his allies are also, you know, definitely keen to rein in these militias, to undo some of the kind of very abusive legislation and practices that the former prime minister put in place, unfortunately, the power on the ground that is the strongest right now is the militias, and they are not answerable to the government. There is no accountability for any of the abuses that we’ve documented on the part of militias. And this is going back even before—you know, even before Mosul fell, the militias were gaining power within the security forces. Once Mosul fell, that relationship flipped, and the militias became the leading force on the ground, and the security forces are kind of following behind.
AARON MATÉ: On the issue of U.S. weapons, there are arms control laws. What has been the White House response about these atrocities potentially enabled with U.S. weaponry?
ERIN EVERS: The White House has not specifically addressed the issue of militias getting their hands on U.S. weaponry. But they have, in recent weeks, kind of ratcheted up their language. They’re voicing concern about militia abuses, about the possibility of militias being sectarian—which obviously is a foregone conclusion. So, I think that it’s something that the U.S. is seriously considering. But they haven’t—they haven’t publicly addressed specifically the issue of militias getting their hands on weapons.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask you about the Iraqi security forces. A report by ABC News revealed U.S.-trained and -armed Iraqi military units are under investigation for committing war crimes. This is an except of ABC’s report by Brian Ross.
BRIAN ROSS: Innocent civilians massacred, prisoners tortured, acts that shock the civilized world—all discovered by ABC News online, not from the usual ISIS accounts, but on social media sites connected to elite units of the Iraqi army, the very forces the U.S. is counting on to help stop such atrocities.
Here, a group of men in Iraqi army uniforms give a sign of approval after a civilian is beheaded behind them. In this video, a young boy, a suspected ISIS recruit, is about to be executed, shot dead in the street with men in what appear to be Iraqi uniforms crowding around the scene. This appears to be an insignia of the Iraqi special forces. There are dozens of such videos and still images now being investigated by U.S. and Iraqi authorities to determine if they are in fact part of the Iraqi army, like these men with a severed head or these men dragging the body of a captured prisoner. In this video, what appears to be two unarmed Iraqi civilians are about to be murdered, like the others already dead next to them. This video, slowed down, shows militia fighters with U.S.-supplied weapons.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s an excerpt of an ABC report by Brian Ross. Erin Evers, you reviewed all of this footage for them?
ERIN EVERS: Yes, I did. You know, the sad thing about all this footage is that it’s essentially visual documentation of abuses that we, other organizations and the media have been documenting for years on the part of Iraqi security forces, and that successive U.S. and Iraqi governments have turned a blind eye to. So, the kinds of abuses that we saw in that report, these atrocious—you know, absolutely atrocious acts of no accountability whatsoever, is something that the U.S. government has known about for a long time and just failed to do anything about.
AMY GOODMAN: What’s their response to you, Human Rights Watch?
ERIN EVERS: You know, their response to the report was that they have actually withheld aid from specific groups who they knew were committing these abuses before. That’s the first time that I ever heard about the U.S. actually withholding aid from abusive groups. That’s, of course, their obligation under the Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. from providing weapons to human rights-abusing forces. But they have never responded directly to us in terms of the allegations, you know, the kind of documentation that we’ve done of these kinds of abuses by Iraqi security forces.A significant subpopulation of neurons in rat nucleus accumbens (NAc) coexpress dopamine D1 and D2 receptors, which can form a D1-D2 receptor complex, but their relevance in addiction is not known. The existence of the D1-D2 heteromer in the striatum of rat and monkey was established using in situ PLA, in situ FRET and co-immunoprecipitation. In rat, D1-D2 receptor heteromer activation led to place aversion and abolished cocaine CPP and locomotor sensitization, cocaine intravenous self-administration and reinstatement of cocaine seeking, as well as inhibited sucrose preference and abolished the motivation to seek palatable food. Selective disruption of this heteromer by a specific interfering peptide induced reward-like effects and enhanced the above cocaine-induced effects, including at a subthreshold dose of cocaine. The D1-D2 heteromer activated Cdk5/Thr75-DARPP-32 and attenuated cocaine-induced pERK and ΔFosB accumulation, together with inhibition of cocaine-enhanced local field potentials in NAc, blocking thus the signaling pathway activated by cocaine: D1R/cAMP/PKA/Thr34-DARPP-32/pERK with ΔFosB accumulation. In conclusion, our results show that the D1-D2 heteromer exerted tonic inhibitory control of basal natural and cocaine reward, and therefore initiates a fundamental physiologic function that limits the liability to develop cocaine addiction.
Introduction
There is significant evidence for the involvement of mesolimbic and striatal dopamine (DA) transmission in mediating different aspects of reward, as well as aversion, with particular importance for the nucleus accumbens (NAc) (reviewed in Salamone and Correa, 2012). Analysis of DA involvement through its receptors (Beaulieu and Gainetdinov, 2011) has focused on the mechanisms occurring in DA D1 receptor (D1R)-expressing or D2 receptor (D2R)-expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum composing the two distinct projection pathways, the striatonigral D1R-enriched pathway and the striatopallidal D2R-enriched pathway. There is, however, a significant subpopulation of neurons that coexpress both D1R and D2R (Meador-Woodruff et al., 1991; Deng et al., 2006; Gangarossa et al., 2013; Gagnon et al., 2017) to form a D1-D2 receptor complex in the NAc (Hasbi et al., 2009; Perreault et al., 2010, 2016; Rico et al., 2017). The involvement of these MSNs and specifically the role of the D1-D2 heteromer complex activation in the modulation of brain reward functions and addiction mechanisms have not been studied.
The existence of such MSNs coexpressing D1R and D2R have been established by different methodologies including in situ hybridization of mRNAs (Meador-Woodruff et al., 1991; Weiner et al., 1991; Lester et al., 1993), single cell RT-PCR (Surmeier et al., 1996), double immunofluorescence or retrograde labeling methods (Shetreat et al., 1996; Wong et al., 1999; Deng et al., 2006). The colocalization in rat striatum was estimated by confocal double-immunofluorescence to occur in 20–25% of D1R-expressing MSNs in NAc and 6% of such neurons in caudate putamen (CPu) (Hasbi et al., 2009; Perreault et al., 2010). These results were also confirmed by estimations from BAC transgenic mice (Lee et al., 2006; Bertran-Gonzalez et al., 2008; Matamales et al., 2009), with a higher degree of D1R and D2R colocalization in ventral striatum (10–17%) than in dorsal striatum (1–6%), with up to 38% in the bundle-shaped subregion of the mouse caudomedial NAc shell (Gangarossa et al., 2013). Furthermore, neurons that coexpressed D1R and D2R in rat NAc showed a unique phenotype since they coexpressed enkephalin and dynorphin (Perreault et al., 2010) and also coexpressed GABA and glutamate (Perreault et al., 2012), in contrast to the two classical phenotypes of MSNs, D1R with dynorphin and D2R with enkephalin, respectively (Chesselet and Graybiel, 1983; Beckstead and Kersey, 1985). Physical interaction and heteromer formation between D1R and D2R in rat and human striatum was established by co-immunoprecipitation (Lee et al., 2004; Rashid et al., 2007; Hasbi et al., 2009, 2014; Pei et al., 2010), quantitative confocal FRET methodologies in rat NAc (Hasbi et al., 2009; Perreault et al., 2010) and GST pulldown in human striatum (Pei et al., 2010). The neurons expressing dopamine D1-D2 receptor heteromer in the NAc were able to influence neurotransmission within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (Perreault et al., 2012).
At present, there is no selective agonist for the D1-D2 receptor heteromer and the only known pharmacological tool, besides dopamine, capable of potently activating this receptor complex with high affinity leading to calcium mobilization was shown to be the D1-like ligand SKF 83959 (Rashid et al., 2007; Hasbi et al., 2009, 2014; Perreault et al., 2010, 2012). However, SKF 83959 can also bind with high affinities to D1 and D5 receptors and with much lower affinities to the other dopamine receptor subtypes (D2R, D3R, and D4R), and to other unrelated receptors, such as adrenoceptors, serotonin receptors and sigma-1 receptors (Andringa et al., 1999; Chun et al., 2013; Guo et al., 2013). While SKF 83959-induced calcium release in the striatum is highly likely due to the activation of the D1-D2 heteromer since the expression of D5R in this region is very low (Hasbi and George, 2010) and the calcium signal is blocked by either D1 or D2 antagonists (Rashid et al., 2007; Hasbi et al., 2009, 2014; Perreault et al., 2010), the selectivity of SKF 83959 toward the D1-D2 heteromer would be compromised in other brain regions (Perreault et al., 2012) or when G q is highly expressed (Chun et al., 2013). Also, although the D1R or D2R antagonists we have tested blocked the D1-D2 heteromer-activated calcium signal (Lee et al., 2004; Rashid et al., 2007; Hasbi et al., 2009, 2014; Perreault et al., 2010), they would also block the individual D1R and D2R homomers in vivo. For these reasons, we designed a selective antagonist for the D1-D2 heteromer (Hasbi et al., 2014). This D1-D2 heteromer antagonist, the TAT-D1 peptide, is used to confirm or deny the involvement of the D1-D2 heteromer in the observed effects whenever SKF 83959 is used. This functional antagonist was devised to target the major site of interaction between D1R and D2R responsible for heteromer formation (O'Dowd et al., 2012). A pharmacological tool consisting of a small peptide was then generated from the D1R interaction site, capable of disrupting the physical interaction between D1R and D2R, resulting in the inhibition of D1-D2 receptor heteromer formation and its activated calcium signal (Hasbi et al., 2014). The effects of this D1-D2 heteromer disrupting peptide were shown to be highly selective in vivo and in vitro without effects on other homomers or heteromers such as D1-D1, D2-D2, D5-D5, D2-D5 (Hasbi et al., 2014), and D1-D3, D2-5HT 2A (present manuscript), and has helped to reveal important roles of the D1-D2 heteromer in depressive-like (Hasbi et al., 2014; Shen et al., 2015) and anxiety-like behavior (Shen et al., 2015) in animal models. We used this peptide in the present study to validate the involvement of the D1-D2 heteromer in brain reward function and mechanisms related to cocaine addiction, which evolves along stages including initiation, development, maintenance and relapse to cocaine abuse (Koob and Volkow, 2010).
DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of MW 32 kDa) (Bibb et al., 1999; Greengard et al., 1999; Nairn et al., 2004; Svenningsson et al., 2004), extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) (Valjent et al., 2000, 2006; Bertran-Gonzalez et al., 2008), and ΔFosB (Nestler, 2005, 2008), are among the most important striatal proteins implicated in mediating the progression to cocaine addiction. Mechanistically, cocaine mediates its effects in part by blocking dopamine reuptake leading to elevated synaptic dopamine, which was shown to regulate the state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32 in a bidirectional manner. Activation of D1R, via stimulation of PKA, results in DARPP-32 phosphorylation at Thr34, rendering DARPP-32 a powerful inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 (PP1). DARPP-32 has also been shown to be phosphorylated at Thr75 by a cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk5) mechanism, which converts DARPP-32 into an inhibitor of the PKA pathway (Bibb et al., 1999; Nishi et al., 2000). DARPP-32 can therefore functionally act in an opposite manner as either an inhibitor of PP-1 or an inhibitor of the PKA pathway (Bibb et al., 1999; Greengard et al., 1999; Nairn et al., 2004; Svenningsson et al., 2004, 2005). Acute treatment with cocaine increases phosphorylation of Thr34-DARPP-32 and decreases phosphorylation at Thr75, whereas, chronic treatment (5 daily consecutive injections) increases phosphorylation of Thr75 (Bibb et al., 2001). Several well-known cocaine-induced behavioral effects were shown to depend on DARPP-32 activity: cocaine-induced CPP and cocaine self-administration are attenuated in DARPP-32 KO mice (Fienberg and Greengard, 2000; reviewed in Svenningsson et al., 2005), whereas, cocaine-induced development of locomotor sensitization was potentiated by intra-accumbal injection of Cdk5 inhibitors suggesting the involvement of Cdk5/Thr75-DARPP-32 in inhibiting sensitization (reviewed in Fienberg and Greengard, 2000; Nairn et al., 2004; 2005).
Cocaine induces activation (phosphorylation) of ERK in NAc MSNs through mechanisms involving the DARPP-32/PP1 cascade (Valjent et al., 2000, 2006; Svenningsson et al., 2004, 2005). Activation of ERK results in the direct or indirect phosphorylation of various transcription factors and leads to the induction of immediate-early genes that are essential for long-lasting behavioral alterations. One transcription factor, ΔFosB, has high importance in mediating the enduring effects of cocaine and other abused drugs in the NAc (McClung and Nestler, 2003; Nestler, 2008). This splice product of the fosB gene, accumulates in NAc only after repeated drug exposure (McClung and Nestler, 2003; Lobo et al., 2010; Lobo and Nestler, 2011), and has been hypothesized to be a potential molecular switch in the transition from recreational drug use to the chronically addicted state (Nestler, 2005, 2008). Cocaine-induced ΔFosB accumulation was observed in D1R MSNs within the NAc (Lobo et al., 2010), in line with data from ΔFosB-overexpression studies (Kelz et al., 1999; Nestler, 2005, 2008; Zachariou et al., 2006).
Since the D1-D2 receptor heteromer is principally localized in the NAc, the enhanced dopamine release following cocaine would also activate these D1-D2 receptor complexes in the NAc. We therefore investigated the effects of activating or specifically disrupting the D1-D2 receptor heteromer on different behavioral outputs involving reward mediated by cocaine. We also investigated the signaling pathway that may be involved in the D1-D2 heteromer-mediated effects, with a focus on the involvement of the major proteins involved in addiction, DARPP-32 ERK1/2 and ΔFosB.
Results
Evidence for the D1-D2 Heteromer in Rat and Monkey Striatum
To provide evidence and direct visualization of D1-D2 heteromers in rat striatum, we performed the in situ proximity ligation assay (in situ PLA) and in situ confocal FRET. The PLA technique was previously used to show receptor-receptor interaction between different G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) (Borroto-Escuela et al., 2013, 2016). Since the existence of D1-D2 heteromers was challenged based notably on the failure to observe a PLA signal in mouse striatum (Frederick et al., 2015), we used the same two sets of antibodies used in that study. The PLA signal can only be generated when the two PLA probes have bound in close proximity; we directly conjugated the two sets of antibodies to oligonucleotides to generate the PLA probes, thus avoiding the use of secondary antibodies (Figure 1A1). The PLA performed with the well-validated primary antibodies (Lee et al., 2004; Perreault et al., 2010, 2016; present study) to D1R (Rat, Sigma D2944) and D2R (Rabbit, Millipore AB5084) showed PLA signals visualized as clear fluorescent red signals at the cell body, suggesting a close proximity of D1R and D2R in MSNs of rat CPu, NAc-core and NAc-shell (Figures 1A2–A4). Analysis of these images using a PLA-dedicated Duolink software revealed that while in the CPu the number of neurons with PLA signal was low (5% ± 2.4 [437 neurons]), D1-D2 heteromers were present in more than 22% of MSNs (22.6% ± 4.2 [604 neurons]) in the NAc-core and more than 30% of MSNs (32 ± 4.1 [732 neurons]) in rat NAc-shell (Figure 1A5). Controls for PLA and Z-stack images were performed to validate the signal and its cell surface localization (Supplementary Figures 1–4 and Supplementary Video 1). Thus, no PLA signal was observed in the absence of either of the two probes, the ligase or the polymerase (Supplementary Figure 1A). The PLA signal was observed in the dorsal and ventral striatum of D5 KO mouse, whereas it was absent in D1 KO and D2 KO mouse striatum, a clear indication of the specificity of the probes (Supplementary Figure 1B). Pretreatment with the TAT-D1 peptide (300 pmol, i.c.v.), and not the TAT-scrambled control peptide, abolished the D1-D2 PLA signal (Supplementary Figure 2) demonstrating the specificity of the PLA signal and clearly indicating that the PLA signal came from D1-D2 heteromers. Z-stacks (15–20 series, 0.9–1.7 μm) were taken and their analysis showed that the PLA signal was around nuclei, suggesting that D1-D2 heteromers were at the cell surface around the cell bodies (Supplementary Figures 3, Supplementary Video 1). No nuclear PLA signal was observed in line with the non-existence of D1R and D2R in cell nucleus. Moreover, using a second set of antibodies which consisted of the same anti-D1R and an antibody generated against D2R by that group (Frederick et al., 2015) and commercialized by Millipore (ABN 462), we also detected a clear PLA signal in rat NAc (Figure 1A6) indicating the presence of D1-D2 heteromers. Furthermore, we also detected a PLA signal in monkey NAc and caudate, indicative of a close proximity between dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in non-human primate as well (Supplementary Figure 4), and which was absent in negative controls. These results are in agreement with another study in macaques showing PLA between D1 and D2 receptors (Rico et al., 2017). In contrast to the high nuclear labeling in the above mentioned study (Frederick et al., 2015), we did not observe any non-specific nuclear labeling in any of our PLA studies.
FIGURE 1
Figure 1. Evidence for the existence of dopamine D1-D2 receptor heteromer in rat NAc. (A) Proximity ligation assay (PLA) was used to visualize and detect D1R and D2R close proximity. (A1) A scheme depicts the PLA probes used in the present study. (A2–A4) Representative images of PLA signals (red dots) in neurons (nuclei stained by DAPI) in rat caudate putamen (CPu), nucleus accumbens core (NAc-core) and shell (NAc-shell) subregions. (A5) Graph representing the percent of neurons with a positive PLA signal. (A6) Representative image of PLA |
detail for his international travel. Walker has promised to repay taxpayers for the full amount. To date, his Political Action Committee (PAC) has repaid $58,000.
"The governor charged over $125,000 to Wisconsin taxpayers as he jet-setted around … running for president, and he hasn't even paid half of that back. Before the governor pays another nickel to a campaign consultant or vendor, the people of Wisconsin should be reimbursed immediately, " said State Rep. Katrina Shankland.
Shankland along with Sen. David Hansen (D) have recently introduced legislation that would promote taxpayer transparency.
The bill would require state officials who are even considering running for higher office to submit a monthly travel form with the Government Accountability Board. Candidates would be required to detail costs incurred and who paid for them. The form would include basic details such as a travel itinerary and itemized lists of expenses, including travel and security costs.
"I call on my Republican colleagues to hold a public hearing on my bill to end this abuse of taxpayer dollars," said Shankland.
In July, Walker called for the dismantling of the Government Accountability Board. On Oct. 7, calling the board "a failed experiment," Wisconsin Republicans have attempted to restructure the GAB from a non-partisan regulatory board to a divided, partisan system.
While Wisconsin Democrats question the total Walker spent, additional question remains regarding Walker's timing of the travel, prior to a bid for the White House.
"This was about promoting Walker's personal political ambitions, not Wisconsin. There's clearly a pattern of behavior. Walker tends to mix official state business with campaigning," said Michael Browne Deputy Director of One Wisconsin Now, a liberal government watchdog group.
During an interview with Action 2 News, Matthew Crenson a Johns Hopkins University Political Science Professor Emeritus said Walker's travel expenses on taxpayer dollars are extreme.
"It seems excessive. What results does he [Walker] have to show for this extraordinary amount of money spent? If he wants to justify the expenditure, he better have answers," Crenson said.Christian Pulisic, who turns 18 in two weeks, posted two goals and an assist in a World Cup qualifier Friday. (Gary Rohman/USA TODAY)
The temptation to proclaim Christian Pulisic the next great thing in American soccer grew stronger Friday because, two weeks short of his 18th birthday, he scored twice and assisted once during a short stretch in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.
The next step, many have suggested, is a starting assignment Tuesday against Trinidad and Tobago in Jacksonville, Fla. — a CONCACAF semifinal-round finale that carries little weight given the Americans’ place in the four-team qualifying table.
Pulisic’s rise, after all, has followed his blinding ascent with German titan Borussia Dortmund. He is the junior member of an elite first unit and, last spring, became the youngest import to score in the Bundesliga.
He is a bold and confident attacker who blends speed of feet with a trait essential to world-class success: speed of thought. American soccer has exported goalkeepers and defenders, defensive midfielders and strikers, but rarely clever, creative attackers.
His special qualities are not lost on U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who, over six months, has brought along Pulisic in incremental stages: a senior debut in a March qualifier; a first goal in a May friendly; a major roster call for Copa America Centenario in June; and an invitation to a pair of qualifiers over five days this first week in September.
On Friday, the son of former George Mason University soccer players entered in the 66th minute, scored in the 71st, set up Sacha Kljestan’s goal in the 78th and scored again in stoppage time. Given the prestigious No. 10 jersey, Pulisic became the youngest in the program’s century-old history to record a goal in a qualifier.
They were grand feats — at any age — but begged for perspective. The opponent was St. Vincent and the Grenadines, tied for 21st in the middling region known as CONCACAF and 156th in FIFA’s 210-team rankings. En route to a 6-0 rout, the visiting Americans were already leading 3-0 when the Hershey, Pa., native entered.
“Coming off the bench when a game is pretty much decided is nice,” Klinsmann said. “Ask any striker — that’s the fun part.”
Klinsmann’s comment was not intended to diminish Pulisic’s performance but to temper impending hype and calls to thrust him into the starting lineup. All seven of his appearances have come as a substitute.
[Washington Spirit clinches NWSL playoff berth with 1-1 draw against Western New York]
If there’s a time for Pulisic to start a qualifier, though, it’s Tuesday. Technically, the Americans (10 points from five matches) have yet to secure passage to the six-nation final round. But the only way they would fall short would be by losing the match and squandering a massive tiebreaking advantage in goal differential (currently plus-12) over Guatemala (seven points), which will host winless St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
T&T (11 points) has already clinched one of the group’s two berths in the next stage.
Asked whether Pulisic’s time has come, Klinsmann said: “It’s a process. It’s easier if you have all the results done and it’s all in your favor and, instead of a World Cup qualifier, it might turn more into a friendly game. That’s a different story.
“But to start a game in World Cup qualifiers with things on the line is tricky.... It’s a big difference to start a game or come off the bench. It’s both very important. So if we bring him along and feel, ‘Okay, this is a good opportunity,’ then we’ll do it.”
Klinsmann cited Pulisic’s secondary role with Borussia Dortmund.
[Maryland men’s soccer edges crosstown rival Georgetown, 2-1]
“He needs minutes in his club team, as well,” he said. “Starting him is also questioning, ‘How long can he actually go?’ Because we don’t know. He has barely started [in] preseason. He doesn’t have any [Bundesliga] games. So you start him and suddenly he cramps up after 60 minutes because his legs aren’t built yet and you only have three subs. So these are kind of important things.”
Pulisic did appear in six preseason friendlies (two starts) and scored against Manchester City but did not play in the Bundesliga opener against Mainz last weekend. A loan or transfer before Wednesday’s transfer deadline never materialized.
If he doesn’t start Tuesday, Pulisic might crack the lineup in the friendlies against Cuba on Oct. 7 in Havana and New Zealand four days later in Washington.
“If the moment comes, it comes,” he said. “I’m just really excited to get any minutes I can right now.”
U.S. notes: Midfielder Michael Bradley and defender Michael Orozco reported to camp in Jacksonville after serving yellow-card suspensions.... Defender Matt Besler, who scored against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, returned home to be with his wife, who gave birth to their first child hours before Friday’s match. Out on yellow cards, defender DeAndre Yedlin returned to English club Newcastle.... FS1 and UniMas will carry Tuesday’s match. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET.... As of late last week, more than 13,000 tickets had been sold for the match at EverBank Field, home of the NFL’s Jaguars.Behind the high walls of a family compound in Libya's eastern rebel capital, a giant photo of the late rebel commander Gen. Abdel Fatah Younis smiles down on the dozens of men from his tribe who visit in a large tent after breaking the Ramadan fast on a summer night.
Ali Senussi, a leader of the Obeidi tribe that Younis belonged to, sips tea in a plastic chair, looking grandfatherly in his traditional robe and vest. But as he speaks about the murky circumstances of the assassination of one of the tribe’s own, he doesn’t mince his words. The tribe will give the rebel leadership a chance to investigate Younis’ killing and bring those responsible to justice. But if they don’t?
“The Obeidis are promising this will not go unpunished,” he says. “We hope to be in a country of law and good judgment that ensures our rights without us having to take them ourselves. But if we needed to take our justice by ourselves, we will do it.”
“Tribal law is stronger than the government law,” adds a nearby tribal elder.
The Obeidi tribe’s threat to take justice into its own hands illustrates the challenge that the new Libyan government will face not only in avoiding fighting or division between tribes, but also in ensuring the law reigns supreme over tribal traditions.
During his 42 years as leader of Libya, Muammar Qaddafi whittled away at state institutions, leaving little but himself at the center of the nation. In the vacuum, Libya’s strong tribal identity thrived, as did the divisions between tribes that Qaddafi cultivated. Now, in a new Libya that is likely to soon be free of Qaddafi, a key test will be whether the new government will have enough legitimacy to unite disparate tribes into a cohesive nation.
“Today what remains to be seen is whether Libya's new leaders can break free of the tribalism that has historically plagued the country and move to a more representative and geographically dispersed government,” says Barak Barfi, a research fellow at the New America Foundation who has been in Libya researching the conflict for the past five months. “If they cannot do this, and continue to perpetuate the traditional political order, the new Libya will fail.”
Tribal ties can help with disputes, finding a job
Tribalism runs deep in Libyan history, and tribal leaders are quick to extol the roles of their tribes in fighting Italian colonialism. But tribalism still plays a role in society. For some Libyans, it is not uncommon to go to a tribal leader for help with a problem. Leaders can mediate disputes between members, secure release from jail, and intercede to settle intratribe disputes. For some, a tribal connection can create an instant bond with a stranger or be a means of career progression.
Qaddafi used the system to his advantage, rewarding tribes that were loyal to him and punishing those that were not, creating hostilities between them. As his regime falls, worries of tribal warfare and revenge abound. In western Libya in July, Human Rights Watch reported that rebels had burned and looted homes and shops belonging to Qaddafi supporters. But tribal leaders in the east say that while such violent revenge may happen to the former leader’s most devoted supporters, they do not expect widespread retribution.
“It's not going to happen because all the people are supporting one thing: the revolution,” says Khalil Mohamed El Deeb, a leader in the Agouri tribe, a large tribe in eastern Libya that includes the majority of Benghazi citizens. For example, he says, one of the transitional council’s leaders, Mahmoud Jabril, is from the Warfalla tribe. “They had a really bad role under Qaddafi,” he says. “But we don’t look at him as a Warfalla, we see him as an individual.”
Some also say that the revolution has increased historically weak Libyan nationalism, which could lessen tribalism. “For 42 years, Qaddafi put hatred between the tribes. But this is the first time they feel like they are working together against something, and they like working together,” says Mr. Deeb.
The rebel government has urged citizens to avoid revenge, and it has plans for a national reconciliation program to keep tribal differences from festering.
Can government supersede tribal law?
But perhaps the biggest test is whether the government will be capable enough to supersede the tribal law that some revert to when the government is lacking. Several tribal leaders in eastern Libya asserted that in a democratic nation, tribes would play only social roles, not political ones. Government ministers would be chosen for qualifications, not for tribal membership, they say, and tribes will continue to play roles in taking care of members who can’t afford medical care, sending bright students abroad for further education, and resolving disputes. But the Younis case calls that into question.
Younis was Qaddafi’s Interior minister before he defected to the opposition at the beginning of the uprising and became their military commander. He was killed in rebel custody after he was hastily summoned to Benghazi from the battlefield for questioning. While some have fingered Qaddafi forces for the killing, the Obeidi tribe blames Islamists who are part of the rebel forces, and claims complicity of members of the executive board of the NTC.
The NTC dissolved the executive council in early August in response to pressure from the tribe. But new members were never appointed, and the NTC said this week that the old members would continue to work for two more weeks.
Senussi said the tribe would wait until Qaddafi had been vanquished to take any action in seeking its own justice.
“If the criminals haven't been convicted, and we've gotten rid of Qaddafi and his clients, and Libya is free, we can get the people who did this ourselves, but by a way that is 100 percent legal – obeying the logical law, not the NTC law,” he said. “There are two kinds of law: government law and the tribal or traditional law. We prefer the government law, but if we need to refer to our own law, we will do it.”Late tonight a gamer called “Moonlight Swami” got a package for the Xbox One sold by Target early, along with receiving it he’s also been giving out tons for updates on twitter. We also got word on the sizes for games and the 500MB Day 1 patch for the system.
Update 1: As of this time, Moonlight’s Xbox One console has been banned from Xbox LIVE and his YouTube video was pulled down by Microsoft. Major Nelson has attempted to reach out to him on Twitter.
@Moonlightswami Love to know more about what happened w/ your console. Can you follow and DM me and I'll get this sorted out? Thanks. — Larry Hryb 🤠 (@majornelson) November 9, 2013
Major Nelson has also posted on NeoGAF, confirming that the console ban is not permanent.
Update 2: Tweets from both Moonlight and Major Nelson seem to suggest that they’ve come to some sort of mutual agreement. Moonlight has confirmed that not only will his Xbox One console be unbanned before November 22nd, but he has also been invited to the Xbox One Launch Party.
Alright, I talked to @majornelson and all is being resolved. He has invited me to the launch event. Details on it are classified. — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Great chat with @Moonlightswami I think we're all set now. — Larry Hryb 🤠 (@majornelson) November 9, 2013
ORIGINAL POST:
HOLY FUCKING SHIT LOOK WHAT I JUST GOT pic.twitter.com/JOr8lDnYKN — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
I tried using Kinect to navigate. Its INSANE, my friend even could do commands through a Skype call on my computer. — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Confirmed Games ARE PLAYABLE at 50% installation. — SwamiStudios (@SwamiStudios) November 9, 2013
Xbox One Power Brick; is barely warm after 3 hours pic.twitter.com/tgJSqOjYyo — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
From what I currently see, there is no more busy or away settings on xbox. Only appear online and offline. — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
PROOF XBOX ONE IN MY LIVING ROOM pic.twitter.com/yk5Q7BF8BI — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Xbox One also has this port pic.twitter.com/Hjb0Da3HSQ — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
If you press the home button, this happens: In game: http://t.co/TeSz3NcaQV Home: http://t.co/KmTHqZxBLQ — SwamiStudios (@SwamiStudios) November 9, 2013
Confirmed: 112 people playing Killer Instinct, 36 Forza, 28 Dead Rising 3, 3 Ghosts, 3 Fifa, 1 Madden, 2 ACIV http://t.co/6hPz7UrYGi — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Confirmed Hauppauge PVR 2 DOES WORK WITH XBOX ONE — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Xbox One games and Apps Page http://t.co/8KBwguxOXa — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Confirmed Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag 20 GB on Xbox One http://t.co/NEqSR4Sz6N — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
Confirmed Dead Rising 3: 19 GB on Xbox One. http://t.co/UqTUAAHlSn — Andre Weingarten (@Moonlightswami) November 9, 2013
He also posted screenshots of the gamer pictures as well.Shares of Amazon AMAZON.COM INC.
AMZN
-0.43%
surged after the company reported its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 29, with investors focusing mainly on the small profit that Amazon managed during the holiday season. For the full year, Amazon posted a net loss of $241 million despite both double-digit revenue growth and generating nearly $2 billion of free cash flow.
Free cash flow has long been the metric Amazon points to as the best way to measure the company’s performance, and Amazon certainly delivered on that front. But there’s a problem with Amazon’s free cash flow numbers: They ignore billions of dollars in spending that the company is financing through capital leases. Despite the impressive-looking free cash flow, Amazon is actually losing a tremendous amount of money, no matter how you slice it. I pointed this out in a previous article, which includes an explanation of exactly how Amazon accounts for its capital leases.
A funny thing happened during Amazon’s conference call a few days ago. Instead of just touting its free cash flow figures and moving on, as it usually does, the company actually mentioned these massive capital leases, pointing out that it finances some of its spending in addition to the capital expenditures reported on the cash flow statement. The biggest piece of this financing is for Amazon Web Services.
Why does this matter? Here’s a slide from Amazon’s earnings presentation showing the company’s reported free cash flow:
Source: Amazon.
This is essentially the same slide that Amazon shows every quarter, with one important difference: The second footnote points to some additional free cash flow measures in the appendix, including one which adjusts for its massive spending via capital leases. This is the first time that Amazon has actively pointed out its capital lease activity beyond the required disclosures in its financial statements. What does this slide look like?
Source: Amazon.
This changes the story pretty dramatically. Along with the $4.9 billion Amazon spent directly on capital expenditures during the past year, it also committed an additional $4 billion through capital leases. While this $4 billion doesn’t represent a cash expense today, these capital leases will have to be paid for during the next few years.
During the past 12 months, Amazon paid about $1.3 billion in capital lease payments, erasing most of its reported free cash flow. These payments are considered financing cash flows, therefore excluding them from the free cash flow calculation.
These payments are only going to rise as Amazon finances more of its spending. Next year, Amazon expects to spend a little more than $2 billion paying for these capital leases, according to its 10-K, excluding any additional capital leases that the company enters into next year. This will effectively wipe out any reported free cash flow, and these payments will continue to rise unless Amazon curtails its capital lease activity.
The second slide above shows how much Amazon is truly investing in its business. Unlike other companies with big public cloud business, like Microsoft and Google, Amazon doesn’t have billions of dollars in profit coming in from other businesses to finance all of this growth. During the past 12 months, Microsoft spent $5.3 billion in capital expenditures, with much of this going toward growing its cloud business. Google spent a staggering $9.7 billion.
If Amazon wants to remain competitive in cloud computing, it can’t slow down its spending. But it also can’t afford to keep spending as heavily as it has been. Amazon’s reported free cash flow numbers make it seem like the company can invest heavily and still manage to generate cash. Well, it can’t. Not even close.
Amazon’s long-term goal is to optimize free cash flow; but its reported free cash flow is meaningless if it doesn’t adjust for capital leases, or at the very least, payments on those capital leases. I applaud Amazon’s management for finally pointing out these capital leases to investors, as they are extremely important in order to truly understand Amazon’s business. But the company is still touting its nearly $2 billion in free cash flow as if it means something. It doesn’t.
If Amazon keeps doing what it’s doing, the company is going to be taking on a lot more debt during the next few years. It paid $210 million in interest during 2014, completely wiping out its operating income for the year, and this number will only rise if this heavy spending continues.
It turns out that Amazon isn’t some sort of magical cash machine, able to generate $2 billion of free cash flow while reporting far lower, or even negative, earnings, all the while investing heavily in capital-intensive businesses. Instead, it’s a company that’s borrowing billions of dollars in order to finance its growth, using lease accounting to make it appear profitable on a free cash flow basis. There’s nothing wrong with what Amazon is doing, but investors need to wise up to these sorts of accounting games.
Timothy Green has no position in any stocks mentioned, although he does own a Kindle, and he likes that quite a bit. The Motley Fool recommends Amazon.com, Apple, and Google (A shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com, Apple, Google (A shares), and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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This article previously appeared under a different headline, “Amazon Just Admitted That It’s Losing Billions.”Seven months after bladder cancer patient Maurice Ray underwent a clinical trial for the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, he is now cancer free."And I'm still clear," he said. "It's been clear ever since."Unlike chemotherapy which stops and slows the growth of cancer cells, Keytruda's approach is different. The drug targets a cellular pathway that helps the body's own immune system attack the cancer.City of Hope's Dr. Sumanta Kumar Pal said Keytruda has already been approved for use in advanced melanoma, lung and bladder cancers."This approval has really been groundbreaking when it comes to treating cancer," Pal said.Until now, the FDA has approved cancer treatments based on where in the body the cancer started."We have now approved a drug based on a tumor's bio marker without regard to the tumor's original location," Pal said.For many, this could be a game changer."What's really key about this approval is that it allows us to use a particular test to use an immunotherapy drug across the board, irrespective of cancer type," he said.Dr. Pal said he sees a role for Keytruda in more advanced stages of breast and lung cancer, and it doesn't stop there."Where I'm really excited about applying this drug, based on this new indication, is in really rare cancer types which we don't have therapies to date," Pal said.The drug has many side effects, including some that are quite serious.Still, Maurice is grateful."Would I recommend the drug? I really really would," he said. "I mean, why wouldn't I? That's why I'm here. It does the job."Hadmut
Man sollte immer daran denken, dass die sich die Suppe da bewusst und gewollt selbst einbrochen. [Nachtrag: Hochschulen in Hamburg]
Linke Gewalt zum Umsturz unserer Demokratie wird strategisch von den Parteien des linken Spektrums gewünscht und an den Universitäten taktisch ausgekocht. Trotzdem wählt sich Hamburg eine linke Stadtregierung und hält sich linke Hochschulen. Nach den Ursachen für diese Gewalt fragt keiner. Ja, dann sind die eben auch selbst schuld daran, sie haben es sich faktisch so gewählt. Sie wollten es so. Es hat sich vielleicht nicht jeder so bewusst gemacht, aber die Mehrheit der Hamburger hat sich das so bestellt: 45,6% SPD, 12,3% Grüne, 8,5% Linke. Macht zusammen 66,4%, also satte zwei Drittel, für Parteien, die in der ein oder anderen Weise linke Gewalt fördern, befürworten oder vor Verfolgung schützen und demokratischen Grundanforderungen entgegenstehen. Jahrelang hieß es da, linke Gewalt sei nicht nichtexistent, nur aufgebauscht, Hunderte von Millionen wurden im Kampf gegen Rechts rausgehauen. Und das heißt, dass man nicht nur nichts gegen linke Extremisten getan hat, sondern dass viele der Gelder auf schrägen Pfaden bei genau den Gruppen angekommen sind, die jetzt randalieren. Selbst direkte Verbindungen von Politikerin in dieses kriminelle Milieu hat man nie betrachtet, sich nie daran gestört. Während man bei rechten Politikern oder denen der Mitte jede noch so winzige Kleinigkeit zum Skandal hochpumpt und beispielsweise einen Rainer Brüderle wegen eines Dirndl-Kompliments – besonders auch in und aus Hamburg – abgesägt hat, waren Verbindungen von Parteipolitikern in die linksextremistische kriminelle Szene (früher auch zur RAF) nie ein Problem, wurden nie negativ gewertet oder auch nur betrachtet.
Dann haben sie jetzt auch kein Mitleid verdient. Die Vernichtung ist nicht Werk eines anonymen eigenschaftslosen „schwarzen Blockes“, der hereinfällt wie Unwetter. Es ist das Ergebnis von eben jener Politik und Presse, die jetzt auch die Berichterstattung steuert (oder steuern will, es gibt ja inzwischen auch Handys und Social Media, sonst würde noch viel weniger berichtet, laut mancher Nachrichtensendung war da ja nichts außer netten Clowns und ein paar bösen Wasserwerfern).
Nur mal so als Beispiel: In den USA wird die Antifa wegen ihrer Gewaltorgien als terroristische Vereinigung eingeschätzt. Siehe hier und hier und hier – und kommt mir jetzt bloß nicht damit, dass ich da rechtslastige Seiten zitieren würde – denkt lieber mal drüber nach, warum das in der „normalen“ Presse nicht berichtet wird und wie dieses Totschweigen mit der Gewalt in Hamburg zusammenhängt.
Bei uns dagegen gibt es immer wieder Hinweise darauf, dass die Antifa (vor allem von der SPD, besonders Schwesig ist da wohl sehr aktiv gewesen) indirekt oder sogar direkt mit öffentlichen Geldern gefördert und finanziert wird.
Ich habe das ja auch schon mal beschrieben, dass da gefälschte Meldungen aufgetaucht sind, wonach die SPD die Antifa finanzieren würde, es dann aber Indizien gab, dass die Fälschungen selbst aus dem Umfeld der SPD kamen, es also um die Informationstaktik ging, „den Brunnen zu vergiften“, also durch erkennbare Fälschungen eine Grundunglaubwürdigkeit zu säen, falls mal wirklich etwas ans Licht käme. In der Realität muss man jedoch nicht mal weit suchen, man findet etwa an den Universitäten viele Förderwege über die Asten und die Hochschulgruppen, allein schon, indem kriminellen Gruppen da kostenlos Räume, Infrastruktur, Telekommunikation geboten wird, ohnen dass dies jemals in irgendeiner Abrechnung oder Buchhaltung auftauchen oder sonstwie als Zuwendung erkennbar würde. Man möge sich nur mal an die Besetzung der sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultät an der Humboldt-Universität erinnern. Das war auch nichts anderes als ein krimineller Versuch der Erpressung, und gehaust haben sie auch wie die Vandalen.
Hat man irgendwelche Schlüsse daraus gezogen?
Nein. Man hat es einfach so hingenommen und hinterher die Renovierung aus Steuermitteln bezahlt.
So wie jetzt in Hamburg.
Wenn die Hamburger links wählen, dann haben sie sich die Folgen ihrer Randaleförderung auch selbst zuzuschreiben.
Nachtrag: Ah, jetzt habe ich auch den Link auf den Artikel, den ich in Erinnerung aber nicht sofort gefunden hatte:
G-20-Gegner Linksextreme dürfen an Universität Blockaden üben
Die Randale wurde demnach an der Universität Hamburg und der Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) vorbereitet.In evangelical Christian circles, “feminist” has traditionally been a dirty word. The three short syllables have done heavy work, telegraphing all the things the “Christian right” loves to hate about the “secular left.”
A feminist, according to this definition, favors “abortion on demand, government-funded abortion, redistribution of wealth, same-sex marriage and is antiwar, anti-defense,” says Penny Nance, the CEO of Concerned Women for America, the antiabortion group. In this most pejorative view, a feminist puts her personal ambition ahead of the needs of her children.
Now, in a reversal, some conservative Christian women are tentatively claiming the feminist label for themselves. In the reframing, feminism has nothing to do with a woman’s right to choose an abortion or with government programs for the poor.
Instead, a “feminist” is a fiscally conservative, pro-life butt-kicker in public, a cooperative helpmate at home, and a Christian wife and mother, above all. Rep. Michele Bachmann is Exhibit A. With her relentless attacks on big government and a widely circulated 2006 video in which she credits her professional success to the submission of her will to Jesus and her husband, Bachmann represents “a new definition of feminism,” says Stephen Bannon, director of “Fire From the Heartland,” a 2010 movie about the female leaders of the tea party.
Last year, Sarah Palin connected herself with feminists in a speech — not the kind who loaf about “in the faculty lounge at some East Coast women’s college,” as she put it, but a gun-toting, self-reliant, pro-life Christian woman who credits her gender as the source of her power. Bachmann hasn’t gone so far, but in “Fire From the Heartland,” she talks about why women should engage in the political process. “Women feel it in our gut and in our heart — and that sense is coming over us that something is terribly wrong,” she says.
Religion historian Marie Griffith has been watching this shift, and recently wrote an essay titled “The New Evangelical Feminism of Bachmann and Palin.” She caught all kinds of heat from feminists on the left who say that neither Bachmann nor Palin, whom some have dubbed “the spiritual heads” of the tea party, can remotely be regarded as their conceptual colleagues.
While Griffith agrees that these women do not resemble traditional feminists in their political views, she believes that they have captured the hearts and minds of conservative Christian women in a historically significant way. Two generations ago, a conservative Christian woman would have been encouraged to have babies and keep house; work would have been seen as an economic necessity, not a higher calling.
“Now,” says Griffith, director of the new John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis, “I really see evangelicals taking hold of that view that women can speak about righteous godly things, just as men can. They can make an impact on the world. Not only that, they should make an impact on the world.”
Nance points out that the abortion wars used to be fought by men. Today, the most prominent antiabortion warriors are Christian women, most of whom have young children.
It’s their focus on motherhood, I think, that makes these new Christian feminists so appealing to millions — their unflinching insistence that their families come first, that even the most ambitious among them occasionally have spit-up on their blouses.
Palin has her entourage; Bachmann, her brood, which includes that staggering number — 23! — of foster kids. Nance describes taking a call from a member of Congress while in her car with a baby screaming in the back seat. “Sir,” she said, “you’ll have to listen to the baby crying — or you can wait.”
The travails of working mothers are not unique to conservative or Christian women. They are disconnected from party affiliation or one’s views on abortion. But these newfangled feminists are savvy politicians. They know that by building a political movement that appeals to America’s working mothers, they are filling a void created by the political left.
Lisa Miller’s column will appear Saturdays on the On Faith page and Fridays at washingtonpost.com in the On Faith section. She will also chat regularly online about her column.by Matt Caputo & Ryne Nelson
Europe isn’t the NBA’s ugly stepbrother anymore. No sir, it ditched the taped-up glasses, freshened its wardrobe, and discovered this thing called deodorant. Sure, Europe may never be as popular as the NBA, but some Leagues overseas are learning what it take$ to attract the world’s premiere athletes.
Given the changing economic circumstances, several American players may follow in Josh Childress’ footsteps…and pronto.
Here are seven free agents who should make Europe a big part of their summer plans…
David Harrison
It’s no lie David Harrison has the talent of an NBA starter. It’s also no lie Harrison takes playing in the world’s finest league a bit for granted.
Harrison could handle a culture shock, in fact he probably needs one. His game, too, could quickly adapt to the European style. Like other European bigs, he runs the floor well, plays the screen-and-roll to perfection, and is hella foul prone.
The things to do in Rome or Portugal blow Indianapolis out of the water. For a guy who’s curious about life outside of basketball, Europe is a great option. Not only will the opportunity to play in a completely new environment suit Harrison, his game might also thrive.
He’s an excellent candidate to make a long career overseas, especially with the value Europe places on talented 7-footers.
Kwame Brown
The turn of the century was an odd time for the NBA.
High schoolers were like Beanie Baby collectibles once were – for a year or two, nearly everyone was willing to spend ungodly amounts to get a hold of them.
Now the Beanies are worth less than their plastic display cases. So what can you do with something that doesn’t hold value?
Give it away to someone who can use it.
Believe it or not, Kwame Brown could be a great player in European leagues, and he certainly would regain some value playing overseas. He’d feel more comfortable without the American media always breathing down his back.
And, hey, if Kwame can get in shape and put up decent numbers, he could prove he’s worthy of a reserve spot in the League.
Robert Horry
You can bet Big Shot Bob isn’t flashing that million-dollar smile tonight.
The Spurs inked Kurt Thomas for the next two seasons, essentially telling Horry he needs to retire or find another place to play.
Horry’s got a big decision ahead of him: Does he retire at low point in his career or does he finish strong in another League? Being the winner that Horry is/was, he’s going to try to win his eighth championship next year…
His only option might be overseas.
Ricky Davis
Because Europeans love body hair, Ricky Davis would be a huge success on foreign hardwood if he chose to revive his famous muttonchops.
A decent second or third scorer in the states – Davis would likely be someone’s first option in Europe. Known for once attempting a shot on the wrong basket in order to add a rebound to his line, Davis’ aggressive style and versatility would benefit his European teammates who lack his athleticism. His swagger on and off the court has suffered in the shadow of Pat Riley; so a change of pace might be best for him.
Specifically, someplace he can run the show.
Jason Williams
When you’re replaced by a second round draft pick, you know it’s time to move on. Trouble is, not many teams would be willing to drop their mid-level exception on J-Will.
In other words, this point guard is between a rock and a hard place.
Let’s face it, when you think European point guard, you don’t think Jason Williams. Sure, he can do everything the your typical European point is capable of – shoot from long-range, hit the open man, gets injured way too often – but his flashy game isn’t your typical match.
While it’s not likely Williams will look overseas, it’s still a good option…if he wants to play significant minutes again.
Sam Cassell
Cassell’s wide smile and often-obnoxious court gestures (i.e. wiggling his fingers on the free throw line making reference to his championship rings) would drive the Euro |
Thus, situations are often misrepresented by a single storyteller, because even if they contain some facts, they only tell a portion of the story.
FACT: The Wichita Animal Shelter has one of the lowest dog euthanasia rates in the country. It was only 8% in 2015, and the rate for the first 10 months of 2016 is 7%. The ASPCA estimates the national average at around 31%. It would appear to be in everyone's best interest to work together to improve this rate even more.
Here are some more facts about two cases in point:
1. A story was recently posted on social media regarding an underweight Malamute, accusing Wichita Animal Services of not taking action. There were photographs included that would have moved even the hardest heart. But, as is often the case, there is more to the story. Animal Services Officers investigated this situation and learned that a stray dog had jumped the fence and impregnated the female Malamute. Sadly, she suffers from a serious dietary condition for which she is under a vet's care and has to be on a special diet. The birth of the puppies and their nursing further exacerbated the mother's condition. The Animal Services Officer entered the residence and examined the prepared raw food for the mother dog's diet as prescribed by the Vet. Additionally, the Officer contacted the Veterinary Clinic where the dog is being treated and confirmed the information that the owner provided. Animal Services also educated the owner on the City ordinances regarding breeding dogs and selling puppies.
2. Another heart wrenching story was shared about a dog that was put to sleep, portraying Animal Services staff as "ruthless killers." When in fact, a diverse group of animal rescues regularly pull animals from the City Animal Shelter. Some of the rescues are breed specific, some take animals that have extensive medical needs and solicit money from the public to help defray the cost; other rescues only pull animals with minimal health issues in order to make their dollars stretch and save more animals. Regardless of how each rescue chooses to operate, it is imperative that they tag the animals that they want to pull from the Shelter in a timely manner. If the animal isn't tagged, it will be humanely euthanized as the City cannot hold animals indefinitely. If a rescue doesn't tag an animal, then it's unfair to blame Shelter staff when it is later euthanized.
Facebook and other social media can be useful tools in the hands of public servants, pet lovers and animal rescue activists – but only if these tools are used responsibly. The opinions, feelings, and information shared must be fair to all concerned, and align with the facts. There's an old adage, "It doesn't matter how thin you make the pancake, it still has two sides." The same is true here. Experts advise Internet users to carefully examine the credibility of all online information. In other words, when you see something posted online, it's a good practice to test it before swallowing it whole. Consider the story being told, and ask yourself what might be left untold?"Irish tax-registered pharmaceutical
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals is an Irish–tax registered manufacturer of specialty pharmaceuticals (namely, Acthar), generic drugs and imaging agents,[2] that generated 90% of 2017 sales from the U.S. healthcare system. While Mallinckrodt is headquartered in Ireland for tax purposes, its operational headquarters is in the U.S.[3] Mallinckrodt's 2013 tax inversion to Ireland drew controversy when it was shown their main drug Acthar, was Medicaid's most expensive drug.[4]
Mallinckrodt acquires (for repricing), manufactures, and distributes products used in diagnostic procedures and in the treatment of pain and related conditions. This includes the acquisition, manufacture, and distribution of specialty pharmaceuticals, active pharmaceutical ingredients, contrast products, and radiopharmaceuticals.[5] The company employed 5,500 and had net sales of $3.2 billion in 2017; of which $2.9 billion was from the U.S. healthcare system.[5]
History [ edit ]
Foundation [ edit ]
In 1867, the Mallinckrodt brothers, Gustav, Otto and Edward, founded G. Mallinckrodt & Co. in St. Louis, Missouri.[6] The Mallinckrodt family had immigrated from Germany, and Otto and Edward both returned to Germany, the leader in chemistry at the time, for advanced training.[7] Mallinckrodt Chemical Works was incorporated 15 years later. By 1898, the company had established itself as a pharmaceuticals supplier and in 1913 became the first to introduce barium sulfate as a contrast medium for x-rays.[6] In part due to early success in production of radiology agents, and at the behest of surgeon Evarts Graham, Edward Mallinckrodt Sr. assigned one of the company's top chemists to collaborate in developing the first radiographic agent for gallbladder and bile duct imaging.[8] A posthumous endowment by Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. on behalf of his father to the Washington University medical school radiology department resulted in the creation of the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology.[9]
Major acquisitions [ edit ]
In December 2018 the company announced it will spin off its specialty generics business into a separate publicly traded company, initially owned by existing Mallinckrodt shareholders. The division generated $840 million in 2017 and the deal will also include constipation drug, Amitiza. Chief Financial Officer, Matthew Harbaugh, will head the new company which will retain the Mallinckrodt name. The remaining business of specialty branded products will be renamed and led by current Chief Executive Officer, Mark Trudeau.[31]
Tax inversion to Ireland (2013) [ edit ]
In 2013, Mallinckrodt executed a corporate tax inversion to Ireland to avoid U.S. corporate taxes, by acquiring Irish-based Cadence Pharma for $1.3 billion.[32] This was despite the fact that almost all of Mallinckrodt's revenues come from the U.S. market (see table below). In 2015, Mallinckrodt was one of a number of U.S. tax inversions that the Wall Street Journal reported to be using their lower tax-platform to acquire further U.S. pharmaceutical firms, such as the $5.6 billion acquisition of Questor in 2014.[33] In December 2015, the Irish Times reported the CEO as saying that "It’d have to be a pretty dramatic change to the US tax code" for Mallinckrodt to return to the U.S., and that "We’re already foreign domiciled, so we may as well take full advantage of it".[34]
In February 2018, Mallinckrodt told the Wall Street Journal that it would get a $450 to $500 million tax credits from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), but that some of these benefits would be offset by the anti-inversion provisions of the TCJA.[35] In April 2018, Mallinckrodt's Irish tax inversion came under further scrutiny when it was revealed that Mallinckrodt's main drug Acthar, was one of the most expensive drug-related expenditures for the U.S. Medicare programme.[36]
Mallinckrodt net sales by region (SEC 10-K filing, 2017)[5] Region Sales ($ m) Distribution (%) U.S. 2,899.0 90.3 Europe, Middle East and Africa 242.3 7.5 Other 80.3 2.2 Total 3,211.6 100.0
Products [ edit ]
Mallinckrodt has two main product lines.[37]
Specialty Pharmaceuticals products include branded drugs as well as specialty generics and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Products include biologics, medicinal opioids, synthetic controlled substances, and acetominophen.
Medical Imaging products include contrast media and radiopharmaceuticals for medical imaging applications.
In the fourth quarter of 2014, Specialty Pharmaceuticals accounted for 74% of net sales. Key specialty pharmaceutical products include[37]
Acthar gel, an injectable biopharmaceutical used for the treatment of infantile spasms, acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, and certain orphan diseases. Mallinckrodt acquired this product via its acquisition of Questcor Pharmaceuticals in 2014. [38] When Questcor acquired the drug in 2001 it sold for $40 a vial; within a year of the acquisition Questcor raised the price of the drug to $1,500 per vial and to $28,000 by 2013. [39] In 2013, Questcor acquired the US rights to a competing product, Synacthen Depot, from Novartis. [39] In 2014 Mallinckrodt raised the price of Acthar further to $34,000. [40] The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from five states sued Mallinckrodt for anti-competitive behavior with regard to the acquisition of Synacthen Depot and the monopolistic pricing of Acthar, and in January 2017 the company settled, agreeing to pay $100 million and to license Synacthen Depot to a competitor. [38]
When Questcor acquired the drug in 2001 it sold for $40 a vial; within a year of the acquisition Questcor raised the price of the drug to $1,500 per vial and to $28,000 by 2013. In 2013, Questcor acquired the US rights to a competing product, Synacthen Depot, from Novartis. In 2014 Mallinckrodt raised the price of Acthar further to $34,000. The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from five states sued Mallinckrodt for anti-competitive behavior with regard to the acquisition of Synacthen Depot and the monopolistic pricing of Acthar, and in January 2017 the company settled, agreeing to pay $100 million and to license Synacthen Depot to a competitor. Ofirmev is a proprietary IV formulation of acetominophen used in conjunction with opioid painkillers in the post surgical setting.
Xartemis XR is a controlled release oral combination of acetominophen and oxycodone for the treatment of acute pain.
Exalgo is a once-daily, long-acting form of hydromorphone, another pain drug.
Key generic specialty products include:[37]
Hydrocodone API and tablets
Oxycodone API and tablets
Methylphenidate hydrochloride extended release tablets
Dextroamphetamine sulfate controlled release tablets
Other controlled substances, including acetominophen-containing products
Medical Imaging products include Optiray (ioversol injection), an iodide based contrast medium for CT scans, and Optimark (gadoversetamide injection) a Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agent used in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain or liver.
As of 1988, Mallinckrodt was the only company in the US that is allowed to receive cocaine, which it has used to make cocaine hydrochloride, a prescription drug used in hospitals as a local anesthetic by eye and ear, nose and throat doctors.[11]
Controversies [ edit ]
Acthar controversy [ edit ]
[4] Price of Mallinckrodt's H.P Acthar drug dating back to Questor's acquisition of Acthar from Sanofi Aventis in July 2001 for $100,000.
In December 2012, the New York Times in an article on Mallinckrodt's main drug H.P. Acthar Gel,[a] reported that "How the price of this drug rose so far, so fast is a story for these troubled times in American health care — a tale of aggressive marketing, questionable medicine and, not least, out-of-control costs".[42] In January 2017, the Financial Times reported that Mallinckrodt had made a settlement of $100 million with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in relation to anti-trust probes on Acthar, and quoted the FTC as saying: "Questcor [Mallinckrodt's subsidiary] took advantage of its monopoly to repeatedly raise the price of Acthar, from $40 per vial in 2001 to more than $34,000 per vial today – an 85,000 percent increase".[43]
In May 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. investor Jim Chanos accused Mallinckrodt in relation to Acthar of being a "one-product company",[44] and the Irish Times quoted Chanos on Bloomberg stating that a "murky alliance" had developed between Mallinckrodt and distributor Express Scripts, who is the sole distributor of Acthar, and that "Acthar is the epitome of excessive drug prices".[41] In September 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published research showing that Acthar was one of the most expensive drugs in the U.S. Medicaid and Medicare system, but that most sales of Acthar were "driven in part by a relatively small group of doctors who were prescribing it heavily", and that alternatives at one-fiftieth of the price of Acthar were available.[4][45]
In April 2018, a whistleblower lawsuit claimed Acthar, which had never passed a modern FDA process as Acthar had been available for 60 years and was thus passed under FDA "grandfathering" rules, had an unknown formulation and efficacy.[b][36] The lawsuit claimed that this situation would not be sustainable without the support of Express Scripts.[36][47]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ [41] H.P. Acthar Gel is over one-third of Mallinckrodt sales however its strong profitability means that it is considered to be the bulk of Mallinckrodt's profits. ^ [46] Acthar is a hormone-based drug derived from pig pituitary glands that had been on the market for more than 60 years.UPDATE: 7th Dimension has to delay the event a week. We’ll post again about this next week. Til then, brush up on your D&D skills, kids.
If you’ve been looking to get into Dungeons & Dragons but still aren’t quite ready to make a commitment, 7th Dimension Games is the place to be this tonight. 7th Dimension Games is a gaming store located at 1128 Easton Road, just a few blocks from the SEPTA R2 Roslyn train station. The store runs events every Tuesday through Sunday, ranging from tabletop wargaming to Friday night Magic the Gathering.
Beginning tonight at 6:00 p.m., 7th Dimension Games will be hosting D&D Encounters sessions. D&D Encounters is a new program from Wizards of the Coast which involves small group events that only last an hour or two. This allows for players to jump right in and get some quick missions under their belts. It is also ideal for those who lack a regular group to play with and are looking for a weekly game.
Other events at 7th Dimension Games this week:
Wednesday night: 5:00 p.m. Figure/miniatures painting
Thursday: 7:00 p.m. Legends of the 5 Rings
Friday: 6:30 p.m. Magic the Gathering
Saturday: 12:00 p.m. Blood Bowl; 6:00 p.m. Open Gaming
Sunday: 12:00 p.m. Flames of War pick up games
Visit www.7thdimensiongames.com for further event details and directions.Here's some double-edged news, the significance of which depends on whether you just bought an Acer Iconia W3 or were holding off for something with better components. Acer spokeswoman Sterre Swank, quoted by Tweakers.net, has revealed that a successor to the pioneering eight-inch Windows 8 tablet will be out in September with a thinner, lighter build and possibly an upgraded IPS display. In other words, the existing model could be made obsolete within a few months of being on the market, and we're seeking confirmation of this directly from Acer.
Switching the display would certainly solve one the most serious gripes we raised in our review, but we don't know yet if there'll be an impact on the price tag, which stands at $380 for the W3. Also, as we get closer to the end of this year, it makes more sense to wait for Windows 8 tablets with next-gen Atom processors (known as Bay Trail), as the current Clover Trail chips are already straining under the weight of existing desktop applications.Since I first got involved in Bitcoin, I’ve sought a simple means of explaining Bitcoin and the technology that underpins it, the Blockchain, to my friends and family, looking for a simple yet true-to-life analogy that illustrates something so complex. My understanding of the actual technological aspects of them is somewhat limited, so forgive the fact that this analogy inevitably has its own limitations, but I hereby present it to you - the glass deposit box analogy.
Addresses, keys and the Blockchain
One of the first things people ask me when I talk to them about Bitcoin is, ‘if it’s on a computer, what’s to stop someone ‘copying and pasting’ Bitcoin?’ An explanation that wallets hold private keys to public addresses often leaves people confused, so this was the first idea I wanted to confront.
Imagine an enormous 24/7 bank vault. The vault is filled with row upon row of unlabelled deposit boxes. However, each deposit box has a glass frontage, allowing anyone and everyone to view the contents of the deposit box, but not access it. When someone opens a new deposit box, they are given a key that is unique to that box. Making a copy of the key doesn’t double the contents of the box. By the same token, although you own that deposit box, you don’t technically own it, per se, in that it is not in your possession, you merely possess the ability to access its contents at any time.
This is fundamentally how Bitcoin and the Blockchain works. Anyone and everyone can see the contents of everyone else’s Bitcoin addresses. There is no information tying people to their addresses, but everyone is aware of the existence of every address. When someone opens a Bitcoin wallet, they are creating a new address on the Blockchain and the private key that ‘unlocks’ that address. In this way, you can’t ‘copy and paste’ Bitcoin because all you would be doing is making a copy of a key as the wallet on your computer does not actually hold the Bitcoin.
Transactions and beyond
This is where the analogy wavers slightly - the task of conveying the fact that transactions are all publicly accessible and anyone can see that Bitcoin has been transferred from one ‘deposit box’ to another, yet still no one’s identity is revealed is somewhat tricky. I’d love to see your thoughts in the comments about how this could be resolved and how the analogy can be developed further, or if you just hate the analogy altogether - that’s fine too.I was in Dallas this recently for the New Cities Summit, so it’s a good time to post an update on the city.
I don’t think many of us realize the scale to which Sunbelt mega-boomtowns like Dallas have grown. The Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area is now the fourth largest in the United States with 6.8 million people, and it continues to pile on people and jobs at a fiendish clip.
Many urbanists are not fans of DFW, and it’s easy to understand why. But I think it’s unfair to judge the quality of a city without considering where it is at in its lifecycle. Dallas has been around since the 1800s, but the metroplex is only just now starting to come into its own as a region. It is still in the hypergrowth and wealth building stage, similar to where a place like Chicago was back in the late 19th century. Unsurprisingly, filthy, crass, money-grubbing, unsophisticated Chicago did not appeal to the sophisticates of its day either. But once Chicago got rich, it decided to get classy. Its business booster class endowed first rate cultural institutions like the Art Institute, and tremendous efforts were made to upgrade the quality of the city and deal with the congestion, pollution, substandard housing, and fallout from rapid growth, which threatened to choke off the city’s future success. At some point in its journey, Chicago reached an inflection point where it transitioned to a more mature state. One can perhaps see the 1909 Burnham Plan as the best symbol of this. In addition to addressing practical concerns like street congestion, the Burnham Plan also sought to create a city that could hold its own among the world’s elite. And you’d have to argue the city largely succeeded in that vision.
The DFW area is now at that transition point. They realize that as a city they need to be about more than just growth and money making. They need to have quality and they need to address issues in the system. Much like Burnham Plan era Chicago, this perhaps makes DFW a potentially very exciting place to be. It’s not everyday when you can be part of building a new aspirational future for a city that’s already been a successful boomtown. The locals I talked to were pretty pumped about their city and where it’s going.
How true this is I don’t know, but some people have attributed a change in mindset to the loss in the competition to land Boeing’s headquarters. Boeing ended up choosing Chicago over Dallas. In part this was because Chicago bought the business with lavish subsidies that far outclassed what Dallas put on the table. But it was also because Boeing saw Chicago as a more congenial environment for global company C-suite and other top executives to be, both from a lifestyle perspective and that of access to other globally elite firms and workers available in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the cracks in the DFW growth model were becoming apparent, especially in the core city of Dallas. Ten years ago the Dallas Morning News ran a series called “Dallas at a Tipping Point: A Roadmap For Renewal.” This series was underpinned by a report prepared by the consulting firm Booz Allen. This report is well worth reading by almost anyone today as it is a rare example of a city that was able to get insight and recommendations from the type of tier one strategy firm used by major corporations. Booz Allen was direct in their findings, though perhaps with a bit of hyperbole in the Detroit comparison:
Dallas stands at the verge of entering a cycle of decline…On its current path, Dallas will, in the next 20 years, go the way of declining cities like Detroit – a hollow core abandoned by the middle class and surrounded by suburbs that outperform the city but inevitably are dragged down by it.
….
If the City of Dallas were a corporate client, we would note that it has fallen significantly behind its competitors. We would warn that its product offering is becoming less and less compelling to its core group of target customers…We would further caution the management that they are in an especially dangerous position because overall growth in the market…is masking the depth of its underlying problems. We would explain that in our experience, companies in fast growing markets are often those most at risk because they frequently do not realize they are falling behind until the situation is irreversible. Put into the language of business, we would note that Dallas is under-investing in its core product, has not embraced best practices throughout its management or operations, and is fast becoming burdened by long term liabilities that could bankrupt the company if the market takes a downturn.
The city responded in a number of ways, some of which were similar to Chicago at its inflection point. Many of these involve various urbanist “best practices” or conventional wisdom type trends.
By far the most important of these was adopting modern statistically driven policing approaches. As crime plummeted in places like New York during the 1990s, Dallas did not see a decline of its own. But with the expansion of police headcount and adoption of new strategies by new police chief David Kunkle in 2004 – and no doubt some help from national trends – crime fell steeply during the 2000s. The Dallas Morning News says that the city’s violent and property crime rates fell by a greater percentage than any other city with over one million residents over the last decade. In 2013, Dallas had its overall lowest crime rate in 47 years.
This is critical because nothing else matters without safe streets. I’ve had many a jousting match with other urbanists on discussion boards about where crime falls on the list of priorities. In my view it’s clearly #1 – even more so than education. It’s simply a prerequisite to almost any other systemic good happening in your cities. Students can’t learn effectively if they live and attend school in dangerous environments, for example. NYU economist Paul Romer made this point forcefully in his New Cities keynote, saying that fighting crime is the most important function of government and that if you don’t deliver on crime control your city will go into decline. Fortunately, Dallas seems to have gotten the message.
But there’s been attention to physical infrastructure as well. The area has built America’s largest light rail system (which was in the works since the early 1980s).
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail train. Source: Wikipedia
Both the city and region remain fundamentally auto-centric, however, and this is unlikely to change.
There’s been a significant investment in quality green spaces. A major initiative called theTrinity River Project is designed to reclaim the Trinity River corridor through the city as a recreational amenity. This is underway but proceeding slowing. Among the aspects of the project is a series of three planned signature bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava. The only one completed is the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Downtown Dallas. Designed by Santiago Calatrava. Source: Wikipedia
The single bridge tower is quite an imposing presence on the skyline. However, the size of the bridge creates an awkward contrast with the glorified creek that is the Trinity River. It looks to me like they significantly over-engineered what should have been a fairly straightforward flood plain to span just so they could create a major structure.
Another green space project – and the best thing I saw in my trip to Dallas – is Klyde Warren Park, which is built on a freeway cap. About half the cost came from $50 million donations. I’ll be going into more detail on this in my next installment, but here’s a teaser photo:
Klyde Warren Park. Source: Wikipedia
The Calatrava bridge shows that Dallas has embraced the starchitect trend. This was also on display in the creation of the Dallas Arts District. Complementing the Dallas Museum of Art are a billion dollars worth of starchitect designed facilities including Renzo Piano’s Nasher Sculpture Center, IM Pei’s symphony center, Norman Foster’s Winspear Opera House, and OMA’s Wyly Theatre.
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Designed by OMA’s Joshua Prince-Ramus (partner in charge) and Rem Koolhaas
This arts district – which naturally Dallas boasts is the world’s largest – along with the other major investments that were funded with significant private contributions show a major advantage Texas metros like DFW and Houston have: philanthropy. These are new money towns on their way up and local billionaires are willing to open their wallets bigtime in an attempt to realize world class ambitions, exactly the way Chicago’s did all those decades back.
By contrast many northern tier cities are dependent on legacy philanthropy, such as foundations set up in an era when they were industrial power houses. This is a dwindling inheritance. What’s more, what wealthy residents they do have are as likely to be taking money out of their cities through cash for cronies projects than they are to be putting it in. Thus they can be a negative not positive influence.
This shows the importance of wealth building in cities. Commercial endeavors can appear crass or greedy at times, and deservedly so. But without wealth, you can’t afford to do anything. There’s a reason Dallas could build America’s largest light rail system – it had the money to do so. Similarly with this performing arts district. To be a city of ambition requires that a place also be an engine of wealth generation.
I’m sure that Dallas’ moneyed elite are well taken care of locally and exert outsized influence on decision making. I don’t want to make them out to be puristic altruists. But they’ve shown they are willing to open their wallets in a serious way, something that’s not true everywhere.
This is a flavor of what Dallas has been up to. It’s too early to say whether the city will make the same transition Chicago did. Its greatest challenge also awaits some time in the future. When DFW’s hypergrowth phase ends and the city must, like New York and Chicago before it, reinvent itself for a new age, that’s when we will find out if DFW has what it takes to join the world’s elite, or whether it will fade like a flower as Detroit and so many other places did.
Toyota did just announce it’s moving 3,500 jobs to north suburban Plano. But corporations have long seen Dallas a place for large white collar operations. Boeing was what I call an “executive headquarters” – a fairly small operation consisting of only the most senior people. I haven’t seen Dallas win any of these as of yet.
The Dallas Morning News takes a somewhat mixed view on the city itself. They just did a special section called “Future Dallas: Making Strides, Facing Challenges,” the title of which sums it up. Dallas has put a lot of pieces on the board and made major progress on areas like crime, but it’s failed to make a dent in others, such as Booz Allen’s call to make the city more attractive to middle class families. Poverty is actually up since then, and the city is increasingly unequal in its income distribution. Dallas is not unique in that, but that’s cold comfort.
Despite gigantic regional growth, the city’s population has been nearly flat. Despite the vaunted Texas and DFW jobs engine, Dallas County has lost about 100,000 jobs since 2000. The core is clearly continuing in relative decline, and the Dallas County job losses are particularly troubling. I’m no believer in this idea that everybody is going to abandon the suburbs and head back to the city. But as former Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut put it, you can’t be a suburb of nowhere. If the core loses economic vitality, the entire DFW regional will take a hit to its growth.
Aaron M. Renn is an independent writer on urban affairs and the founder of Telestrian, a data analysis and mapping tool. He writes at The Urbanophile, where this piece originally appeared.
Dallas photo by Bigstock.By glazou on Saturday 25 June 2011, 17:35 - Mozilla - Permalink
Asa (recently named Product Manager for Desktop Firefox) commented a lot in Mike Kaply's recent blog entries following my own. I must comment myself on Asa's answers because some are just shocking.
Mike, you do realize that we get about 2 million Firefox downloads per day from regular user types, right? Your “big numbers” here are really just a drop in the bucket, fractions of fractions of a percent of our user base.
Uh!?!? We spend 8 to 10 hours per day (out of 16 hours awake) at work where the browser is one of the most important productivity tools ever, but corporate users are a drop in the bucket and therefore should not be addressed? Wow. Speaking of "drops in the bucket", I really wonder why accessibility is so important then... Oh, wait, there is a legal arsenal supporting accessibility. Even if localization is done by the community, Mozilla also spends resources to build and distribute Firefox in minor (in terms of speakers) languages like Basque or Breton. Who said drops in the bucket?
Speaking of drop in the bucket, I have an important question and I would like a firm, official and non politically correct answer: what is the future of Xulrunner?
Enterprise has never been (and I’ll argue, shouldn’t be) a focus of ours
We'll see. The day you understand that fighting Chrome with Chrome's strategy does not bring any differenciating factor and can only lead to the superiority of Chrome, you may change your view and finally discover there are important markets shares that are strictly not addressable by Chrome for various reasons. BTW, an old friend of mine, IT top manager for a 40,000+ employees, company called me yesterday. Verbatim: "once IE10 is out, we'll switch back to IE, the only browser that does care about corporate users despite of the issues it also raises ". Devastating... Already well heard in Redmond apparently.
A minute spent making a corporate user happy can better be spent making many regular users happy.
I dispute that. The finances and resources spent to implement and ship Panorama, an unfinished, unextensible, unlocalizable feature that drastically changes the center of gravity of the browser and was finally hidden would have been better spent on the production of a MSI package for corporate IT teams.
Firefox 6 will be the EOL of Firefox 5. And Firefox 7 will be the EOL for Firefox 6.
Here in France, Firefox is used by governmental agencies, Ministers and even the Gendarmerie Nationale. I think you just lost them, in the middle to long run. By the way, will Thunderbird follow the same path for versions EOL?
IE9 is a fine browser and probably better suited to those who want long-term support. It’ll always be behind the consumer browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera)
WOW, to say the least. I would not bet a single cookie on that. And to be frank, I think IE10 will easily compete with the "consumer browsers". I even think IE10 and IE11 will start a frontal attack against the extensibility of Firefox and therefore a big part of its market share.
The Web platform is going to move forward at an increasingly swift pace, whether enterprises like it or not. There’s no stopping that. The Web is much bigger than the enterprise. It is a large and important piece of how we all live and it won’t be held hostage to the slow-moving dinosaurs of the past
Last time I checked, the companies you quite shockingly call "dinosaurs of the past" were still feeding us, providing your computer with electricity, allowing us to drive cars, to fly from a continent to another one, to buy flats or houses, manufacturing physical goods. And none of them releases a new version every six weeks. Browser vendors are extra-terrestrial aliens in this world. They think, because it's a browser war, users and web authors need 10 new browser versions per year. They don't. The only thing they really need is an interoperable Web and that's a totally different thing.
Basically, enterprises need to get more agile. They need to devote all that test/certify/train every three to ten years energy to continuous testing and roll-out system. It’s not more work or more money, it’s just a different schedule of work.
Winning a fight (hear a browser war) implies reaching new users. It also implies not letting existing users go. Asa thinks only individual users, I think all users. A blind user does not deserve less attention than a not visually impaired user ; similarly, a corporate user does not deserve less attention than others. And Corporations will not change the speed of their validation process because they just can't, they have too much to test with too small teams to achieve that validation in six weeks' time. Thinking they can shows only a total misunderstanding of what is an industry outside of the Computer Science domain and outside of the Bay Area's habits.ON Saturday night, at a packed tribute dinner to honour the extraordinary achievements of League of Ireland legend Owen Heary, his old gaffer Dermot Keely told a yarn about a pre-season jaunt to Cyprus as manager of Shelbourne.
ON Saturday night, at a packed tribute dinner to honour the extraordinary achievements of League of Ireland legend Owen Heary, his old gaffer Dermot Keely told a yarn about a pre-season jaunt to Cyprus as manager of Shelbourne.
In many respects, the story itself was standard football fare, a tale of players sneaking out for a few drinks when Keely had cancelled a scheduled night out at the end of a warm weather training camp. What seems remarkable now, more than a decade on, is the sheer concept of the trip itself.
Before the start of the 2014 Airtricity League campaign, there isn't a hope in hell that any of the participating sides will fly across Europe to train twice a day – 7am and 7pm – to accelerate their build-up for the year ahead. Shels were at the forefront of a concept that continued until the end of the boom. Now, it's a distant dream.
The temptation is to look back on that period of reckless spending and wonder if it really achieved anything.
Fortunately, the counterpoint to that argument was briefly present at the Gresham Hotel for Heary's big night as Wes Hoolahan called in to say hello en route back to the Irish camp where the squad had been set an 11.0 curfew by Martin O'Neill.
Hoolahan, who enjoyed a chat with Heary and another former team-mate, Stuart Byrne, brought a few jerseys along for auction as part of an enjoyable occasion, which took a surreal turn when adopted Bohs fan Johnny Logan popped by to serenade the audience with a mix of his own Eurovision classics and an Elvis medley.
'Weso' had delivered his own brand of entertainment at the Aviva 24 hours earlier and was warmly received as the local boy done good. His former team-mates always believed he was destined to grace the highest stage on a regular basis, albeit taking longer than they envisaged.
The former Belvedere player would tell you, however, that he benefited from his formative experiences at Shels, coming into a dressing-room packed with big characters.
While Ollie Byrne searched for the money to pay the bills, Keely, and subsequently Pat Fenlon, were given the resources to do things properly and success followed. Indeed, the original dressing-room that Hoolahan walked into was so good that he struggled to get a regular run in the team.
Consider these 2003 quotes from Fenlon. "Wes can do things that other players cannot do. He opens the play up and he gets other guys involved around him. It's been a little frustrating for him because he's not been able to command a first-team spot."
O'Neill could easily have said something similar after the 31-year-old Norwich man conducted the win over Latvia. The uncertain nature of life in the Airtricity League is making it nigh on impossible to build a solid group like that Shels side.
Heary, a winner of seven league titles across his stints with Shels and Bohs, was part of a generation who were paid well enough to stay at home and play professionally for the better part |
ained on rather than doing the work more efficiently at home and having the time to visit the jungle with a picnic instead.
Summary
The reasons, that I don’t do co-working and you might not want to either, are simple:
· It’s lousy value for money
· It means coming into contact with the worst people digital nomad life has to offer
· It means losing productivity and time, time that can be spent enjoying what digital nomad life has to offer
· Other people are not a substitute for self-motivation
· Coffee shops are better
· There’s nothing you can’t do without a co-working space
One last thing, as Columbo would say, it is absolutely fine to choose to work from a co-working space (office). But please stop pretending that it’s necessary, or even beneficial, to do so. It is certainly not an essential to any digital nomad’s life. The vast majority of successful digital nomads (those with real jobs, or high-level freelance contracts, or actual businesses to run), will never be found in a co-working space and it’s time to acknowledge that fact.
***
On Your Terms is a publication by Tortuga, makers of the ultimate travel backpack.GOLD Coast fitness model Andy Page posted a video on Saturday morning about her “lean breakfast” and upcoming workout
The next morning she was dead.
The 32-year-old went to bed on Saturday night with pain in her side and never woke.
Devastated family, friends and colleagues have posted their grief on social media and are at a loss to explain what caused her death.
Gold Coast boxing promoter Jamie Myer trained Andy for her first amateur fight and said she was the type of person who “lit up the room”.
“Any was a happy, bubbly girl, who always lit up a room and gave 100 per cent to everything she did,” Mr Myer said.
“We got her in the ring for her first fight and she loved it. It was one for her to tick off the bucket list.
“She had no comps coming up and was a hard-worker who trained the right way.
“She was recovering from an injury and had just moved back to the Gold Coast from Sydney.”
Mr Myer flatly dismissed speculation the sports model was using drugs.
“She just wasn’t that kind of girl,” he said.
Andy lived on the Gold Coast, worked as exercise physiologist, swam at a national level and competed in the Australian Surf Lifesaving titles for Kurrawa.
She began bodybuilding four years ago, quickly advancing through the state and national titles to compete internationally.
In 2014, Andy married coach Nathan Page in Sydney where they opened their own fitness facility, Fitness Republic.
They sold the business this year and moved back to the Gold Coast.
Mr Page and other members of Andy’s family were too distraught to talk about their loss yesterday and have asked for privacy while they grieve.
Friend and fellow fitness trainer, Asha Burnley, said Andy touched many lives.
“She was a beautiful soul with a kind heart who lived a life of contribution and always wanted to give back, help others and add value,” she said.
“I first met her six or seven years ago, when she was living on the Gold Coast. We shared a mutual love for health, fitness and helping others.
“Her work lately had mostly been as a professional nutritionist as well as competition coaching and running her Isagenix (supplement) business. I am shocked and saddened to learn of her passing.”
Andy, who had just celebrated her second wedding anniversary, was set to co-host a fitness webinar next week.
Colleagues have dedicated the live online event to her memory, calling her a “highly respected and well-regarded coach, mentor, friend and expert in the fitness industry”.
Andy will be farewelled at a private funeral at Somerville Chapel, Nerang on Thursday.
The death is not considered suspicious and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.Ousted FBI director James Comey is sworn in during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill June 8, 2017 in Washington, DC. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, CNN reports, told the House Intelligence Committee that former FBI Director James Comey informed him of his conversations earlier this year with President Trump shortly after they occurred, a revelation that could play a key role in the building of an obstruction of justice case against the president. At the heart of the matter is a Jan. 27th dinner at the White House where the then-FBI director says Trump told him: “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.”
Later, in February, Comey says Trump asked him to go easy on former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn during an Oval Office meeting. “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump told Comey. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” By May, however, Trump had fired Comey and denied asking Comey, who was at the time overseeing the investigation into Russia’s election meddling and the Trump campaign’s ties to Moscow, to pledge his loyalty. Comey also recounted that Trump asked him he wanted to keep his job, which concerned the FBI director that president was trying to establish “some sort of patronage relationship.”
James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017
“The testimony suggests McCabe could corroborate Comey’s account, including Trump’s ask that Comey show him loyalty, which the President has strongly disputed,” CNN reports. “Comey previously testified that he briefed some of his senior colleagues at the FBI about this conversation with Trump.” Comey also wrote contemporaneous memos of his interactions with Trump; an FBI agent’s contemporaneous are widely admissible in court as credible evidence.“A great sorrow is inflicted upon the residents of the kingdom, their beloved princess has fallen deadly ill. Only a potion, brewed from the legendary root of the Mandrago, can save her. The king offers a great reward to the adventurer that can present him this mysterious potion, but time is of the essence!”
Mandrago is a memory like game with a twist for 2-4 players. Players explore a forest looking for enough Mandrago roots and seek the help from allies to save their princess. Will you succeed in finding those roots?
*all photos in this review are of a print and play version, and will differ from the final version*
In Mandrago players will not be looking for doubles, but for these:
These are Mandrago roots, we need these to make the medicine for our very ill princess. You instantly win if you can collect one of each color, but you can also win by collecting a certain amount of points (15/13/11 for a 2/3/4 player game) through collecting roots and allies you find in the forest.
This is how the game starts. You build the forest by placing the tiles face down in a grid of 5 by 8, this is the forest you will explore. Place the tokens next to the forest. The tokens will look different in the final version, these are blank tokens I have lying around. There are 3 different kind of tokens:
Eye tokens for scouting
Knight tokens that the Knight will use for combat or protection.
Dragon tokens that the Dragon will use for combat or protection.
Phase 1: Count your points
Count your points and tell the others how many you have. If you have the required amount of points at the beginning of your turn (this phase) you win!
Phase 2: Collect a tile
Collect a tile.
Just pick any face down tile in the forest you want, show it to the others on place it face up in front of you. This is your collection.
In this example I’m collecting a yellow root. These are worth 2 points in their normal state. Some allies can alter the value,when this happens you just turn your tile left or right like this:
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Phase 3: Scout
We start scouting the forest by placing 3 eye tokens on 3 tiles we want to have a look at. (At some point in the game you can have more than 3 eye tokens, for every wizard you collect, you get an extra one.)
First we must show one of these to the other players. In this case, we show the others a witch. After we’ve shown one of the selected tiles, we have 2 options:
Leave the tiles like that and move on to phase 4
Choose one of the tiles to flip face up. Why would you do this? Certain tiles act like modifiers (good or bad) when they are placed face up, so you can choose to increase the value of certain tiles in your collection or decrease tiles some of your opponents. Also, face up tiles will stay in the forest and cannot be collected for the rest of the game.
Phase 4: Count again
Make a tally of your points and tell the others. Remember, you can only win at the start of your turn (except if you have a witch in front of you), so others can try to lower your score by attacking you or flipping a goblin tile face up.
The allies
Among the trees lurk all sorts of creatures, both night and day creatures, and an occasional Satyr. They will help you with your quest or come and annoy you. Some of them can even kill other creatures!
All of the creatures (except for the goblin and faerie) are worth 2 point in your collection if there is another copy face up in the forest.
Night creatures (moon symbol)
Witch
Worth 2 points if there’s a witch face up in the forest
If she sits in your collection you can win any time in the game, no need to wait till the beginning of your turn.
Dragon
Worth 2 points if there’s a dragon face up in the forest.
Comes with it’s own token You can use this token to kill off any day creature in the forest or collection Protects any night creature against attack from the knight
Goblin
Comes in the same colors as the Mandrago roots
If he’s face up in the forest, roots of that color are worth one less (for all players)
He’s kinda worthless when he sits in your collection (but is worth one if you have a Satyr)
Day creatures (sun symbol)
Knight
Worth 2 points if there’s a knight face up in the forest.
Comes with it’s own token You can use this token to kill off any night creature in the forest or collection Protects any day creature against attack from the dragon
Wizard
Grants one extra eye token for scouting and thus one extra tile you can look at during scouting
Worth 2 points if there’s a wizard face up in the forest.
Faerie
Comes in the same colors as the Mandrago roots
If she’s face up in the forest, roots of that color are worth one more (for all players)
She’s kinda worthless when she sits in your collection (but is worth one if you have a Satyr)
The Satyr
The Satyr is a special cookie. He’s neither a day or night creature.
Worth 2 points if there’s a satyr face up in the forest.
If you have a Satyr in your collection, every ally (yes, even the ‘evil’ ones) are worth 1 extra point, this means that collected goblins become 1 point and a Satyr becomes 3 if there’s another one in the forest. Yeah, he’s is pretty powerful, you really want this guy…goat
Mandrago is a game by Johan Beyens, and will be published, after their kickstarter by Red Eyed Rabbit. The game lasts about 20 minutes (pretty true) and in my opinion ideal for playing with kids, especially since there is a team variant where you play 2 against 2. Mom against dad anyone? It works like memory sprinkled with some interesting mechanics, stimulating kids to start with board and card games. It’s quick to set up and explain the rules.
The Satyr is pretty powerful creature in this game and to me a must collect in this game. He’s just too good. The witch was my least favourite, I’d only pick her up for the 2 point she gives when there”s another one in the forest. As for collecting the 6 different colors route, not sure if I’d take it, maybe if I’m lucky. Collecting allies and modifiers is more interesting to me that hunting down 6 of the different roots (since on their own are worth 12 points
Few lesser points for me were the size and color of the tiles, personally I’d like them to be larger and in low lighting some of the colours can be hard to distinguish. But then again, I only played the print and play version, so maybe the graphics will change during production. The final tiles will be the size of Settlers of Catan tiles.
You can go and check out Mandrago on Kickstarter or on Red Eyed Rabbit’s website.
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Like this: Like Loading...By Elliot Njus and Molly Harbarger
It's rare that a governor shows up to celebrate a new condo tower.
But this one's made of wood, and that's a bigger deal than it seems.
Gov. Kate Brown was on hand the day Carbon12 in North Portland reached its full eight stories and became the nation's tallest wood building. The feat was made possible by cross-laminated timber, wood engineered to have the strength of steel.
The distinction won't last long. Another Portland development, an 11–story high-rise made of the same wood product, is expected to secure a building permit within weeks and start construction this summer.
For Oregon, cross-laminated timber represents a chance to revive the moribund wood products industry, restoring logging and manufacturing jobs in rural communities — where the state's natural resources give it a clear advantage over foreign competitors.
The state is investing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to promote CLT. Right now, only a handful of buildings in the U.S. have been built with it, and most are in Oregon.
But even as CLT presents an opportunity for the state, the nation's building codes are slow to endorse new materials, and industries that could lose sales to CLT aren't giving up market share without a fight.
***
Driving south on Interstate 5 toward the small timber town of Riddle, the smell of mulch hits first. Wood planks sit stacked 10 feet high in lumber yards.
D.R. Johnson Lumber Co. is down Pruner Road, the second mill on the right. It has been cutting custom lumber since 1951.
Founder D.R. Johnson's investment in a glue laminating system early in 1967 proved prophetic, sustaining the company while others in the state crumbled to environmental, economic and political forces.
The mill is once again on the cutting edge. Valerie Johnson, daughter of the founder, dove into the opportunity to become the country's first and only CLT producer.
Inside the mill, a machine cuts triangular joints into wooden boards, which are slathered with yellow glue and then heated to 180 degrees and pressed together into a panel.
The next layer goes on at a 90-degree angle — the "cross" in cross-laminated timber — and the process is repeated until the panel reaches the desired thickness. Then it's coated in plastic and set to dry.
The result is flexible but strong enough to span long distances without support beams.
The panels are built to exacting specifications based on the design of the building. Johnson has hired or trained staff to use computer design systems that simulate how each panel will fit together so the workers on the mill side can cut them within 1/16th of an inch.
They're flat-packed like Ikea furniture and shipped directly to a job site. In 2016, a D.R. Johnson truck left Riddle around 6 a.m. and pulled up to the construction site for a four-story office building in North Portland. Just four hours later — including a break for lunch — the first floor was finished.
***
That building was Albina Yard, the first in the U.S. to use domestically sourced CLT for its structural system. It now houses offices for Lever Architecture, the building's designer.
That was followed by Carbon12, the condominium project that's nearing completion on North Williams Avenue just a few blocks away. That building, at 85 feet and eight stories, pushed the envelope of wood construction.
So eager were officials in Salem to see the project get underway that they urged developer Ben Kaiser to secure a building permit through the state, rather than the city of Portland.
Because Oregon building code doesn't account for tall-timber construction, designers must show through computer simulations and modeling that the building would be as safe as the construction types outlined in code. That approach adds costs.
Going to Salem for a permit unsurprisingly caused some jurisdictional friction, Kaiser said. City officials wanted a costly outside review of the design work — an understandable request, Kaiser said, given that Portland firefighters would have to respond to any emergency at the building.
"It's sitting right there. It's not sitting in Salem," he said, gesturing at the building. "Everybody was just trying to understand, because this has never been done before."
Therein lies the challenge. No U.S. building code exists for wooden towers higher than 85 feet, but that's not going to change until people start demonstrating it can be done safely.
"Theoretical work is fantastic," Kaiser said, "but only built structures will change an industry."
The next CLT structure will take an even bigger leap. Beneficial State Bank, the California parent of Portland's Albina Community Bank, plans to build Framework, an 11-story office and apartment tower in the Pearl District.
At 148 feet, it would take the title of tallest wood building from Carbon12.
"They're really building on each other," said Thomas Robinson of Lever Architecture, which is designing Framework.
The state is also reviewing that building's application for a building permit, which the developer, Project^, hopes to secure within weeks.
Framework would be treated as a high-rise under the state's fire code, which means it must be able to burn for more than two hours without collapsing. Robinson says testing conducted by a third-party nonprofit shows that CLT and glue-laminated timber can.
And while Kaiser bought CLT panels from a mill in Canada, where the product is slightly more common, the developers of Framework plan to source at least 50 percent of their wood from the United States.
***
Last month, as Portland hosted the International Mass Timber Conference, the governor convened the summit focused on CLT and similar products, bringing together experts from around the state.
"Oregon's forests are a tried and true resource that may again be the key to economic stability for rural Oregon, expanding opportunity for communities hit hard by the decline of the natural resource economy," Brown told those gathered. "Mass timber presents a new opportunity for Oregon, an opportunity we are perfectly suited to take on."
Even in Europe, where CLT took hold earlier, it remains a niche product. But it's perhaps telling that the incumbent industries that supply material for high-rise construction are paying attention.
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has pushed back against cross-laminated timber, opposing subsidies to develop the industry and casting doubt on CLT's ability to resist fire and rot.
It fought off a Washington state bill that would have given tax incentives to producers of CLT products, and it ominously quoted the National Association of State Fire Marshals in press releases.
Contacted by The Oregonian/OregonLive, the fire marshals group said it didn't want to be seen as promoting one material over another.
"We just want to make sure that we're considering the safety factors and that we have a clear understanding of how this material will react under fire conditions," said Jon Narva, that group's spokesman. "We want to ensure the safety of the occupants and the firefighters who have to go into the building if there is a fire."
More testing has occurred since the concrete group weighed in, with promising results.
Lech Muszynski, an associate professor at Oregon State University's forestry school, was once a doubter for different reasons.
"My first thought was, 'This is a terrible use of timber,'" he said.
Then the technology evolved. Muszynski spent a sabbatical touring Europe to visit large and small CLT manufacturing plants. About 80 percent of all CLT is currently produced in a section of Alpine Europe that fits inside the square footage of Oregon. With the size of the state and the amount of wood on hand, he saw an easy sell.
Oregon has 30 million acres of forest land and a rich history in the timber trade and several mills still in production. Most of that is off limits to logging, but lush harvestable forests are filled with softwood trees perfect for CLT. And, the state has been looking for ways to boost the lagging rural economy.
Timber, once a main driver in the Pacific Northwest, once employed more than 80,000 in Oregon. But numbers began to dwindle in the 1980s. By 2012, employment had fallen to 30,000 according to the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
Unemployment in onetime timber-dependent counties is significantly higher than the rest of the state. While Oregon's unemployment rate sits at 3.8 percent, and the nation's at 4.5 percent, most of those counties still have jobless rates above 5 percent.
"For the first time in Oregon history, there is a tech venture Oregon is excited about and rural Oregon is in the perfect position to deliver," Muszynski said.
The state of Oregon, too, is sold on the idea, and it has devoted thousands of dollars to building an industry around CLT.
"We're ramping up quite a bit," said Nathan Buehler, the spokesman for state economic development agency Business Oregon. "We see it as a win for rural Oregon. There's opportunity to really grow in those communities and create jobs."
D.R. Johnson received an Oregon BEST grant of $150,000, which helped build a manufacturing line. In May 2014, the company produced its first panel. By September, the first panels were installed at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
At the University of Oregon, architecture students are designing projects with CLT and helping test their performance. Oregon State University, meanwhile, has formed a research center, the TallWood Design Institute around advanced wood technologies.
Thomas Maness, dean of OSU's forestry school, wanted a "value-added product" to reorient the school around -- something that makes the existing harvest more lucrative. He doubts the state's timber harvest will ever increase significantly, so students must learn new technical skills to boost their wages in the timber industry.
"I think it makes practicing forestry a higher value profession," Maness said.
Maness also hopes CLT will create jobs in the rural communities where many of his students grew up – a goal long shared by state officials.
***
Even on a weekday, it's hard to tell if the string of businesses that make up downtown Riddle are open or closed.
Nestled in one of the historic "hundred valleys of the Umpqua River" with plumes of white smoke rising around it in every direction from lumber plants, the town, with its patchwork of houses and trailers, a truck in each yard and a library open only two days a week, resembles the Appalachian towns with long-abandoned coal mines.
Here, more than 22 percent of families lived below the poverty line in 2015, a steep increase from 8.7 percent five years before.
Johnson, the mill operator, hopes cross-laminated timber will change all that.
"We're really convinced this is a real market," Johnson said.
-- Elliot Njus and Molly Harbarger
enjus@oregonian.com
503-294-5034
@enjus
mharbarger@oregonian.com
503-294-5923
@MollyHarbargerKickstarter Spotlight: ‘System Shock’ Remake
We’ve already seen some gameplay action for System Shock, a remake of the ’90s classic of the same name. The game spawned a direct sequel as well as a little game called BioShock, which is considered a spiritual successor.
Now the System Shock remake has taken to Kickstarter to help ensure that it fully gets made and released, while also giving existing fans of the chance to get involved and share their thoughts instead of having a publisher put up the funding and possibly control things.
In addition to launching the Kickstarter campaign, a new trailer has also been released along with a gameplay demo video offering a great peek at how things are looking. You can see those below, as well as their awesome pitch video, which is filled with geeky game goodness and some ’90s nostalgia.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT System Shock is a complete remake of the genre defining classic from 1994, rebuilt from the ground up with the Unity Engine. System Shock was one of the first 3D games that took a methodical approach to exploration while revealing a story driven narrative through audio logs and messages scattered throughout the game world. It was a revolutionary step forward for the medium in a time when developers first began experimenting with interactive story telling. Players were trapped aboard Citadel Station as they fought to survive against the cyborgs and mutated crew members corrupted by a maniacal A.I. known as SHODAN, one of the most treacherous antagonists ever conceived. System Shock offered an unparalleled experience that would solidify it as one of the greatest games of all time. STORY Caught during a risky break-in, you become indentured to a greedy TriOptimum executive. After six months in a healing coma, you awaken to discover the surgeons are missing, the station is in disrepair, and the once-prime corporate facility now teems with mindless cyborgs, robots, and mutated beings, all programmed to serve a ruthless A.I.: SHODAN. There’s scarcely time to think before it unleashes the first terror… FEATURES General Features
→ A modern take on System Shock, a faithful reboot; it’s not Citadel Station as it was, but as you remember it. Many improvements, overhauls and changes are being implemented to capture the spirit of what the original game was trying to convey, and bring it to contemporary gamers.
→ Re-imagined enemies, weapons, and locations by original concept artist Robb Waters.
→ Terri Brosius reprises her role as SHODAN, and new VO will be recorded.
→ Brand new musical score composed by Jonathan Peros.
→ The user interface, game mechanics, enemies, and puzzles will be updated to reflect modern aesthetics and sensibilities, while maintaining the feel of the original. Scope Features
→ $900k Goal: Modern Inventory Management, Modern Controls, New Puzzles, Updated Faithful Levels, Game Difficulty Modes.
→ $1.7m Goal : Enemy limb dismemberment, More puzzles, Ammo types/weapon settings, Vending machines, Basic components/research, RPG progression, Weapon upgrading, Hardcore mode (No respawning), Ironman mode (Only 1 savegame. If you die, the save is deleted).
The game doesn’t appear to need much help getting to its base goal of $900,000—it’s already well over half way to $1 million with 28 days remaining. That alone tells you how excited both people who love the original and those looking forward to being able to play it for the first time (me! me!) are by this updated version of the classic. The only reason to chip in is if you’re a fan and want to be a small part of it, and to help it get to its many stretch goals so it can be the biggest and best remake it can be.
If interested you can read much more about the project, the team involved (an impressive group who have previously worked on games like the original System Shock, BioShock and BioShock Infinite, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and World of Warcraft), and what rewards are being offered over at the Kickstarter campaign page.
VideosAP President Barack Obama's lead in battleground states Colorado and Virginia have vanished in the past month, according to new NBC News-Wall Street Journal-Marist and Fox News polls of the states.
Obama is now tied with Republican Mitt Romney in Colorado among likely voters in the new NBC-WSJ-Marist poll, down from a 5-point lead in mid-September. In Virginia, a 7-point advantage in a September Fox News poll has crumbled, and Romney now leads by 2 points.
In Colorado, Obama has gotten slammed in the past month with Independents. An 11-point lead last month has slimmed to a virtual tie. Romney has also expanded his lead to 13 points among men and closed the gap to just a 3-point disadvantage among women. Obama and Romney met for the first debate in Denver, where Romney won handily.
Independents have also moved toward Romney in Virginia. They now prefer him by an astounding 22 points, compared with an even split last month. Obama's lead with women in the state has been cut in half to just 6 points.
Significantly, though, the NBC-WSJ polls also show that Obama has maintained a 50-47 lead in battleground state Nevada, which mirrors a result from Public Policy Polling released yesterday. If Obama is able to hold onto Nevada along with Wisconsin and Ohio (two places where he is currently leading polling), he would be on track to 270 electoral votes.Shkreli, 32, tried a similar price hike while working at another drug firm
He has since claimed he wants to reduce the price after a public backlash
A pharmaceutical company boss who bought the rights to a drug used in the treatment of HIV and increased the price by 5,000 per cent tried a similar move with a previous employer with kidney pills.
Martin Shkreli, 32, CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals had tried a similar ruse while working for Retrophin. This time he tried int increase the price of Thiola from $1.50 to $30 a pill.
Now the controversial pharmaceutical boss has said he wants to reduce the price of Daraprim, which jumped from $13.50 to $750 but has so far refused to say by how much.
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Villain: Martin Shkreli (above) founder and chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, purchased the rights to Daraprim in August for $55million
Awful: He is now defending his decision to raise the price of Daraprim (above) from $13.50 per tablet to $750 per tablet saying his company 'needed to turn a profit'
The most recent scandal involves Daraprim, which is used to treat parasitic infections.
Shkreli told ABC News: 'We’ve agreed to lower the price of Daraprim to a point that is more affordable and is able to allow the company to make a profit, but a very small profit.'
The company obtained rights to sell the drug, the only U.S.-approved treatment for toxoplasmosis, in August. It hiked the price overnight from $13.50 per pill to $750.
Turing had said it would use profits to improve the drug’s formulation and develop new, better drugs for the infection. It also stressed that some patients can get financial aid from the company to obtain the drug.
But the price hike sparked outrage from medical groups representing doctors who care for patients with HIV and other infectious diseases, because Daraprim treats patients with compromised immune systems.
Hillary Rodham Clinton called Turing’s price hike 'outrageous' in a tweet Monday. While campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday, she outlined a broad plan aimed at holding down the cost of prescription drugs.
In one of his interviews, Shkreli was asked to address this drastic increase in price right off the bat.
'Well, it depends on how you define so drastically,' Shkreli told Don Dahler of CBS News.
'Because the drug was unprofitable at the former price, so any company selling it would be losing money. And at this price it's a reasonable profit. Not excessive at all.'
He then said that despite how it looked there were 'a lot of altruistic properties to [ the prince increase.'
Most of these 'altrutistic properties' he seemed to be speaking of involved research.
'This is a disease where there hasn't been one pharmaceutical company focused on it for 70 years. We're now a company that is dedicated to the treatment and cure of toxoplasmosis. And with these new profits we can spend all of that upside on these patients who sorely need a new drug, in my opinion,' he explained.
He later added that while he was of course trying to turn a profit, that as a pharmaceutical company 'our first and primary stakeholders are patients, there's no doubt about that.'
He echoed these same statements in an interview with Bloomberg, also addressing the possibility of a mutation in toxoplasmosis as another reason research was necessary, and therefore more money.
In that interview he also made it clear that the drug would be avilable to all those who need it, and that even if there was a dispute with an insurer the patiuent would be sent their pills while things were being sorted.
He was then asked at one point to address whether or not his price hike might lead to competitors making generic versions of the drug to which he responded; 'Sure, and I think that's a great thing. At the end of the day if you look at diseases like myeloma or multiple sclerosis they've been transformed immensely by profit incentive.
'This drug is from the 1940s. We can make a better drug for this disease.'
He went on to say; 'We're spending tens of millions of dollars to make a better version of Daraprim that is more effective, less toxic.
'Daraprim is a very toxic drug, and these patients deserve a drug company that is turning a profit - a fair proit - and is also developing a drug that is better for them. They don't deserve a drug that is 70- years old. They deserve modern medicine that can cure toxoplasmosis quickly.'
Cash money: Shkreli (above) said the parasitic infection that can cause serious and life-threatening problems which the pill treats could mutate, making research necessary
As for why he has taken an interest in this disease, Shkreli said; 'We know there's a better way to treat this disease. You know, we are developing three or four new kinds of drugs for toxoplasmosis.
'Remember no one has cared about this illness for a long time from the pharmaceutical perspective, if ever. And I think that's a terrible thing if you're suffering from toxoplasmosis.
'Now you have a powerful ally in our company that is looking to make new drugs for you that is looking to spend money and to do that is very expensive.
'They estimate a new drug can cost $1billion to develop. It's only fair that we make a profit and that we put that money back into the patient's hands.
'I know what we're doing is right.'
He closed by pointing out that something could happen where this disease could suddenly cause major problems for almost a quarter of the world's population.
'For infectious diseases, these bugs evolve, they become resistant. In fact, if we still had to focus on penicillin, which is about 70-years-old, we'd be in big trouble today,' explained Shkreli.
'And the reality is that by making a better version of Daraprim - two billion people have this, and in the latent form is totally fine, but if you become immunosuppressed it can kill you.
'And so if this bug evolves it'll be a ticking time bomb and i think we need to prepare now in case the toxoplasma mutates.
'And we know Daraprim, our drug, does not cure you 100% of the time - it's about 80%. And i think we can get that to 100% with research.'
Shortly after his interviews aired, Shkreli announced he was done talking, writing on Twitter; 'Media: sorry, no more interviews. I have a busy and important job. I've said what I needed to and anyone interested can view those pieces.'
He then changed his mind shortly after and revealed he would be appearing on the national news Tuesday night.
Drug companies marking up the cost of medication is a frequent occurrence these days, and it is common to see six-digit prices for drugs used to treat diseases like cancer.
Another tactic used by these companies is increasing the price of older drugs after they acquire them and saying they will use their funds to research new treatments, much like Shkreli says in his interviews.
Previous examples include KV Pharmaceutical Co who upped the price on a preterm labor treatment, Makena, to $1,500 a week from roughly $10, despite it being decades old.
As the drug has been passed from one pharmaceutical company to another, the price has steadily increased from $1 to $13.50of Daraprim, but when Shkreli acquired the drug, he increased the price by almost 5,500 per cent.
Fierce Biotech editor John Carroll was one of the first people to ask Shkreli to explain why he chose to up the price.
In the heated exchange, Shkreli first said that it was 'a great business decision that also benefits all of our stakeholders', but didn't provide further information.
Instead, Shkreli insulted Carroll several times, calling him 'a moron', 'irrelevant', and someone who doesn't 'think logically'.
At one point, Shkreli, when referring to Carroll, said he didn't 'expect the likes of you to process' his explanation for upping the price of Darapram.
Even Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jumped into criticize the price hike, calling it 'outrageous'.
'Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous. Tomorrow I'll lay out a plan to take it on. -H,' she Tweeted on Monday.
Clinton plans to unveil a plan this week to cap monthly out-of-pocket costs for specialty drugs. She alluded to her plan in public remarks on Monday and said she will spell it out in more detail at a health-care forum in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday.
She pointed to a New York Times story that focused on Turing that said while prices sometimes rise due to drug shortages, other times prices balloon as a result of a company's business strategy of buying older drugs and turning them into expensive specialty drugs.
On Monday, shares in biotech companies such as Immunogen and Gilead Sciences dropped after Clinton's Tweet.
Reasons: Shkreli also said that in the end he is helping most people as the parasite lies dormant in almost 25% of the population
In an open letter to Turing, ISDA and HIVMA urged the company to rethink the new new pricing structure for the generic medicine, according to Healio.
'Under the current pricing structure, it is estimated that the |
text is about 80 per cent there," she said.
"There are still a number of options that could go either way, but this is more positive than some were expecting."
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who is the president of the talks, insisted that they would not be allowed to run overtime.
He released the latest draft of the text at 9:00pm local time on Thursday night, six hours overdue.
"We are extremely close to the finish line," Mr Fabius said.
"It is time to come to an agreement. What is important now is to seek landing zones and compromise."
Ms Bishop said she was confident any agreement would be in Australia's national interest.
"There are some differing positions but compromises will have to be made and overall people don't want this to be another Copenhagen. There is a sense of optimism," she said.
At the meeting in Copenhagen in 2009, high expectations that a meaningful treaty could be reached were dashed in the final days.
Since then, incremental progress has been made at the annual gathering, first with the inclusion of 2 degrees Celsius as the accepted limit for global warming, and later with nations agreeing that a treaty should be in place by 2020.
Paris is seen to be the last chance to broker that treaty.
Negotiators are literally working day and night on the text, with informal meetings running at all hours.
The planned accord would seek to revolutionise the world's energy system by cutting back or potentially eliminating the use of greenhouse gas culprits coal, oil and gas; replacing them with renewables such as solar.
How much rich nations contribute remains a sticking point
One of the biggest potential deal-busters remaining is over money.
Rich countries promised six years ago in Copenhagen to muster US$100 billion a year from 2020 to help developing nations make the costly shift to clean energy, and to cope with the impact of global warming.
But how the pledged funds will be raised still remains unclear — and developing countries are pushing for a promise to ramp up the money in future.
Another flashpoint issue is how to compensate developing nations that will be worst hit by climate change but are least to blame for it.
The developing nations are demanding "loss and damage" provisions, which the US is particularly wary of as it fears they could make US companies vulnerable to legal challenges for compensation.
Most nations submitted their voluntary plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 in advance, a process that was widely hailed as an important platform for success.
But scientists say that, even if the cuts were fulfilled, they would still put Earth on track for warming of at least 2.7 degrees Celsius.
Negotiators remain divided in Paris over when and how often to review national plans so that they can be "scaled up" with pledges for deeper emissions cuts.
Climate experts hope clean energy sources will eventually be cheaper than fossil fuels.
Another battleground is what cap on global warming to enshrine in the accord, set to take effect in 2020.
Many nations vulnerable to climate change want to limit warming to no more than 1.5C compared with pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
However several big polluters, such as China and India, prefer a ceiling of 2C, which would allow them to burn fossil fuels for longer.
There was growing confidence within the vulnerable-nation bloc that they would win their high-profile campaign, and secure a reference to the 1.5C target in the key "purpose" section of the planned accord.
This was partly due to the emergence of an informal new lobby group that emerged this week in Paris dubbed the "High Ambition Coalition", which includes the US, the European Union and many vulnerable nations.
The group does not negotiate as a bloc, but is seen as having influenced the talks by heavily promoting "ambitious" benchmarks in the planned accord, such as a 1.5C reference.
ABC/AFP
Topics: environment, climate-change, 2009-united-nations-climate-change-conference, france, australia
First postedCoast to Coast: National Post columnist John Ivison is travelling across Canada to chronicle how election battles are unfolding by region. Today, he examines Winnipeg, Manitoba.
WINNIPEG, MAN. – This is an article about Pat Martin – reader discretion is advised.
The NDP candidate for the riding of Winnipeg Centre is standing in his campaign office, proudly sporting a lapel pin that reads Opto Civilitas – civility caucus. He says he and former Conservative pitbull, John Baird, started the club.
Perhaps it was intended to signal he has turned the page on an 18 year political career that has been marked by outbursts of incivility.
He recently told the local paper that he regrets some of his more colourful tirades – in this campaign alone, he has been caught on camera mouthing the words “fucking prick” at his Green Party rival, Don Woodstock, and he called his Liberal Party challenger, Robert Falcon Ouellette, a “political slut.” When Martin’s use of profanity was raised with Tom Mulcair, the NDP leader dismissed it as a “dog bites man” story.
But if Martin’s intent is to run a blue pencil through his own performance, it lasts precisely three minutes. I asked him if he felt angry that the Liberals were presenting themselves as more progressive than the NDP in this election – and then took two steps back.
“Liberals should be judged by what they do, not what they say,” he says, warming to his theme.
In a riding where natives make up 20% of voters, he is particularly critical of the Liberal record on First Nations. “They brought in a 2% cap [on native issues spending] in 1994 when the population was growing by 6%. Twenty years of that led to Third World conditions. The Kelowna Accord was a cynical insult. Paul Martin had a conversion on the road to Damascus after leaving office but he was the fucking prime minister and fucking finance minister through seven or eight surplus budgets.
“People have short attention spans. Of course there is the unbelievable celebrity of Justin and his lovely family – that Kennedyesque-Camelot feeling. But my challenge is to remind people that life under Liberal governments was rough for the riding of Winnipeg Centre.”
Martin was first elected in 1997 and has seen his share of the vote increase steadily in every election, winning 53% last time. By his own admission, he has been “mailing it in” in recent electoral tilts. But not this time. In Falcon Ouellette, he faces a genuine Liberal star – a 38-year-old native Cree, who was born in Saskatechewan, grew up in poverty in Calgary and spent 19 years in the military in Quebec. During that time he earned a Phd in anthropology, before taking up a position at the University of Manitoba five years ago. An abortive mayoral bid last year, earned him a degree of respect and name recognition in the city.
“I have got a good challenger this time, but that just ups our game,” Martin says. “I like a good rhubarb. Who wants to play chess with an idiot?”
Earlier in the campaign, the two men sparred over rumours that Martin actually lives at a hobby farm he owns on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. The New Democrat threatened to sue anyone who propogated the false rumour, which prompted Falcon Ouellette to issue a cheeky press release saying he wished to make it absolutely clear it was his official position that Pat Martin does not live on Salt Spring Island.
“I won’t be bullied or intimidated by anyone but I will be respectful,” says Ouellette. “At the end of the day, if you are going to exercise a position of leadership, you have to be careful of the words you use. A lot of younger people look up to me and follow what I say and how I act. If I do things that are not honourable or are unbecoming, I dishonor them,” he says.
The barb is veiled but aimed at Martin.
Despite the contempt in which he holds the Liberal Party, Martin says he is disappointed there was no tacit agreement between the left of centre parties. “It couldn’t have been formal but on an informal basis we could have pulled our punches around the country. We’re wasting time and resources fighting each other. The only way Stephen Harper sleeps at night is the knowledge that we will beat the shit out of each other.”
He says Falcon Ouellette will be a loss to the progressive left “once I defeat him handily.”
Yet what once might have been a foregone conclusion looks far from that as you drive around a riding that ranks as one of the poorest in Canada. There are lots and lots of red Falcon Ouellette signs.
If the Liberal candidate is to dislodge the institution that is Pat Martin, he is going to have to mobilize First Nations voters who have often not turned out in the past. Less than half the registered voters showed up in 2011, enabling Martin to win with just 14,000 votes. His Liberal challenger says if he can get indigenous and Filipino voters to the polls, he’s looking at a “massive win.”
That is a weighty conditional clause. But Falcon Ouellette has focused on what he calls “the great divide” between native and non-native Canadians, trawling for votes in rooming houses, where mothers are raising three kids in one room while an addict is sniffing gas one floor up.
“It’s not a racial divide, it’s a socio-economic divide,” he says. Like many Liberal candidates, he is enthusiastic about the party’s free-spending platform. “The child benefit commitment will have a profound impact on Winnipeg Centre,” he says. “It will give that single mother $18,000 a year and allow her to do something with her life.”
For his part, Martin points out that in the past four years, he has helped to secure $146-million of federal government spending, over and above the normal transfers – the 14th highest amount of all the 308 ridings. “For better or worse, people know who I am and answer my calls,” he says.
He points to Gordon Bell High School’s “field of dreams” on Portage – an artificial soccer field a stone’s throw from his campaign office. The land was owned by Canada Post and was being developed as a mail processing centre when Martin called Conservative minister, John Baird. He ordered the mail centre to be re-located and committed to a new field that appears to be in near constant use by the large African community in the neighbourhood. It is the kind of project that creates goodwill and gets MPs re-elected.
Falcon Ouellette says he respects Martin’s 17 years of service “but look around the riding – it’s still the second poorest riding in the country. I don’t think a soccer field is going to change the fundamentals of Winnipeg Centre. There are greater forces at work here.”
National Post
• Email: jivison@nationalpost.com | Twitter: IvisonJNews: Foster + Partners has released photographs of its new Apple store in Hangzhou – one of five new shops that the company is opening in China ahead of Chinese New Year (+ slideshow).
The store – located close to Hangzhou's West Lake – is a 15-metre-high glazed box boasting a glowing ceiling, a cantilevered floor and glass staircases, and is one of Apple's largest retail outlets in Asia.
Related story How Steve Jobs hired Norman Foster: "Hi Norman. I need some help"
According to Foster + Partners, the design "combines an understanding of the local context with the philosophy of simplicity, beauty and technical innovation that characterises Apple's products".
The West Lake Apple Store is one of five new shops that Angela Ahrendts – Apple's senior vice president of retail and online stores – said would open in the country before Chinese New Year, which takes place tomorrow.
The first opened in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan Province, on 10 January. The West Lake store followed two weeks later under the steer of Norman Foster's firm, which took over the design of Apple's stores in 2013.
Completed in collaboration with a team that included representatives from Apple and engineering firm Eckersley O'Callaghan, the building features an entirely transparent facade made up of 11 double-glazed panels.
Mechanically controlled blinds offer shading when necessary, but can be concealed within the ceiling.
The upper floor projects 12 metres from the rear wall, creating a nine-metre-high space intended to evoke "a sense of space and calm".
"This gives the impression of a floating stage in the centre of the space – a new living room for the city," said the architects.
The use of mass dampers – harmonic absorbers that reduce the amplitude of mechanical vibrations – made it possible to make this floor uncommonly thin. It tapers from 1.2 metres to just 10 centimetres.
The illuminated white ceilings are made up of custom-made lighting panels that also dampen sound, while staircases positioned on opposite sides of the store have floating glass treads that are held in place by embedded bolts.
Foster + Partners began its collaboration with Apple in 2009 with the commission for Apple Campus 2, the company's new California headquarters. The first Apple store completed by the firm was in Istanbul, Turkey, and another is also underway in San Francisco.
Apple opened its first China outlet in Beijing in 2008. The five new stores will bring the total number in China up to 20, but Apple CEO Tim Cook said in October this number will increase to 40 within two years.
Photography is by Nigel Young, Foster + Partners.NASA Planning Vegan Menu for Astronauts Heading to Mars
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Last year, PETA made headlines with a request to SpaceX to make their planned colonies on Mars all-vegan. Well, here’s a start: NASA is working on a vegan menu for their astronauts’ mission to the red planet in 2030.
According to the Examiner, a NASA research team is dedicated to planning the plant-based menu for the long trip. Six-eight astronauts will spend six months journeying to Mars, eighteen months on the planet, and six months on their way back to Earth. “Mars is different just because it’s so far away. We don’t have the option to send a vehicle every six months and send more food as we do for International Space Station,” said Maya Cooper, senior research scientist for Lockheed Martin.
Cooper and other researchers have planned one hundred recipes for the astronauts so far. Along with planned meals like vegan pizza and sushi, they are also working on a “Martian greenhouse” which will allow the astronauts to grow plants and cook their meals. “That menu is favorable because it allows the astronauts to actually have live plants that are growing. You have optimum nutrient delivery with fresh fruits and vegetables, and it actually allows them to have freedom of choice when they’re actually cooking the menus because the food isn’t already pre-prepared into a particular recipe,” said Cooper.
According to CP24, the menu will also include food like “tofu and nuts” and “a Thai pizza that has no cheese but is covered with carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, scallions, peanuts and a homemade sauce that has a spicy kick.” Vegetables grown in their “greenhouse” will be grown in mineral water to replace soil. Along with this menu, pre-packaged foods will be sent with the astronauts as is done at the International Space Station. Food for the Mars mission will need to have a shelf-life of five years instead of two, though.
It sounds like NASA’s menu has come a long way from the early “bite-sized cubes, freezedried powders, and semiliquids stuffed in aluminum tubes” that astronauts took to space with them. Vegan pizza and sushi and a vegetable greenhouse on Mars!
Photo credit: Rashevska Nataliia / Shutterstock.comThe word ethics carries a heavy weight in the halls of Congress, and with good cause. The men and women elected to represent the American people should be held to the highest standards. That’s something with which I wholeheartedly agree. Nearly a decade ago several Members of Congress were involved in major ethics scandals, some of which resulted in those Members serving prison time. While the legal system dealt with their actions in an appropriate manner, the House looked inward at its own practices to ensure that ethical challenges were being handled appropriately, in line with the Constitution, and in a manner that reflected the best intentions of our elected representatives.
Out of this review came the Office of Congressional Ethics, or OCE. This nonpartisan, independent office was founded partially to add an additional layer of review over Members and staff of the House of Representatives, but primarily to serve as a receiving forum for complaints from members of the public. As a former member of the House Committee on Ethics, and the acting Chairman of the Committee for one investigation, I know how important a robust investigative body can be to uphold the high standards expected of Congress by the American public.
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Since the OCE was first created, it has gone through some growing pains, and the House has now had nearly a decade of results to make necessary improvements that will strengthen the OCE and provide important constitutional protections for those being investigated. As the House has done since the initial resolution creating the OCE, the Rules package adopted on the opening day of the 115th Congress includes important changes to OCE operations.
An amendment I offered builds upon and strengthens the existing OCE by maintaining its primary area of focus – accepting and reviewing complaints from the public – while providing additional due process rights for individuals under investigation, as well as witnesses called to testify. It also changes the name of the OCE to the Office of Congressional Complaint Review (OCCR) to avoid confusion with the Committee on Ethics and more accurately reflect its mission.
Feedback from Members and staff having gone through review by the OCE has been that those under investigation need increased protection of their due process rights, greater access to basic evidentiary standards, and a process that does not discriminate against them for invoking those rights. The amendment seeks to strengthen each of these needs while maintaining the basic core of OCE’s functions. To be very clear, while the name may change, the office maintains its independence and mission to review complaints against Members and staff from the public.
For decades the House Ethics Committee has worked in a bipartisan manner to investigate alleged abuses by Members and staff. Their track record of confidentiality, of operating in a “hermetically sealed chamber,” is the gold standard for an investigative body. The OCCR should do the same to protect the accused’s rights and preserve the integrity of the investigation. Due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the investigations, the amendment provides strong protections against any disclosures to the public or other government entities, and requires that any matter that may involve a violation of criminal law must be referred to the Committee on Ethics for potential referral to law enforcement agencies after an affirmative vote by the Members. These provisions taken together ensure the rights of the accused are protected throughout the investigation and not subject to litigation by the media, as well as ensuring that any criminal matters are properly referred to law enforcement agencies by Members of Congress, not the unelected staff of OCCR.
An important principle of effective governance is that all parts of the federal government, whether found in the legislative, executive, or judicial branch, should be subject to proper oversight. That is why my amendment ensures that OCCR will be subject to oversight by the Committee on Ethics. This provision does not mean that the Committee on Ethics will be able to dictate outcomes or impede a properly conducted investigation, but rather that their budget, their rules and procedures, and their impact on House operations will be reviewed in the context of a fellow investigative body.
Another of the basic tenets of American law is that the accused have the right to confront their accuser in a court of law. Today the OCE is able to accept anonymous complaints, meaning literally anyone from anywhere in the world can send something through a website and potentially disparage the reputation of a Member without a basis in fact. Responding to an anonymous accusation drags good people’s names through the mud, costs the accused tens of thousands of dollars, and costs people their jobs. And when the anonymous complaint is found to be frivolous none of that is returned. This amendment requires OCCR to create rules that disallow anonymous complaints, something that will prevent frivolous complaints and allow the OCCR to focus their time and energy on legitimate complaints.
The bottom line is that if Congress wants the American public to have a venue to make complaints against Members of the House, an important goal that I share, then it needs to work, it needs to protect the rights of the accused, and it needs to remain confidential throughout the investigative process. The amendment in the House Rules package strengthens the mission of the OCCR, restores constitutional due process rights to the accused, and ensures that the Office of Congressional Complaint Review remains a strong and independent review board throughout the 115th Congress.
Bob Goodlatte Robert (Bob) William GoodlatteIt’s time for Congress to pass an anti-cruelty statute DOJ opinion will help protect kids from dangers of online gambling House GOP probe into FBI, DOJ comes to an end MORE represents the 6th District of Virginia and chairs the House Judiciary Committee.
The views expressed by authors are their own and not the views of The Hill.Top 25 Video Game Companies Revenue Increased 17% in 2016 - News
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by, posted on 23 March 2017
The top 25 biggest video game companies saw revenue increase 17 percent year-over-year in 2016, according to Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report. Revenue for the 25 companies hit $70.4 billion.
The largest company, Tencent, saw revenue of $10.2 billion. If Supercell's revenue were included the figure would increase to $13 billion.
The company that saw the largest increase year-over-year in 2016 was NetEase with a 50 percent jump in sales. The company had a strong year in China as it accounted for four out of the five biggest iOS games in China.
Nintendo was the only company in the top 10 to see a decrease in revenue year-over-year. Super Mario Run earned the company $50 million, however, the figure was seen as a disappointment after the success of Pokemon GO. The Switch is expected to turn things around for Nintendo in 2017.
Thanks MCVUK.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Dec. 4, 2016, 4:12 PM GMT / Updated Dec. 4, 2016, 11:35 PM GMT By Daniella Silva
Survivors of the deadly fire at an Oakland, California, warehouse party described on Sunday how quickly the flames "completely engulfed" the structure and having to leave a friend behind — as authorities said the death toll has climbed to at least 33 people, with others still missing.
Bob Mulè, a member of the "24-hour artists' collective" that was inhabiting the warehouse, told the TODAY Show on Sunday that he was forced to leave behind a friend and suffered burns on his arms, hand and shoulder while trying to escape the flames on Friday night. A black vest Mulè was wearing during the fire was completely charred in the back, he said.
Mulè said after finding a fire extinguisher that did not work he ran to get his camera when he saw Peter Wadsworth, a fellow member of the collective on the floor.
NBC Bay Area: How You Can Help Oakland Fire Victims
“He must have broken his ankle while coming down from his loft and his space and he needed me to pull him out,” Mulè said. “I tried my best and there was just stuff in the way some stuff had fallen and it was hectic.”
“If I didn’t have this vest on while I was pulling out Pete, I don’t know it would’ve been me too probably,” he said, his voice cracking.
Mulè later told NBC News he was “100 percent certain” Wadsworth did not survive. Wadsworth is currently listed by friends as missing.
The Alameda County Sheriff's office said in a press conference Sunday afternoon that they have located the remains of 30 victims from the fire.
"We anticipate the number of victims will rise and it will increase," said Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly earlier Sunday.
He said that officials have only searched about 20 percent of the building as of Sunday morning.
"This is very hard work and its very slow and it definitely has taken a toll on the first responders," Kelly said Sunday morning. "We have people around the clock and we will be here for days and days to come."
At an impromptu press conference Sunday afternoon, Kelly told reporters that officials had located 30 victims.
"That is an astronomical number," Kelly said. "We're really starting to get deeper into the building and as we do that we continue to find more victims."
At a later press conference the number rose again by three.
Related: Former Occupant Calls Oakland Warehouse in Deadly Blaze 'Sketchy,' 'Unsafe'
Kelly said officials plan to begin releasing the names of the victims later Sunday.
Authorities also asked family and friends of any of the missing to preserve sources of DNA for evidence.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told NBC News Sunday afternoon that she had visited the site of the fire and “it is unbelievable the level of devastation and the complexity of the operation that’s going on.”
"The magnitude of loss for this community and for these families is unspeakable," she added. "Our job right now is to stay focused on that as our priority."
Oakland Battalion Fire Chief Melinda Drayton said at the press conference Sunday morning that firefighters had worked overnight to systematically remove debris from the warehouse.
"Within 12 hours we made it through one fifth of the building," she said.
"This will be a long and arduous process but we want to make sure we are respecting the victims, their families and our firefighters' safety to work slowly and carefully through the building," she said.
Firefighters work on the scene. Elijah Nouvelage / Getty Images
Drayton said the fire "is the most deadly" that she was aware of during her 19 years as a firefighter.
The first floor of the warehouse was an artists' collective made up of divided work spaces that Fire Department Operations Chief Mark Hoffman described as a "labyrinth” on Saturday.
The structure was last permitted for legal use as a warehouse, officials said, and did not have the permits necessary for people to live in the building.
During the fire at the building known as the Oakland Ghost Ship, the roof collapsed onto the second floor where the party was held, and parts of the second floor collapsed onto the first floor, officials said.
PHOTOS: Oakland Warehouse Fire Kills Several at Dance Party
The Oakland Planning and Building Department launched an investigation into the habitability of the warehouse less than a month ago, citing an “illegal interior building structure,” according to NBC Bay Area.
Records obtained by NBC Bay Area also show the warehouse and surrounding area have been the subject of nearly 10 blight complaints over the past decade.
Max Ohr, the creative director of the art collective that used the warehouse, told the TODAY Show Sunday that he was working the door on the night of the party and around 70 people were “in the venue enjoying music” when he heard someone say there was a fire.
Ohr said he "saw an orange glow coming from the back of the warehouse" and ran to get an extinguisher.
"I ran back and got maybe one squirt out of and realized it wasn’t going to do anything," he said. "The roof had already caught and the flames were coming towards the door at an alarming rate."
"It took about 15 seconds to go from notification of a fire to completely engulfed," he added.
Ohr said there were no sprinklers in the building prior to the art collective leasing the warehouse and Fire Department Operations Chief Mark Hoffman said Saturday night he saw no evidence of sprinklers.
Ohr added that he believed it was an electrical fire and they had reported problems with the building’s electricity to the warehouse’s owner.
NBC Bay Area: Family, Friends Search for Loved Ones Missing in Oakland Warehouse Fire
“They were not very helpful with us throughout the entirety of our struggle with the electricity here so that’s my first instinct is to think perhaps some of the building’s wiring had something to do with this,” he said.
“The landlord has been in communication with both myself and the owner of this space for at least three years now and the electricity was a major issue prior to my coming on board,” he said.
In a statement to NBC Bay Area on Saturday, the warehouse’s owner daughter said the family had no comment.
“We are also trying to figure out what's going on like everyone else. We're so sorry to hear about the tragedy,” Eva Ng said in an email attributed to her mother, building owner Chor Ng. “Our condolences go out to the families and friends of those injured and those who lost their lives."
Ng did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the warehouse’s electrical issues on Sunday.Up where Emma Cardini has been this week, sea gulls fly by, the morning mist appears to drift so near it seems touchable and the jets landing at the airport glide in below her.
Up there, near the top of the Washington Monument, the elegant, miniature city spreads out far below: the green of the Mall, the cream-colored Capitol and all the bustle of the town.
It’s a sublime sight, she says, rich in the sense of the past and the present.
But her attention must be focused on the massive marble structure whose surface she is there to inspect.
Cardini, 32, of Melrose, Mass., a civil and structural engineer with the firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, is a member of the team using mountain-climbing equipment to examine the monument’s exterior for damage from the Aug. 23 earthquake.
The work has captivated Washington this week, as passersby and the media have fixed their gazes and cameras on the tiny figures crawling around the obelisk’s tip.
It’s all part of the job, Cardini says, working 550 feet above the city on one of the country’s most hallowed structures. A bird’s-eye video from her perspective at the monument’s side, made public Wednesday by the National Park Service, shows the sheer majesty and hair-raising potential danger of her perch.
Clad in sunglasses, a white hard hat, a red jacket and heavy work gloves, Cardini is seen harnessed, roped and fastened to the marble, as composed as if she’s conducting the most routine of tasks.
Behind her, though, is a dizzying view of the Mall, lined by its museums and office buildings, with RFK Stadium off in the hazy distance.
“It’s a little unsettling,” she said of seeing the video later. “But that’s okay.” She had been eager to get out on “the wall,” as she called it.
The external inspection began this week and is expected to run for several days.
The monument has been closed since the earthquake struck and will remain closed until the full extent of the damage is known.
Cardini said she asked to be assigned to the east face of the four-sided monument to avoid being sunburned.
“I was so excited,” she said. “I was waiting and waiting. It was awesome. You get out there and you’re like, ‘Hi, Washington Monument.’ And then you look everywhere.... The city is just awesome.
“We’d been dying to get out there,” she said, laughing that she had not realized that the east side was where all the media were stationed below.
She said that once she had climbed outside the opening in the marble “pyramidion” at the top of the monument for the first time, on Wednesday, it took a moment to adjust.
“When you first get out there, you need to get your bearings,” she said Thursday. “You need to make sure you know your north from your south, and everything’s clear. So you look around. You get comfortable.”
She reflected on seeing planes flying so near: “That is an unnerving experience — when you look over at the airport, and they’re under you.”
The experience is “just cool,” she said as she stood in long-sleeved dark blue polo shirt and tan work pants with her hair pulled into a stubby ponytail. “When I look one way, I see the Jefferson Memorial. When I look another way, it’s pretty cool.”
At the same time, she said, her true focus is on the monument exterior: “The only thing I’m looking at is the stone in front of me.”
During the Thursday inspection, she and colleague Dan Gach removed several softball-sized hunks of cracked marble from weakened areas of the monument exterior, as well as smaller bits of stone and mortar.
Their supervisor, Daniel J. Lemieux, said that, from the clean look of the cracks, the damage was most likely caused by the earthquake. It was “nothing that we didn’t expect,” he said.
They plan to be back up Friday.
Cardini said she has no fear of heights and does not get vertigo. “There must be something wrong with my inner ear, because I’ve never had it,” she said. “I look down. It doesn’t make any difference.”
“But you also have to have an appreciation for heights,” she said. “It’s good to have a fear of heights because you have to appreciate where you’re at.... You always want to know what the risk is. So I have to... remind myself of that, because I don’t have a natural instinct.”
“You know what can happen,” she said.
She hates ladders, she said, because she is not “tied into something.”
From above it, Cardini said, she gets a sense of the history of Washington.
“It’s a beautiful area,” she said. “[French architect Pierre] L’Enfant’s plan of the city is just awesome.”
And the mass of the monument itself is “incredible,” she said. “For an engineer, it’s Disney World.”
She said she has already identified damage from the 5.8-magnitude earthquake.
And the elements aloft can be harsh. She wears the gloves to protect her hands from rope burns and scuffs from the stone, although marble is smoother than, say, abrasive limestone.
All in all, however, it is a great assignment, Cardini said. When her supervisors proposed the project to her and her colleagues, she said, they weren’t met with much ambivalence.
“We were all like, ‘Yes!’ ”A Maricopa County infant died of whooping cough this month, the first such death since 2009, the county Department of Public Health said.
The baby was too young to be immunized and likely contracted the illness from an adult, health officials said. They urged residents to get vaccinated if they are in close contact with children younger than 12 months old.
About 700 cases were reported in 2011 -- more than double the cases reported in 2009. Jeanene Fowler, county public-health spokeswoman, attributed the increase to more cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, and more testing being done by physicians.
The diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, or DTaP, vaccine is given to children between 2 months and 7 years old. The same vaccine for children from age 11 to adults is called Tdap. Tdap also is recommended for pregnant women in their late second or third trimester.
Vaccinations are available at primary-care doctors, pharmacies, community health centers and immunization clinics.Al Gore net worth: Al Gore is a former senator, Vice President, environmental activist and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $300 million. Al Gore has achieved a lot in his years in the public eye, both in the public and private sectors. In addition to his net worth, he's considered one of the most influential activists for the environment. Through his efforts in getting the word out about the danger our environment is in, he's done much in the way of changing the conversation about the issues of global warming, pollution, and environmentalism. Gore comes from a political family, his father was a Democratic US Representative and Senator. In addition to influencing Gore's path in life, this is also believed by some to be the reason Gore's call to enlist in the military during the Vietnam War was held up by the Nixon administration, so as to avoid Gore's father getting any sympathy votes! Gore himself was elected to the United States Congress at the age of 28, and remained there for 16 years in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. After a failed 1988 Presidential run, he was eventually elected Vice President under President Bill Clinton, with whom he served two consecutive four year terms. Al Gore won an Academy Award for his 2006 climate documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Gore then went on to found the cable news network Current TV. Despite their low ratings, in December 2012 Current TV was purchased by Al Jazeera for $500 million. Gore's 20% stake in Current TV earned him $100 million in pre-tax profits. Gore is a board member of Apple Inc, and owns $35 million worth of Apple shares. He is also the chairman of Generation Investment Management which has $7 billion in assets.Earlier this month, Microsoft announced it would release the first version of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 users sometime in November. This "Release Preview" of the latest browser from Microsoft will be made available after the launch of Windows 8 on October 26th, which includes IE10.
Now it appears that Microsoft is wasting no time in getting ready for the Windows 7 IE10 launch. The company has already posted up a download page for the browser, although at the moment none of the links work.
The page does show that in addition to the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1 installed), Microsoft will also have a version of IE10 available for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 in its 64-bit incarnation. There are 36 different language versions that will be offered, plus four additional display languages.
The page also has a link which shows the system requirements for the browser. They are as follows:
Processor Computer with a 1 gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor. Operating system Windows 7 32-bit with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
Windows 7 64-bit with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) 64-bit Memory Windows 7 32-bit—512 |
extended to provide access to the new facility, which will overlook Black Duck Ponds.
The future site of the community outpatient centre on Susie Lake Crescent in the Bayers Lake Business Park. (CBC)
Land owned by Liberal party donor
The land is owned by Banc Commercial Holdings which owns most of the adjacent property and will develop it in conjunction with the construction of the centre.
Company president Basim Halef donated $3,000 to the Nova Scotia Liberal Party in 2013. His son Alex is vice-president of Banc Holdings and donated $700 the same year.
Neither donation had any influence on the choice of their land, according to Premier Stephen McNeil.
"It had nothing to do with that," he told reporters at a ceremony Thursday to unveil a sign marking the centre's future home.
There had been a number of search committees that had gone on and they had looked at a number of parcels of land, McNeil said.
"So I'm not even sure who we bought the land from, to be frank. But at the end of the day this is the right site. It came down to making sure that we were having access to [Highways] 103 and 102. And the fact that if you look around this is a growing part of HRM."
QEII Foundation connection
Basim Halef also sits on the board of trustees at the QEII Foundation which raises funds for the Halifax-based hospital complex.
That was news to the vice-president of the Nova Scotia Health Authority when she was asked if that might be a possible conflict of interest.
"No, I didn't even know that this particular piece of property was owned by [Halef]," said Paula Bond. "That was not taken into any consideration."
She also didn't see it as an issue.
"I don't think so. There's many businessmen on the foundation of the QEII. So I don't see that that's a problem at all."
The QEII Foundation told CBC News that five years ago, Halef also gave $250,000 to a campaign raising money for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
NDP raises concerns
NDP Leader Gary Burrill was troubled by the connections.
"It is all a great concern," he told reporters onsite for the unveiling. "It's particularly a great concern in light of the fact that this is being sited in such an incredibly improbable location that is inconvenient beyond belief for people who don't have a car."
"It's troubling from that point of view and troubling from the point of view of the Liberal party's record. They've got a well-established record now of making decisions in ways that are particularly helpful to their inner circle and so this is all a great concern."
'The right decision'
Alex Halef defended the government's decision. He also said he didn't think the donations to the Liberals, which he and his father made three years ago, played a factor in the choice of the land.
"I think at the end of the day they're going to do what's right for the province," he said. "We believe wholeheartedly that the province has made the right decision as far as using taxpayers' money wisely to put a facility [here]."
Before construction starts next year, the Nova Scotia Health Authority needs to complete a study of what services are needed and design work on the actual structure has to be finished.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tom Winsor: "Police officers recognise the existing system of pay and allowances was designed in the 1970s"
An independent review of police pay and conditions in England and Wales has called for the abolition of a series of allowances and special payments.
Tom Winsor's report recommends making savings of £60m a year in overtime.
Officers on front-line duties could see their pay rise, but 40% face wage cuts of up to £4,000 a year.
The Association of Chief Police Officers warns 28,000 jobs may go, and the Police Federation of England and Wales says it would be "devastating".
Mr Winsor says his recommendations will produce savings of £485m in three years - and reinvestment in the "most important police jobs" would mean fewer posts would be lost.
He said the current system needs reform to recognise the "hardest jobs done in the most demanding circumstances".
Salaries had been "designed for a police service and society neither of which any longer exists", he added.
Former rail regulator Mr Winsor said officers who lost out under his reforms would be those in positions largely confined to police stations and not requiring specialist skills and overtime.
Winners and losers • £1,770 better off: Experienced constable, skilled in public order • £760 better off: Experienced detective constable, working late and on call • £3,090 worse off: Officer in station working in training, personnel or other non-shift duties • 40% of officers do not work unsocial hours and stand to lose out Source: Winsor Report Part 1
But some officers would gain up to £2,000 a year in recognition of their skills and the demands put upon them.
A professional accreditation allowance of £1,200 would be introduced for most detectives, firearms, public order and neighbourhood policing teams.
The review calls for an end to the £1,212 competence-related threshold payment, the Special Priority Payment of up to £5,000 and says no officers should move up the pay scale for two years.
It also suggests suspending chief officer and superintendent bonuses.
Police earn 10 to 15% more than other emergency workers and the armed forces and in some areas such as Wales and the North East they are paid up to 60% more than average local earnings, Mr Winsor's report notes.
The review found all basic pay contained a payment for working unsocial hours, even though only about 57% of lower rank-and-file officers regularly did.
'Very angry'
Mr Winsor says only officers working unsocial hours should be paid for doing so, with those working between 2000 and 0600 getting an extra 10% on their basic hourly pay.
The report also indicates that Mr Winsor's follow-up study on longer-term reforms, expected later this year, will consider the case for a radical rethink of pay grades to allow the salaries of both chiefs and lower ranks to be cut if an officer's performance is found wanting.
The report says "at present officers have too great a say on how they are deployed and if, not when, they leave the service". It calls for an end to what Mr Winsor describes as "secured indolence" by ensuring that police remain police for the right reasons.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper: "Police will be overstretched"
It also reveals that Mr Winsor is looking at how to subject officers to regular fitness tests, saying there has been a "dramatic" increase in the number of police who are restricted to less physically demanding duties.
"These recommendations will allow the police to provide a more efficient, economical and effective service to the public while providing officers and staff with a fairer deal," he said.
"The service needs modern management tools to operate with the greatest efficiency and economy in a time of considerable national financial pressure and restraint."
The government is planning to cut its £11bn funding for the police by 20% by 2014-15.
The 43 forces in England and Wales currently employ about 244,000 people, comprising 143,000 police officers and 101,000 civilians.
The Acpo estimate for job losses has been made in a confidential memo to ministers published in the Guardian.
It predicts the jobs of 12,000 police officers and 16,000 civilian staff will be lost over the next four years as a result of the cuts.
The men and women the government's preparing to take on are the very same people who will be expected to be in the front line when ministers face the anger of others whose pay and pensions and jobs and services will be cut Nick Robinson's blog
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Peter Fahy, representing Acpo, confirmed the job loss forecast to the Guardian.
He said "hugely difficult" decisions would have to be taken but most forces were realistic sacrifices had to be made.
He said he was pleased bonuses for chief officers had been suspended and that no evidence was found suggesting abuses of overtime were prevalent.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says the Acpo figures are the most reliable figures on police job cuts since the Spending Review last October.
Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "These recommendations, if implemented, together with the two-year pay freeze and a likely increase in pension contributions, will have a devastating effect on policing."
He said morale was "rock-bottom" and he could not rule out taking judicial action.
Home Secretary Theresa May told the BBC: "With a record budget deficit, we are in exceptional circumstances.
"And with three-quarters of the police budget going on staff, then pay and conditions has to play its role in ensuring we can keep officers jobs, keep officers on the street, and cut crime."
Earlier, Policing Minister Nick Herbert said: "We have to deal with the deficit, and police forces can and must make savings, focusing on back and middle office functions like IT and procurement so that front-line services can be protected."
But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "The government is cutting too far too fast and hitting the police budget hard, ultimately it is local communities that will pay the price."Researchers analyzed 31 review studies from 1978 to 2014 and established that research funding from both the sugar industry and artificial sweetener companies was more likely to lead to biased conclusions on sweetener's effects on weight loss. This research comes after documents released earlier this month revealed the sugar industry paid off scientists in the 1960 ’s and 70’s to downplay sugar’s role in obesity and focus on saturated fat instead.We speak with Lisa Bero from the University of Sydney, who studied industry impact in artificial sweetener and sugar research. She told us why conflict of interest is one reason the safety of artificial sweeteners is still so controversial.We examined reviews of studies on the beneficial effects of artificial sweeteners on weight loss and reviews that looked at potentially harmful effects, such as diabetes. We identified 31 relevant reviews and found that reviews funded by artificial sweetener companies were about 17 times more likely to have results that favor artificial sweeteners. This is significant as the data found in these studies is used to develop dietary guidelines. These studies were also likely to have more favorable conclusions than those that were independently funded.Four reviews we looked at were funded by “competitor companies” that marketed sugary drinks or water, with all four of these reviews having conclusions that did not favor artificial sweeteners. This demonstrates that it is important to be critical of reviews that are funded by any food or beverage related industry, not just the artificial sweetener or sugar industry. Additionally, about one third of the reviews did not even disclose their funding sources, so transparency around author conflict of interest and research funding sources for this area of nutrition research is lagging behind other fields.When we assessed the quality of the reviews, we found that there was no difference in quality related to funding source. This means that the differences in conclusions and results cannot be captured by the standard tools used to assess quality of reviews, but are likely due to subtle differences in inclusion of data or the interpretation of results.We have a comprehensive sample, not a representative sample. We used systematic review methods, so we attempted to identify all reviews of artificial sweeteners and their effects on obesity, not a sample of them. In our study, we looked at published reviews that included human research studies comparing one or more artificially sweetened beverages to water, sugar sweetened beverages or mixed comparisons where the effects on weight were evaluated as a primary or secondary outcome through BMI score or other measures of overweight and obesity.Yes, in addition to our most recent study on artificial sweeteners, our research group at the Charles Perkins Center has conducted a number of empirical studies demonstrating bias in drug industry, tobacco industry and chemical industry funded studies.Industry can provide financial support for research, but this is a benefit only if the sponsor cannot influence the design, conduct or publication of the research. One way to minimize the influence of any individual sponsor is to put all industry funding into a common fund that is then administered by an independent group that does not involve any of the funders.Feature image: Amy van der Hiel on FlickrCheck your local listings. Donald Trump is seen on a television monitor at the media center of the Republican debate site in Detroit in March 3. Carlos Barria/Reuters
We’re hardly a month into the general election, and Donald Trump is already spiraling in the polls. He is the most unpopular candidate in the race, and is among the most unpopular people in American politics, period. This was predictable. The same outrageousness and prejudice that won him crowds and votes in a crowded Republican presidential primary are poison to most Americans. Trump hasn’t changed, but his environment has.
What makes this worse for the Republican Party is the real estate mogul’s disdain for traditional campaigning and disinterest in any of the things it takes to win an election, or even to stay competitive. He doesn’t want to contact donors, or hire a field staff, or run advertisements, or collect data, or even campaign in swing states. Trump’s main concern is doing television and holding rallies, a bizarre fixation if his goal is the White House.
But that assumes he wants to sit in the Oval Office. Some have begun to wonder if Trump even wants the presidency. What if the Republican Party’s nominee has some other goal in mind? “Trump is indeed considering creating his own media business, built on the audience that has supported him thus far in his bid to become the next president of the United States,” reports Sarah Ellison for Vanity Fair, drawing from an unnamed source who says that Trump wants to “figure out if he can monetize” his newfound stature.
It makes sense. Trump is a master of self-aggrandizement. He rode it to the GOP’s presidential nomination, and now he intends to ride it to something more immediately lucrative than leading the country—a cable news network, centered on his image and his message.
Or at least that’s the theory. I have no doubt that this has been discussed, but there’s not enough evidence to say that a cable network was the plan or the endgame all along for Trump 2016. Trump has flirted with running for president enough over the past 20 years to suggest that he’s serious—that he believes he could be president of the United States. His refusal to do what it takes to win an election has less to do with some ulterior motive and more to do with his arrogance and narcissism.
Whatever the case, whatever happens in November, the bracing thought arrived with the Vanity Fair story that Trump is here to stay. It is no small thing to win a major party nomination. Since the GOP’s founding in 1854, just 26 men have held the title of Republican Party presidential nominee. Seventeen of them became president. Assuming he leaves the Cleveland convention with the nomination intact, Trump will enter an exclusive club of Americans regardless of what happens in November. If he wins, he’ll be president-elect of the United States. And if he loses, he’ll be a bona fide leader of the GOP, a man who represents a sizable chunk of the party’s base—the revanchist minority demanding a return to the old order, where a certain kind of American (white and male) was the presumptive, predominant voice in national life.
Think about what that means in practice. To win a nomination is to win a certain amount of deference and public influence, even after the election. As the GOP’s choice in 2012, Mitt Romney can still command cameras and attention. He gives endorsements, provides counsel, and has a network of relationships that shape and influence the party. In every way that matters, Mitt Romney is a national leader.
Trump isn’t Romney and he isn’t running Romney’s campaign. If he loses, there’s a decent chance he’ll lose big, in a way that jeopardizes the GOP’s congressional majority. He’ll walk away from November a pariah, disdained by professional Republicans and hated by lawmakers, activists, and others invested in maintaining a strong and durable party. But that doesn’t mean he won’t have a voice in the larger conversation. He’ll still speak for millions of alienated, disaffected Americans. He’ll still channel their anger at the nation’s rapid cultural and political changes. He’ll still have the star power and resources to carve out a spot in the public eye, with willing allies and accomplices. He’ll still matter as a symbol for the ugliest, most destructive impulses in American life. If in 2017, Americans are met with another Orlando or another San Bernardino, Trump will likely be there, ready to criticize, condemn, and tout his “solutions” to the difficult problem of lone-wolf terrorism.
The terrible truth is that this is not the end of Trump’s influence. At minimum, he has reopened the space for overt prejudice in national life, giving license to white nationalists, anti-Semites, and other noxious elements in American politics. And worse, he’s given them a template for success, of a kind. It’s too much to say that Trump, should he lose in November, will emerge from 2016 a kingmaker. There is every reason to belief he will linger as an inspiration to others who can polish his message of white reaction into something a little less abrasive, a little more respectable. Look carefully, and you see it’s already happening.
Read more Slate coverage of the 2016 campaign.Complex: You’re at the end of another successful season with Juventus, how are you feeling both physically and mentally ahead of what most be one of the most important summers of your career?
Paul Pogba: I just feel great, we [Juventus] didn’t start in the best way but we finished it well, winning the league and the Italian cup. I can still play and I’m excited to get going straight away in the Euros. Mentally, I’m good – I just won the league and I’m always looking ahead to the next one. We just made history at Juventus – no team has ever done the double in Italy two times in a row – now I’m fresh for France.
You’ve won the Serie A title in all of your four seasons at Juve, so things on the pitch are good. How much do you enjoy living in Italy?
I just love to be in my home, chilling in my house with my friends. Turin isn’t a real big town and there’s not that many things to do here, but I do like to go out to Milan.
How do you look back on your time in Manchester?
I really miss Manchester because it’s where I made the most of my teenage years and I had lots of friends there. It’s a different culture, I found they’re more open than French people. I was in digs with a family and they treated me like their son.
Was it a challenge to move to a different country at such a young age with a family that you don’t even know?
I was ready in my head. I was focussed and knew I wanted to be in Manchester, to go there at a young age was fine. I wanted to play football, I knew that’s what I wanted in my life and I was ready to make any sacrifice to do it.
How much do you think you matured in Manchester, on and off the pitch?
Not being with my family meant I had to grow up, I had to learn how to do everything on my own. I was also training with the first team – senior players – which I’d never done before and I always wanted to listen to them.Snow White's Scary Adventures to close May 31
As previously announced, the Fantasyland attraction, an opening-day feature of the theme park in 1971, will be replaced by Princess Fairytale Hall, a meet-and-greet area for Disney Princesses and guests.
The closing of Snow White's Scary Adventure is a side effect of the park's expansion of Fantasyland. That construction took over Mickey's Toontown Fair area last year and uprooted the princesses (and some fairies) from their home there.
Disney also announced that the first segment of the Fantasyland expansion — a portion of Storybook Circus — will open to guests in late March. This phase will include one of the two carousels that will make up the enhanced Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, the rethemed Barnstormer roller coaster (to be called the Great Goofini) and a new Fantasyland Station of the Walt Disney World Railroad, which circles the theme park.
Eventually this area — essentially the old Toontown Fair — will have multicolored circus tents and other nods to Disney's animated "Dumbo" film, including the Casey Jr. locomotive.
The Fantasyland expansion also will feature the dark ride called Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, a "Beauty and the Beast"-inspired section and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster. No opening dates have been given for those attractions.
DBevil@Tribune.com or 407-420-5477Fresh criticisms of the GOP tax bill emerged Tuesday from centrist and conservative Republicans following reports that the legislation would hike taxes on the middle class, as well as some wealthy Americans.
Conservative Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzTrump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington Trump endorses Cornyn for reelection as O'Rourke mulls challenge MORE (R-Texas) called raising taxes on people in high-tax, Democratic states like New York and California “a mistake” — a concern shared by Rep. Darrell Issa Darrell Edward IssaThe Hill's Morning Report — Shutdown fallout — economic distress Former congressmen, RNC members appointed to Trump administration roles Senate throws hundreds of Trump nominees into limbo MORE (R-Calif.), who became the first Golden State Republican to reject the current House bill.
The conservative outside group Club for Growth also outlined four areas that it objected to in the tax bill, including the addition of a fourth tax bracket for millionaires and the fact that the bill phases out the estate tax rather than quickly nixing it.
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Still, most Republicans predicted the bill will pass with a big GOP vote next week. And there was a sense that the small group of on-the-fence lawmakers were holding out simply to extract some last-minute changes ahead of their eventual support.
“I’m undecided. We just want to see how the final bill shapes out. … On the business side, [it’s] all good,” said Rep. John Katko John Michael KatkoThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race House Dems release 2020 GOP'retirements to watch' for Overnight Defense: Gillibrand offers bill to let transgender troops serve | Pentagon ready to protect US personnel in Venezuela | Dems revive fight with Trump over Saudis MORE (R-N.Y.), who was just elected co-chairman of the moderate Tuesday Group. Katko has concerns with the bill axing and paring back state and local tax (SALT) deductions that are popular in affluent blue states like New York, New Jersey and California.
“At first glance, it looks like it’s not as bad as I thought,” Katko said of the SALT impact. But “until I get the final numbers, I can’t make a final determination.”
Issa echoed those remarks in an interview with The Hill, saying he backs the corporate tax changes but is opposed to the SALT impacts to his San Diego-area constituents and other Californians.
“The way it’s being structured, it’s unfair to California,” Issa said just off the House floor. “In its current form, it clearly raises taxes on some people, including in my state.”
But centrist Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), one of the most vocal opponents of changes to the SALT deduction, said Tuesday he was now prepared to vote for the bill.
He said he was satisfied with a compromise leaders struck with him and other SALT advocates that would preserve the state and local property tax deduction up to a $10,000 cap.
“I am in the yes column,” MacArthur told reporters. “This is going to be good for the state of New Jersey. I’ll continue to work to make it better, but I intend to support the bill.
“Nobody has demonstrated to me that taxes go up.”
MacArthur said he was continuing to seek other improvements to the bill, such as setting the mortgage deduction cap at $750,000, linking it to inflation and allowing it to apply to second homes.
On the other end of the spectrum, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, described himself as an “undecided lean yes.”
He’s pushing for reducing the rates of all tax brackets, including for the wealthiest individuals, maintaining the adoption tax credit and applying the tax cuts retroactively.
Biggs voted against the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal bill earlier this year, but he said he could still back the tax legislation even if his proposals aren't included.
“I think we need to do so much better on the individual side,” Biggs told The Hill. “I’m undecided at this point. But I think a lot of people are raising the same issues that I’m raising.”
GOP leaders are scrambling to wrap up support for their tax-code overhaul, a long-held aspiration of Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE (R-Wis.), who is also under considerable pressure to secure a legislative victory for President Trump after the failure of ObamaCare repeal earlier in the year.
The House Ways and Means Committee completed its second day of a marathon markup on Tuesday, and Ryan has set a Thanksgiving deadline for considering the bill on the floor. GOP leaders are trumpeting the package as a boon for the middle class, providing the average family of four with a $1,182 tax cut.
“That goes a long ways to bring them relief, to bring them peace of mind,” Ryan told reporters.
Complicating the effort, a series of independent studies have emerged in recent days indicating that millions of middle-class families would be hit with tax increases under the House proposal, particularly when certain benefits are phased out after several years.
Democrats have pounced, accusing Republicans of dishonoring the central promise of their tax-reform push: that the changes would provide across-the-board relief to working families.
“It’s a lie,” said Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.).
Rep. Jim Jordan James (Jim) Daniel JordanFive takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump Jordan says Oversight should be more focused on McCabe, Rosenstein ahead of Cohen testimony White House, GOP defend Trump emergency declaration MORE (R-Ohio), a former Freedom Caucus chairman, is still pressing GOP leaders to include a provision repealing ObamaCare’s individual insurance mandate — a notion promoted by Cruz and President Trump but one the House leadership has so far rejected.
Echoing Cruz, Jordan said he won’t support tax increases at any income level, but he argued that eliminating the individual mandate would generate at least $300 billion that could provide tax relief to families who might otherwise face hikes.
“We’ve all voted for it, it’s what we said we were going to do [and] it frees up money to allow families to get more money,” Jordan said. “Come on!”
Some deficit hawks have balked at the tax package because it allows for $1.5 trillion to be added to the federal deficit over a decade. But Jordan rejected that argument, citing a simple mantra he attributed to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.): “You don’t pay for tax cuts, you pay for spending."
“I’ve been against a revenue-neutral approach forever. Let’s just focus on the spending afterwards,” Jordan said.
At least five Republicans are on the record opposing the GOP bill or strongly leaning against it, according to a running tally kept by The Hill. They are Issa and Reps. Lee Zeldin (N.Y.), Pete King Peter (Pete) Thomas KingWhite House threatens to veto background check bills This week: Congress, Trump set for showdown on emergency declaration House to vote on background check bills next week MORE (N.Y.), Leonard Lance (N.J.) and Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), who announced Tuesday he would not seek a 13th term in office.
GOP leaders can afford to lose up to 22 Republicans when they bring the tax bill to the floor next week.
Niv Ellis, Cristina Marcos and Naomi Jagoda contributed.Louis Theroux on getting close to the people (and dogs) he interviews, and what Jimmy Savile told him
You have a beard today, but in your new series, LA Stories, you are clean-shaven. Do people not trust a man with facial hair?
I've heard that anecdotally. Actually my wife thinks I look better with a beard and maybe I think that too, but I've been doing these shows for more than 16 years and I feel as though there needs to be a uniformity. There were ructions round the turn of the millennium when I changed my glasses and that was bad enough.
You often spend a lot of time with the people you interview – in these three shows, dog owners, terminally ill patients and sex offenders. Do you ever consider them friends?
There is a little element of ambiguity in the sense that you get to inhabit quite an intimate space with someone – especially in the film about people who have life-threatening conditions – and it's a very personal and human story. At the same time I think it's understood that you're there to do a job. But it can be a little tricky. In that programme, three people we filmed with ended up dying in the course of filming. I went to the funeral of one of them – not for filming but to show our respects – but there was always a conversation in the office about what was the appropriate thing to do.
Have previous subjects ever felt betrayed by your films?
I remember Max Clifford was very unhappy with the film we made and said something along those lines.
Did that concern you at all?
In a basic human way, I was disappointed. I'd rather he'd said: "Oh well, it's a wonderful warts-and-all portrait of me and how I operate and I appreciate the chance to see an unvarnished version of how I am." But he didn't say that and it didn't overly worry me.
LA Stories starts tonight with a show on dangerous and abandoned dogs in south Los Angeles. Were you more scared of the dogs or the owners?
Growing up I was quite nervous around dogs, but I feel more comfortable having made that programme, oddly enough. Was I afraid of the humans? If I'm honest, no I wasn't. We went in with a guy called Dog Man in a van covered with pictures of dogs and I think it was quite clear that we weren't trying to set up shop dealing drugs on someone's corner.
Doesn't one man who has his dog taken by the authorities say to you: "Take your bitch-ass back to London"?
Yes. That was slightly different. I was nervous all through that encounter because there's a big difference between dealing with someone who's involved in a criminal lifestyle and someone who's mentally ill, as that guy was. But I was safely behind the fence at that point and his dog had been taken away from him.
You've lived in LA for more than a year now. Is that a personal choice or did you go there because the access and the subjects were better than the UK?
It was a personal choice. We went over there as a family: my wife grew up abroad and was sick of the British winters and I did feel as though I'd spent a bit too long in the same house in the same part of London. When you're in your 40s you become more conscious of life being of limited duration and that you need to create memories and go on little adventures from time to time.
One of the sex offenders asks you how many pull-ups you can do and you tell him five. Do you stand by that?
I think I could do five. I could definitely do five, five years ago, maybe I couldn't now. It's a shame we don't have a pull-up bar here. [To the press officer…] Could that be arranged, Suzie?
One of your most famous interviews was with Jimmy Savile in 2000. There's a retrospectively uncomfortable moment where he says: "It's easier for me, as a single man, to say 'I don't like children' because that puts a lot of salacious tabloid people off the hunt."
We could easily have not put that bit in. It's not the strongest moment in the film and it was almost a throwaway remark in the car going back to his penthouse in Leeds. So it was driven by him but in hindsight clearly I'm sort of pleased that we had that in there and that we were able to get as far as we did with revealing the strangeness of his private side. I'm still proud of the programme.
Were there warning signs with Savile that everyone missed?
At that point all I'd heard were rumours and the rumours were very inconsistent and some of them were beyond outlandish, to do with dead bodies and things. So based on what I heard it didn't seem to be a priority in terms of the journalistic journey we went on. His MO was to tantalise and hint that he had secrets, but one never knew whether the secret might turn out to be rather banal.
You recently put a call out on Twitter for Scientologists for a new documentary. What was the response?
Good, in the sense of a lot of people responding, but it doesn't seem as though I'm getting a big response from active, paid-up Scientologists. It was mainly people saying, "Be careful, those guys are scary."
You once wrote that your professional interests were sex, crime, religious strangeness and mental illness, but you couldn't work out if those were personal tastes or intrinsic to us all. Have you resolved that?
I guess when we stop getting commissioned that will answer the question. But so far I've still got people tuning in and I think I'm making good programmes. So based on that, I assume other people are interested too."Hitherto, philosophers have sought to understand the world; the point, however, is to change it." Marx's celebrated over-statement attempted to build what might now be called an "impact requirement" into the valuation of abstract thought: the test of the validity of ideas was to be found in their capacity to transform the world. This hubristic declaration may in retrospect be seen as expressing a tension which ran through all of Marx's own work and was at the root of the recurring identity crisis which plagued that diverse body of thinking and doing subsequently referred to as "Marxism".
A quite extraordinarily rich and sophisticated body of ideas developed, and continues to develop, under this label, yet both adepts and critics have been prone to insist that the standing and importance of these ideas is to be assessed in terms of their record in transforming the world. The adepts often like to suggest that the jury is still out, but they have, sorrowfully, to acknowledge that the case is not looking good; the critics gleefully point to the millions of Stalin's victims and to the unparalleled prosperity brought (to some) by capitalism, and then consider the case closed.
This dual character of Marxism imposes special burdens on anyone attempting to chart its history. The ideas themselves are complex and demanding: the historian should, ideally, be able to move confidently through the thickets of Hegelian metaphysics as well as the intricacies of the labour theory of value. But, in addition, an adequate history has to embrace the achievements of labour movements and the posturing of party factions, the building of planned economies and the repression of dissident opinion, and much else besides. The ideal historian of Marxism has to be part theoretician, part polymath; part believer, part sceptic; polylingual but not Pollyanna.
Eric Hobsbawm is often referred to as a "Marxist historian", even though he might more accurately be seen as a historian of remarkable range and analytical power who has drawn more intellectual inspiration from Marx than from any other single source. But he is less often seen as a historian of Marxism. His major works have, after all, been focused on the analysis of the development of European society since the twin upheavals of the French and industrial revolutions at the end of the 18th century. If his contributions to the history of Marxism have been accorded less recognition, that may partly be because they have taken the form of scattered essays and chapters, and partly because, true to his cosmopolitan leanings, they have often been published in languages other than English.
The publication of How To Change the World may help to set the record straight – and not before time: it is his 16th book and appears, impressively, in his 94th year. Although the book is largely made up of previously published material, much of it has never appeared in English and some of it has been revised and updated. The "tales" of the subtitle may be a nervous publisher's attempt to make the contents sound more beguiling to readers who might be thought to be deterred by "essays" or "studies", but fortunately the term does not in this case signal colourful biographical chat or off-beat narratives. The essays are analytical and synoptic and none the worse for that – their sheer intellectual quality makes them more compelling than any sexed-up "tales" could be.
"Part One" contains rather diverse studies of aspects of the thought of Marx and Engels, ranging from a relatively slight introduction to the latter's The Condition of the Working Class in England to a dense explication of Marx's thinking about "pre-capitalist formations" in the unfinished work known simply as the Grundrisse.
"Part Two", which may be of more interest to the contemporary reader, comes close to providing an overview of the fortunes of Marxism in the (almost) 130 years since Marx's death in 1883. It is these chapters that most notably exhibit Hobsbawm's trademark combination of lucid analysis and breathtaking range. Nearly all historians look parochial in his company. Who else could, while doing detailed justice to the history of major Marxist political movements in countries such as Germany and France, also provide an authoritative little riff on the differences between Danish and Finnish Marxism? Who else would we trust when, having itemised the translations of Das Kapital from Azerbaijani to Yiddish, he confidently concludes: "The only other major linguistic extension of Capital occurred in independent India, with editions in Marathi, Hindi, and Bengali in the 1950s and 1960s"?
In the course of the past century or more, the status of Marx's writings may be said to have oscillated between two poles. On the one hand, there is the once-orthodox communist position that Marx was the all-but-infallible guide to political action and to the creation, via revolution, of the form of society that would succeed capitalism. And on the other, there is what we might call the "western civ" view, where Marx is treated, along with figures such as Nietzsche |
an unknown primate species.
The conclusion must be that the noises have diverse origins, by which I mean that they are mostly sounds made by known animal species, including cattle, coyotes (and their hybrids) and humans. And, yes, I think that many of the more incredible Bigfoot sounds – ‘Sumarai chatter’ and other speech-like utterances among them – were generated by people.
Bigfoot tracks would be easy to find by people who know what they’re doing. If Bigfoot is super-rare (as some, though not all, proponents argue that it is), it might follow that its tracks would be rarely encountered and hard to find. That seems reasonable. But the fact is that people who actually track known animal species in a professional or technical capacity are near-universally of the opinion that Bigfoot is not a real animal: (1) they, and their colleagues, don’t find evidence for it themselves, and (2) the evidence they have seen is fraudulent or unconvincing. Note that even some of Bigfoot’s most noted investigators – I’m thinking of the late René Dahinden – never found tracks themselves.
The tracks of very rare North American mammals are findable by qualified, working biologists. These tracks are of a Florida panther Puma concolor. Image from here, in the public domain.
For a large, ground-dwelling mammal that leaves conspicuous tracks and supposedly occurs continent-wide, Bigfoot is unrealistically cryptic; if it were real, biologists would be at least occasionally finding and reporting its tracks, at at least the same frequency as they do the tracks of such mammals as wolverines, jaguars, pumas and ocelots, all of which are extremely rare and even of controversial status within certain parts of the USA. The fact that Bigfoot tracks are not found by people trained and with the expertise to do so is a red flag. I’m sorry if this sounds elitist; even if it does, that doesn’t stop it from being true.
Bigfoot tracks would be more ‘biological’. A little-discussed aspect of the many Bigfoot tracks on record is that they’re decidedly… clean. Yes, there are some famous examples that feature what look like scars and dents, plus there are the infamous Bossburg ‘cripple foot’ tracks… all of which are of doubtful origin and are associated with individuals widely thought – even by proponents – to be hoaxers. But even leaving those aside, the remaining tracks are weird.
A famous sequence of tracks from Bossburg, Washington state, were supposedly made by a Bigfoot with a malformed left foot. The tracks were generally found alongside a road and could be linked to a source considered unreliable even by Bigfoot proponents. Image by Darren Naish.
They typically look so neat, so clean. The toes are all too frequently neatly placed together in close contact, and the sole and ball of the foot are smooth and mostly featureless. What I’m getting at is that these don’t look like real animal tracks, as they should if Bigfoot were real. In a primate with a human-like foot – especially an enormously big, heavy, bipedal one – the toes should consistently splay apart, as they do in people who go their lives without shoes. And, based on the appearance of wild-living primate feet (humans included), shouldn’t Bigfoot have soles that are gnarly, rough, cracked, wrinkled and fissured? As it is, the soles and balls of Bigfoot tracks look like those of domestic humans who have never walked barefoot outdoors, let alone an animal that lives in forests and mountains, endures freezing outdoor conditions, and walks routinely on rough terrain.
All too many Bigfoot prints are unrealistically 'tidy', with closely packed (not spreading), tidily parallel toes and clean, featureless soles. They look to be modelled on the feet of domestic, shoe-wearing humans, not on wild-living primates. At left, a depiction of one of the Bluff Creek tracks from 1967. At right, depiction of a cast and its associated marks, discovered at Walla Walla, Washington. Images by Darren Naish, CC BY.
I’m not commenting here on dermal ridges or the alleged mid-tarsal break: neither stand up as evidence supporting the reality of Bigfoot. I discussed both in my recent book (Naish 2016).
There would be Bigfoot DNA all over the place. Anyone who knows anything about Bigfoot knows that there have been several recent claims concerning the discovery of Bigfoot DNA. So far, none have panned out. In the best known study – the one led by Melba Ketchum, published in a paywalled journal created solely to carry the study itself – Bigfoot was reported to be some sort of hybrid between Homo sapiens and an unidentified second species. The results were widely discussed and derided by qualified working geneticists who showed how the genetic results seemed to mix human with that of other mammals, dogs and bears among them. None of the sequences could be taken to support the hybridisation hypothesis integral to the conclusions. And some geneticists are on record as describing the manuscript as “utter nonsense”.
A popular idea in some sectors of the Bigfoot community is that the value and quality of the Ketchum study was played down by cowardly scientists and journal editors who didn’t have the balls or integrity to see it get fair treatment. Indeed Ketchum herself wrote of witnessing gross bias, and even referred to the “Galileo Effect”. In fact, the Ketchum study – which was submitted to several top-end journals prior to eventual publication – was treated thoroughly and ethically, and found wanting for the reasons mentioned above. An excellent and thorough analysis of the whole episode can be found here.
Striding female of a giant, wild-living hominid that still defies recognised scientific detection, or fat guy in a suit? This image depicts the famous frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin film. Image by Darren Naish, CC BY.
Anyway, my primary point here is that DNA that can’t be explained other than by the existence of an unknown distinct primate has not been documented, whereas it would be present all over the place if Bigfoot were real, even if it were an unusual sub-population of Homo sapiens. And those of you thinking that this is a dumb thing to say in view of the absence or rarity of alleged Bigfoot remains should note that the collection and examination of eDNA – that is, residual DNA collected from the environment (yes, from water, ice and sediment) – is now widespread and commonplace.
The main takehome from what I’ve said here – and I’m repeating what many other scientists have said before me – is that an awful lot of good evidence would have been documented by now if Bigfoot were real. As interesting and intriguing as all those eyewitness reports are, we are simply not seeing the evidence we should, nor is the evidence we have at all convincing. So... why is that?
For previous Tet Zoo articles relevant to the subject of Bigfoot, see...
Refs - -
Bindernagel, J.A. 1998. North America’s Great Ape: the Sasquatch. Beachcomber Books, Courtenay, B.C.
Conway, J., Kosemen, C. M. & Naish, D. 2013. Cryptozoologicon Volume I. Irregular Books.
Krantz, G. S. 1999. Bigfoot Sasquatch Evidence. Hancock House, Surrey, B.C. & Blaine, WA.
Meldrum, D. J. 2006. Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science. Tom Doherty Associates, New York.
Naish, D. 2012. Should we give up looking for Bigfoot? BBC Focus March 2012, 27.
Naish, D. 2014. Speculative zoology. Fortean Times 316, 52-53.
Naish, D. 2016. Hunting Monsters. Arcturus Books, London.President-elect Donald Trump, left, stands with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus during an election night rally in New York. (Evan Vucci/AP)
President-elect Donald Trump has a different plan for his White House staff. Instead of the traditional hierarchical structure, with the chief of staff in charge, Trump will encourage “a lot of input, multiple, competing voices at the table” because “a top-down White House is not him.”
For a president who has little experience in designing or implementing policies, it seems intuitive to listen to a variety of perspectives. But Trump’s plan isn’t a good way to run the White House. Here’s why.
The chief of staff position was originally created by President Dwight Eisenhower, whose military background meant that he was experienced in managing large organizations. But the idea did not immediately take. Neither John F. Kennedy nor Lyndon Johnson had a chief of staff. Richard Nixon re-established the position but with an infamous result: The chief of staff was H.R. Haldeman, whose involvement in the Watergate scandal would put him in prison.
After Nixon resigned, President Gerald Ford decided that he could not afford to look too much like Nixon and did something similar to what Trump has proposed. Ford initially ran his White House as “the knights of the round table,” with nine people reporting directly to him. But after several months, Ford was overwhelmed with demands on his time and asked Donald Rumsfeld to come in as chief of staff and impose discipline in the White House.
Similarly, President Jimmy Carter decided that he did not want to look like Nixon, and so he chose to be his own chief of staff. It didn’t work for him, either, and Carter eventually appointed Hamilton Jordan to the position.
Ford and Carter’s initial system has been called the “spokes-of-the-wheel” approach, with a number of White House staffers reporting directly to the president. Why did it fail? The primary reason was the sheer size of the White House. During the 1970s, the White House increased from about 250 to more than 575 staffers, overwhelming the president’s ability to monitor and control them. The lesson learned by these presidents is that someone short of the president must be in charge of the White House.
Since then, the closest a president has come to a less hierarchical system was Ronald Reagan’s “troika,” with Michael Deaver in charge of staging presidential appearances, Edwin Meese as a top policy adviser, and James A. Baker as chief of staff. But Baker was clearly in charge of running the White House; he hired the White House staff and controlled the policy development process.
Bill Clinton learned the value of a figure like Baker. Clinton initially appointed boyhood friend Mack McLarty as chief of staff. But McLarty lacked the authority to fully control the White House staff, and Clinton had to bring in Leon Panetta to impose discipline.
The White House now has more than 15 sub-units filled with more than 400 very ambitious people who will compete for the president’s time to promote their priorities. Cabinet secretaries will do the same. Someone must organize demands on the president’s time, moderate staff battles and ensure that the right advice gets to the president.
Empowering a chief of staff does not mean that the president will or should have only one source of information or advice. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
The chief of staff should ensure that the president is exposed to opposing voices on all important policy issues, and particularly to those at odds with the apparent consensus. If important people in the administration feel shut out, they will create back doors to the president. The result will be policy incoherence.
Furthermore, empowering a chief of staff does not mean that the president will or should ignore outside advice. Presidents should be able to consult with whomever they choose, including an outside “kitchen cabinet.”
But advice must be mediated by the White House staff so that any serious proposal can be “staffed out” to examine its full implications. If not, the president may accept what seems like a good idea without being aware of its full ramifications. It’s not that staffers know better than the president. It’s that the president needs to be aware of opposing views and potential pitfalls before making a decision.
Of course, an orderly policy process does not guarantee good policymaking. As Eisenhower observed, “Organization cannot make a genius out of an incompetent.” But he also said, “On the other hand, disorganization can scarcely fail to result in inefficiency and can easily lead to disaster.”
If Trump is to have an effective White House, he should heed these lessons from his most recent predecessors.
James P. Pfiffner is University Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.The ICC has handed official warnings under its pitch and outfield monitoring process to Kingsmead in Durban and the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain. Kingsmead hosted the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand from August 19 to 23, and the Queen's Park Oval the fourth Test between West Indies and India from August 18 to 22. Both matches were heavily curtailed because of outfield conditions.
Andy Pycroft and Ranjan Madugalle, the match referees for the two Tests, both rated the outfields "poor" in their official reports.
Madugalle and Geoff Allardice, the ICC's general manager, reviewed CSA's response to the "poor" rating, while Allardice and match referee David Boon reviewed WICB's response.
Since this was the first occasion either ground had received a "poor" rating, the grounds stood to receive either a warning or a fine not exceeding USD 15,000, along with "a directive for appropriate corrective action".
"The sanctions take into account Durban and Port of Spain venues' history of producing good conditions for international cricket and commitment by both the boards to take appropriate steps to ensure similar events are not repeated in future," an ICC release said.
In all, 11 sessions out of 15 were lost to a wet and soft outfield at Kingsmead. Only 22 overs of play were possible in the Port of Spain Test, with no play at all on days two, three, four and five despite largely sunny weather.General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, today announced that its Network Centric Communications Pod (NCCP) successfully demonstrated the ability to provide a robust communications data link between Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) ground and air forces during an exercise held at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, Calif., in July.
Integrated aboard a company-owned Predator® B Block 5 and operated by a company-owned Block 30 Ground Control Station (GCS), NCCP provided Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2) retransmissions and Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) availability while simultaneously providing C-band Remote Operational Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) Full-motion Video (FMV) to advantaged users who possessed highly sophisticated connectivity and communications equipment, as well as disadvantaged users on the battlefield who were equipped with Kinetic Integrated Low-cost Software Integrated Tactical Combat Handheld (KILSWITCH) tablets.
“The successful demonstration of NCCP for the Marine Corps clearly shows the versatility and utility of Predator B in extending the communication ranges and mission capabilities of our forces in distributed operations,” said Claudio Pereida, executive vice president, Mission Systems, GA-ASI. “We are proud to have supported the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit during this historic exercise, marking the first time that a Predator-series aircraft was equipped with NCCP.”
During the demonstration, warfighters experienced enhanced situational awareness through the expansion of their ANW2 and TTNT networks, greatly improving their ability to communicate and share information in a network that included both an airborne node and ground users. Predator B also provided live FMV to warfighters’ ROVER, and the NCCP demonstrated the ability to stream FMV via ANW2 to USMC KILSWITCH tablets. Additionally, this data, along with imagery captured by GA-ASI’s Lynx® Multi-mode Radar, was transmitted to Camp Pendleton’s Battle Simulation Center and displayed on GA-ASI’s Claw® 3 Integrated Sensor Payload Control and Analysis Software system, as well as GA-ASI’s System for Tactical Archival, Retrieval, and Exploitation (STARE) workstations. These data exploitation products greatly enhanced USMC’s intelligence analysis and targeting in the area of operations.
NCCP is a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) developed to enhance and extend long-range communications, providing a medium-altitude gateway for airborne and ground communications networks systems that enables digital interoperability and connectivity for advantaged and disadvantaged users. This MCWL demonstration follows two previously successful GA-ASI electronic attack demonstrations for the USMC in 2013.Two watchdog groups filed a lawsuit Monday to force three different federal agencies to make public the internal documents and communications related to a commission President Donald Trump convened to investigate voter fraud.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York by the Brennan Center for Justice and Protect Democracy Project against the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget. The lawsuit came after all three agencies did not respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the commission.
The suit is notable because the commission, which formally met for the first time in July, has said little about its methodology. It has not posted public comments it has received since mid-July and has said little about who will staff it and how it will work with other federal agencies. Marc Lotter, a spokesman for Vice President Mike Pence, the commission’s chair, told ProPublica the panel planned to run voter data collected from all 50 states against federal databases. The Washington Times reported in June the commission will compare voter roll data against a DHS database of non-citizens.
After the panel’s July 19 meeting, Kobach told reporters the size of the commission’s staff would be “substantial,” and indicated there were people in other agencies in the federal government who were working on it.
“Not only do you have the full-time staff here, you have people who are detailed to work for the commission from other agencies,” he told reporters.
Many observers were also alarmed when the Department of Justice sent out a letter to 44 states at the end of June asking them to explain their compliance with voter purge procedures required by federal law. The letter was sent the same day the commission sent out a letter to all 50 states asking them to turn over voter information, though a DOJ official said in July the timing was a coincidence.
In the suit, the plaintiffs say they are seeking records from OMB because agencies are required to receive approval from the office before beginning a broad effort to collect information. The commission does not appear to have sought approval from OMB before issuing a broad request for voter information, and has argued in separate litigation that it did not have to because it is not a federal agency.
Critics are concerned the commission will lay the groundwork for more restrictive voting policies, which they note many of the commissioners have a history of pushing.
“This administration has a troubling pattern of keeping public information from the public — a pattern that is continuing with this commission,” Wendy Weiser, director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, said in a statement. “The government’s obligation to share this information is especially important when there are so many reasons to be skeptical of this commission. When the public is not able to oversee the work of a presidential panel like this, there is a risk of abuse, which could negatively impact voting rights across the country.”It's the first and ultimate question of the NFL draft: Fill a need or take the best player available? As the Cleveland Browns hurtle themselves to an 0-16 season and the first overall pick next year, they'll spend a lot of time and resources answering that question.
That question gets answered in the latest mock draft, which features three quarterbacks going in the first 10 picks. Any mock draft at this point could include one or two more quarterbacks, but that's not to say this is a great class at the position. It's a quarterback class that's been up and down for the entire season. For now, Clemson's Deshaun Watson is at the top of it, but his position is shaky. Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer has all the tools, but he's been as inconsistent as the Irish have been this season. The riser at the position this season has been North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, who has exploded into national prominence as a junior.
Quarterback is the most noteworthy position in any mock draft, but in this one cornerbacks are the most popular position. Five go in this edition of the mock, and a few more could have been squeezed in. In general, the 2017 draft appears to be a much better one on defense than offense, and that's proven right from the start.
This draft could turn out to be a lot like the 2014 draft where the Houston Texans passed on a quarterback with the first overall pick and took the player who was perceived as being the best prospect. That could happen with the Browns with Garrett looking like the most dominant eligible player. With a core of Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah, Danny Shelton, and Carl Nassib, Cleveland could load up on young talent up front on defense.
The 49ers are hurtling toward having their first top-five pick in over a decade. That last happened in 2005 when the franchise took Alex Smith first overall in 2005. Drafting this highly again, they're in a position of needing a quarterback and having their choice of the bunch. The early season narrative about Watson's play being down compared to last year is finally starting to erode into nothingness. What is left after stripping away that concern is a quarterback with experience and athleticism that the other top signal callers don't possess. His interceptions this season are still concerning, and leaving some doubt about whether he'll be the first quarterback picked.
The Jay Cutler era in Chicago appears to finally be grinding toward a divorce. Like the 49ers, the Bears haven't been prone to taking quarterbacks high in the draft, and will be well-positioned to do so in April. With Watson gone, it comes down to a debate between Kizer and North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky. Kizer offers a little more size and pure skill, so for now he's getting the nod. The quarterbacks could come off the board in any order, and it would be conceivable.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
This is where things get interesting. Surely if the Jaguars are picking in the top five for the sixth consecutive years, the team will have moved on from head coach Gus Bradley. Whoever replaces him will get a roster that has a good amount of talent. One spot that could be improved is safety where Jonathan Cyprien is in the final year of his rookie deal and hasn't exactly developed as expected. Peppers is narrowly behind Garrett as being the best player in the daft. He's a do-it-all player with high football IQ and effort that matches his limitless talent. He's a special player, no matter how you use him.
The quarterback situation for the Jets is a crowded mess of mediocrity and simply throwing more bodies at it might not be the best solution. Instead, the Jets could opt for Fournette, giving them a guaranteed star player on offense. That's the theory, at least. Fournette is a brute of a running back who has played through injuries for most of this season. When he's healthy, he's a can't miss bulldozer of a prospect.
Stop if you've heard this before, but this could be the draft where Tennessee adds the final pieces needed before making a serious playoff push. With two first-round picks, the Titans can acquire franchise players in 2017. Allen is an NFL-ready 290-pound defensive lineman who should really be playing in the NFL right now. Few players in next year's draft appear as safe as him.
The Buccaneers wisely picked Vernon Hargreaves this year, but still need talent on defense. The safety play in particular could be improved, and that's what Adams provides. He's like a better version of Landon Collins, and would give the team a player in the secondary who can thump.
It would be ideal to go with an offensive lineman here, but currently there doesn't appear to be one worth a top-10 pick. Instead, the Panthers could get a quality pass rusher like Barnett if they end up in this range. Barnett is as true of a 4-3 end as you'll find, and would slot in perfectly for Carolina.
9. Arizona Cardinals: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
Trubisky is a bit of a tough sell. He hasn't been a starter for North Carolina until this season, and he could ultimately choose to return to school for another season. If he decides to come out, though, he would fit perfectly in Arizona's offense. Trubisky has an impressive arm, so he can work the vertical throws Bruce Arians likes, but he's nimble enough to maneuver around inside the pocket. If he closes the season strong, his draft stock could skyrocket.
The play of Rey Maualuga has been average, and Vontaze Burfict has been involved in numerous issues on the field. Foster could be an instant upgrade in the middle of Cincinnati's defense.
11. Tennessee Titans: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
The Titans could have their choice of wide receivers in the draft, and they could use a true No. 1 to go along with solid players like Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe, and Kendall Wright. Williams could be that player. He's had a very good bounce back season after suffering a devastating neck injury in 2015. He has size and good body control to make difficult receptions at the high point.
Frank Gore has been solid for the Colts, but at 33, he can't be expected to maintain a high level of play for long. Cook is a superstar. He's a great all-around back with game breaking speed.
Ohio State has a loaded group of young defensive backs, and Hooker might be the best of the bunch. He could fill a need that was left by the departure of Eric Weddle and give San Diego a playmaker in the secondary.
Miami brought in cornerback Xavien Howard in the second round of this year's draft, but could use another corner. Humphrey gets the nod over Florida's pair of talented cornerbacks Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor, but just barely.
The talent McDowell possesses warrants a top-five pick. He could drop to this range, though, because he hasn't always been a consistent player. For the Bills, this type of hybrid pass rusher might be too good to pass up at No. 15.
Williams' draft position is really hard to gauge at this point. He's been a productive player for Alabama, registering seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss this season. But he's been a rotational player throughout his career. For the Steelers he'd hopefully be the pass rusher they've long sought.
There were some reports that the Saints were poking around for a trade for Joe Haden of the Browns. Considering that, they could be hot after a cornerback this offseason. Wilson gets the nod over his teammate Teez Tabor, largely because he's a bigger safety with somewhat better technique.
18. Green Bay Packers: Dan Feeney, G, Indiana
It's probably strange to see a guard being the first offensive lineman taken in the draft, but the need for Green Bay is real and Feeney is an extremely talented player.
19. Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia Eagles): Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
The Browns are in the midst of deciding whether Cody Kessler is their quarterback of the future. If they pass on a quarterback with the first pick, would the fourth one picked but that great of an upgrade? Potentially, but given Cleveland's vast amount of needs, a player like Tabor would be attractive, too.
White has put together a solid season for LSU, and projects being even better in the NFL. He has the type of length and athleticism that the Lions desperately lack at the position.
21. Washington: Zach Cunningham, ILB, Vanderbilt
Playing at Vanderbilt, Cunningham doesn't always earn the nation praise he deserves. But he's the type of linebacker who can do everything from play the run to drop back in coverage. His playing style is exactly what Washington needs on defense.
Before the season, many projected Robinson to rise into the top 10 and be the stud left tackle this draft needs. That hasn't quite happened, and that's why he could slide to this point in the draft. If he does, a team like the Broncos should pounce. He's a high upside blocker who could develop into a franchise edge blocker.
After stumbling for a couple of weeks, McCaffrey is looking like his old, all-purpose superstar self. Given the struggles the Giants have had with running backs in the past few years, McCaffrey could be the solution. He can be a factor running the ball, be utilized in the passing game and contribute on returns. Adding a defensive tackle who can create pressure on the passer will also be a priority for New York.
The Chiefs potentially face the difficult offseason departure of star safety Eric Berry. Should he leave, Baker is well-suited to fill his role. Baker is a semifinalist for pretty much every major award a defensive back can earn this season thanks to his ballhawking style and sure tackling. If Washington keeps winning, Baker's draft stock could continue to rise.
This seems like the obvious choice for Baltimore considering the age of Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil. Lawson is a sudden pass rusher who knows how to play with power. He'll have to transition to more of a stand-up role, but he's athletic enough for it.
26. Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota Vikings): JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California
Smith-Schuster has been inconsistent this season, but he has superstar potential.
27. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
The 2017 offensive line class was dealt a blow when Notre Dame's Mike McGlinchey announced he'd return for his final season. The benefactor could be a player like Ramczyk, who has helped his draft stock as much as any player this season. Ramczyk is a tough left tackle who is hard to move off his spot.
28. Houston Texans: Lowell Lotulelei, DT, Utah
Considering the age of Vince Wilfork, the Texans could add talent to the middle of their defense with Lotulelei. The younger Lotulelei may not have as much hype as his older brother, but he's the type of player who could immediately contribute for Houston.
Atlanta is going to do everything it can to re-sign Desmond Trufant in the near future, and that could come at the cost of losing Robert Alford. If they go after a cornerback here, Jones is arguably the best one available. He's a physical cornerback with length, but he's a good enough athlete to keep up with quicker receivers.
The Raiders have done a masterful job of working the draft in the last few years, but they still need a star middle linebacker. McMillan can be that player. He's a big-bodied linebacker with enough athleticism to make plays in space.
Veteran Jason Witten has just a year left on his deal, and who knows if he'll continue playing after it expires. The play at the position behind him hasn't exactly been great – former second-round pick Gavin Escobar caught his first pass of the season on Sunday. Dallas could find Witten's replacement in Butt, a player who compares favorably to him.
Suddenly with the trade of Jamie Collins, the Patriots could use a linebacker. Sure, players like Elandon Roberts or Kyle Van Noy will get an opportunity, but Davis would be an upgrade. He's not quite on Collins' level as a pass rusher or coverage player, but he's a highly athletic player with easily coachable traits.
The draft order is based on current results through Sunday's games, but feel free to voice your rage below regardless.One of the unnerving revelations brought about by the current recession is how many Americans are living precariously close to the economic edge. The Band-Aid of credit cards, home equity loans, and other vehicles of debt masked the problem for many years. Debt was rolled over on a continuous basis and as long as the debt bubble expanded the process seemed limitless. Yet the bursting of the debt bubble largely brought on by the collapse of the housing market is revealing the true state of the economy. A sobering new survey finds that one in three Americans would not be able to make their mortgage or rent payment beyond one month if they lost their job. For most Americans this means $1,000 to $1,500 a month. This also ties in to the grim reality that one in three Americans has no savings to their name. The housing market has been mired with problems for nearly half a decade now. This clouds the perception of future home buyers going forward. Because of this buffet of problems the U.S. housing market will forever be changed.
Living one paycheck away from being homeless
It really is an incredible fact that over 30 percent of Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless:
“(DSNews) One in three Americans would be unable to make their mortgage or rent payment beyond one month if they lost their job, according to the results of a national survey taken in mid-September.”
This survey was only conducted a couple of weeks ago and continues to show the disappearing middle class in America. This data simply reinforces the problems housing will have moving forward. The mantra of “real estate only goes up” is forever shattered for the current generation. And even the few with solid incomes would be homeless if they lost their jobs:
“Despite being more affluent, the poll found that even those with higher annual household incomes indicate they are not guaranteed to make their next housing payment if they lost their source of income. Ten percent of survey respondents earning $100K or more a year say they would immediately miss a payment. The survey was conducted on behalf of a financial consortium comprised of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Financial Planning Association, Foundation for Financial Planning, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.”
This shows a dramatic comfort with debt and how much we have come to rely on debt instead of actual generated income. As the recession rolled along many did find themselves unable to deal with the weak economy and households with “doubled-up” status grew by millions:
What I see above is simply more pent up demand for rentals. It is unlikely that those living in this situation will go straight into being homeowners after moving back home. When things improve, however long that may be, these individuals are likely to run out first and pickup a rental. Will they purchase homes? Hard to say given the negative stigma now being branded on the housing market.
The overhang of negative equity
The country also still has many households living with an albatross of a mortgage that is worth more
than the value of their home:
“CoreLogic … released Q2 negative equity data showing that 10.9 million, or 22.5 percent, of all residential properties with a mortgage were in negative equity at the end of the second quarter of 2011, down very slightly from 22.7 percent in the first quarter. An additional 2.4 million borrowers had less than five percent equity, referred to as near-negative equity, in the second quarter. Together, negative equity and near-negative equity mortgages accounted for 27.5 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage nationwide. The new report also shows that nearly three-quarters of homeowners in negative equity situations are also paying higher, above-market interest on their mortgages.”
Over 22 percent of all mortgage holders are still underwater. This is a stunning figure especially given the length of time of the crash and bailout programs aimed at the housing market. In reality, the bailout programs were largely designed to protect banks and not geared to saving home owners. There is now a wave of businesses picking up distressed bundles of loans and waiting to go after deficiency judgments against previous home owners in many states. In other words this albatross is going to follow many families for years to come.
Banking on safety
In a twisted system you have banks trying to punish savers because deposits for banks are actually held as liabilities:
“Americans are pumping money into bank accounts at a blistering pace this year, sending deposits to record levels near $10 trillion.”
Banks are slashing rates trying to dissuade deposits since this increases the amount of deposit insurance they need to pay. Banks would want nothing more than to lend money out and create more debt slaves but now with some modicum of due diligence, banks have very few qualified people to lend to. Just refer up to the recent survey that over 33 percent of Americans would not be able to make one mortgage or rental payment beyond the next month if they lost their job.
The unhealthy housing market
The housing market continues to face an unhealthy mix of foreclosure resales and all-cash invstors:
“All-cash sales accounted for 29 percent of transactions in August, unchanged from July; they were 28 percent in August 2010; investors account for the bulk of cash purchases.”
There is still no semblance of normalcy in the housing market. I doubt we’ll ever see another housing boom like we did during this bubble in our lifetime. The needs of this generation and the fact that we have a disappearing middle class change the dynamics of housing needs going forward. Many of the baby boomers looking to sell at peak prices will be horribly disappointed as a new generation has different housing needs. Many boomers are seeing this first hand as their children move back home. Housing has become the focal point of this economic collapse and many are questioning the future of the housing market. New households will form and life will go on but nothing like it looked like pre-2007. This is a new era.
If you enjoyed this post click here to subscribe to a complete feed and stay up to date with today’s challenging market!President Trump was meeting Wednesday with former Sen. Joe Lieberman and several other potential candidates to replace fired FBI Director James Comey.
Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent from Connecticut and a former attorney general for the state, just entered the candidate mix Wednesday.
The others scheduled to meet with Trump were acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating; and Richard McFeely, an FBI official.
Some Republican senators called the idea of Lieberman replacing Comey “intriguing.”
Others on the lengthy roster of potential Comey replacements include former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly; former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich.; Mayor of Colorado Springs John Suthers; former federal appellate court judge and now EVP of Boeing John Luttig; Director for the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch Paul Abbate; Associate Judge for the New York Court of Appeals Mike Garcia; and Larry Thompson, former deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush.
Former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher, who was interviewed at the Department of Justice on Saturday, has withdrawn her name |
also carried aboard to destroy and scuttle the vessel if it was in danger of being captured.
One limitation of the midget submarine was its short range, which was less than 20 nautical miles (37 km) at top speed. This drawback prompted Japanese officers to develop the ability to carry the small vessels on the back of larger mother submarines. The mother vessels carried the midget submarines into a target area where the two-man crew would climb aboard before the small submarine was launched on its mission. Following the successful integration of the midget submarine onto the upper hull of a larger vessel, leaders of the program approached Admiral Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, in October 1941 about using the small subs during the Pearl Harbor attack then being planned. Yamamoto initially opposed the idea but ultimately approved it despite the misgivings of air staff officers who felt the midget submarines were too likely to alert the Americans to the coming attack.
Following approval of the mission, additional modifications were made to the midget submarines including addition of a propeller guard, a telephone to communicate with the mother sub, and a pneumatically operated steering system. Japan also secretly sent three naval officers disguised as civilians to visit Oahu in November and conduct reconnaissance on the entrance to Pearl Harbor for use by the midget sub crewmen. By 18 November, all plans had been finalized and the midget submarines were mated to their parent vessels for the trip across the Pacific to Hawaii. The five submarines departed on their journey early the next day. They took position off the entrance to Pearl Harbor early on the morning of December 7 where the midget submarines were launched to participate in the attack.
Japanese painting memorializing nine midget submarine crewmen killed at Pearl Harbor
Details of each submarine differ between sources, but the following information is generally agreed upon:
The midget submarine from the mother sub I-16 was the first to be launched. Since its HA designation is unknown, it is typically referred to as I-16tou (for "I-16 boat") or sometimes D-16 for the daughter sub of I-16. The vessel, manned by LT (j.g) Masaharu Yokoyama and PO2C Sadamu Kamita, began its journey at 12:42 AM and was released about 7 miles (11 km) from the entrance to the harbor.
The submarine I-22 was next to launch its midget at 1:16 AM about 9 miles (14 km) from Pearl Harbor with its crew of LT Naoji Iwasa and PO1C Naokichi Sasaki.
At 2:15 AM, I-18 launched LT (j.g.) Shigemi Furuno and PO1C Shigenori Yokoyama at a distance of 13 miles (21 km) from the harbor entrance.
Next came I-20tou carrying ENS Akira Hiroo and PO2C Yoshio Katayama launched at 2:57 AM from I-20 while 5 miles (8 km) distant.
The final midget sub to depart was HA-19 launched off I-24 at a distance of 10 miles (16 km) at 3:33 AM. HA-19 was delayed so long due to problems with the vessel's gyroscope navigation gear that were never satisfactorily repaired. The crew, consisting of ENS Kazuo Sakamaki and PO2C Kiyoshi Inagaki knew that their chances of success were minimal due to this failure but chose to proceed with the mission regardless.
Once launched, the midget submarines were supposed to sneak into Pearl Harbor and launch their torpedo attack around 9 AM during a brief lull between two waves of air strikes. After hopefully scoring deadly strikes on American warships, the submersibles would attempt to escape back out of the harbor and cruise southeast towards Lanai Island. The mother submarines were to wait at this rendezvous point to recover the midget sub crewmen and return to Japan.
Ships moored around Ford Island in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941
The exact story of each of these vessels after launch is largely a mystery, however, since only one of the ten crewmen survived. The first hint of their presence came around 4 AM when the American minesweeper Condor reported a possible submarine contact in a restricted zone outside the harbor. Though Condor and the destroyer Ward attempted to locate the mysterious vessel, nothing was found. This submarine may have been I-16tou or I-22tou since either could have arrived near the harbor entrance about this time.
The next contact came at 6:30 AM when lookouts aboard the Ward spotted what appeared to be the conning tower of a submarine in an area where no submerged vessel was allowed to operate. A PBY Catalina flying boat also spotted the sub and dropped smoke markers to help the Ward locate it. Within minutes, the Ward had fired its deck guns at the target and struck the conning tower. Ward also sailed overhead while dropping depth charges upon the submarine. Additional depth charges were dropped by the PBY and the midget submarine appeared to have been sunk. Though its identity is unknown for sure, American researchers suspect this vessel was the I-20 midget while Japanese historians believe it to be I-18tou.
Although this incident occurred over an hour before the air strike began, information about the submarine sighting and attack upon it was not passed up to high levels of command until long after the Japanese planes had arrived. Had this information been passed to Admiral Kimmel, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, and General Short, commander of Army installations on Oahu, they might have had sufficient time to prepare defenses that would have reduced the effectiveness of the raid. The first wave of Japanese planes arrived over Oahu shortly before 8 AM and quickly launched devastating bombing and torpedo attacks that decimated the island's airfields and heavily damaged or sunk a number of ships in the harbor.
The next sighting of a midget sub came while the air attack was underway around 8:30. The submersible was spotted northwest of Ford Island almost simultaneously by the destroyer minesweeper Zane, the minelayer Breese, and the seaplane tender Curtiss near the berth of the repair ship Medusa. Curtiss opened fire on the vessel and was quickly joined by the Medusa, the tender Tangier, and the destroyer minewseeper Perry. The destroyer Monaghan was also steaming nearby attempting to reach the sea when she spotted the submarine's conning tower and went to flank speed to ram the vessel.
Submarine sunk by the Monaghan after being raised
The midget submarine fired one of its torpedoes at Curtiss but missed and struck a dock instead. The force of the torpedo launch also caused the submarine to break the surface where shells from at least one of the attacking vessels struck it and probably killed its commanding officer. With Monaghan rapidly bearing down upon it, the submarine fired its second torpedo at the approaching destroyer, but this shot passed the ship and exploded against the shore. As Monaghan rammed the submersible, the midget sub was pushed down into the floor of the harbor until the destroyer loosed a pair of depth charges that blew the sub back to the surface. Now heavily damaged, the midget submarine finally sank.
It is believed this vessel was most likely the submarine launched by I-22 since the tattered sleeve of a full lieutenant was found aboard, and this was the only midget commanded by someone of that rank. The wreck was raised about two weeks after the attack but was so badly damaged that it was not explored. The propeller screws and parts from the forward hull were salvaged but the rest of the sub was buried as landfill inside the submarine dock at Ford Island during the dock's reconstruction later in the war. The hulk was uncovered again in 1952 but was so badly corroded by chlorine gas from the electrical batteries that it was again reburied at the same location. The remains of the crew have never been removed.
Wreckage of a midget sub recovered from Keehi Lagoon in 1960
By now, just about every ship in Pearl Harbor was claiming submarine sightings both real and imagined. The most likely actual sub encounter came near the mouth of the harbor where the light cruiser St. Louis was moving down the channel at high speed to escape out to sea. Shortly after 10 AM, the cruiser was fired upon by two torpedoes that missed and struck coral on the shoreline. St. Louis then spotted the conning tower of a submarine and commenced firing upon it. The destroyer Blue was also nearby and detected a sound contact that was attacked with depth charges.
Other ships also dropped depth charges on several possible metallic contacts near the harbor entrance throughout the morning and afternoon and often reported oil slicks rising to the surface. It is unknown how many of these were actual midget submarines, but these would not have created oil slicks since they were battery powered instead of using diesel fuel like conventional submarines. At least one vessel is known to have been sunk in this area, however, since the wreckage of a midget submarine was discovered about 75 ft (23 m) deep in Keehi Lagoon just outside the harbor entrance in June 1960.
The hulk was raised a few weeks later but the hatch atop the conning tower was open and no human remains were aboard. A shoe, papers, and other debris found inside led researchers to suspect this was the submarine launched from I-18. The sub still had its two torpedoes aboard, so it couldn't have been the vessel that attacked the St. Louis. The forward section of the hull, containing the still dangerous torpedo armament, was removed for disposal at sea. The remainder was returned to Japan and attached to a newly fabricated forward hull for display at the Maritime Self-Defense Force Officer Candidate School in Eta Jima.
Midget submarine HA-19 ashore on Oahu
HA-19 commanded by Kazuo Sakamaki was the final midget sub launched and continued its mission in spite of the gyroscope problems described earlier. The crew tried fruitlessly to enter the harbor around 8 AM but ran aground on a reef causing damage to the lower torpedo tube and rudder. The grounded vessel was spotted and fired upon by the destroyer Helm but the crew managed to shift weight within the sub and slipped back off the reef.
Their troubles only continued to worsen when the submersible's batteries began leaking toxic chlorine gas that knocked the men unconscious. As they came to, HA-19 ran aground again but they managed to free the vessel a second time. The damage the vessel had sustained, however, made it impossible to control and HA-19 drifted aimlessly as depth charges fell around it. Having spent hours unsuccessfully trying to complete their mission, the men purposefully ran the sub aground a final time before lighting the fuse to the demolition charge and leaping into the sea. Kiyoshi Inagaki apparently drowned but Sakamaki was knocked unconscious by the pounding surf. He later washed ashore only to be captured as the first prisoner of war of the conflict.
HA-19 had come ashore on Waimanalo Beach near Bellows Field on the southeast side of Oahu. The scuttling charge failed to detonate and the submarine was captured intact. Damaged portions of the vessel were replaced using parts salvaged from the submarine sunk by the Monaghan, and HA-19 spent the war as a traveling display encouraging Americans to buy War Bonds. HA-19 was later placed on display at Key West, Florida, and currently resides at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.
HA-19 on display in Fredericksburg, Texas during World War II
While these four midget submarines have been accounted for, the fate of the fifth still remains a mystery. This sub is believed to be that launched from I-16. One clue about its status was a radio transmission received by the mother sub at 10:40 PM on December 7 stating the code words for "Success, success, success." It is not certain the message came from the I-16 midget, but another transmission indicating that the sub was "unable to navigate" that was received at 12:51 AM is believed to have been sent by that submarine's commander.
A controversial recent theory about the missing midget sub is based on one of the photos snapped by a Japanese plane during the attack. During the 1990s, a group of researchers performed a detailed study of this photo and found evidence that a midget submarine may have successfully penetrated the harbor and accomplished its primary mission of attacking ships on Battleship Row. The photo, shown below, was taken from a Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bomber shortly after the first wave of air attacks had begun. Clearly visible are the tracks of several torpedoes headed towards the ships moored along Battleship Row. One region of the photo in particular also shows a curious black rectangular object that was the subject of the investigation. A description of the analysis performed on the image is described in a 1999 article from the U.S. Naval Institute (link no longer available).
Japanese aerial photo of the torpedo attack on Battleship Row
The key elements of the photo are further highlighted below. The researchers believe this rectangular object is attached to a longer linear object, such as the conning tower of a submarine attached to its hull. This rectangular object also appears to be surrounded by a white region like a wake of water created when it broke through the surface. The battleships Oklahoma and West Virginia took the brunt of the torpedo attack and had already been struck by the time this photo was taken as indicated by concussion waves spreading from the vessels. Two of these tracks appear to converge near the object in question. One of the tracks lines up with a spout of water rising above the deck of the West Virginia shortly after the ship had been hit. The second track is headed towards the Oklahoma.
Also noteworthy is a set of three sprays rising into the air behind the rectangular object. These sprays are often referred to as a "rooster tail." This spray pattern may have been created by counter-rotating propellers bobbing up and down through the surface of the water, as though they were attached to an object pitching up and down. The researchers believe such a pitching motion would have been induced by the concussion waves impacting against the object in question. The photo analysts went on to take measurements of the object and estimated it to be approximately 60 ft (18.2 m) in length and 4 ft (1.25 m) tall. These measurements are on the same order of magnitude as a Japanese midget submarine.
Closeup of the region containing the mysterious object
Based on these measurements and the behavior of the object under the influence of the concussion waves, the researchers concluded that a midget submarine did enter Pearl Harbor and launched its torpedoes into Battleship Row. The first struck the USS West Virginia sending up the large spout of water. The submarine then turned towards the USS Oklahoma and fired its second torpedo. As the submarine was turning towards the harbor entrance to escape, it was struck by a series of concussion waves that caused it to break the surface of the water and pitch vertically. This pitching motion exposed the vessel's counter-rotating propellers causing the rooster tail spray formation.
However, other historians and analysts disagree with this scenario. One good rebuttal to the original research was published in World War II Magazine in 2002 (link no longer available). Perhaps most significant of the author's findings was that the mysterious object in question may only be an imperfection, such as a piece of lint, on the original photograph. He also points out that the rooster tail spray could have just as easily been created by the counter-rotating propellers of an aerial torpedo pitching up and down as it entered the water rather than a submarine. Furthermore, it seems illogical that a midget submarine would have risked being in that location of the harbor at the same time Japanese aircraft were dropping their torpedoes to attack Battleship Row. One of the aerial torpedoes could have easily hit the midget submarine instead of its intended target. A map obtained from the captured HA-19 also indicates that none of the midget submarines were supposed to reach that area until at least 10 AM, a full two hours after the photo was taken, to avoid interference with the aerial torpedo attack. (Another detailed rebuttal to the midget submarine theory can be found in this 2005 letter to Naval History.)
Even more conclusive evidence to prove or disprove this theory may exist with the midget submarines themselves. Japan confirmed that five of the vessels participated in the attack and three have already been recovered. HA-19 was captured with its torpedoes still aboard since the sub was never able to enter the harbor. Raised after the attack was the submarine sunk by the Monaghan that had fired its torpedoes harmlessly into the shoreline and not into any of the ships along Battleship Row. The submarine discovered outside the entrance to the harbor in 1960 was also raised with its torpedoes still aboard.
Midget submarine found in deep water off the Oahu coast in 2002
The most recent news of the midget submarines came in August 2002 when researchers from the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) finally located the submarine sunk by the Ward. This submarine had been the subject of search efforts for years by such well-known personalities as Robert Ballard. Considering that it was depth charged by the Ward and a Catalina flying boat, the midget is in remarkably good condition and the only visible damage is shell and shrapnel holes created by the Ward's guns. Pictures and video clips of the discovery are available at the HURL site. Like HA-19 and the submarine raised in 1960, this sub's torpedoes are also still clearly onboard since the vessel never had the chance to enter the harbor in the first place.
I-20tou with its torpedoes still aboard
Only one of the midgets remains unaccounted for, so we do not yet know whether its torpedoes are still aboard. Nonetheless, we do know the St. Louis was attacked by an apparent midget submarine that fired its torpedoes as the American cruiser was traveling through the harbor entrance. Given this information, none of the midget subs could have launched an attack on Battleship Row. Until the final submarine is discovered, however, the mystery of whether it could have successfully accomplished its mission may be impossible to solve.
- answer by Joe Yoon, 23 July 2006
Update!
New research continues into the mystery of the fifth midget submarine, the one launched from I-16. The wreckage of this vessel is believed to have been found outside the harbor by a team of researchers from HURL in March 2009. Though unconfirmed, theories speculate the midget submarine may have successfully completed a torpedo attack on the battleship Oklahoma around 8 AM. A second torpedo was perhaps fired into the West Virginia or Arizona. However, this weapon could have failed to detonate given evidence that an unexploded torpedo with a larger warhead than those launched by plane was recovered from the harbor floor after the attack.
The theory goes on to postulate that this sub was observed trying to escape the harbor around 9 AM by the minesweeper Bobolink. The attempt failed since an anti-submarine net at the harbor entrance was closed. I-16tou perhaps instead turned into the West Loch and may have remained submerged in a nearly deserted part of the harbor called Walker Bay until nightfall. The sub might have surfaced at night, possibly accounting for the one or two radio messages the submarine is suspected to have sent. The midget submarine may have ended its mission here since damage suggests the crew set off the scuttling charge.
Wreckage believed to be that of I-16tou with its torpedoes missing
Much of this theory is based on research at an excellent site called I-16tou.com. The authors discuss the fifth submarine and the likelihood it successfully participated in the Pearl Harbor attack. The site goes on to present evidence of I-16tou being discovered in Walker Bay in 1944 during a salvage operation following an explosion that destroyed several landing craft being prepared to invade the Mariana Islands. In the course of clearing the wreckage from this explosion, the authors speculate the remains of I-16tou were found, broken up, and disposed of outside the harbor. This chain of events may explain why the midget submarine wreckage was found in three major sections surrounded by debris believed to be dumped from the West Loch Disaster.
Nevertheless, firm evidence that any of the midget submarines succeeded at Pearl Harbor remains elusive and the true identity of the newly discovered wreckage is still debated.
- answer by Jeff Scott, 20 February 2012HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was exercising his constitutional right by refusing to stand for the national anthem, although he added that the nature of the protest could make it hard for some to hear his message.
FILE PHOTO - Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on before the national anthem against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Kaepernick sparked controversy last month when he remained seated before a preseason game during the traditional rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” saying it was a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. During a second game last week, the San Francisco 49er took one knee instead of standing.
Many Americans have denounced the gesture as a sign of disrespect to the flag, though he has drawn support from some people, including some fellow players and Megan Rapinoe, a star of U.S. women’s national soccer team.
Speaking in China after a gathering of leaders of 20 leading economies, Obama said he had no doubt about Kaepernick’s sincerity but acknowledged that the protest was difficult for some members of the military and law enforcement to swallow.
“I think there are a lot of ways you can do it as a general matter when it comes to the flag and the national anthem and the meaning that that holds for our men and women in uniform and those who’ve fought for us. That is a tough thing for them to get past to then hear what his deeper concerns are,” Obama said.
Kaepernick, who led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl but has since been demoted to backup, is the latest professional athlete to use his celebrity to call attention to the issue of the mistreatment of minority groups by law enforcement. Over the past two years, a series of police killings of African-Americans in cities across the country have triggered protests and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Despite the controversy, Obama said he would rather have engaged young people “trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all”.
Obama, speaking at a news conference, said he had not been following the controversy closely, but added, “If nothing else what he’s done is he’s generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about.”
“Sometimes it’s messy, but it’s the way democracy works.”
In a gesture of solidarity with Kaepernick, Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem at a match on Sunday played by her professional team, the Seattle Reign, telling American Soccer Now that she was disgusted by the way Kaepernick has been treated in the media.
“Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties,” she added.
Although some American football fans have demanded that the National Football League punish Kaepernick, the NFL has issued a statement saying it encourages players to stand during the anthem but does not require them to do so. The 49ers have framed the issue in terms of all Americans’ right of free expression.
The reaction on Twitter to Obama’s comments was generally derisive, with many users questioning the president’s patriotism.
“Just listen to his tone. I’ve never seen a more non-American POTUS in my lifetime,” wrote Twitter user Wayne Allison, using the acronym of President of the United States.
But at least one Twitter user saw an underlying message to Obama’s Chinese hosts in his emphasis on freedom of expression.
“Obama throwing shade at China using Colin Kaepernick. That’s my president,” wrote a user called The Black Gambit, using street jargon for a subtle criticism of a rival.KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Kingston Stockade FC reached a historic milestone this week as the club has released the first player roster in team history. Stockade FC has named 33 players to its preliminary & pre-season National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) roster.
The roster is comprised almost entirely of players who hail from the Hudson Valley, with nearly all of them having played collegiately in the area as well. This was part of the design when the club was conceived, according to club owner Dennis Crowley.
"When we first got the green light to put an NPSL team in Kingston, our hope was that we'd be able to rely almost entirely on local players," said Crowley. "Thanks to the hard work of head coach George Vizvary and his staff, we've been able to put together a squad that truly has its roots in local soccer, which we think should be a point of pride for all of the club's supporters."
When asked about selecting the first roster in club history, head coach George Vizvary said that the quality of the local talent will give Stockade plenty of options on the pitch.
"The Hudson Valley in general represents a good quality of soccer, and the 33 players that we've selected will give us a team that will be able to execute the style of play we'd like to exhibit," said Vizvary. "We will have the capability to play on the counter-attack, and a possession-based style as well. Overall, because of our speed and execution, we should be able to deny space and time against any opponent."
Vizvary also said that because the team is made up of local players, the connections to the local fan base will be strong.
"I have very high expectations, but so do the players," said Vizvary. "As they represent the Hudson Valley, they know that they are also representing the expectations of friends and supporters."
Ultimately, according to Vizvary, the team is just excited to start the season.
"The team is very anxious to start the season," said Vizvary. "Anxious to go out on the field and produce results."
A number of players on Stockade FC’s inaugural roster have played at the semi-pro and professional levels. Members of the club have been key contributors to sides such as the Brooklyn Italians, Queen City FC, Buffalo FC, Philadelphia Fury and Pontevedra FC as well as prestigious youth academies such as New York Cosmos, Newcastle United, Sunderland AFC, Boca Juniors and the Olympic Development Program.
In addition, a majority of Stockade FC's players played collegiately at local schools. SUNY Ulster tops the list with four players on the Stockade FC roster, while Marist College, SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Oneonta all have three players on the team.
As for the players' hometowns, five Stockade FC players come from Highland, while Newburgh and Poughkeepsie have contributed three players each.
The average age of the roster is 24 years and 11 months.
Below is the entire 33-player pre-season roster (photos can be found here), although the expectation is that the team will cut the roster to 26 players for the first official match.
Patrick Alvarez
Age: 24
Hometown: East Fishkill, NY
College: SUNY Dutchess
Academy & Post-College: Pontevedra FC
Matel Anasta
Age: 22
Hometown: Catskill, NY
College: Marist College
Academy & Post-College: New York Cosmos Youth Development Program
Anthony Barone
Age: 26
Hometown: Highland, NY
College: Manhattan College
Joseph Bogart
Age: 28
Hometown: Hyde Park, NY
College: Plattsburgh State
Daniel Cortez
Age: 19
Hometown: Newburgh, NY
Academy & Post-College: Olympic Development Program (ODP)
Michael Creswick
Age: 27
Hometown: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
College: York St. John Univ. (England)
Academy & Post-College: Newcastle United Academy, Sunderland AFC Academy, Copmanthorpe AFC
Matthew Daum
Age: 32
Hometown: New Paltz, NY
College: SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Cortland
Academy & Post-College: Queen City FC
Joseph Dolan
Age: 18
Hometown: Highland, NY
College: Mount St. Mary's College
Eric Fortier
Age: 24
Hometown: Pleasant Valley, NY
College: SUNY Oneonta
** 2011 SUNYAC Player of the Year
Juan Gatti
Age: 25
Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
College: Mercy College
David Giddings
Age: 22
Hometown: Newburgh, NY
College: Saint Peter’s University
Academy & Post-College: Vermont Voltage
Darren Gomez
Age: 22
Hometown: Hopewell Junction, NY
College: SUNY Oneonta
John Iapoce
Age: 26
Hometown: Boiceville, NY
College: Wells College
Mateusz (Matt) Koziol
Age: 22
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
College: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
** 2014 Liberty League Player of the Year
Jamal Lis-Simmons
Age: 34
Hometown: Highland, NY
College: SUNY Albany, SUNY New Paltz
Ross Macklin
Age: 25
Hometown: Henniker, NH
College: Vassar College
Hayden Morris
Age: 26
Hometown: Armonk, NY
College: Seton Hall University
Michael Nastu
Age: 20
Hometown: Manhattan, NY
College: Stony Brook University, Dominican College
Academy & Post-College: Metropolitan Oval Academy
Charles Naula
Age: 22
Hometown: Wappingers Falls, NY
College: Wells College
** D3 National Team Member
Chris Nedwetzky
Age: 29
Hometown: Wallkill, NY
College: SUNY Ulster
Jeff Paine
Age: 30
Hometown: Highland, NY
College: SUNY New Paltz
Corey Phillips
Age: 27
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
College: Medaille College
Academy & Post-College: Houston Leones, Kitsap Pumas, FC Buffalo
** 2010 AMCC Defensive Player of the Year
Manuel Rodriguez
Age: 24
Hometown: Newburgh, NY
College: SUNY Dutchess
Norberto Sanchez
Age: 20
Hometown: Kingston, NY
College: SUNY Ulster
Academy & Post-College: Boca Juniors US Academy
Stephen Skonieczny
Age: 26
Hometown: LaGrangeville, NY
College: Siena College, Marist College
Tom Steigerwald
Age: 22
Hometown: Salt Point, NY
College: SUNY Dutchess
Aldo Tropeano
Age: 24
Hometown: Beacon, NY
Academy & Post-College: Brooklyn Italians
Pedro Velazquez
Age: 28
Hometown: Wallkill, NY
College: SUNY Ulster, Mercy College
Nick vonEgypt
Age: 23
Hometown: Hopewell Junction, NY
College: Misericordia University
Academy & Post-College: Philadelphia Fury
** 2013 First Team All-Freedom
** D3 National Team Member
Tyler Vona
Age: 21
Hometown: Highland, NY
College: Mass. College of Liberal Arts
Jarrad Vrydaghs
Age: 35
Hometown: Campbell Hall, NY
College: SUNY Ulster
Dylan Williams
Age: 22
Hometown: Monroe, NY
College: SUNY Oneonta
** 2015 SUNYAC Player of the Year
Scott Zobre
Age: 26
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
College: Binghamton University
Kingston Stockade Football Club is a men's semi-professional soccer team based in Kingston, NY. Kingston Stockade will play its first season at Dietz Stadium in Kingston, N.Y. starting in the spring of 2016. The club will be representing the Hudson Valley in the NPSL, which is the 4th division of the U.S. soccer pyramid.
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For more information on Kingston Stockade FC, visit http://stockadefc.com. You can also follow the club on both Twitter and Instagram at @StockadeFC and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stockadefcSébastien Tellier has never been one to shy away from huge concepts. Since launching his career in 2001 with an assist from his pals in the frothy French pop duo Air, he’s laden his albums with the weight of terms like Politics and Sexuality. Even when he’s taking a more personal tack, like on 2012’s My God Is Blue, he still supplies lofty backstories, and his new record, L’Aventura, is no different: the album is supposed to be a musical reimagining of his childhood, a fantasy inspired by the sights of sounds of Brazil rather than the reality of his French home.
Tellier likes to jump between genres with a dilettante’s flair—in his decade-plus of recording, he’s flitted between traditional chanson, lewd French touch, and completely orchestral composition, with varying degrees of success—so his dive into the rich world of Brazilian music should be taken with a grain of salt or two. To wit: in an interview with Noisey, he admitted that he tried to limit his interaction with Brazilian music before making the record as a means of preserving the childlike naiveté necessary for a genuine revision of his youth. Thankfully, he solicited some help realizing his vision: veteran French musicians Jean-Michel Jarre and Philippe Zdar (of house duo Cassius) participated in the album’s recording and mixing, and celebrated Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai contributed many of the album’s string and backing vocal arrangements. Verocai also helped to secure the collaboration of Brazilian jazz drummer Robertinho Silva, whose percussion can be heard throughout L’Aventura.
Tellier’s choice to trust experienced, highly skilled Brazilian session players with the fruits of his imagination is one of the best decisions of his career. L’Aventura sounds immaculate, verdant, and rich; strings swoop and fly in the background, cascading around Tellier’s thick baritone, while bass lines pop and rhythms dance with a surprising lightness. These are densely arranged, complicated songs, so buoyancy and deftness are unexpected and very welcome elements. That’s not to say that Tellier doesn’t occasionally go overboard; his liberal application of animal noises wears thin pretty quickly, and his vocal takes always tread the line between velvety smoothness and smarmy lecherousness. “Love”, flecked with jazzy flute and fluttering vocal tapestries, edges dangerously close to hypothetical Anchorman 3: Ron in Rio soundtrack territory, but for the most part L’Aventura avoids such overripe missteps.
When the album succeeds, its joy and precision transcend any language barriers that might exist; though the album is almost entirely sung in French, its sweeping arrangements and sunny melodies make it easy for non-Francophones to accompany Tellier on his journey through his hypothetical youth. “Sous Les Rayons du Soleil” (“Under the Sun’s Rays”) glides effortlessly, like a boat slicing through calm water; the dark, turbulent “Ricky L’adolescent” (“Ricky the Teenager”), which depicts Tellier meeting a druggy, grumpy 15-year-old version of himself, is a funhouse farce with stabbing strings and funky, percolating synth lines. Listeners who can’t interact directly with Tellier’s lyrics might have to dig a little to optimize their experience with L’Aventura, but it’s thrilling to hear him attempt to pull off his high-concept ideas solely through smart composition and musical skill.
The album’s most ambitious moment is also its most impenetrable: “Comment revoir oursinet?” (roughly, “How to See Oursinet Again”) is a 14-minute odyssey that splits the album into two halves, moving from spacey synth-pop to soaring balladry and back as Tellier journeys in search of the titular bear, a common figure in French Christmas stories. The song takes a while to unfold and compromises the album’s flow, but its scope and sheer breadth is undeniably impressive. More than a decade into his career, Tellier can’t help himself—he’s still a sucker for the big moment, the lofty idea, the EP-length monolith, and with L’Aventura, he’s done a fine job of sticking the landing.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
A man has been sentenced to prison for a "sextortion" scheme that involved two teenage girls he met on the social media app Kik.
Josh Manuel Magana, 27, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for charges of rape and other sex crimes related to the sextortion of the two teenage girls, ages 16 and 17, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said Wednesday.
Authorities said Magana began reaching out to a 16-year-old girl on Kik, using the screen name "thegiftedmonster," in October 2016.
"He just sort of appeared out of nowhere. She didn't know him and he's messaging her on Kik, basically saying if you don't send me nude photos I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill your family," Deputy District Attorney Michael DeRose told KTLA.
Detectives said Magana convinced the victim he knew her personal information, including where she lived and where she attended school.
The victim told her parents and reported Magana to police. He was arrested at his home in unincorporated Whittier on Feb. 7, 2017.
After serving a search warrant, detectives found additional photographs and videos of another underage girl, as well as Kik messages in which he threatened her in a similar fashion to the 16-year-old victim.
But in this case after receiving nude photos from the 17-year-old girl, Magana went a step further and threatened to distribute the photos over the internet to the girl's friends and family unless she met him in person and had sex with him, authorities said.
Out of fear of being exposed online, the 17-year-old girl went to Magana's home where he sexually |
. And you cited my paper as evidence for your case and it’s evidence of the opposite. And what Dr. Curry did in her article–she said, here’s a dozen people who are not by any means considered proponents of the man-made global warming thing, and let’s look at how they rank. They came out very high, like 85% would be evaluated as being in favor of the proposition. Clearly, right away we can see this is a severely flawed figure, this 97%. So we both agree on that?
Rick Archer: Is Dr. Cook the only one? Obviously you sent me a couple of figures: [Dr. Curry] thinks 52 [percent] and this other guy that you sent me thinks a much smaller percentage. So those two would be opponents to Cook. But has there been anyone who has really done it the way Cook should have done it to your knowledge?
Alex Tsakiris: I don’t know. But here’s the point I wanted to get back to because I think this is really the heart of the issue, and I think you’ve glossed over here: How can this be, Rick? Again, you’re not going out on a limb. You didn’t invent this stuff. You’re just saying what everyone is saying. How can they all be making this mistake? It took you a short period of time to come to this conclusion. It’s self-evident as soon as you look at it. Everyone listening, it’s now obvious to them. Why is that paper on top of the NASA website? Is NASA that dumb? That naive? Is President Obama that misinformed? He has a lot of smart people around him. He’s a smart guy himself. Are they somehow just making an honest mistake here or is something else going on? How can this be?
Rick Archer: Let me ask you a question: how can it be that year after year now, we keep hearing that this was the ‘warmest year on record’; this was the warmest December on record; this was the warmest July on record? This was the worst typhoon ever. This was the worst hurricane ever. As I tried to say a minute ago, the ski season in Aspen is a month shorter than it was in 1990. There’s so many things you could say … the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be completely gone before too long. So obviously the planet is warming up–to what degree and what exactly is causing it, are points of contention, but something is happening. And I would even go far as to say that even if man had nothing whatsoever to do with it, we’ve got a pretty serious situation on our hands. We should find a way [to] deal with it or we’re going to have vast amounts of suffering. I’m afraid I’m taking you off your topic but to me the issue of–
Alex Tsakiris: You’re taking yourself off your topic.
Rick Archer: To me the implications of what it’s going to mean for humanity are paramount. So I’m working back from that sentiment.
Alex Tsakiris: This is the Skeptiko moment. This is what it means to follow the data wherever it leads because we’ve reached a point where the data can take us, and it causes all this consternation; all this cognitive dissonance; and we’re faced with the ‘how can this be?’ Rather than address that head-on, because like I said, you know the proposition kind of makes you shake in your boots a little bit. How can Obama be lying about this? How can all of these guys be lying? How can they be pointing to the study on the NASA website that they know is bullshit? How can that be? Then you scramble around and you try and reformulate your opinion and bolster it with some data–we haven’t looked at that data–we could go and look at every piece of that data and pull all of that apart; find out what that means; what the variability is and all of that. But what we’d really be doing is avoiding the part that really scared us which is the ‘how can this be?’ I’ll give you the last word. Tell me what you’ve learned or taken away about following the data and how beliefs change.
Rick Archer: What I’ve learned from the experience, I guess, is that it’s really fun talking to you and I enjoy a lively debate. I shouldn’t be cocksure about things in which I am not an expert, parroting percentages and so on. But I’m not at all in your camp with regard to doubt about climate change regardless of its cause. I really think that something very serious is taking place and it’s nothing to play around with. I mean, two percent would be pretty disastrous; six percent would exterminate humanity.
music by: Andy G. CohenNigeria is experiencing historic times with the victory of opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari. Relive the action through memes.
A lot of love was being shown to electoral chief Attahiru Jega on social media on Tuesday. This came after the representative of the governing PDP Elder Orubebe interrupted the announcement of results, accusing the electoral commission of bias.
Image copyright @habu_mbarka / instagram
Support for Mr Jega on social media is nothing new. The #iStandwithJega hashtag started at the beginning of March and later this picture was being shared.
Image copyright Twitter
Lots of people were talking earlier on Twitter about how this professor had made reading out numbers on TV surprisingly interesting.
Following his calm response to Mr Orubebe's tirade, a new verb was created.
Image copyright Twitter
While the claim that "to Jega" has entered the Oxford Dictionary are improbable, Editi Effiong points out that the verb to Orubebe has made it into urban dictionary. The new verb is defined as "to rudely interrupt an important meeting throwing tantrums like a little kid which may attract scoldings from a mature, wiser adult".
Mr Jega calmly announced the results of the poll throughout the day, but Twitter had already decided the result.
At 15:40 GMT on Tuesday #Nigeriahasdecided started trending in Nigeria after columnist Tolu Ogunlesi suggested an update to #Nigeradecides.
Image copyright Twitter
It became the top trending topic on Twitter in Nigeria at 18:00 GMT. This was more than eight hours before this official tweet from the electoral commission.
Image copyright Inec
Which left only one thing left to say from the social media world - goodbye to an old meme. #GEJpose is used for President Goodluck Jonathan, whose hand is seemingly permanent stuck to his chin.I did not know Aaron Swartz, unless you count having copies of a person’s entire digital life on your forensics server as knowing him. I did once meet his father, an intelligent and dedicated man who was clearly pouring his life into defending his son. My deepest condolences go out to him and the rest of Aaron’s family during what must be the hardest time of their lives.
If the good that men do is oft interred with their bones, so be it, but in the meantime I feel a responsibility to correct some of the erroneous information being posted as comments to otherwise informative discussions at Reddit, Hacker News and Boing Boing. Apparently some people feel the need to self-aggrandize by opining on the guilt of the recently departed, and I wanted to take this chance to speak on behalf of a man who can no longer defend himself. I had hoped to ask Aaron to discuss these issues on the Defcon stage once he was acquitted, but now that he has passed it is important that his memory not be besmirched by the ignorant and uninformed. I have confirmed with Aaron’s attorneys that I am free to discuss these issues now that the criminal case is moot.
I was the expert witness on Aaron’s side of US vs Swartz, engaged by his attorneys last year to help prepare a defense for his April trial. Until Keker Van Nest called iSEC Partners I had very little knowledge of Aaron’s plight, and although we have spoken at or attended many of the same events we had never once met.
Should you doubt my neutrality, let me establish my bona fides. I have led the investigation of dozens of computer crimes, from Latvian hackers blackmailing a stock brokerage to Chinese government-backed attacks against dozens of American enterprises. I have investigated small insider violations of corporate policy to the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and have responded to break-ins at social networks, e-tailers and large banks. While we are no stranger to pro bono work, having served as experts on EFF vs Sony BMG and Sony vs Hotz, our reports have also been used in the prosecution of at least a half dozen attackers. In short, I am no long-haired-hippy-anarchist who believes that anything goes on the Internet. I am much closer to the stereotypical capitalist-white-hat sellout that the antisec people like to rant about (and steal mail spools from) in the weeks before BlackHat.
I know a criminal hack when I see it, and Aaron’s downloading of journal articles from an unlocked closet is not an offense worth 35 years in jail.
The facts:
MIT operates an extraordinarily open network. Very few campus networks offer you a routable public IP address via unauthenticated DHCP and then lack even basic controls to prevent abuse. Very few captured portals on wired networks allow registration by any visitor, nor can they be easily bypassed by just assigning yourself an IP address. In fact, in my 12 years of professional security work I have never seen a network this open.
In the spirit of the MIT ethos, the Institute runs this open, unmonitored and unrestricted network on purpose. Their head of network security admitted as much in an interview Aaron’s attorneys and I conducted in December. MIT is aware of the controls they could put in place to prevent what they consider abuse, such as downloading too many PDFs from one website or utilizing too much bandwidth, but they choose not to.
MIT also chooses not to prompt users of their wireless network with terms of use or a definition of abusive practices.
At the time of Aaron’s actions, the JSTOR website allowed an unlimited number of downloads by anybody on MIT’s 18.x Class-A network. The JSTOR application lacked even the most basic controls to prevent what they might consider abusive behavior, such as CAPTCHAs triggered on multiple downloads, requiring accounts for bulk downloads, or even the ability to pop a box and warn a repeat downloader.
Aaron did not “hack” the JSTOR website for all reasonable definitions of “hack”. Aaron wrote a handful of basic python scripts that first discovered the URLs of journal articles and then used curl to request them. Aaron did not use parameter tampering, break a CAPTCHA, or do anything more complicated than call a basic command line tool that downloads a file in the same manner as right-clicking and choosing “Save As” from your favorite browser.
Aaron did nothing to cover his tracks or hide his activity, as evidenced by his very verbose.bash_history, his uncleared browser history and lack of any encryption of the laptop he used to download these files. Changing one’s MAC address (which the government inaccurately identified as equivalent to a car’s VIN number) or putting a mailinator email address into a captured portal are not crimes. If they were, you could arrest half of the people who have ever used airport wifi.
The government provided no evidence that these downloads caused a negative effect on JSTOR or MIT, except due to silly overreactions such as turning off all of MIT’s JSTOR access due to downloads from a pretty easily identified user agent.
I cannot speak as to the criminal implications of accessing an unlocked closet on an open campus, one which was also used to store personal effects by a homeless man. I would note that trespassing charges were dropped against Aaron and were not part of the Federal case.
In short, Aaron Swartz was not the super hacker breathlessly described in the Government’s indictment and forensic reports, and his actions did not pose a real danger to JSTOR, MIT or the public. He was an intelligent young man who found a loophole that would allow him to download a lot of documents quickly. This loophole was created intentionally by MIT and JSTOR, and was codified contractually in the piles of paperwork turned over during discovery.
If I had taken the stand as planned and had been asked by the prosecutor whether Aaron’s actions were “wrong”, I would probably have replied that what Aaron did would better be described as “inconsiderate”. In the same way it is inconsiderate to write a check at the supermarket while a dozen people queue up behind you or to check out every book at the library needed for a History 101 paper. It is inconsiderate to download lots of files on shared wifi or to spider Wikipedia too quickly, but none of these actions should lead to a young person being hounded for years and haunted by the possibility of a 35 year sentence.
Professor Lessig will always write more eloquently than I can on prosecutorial discretion and responsibility, but I certainly agree that Aaron’s death demands a great deal of soul searching by the US Attorney who decided to massively overcharge this young man and the MIT administrators who decided to involve Federal law enforcement.
I cannot speak as to all of the problems that contributed to Aaron’s death, but I do strongly believe that he did not deserve the treatment he received while he was alive. It is incumbent on all of us to figure out how to create some positive change out of this unnecessary tragedy. I’ll write more on that later. First I need to spend some time hugging my kids.
Edit 1: Fixed typo. Thank you @ramenlabs.
Posted from San Carlos, CA.Zhang Jie is recovering from disfiguring burns suffered as he tried to prevent a suspect from igniting fuel tanks. [Photo by ZHU LIXIN/CHINA DAILY]
Zhang Jie, a police officer from Bengbu, Anhui province, said he doesn't regret doing his duty despite being gravely wounded in an explosion set off by a suicidal man nearly two years ago.
On Jan 5 last year, a resident of a six-story apartment building threatened to blow up 10 bottles of liquefied petroleum gas and two gasoline cans in a sealed room to take revenge on society.
When lengthy negotiations failed, the Special Weapons and Tactics team was called to the scene. Zhang, 37, was eating dinner after work, but he jumped up without hesitation, officers said.
"As a member of SWAT with more than 16 years of experience, Zhang was one of the best and wouldn't miss a dangerous encounter," said Sun Hu, head of the Bengbu SWAT team. Such teams often face danger in dealing with matters of public security.
"The suspect was not just threatening to explode the apartment, he really meant it," Zhang said later. "We found that he had sealed all the windows and doors with steel planks."
Five officers were sent to break into the apartment from the balcony - which had been sealed firmly from the inside - and they had to decide who would go in first, Sun said.
Shi Lei, who is younger than Zhang, volunteered to take the lead, but Zhang said no, telling Shi: "You have to be at your wedding in May."
Zhang, who has a daughter, insisted on going first, even though he understood what he could face inside the fortress-like room.
As another officer worked to smash a hole in the door, Zhang removed his heavy clothes so he could enter quickly. When a hole was created big enough for him to pass, Zhang saw that the man inside had opened one of the LPG tanks and a gasoline can. As the man was opening more tanks and lighting a cotton cloth, Zhang rushed in.
But it was too late. The flame ignited the gas and a forceful blast followed, setting both men on fire.
Video recordings made by arriving firemen show that 43 seconds elapsed from the first of six heavy hits on the door until the fire was extinguished - long enough for Zhang to swing toward death. When they found him, he could barely breathe. He was badly burned. The suspect died later. An evaluation from military experts found that if all the explosive material had been released, the blast would have been equivalent to 40 kilograms of TNT - enough to destroy the apartment building and beyond.
"Shooting could have had disastrous results," Sun said. "Besides, the suspect was standing in the corner and protected from gunfire."
Zhang survived, but had to endure dozens of complicated surgeries in the months to come.
On the street, some people stare at his scarred face, which made him nervous at first, but he decided not to hide from strangers. The police opened a social media account on weibo in November and sometimes post recent pictures. Two photos show his face and naked upper body.
"It's been a long time without exercise," Zhang posted." I lost my abdominal muscles and will try to get them back." A smiling, applauding emoji goes with the pictures.
The weibo update has received more than 210,000 "likes" and tens of thousands of reposts and encouraging comments.
Zhang, recently returned to the SWAT team, though he has not completed his therapy. He has been transferred to different hospitals in Anhui and Shanghai for treatment. His story has aroused great compassion from local residents.
"When I was taken from the apartment building, I thought I heard a voice from an old woman saying, "Save the brave man." That gave him encouragement, Zhang said later.
"It was just my duty, I believe other policemen would have made the same decision."Updating last week's entry breaking down how each receiver performed with each quarterback, here's an update of how each signal-caller has performed along with the receiving numbers from each group through the first two weeks of preseason.18-of-20 for 172 yards, 2 TD's, 11 Passing First DownsHe's a perfect 2-of-2 in the red zone with a touchdown, and he's also 2-of-2 on deep throws to the middle of the field, with Danny Amendola (his 26yd touchdown Friday night) and Aaron Dobson both having hauled in a pass from him.6-of-7 (86%) for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns - 4 passing first downs9-of-9 (100%) for 55 yards - 4 passing first downs3-of-4 (75%) for 35 yards - 3 passing first downsDanny Amendola: 7-of-8 for 77 yards, 1 TD, 4 first downsKenbrell Thompkins: 4-of-4 for 23 yards, 2 first downsShane Vereen: 3-of-3 for 28 yards, 1 TD, 2 first downsAaron Dobson: 1-of-1 for 23 yards, 1 first downJulian Edelman: 1-of-1 for 4 yards, 1 first downJosh Boyce: 1 of-1 for 5 yardsLeGarrette Blount: 1-of-1 for 12 yards, 1 first downStevan Ridley: 0-of-121-of-38 (55%) 234 yards, 1 TD, 14 passing first downsMallett right now is 0-of-4 in the Red Zone, with his one touchdown being the 22 yard strike to Zach Sudfeld last Friday night.9-of-15 (60%) for 91 yards, 1 TD, 3 Passing First Downs9-of-15 (60%) for 124 yards, 9 Passing First Downs3-of-8 (38%) for 19 yards, 2 Passing First Downs8 targets, 6 receptions, 53 yards, 4 first downs7 targets, 3 receptions, 42 yards, 2 first downs7 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards, 2 first downs3 targets, 3 receptions, 27 yards, 2 first downs4 targets, 3 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD, 3 first downs3 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards4 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards2 targets, 1 reception, 14 yards, 1 First Down5-of-19 (26%) for 54 yards, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 3 Passing First DownsTebow has yet to convert a passing first down on 3rd down through just over four quarters of play, and only has two 3rd down conversions in total, which came on a third quarter run by himself for 12 yards during the Philadelphia game, and a fourth quarter run by Brandon Bolden last Friday. He also has 0 Red Zone Attempts Through Two Games.1st Down: 1-of-4 (25%) for -1 yards, 2 sacks, 1 INT2nd Down: 3-of-10 (30%) for 47 yards - 3 passing first downs3rd Down: 1-of-5 (20%) for 8 yards, 1 sack3 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards, 1 first down1 target, 1 reception, -1 yards1 target, 1 reception, 15 yards, 1 first down3 targets, 1 reception, 17 yards, 1 first down1 target, 0 receptions1 target, 0 receptions5 targets, 0 receptions2 targets, 0 receptions1 target, 0 receptionsAhmed Djoghlaf says nations risk economic collapse and loss of culture if it does not protect the natural world
Britain and other countries face a collapse of their economies and loss of culture if they do not protect the environment better, the world's leading champion of nature has warned.
"What we are seeing today is a total disaster," said Ahmed Djoghlaf, the secretary-general of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. "No country has met its targets to protect nature. We are losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. If current levels [of destruction] go on we will reach a tipping point very soon. The future of the planet now depends on governments taking action in the next few years."
Industrialisation, population growth, the spread of cities and farms and climate change are all now threatening the fundamentals of life itself, said Djoghlaf, in London before a key UN meeting where governments are expected to sign up to a more ambitious agreement to protect nature.
"Many plans were developed in the 1990s to protect biodiversity but they are still sitting on the shelves of ministries. Countries were legally obliged to act, but only 140 have even submitted plans and only 16 have revised their plans since 1993. Governments must now put their houses in order," he said.
According to the UN Environment Programme, the Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction of life. Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours. This is nearly 1,000 times the "natural" or "background" rate and, say many biologists, is greater than anything the world has experienced since the vanishing of the dinosaurs nearly 65m years ago. Around 15% of mammal species and 11% of bird species are classified as threatened with extinction.
Djoghlaf warned Britain and other countries not to cut nature protection in the recession. In a reference to expected 40% cuts to Britain's department of the environment spending, he said: "It would be very short-sighted to cut biodiversity spending. You may well save a few pounds now but you will lose billions later. Biodiversity is your natural asset. The more you lose it, the more you lose your cultural assets too."
He urged governments to invest in nature. "If you do not, you will pay very heavily later. You will be out of business if you miss the green train."
Mounting losses of ecosystems, species and genetic biodiversity is now threatening all life, said Djoghlaf. In immediate danger, he said, were the 300 million people who depended on forests and the more than 1 billion who lived off sea fishing.
"Cut your forests down, or over-fish, and these people will not survive. Destroying biodiversity only increases economic insecurity. The more you lose it, the more you lose the chance to grow.
"The loss of biodiversity compounds poverty. Destroy your nature and you increase poverty and insecurity. Biodiversity is fundamental to social life, education and aesthetics. It's a human right to live in a healthy environment."
Djoghlaf lambasted countries for separating action on climate change from protecting biodiversity. "These are the two great challenges. But the loss of biodiversity exacerbates climate change. It is handled by the poorest ministries in government, it has not been mainstreamed or prioritised by governments. Climate change cannot be solved without action on biodiversity, and vice versa."
The UN chief said that children were losing contact with nature. "We are moving to a more virtual world. Children today haven't a clue about nature. Children have not seen apple trees. In Algeria, children are growing up who have never seen olive trees. How can you protect nature if you do not know it?"
A major UN report in the impacts of biodiversity loss that will be launched in October is expected to say that the economic case for global action to stop the destruction of the natural world is even more powerful than the argument for tackling climate change. It will say that saving biodiversity is remarkably cost-effective and the benefits from saving "natural goods and services", such as pollination, medicines, fertile soils, clean air and water, are between 10 and 100 times the cost of saving the habitats and species that provide them.
• You can watch Ahmed Djoghlaf speaking in a panel discussion at Kew Gardens on biodiversity loss on CNN on 25th August.Australia's leading lights look set to reap the rewards of the most lucrative Indian Premier League auction ever, which will be held in Bangalore on January 27 and 28.
With a new broadcast rights deal worth $AUD 3.2 billion and a salary cap increase of 20 per cent, the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner can all expect handsome salaries should they make themselves available.
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England's Ben Stokes was sold for $AUD 2.8 million last year to become the event's highest-paid foreigner, while Shane Warne holds the Australian record after being picked up for $2.01m in 2011.
But those figures are expected to be eclipsed with franchises now able to shell out a maximum of $A16.28m on their squads - ten times the KFC Big Bash League cap.
The international calendar isn't as cramped as usual in 2018, meaning more Australians may be tempted to play in India's Twenty20 gala during their official leave period.
The best moments from Ashes-winning Test
Third Test star Mitch Marsh will be among the few to forgo the IPL riches, having already signed with county side Surrey as he bids to find form in English conditions ahead of the 2019 Magellan Ashes.
AAP has reported that Starc, a free agent who played no part in the past two IPL tournaments, is expected to enter the auction.
The left-armer, widely regarded as one of the best white-ball bowlers in the world, could potentially earn three times the $973,000 he was bought for by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014.
Hazlewood has skipped the past three editions of the IPL but he too is understood to be mulling a potential return, with several clubs having already expressed an interest.
Cummins is likely to return. Smith, who is on the hunt for a new home after Rising Pune Supergiant's axing, and Warner captained their respective franchises this year.
"More than the money, I believe the best thing the IPL offers me - and any other player for that matter - is the ability to learn on the job in high-pressure situations," Smith wrote in his recently-released biography The Journey.
"The money is excellent... (but) the players involved earn every cent."
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The increased salary cap is also likely to present opportunities for standout players from the KFC Big Bash League, with 21 Australians taking part in IPL 2017.
"It'd be huge, everyone wants to play in the IPL," Perth Scorchers and Australia T20 quick Jason Behrendorff said recently.
"You chat to all the guys in the Big Bash who have done it or are aspiring to do it and they say how great a competition it is, how much fun it is, the people they get to meet and the crowds they play in front of.
"It's an experience I'd love to have. You never know."
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The England and Wales Cricket Board is expected to clear a window that allows some contracted stars to feature in the IPL instead of the early rounds of their county season.
As part of an increasingly open approach to the IPL, the ECB earlier this year allowed Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes to remain in India for the lucrative T20 tournament instead of representing their country in a one-day international series against Ireland.
Limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, along with Sam Billings and Jason Roy, were all recalled from their respective IPL franchises for the two-match series.
Stokes lived up to his hefty price tag after being named the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2017, having struck 316 runs and collecting 12 wickets.
The IPL season will finish on May 31. Australia's next commitment is an ODI series in England that starts on June 13.Supporters and protesters of President Trump clashed on Saturday, April 15 in Berkeley, Calif. (Reuters)
Dueling pro- and anti-Trump rallies in Berkeley, Calif., turned violent Saturday as numerous fistfights broke out and protesters fired pepper spray into a crowd. Police arrested more than a dozen people and requested aid from other law enforcement agencies.
It was not immediately clear what protesters were charged with, or whether there would be more arrests. The Berkeley Police Department seized numerous prohibited items, including sticks and knives, according to the agency.
In anticipation of the protests at Civic Center Park in downtown Berkeley, the agency had banned items that could be used as weapons, such as pepper spray, mace, baseball bats and glass bottles.
Hundreds of people gathered at the park for a pro-Trump rally and a counterprotest, some dressed in black and wearing masks, the Los Angeles Times reported. There were loud explosions and fistfights among members of both groups, and a citizen militia group wearing security gear showed up to protect the pro-Trump demonstrators. Berkeley police officers, wearing riot helmets, separated pro- and anti-Trump attendees, the Times reported.
Photos and video of the protests showed some protesters were bloodied and injured. But other protesters walked along with the crowd quietly holding signs, or chanting about free speech.
The rallies appeared to be separate from the dozens of protests in cities throughout the country calling on Trump to release his personal tax returns as part of a nationwide Tax March.
Groups of demonstrators have had similar clashes before. On March 4, a mixed crowd of about 500 pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators similarly became violent. Fistfights broke out, and protesters used pepper spray, metal pipes, lumber, bricks and other items that were prohibited for Saturday’s protests. Ten people were arrested during the March 4 protests on charges of battery, assault and resisting arrest, according to local news reports.
In February, the University of California at Berkeley canceled a scheduled talk by former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos after intense violence and vandalism broke out on campus.
On Twitter, Berkeley police warned the public to stay clear of the protest area. City officials had shut down a farmers market in the park in anticipation of Saturday’s rally, and warned against vandalism and violence.Amid Uber’s current stream of crises, including the exodus of some high-level execs, another controversy has come knocking at the company’s door.
The latest issue goes all the way back almost three years ago, when a team of Uber managers (four males and one female), along with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and her then girlfriend Gabi Holzwarth, went to an escort-karaoke bar in Seoul, South Korea.
Holzwarth, a professional violinist who dated Kalanick for three years, recalled that the bar had escort women who bore numbered tags. The male managers selected women who would join their table by calling out the girls’ numbers.
While prostitution is illegal in South Korea, businessmen who frequent these high-end escort-karaoke bars can still choose to have sex with the women.
In an interview with The Information, Holzwarth maintains that she really doesn’t know what happened after the men had selected some women to sit with since she and Kalanick left in less than an hour. The female Uber marketing manager, who was also with them at the time, also left early.
About a year later, the unnamed female exec reported the overseas outing to the company’s HR head, complaining that it had made her uncomfortable.
Holzwarth said that she and the female Uber manager also talked about it via instant message. The complainant reportedly told Holzwarth that she also discussed the complaint with Kalanick.
“[I]t made me feel horrible as a girl (seeing those girls with number tags and being called out is really degrading),” the manager was quoted as saying.
That was just about the last time Holzwarth thought she would hear about it until she got a call from Uber’s senior VP of business Emil Michael (among the escort-karaoke group) just three weeks ago.
In their phone conversation, Michael said he was worried that the incident in South Korea would somehow leak to the press. He asked her repeatedly that, if in case anyone asked about it, she is to say that the group merely visited a karaoke bar and “had a good time.”
She told The Information that Michael’s attempt to “silence” her prompted her to discuss the issue with Kalanick and Uber’s top public relations executive Rachel Whetstone, among other people.
“I’m not going to lie for them,” she said, describing Kalanick to be a “part of a class of privileged men who have been taught they can do whatever they want, and now they can.”
It was not reported how the complaint was resolved but the woman is still reportedly at the company. According to an Uber spokeswoman, the issue had been referred to Tammy Albarran and Eric Holder in early March. The two were reportedly tasked to lead an investigation into Uber’s workplace culture.
In a statement to The Information, Emil Michael said, “Given the intense news cycle I thought it was the right thing to do to reach out and let her know that reporters may try to contact her directly. I have known her for a long time, consider her a friend and did not want her to be taken by surprise. Her recollection of this conversation was different from mine and I am very sorry if the purpose of my call was misunderstood.”
Just a month ago a former Uber engineer named Susan Fowler wrote a fiery blog post which alleged rampant sexism and discrimination at the company. An independent investigation was also conducted shortly after, leading to the exit of several top executives.
As the company was reeling from the high-profile controversy, it then received a patent-infringement lawsuit from Alphabet‘s self-driving car unit, Waymo.
Shortly after, a dashcam video of Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver surfaced.
And then days after that, the New York Times reported that Uber had been using a feature that showed investigators a fake view of the Uber cars on the road close by.
Earlier this month, Kalanick had announced his search for a COO to help him. As the company’s reputation continues to deteriorate, finding a seasoned executive may prove to be a challenging task.An ongoing strike by 1,800 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 3 in New York, against the cable giant Charter/Spectrum, could well determine whether the American labor movement has a fighting chance for a revival. The strike has gone on for almost six months, and many of the union families face foreclosure or eviction. For decades, these workers worked with the company’s corporate predecessors, made a living wage, had decent benefits, sent kids to college and made profits for their employer.
But Charter/Spectrum is not your cable company of yesteryear. These striking workers are up against a multibillion-dollar behemoth that approaches being a 21st-century version of the Rockefeller Standard Oil Trust of the 19th century. How it got so big so fast is another example of our “regulators” — and too many of our elected officials — falling captive to whatever big capital requires to get bigger, no matter what the collateral damage. A couple of thousand New York-area families is nothing to this crew. It has grand designs on global domination. Just check out Charter/Spectrum’s board.
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Charter/Spectrum is the nation’s fastest growing cable provider, and the second-largest, serving 25 million households spread out across 41 states. In New York City, it also owns NY1, the city’s dominant 24/7 cable news outlet. The architect of Charter/Spectrum's meteoric ascendancy from bankruptcy in 2009, to near national monopoly in many parts of the country, is Tom Rutledge, a cable executive who lives in Connecticut. Last year, he was awarded $100 million in compensation, mostly in stock options, which could make him (depending on which list you prefer) the highest-paid CEO in the United States.
According to the firm’s 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Rutledge and Charter/Spectrum racked up more than $60 billion in debt on a buying spree last year, which gobbled up Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. In March 2016, a large coalition of social justice, consumer groups and internet-access advocacy nonprofits urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject what they called a “disastrous” deal. The groups included Common Cause, MoveOn.org, Media Alliance and the Free Press.
“As Internet access becomes increasingly indispensable for engaging in our 21st-century economy and democracy, further consolidation of cable providers does not serve the public interest,” the coalition wrote. “The transaction would result in the new Charter/Spectrum nearly equaling Comcast’s current size, and would create a national broadband duopoly. These two companies would control nearly two-thirds of the nation’s high-speed broadband subscribers, and would offer service to almost 80 percent of the country. People in roughly 60 percent of Charter/Spectrum’s vastly expanded territory would have no other realistic option but Charter/Spectrum for bundled high-speed Internet and video services.”
The coalition warned that the billions in debt that Charter/Spectrum was taking on would have serious consequences. “This additional debt burden of $1,142 for each customer would saddle the newly combined entity with an incredible $66 billion in debt. To repay that, and to satisfy its investors, the new Charter/Spectrum would have to raise its prices substantially — squeezing captive customers and forcing some offline.”
The letter continued, “As a recent Pew Research Center report found, broadband adoption rates are dropping, particularly for low-income households and communities of color. The main reason for this decline is high prices, which |
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And here's a Monero blockchain explorer
So if you want to try out Monero, set up a web wallet (for small amounts only) at MyMonero.com
For larger amounts, there is a detailed cold storage guide here. or you could do what I've done and download the node and flash a Trezor with the Monero firmware.Re: Final q & a
From:nmerrill@hillaryclinton.com To: john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2015-09-04 09:34 Subject: Re: Final q & a
Attached and the relevant part is pasted below. *CORE LANGUAGE FOR ALL ANSWERS:* *LONG VERSION* · *Let me explain what happened.* · *After I’d left the State Department, we got a request in October 2014 for all my work related emails. By the way, the same request also went to all the other former Secretaries of State. * · *The request went to my personal attorneys, so I asked them to be in charge of sorting the emails. They conducted an extremely thorough process that took weeks, going through every email, to make sure that we turned over to the State Department all the work related emails. When it was a close call, the team erred on the side of considering the email work-related and gave it to State. In fact, the State Department has already found 1200 emails that they want to send back to us because they say they were actually personal.* · *After the work emails were turned over, in December, we had to decide what to do with the rest. Because the government already had everything that was work-related, and my personal emails were just that -- personal -- I didn’t see a reason to keep them so I asked that they be deleted, and that’s what the company that managed my server did. And we notified Congress of that back in March.* *SHORT VERSION* · *Let me explain. Last year, the State Department asked me to send them all my work related emails. We set up a thorough process to sort the work from the personal – it took weeks. After we handed over to the State Department all the work related emails, we had to decide what to do with the rest that were personal. I didn’t see a reason to keep them so I asked that they be deleted, and that’s what the company that had my server did. And we notified Congress of that back in March.* *Possible Questions* *Why won’t you say whether you wiped it?* · I have said this before, but let me be clear, after we went through the process to determine what was work related and what was not and provided the work related emails to State, I decided not to keep the personal ones. We saved the work-related ones on a thumb drive that is now with the Department of Justice. And as I said in March, I chose not to keep the personal ones. I asked that they be deleted, how that happened was up to the company that managed the server. And they are cooperating fully with anyone that has questions. · I think that most reasonable people would agree that we are all entitled to some level of privacy, particularly when it comes to my private conversations with long-time friends and family. *Did you wipe the server, yes or no?* · I asked that they be deleted, how that happened was up to the company that managed the server. And they are cooperating fully with anyone that has questions. · The work emails I had were saved on a thumb drive, which we have given to the Justice Department. I also turned everything over in paper form to State as they requested. As I have said, I think we have been as transparent as possible. On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 7:29 AM, John Podesta <john.podesta@gmail.com> wrote: > Can you send me final server q&a's. Thx >W hen it comes to women in politics, the United States is pretty much the pits. Women make up half the population in this country but hold less than hen it comes to women in politics, the United States is pretty much the pits. Women make up half the population in this country but hold less than 20% of Congressional seats and comprise less than 25% of state legislators. The numbers for women of color are even more dismal
On the world stage, the US ranks 72nd in women’s political participation, far worse than most industrialized countries – and with numbers similar to Saudi Arabia’s. A United Nations working group late last year called attention to this disparity in a report that found massive discrimination against women across the board, an “overall picture of women’s missing rights”.
And so it seems strange that at a time when the country has the opportunity to elect the first woman president, the idea that gender might be a factor is considered shallow in some circles.
Only in a sexist society would women be told that caring about representation at the highest levels of government is wrong. Only in a sexist society would women believe it.
There has been an extraordinary amount of scorn – both from the right and from Bernie Sanders supporters – around the notion that Hillary Clinton and women planning on voting for her are playing the “gender card”. The criticism comes in part from Clinton’s unabashed embrace of women’s issues as a central part of her presidential campaign, and in part – let’s be frank – simply because Clinton is a woman.
The absurd conclusion these detractors are making is that if gender plays any role in a woman’s vote, it must be her sole litmus test. (If that were the case, you’d see throngs of feminists supporting Sarah Palin or Carly Fiorina.) As author and New York magazine contributor Rebecca Traister has written, “Somehow the admission of gender as a factor in support for her creates an opportunity to dismiss not only enthusiasm for Clinton as feminized and thus silly, but also a whole body of feminist argument that concerns itself with the underrepresentation of women in politics.”
One could argue that, gender aside, Clinton’s policies are better for women than Sanders’s - Naral Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood ’s endorsements speak to that some, as does Clinton’s vocalemphasis on repealing the Hyde Amendment, which denies poor women the ability to obtain reproductive healthcare. But there is also nothing untoward about pointing out that the groundbreaking first of a female president would also benefit women.
After all, while President Obama’s tenure hasn’t lead to any “post-racial” utopia, the symbolism of the first black president forever changed the way this nation thinks and talks about race. The first female president, while certain to bring misogynists out of the woodwork at proportions that will make GamerGate look tame, would likely do the same for gender.
There is nothing wrong or foolish in thinking about a candidate’s gender in an election. It is politically savvy to vote for your interests. It is smart to think about the long game for women’s rights. And for those of us with our bodies literally on the line, it is wise to cast a vote that you believe will be the most likely to ensure women won’t be forced into pregnancy, arrested for having miscarriages or any other of the horrifying consequences that anti-abortion Republican leadership would surely pursue.
For some people, even weighing gender heavily in their political decision-making still won’t mean a vote for Clinton. But if it does, their vote should be respected as a well-informed one. Dismissing those who want to take gender into account is turning your back on the basic democratic principle that people have the right to be politically represented.
Electing women into office is important for women’s equality, and it’s also crucial for our country’s health. Considering that truth in the election booth is not caring about a “single issue”. It’s voting smart.My armour is coming along, and hit a milestone yesterday. My arming jacket finally had the necessary pointing holes for attaching the arm pieces, which have been ready since December. So this is the first time they have been tried on properly. And oh my, what happy bliss to be clanking about in STEEL!!
There will be some adjustments needed to the arms to get them fitting perfectly, but the armourer, Marko Saari, is a genius and a craftsman of the highest order, and so perfection is well within the realms of possibility.
This piece is a reproduction of the Avant armour, held in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove museum, and the closest surviving example to the armour we see in Il Fior di Battaglia, especially the Pisani-Dossi MS.
Helmet next. Then legs. Then proper gauntlets.
(Visited 185 times, 1 visits today)Maybe she is more qualified than Mitt
(Official photo, text added)
Making her first appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Senator Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican, said she is more ready to be president than Barack Obama was when he was a sitting senator. "I have, some would say, better experience than Barack Obama had when he was a senator and ran” for president, Ayotte told David Gregory.
The freshman senator and former attorney general for New Hampshire, Ayotte said having served as the "chief law enforcement officer" of her state and on the Senate Armed Services Committee has given her that experience needed to be president – or perhaps vice president.
Republican New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte makes her pitch for the Mittsakes:And what might some say that experience is?And what was it that she did as the "chief law enforcement officer" of New Hampshire? Oh yeah, she spent a good chuck of it fighting Planned Parenthood in court defending the legality of restricting access to abortion. Everybody knows that's exactly the kind of experience Mitt Romney needs to convince voters that there isn't a Republican War on Women. You know, Sarah Palin with a law degree.
But by calling attention to her experience and comparing it favorably to that of Barack Obama, Ayotte may have caused herself a little problem for herself. Remember, Obama was elected after serving four years in the U.S. Senate and eight years in the Illinois State Senate. Mitt Romney's only experience is serving four years as governor of Massachusetts, the bulk of which were spent plotting his national ambitions.
Therefore, according to Ayotte logic, she's not only got more experience than Obama had in 2008, but she's also got more experience Mitt Romney has now. And that, of course, raises an important question: if she's so much more experienced than Mitt Romney, why didn't she run for president in the first place?Sponsored Link
Tor is a software project that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security. Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location.
Tor works with many of your existing applications, including web browsers, instant messaging clients, remote login, and other applications based on the TCP protocol.
Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, modifying
web page data, managing HTTP cookies, controlling access, and removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other
obnoxious Internet junk. Privoxy has a flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual
needs and tastes. Privoxy has application for both stand-alone systems and multi-user networks.
Install Tor and privoxy in Ubuntu
sudo aptitude install tor privoxy
This will complete the installation.
GUI Tools Available for Tor
Currently we have the following TOR GUI Applications
Vidalia
Vidalia is a cross-platform controller GUI for the Tor software, built using the Qt framework. Using Vidalia, you can start and stop the Tor software, view its status at a glance, and monitor bandwidth usage. Vidalia also makes it easy to contribute to the Tor network by helping you set up and manage your own relay.
Torbutton
Torbutton is a 1-click way for Firefox users to enable or disable the browser's use of Tor. It adds a panel to the statusbar that says "Tor Enabled" (in green) or "Tor Disabled" (in red). The user may click on the panel to toggle the status. If the user (or some other extension) changes the proxy settings, the change is automatically reflected in the statusbar.
Some users may prefer a toolbar button instead of a statusbar panel. Such a button is included, and one adds it to the toolbar by right-clicking on the desired toolbar, selecting "Customize...", and then dragging the Torbutton icon onto the toolbar. There is an option in the preferences to hide the statusbar panel (Tools->Extensions, select Torbutton, and click on Preferences).
Newer Firefoxes have the ability to send DNS resolves through the socks proxy, and Torbutton will make use of this feature if it is available in your version of Firefox.
TorK
TorK is a powerful anonymity manager for the KDE Desktop on Linux and Unix systems. It first helps you
to install, configure and use Tor. It then reduces the task of anonymizing most applications to a single-click, including Firefox, Opera, Konqueror, Pidgin, Kopete, SSH, and IRC. For advanced users TorK
provides detailed network information, and more, in an accessible manner.
If you wish to run TorK locally, please install the tor and privoxy packages.
Features include:
* Browse anonymously on Konqueror/Firefox/Opera.
* Send anonymous email via the MixMinion network.
* Use Internet Messaging and IRC anonymously.
* Create and manage hidden services.
Install Vidalia in Ubuntu Gutsy and Hardy
You need to edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file using the following command or Go to System->Preferences->Software Sources and enter these repositories into 3rd Party Repositories and click
on reload.
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
add the following lines
For Hardy Users
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/adnarim/ubuntu hardy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/adnarim/ubuntu hardy main
For Gutsy Users
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/adnarim/ubuntu gutsy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/adnarim/ubuntu gutsy main
Save and exit the file
Now you need to update the source list using the following command
sudo aptitude update
Install Vidalia using the following command
sudo aptitude install vidalia
this will complete the installation.
Now you need to open Vidalia Go to Applications--->Internet--->Vidalia
After opening you should be able see similar to the following screen.If you want to change the settings click on settings in the following screen
If you want to see Network Map click on View the Network on the above Screen
Tor Bandwidth usage
If Tor is working you can see similar to the following icon marked in Red in your notification area
If you want to configure firefox for browsing check this
Install TorK in Ubuntu
If you want to install TorK use the following command
sudo aptitude install tork
Install Torbutton in Ubuntu
Download Torbutton from here and install for your firefox.
Sponsored Link
Related postsMonths into his job as an admissions counselor at a for-profit college somewhere in the Midwest, Aaron Calafato began to grow increasingly conflicted. Responding to the college's pressure, he says, he was signing up poorly prepared students for expensive degree programs that would leave them heavily in debt, all so he could make sure he himself had money he needed to keep paying off his own student loans.
"I couldn't sleep at night," he says. He worried for the guy to whom he was "peddling a degree for $28,000 in criminal justice and he doesn't need it." He questioned the morality of a company that would entrench itself into a struggling neighborhood and take advantage of its residents, and he wrestled with his own culpability in the process.
Now in a new one-man play called For Profit that Mr. Calafato wrote and performs, the character of "Aaron," an admissions counselor at For Profit University, wrestles with some of those same moral questions. They include one that Mr. Calafato finds so central to American society right now: "How far will you go for your own economic security?"
An actor by training, Mr. Calafato, 28, says the 75-minute production—which has already been staged in venues in New York City and in the Cleveland area, with future stagings in the works for Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.—is his attempt to translate his yearlong experience through the medium he knows best.
The play blends theatrical techniques of storytelling and acting, in the tradition of one of his artistic heroes, the late monologist Spalding Gray. "This is not some guy on a rant," he says of his play.
'A Piece of Theater'
In For Profit, Mr. Calafato also portrays nearly a dozen other characters, including "The President" of the college; "The Boss," who supervises the admissions counselors; "The Regional Director," who trains them, a character right out of the boiler room of Glengarry Glen Ross; and students named Javier and T.J.
Set on a bare stage, the play's only props are a chair, a cordless phone, and a hat for one of the characters.
"It's not a piece of journalism," Mr. Calafato says by telephone, having just returned to Ohio from the play's six-show run at the Seeing Place Theater in Manhattan. "It's a piece of theater based on a true story."
The elements of truth are particularly strong, he says, in the case of a scene with the trainer. It was based on the "boot camp" where he and his fellow counselors were sent to learn enrollment techniques. The Regional Director has a six-minute monologue, says Mr. Calafato, "so you get to hear his rhetoric."
In some versions of the play, he also inserts a scene like the real-life one he experienced, when he and fellow admissions reps were asked to parcel up care packages of candy and popcorn as a gift to service members overseas. "But we sent it with brochures that said 'Hey, come to our school,'" says Mr. Calafato.
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Though the issues are serious, he says the play is drawing laughs, particularly a scene where the college decides that just maybe it could improve its internal culture if the admissions reps no longer referred to their prospective students as "leads" but as "students." In the play "Aaron" muses, "Wait a second, shouldn't we have been calling them students from the beginning?" (In real life, at about the same time, the main trade association for the for-profit college industry was quietly promoting an effort called "Project Rose" to encourage its member colleges to shift away from terms like "leads" and "recruiters.")
For personal and legal reasons, Mr. Calafato has not revealed the name of the college where he worked, but he says "it was not one of the big guys" in the for-profit college industry.
He's also mindful of the potential for skepticism about the message of his play in light of recent reports about fabrications in The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, a theatrical monologue about working conditions at plants in China making products for Apple. That playwright, Mike Daisey, was an artist "I looked up to," says Mr. Calafato. But he doesn't believe Mr. Daisey's mistakes detract from the power of a play, and of his play, to inform an audience. Stimulating discussion is "the artist's responsibility," he says.
A Job to Pay the Bills
Mr. Calafato says he really didn't go into the admissions job with any agenda. A 2005 graduate of Bowling Green State University, he and his wife, a social worker, had been living near New York City for five years, but when she lost her job, they moved back to Ohio, where housing was more affordable.
"I took it seriously," he says. "I felt the job of admissions adviser could be positive." He even had health insurance, which, for an actor, he says, was "cool." Some of the ill-prepared students he was asked to enroll concerned him, but "in your head, you're going, 'Pay my bills or worry about this guy?'"
For Mr. Calafato, those bills included about $1,500 a month for his and his wife's student-loan payments, a burden that has recently also drawn him into the "Occupy Student Debt" movement. He's produced a few YouTube videos on the subject.
But the longer he worked for the company and saw the kind of applicants he and his colleagues were being pushed to enroll with big student loans—single mothers, recovering addicts, and others who had just barely earned their GED's or could barely read—he says his moral dilemma drove him to an inevitable conclusion. The stories of some of his students, which are reflected in the play, also weighed on him.
He decided, "I'm just going to create art with this and use the theater as a social tool," he says.
During the last few months at his job, which ended about a year ago, he would often leave his office at lunch and sit in his car in the parking lot, jotting notes and writing out dialogue.
While he insists he is "not a crusader against for-profits" and views the play as "my forum for telling a story," Mr. Calafato says he does hope the play provokes audiences to consider moral questions. "Profit is great," he says. But "I'm trying to talk about a message: For-profit at what cost? Where is the line? Do we sacrifice one generation of students? Do we sacrifice the credibility of universities?"
And while the play is focused on for-profit colleges, Mr. Calafato says he hopes it gets audiences thinking about the broader challenges the country faces as debt-laden students from all sorts of colleges struggle to find jobs. "You cannot deny that the trillion in student-loan debt is adding to the stagnation of the economy," he says.
Mr. Calafato is now seeking grants and pursuing private fund raising through the crowdsourcing site Indiegogo to help finance an initial 18-month run for the play. He hopes to stage it at small theaters and alternative venues that would be affordable to students and young college graduates, and in places where "it's not just sympathetic audiences saying, Bravo." He hopes colleges will bring it in, too. (A staging is likely this month in conjunction with an arts festival at the College of Wooster.) The play has also attracted interest from a member of Congress.
For Profit audiences will decide for themselves what they think of "Aaron." As for the character's creator, Mr. Calafato says he doesn't see himself as any kind of hero. Toward the end of his tenure at the college, he started doing more to help students line up the outside social services they might need before enrolling in college, even if that meant missing his enrollment goals. "My numbers fell and I got paid less, and that led to me being let go," he says.
"I didn't have the courage to say, I quit," he notes, but doing "the right thing for the last three months ended up in getting me fired."One of two Muslims in Congress had harsh words on Wednesday on government agents’ targeting of a handful of prominent American Muslims.
“An American’s faith does not give law enforcement reasonable suspicion to violate their constitutional rights,” Rep. Keith Ellison Keith Maurice EllisonOvernight Health Care — Presented by National Taxpayers Union — Top Dems call for end to Medicaid work rules | Chamber launching ad blitz against Trump drug plan | Google offers help to dispose of opioids Ilhan Omar defends 2012 tweet: 'I don't know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans' States scramble to fill void left by federal shutdown MORE (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress, said in a statement.
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“Suspicious behavior indicating criminal behavior should be the basis for attracting law enforcement surveillance — not a person’s religion," he added. "Profiling based on religion breeds distrust and resentment in communities that are potential partners in the fight against crime.”
Ellison said a report on Wednesday that the National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI were tracking the email communications of five American Muslims, and included a racial slur in their training materials, “is particularly troubling because it suggests that Americans were targeted because of their faith and civic engagement.”
Previous revelations about FBI training materials instructing agents to be suspicious of all Muslims and a New York Police Department program to map Muslim communities, he added, “makes this concern legitimate.”
A months-long analysis by the Intercept of documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden showed that five top lawyers and advocates who were Muslim were targeted for surveillance from 2002 to 2008 under a program meant to root out terrorists and foreign agents.
The news evoked swift condemnation from civil liberties advocates, who compared it to FBI wiretaps of Martin Luther King Jr. and other top civil rights icons.
“The bigger story is that, again, American minorities are being targeted with a broad brush by the government when we had hoped that this lesson had been learned back in the Civil Rights era that that’s not the way to go about things,” said Corey Saylor, head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’s (CAIR) office combating Islamophobia. CAIR’s executive director, Nihad Awad, was one of the people reportedly targeted by the NSA and FBI.
“We’re outraged,” Saylor added.
Among the documents released was an instructional form that used the name “Mohammed Raghead” — a slang term for Muslims and Middle Eastern people — as an example of a terrorist suspect.
A White House offial said that the administration had immediately launched an inquiry into that issue.
“As the NSA has said, the use of racial or ethnic stereotypes, slurs, or other similar language by employees is both unacceptable and inconsistent with the country’s core values,” Caitlin Hayden said in a statement shared with The Hill.
“The administration takes all such allegations extremely seriously, and upon learning of this matter the White House immediately requested that the Director of National Intelligence undertake an assessment of Intelligence Community policies, training standards or directives that promote diversity and tolerance, and as necessary, make any recommendations changes or additional reforms."
Civil rights advocates wanted more.
Ellison called for “a full explanation” about the surveillance from the administration.
Additionally, a coalition of 45 civil rights organizations sent a letter to President Obama demanding a meeting with him, Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director James Comey. The advocacy groups wanted the Justice Department to update its current guidance banning racial profiling to include profiling based on religion, national origin and other “loopholes.”
“We cannot trust government assurances of fairness and legality when surveillance is being conducted without sufficient public oversight,” they wrote.It was one of the strange little mysteries of the 2010 election cycle. Jim Huffman, the law professor and GOP opponent of Senator Ron Wyden, disclosed in his quarterly reports that he'd loaned a total of $1.35 million to his campaign.
The only problem? Previous disclosures had listed his total non-home assets as between $500k and $1m, and he didn't disclose a loan against his house. So, where did the money come from?
Now, we know. As we all suspected, it was from his wife, Leslie Spencer. And because their assets were not jointly held, a contribution or a loan from her in excess of $2400 is illegal. So, the DPO filed a complaint.
And now, Huffman has been fined $29,900 by the Federal Elections Commission (pdf). The FEC noted that Huffman "reported the receipt of six loans from Huffman’s personal funds that were not from his personal funds because, based on Huffman’s personal financial disclosure statement, Huffman did not have sufficient personal funds to make the loans."
At the time, Huffman told the O's Jeff Mapes that the loans were "strictly legal". According to the FEC summary of facts, Huffman and Spencer "operated under a good faith belief that.. the personal loans were permissible regardless of the specific origin of the funds."
Which is kinda funny, because Huffman worked kinda hard to cover up where the money was coming from. Again, the FEC summary of facts (to which Huffman has agreed):
FTCI wired funds from Ms. Spencer's trust account in the amounts of $50,000, $150,000 and $200,000 to Mr. Huffman's and Ms. Spencer's joint account at Bank of the West on March 15, 2010, April 8, 2010, and July 1, 2010, that were used to fund loans of the same amounts disclosed bythe Committee as from Mr. Huffman's personal funds on March 30, 2010, March 31, 2010, and June 30, 2010, respectively. To fund a loan of $500,000 on September 14, 2010, also disclosed as from Mr. Huffman's personal funds, Ms. Spencer wired $500,000 from her FTCI line of credit to the joint bank account at Bank of the West on September 13, 2010, and Mr. Huffman then wired those funds to the Committe's account at Wachovia Bank the next day.
Yeah, so we had a law professor - a dean! - conspire to violate federal law in an attempt to steal a U.S. Senate election. And despite all that, and despite spending $2,177,539 more than Wyden's 2004 opponent, he bumped the GOP vote total against Wyden from 32% to 39%. (That's more than $300,000 per percentage point.)
It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.
I guess we know why Huffman ain't running for Attorney General now - or anything else.At This Rate, Nokia Will Be The Only Windows Phone OEM By The Holidays
Note: The title of this post is an exaggeration. But not by much, and that matters.
The monthly Windows Phone report from the AdDuplex group is out for August, and is essentially a repeat of July’s figures: The Lumia 520 is crushing other Windows Phone handsets, and Nokia is quickly becoming the de facto OEM of the platform as HTC slips.
Nokia moved from 85 percent market share of Windows Phone hardware in July, to 86.9 percent in August. Rounding that to 87 percent, we can say it gained two points in a month. At this pace, Nokia will quickly consume the small slice of the Windows Phone platform that it does not control.
And, as AdDuplex notes, the Lumia 1020 is outselling the also recently released Lumia 928, meaning that, most likely, Nokia’s sales are accelerating. Given that, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that Nokia could expand the pace at which it grows its share of Windows Phone over the next few months — the Lumia 520 continues to grow in secondary markets, and the Lumia 1020 is attacking the U.S. market with fresh vigor following a $100 price cut.
Who else builds Windows Phone handsets? HTC, sorta. HTC slipped from 11.5 percent market share in July to 9.8 percent in August, which almost mirrors Nokia’s gains. At what point does HTC essentially not matter in market share? Five percent? If so, it’s three months away from that point. That’s before the holidays.
Total Windows Phone handset shipments are expanding. The platform could conceivably ship 10 million units in the fourth quarter. However, unless something dramatic changes in the Windows Phone market, and quickly, those fourth-quarter devices will likely be from the Nokia Lumia family.
Good or bad? That Windows Phone is expanding is catnip to Microsoft, but declining platform support is dangerous. Windows Phone is now more dependent on Nokia’s health than ever before. Therefore, Microsoft’s mobile efforts are fully dependent on Nokia’s action. This is disconcerting, given how expensive and important the Windows Phone effort is to Microsoft.
The argument that Microsoft might buy Nokia did not make sense when it was among a cadre of other OEMs, all bustling to build devices for Windows Phone. That’s all but over as eras go. And that makes Nokia a singular, potential fail-point for Windows Phone. Yikes.
Top Image Credit: Vernon ChanFox News host Bill O'Reilly opened his top-rated program Monday night by teasing an "explosive new report." But not the one about him.
The show unfolded without a mention of a New York Times article published this weekend which detailed settlements struck with five different women who had accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment or verbal abuse.
Instead, Monday's edition of "The O'Reilly Factor" played out like virtually every broadcast. O'Reilly kicked off the show with a monologue (the "Talking Points Memo," in "Factor" parlance) criticizing Democrats for blocking President Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch.
He resumed the theme a bit later, saying the Democrats' "hatred" for Trump is "disrupting the republic." There was plenty of inveighing against "craziness on college campuses," with O'Reilly decrying "safe spaces" and his sidekick Jesse Watters traveling to Columbia University for one of his patented man-on-the-street segments.
And then, at 9:00, O'Reilly signed off much like he always does.
"I am Bill O'Reilly, please always remember that the spin stops here because we're definitely looking out for you," he told his viewers, roughly four million of whom tune in on a given night.
Related: Mercedes-Benz pulls ads from 'The O'Reilly Factor'
It was a one-hour slice of normalcy in a tense period for both O'Reilly and his employer. Monday's broadcast of the "Factor" started only three hours after the automaker Mercedes-Benz said its ads on the program had been "reassigned" following the Times' report.
Earlier in the day, Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky filed a lawsuit against the network, its former chairman Roger Ailes and current co-president Bill Shine, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation.
Rupert Murdoch and his sons, the powerful media dynasty running Fox's parent company 21st Century Fox, have taken a more heads-on role at the cable news channel since Ailes was ousted after a wave of similar allegations against him.
While Fox's programming remains as conservative as ever, the Murdochs have pledged to fix the network's employee culture.
O'Reilly's reticence on Monday was a break from how he has dealt with such matters in the past. When a former producer filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in 2004, which was eventually settled and was among among those settlements discussed in the Times article, O'Reilly delivered a thunderous response on his program that same night.
The suit was, O'Reilly said, "the single most evil thing I have ever experienced, and I've seen a lot."
"But these people picked the wrong guy," he insisted.CHICAGO (Oct. 7, 2016) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Friday that Cedric Cattenoy has been named as the technical director of the Chicago Fire Academy. Cattenoy joins the Fire from the Paris Saint-Germain Academy, where he served in various capacities since 2001.
“Cedric’s services were coveted by several other organizations around the world, yet he chose to join the Fire and help our academy become a significant part of our championship program,” stated general manager Nelson Rodríguez. “Not only considered a great teacher of the game by players, he is also an effective and devoted mentor to other coaches. He embodies our values of humility, competitiveness and respect. Securing Cedric as the leader of our academy is a coup for all of soccer in Chicagoland.”
Cattenoy will oversee the development and implementation of the Fire Academy’s curriculum, guide player and staff development, and work together with the first team staff to ensure continuity from the player development system up to the pro level.
Cattenoy joins the Fire after most recently serving as the head coach of the Paris Saint-Germain Academy, a role he began in 2014. During that time, Cattenoy was tasked with developing the PSG method internationally, overseeing the training programs for the academy teams and training coaches in France and abroad.
Cattenoy has helped produce more than 70 professional players, including Celtic FC forward and French U-21 international Moussa Dembélé as well as Bayern Munich winger and French international Kingsley Coman, recently a finalist for the Young Player of the Tournament Award at UEFA Euro 2016.
He began his PSG tenure as the assistant coach of the U-19 squad in 2001. He also served as the head coach of the U-17s from 2002-05 and the assistant coach of the PSG reserve team from 2012-14.
In 2005, Cattenoy took over as the head coach of the U-15 residential pre-academy side, a role he served in for eleven years. During his time with the U-15s, Cattenoy was responsible for setting up the technical program and oversaw the administration and sporting coordination for the 35 residents and 13 staff at the residential academy at Verneuil.
Cattenoy holds his UEFA “A” and youth licenses, an executive masters from the National Institution of Sports and Performance Expertise, his B.E.E.S. second degree football coach diploma and his goalkeeper coach qualifications.
Rounding out the Fire Academy staff are Pascal Bedrossian, Ross Brady and Francisco Murguia as coaches, Brian Roberts as Director, Performance and Support Services, and Kevin Isaac as Youth Development Operations Coordinator.I've tried, all day I've tried. I've melted my visual cortex watching TV. I've scoured the dregs of the Internet. I've done my due diligence. My conclusion? There isn't anything to hate about Michigan State. They are wholly inoffensive, and it makes me sick.
For Oregon fans, it's easy to hate most college football teams when needed. We can unconditionally hate our rivals (Oregon State, Washington) with extreme prejudice, and without reason. We can hate conference foes (UCLA, Arizona, etc.), whom we see every year, and have built a catalog of memories, both good and bad. We can hate the traditional powers (Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas) for getting the benefit of the doubt because they're old and have won before, while we're new to the big kids table, and aren't yet powerful enough to hog the gravy. We can hate the teams that have our number (Stanford, Boise State, LSU, Auburn) because it sucks to lose and they're mean for beating us. We can hate the champs(Florida State), because they're the champs. We can hate slimy teams that play dirty on the field (Boise State) and represent themselves poorly off it (anybody in the Fulmer Cup Top 10). We can hate teams with slimy head coaches (Louisville, Arkansas, USC), who leer at us from the opposing sidelines surrounded by recruiting violations and sex scandals. |
the polls. Bauer says “a lot of people are changing their minds because there's been a full-court blitz by the popular culture, by elites … to intimidate and to cower people into no longer defending marriage.” Sprigg adds, “It’s not surprising that younger voters are somewhat more likely to support marriage redefinition than their elders. After all, they have been subjected to a drumbeat of support for it from the news media, entertainment media, and higher education for literally as long as they can remember.” Brown thinks polls undercount his Republican sympathizers: “How many more young conservatives probably support true marriage but are intimidated by their liberal college environment and peer pressure into hiding their pro-marriage views?” These cowed supporters of traditional marriage—apparently poor, uneducated, and easy to command—are hiding in the closet.
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5. We still own the GOP. So what if opposition to gay marriage is no longer a majority position among voters generally? It’s still a majority position among Republicans. Reed, Perkins, Rush Limbaugh, and other opponents have fallen back on this argument, warning party leaders that any retreat will trigger a fatal walkout by social conservatives. NOM, unable to assure Republican politicians that opposing same-sex marriage is a safe position in a general election, threatens them instead with defeats in their primaries.
6. Polls are shifting back in our favor. FRC says the Post survey is old news:
"Just two days ago, news outlets were plastering its poll results of'record' backing for same-sex'marriage' on their websites—only to see the support vanish as quickly as it appeared. Today, the Reuters Corporation released the results of an even bigger poll than the Post's and found that only 41% of America supports [gay marriage]. … In 48 hours, we've seen a 17-point swing in public opinion on marriage."
How did 17 percent of Americans turn against gay marriage in 48 hours? They didn’t. The Post poll was taken from March 7 to 10. The Reuters poll was taken from Jan. 1 to March 14. So the shift, if there was one, went the other way. In truth, you can’t compare the two questions, since one offered a middle option and the other didn’t. But you can examine trends within each survey over time. Every single polling organization shows same-sex marriage gaining ground.
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7. Young people will drift our way as they age. Perkins argues that “history—and most statistical data—shows that young people tend to become more conservative and more religious as they grow up, get married, and start families of their own.” Beyond age 23, “people become increasingly religious—meaning that a hasty retreat on marriage may score cheap points now, but it would actually alienate the same people later on.” But the data behind this analysis pertain to religion, not homosexuality. And there’s no precedent, in any generation, for the level of support today’s young people express for same-sex marriage.
Nobody knows whether public support for gay marriage will continue to rise at the same rate. This issue might go the way of interracial marriage, or it might get bogged down like abortion, assisted suicide, or single parenthood. But it’s clear that over the last several decades, homosexuality has become widely accepted, and opponents of same-sex marriage have now lost their grip on public opinion. The question going forward isn’t how many more states will ban same-sex marriage, but how many of the bans already passed will survive, and for how long.
Read more from Slate’s coverage of gay marriage.Pastor Robert Jeffress didn’t exactly sound like a paragon of Christianity when he went into a snit at the thought of conservatives voting their consciences and not for Donald Trump.
Appearing on the Hannity show tonight, Jeffress became apoplectic at the very thought that a Christian’s conscience might not be in sync with his idea of political correctness:
JEFFRESS: I am getting sick and tired of these namby-pamby, panty-waisted weak-kneed Christians who say they’re gonna stay at home in November out of moral principle. Will you please tell me what great moral principle there is in the universe that would allow a prohibition, anti-religious liberty candidate like Hillary Clinton to become the president? I believe any conservative Christian who refuses to vote or throws away his vote in November is nothing but a hypocrite.
Got that? Jeffress thinks that moral convictions are for sissies – because religious freedom!
Who's really the hypocrite?
Watch Fox News contributor Jeffress throw a finger-wagging hissy fit over people practicing their faith below, from the September 9, 2016 Hannity.
Video via Brendan Karet.124RF/STAFF ILLUSTRATION
It’s just 5.56 centimeters long — about 2 inches — and only 5.7 millimeters in diameter at its business end. In its most common American variant, it weighs 12.3 grams. It can reach a muzzle velocity of over 3,000 feet per second, and it is designed to penetrate three-eighths of an inch of steel at 350 meters.
It is, of course, a bullet.
In 1980, after decades of development and negotiation, the NATO member states agreed to use this particular cartridge — and it is now one of the most common small-arms munitions in the world. The argument for such standardization is obvious: In combat, being able to share ammunition can make the difference between surviving a firefight and being overrun. The argument against standardization is that should one nation want to deploy another option — a more powerful bullet, for instance — it can’t. At least not within the confines of the alliance.
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NATO has been a central pillar of US security policy since the Cold War. In 2016, candidate Donald Trump proposed upending that 70-year consensus, calling the alliance “obsolete” — a statement repeated by President-elect Trump on Jan. 15. But such a claim ignores what’s really lost when such common ventures break apart.
An alliance, like any collaboration, doesn’t work simply because its members agree on a course of action. It requires much more: Standardization of equipment served as a force multiplier for Western armies against the Soviet Union. But when humans succeed in striving toward a common goal, much more than mere common gear is involved: practices, processes, and a shared vision of risk and reward. This cohesion creats powerful intellectual bonds and, over time, lead to the accumulation of knowledge.
Consider the scientific alliance through which a group of men set out to measure the weather.
The story of what made the world modern is often told in heroic terms, tales of grand ideas, or battles, or inventions and inventors. Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, Galileo Galilei — these are the kind of figures remembered as the leaders of the scientific revolution. But a host of others built an intellectual infrastructure vital to the ongoing advance of science for over three centuries. At the heart of that effort: agreed standards for both material and habits of mind that have propelled the transformation in human knowledge over the last four centuries.
Thomas Tompion, for example, is hardly as celebrated as Robert Hooke, “England’s Galileo.” But he built the first watches driven by the balance spring mechanism that Hooke had invented, which yielded far more accurate time-keeping than prior approaches. Tompion was hugely prolific — his workshop produced roughly 5,500 watches — but perhaps his most wholly original idea had nothing to do with the mechanical side of his designs. From the 1670s forward, Tompion inscribed numbers on each watch and other devices that emerged from his shop, in the first known use of serial numbers.
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In the 1670s, neither Tompion nor anyone else produced perfectly replicated devices. Serial numbers were thus not an assertion that each of his watches would measure time to a specific standard of accuracy. Rather, subjecting his creations to the rule of number advanced the possibility of such standardization, providing the first piece of data needed to ensure that one measurement matches another — to be confident a second is a second is a second no matter who is observing and no matter where the observation is taking place.
While this first step toward the standardization of the tools of science was a milestone, it took the development of a common process — shared habits, ways of working — to truly transform the eager curiosity of the 17th and 18th centuries into a revolutionary new approach to knowledge, the one we now call science. In 1705, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society published an article by the philosopher John Locke. It was a modest work, just a weather diary: a series of daily observations of temperature, barometric pressure, precipitation, cloud cover. He was a careful observer, working with the best available instruments, a set built by Tompion himself. On Sunday, Dec. 13, 1691, for example, Locke left his rooms just before 9 a.m. The temperature was 3.4 on Tompion’s scale — a little chilly, but not a hard frost. Atmospheric pressure had dropped slightly compared to the day before, 30 inches of mercury compared to 30.04. There was a mild east wind, 1 on Locke’s improvised scale, enough to “just move the leaves.” The cloud cover was thick and unbroken — which is to say it was an entirely unsurprising December day in the east of England: dull, damp, and raw.
On the pages of the Royal Society’s journal, though, these perfectly banal details coalesce into a more significant advance. Locke described his methods and approach, what instruments he used; how he used them; when, each day, he made his measurements; everything anyone would need to interpret his data or to observe on their own. That made Locke’s report more than a mere list of facts about local weather patterns in Essex. It described a method, a process that could produce new knowledge.
The creation of standards, for equipment and for process, was and remains central to what makes science work as an institution, an enterprise, and not simply as a siloed exercise in individual curiosity. It was designed that way from the start: Locke got inspired to tackle meteorology when Robert Hooke published a call in the Royal Society’s journal, seeking volunteers who would buy instruments, calibrate them, and take weather data every day.
To put this move into the jargon of the NATO alliance, Hooke set out to forge the scientific revolution’s own force multiplier. His army of citizen scientists committed to a shared use of the apparatus of inquiry — thermometers and the like — and to a social compact: how they would collect new knowledge (in scientific reports) combined with the obligation to share, to publish, all to come up with a picture of the natural world that no one of them could possibly have assembled on their own.
PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images A US soldier with the 101st Airborne Division fires an AT-4 as Combat Outpost Nolen on the outskirts of the village of Jellawar came under Taliban attack on September 11, 2010.
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Fundamentally, NATO works in much the same way, however much its scale and complexity exceed Hooke’s network of weather watchers. The NATO round is an example of the more obvious parallel, the need to ensure that everyone’s tools work together. A common cartridge hits the highest level of cooperation — it is truly interchangeable. Much of the time, though, NATO allies look for interoperability, ways to ensure different systems can still function on the same battlefield, just as researchers from the 17th century onward must work out how to compare observations acquired on different instruments.
Should the alliance shatter, all the social infrastructure that allows people to collaborate will break with it.
Such interoperability depends on a huge number of often seemingly small choices. Tanks need regular refueling, for example, but NATO allies deploy several different types of tanks. So resupply operations have to bring not just the fuel, but various filters, too, so that one tanker truck can serve every piece of armor in need. When a battery dies? To get a jump from a European tank to an American one, soldiers must use a variety of cables and adapters. Such details matter — in action, lives may depend on having the right electrical connector — and given the amount of equipment used to fight modern war, there is a lot of specific hardware that has to be identified, agreed on, and deployed. But even so, this is the easier side of what it takes to make NATO go.
The more complicated and more important task: forging a common approach to thinking and communicating across the alliance. Common material is important, but what’s vital is a common methodology, a common language. Sometimes, it’s purely vocabulary at issue. “You have to be proficient in language — in English — to have a common perspective — particularly in combat,” says Colonel Ivan Mikuz, formerly a NATO strategic planner, now the Slovenian defense attaché in Washington.
Just as essential, and more difficult to achieve, NATO over the decades has developed common habits of thought, the procedures its personnel use to work together on every level from small unit operations to strategic planning. “You have to find agreement in a structured way,” Mikuz says. “Doctrine and tactics that are commonly shared.”
This plays out from the top down, where strategic planning is (or at least is supposed to follow) a shared formal decision making process, complete with checklists and a sequence of problems to be solved. The same enforced common approach extends to combat. When a wounded soldier needs to be evacuated from the battlefield, for example, there is a standard nine-line form that must be filled out — in English. The form tells the medical team where they need to go, how to contact those in need, the severity of the wounds, whether enemy troops are nearby, and so on. “Interoperability is much more than technical. It connects people on many levels,” Mikuz says. When those connections fray, “it can cost lives.”
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images Cartridges lie in the sand as Canadian Task Force Kandahar soldiers take part in a shooting exercise at Camp Nathan Smith on June 7, 2010.
None of this is to say that collaboration within NATO works perfectly. “Since 1989, the fall of the Berlin wall, NATO has atrophied,” says US Army Colonel Mark Aitken. War today moves quickly, he says, and NATO hasn’t kept up — not on the hardware, nor the human part of collaboration. Member armies use a variety of digital systems to control artillery fire, for example, and many of the systems don’t talk to each other. On the human side — different NATO members take different approaches to making sure a fire mission will hit what it’s aimed at, and nothing else. The US standard says that it should take no more than three minutes to make sure the downrange area is clear and fire a shell. In a recent multinational exercise, “the fastest we got,” the colonel says, “was just under an hour.”
That failure illustrates just how much work goes into making even long-established alliances function effectively. Arguments for preserving NATO tend to focus on the larger issues of international security. Aitken emphasizes that leaving NATO would damage US relations with Europe, risking the destabilization of the continent. One retired military officer puts it this way: “What’s the cost of walking away from the alliance? 40,000 guys. That’s what the Europeans put into Afghanistan — and that’s 40,000 Americans that didn’t have to show up.”
Behind such strategic questions, though, there’s this to consider: Should the alliance shatter, all the social infrastructure that allows people to collaborate will break with it. On the most obvious level, different nations could, for example, begin using weapons that don’t fire the NATO round. There isn’t an infinite supply of jumper cable adapters. More deeply, the human systems, all the formal and informal lines of communication NATO’s officers and enlisted forces have worked out over the decades can fall apart much more quickly than they can be remade. How long would it take before a wounded soldier dies en route to care because the habits embedded in that nine-line form no longer hold?
On April 12, after a meeting with the NATO secretary general, President Trump announced, “I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete.” While the ease with which Trump stuck his back-flip doesn’t yield much confidence, for now it seems the United States intends to remain in the alliance. But even as a thought experiment, recognizing what truly is required to sustain complex human collaborations suggests how much there is to lose.
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John Locke died in October 1704, seven months before his weather diary appeared in print. In what can thus be read as late, if not last words, he there allowed himself to dream of what might come from his having “indulged his Curiosity.” His intellectual heirs, he wrote, could accumulate enough data in enough places so that “several Rules and Observations concerning the extent of Winds and Rains, [and could] be in time established, to the great advantage of Mankind.”
Over the three centuries since those words appeared, we have done just that, and so much more. We abandon the kinds of connections that produce such accomplishments at our peril.
Thomas Levenson is a professor of science writing at MIT and an Ideas columnist. His latest book is “The Hunt for Vulcan.”The homeless encampment proposed as an alternative for people leaving The Jungle is scheduled to be closed next month over health and safety concerns.
First the homeless camps inside the East Duwamish Greenbelt, otherwise known as The Jungle, were closed. Now, residents of the camp proposed as an alternative by city officials say it’s being closed, too.
City outreach workers traveled to the camp Friday, going from one tent to another to inform people it will be closed for health and public-safety hazards, residents said. A cleanup of the camp is scheduled for March 7.
Residents of the camp Sunday met with supporters to discuss how to keep the camp open.
What the campers want is an opportunity to build a community, said Reavy Washington, who has lived at the Sodo camp for several months.
“We have problems, but they’re the same ones that every other camp has,” he said. “And we can handle all of them if we got enough room and time from the city.”
The move to close the camp comes on the heels of a pair of recent arrests over complaints that three underage girls were sexually exploited and raped there. Several of the camp residents said they were unaware that the teen at the center of the case was underage.
Called “The Field” by its residents, the camp is located on a sliver of state-owned land near the intersection of Royal Brougham Way South and Airport Way South.
In August 2016, as outreach workers began encouraging people to leave encampments inside and adjacent to The Jungle, city officials obtained a permit from the state Department of Transportation to use the field as a transition site.
Seattle officials said at the time it would be used as a stopgap solution, while officials worked on plans to develop more permanent housing options. Several trash Dumpsters and portable toilets were delivered to the camp after the closure of last encampments inside the Jungle.
Six months later, nearly 50 to 60 people live at the Sodo camp inside tents and other makeshift shelters, residents said.
A spokesperson for the department that manages the city’s homeless encampments confirmed Monday that the camp will be closed for “growing criminal activity and public health hazards” impacting both the camp and the area surrounding surrounding it.
In the months since it was okayed by the city, the camp has become infested with rodents, said spokeswoman Julie Moore in an emailed statement. A series of fires at the camp have also raised concerns about the camp, she said.
But several campers said that the city has ignored previous requests for fire extinguishers and help fighting the rodent problem.
City council hopeful Jon Grant, who along with several other volunteers has helped campers remove garbage and debris, said that those concerns won’t be solved by closing the camp.
“You’re not going to alleviate public safety issues by dispersing vulnerable people throughout the city,” he said Sunday.
City officials said outreach workers from the Union Gospel Mission will continue to offer those still living at the camp services and shelter until its scheduled closure.‘The Intercept’ Tries To Conflate Opposition To US Syria Intervention With Neo-Nazism
Caitlin Johnstone Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 8, 2017
Just as the tide turns in Syria and even the most virulently pro-establishment voices are forced to concede that the regime change they’ve been pushing for has failed, The Intercept has published a shockingly awful article titled “Why White Nationalists Love Bashar al-Assad”.
Nowhere in this insipid piece does the author once refer to any of the unforgivable evils that the west has inflicted upon Syria, its relentless anti-Assad propaganda campaign or its foundational role in fanning the flames of war and arming known terrorist factions against the Syrian government. Instead, The Intercept’s newly-recruited Mariam Elba opts to refer to Syria’s only legitimate government as “the primary perpetrators of escalating Syria’s civil war”. The Intercept’s editors even initially allowed through the absurd and since-corrected claim that Assad is primarily responsible for “millions” of deaths, when even the most ridiculous establishment propagandists are aware that the total death toll in the Syrian conflict is around half a million.
Instead of even once acknowledging the role of US and NATO interventionism in perpetuating the Syrian conflict, Elba instead focuses exclusively on how evil the Assad “regime” is, on how much white nationalists “love” the Syrian leader, and on Assad’s arguably grossly mistranslated use of the single word “homogenized”.
The article is essentially one long Gish gallop of individually weak and mostly unrelated bits of information such as the fact that a white nationalist known as “Baked Alaska” was once seen wearing a pro-Assad t-shirt, the fact that an SS officer might possibly have advised Bashar’s father on torture tactics in the 1950s and allegedly died in Damascus, and the fact that part of a recent speech about the war given by Assad can possibly be translated as “We lost many of our youth and infrastructure, but we gained a healthier and more homogenous society.”
The latter claim is especially bizarre because Elba doesn’t even attempt to argue that Assad would have been using the term “homogenized” in the same way a white supremacist would use it, instead saying that Assad meant “a society free of any kind of political dissent” rather than an ethnically homogenous society. Leaving aside the fact that Elba is making a completely baseless speculation about a nation that has been under attack from terrorist forces for many years, it is truly jaw-dropping that The Intercept would permit the publication of an article which makes such a lazy, loose association so pivotal to its argument. The mental gymnastics necessary to carry one possible translation of a statement in Arabic all the way over to an association with the fringe American support for a white ethnostate while openly acknowledging that they aren’t even using the same idea is staggering.
Elba also makes use of arguments from The Daily Beast’s Alex Rowell, including a link to an article which contains such unsubstantiated establishment vitriol as “the Syrian regime plasters its führer’s face on every public square and building and murders civilians with poison gas” and “Why do fascists like the Assad regime? The simplest answer is that the Assad regime is a fascist regime. The brownshirts know a brother-in-arms when they see one.”
The article attempts to spin the alt-right’s support for Assad as something that is happening in a vacuum, having nothing at all to do with US interventionism. In reality, most white nationalists oppose the western interventionist agenda in Syria because of the “nationalist” part of their label, not the “white” part. Civic nationalists feel the same about Syrian interventionism as ethno-nationalists do, because they place primacy of the nation-state above what the Infowars crowd views as a globalist agenda of world domination by the plutocratic owners of multinational corporations and banks. Their philosophy necessarily means honoring Syria’s sovereignty as a nation-state, since they don’t view it as hostile to America’s sovereignty as a nation-state.
I’m writing against this article because I know its sentiment will be used as a weapon against people like me who speak out against western interventionism in Syria. The propaganda campaign against the Syrian government has failed, and it’s getting desperate, and now because of arguments like this which arise from that desperation it’s only a matter of time before people who contradict the establishment Syria narrative start getting shouted down as Nazi sympathizers.
What’s going on with The Intercept? Why is it suddenly hiring these blatantly pro-establishment war propagandists? Has it gone full WaPo now? This is coming just two weeks after it ran a piece full of smears on WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief Julian Assange, which up until today was the cherry on the top of an increasingly pro-establishment sundae.
Does this pivot have something to do with The Intercept’s founder, eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar? This wouldn’t be anything new for Omidyar, who is already working toward developing artificial intelligence software to serve as an arbiter of truth in news media, and who reportedly had some extremely shady involvement with the 2014 coup in Ukraine (which was ironically spearheaded by neo-fascists).
In 2013 another extremely powerful billionaire, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, purchased the Washington Post for $250 million. He didn’t do this because his acute business sense told him that newspapers were about to make a lucrative resurgence, he did it because he knew that the power establishment he was building his empire upon requires a robust propaganda mouthpiece to maintain and advance. Is Omidyar doing the same? Sure as hell looks like it.
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I’m a 100 percent reader-funded journalist so if you enjoyed this, please consider helping me out by sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following me on Twitter, or throwing some money into my hat on Patreon.Investing in a Post-Fact Society (a/k/a, Were the Good Times a Mirage?)
One of the concerns we have expressed here over the years is that there was much more -- and less -- to the post 2001 recession recovery than met the eye.
Several years ago, this was a controversial position. We first suspected we were on to something, however, when the many critics of this view found it much easier to use epithets (negative, naysayer, perma-bear) than to do the credible critiques of our positions, or any kind of critical analysis. It reminded me of an old lawyer's joke: "When the facts go against you, stress the law; when the law is against you, emphasis the facts; when your case has both the law and the facts against it, call the other lawyer an asshole."
As of March 22, we are still in the early stages of any sort of widespread understanding about this post-recession recovery cycle. Many people are just starting to realize how much fertilizer has been spread around.
Many of the stated economic gains have been a false ghost. Whether it was overstated job creation (NFP), understated inflation (CPI) or "inflated" growth (GDP), a shocking amount of the debate about the economic expansion has been primarily spin.
That's what attracted me to this book by Farhad Manjoo: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society. That such a book is even necessary boggles the mind. Consider the myriads of benefits and standards of living improvements we have seen from the reality-based community -- and by that, I mean Scientists (Physicists, Biologists, Medical Doctors) and Engineers (Technology, materials and mechanical). Why so many people would turn their backs on this belief system leads me to Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
While a "Post-fact society" might being intellectually appealing for the slavish followers of a given political or religious order, the same philosophical approach invariably proves very costly for investors -- if not financially fatal.
Consider these elements that are of interest to investors:
1) What objective reality is;
2) The variant perception: What the widespread belief system is versus this objective reality;
3) How far these two are out of alignment;
4) And most importantly to Traders, when the variant view recognizes its error and embraces either a more realistic, or an even more fantastic, view on reality.
For example, as weak as many of the traditional metrics have actually been, some sectors of the economy have enjoyed strong legitimate gains: Everything energy related has been on fire for at least half a decade; the entire agricultural explosion has been for real; all things China related have enjoyed strong growth (tho it certainly became frothy this past year). Metals and Miners have done well, and Transports have had a terrific run, be they rails or shipping. If the economy was truly strong and healthy, these sectors would be ones to avoid.
Consider also the US industrials -- they boomed courtesy of a weak dollar (not healthy) and improved production management (very healthy). What is being called Web 2.0 is seeing genuine innovations, functional business models, and increasing significance in the economy (also healthy).
If you correctly identified where things were healthy or not, the right themes before the crowd caught on, there was plenty of financial gains to be had.
Philosophically, I want to explore -- beyond the legitimate gains mentioned above -- a nagging question about the spin and artifice. Why have we as a nation been increasingly reluctant to confront objective reality? What is it about the present social mood, political leadership, and economic environment that has so totally led us to a world of denial? Up is down, black is white, good is bad -- its all very Orwellian.
One of the world's great cautionary lessons are the significant contributions made towards mathematics by the Islamic Arab Empire, circa 8th century to 15th century. While European intellectual progress had ceased -- blame the rise of church extremism -- enormous gains were being had elsewhere. Sometime around 18th or 19th centuries, the cultural roles seem to reverse. After the Age of Enlightenment, the Europeans rejected religious extremism, and prospered, while the Arab Empire embraced extremism, and suffered -- at least until the discover of Crude Oil. There are societal lessons to be learned from this.
I have long railed against superficial headline data that belied the weakness underneath. There were a parade of syncophants and cheerleaders who, despite knowing better, continued to cheerlead punk data. These pundits, politicos and pinheads are now confronting the ugly reality they can no longer ignore. Consider the progression the motley crew of fools and liars went through: First they denied what was happening, then we got the whole contained thingie, then they blamed da Bears. Now, they have unwittingly embraced Marx, and have successfully pled for the central planners to rescue them from their own stupidity.
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Here's my question: Are we stuck with these fantasists? Has Truthiness replaced Truth? Are we going to be saddled forever with these damaging, hallucinatory hacks?
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Source:
Worries That the Good Times Were a Mirage
DAVID LEONHARDT
NYT, January 23, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/business/23leonhardt.html
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Never underestimate the absolute power of lazy and stupid. Animal house isn't only a movie, it's a role model and a metaphor.
This is another book for my reading list.
Can you recommend a book that describes modern day credit as it is actually applied, as opposed to college texts that describe the perfect world. I want to get a better feel for runaway credit, as opposed to money and banking.
Posted by: cinefoz | Mar 22, 2008 10:04:09 AMContact:
Habitat mapping software and satellite imagery can help conservationists predict the movements of endangered species in remote or inaccessible regions and pinpoint areas where conservation efforts should be prioritized, a new Duke University-led case study shows.
The Duke team used the software and images to assess recent forest loss restricting the movement of Peru’s critically endangered San Martin titi monkey (Callicebus oenanthe) and identify the 10 percent of remaining forest in the species’ range that presents the best opportunity for conservation.
“Using these tools, we were able to work with a local conservation organization to rapidly pinpoint areas where reforestation and conservation have the best chance of success,” said Danica Schaffer-Smith, a doctoral student at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, who led the study. “Comprehensive on-the-ground assessments would have taken much more time and been cost-prohibitive given the inaccessibility of much of the terrain and the fragmented distribution and rare nature of this species.”
The San Martin titi monkey inhabits an area about the size of Connecticut in the lowland forests of north central Peru. It was recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of the 25 most endangered primates in the world.
Increased farming, logging, mining and urbanization have fragmented forests across much of the monkey’s once-remote native range and contributed to an estimated 80 percent decrease in its population over the last 25 years.
A forest stand in Peru’s Alto Mayo Valley, surrounded by farmland. (Image: Danica Schaffer-Smith, Duke)
Titi monkeys travel an average of 663 meters a day, primarily moving from branch to branch to search for food, socialize or escape predators. Without well-connected tree canopies, they’re less able to survive local threats and disturbances, or recolonize in suitable new habitats. The diminutive species, which typically weighs just two to three pounds at maturity, mate for life and produce at most one offspring a year. Mated pairs are sometimes seen intertwining their long tails when sitting next to each other.
Armed with Aster and Landsat satellite images showing the pace and extent of recent forest loss, and GeoHAT, a downloadable geospatial habitat assessment toolkit developed at Duke, Schaffer-Smith worked with Antonio Bóveda-Penalba, program coordinator at the Peruvian NGO Proyecto Mono Tocón, to prioritize where conservation efforts should be focused.
“The images and software, combined with Proyecto Mono Tocón’s detailed knowledge of the titi monkey’s behaviors and habitats, allowed us to assess which patches and corridors of the remaining forest were the most critical to protect,” said Jennifer Swenson, associate professor of the practice of geospatial analysis at Duke, who was part of the research team.
The team’s analysis revealed that at least 34 percent of lowland forests in the monkey’s northern range, Peru’s Alto Mayo Valley, have been lost. It also showed that nearly 95 percent of remaining habitat fragments are likely too small and poorly connected to support viable populations; and less than 8 percent of all remaining suitable habitats lie within existing conservation areas.
Habitat connectivity models identify high-priority areas for conservation. (Credit: Duke).
Areas the model showed had the highest connectivity comprise just 10 percent of the remaining forest in the northern range, along with small patches elsewhere. These forests present the best opportunities for giving the highly mobile titi monkey the protected paths for movement it needs to survive.
Based on this analysis, the team identified a 10-kilometer corridor between Peru’s Morro de Calzada and Almendra conservation areas as a high priority for protection.
“For many rare species threatened by active habitat loss, the clock is literally ticking,” Schaffer-Smith said. “Software tools like GeoHAT – or similar software such as CircuitScape – can spell the difference between acting in time to save them or waiting till it’s too late.”
Schaffer-Smith, Swenson and Bóveda-Penalba published their peer-reviewed research March 16 in the journal Environmental Conservation.
GeoHAT is a suite of ArcGIS geoprocessing tools designed to evaluate overall habitat quality and connectivity under changing land-use scenarios. It was developed by John Fay, an instructor in the Geospatial Analysis Program at Duke’s Nicholas School, and can be used to assess habitats for a wide range of land-based species. (Learn More: http://sites.duke.edu/johnfay/projects/geohat/)
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CITATION: “Rapid Conservation Assessment for Endangered Species Using Habitat Connectivity Models,” Danica Schaffer-Smith, Jennifer J. Swenson, Antonio J. Bóveda-Penalba. Environmental Conservation, March 16, 2016, DOI: 10.107/S0376892915000405.From Nature blog: Sunny days for CLOUD experiment
An experiment designed to investigate the link between solar activity and the climate has its first results in the bag. At the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco today, Joachim Curtius presented data from the first runs of the CLOUD (‘cosmics leaving outdoor droplets’) experiment at CERN – the European particle physics lab outside of Geneva.
The experiment has a long and bumpy history. The idea is to test the theory that cosmic rays spur the formation of particles in the air that nucleate clouds, in turn making skies cloudier and the planet cooler. Researchers have noted a dearth of sunspots (which is linked to more cosmic rays) during the ‘little ice age’ of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and a peak in sunspots (linked to a drop in cosmic rays) during the late 1980s, when global cloudiness dropped by about 3% (see Nature‘s feature on the project). No one knows how big this effect might be, and the idea that it might account for a big chunk of the warming over the last century is highly controversial.
CLOUD uses a particle beam from CERN as a stand-in for cosmic rays, and fires them through an ultra-clean steel chamber filled with select atmospheric gases, to see if and how particles that could nucleate clouds are formed. Project head Jasper Kirkby proposed the experiment back in 1998. But it had a hard time getting off the ground – perhaps in part because Kirkby received bad press for emphasizing the importance of cosmic rays to climate change (see this story from the National Post). CLOUD finally got going in 2006, and they started work with the full kit in November 2009 (here’s a CERN video update about that).
The results haven’t yet been published, so Curtius declined to discuss the details. But the important thing is that the project is working – they have seen sulphuric acid and water combine to make particles when blasted by the CERN beam, for example, in a way that matches predictions of the most recent models. The data should help the team to quantify how much of an impact the Sun is having on climate |
, domestic violence and child abuse (perhaps as low as 1% of the latter) are sent to prison. The criminal process fails victims of sexual violence. What is urgently required are interventions that meet the needs of the victims of sexual violence and interventions that work with violent and sexual offenders. Therapeutic communities, like those of Ray Wyre in the 1990s and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation in the last decade, have been proved to work in addressing sexual violence.
The place to start is by escaping the vicious cycle through a radical reduction in prisoner populations.
Dr David Scott
Bury, Greater Manchester
• Liz Truss’s claim that the exponential rise in prison numbers is due to the increase in sexual and domestic violence cases is questionable. The UK has the fourth highest incarceration rate of the 28 EU member states, and the numbers include prisoners on remand, many of whom do not ultimately receive custodial sentences and prisoners on indeterminate sentences, neither of which have received sufficient ministerial attention.
Jeremy Beecham
Shadow justice minister, House of Lords
• While I fully support the secretary of state for justice’s call to reduce prison populations by reforming offenders, there are still too many non-violent offenders – particularly women – in prison who could be rehabilitated more effectively through community sentences. The severity of the current situation in prisons warrants immediate and significant action to reduce prison numbers. However, a focus on prisoners’ needs and appropriate rehabilitation is of course very welcome, particularly at a time when prison suicide rates and mental health issues are at a record high. I urge the justice secretary, when considering interventions to tackle these needs, to be alert to the impact of the arts in engaging prisoners in purposeful and rehabilitative activity. In recent years, I’ve seen significant funding cuts to the availability of the arts in the criminal justice system, despite witnessing firsthand the results that can be achieved through arts-based programmes.
Arts initiatives help individuals to learn to foster their emotions in a safe way and provide an outlet for any negative feelings. This positive regulation of emotions has been linked to increased wellbeing and decreases in anger and aggression, and when you consider the impact that the mental health and well-being of prisoners has on their risk of offending and reoffending, it’s crucial we tackle this head on. In engaging prisoners in arts activities, I have seen time after time how this can help prisoners move towards a crime-free future.
We must ensure prisoners have access to the support and help required to facilitate rehabilitation, and the arts is a powerful tool to help us achieve this.
Dr Laura Caulfield
Assistant dean (Research and postgraduate affairs), Bath Spa University
• For advice on prison policy, Liz Truss could do worse than read Ken Clarke’s political memoir. In A Kind of Blue, Mr Clarke asserts that prison is a “wholly unsuitable place” for “waifs and strays whose problems were mainly caused by personal inadequacy, drug addiction or mental health issues”. Mr Clarke goes on to say that prisons “are now full of such people deprived of proper attention for their drug and alcohol problem”. Many addicts are sent to prison for offences connected to their addictions, after short sentences they are often released to return to a homeless existence having received no targeted attention for these addictions. Prison staff are clearly under intolerable pressure. The growing problems of drug and alcohol abuse, mental-health issues and homelessness should surely be worthy of a more coherent approach from the Ministry of Justice.
Ian McCauley
Reading
• I welcome the prime minister’s determination to bring about new legislation in respect of domestic violence (Report, 18 February). Strict and short time limits should be imposed from arrest to charge and from charge to trial. Most of the time the factual issues are very straightforward. The whole process should be measured in weeks. Initial accounts should always be filmed away from the home by police officers wearing body cams. There should be a rebuttable presumption in favour of such evidence being used where a complainant succumbs to fear, intimidation or pressure and does not attend court.
Where convictions are obtained, compulsory anti-abuse programmes should be a mandatory part of any sentence. Non-attendance should result in an automatic custodial penalty, either an increase in an existing sentence or the revocation of a community order with imprisonment, except where there are exceptional circumstances. Conversely, those who attend and are shown to have changed their ways and learned the devastating effect of what they have done should be able to apply have their sentences substantially cut or even terminated. Progress on such programmes should be monitored on a monthly basis by a judge. Only specialist advocates along with specialist judges should be allowed to deal with such cases. Whatever the new proposals are they will cost money. This has to come from central government. Without real and proper funding little real progress will be made in reducing domestic violence.
James Keeley (Barrister)
London
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/lettersDestroy Your Ego Before It Destroys You (And How We Make Bad Situations Even Worse)
Confidence is a very valuable trait to have, but an unhealthy ego is often an unjustified sense of confidence that can end up destroying us.
In the brand new book Ego Is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday shows how our egos can be a constant source of disaster no matter where we are in life. It can turn a good situation into a bad situation, and a bad situation into an even worse situation.
To protect ourselves from these damaging effects of “ego,” we must always be vigilant and aware of the pernicious influence it can have on our lives. In times of both failure and success, ego can rear its ugly head and make us miscalculate our choices and what we need to do next.
You can probably think of times when your ego got in the way and ruined you. Perhaps a person cancelled a date (for valid reasons), but you took it as a slight against you and decided to throw away the relationship altogether. Or you got promoted to a higher position at work, and it turned you into an entitled brat.
Ego is something we must always be on the look out for. It’s not just “confidence,” but an undeserved sense of self-importance that leads to delusions about yourself and your reality. Ultimately, it hinders your ability to be your best self.
Ryan Holiday’s new book is filled with insightful stories and wisdom on why you should destroy your ego before it destroys you. Here are some wonderful highlights from the book.
The power of silence
The ego constantly craves attention – whether positive or negative.
Negative attention still feeds the ego because at least the focus is on “me” and people are watching you. It may not be in the most flattering light but at least it makes you feel important, in some way.
Often, this craving of attention leads us to talking about ourselves – our accomplishments, goals, and ambitions. We become super talkers. We begin to see “silence” as a negative thing, because it means we are stepping down from the spotlight and someone else may have it. The ego can’t stand that.
But according to Holiday, silence is a great antidote to ego. It teaches us how to step aside and let others have the attention. It also teaches us that our actions are often far more important than our words.
“We seem to think that silence is a sign of weakness. That being ignored is tantamount to death (and for the ego, this is true). So we talk, talk, talk as though our life depends on it. In actuality, silence is strength – particularly early on in any journey. As the philosopher (and as it happens, a hater of newspapers and their chatter) Kierkegaard warned, ‘Mere gossip anticipates real talk, and to express what is still in thought weakens action by forestalling it.'”
It’s easy to talk about ourselves and try to make ourselves look good to others by putting on a wonderful presentation. But a truly confident person should let their actions speak for themselves.
If you have to constantly talk about yourself and your strengths to look good to others, that is actually a sign of weakness. It means you can’t stand on your own two feet and look good without needing to “sell yourself” to everyone.
If you can become comfortable with silence, and letting others have the spotlight, you have already taken a great step in diminishing your ego.
Always be a student
One of the most harmful effects of ego is that it makes us terrible students.
It’s very difficult to learn new things if you already think you know everything. This type of over-confidence can hurt your learning and education because it’s only when we admit ignorance (and admit what we don’t know) that we give ourselves the opportunity to improve ourselves.
To put yourself in the position of a “student” requires that you let your ego take a backseat.
“The power of being a student is not just that it is an extended period of instruction, it also places the ego and ambition in someone else’s hands. There is a sort of ego ceiling imposed – one knows that he is not better than the ‘master’ he apprentices under. Not even close. You defer to them, you subsume yourself. You cannot fake or bullshit them. And education can’t be ‘hacked,’ there are no short-cuts besides hacking it every single day. If you don’t, they drop you…The pretense of knowledge is our most dangerous vice, because it prevents us from getting any better. Studious self-assessment is the anti-dote.”
For a teacher or mentor to do their job, you must put yourself in a position below them. You must practice silence and humility, and recognize that this person is more knowledgeable and more skilled than you in some area in life.
Yes, it can be difficult for the ego to admit that someone is better than you in someway, but by temporarily putting yourself in that “lesser position” you give yourself room to grow as a person.
To disempower the ego, and continuously become a better person, we must always be willing to put ourselves in the position of a “student.”
The “imaginary audience”
One of my favorite concepts mentioned in the book is the idea of the “imaginary audience.”
Often the ego thinks that it is so important that we imagine we are always being watched and judged by others. While this “imaginary audience” comes from an egotistical view, it can actually lead to feelings of stress and anxiety – because we feel we must constantly live up to these unrealistically high standards.
“As the psychologist David Elkind has famously researched, adolescence is marked by a phenomenon known now as ‘imaginary audience.’ Consider a thirteen-year-old so embarrassed that he misses a week of class, positive that the entire school is thinking and murmuring about some tiny incident that in truth hardly anyone noticed. Or a teenage girl who spends three hours in front of the mirror each morning, as if she’s about to go on stage. They do this because they’re convinced that their every move is being watched with rapt attention by the rest of the world. Even as adults, we’re susceptible to this fantasy during a harmless walk down the street.”
I certainly remember as a teenager having this feeling of an “imaginary audience” always watching me. It was likely a big source of my social anxiety throughout high school.
Many of us still carry this feeling of an “imaginary audience” into our adult lives. While it feeds into feelings of anxiety and depression, it in-fact comes from an odd sense of self-importance.
The “imaginary audience” comes from the egotistical belief that the world revolves around us, and therefore we must always be more than what we are, because everyone’s eyes are always on us.
But when we set our egos aside, we know that this isn’t true but a belief based on delusion. The simple truth is that most people are likely not as interested in us as we think they are – and sometimes that can be a very freeing perspective.
The toxicity of success
Success is a great thing, but it can also be one of the biggest contributors to an over-sized ego.
It’s not uncommon to find top CEOs, all-star athletes, and popular celebrities become huge, self-entitled egomaniacs. This is because once we get a taste of success, we can begin to have a more inflated sense of ourselves and even become addicted to this positive feedback and attention.
In this way, success is intoxicating. It changes how we look at ourselves and it can make us seem like we are “above” others for unjustified reasons.
The most difficult thing is to remain humble and sober even when we are on top of the world.
This is especially important because our success is not likely to last forever. And when future obstacles or failures happen, we have to be prepared to “step back” and remember that we aren’t invincible and we always have more growing to do.
“Once we’ve ‘made it,’ the tendency is to switch to the mindset of ‘getting what’s mine.’ Now, all of a sudden awards and recognition matter – even though they weren’t what got us here. We ‘need’ that money, that title, that media attention – not for the team or the cause, but for ourselves. Because we’ve ‘earned’ it.”
Past success makes us feel that we are entitled to future success. But that’s not how life works – no one is completely immune to failures, or obstacles, or mistakes.
It’s important that we keep in mind that life always finds a way to push us back down and keep us humble. To the egomaniac, this can lead to lots of anger, frustration, and even childish temper tantrums. Especially when we believe that we’ve already earned what life has denied us.
To be successful yet sober is a difficult task. It requires that we keep our egos tame, even when we have achieved something truly spectacular and great.
I believe this is why when people accept awards at the Grammys or Academy Awards, they often look toward thanking God, their families, their colleagues, and their friends to help remind them that they didn’t achieve their greatness all on their own. Because they didn’t.
Doing the right thing vs. getting credit
As you already know, the ego craves attention and it craves getting credit for its accomplishments.
However, what happens if you know you did your best and you know you did the right thing, but you don’t feel like you’re getting the credit you deserve? This can often lead to a bitter and bruised ego.
“We have minimal control over the rewards for our work and effort – other people’s validation, recognition, rewards. So what are we going to do? Not be kind, not work hard, not produce, because there is a chance it wouldn’t be reciprocated? C’mon. Think of all the activists who will find that they can only advance their cause so far. The leaders who are assassinated before their work is done. The inventors whose ideas languish ‘ahead of their time.’ According to society’s main metrics, these people were not rewarded for their work. Should they have not done it?”
The answer is of course not. We have to draw a distinction between “doing the right thing” vs. “getting credit for doing the right thing.”
When we put our egos aside, we focus on what needs to be done regardless if anyone is watching or if there’s a nice shiny trophy for us at the end of the road.
Instead of focusing on these external metrics of fame, success, or money – we have to follow our own internal metrics of doing the right thing because it is the right thing – and that is enough.
Perhaps you feel that the work you are doing is very important, but it’s possible that you will never see recognition for it within your lifetime. Should you stop doing it? Or should you make the world a better place whether people realize it or not?
I think a truly noble and righteous person would choose the latter.
The paradox of hate and bitterness
When we find ourselves being attacked by others, the ego has a natural response to want to attack back and fight to protect itself.
Paradoxically, this natural response to “fight back” can often only make things even worse. It causes us to focus and pour energy into attacking our “enemies” that could often be used doing more productive things.
Also, by drawing more energy and attention toward what we hate, we give it more power. It begins to consume our minds more. And when done publicly, it draws other people’s attention toward it too.
“Thus, the paradox of hate and bitterness. It accomplishes almost exactly the opposite of what we hope it does. In the Internet age, we call this the Streisand effect (named after a similar attempt by the singer and actress Barbara Streisand, who tried to legally remove a photo of her home from the Web. Her actions backfired and far more people saw it than would have had she left the issue alone.) Attempting to destroy something out of hate or ego often ensures that it will be preserved and disseminated forever.”
As difficult as it is to do, sometimes when we are being attacked the only appropriate response is to ignore it and move on. Don’t let it consume you – instead, know that deep down it isn’t worthy of your attention at all.
By elevating something to your attention, you are only letting others know how important it really is to you and how much you feel hurt by it. If it’s something embarrassing or shameful, other bullies will pick up on that and know that it’s something they can continue to use against you.
The ego wants to fight back. But sometimes the best way to win a fight is to not get caught up in it to begin with. Treat it “like water off a duck’s back.” Make people realize that it really doesn’t bother you at all, and they will stop feeding energy into it.
“Lose…and then win” situations
To the ego, everything is super important. That’s one of the main warnings throughout Ego Is the Enemy.
But just as your ego can cause you to over-estimate the importance of your wins and successes, it can also cause you to over-estimate the importance of your losses and failures.
To an egotistical mind, any failure can be seen as a sign of great distress that makes you just want to throw your hands up in the air and say “Screw this!”
After all, you are so important – so a failure is literally “the end of the world.” Right?
“Only ego thinks embarrassment or failure are more than what they are. History is full of people who suffered abject humiliations yet recovered to have long and impressive careers. Politicians who lost elections or lost offices due to indiscretions – but came back to lead after time had passed. Actors whose movies bombed, authors who got writer’s block, celebrities who made gaffes, parents who made mistakes, entrepreneurs with faltering companies, executives who got fired, athletes who were cut, people who lived too well at the top of the market. All these folks felt the hard edge of failure, just like we have. When we lose, we have a choice: Are we going to make this a lose-lose situation for ourselves and everyone involved? Or will it be a lose…and then win?”
Holiday rightly points out that every success story is riddled with failures – no matter who the person is or what they are trying to achieve.
When we can put ego aside, we know that no single moment can completely define us for better or worse. It forces you to see the “bigger picture” behind everything in your life and recognize that nothing that happens to you is rarely as important as you think it is.
Zoom outside of your momentary ego and you’ll see that for every loss there is another win around the corner.
Stay updated on new articles and resources in psychology and self improvement:The population of people in the United States who don't have an Internet connection is down to 15 percent, new data from Pew Research shows. That's the equivalent of about 47 million people, which at first sounds like a lot—at least to someone immersed in all things online most of the time.
Another way to think about it, though, is to see just how quickly people have adopted the Internet compared with other technologies over time. In the span of 15 years, the United States has transformed into a mostly-Internet-connected country. Back in 2000, a full 48 percent of Americans told Pew they did not use the Internet.
In general, consumers are adopting new technologies at a much quicker clip than they used to. A few years ago, The New York Times published a fascinating graph illustrating this effect, and it’s worth revisiting in this context. The adoption of telephones and of electricity are represented by lines that slope gradually upward over time. Technological consumption isn’t so measured by the time we get to color televisions, microwaves, cellphones, and the Internet—all of which are represented by lines that shoot pretty much straight up. (Computers, on the other hand, show a gradual adoption rate in the 1970s and 1980s before spiking up in the 1990s.)The Seahawks made a roster move Tuesday, signing running back Bryce Brown and waiving receiver B.J. Daniels.
Brown, who is listed at 6-foot, 223 pounds, is in his fourth season, having rushed for 1,004 yards and 6 touchdowns on 226 carries from 2012-2014. Brown, a seventh-round pick out of Kansas State in 2012, rushed for a career-best 564 yards and 4 touchdowns as a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Brown, 24, was traded to Buffalo in the 2014 offseason where he was teammates with current Seahawks back Fred Jackson, and was released by the Bills in September.
One reason the Seahawks could be looking for running back depth is that Thomas Rawls has a calf contusion from last week’s win at San Francisco. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday that they were not sure yet of Rawls’ status for this week.The European Parliament voted on Thursday to drop all criminal charges against Edward Snowden and offer him asylum and protection from rendition from third parties.
MEPs voted 285 - 281 to recognise the NSA whistleblower's status as a "human rights defender" and asked member states to grant him protection from extradition to the US, where he is wanted under several Espionage Act charges.
In the resolution that was passed, MEPs said "too little has been done to safeguard citizens' fundamental rights following revelations of electronic mass surveillance" the whistleblower alerted the world to after exposing the extent of the National Security Agency's spying programmes in 2013.
The EU Commission is also being urged to ensure that all data transfers to the US are subject to an "effective level of protection" and examine concerns over surveillance laws in several EU countries, such as reported co-operation by Germany intelligence agency BND with the NSA.
It is up to individual member states to implement the resolution.
Snowden himself seems to be overwhelmed by the development. Calling it a "game-changer", he tweeted:
The 31-year-old has been living in exile in Russia for two years and is still waiting on asylum decisions from 21 different countries.
Snowden's lawyers have said in the past that the whistleblower is longing to return home since fleeing the US.
Barack Obama's administration, however, has showed no sign of dropping the charges against him.Can you believe that in 2012 we have to worry about politicians like Rick Santorum trying to restrict women's access to contraception? I thought that particular concern was vanquished in 1965 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Connecticut law that banned artificial birth control. Apparently not.
It's distressing that in the hierarchy of my worries this one has to go back near the top. Maybe it will fit between my dread over conservative politicians' efforts to kill public education so they can reduce schools to enterprises run by profit-making companies or indoctrination centers for religious institutions, and the likelihood that my home will soon need a new roof.
Happiness studies suggest people gain more contentment as they reach middle age. But I'm at that age and not feeling that way at all. I fret. Some of it is of a personal nature, like that I work in an industry whose future viability depends on young people (1) reading something longer than a tweet, and (2) caring about the world beyond the Kardashians.
But far more of my worry list is external. It stems from my concern that America's political system can no longer grapple with serious problems. The reason is simple: One of its two major parties doesn't believe in government except as it may reward big business, protect wealth and impose religiously inspired morality through operation of law.
I worry that the Republican Party has lurched so far to the right that its canonized standard-bearer, Ronald Reagan, would be bounced out of the club. He raised taxes 12 times, raised the debt ceiling 18 times and raised average annual federal spending to 22.4 percent of GDP compared with 20.8 percent under Jimmy Carter. Today Reagan's realism would be viewed as traitorous.
This exaggerated conservatism has significant consequences for the preparedness of our country in a competitive world. I worry that other advanced nations seize the future by building infrastructure, educating their young people through college or specialty skills training, and providing universal health care so people aren't shackled to their jobs. Yet Republican primary candidates boast about how they will "get rid of" Planned Parenthood, to quote Mitt Romney. Yeah, Mitt, having fewer low-income and young women on birth control is just the ticket to America's competitive advantage.
I worry that the American economy is now winner-take-all and success requires winning a seat at Wall Street's table of pathological greed. America's financiers remain shockingly unrepentant for the economic devastation they caused in 2008. And their disdain for business ethics will take us to the brink again, if we allow it to. (See Greg Smith, the one-man Goldman Sachs truth squad.) I worry that government's regulatory powers and resources will be unable to restrain Wall Street's self-dealing, and Republicans will succeed in their fight to undo whatever regulations there are.
I worry that soulless capitalism's sugar daddies, David and Charles Koch, plan to amass and contribute $200 million to defeat President Barack Obama. And all that money will slosh around for corrosive television ads to get average Americans to vote against their economic self-interests. There seems to be no limit to the gullibility of the American voter who picks a president based on which ad plays the most ominous-sounding music behind the most audacious lie.
I worry that we get the elected officials we deserve. By electing politicians who claim they can cut taxes and slash the deficit, as well as bring gas prices down to $2.50 per gallon, we get leaders without principles. Honesty is a dangerous trait in American politics. Jon Huntsman doomed his chances with the Republican primary voter by accepting the vast scientific evidence for evolution and climate change, and admitting it out loud. Our level of scientific illiteracy is alarming, too.
All of this is freakishly concerning, and then Santorum comes along with his self-styled brand of American Talibanism that is actually gaining ground. And I think to myself, "Now that's something to worry about."What do we mean by poverty? Not what Dickens or Blake or Mayhew meant. Today, no one seriously expects to go hungry in England or to live without running water or medical care or even TV. Poverty has been redefined in industrial countries, so that anyone at the lower end of the income distribution is poor ex officio, as it were—poor by virtue of having less than the rich. And of course by this logic, the only way of eliminating poverty is by an egalitarian redistribution of wealth—even if the society as a whole were to become poorer as a result.
Such redistribution was the goal of the welfare state. But it has not eliminated poverty, despite the vast sums expended, and despite the fact that the poor are now substantially richer—indeed are not, by traditional standards, poor at all. As long as the rich exist, so must the poor, as we now define them.
Certainly they are in squalor—a far more accurate description of their condition than poverty—despite a threefold increase in per-capita income, including that of the poor, since the end of the last war. Why they should be in this condition requires an explanation—and to call that condition poverty, using a word more appropriate to Mayhew's London than to today's reality, prevents us from grasping how fundamentally the lot of "the poor" has changed since then. The poor we shall always have with us, no doubt: but today they are not poor in the traditional way.
The English poor live shorter and less healthy lives than their more prosperous compatriots. Even if you didn't know the statistics, their comparative ill health would be obvious on the most casual observation of rich and slum areas, just as Victorian observers noted that the poor were on average a head shorter than the rich, due to generations of inferior nourishment and hard living conditions. But the reasons for today's difference in health are not economic. It is by no means the case that the poor can't afford medicine or a nourishing diet; nor do they live in overcrowded houses lacking proper sanitation, as in Mayhew's time, or work 14 backbreaking hours a day in the foul air of mines or mills. Epidemiologists estimate that the higher rate of cigarette consumption among the poor accounts for half the difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest classes in England—and to smoke that much takes money.
Notoriously, too, the infant mortality rate is twice as high in the lowest social class as in the highest. But the infant mortality rate of illegitimate births is twice that of legitimate ones, and the illegitimacy rate rises steeply as you descend the social scale: so the decline of marriage almost to the vanishing point in the lowest social class might well be responsible for most of its excess infant mortality. It is a way of life, not poverty per se, that kills. The commonest cause of death between the ages of 15 and 44 is now suicide, which has increased most precipitously precisely among those who live in the underclass world of temporary step-parenthood and of conduct unrestrained either by law or convention.
Just as it is easier to recognize ill health in someone you haven't seen for some time rather than in someone you meet daily, so a visitor coming into a society from elsewhere often can see its character more clearly than those who live in it. Every few months, doctors from countries like the Philippines and India arrive fresh from the airport to work for a year's stint at my hospital. It is fascinating to observe their evolving response to British squalor.
At the start, they are uniformly enthusiastic about the care that we unsparingly and unhesitatingly give to everyone, regardless of economic status. They themselves come from cities—Manila, Bombay, Madras—where many of the cases we see in our hospital would simply be left to die, often without succor of any kind. And they are impressed that our care extends beyond the merely medical: that no one goes without food or clothing or shelter, or even entertainment. There seems to be a public agency to deal with every conceivable problem. For a couple of weeks, they think this all represents the acme of civilization, especially when they recall the horrors at home. Poverty—as they know it— has been abolished.
Before very long, though, they start to feel a vague unease. A Filipina doctor, for example, asked me why so few people seemed grateful for what was done for them. What prompted her question was an addict who, having collapsed from an accidental overdose of heroin, was brought to our hospital. He required intensive care to revive him, with doctors and nurses tending him all night. His first words to the doctor when he suddenly regained consciousness were, "Get me a fucking roll-up" (a hand-rolled cigarette). His imperious rudeness didn't arise from mere confusion: he continued to treat the staff as if they had kidnapped him and held him in the hospital against his will to perform experiments upon him. "Get me the fuck out of here!" There was no acknowledgment of what had been done for him, let alone gratitude for it. If he considered that he had received any benefit from his stay at all, well, it was simply his due.
My doctors from Bombay, Madras, or Manila observe this kind of conduct open- mouthed. At first they assume that the cases they see are a statistical quirk, a kind of sampling error, and that given time they will encounter a better, more representative cross section of the population. Gradually, however, it dawns upon them that what they have seen is representative. When every benefit received is a right, there is no place for good manners, let alone for gratitude.
Case after case causes them to revise their initial favorable opinion. Before long, they have had experience of hundreds, and their view has changed entirely. Last week, for example, to the amazement of a doctor recently arrived from Madras, a woman in her late twenties entered our hospital with the most common condition that brings patients to us: a deliberate overdose. At first she would say nothing more than that she wanted to depart this world, that she had had enough of it.
I inquired further. Just before she took the overdose, her ex-boyfriend, the father of her eight-month-old youngest child (now staying with her ex-boyfriend's mother), had broken into her apartment by smashing down the front door. He wrecked the apartment's contents, broke every window, stole $110 in cash, and ripped out her telephone.
"He's very violent, doctor." She told me that he had broken her thumb, her ribs, and her jaw during the four years she was with him, and her face had needed stitching many times. "Last year I had to have the police out to him."
"What happened?"
"I dropped the charges. His mother said he would change."
Another of her problems was that she was now five weeks pregnant and she didn't want the baby.
"I want to get rid of it, doctor."
"Who's the father?"
It was her violent ex-boyfriend, of course.
"Did he rape you, then?"
"No."
"So you agreed to have sex with him?"
"I was drunk; there was no love in it. This baby is like a bolt out of the blue: I don't know how it happened."
I asked her if she thought it was a good idea to have sex with a man who had repeatedly beaten her up, and from whom she said she wished to separate.
"It's complicated, doctor. That's the way life goes sometimes."
What had she known of this man before she took up with him? She met him in a club; he moved in at once, because he had nowhere else to stay. He had a child by another woman, neither of whom he supported. He had been in prison for burglary. He took drugs. He had never worked, except for cash on the side. Of course he never gave her any of his money, instead running up her telephone bills vertiginously.
She had never married, but had two other children. The first, a daughter aged eight, still lived with her. The father was a man whom she left because she found he was having sex with 12-year-old girls. Her second child was a son, whose father was "an idiot" with whom she had slept one night. That child, now six, lived with the "idiot," and she never saw him.
What had her experience taught her?
"I don't want to think about it. The Housing'll charge me for the damage, and I ain't got the money. I'm depressed, doctor; I'm not happy. I want to move away, to get away from him."
Later in the day, feeling a little lonely, she telephoned her ex-boyfriend, and he visited her.
I discussed the case with the doctor who had recently arrived from Madras, and who felt he had entered an insane world. Not in his wildest dreams had he imagined it could be like this. There was nothing to compare with it in Madras. He asked me what would happen next to the happy couple.
"They'll find her a new flat. They'll buy her new furniture, television, and refrigerator, because it's unacceptable poverty in this day and age to live without them. They'll charge her nothing for the damage to her old flat, because she can't pay anyway, and it wasn't she who did it. He will get away scot-free. Once she's installed in her new flat to escape from him, she'll invite him there, he'll smash it up again, and then they'll find her somewhere else to live. There is, in fact, nothing she can do that will deprive her of the state's obligation to house, feed, and entertain her."
I asked the doctor from Madras if poverty was the word he would use to describe this woman's situation. He said it was not: that her problem was that she accepted no limits to her own behavior, that she did not fear the possibility of hunger, the condemnation of her own parents or neighbors, or God. In other words, the squalor of England was not economic but spiritual, moral, and cultural.
I often take my doctors from the Third World on the short walk from the hospital to the prison nearby. It is a most instructive 800 yards. On a good day—good for didactic purposes, that is—there are seven or eight puddles of glass shattered into fragments lying in the gutter en route (there are never none, except during the most inclement weather, when even those most addicted to car theft control their impulses).
"Each of these little piles of smashed glass represents a car that has been broken into," I tell them. "There will be more tomorrow, weather permitting." The houses along the way are, as public housing goes, quite decent. The local authorities have at last accepted that herding people into giant, featureless, Le Corbusian concrete blocks was a mistake, and they have switched to the construction of individual houses. Only a few of their windows are boarded up. Certainly by comparison with housing for the poor in Bombay, Madras, or Manila they are spacious and luxurious indeed. Each has a little front yard of grass, surrounded by a hedge, and a much larger back yard; about half have satellite dishes. Unfortunately, the yards are almost as full of litter as municipal garbage dumps.
I tell my doctors that in nearly nine years of taking this walk four times a week, I have never seen a single instance of anyone attempting to clean his yard. But I have seen much litter dropped; on a good day, I can even watch someone standing at the bus stop dropping something on the ground no farther than two feet from the bin.
"Why don't they tidy up their gardens?" asks a doctor from Bombay.
A good question: after all, most of the houses contain at least one person with time on his or her hands. Whenever I have been able to ask the question, however, the answer has always been the same: I've told the council [the local government] about it, but they haven't come. As tenants, they feel it is the landlord |
, clicking on Default Settings and the Load button.
Serious defaults
These are the settings I always change based on my experience working with a lot of Linux systems:
Window > Lines of scrollback : 250000
Just put an fairly large number there. You’ll thank me later when that code you accidentally deleted hasn’t scrolled out of your buffer yet.
> : 250000 Just put an fairly large number there. You’ll thank me later when that code you accidentally deleted hasn’t scrolled out of your buffer yet. Window > Appearance > Font : Lucida Console, Regular, 9pt
This is pretty subjective, but give it a shot. Nicely condensed and readable font that gives you lot of workspace.
> > : Lucida Console, Regular, 9pt This is pretty subjective, but give it a shot. Nicely condensed and readable font that gives you lot of workspace. Window > Colours > ANSI Blue : R: 60, G: 60, B: 255
Window > Colours > ANSI Blue Bold : R: 120, G: 120, B: 255
One some monitors, PuTTY blue is fine. On most monitors, PuTTY blue is blackish blue. Sun is shining? PuTTY blue could just as well be black. The invisible kind of black.
> > : R: 60, G: 60, B: 255 > > : R: 120, G: 120, B: 255 One some monitors, PuTTY blue is fine. On most monitors, PuTTY blue is blackish blue. Sun is shining? PuTTY blue could just as well be black. The invisible kind of black. Connection > Seconds between keepalives : 20
Connection > Enable TCP keepalives : yes please
This keeps your connection active and makes sure no intermediary network devices – or even the SSH daemon itself – dares think about dropping your connection in favor of streaming that funny Vine video with that guy doing that thing and then screaming. Don’t enable these if you noticed your network packets to not reliably reach the other side, because then you’d be logged out every 20 seconds.
> : 20 > : yes please This keeps your connection active and makes sure no intermediary network devices – or even the SSH daemon itself – dares think about dropping your connection in favor of streaming that funny Vine video with that guy doing that thing and then screaming. Don’t enable these if you noticed your network packets to not reliably reach the other side, because then you’d be logged out every 20 seconds. Connection > Data > Terminal-type string : “linux”
This makes sure your “arrow up” is an “arrow up” on the other side instead of Ctulhu vomiting all over your terminal.
> > : “linux” This makes sure your “arrow up” is an “arrow up” on the other side instead of Ctulhu vomiting all over your terminal. Connection > SSH > Enable compression : check it
This will cost you a tiny bit of CPU time on both sides, but will serve you well when forwarding ports through PuTTY, when you’re cat ting large text files, or when you’ve decided that SSH’ing over a flaky WiFi connection in an apartment building where everyone shares the same channel is by far the best thing to do today.
> > : check it This will cost you a tiny bit of CPU time on both sides, but will serve you well when forwarding ports through PuTTY, when you’re ting large text files, or when you’ve decided that SSH’ing over a flaky WiFi connection in an apartment building where everyone shares the same channel is by far the best thing to do today. Connection > SSH > Auth > Private key file for authentication : optional
Select your private key file here if you use the same key file for multiple SSH connections, or even better: use Pageant to manage your keys!
> > > : optional Select your private key file here if you use the same key file for multiple SSH connections, or even better: use Pageant to manage your keys! Connection > SSH > X11 > Enable X11 forwarding: don’t mind if I do
This only makes sense if you decide to run an X server in Windows, such as Xming. If you do, this enables you to run X applications on the server that are rendered locally on your machine! Slowly, but still!
Now that you’ve finally changed all these settings, make sure PuTTY remembers them by going to Session and clicking the Save button.
Well folks, that’s all. Tune in next time when I’ll teach you how to decode SSH packets using only a pencil and a used napkin!Marijuana legalization advocates and members of community groups attend a rally in front of One Police Plaza on June 13, 2012, in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
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The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids recently startled me with a blog post titled, “Why You Shouldn’t Use the Word Addict.” Drug addiction is a disease, the blog explains. People shouldn’t be defined by having an illness, so it’s better to use first-person language and say “someone with diabetes” rather than “diabetic.” The same should go for the word “addict.”
In other words, the ad was saying, we shouldn’t stigmatize people living with addiction by identifying them based on one condition with which they struggle. I was startled by the blog because stigmatizing drugs and drug users is exactly what the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids did for years under its previous banner, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
“This is drugs. This is your brain on drugs.” Sound familiar?
The Partnership is best known for aiming anti-drug advertisements at young people during the 1980s and 1990s. Nowadays, these ads are sources of ironic nostalgia on YouTube, where they are routinely mocked and parodied. However, at the height of the drug war, the ads were mainstays on the airwaves, supported first by generous foundations and later by a billion-dollar partnership with federal authorities.
Thanks to the Partnership and its allies, young people like myself learned that smoking marijuana would deflate you like a balloon, and using drugs was like cracking your skull open and frying your brains on a hot skillet. Short on facts but heavy on scare tactics, these ads warned against becoming a “junkie” or an “addict,” all while portraying drug users as “criminals” and “losers.” This is just the type of stigmatization the Partnership warns against today.
What changed? For starters, the anti-drug ads and the broader “Just Say No” campaign had no discernable impact on rates of teen drug use, and government funding eventually dried up. Social attitudes have grown more liberal, particularly towards marijuana. But there are much more sinister reasons for the anti-drug movement’s change in tone.
Radical Ideas Go Mainstream
For decades, US border and law enforcement operations have fueled large-scale violence across Mexico and Latin America. At home, harsh anti-drug laws caused incarceration rates to skyrocket, devastating families and communities of color in the process. Rates of teen drug use are declining, but the nation is reeling from an ongoing crisis of fatal opioid overdoses. The government reports that rising overdose rates have been driven in part by prescriptions signed by medical doctors, a far cry from the lurking street dealers depicted in racist anti-drug ads of the 1990s.
The dominant media took notice as the overdose crisis reached into whiter, wealthier neighborhoods. Suddenly, the Obama administration and lawmakers in both parties began uttering phrases like “public health issue” and “access to drug treatment” that reformers have repeated for years. What’s more, politicians began embracing strategies first developed by grassroots radical organizers working outside of the law.
In the 1980s, gay activists and radical health care organizers took matters into their own hands as HIV/AIDS spread through neighborhoods in New York City and other urban areas. They knew the virus spread when heroin users shared syringes because there weren’t enough around. They also knew that opioid dependency can be very difficult to treat, and that an abstinence-only approach would not eradicate use. So, they organized street-level services where used syringes could safely be exchanged for new ones, despite laws against possessing drug paraphernalia. They treated drug users as neighbors and human beings, not the desperate burnouts conjured up by anti-drug campaigns.
These early harm reduction activists eventually teamed up with forward-thinking public health workers, and over the next 30 years, syringe exchange became an international gold standard for controlling rates of HIV and hepatitis C infection. Despite endorsements from public health offices across the globe, Congress retained a ban on funding syringe exchanges until 2009, when Democrats were finally able to lift it. After regaining a majority, Republicans put the ban right back into place.
In 2014, an outbreak of HIV infections among injection opioid users in a rural, white community in Indiana made international headlines, thrusting the so-called “opioid epidemic” into the national consciousness. Despite pushback from then-Gov. Mike Pence, GOP lawmakers from areas in Indiana and nearby Kentucky with high rates of opioid misuse began embracing syringe exchange. Within months, Congress lifted the ban on federal funding.
There is more to harm reduction than syringe exchange. For example, activists were training each other to administer the lifesaving overdose treatment Naloxone long before lawmakers began making it easier to access the drug. For decades, harm reductionists have also handed out condoms and Band-Aids and referred people to treatment programs. Some harm reduction activists are drug users themselves, dedicated to keeping the people around them and their own bodies as safe as possible. Harm reductionists — along with many public health professionals and legal reformers — see drug misuse, dependency and overdose as health issues, not crimes.
It has taken countless tragedies to get this point across to policymakers, but activists and reformers are not losing hope. Giving up is not an option. Each year, cops in the US make 1.2 million arrests for drug possession, and on any given night there are 133,330 people behind bars for simply possessing drugs, including 63,000 who are stuck in jail because they can’t afford bail, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. Behind these numbers lie overwhelming racial disparities. For example, Black people make up 13 percent of the population and use drugs at similar rates as whites; in fact, white people are actually more likely to use cocaine and heroin. However, Black people make up 29 percent of those arrested for drug violations and 35 percent of those locked up in state prison for possession only.
As long as so many drugs remain illegal, people who use them will end up in handcuffs and forced rehab, even if rehab is not something they want or need. Those who do need help will face barriers to treatment, including the fear of arrest, housing discrimination, loss of public aid and stigma. Criminal records haunt low-wage workers for the rest of their lives.
The Partnership may have shifted its focus from sensational ad campaigns to educating parents about treatments for teens misusing prescription drugs, but without changes to the law, cops and courts will continue disrupting the lives of people living on society’s margins, where drug enforcement is concentrated.
A Roadmap to Decriminalization
The idea that criminalizing drug users causes more harm than good is no longer considered radical. The World Health Organization, the American Public Health Organization and dozens of global leaders have all called on governments to end criminal penalties for possessing drugs for personal use, and to focus their efforts on public health solutions to society’s drug problems instead. The time to decriminalize drugs is right now, and many reformers see a clear political path to achieving this goal, despite the current political situation in Washington.
Many reformers see a clear political path to decriminalization, despite the current political situation in Washington.
The Drug Policy Alliance, which has built a sphere of influence stretching from the halls of Congress to the grassroots, recently released a report that lays out the case for decriminalization and provides policy makers with clear instructions for pulling it off at every level of government. Tess Borden, who works with drug users at Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, said that this “comprehensive roadmap” to decriminalization should be “required reading” for decision-makers at all levels of government.
“The report makes clear not only that decriminalization is possible, but also that we are closer than we may think,” Borden said.
These are strong words considering the rise of Donald Trump and his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who has turned back the clock on federal efforts to end the drug war. He opposes legal marijuana — unlike a majority of voters — and is expected to receive recommendations this week from a special crime task force that has been studying his options for enforcing federal prohibition in states where weed is legal. Advocates fear Sessions will initiate a crackdown, but that would be deeply unpopular, including among some fellow Republicans. In May, Sessions reversed an Obama-era policy urging prosecutors to avoid bringing charges that would subject drug offenders to harsh mandatory-minimum sentencing requirements, a move that was criticized on both the left and the right.
Many activists want Congress to decriminalize drugs nationwide, but most acknowledge that it will be an uphill battle. State and local-level initiatives can be just as effective and even more meaningful because stakeholders, such as drug users and health professionals, can have a stronger voice in the decision-making process, according to Emily Kaltenbach, the Drug Policy Alliance’s director for criminal justice reform strategy. Initiatives also have a better chance of succeeding politically.
“The public will is there,” Kaltenbach recently told reporters. “People are tired of seeing their families locked up or enmeshed in the criminal justice system.”
Legislation decriminalizing possession of marijuana and other drugs has advanced in state legislatures and city councils across the country, and some jurisdictions are considering establishing safe spaces for injection drug users. Seattle practices “de facto” decriminalization: Police are ordered not to arrest people for drug possession, and to direct them to treatment services instead. (However, it should be noted that this is not an end in itself; law enforcement’s role in responding to problematic drug use should ultimately be dramatically reduced, and police must be held accountable for their role in the drug war.)
There are challenges. Many parts of the country lack adequate public health and drug treatment programs, and Republicans in Congress are eager to siphon off Medicaid dollars that support them. The legacy of abstinence-only drug education lingers in schools, and young people continue to experiment with drugs without an understanding of how to minimize the risks. Selling drugs that are not legally regulated would remain a crime under most decriminalization schemes, allowing law enforcement to continue their war with international cartels and target members of low-income communities of color for arrest.
Decriminalization provides a space to untangle these problems, a crucial step towards a future where people can legally and safely access drugs if they choose to and receive health care if they need it. There are already plenty of models for what legalization could look like — marijuana is now legally regulated in several countries — and decriminalization makes them easier to explore. As a society, we must answer tough questions about how to shape access to powerful drugs like opioids and amphetamines that are currently available both on the street and with a prescription; but in the meantime, we must stop jailing people for using them. In this way, decriminalization is a crucial step toward ending the entrenched stigma against drugs and people who use them.
“The stigmatization of drug-involved people, especially those who are poor and are racialized, is what drug criminalization is built upon,” Kaltenbach said.
Society is still healing from the anti-drug propaganda that proliferated during the height of the drug war, when treating individuals who use drugs as whole people deserving of dignity, health care and human rights was considered a radical act. As it turns out, the radicals were right.Cancelled Horror Game Dark Deception Will Be Back
By Eugene. August 3, 2014. 9:31am
Dark Deception looked like an interesting Kickstarter game. Its shortened premise: Think Pac-Man meets Silent Hill meets crazy evil monkeys. Then it closed the doors on funding.
Its developers, Glowstick Games, noted in an update that “it had become apparent [they’d] made some mistakes” and decided to quickly pull the plug.
The low number of backers—just 43 with only about $1,000 out of a $50,000 goal—probably helped with that indication. Glowstick hope to make adjustments to the game and re-launch it.
Dark Deception looked like it had promise, though. A fully 3D game with a hellish backstory, players are running away from monsters and trying to collect all the shards. It had Wii U support as well as Oculus Rift play.
It also was to have starred the voice talent of Carolyn Seymour, the voice behind Gears of War’s Queen Myrrah. She would have played the role of Helen Bierce, the strange starlet who disappeared along with her legendary ring.
The dev team itself has worked on a variety of solid triple-A titles, including Uncharted 2 and 3, Gears of War, Silent Hill and Bioshock Infinite. We’ll be keeping an eye open for the re-release of this game.
Dark Deception was aimed for release on the Wii U and PC.Keepers of the Kaona: How These 6 Kumu Preserve Hawai‘i’s Hula Traditions
These kumu hula have worked tirelessly for decades to ensure that the kaona, knowledge and traditional practices shared by their mentors are passed on to the next generation.
By Lorin Eleni Gill
Minerva K. Malakaua Pang has been dancing hula since age 3. Now, at 90, she says, “To teach hula you have to know the songs and what they mean so you can share the true expression of the song.”
PHOTOs: OLIVIER KONING
Good hula dancers convey a place or feeling through their movements, from their wrists and fingertips down to their toes.
But decoding the true meaning of a mele hula—“danced poetry”—can be daunting. Hawaiian words may have as many as six or seven definitions. The kaona, or hidden meaning behind compositions, makes the art of hula enigmatic.
“Kaona is the impetus for mele or oratory, and is thus the foundation for the composition, guiding the imagery and word choice,” says Puakea Nogelmeier, leading Hawaiian language expert and professor at the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at UH Mānoa. “Kaona is embedded, but seldom directly tangible to anyone not connected to the composer and the composition.”
The secret meanings in hula and oli, or chants, were integral to preserving Hawaiian cultural knowledge, particularly when the practice was restricted.
In recent years, the popularity of hula soared, thanks in part to the annual Merrie Monarch Festival, which is televised online and generates more than $1 million in direct out-of-state visitor spending. Some consider it the Olympics of hula.
While kumu hula have mixed feelings about competition, they all agree hula must come from the heart, whether it is the ancient hula kahiko or modern hula ‘auana. We spoke to six of these kumu to unravel a bit of the mystery.
Nālani Kanaka‘ole
Nālani Kanaka‘ole is the daughter of renowned chanter, composer and kumu hula Edith Kanaka‘ole, who is also the namesake of the stadium that hosts the annual weeklong Merrie Monarch Festival. It was Kanaka‘ole’s grandmother, however, who first taught her. Mary Kekuewa Kanaele Fujii was one of the few kumu who trained in the hula kapu tradition in the late 1800s, and she ensured that her descendants learned the ancient hula style of ‘aiha‘a. Kanaka‘ole, who spoke Hawaiian at home, began teaching in 1960 at the age of 14. She currently leads Hālau o Kekuhi with her niece, Huihui Kanahele-Mossman.
“Tūtū Mary was strict with a keen eye on body movement. It was common for her to hit your hand or foot with the pū‘ili if it was not holding the right gesture. Papa hula was long so it was smart to get it perfect at least the second time. But if it was a repeat of the same mistake, she would send you to the back of the class to figure it out. It forced me to learn fast, be in good condition and broaden my lens for learning.
When my mom became a kumu, I was 13 years old and already dancing for my eldest cousin who took over after Tūtū Mary. By 15, I was into choreography. Luckily my mom composed a few mele to remember the old moves and stepping patterns she had learned. This was pivotal in changing how we taught hula. My sister Pua had moved home, so the change to kahiko as a focus became more real as my mom was just starting to be known in the state for her hula workshops.
From my mom I know the connection of hula with the natural world, her knowledge of chants, and mele’s mysticism in how it can work for the positive. She was the mānaleo of her time. Mānaleo for the kumu level is to compose on the spot while chanting.
The metaphoric mannerisms of the language are hands-down the most valuable takeaway from the generations before me.
Hula is my passion, and I have had the same amount of rigor from 18 to 71 years old.
It is the practice of hula that activates my ancestral memory. When there is constant change culturally, it is crucial for us to address its authenticity.”
Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla
photo: ryan siphers
Esteemed Maui kumu hula Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla first studied with her grandmother Ida Pakulani Long, and later learned from her aunt Kahili Cummings, mother Leiana Woodside and kumu hula Hoakalei Kamau‘u. Holt-Padilla is also an educator, playwright, composer and director. Her bilingual hula drama about Maui’s premier chief, Kahekili, toured the U.S., Japan and Germany. In addition to leading the hālau she founded in 1976, Pā‘ū O Hi‘iaka, she directs Ka Hikina O Ka Lā, a Hawaiian student scholarship program at UH Maui College. She also works with nonprofits Kauahea Inc. and Lālākea Foundation, teaches community culture classes, and oversees cultural education centers in Waihe‘e and Wai‘ehu, Maui.
“I come from a family of kumu hula so my journey was from birth. I did not think I would be a kumu hula and was dancing for the sheer joy of it all. It was my auntie and mother who decided that for me.
As a kumu hula, one of the joys of my life is helping the mele come to life through hula. We teach and learn about stories, place names, cultural practices, plants, animals, weather conditions, foods, ceremonies, religion and the myriad ways that our ancestors saw their environment.
At one time there were very few kumu hula who spoke Hawaiian. They just used someone else’s translations and choreographed from that. Now there are many kumu hula who speak Hawaiian, understand the nuances of the language, and therefore the nuances of the poetic references.
To me kaona are the various levels of Hawaiian language. At any given time there can be historical, cultural, political and social references, and those references are only known by a few within a mele. Kaona provides an additional layer of interpretation that can either be used or not by the choreographer or chanter. It sometimes brings a flavor or feeling to the expression of hula or oli.
Hula is a creative art; kumu hula are creative people. What is important, however, is that hula is recognized as hula 100 years from now. Like all creative arts there are trends, there are changes in aesthetics and there is creative experimentation.
I think competition has its place in the perpetuation of hula. Competition prepares a dancer for a level of excellence that they may not have achieved otherwise. It demands hard work, dedication, commitment and desire. However, competition should bring pride in accomplishment without bringing pridefulness. The competition should be against one’s own level of excellence, not against another person or hālau. Merrie Monarch on television has brought hula to the world and has brought an appreciation of all that hula and Hawai‘i have to offer. That can be a good thing.”
Minerva K. Malakaua Pang
Minerva K. Malakaua Pang first learned the kāholo (a basic hula step) when she was 3 years old, following a beloved older cousin. After moving to O‘ahu in 1942 from the Big Island, Pang worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Punahou School during World War II. She raised seven children in Makiki and moved to Pearl City in 1957, launching her hula studio out of her home one year later.
Pang received her certificate in ancient and modern hula from Auntie Emma Kahelelani Moniz Bishop’s hula studio in 1945. She also studied with Ku‘ulei Stibbard, Puanani Alama and George Nā‘ope. With the help of her husband, who advertised at Pearl Harbor, the studio quickly grew from her daughters to neighbors to more than 50 dancers. Earlier this year, she turned 90 and retired as a kupuna from Momilani Elementary, where she worked for three decades.
“I lived in Ka‘ū and we’d go to Hilo and spend the summer with my grandparents in Keaukaha. Next door there was a kumu hula. Her daughter and I were in the same class. We’d play jacks together on Saturdays. Her mom would call her to come in to dance, and she’d say ‘No, I’m playing with my friends.’ The mom said, ‘Tell your friends to come in.’ That was my first hula hālau, with Rose Kuamo‘o. Her daughter was Bella Richards.
My grandfather was a schoolteacher and he was very strict. He believed we should be studying, learning English and reading books. So I used to sneak next door. I told my auntie, ‘But she’s teaching us, no charge.’ So my auntie said, ‘OK, I’ll talk to grandpa.’ He never said anything after that, so I didn’t feel guilty.
To teach hula you have to know the songs and what they mean so you can share the true expression of the song. You have to love the hula. You have to be very serious. You come to learn. You have to practice and always smile when you’re dancing. Show your expression. That’s what people like to see.
Back when they first started a competition for keiki hula, they asked me every year, but I wouldn’t take my hālau, because what I learned was to love and share the hula. When you compete with other people, it’s different. Way back when you would go to lū‘au, all different hālau would come out. We clapped for each other and we shared aloha for one another.
Competition is different. You’re competing against them to win. I don’t care for that. I just want them to come out and perform the best they can.
I watch the competitions and I think they’re all wonderful. When they don’t get chosen, they cry. Maybe another hālau is better by a half point. I judged one year in 1985. My heart went out to them. It was hard. Because you know they put in so much practice and energy.
The point of hula is to enjoy it, share your aloha and feel that part of your Hawaiian heritage.”
Puanani Alama
One of the eldest kumu hula alive today and the last surviving original Merrie Monarch judge, Puanani Alama won’t stop moving. She still teaches about four days a week at her studio in Kaimukī, just a hallway away from where her sister, the late kumu hula Leilani Alama, taught. Before they reached their teens, they were already regular performers in Waikīkī in the 1940s. Alama has worked with some of Hawai‘i’s best singers, including Bill Ali‘iloa Lincoln and Genoa Keawe on the Lucky Luck Show. Now 87, she has been teaching for more than 70 years. Her daughter, Puanani Jung, carries on the tradition as a kumu hula in Laguna Hills, California, and her twin granddaughters also dance.
“I began dancing before I even went to school. We loved the hula, both my sister Leilani and I. I started teaching in the seventh or eighth grade. My sister opened the Alama Hula Studio in 1943. After school I would run over to my auntie’s house in Kalihi and I’d teach people who wanted to learn.
Uncle Bill Ali‘iloa Lincoln called my mom to see if I’d like to teach for him. She said, ‘Go talk to Uncle Bill.’ Well, I didn’t have to, because he just said, ‘You have a class.’
I was a little girl and I taught there. No one gave me the shuffle or was annoyed with me because I was getting my point across. They were kind of watching me and they liked what they saw so they encouraged me. I was about 15 years old.
I didn’t go to college because I knew I was going to be a hula teacher.
Waikīkī has changed so much. All of a sudden you see skyscrapers and fancy stores where you used to work. At least I saw how it was. How many can say they saw how it was?
Hula is a special dance. Because every part of your body moves—your feet, your knees, your hips, your arms, your fingers, your face, your mouth. I mean, what other type of dance can do that?
Sometimes I get stiff. I walk with a cane because I walk fast and I can fall. Sometimes I can hardly get up out of bed. I say, OK, now, what am I going to do? I’m going to ‘ami all the way to the bathroom. There are so many things I can do with the hula. Hula helps a lot.
Any nationality, as long as you dance hula, you are part Hawaiian. I don’t care what anybody tells me. It’s anyone who loves it.
Never be afraid to show it. I’ll put my cane down and get up and dance. People ask, ‘Auntie, are you OK?’ I’m fine. After I dance, I get my cane and walk away. If you feel that way, nothing holds you back.”
John Renken Kaha‘iali‘i Topolinski
Although loea hula John Renken Kaha‘iali‘i Topolinski is descended from royal dancers, it wasn’t until after he graduated from Brigham Young University and returned home to O‘ahu that he began to study hula with Auntie Mā‘iki Aiu Lake. He still remembers the rigorous training he went through as part of her first ‘uniki, or graduating class, in 1973. He has kept those lessons close to heart, along with the knowledge and wisdom passed down to him from Mary Kawena Pukui, Patience Namaka Bacon, Pele Pukui Suganuma, Henry Pa and Sally Wood Naluai. Topolinski, 77, continues to teach hula in Waipahu and share his expert cultural and historical knowledge at Ka Pā Hula Hawai‘i. Today, the retired Mililani High School Hawaiian History teacher works part-time at Waipahu and Honowai elementary schools. He is also known for his traditional Hawaiian feather handiwork.
“You can tell a good hula dancer from a dancer going through the motions. An excellent dancer is one who draws the audience into your story.
The kaona is only known to the composer and the person you compose it for. So people can guess. People sometimes see my motions and say, ‘Hey, how come you do the motions like that?’ People think it’s all the same. You know, like, this motion is O‘ahu, this is pua, etc. People today use the motions that go with the words, not the underlying meaning.
I was with Auntie Mary Kawena Pukui, until she passed, and her daughters Auntie Pat Namaka Bacon and Pele Pukui Suganuma. I was so fortunate. And you know what? They never charged. All they requested of me was that I memorize everything. Each week we’d repeat and repeat so it was pa‘a.
They gave me a good foundation and sent me to the other people. In those days, they sent you to other teachers if they didn’t have the expertise. You know why? Because they were confident in who they were. From each teacher I gained something different.
Auntie Mā‘iki was the first kumu who allowed us to make our own instruments. Training was rigorous, but it was fun.
Some hula today in my viewpoint is not hula, it’s some concoction of somebody’s imagination to bring the audience in. There are some motions that aren’t even Hawaiian. They’ve taken styles from the Western world, karate motions and stuff like that, which I think is so very wrong.
The costuming, it’s just like Las Vegas. Costuming to Hawaiians was an added thing. That was not the hula. It was the motions.
I’m kind of fearful of hula in the next 50 years and where it’s going. I hope there will always be traditionalists alive to keep it on course.
We were lucky, our generation. I shall never forget our teachers and how much they gave me even though I was kind of a hothead. I guess they saw something in me that I didn’t. They tamed my hardheadedness and put things into perspective.”
Earl Pa Mai Tenn
Earl Pa Mai Tenn had worked for years as a successful businessman in the transportation industry before he found his other calling: hula. Among the many mentors who guided him were Henry Moikehaokahiki Pa, Maddy Kaululehuaohaili Lam, Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona and Nadine Alexander (Laka) Kahanamoku, wife of Olympian swimmer and surfer Duke Paoa Kahanamoku. After receiving his certification as kumu hula from Father Franklin Chun of St. Peter’s and Rose Kapulani Joshua of Magic Hula Studio, Tenn taught and led the hālau at Windward Community College for 17 years. He has also toured throughout Mexico as co-founder of Ka Leo O Na Hula Teachers Association for nearly three decades, teaching hula fundamentals throughout the country.
“Prior to coming to hula, I became traffic manager for Honolulu Iron Works and Theo H. Davies and then opened my own business as an industrial traffic consultant. It got terribly boring. So I asked for guidance. Four words came. They were, ‘It’s time for hula.’ The process began of releasing all of my traffic knowledge and absorbing matters concerning hula.
When I started working with Uncle Henry Moikehaokahiki Pa, I was already in my 30s. He asked if I had any formal training. The answer was no, so he said, ‘Go to State Council On Hawaiian Heritage.’ There, Auntie Hoakalei Kamau‘u guided me and taught the fundamentals. About two years later, I returned to Uncle Henry, who taught the dance department of the Kamehameha Hawaiian Civic Club at St. Andrew’s. Staying with him until his transition, I inherited all of his hula notes, instruments, clothing. All of the knowledge from Uncle Henry is absorbed. He made sure all hula routines were recorded in writing.
Maddy Kaululehuaohaili Lam took me under her wing and shared her knowledge of culture, her specialties being music and hula. Today, I hold the copyright of her compositions. Both of these teachers collaborated closely with Mary Kawena Pukui.
My parents were issued to move to Kam Homes, the first type of federal subsidized housing, in the middle of July 1940, where I was born that October. Hawaiian was not spoken at home, it was sung. My mother was a manager of a Hawaiian musical group. I liked the melody and rhythm, so I would get up and dance.
It was when I went to Uncle Henry and Maddy when I began to understand the language more and understand the kaona of what was being done. The poetry of the text is the kaona. It’s the underlying meaning of why they use a certain word to describe a person, place or thing. It’s the choreography which enacts the language or text. If you choreograph for a deaf person, they should understand what the text is, Auntie Pat would say.
The most important thing is that you dance with the heart, and that you understand the text. All of my teachers said you do it with the aloha that lies in your heart. ”
Kaona Guardians at the Hula Preservation Society
Auntie Nona Beamer and Maile Loo-Ching
The list of influential hula masters could go on for pages. We could not name them all, but the Hula Preservation Society has developed an invaluable resource: a library collection of interviews and artifacts from hula masters across the state.
The nonprofit was co-founded by Hawaiian teacher and composer Auntie Nona Beamer (who died in 2008) and her haumana (student), society executive director Maile Loo-Ching.
“She was a very wonderful, curious lady who wanted to have conversations with her peers about hula so we started recording them,” says Loo-Ching. “Everyone has different training, experiences and approaches so we started doing oral histories. They’ve lived through so much in that century when it was very hard to be Hawaiian and study tradition and live the Hawaiian way.”
The society archive in Kāne‘ohe is home to boxes of videotapes, records and photos, all to be digitized in the near future.
The “time-sensitive” element is what drives Loo-Ching, a kumu hula of 19 years who holds a degree in artificial intelligence from Stanford University.
“My classmates from high school say, ‘Ah, I thought you were going to be a rocket scientist,’ and I’m like, ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m running a nonprofit,’” she |
one-dimensional, lacking depth and mystery. The St. Feuillien Blonde reflects the joyfully understated gastronomy of its Wallonian homeland. With an enchanting, not-quite-earthy yeast character, a whiff of spicy hops and a tightrope balance between crisp and malty, this beer reminds us, at the most basic level what Belgian beers are all about.
Randy Mosher is a writer, creative consultant, designer and educator specialising in beer. Author of five beer-related books including Tasting Beer, he also teaches at the Siebel Institute. He is an active partner in two Chicago-area breweries: 5 Rabbit Cerveceria and Forbidden Root Botanic Beers.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.st-feuillien.com/
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6. BOURGOGNE DES FLANDRES (5% ABV) [TIMMERMANS / JOHN MARTIN]
Chosen by Roger Protz
Wonderfully rich and complex beer, a blend of dark ale and Timmermans’ lambic, with an acidic note from the lambic cutting the dark roasted grains and spicy hops of the ale. The beer will be restored to its original home in Bruges in 2015 when a new brewery opens there.
Roger Protz is one of the world’s leading beer writers, historians, lecturers and tasters. He is the author of more than 20 books on the subject, including 300 Beers to Try Before You Die, one of the biggest-selling books on the subject. He was named Glenfiddich Drink Writer of the Year in 1997 and 2004 and in 2003 was presented with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Guild of Beer Writers. He has won two Gold and six Silver Tankard Awards from the guild and in 2013 won Gold as Best Writer in Pub and Beer Press. He has won 13 awards from the North American Guild of Beer Writers.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.bourgognedesflandres.be/
7. ZINNEBIR (6% ABV) [BRASSERIE DE LA SENNE]
Chosen by Luc De Raedemaeker
It was very hard to select my favourite beer among the fantastic Belgian beers. If you choose, you always lose. So my advice is to try as many styles and beers as possible. But anyway, I have to stick to the rules. So I’m going for a Zinnebir from Brasserie De La Senne. The brewer’s philosophy is to brew beers with lots of flavours, but with as little alcohol as possible. My kind of beers. Zinnebir has a cloudy orange colour and a great nose of honey, pollen, and lemon zest, and light exotic fruits. The taste is malty, with a fine bitterness and a long aftertaste. Top beer.
Luc De Raedemaeker is the director of the Brussels Beer Challenge, chief editor of Bier Grand Cru and the Beer Link (China) and Doemens Diplom-Biersommelier. He sees it as his mission to give beer the recognition it deserves.
Find out more about this beer: http://brasseriedelasenne.be/
8. GOUDENBAND (8% ABV) [LIEFMANS / MOORTGAT]
Chosen by Sofie Vanrafelghem
Liefmans Goudenband is a classic Flemish sour brown of 8% ABV. The beer is the masterpiece of Rosa Merckx, the first female brewmaster of Belgium. After the second world war she started as a secretary at the Liefmans brewery and worked herself up to the position of brewer. Now ninety years old, she still lives next to the brewery, where she checks the beer at least once a week. The wort is brewed at Duvel-Moortgat but ferments in open tanks at their historical brew site in Oudenaarde. There, the lactic acid bacteria form the typical sour taste and character during a long maturation of up to 8 months. It’s a complex but balanced beer, the refined sourness countered with some caramel sweetness. In the flavour you also get hints of raisins and red apples. Sour meets sweet at a sublime level. It’s a perfect provision beer that works brilliantly with blue cheese.
Sofie Vanrafelghem is a Zythologist, beer author of 3 beer books, Founder of ‘Women & Beer’, Beer columnist at De Standaard, International beer sommelier, Editorial staff member of Zythos, Teacher of general beer knowledge at CVO Panta Rhei, Editor at Hopper Magazine and Master beer sommelier at Café Belge (The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai, UAE).
Find out more about this beer: http://www.liefmans.be/en
9. WESTMALLE TRIPEL (9.5% ABV) [TRAPPIST ABBEY OF WESTMALLE]
Chosen by Jef Van Den Steen
In 1934, as they finished their – at that time – new brewery, the Westmalle Abbey launched a ‘superbeer’, a blond top-fermented beer of 9.5 % ABV which would soon be renamed Westmalle Tripel. However, it wasn’t until 1956 that brother Thomas introduced the delicate hoppiness for which this beer is known and equipped it with its complex character. Classic Belgian beers are very balanced and complex, and Westmalle Tripel is a perfect example of this. In aroma it is fruity (overripe banana) with a fine hop bitterness and soft maltiness fighting for attention. The flavour is just as complex: the beer has a creamy mouthfeel and delicate sweetness without being sticky as well as being fruity, bitter and orangey with a long, dry and pleasantly bitter aftertaste. Westmalle Tripel is the mother of all tripels – a world classic!
Jef Van Den Steen is one of the most experienced beer connoisseurs in Belgium as well as a brewer at Brouwerij De Glazen Toren. He writes for beer magazines such as De Zytholoog, Bier Passie Magazine and Smaak and has authored books including “Lambi(e)k en Geuze”, “Trappist. Het Bier en de Monniken”, “Abdijbieren, Geestrijk Erfgoed”, “Geuze en Kriek, de Champagne onder de Bieren” and ”De Smaak van Bier”.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/
10. 1894 OAK & HOPS (8% ABV) [BROUWERIJ DE BRABANDERE]
Chosen by Derek Walsh
This beer absolutely blew me away when I first tried it last year. De Brabandere is one of Belgium’s largest independent family breweries and a specialist in (22,000 liter) foeder aged and blended beers. 1894’s Champagne-like carbonation, dryness and delicate sour-oakiness are truly unique. By blending 20% aged with fresh beer and using 3 classic European aroma hops (2 grown in Belgium) it remains despite its 38 IBUs very fruity, peppery and flowery. Oak is subdued and the yeasts it contains provide flavours reminiscent of grapefruit, nectarines and pineapple. This beer is living proof that the notion sour and bitter can’t be combined is utter nonsense.
Canadian Derek Walsh is a part-time brewery consultant, trainer of beer sommeliers and BJCP/BKG certified international beer judge. He specialises in beer styles, recipe optimalisation and hosting beer & food workshops. He’s been at it for more than 25 years and is credited for having introduced the concept of gypsy brewing to western Europe.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.brouwerijdebrabandere.be/
11. KAMELEON TRIPEL (8.5% ABV) [BROUWERIJ DEN HOPPERD]
Chosen by Marc Mertens
This blonde tripel beer is 100% organic, like all the beers of the Den Hopperd brewery. Moderately sweet and bitter, it’s almost like there are little bits of fruit in there. This beer is either loved or hated. Some say it’s a dangerous beer – when you love it, you don’t stop drinking it. My wife loves it so I am always BOB (driving) when she drinks Kameleon Tripel.
Marc Mertens has since 1985 been a member of the Objectieve BierProevers, now Zythos, and he is the current national editor-in-chief for De Zytholoog.
Find out more about this beer: http://users.telenet.be/denhopperd/
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12. WESTVLETEREN BLONDE (5.8% ABV) [SINT-SIXTUS ABDIJ VAN WESTVLETEREN]
Chosen by Stan Hieronymus
This beer does not come from an old recipe – it was conceived in 1999 to celebrate the opening of the remodeled ‘In de Vrede’ café across from the abbey – and it is not the one people buy on the beer black market or travel halfway around the globe to drink in the café. It is a simple, honest beer, brewed by the monks themselves and made better by the surroundings. It smells and tastes lightly fruity at the outset, the hops providing an earthy, sometimes grassy character, leading to a firm, bitter, dry finish. It seems like a beer that Saint Benedict, who advocated that monks should live by the work of their own hands, would have appreciated.
Stan Hieronymus is author of “Brew Like a Monk” as well as five other books related to beer and brewing, the most recent being “For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops.” He’s currently at work on the next, “Indigenous Beer: American Grown.”
Find out more about this beer: http://sintsixtus.be/
13. CHIMAY TRIPLE (8% ABV) [TRAPPIST ABBEY OF CHIMAY]
Chosen by Ben Vinken
One of the most underestimated triples in our country is the Chimay Tripel, formerly known as Chimay Blanche. This fantastic beer is the legacy of a great brewer, Père Theodore, who selected the yeast strains for the beer with monastic patience, back in 1966. This stalwart – 8% ABV – is golden blonde as a triple should be. It is a bit cloudy with a lovely head, mostly hoppy on the nose but when swirled in the glass, it releases a hint of ripe fruit. The taste is more intense, more bitter than malty. Dry, fresh and mature, with a bone dry and very lengthy finish. It’s a great beer that pairs well with soft cheeses of great character, like Brie de Meaux. Chimay Triple now comes in a magnificent Magnum bottle under the name ‘Cinq Cents’.
Ben Vinken is a Beer Sommelier who started work as a lawyer in the Lamot Brewery, and later carried out sales and marketing functions successfully with Palm Breweries and Interbrew (now AB InBev). Since 1992 he has worked as a journalist and publisher on titles such as Michael Jackson’s ‘Great Beers of Belgium’ and the Bierpassie/Bièrepassion Magazine. He is also a specialist of ‘beer brand development’ and has developed numerous marketing campaigns for a number of breweries. He writes columns in various newspapers and magazines, has a daily show ‘The Beersommelier’ and every year in June he organises the ‘Beer Passion Weekend’ in his hometown of Antwerp.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.chimay.com
14. ORVAL (6.2% ABV) [BRASSERIE D’ORVAL]
Chosen by Adrian Tierney-Jones
Trappist beer is collaboration brewing lifted to another level, a link between the sacred world of the Cistercian monastery and the profane practice of the brewer. And when a glass of Orval is lifted to the lips, I find it difficult not to be profane as I take my first sip, such is the magnificence of this beer. It’s deep amber-orange and safe in its chalice-like glass (all the better to toast one’s good fortune with), with an earthy, peppery nose underpinned by rich orange peel notes, a creamy, hop-enveloping, orange-skin, earthy mouth-feel with snappy carbonation and flurries of sour and citrusy notes, followed by a bitter spicy finish. This is a beer I could contemplate for all time.
Adrian Tierney-Jones is a journalist and writer specialising in beer, pubs, food and travel and how they all collaborate with each other in making the world a more pleasing place. He is the editor of 1001 Beers to Taste Before You Die and author of several other books including Great British Pubs. He also writes for All About Beer (USA), Beer, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Weekend Telegraph amongst other. He blogs at http://maltworms.blogspot.co.uk/
Find out more about this beer: http://www.orval.be/
15. AREND TRIPEL (8% ABV) [BROUWERIJ DE RYCK]
Chosen by Jay Brooks
Arend Tripel is the best tripel you’ve never heard of, brewed by 5th generation brewer Anne De Ryck at her family’s farm brewery. The beer is grace itself, soft and subtle with delicate flavors. A silken mouthfeel and tropical fruit aromas with a touch of sourness balanced beautifully with spicy hop character. A local brewer, Brian Hunt, first told me about this beer, and he’d befriended the brewer during a trip to Belgium. I had the pleasure of meeting her, too, last year during a press junket and her entire range of beers is great, but the tripel remains a divine favorite.
Jay Brooks has been writing about beer for 24 years, and currently writes a syndicated newspaper column, “Brooks on Beer”, and contributes to most major beer periodicals. He was recently made an honorary ‘Knight of the Brewers Mash Staff’ by the Belgian Brewers Guild.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.brouwerijderyck.be/
16. WITKAP PATER STIMULO (6% ABV) [BROUWERIJ SLAGHMUYLDER]
Chosen by Espen Smith
This beer is grain yellow and foggy with a rich foam. It smells of citrus, exotic fruits and wet grains with dry hopped undertones. There’s a rich and well balanced mouthfeel, with fruity sweetness topped with dry hops spiciness, and green citrus finish. It’s one of my favorite Belgian blonde beers. Due to its more moderate sweetness compared with other Belgian blondes and a kind of infection from wild yeasts, this blonde associates more with lambics and sour beers. This is not such a strange occurrence, given that the brewmaster at Slaghmuylder is Mr. Karel Goddeau, the same guy brewing at De Cam Lambic.
Espen Smith is a Norwegian beer critic, well known in Norway from television, talk radio, newspapers and magazines where he gives his open opinions on the newest trends in food, beer and liquor. When Espen is not interacting with the press he’s teaching classes, running tours, writing books regarding trends in the beer industry and consulting on building microbreweries.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.witkap.be
17. HOUBLON CHOUFFE DOBBELEN IPA TRIPEL (9% ABV) [BRASSERIE D’ACHOUFFE / MOORTGAT]
Chosen by Matthew Curtis
The passion among beer lovers for increasingly flavourful beers that are hopped using powerful, aromatic varieties is not restricted to just Britain or the US. Brasserie D’Achouffe’s Houblon Chouffe combines the pithy, citrus flavours of an American IPA with the spicy, peppery funk of a Belgian Tripel. The resulting beer is a riot of grapefruit and redcurrant flavours underpinned by bready malt and a pinch of white pepper in its dry finish. It may sound like a car crash but these flavours are in total harmony, making it one of the best modern interpretations of a classic Belgian style and one that’s easy to get hold of too.
Matthew Curtis is a beer writer and speaker based in London and author of beer blog Total Ales. In 2014 he co-authored Craft Beer: The 100 Best Breweries in the World for Future Publishing and is currently working on the follow up Beer & Craft: Britain’s Best Bars and Breweries, which will be self-published later this year.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.achouffe.be
18. DE ORVÉLO TRIPEL (7.5% ABV) [HUISBROUWERIJ HALF ZEVEN / DE PROEFBROUWERIJ]
Chosen by Tim Hampson
The Belgians are famed for many things including beer and cycling. The two come together with Orvélo Tripel. Orvélo was created by three cycling mad friends, who are avid home brewers and wanted to create a beer to sup at the end of a long and energetic ride. And so they crafted their own beer. Made with three grains – barley, wheat and oats – the golden 7.5 per cent ABV beer is served in a large 75cl sharing bottle. It’s a bitter sweet beer, which should persuade even the most ardent couch potato to get on their bike, because at the end of the ride is the promise of this fabulous beer.
Tim Hampson has travelled the world in search of the perfect beer. He is the author of more than 10 books on beer and pubs including World Beer, The Beer Book, 101 Beer Days Out and London’s Best Riverside Pubs. His work can be found in What’s Brewing. Follow Tim Hampson on Twitter: @beerhero.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.orvelo.be
19. XX BITTER (6.2% ABV) [BROUWERIJ DE RANKE]
Chosen by Paul Walsh
XX Bitter is an early example of how you can use hops to give a beer character, without making it harsh or difficult to drink. The beer covers a lot of bases. If you’re looking for sophistication, there’s plenty in here – light lemon and grapefruit and a long dry aftertaste. But if you want to drink a couple with your friends and not think too much about it, it works great too. It’s refreshing and highly-quaffable. Bitter before bitterness was trendy. You get the impression that the guys who made it don’t care too much about what’s hot, or even about whether their beer sells that much. They’re making the beer they’d like to drink themselves.
Belgian Beer and Food publisher and editor-in-chief Paul Walsh is from Ireland, but came to Belgium ten years ago to study philosophy at the historic Leuven university. He was working in another branch of the media when he had the bright idea to start a Belgian beer magazine. He lives in Brussels, whenever he manages to get home.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.deranke.be/
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20. DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE (6.2% ABV) [BROUWERIJ VERHAEGHE]
Chosen by Dimitri Van Roy
I get great satisfaction when I see people enjoying beer. So, it’s a goal of mine to try to find for non-beer drinking friends and strangers I meet, a beer that they will enjoy. Duchesse de Bourgogne has become my go-to beer in this situation. “Are you sure that’s a beer?!” is the reaction I get when I bring the bottle to the table. The label just might be from a bottle of wine. And that same experience comes out of the bottle. This beer is vinous, sweet and sour, with a slight vinegar touch. Months later, people keep coming back to me about that particular beer and, secretly, I hope it eases people into more sour beers like lambics and gueuzes.
Dimitri Van Roy qualified as a Beer Connoisseur from the Syntra school in Brussels and as Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server in 2014. He’s a child of the Belgian beer culture but loves to expand his horizons to wherever good beer comes from.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.brouwerijverhaeghe.be/
21. CUVÉE VAN DE KEIZER BLAUW (11% ABV) [BROUWERIJ HET ANKER]
Chosen by Carsten Berthelsen
If you are searching for the wonderful dark ales of Belgium – apart from the Trappist beers – your path should lead you to the cosy town of Mechelen. Here you will find the Het Anker brewery close to the centre of the town. Every year they make a special brew dedicated to Charles (Karel) Quint (1500-58), German-Roman Emperor. That beer is the Cuvée van de Keizer. The interpretation of the style made by Het Anker is not even close to the sour beers of ancient times. You will taste a sweet, delicate and very well balanced beer. It is heavy on the palate but smooth and slick and with a wonderful finish. Cuvée van de Keizer is heavy on alcohol: 11 % ABV., 28 % Plato and with a bitterness of 35 IBU. An amazing ale to be enjoyed on every imperial occasion.
Carsten Berthelsen has been an author, broadcaster and professional beer writer for more than 25 years in Denmark. Author of eight books about the world’s favourite drink, he frequently arranges beer tastings for companies – more than 100 a year. He judges in international competitions (among them Brussels Beer Challenge and Nordic Beer Challenge) and was awarded for his effort by The Danish Beer Enthusiasts in 2007 and in 2013. In May 2015 H.M. King Philip of Belgium will grant him the distinction Knight of the Order of the Crown (Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne).
Find out more about this beer: http://www.hetanker.be
22. ARABIER (8% ABV) [DE DOLLE BROUWERS]
Chosen by Jason Perkins
One of my favorite places in the world to drink a beer is De Dolle Brouwers in Esen. It is here that I first fell in love with this beer. Its assertive, yet balanced hop character makes it the perfect thirst quencher anytime of year. The balance of the citrus hop notes with the incredible esters of De Dolle’s house yeast is fantastic. If you are in Belgium on a Sunday, you should be sitting in the cafe at the brewery with an Arabier in your hand.
Jason Perkins is the Brewmaster at Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine where he has worked for over 17 years. Previous to Allagash, he enjoyed brewing opportunities at GrittyMcDuff’s and Kettle House Brewery.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/
23. SAISON DUPONT (6.5% ABV) [BRASSERIE DUPONT]
Chosen by Alex Barlow
The farmhouse Saison style has been the darling of many a craft brewer but Saison Dupont is considered by many to be the ultimate benchmark. At 6.5% it is an elegant yet complex beer, variously reminding you of every ingredient yet beautifully melded. Wafts of fragrantly floral hops, scented alcohol and a touch of phenolic spice greet you from the first pour. As it warms, the malt brings buttery biscuits while yeast and sugar evoke a candied fruit sweetshop adjoining a bakery. Alcohol warmth offsets a floral dryness that fades to a smooth, gently sweet finish. Another one please!
Alex Barlow’s passion for beer started with his first job, cellar-man at his local pub. He’s a qualified Master Brewer with 30 years international experience. A consultant, presenter and author of the award winning ALL BEER Guide, Alex is committed to enhancing people’s enjoyment of beer: Flavour > Discovery > Choice.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.brasserie-dupont.com/
24. MAEGHT VAN GOTTEM (7% ABV) [BROUWERIJ SINT CANARUS]
Chosen by Yannick de Cocquéau
Maeght van Gottem isn’t the most popular beer of Sint Canarus, but definitely the one you can’t miss. It’s one of the few beers with ‘bottle hopping’. Yes, in every bottle you’ll find a hop flower giving the beer some extra fresh aromas and subtle bitterness. It’s a wonderful beer for the consumer and a damned beer for the brewer. Actually you have to be crazy to make it as the flower is added by hand to every single bottle before bottling. There’s some citrus, a nice bitterness and not too much alcohol with a hint of fresh cannabis. The perfect appetizer!
Yannick de Cocquéau is product manager at VISIT FLANDERS for everything related to ‘beer tourism’ and Belgian beers. Beside that he’s a qualified beer sommelier, hobby brewer and active member of Zythos vzw.
Find out more about this beer: www.sintcanarus.be
25. VICARIS GENERAAL (8.8% ABV) BROUWERIJ DILEWYNS
Chosen by Christopher Barnes
A whole new wave of craft brewers have begun to make their mark on the brewing scene in Belgium. While they’re not displacing the classic beers of Belgium, they’re adding new depth and vivacity to the conversation. Brouwerij Dilewyns, headed by the Dilewyns sisters Anne-Catherine (brewer) & Claire (business), is certainly making a statement with a new state of the art brewery and an increasing international reputation. All their beers are based on their excellent triple, including the Generaal. Don’t call it a dubbel, Anne-Catherine calls it a dark triple. Rich, roasty, and elegant; the Generaal takes this beer to a dark place with the addition of darker specialty malts to their bright and lovely triple.
Christopher Barnes is an American beer writer, blogger, and brewing industry professional with a passion for travel, Belgium and its beers. You can find his writings at I think about beer or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
Find out more about this beer: http://vicaris.be/online/
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26. MORT SUBITE OUDE KRIEK (6.5% ABV) [MORT SUBITE / ALKEN-MAES / HEINEKEN]
Chosen by Sophie Atherton
Until I tried Mort Subite Oude Kriek, from De Keersmaeker brewery, I was labouring under the misconception that all kriek was sickly sweet synthetic-tasting faux cherry ick. Nothing could be further from the truth. A ‘proper’ kriek is made from lambic (the spontaneously fermented beer made only in a specific area of Belgium) to which real cherries are added. Mort Subite is a fantastic example. Tart, dry and fruity it pairs devilishly well with pulled pork or suckling pig.
Sophie Atherton was the first woman in the UK accredited as a Beer Sommelier. A beer drinker for more than 25 years and a journalist for 15 she writes, broadcasts, speaks and trains people in all things beer-related. Find some of her writing at http://afemaleview.net/.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.mort-subite.be/
27. TRIPEL DE GARRE (11.5% ABV) [BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE]
Chosen by Richard Taylor
It’s the question we’re all asked – ‘so what’s your favourite beer then?’ Answering ‘the one you’re about to buy me’ only gets you so far if you don’t have an actual, confirmed number one. But I do – the house tripel of Staminee de Garre in Bruges, poured with pillowy foam and served on a lace doily with accompanying cubes of creamy ‘kaas’. The wooden barrel, the surrounds, and (in my then-girlfriend, now wife) the company; all were perfect. As was the beer – estery, warming alcohol and mellow, sweet spiciness. The perfect meeting of brewing and context. It was, and remains, the best beer I have ever tasted. And you can’t hold a nation’s beer in higher esteem than that.
Richard Taylor is a beer writer and blogger based in Edinburgh, and has been writing about beer since starting the BeerCast website in mid-2007. As well as this, he now works for Brewdog, where he writes everything from magazines to beermats (beermats are harder).
Find out more about this beer: http://www.degarre.be/nl/tripel-van-de-garre
28. OMER TRADITIONAL BLOND (8% ABV) [BROUWERIJ OMER VANDER GHINSTE]
Chosen by Melissa Cole
A family-brewed beer with 120 years of history, Omer is an often overlooked but seriously refreshing beer that drinks well below its weight. To my mind, it balances its 8% alcohol extremely well with a touch of bitterness, a hint of lemony sweetness and a light biscuity note from the French malt that’s used. It’s not as big a flavour as Duvel, it’s not as aromatic as a tripel, but it is an excellent beer to pass the time with friends in Brussels, before getting on the Eurostar, which is when I enjoy it most.
Author of Let Me Tell You About Beer, Melissa Cole is living the beer dream. Not only does she write extensively about the world’s favourite drink, she also works with chefs to create beer and food extravaganzas in venues as diverse as Michelin-starred restaurants to local pubs, and is invited to judge at beer competitions from London to Brussels and Amsterdam to America. Melissa was also identified as one of the Most Powerful Women in the Drinks Industry by Channel4 Food and won the acclaim of her industry peers when named Educator of the Year by Imbibe magazine in 2013.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.omer.be/
29. OUDE KRIEK VIELLE (6% ABV) [BROUWERIJ OUD BEERSEL]
Chosen by Russell Erskine
There are only a handful of authentic lambic producers remaining in Belgium. This is reflected in this brewery’s beers – the brewery closed in 2003, only to be kept alive by, amongst others, Frank Boon. Today, wort is produced to Oud Beersel specification and the Beersel brewery transfers it to oak and ferments. This Kriek is very rounded. It is more fruity, tart, marzipan/almond in character than most other Krieks (and higher in ABV). It should appeal to geeks and newbies alike – the sharp acidity tempered by the natural sweetness of the cherries. I think it is the perfect introduction as it is old, new, contract and craft all rolled into one! Added to that, the increased interest in lambic and fruit-lambic is pushing the price of authentic products upward. This beer is a bargain when compared with Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen.
Russell Erskine started as an Assistant Brewer with Brewdog at Fraserburgh in September 2011, having had no previous brewing experience or qualifications. He has worked his way up over subsequent years to his current position as a Senior Brewer in Ellon and will be studying towards IBD Diploma in the coming years. Russell has visited Belgium several times which has cemented his preference for Belgian beers.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.oudbeersel.com/en/
30. VALEIR EXTRA (6.5% ABV) [CONTRERAS]
Chosen by David Le Roy
Meeting a lovely girl and becoming the brewer in her father’s brewery – that’s the story of Frederik De Vrieze. And so the history of the Contreras brewery in the small village of Gavere took a new turn. Under the brandname ’Valeir’, Frederik created a new range of beers and revitalised the brewery. The Valeir Extra is his flagship beer. It’s a hop bomb, but at the same time a balanced golden blonde hoppy beer of 6.5% with a high drinkability. The delicate use of American hops like Amarillo gives it beautiful citrus and grapefruit aromas, and a taste that makes this beer loved by amateur and experienced beer drinkers alike.
David Le Roy is the vice-chairperson of the BLES beer club in Zottegem and a teacher of general beer knowledge at CVO Pantha Rhei in Merelbeke.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.contreras.be/
31. OUDE GUEUZE TILQUIN À L’ANCIENNE (6.4% ABV) [GUEUZERIE TILQUIN]
Chosen by Zak Avery
As someone who came to sour beers quite late in their drinking career, I’m still captivated by the sensation of history and tradition each time you open a bottle. As blenders rather than a brewers, Tilquin purchase worts from Boon, Lindemans, Cantillon and Girardin, and ferment them in their own oak barrels. This allows them to blend and produce what is, for me, a beer that sits perfectly in the “Goldilocks zone” – not too sweet, not too tart, not too wild, it’s “juuuust right”. Tilquin Oude Gueuze á l’Ancienne is a blend of traditional techniques and modern sensibility, evident from the first glance at the label to the last slurp from the glass.
Since being named as British Beer Writer of the Year 2008, Zak Avery’s writing career has taken an unexpected turn when he jointly purchased the company that had employed him for over a decade, Beer Paradise. Now at the helm of the wholesaler http://www.beerparadise.co.uk/and the online retailer http://www.beerritz.co.uk/, his writing activities are slightly curtailed.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.gueuzerietilquin.be/
32. TROUBADOUR MAGMA (9% ABV) [BROUWERIJ THE MUSKETEERS / DE PROEFBROUWERIJ]
Chosen by John Duffy
The term “Belgian IPA” gets thrown around a lot these days but there aren’t many brewers who manage to make this cross-pollination of brewing traditions work in the drinkers’ favour. Magma is a massive exception, displaying all the mouth-watering juicy new-world fruit of a modern IPA with the warmth and nuance of classic Belgian strong ale. Bold yet accessible; strong without being heavy: a real beer for all seasons. Savour it but don’t cellar it.
John Duffy lives in Dublin and has been writing his blog about beer, The Beer Nut, since 2005.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.troubadourbieren.be/en
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33. ROCHEFORT TRAPPISTES 10 (11.3% ABV) [TRAPPIST ABBEY OF ROCHEFORT]
Chosen by Chris Hall
Some beers change over time, others before your very eyes. The monks of the Abbaye St. Remy near Rochefort only make three beers, with Rochefort 10 being the ultimate expression. Its rich, deep brown colour and multi-faceted aroma evoking rich red wine, bonfire toffee, almond and smoke are mysteries waiting to be solved by those who can wait. The reason I love this majestic Trappist beer is because it rewards patient drinkers, and once warmed a little, its raisiny, toasty body reveals decadent, rum-like flavours of leather, cocoa, fig, vanilla and gentle spice. It’s a real masterpiece of brewing.
Chris Hall is a London-based member of the British Guild of Beer Writers and is the co-author of ‘Craft Beer: 365 Best Beers in The World’ and ‘Craft Beer: 100 Best Breweries in the World’. He is currently working on ‘Beer & Craft: Britain’s Best Bars and Breweries’, out later this year.
Find out more about this beer: http://www.abbaye-rochefort.be
34. TARAS BOULBA (4.5% ABV) [BRASSERIE DE LA SENNE]
Photo © Katherine Longly & France Dubois.
Chosen by Kevin Desmet
Taras Boulba by the ‘Brusseleirs’ of De La Senne has, together with their Zinnebir, become a symbol of a new brewing scene that walks a different path. ‘Bitter is better’ they say themselves and I’m not objecting to that. With its aromatic hoppy nose, wheat accents and crisp, refreshing taste it not only smells and tastes good, but it also looks good: in the bottle thanks to the fabulous emblematic artwork and in your glass because of that big, white creamy head over a pale, golden and hazy beer. The beer ends on a bitter note and that’s actually a good thing; it prepares your tastebuds for another sip or another |
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